Top Five Albums of 2008, plus the Year's Worst and a Suprise Discovery

Well it's the end of the year and I've decided it's time for me to get back into posting here. It's a shame, because I've got about 2 half-finished articles already (one about Bioshock and another about my idea for a Lovecraft-themed RPG set in World War 2) and I've just not felt the urge to write. However I come out of my hole today to present to you with a roundup of my musical experiences this year. My top five albums of 2008 plus the worst album of the year, plus my favourite musical discovery of the year.

Without further ado, let's begin this feature with my top five albums of 2008.

#5 Darkthrone - Dark Thrones and Black Flags

I fucking love Darkthrone. That's all there really is to it. Of all the old-school black metal bands that seemed to swarm out of Europe in the 80s and early 90s, Darkthrone has remained the one band that I will listen to on a nearly daily basis if I wanted to. As far as I'm concerned, there are only five bands that can get away with the piss-poor production values so inherent to the scene and Darkthrone is all of them. They somehow managed to make that lo-fi sound essential to their sound, almost as if it were another instrument. Though they've changed their direction a few times, most notably with The Cult is Alive a couple years ago. Dark Thrones and Black Flags is simply a continuation of what The Cult is Alive started and what FOAD would expand on, taking on a punk and crust punk influence and mixing it with their strong black metal sound. It's no less heavy, and certainly a bit more refined. This is brutality at its best- raw yet listenable.

Best songs: The Winds They Called the Dungeon Shaker, Norway in September, Witch Ghetto

Also recommended: Transilvanian Hunger, Hate Them!, The Cult is Alive

#4 Cult of Luna - Eternal Kingdom

Cult of Luna haven't always impressed me; their earlier albums were good but never quite managing to pull out any hooks that grabbed me. Salvation was another matter, an absolutely amazing album that would finish with the thundrously dark "Into the Beyond". Eternal Kingdom proves to be their finest work to date. It's more refined, taking on a darker tone that "Into the Beyond" had hinted at and is overall much heavier than before. Earlier work had put more emphasis on their hardcore roots but it was with Eternal Kingdom that they would begin to play up a more progressive angle that stretches out through the entire album.

Best tracks: Owlwood, Ghost Trail, The Great Migration

Also recommended: Salvation, Somewhere Along the Highway

#3 Metallica - Death Magnetic

So a while back I was putting together a compilation of music from the PC games Doom and Doom 2 and the classic metal songs they ripped off. It was then that I realized that Metallica, the band I had been hating and ignoring for years, were actually pretty damn good back in the 80s. I mean I liked some of it, but with the drudgery of their 90s work and the singularly awful St. Anger, by the time I'd become able to actually listen to a full Metallica album, I didn't really bother. So as I've grown older and more thoughtful I've changed my stance on Metallica. 80s: mandatory. 90s: optional. St. Anger: really really optional. And now Death Magnetic: Mandatory. Combining the best of their 80s work with the skills they've picked up in the intervening years, a sufficiently dried-out James Hetfield, and finally replacing Lars Ulrich with a drum machine (or so it seems, anyway) this album has turned out to be quite the pleasant suprise. After over a decade of being the butt of jokes Metallica has finally come roaring back onto the scene and turning themselves into something worth listening to and I hope they continue down this road for years to come. The only real downside is the album being a victim of the Loudness War, which has damaged some otherwise excellent albums. While it's not as big a victim as Rush's Vapor Trails, it still sounds best on car stereos. Despite this issue it's a frankly excellent album and well deserving of the spot.

Best songs: That Was Just Your Life, The Day that Never Comes, All Nightmare Long

Also recommended: Master of Puppets, And Justice for All, Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning

#2 Warrel Dane - Praises to the War Machine

I'll say it right now: If you don't like Nevermore because of Warrel Dane you're not going to like this so you may leave now. Please check your reproductive organs at the door on the way out. The rest of you settle in.

Let's be honest here: this album fucking rules. While Nevermore has never quite been able to top Dreaming Neon Black for me (though This Godless Endeavour comes close), this album is absolutely equal with DNB. If you were expecting just another Nevermore album however you're going to be suprised. Vocals aside this is definitely NOT Nevermore. The closest description would be what Devin Townsend Band would sound like if Warrel Dane did vocals. Warrel's vocals are unmistakable and his delivery has not changed, but the music itself is much more progressive. He continues his tradition of taking songs you wouldn't expect a band like this to cover and making them rock ass- Sisters of Mercy can go fuck themselves because "Lucretia My Reflection" is now a Warrel Dane song. Warrel's haunting vocals make this album, absolutely, and people who hate Warrel Dane's voice love Hitler. And tampon porn. This album proves that Warrel doesn't need Nevermore as much as Nevermore needs him, because let's face it- he IS Nevermore, along with Jeff Loomis. Fucking great album and a contendor for the top spot.

Best tracks: Obey, Lucretia My Reflection, August

Also recommended: While this is Warrel's first solo album you may want to check out Nevermore, specifically Dead Heart In A Dead World, This Godless Endeavor, and especially Dreaming Neon Black

#1 Earth - The Bees Made Honey In the Lion's Skull

Where do I begin? I find it amazing that a guy from one of my least favourite bands (Nirvana) is the founder of one of my MOST favourite (Earth). Dylan Carlson has proven himself again and again that he does not give two fucks what most people think of him or his music. Singlehandedly inventing the genre of drone doom and its characteristic, bass/reverb-heavy buzzing (one that Sunn O))) would take to extremes), Earth would continue to evolve, affecting a more rock-oriented approach before going on hiatus for several years. Upon Carlson's return to music he would take the band in a very different direction, going for a much cleaner approach. They would continue to evolve, reworking older pre-hiatus songs into this new style, and finally they came up with this. It's a step up from Hex: or Printing in the Infernal Method, with thicker texturing and an eclectic collection of elements including organs and some simple piano. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell would provide input here, and overall it's basically an improved version of Hex. It's an absolutely fantastic album, and somehow manages to maintain a sense of heaviness even while giving a sense of relaxation and calm. I wrestled for a long time over which album to give #1, and it turned out to be this one.

Best tracks: Omens and Portents I: The Driver, Engine of Ruin, Hung from the Moon

Also recommended: Hex: or Printing in the Infernal Method, Hibernaculum, and from their earlier work, Pentastar: In the Style of Demons

Worst of 2008: Opeth - Watershed

Fuck this album. There, I said it. Fuck this fucking album. At first I thought there was something wrong with me, like maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it or something. But you know what? Every time I listen to this album I just end up hating it more. This is seriously the biggest disappointment of the year. A lot of people whined when Damnation came out because it wasn't "heavy enough" but I thought it was great and the detractors were assholes. This album however... I don't know what the fuck was going on here. At times you would hear the Opeth you knew and loved, complexity overlaid with Mikael's trademark growl, then it would suddenly drop away and you're wondering what fucking shithump spliced in Pain of Salvation. I've never had an Opeth album nearly put me to sleep but this one was just fucking DUH DUH DUH. Just when you think it's going to do something interesting BAM it's another 5 minutes of One Hour by the Concrete Lake. It's a goddamn shame that the best songs on this album were the special edition bonus tracks. Opeth has lost their fucking touch, and it's time for them to either seriously reconsider the direction they're taking or retire outright because if I have to listen to another fucking album like this I quit. When the the most interesting song you've done since Damnation is a cover of Alice in Chains there is something wrong. Fuck this album.

Favourite discovery: Alcest - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde (2007)

I discovered this album almost entirely by accident. I think someone may have mentioned it in passing, or I was digging through old posts on Mandatory Metal (the community I help moderate) and found the album by chance. Either way, I was attracted to the description of it being a mix of black metal and post-rock. While the black metal elements have been severely downplayed in this album compared to the minor releases prior to this, you can still hear traces of it. But they only serve to accent what's essentially a very beautiful album. The production is generally excellent, though when things get particularly busy it sometimes gets a bit muddled. All in all I am very pleased to hear post-metal taking an influence from something other than doom or hardcore or sludge. I eagerly anticipate Alcest's next album.

Conclusion: This has been a banner year for music, both personally as well as in general. 2009 looks to be equally great, with a lot of hotly anticipated albums due to drop in the next 365 days. Let's hope they're as awesome as these.