Heirs, Alchera

Australia, 2009.

Heirs is an experimental post-rock/post-metal band from Victoria, Australia, begun as a solo project by Damian Coward in late 2006. Alchera is a powerfully instrumental debut album recommended for fans of Constants and Tangled Thoughts of Leaving.

Playlist:

1. Plague Asphyx
2. Mockery
3. Cabal
4. Mandril
5. The White Swell
6. Russia

Link.

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Zombi, Spirit Animal

US, 2009.

Zombi is a space rock duo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consisting of Steve Moore on bass and synthesizers and Anthony Paterra on drums. The group makes use of looping to create multi-layered compositions.

Playlist:

1. Spirit Animal
2. Spirit Warrior
3. Earthly Powers
4. Cosmic Powers
5. Through Time

Link.

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2009

Here are my 20 albums of 2009. A few glaring omissions perhaps, but if you were to only listen to 5 albums this year, please make sure you check out the first five:

- Crippled Black Phoenix - The Resurrectionists / Night Raider
- Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
- Shrinebuilder - S/T
- Mastodon - Crack the Skye
- Isis - Wavering Radiant

The rest, in no particular order:

- If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky
- Do Make Think Say - Other Truths
- Them Crooked Vultures - S/T
- maudlin of the Well - Part the second
- Baroness - Blue Album
- Solstafir - Kold
- OM - God is Good
- Pelican - What We All Come to Need
- Long Distance Calling - Avoid the Light
- Porcupine Tree - The incident
- Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
- The Yellow Moon Band - Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World
- Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade
- Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
- Zu - Carboniferous

This is my personal list. Other members (and public) are free to post their own.

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Shrinebuilder, Shrinebuilder

US, 2009

Them Crooked Vultures may have had all the publicity, but as far as super groups go Shrinebuilder took all the merit. A behemoth of an album, every riff, every vocal, every solo was impressive in its own right without reminding you of some second hand association to Neurosis, Sleep, OM or Saint Victus.


Playlist:

1. Solar Benediction
2. Pyramid Of The Moon
3. Blind For All To See
4. The Architect
5. Science Of Anger

Link.

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Mastodon, Crack the Skye.

US, 2009

The album which marks Mastodon's break with a major label also marks their biggest change in sound and fanbase. Whilst moving to a proggier sound, Mastodon may have alienated many former fans, but do so whilst maintaining their status as most relevant metal band of today. It might not be what many expected, or even hoped for, but Crack the Skye doesn't cease to surprise and impress on successive listens.



Playlist:

1. Oblivion
2. Divinations
3. Quintessence
4. The Czar
5. Ghost of Karelia
6. Crack the Skye
7. The Last Baron

Link.

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If These Trees Could Talk, Above The Earth, Below the Sky

US, 2009

"Above The Earth, Below The Sky is one of 2009’s strongest releases and is an artistically crafted sight/sound to behold. It swoops and dives and hurts and soothes and will blow your fucking mind."


Playlist:

1. From Roots To Needles
2. What's in the Ground Belongs to You
3. Terra Incognita
4. Above the Earth
5. Below the Sky
6. The Sun is in the North
7. Thirty-Six Silos
8. The Flames of Herostratus
9. Rebuilding the Temple of Artemis
10. Deus Ex Machina

Link.

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Do Make Say Think, Other Truths

Canada, 2009

Yet more post-rock, this time from Canada. This album has made it to many best of lists of 2009, and it is not hard to see why.


Playlist:

1. Do
2. Make
3. Say
4. Think

Link.

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Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures

US, 2009

On paper, it sounds like a dream team, equal parts QOTSA, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin. While not the resounding tour de force many expected, it still manages to blow away most of the half arsed attempts at rock this year.


Playlist:

1. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
2. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
3. New Fang
4. Dead End Friends
5. Elephants
6. Scumbag Blues
7. Bandoliers
8. Reptiles
9. Interlude with Ludes
10. Warsaw or the first Breath You Take After You Give Up
11. Caligulove
12. Gunman
13. Spinning in Daffodils

Link.

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Pelican, What We All Come to Need

US, 2009

The return of post-metal instrumentalists Pelican is not only a new high point for their career - it may well be a closing chapter for Pelican as a pure instrumental band as they usher in vocals.


Playlist:

01 Glimmer
02 The Creeper
03 Ephemeral
04 Specs of Light
05 Strung Up From the Sky
06 An Inch Above Sand
07 What We All Come to Need
08 Final Breath

Link.

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OM, God is Good

US, 2009

Composed by the rhythm section of mythical Sleep, and recorded by Steve Albini, OM produce tibetan chanting-inspired drone metal.


Playlist:

01 Thebes
02 Meditation Is the Practice of Death
03 Cremation Ghat I
04 Cremation Ghat II

Link.

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Sólstafir, Köld

Iceland, 2009

Kold asserts Solstafir's attempt at claiming the most impressive metal album of the year, and they get pretty close. Somewhere between Neurosis and Primordial, Kold may lack the experimental edge of the former, but prove much more consistent than the latter, producing memorable epic tracks which consistently build in momentum.


Playlist:

1. 78 days in the Desert
2. Köld
3. Pale Rider
4. She Destroys Again
5. Necrologue
6. World Void of Souls
7. Love is the Devil (and I am in Love)
8. Goddess of the Ages



Link.

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Radaid, Self-titled

Mexico, 2002.

Radaid is a musical group from Guadalajara, Mexico, which brings together pre-Hispanic sounds, world music, psychedelic rock and contemporary electronic elements, using both modern and traditional instrumentation.

Playlist:

1. La Tokpa
2. Radarush!
3. So Sweet
4. I Contemplando II La Divina Soledad III En Tus Ojos
5. Hijos Del Sol
6. La Danza De Las Walquirias
7. La Gitana
8. Radaid I
9. Mahabharata

Link.

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No-Man, Wherever There Is Light

UK, 2009

"Wherever There Is Light" is the latest release from the 15 year old rock duo; no-man. The band is comprised of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson.
Acting as a bridge between 2008's Schoolyard Ghosts and the 2009 concert DVD Mixtaped, "Wherever There Is Light" features 2 new studio songs and 2 recordings taken from no-man's 2008 mini-tour.


Playlist:

1. Wherever There Is Light
2. Death Was California
3. Counting
4. Carolina Skeletons (Live)
5. All the Blue Changes (Live)

Link.

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The Ascent of Everest, How Lonely Sits The City

US, 2006.

The Ascent of Everest formed in the spring of 2005 in the shadows of Music City USA (Nashville, Tennessee). Their debut is the 2006 release “How Lonely Sits the City” (the re-master of which was released June 30, 2008), which is their only album to date. Really interesting post-rock.

Playlist:

1. Alas, Alas! The Breath of Life!
2. As the City Burned, We Trembled For We Saw the Makings of Its Undoings in Our Own Hearts
3. Molotov
4. A Threnody (For the Victims of November Second)
5. If I Could Move Mountains (I) Majesty And Awe (II) Collapse Into Understanding (III) Gathered Hearts Rise And Sing At The First Breath of Dawn

Link.

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