Two of the Greatest Albums of 2008 (& All Time?)

The second half of 2008 has seen a wave of exceptional albums released by both established bands and newcomers alike. Here's a quick review of the two albums to have completely taken my breath away:

Sonic Syndicate returned this year with Love & Other Disasters which builds on what they gave us previously, showing an equal amount of growth and skill. Songs such as "Jack Of Diamonds" and "Encaged" show that the band can still rock like the best of them, while "My Escape" shows a softer side of the band (while not being wimpy or pop). An excellent example of modern metal done right. Easily one of the best albums of the 2000s, let alone this year.

This year, Shinedown have given us The Sound Of Madness. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I'd been a huge fan of their first album, Leave A Whisper (2004), but was slightly underwhelmed by their sophomore effort, Us & Them (2005). When I first put this album in my CD player, though, I was blown away. The band have managed to create a sound that is wholly their own, but firmly within the darker reaches of hard rock. Heavy, super-melodic, with a healthy dose of bombast, I seriously doubt anyone could not like this album. Picking any one track to recommend would be impossible - the first two tracks form a pucnhy beginning with the driving, anthemic "Devour" and the huge title-track. But, even when the band are more introspective, they still create some moving ballads ("Call Me", "The Crow & The Butterfly" and "If You Only Knew"). Perhaps the song that exemplifies everything that the band has become is "Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide": mixing heavy guitars, a melodic hook (guitar and vocal) to die for, and enough power behind it to make anyone jump up and sing along... Truly amazing. Best album of the year, and certainly up there in my top five albums of all time.

If you only buy two rock albums this year, make it these two.

"Wasteland Discotheque" - Raunchy (Lifeforce)

Melodic, heavy, not the best but still pretty good...

I've been a fan of Raunchy since they released Confusion Bay (2004). With its mix of heavy-and-light elements it didn't present us with anything particularly new, in terms of style, but there was something about the way band wrote and performed that made them stand out among the others peddling the same or similar metal. Harsh vocals went hand-in-hand with more melodic, soaring choruses, all on top of ultra-melodic instrumentation.

The band's been going through a lot of label changes and line-up changes, but the band remains much the same as we've come to expect. Mixing Fear Factory-style industrial production with In Flames/Soilwork Melodic Death Metal, Wasteland Discotheque is a solid album. Perhaps not as good as the aforementioned Confusion Bay or the band's previous release Death-Pop Romance (2006), this album still contains plenty to keep you headbanging and ears open for more. But, with other bands out there doing similar things and better (specifically: In Flames, Soilwork, Sonic Syndicate, Scar Symmetry), it will be hard for Raunchy to get enough people to notice them, which is a shame.

If we gave grades, this would be a B- or C+. They've released better, but the album still has some redeeming features (almost Nightwish-esque use of keyboards, for example, is a nice addition). We'll have to see what they do next, I guess.

Choice cuts: "The Bash" (superb chorus), "The Warriors" (sinister verses, almost emo chorus), "Straight to Hell" and "Welcome to the Storm" (both of which bring to mind the style on Confusion Bay)

www.myspace.com/raunchy

Disturbed, "Indestructible"

Latest offering from David Draiman and his merry, heavy men

Disturbed have always held a special place in my heart. Their debut, The Sickness (2000) came out just as nu-metal was starting to bore me - its blending of the better elements of the genre and Draiman's quirky vocal tics, not to mention a healthy attention to melody grabbed my attention and I've remained hooked ever since.

As one of the only surviving band from that era maintaining a decent fanbase (probably a growing one, in fact), Disturbed have evolved their sound over the years, culminating in Indestructible, which blends all the heavier elements of The Sickness and builds on the melodic and bombastic elements that emerged on the truly excellent Believe (2002) and Ten Thousand Fists (2005).

On first listen, Indestructible sounded competent and melodic, but didn't fully grab me. Now that I've been listening to it for a good while, though, it can safely sit among Disturbed's other releases as another example of melodic hard rock done very, very well. The darker atmosphere of the album ("Inside the Fire") combine flawlessly with bombastic bounce ("The Night") making a varied and exciting album on all fronts.

If you're familiar with Disturbed, you probably won't be surprised by anything on here (that's a good thing). If you're new to Disturbed, you'll find an accesible hard rock album that you can both dance to and sing along with, without sacrifice of heaviness.

Highly recommended.

"Vengeance", Nonpoint (Bieler Bros.)

I’ve always had a soft spot for Nonpoint, ever since I heard “What A Day” from their 2001 debut, Statement. Blending the common nu-metal themes of the times with more eccentric and esoteric styles (latin, especially) and a whole load of personal character that has made them stand out from every other band before and after. They defy categorisation, and that might be their secret to success, leaving them free from being tarnished by any fleeting fad or “it” genre.

On Vengeance, Nonpoint haven’t broken their original mould too much, growing still in the direction exhibited on 2005’s To The Pain, which showed the band simultaneously going in a heavier and more melodic (some would say commercial) direction. After the success of their cover of “In The Air Tonight” (which feature in the Miami Vice movie remake), the band sound more confident to try new things.

Elias Soriano’s vocals are more husky in the opening numbers of Vengeance, the melodies less overt, but at the same time still there.

The pace of this album is actually pretty slow, despite the urgency that comes across occasionally in the vocals. The title track typifies this – the vocals are pretty urgent, but the instrumentation behind it is not especially fast. This is the perhaps the only thing I found a little disappointing (only a little, mind). I was hoping for something a little faster and urgent, but after accepting the slower pace, the album really started to grow on me. Whether it’s the anger of “March Of War” and “Wake Up World”, or the more introspective and considered “What I Do Best”, “A Way Out” and “Breathe” (the latter two are particularly excellent songs).

Often it feels like the band are throwing nods to their previous output, perhaps something for the long-time fans that might have been wary after their successful, aforementioned cover-single. The songs all blend nicely together into a cohesive whole, which makes it difficult to really pick stand-out tracks. Some won’t like the “vanilla” feel of the songs (to quote another reviewer), as if you’re not paying attention you could be made to think you’re listening to just one long song. But, if you do listen properly, you’ll be able to hear that Nonpoint have written a solid rock album. Perhaps it doesn’t meet their previous albums in quality or experimentation, but that shouldn’t disqualify it from your collections.

A surprisingly slow-burning album, that should translate well into the live setting, it’s clear that Nonpoint are a band that, while purveying their own take on hard rock, will continue to survive, long after their peers have faded away.

www.myspace.com/nonpoint

Destinity - "The Inside" (Lifeforce)

Quality Death Metal with occasional melodic flourishes

Destinity have produced a rather satisfying album with The Inside. Vocally heavy, instrumentally both heavy-as-hell and yet also retaining a certain musical flair and penchant for melodic guitar-lines, there is little doubt that this album should appeal to fans of both Death Metal and Melodic Death, maybe even some fans of symphonic Black Metal (especially if you like bands like Dimmu Borgir, and their later releases).

One interesting difference that makes Destinity stand out is their use of "clean" vocals. If you've heard the band Pain (side-project of Hypocrisy's frontman and producer extraordinnaire, Pete Tatgren), then you will have an idea of what the sung vocals are like. Used sparingly and to excellent effect, they add another dimension to an album that could otherwise have been subsumed by the ever-expanding stable of bands who try this sort of thing.

With hints of Dark Tranquility, Ill-Disposed, Arch Enemy, early Soilwork and other luminaries of the Melodic Death Metal scene, Destinity can be proud of the album they've written and produced, standing tall with their peers. Though I must say, having mentioned those stars of the Gothenburg scene, that Destinity do not peddle a well-worn knock of that sound. Sure, there are some universally used elements that crop up in all Melodic Death Metal, allowing identification with that genre, but Destinity add so many other elements that they almost (but only just almost) defy categorisation.

Heavy, technically excellent, and the know-how of to structure heavy songs, Destinity are a band to watch as they will no doubt grow in both confidence and skill as their careers develop. If you like these guys, also check out fellow Lifeforce stable-mates Deadlock.

www.myspace.com/destinity

Demon Hunter - "Storm The Gates Of Hell" (Solid State)

Metalcore Juggernaut keeps on rolling...

Demon Hunter are one of the better purveyors of Metalcore at the moment. Some complain that they are too like Killswitch Engage, apparently having taken too many cues from that band's mega-hit The End Of Heartache (2004). I, on the other hand, think the opposite. I think Demon Hunter are one of the only bands out there, still producing Metalcore, that are actually worth listening to.

Having said that, Storm The Gates Of Hell is far from perfect. This is largely the fault of the scene and genre than any specific fault of the band's. The thing is, when Demon Hunter are at their most "commercial", they are awe-inspiring, oft jaw-droppingly good: their biggest hit before this album was "My Heartstrings Come Undone" from Summer Of Darkness (2004) - a melodic ballad that evoked a whole swathe of emotions in the listener, retaining minimal amounts of crunch and barely any heavy elements. I'd go so far as to say that much of Summer Of Darkness was perfect, or at least as near to perfect as this genre can get (check out lead single, "Not Ready To Die"). Follow up album The Triptych (2005) was good, but didn't live up to its predecessor.

With Storm The Gates Of Hell, we get a blend of all the best bits from Summer Of Darkness coupled with higher levels of ferocity, reminiscent of their eponymous debut (2002). But, while that may make some long-term, purist fans salivate with glee and excitement, the album again did not quite live up to my hopes.

On this latest album, Demon Hunter have written some songs that have none of the commercial elements that made them such cross-over successes. The opening, title-track is relentless and fast, but ultimately boring. It would work in a live-setting, if your intention was music-to-kill-others-by. Listening on a stereo at home, it sounds a little ridiculous. I'd go so far as to say it's a carbon-copy of almost every other non-commercial Metalcore band out there. A pity.

At the same time, the album has two of the best songs written in 2007, in my humble opinion. There's the ballad "Carry Me Down", which is even more melodic than "... Heartstrings...", and actually has a great uplifting effect on the listener. The second, near-perfect song, is "Fading Away" (the album's first single). This single perfectly displays that band's songwriting chops, perfectly juxtaposing the heavier and melodic sides of the band's personality and signature sound. I defy anyone to not spontaneously start singing along to this song. Ryan has some of the most powerful vocals in the Metal scene as a whole, and it seems criminal to not utilise them to their fullest. Truly amazing, his singing voice, and when used well in conjunction with his truly demonic roars, you get a real yin and yang effect.

Other songs manage to inject huge melodies into otherwise bludgeoning songs, including "Lead Us Home", "Sixteen", "Incision", and "I Am You".

Ultimately, this is a good album, but it suffers from the Metalcore affliction of containing a clutch of excellent or notable songs, and the rest being largely forgettable (and, as is invariably so, it's the "-core" heavy songs that are ultimately discardable).

www.demonhunter.net / www.myspace.com/demonhunter

Best Songs Of 2007

I usually get annoyed with end-of-year list articles, but for some reason I've been moved to write a short list of the best songs released in 2007. It's not in any particular order, and is far from definitive, but I thought I'd share my opinion with you. Some of them are singles, but others are gems that I thought I'd let people know about. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree.

Soilwork - "Breeding Thorns"

Demon Hunter - "Carry Me Down" & "Fading Away"

NB-All Stars - "Dysfunctional Hours" (Anders Friden)

Sonic Syndicate - "Denied" & "Enclave"

Bruce Springsteen - "Radio Nowhere"

Funeral For A Friend - "Into Oblivion (Reunion)"

OneSideZero - "My Confession"

Apocalyptica - "I'm Not Jesus"

Finger Eleven - "Paralyzer"

Strata - "Cocaine (We're All Going To Hell)"

Seether - "Fake It"

Engel - "Next Closed Day" & "Casket Closing"

Korn - "Evolution"

Fuel - "Halos Of The Son" & "Again"

Black Stone Cherry - "Rollin' On"

I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones constantly on my MP3 player's playlist. Enjoy.