Favorite Music of 2009

Almost six months late, here are my favorite slabs of new music from last year. Noticed there is no "best-of" or "top" monikers, because someone with the limited access and musical vocabulary as myself needs to limit hyperbole.

In no particular order:

Revocation - "Existence is Futile"
Everyone characterizes this as thrash metal, but it always seemed more like a mix between old-school death metal and melodic death metal. There's no keyboards or clean singing, but it doesn't have the brutality of Morbid Angel or Death. I probably just can't categorize music. No matter the genre, this album knocked me on my ass. The songwriting is tight and the whole band contributes cleanly in the mix. Quasi-jazz breakdowns get thrown in and the songs have grooves but never get boring. I've heard that this album isn't a huge step up from their first and that the second half is much stronger than the first but I disagree. The songs seem more focused here than on "Empire of the Obscene" and overall I think the first half is stronger, but the whole thing is excellent.

Favorite track - "Deathonomics"

Cormorant - "Metazoa"
I started checking out more unsigned/obscure bands this past year and Cormorant (along with Iron Thrones, whose album came out in 2008 or else it would be on here) was one of the best finds. They have a really nice progressive black metal sound going on, but with some serious hooks and melodies. The average song length is around seven minutes but all the tracks fly by they're so good. This album was the first I bought a physical copy of in probably five years. I've completely shifted to digital music, but had to have this record so bad I bought the CD because I couldn't find it for download. You should too.

Favorite track - "Blood on the Cornfields"

Baroness - "Blue Record"
Did I come up with the term Post-Appalachian Sludge to describe Baroness? I can't remember and it is probably a misnomer, but I like it damn it. I find this weaker than their previous titan of a release, The Red Album, but this is still a great collection of stoner rock that crushes you with riff after riff as John Baizely curdles you ears with his Georgian shouts and screams. I'm not sure how I feel about the repeated melody that runs throughout, though it is quite beautiful.

Favorite track - "Swollen and Halo"

Centaurus-A - "Side Effects Expected"
This is my "doesn't change or innovate but still still rocks" pick. These guys dropped an acceptable modern death metal release. The standout here is the lead work, which flows to soaring heights that only Revocation equaled. Seriously, the solos are downright awesome. The real bummer is the production, with the guitars sounding artificial and stagnant and the drums being the definition of over-produced. Hopefully they can get a better mix and work on diversifying their songs, because they've got real potential.

Favorite track - "The Praying Mantis"

Saviours - "Accelerated Living"
By and large, I've avoided the "re-thrash" movement because it all blends together for me. The one exception was Saviours, a band I'm glad I took a chance on. In addition to being a straight-ahead steamroller of an album, the high point is the production, which is some of the best I've heard on a modern metal album. It sounds so raw, but not in an 80s sort of way. No, this is something I thought I'd never hear: purely synthetic nostalgia that slays.

Favorite track - "Slave to the Hex"

Mastodon - "Crack the Skye"
Revelation: I've never been a big Mastodon fan. So yes, if you're on of their fans that thinks they betrayed their real sound and sold out to the masses, I'm your nemesis. What I always heard was a bunch of half-realized riffs and a band running on pure energy. Sure, they had songs I could get into, but with Crack the Skye they ditched all that and made a complete record, dare I say a prog-metal masterpiece. When Brett Hinds (I hope) sang "Spiraling up through the crack in the skye" it was like I literally had come online, fully awake and ready to view Rasputin through a wormhole.

Favorite track - "The Czar"

Kylesa - "Static Tensions"
Two drummers in a sludge band? Seemed a bit unnecessary, but I'll check it out. Turns out the rhythms turn into a lulling feeling that somehow never gets undone by the harsh-ish vocals. Outside of that, I don't have much to say. Just listen to this is you like metal, because it's that damn good.

Favorite track - "To Walk Alone"

Between the Buried and Me - "The Great Misdirect"
Are they still a band where the moments tend to overwhelm the whole? You bet, but when the moments are this good, just shut up and listen. I still think they've yet to write their best material, which is kind of scary. One definite upgrade from "Colors?" The vocals, which seem much stronger and varied than before, where they just plodded into the background of everything else. Besides Cynic, there's not a band whose next album I can't wait to hear more.

Favorite track - I'm going to cheat and say that "Swim to the Moon" and "Disease, Injury, Madness" tie.

Devin Townsend Project - "Ki" and "Addicted"
I've never gotten into Strapping Young Lad or listened to much of his previous solo efforts, but I think it would be hard to find a guy more respected by such a wide variety of people. The guy personifies credibility. Since I follow metal on the internet, it would've been impossible to not check these releases out. The first two parts of a planned quartet of albums, "Ki" is the mellow, restrained lead-in to the heavier, catchy, and at times ridiculously poppy sound of "Addicted." They're both great and a testament to how talented Townsend and his associates are, as well as how easily he can switch sounds.

Favorite track - "Trainfire" from "Ki" and "Hyperdrive!" from "Addicted"

Porcupine Tree - "The Incident"
The fact that I had to think for a few seconds what the title of this was is probably the best sign that of the the past tens years or so, this is my least favorite release of Steven Wilson's biggest project. Originally I was excited as can be that the album would be one single huge track, no breaks or explained movements. I still haven't figured out if I just misrepresented what was reported, but the album instead is split up into fourteen tracks. Too many of them are short interludes that are unfortunately forgettable and feel like a void on the work as a whole. There really are only two tracks that stand out to me, with Wilson showing again that he can write a haunting ending like no one else. They're still one of my favorite bands ever, but this was a a disappointment. Still, I'll listen to whatever they release.

Favorite track - "I Drive the Hearse"

There it is. I probably missed all the good albums.