Albums of 2009

Right, it's coming up to the end of the year, so I think it's time I added my albums of the year. This was an almost impossible task as 2009 has been one of the greatest times for rock and metal in my living memory. Starting from a shortlist of 31 (and that's 31 albums I actually listened to and liked), I spent an hour deleting from and adding to the list, before finally settling on 10. Bear in mind, these are personal choices, not what I'd consider to be a definitive list of the greatest albums out there full stop.

10 - Saxon - Into The Labyrinth

Just sneaking in as my number 10 comes Saxon's 18th (yes 18th) studio album, Into The Labyrinth. Just before this had arrived in the shops, a friend of mine had bought me a ticket to see Saxon. My cries of "Why are we going to see Saxon?" lasted only a few weeks, before this return to form came out. Seated in the 80's, this is an obvious NWOBHM album. Everything about it is about steel, riffs, and screaming. The surprising thing though, is that this is actually good. Saxon released three amazing albums in their first few years, then fourteen piles of shit. Hopefully this will last.

Best song: Battalions Of Steel. This just feels like a huge slab from the past. It's the classic 80's style of unwarranted epic sounds and a cheesy memorable chorus. But who doesn't want that every now and again?

9 - Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know

When I found out that Dio was rejoining Black Sabbath, I shit a brick. The awesomeness that ran through my head seemed nigh on insurmountable. Fortunately, it wasn't insurmountable and the album lived up to all the promise I expected. Doomier and heavier than any Ozzy era Sabbath album ever manages, this might turn out to be a fitting swansong for Ronnie James Dio if his stomach cancer is serious. Although not packed to the brim with massive successes, when songs do hit, they hit big. These four still have it, even if Ozzy is off the rails these days.

Best song: Bible Black. It starts off with a slow build up, then bangs straight into a hard riff with powerful vocals. It's Dio era Sabbath. You know how it goes.

8 - Steel Panther - Feel The Steel

Scoff at your peril. As much as mock albums are usually about comedy first and then music last (I mean Homer fecking Simpson is in Spinal Tap), with this one you're never too sure. Yes, every single song on this album is about sex. Yes, there's less than casual references to drugs. Yes, they wear leopard print, hairspray and tights with holes in. But holy shit these pack riffs. That's what set's them out from Tenacious D, Tap or any other band that's going for laughs. You tell me that some of these songs don't make you wanna get up and thrash about and you're a fucking liar. A FUCKING LIAR. The only thing tarnishing this album is that it's been adopted by people who don't know a thing about rock. Beware their gigs, no doubt they're full of guffawing 12 year olds.

Best song: Party All Day. It's essentially a Bon Jovi song. It really is the most catchy thing this side of a fishing hook factory. Then again, what else do you expect from the lyric "Woah-oh-oh, hey hey hey, fuck all night and party all day"?

7 - Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West

I'm a self confirmed Clutch obsesser. I know my love for them crosses boundaries sometimes and I accept that. The fact that I can accept it is probably why I've not put this in the top three. This clearly isn't their best album. A third of the time, this just sounds like a jam band. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it's not quite what you want from a Clutch CD. Luckily the other two thirds of the album are pure live fodder. Struck Down, Minotaur, 50,000 Unstoppable Watts, Abraham Lincoln, all fantastic songs. And if that doesn't sway you to find it fantastic, the album packaging is amazing. You'll understand if you buy it I swear. Of course, I want them to lose the stripped down feel for the next album, but either way, this is still a solid release for the grooviest band on earth.

Best Song: 50,000 Unstoppable Watts. It's difficult to explain what happens to my genitalia when I hear this. It has Neil Fallon in shouty mode, which is something we don't get enough any more. It's a simple song, but it mentions booze, radio and a deadly chemical people used to kill with. Always good.

6 - Kiss - Sonic Boom

When I told someone I was including this in my top ten, she laughed and called me a cheese monger. But then again, she's Northern Irish, so she knows no better than to insult people for having different beliefs (I say with tongue firmly placed in cheek). For a band that hasn't released new material for eleven years, this is a masterclass. It's catchy, it's cheesy, and it has the usual Gene Simmons interuptions at needless points in songs. Usually in the form of "Yeah that's right" or something similar. It's a Kiss album. They haven't reinvented the wheel, but that's never bad when you've buggered off for a decade. The only different thing in this album is that it has more than one song that you'll like, which for a Kiss album is new.

Best Song: Modern Day Delilah. It's a good Kiss song. There's little to say.

5 - Rammstein - Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da

I'm guessing you've seen the video for Pussy. If you haven't, go watch it now, just so you know what I was expecting. What I was expecting was the camper side of these German oddballs. It isn't what I got, well aside from the aforementioned track. It's moody, epic (in an uncliche'd way) and German. There's a lot of drum work here, and a whole lot of synthesiser. But just when it gets scarily close to Kraftwerk, they add a song about fucking in. They know how to break the ice, that's for sure.

Best Song: Haifisch. All the above in one song.

4 - Mastodon - Crack The Skye

There was a time in this year that I'd decided this was my number one. It was locked in, and nothing was going to knock it off its plinth. So for this to go to number four is quite something. I maintain this is still an amazing album. It's lost nothing in replay value. It's only moved down because of the strength of the top three. This is a masterpiece of an album. Apparently about a paraplegic travelling through space (I kid ye not), it really is here as an album. Every song leading into each other without a dry spot. Apparently the full play throughs at gigs were something to behold and I can see why. There's no explaining this album, just listen to it,

Best Song: There isn't really a best song. This is meant to be listened to as a full album.

3 - Kamchatka - Volume III

Three months ago, I hadn't heard of these either. Then they supported a band I was going to see and blew me away. A blues/stoner power trio, these guys know how to play. There's hints of Hendrix, dollops of Zeppelin, and a hell of a lot of Swedish in this album. Don't let it put you off that one of these songs is about a happy tramp and another is about a man with wooden hands. The power and precision of their playing is only overtaken by their vocal range. Has to be heard to be appreciated me things.

Best Song: 681. Possibly the grooviest track on the record, it was either this or Pathetic I was going to choose. A song about, well I'm not sure. It seems to be about having to leave a loved one, but who cares when the hooks are like this.

2 - Megadeth - Endgame

Thrash is having something of a revival in recent years. Even the big four were upping their game, well until Anthrax couldn't keep their shit together. Last year Metallica released the best thrash album in a very long time in my opinion. This year, it might have been overthrown. Megadeth have managed to pull this work of genius out of the bag after a string of progressively better last three albums. It's essentially 80's thrash. That, for those of you who don't know, is a good thing. The riffs are fast, his voice is as bitter about the past as ever and he's probably got more ginger since the last album too. This might just be the thing Dave Mustaine needed to get over being kicked out of Metallica. Hopefully though, that won't mean he'll go shit after this album.

Best Song: 44 Minutes. A slower song off the record, but fantastically written. As a standalone track, I reckon this is my favourite of the year.

1 - The Answer - Everyday Demons

This album sexually excites me. If it had a bigger hole in the middle, I would actually sleep with the disk. If 2006's Rise showed promise of a band ready to burn the classic rock flame, this years Everyday Demons threw some fucking petrol on that flame and blew up a block of indie fucking flats. Bluesy riff after bluesy riff, it's not hard to see that the influences lay in Free, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy. Every single song on this record had a point. All killer, no filler is the cliche'd phrase I'd use. But, I wouldn't recomend anyone buy it. Honestly, there's no point in buying Everyday Demon's. In fact, I'd go as far as saying buying it would buy a rip off. Go buy Everyday Demon's special edition. It's a few quid deerer, but you get one of the best live disks as a bonus too. These are going to be huge.

Best Song: Demon Eyes, but that's at a push. There's about 5 tracks on this album that could be my favourite individual track of the year. Demon Eyes pretty much dives you straight into the album with Cormac Neeson's voice shining through straight away and hard rock style guitar that just makes you wish you were born in the 70's.

Honourable Mentions

Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders
I've only listened to this a few times as of yet, and it's good. Really good. Not quite top 10 quality just yet, but definitely a debut album which fills me with hope. Prog never really hit me, with the exception of Pink Floyd, as lyrics inevitably went into the ludicrous realms of fantasy that i never thought complimented the instruments. But with these, as an instrumental band, lyrics aren't anything to worry about.

Evile - Infected Nations
Only got clued up to these with the unfortunate passing of their bassist Mike Alexander, but they sound awesome. Maybe if I'd have been a fan at the time of release, I'd have snuck a few more listens in and got it to the top 10, but unfortunately not. Thrash revival is something that excites me, but all too often it's complemented by a vocalist who just roars. Something which doesn't appeal to me. So it's nice to hear pure thrash with decent vocals.

Fu Manchu - Signs of Infinite Power
It's Fu Manchu. It's a good Fu Manchu record at that. Nothing much else to say.

Kylesa - Static Tensions
Pretty much as powerful and lively as you could expect a 2 drummed band to be. There's a lot of energy here, a lot of soul and at the same time it feels trippy. Only outside of the top 10 because of a strong year for albums

YOB - The Great Cessation
Doomy, trippy, shouty, heavy, fuzzy, so pretty much what you'd expect from YOB. The Usual 10+ minute songs are here. Yeah it's indulgent, but you're allowed to be when you sound so raw. Something that shouldn't appeal to my tastes, but somehow it does.

Flip Skateboards' Extremely Sorry - Baron and guests

Flip Skateboards' Extremely Sorry Soundtrack
Baron & Guests
1.5/5

Let's get straight to the point here and say this album doesn't really need to exist. It's a soundtrack which was specially produced for a skateboarding DVD.

Produced by some guy called Baron, most of the tracks here are clear attempts at epic incidental music, which probably works when watching some 'dude' on a wheeled piece of wood jump a burning horse or something equally proposterous, but as pure audio, this just gets tiresome. However, there are one or two gems here, when his special guests turn up. The first being a surreally moving cover of 'Stand By Me' by none other than Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Dave Lombardo of Slayer. Don't let that throw you though if that isn't your thing as it doesn't sound at all heavy. The other hidden treat however, is the heaviest number. 'The Process Of Extinction', can only help to put the band Early Man on the map.

It's hard to imagine anyone being desperate to listen to these tracks, but if you are, don't buy the CD. Download the inevitable 'Stand By Me' single and buy the DVD. At least then, you'll be treated to skateboarder's breaking their ribs.

The Company Band - The Company Band

The Company Band
The Company Band
3/5

There are two supergroups releasing self titled albums this week, and it's a shame that this is the one you probably haven't heard of.

The Company Band previously released an EP under a corporate gimick, which thankfully they've dropped adding more scope for the full length. With members of Clutch, Fu Manchu, Fireball Ministry and CKY, it's odd that this is straight out rock without the desert twang of all, but the approach brings a fresh feel to the playing. Starting out with 'Zombie Barricades', you sense you're in a lively album, with catchy hooks and rough drums. Neil Fallon's usual brand of intelligent, twisted lyrics are present too. Most noticably in the tongue in cheek, 'All's Well In Milton Keynes', which rather aptly is the most sedate on the album. Other highlights include, 'Love Means Never Having To Say You're Ugly' and 'Djinn & Pentatonic' which keep the grooves of Clutch but in a more balls to the wall fashion. Though in truth, no song is flat out bad.

Surprisingly for a supergroup, this doesn't feel like a project completed on days off. It feels fresh and, whilst not as good as the sum of it's parts, heaps of fun.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
2.5/5

Dave Grohl. Josh Homme. John Paul Jones. Those three names should have grabbed your attention if you have even an ounce of rock in your soul. That's all well and good, but the music probably won't.

The problem is, there's not a lot really here to grab you. Nothing that exploits the trio's strengths. There are fleeting moments of promise. Halfway through the opening track 'No One Loves Me...', a monstrous riff hits and makes you take notice for two minutes. And the intro of 'Gunmen' is one of the funkiest you'll ever hear without blasting out some early Chili Peppers, but it's a sound that doesn't work with Homme's vocals. In truth, what we have is a new QOTSA album with a few bells and whistles. There's little nodding towards Zeppelin or Nirvana which renders the hype around Grohl (on drums in this collaboration) and Jones pointless.

Built on the back of hype and secrecy, Them Crooked Vultures was always likely to be a disappointment, but the point is, these three musicians have nothing to prove anymore. And it shows. Stick on the first three or four Kyuss, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin albums and you'll see what's missing.

Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball

Dead Confederate
Wrecking Ball
2/5

Dead Confederate sound pretty much like a modern day stab at Nirvana. Before anybody gets too excited, that’s in terms of sound, not originality and impact.

Mixing grunge and a diluted sort of stoner rock, they end up somewhere that’s clearly going to be labelled alternative rock. That’s a shame too, because it feels like they were trying to sound original and fresh. Album opener, ‘Heavy Petting’, is the closest to achieving this. Slow vocals and guitar, mixed with up tempo drums, it sounds amazingly fresh, yet gives false promise for the rest of the album. What follows is a mostly samey forty-five minutes before the final track. Slow, overindulgent and dragged out, there’s really very little to distinguish one song from the next. Except for maybe ‘Start Me Laughing’, and even then, that’s only because the vocals are louder. However, when you get to the final track, ‘Wrecking Ball’, it’s another blast. Almost a song of two halves, the start is slow and moody whilst ending upbeat.

The only saving graces for this album are the first and last tracks. The filling’s awful. Listening is like a vegetarian eating a ham sandwich. Cut the middle out. Just eat the crusts.

Breed 77 - Insects

Breed 77
Insects
4/5

Breed 77 are a particularly odd sounding band. Mixing the bog standard metal sound with a Spanish, flamenco edge. It’s perhaps that weird edge that sparked them to oddly juxtapose two concepts for Insects. Revolution and, well, Insects.

Oddly enough, it works. Opening track ‘Wake Up’ builds the album up well, despite a pretty clichéd ticking clock opening. Heavy, fast and even growly in parts, it captures the dark feel to follow. Even the slower numbers feel somewhat dark and strangely, many of the flamenco parts of the album, such as in ‘New Disease’, sound like experimental System of a Down material. Screechy guitars are used in moderation to great effect, noticeably so in, ‘In the Temple of the Ram...’ a two part instrumental piece which doesn’t feel shoe horned into the album. The only real disappointment is the final track ‘Zombies’, which feels like a garbled mess of an anthem and doesn’t really fit into an otherwise broody yet confident album.

Overall, a pretty consistant album which improves upon an already solid back catalogue for Breed 77. More heavy parts than in previous albums, whilst still retaining the sound of their Gibraltan routes.

(Slightly edited version appears in Student Direct-Manchunian Issue 8 - dated 16th November 2009)

Clutch w/ Kylesa & Kamchatka

Clutch w/ Kylesa & Kamchatka
Academy 2
02/11/2009
Thomas Geddes
*****



Going into a gig headlined by your very favourite bands is ALWAYS a drawn out experience. You stand there for a few hours, listening patiently to the support acts, all the while waiting for the headliners to appear on the stage and mess your pants quite a lot. If that's the case, we're going to have to redefine always.



In a gig that has the stoner rock seal of approval, Kamchatka entered the stage with most of the crowd somewhere towards the back or at the bar. They ended their set with most in attendance towards the front. Seeing as this was only their second gig in the UK (the first being the previous day), it was no surprise that this Swedish power trio were unknowns over here. After the performance they gave, which can only be described as a treat, I can't see that obscurity lasting. Most songs were a chilled out, yet groovy affair which had the crowds heads bobbing more than most support acts dream of. When instrumental parts and solo's hit, there was more than just a hint of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd throwback in there. These were the only moments of their set where the head bobbing stopped. It was replaced by a slack jawed awe. I saw at least 3 people turn to surrounding people and mouth, "Fucking hell." I'm not ashamed to admit, I did the same.




Due to this warm up, Kylesa's job was made all the more easy. With the crowd already fully warmed up 2 bands early, their 2 drummed brutality and heavy guitars appealed to the more manic side of the crowd. Roaring their way through a constant barage of huge beats, there was no let up for the crowd. Particularly surprising was the powerful voice of the female vocalist and the intensity of both drummers throughout. Especially so, in a fantastic drum solo (or should that be tandem?)




With Clutch hitting the stage to a manic, lively crowd, they tore through a set largely dominated by their newest album, Strange Cousins From The West. Neil Fallon's preacheresque stance and expression was there in spades, with his facial expressions only adding to the intensity of songs like 'Abraham Lincoln' and 'Minotaur'. Jam's inbetween songs are commonplace in a Clutch gig, and as always were executed with precision, making every song seem to glide into each other. The only gripe of this night was that the set missed a huge chunk of the early, more hardcore style Clutch songs, which could have irritated some seeing the band for the first time. Yet, with an everchanging set, you can guarruntee that if you caught them in any other city of this tour, you'd get them.



Certainly, this was one of the best gigs you could ever care to see. 2 support bands that complimented Clutch's different styles, and yet didn't pale in comparison. 3 perfect performances, a brilliant atmosphere, and plenty of grooves. This is how music should ALWAYS be, and that's ALWAYS.



(Heavily edited version may appear in Student Direct:Mancunian) & Kamchatka used it on their myspace at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=32082839