gODGRINDER's Best Metal Albums of 2008

Let's face it: 2008 has probably been one of the crappiest years in recent memory for, well, everyone. Unless you're a metalhead; then this year was fan-freakin-tastic. Here is a list of my top picks for 2008 in alphabetical order:



Aborted – Strychnine.213

Released a little more than a year after “Slaughter and Apparatus,” this album sees the Belgian bruisers dishing out another infectious and groovy slab of gore-grind debauchery. Two albums in less than two years, a seemingly endless touring schedule, and their own TV channel on the web make Aborted one of the hardest-working bands in modern metal.




Abysmal Dawn - Programmed to Consume

This album is a high-energy affair which strikes a refreshing balance between modern technicality and old-school crunch. Not a reinvention of the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, but they have the chops to hold their own with any of the more prolific acts out there. Plus, the fact that they opened for Emperor helps their street cred just a touch.



All Shall Perish – Awaken the Dreamers

2008’s follow up to “The Price of Existence” finds the boys in ASP sharpening their claws with an melodic, yet incisive deathcore opus. While they might have pulled back the throttle a bit, the album still has teeth as Eddie Hermida belts forth venomous diatribes against the government and corporations. The source material isn’t original in the least, but its execution is nearly flawless.



Arsis – We Are the Nightmare

The word “technical” gets thrown out a lot in death metal circles, yet bands whose proficiency barely extends beyond sweep picking get lumped in with truly extraordinary guitarists like Arsis’ James Malone. Make no mistake; this is technical (yet melodic) metal at its cleanest and most brilliant. All non-believers are instructed to catch Arsis live and then report back.



Bleeding Through – Declaration

“Declaration” represents the culmination of a musical evolution which saw Bleeding Through shift from a throwaway metalcore act to a more credible, symphonic black metal direction. This album is their best yet, and one of the few out there today where haunting keyboards add to the proceedings instead of detracting from them (Here’s looking at you, Winds of Plague). This is a GREAT album.



Burning Skies – Greed.Filth.Abuse.Corruption

This album stands out as one of the fastest, most chaotic slabs of aural aggression to be released this year. Is it the most technical or even the most original sound? Not by a long shot. But one must admire the balls-to-the-wall manner in which the proceedings are carried out. This is an exhausting, but satisfying listening experience.



Daylight Dies – Lost to the Living

Doom metal seems to be making something of a comeback, and Daylight Dies are leading the charge. “Lost to the Living” is a powerful, dense, and melodic effort. Few bands can plumb the darkest corners of human emotion as adeptly as these gentlemen, and present a work which is truly introspective and avoids the cliché of hopeless whining (My Dying Bride comes to mind) that often permeates this genre.



The Faceless – Planetary Duality

The Faceless’ sophomore effort is a jaw-dropping display of technical might, with a rhythm section and lead guitarist who both play as if possessed by some otherworldly force. True to what has become the “Sumerian Sound,” every instrument comes through clean as a whistle, allowing the listener to absorb every nuance of every perfectly-played note. No studio tricks, no distortion, and no effects to cover up any blemishes in the playing; these guys lay it all out there to show the world just how f**king good they really are.



Heaven Shall Burn – Iconoclast

If one can make a single statement about Heaven Shall Burn, it is that they sure know how to open an album. Just like 2004’s “Antigone,” “Iconoclast” opens with “Awoken,” a soft, sorrowful string arrangement which simultaneously lulls and builds tension in the listener just before “Endzeit” bludgeons us upside the head. The album doesn’t let up the entire way and serves as a prime example of how to do melodic DM right. If this album doesn’t get your heart racing, you’re probably dead.



Hollow Corp – Cloister of Radiance

The progressive-post-hardcore crowd had a good year in 2008 with solid releases from bands like Gojira and Mouth of the Architect. However, “Cloister of Radiance” is arguably the most solid of them all. When bands make music this good, it makes life as a metalhead worth living.



Ishahn – Angl

The sophomore solo effort from the former Emperor frontman is just as varied, but more accessible, than 2006’s “The Adversary.” This album is a dark, harsh progressive black metal beast which proves to the world that, despite Emperor’s infamy and notoriety across the globe, Isahn’s music career has not even peaked yet. In fact, he’s probably well into his stride and there’s very little stopping him from making the shift from cult metal hero to out-and-out icon.



Illdisposed – The Prestige

Many a music snob would cry foul at this album’s inclusion on this list. Largely overlooked by the music press and fans at large, it is one of those rare gems that snuck in under the radar. Is the music the most technical or original? Not by a long shot. But somehow everything on this CD came together really well. Catchy guitar hooks, memorable melody lines, and awesome drumming make this one stand up to repeated listenings. In other words, it f’ing ROCKS.



Kataklysm – Prevail

Let’s get something out of the way now: “Serenity in Fire” sucked. Nearly all hope for this band was lost until they came back with 2006’s “In the Arms of Devastation,” which turned out to be one of the strongest and most satisfying releases of that year. “Prevail” continues that tradition with a solid batch of aggressive death metal completely devoid of pretense. They came to destroy and take no prisoners and that’s exactly what they did. Here’s hoping they can keep up this momentum because if they can, they will certainly become one of the more prolific metal acts in the world.



Meshuggah – ObZen

One of the more anticipated albums of the year, “ObZen” sees Meshuggah returning to “form” (I use the term loosely) after 2005’s experimental (and somewhat disappointing) “Catch Thirty Three.” The entire band plays more than competently on the CD, but the real highlight is Thomas Haake’s drumming. How he managed to lay down the rhythm patterns he did, especially on the album’s strongest track “Bleed,” is nothing short of awe-inspiring.



Misery Index – Traitors

In 2008, life for people all over the globe all but went to hell as the result of corporate greed and governmental corruption, and Misery Index have provided the soundtrack to the entire debacle. This album sees the group at their most pissed off as they level scathing indictments at the people who have benefited the most from the world’s misery. It will be interesting to see how many bank burnings get attributed to this disc.



Misery Signals – Controller

This album is nearly perfectly executed. Lush acoustic soundscapes interspersed with harsh metalcore dirges and heart-wrenching lyrics. The emotional and sonic depth of this album cannot be overstated. It is not only one of the best metal albums of 2008, but possibly of the last decade.



Plague Bringer – Life Songs in a Land of Death

This genre-defying effort comes to us courtesy of two very pissed off men and a drum machine. While the rawer nature of the disc has many music critics quick to slot Plague Bringer into the “grindcore” canon, the compositions on this album are too long and too epic to draw an accurate similarity with acts like Pig Destroyer or Agoraphobic Nosebleed. It is “machine metal” to be sure, but is so innovative that it escapes comparison with anything out there today.



Psycroptic – Ob (Servant)

Hailing from Australia, Psycroptic popped up on the radar with Willowtip’s 2007 re-issue of their “Symbols of Failure” album, which apparently also caught Nuclear Blast’s attention. “Ob (Servant)” is just as strong as “Symbols,” with a vocal and guitar attack which wouldn’t sound out of place on any of Decapitated’s better efforts. Are they a Decapitated copycat? Not in the least. But with Decapitated’s uncertain future, Psycroptic are well-suited to take up their mantle if called to it.



The Rotted – Get Dead or Die Trying

From the ashes of the UK’s Gorerotted comes an album with the same kind of tongue-in-cheek humor as their previous efforts but with much stronger songwriting. This album’s strength lies in its catchiness first and sonic intensity second.




Scar Symmetry – Holographic Universe

This album strikes the ideal balance between melodic death metal and power-prog, with crunching guitars and guttural growls paired beautifully with verdant synthscapes and soaring clean vocals. The energy of this album is undeniable and it will be interesting to see where their career takes them with the departure of the original vocalist and introduction of two new vocalists. One of the best this year by far.

So there you have it. While 2008 has been an awesome year for metal, pending releases from Deadlock, Antigama, Satryricon and more promise to make 2009 even better.