Robby's Top 10 Albums Of 2008

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I won't quite sugar coat this but from my perspective 2008 was pretty craptacular year for releases. I think probably 2 of these albums would've cracked my top 10 from 2007. Most of the content that appears on this year's list would be mostly stuff I really like but don't love. In other words most of these choices are on the heavier spectrum of what I listen to because really, that's all that came out in 2008.

So begin I shall.

10. Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vol 3 & 4, Air and Earth

2007 and 2008 both at least have Thrice hanging on in the 10 spot. Also similar is the fact that in both cases the beginning of the album is great with a boring latter half. If Fire and Air were combined into one album...well...you wouldn't get Captain Planet but you'd at least have a pretty awesome album.

Best Song: "Daedalus"

9. Ebu Gogo - Worlds

Since Grüvis Malt has apparently decided they no longer want to give the world amazing music we are blessed with half of the band in an instrumental outfit that is Ebu Gogo. The ironic thing here is that Grüvis has 2 lead vocalists, both of which are IN Ebu Gogo; and yet this is an instrumental album. Good one, however.

Best Song: "Waterworld 4"

8. Canvas Solaris - Atomized Dream

Yet another instrumental album. Very different from Ebu Gogo, however. These guys are trippy-heavy. Sometimes it's like listening to an old videogame being played by a live band at intense speed. Pretty awesome stuff. I guess they are "prog-metal" if one wants to stick them in a genre. I find it best to listen to these guys in the dark. It makes the music come alive more.

Best Song: "Photovoltaic"

7. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath

At first i was real high on this album but then it turned into a typical Mars Volta album; a couple of absolutely amazing tracks and a bunch of long-winded, musical masturbatory clunkers.

Best Song: "Metatron"

6. Misery Signals - Controller

Good album, yet disappointing. The problem is more on a personal level than with the album itself per se. I keep waiting for these guys to evolve into a band like old school .hopesfall.. Everytime they seem to be on the verge of doing something incredible in a song that .hopesfall. did in it's hey day, they go ahead and ruin it by some mindless "chugging." Yeah I get what they're doing but damnit I wanted to hear that little musical exploration they had going and expand on it!

Best Song: "Coma"

5. Damiera - Quiet Mouth Loud Hands

HUGE improvement from 2007's M(US)ic This is mostly because all the songs don't sound rather identical yet still maintain this sound that Damiera has carved out for itself. Their little quick-hit math rock tracks combined with David Raymond's vocals make them sound like a "Rush for kids" band for those who don't have the attention span to endure a Rush album. Damiera is there for you.

Best Song: "Image and Able"

4. A Static Lullaby - Rattlesnake!

This was kind of my surprise for the year. I have all 3 previous albums by these guys and each album sounded a little different but pretty much carried the same formula. For this album they decided to infuse some Southern Metal into the mix and cut most of Dan Arnold's vocals out aside from choruses and a few verses here and there. Joe Brown, who took a backseat pretty much on Faso Latido tears thru this album like you've never heard him. This is no longer that little emo band talking about shooting stars and crap. The lyrical content on this album is pretty sick and messed up, though. For the genre anyway compared to their peers.

Best Song: "The Prestige"

3. Haste The Day - Dreamer

Another band that improved from their last album. Second album with vocalist Stephen Keech and they've come into their own with him. Kind of stumbled upon this late in the going but got pretty addicted to it and all I can really say is that it's really freaking good. Tackles alot of themes lyrically if you listen.

Best Song: "Haunting"

2. Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

I've never been a huge Slipknot fan but this album is fantastic. All those "maggots" who complain about this album don't understand what musical progression is. This may be the one band that you actually hear learn how to play their instruments and get better at playing them over each album. I'm pretty convinced that these guys absolutely could not play this album back in their self titled days, never mind write something like this. Probably the album I listened to most in 2008.

Best Song: "Butcher's Hook"

1. Unearth - The March

I kind of lost track of these guys after their epic The Oncoming Storm, but a couple albums later I have found them again. Oh, boy have I. This album knocks me on my ass. What I will remember most fondly about it is that it kept me company through a long, lonely, early morning cold December drive back from Laguardia Airport in New York City. I was in a horrible mood and I let it out with Trevor Phipps and the boys. It's pure metal awesomeness and the one huge complaint is that it's a very short album(even adding the extra 2 bonus tracks). Can't win 'em all I guess.

Best Song: "Hail The Shrine"

Here's hoping to an amazing 2009 music year!