Top 5 Albums of 2008

First off, I'd like to admit that between getting married and becoming a first time father....I didn't have as much time to keep up with music as much as I would have in the past.

So, as I do every year for all 6 of you to read....here are my top 5 albums of the year 2008.

#5
WEEZER - THE RED ALBUM

PORK AND BEANS

Maybe it's the fact that Say It Aint So is the first song on Rock Band or maybe my tastes in music are softening a little bit. Weezer like a fungus has grown on me and I appreciate their toetapping sort of rock and roll. The drums are particular my favorite part of their music. Nothing too complicated and it makes for feel good music. THE RED ALBUM is a front to back kind of album, meaning you can listen to it front to back and enjoy it throughout. Favorite tracks include "Pork And Beans" "Heart Songs" and "Everybody Get Dangerous."

#4
SLIPKNOT - ALL HOPE IS GONE

PSYCHOSOCIAL

I've been a Slipknot fan in the inception of their self titled debut but have always felt that with the help and assistance of Rick Rubin on Vol. III that they've never been the same. Slipknot is supposed to play fast agressive hard to understand music....that's SLIPKNOT!! This album may be a return to the Slipknot of old mixing in elements of Vol. III that were the better parts. Overall the first couple of times it's a tough listen, but it grows on you the more you listen to it.

#3
ACDC - BLACK ICE

ROCK 'N ROLL TRAIN

Every family's favorite rock and roll band finally released a cd after a long hiatus of 8 years. Black Ice is exactly what you've come to expect from AC/DC...high energy rock and roll with alot of sing-a-long chorus type songs. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it.....but as I stated in a previous blog it's just the same ol sound on almost every song. It's a nice family friendly return for the Aussies being that they exclusively sold the cd at Wal-Mart instead of other big box stores. Meaning they sold a shit load of albums...but even if it sounds all the same, even if it's a bunch of 50 year old guys living off 20+ years ago of their better material....it's still AC/DC and the #3 album of the year.

#2
TRIVIUM - SHOGUN

DOWN FROM THE SKY

Their 4th album in 8 years....Trivium keep changing their sound from fast agressive screaming type of music to melodic thrash metal and now it's a combo of the two. I like this album because it came out without the hype, without the buildup and without all the "pregame" bullshit that "The Crusade" had. The whole album is a throwback to the "Ascendency" days with some new twists and turns. It's a very challenging album with the tempo changes but it's a very well done piece. This album also goes back to the days of when the whole band recorded songs together as opposed to the "PRO TOOLS" days of now where you can record everything separately and put it all together. I love this album, i love this band.....make no mistake Shogun is a great thrash album.

#1
METALLICA - DEATH MAGNETIC

ALL NIGHTMARE LONG

OK....MAYBE A LITTLE PLAYING FAVORITES RIGHT HERE. Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a huge MetallicA fan and this album for me was a big highlight of my year. It's 4 guys who are trying to recreate the past and through 10 tracks of 6-7 minute songs....they got pretty damn close. This is a modern Metallica with old school efforts. This album is what St. Anger should have been....although I still stand that St. Anger is one MetallicA album that I can appreciate. There are songs on here that recall days of Puppets/Justice/and Kill Em All and the entire cd makes you wait for what's coming up next. Each song is strong, balls out agression and keeps you hooked in for more. There is only one song on here that I might have left out..."UNFORGIVEN III. I think MetallicA was looking for a way to close out the whole "Unforgiven" series and they choose this album as a new beginning for the new Metallica. Overall, this is my favorite band and my favorite album of 2008. It's good to know that Metallica are once again doing whatever they can for the fans to enjoy their music once again.

-Rock