Music in Review 2008
2008 has been a cracking year for games and movies and also with music. I'll be exploring what have been the best song, artist, new artist, lyric, guitarist, drummer, vocalist, and album and loads more. So, here we go.
BIG AWARDS
Biggest surprise
The biggest surprise has defiantly been my sudden detour to death metal. A few blogs ago I mentioned that I discovered that I'm a keen fan of melodic death metal, or to put it plainly- In Flames. Like I also said, Guitar Hero 3 (not a good game) got me into the band and so I decided to listen to a few of their songs of YouTube before going any further. The songs: Take This Life, The Mirror's Truth, Colony and Come Clarity hooked me onto the band so I went on a downloading spree and got a load of their songs. The difference between "melodic" death metal than "death metal" is that melodic death metal has the melodic guitar riffs and more tune to the music instead of the guitar and drum madness that sound incredibly deep in death metal.
Last year, I awarded Cannibal Corpse with the "Worst Band of the Year" title. I'm about to betray my own opinion because I now like them. Not enough to go and buy their albums or download their songs. Although, I will keep up with the new album, Evisceration Plague.
Biggest News
Iron Maiden will be releasing a new album next year! J
Biggest Disappointment
Sadly, Disturbed's new album wasn't brilliant nor was it bad. Just a shame that it could have been better. What's also sad is that the two worst songs on the album are the most popular! They are: Inside the Fire and Perfect Insanity...!
Band AWARDS
Best New Band
When I say "new" band, I don't mean a group that formed this year, I mean a band that I have started listening to this year. And that band is, The Who. Yep, ****c rock at it's very best. It was either: The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or Aerosmith. The single, Won't Get Fooled Again won it for The Who and I've been listening to it more than Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd and I've been glued to Pink Floyd for quite some time.
Worst New Band
I don't even have to think about this one, or give you an explanation: Suicide Silence.
Best Guitarist
Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Jesper Stromblad, Angus Young, Steve Harris? Decisions, decisions. Angus Young. Yep, lead guitarist for rock 'n' roll band, AC/DC. Is it for his "spasm" on stage, his one-hand guitar playing during the song Thunderstruck? Or is it just because he's an awesome guitarist in an awesome band and that he's 53 and still playing like a lunatic? Whichever, but all the other guitarists I mentioned are still fantastic but Angus wins.
Best Drummer
Erm, to me, drummers don't stand out as much as guitarists do but I'd have to say, In Flames' Daniel Svensson drummer is the winner.
Best Vocalist
Now, I've removed Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden out of this because he is my all-time favourite vocalist so he doesn't count. Like I said, this year has been simply staggering for music. The talent here is fantastic and choosing a winner is difficult. It's out of the following: Tim McIIrath (Rise Against), Anders Fridan (In Flames/Passenger) and Brian Johnson (AC/DC). Tim McIIrath wins. Rise Against's new album, Appeal to Reason had some amazing lyrics and songs in it which could never be covered and be better. Tim McIIrath= win.
Song and Album AWARDS
Best New Album
There have been quite a lot of new albums from my list of bands that I've bought: Disturbed: Indestructible, In Flames: A Sense of Purpose, AC/DC: Black Ice, Metallica: Death Magnetic and Rise Against: Appeal to Reason. The winner is Rise Against: Appeal to Reason. Songs like: Kotov Syndrome, Re-Education (Through Labour) and Saviour win the album for me. Rise Against: The Sufferer & the Witness is the defining album in their discography and it still hasn't been topped off. Appeal to Reason is fantastic and it's the album of the year.
Best Song
Extremely tough to decide but it has to be one song out of hundreds: My Sweet Shadow by In Flames. Every time I listen to it I never get bored of it- never.
Best Lyrics
Out of these four lyric segments, the one highlighted is the winner.
"We crawl on our knees for you
Under a sky no longer blue
We sweat all day long for you
But we sow seeds to see us through
That sometimes dreams just don't come true
We wait to reap what we are due"
Rise Against: Re-Education (Through Labour)
"Back in black
I hit the sack
It's been too long I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose
From the noose
That's kept me hanging around
I've been looking at the sky
and it's gettin' me high
Forget the hearse 'cause I never die
I got nine lives
Cats eyes
Cruisin' every woman, never wonderin' why"
AC/DC: Back In Black
"Tame with confidence of a brighter future
I found a flame in the burnt out ashes... burn out, burn out
fueled these new shores burn
dark past lies cold
shadow, my sweet shadow
no one loves you"
In Flames: My Sweet Shadow
"Backstage we're having the time
Of our lives until somebody say
Forgive me if I seem out of line
Then she whipped out her gun
And tried to blow me away
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady"
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady"
Aerosmith: Dude (Looks like a Lady)
Artist of the Year
To finish things off, it's between two bands: In Flames and Rise Against. And I'm delighted to announce, it's In Flames!
Sadly, Rise Against didn't win it as they pretty much won last year but In Flames really got me into the death metal scene and turning my rather ignorant opinion over on Cannibal Corpse.
Just a few In Flames and Rise Against songs:
In Flames:
Come Clarity- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wAfRW_RMK4M
My Sweet Shadow- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lolM8GeGRQc
Colony- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xXxN3fuGmaU&feature=related
Clayman- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=seWG45VMy1E
Rise Against:
Prayer of the Refugee- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pOtNqDyyX2c
Saviour- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fZ8phFCoY&feature=related
From Heads Unworthy- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ8GJkGu7E0&feature=related
Re-Education (Through Labour)- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FHv_1Jct9NA