So this is one of those bands that I really know nothing about. Back when I started reviewing I got the record Constellation of the Black Widow and I remember thinking it was pretty good, but it was a few months old at that time and so I never did a review of it. But in a world full of shitty black metal that bores me to tears by being repetitive and uninteresting, Anaal Nathrakh definitely appeared to be ahead of the game by, actually, not boring me to tears. I was reasonably interested to get around to reviewing Passion when I got it a while ago, but what with my busy schedule and everything I’d hardly even gotten around to listening to it until lately. And let me say, I’m impressed.

I’ll treat this as a crash course for n00bs, since I’m definitely one. Having launched in 2001, Passion is Anaal Nathrakh‘s 8th full length record. Hailing from England, these guys supposedly blend black metal with grindcore and industrial influences. And while I guess that might be true, I have different impressions of what it is the band is actually doing. In any case, when you’re releasing a barn burner of an album like Passion for your 8th record, you must be doing something right and these two dudes—V.I.T.R.I.O.L. who does vocals and Irrumator who does the guitars, bass and programming—appear to be really putting together engaging and chaotic black metal.

I use the word “chaotic,” and I think that’s the best adjective to really describe this record. While it’s not off the wall or sporadic, the heavily distorted vocals of VITRIOL, which go between Corporate Death (Macabre) style shrieking screams and Emperor-era clean vocals from Ihsahn, give a feeling of barely contained insanity seething through every track. Musically the backing to this insanity is razor sharp riffing, programmed blasting drums that add to the chaotic feel, and some minor industrial influences. These guys have been around for 10 years and the scene has grown a lot since they came out, so it’s not like what they’re doing is exactly hyper ground breaking—I’m sure the long time fan would be able to dig through this record and point out where the band is citing themselves, for example.

Where this record differentiates itself from the modern, or even Norwegian scene that it arguably cites, is that the tracks aren’t nearly as epic and there isn’t a sense of pretentiousness that comes along with listening to modern black metal. Aside from “Drug-Fucking Abomination,” this record is filled with pretty short songs, some even as short as a minute long—fitting far more into the grind category than the Wolves in the Throne Room style mold—and that makes it remarkably refreshing to listen to. Fast, heavy, chaotic and not craving patience—just your unbridled rage and all those chaotic feelings that are kept under the skin. This is tremendously successful.

Still, I can’t help but feel like this record isn’t a blend of older Emperor with some more industrial style influences and grind. While the vocals are unhinged, the writing isn’t doesn’t follow suit—it’s pretty much par for the course. So it doesn’t exactly push Anaal Nathrakh into the “doing lots of new shit!” and “too damn much for you!” categories. But in my book that’s entirely OK. This record clocks in at 36 minutes and it’s a kick in the face with amazing riffs, great songwriting and some dynamic vocals that sound like they were contributed taking a mic into your local insane asylum, and that will make you uneasy and make your living partners look at you strangely. What more can we ask for? Not too much.

Related posts:

1. Absu – Abzu Review
2. Ihsahn – After Review
3. Dies Irae – Secret Veils of Passion Review

#40: Finntroll – Jaktens Tid – “Jaktens Tid” — To be completely honest with you, given everything, I will never understand how Finntroll isn’t one of the most popular heavy metal bands in the world. I know, some people think it’s hokey, but I think it’s goddamned ingenious. And while Jaktens Tid is far from the band’s best album, this song addicted me to the style, the band, and really made me look to Finland as a place where something new and amazing would happen. And, oh right, it did. “Jaktens Tid” stands out as one of my favorite songs ever, and it redefined what was possible in heavy metal. Well-deserved place here.

#39: Symphony X – V: The New Mythology Suite – “Rediscovery (Part II)” — Because I tend to love real albums over individual songs, it’s sometimes hard for me to really choose the best song from an album. I think, for example, that Symphony X‘s V is one of the best albums ever written. It is a triumph of progressive metal. However, it is also successful with individual songs and Rediscovery (both parts, really, but the metal part is part II) is just a fucking incredible song. Michael Romeo is such a fantastic writer, using his subtlety to build up beautiful tracks and progressive riffing all while writing accessible and interesting music that gets really heavy. The rest of the band is no less incredible and, oh let’s not forget, Allen is one of the best. While he might not have the high, clean tenor range of Kakko, he’s got balls and a great fucking voice and really embodies the metal spirit without being Jorn. If this song doesn’t convince you that Symphony X is one of the best bands ever formed… you’ve got shitty taste in music.

#38: Cynic – Traced in Air – “Integral Birth” — Haters gonna hate, as they say. But let me be frank here: Cynic‘s second record blew the fucking top off pretty much anything that was released at the same time and this is one of the strongest tracks on it. Very rarely does something new get done in heavy metal, but these guys with their jazz fusion and their ‘we’re not very metal anymore’ approach, still managed to make something new, cool and extraordinarily engaging happen. Which, frankly, is tough to do these days. What always amazes me is the composition. Bands try to jump styles, and most of the time it’s fail. But instead, they manage to piece something together that is extraordinarily cohesive while being built of such different parts. Oh right, and they’re so much fucking better than AC/DC or Korn. God those idiots at Gibson fucking piss me right off.

#37: Ihsahn – angL – “Scarab” — Ihsahn. What can I say, this guy puts out music post-Emperor that almost lives up to my love for early Emperor. Actually, these days I listen to Ihsahn‘s solo stuff a lot more than I listen to Emperor. And what defines his best stuff for me is that blend of progressive music with his incredible riffing. All three of his solo records are just loaded with amazing riffs, song-writing and solos. But for me, this takes it. And this track really embodies his best work, in my opinion. Oh, and the main riff is just so damn hooky and excellent. But also the bass and drumming are incredible. This song is forward thinking post-black metal/progressive and it’s goddamned genius.

#36: Enslaved – Below the Lights – “Havenless” — Another one of those post-black metal Norwegian bands that has brought their game up tremendously is Enslaved. While I think that Vertebrae is their best post-prog-transition record, this track is goddamned incredible. It’s worth the place on the list for Viking chanting introduction, but there’s just something about the atmosphere these guys build that really gets under your skin. It’s addictive, it’s smart, it’s heavy and edgy. And frankly, it’s a great example of how metal is so much more interesting and progressive than what the mainstream seems to think it is. You take a look at a band like Enslaved that engages itself in Norse mythology, modern philosophy and progressive music and you say: How the hell do people just think that we’re all just cock-rock style morons? Oh right, ’cause of idiots like the people at Gibson who made that stupid fucking list. Idiots.

#35: At The Gates – Slaughter of the Soul – “Blinded by Fear” — This track speaks for itself. There is not a more influential song that has been written in heavy metal since, fuck.. I don’t even know. I mean At The Gates is on par with Slayer, Metallica, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden for having spawned so many goddamned clone bands that it is insanely ridiculous. I don’t know a single metal dude who doesn’t know every single word to every single song on this record, and “Blind by Fear” is just the song that hooked us all. You’d think that at least this track would have made it on to the list at Gibson given that every band in the US to release a record since 2002 sounds like them. But no.

#34: Otyg – Sagovindars Boning – “Trollslottet” — OK, this one oughtta throw people for a loop, but honestly, Otyg is one of those bands overlooked even in the folk metal scene for some fucking reason. There’s like 3,000 folk metal bands, but people don’t know all the lyrics to “Trollslottet”? Screw Eluveitie in the ear! This is where this is at. In any case, I could listen to this song day in and day out, and it feels like real folk metal belongs on this list and Otyg is definitely the band that should be carrying that torch. Just listen to Vintersorg‘s tones and that jawharp and think to yourself: “My life hasn’t been complete until now.”

#33: Iron Maiden – Powerslave – “Flash of the Blade” — Iron Maiden is better than Judas Priest by the way. Just thought I’d get that out of the way. The answer the question is Iron Maiden. In any case, while I think that compared to Seventh Son and Piece of Mind, Powerslave is a kind of overrated record. Oh, it’s fucking amazing, but those other records were better. However, one track goes totally underrated on the record and never gets the attention that it deserves and I think it’s easily one of the best heavy metal tracks ever written! Dickinson is, well, Dickinson, but the harmonies are great, the melodies are catchy and the fucking guitar solo is pretty much the coolest thing that ever made it onto an Iron Maiden record. That these guys have three guitarists in the band and still never play this song live is a testament to how stuck in a rut they are.

#32: Amorphis – Elegy – “Against Widows” — Man, it’s so tough going back and choosing out which Amorphis tracks are the best. I mean, their first three records are goddamned genius, and coincidentally their last three have also been fucking astounding. But I love this song so goddamned much. This is a great combination of their more progressive song peeking through, their great harmonies and melodies and the folky metal riffing that addicted us all in the first place! This song is one of my favorites from the album, and one of my favorites ever. I’m so glad the guys over at Relapse got Moomin Fever!

#31: Akercocke - Antichrist – “Axiom” — These guys are so damned underrated. Apparently they’re done for, I dunno for sure. They’ve been dropped by Earache, their guitarist left the band and their website is done. But if the last thing they left us with is Antichrist they have left us with one of the best ‘progressive’ death metal records I own. I love the clean vocals and the double kick through the clean parts. Also, I love that their main man plays a Parker Fly ’cause that’s like the most un-death metal guitar ever. And really, as a metal dude, how do you argue with the final line of this track: “I believe that when I die, I shall rot. And nothing more of my ego shall remain.”

Yeah, so 30-21 coming next week sometime!

Related posts:

1. Angry Metal Guy’s Best Heavy Metal Songs of All Time 30-21
2. Angry Metal Guy’s Best Heavy Metal Songs of All Time 20-11
3. Angry Metal Guy’s Best Heavy Metal Songs of All Time 10-1

But the 2000s have been an interesting time for metal in a lot of ways. One of the things that happened was that death metal and death metal-influenced music really hit the mainstream in a lot of ways. For the first time since the 1980s there were larger groups of young people who really started getting into metal and there is an entire generation of musicians who have been influenced by the heavy metal of the 80s and the underground of the 1990s (particularly black and death metal). While I believe that metal is on the ebb again (in a popular music sense) and will once again retreat underground to lick its wounds and come up with something fascinating, interesting and new, the 2000s have been a great time to be a fan of the genre.

This list is going to take a lot of hits. I can already hear some of them, and some of them will come out of left field. But, as usual, I refuse to apologize for my taste. The focus on “magazine metal” bands will probably irritate some, and others will argue that my choices from one genre or another aren’t representative of the best of that genre during the period (specifically death metal in this case). But when I look back on the last 9 years, these are the ones that stand out. And trust me, there’s some stuff that I wish I could get on there, but I didn’t include an honorable mentions section since I expanded the list to 15. But there are some amazing records (Moonsorrow‘s Hävitetty, Anata‘s Under a Stone with No Inscription and The Conductor’s Departure, Agalloch‘s The Mantle, Turisas‘ The Varangian Way, Necrophagist‘s Epitaph, Ásmegin‘s Hin Vordende Sod & Sø, Absu‘s Tara, Rhapsody‘s Power of the Dragonflame, Anathema‘s A Fine Day to Exit, Nile‘s Black Seeds of Vengeance, Otyg‘s Sagovindars Boning, Obscura‘s Cosmogenesis, Watain‘s Sworn to the Dark, Akercocke‘s Antichrist, Enslaved‘s Below the Lights are just a few of my major oversights) that came out during this period that haven’t ended up on this list and I’m aware of that.

Anyway, I hope you find this list enjoyable, shocking, provocative and maybe even dead on. Backwards this time…

#(ish): Unearth // The Stings of Conscience [2001] — For #(ish) I thought I’d include something that no one expected to see on this list (and something that I sort of rediscovered myself as I was writing it). This record came out in 2001 and I have to say at the time it made me very interested in the up-and-coming metalcore scene. I had a friend who was really into punk and hardcore who showed it to me and it was… well, great! This record is melodic and awesome while still having the originality and freshness of the time and the guitar playing to match it. There is an energy to this album that still comes across, in my opinion, and it should be fairly obvious to anyone who gives this record a chance that these guys were for real. Metalcore has since become a joke and Unearth hasn’t produced anything I liked since—but this album is a time-capsule of awesome.

#15: Ihsahn // angL [2008] — One of the finest progressive records of the decade, Ihsahn‘s angL definitely was an awakening for me. This was like the best Emperor material with a progressive sensibility that I hadn’t been expected. This record has rarely left my playlist since I first got it in 2007. I have been consistently proseltyzing about this album to everyone who will listen. If you like Emperor and you like progressive music, you should definitely thinking about getting this album because it is a truly fantastic record that will be hard to match. This might not be on this list in 5 years time for me, I dunno (the list above is filled with records that could be in this spot), but for the time being I think I have to put this album here because it’s just such a damn fine piece of work.

#14: Fleshgod Apocalypse // Oracles [2009] — There are few bands who have ever done the technical metal thing as well as it’s done on this album. What’s so good about Fleshgod is how they blend the melodic metal with the technical stuff so seamlessly by making it neo-classical. This may be the first neo-classical death metal band and I think more bands should consider giving this kind of thing a try. From start to finish Oracles is chalk full of baroque harmonies and arrangements and it’s still balls-to-the-walls and wicked heavy. There have been a lot of great death metal records in the last 10 years, but I think that this is one of the ones that I’ve listened to the most and that’s mainly ’cause it’s awesome and original.

#13: Orphaned Land // Mabool [2004] — Really, Orphaned Land is just a damn impressive band. While their earlier material feels a bit halting and isn’t perfection, Mabool just blew me away when I picked it up. I found it in the new releases section of one of my favorite old record stores in Minneapolis, MN (which has sadly shut down after the death of the owner) and listened to it on the drive back home and was just blown away by the material on here. While the production could have been better (see it’s follow up from 2010), the song-writing here is amazing. And not only that, but this really signaled the beginning of the global era of metal which, with the dawn of the Internet, downloading and webzines has really just expanded outwards. Mabool was the beginning of this realization for me, that we were beyond Scandinavia now and that there was no way to know what kind of mind-blowing music we would get. This is really one of the best records from the era, for sure.

#12: Amon Amarth // With Oden on Our Side [2006] — Another band that I have listened to a ton in the last decade has been Amon Amarth. These guys are just tremendously talented and tremendously good at what they do. This music is never, ever complicated. It is never anymore than the melodic death metal in the veins of Unleashed and other Swedish death metal bands and it is never anything that much more than pretty damn entertaining, solid death metal. Except once. I’m not sure exactly what makes With Oden on Our Side better than previous records, but for whatever reason it just all clicked on this album. “Valhall Awaits Me,” “Cry of the Black Bird,” “Prediction of Warfare” all of these tracks makes me rock out every single time. Seeing them live on this tour was amazing because all of these songs just drove the whole crowd into a total frenzy. These guys have a lot of good records, but With Oden on Our Side definitely is the crowning jewel.

#11: Amorphis // Eclipse [2006] | Silent Waters [2007] | Skyforger [2009] — I know, I’m cheating by putting three records on here at the same time, but I have to say that for me this is a trilogy even if it’s not exactly meant to be one. These three albums are probably the finest string of records from any band in the decade and, on top of that, this is the best band re-branding and resurrection from obscurity that I can possibly think of. Eclipse burst out the door for me and I was totally hooked. And I have been singing the praises of the “new” vocalist Tomi Joutsen since he joined the band. The only time I’ve ever witnessed a band come out with this kind of passion and produce these kind of fantastic records is when it’s a young band—and Amorphis has been doin’ this a long, damn time. So more power to ‘em. Buy all three of these albums.

#10: Katatonia // The Great Cold Distance [2006] — This was a torturous decision for me. Choosing between this record and Last Fair Deal Gone Down just hurt like hell because both of these records are such great albums and such fantastic writing. I finally decided I’d go with The Great Cold Distance because this is the first Katatonia record that I just loved instantly since Brave Murder Day. These guys define a bit of the trend of leaving metal behind as we understood it from the 90s to the 2000s. These guys weren’t the only ones who left those roots behind. Anathema, In Flames, Paradise Lost and others abandoned their roots and starting doing other shit. But Katatonia just got better and better while the others were hit and miss or, well, worse. For me The Great Cold Distance was the culmination of this sound and it is a record that lives on.

#9: Primordial // To the Nameless Dead [2007] — Primordial is one of those bands that has become sort of iconic in this era against what one would actually have expected to happen. With very unconventional clean vocals and long, fairly simplistic songs, these records shouldn’t be the bee’s knees. But there is an energy to Primordial‘s material that cannot be denied. Choosing between this record and 2005′s The Gathering Wilderness was pretty damn tough (largely because my favorite song by the band is “The Coffin Ships”), but I think that To the Nameless Dead is the more consistent of the two and is a record that I have consistently come back to. Every track on here is 5/5. And, actually, 2007 was a damn good year.

#8: Taake // Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik [2002] — There was a while when black metal was doing exactly what I wanted from it. In the early 2000s a group of Norwegian bands (and American bands) came out that sounded like they were more influenced by 80s thrash and melodic metal than others. The result were some fantastic records that really still get me excited. For me, the peak of this group was definitely Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik which includes some of the wickedest riffing and best black metal vocals since Garm quit doing black metal vocals. Taake‘s first three are all recommended from this Angry Metal Guy, but …Bjoergvin… is the best.

#7: Vintersorg // Visions from the Spiral Generator [2002] — So Vintersorg is often an afterthought for a lot of people, and I’ve always thought that was a shame. The records of his that tend to get love are actually from the late 90s and I get that. I, too, was reared up on Till Fjälls and Ödemarkens Son, but one record that has always been overlooked for its pure brilliance and progressive approach and that is truly unique (largely due to the drums of Asgier Mickelsen and the bass of Steve DiGiorgio). Also, Mr. V was one of the first to sort of break away from what he was doing and just change course mid-career with great success. He decided that singing songs to Sweden wasn’t really as fulfilling as writing about quantum mechanics and more power to him! In any case, I think Visions is one of my favorite albums by him and it certainly is among the best records I own from those years.

#6: Cynic // Traced in Air [2008] — Oh, this record has generated a hell of a lot of hate since it came out. All the true metal guys have their panties in a bundle because this ‘magazine metal’ band has gotten so popular. You know what I say? Fuck those dudes. This record is great. And what’s good about it? Well, it’s basically just a progressive album. It’s not exactly the most metal thing I’ve ever heard, and as a sucker for progressive metal I hadn’t expected this to be anywhere near so interesting as what it ended up being. The musicianship is fantastic, the vocals are great and the song-writing is out of the box. It’s damn hard to compete with a record of this caliber and few do. Also, what the outcome of this record’s release will be is yet to be seen. We have not seen how influential this record will be in a decade, but I think it’s foolish to underestimate it.

#5: BLAZE // Tenth Dimension [2002] — When Blaze Bayley left Iron Maiden I think I was among the very few who were genuinely disappointed about it. While Virtual XI had been a lackluster record, The X Factor had definitely turned my crank and appealed to a darker side of me. So I went actively seeking out his project afterwards and I’d have to say that BLAZE, the band which followed, is probably one of the best-kept secrets of the early 2000s—and that is a shame of tremendous proportion. There are a number of things that went wrong for the band early on—but Silicon Messiah and its concept record follow-up Tenth Dimension are Andy Sneap-produced ingenuity. This record had some of the most thoughtful and interesting material that Blaze Bayley ever wrote and it saw the end of what was a formidable band line-up including two fantastic guitarists, a great bassist with some writing chops and Jeff Singer on the drums (he deserves a special mention for being the nerdiest looking awesome drummer ever). The band never recovered from this album, but I have listened to this record so many times and sang a long at the top of my lungs like mad. It is genius and it has been sadly ignored.

#4: Enslaved // Vertebrae [2008] — This one is going to ruffle some feathers, I’m sure. But as far as I’m concerned Enslaved nailed their perfect album in 2008 with what is easily my favorite in their long and storied career. This one was a long time coming and it really just… ruled. One of the things that made this record so cool was the clean vocals on it that were totally unexpected. Since Isa the band had been mixing more cleans in, but their usage on Vertebrae was surprising but actually quite welcome. As the band produced some of their most interesting material in a progressive sense, they doubled out that approach by putting in beautifully seamless cleans and still keeping the black metal visible. I was pleasantly surprised when I got this record, but the most pleasant surprise is how years later I still want to pull it out and listen to it. Often.

#3: Shining // V:/Halmstad [2007] — With song titles like “Besvikelsens Dystra Monotoni” (The Depressing Monotony of Disappointment) and “Neka Morgondagen” (Deny the Future), I got hit right over the head with this record and have yet to let it go. While I’m a big fan of the band’s entire discography Halmstad really got stuck on me. Really, Shining gives meaning to “depressive” black metal in a way that no other band really does for me. This music isn’t evil like the other black metal bands that are so influential in the modern era—but instead the music is beautiful and mournful while still being raw, selfish and most of all, self-destructive. Few bands convince me of what they’re singing. When most bands sing about Satan, I could care less. But I believe Kvarforth. And that’s what makes this record a truly significantly awesome record.

#2: Symphony X // V: The New Mythology Suite [2000] — The first record you hear from a band is usually the one you love the best, right? I mean, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son converted me to an Iron Maiden fan at the tender age of 6 when my brother got it for Christmas in 1988 and I can’t ever get over that album. The same is true for V: A New Mythology Suite because, well… I just can’t get over it. This record is the perfect example of what a progressive power metal band’s concept records should sound like hands down. This is 62 minutes of heavy metal symphony done right and with the expertise that only these guys have ever shown. Other bands try, but no one produces music that is as catchy and yet still technically amazing as Symphony X. While Paradise Lost did come close for me, it’s hard to imagine any power metal record ever outstripping this record.

#1: Opeth // Ghost Reveries [2005] — This is bound to be the most controversial of all of the CDs on this list. And I get it, Blackwater Park is considered to be the band’s crowning opus and really the record that pushed the band into the mainstream. And when it came out I loved that record. I’ve listened to every Opeth album dozens to hundreds of times, I’m sure, and I’m to the point where I think that Ghost Reveries is not just the finest album they ever produced but the epitome of their sound hitherto this point. While BWP definitely belongs on this list, so does Ghost Reveries and even more so because this was Åkerfeldt taking the band to its ultimate conclusion and nailing it. What makes the record so cool is that because of the tuning choice they made, they were forced to change how they were writing. This makes for an interesting and dynamic record, but it also adds a level of unfamiliarity into the mix. This record is perfect from the first note to the heartbreaking last and is easily the best album of the entire era, in my opinion.

Related posts:

1. Angry Metal Guy Lives!
2. Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) of 2010
3. Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) of 2011

Well, either way, now that I’ve given your children nightmares that they will never get over, I’d like to say THANKS. Thanks to everyone for reading this blog of mine (and Steel Druhm’s—who gets a special thanks for writing for this blog of mine). Thanks for responding to posts, for donating to the website to help keep it afloat and thanks for your patience when I can be a little bit inconsistent due to having a life and not doing this for a living (and thanks to Mr. Steel Druhm especially, but also Lord Doom and the others who have helped pick up the slack). It’s really cool that you do that. That you get an RSS feed of reviews that we write. That you debate and that you feel as passionately about metal as we do even if we don’t all agree. That’s awesome.

Also, a big WTF to Southern Lord and Profound Lore for not sending me promos despite repeated requests. What’s an Angry Metal Guy gotta do to get some love from y’all? I’m not going to download your shit illegally to review it, but I’d like to review it! So send me promo already for fuck’s sake!

Lastly, I want to say a word first about the fact that 2010 saw the loss of two of my personal heroes: Ronnie James Dio and Peter Steele. Let’s not forget both of these metal icons who gave in their own very unique ways to the fabric of the thing that we all love. Metal will definitely not be the same with them gone.

In honor of 2010 being a pretty good year (aside from the untimely deaths), I’ve got to present my top 10. And more importantly I have to declare the Record o’ the Year!

#1: Orphaned Land // The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR — I can tell you that I was skeptical about this record. I really, really was. The name turned me off, plus it had been 5 years since Mabool was released and I wasn’t sure that they could grip me like they had the first time around. Oh how horribly wrong I was! The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR is the best record that came out in 2010 hands down. I’ve heard all sorts of different critiques of it, but I don’t understand any of them. Every note on here is perfectly placed, the instrumentation is perfection and the mix is astounding. The level of creativity, bound up with the message and the political “movement” this represents means for me that this record deserves to be the best record of the year. I strongly recommend you read my review, read the interview I did with Kobi Farhi and purchase the record. It is a testament to this amazing band and to the global nature of heavy metal in 2010.

#2: Rhapsody of Fire // The Frozen Tears of Angels — Oh man. Rhapsody of Fire is back in a big way. While the EP they released later in the year could never live up to this record, The Frozen Tears of Angels blows everything the band has done since Power of the Dragonflame out of the water. The record is a pure neoclassical guitar orgasm, with the orchestrations making it back to interesting again and a high energy attack! This is everything Rhapsody of Fire is supposed to be and hopefully it is everything they will be long into the future. It’s possible that this record may also set a standard so high that anything they ever release again will never live up to it. But I suspect that this energy that they’ve got after being stranded for a few years due to a stupid lawsuit has more fantastic cheese in store for us! Bring on the cheese (OF FIRE!)!!

#3: Sigh // Scenes from Hell — You know what I don’t fathom? How this record has missed people’s lists and hasn’t even been mentioned near the top of these discussions that I’ve held on Facebook or Twitter! I cannot fathom how this record is being overlooked. It is easily the coolest orchestral black metal record to be released in years. People have complained about the production—but those people are stupid. What’s so cool about this record is how incredibly claustrophobic it sounds at the same time as having some mind-blowing tracks including “L’art de Mourir” and “The Summer Funeral”. I have come back to this record repeatedly throughout the year and I have continued to be impressed with the consistency and sophistication of this record. I cannot wait for more if they keep heading down this path. Hangman’s Hymn, eat your heart out!

#4: Finntroll // Nifelvind — Oh, you didn’t see this one coming, did you? The metal scene has been rather quiet about the new Finntroll since it came out, but not this Angry Metal Guy. Nope, this Angry Metal Guy has been listening to a shit ton of Finntroll just wishing that they’d tour Sweden (seriously, dudes! Do Finnish bands have a fucking Swedish boycott or something?). This record officially is the best Finntroll record in my book—it doesn’t shame Nattfödd, but it definitely makes their other stuff just not look nearly as good as I thought it was. It’s everything I was hoping it would be and, frankly, it was more. Plus, the band’s new image is totally wicked. Like they’ve been reading Changeling books or something. No matter what the causes are, these guys still rule in my book, even if they’re not in vogue anymore.

#5: Barren Earth // Curse of the Red River — OK, so since my favorite bands in the world are pretty much Opeth and Amorphis it should come as no surprise that this record makes my top 10. It’s funny because I haven’t really had the chance to come back to too many records this year, and this one is no exception. But when looking at my list of the stuff that I genuinely loved from this year, these guys immediately came back to me. Breaking it out again, there’s no doubt in my mind that my review was totally correct. Barren Earth‘s Curse of the Red River is a truly enjoyable CD that will live on in my playlist. Sure, it feels like Amorphis! Yeah, it’s a super group! But who cares? It’s awesome and worthy of your consideration when thinking about the best records of the year.

#6: Solefald // Norrøn Livskunst — I did just write this review, so the blurb probably won’t be as long because there should be no need to remind you of how amazing this album is. There may be a moment or two of non-perfection, but it’s pretty few and far between and what’s left is one of the most addictive records I heard this year. The beauty of this album is that it surprised the hell out of me! I was honestly expecting that Enslaved would be the Norwegian band that made this list (or Borknagar), but instead it ended up being Solefald who I have been pretty lukewarm on in the past. But this album just nails it home. How do you argue with this approach? It is truly a magnificent record and one of the best progressive offerings of the year.

#7: Demiurg // Slakthus Gamleby — It’s been a weird year for me and death metal. I have yet to find that technical death metal record that drives me to angry glee like I did last year (really it was two tech death records that made up 2/3 of my top three in 2009). No, indeed, this year the death metal records that I’ve liked have been of a decidedly more old school approach—and Demiurg has a nice blend of doom in it as well. This whole record is a masterpiece, in my opinion. I know that fans of the old school death metal Rogga Johansson projects were particularly critical of this album, but I think that it’s a well-constructed record that is worth every cent you would pay for it. The touch of Swanö, the vocal arrangements of Warby and the unique approach really made this record a shoo-in for my top 10 list. And 7 seems too low. Gah.

#8: Blind Guardian // At the Edge of Time — Sometimes, it’s hard to admit when you’re wrong. In some cases, it’s even harder when the people who are saying that you’re wrong are douchebags on the Internet who are convinced that “objectivity” means “agreeing with me.” But in this case, I have to admit that I was wrong. This record has drawn me back again and again and it has grown on me. I still think that it has some weak tracks, but the more and more I listen to it the less and less I care. The well done parts are really well done and the parts I didn’t like at all have started to grow. To be honest this one surprised me because it grew like a power metal record has rarely done for me. Power metal has long been binary choices in my opinion; but with Blind Guardian it turned out to be a much different experience. And I’m glad I kept giving this record a chance.

#9: Iron Thrones // The Wretched Sun — I thought about whether or not I should include this one because these guys aren’t signed, but in a way that should make me put this record even higher on this list. These guys aren’t fucking signed! It blows my brains! Away! Anyway, this record fucking rules and that you don’t own it yet makes me question your metal cred. The tracks are tight, heavy and these guys blend the best of a lot of different worlds to make a really fantastic and solid record. If you’re disappointed that In Mourning isn’t on this list, then you should go out there and find this record. Because it will blow your brains away, too!

#10: Torture Division // Evighetens Dårar — #10 is always the hardest to choose, isn’t it? I mean, there’s a ton of records that could go in this spot. And I weighed at least 4 different records that I felt could have gone here. I know that technically Evighetens Dårar is a compilation because it’s made up of three demos (Evighetens Dårar I-III), but those demos put together into a long play format are stunning, excellent death metal that I have listened to quite a bit since I got it. Really, this record has gotten under my skin. I know that there are some non-believers out there who aren’t convinced by this one and think their first demo set was better—but I don’t think they’re listening to the same record that I am, because Evighetens Dårar is awesome.

#(ish): Fejd // Eifur — I’ve been beating around what I should do with it and I really couldn’t decide. This list was finalized before I even took a listen to it—having just gotten swamped down in the day-to-day of being an Angry Metal Guy. What a miss I made. I really whiffed on that one and for that I apologize. If you’re a fan of folk metal you owe it to yourself to check this record out. It isn’t what you’re used to and that’s what makes it the best. This band is sophisticated, interesting, intelligent and fun. The melodies are amazing, the production is perfect for the material and the talent of these musicians should impress the hell out of you. I can’t recommend highly enough that you give these guys a chance. It has been a long time since I’ve heard a folk metal band that really nails it home like these guys do. And unless you already listen to Hedningarna you probably haven’t heard anything quite like this before.

It goes without saying that by its very nature a Top 10 leaves out great records. Because I don’t want to do that, I’m also going to include some honorable mentions that could have made the list and maybe even should have made the list. Though, if they didn’t, then you’re probably wrong. Also, you lack objectivity.

Honorable Mentions:
Rage // Strings to a Web — This one was weighed for number 10. I had a hell of a time not including it on that list because this record is just loaded with fantastic riffs, great choruses and blistering solos. It is probably the most traditional power metal that I’ve liked in years and I highly recommend it to everyone. It is a fantastic album and you should own it already. Why don’t you?
Grand Magus // Hammer of the North — I weighed this one for #10 as well, and man, that was a tough decision. Grand Magus is just an awesome band doing traditional metal in a way that is super convincing, incredibly enjoyable and very addictive. This record fucking rules and you are definitely encouraged to go and check it out.
Winterhorde // Underwatermoon — Oh man. This record rocked my world. I definitely feel bad about leaving this one off the Top 10(ish).
Watain // Lawless Darkness — Having already lost my metal cred for not making this #1, I probably shouldn’t include this. If you don’t know already, you probably shouldn’t, as they say.
Deathspell Omega // Paracletus — This record is an aural mindfuck. I haven’t had time to let it sink in long enough to make sure it belongs on this list. But it is definitely something that I will be listening to a lot in the coming year. Best black metal record of the year?
Pain of Salvation // Road Salt One — I’m not going to make any friends by including this only on the honorable mentions list because I had given it a 5/5 early this year. I still think it deserves to be towards the top of my list, but in the end other bands just pushed it out for various reasons. This doesn’t stand up quite as well as it did when I first got it, but I still love almost all the tracks and think that it is a triumph for the boys from Eskilstuna.
Istapp // Blekinge — Penalized for being a compilation, but still a pretty wicked record. This isn’t exactly in the same league as bands like Watain or Deathspell Omega or Arckanum when it comes to being black metal, but it’s an incredibly entertaining record.
Vex // Thanatopsis — This record cannot come highly recommended enough for me. This band has been sorely overlooked because they’re just on a tiny label from the US, but it is an album that you should own.

Biggest Disappointments:
Ihsahn // After — This record never sat well with me. It had moments, but I ultimately gave it a higher score than it deserved. After angL which I thought was pure genius this record was just a massive letdown. I suspect that future Ihsahn records will be better now that he’s gotten that out of his system. Or at least I hope so.
Enslaved // Axioma Ethica Odini — I know, this record was made record of the month and got 4/5. And it’s true, that it’s a good record that fits well into Enslaved‘s discography. This record tops other people’s lists for good reason, I guess. But it was just not at all what I had expected and/or wanted and my expectations were so incredibly high that I just couldn’t handle ‘run-of-the-mill’ when it showed up.

What Am I Looking Forward to in 2011?
Oh man!! There’s a new Rhapsody of Fire coming as well as a new Symphony X! Opeth announced a new record and it sounds like a new Amorphis records is in the works (if I remember correctly) and that would be pretty amazing as well and early on we’ll be getting the newest Vintersorg record. That’s definitely reason for celebration! And what about the new Shining record that should be on its way soon? And Indie Recordings just announced that Einherjer will be releasing their first record since 2004 in the spring! 2011 could be a fucking amazing year assuming that all my favorite bands don’t shit out on me. But the best part will be all the new shit I get to hear. Fuck yeah.

Related posts:

1. Angry Metal Guy’s Top 15(ish) of the 2000s
2. Steel Druhm’s Top 10(ish) of 2010
3. Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) of 2011

Progressive metal isn’t an easy place to be. Let’s face it, much of the world of progressive metal is a tussle between an old guard of old fans (the Neanderthals of Metal) who really like bands that sound like Dream Theater, Queensryche, and so forth, and then there’s kind of everyone else. It’s disparate, difficult to define and often pretentious as hell with little logic as to what is in fashion with which group. This is the natural outcome of genrefication, in my opinion, and part of that is a question of where a band can actually progress to. You’re either not heavy enough or you’re too heavy and you never please anyone. Few bands ever really manage to fall outside of these well-worn ruts in the road, but there are some fantastic bands in those ruts—Aspera is one of those bands.

Aspera is not like much of the progressive metal that’s coming from Norway (which is where they’re from incidentally), but instead they sound a lot like Symphony X. This will not be the last time I say that—because Aspera sounds like Symphony X. Like, almost exactly like Symphony X. The music is great, heavy and riffy. The band is tight, with great keyboards and a lead guitarist that is just a hell of a player. The guitars and keyboards work together really well and are balanced out by a very excellent rhythm section. Like Symphony X, the writing is intelligent with excellent transitions, good dynamic movements, beautiful choruses and solid hooks litter every song. The choruses are amazingly catchy and will definitely get stuck in your head, and yet the arrangements of the songs are still progressive enough to make you feel nice and superior to your buddies who listen to non-prog bands. On top of all of that the record is beautifully produced—done by the marvelous Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Symphony X, etc.)—everything is neatly organized, tight as hell and the tone is really fantastic.

OK, so what are the problems? Well, I suspect that you probably already sense an issue. When the band’s bio says that the band “quotes bands like Pagan’s Mind, Pain of Salvation, and Symphony X” it’s actually a really nice way of saying “Aspera sounds like progressive metal, you know, progressive metal like you’ve heard before.” And while this is good in some ways, it feels comfortable, it also draws the listener back from the tracks thinking “Huh, don’t I know that riff?” Another major weakness is the vocalist. Unlike many progressive bands, singer Atle Pettersen isn’t a straight up bad vocalist. Instead, he’s a poseur. His performance on the record is spotty because he is at his roots a talented, choir boy singer who is trying his hardest to sound rock ‘n roll. Something his voice doesn’t have—and something that makes him a unique voice in my opinion. In a genre overrun with Rob Halford, Bruce Dickenson and Geoff Tate wannabes, Pettersen has a clean, clear voice that is strong and recognizable without needing to fake balls. Unfortunately, for whatever reason he has decided that in order to be a rock vocalist he has to have a wail and it makes him sound weak and silly, not tough and strong like he intends.

Another interesting point, which drops this record down a bit for me, is that the lyrics are not good. The Steve Harris School of Lyrics Writing is apparently still open in Scandinavia and whoever is writing the lyrics for Aspera has taken all his notes directly from these guys. There is no subtlety, hardly any poetry and nothing remotely new or interesting in them. Lyrics in metal tend to range between the unfortunately bad and the passable, rarely ever being good, and for Aspera, a reading list of good poets and lyricists might be in order. To be frank, I can understand why so many power and progressive metal bands have begun writing thematically (stories, concept records, etc.) because this record which seems a bit more personal, is really just filled with rock clichés.

In the end, however, Ripples indicates what I see to be a bright future for this band of Norwegian youngsters. This is their debut record and they make a really good show of it with catchy tunes, smartly written tracks and they’re tight, tight, tight. One hopes that they begin developing some personality, working on convincing their vocalist that he isn’t Russel Allen and keeps fighting on. These guys have a bright future ahead of them if they can keep it together.

Related posts:

1. Above Symmetry – Ripples Review
2. Leprous – Bilateral Review
3. Three – Revisions Review

Easily one of the most anticipated records of 2010 for me has been Ihsahn‘s new offering. While I was a passing Emperor fan, really just a fan of In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk-era, I was taken by Ihsahn‘s solo stuff. The Adversary felt fresh—progressive enough, a step away from the later Emperor material of which I wasn’t a fan—and it captured the sonic styles and textures that he was never quite allowed to explore while in Emperor. The record didn’t stick with me as I had hoped, while I listened to it occasionally it didn’t hold a steadfast position in my discography. On the other hand, angL blew me away. Probably the finest record of 2008, angL has maintained a steady place in the rotation and is a record that I’ve showed to dozens of people. Perfectly produced, perfectly composed and smartly written, angL contained everything that I wanted out of a new progressive metal record. So, of course, when I heard that Ihsahn would be releasing a new record in 2010, I became justifiably excited.

After, the third album in Ihsahn‘s initial trilogy, has once again separated itself from the pack and from Ihsahn‘s earlier work—something that the man seems compelled to do with every release. The first album composed primarily for his new 8 string guitars, After possesses a more organic sound than the earlier two albums. While the style hasn’t changed dramatically—if you’ve heard the first two albums, you certainly would recognize it as Ihsahn—the composition feels less tightly contained and controlled. The addition of saxophone to certain tracks also offers a more natural dimension to the music, similar to that of the excellent Solefald, and the saxophone is also relatively unconstrained, unpredictable and has the sound of being highly improvised.

That Ihsahn is a fantastic writer is undisputed, but how well this record plays with you probably depends on your personal tastes. The first half of After plays very similarly to his earlier material; black metal influenced progressive metal with excellent riffing, smart transitions and some acoustic parts. This culminates with track “Frozen Lakes on Mars,” which might be the best on the album, before continuing into the second part of the album. The track “Undercurrent” marks the halfway point (trackwise, as it’s track 5) and where this album started to transform to a slower, more progressive album. The riffing and writing loses some of its crispness on the second half of this album—particularly on “Undercurrent” and “Austere” which are both quite slow—and, instead relies on atmosphere, texture and feel. By the time one makes it to “Heaven’s Black Shore,” after the 16 minutes of down time, the record seems to have lost a little bit of its punch. The last two tracks are great, though again a little bit more plodding than the earlier material and the whole album comes to a major epic close that is worth the wait.  How this will play definitely depends on what you like about the earlier Ihsahn material, I think. If you’re a fan of more atmospheric black metal, bands like Shining, Solefald, or even something like Wardruna (or from a totally different angle, if you’re a big fan of 70s prog and neo-prog like Opeth, Porcupine Tree, etc.) you’ll probably appreciate these things musically. If you’re more of a fan of the technical, fast, groovy, structured Ihsahn stuff—well, then this might take some time to grow on you if it ever grows at all.

There is always a danger in re-inventing your sound, and while this record is good, it just doesn’t live up to standard of what I was expecting after angL. That said, I would still recommend this album to others because it’s still heads and shoulders above a lot of the stuff that’s being released today. The musical performances are amazing: the rhythm section (Asgeir Mickelson & Lars Noberg from Spiral Architect) is tight and tremendously talented. The saxophonist (from the Norwegian Shining) offers a stellar performance and production and mix is also tight, clean and clear without feeling sterile. Musically, the record is still epic and compelling for the most part and it shows just how multi-dimensional Ihsahn is as a writer and performer. The question for fans is, of course, what comes after After?

Related posts:

1. New Ihsahn Track Posted Online!
2. Ihsahn Update
3. Ooo! New Ihsahn Video!

1. Opeth // Ghost Reveries — This is always the toughest for me. Choose which Opeth record I think most defines the modern era. I finally always decide on GR, which incidentally I hated when it came out. But it totally grew on me after that and now it’s probably my favorite.
2. Katatonia // Last Fair Deal Gone Down — Again, this is tough. I love all of their modern stuff, but I think this is probably the most consistent of all their albums. Another defining record in my life, I think, too.
3. Turisas // The Varangian Way — I consistently come back to this record over and over. It pretty much represents everything that big, awesome extreme metal should be. I also think it was very much new. It combined much of that power metal and viking metal stuff that’s been threatening to merge for years into a cohesive whole.
4. Vintersorg // Visions from the Spiral Generator — Again, how do you really choose? I chose this one because I think the whole album is fantastic. But they’re all fantastic. It’s definitely between this one and Cosmic Genesis. I chose this one ’cause I love Digorgio and Mickelson’s performances.
5. Amon Amarth // Versus the World — Again a hard one to choose. But this record has some of the best tracks these guys ever wrote and some of the best melodic death metal ever.
6. Anathema // A Fine Day to Exit — This record is fucking tremendously written and perfect from first note to last note.
7. Amorphis // Eclipse — The rebirth of Amorphis is quite possibly one of the greatest things that happened in the two-thousandsies. This album, and the two that have followed since, are some of the finest metal records produced in the modern era.
8. Rhapsody // Power of the Dragonflame — Sets the bar for orchestrated, ridiculous over-the-top metal. They’ve never produced anything like it since, nor has anyone else for that matter.
9. Ihsahn // angL — I love Ihsahn’s solo stuff. It’s a perfect blend of extreme metal and prog. His writing is massively improved since being out of Emperor, in my opinion, but I’m sure there’s a black metal guy on this board who will shriek in horror at those words.
10. Shining // V:/ Halmstad — This record hooked me immediately and hasn’t let go.

You have absolutely no idea how difficult it is to write a list like that. And I do really like writing lists, I think it’s a good time. A game for me has always been top 5s or top 10s.

Related posts:

1. Angry Metal Guy’s Top 15(ish) of the 2000s
2. Angry Metal Guy’s Best Heavy Metal Songs of All Time 10-1
3. Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) of 2010

The song is GREAT.  The production and mix is really solid, and the song itself is delightfully progressive. I can easily say that Ihsahn is the best solo project by any musician pretty much ever.

Related posts:

1. Otyg Live Videos Posted Online
2. In Mourning Streaming new Album Online
3. Ihsahn Update

As reported earlier, this record is scheduled to be released in January of 2010, making the new year look very exciting from my perspective.

Related posts:

1. Solsagan Video
2. New Black Sun Aeon Video
3. Ihsahn Update

Ihsahn - After
CANDLE288CD
19/10/2009

Progressive Metal

So yeah, don’t blame me.  I was just reporting what they had written.  Anyway, now October is less fun.

Related posts:

1. Ahhh!!!
2. Ihsahn – After Review
3. Ooo! New Ihsahn Video!