Live-Metal.Net - Features: Best of 2007

I decided to rate albums according to the best records I heard this year. That means there are a couple albums that came out in 2006 that made this list since I reviewed them in 2007. As if that isn’t a passive enough criteria, I did not rank these in any particular order. This is just a randomly selected list of 10. Enjoy bitches!

SLAYER – Christ Illusion

This is one of those pre-2007 releases I reviewed this year, and given that it came out late 2006 and most of the promotion was done this year, it’s close enough to qualify. That said, Christ Illusion announced the return of SLAYYYYEEEERRRR!!!!!! The band brought drummer Dave Lombardo back to the fold and had the most successful year and a half in the band’s nearly 25-year career. Their special 6/6/06 E.P. sold out at Hot Topic stores, Christ Illusion helped win the band its first Grammy (for the song “Eyes of the Insane”), they made their first national TV appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and toured extensively with the likes of Mastodon and Marilyn Manson. If that isn’t enough, the comeback record was pretty kick ass particularly tracks like “Jihad” and “Flesh Storm,” which should be staples of the Slayer live set for years to come.

MASTODON - Blood Mountain

Another band whose record came out in ‘06 and was reviewed in ‘07, Mastodon helped stake a claim as the future of metal with the outstanding concept record Blood Mountain. An album that mixed metal power with stoner rock jams and goofball storytelling, Blood Mountain managed to be that rarity in metal, a record that could make you bang your head, get high and chuckle, all at the same time. Besides, any album that has a song about a one-eyed Sasquatch gets my vote for the top 10.

ICED EARTH – Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)

One of the most disheartening stories of the year in metal was the news that Tim “Ripper” Owens was no longer going to be the vocalist for Iced Earth. That’s a damn shame because Owens absolutely slayed it on Framing Armageddon, the middle part of Iced Earth’s Something Wicked trilogy. Guitarist Jon Schaffer came up with an intelligent concept record that harkened back to the glory days of Iron Maiden, and with Owens’ wail in front, the band was an absolute powerhouse. If you don’t believe it, listen to “Ten Thousand Strong.” Alas, Owens is now out, replaced by original vocalist Matt Barlow, but even if the conclusion of the Something Wicked trilogy doesn’t measure up, the bar was set pretty high with its middle.

DIMMU BORGIR – In Sorte Diaboli

It may not have been Dimmu’s best record, but with their first concept album, Shagrath and the boys showed they are still a leading force in symphonic black metal. The concept was the weakest part of the album; the music was up there with Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and Death Cult Armageddon. Drummer Hellhammer has picked up where former drummer Nicholas left off and has kept Dimmu’s huge sound in tact. In fact, big describes the band perfectly: big sounds, big costumes and big smoke effects. However, the best part of In Sorte Diaboli is the vocal interplay between Shagrath and Vortex. With the concept album, the band found the perfect vehicle to mix Vortex’s clean vocals with Shagrath’s black metal growl.

SIX FEET UNDER – Commandment

This may not be a popular choice; after all, there may not be a more hated man in the hardcore metal world than SFU’s Chris Barnes. But I’ll be damned if I don’t enjoy his ridiculous death metal growls and gruesome lyrics. Commandment is like a Saw movie set to music, with Barnes spinning grisly tales of smashing skulls and rotting corpses while the band plays at warp speed behind him. Like the Saw movies, SFU isn’t going to win awards and it isn’t going to be for everyone, but count me among their defenders. Commandment is goofy horror movie fun and the band kicks out some tight thrash metal-style jams that lend Barnes enough cred to get away with some of his sillier vocal mannerisms.

TURISAS – The Varangian Way

Speaking of fun, here was far and away the most fun metal album I heard all year. Full of violins, Viking references and lyrics about sorcery, The Varangian Way was the silliest record of the year but also one you couldn’t help but love. I feel like most CD reviews are work because I try to look for something to like about a record, even if I don’t like it. The Varangian Way was definitely not work; it was as fun to review as it was to listen to. Turisas pulled out all the stops with this one. The only thing be missing is the Stonehenge monument on stage.

HEARSE - In These Veins

This record was well known overseas but finally saw its release stateside this year and it did not disappoint. Frontman Johann Liiva put his former band, Arch Enemy, firmly behind him and cranked out an album that kicks ass from start to finish. The thing that stood out about In These Veins is the speed and technical precision that Hearse plays with. The album starts with the six-minute “House of Love” and just kills it for every track thereafter.

BEST BAND NAME OF THE YEAR:

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza – Danza II: The Electric Boogaloo

The award for best band name of the year is a tie between these three. And to top it off, their records weren’t bad, particularly Arsonists’. Danza may have established itself as the Primus of gore/grind and Vomitory gets the award for best song titles: “Eternal Trail of Corpses,” “Scavenging the Slaughtered,” “Flesh Passion” and “Cremation Ceremony.” If those aren’t some fucking metal song titles, I don’t know what is!