2008 metal (and a little 2007)

Every year I struggle with the 'best albums of the year' lists that I, as a reviewer of metal music, am expected to produce. I like the idea of noting what I liked to listen to the most. At a pragmatic level, it helps me sort through my increasingly unwieldy record collection in the future so great albums don't get lost amidst shelves of mediocrity. But I've never been a big fan of ranked lists, or the illusory air of objectivity that can build around music criticism. I could get so annoyed with the whole process that whenever I hosted a New Year's Eve edition of Kill Eat Exploit the Weak I would play my top albums of ten years past instead of the best of the year just ended.

There are other obstacles to coming up with a 'best of the year' list, of course. I'm troubled by knowing that I really only hear a small fraction of the vast number of albums released every year (despite also knowing that an even smaller fraction are likely to interest me or be above average). I have to accept the fact that my mood when I'm writing the list has an impact on the ranking and on who makes the cut, and that the timing of a record's release affects its competitive chances. Plus there's the trickiness of having to come up with my list at the beginning of November, two months before the year actually ends. So I argue with myself about my year-end lists probably as much (or close to it) as other metal fans would argue with me.

Ordinarily a fragment of my list would make it into exclaim!'s year in review coverage. This year, none of my picks made the cut. In other years you would see my list coming out around now in the year-end issue of Unrestrained!. That last issue is likely to be made available in some form in the near future, but when Adrian passed away, Unrestrained! died too. With these things in mind I have decided to post my own 'year in review' list here and document for myself, and whoever else stumbles across this page, what I've particularly enjoyed listening to in 2008. (note: I use the 'metal' label loosely at times. live with it. most of this stuff is heavy in the emotional sense if not in terms of brutal guitars)

1. Virgin Black – Requiem - Fortissimo (The End Records) -- dramatic and powerful, catastrophically emotional doom
2. Primordial – To the Nameless Dead (Metal Blade) -- came out too late for my 2007 list but remains among the best blackened celtic metal
3. Moonspell – Night Eternal (SPV) -- my favourite Moonspell record in years
4. Mar de Grises – Draining the Waterheart (Firebox) -- creatively emotional Chilean doom (see U! #38)
5. Isole – Bliss of Solitude (Napalm) -- blissful and baleful Swedish doom (see U! #37)
6. Daylight Dies – Lost to the Living (Candlelight) -- darkly eloquent complexity
7. Agalloch – The White EP (Vendlus) -- a beautiful (mostly acoustic instrumental) aside to the main Agalloch catalogue
8. October Falls – The Womb of Primordial Nature (Moribund) -- doom-laden blackened metal with a little pagan minstrelsy and a dash of old Katatonia (see U! #39)
9. Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder God (Metal Blade) -- straightforward and a little cheesy but also a lot of fun
10. Woods of Ypres – Deepest Roots and Darkest Blues (Krankenhaus) -- tricksy and not as easy to love as early Woods but it brings together some of my favourite sounds in a distinctively WoY way...
11. Mamiffer – Hirror Enniffer (Hydra Head) -- dystopian musical art
12. Opeth – Watershed (Roadrunner) -- this one made the exclaim! top ten. I agree it's a good record but I've heard Opeth do so much better
13. Mindless Self Indulgence – If (The End) -- more for my fun quota, especially the opening track
14. Krallice – Krallice (Profound Lore) -- discovered this black gem through Unrestrained! (see U! #38)
15. Caïna – Temporary Antennae (Profound Lore) -- checked this genre-bender out based on its deservingly good e! review
16. Cult of Luna – Kingdom (Earache) -- always heard good things about these guys, even from peta2, and finally checked them out (see U! #38)
17. Nachtmystium – Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1 (Century Media) -- accessible extremity that lives up to the buzz
18. Long Distance Calling – Satellite Bay (Viva Hate) -- cool atmosphere, post-rock heavy metal vibe
19. Martriden – The Unsettling Dark (Candlelight) -- one of the more brutal entries on my list, another e! discovery
20. Russian Circles – Station (Suicide Squeeze) -- atmosphere plus intensity, chalk another up to the e! folks

[honourable mention] Gates of Slumber – Conqueror (Profound Lore) -- strong American doom

(possibly coming up later: my favourites of 1998...)

memorializing... (a few reflections)

As planned, I attended the Adrian Bromley memorial concert on Saturday night. What surprised me though was the fact that things weren't as sad as I'd expected. Don't get me wrong - it was a struggle to hold back the tears now and then, but Adrian's energy and enthusiasm seemed to infuse the entire crowd. It was definitely more celebration of his spirit and accomplishments than melancholy, and brought together so many people Adrian had linked up in the first place.

The event drew a really impressive turnout, including many people up from the U.S., and produced an incredible atmosphere of camaraderie and commiseration. The bands, except for Woods of Ypres at the end, played short sets to leave time for people to connect and for a few (Adrian's brother, fiancee, friends and colleagues) to get up on stage, share some reflections on his life - and, in the case of his twin, to lead us in a silent moment of raised metal horns.

It was a fairly diverse but mostly metal line-up, ranging from an impressive Black Sabbath cover band, to extreme metal, comedy, and an acoustic set by Musk Ox (a band Adrian had been fervently promoting before his death). A photo and video presentation set to Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness gave us all a brief look back on Adrian's numerous antics and remarkable capacity to act as social glue. (I was proud to be included in several shots.) Some of us managed to snag a commemorative t-shirt or back issues of Unrestrained! (I completed my own set). And I gather the silent auction and fundraising at the door were pretty successful but it was also successful in an emotional sense, a fitting tribute to someone who meant so much to so many.

It was a tricky event for me to review, and I'm not convinced I should have, but I wanted to see something about it in Exclaim!... You can read my 'official' review here if you're interested.
Woods of Ypres / Musk Ox / Eclipse Eternal / Piledriver / Detsorgsekalf / Endorphins / Into The Void, Opera House, Toronto ON January 17

(Looks like my Rotting Christ review is up too.)

humane societies in need and memorializing a metal legend

I've seen, heard and read several news stories about humane societies suffering in the current economic crunch. Animal aid groups having inadequate funding to care for all nearby animals in need - well, that's pretty much a perpetual problem. But the gist of these recent tales is that people who lose their jobs, their nest eggs, their security can't afford to care for their pets. And pets can be expensive, especially once you factor vet care into the mix.

I went to a talk recently which raised the issue of the way animal protection, welfare and care issues often get set off against caring for the well-being of humans, as if it were an either/or proposition. I'm hoping that hard economic times don't worsen this false dichotomy...

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A couple of posts ago I discussed the death of my friend and metal legend Adrian Bromley. This coming Saturday, January 17th, his family, friends, colleagues and fellow metalheads will be celebrating his life and legacy (and sharing in some collective mourning) at the Opera House in Toronto. Entrance, starting at 6:30pm, is by pay-what-you-can donation. A photographic slide show, videos, and mic for memorializing are part of the evening's line-up. Bid on donated items for additional fundraising and stick around throughout the night for live performances by Detsorgsekalf, Eclipse Eternal, Endorphins, Into The Void, Musk Ox, Piledriver & Woods Of Ypres. If you're there and know what I look like, come up and say hi.

(I'll also be doing a little bittersweet celebrating when Rotting Christ plays the WreckRoom on January 12th...)