Close-Up Magazine Announce Top Albums Of The Year
Band Photo: Opeth (?)
A total of 30 metal, rock and punk writers at Sweden's Close–Up magazine have voted in the magazine's annual critics' album-of-the-year poll. The final results were as follows:
01. SYSTEM OF A DOWN – "Mezmerize"
02. OPETH – "Ghost Reveries"
03. NINE INCH NAILS – "With Teeth"
04. THE MARS VOLTA – "Frances the Mute"
05. MUNICIPAL WASTE – "Hazardous Mutation"
06. TURBONEGRO – "Party Animals"
07. NILE – "Annihilation of the Wicked"
08. HELLACOPTERS – "Rock & Roll Is Dead"
09. NEVERMORE – "This Godless Endeavor"
10. BLINDSIDE – "The Great Depression"
11. CANDLEMASS – "Candlemass"
12. DARK FUNERAL – "Attera Totus Sanctus"
13. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – "Lullabies to Paralyze"
14. ANNIHILATION TIME – "II"
15. BIG BUSINESS – "Head for the Shallow"
16. STATIC–X – "Start a War"
17. CROWBAR – "Lifesblood for the Downtrodden"
18. HYPOCRISY – "Virus"
19. PORCUPINE TREE – "Deadwing"
20. DOZER – "Through the Eyes of Heathens"
For more information on Close-Up, visit www.closeupmagazine.net.
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30 Comments on "Close-Up Magazine Announce Top Albums Of The Year"
Member
3. writes:
I echo the thoughts about Opeth...that record was amazing. In fact the top four are all great records. Good to see that someone gave credit for thought-provoking music. Some of the list is kinda out there...but overall...not too bad. I am not too sure what Close-Up focuses on as far as music goes...but it seems like they have quite an array here...The Mars Volta and Nile on the same list...now that is diversity. Loved both those records...glad to see that they are getting recognized.
Former Contributor
5. writes:
...where do I begin....
The new Queens of the Stoneage was utter garbage.
The new NIN was too sparse and poppy...It felt incomplete and the drums were way too high in the mix.
I hate Turbonegro
Static X has been sub-par since their second record
Mars Volta's a great band but their singer's vox are jarrring....Completley unlistenable.
Mesmerize was meh, next to the "pretty good" Hypnotize....Their debut and Steal! will probably never be completely unseated.
Nevermore and Dark Funeral turned in decent records but nothing jaw dropping.....Same can be said for Porcupine Tree even though I like almost everyone of their previous album better than Deadwing.
The only deserving album on the list really is Ghost Reveries by Opeth.
Member
8. writes:
RM? I always read and respect your opinion because you are one of the few folks on here that uses some intellect in the posting process. However, I was shocked to see that you categorized The Mars Volta as unlistenable. The vocals are not easy to get used to I admit, but the musicianship and lyrical storytelling is amazing. I saw them live a couple of times...and I was floored. Were you ever into At the Drive-In? Also, I must admit that I am a little biased in that these guys started out in my home town of El Paso, TX...I saw them (as members of At the Drive-In) several times back then...and it's kind of cool having a huge band out there that you saw at such an early stage. Anyway, just a few thoughts.
Former Contributor
9. writes:
JT
I must say I have a tremendous respect for the skill and creativity of the band. Like SOAD, DEP and the Mike Patton bands, Mars Volta draw from a million styles from one song to the next and it's brilliant.
There really is noone out there like them.
I even own a copy of their debut. The ultra-high pitched vocals (despite the note for note perfection) are just a bit too much for me. Kind of like the singer for Coheed and Cambria, the vocals are just a little too high. Almost shrill.
And yes, I'm quite familiar with Ath Drive in.... Just as creative as Mars Volta with a splash of politics, hardcore and surrealism. Good stuff.
They were so close to commercial success too, killing that giant took balls.
Again the vocals didn't ruin it for me but they were too great a distraction, like the keyboards in a Children of Bodom song....Just too dominating for me.
In all fairness, I probably should give the Mars Volta another shot but I'm in the middle of a really heavy music kick as of the last 3 months, so it might have to wait till after Xmas when I'm burnt out, I'll probably go through an experimental and mellow music kick.
Just know that I don't hate them, their just an extremely acquired taste for me.
On a side note JT I've kept up with your posts too and whether I agree or not with them(most of the time I do), you too use sound judgement.
Take it easy man and keep posting.
10. writes:
system will never top their debut, which is incredulously disappointing.
opeth dont seem to know how to stop getting better...ghost reveries blew me away. definitely should have been number one.
i really enjoy with teeth, and probably would have placed it second on the list after opeth. nine inch are about as experimental as i get...them and a perfect circle/tool. but there's too many arguments about their genres to bother mentioning.
if mars volta got a singer with a deeper voice but the same style and influences, they would probably be one of my favourite bands to have graced my media library.
turbonegro amuse me, but that's about it for them.
nile, while having the the excellent egyptian influences rocking on, are simply too heavy for me. i prefer at least a little melody in my music. which is why hypocrisy will never make me do anything but leave the room. i mean, theyr great at what they do - but what they do seems to me to just be a bunch of grunting. and i do enough of that myself.
nevermore i have difficulty making my mind up about, but blindside aren't bad. dark funeral probably beats both those bands though, i've always been a dark faneral.
the best thing about the new qotsa album is probably the title. it sounds cool. the actual songs however, less so.
static-x have been getting less and less enjoyable with every release. wisonsin's excellent, machine a close match, and the rest continue on in a downhill spiral.
i've heard candlemass are a bit of ok, but have yet to get around to listening to them. they aren't top-priority, frankly.
and as a side-note, it's good to see a listing where nobody is arguing and spilling verbal waste all over the screen for all to grimace at. it's about time humanity matured. congrats and thanks to all who have posted here (prior to post eleven). keep up the good posting.
Member
Member
14. writes:
Here is 26 reasons why this list is garbage:
1.Into the moat (very good)
2.Trivium (not big on emo but decent cd)
3.With honor
4.Chephalic Carnage (good)
5.Devil driver (how many disagree here?)
6.Premonitions of war
7.Madball (not their best but still)
8.Black dahlia murder
9.Red chord
10.Exodus
11.Cannae
12.Soilent green (awesome cd)
13.Between the buried and me (my #1 pick)
14.1349
15.As i lay dying (they should die already)
16.Cryptopsy
17.Dew-scented (decent)
18.Fear factory
19.God forbid
20.Hypocrisy
21.Soulfly (only because Mark Rizzo is an awesome guitar player)
22.Meshuggah
23.Napalm death (enough said)
24.Pro-pain
25.Raging speedhorn
26. Severe Torture
I am sure that some of you can even name a few more that came out this year but this is proof that Close-up doesn't know sh** about music.
Former Contributor
15. writes:
Fantastic list. Much much better than Closeup.
Trivium aren' emo though, theres just some melodic vocals here and there.
Cephalic Carnage and BDM are great.
Devil Driver are certainly aging well and so is Meshuggah.
GodForbid are hit and miss for me but when they hit it's a f***ing bullseye.
good stuff.
Member
17. writes:
Rm just for you after more research on this I have found at least 22 more reasons why this list sucks.
1.A PERFECT MURDER
2.A Life Once Lost
3.Akercocke
4.Becoming the Archetype
5.Black Crucifixion
6.Black Label Society
7.Bleed the Sky
8.Bloodlined Calligraphy
9.Bloodsimple
10.Bullet For My Valentine
11.Byzantine
12.Bronx Casket Co
13.Darkane
14.Despised Icon
15.Manntis
16.Old Man's Child
17.Ringworm
18.Scars Of Tomorrow
19.Scar Symmetry
20.Sinai Beach
21.Through the Eyes of the Dead
22.Throwdown
Member
21. writes:
"Start a War"...Did they listen to it? It has a couple good songs, but album of the yr list, no.
SOAD I'm just not a fan of.
These albums got sided: Byzantine, Pro-Pain, Sevendust, Chimaira, God Forbid, and Strapping Young Lad (Not sure if it was this yr or last, but whatever)
Member
22. writes:
Psychotic Animosity it is people like you that make this site joyous to come back to each day. I said this list sucked for several reasons. Nile is a great cd and the others you named are pretty good. BUT out of the 48 cds I named I could replace at least 10 from the close up list. 1 perfect example is like Brian said Chimaira. nuff said.
24. writes:
this year sucked for metal albums think back to last year ,it was way better we had killswitch, shadows fall, damageplan, unearth, god forbid, lamb of god, all with kick a$$ albums this year was horrible god forbid,black dahlia murder, and chimaira's new album were the only ones i liked but they don't even compete to last years albums, and by the way trivium is emo and they f***ing suck that ascendcy cd blows they don't even compete with metals biggest today
26. writes:
not the best representation of the years metal album but what do Close-Up mag know about metal not much obveisly! with only a few good album such as:
NILE – "Annihilation of the Wicked",
NEVERMORE – "This Godless Endeavor",
HYPOCRISY – "Virus",
OPETH – "Ghost Reveries".
heres a few they missed out:
SOULFY - dark ages,
EXODUS - shovel headed kill machine,
ARCH ENEMY - doomsday machine,
RAMMSTIEN- rosenrot,
STRAPPING YOUNG LAD - alien,
just to name a few i'm sure there's alot more they missed out!!
Member
Member
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1. a metal fan writes:
Great to see opeth here (should've been at 1, ohw well) but where the f*** is arch enemy in this list?