The cuts keep on comin

Insomnium - Across the Dark: a little TOO melodic.
Katatonia - Night is the New Day: sissy metal.
Kittie - In the Black: would be better if Morgan wasn't the singer.
Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough: As far as black metal goes, it's probably good. But I didn't really dig it.

KsE is sitting on the fence. I don't want to like it, but I can't help but sing along.

Get Thrashed!

I just finished watching Get Thrashed. It's a documentary about the history of Thrash Metal. It was pretty good. I'm kinda late to the thrash scene so it had a lot of info I didn't know. Thrash started in like '82-'83 when I was 4-5 years old so you can understand that I wasn't a metalhead back then. All I heard was Sharon, Lois and Bram or the country crap my Mom listened too. I got some CCR and stuff like that from my Dad, but it wasn't metal. I didn't get into metal til "One" by Metallica and even then, I wasn't INto it. I hadn't denounced everything else yet. (Sepultura did that for me) Of course, I got into the Big 4, had no idea about Exodus, Testament, Kreator, Death Angel, etc etc. I have heard of them before this but didn't really know the history or how they fit into it.

If you are into metal at all, I highly recommended this doc. Great music, great insight. It's different than Heavy Metal in Baghdad because it's not just about one band. It's not quite as good as Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, but better than that one Penelope Spheeris did. The Decline of Western Civilization 2: The Metal Years. I might even say it's better than Global Metal. The sequel to Headbanger's Journey.

I really dig documentaries on stuff I like. And I love metal.

You're cut!

I broke the alpha order tonight. I skipped everything from H to L. I wasn't in the mood for anything in that range. I went right to Napalm Death. So good. Then I back a bit to Magrudergrind. So good. Oh right, the cuts.

God Dethroned - Passiondale: Death metal. Good. War themed lyrics. Good. Anti-Judeo-Christian moniker. Good. Periods of non-brutalness. Not good.

Goreaphobia - (not coming to mind right now): Ripping old-school death metal from old school death metallers. However, sub-par vocals. Could have used better production. And nothing really memorable about it.

Hatebreed - Hatebreed: I didn't actually listen to this in the last few days. I tried to. The first song is pretty bad and it just soured it for me. They have fallen so, so far.

Outside of the above mentioned bands I listened to Slayer, Kylesa and Black Sabbath all weekend.

Oh! and I scored a free record player this weekend. Now all I need is a needle (maybe) and let the vinyl collecting begin!! (My wife is gonna hate me)

My thoughts on Decibel's Top 40 #20-#1

#20 Asphyx - Death...the Brutal Way: brutal is the only way I like it. This album is amazing.
#19 The Atlas Moth - A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky: haven't had the pleasure
#18 Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us: haven't been able to get past the first couple tracks. It's just not where my head's at this year.
#17 Mastodon - Crack the Skye: took me a few listens to get it. It's great. The all instrumental version is great too.
#16 YOB - The Great Cessation: It's pretty good but it wore on me after a while. Light one up and....
#15 Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest: My first experience with Nile. It won't be the last. This is awesome.
#14 Magrudergrind - Magrudergrind: I've been becoming more of a grind fan lately and this album is part of that.
#13 Obscura - Cosmogenesis: too damn technical. not my bag.
#12 Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse: see Magrudergrind
#11 Immortal - All Shall Fall: still working on a taste for "traditional" black metal.
#10 Isis - Wavering Radiant: could be their last album? oh that's too bad. NOT
#9 Marduk - Wormwood: see Immortal
#8 Tombs - Winterhours: I had forgoten about this. It'd pretty awesome but likely won't be this high on my list. If at all.
#7 Slayer - World Painted Blood: It's Slayer. Nuff said.
#6 Kylesa - Static Tensions: Should make number 1 on my list. Still need to transcribe the interview I did with Laura and Phillip.
#5 Cobalt - Gin: This black metal I dig. LOTS.
#4 Napalm Death - Time Waits for No Slave: This came out so early in the year, I have to back and listen to it again. It's good though, it's Napalm Death.
#3 Coalesce - OX: I may be one of the few people who just doesn't like them. I don't dislike them. I'm just indifferent.
#2 Converge - Axe to Fall: AMAZINGNESS EMBODIED!!
#1 Baroness - Blue Record: The Red Album topped my list that year. This year, Blue Record will be damned close.

2 more list eliminations

Disappearer - The Clearing This was never really in contention. I just hadn't heard it much. And it's not in contention now. There are plenty of bands with the same M.O. that do it way better and with more energy. (Baroness, Torche, any number of lacklustre NeurIsis clones) I found the vocals weak and the instrumentals leaving me wanting more. Like vocals. I was making up screaming vocal melodies in my head. It sounded much better. I'd listen to it again but I wouldn't crave for it.

Divine Heresy - Bringer of Plagues Say what you want about Dino Cazares. But the dude is awesome. I've loved everything he's done up til Divine Heresy. The vocals are bad, it's like nu-metal never ended, and there's too many recycled Fear Factory riffs. After the awesomeness of Brujeria, and the wickedness of Asesino I don't know why Dino would do this. He and Burton need to make nice with Christian and Ray, and remanufacture FF with the soul of a new machine. (See what I did there?)

Tops of 2009 list update

So I started listening to the 90 or so albums on my iPod. I'm going in alpha order for now.
Here's some of the albums that are NOT gonna make it.

Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate (not my fave style of metal and the vocals get irritating after a while)
Arise & Ruin - Nightstorms Hailfire (I'm friends with these guys, I hang out with them at their shows. I want to include them but album has some weak spots. Great guys and great live show)
Batillus - (can't remember) (pretty good instrumental doom/drone but it got boring in parts. comes with the territory)

Coalesce - OX ( some pretty good parts but it just wasn't doing anything for me. Call me crazy.)

Daath - The Concealers (The new one lacks all the quirkiness/electronics that made the last one so appealing.)

Dethklok - Dethalbum II (it's good and has lots and lots of circle-headbang appeal but it's band based on a TV show. An AWESOME tv show but a tv show nonetheless.)

Despised Icon - (I'm drawing a blank) (Cream of the deathcore crop but that's like being the best player on, say, the Redskins. It's still metal/football and it's better than rock/basketball but there is way better. Brootal Death Metal/ the Saints. and worse. Crabcore/Lions, Rams etc)

Crippled Black Phoenix - 200 Tons of Bad Luck (on the light side and very situation/mood/state of mind dependant)

Devildriver - Pray for Villians ( t'would be better to pray for Dez. The band is great but I feel Dez is the weak link. It is wrong that I kinda/sometimes/almost like Coal Chamber better than this album?)

There is about 6 maybes in that alpha range but considering there is about 8 or 9 probables in that range too, I doubt they'll make it