HEAVY METAL: THE BEST OF 2008

2008 was another great year for us hard rock and heavy metal fans. For me, as both a deejay and metal director in Salem, I had the opportunity to gain some perks that overcompensated for me doing both jobs on a volunteer basis. I went to numerous shows(the NEHMF was the best), got to listen to a slew on new releases, met many cool people in the heavy metal community and got to speak with many bands on a regular basis. The best interview was one with Trevor, lead vocalist for Unearth. It was an honor, considering he sat in the same exact seat that I currently sit in at the station(he hosted a metal show here too).
You have to take the good with the bad though. I met a bunch of fans who seemed very disinterested in anything except themselves. I feel like punching them and yelling "wake up". It's not too often you meet a fellow metal head. Embrace it. Anyways, there was a bunch of solid metal albums, but nothing great. When the year began, I was stoked for new releases from some of my favorite bands, such as Norther, Firewind, In Flames, Evergrey, Pharaoh, The Duskfall, Trivium and Fear My Thoughts. Unfortunately, all the albums stunk. I was disappointed to say the least. Those are my biggest flops for 2008 heavy metal releases.
There were some surprises though, such as albums from new bands such as Whitechapel, Soul Embraced and Epicurean. We had some solid melodeath, such as Made of Hate, Moonspell and Children of Bodom. There was an abundant amount of female fronted hard rock and metal in 2008, and I loved every second of it.
My top 8 heavy metal albums of the year 2008 are below. I posted the top 8 of 2007 last year, the link is here http://prophet7.blogspot.com/2007/12/2007-heavy-metal-and-hard-rock-awards.html I should state the many albums that probably would of made this list(Testament, Eluveite and Moonspell come to mind) are not here because I never found the time to listen to them and others. Lastly, there is no Metallica here. I won't stoop to that level and put them on my year end list like so many others. It's a good album, but not even close to a top tier album.

8. ANNIHILATOR:METAL- A great thrash album. The production is solid man, the riffs and solos are memorable. Guest musicians galore. The best three cuts are Downright Dominate w/ Alexi and Smothered w/ Anders and Operation Annihilation w/Michael. All in all, a great listen.

7. SOULFLY:CONQUER- Simply, a cool album. The vibe is killer' here. The intensity and aggression is prevalent. I enjoyed this thing from start to finish. The riffs stick out and the perfect amount of solos are found. It's thrashy, evil, fast and melodic. It's a fun and kick-ass release.

6. UNEARTH:THE MARCH- The first 5 songs are brilliant. I loved every minute of it. They may live one town over from me, but there is no bias here. Everything works well, especially the addition of lead work hardly found in the previous albums. The melodies are uplifting, and ironically don't come from clean passages. They don't use them. This is metalcore at its finest. Even the breakdowns are bearable. They've crafted a stellar sound, and, like Benjamin Button, improve as they age. And that rarely happens in heavy metal.

5. ALL THAT REMAINS:OVERCOME- Amazing stuff here. Catchy. The guitar work, as always, stands out. The balance between brutality and melody is perfected. At first listen, I disliked the new "sound" of Phil's vocals. But the vox grew on me after a few spins. I still listen to it. It never gets stale or boring. It's rare a band fulfills the expectations of a new album. They do with ease.

4. DRACONIAN:TURNING SEASON WITHIN- Though I'm not a huge fan of doom, this album is bone chillingly good. Everything meshes well, whether it be the female vox, the male grunts, keys or the moving riffs. This is an atmospheric masterpiece. Up until now, I thought gothic doom metal was supposed to be just that. But this enlightening album is positively uplifting.

3. INTO ETERNITY:THE INCURABLE TRAGEDY- Man, this album is wonderful. The band took a year of tragedies and turned it into something positive. Take away the many interludes, and you have an epic progressive thrash death melodic metal success. Or, a great album with man genres and styles meshed together in perfection. The guitar work, as always is stunning. The vocals range all over the place and work well. The melodies are chillingly superb. Brilliant.

2. SCAR SYMMETRY:MORPHOGENESIS- Okay, I must admit they're my favorite band. Even so, it's clear they are what melodic progressive death metal should be. Unfortunately, they are a love em' or hate' em band. It was impossible for this album to follow up its predecessor, but they did their best. I love everything about the band and this album. It's what metal should be.

1. AMORAL:REPTILE RIDE- This album never got much play here in the United States. It came out in early January without any support. The heavier side of melodeath is found here. It's an evil and cold death metal album that somehow burns freely with it's speed and aggression. The riffs and solos are ruthless. The vocals are . They went from being a mediocre metal band into a memorable, technical, great thrashy melodeath band. It's groovy. It's cool. It never gets old and no need to hit the "skip" button. Every song slays. The shred element is here. I love this album from start to finish. Though largely unknown to the masses, it left its mark with me.