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TheBigBlack's Rock Top 10 |
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Various Artists
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A double CD soundtrack to a Bob Dylan biography, that is made up of Dylan covers, including one by Eddie Vedder, and a lost Dylan track by the man himself from his '67 basement sessions at The Big Pink. If this statement gets you as sexed-up as it does me, I don't need to say anymore. If it doesn't, you deserve nothing further written about this album anyway. |
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Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
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We all have a soft spot for Robert Plant. Hey was the bare-chested dude that sung 'There's a lady whose sure, all that glitters is gold.' after all, so how could we not? His solo albums since the Zepp years have always been a bit of a gamble, as the quality has varied somewhat, but this one is a winner. Now, before you run out with your wallet in hand, I do have to mention 2 other factors that come into play - 1. It's a duet album with American bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, and 2. It is essentially a country 'tinged' album. you have been warned. |
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Bad Religion
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Bad Religion are the elder statesmen of the punk rock genre. They were around before some of their recent genre-buddies were born, and will probably be there long after they are gone. Why? They are better than them - It's that simple. Every time they release an album, it is like a handbook on how to play modern punk for all those young bucks that think they have worked it out for themselves. |
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Foo Fighters
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I am finding I am tiring a little of the Fooeys of late. I think Dave's songwriting is better on this album than the last couple, and a few of the tracks caught me. but I fear I am finding it a bit too predictable at times. Don't get me wrong - it is still a great rock album, with all the typical Grohl licks and vox, but that may be the problem for me really. 'Dear Diary. I fear this may be the last time I will write about the Foo Fighters.' |
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Grinderman
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Let me start with this statement - Nick Cave bores me, always has. I will drop my guard to say that I don't mind some of the very early Birthday Party and Boys Next Door stuff, but only due to that delightful post-punk smell that seemed to hang on all his product. Then he packed up his guitar, and started writing ballads, and apparently the world was a better place for it. Well, he found his strat again, and he has decided to strum it a bit - and created a wonderfully dirty and raw album of guitar rock that will cause you mother to cringe. Let's hope the new album with The Bad Seeds follows suit. |
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Chevelle
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I have always avoided Chevelle because I thought they were one of those bad nu-metal clones. Turns out they are not. The are a Tool clone instead - and with the lack of any quality Tool / Maynard product in recent years, this is my new drug of choice. |
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Colin Hay
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Ah, Colin Hay. What a legend. Don't say Who? He's the dude from Men At Work. Colin has been churning out quality solo (mostly acoustic) works for years now, mostly hard to come by being released on small labels - but I finally found one the year it was actually released, not 5 years later (as it normally happens). This is warm and rich, and his voice is more magic now than ever before. This guy should be in the rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame. |
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Eddie Vedder
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It seems Mr Vedder has taken the advice of his mum and started his own business. This is his first solo album away from the magnificent Pearl Jam, and it's quite a good little listen. It's a soundtrack to the Sean Penn directed 'Into The Wild'. Mostly acoustic (and only about 35 minutes long), it is a very easy listen, and nothing like his Pearl Jam writings. 'Hard Sun' is one of my songs of the year. Oh Eddie - Again I will ask, when will thee marry me? |
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Smashing Pumpkins
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Billy - I tip my hat. I thought you would be in this year's Dishonourable Mentions, but you have done the Pumpkins name proud. This pumps through some heavy stuff with a very typical Pumpkins sounds, and throws in the obligatory Corgan 'nice' songs to touch the heart strings (and send you to the skip button.). It's all very sing-along worthy and addictive. |
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Porcupine Tree
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Porcupine Tree at number 1? Surely not. Yeah - It's predictable I know, but just listen to them and you will see why. Gone is the radio-friendly stylising of 'The Sound Of Muzak' and 'Lazarus' - this is very much a return to the Tree's more progressive mid-period work. The theme of the album is the apathy of youth to the world around them due to technology, and lyrically it is all very dark throughout, with music to match. |
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TheBigBlack's Rock Honourable Mentions |
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Bob Dylan
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I would have included this because it is Dylan. Unfortunately, I can't include it as it is a compilation. Again, who wrote these damn rules? |
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Bryan Ferry
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An album of Dylan covers recorded by Bryan Ferry anyone? I did like this, although the only real thing lacking was that the songs were actually all Ferryesque - none of them had the Dylan flair. |
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Mountain
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Another album of Dylan covers? And this one with an Ozzy Osbourne duet? I think it gets mentioned! |
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Korn
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I don't usually care too much for Korn, but this is actually quite good. It has a couple of great moments like the duet with Amy Lee and the one with Robert Smith of The Cure. |
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Neil Young
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Attention Neil Young fans - prepare for a religious experience. This is AMAZING. It would be in the 10, except it is live, and it was recorded 35 years ago, so it's kinda disqualified. |
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Rush
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All these years later Rush are still churning out a consistent product. Good on them. |
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TheBigBlack's Rock Dishonourable Mentions |
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Crowded House
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Yawn. It must be trendy to destroy your own legacy at the moment? Read on for more examples, but possibly none as bad as this snorefest. |
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Linkin Park
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This actually starts strong with one of the fastest/heaviest tracks the band has ever recorded, and then dives into U2 influenced ballads. I never thought they were that good before, but I expected better than this. |
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Marilyn Manson
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Should be titled 'Buy Me, Bite Me'. Eating shit from a dirty nappy is more appealing than sitting though this one again. Manson turns emo. |
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Rose Tattoo
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This is not Rose Tattoo. It's a bunch of old men that got together with a young guitarist and tried to use the name of a great institution to carry a very mediocre album. |
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Silverchair
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What the fuck? Is that a young Freddie Mercury in a tank-top up front? Where is Daniel Johns? Bring him back. |
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The Stooges
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This is a legacy gone bad. If it wasn't bad enough that we had to suffer the woeful Buzzcocks reunion album recently (with its polished and overdubbed production sounding like a Blink-182 album), now we get the legendary The Stooges doing the exact same thing. Gone are the pre-punk grooves of the legendary early albums. The trademark guitar tone is now polished, and the lyrics could be better written by a high school student. This is possibly the biggest disappointment of the year for me. |
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Queens Of The Stone Age
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Hmmm. It would seem the Josh Homme creative well has finally run dry. Yawn. |
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mk's Rock Top 10Now here's where confusion reigns. Guitarizan changes the rules (can he do that?) and now we're judging a Non-Metal Top10, rather than a Rock Top10. I'm sure it's just a cunning ploy to get 'Ballads from the loins of Dylan' into the list next year. Suffice to say, this change in category has changed my preference for Number 1. Sounds fickle? Well it isn't. Read on below and I'll explain. |
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Smashing Pumpkins
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A big middle finger in your general direction Corgan!!! This album is nothing but a cruel joke and further detracts from the legacy that was the Pumpkins. I was initially cautious about this release - we all know the story by now - and on commencing my listen, Doomsday Clock put me well and truly in my place - brilliant!! Could have easily been a left over track from Melon Collie. At last - Corgan has passed the ego stone through his body (I think I even heard the splash in the toilet bowl!!)...or so I thought. Things just downward spiral from this point - in fact track 3 is where it starts, with track 4 returning us to Adore. Fuck!! And 8 tracks later, we leave the train station for 'Utter Shit-town' (Pomp and Circumstance). This is bullshit Corgan!! You might ask why then is it in your Top10? The first 2 tracks alone - that's it. That's the only reason..well that and it was either this album or Rose Tattoo's release. Maybe I've just got it in for bald lead singers? Actually Angry is less of a lead singer these days - more a prop if anything. Poke him and he screams. |
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Porcupine Tree
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Damn you Guitarizan (again)!! If I had never heard of this band, I'd be much better off. In short - there are some killer guitar licks scattered through this release. Some of them are contained within brilliantly catchy tracks, such as the opener (Fear of a Black Planet) and some are hidden away in the middle of some pretty soppy crap. There is not much more I can say but that. Anaesthetise (17min track and close to half the album length) to me is a three part track, two parts slow and a little dull with one part in the middle with again some pretty amazing guitar and drum work. It's bit like this that keep bringing me back for a listen, thus it makes my Top10 for this year. This guy has hair too, so he's already a winner over Corgan in my book. |
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Fuel
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A new singer for this release - Torbyn Green, and he sounds exactly like Scallions. An interesting side not is that Green toured as vocalist for Apocalyptica this year on their Worlds Collide tour. Anyway, Gone, the first track is a great introduction to the album. Nothing new from them really - yes it's 'stock', but it's good stock. Not that bad stock that your Grandma use to pass of a some sort of healthy soup when you were a kid. |
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Clutch
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Get your groovy pants on - this is one hell of a soulful release. Preach to the father of groove and any other stupid cliche you can possibly think of. This Black Sabbathesqe buzzing guitars, Synth pumping blood into the soul machine every now and then and vox that'll have you running down the aile of the church to groove it up with the minister and you have From Beale Street to Oblivion. What the hell does all that mean? I have absolutely no idea - I tossed and turned at night about how to describe this release and that's the shit I came up with - sorry! |
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Pain
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These guys are all over the place. Initially my number one for most of the year, this Swedish Prog metal 'mash-up' is to be less about metal in this release. From Mike Patton-esque vocals to groovy whispered interludes, to Primus infused base lines. It's everywhere! I didn't realise these guys have been around since the 80's, which is surprising considering the foresight of the band on this album. Grew a little tired towards the end of the year, but worthy of recognition by the most astute of judges - me! |
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Puddle Of Mudd
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OK - Let's get one thing straight first..Fred Durst is in no way longer associated with this band. OK!!! Now, before you start diving into that Puddle of Mudd and slinging in my general direction - listen up!! This is catchy rock and roll music. No 'muddying' of the waters here - the tried and true formula of writing a rock song has been used to perfection. All elements of the colouring have been kept within the lines - something I couldn't achieve until that one day a few years back when I finally coloured in that Garfield cartoon without straying over the lines. But I digress. This is a good performance. |
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Ozzy Osbourne
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GET OVER IT ZAN! He's the Godfather of metal, true. But he also has this Uncle association with the genre of Rock 'n Roll. Blame Zac, I don't care. What does matter is that this is a return to form. No more covers shite!! Now as you know I'm a big Zac fan, so upon hearing the opening riffs in the first track, I was hooked. Sure he sings about some pretty gay subjects for a Godfather, but dammit it's catchy. |
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Alabama Thunderpussy
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Now this is where it gets interesting. If we were still writing up our Rock Top10 Zan, this was number 1 without a doubt. These guys swallow the fucking text book. Razor vocals (remember Angry when you used think you could sing like this?), killer guitar riffs and an attitude that kicks you right in middle stump awaits you if you dare to listen. |
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Chevelle
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I can't recall where TheBigBlack crew stumbled on Chevelle, but I'm glad we did. In the mid-2000's new music that was attractive to the TheBigBlack crew was scarce, so stumbling on the raw guitar sounds at its peak in the album and drifting into a sound supporting the vocals is a treat. The first track 'Antisaint', very much sets the scene for what you are about to listen to. High fueled music and vocals that can pull the reigns in when needed to make sure not every song sounds the same. Other highlights include 'Well Enough Alone' with Loeffler taking a deep breath before he screams his lungs out for approx. 10 seconds, then presenting a track that mixes that vocal repeated with a melodic mid-tempo vocal that encompasses most of the songs on this release. 'Straight Jacket Fashion' & 'The Fad' that follow are also other highlights of the release. I was going to avoid comparisons, but I will indulge a short opinion. For me I had a rough edged Deftones as my initial though, for what it is worth, which isn't much. They do mention Helmet as an influence that I am more than happy to agree with. They have 5 releases since this gem. I must invest some time in those. They are well worth it. |
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mk's Rock Honourable Mentions |
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Serj Tankian
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We all know Serj as being a founding member of one the biggest Alt/New Metal bands in the late 1990's into the early 2000's. With all the hiatus talk about the band (one minute off then on etc), Serj spent a lot of time in his new country of abode - New Zealand - to continue his creative nature and also continuing to sing about society issues and challenges. It would be obvious to expect a similar sound to SOAD, given the popularity. You could draw this bow in some points. For example the title track was written with SOAD but left on the scrap heap. There is no mistaking Serj's unique vox and so you will see that quirkiness if I can it that, through this album. While might suggest that a verse which repeats the same line before the chorus (and sometimes the other way around), is a lack of thought and talent, for Serj, it just works, leaving the likes of 'The Unthinking Majority' in your head. 'Elect The Dead' has all tempos considered. From the opener 'Empty Walls' to what is perhaps is Serj's revision of a ballad in 'Saving Us'. Other highlights includes Serj's sarcasm in 'Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition'. I will admit the first half of the record is easy to engage with and love. The remainder does take some time to soak in, but it is worth it. |
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Volbeat
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Dare I say I'm tired of the Rink-a-dink-a-woobie-boobie already? I didn't think as good as their debut release, but that was my number 1. This is still good and I'm sure we'll be hearing made up vocals on plenty of future releases from these guys. |
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mk's Rock Dishonourable Mentions |
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Perry Farell's Satellite Party
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It's so satellite, there's no-one at your party Perry. Turn it into a wake instead. |
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Chris Cornell
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WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?! When moving to France you must have left your 'clue' behind because you clearly haven't got one now. Please bring the real one back. |
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The Nightwatchman
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Stick to playing the guitar dick!! Gee put your hand up now if your glad Audioslave broke up? At least the two of them were preoccupied before and didn't have the time to release shit like this. What a shame. |
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Tomahawk
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Unfortunately everyone knows who you are Mike. Gee and the list of previous greats now ordinary solo artists continues like a funeral procession. |
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Silverchair
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Really another solo artist because surely Ben and Chris wouldn't sign up for this shit unless they enjoyed licking candy off the end of Daniel's knob. |
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TheBigBlack's Metal Top 10 |
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Machine Head
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Machine Head were once the saviours of metal. When grunge ruled the world, and headbanging become uncool, they single-handedly raised metal like a pheonix from the ashes - to then go and destroy their own reputation by heading down the rap insipired directions of some of their lesser talented followers. Flynn discovered the errors of his ways in recent years, and tried to fix the holes in his dripping bucket - but it all sounded a bit contrived. Until now. This is angry, fist pumping modern thrash that we always knew Machine Head were capable of, but always failed to do. Keep up the good work. |
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Down
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I love Down, but unlike every other fan on the planet, I think I actually preferred Down II, so was keen to get my hot littles onto this one. I wasn't disappointed, as it is still a great album, but I thought it lacked a bit of the catchiness in the riffs of the first two albums. That aside though, it is still a great album, and the first to contain the magnificent pipes of Phil Anselmo since the death of Dimebag. |
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Alchemist
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After a long wait, Alchemist is finally back. I am a bit of a fan-boi, and after the poor effort that was Austral Alien, I was concerned it wouldn't be worth the effort. No concern needed - this is classic Alchemist. The dynamics and harmonic interludes are here, mixed with the usual death metal breakouts - and Adam's vocals are still perfect for the style. Support Aussie metal now. Get this album now, and see how Pink Floyd would have sounded with distortion. |
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Volbeat
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Volbeat is of course MK's discovery of 2005, and the debut album was certainly a grower with it's heavily distorted guitar tone and Elvis style vocals. At first I thought this album wasn't as strong, but once it was under my skin it's diversity caught me, and I possibly now like it better. The heavy moments are still here ('Mr. & Mrs. Ness' is one of my songs of the year), but there is a lighter moment or two (such as the Johnny Cash inspired 'Sad Man's Tongue'). |
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Dream Theater
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I always struggle with DT for one simple reason - the vocals. Those high pitched, whiny vocals. Once I hear the singing, I then doubt the band in other places, as I am irritable - Are they heavy enough for me?. This album is like they have responded to my personal pleas. It is heavier than ever before, and although Labrie is still on vox, he never tries to reach notes out of his range. There is some amazing solo work as always, but more importantly, some of the best 'songs' (rather than solos) the band have ever written. |
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Novembers Doom
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OK - I like to have a 10 that isn't too predictable, but this year seems to have more known bands than previous years! So this, my friends is my big discovery for the year - a band that have been recording for over a decade but I had never noticed. The style (for lack of a better comparison) is akin to a band like Opeth - death metal, with passages of melody and clean vocals - but these guys aren't an Opeth clone by any means. This is good modern death metal deeply rooted in the American style rather than Euro. Check this out - you may be surprised. |
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Exodus
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Fuck me - Exodus just keep getting better! Each release has vast improvements over the last - the riffs are faster and heavier, the vocals are improved (with some clean passages!), and the overall production is superb. If Exodus had written an album like this 20 years ago, someone other than me would have noticed them! Step aside Metallica - the original Bay Area band is back. I can't wait for Exhibit B! |
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Akercocke
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This band gets better with each release. They are like a death metal version of The Beatles - the progression and maturity between each album is astonishing. This is a hotch-potch of extreme metal styles with shades of electronic and ambient mixed in too. Don't be fooled though - improvement hasn't meant they have toned down or slowed down - this is still not for the faint hearted. It's brutal and evil. |
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Megadeth
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And again he has proven it. After 25 years in the game, Dave Mustaine has proven that he is still God on guitar. Where 2004's The System Has Failed promised a lot, but only delivered occasionally, this is a pure return to form for Megadeth - a brilliant and catchy modern thrash album with some of the best solos and most incessant choruses of the year. Long live Vic Rattlehead! |
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Mayhem
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Mayhem are the undisputed Kings of any metal black. It's that simple really. Every time the genre twists in a new direction and threatens to leave the dinosaurs of the genre behind, Mayhem stick up their collective middle finger, and blister the landscape with their own thoughts on how it should be. I was expecting another Chimera, but what I got was something far different, and far more sinister. The album is dark - it exudes atmosphere. The sounds have various tempo changes, from insanely fast, to sludgy slow, and with the most necro production of recent years by any band no longer in their garage, it works beautifully as a work of not just music, but art. This one will bring tears to your eyes. |
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TheBigBlack's Metal Honourable Mentions |
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Al Atkins
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I thought that ol' Al had run his course recycling old Judas Priest tracks he co-wrote with them 30-odd years ago, but I think he has finally done the tracks justice. If this was released in 1985 I would have got a hard-on. |
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Destruction
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I loved early Destruction (as cheesy as some of it was), and with the sole exception of Anthrax's The Greater Of Two Evils, re-recording albums can be just as cheesy themselves, but this is really good! If only the originals were recorded with this musicianship and production they wouldn't have needed to re-record the songs in the first place! |
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Dethklok
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Yes, this is the soundtrack from the cartoon series - but it is actually really good old school American style death metal! I know, I was surprised too. Duncan Hills Coffee! |
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Megadeth
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Megadeth release a 4 CD, 1 DVD box set and you didn't think it would be in my best-ofs for the year? You are no friend of mine. This is a great compilation with a multitude of rarities and unreleased tracks. Also, the complete 1990 concert on disc 4 is possibly the best MD live concert I have ever heard. |
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Opeth
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This should be number 1 in my 10, but I can't include it due to it being a live album. Whose stupid rules are these? The vocals are insane. |
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Ozzy Osbourne
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Ozzy is back, and he has done his great legacy justice. This isn't the heaviest thing he has ever done (but I'll be damned if you think you can get this in your rock Top 10 MK!), but it is still everything you have ever loved about the Oz-man. |
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Shining
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This isn't as dark as Shining's previous albums (although it does have it's moments), but musically it is likely the most complex they have assembled. It was in my 10, but I tired of it a little quicker than I had hoped I would. |
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W.A.S.P.
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After a decade of embarrassing albums that tried to experiment or rehash the past Blackie has finally done what he did best in the 80s - he has written a fast, heavy album with great choruses to sing along to. |
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TheBigBlack's Metal Dishonourable Mentions |
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Darkthrone
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I hate to admit it, but I think Darkthrone have finally jumped the shark on this one. The songs are corny, and the music is dull. A once great innovator is dead I think, and now it is defiling its own corpse. |
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Manowar
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Hey, don't get me wrong, I love Manowar, but seriously how much orchestral wanking can be done in the name of Oden without getting cum on the clean sheets? This is like an opera with a guitar solo. They should be named 'Queenowar' from here on. |
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Therion
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The last Therion album (the brilliant Sirius B / Lemuria) was so good it made my Top 10. It had so many styles and textures. This one seemed dull and lifeless - and 2 CDs was really excessive. |
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Trouble
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After so many long years, Trouble are back! But only a little bit. Is this them warming up on couple of b-side worthy rock songs? Where's the metal? |
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Type O Negative
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Well, Type O have finally sold me a dud. I have listened to this dozens of times, but it just bores me. I am going to stop wearing my 'Pete Steele Rocks My World' underwear. |
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mk's Metal Top 10 |
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The Cursed
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A departure from the rest of my list, as you'll see. Ellsworth of Overkill fame's side project with Dan Lorenzo. But don't think Overkill here - this is slowed down bluesy Southern metal. New Jersey style of course. Guitar work is catchy here and there's a sense of tongue in cheek in the lyric work. Check out - the best of the worst for an example. The last spot in my Top10 was a difficult one to choose, but in the end, it was the simplistic and memorable mix that won me over |
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Darkthrone
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Such a joke, it's brilliant!! Becoming more obscure with each release, these guys do well at not taking themselves seriously. Exhibit A - Canadian Metal and the title track F.O.A.D. Buy the album is you want to know what that stands for. A new album expected in 2008 - what will they parody next |
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Paths Of Possession
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I'll admit up front that in my mind Corpsegrinder Fisher can do no wrong. I was absolutely wrapped that he resurfaced with this gem of a band. No-one can deny his contribution to cannibal Corpse and his legacy will continue. He has one of the greatest death metal voices and I think Paths of Possession gives him more freedom to twist and turn that guttural growl of his in as many directions as he likes. Yes, I know I've only talked about him to this point, but in honesty it is him that makes this band. This is not to say that musically this isn't a great post thrash death metal infusion - it's brilliant!! But with a lot of death metal, the vocals are to 'stock' (thanks SKOM). The variety in the vox here is perfect, with a few pretty cool licks added in for good measure. It's only their second album and they are yet to get the cudos from a wider audience. Let's hope things continue to improve for them. |
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Shining
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2007 was during a period of a few years looking for new things to listen to. When music fans choose something to listen to, sometimes this is based on your mood. For some reason, when I listened to Halmstad for the first time, I knew I'd be drawn back to many listens. It's not pleasant in its music. I have comparisons I could make but that isn't worthwhile. The lyrics are Swedish so I don't know what is being sung. I can tell you that the translation of the title of the first track is 'Yet Another Step Towards Complete Fucking Isolation', so you will start to get the point on the theme of this album. Musically, sharp walls of guitar sounds, leading into incredibly moody parts where you have a slow drum beat and an almost silenced guitar. I'll call it an incredibly depressing release, but if you can manage it, equally as beautiful in its execution. |
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Red Harvest
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The opening track will have your eyes bleeding from the inside! The second track will have you weeping with sorrow, such is the diversity of this release. The buzzing guitars through this album are brilliant, the timing changes perfect, the drumming simplistic but concrete. An industrial sound, yes, so the polish has been applied, but a sound that grabbed my attention this year. Love it! |
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Candlemass
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I'm the first to admit I have deliberately avoided this release for most of the year. As I said in 2005, it was Messiah's vox that sealed the deal for me on their previous self-titled release. It was a shame that he left, but if Leif is to be believed, he was a right prick. So in comes the actor Rob Lowe - who'd have thought huh? From Solitude Aeturnus fame. I realise now what a fool I have been to be so anti towards him all year. Yep, he sounds different to Messiah, but he fits in perfectly. How lucky are Leif and Co to find a perfect replacement? The guitar work is buzzing like opening a tin can with a blunt knife, while the theme of the album is suitable depressing. Sure they've moved on from their Epicus doom period and are a little more (dare I say it) 'positive' in their music, but the theme of the album does prove they still have those doom overtones. |
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Winds
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I think I described it as 'Thinking man's metal' to Zan earlier in the year. Gee this is tight - a very tight piece of work. With Hellhammer lending his expertise to another worthy collaboration, I was always going to be interested. The music certainly isn't played at a jaw-breaking pace - more a bread basket punch knocking the wind out of you. Lars somewhat high pitch desperation in his vox has you on the edge of your seat feeling like you're in the middle of an epic journey. Operatic elements are not overbearing and fit as small interludes in the progressive wall of sound, while Tidemann's guitar work is as crisp and as tight can be. All blends together for an enjoyable listen. |
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Akercocke
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Picked this gem up from the bruts in suits a month or two back. Punishing is all I can say. Well, actually add 'Melodic' in there also. These guys caught my attention with 'Goat' a few years back now and Antichrist just continues to raise the bar. I don't really subscribe to the Christianity/Satanism debate attached to this band (why these guys above others?? stoopid Pom priests!), but I'm sure this release will warm the cockles of Beelzebub's heart. |
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Static-X
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OK, I'm gonna cop a lot of shit for this (already have actually), so a big Fuck You to the haters. I know what you're all thinking - Why is a sophisticated guy like me listening to Static X?...What??? You don't think that at all?? OK, refer to my salutation above then. Yes, I like the intricacies of some metal arrangements (refer to Winds release for this year), but when you want to get a 'dose of metal is all you need / bang your head until you bleed' (kudos Mr Mustaine), then this is it for me. Yeah, it's simple. Yeah it's repetitive, but damn it's heavy!! Love it!! |
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Korn
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After my less than enthusiastic reaction to 'See you on the Other Side' I was a little anxious about what was to come next. It was only seeing it in the bargain bin after being out for 3 months that had me jump at the opportunity. What was this implying? Whatever it was to be at least it wasn't going to cost me much. Well, in the end it was my best investment for 2007. On initial listen I was far from impressed - Untouchables it wasn't!! Thankfully persistence rewarded me and after folding back the negative vibes, I was rewarded with a fleshy piece of song writing. They have moved away from their Nu Metal roots but are still able to intertwine some magnificent heavy breakdowns in the mix (see 'Ever Be'). Davis has worked on his vocal range further, adding further complexity to the music and it is this harmonic side to the album that I really enjoy. Song themes such as schizophrenia ('Bitch we got a problem') are an odd choice, but the obvious digs at Welch can't be missed ('Ever Be' and 'Love and Luxury'). Clearly Korn is a different band from the 90's version. A contrast from the rest of my metal list it certainly is, but I can't ignore the fact it's my best choice for 2007 |
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mk's Metal Honourable Mentions |
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Beatallica
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This review is aimed to be fun. A parody review of a Beatles vs Metallica mash-up band that take lyrics and music from both bands. It is incredibly impressive. These guys - Jaymez Lenninfield, Ringo Lars, Kliff McBurtney and Greg Hammeston are great musicians in their own right. From the very open of track 1, the title song, I gotta say they have pulled it off with Hetfield's sound. Brilliant. Of course you need to be familiar with both bands to appreciate this. Highlights for me are 'Blackened In The U.S.S.R.' - which starts with the 'Blackened' intro from Metallica and then shifts into the Beatles sound for their classic song. 'Sandman' where there again is a typical intro except for the bass, you know that is going to turn into something else 'Cashman'. There is a playoff with lyrics between to the two songs which is very smart. Also lyrics not related to each band such as 'For Horseman' where Larz needs to get more beers. They even include a mash of Cliff Burtons classic Anesthesia, with then turns into 'Birthday'. The highlight has to be 'Hey Dude' which talks about starting to be a shredder and to avoid posers, with callouts to 'Kip Winger' and 'Diamond Header'. Brilliant! Add a few more Lenninfield 'Yeehaahh's' and this is a release you will have you grinning from ear to ear. |
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Korn
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Whoa!! This is brilliant..yes even with Amy Lee on it. Highlight is clearly Davis a the Cure's Smith performing a duet of Make me bad and In Between days |
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mk's Metal Dishonourable Mentions |
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Hellyeah
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Grow up fat boy ('Big Vin'). Alright, I know there's plenty of you thinking it but not saying it...the wrong brother died in December 2004. |
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Job For A Cowboy
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Get another job. Preferably on another planet. |
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Elend
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Already on another planet for people nobody likes. |
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Last Data Update:
 2007-10-30 Soundtrack - I'm Not There.jpg)
 2007-10-23 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand.jpg)
 2007-07-10 Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell.jpg)
 2007-09-25 Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.jpg)
 2007-03-05 Grinderman - Grinderman.jpg)
 2007-04-03 Chevelle - Vena Sera.jpg)
 2007-04-24 Colin Hay - Are You Lookin' At Me.jpg)
 2007-09-18 Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild (Music From The Motion Picture).jpg)
 2007-07-10 Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist.jpg)
 2007-04-16 Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet.jpg)
![Dylan [Deluxe Edition]](../../images-covers/(COVER IMAGE) 2007-10-01 Bob Dylan - Dylan [Compilation, Deluxe Edition].jpg)
 2007-03-05 Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque.jpg)
 2007-07-24 Mountain - Masters Of War.jpg)
 2007-03-05 Korn - MTV Unplugged.jpg)
 2007-03-13 Neil Young - Live At Massey Hall 1971.jpg)
 2007-05-01 Rush - Snakes and Arrows.jpg)
 2007-06-29 Crowded House - Time On Earth.jpg)
 2007-05-15 Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight.jpg)
 2007-06-05 Marilyn Manson - Eat Me, Drink Me.jpg)
 2007-02-16 Rose Tattoo - Blood Brothers.jpg)
 2007-03-31 Silverchair - Young Modern.jpg)
 2007-03-06 The Stooges - The Weirdness.jpg)
 2007-06-12 Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris.jpg)
 - Image Not Available -.jpg)
 2007-05-22 Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain.jpg)
 2007-03-06 Alabama Thunderpussy - Open Fire.jpg)
 2007-10-27 Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead.jpg)
 2007-02-26 Volbeat - Rock The Rebel, Meet The Devil.jpg)
 2007-05-28 Chris Cornell - Carry On.jpg)
 2007-06-19 Tomahawk - Anonymous.jpg)
 2007-03-26 Machine Head - The Blackening.jpg)
 2007-09-24 Down - Down III, Over The Under.jpg)
 2007-09-03 Alchemist - Tripsis.jpg)
 2007-06-04 Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos.jpg)
 2007-02-20 Novembers Doom - The Novella Reservoir.jpg)
 2007-10-23 Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition, Exhibit A.jpg)
 2007-05-28 Akercocke - Antichrist.jpg)
 2007-05-15 Megadeth - United Abominations.jpg)
 2007-04-16 Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao.jpg)
 2007-01-22 Al Atkins - Demon Deceiver.jpg)
 2007-09-25 Dethklok - The Deathalbum.jpg)
 2007-10-09 Megadeth - Warchest [Boxed Set].jpg)
 2007-11-05 Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes.jpg)
 2007-04-16 Shining - V, Halmstad.jpg)
 2007-04-16 W.A.S.P. - Dominator.jpg)
 2007-09-24 Darkthrone - F.O.A.D. (Fuck Off And Die).jpg)
 2007-02-23 Manowar - Gods Of War.jpg)
 2007-01-12 Therion - Gothic Kabbalah.jpg)
 2007-05-12 Trouble - Simple Mind Condition.jpg)
 2007-03-13 Type O Negative - Dead Again.jpg)
 2007-05-22 The Cursed - Room Full Of Sinners.jpg)
 2007-06-22 Candlemass - King Of The Grey Islands.jpg)
 2007-09-04 Winds - Prominence And Demise.jpg)
 2007-07-31 Korn - Untitled.jpg)
 2007-07-10 Beatallica - Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band.jpg)
 2007-04-07 Hellyeah - Hellyeah.jpg)
 2007-05-15 Job For A Cowboy - Genesis.jpg)
 2007-04-23 Elend - A World In Their Screams.jpg)