Who Decides: mid-year albums of the year 2009

Well, obviously my work never unblocked blogger, but hopefully next year will be different. Not going to say much about 09, they were a great class and I knew a bunch of them through classes and it was my last year coaching. So I will simply move on as I do every year.

Onto the topic at hand, this has been a slow music for me this year. I have only heard a couple of albums that have blown me away. As I stated earlier, I am really looking forward to the second half of the year. So what has caught my eye...or should I say ear? (lamest joke I ever wrote on here)

1. The Sorrow - Origin of the Storm: this is classic metalcore at it's best. I'm talking Killswitch Engage good. Best surprise of the year and if KsE doesn't release a great album, this could easily top it.

2. Lazarus A.D. - The Onslaught: ok, so this is a remastered album with A.D. thrown on the end of their name. But the album sounds better than before and clearer, so why not mention it twice?

3. Icon in Me - Human Museum: this is what Mnemic's last album should have been, not that craptacular Passenger. Great sound very reminiscent of Mnemic's earlier stuff.

4. The Beneath - City of Lights: who? That's what I said when I looked at it, but The Beneath is basically a Protest the Hero type band, and I love PtH.

5. God Forbid - Earthsblood: solid, but nothing special

6. The Agonist - Lullabies for the Dormant Mind: sounds very very similar to Amaran in certain parts...that's a good thing.

7. Suidakra - Crogacht: more folk metal...pretty solid.

8. Crimfall - As the Path Unfolds...: imagine if Nightwish had a death metal vocalist you have Crimfall.

9. Darkness by Oath - Fear Yourself: solid melodic death metal album...generic, but good.


That's all that has caught my eye so far. Nightrage has released their album on their Myspace page and it sounds good. I really liked the dynamics of A New Disease is Born, but this one seems to be more straight forward like Descent into Chaos... and that's not necessarily a bad thing either. I expect the album to make my top 10 like their previous 3 albums did.

I don't expect more than one or two of these to make the end of the year list. That's it.