Chris Colgan, New and Noteworthy author
1. Mutiny Within, Mutiny Within (Roadrunner)
For a band to resuscitate a dying genre and give it a completely new life, it takes quite a lot of talent, innovation, and luck. Mutiny Within had all three of those factors working in their favor with their self-titled debut. Because of this album, metalcore now has a new face, a new life, and a new direction that could turn legions of haters into fans. The influence is already showing, as technical and progressive metalcore bands are now appearing all over the place. Not only is this my favorite overall album of the year and my top compositional album, the album also opens with my top song of the year, the flawless “Awake”. The sky is the limit for this group, literally…if you’re discussing Chris Clancy’s vocal range, at least.
2. Heaven Shall Burn, Invictus (Iconoclast III) (Century Media)
Based on a lot of the reviews I read, most metal albums are usually judged by the quality of the music, often only taking lyrics into account when they are bad. I’m taking the opposite approach here, because Invictus is the best lyrical album I have EVER heard, hands down. Marcus Bischoff is poetic, uncompromising, vicious, and succinct – in short, a true lyrical genius. With historical calamities, current atrocities, and deeply personal struggles all laid bare, Invictus is obviously my choice as top lyrical album of the year. It also gets my picks for having the best cover of the year, with a beastly rendition of “Nowhere” by Therapy?, and the best guest appearance of the year, with Sabine Weniger of Deadlock performing a heart-stoppingly beautiful duet with Bischoff on “Given in Death”.
3. Demon Hunter, The World is a Thorn (Solid State)
I view Demon Hunter is one of the most underrated bands in all of modern metal. For me, they are one of the rare groups that simply gets better with every album. The World is a Thorn is no exception, featuring absolutely phenomenal songwriting from Ryan Clark and highlighted by exceptional guest appearances from Strid, Älvestam, and Throwdown’s Dave Peters. I’ve said it after every other Demon Hunter album, and I’ll say it again here – I don’t know how Demon Hunter can get any better than this. But I still hope they prove me wrong yet again on their next album.
4. Solution .45, For Aeons Past (AFM)
Two years ago, Christian Älvestam parted ways with Scar Symmetry. This year, Älvestam has returned with a band that sounds a lot like Scar Symmetry, except that Solution .45 is even better. Utilizing some of the most subtle nuances that make huge differences, while highlighting the best parts of Älvestam’s vocals, For Aeons Past is a breathtaking album in every possible way.
5. Triptykon, Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
Celtic what? Tom Warrior still has it, this album proves that. One of the greatest minds in metal history has once again raised the bar for every extreme and avant-garde metal band to follow in his footsteps. Combined with the essential Shatter EP as a companion piece,Eparistera Daimones is a mind-warping trip through musical ingenuity.
6. Overkill, Ironbound (eOne Music)
In my opinion, the Big Four have been getting outclassed by many of their supposedly “lesser” peers for many years now. In 2008, it was Testament. Last year, it was Kreator. This year, Overkill delivers a simply monumental thrash album that is the best of their thirty-year history. From the first notes of “The Green and Black” to the final riffs of “The SRC”, Ironbound is the purest essence of thrash quality.
7. Soilwork, The Panic Broadcast (Nuclear Blast)
What Clint Lowery is to Sevendust, Peter Wichers is to Soilwork. 2007′s Sworn to a Great Divide was a pretty good album, but The Panic Broadcast absolutely blows it out of the water. Wichers is one of the best songwriters in all of modern metal, as evidenced by this diverse album. Combined with the stunning vocal talents of Björn “Speed” Strid, Soilwork is virtually unstoppable.
8. Stigmata, Psalms of Conscious Martyrdom (M Entertainment)
Most of you probably haven’t heard of this power-prog group from Sri Lanka (not one of the many other Stigmatas out there), but they’re one of the most interesting groups I’ve discovered in recent years. Much of Stigmata’s material makes some of the biggest prog bands sound like their songs were composed on a Casio children’s keyboard. If you want to hear something fresh and exciting from the power-prog underground, then Stigmata is what you’re looking for.
9. Sevendust, Cold Day Memory (7 Bros./Asylum)
I enjoyed Sevendust’s albums with Sonny Mayo on guitar, but one listen to this album is all it took to convince me that Clint Lowery is the true brain of Sevendust, just as much as Lajon Witherspoon is the heart. Cold Day Memory is Sevendust’s best album since 2001′s stellarAnimosity, putting them back at the top of the heap of alt-metal bands that have persisted through the past decade.
10. Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (Warner Bros.)
This isn’t exactly close to metal, but DAMN, this album is mind-blowingly good. There are more than enough detractors about Linkin Park’s sound changes, but I will stand by this album and its progressive tone. I admire risk-takers, and this album is the riskiest composition I’ve heard in a long time.
Honorable Mentions: Mnemic – Sons of the System (Nuclear Blast), Borknagar – Universal(Indie Recordings), Dommin – Love is Gone (Roadrunner), Periphery – Periphery(Sumerian), Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier (UMe), Kalmah – 12 Gauge (Spinefarm), Cradle of Filth – Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa (Nuclear Blast), Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy (Century Media), Wretched – Beyond the Gate (Victory), Sabaton – Coat of Arms(Nuclear Blast)
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