Samstag, 13. Sep 2014, 12:35
Almost as strong a year as 2004. It is the abundance of choice again that makes it difficult to narrow my picks down to just five albums. It took some listening to decide on these, had to find that one thing on each album that puts it above the rest.
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Corrosion Of Conformity - In The Arms Of God
After the still somewhat disappointing America's Volume Dealer album, COC returned with one of it's strongest releases. Though the album was recorded in 2004 and released in April 2005, I can't help but associate this with hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans in August 2005. With a foreboding song like "Rise River Rise", the album seemed oddly topical. There is a definite healthy aggression underneath the surface, something that was lacking on it's predecessor.
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Depeche Mode - Playing The Angel
I've always admired Depeche Mode from afar. Never really gave them a good listen, though I've always liked what I heard on the radio. It was Tangerine Dream's cover of "Precious" that led me to this album and what can I say, I fell in love with it. From the brilliant opener "A Pain That I'm Used To" on, each track is just as strong as the next. Well balanced and excellent album.
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The godfather of heavy metal and the voice of rock join forces again. In other words, two of my very favorites as far as guitarists and singers go. Unrelentingly heavy guitar riffs coupled with at times very uplifting lyrics makes this one of those records that hits you deep inside. Favorite tracks off the top of my head would be "Dopamine" and "Grace". Fused is near & dear to me and if there is one sure pick from 2005, this is it.
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The Antidote is not the most popular Morcheeba album. With Daisey Martey replacing fan favorite singer Skye Edwards and the band favoring acoustic orchestration here as opposed to their previous more electronic trip hop sound, The Antidote seems to split opinions. I wasn't very familiar with Morcheeba prior to hearing this album so I was just pleasantly surprised. Still my favorite Morcheeba album. For those laid back moments when you need something to inspire you or just for any moment when you're up for listening to something really good.
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Reverend Bizarre - II: Crush The Insects
I suppose this was my proper doom metal baptism if you don't count Sabbath. It was in relation to Reverend Bizarre that I first became fully aware of the term 'doom metal'. The band even put out a 20 minute single version of "Slave Of Satan" which actually shot to number 2 on the Finnish charts - I was intrigued. II: Crush The Insects is in my opinion their most accessible album with brilliant shorter cuts like "Cromwell" and "Doom Over The World". Of the longer songs, a definite favorite is the closer "Fucking Wizard".