9. Destroyer 666 – Defiance

This is about as close to black metal as I can get without feeling uncomfortable. You know, that same feeling you get around somebody who’s holding scissors that shouldn’t be allowed to hold scissors. I can’t remember exactly why I decided to give it a listen in the first place, but it had something to do with a description I read somewhere that it was “Blackened Thrash Metal”…and some doobed out reasoning along the lines of “I like chicken, and I really like blackened chicken, so let’s see how it goes.” My favorite track is definitely “Weapons of Conquest”.

8. Goatwhore – Carving Out the Eyes of God

I had never listened to Goatwhore before listening to this album, but I’m sure glad as hell I decided to check them out…this is fucking demolition derby metal, my friends. The opening track is enough to make me want to strap knives onto my Mazda and enter the ring. “Who needs a god, when you’ve got SATAN!” Fucking aye!

7. Lay Down Rotten – Gospel of the Wretched

If you haven’t heard this album (and you probably haven’t), you’re missing out, plain and simple. If you like Amon Amarth, but you’re looking for something with a little more depth and complexity, look no further. These tracks are juicy, the rhythms will pound you, and you will feel the glory of battle.

6. Jungle Rot – What Horrors Await

There’s something just unbelievably fun about this album. It’s muddy. It’s ballsy. It’s simple. It hits hard. Love it. Who can say no to a track entitled “Exit Wounds”? Yeah, nobody.

5. Revocation – Existence is Futile

Thrashy, beautiful, original. Retro, experimental, solo-tastic. Why haven’t I heard of these guys before? There’s something nostalgic, something familiar about the guitar work here that just feels right, and their performance is tight as hell. Forests and Fjords forever.

4. The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate

Yeah, I pretty much love these guys. You can’t watch Majesty and not, really. They love what they do, they’re serious about it, and it fucking shows. I am looking forward to hearing more, especially with a well-acclimated Ryan Knight on the roster.

3. Slayer – World Painted Blood

Now this is an evolution I can get behind. I love the album enough by itself, but, in addition to it being awesome, it gave me a new appreciation for like…every Slayer album ever. When I heard World Painted Blood in its entirety for the first time, it rekindled something inside me that…fucking loves Slayer.

2. Job for a Cowboy – Ruination

Funny how a release I initially cringed at gradually made it damn near to the fucking top-of-my-top-of-the-year, right? Yeah, you heard me: I didn’t even like it when it came out. I soon discovered that my problem was a combination of me being so in love with the quirky, sporadic sound of Doom and the fact that Ruination… sounds nothing like Doom. I just didn’t see eye to eye with the people who praised the departure as an evolution to “real death metal” or whatever the fuck; I like my metal WEIRD, and I think their first two albums are nothing short of genius. I took a step back, looked at all of their releases, and saw the beautiful evolution that has taken place. If you give this album a serious listen, you’re sure to see they haven’t lost those bizarre twisting, jutting foundations that lie at the heart of every track.

1. Gorod – Process of a New Decline

What can I say about this album I haven’t already? Technically impressive, groovin’, quirky, ethereal, brutal…they manage to be tight as fuck and all over the goddamn place all at once. Death metal with a swing beat? Jesus. With my attention span what it is, it takes mad skills to put together an entire collection of tracks I don’t skip to the ends of “after the cool part’s over”. This album gets 8 gold stars and a banana sticker.

Listen to the magic that begins at 2:50 !!!!!

Honorable Mentions (whatever the fuck that means):

Lamb of God – Wrath

Behemoth – Evangelion

Darkest Hour – The Eternal Return

Daath – The Concealers

I really, really like some of the songs on these CDs, I just didn’t like enough of them enough to feel comfortable saying they were among my favorites of the year. They’re definitely good albums, though. After about an hour of trying to decide between the three of them which one got the #10 spot, I says, “Buh, honorable mentions.” I’d venture to guess Wrath is closest to making #10. The album was great, but in its entirety just wasn’t interesting enough for me.

Other than these, of course we got Crack the Skye…I wudn’t really feelin’ that one. Skeletonwitch is awesome, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to enjoy their CDs nearly as much as their live shows. Baroness is good, but I can’t help but feel like they’re overrated. “A Horse Called Golgotha” from Blue Record is definitely awesome, but I didn’t enjoy the rest of the tracks as much. Who knows, as with any metal albums, any one of these CDs could end up being my favorite in a month or two, heh.

Happy New Year – Spread the Love.

The first time I heard Gorod, they started climbing my charts – QUICK. I came to know them as the band on my iPod I couldn’t air guitar to (without looking like an idiot). The rhythms and riffs were so complex I became completely overwhelmed after about 3 seconds of trying to jam along to it. Better to just close my eyes and get lost in it. Process of a New Decline has moments that are bluesy, moments that are ethereal, and moments that are downright scary as shit (I said bring the depends, didn’t I?)

For better or worse, the album is just as much more palatable than Leading Vision as Leading Vision was compared to Neurotripsicks, and most of this has to do with the vocals, which, while not TOO different from previous releases, are toned down a tad. Before hearing it, a part of me had wished this album would be a little more accessible, simply because I know how talented these guys are and what they have to offer, and I always hate to see more casual listeners scared off by the extremely aggressive vocals or furious, snare-driven beats before they get a chance to be impressed by the intricate melodies, crazy time signatures, and tasteful genre-fusion.

Here’s a track-by-tack:

1. Disavow Your God: This guitar does NOT let up. Gorod bursts out of the gate doing what they do best and showing off plenty in the process. A very ethereal/atmospheric breakdown mixes things up a bit, and before you know it, you’re slowly floating up into the mother ship.

2. Programmers of Decline: Onslaught. You better start playing guitar hero now if you ever hope to be this good (I recommend Fight Fire with Fire on Expert). This track is sweet swingin’ riffs intertwined with neo-classical progressive speed. Does a really good job of setting up the jazzy undertones you will hear throughout the rest of the album.

3. Diverted Logic: Starts with a deep growl and a badass riff. As much as I enjoy their intricate, complicated, crazy speed shit, there’s something to be said for a simply badass riff, and this track has it in abundance. EXCELLENT use of those tiny split second moments of silence before the bombardment ensues. I believe around 2:40 is where I actually shit myself. An instant favorite.

4. Rebirth of Senses: Okay, we’re getting artsy here, right off the bat. Such creative melodics…and yet such ballsy growling! These guys are inventive, there’s no denying. You have to hear 2:19 for yourself to believe it. Oh my god!

5. The Path: Okay…what’s going on here? We begin with a ghostly choir interlude…wait for it…wait for it… @ 2:15 - this is the Gorod we know and love.

6. Splinters of Life: A sick, creepy fade-in riff. I am willing to bet secrets to the space time continuum are hidden somewhere in the twisting rhythms of this opening beat…and then another badass riff. This shit is as crunchy it gets, folks. Get ready for a trippy, bluesy, almost stoner-rock breakout (puts me in the mood for some Floyd). And then…BALLS OUT. Grunting, screaming, snare, double kick…only Gorod can pull this one off; the variety in this track is a testament to their taste and talent.

7. Guilty of Dispersal: Quirky System of a Down start. Your first impression is that this song isn’t for the faint of heart. But then it lets up, ever so pleasantly. Allow me to go on a tangent for a sec: Gorod is Heavy. Gorod is Metal…but it’s not really something you ride into battle to, am I right? Well, this song is the exception. Mount your steed, brandish your axe, and dance in the blood of your enemies. At 3:08 you will meet your match on the battlefield. And then, if you didn’t believe there was such a thing as metal swing jazz fusion, this song will prove you wrong @ 3:28

8. Gilded Cage: If you’re afraid of the dark, you’ll reach for the light switch when this track comes on. This song is not friendly. It isn’t groovy. It isn’t out to impress. It’ll make you shit your dick off.

9. A Common Hope: This track is more straight-forward, groovy metal than we see on the rest of the CD. I can actually follow this song and tap my foot without losing track where I am and what’s going on. I can only assume this song is about Barack Obama.

10. Watershed: Very quiet start with an ethereal, swirly fade in. A beautiful build up leads you into a carefully crafted tapestry of all kinds of complicated shit…You have no choice but to just sit and let it wash over you. I can tell they really had fun with this track. A watershed is: “that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.” Don’t make fun of my research, I’m a Virgo.

11. Almighty’s Murderer: You just know any song with a title that in no uncertain terms refers to the demise of God is going to come out of the gate sounding like this. You’re in for some more badass riffs in this one. This album deserved an epic ending, and the last 60 seconds of this last track did the job nicely.

Okay, so…I love this shit. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a fucking awesome.