Best of 2009: Top 10

1. Heaven and Hell, The Devil You Know. Call this a fanboy pick if you want, but I’ve continued to return to this record time and time again over the course of the year. I really think the songs here blow away much of the stuff being done by musicians who could be their great-grandchildren.

2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle. Fans waited a long time for this one, and it was worth it. It’s got a good blend of rock and classical, with some of the most metallic moments on any of their records. There are also a couple of Savatage covers thrown in for good measure.

3. Alestorm, Black Sails at Midnight. Alestorm’s second record is just as much fun as their first was, and the music is better.

4. Amorphis, Skyforger. I find myself firmly back in the Amorphis fan fold after this record. To me, it’s easily the best thing they’ve done since “Elegy.”


5. Saint Deamon, Pandeamonium. This was my introduction to Saint Deamon, and I was immediately impressed. It’s got a great blend of heaviness and melody.


6. Megadeth, Endgame. No, it wasn’t “Rust In Peace” part 2, like Mustaine promised, but I didn’t expect it to be. It’s a rock solid record that’s among the best, if not the best they’ve done since the 1980s.


7. Luna Mortis, The Absence. I’d reviewed a record from this band under their former name, Ottoman Empire, but couldn’t remember much about it. The first album as Luna Mortis, though, pretty much blew me away early in the year.


8. Machines of Grace, Machines of Grace. The band features two former Savatage members, and it’s no secret that I’m a Savatage fanboy, but the music has little to do with that band. This is old-fashioned 1970s-style hard rock with a few progressive leanings.


9. Black Water Rising, Black Water Rising. I’m not sure if this record has officially been released yet, but I’ve been digging the promo since April. It’s some of the best straight-up hard rock I’ve heard in a while.

10. Alice in Chains, Black Gives Way to Blue. I didn’t want to like Alice in Chains without Layne Staley, but I do.

Best of 2009: Favorite songs

Here's a look at some of the songs that made a lasting impact on me this year.

“Bible Black,” Heaven and Hell. The best song they’ve recorded since “Heaven and Hell.”

“Keelhauled,” Alestorm. Just try and resist this melody. It’s impossible.

“Another Way You Can Die,” Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Featuring Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, this is a very metallic, very Savatage-flavored tune. Probably the heaviest in the TSO catalog.

“The Only One Sane,” Saint Deamon. Great riffing, undeniable melody, fantastic song.

“Hold the Heathen Hammer High,” Tyr. I can’t resist the big melody of this tune. I have to crank it every time it comes on.

“Silver Bride,” Amorphis. This song wormed its way into my head within a few days and hasn’t left.

“Six Times Dead (16.6),” Primal Fear. I can’t get enough of the military march chorus of this song.

“A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma,” Diablo Swing Orchestra. A great blend of big band and rock. I wish more of the record were in this vein.

“Floyd,” Lynyrd Skynyrd. The first of two completely non-metal songs on my list. Co-written by John 5, this tune is a great, grooving, creepy hard rocker worth a listen even for hardcore metal fans.

“127 Rose Avenue,” Hank Williams Jr. No metal at all here, but it’s a dark, haunting number that’s easily the best he’s recorded in decades.

“No Halos,” Black Water Rising. Great hook, solid hard rock.

“Last of My Kind,” Alice in Chains. Easily the best song on the new record with a great, raging hard rock chorus.

Review: Black Water Rising, "Black Water Rising"

(Editor's note: This review was originally written in April to coincide with the scheduled release date of the record. The album was pushed back due to negotiations with a label, but is now available for download at iTunes and other outlets.)

It’s surprisingly tough these days to find a solid, no frills, old-fashioned hard rock record. Enter Black Water Rising.

The New York-based band started with former Dust to Dust singer Rob Traynor, who spent two years writing the material that would be the basis for the band’s debut.

He added former Boiler Room drummer Mike Meselsohn and former Stereomud guitarist Johnny Fattoruso and bassist Oddie McLaughlin.

The band has built a following through MySpace, a hit YouTube video for the single “Brother Go On” and radio play on Sirius Satellite’s Octane station.

You know what this record is about as soon as the huge riff of opening song “The Mirror” kicks in. It’s all big grooves, big guitars and big hooks. The record, while fairly polished, manages to retain a rough and ready sound. It’s a blend of thick metal guitar slabs, raw rock ‘n’ roll energy and even a little bit of Southern rock attitude.

It’s easy to see why “Brother Go On” has become a hit on YouTube with a huge, catchy chorus that worms its way into your head. The band’s different facets are on full display on “Hate Machine,” which opens with a riff pulled straight from the Black Sabbath catalog before moving into a more modern-sounding upbeat bounce for the verse.

The band does occasionally inject a bit of artsy, alternative influence on tracks like “Blessed,” but are at their best on straight-up rockers. The two hottest tracks fall in the middle of the record. “No Halos” may be the best pure hard rock song I’ve heard in a long time. It opens with a bluesy run through the chorus before settling into a King’s X-influenced verse groove, followed by the huge riff and chorus hook that are constants throughout the record. “Living Proof” is just as solid, adding a little funk to the mix and offering perhaps the biggest of the big choruses here.

With a wide range of moods on the record, listeners will hear bits of everything from Soundgarden to Sabbath to Tesla in the 11 tracks, and nearly every song here is catchy and memorable. While the band doesn’t break any new musical ground, if you’re looking for some good old-fashioned grooving hard rock, Black Water Rising is ready to flood your ears.