Valecnik's Top 15 of 2001
I’ve never been a huge fan of Progressive Metal, but when a band gets it right I can really dig on it. Threshold gets it right. Much of the disc is what you’d expect from a band of this ilk (a pleasant and strong vocal style, a good keyboard/piano backbone, and songs in the 6-10 minute range). There are refreshing surprises too, like the downright rockin’ (I daresay thrashy) riffs in “Long Way Home.” And there are some not-so-hot moments when things get so sickeningly sappy that they become unbearable. Lame adult contemporary rock anyone? Fortunately there’s really only one track (“Keep My Head”) that exhibits this characteristic; hey, that’s what the skip button is for. For the most part this material is impassioned, powerful, stirring…all the things that make any album good, I guess. Check the epic closing track “Narcissus” for a perfect example of what all prog rock should aspire to be. I’m perfectly content with one good album of this nature per year, and Threshold definitely gets the trophy for ’01.
Out of the blazing desert of Argentina comes another bright light of the stoner scene. They sound pretty damn similar to fellow countrymen Natas, and a member of that band even handles the guitar and vocals on one track. Also like Natas, the bulk of the lyrics are sung in Spanish, which I find lends a refreshing charm to their sound. Yeah, it’s also heavy, fuzzy, blah blah blah, but that isn’t what makes it great. There’s a vitality about the album that keeps me coming back over and over again. It burrows into the brain and just won’t leave you alone. Take “Me Sangra,” for example; Vocalist El Topo just belts his words out in a fever pitch while the band lays down a fat, chillin’ groove. Add to all this the little melodic flourishes which somehow, at least to me, totally embody the sound of the desert, and you have a collection of songs that I find completely irresistible. Must be something in the water down there...
Some albums make it to my list not because they’re innovative or groundbreaking, not because they’re the most inspired musical works of the past year, but because they simply ROCK SO MOTHERFUCKING HARD. The Swedes that make up Ridge are a perfect example. This is fuzzed-up stoner rock that sounds pretty similar to Nebula, circa Let It Burn, but I’ve long said that I don’t care if a band employs a style that’s been done many times before, as long as they do it well. Ridge, my friends, does it as if their very lives depend upon it. These slabs of distorted rock stomp and scream forth with wild abandon. Sure, lots of albums rock out, but do they rock out with the same intensity listen after listen after listen? No matter how many times I hear these songs they cause me to clench the wheel tighter and press on the gas. They’re totally electric, totally charged with freakish energy, and totally irresistible. This album has been dissed for being boring and derivative but anyone who thinks that must be totally jaded. Prepare for stripped-down, wicked rock and roll in its purest form.
Amorphis have been making list-worthy albums for quite a few years now and this disc is another strong qualifier. Am Universum is in the same vein as previous album Tuonela—heartfelt heavy prog rock with Pasi Koskinen’s clean vocals over the top. The brief deathy vocals that punctuated Tuonela have now vanished entirely. But if you’re still listening to Amorphis at this point in their career, chances are you don’t really care about harsh vocals. Saxophone has been added on a couple tracks, and I give the band points for continuing to push their boundaries, but unfortunately the sax is of the dull Kenny G variety, adding little to the final product. Oh well, this is still a hell of a classy, well-written album for anyone that appreciates melancholy prog rock with folk touches. In one of my favorite moments, Finnish brethren Sentenced are called to mind with the lines “Grieve stricken heart, calls upon you; Grieve stricken heart, my only look you fools; I love my misery too.” I’m a sucker for that Finnish gloom. As long as the band continues to produce material of this caliber, you can count me as a fan.
Yikes! I do believe a new standard has been set in the stoner rock genre. No, Astroqueen doesn’t exactly outdo Kyuss, but holy shit do they lay down the fuzz and groove. The thickness of the guitar tone is nearly overwhelming, but not in the method of crushers like Electric Wizard or Warhorse. No, this material is firmly rooted in the fuzzy stoner side of things, but I’ve never heard another band create this insane sound. Maybe it’s the production courtesy of Andy La Rocque (weird choice for a stoner band), maybe the band sold their souls (and some quality weed) to Satan, or maybe they’re just brilliant. Whatever the cause, the results are stunning. In addition to all this glorious pummeling, the distortion often takes on a marvelous harmonic quality, like one of the guitarists strummed a chord, laid his still-vibrating axe up against a fully-cranked amp, then took the resulting sound and crafted clean, pure notes with it. It’s unbelievable and it causes my jaw to drop every time I hear it. One other refreshing aspect of this album is that, unlike most stoner rock, I find it pretty emotionally stirring. It seems to me that Astroqueen put their heart and soul into these songs, and it comes through. Kudos to them, but I’m scared to see what another album might bring. If they only get better from here, stoner rock will never be the same.
Although I was pretty enchanted with this album after the first couple listens, I decided early on that it wasn’t the kind of thing that would end up on my end of year list. Then I realized I was being an idiot. This may be major-label ‘alternative’ (the word in its present-day sense really doesn’t apply) music, but the depressive vibe contained herein is more smothering than what an entire room full of doom metal bands could begin to conjure. Opening track “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” is gloomy enough, but its synth beats are also pretty damn infectious. After that, prepare to get driven deeper and deeper into the dark places inside yourself. Thom Yorke’s voice has a lot to do with the effect; it often takes on an ethereal quality that makes you feel certain you’re having an out-of-body experience, floating up into celestial nothingness, but then the somber notes of his bandmates pull you back down. Funny, prior to hearing this album Radiohead was always ‘that band that did “Creep”’ and nothing more; a buzzword on MTV. Something tells me they’ve come a long way since then. Time to discover what I’ve missed.
In the mood for some Maiden mimicry? Well you can’t go wrong with Steel Prophet. Hell, anyone who’s heard their cover of “The Ides of March/Purgatory” knows that these boys have seriously got the power metal goods. On this, their latest disc, there’s no shortage of piercing vocals and delicious guitar work. Innovative? Certainly not. Damn well-executed? You bet your shiny metal ass. It’s actually not blatant Maiden the entire time; toss in a generous portion of Dark Saga-era Iced Earth and you’ve got a more defined picture of what’s going on here. What matters is that this is top-notch songwriting that stirs the soul and delights the mind. Music this good never gets boring, even if the style is nothing new. Keep it coming, lads.
Let me start out by being totally honest and saying that this disc may well have received a higher rating from me if I had been able to listen to it more. The material is just so goddamn dense and I haven’t had the time to digest it while preparing this list. Nevertheless, it’s already clear that this is a remarkable work of art. As a friend of mine has said, Prometheus finds the reigning kings of black metal combining the best elements of their last two albums into one wicked concoction. There are good dynamics at work here: vocals range from standard harsh to a powerful clean style reminiscent of Garm (Ulver/Arcturus/ex-Borknagar); musically the disc is premeditated madness, chaos brought to order. Lots of classical passages involving strings and whatnot, even to the point that it reminds me of Believer in their Dimensions period. You’ve also got a melee of chugging death, blasting black, traditional metal, and synths. It’s dazzling once you start to put it all together. It seems Emperor will no longer grace us with their presence after this album, and this is a fitting farewell. No one could ever really hold a candle to Emperor’s creative prowess, and this disc engraves their name that much deeper in the record books.
There’s one word to describe Jag Panzer’s take on power metal: class. This album oozes, drips and radiates total class. Its sound runs along the same lines as last year’s Thane to the Throne but without the conceptual construct surrounding it. Harry Conklin has never sounded better; on songs like “The Silent” and “The Scarlet Letter” his voice causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. Mark Briody’s and Chris Broderick’s chops are all you could ask for from this style of music: tight, clean, flawless through and through. Pick any track at random and find within it exemplary heavy metal craftsmanship. There are essentially two sub-genres in the power metal arena: speedy Helloween-worshippers like Stratovarius and Edguy, and heavier mid-tempo practitioners like Iced Earth and Destiny’s End. Jag Panzer falls into the latter category and they’re the supreme rulers of it as far as I’m concerned. Long may they reign.
Okay, if you still don’t know what Opeth are about, seek help and seek it quickly. They’re up to album number 5 now, and although it doesn’t quite compare to Morningrise or Still Life, it’s yet another powerful chapter in the career of this amazing band. The strikingly beautiful melodies, the top-notch songwriting, the vocals which can switch from acidic death to harmonic perfection without missing a beat…hey, it’s nothing new to these guys. The metal realm is made better by their mere presence. I suppose one day they could grow stagnant, but it’s hard to imagine that. Fans of classical music don’t consider Verdi or Brahms stagnant after the millionth listen; Opeth is just as timeless. They are the premier composers of this era, and luckily for us they’ve chosen heavy metal as their medium. Carry on, boys, may your flame eternally burn bright.
My past experience with Neurosis has been somewhat difficult. I never doubted their massive talent, but the convoluted nature of their music kept me at bay, unable to really embrace them. I’ve been breaking through the complexity barrier little by little, but thankfully the band has also been making some changes I consider quite favorable. These guys know a lot about dynamics and that knowledge is becoming more apparent all the time. A Sun… delivers the same harsh, bombastic soundscapes we’ve come to expect from the band, but now they’re tempered by amazing passages of quiet solitude. The result is magnificent, taking you on a powerful journey through pain, rage, and introspection. You are lulled into complacency only to have the earth buckle and shift beneath you then explode upward to crescendo then settle back into moody peace. My advice: give this material your full attention and prepare to be elevated to a higher plane of existence. If Neurosis continues down this stylistic path they may make a rabid fan out of me yet.
Tool simply defy description; they are a unique entity unto themselves. They are also one of the best bands around, period. Every Tool release is an event. 1996’s Aenima was easily one of the best albums of that year and we were forced to wait 5 long years for this latest work showcasing their monumental genius. Just as weighty and breathtaking as Aenima, but perhaps less ‘listenable,’ Lateralus churns, dances, and slithers its way into your subconscious, awakening all those hidden things you’d maybe care to forget. Vocalist Maynard is in usual fine form, Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor purposefully strum their instruments into a thick mass, and Danny Carey remains one of the finest drummers on the planet. Together these gentlemen craft a true music lover’s pure bliss, aural art of the highest level. Gentle, soothing, heavy and unyielding all at once, no one can ever match them in their arena.
Ah, another Katatonia release, further inspiration to run a hot bath and break out the razor blade… I would imagine that this band left many metal fans in the dust long ago, and while I still consider their sound to be part of the metal genre, they no longer belong to the metal community; they belong to the world. Or at least they should. Any random goth should be able to groove infinitely on this release. Thick gray gloom pours forth from every note. Shades of The Cure are evident (even prominent in the intro of “Teargas” and throughout “Tonight’s Music.”) If you’ve kept up with this band you won’t be surprised by this release, as it’s not a major departure from Tonight’s Decision, their previous exercise in suicidal introspection. Jonas Renske’s voice has perhaps grown even stronger this time around; his crooning is sweet, sweet suffering, his lyrics the expression of the deepest pain and self-doubt you’ve ever felt within your forsaken soul. There’s little more to be said, really. Utterly perfect music for rainy days and dead winter sunsets.
At first listen one might lump Caught in the Unlight! in with the overwhelming droves of melodic death bands out there. It becomes clear after a bit, however, that the speed-drenched guitar breakdowns within have more to do with vintage Slayer than with In Flames. Moreover, this disc is inherently ‘thrashy,’ with mind-boggling doses of start/stop rhythms that will leave you gasping and hungry for more. Things do get a tad stale by track 8 or so but don’t press the stop button or you’ll miss possibly the finest moments of the disc, namely the killfest of the title track. A slightly subpar section can be found when the thrashed-out hyper-rhythms near the end of the song seem to dissolve into a messy maelstrom of indistinguishable sound. These guys are incredible musicians, tighter than hell 99.9% of the time, but it seems they can still get a little ahead of themselves. No matter, it’s a minor problem in an otherwise stellar collection of tunes. The more I listened to this album, the more I came to understand that there may well be real innovation going on here – no one else has fused thrash and melodic death quite this way. When it’s melodic it’s amazingly, gloriously melodic; when it’s brutal it’s positively scathing. The kicker is that it’s both of these things simultaneously through the bulk of the album. This is the best meshing of brutality and melody since Slaughter of the Soul, and it is delivered with total class. After ripping you to shreds, the disc ends with a boisterous cacophony of drums and guitars, harkening back to the days of arena rock finales. Brilliant! A perfect way to end a timeless album. “I was caught in the…I am caught in the…forever caught in the…CAUGHT IN THE FUCKING UNLIGHT!!!”
Sheesh, I have been on a crazy rollercoaster ride with this album. I expected another guaranteed #1 but found myself filled with doubt. See, over the past 7 years I have grown into a rabid Anathema fan, and for good reason; they have written some of the most stirring music to ever reach my ears. They’ve gone through some changes, taking on a lot Pink Floyd qualities and it all worked brilliantly. 1999’s Judgement is an all-time classic, a work of frightening beauty almost too grand to comprehend. After I obtained it I listened to virtually nothing else for weeks, and that’s the core of the Anathema experience for me…their art holds me enthralled to the point that I think I might just burst. Which brings us to the first red flag of this latest disc: it did not engender that same mad obsession within me. The thing is, I think the same unique beauty is still in place, but it’s so much more subtle. The disc is lighter overall, it doesn’t threaten to wrench my guts out with its abysmal grief. Vincent’s vocals are still gorgeous perfection, even if they’ve lost some of their wretchedness. It’s all a little bit of a letdown, but to say that Anathema is only about sorrow is to sell them tragically short. Still, I feel like these lads have done better by me, and I can’t ignore that. So why the #1 ranking? Because this is Anathema. They still rule and they still write the finest music on the planet. Fact is, on their worst day Anathema still lays waste to the majority of the bands out there. I’ll be both wary of and anxious for the next album. For the moment, they’re still the best of the best.