GridStream Productions

First off, let me provide the usual disclaimer or two about this list. While coming up with my top metal albums of 2009 list, I did a LOT of research. I looked over tons of lists from other DJ's, websites, magazines and metalheads on the net and listened to countless hours of music. I wanted to make sure I didn't overlook something. Let's be honest, there's simply too much music out there for anyone to have the time to hear everything. What I found was this...my list isn't going to look much like anyone else's. I'm very okay with that fact.

There seems to be a huge craze right now for stoner/sludge/progressive metal. And, of course, there is still a large metalcore crowd. You'll see many "best of" lists out there with bands like Baroness, Kylesa, Converge, Coalesce, Mastodon and Between the Buried and Me. Sorry, but none of that does much for me. In fact, most of it bores me to tears. While I can usually find bands I like in almost any of the infinite sub-genres of metal, you won't find those bands showing up on my top 10 list.

Without any further ado...here are my picks...

The Best Metal Albums of 2009...

#1 "Pray For Villains" by DevilDriver

#2 "The Isolation Game" by Disarmonia Mundi

#3 "Across the Dark" by Insomnium

#4 "Endgame" by Megadeth

#5 "A Taste of Extreme Divinity" by Hypocrisy

#6 "Wrath" by Lamb of God

#7 "Deathless" by Throwdown

#8 "Hordes of Chaos" by Kreator

#9 "Black Gives Way to Blue" by Alice In Chains

#10 "Necropolis" by Vader


Honorable Mentions...

"All Shall Fall" by Immortal
"Evangelion" by Behemoth
"The Infection" by Chimaira
"Carving Out the Eyes of God" by Goatwhore
"The Concealers" by Daath

Most Disappointing Albums...

Lacuna Coil's "Shallow Life"
Killswitch Engage's - "Self-Titled"
Scar Symmetry's "Dark Matter Dimensions"
Amorphis' - "Skyforger"
Deathstars' "Night Electric Night"

2009 Metal Awards...

Best Vocal Performance (Male) - Dez Fafara (on "Pray For Villians")

Best Vocal Performance (Female) - Angela Gossow (on "The Root of All Evil")

Best Guitar Performance - Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick from Megadeth (on "Endgame")

Best Live Performance - Amon Amarth's "Twilight of the Thunder God Tour"

Best Debut Album - Omega Lithium's "Dreams in Formaline"

Best Dancey-Pop Album Done by a Metal God?! - Devin Townsend's "Addicted"

Comeback Album of the Year - Alice In Chains' "Black Gives Way To Blue"

Best Metal Song Involving a Sesame Street Character - Austrian Death Machine's "Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies?"

Drama Queen Band of the Year - Dimmu Borgir

Band Everyone Loves to Hate On - Five Finger Death Punch

Worst News of a Band Reforming - Creed and Limp Bizkit (TIE)

Best Metal Trend of 2009 - The return of Thrash Metal

Worst Metal Trend of 2009 - The popularity of Sludge/Stoner Metal

Biggest Story of the Year in Metal - Ronnie James Dio is diagnosed with stomach cancer, and is being treated at the Mayo Clinic.


Best Metal Song Additions to the Guitar Hero Series...

Children of Bodom's "Done With Everything, Die For Nothing"
Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets"
Dethklok's "Laser Cannon Deth Sentence" (Jan. 2010)
Amon Amarth's "Twilight of the Thunder God" (Jan. 2010)


Best Metal Song Additions to Rock Band 2...

Rock Band's Iron Maiden Pack featuring "Two Minutes to Midnight"
Testament's "More Than Meets The Eye"
Rock Band's Rob Zombie Pack featuring "Dragula"
Rock Band's Slipknot Pack featuring "Psychosocial"


Best Cover Songs of the Year...

Evile - Cemetary Gates (Pantera Cover)
Slaughter of the Bluegrass' - Punish My Heaven (Dark Tranquillity Cover)
Hatebreed's - Refuse/Resist (Sepultura Cover)
Machine Head - Fucking Hostile (Pantera Cover)
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company (Bad Company Cover)
Children of Bodom - Rebel Yell (Billy Idol Cover)


Worst Cover Songs of the Year...

Avenged Sevenfold - Walk (Pantera Cover)
The Berzerker - All The Things She Said (TATU Cover)
Kiuas - This Love (Pantera Cover)


Ashval's Most Anticipated Albums of 2010...

Dark Tranquillity's "We Are The Void"
Soilwork's "The Panic Broadcast"
Rob Zombie's "Hellbilly Deluxe 2"
Fear Factory's "Mechanize"
Kalmah's "12 Gauge"
Poisonblack's "Of Rust and Bones"
Anthrax's "Worship Music"
Devin Townsend's "Deconstruction"
Godsmack's "Saints and Sinners"
Children of Bodom - TBA
Darkane - TBA
Devildriver - TBA
Dimmu Borgir - TBA
Disturbed - TBA
Iron Maiden - TBA
One Man Army and the Undead Quartet - TBA
Testament - TBA

I'm updating this as we go today. Feel free to comment, speculate, whatever.

Ashval wrote:You'll see many "best of" lists out there with bands like Baroness, Kylesa, Converge, Coalesce, Mastodon and Between the Buried and Me. Sorry, but none of that does much for me. In fact, most of it bores me to tears.

Never even heard of any of these bands except Mastodon, that rings a bell. So, in my opinion, it's a good choice they're not on your list

I wonder if Dark Age have made it into your list with Acedia...

Vithar wrote:

Ashval wrote:You'll see many "best of" lists out there with bands like Baroness, Kylesa, Converge, Coalesce, Mastodon and Between the Buried and Me. Sorry, but none of that does much for me. In fact, most of it bores me to tears.

Never even heard of any of these bands except Mastodon, that rings a bell. So, in my opinion, it's a good choice they're not on your list

I wonder if Dark Age have made it into your list with Acedia...

Not quite, but I did enjoy the album.

Thought so
...
Damn, I really should have made a bet on DevilDriver

Vithar wrote:Thought so
...
Damn, I really should have made a bet on DevilDriver

I was the one who totally called it

Bugger I missed this...today just got to hectic

Sorry I ended up missing the end of it. I really did not plan to. Stupid migraine. *hugs*

Danyoo wrote:Sorry I ended up missing the end of it. I really did not plan to. Stupid migraine. *hugs*

You just missed me losing it on the air. So, you didn't miss much. I'm glad you could be there for as long as you were. *hugs*

Thanks to everyone who showed up. I was floored by the crowd. It meant a great deal to Kira and I to see so many of you last night. Hopefully my last show was as enjoyable for all of you as it was for me.

It was definitely fantastic. But ... I have one note ... you should get your own special little button thing for over there... to go above your forum avatar. Should say something creative...

<----

Ashval wrote:

Danyoo wrote:Hopefully my last show was as enjoyable for all of you as it was for me.

Totally, it was an awesome, kickass party!

(Plus, I was able to prove myself that I can still have a great time all night until the sun comes up again )

Did anyone record this event?

I have most of it recorded. Missing the first 2-3 minutes

That's awesome Gimp!!! Is there a place you can post it?

I can add the first minutes

The rest of my recording is sometimes a little random because I had to pause to get new free disk space

Been trying to upload it to megaupload a few times now, but i get disconnected every time. I have to see if I can find somewhere else to upload it.
The file is ca 200 mb

Would it be easier if you broke it down into 2 or more parts for easier uploading?

Also it's awesome that you got the whole thing.

Maybe I send you the beginning first, you merge it with your recording and then upload it? Just for completeness' sake?

If so, pm me and I'll send you the missing first minutes.

Also, did anyone get any screenshots?

I took loads, especially of the Ashval/Kirasha/Veldron ROCKS line-ups, only to find that Vista is a total @£"&^*£"()* bastard and didn't save them

(Ironically, I was only waiting for the show to be safely out of the way before upgrading to Windows7, just in case it screwed anything up... )