Top 25 Albums of 2009

This year had so many great albums from bands new and old. We saw the return of greatness from Alice In Chains. An album of epic proportions from Mastodon. An album rich with real punk energy from Gallows. A new blueprint for those who have talent in Hip Hop to follow from Jay-Z. A supergroup that truly is super in Them Crooked Vultures. As well as new blood from Latitudes, Narrows, and Struck By Lightning. There were so many great surprises that I couldn't just pick 10. So without further or do... The top 25 of 2009!!!

1) Mastodon- Crack The Skye

1) Alice In Chains- Black Gives Way To Blue

2) Gallows- Grey Britain

3) Latitudes- Agonist

4) Silversun Pickups- Swoon

5) Jay Z- The Blueprint 3

6) Isis- Wavering Radiant

7) Pearl Jam- Backspacer

8) Depeche Mode- Sounds Of The Universe

9) Slayer- World Painted Blood

10) Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures

11) Rammstein- Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da

12) Placebo- Battle For The Sun

13) Dredg- The Parrot, The Pariah, The Delusion

14) Narrows- New Distances

15) Mudvayne- Mudvayne

16) Bon Jovi- The Circle

17) Devildriver- Pray For Villians

18) Mariachi El Bronx- Mariachi El Bronx

19) Struck By Lightning- Serpents

20) And So I Watch You From Afar- S/T

21) Sights and Sounds- Monolith

22) Baroness- Blue Record

23) Doomriders- Darkness Come Alive

24) The Empire Shall Fall- Awaken

25) Converge- Axe To Fall

Honorable Mention:

The New Regime- Coup

Coalesce- Ox

Big Business- Mind The Drift

Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage (2009)

Five Finger Death Punch- War Is The Answer

Darkest Hour- The Eternal Return

Spinnerette- S/T

Chimaira- The Infection

Biggest Disappointments

AFI- Crash Love

Brand New- Daisy

Hatebreed- S/T

Street Sweeper Social Club- S/T

Lamb Of God- Wrath

Static X- Cult Of Static

Julien K- Death To Analog

30 Seconds To Mars- This Is War

Latitudes: Agonist

2009 has been a really great year for music new and old. Lots of great albums have been released and tons of amazing shows have been played. With all those things being said there are many bands that fly under the radar and go unnoticed. One such band from England called "Latitudes" is a perfect example. With a sound similar to that of Isis and Neurosis, they take it one step farther and delve more into the experimental. Their recent album "Agonist" is full of wonderful soundscapes that puts you in a mood that takes you away from everything. While the album is mostly instrumental, there are a couple moments of singing and the vocals fit in beautifully. Antechamber the second track on the album is one of those songs and a highlight of the record. The drums pound and groove away while the bass rumbles and syncs up perfectly. The guitar tone is dirty and gritty but is clear and crisp. This is definitely a band to check out and listen to on repeat. Everything about them is great.

Track Listing:

1) Myth Cathexis

2) Antechamber

3) Fluxes of the Womb

4) Steppe & Veiled

5) Braille

6) Hunting Dance

7) Agonist

7 tracks 41 minutes

Overall Rating: 9/10

http://www.myspace.com/latitudesmusic

MASTODON at Hollywood Palladium

Of all the shows I've experienced this year from Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains, Down, and a couple others there is one other that stands out from that bunch. Mastodon is a top 5 member of my list. 2009 has had some of the most memorable shows I've been to. This was the second time seeing the mighty Mastodon and it was just as good if not better than the first. Since the release of their latest album "Crack The Skye," they have been playing it in it's entirety. First off the album is a masterpiece and one of the best albums of the last 10 years. I know that's a bold statement but it truly is. The concept, the songs, the music, the artwork, basically the entire package is outstanding.

With a video screen behind them and as soon as the first note of Oblivion was struck everyone in attendance knew what was in store. When they got to "The Czar" it pushed the set into epic proportions. The song is a four part journey with all the makings of a classic live staple. The title track is one of the heaviest songs on the album and live it translates to a bold extreme of greatness. The Last Baron concluded the first portion of their set. The guys in the band were firing on all cylinders. Brann Dailor (Drums) and Troy Sanders (Bass and Vocals) form one of the tightest rhythm sections in all genres. Bill Kelliher (Guitar) and Brent Hinds(Guitar and Vocals) are one of the best  guitar tandems in all of music. The tones and riffs they create are brilliant and shear genius. After playing their new album set, they came back and played a few more songs. Sticking mainly to their first couple albums for their encore, they came back and destroyed what was left of the stage. 

I've seen Mastodon five times now and I must say that was the best show of their I've ever seen. They are absolutely one of the best bands of the decade and deserve all the accolades that come their way. There are two stories within the album and should be explored thoroughly. There is nothing about Mastodon that should go unrecognized. Grab your headphones and get a copy of their new album and gear up for one hell of a great ride!!!

Overall Rating: 10/10

Fear Factory: Reunion and Powershifter (single)

FEAR FACTORY IS BACK!!! The real version of what Fear Factory should be, not the version of the last 5 years. In 2002 Dino (guitar) and Burton (vocals) got into a a huge fight which led the band to break up, only to resurface without Dino a couple years later. The songs created without Dino were lackluster and rehashed riffs off of "Demanufacture" (their classic album). Then in 2008 at a Ministry show Dino and Burton settled their differences and put the feud behind them. Now in 2009 with all their bickering behind them Dino and Burton have put Fear Factory back together with an all-star lineup featuring Gene Hoglan (Death, Testament, Dethklok) on drums and Byron Stroud (Strapping Young Lad, nu Fear Factory) on bass.

Fear Factory has just released their first tease off their new album "Mechanize" due out in February 2010. The song is entitled Powershifter and it kills. This song alone makes up for the last 3 albums they have put out. There is an industrial tinge to the machine gun riff and hard pounding drums. The vocals are classic Fear Factory. Burton C. Bell has one of the best voices in metal. His clean singing is better than it's been in years. The lyrics give new meaning and a rebirth to this band. Basically this song provides the anthem for what Fear Factory is now. 

Whatever it was that brought Burton and Dino back together it worked, my only question is, what the hell took so long?

Overall Rating: 9.8/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfekNwxK0e4

Top 10 Albums of 2009 (So Far)

Brian's Top 10 Albums of 2009 (So Far):

1: Mastodon- Crack The Skye

1: Alice In Chains- Black Gives Way To Blue

2: Gallows- Grey Britain

3: Narrows- New Distances

4: Isis- Wavering Radiant

5: Silversun Pickups- Swoon

6: Depeche Mode- Sounds Of The Universe

7: Pearl Jam: Backspacer

8: Slayer- World Painted Blood

9: Rammstein- Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da

10: Jay Z- The Blueprint 3

The Continuation:

11: Dredg- The Parrot, The Pariah, The Delusion

12: Placebo- Battle For The Sun

13: Devildriver- Prey For Villians

14: Mariachi El Bronx- S/T

15: Darkest Hour- The Eternal Return

Not So Great Albums:

AFI- Crash Love

Killswitch Engage- S/T (2009)

Static X- Cult Of Static

Lamb Of God- Wrath

Street Sweeper Social Club- S/T

Chimaira- The Infection

Five Finger Death Punh- War Is The Answer

Brand New- Daisy

Spinnerette- S/T

Slipknot: Hollywood Palladium 10/29/09

The very thought of seeing Slipknot at the Palladium made me jump in the air. Having seen them throughout the years from small clubs to large arenas its always great to see a band that has achieved that level of success come back to where it all began. And everyone in attendance whether it was their first time or 8Th (like mine) was there with such anticipation you could feel it in the air.

First up was Vision Of Disorder. The New York based hardcore band is back taking names and kicking ass. Many believe they are pioneers of the "metalcore" sound. Playing such classics as D.T.O., Viola, Landslide, What You Are, and Jada Bloom, those who knew them sang loud and proud (Myself being one of them). Their addition to the show was great and provided a great warm up soundtrack before Slipknot.

Slipknot took the stage with the opening sequence of their self titled debut and continued to the onslaught of the first 4 songs from that record. The crowd went nuts and the floor opened up. One thing is for sure Corey Taylor is a great front man who knows how to get what he wants from a crowd. They played a few new tracks which translated rather well live. Duality from their third album "Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses" was the highlight of the night, sparking the crowd into a loud sing along and an eruption of excitement. The first song of their encore was an interesting choice. "Snuff" the slowest song they have ever wrote from their new album "All Hope Is Gone." While it's a great song I'm not sure I would have picked that to come back to the stage with. Though they did redeem themselves with "Surfacing" with the crowd singing the famous lines "Fuck it all. Fuck this world. Fuck all the things that you stand for. Don't belong. Don't exist. Don't give a shit. Don't ever judge me." In fact I think the crowd was louder than the band at that point. "Spit It Out" closed out the evening with all 1500+ people on their knees ready to jump the fuck up. All in all it was a great show. A great opening band and the chance to see Slipknot in a small spot. 

Slipknot Set List:

1) 74261700027

2) Sic

3) Eyeless

4) Wait and Bleed

5) Get This

6) Before I Forget

7) Sulfur

8) Disasterpiece

9) Dead Memories

10) The Blister Exists

11) Vermillion

12) Psychosocial

13) Duality

14) People = Shit

15) Snuff

16) Surfacing

17) Spit It Out

Mudvayne: Heard It All Before (single) & Beautiful and Strange (single)

The thought of a new Mudvayne always sounds great. The only problem is that with the last 2 records they have really fallen short and left many (including myself) rather disappointed. The band had said earlier last year that they recorded 2 albums. The first release "The New Game" fell flat with the exception of a couple songs. They did say though that the other album they recorded was much heavier and back to where they left off on their second album. Well in the past couple months Mudvayne has released a couple songs from their upcoming Self Titled album, and from the 2 songs they've released it kills. 

Beautiful and Strange the first song they put out starts with a machine gun riff that gets your head bobbing. The rhythm section of the drummer and bass player is tighter than it has been in quite some time. Vocally it's not too complex but Chad Gray has always written honestly (in this band as opposed to his work in Hellyeah). This song is a nice introduction back to where they should have been years ago.

http://www.myspace.com/mudvayne

Heard It All Before is what you expect from Mudvayne. It's an unrelenting assault on your ears, in a good way. This song puts a smile on my face. The guitar churns metal on this song, even including a pretty sic guitar solo. The bass as always is ripe and shines with the explosive drums. The vocals and melody make this song a sure mosh pit anthem for them. What a great song.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/10/30/think-youve-heard-it-all-before-from-mudvayne-think-again/

With these 2 new songs it seems like Mudvayne is back on track and ready to kick ass again. While they were trying to evolve and become better songwriters it seems they sacrificed what made them so good in the first place. Welcome back!!!!

Them Crooked Vultures: New Fang (single)

At first thought on paper, the combination of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is a dream lineup. The term "supergroup" comes to mind. Well today is the day their first single New Fang is released and... it's pretty damn good. Very Rock N' Roll. It combines the best elements of all 3 of these guys. Dave is back behind the kit and hitting hard with smooth grooves. John is on bass and his licks are so in sync with Dave it's almost as though they have the same rhythmic mentality. Josh's guitar rings through with clear brightness while remaining dirty and raw. His vocals and the melody that follows really make you want to sing along and jump up and down. One can only hope the rest of the album is as good as this song. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7_vH3H8LPI

Overall Rating: 9/10

Rammstein: Holy Schizer!!!

After a 4 year absence from the masses, Rammstein have returned with an album that is unrelenting and chock full of everything that makes them fire on all cylinders. Never one to compromise their art for the sake of selling records, these maniacal Germans have released their best material since Mutter (which in my opinion is their best album) in 2002. Lead single Pussy is a prime example. Though some might perceive it as a joke the music in the song is classic Rammstein. The video that accompanies it is one of the most creative videos that has been released in quite some time. While it's basically a porn video, it sure it great. The first track on the album Rammlied kicks it off and the rest of the songs follow the unrelenting suit. Track 4 Haifisch and track 5 B******** seem like they have taken a lesson from Sweden and their melodic death metal scene and boy is it tasty. The recording and production on this record is bombastic and makes you feel every note and drum beat. The vocals (all in German as usual) stand out on this album more than their last as it seems the time off made Til's voice better. A lot of metal bands today try to make "raw" recordings but fall short due to the digital age and ability to perfect everything. Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da sticks to Rammstein's classic sound and doesn't stop. There is a Deluxe edition that has 5 bonus tracks that are more like Sehnsucht their breakthrough album which featured Du Hast. There have been a ton of great releases this past year from Mastodon, Gallows, Isis and many others, and this belongs on the list as well. This album is wonderful and was well worth the wait!!! Welcome back guys!!!!!!

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Welcome...

Welcome to Sights & Sounds. The home of the most celebrated music of yesterday and today. 

What will be included:

Album Reviews- of the newest releases and of the albums you've loved over the years

Show Reviews- of the latest tour and one off shows. Including pictures and possible live audio (when possible)

Interviews: With interesting questions. Not the run of the mill stuff you read.

There will be other fun interesting surprises in store that you'll just have to wait and see!!

If there is one thing I can promise you is that this will not be a boring generic site that caters to only one style of music. There will be metal, rock, indie, hip-hop, and all sorts of others. 

Enjoy Reading,

Brian