Heavy Metal Resource-Best of 2009!

Best of 2009

It's that time again. How did we fare in the previous year musically speaking. We know that the year was definitely trying as hell in every other area. Musically, in my opinion, we did quite well. 2009 saw the return of many bands. The bands returned to former sounds as well. Gone were the experimentation nonsense for the most part that was so prevalent in the 90's. I enjoyed discovering many new female fronted bands, rediscovering old thrash bands with great new albums, and the melodic rockers giving us some very memorable tunes. All in all, 2009 built on the momentum of 2008 and gives us alot to look forward to in 2010. I see things going full circle in terms of sound. I would expect to see more bands releasing great material, some great Summer festivals, etc. Let's look back at what I thought were the highlights of 2009. Keep in mind, this is my own personal taste. Opinions will differ, but I always wrap the previous year with what I thought was the most memorable. Heavy stuff, melodic stuff, it all made it in. Here we go...

10.

Delain-April Rain One of the female fronted bands that caught my attention in a big way. Being a fan of Within Temptation, this band was of interest due to Martijn Westerholt and his tenure albeit brief with that band being the founding member of Delain. This is a great polished symphonic melodic outfit. Vocals are top notch and the band is very tight in their delivery. I would not hesitate to recommend this album and as I have most people have been pleasantly surprised. Very good stuff!

Chickenfoot-Chickenfoot Never saw this one coming. You get plenty of so called supergroups, alot of which are average. This one happened to be kickass to me. Always been a Sammy Hagar fan and having the bass thumping from Michael Anthony added to it. Chad Smith equals that low end perfect, but the most amazing part of this album was Joe Satriani's guitar playing. He has the ability to adapt to whatever he needs to and delivers effectively all of the time. This was a great album overall, but a great guitar album first and foremost!

Dream Theater-Black Clouds and Silver Linings This band always seems to make it into my favorites of the year. They really are one of the best Prog bands out there. Their latest falls in line with what they usually do. What made this one a bit different was the multi disc package that including the entire album in instrumental form as well as another great covers album. The album has some very good heavy moments. It seems like fans of the band like this but also require a mix of melody which the band pulled off superbly.

The Poodles-Clash of Elements This band has been around for a bit, but was a new discovery for me in 2009. Absolutely essential to any fan that loves late 80's melodic hard rock. I went backwards to their earlier albums and found this band to be very consistent. It is sad that their isn't a bigger push here Stateside as I think they would have alot of potential to break wide open. Vocally, the band remind me a bit of a mix of Gotthard and Whitesnake. Music is definitely full of attitude and finesse at the same time. Great band!

Primal Fear-16.6 (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) Anyone who knows me knows my love for Primal Fear. This band stays relatively busy and never really misses a beat from album to album. They manage to keep this release heavy as in power metal heavy. The music tends to be catchy as always. Kind of a headbanging catchy with horns in the air. If you are in to heavy metal the traditional way, then this release was really a no brainer. For those who haven't heard it, definitely check it out. Solid banging stuff!

Winger-Karma Here was a surprise. I mentioned in my opening paragraph bands that returned to former styles. Winger didn't totally get there, but this album should make fans of the band plenty happy. The music has a heavy edge to it, maybe a bit heavier then the earlier stuff, but the band never loses that melodic undertone that makes these songs great. If you weren't a fan of the bands previous effort 'IV', don't ignore this one. This one will be a bit of a surprise and maybe not so much of a surprise if you know the bands catalog well.

Alice in Chains-Black Gives Way To Blue Without a doubt one of the biggest surprises of 2009. Who would have thought that this band would have been back on the map and in such a big way. I personally had lost some faith in the band with the last effort or two before the death of Staley. Being a bigger fan of the earlier albums, this album came off brilliant to me. Even with a brand new singer that sounds reminiscent of the late Staley, William DuVall does an amazing job of putting this band back to roots. Solid album!

Slayer-World Painted Blood This album totally did it for me. I am an old school Slayer fan from way back and just wasn't getting into the last 2 or 3 albums. This album clicked immediately upon hearing the title track before the album arrived in stores. I was counting days to get my hands on this one. It didn't disappoint in any way when it comes to the album itself. Didn't find much value in the bonus DVD, but oh well, it was all about the album for me. Very heavy, leaning old school, and very kickass. Old school fans shouldn't miss this one!

W.E.T.-W.E.T. Okay, I know. Seems weird to see this album wedged between to very intense metal albums, but it is. This album was brilliant to say the least. Melodic bliss if you may. Been a huge Jeff Scott Soto fan for years and years. This is some great vocal work by him. The music is amazing. Some of it has a bit of an edge, others are very melodic. As a whole, the album is catchy and could spawn a helluva lot of hits if ever given a chance. Around the AOR community, this band is highly respected in their very short tenure. Essential!

Megadeth-Endgame This album kicks ass on so many levels it's ridiculous. Absolutely had to be my favorite of 2009. The sound is old school which I respect the most. I figure a band can experiment if they feel the need, but I love the old school smack you in the face with intensity of which this band delivers so well with this release. The band also makes the usual political statement with this album. It's very angry stuff in both subject material and music and should make most Megadeth fans very, very happy. Very good job!