Over the last few weeks of 05 we will be posting our writers' picks for the best of 2005. Each day we posted a new Top 5 list from one of our writers. Now at the conclusion we are please to present the master list comprised of the top picks from all of our writer submissions. Mark Hensch's Top 5 of 05. 5. Witchcraft � Firewood:
a slice of classic early metal you'd swear these Swedes invented the stuff.
A definite for fans of mellow guitar wankery, and beyond that, a much more
complex album for the band. If it hadn't come out in early November (pretty
late for our lists) I'd probably have moved it up a notch or two.
4. Bear Vs. Shark - Terrorhawk:
This album reminds me why I enjoy the screamo / punk / emo / post rock
field. Original almost beyond belief, BVR play some of the most off-kilter,
noisy, angular rock I have heard all year. The fact they live a couple
towns over is also sweet.
3. The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute:
the antidote to stale music everywhere. Early in 2005, TMV dropped an insane
concept album slapping music fans with an indefinable mix of musical styles.
Blowing tons of neurons, this one's a no-brainer for one of the top albums
of 2005. Catchy, dark, intense, and simply powerful, this is the very definition
of rock music....for people who like their rock to be kicking, screaming,
and scaring the ignorant masses as opposed to being dead and decaying in
the barren ground. Viva la Volta!
2. YOB - The Unreal Never Lived:
We're all doomed, and this proves it...a heavy, crushing, piece of nirvana
for stoner/doom fans the world over. With YOB, I don't even need to say
more. This was so close to pick number one, I'm still not sure if I made
the right choice...
1. Nile - Annihilation of the
Wicked: Simply the best, yes, the best Death Metal album I have heard
in recent years. The very epitome of technical metal is displayed here,
and some of the blistering riffs and sand-blasting solos must be heard
to be believed. The drum parts on this album outdo most other drummers
in the field today by ten-fold, and few people put as much dedication,
devotion, heart, and actual interest in the fans as guitarist Karl Sanders,
who crafted an amazingly intricate lyric book full of interesting tidbits
on the songs. Bloody grand, and a must have for metalheads everywhere!
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