2009 has been an amazing year as far as I'm concerned
Metal
Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing Along Songs For The Damned & Delirious
An amazing step up from their 2006 debut Butcher's Ballroom. Far less focus on the operatic vocals in change for a more eclectic heavy style. At times I found the guitar tone to sound a lot like Meshuggah. That said, they've still managed to maintain their very catchy and almost dance-along to sound that they've mastered.
Devin Townsend - Ki & Addicted!
Two years after Ziltoid came out Devin's back and now sober with a four album project. Ki took me awhile to get use to but after I accepted the fact that not everything he does has to be heavy and psychotic I found myself really enjoying the mellow melodic sound he produced with this album. He did throw a few heavy parts in it that really kicked my ass and brought back the ol' Devin feeling.
Addicted! was a real treat to hear, very much like what I was hoping Ki would sound like. It has a very danceable sound to it that is very new to me as far as Devin Townsend is concerned. The album also has a real nice happy and carefree sound to it. The lyrics aren't all serious like in a lot of Devin's other work so it is a nice break from the usual. This was a real nice album to unexpectedly find in my e-mail inbox two weeks before it came out.
Austere - To Lay Like Old Ashes
This was a neat little unexpected find for me. When I read their original band info it sounded like another Norwegian Black Metal band (Make sure to ask Hiphopbunnyhop to get his approval if it really is black metal, because he knows everything there is and has the final say about black metal). This was an incredibly atmospheric album that really sent chills down my spine. It really should have been an instrumental album, but I can forgive the howls because after awhile I started to just tune them out. If you're looking for something incredibly atmospheric then this is an album to definitely check out.
Cobalt - Gin
Holy shit! This was an amazing Black Metal album that wasn't much of a black metal album but had black metal influences. This album has been getting some really stellar reviews from all around the world and showing us that not all good black metal comes from Norway, but sometimes Colorado.
Hacride - Lazarus
Lee recommended me this back in March or April and it was a real treat. It had the ferocity of extreme metal, but it also had a real progressive vibe to it, not like most progressive metal, this actually felt... progressive. At times it sounded a bit much like Meshuggah but I can forgive that because if I was in a metal band I'd wanna do my best to sound like Meshuggah because they're totally ****ing awesome!
Arch Enemy - The Root of All Evil
While it was nowhere near as good as Wages of Sin the album did have it's own little nice charm to it. Angela Gossow continues to impress me with her vocal range and continues to break down stereotypes that women cannot front an extreme metal band. I will say that it's probably the weakest of their discography, but it still got my head banging.
Nile - To Whom The Gods Detest
Been a Nile fan for quite some time, and just when I thought they couldn't top In Their Darkened Shrines they did it. This album really isn't for everyone as Nile is an acquired taste, but do give it a try because chances are if you listen to it enough with headphones you will catch all the undertones and melodic parts to their songs that get lost when just played through speakers
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
It seems like there's two schools of thought on this album, either you're in group A who believe it's their best work so far, or you're in group B and you think it's a good album, but certainly no Leviathan. Personally I'm in group B, the album had some incredibly melodic and sludgy parts to it that I loved, but it just didn't have that same charm that Leviathan had and I don't think it can ever be topped.
Russian Circles - Geneva
Russian Circles are one of my favourite post-metal bands so when I found a leak of their new CD in my inbox I was incredibly happy. The album really did a number on their earlier material and I have found works great for writing essays. If you like post-metal or even post-rock, this is an album and band to check out.
Pelican -What We All Come To Need
This was actually the first release I heard from this band after Last.FM kept on recommending them to me. Finally I decided to give them a try and I wanted to kick my ass for not looking into them sooner. The album was very similar to Geneva by Russian Circles, however it had it's own unique sound to it that I have yet to really truly understand. Again, if you're into post-rock or post-metal then this is an album to try.
Immortal - All Shall Fall
Long time fans of Immortal really ended up liking this album, mostly because it's their first release in 7 years since Sons of Northern Darkness came out back in 2002. I got into Immortal back in 2007 so I can't say I was waiting nearly as long, but it was a very nice album to find randomly. 2009 has been a good year for Black Metal at least as far as I'm concerned.
Indukti - Idmen
Polish progressive metal outfit that I found in my inbox earlier this year. Like Lazarus by Hacride, this is an album that really had a progressive sound to it. While I have yet to look up more stuff by this band, they're on my list of new material to try.
Hypocrisy - A Taste of Extreme Divinity
Hypocrisy has been one of one of my favourite death metal bands since I started getting into the more extreme genres of metal. This release is by far their heaviest and best produced. It really does take on a life of its own and does well at distancing itself more from their earlier lyrical work on the paranormal and extraterrestrial.
Slough Feg - Ape Uprising
If you like sludgy progressive metal that has a very geeky undertone, then this is a perfect band for you. Been a fan for awhile and wasn't even aware they had a new album coming out this year. I know Seltzer enjoyed this album as well, however I don't think anyone on this forum is a fan or knows of the band.
Porcupine Tree - The Incident
I know a few people here was let down by this album, however I hold the unpopular opinion that Fear of a Blank Planet was their best album to date and The Incident was very similar. I liked that the songs were short and sweet that didn't get boring and seemed to flow together very nicely. Steve Wilson's production just continues to get better as he gets older and works more with other people.
ISIS - Wavering Radiant
While the new Russian Circles and Pelican album were very well done post-metal albums, nothing can top ISIS' newest release this year in terms of raw beautiful sound.
2009 has been a very good year for metal and considering metal is my favourite and "main" genre, it's no wonder why this year has been my favourite of the decade. I am probably running out of characters so I'll do write ups for all the other amazing albums from other genres that have come out this year.
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