The Top 10 Metal of 2010 - #7

Seeing as we're already in space we hop aboard the Discovery One to rendezvous with the Star Child at Saturn...

#7

Martriden - Encounter the Monolith

Martriden are troupers. Being dumped from their previous label they did what any other reasonable musician would do - go ahead and record an album anyway.

Thus we have Encounter the Monolith, a curious and intriguing mixture of their uniquely pummeling blackened death metal, acoustic meanderings and Gojira style obliqueness, topped off with galactic sweeps of keyboards, bludgeoning guitars and gruff, acidic vocals. Inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, it does somewhat feel like an authentic yet abstract musical version of the book; alienating and wonderful yet somehow human and triumphant in its approach.

Made up of six lengthy songs - more like movements - it has an uninterruptable and trancendental flow to it, much like Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness or Crimson by Edge of Sanity. Similarly, they have a penchant for writing complex jams and venturesome riffs that strengthen the integrity of the concept while upholding their renowned granite-like edge. If only all blackened death metal could be this down to earth and true to its black and death metal roots as well as this good at the same time!

The Top 10

#8: The Ocean - Heliocentric & Anthropocentric

#9: Soilwork - The Panic Broadcast

#10: Orphaned Land - The Neverending Way of ORWarriOR

The Honorable Mentions

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The Top 10 Metal of 2010 - #8

We've been half-way across the globe already; so we prepare ourselves to project into the stars with my #8 pick...or is that picks?

#8

The Ocean - Heliocentric & Anthropocentric

I know, these are physically two albums; but in my view, selling them as such is like offering a car only to charge the exact same sum again for the keys. It is a double record and should be treated as such, much like Therion's Lemuria/Sirius B or Opeth's Deliverance/Damnation binaries. One simply cannot exist without the other.

Thus for 1hr and 40sec we thoroughly explore the fringes of science, philosophy and our understanding of the cosmos throughout the ages. Recorded in seclusion in the Swiss alps, the records form their scathing criticism of Christian fundamentalism.

Replete with sprawling, Herculean and delicate guitars they forge into the psyche of men in their gormlessness and grandeur. Jazzy textures, freewheeling horns and woodwind, Baroque piano interplay and undulating strings are performed with as much aplomb as their crushing guitar riffs and cage-rattling drum fills. For example, in the Heliocentric track Ptolemy was Wrong baritone extraordinaire Loïc Rossetti dramatically laments his realization that the Earth orbits the sun - a soulful piano dirge accompanies his passionate outcry.
I genuinely felt for the resonant Mr. Rossetti, the pain in knowing his character can never tell anyone in fear of persecution - much like Jean Valjean's "Who Am I?" lament in Les Miserables. As the facade of human irrationality peels away, the music really imbues that feeling of enlightenment which is a feat in and of itself, all the while exploding with polyrhythmic jam-style fury and colorful harmony.

Even his brutal vocals are to be commended especially in the weightier and punchier Anthropocentric, as is the warm and layered production that binds together a collective of eight highly talented musicians. Much like the Orphaned Land record that came in at #10, its depth is almost fathomless and requires careful attention, although individual tracks taken out of context are quite capable of holding their own.

Much like Between the Buried and Me, The Ocean are certainly poised to write the next chapter of forward-thinking progressive metal history with this stellar effort - a real piece of metal art!

The Top 10

#9: Soilwork - The Panic Broadcast

#10: Orphaned Land - The Neverending Way of ORWarriOR

The Honorable Mentions

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The Top 10 Metal of 2010 - #9

Moving into the single digits, we travel from the whimsical sands of the Middle East to the abrasive, wintry tundra of Scandinavia.

#9

 Soilwork - The Panic Broadcast

Talking to Bjorn “Speed” Strid earlier this year he noted that the return of founding guitarist Peter Wichers re-invigorated the band; after a few repeat listens it becomes starkly apparent. The guitars are tighter – Wichers and Courdet attain a certain synergy with their leadwork. Under Wichers’ wise direction, the band have ceased to smash out sharp, to-the-point (and often forgettable) riffs, they now pen intricate, cohesive and enjoyable songs. Strid’s clean and death vocals are imbued with a passion and fire that exceeds expectations. Even the Todd MacFarlanesque cover and booklet has been given due care – it’s as if the band have poured their all into this batch of songs and want the rest of the world to know.
Most of the melodic death metal greats are struggling to repeat their past successes and have succumbed to commercialism, laziness or some kind of unfortunate amalgam of the two. Wichers’ time away from the band has done the whole a world of good. The record has the muscular vigor of youth discovering metal for the first time and the nuance of veteran metalheads teasing all they can from the genre and patiently adding to the canon. It’s a complete package – there’s almost no filler, there’s no placating to trends – it’s unashamedly and authentically Soilwork. Their brand is their mark of quality and it speaks for itself.

The Top 10

#10: Orphaned Land - The Neverending Way of ORWarriOR

The Honorable Mentions

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http://twitter.com/crushtor