2009's Music List

TOP 09's RECORDS:

1) Converge - Axe To Fall (Hardcore/Mathcore)
Arguably the best band in the "extreme" music scene for the last 20 years.

2) Lewd Acts - Black Eye Blues (Hardcore/Punk)
Their new album was a revelation, combining hardcore with post punk setting new standards.

3) Nightstalker - Superfreak (Rock 'n Roll/Stoner)
The best live act in Greece for many years now, a cult.

4) Rise And Fall - Our Circle Is Vicious (Hardcore/Punk)
The best European release for 2009. Heavier, more complex, still Rise&Fall.

5) Burnt By The Sun - Heart Of Darkness (Hardcore/Grindcore)
Final release from these guys, their best achievement so far. Lyrically dealing with themes such as corruption because of power and the inner conflict between right and wrong. Light stuff.

6) Wolves In The Throne Room - Black Cascade (Black Metal/Experimental)
Nature freaks growing their own salad, playing experimental black metal on their free time.

7) Kylesa - Static Tensions (Sludge/Stoner)
Woman fronted, crazy riffage and two drummers as accurate as a clock.

8) Daïtro - Y (Screamo)
French screamo.

9) Margins - Margins (Post Rock/Shoegaze)
From Australia, their debut album featuring great artwork.

10) Dangers - Messy Isn't It (Grindcore/Hardcore)
Featuring members from Graf Orlock and more, this is their second album, having a more hardcore approach, never forgetting their grindcore roots though.

11) Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder (Doom/Sludge)
A supergroup featuring members from: Neurosis, Melvins, Om and Spirit Caravan.

12) Keelhaul - Triumphant Return To Obscurity (Mathcore/Sludge)
They are old, fat and ugly but they know how to play. The album is best described by its title.

13) Coalesce - Ox (Mathcore)
Mathcore pioneers release their new album after 10 years.

14) Magrudergrind - Magrudergrind (Grindcore)
Young power-trio release their first full length, giving our heads they shake they deserved.

15) Crippled Black Phoenix - The Resurrectionists/Night Raider (Post Rock/Psychedelic Rock)
Having such a great name,they feature members from Iron Monkey, Electric Wizard and Mogwai. They gave their new double album a more psychedelic, Pink Floyd-ish touch.
[PASS: ichosemusic ]

16) HEALTH - Get Color (Noise Rock)
Way better than A Place To Bury Strangers. Don't make such comments with so many hipsters around,eh.

17) Church Of Misery - Houses Of The Unholy (Southern Rock/Sludge)
Hailing from Japan and sounding like Matt Pike is really something.

18) Burden - Catholic Guilt (EP) (Hardcore/Punk)
Best debut release of 2009. Holy Terror sound.

19) Doomriders - Darkness Come Alive (Rock 'n Roll/Hardcore)
When you see fists in the air, it means party.

20) Hope Conspiracy - True Nihilist (EP) (Hardcore)
A 3-Track EP making it to a Top-of-the-Year list, imagine how good it can be.

21) Toe - For Long Tomorrow (Japanese Post/Math Rock)
Melodies for rainy days and bright colored raincoats.

22) Narrows - New Distances (Hardcore/Mathcore/Post Punk)
Deathwish Inc. Supergroup.

23) A Wilhelm Scream - A Wilhelm Scream (EP) (Technical Punk Rock)
The most technically proficient in punk rock.

24) Fall Of Efrafa - Inle' (Post Rock/Crust)
Final effort from Fall Of Efrafa, rabbit-themed post rock with crust passages. Better than Elil, not as good as Owsla.

25) Gaslamp Killer - My Troubled Mind (EP) (Dubstep/IDM)
Craziest guy out there combining hip hop with oriental music over the pounding beat of a dubstep mix.

SOMETHING DIDN'T COME OUT THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO...

1) Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures (Rock)
Featuring members from Kyuss, Qotsa, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin, expectations were much higher.

2) Baroness - Blue Record (Sludge)
Them two demos had set the bar way too high, for the Red and Blue Records.

3) A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head (Post Punk/Noise Rock)
They fade in comparison with HEALTH.

4) ISIS - Wavering Radiant (Post Metal)
Worst Album of the Year. If you disagree listen to the previous ISIS albums.

5) Mastodon - Crack The Skye (Sludge)
Don't get me wrong, the album was very good, but it didn't explore new territories as the musical press keeps on stating. Other bands like Isis and Pelican have already done what Mastodon try in their new record, whether you like it or not.

6) Blacklisted - No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me (Hardcore)
Previous Blacklisted albums were so heavy and the riffs kept on hitting you from all over the place. Something went missing in this album, it was much lighter than I would prefer. Not bad, just unexpectedly different.

7) The Mars Volta - Octahedron (Experimental/Progressive)
I can't understand how Omar lately releases such interesting albums when solo, but the with the Volta he does boring stuff. I mean the last record was nowhere close to Bedlam In Goliath, not musically, not lyrically. I'm beginning to smell SELLOUT.

8) A Storm Of Light - Forgive Us Our Trespasses (Sludge/Doom)
Boring, uninteresting, unmoving compositions.

9) Thrice - Beggars (Post Hardcore/Alternative)
It seemed so, that after the Alchemy Indexes, Thrice would struggle to keep up. The album leaked unmastered prior to its release, they rushed things afterwards, something didn't work out right this time.

10) Maybeshewill - Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony (Post Rock/Alternative)
They 've better hire a keyboardist. Or cut down on the programmed stuff.


All albums are downloadable (click on the name), in order to listen and draw your own conclusions.