Top 10 CDs of 2005

In continuing with the music motif of the last couple of posts, I bring to you my top 10 CDs of 2005. I would have made a larger list (and in fact I had a 64 band list and breakdown) but we were limited to 10 submissions for our top 10 feature at Decoy Music this year. I hope that I can turn you on to a couple of new bands that I thought were simply amazing this year. So, here they are!

10. 10 Years - The Autumn Effect

It’s not too often that a band can create a release that is both mainstream friendly and smart. 10 Years have broken out of the underground onto a major label and unleashed a progressive, yet not impenetrable, modern hard rock cd. The songs are all inherently catchy without being cliché, which shows that you can still maintain your integrity even if you do get on a major label.

9. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing

Prog is usually something that you love or you don’t. If you don’t, then Porcupine Tree is nothing more than overindulgent songwriters who like to sit around and experiment. If you are a prog fan, then the latest offering from Porcupine Tree will be one of the best cds you’ll listen to all year. This is modern prog done to perfection.

8. The Lost Children of Babylon - The 9/11 Report: The Ultimate Conspiracy

With the war in Iraq and Bush’s constant bungling of governmental affairs, many bands have written songs that poke fun at the situation or try to make people take notice. The Lost Children of Babylon take their hatred for Bush and the current regime to a new level by creating an entire album dedicated to the corruption of our current leaders. Hip hop with a message has never sounded so personal and so in your face. This cd obliterates every other rap and hip hop cd that has come out all year.

7. Sikh - Sikh

Not to be confused with the more well known band Sikth, Sikh are an interesting metal band. They are equal parts One Minute Silence, Soulfly, and System of a Down. There are many tribal inflected songs intertwined with ratatat vocals as well as more pummeling metal tracks with a crazy edge.

6. Oceansize - Everyone into Position

Oceansize have created one heck of a behemoth of an album with Everyone in Position. Long songs, creative musicianship, and a sound that envelops the listener are all traits that Oceansize have in aplomb. There is no denying the power that this album possesses. This is great music all around.

5. A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner

You want a cd that’s energetic? A cd that’s punk (not nu-punk)? A cd that you can sing along to as well as mosh out too? A cd that has absolutely no weak songs or filler tracks? I know I’d kill for that kind of cd, and this year I didn’t even have to kill anyone to get it since A Wilhelm Scream created that type of cd quite easily with Ruiner. Punk cd of the year!

4. Cog - The New Normal

When I first listened to Cog I really didn’t know how good they were. They seemed like a much more melodic and bold version of Tool, but as time went on I realized that they were so much more than just a Tool clone. Some may take this next statement as blasphemy, but Cog is easily a step or two ahead of Tool when it comes to creating songs that utilize the band members’ talents with their instruments, while not being self indulgent, self important, and generally masturbatory. On The New Normal you get songs, actual songs, which are amazing. The end.

3. The Agony Scene - The Darkest Red

Michael Williams, how the hell do you do that with your voice? Are you actually a demon possessed? You can easily pick out a song by The Agony Scene simply by the vocals. Not to say that the rest of the band is untalented, because they are far from it (and I wouldn’t let a band into my top ten that wasn’t talented all around). It’s just that Michael’s voice is what really makes this band. His bloodcurdling screams combined with his mastery of melody manage to create a vocal onslaught that I don’t think any other metal band can match.

2. As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security

On this release you will find what is easily the greatest metalcore song of the last 3 years in “Confined”. This song alone makes this cd a top 10 contender. Thankfully the rest of the cd is nearly as amazing. As I Lay Dying has created the most accessible and downright lethal metalcore cd to be unleashed in the last 5 years. If this cd doesn’t work as a gateway drug to get kids listening to quality metal and metalcore, nothing will.

1. Deadlock - Earth.Revolt

I don’t know what to say about this cd other than it is brutally beautiful. Every up and coming black metal, death metal, metalcore, melodic metal, goth metal, prog metal, and even grindcore band should listen to this cd before they even start to think about churning out yet another run of the mill pile of crap waste of plastic. With Earth.Revolt you are presented with a disc that covers all of the aforementioned bases and covers them perfectly. If you like heavy music at all, you NEED to hear this cd. You will not regret it.