Just to leave you in suspense here are a few honorable mentions, the top five are coming soon!
Torche – Meanderthal (Hydra Head – 2008)What the fuck is Torche? They put out the heaviest shit I heard in 2008, but it was also the most melodic. ‘Meanderthal’ is an album beyond any description except for “kick ass” and “good”. To say the album is stoner metal, or doom metal, or even just plain metal is doing it a disservice. I reckon that if mainstream radio got a hold of a track like “Healer” it would be fucking huge. In the meantime, I guess all of us who are in the know will get to keep the awesomeness that is Torche to ourselves.
At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command (Grand Royal – 2000)The breakup of At the Drive-In was a difficult pill to swallow, only made easier because we got Sparta and the Mars Volta out of the deal. Neither band never captured the ferocity of their predecessor, though. ‘Relationship of Command’ sounds like it’s going to train wreck and burst at the seams at any minute, at times you have to wonder if the band members were playing different songs. Whatever it was they did, it worked, and it was awesome. Maybe it’s a blessing that the band sort of imploded following this record, because it’s highly questionable whether or not they would produce anything as good again.
The Sword – Gods of the Earth (Kemado – 2008)A picture-perfect representation of blending new-school heaviness with old-school ideals made The Sword major players in metal with their sophomore release. It was actually really surprising how much ass was kicked by The Sword on this album. It’s really got everything that metal is about: fire, dragons, harmony guitars, other fantastical shit and groove for days. This did not leave my CD player for several weeks after I got it.
Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero (Interscope – 2007)Nine Inch Nails is a personal favorite, and Trent Reznor’s output in this decade has been tremendous. This album stands out because of sheer weirdness. It’s some of the most challenging, glitchy yet melodic NIN material ever released. Throw in an all-too-strange viral marketing game that involved USB drives left in arena bathrooms and decoding binary exposed on the disc itself which could only be seen after heating… yeah, it was printed with weird heat-sensitive ink… it all makes for one of the most original albums of the decade.
Mudvayne – L.D. 50 (Epic – 2000)Debut albums are usually mere harbingers of the greatness that a band could possibly achieve in their career. ‘L.D. 50’ is one hell of an ambitious debut though, because it pushes seventy minutes and is entirely about hallucinogenic drugs. Tagging Mudvayne as nu-metal is a travesty, anyone who gives a serious listen to the precision that is the rhythm section of Matt McDonough and Ryan Martinie will recognize this shit is pure, brutal math metal.
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