I really didn’t want to make this list but I’m compelled to do it. That and so many great albums have come out this year that it’s almost blasphemous not to. Seeing that I don’t foresee anything new totally wowing me in the remains of the year, I figured now is a good time as any to publish this list.

As usual, I can’t listen to everything that came out this year so these are my picks as to what I’ve heard, so don’t bitch about it being too “mainstream”. So here goes…

Best Metal albums of 2009

1. Mastodon’s Crack The Skye: With hooks and grooves of such a progressive nature, I had a hard time not listening to this every day when it was released. Mastodon put a lot of heart and effort in to Crack The Skye and it turned out beautiful. I honestly don’t know how they intend to top this.
2. Megadeth’s Endgame: Dave Mustaine has put together a tight group of musicians since his comeback with United Abominations, though I don’t like that album as much as I did when I first heard it. With the addition of phenomenal guitarist Chris Broderick, Dave found the brick to complete the foundation of group that he could write an amazing album with, returning completely to form. Lastly; Endgame > Death Magnetic.
3. Skeltonwitch’s Breathing The Fire: Thrashy death metal is easy to get hooked on when you love both genres and Skeletonwitch did a great job reaching in to the pits of hell and creating a fast and heavy record that mixes the genres together well.
4. 3 Inches of Blood’s Here Waits Thy Doom: Modernizing the classic metal sound of the NWOBHM with anthems that make most metal fans proud, Here Waits Thy Doom reminds us that we don’t always have to have an entire album of metal with anti-religious overtones redundantly being the theme.
5. Goatwhore’s Carving Out The Eyes of God: Kind of the opposite of 3IOB’s Here Waits Thy Doom, Carving’ is filled with anti-religious overtones but yet it’s that thrashy-death metal mix that makes it worth multiple listens and this band kills it live.
6. Daath’s The Concealers: I don’t understand why Daath isn’t more popular that they are, but this band puts on a great show and The Concealers is a superb listen from beginning to end. Emil Werstler, Eyal Levi and Sean Z put together the record I probably listened to most this year, with Mastodon and Megadeth coming in close behind.

Best Death Metal Albums Of 2009

1. Suffocation’s Blood Oath: Earlier this year I said I wasn’t sure if this would be the best death metal album of 2009. Now I am sure that it is, in my own opinion of course. Brutally heavy, yet not a millions miles an hour. That is precisely what makes this album the best of 2009, because the mix is well done, though the guitar tone doesn’t sound as high as previous albums, but every instrument compliments the next. Frank Mullen’s vocals are perhaps the best in the business without sounding too garbled and incomprehensible.
2. Ignominious Incarceration’s Of Winter Born: Of Winter Born brings technicality without going overboard, keeping the rhythm catchy enough for me to enjoy without feeling as if I’m being smothered.
3. Bloodsoaked’ Sadistic Deeds…Grotesque Memories: The one man killing machine that keeps things simple, yet effective is Peter Hasselbrack. The fact that he’s a local act and that I know him personally has nothing to do with the reason Bloodsoaked has made the list. It’s on here because it’s a killer death metal album, period.
4. Obituary’s Dark Days: Obituary don’t change their formula for a reason; because it works. Why try to fix what’s not broken? John Tardy still has perhaps one of the most original voices in Death Metal and the band has kept their form while keeping things moderately fresh with Dark Days.
5. Cattle Decapitation’s The Harvest Floor: Do I really need to elaborate on this album? Just listen to it.
6. Cannibal Corpse’ Evisceration Plague: Could I really exclude this album from this list?

Best Thrash Metal of 2009

1. Kreator’s Hordes Of Chaos: These Germans thrash veterans, though sometimes a bit cheesy, still have what it takes to make a great thrash album and put on a bad-ass show.
2. Lazarus A.D.’s The Onslaught: Thrash metal noobs, Wisconsin’s Lazarus does Thrash Metal proud with their debut album.
3. Warbringer’s Waking In To Nightmares:  Another band of neo-thrash metal released their second album barely a year after their first album dropped, constantly touring. Waking in To Nightmares is a great, progressive follow up to War Without End.
4. Defiance’s The Prophecy: The veteran bay area thrashes that never quite made waves above the thrash metal underground reformed in 2005 and this is their first studio album since 1992 when they had a three album stint on Roadrunner.  This band has endured countless line-up changes but it doesn’t matter because The Prophecy kicks ass.
5. Evile’s Infected Nation: Finally getting some recognition for their thrash efforts, UK’s Evile didn’t really make a lot of headlines until the passing of Mike Alexander shortly after the albums release.
6. Dreaming Dead’s Within One: This female fronted band could probably fall under the death.thrash category but the fact is that this album is slightly more thrash than death metal in my opinion but could fall either way. Given time, experience and more exposure, Dreaming Dead could become the next Arch Enemy.

There are many other albums that were released this year that didn’t quite make my cut or there just wasn’t room in the list of 6’s. There were plenty of albums that came out this year that were good but not quite memorable; again in my own opinion. Feel free to post your own picks in the comment section.

9 Responses to “Hook In Mouth Top Picks of 2009”