Artista: Fear My Thoughts
Album: The Great Collapse
Año: 2004
Genero: Metalcore
Pais: Alemania
Audio: mp3 CRB 320kbps
Archivo: rar 50mb

Tracklist:

01. Velvet
02. The Great Collapse
03. Rituals
04. Sirens Singing
05. Hollow Inside
06. The Architect
07. Challenge
08. Mission Immortality
09. Norm A.D.
10. Reign

Contraseña: metaleak.blogspot.com

Artista: Fear My Thoughts
Album: Isolation
Año: 2008
Genero: Melodic Death Metal
Pais: Alemania
Audio: mp3 CRB 320kbps
Archivo: rar 105mb

Tracklist:

1. Isolation (1:14)
2. The Blind Walk Over The Edge (4:23)
3. The Hunted (4:34)
4. Numbered By The Beast (4:41)
5. Bound And Weakened (3:54)
6. Through The Eyes Of God (6:20)
7. Death Chamber (6:54)
8. Pitch Black (4:00)
9. Creeping Lord (5:51)
10. Burning The Lamb / The Sacrifice (4:54)

Als ich neulich meine Musiksammlung nach Jahren geordnet gesehen hab, ist mir aufgefallen wie viele gute Platten 2004 herausgekommen sind. Deswegen wollte ich eigentlich die fünf besten Metalsongs heue vorstellen, da es aber genau zehn geworden sind, gibt es heute mal den ersten, und am nächsten Freitag den zweiten Teil. Und los geht’s.

Destiny : Naunyn Street.

Destiny haben mit „The tracy chapter“ ein Album vorgelegt, das sie womöglich nicht mehr toppen werden. Jeder Song steht für sich und die Produktion von Tue Madsen rundet das Ganze noch perfekt ab. Ich hab „Naunyn Street“ ausgewählt weil es einerseits gut nach vorne geht, andererseits mit „Angel left me as death kissed my heart“ eine perfekte Stelle zum reinlegen hat.

Heaven shall burn : The only truth.

Heaven shall burn entdeckte ich wie viele andere auch über „The weapon they fear“ und sofort war klar, dass das Album gekauft werden muss. Schließlich lieferten Heaven shall burn dann mit Antigone den perfekten Soundtrack für einen kalten, regnerischen Herbst. „The only truth“ wegen seiner kompromisslosen Härte und weil sie das als ich sie das erste Mal live gesehen habe, als Opener gespielt und mich völlig umgehauen haben.

Fear my thoughts : The great collapse.

Die dritte große, deutsche Band die 2004 ein Meisterwerk mit „The great collapse“ abgeliefert haben. Wenn das ruhige Intro „Velvet“ in den Anfangsriff von „The great collapse“ mündet und der Song dann über sechs Minuten lang mit verschiedenen Tempowechsel, Moshparts, Blastbeats und anderen Sachen mich komplett mitreißen lässt, darf der Song in dieser Liste nicht fehlen. Von den anderen Songs auf der CD mal ganz zu schweigen.

Scars of tomorrow : Suffocating words.

Auch wieder ein Song von einem meisterhaften Album. Im Gegensatz zum Vorgänger „Design your fate“ wartet „Rope tied to the trigger“ mit einem druckvollen Sound auf und ist durchgehend auf einem krass hohen Niveau. Eine markante Stimme, Grooves zum Abwinken und Melodien zum reinlegen, was will man mehr? „Suffocating words“ als Vertreter dieses Albums.

Raunchy : Join the scene.

Ich kann mich erinnern, dass Raunchy wegen dem „Confusion Bay“ Album schon für kurze Zeit kleinen Hype hatten. Wieso auch nicht? So guten Industrial-Metal mit vielen Synthies, harten Strophen und engelsgleichen Ohrwürmer-Refrains hatte man lange nicht mehr gehört.  Klar, dass ich die Scheibe auch besitzen musste und den ganzen Sommer über nur Ohrwürmer davon hatte.

I hate the process of traveling, but I love going places. Go figure. Due to my disdain for the process of travel, especially air travel, I needed to piece together what I would consider a calming influence for it. An espresso and a good mix of music later and I’m usually alright. The return trip home from Madison, Wisconsin was a balance of the serenity I sought and the aggression I feel when navigating throngs of people, security, scheduling, luggage retrieval and the sight of home coming into view from the aircraft window. I grew up on thrash and speed metal so there’s always a bit of a soft spot for it and although many of these bands are derivative of one another they all bring something to the table that makes them stir my heart and keep me sane. It was a great trip and this was what I considered a great way to end it.

“Epoch of War” Becoming the Archetype from the Physics of Fire
“My Delight” Fear My Thoughts from Volcanus
“the Path of Least Resistance” Scar Symmetry from Pitch Black Progress
“Sworn to a Great Divide” Soilwork from Sworn to a Great Divide
“a Moment of Clarity” the Defaced from Karma in Black
“Monocromatic Stain” Dark Tranquility from Damage Done
“What I’ve Become” Lamb of God from Ashes of the Wake
“Relentless” Nodes of Ranvier from the Years to Come
“An Ocean Between Us” As I Lay Dying from An Ocean Between Us
“Rose of Sharon” Killswitch Engage from the End of Heartache
“Vulture” A Life Once Lost from Hunter
“Grace for Euccession” Extol (thrash) Synergy
“Embraced Desolation” Into Eternity from Buried Oblivion
“Ancestry of the Anarchist” Byzantine from …And They Shall Take Up Serpents
“Bloodwork” Living Sacrifice from the Hammering Process
“Nothing Remains” Chimera from self-titled
“the Great Dividers” Unearth from the Oncoming Storm
“Death Anxiety” Bleeding Through from Declaration

There were more, this was the first part of what I put together before I stopped keeping track while distracted by reading

working on my top ten, and there’s no easy list… as if it would even be remotely possible to try and whittle this down, the bigger question is what did I miss that was supposed to be on here?  Having left the music industry a year ago to experiment in other arenas for marketing the exposure to new material (be it metal/punk or otherwise) diminished greatly, however, when I was able to read about and stream something new online, get out to a show, buy a record or if someone was kind enough to send me a promotional copy or trade me tunes for tunes I managed a few good listens.  By no means is what I’ve come up with the most accurate representation of what came out this year that I might have liked, though, as I get older the stodgy jaded ears of a critic get just a bit more ‘been there, done that, now, lets hear you actually wow me…” that being said, here’s what did:
Oh Seven in Listening Heaven

Possible three way tie for number one
Becoming the Archetype The Physics of Fire Solid State Records
the Dillinger Escape Plan IreWorks Relapse Records
the End Elementry Relapse Records

of course, to throw a little commentary at the fire, yes, two Relapse Records in the top would seem like a lot, save for the fact that this was a HUGE year for the label music wise and there are even more… as you’ll see. BTA was an early favorite for #1 as they grew so much on this record and that opening is epic. DEP was an obvious pick and after my initial review of the record (it is like being run over by a fully loaded 18-wheeler, ask me for the explanation) was confirmed by subsequent listens it is still easy to see how the dynamic diversity deserves a spot. The End was one of the surprise records of the year. I always knew they were good but never really clung to them, that was until three songs into this record where it was so aparant they were going to dominate my listening.

As for the rest, I broke the list up into a couple of pieces to make it easier for me to follow

Cephalic Carnage Xenosapian Relapse Records
Between the Burried and Me Colors Victory Records
Everytime I Die the Big Dirty Ferret Recordings
the Number Twelve Looks Like You Mongrel Eyeball Records
the Red Chord Prey for Eyes MetalBlade

Tech and Grind is an amalgamation of the death and hardcore genres more extreme sides. Most all of these records could easily have found a home in the top ten, had there but been more places to put them. Easy spots for the first three with BTBAM really being a surprise for me because I never listened to their records much despite enjoying the live shows, but Colors changed that. I find as I’m getting older the more it does what Cephalic Carnage does the more I want it…

As I lay Dying an Ocean Between Us MetalBlade Records
Soilwork Sworn to a Great Divide Century Media
Fear my Thoughts Volcanus Century Media
Machine Head the Blackening Roadrunner
Chimeria Resurrection Ferret Recordings
Nodes of Ranvier Defined by Struggle Victory

Ah thrash metal, my home away from home. Decent haul of heavy releases again this year apart from the ones I’ve so neetly carved off into a list here. No surprises and there were several others that might warrant mention in doing the five-and-ten year reunions to this list. The AILD is probably their best work to day and really found them getting away from the cookie cutter mold they were trapped in, while Soilwork makes a triumphant return to the sound that really made them special to begin with.

High on Fire Death is this Communication Relapse Records
Signal to Noise Kodiak Eyeball Records
Neurosis Given to the Rising Neurot Recordings
Down III: Over the Under Warner
the Unsane Visqueen

Mmmmmmm nothing like some kick you in the nads sludge to remind you how much rock can be bastardized. High on Fire found yet another way to put little cracks in my walls and Neurosis found yet another way to push their sonic scope into a new stratosphere with what could be the most brutally beautiful record they’ve expunged.

Porcupine Tree Fear of a Black Planet Roadrunner / Atlantic
Dream Theatre Systematic Chaos Roadrunner

Ok, so I still have a soft spot for prog, or, perhaps just for a handful of bands that still hold a special place in my heart, no way these two would be left out, you knew that. Not the most stunning for either band, but then again, they are so good at what they do, why argue with success.

Poison the Well versions Ferret Recordings
Thrice the Alchemy Index Vargant

Not really sure what to do with this. It’s so bad it’s good, it’s so good it’s bad. PTW keep making me shake my head because they just keep going, I don’t know where but it’s somewhere, sometimes beautiful, sometimes progressive, sometimes angry, sometimes chaotic and sometimes just downright ugly.

What I’m still rocking from 06:
Rise Against the Sufferer & the Witness Geffen
Killswitch Engage As Daylight Dies Roadrunner
Scar Symmetry Pitch Black Progress Century Media
Zao the Fear is What Keeps us Here Ferret Recordings
and the mighty
Norma Jean Redeemer Solid State Records

Five Years Ago, 2002 revisited
Bleeding Through Portrait of a Godess
Living Sacrifice Conceived in Fire Solid State Records
Porcupine Tree in Absentia Lava / Atlantic
Meshuggah Nothing Nuclear Blast America
and the mighty
Soilwork Natural Born Chaos Nuclear Blast America

Can you believe it’s really been five years since these records came out. What I find more curious is looking at the playlists I’m still making and what shows up on the most played on the different players is that these are such heavy rotation still.

Ten Year Anniversary 97 revisited
Helmet Aftertaste Interscope
Machine Head the More Things Change Roadrunner
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Let’s Face It A&M
Radiohead OK Computer Capital
the Deftones Around the Fur

Wow, am I really list “alternative” in my spare time? Seriously, this is what I hit play on most often from that era. Ok, it could be because Radiohead and Machine Head had new records out this year but how do you explain the rest? The Unsane made me bust out the old Helmet stuff, the Bosstones are because my (ex)roommate is a huge fan and actually reintroduced me to them recently so I’m doing some long overdue catchup listening.

So, for a change of pace, I am going to switch up the way I list the top records of the year. It started as a playlist from old radio shows, it morphed into the past few years lists, and now, we’re here…which will last probably the next few years. This was my last year working in radio promotion / independent music marketing and it was a tough year of amazing releases to walk away from. I really need to spend more time developing this, but honestly, I’ve been preoccupied with the next step of my career and saying “goodbye” to so many of the radio stations, bands, label reps, etc. who were my surrogate family the last nearly 8 years.

If there were two records I played more, I’d be hard pressed to determine what they were, so the tie for the top spot:
Stretch Arm Strong Free at Last We Put Out
Demon Hunter the Tryptic Solid State

Absolutely gigantic melody on each so effortlessly offset by the heavier elements of each. There is a special place for DH as it is going down as my final #1 album in the annals of my promotional career. SAS are just really good friends who put out really touching music that’s helped me through a lot over the years and the album came out on a label I was personally involved with. If for no other reason, these are sentimental faves and for that, they get top billing.

Chimeria Chimeria Roadrunner
Nodes of Ranvier the Years to Come Facedown
A Life Once Lost Hunter Ferret
Soilwork Stabbing the Drama Nuclear Blast
Dark Tranquility Charactor Nuclear Blast
Fear My Thoughs Hell Sweet Hell Lifeforce
Shadows Fall the War Within Century Media

Another solid year on the thrash and death front. To be honest, a lot of the stalwarts I love put out basically good records but not fantastic ones comparred to their catalog (Soilwork, Dark Tranquility, Shadows Fall, Fear My Thoughts). Upstarts A Life Once Lost and Nodes of Ranvier completely came into their own and Chimeria wrote a record that broke the post nu-metal mold they were still one foot involved with on previous efforts.

Becoming the Archetype Terminate Damnation Solid State
Byzantine and They Shall Take up Serpents Prosthetic
Between the Burried and Me Alaska Victory
the Number Twelve Looks Like You Nuclear.Sad.Nuclear Eyeball Records

The records were all head turners for me, I see so much potential in all of them and there’s so much I am still coming to appreciate about all of them. For most people the BTBAM probably comes as a surprise, it is for me too, but after seeing them live probably a dozen times I think it’s finally growing on me. I’m still picking a jaw up off the floor from BTA.

Emery the Question Solid State

the Unsane Bloodrun Relapse

Five years ago, the turn of the Millennium
Boysetsfire After the Eulogy Victory