Top 20 Albums Of 2008

Here It is .....this time of year again.....Holy shit was this hard..As I listened to 650+ albums in 2008. Thats alot of material to wade through..But I have reached the conclusion...

Disclaimer: These are my opinions...Only Mine....Everyone will have theirs..But these are mine. This list has nothing to do with any other lists anywhere on the net. You will see no Metallica or Guns And Roses here...Just Albums from this site.

I base my opinions on Entertainment values...Listenability(Do you keep going back to the record), Emotions (does it kick your ass everytime you hear it), Value(does it kick your ass all the way through..Not half)....And just what I dig...Fuck its not rocket science......Its METAL !

So without further bullshit.......Get IT!

20. Crocell - The God We Drowned

" With the overall emphasis on laying down crushing grooves and memorable riffs.

Crocell's debut was a kick in the danish scenes ass ! A great production... Lots of time shifts keeps This album interesting... Awesome cover art completes a truly fantastic album that fans of extreme metal should not miss! "

19. Sanctus Infernum - ST

" From the none-more diabolic hotbed of...umm...Kansas, come the unique sounds of Sanctuc Infernum. Death/Doom metal from the Usa none the less!

My first inclination is to say that they are a death metal band, but they're a death metal band that play extremely slowly. To me a nice mix of Morbid Angel and Candlemass about does it....The pacing and production of the album is bloody brilliant – it's a thick, gravelly, unkempt record that seems hand made from some kind of diabolic granite. I honestly can't get enough of it. Slow death metal is the past. Slow death metal is the future.... "

18. Torture Squad - Hellbound

" This fifth release from Torture Squad is a relentless meshing of Death and Thrash Metal. 10 rip-roaring track of pure energy that should bring a smile to any thrashers face. Fans who just want something that's fast, aggressive and riff-heavy and don't care whether its fresh or new.. will dig this, provided they don't go expecting a tech-Death wankfest or something earth-shattering. Its not terribly original but 'Hellbound' is still loads of fun and has enough memorable tunes to make it worth your while "

17. Soulfly - Conquer

" Conquer is a helluva release !....This ornery beast renders its listeners blown away by the level of aggression, but letting it all hang out creatively as well. If you can ignore having the same verse repeated at you for the better part of four minutes, then Conquer is easily the best record to have the Soulfly logo slapped on the cover....Truly a big surprise for me !

16. GodHateCode - Aeons

" Old-school death-metal meets modern and straight in the face brutality! You would think that would sum it up...The band's mix is clear: You get a nice touch of Swedish death metal, Grindcore-ish vocals with a nice Spanish pepper in the ass.

This shit is catchy and heavy at the same time...Check it out of you like uptempo death metal with grind influences "

15. Testament - The Formation Of Damnation

" Testament's The Formation of Damnation had been hotly anticipated for two reasons. First, it marks the return of lead guitarist Alex Skolnick..Second, it's taken quite a while... Since 1999's The Gathering. The soul is back on Formation. It's a Testament record, no more and no less. Despite Skolnick's return, it's in line with Testament's output after his departure in the '90s. Thus, thrash riffs bulge with death metal heft, but leavened by the band's trademark melodic sense. Skolnick's fluid shredding is welcome and familiar, And Chuck Billy sounds as good as ever. Formation bursts with energy....Andy Sneap contributes his usual clear, heavy mix...And For Me...Formation is a clear return to form ! "

14. The Arcane Order - In The Wake Of Collisions

" “In The Wake Of Collisions” shows the band harnessing a much more developed and explorative sense of direction that is both darker and a lot more brutal than any of us could have hoped for. Sweeping you head first into a flurry of light-speed blasts, orchestrated guitars and an almost regal sense of dark atmosphere, the dazzling display of musicianship and song writing is something to behold. This lasting and blasting slab of progressive Death/Thrash is one that must be experienced by everybody "

13. Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh

" The Way Of All Flesh, Gojira's latest album is supposed to be the next step in the band's ascent into super-stardom and I can say with a degree of certainty that it will serve this purpose successfully ! Gojira plays a hybrid style of angular riffs and bruising break-downs. With 'The Way Of All Flesh' We are treated to an essentially flawless combination of groove and brutality, highlighted by intelligent song writing. See them live !.....Simply crushing...Period ! "

12. Abysmal Dawn - Programmed To Consume

" This second slab of brutality from L.A. based Abysmal Dawn takes elements of Black metal, Thrash and Floridian death metal, pummeling you with guttural vocals, tasty lead breaks and a drummer that is sure to be a ‘name’ in drum circles very soon. With a cracking front cover by Pär Oloffson (Psycroptic) and a great production job by John Haddad (Intronaut), this is one to hunt down for fans of solid death/thrash metal with a flair for the technical.....Essential Listening ! "

11. Volturyon - Blood Cure

" This debut killed from the start !...Crushing technical riffs ala Decapitated and a great production. The guitar solos are quite innovative and original as well, creepy sounding with a hint of progressive influence . This is one of the best debut's of 2008....Cant wait to hear their next one !

Fuck Im sleepy !!!.........I will get to the top 10 Tomorrow.....

D.D.