Editor’s note: Damn… that was fast. In the blink of an eye, 2010 is coming to a close. You’ve probably noticed, we here at Reviews/Resist have been slacking on the updates these past few (six) months. Well… weddings, new jobs, child-raising, side-work, remodeling, recording & international travel will do that to you.

We have good intentions for 2011, and here’s to hoping we get back on track soon. Speaking of which… best wishes go out to our good friend King for his safe & speedy recovery. Can’t wait until you’re back rocking our souls.

Justin’s List:

I’m not sure if this is saying something or not, but 2010 marks the second year in a row that my #1 album is not of the metal variety (call me a sucker for spacey indie rock). But you know what? Awesome is awesome, so it’s not really up to me. This year’s choice is especially interesting, in that it comes from a local band (one of two to make the list), and one who’s members are practically young enough to be my kids. If they keep writing tunes this catchy, we might just have the next Hum on our hands.

Overall, 2010 was a bit of a dry year. Not to discount any releases on this list, but there seemed to be a lot of half-assing going on this year concerning most things metal (ourselves included). Oh well… here’s to 2011 rocking more better. Onto the rock:

10. Torche – Songs For Singles (Hydrahead)
Despite being the worst vinyl packaging in the history of records, this EP still screams Torche. Which is all it takes to make my list.
Check Out: Hideaway

9. Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit (Profound Lore)
Not quite as good as “Ashes Against the Grain“, but “Marrow of the Spirit” proves once again Portland can be a cold dead place too.
Check Out: Into the Painted Grey

8. Goes Cube – Coextinction Release 2 (Coextinction Recordings)
Proving they aren’t just a Torche clone, Goes Cube lengthens their songs and tightens their songwriting. And it rules.
Check Out: Crohn’s Attack

7. Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Part II (Century Media)
Different?  Yes. Good?  Also Yes.
Check Out: Blood Trance Fusion

6. Thou – Summit (Gilead Media/Southern Lord)
Face Rippingly Beautiful.
Check Out: By Endurance We Conquer

5. Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini (Nuclear Blast)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… better than Opeth.
Check Out: Singular

4. Weye – Friends, Family & Others (Self-Released)
A local band that rivals classic Don Cab in complexity and catchiness. Relapse should take notice and sign a real instrumental band.
Check Out: Great Hall

3. Deftones – Diamond Eyes (Warner Bros.)
It’s not a bad thing that Deftones are wearing their influences (:cough: Meshuggah :cough:) on their sleeves more than ever (enlisting Sergio Vega certainly doesn’t hurt either). Easily the best Deftones record since Around the Fur.
Check Out: Diamond Eyes

2. Cloudkicker – Beacons (Self-Released)
If this is one of the albums that defines “Djent“, I may have just found my new favorite pointless sub-genre.
Check Out: Here, Wait a Minute! Damn It!

1. Lybria – Cycles (Self-Released)
While their influences might be obvious, their songwriting skills are anything but. Deep, catchy, and hypnotic; Lybria is the next generation of rock’s “small step for man.”
Check Out: All of Them!

Ed’s List:

10. Cynic – Re-Traced (Season of Mist)
Not really a “new” Cynic album, but a different interpretation of various songs from 2008’s Traced In Air. As usual, anything and everything Cynic does blows my mind. This became my outdoor jogging soundtrack for about two months over the summer.

9. Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
Ex-Celtic Frost guru Tom Fischer turns it up pretty damn loud on this kick ass album. The guitars alone are enough to to melt one’s face. The H.R. Giger cover is enough period!

8. High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music)
Just crank the shit out of it.

7. Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Part II (Century Media)
A polarizing metal band with an odd history of constant line-up changes, touring issues and drug dabbling. Nachtmystium take a strange stylistic turn here… and it works! Catchy songs, good riffs, and loud production – solid album.

6. The National – High Violet (4AD)
I know, I know… this isn’t metal. But it’s dark, brooding, chilled-out, and amazing. This album should be on everyone’s top 10 list, regardless of genre.

5. Atheist – Jupiter (Season Of Mist
A fierce mindwarp of progressive thrash, and their first new album in years. This record is a puzzle, but when it starts to make sense you will be spinning it non-stop.

4. Intronaut – Valley of Smoke (Century Media)
Intronaut kicks my ass. Ever since picking up “Void” a few years back I have always gotten excited about their new releases. “Valley of Smoke” turns up the psychedelia and even adds clean vocals into the mix, but the band sounds just as tight and crushing as ever. And Danny Walker might just be my new favorite drummer too.

3. Cloudkicker – Beacons (Self-Released)
This solo project of Columbus, OH-based guitarist Ben Sharp has some of the most interesting and mind-blowing guitar acrobatics of any instrumental rock or metal album I have heard in recent years.

2. Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit (Profound Lore)
Incredibly expansive, dark, and thoughtful melodic black/doom metal. In my opinion one of America’s most underrated and gifted outfits.

1. Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here (Kscope)
Good grief… what an album. For those unfamiliar, Anathema was one of the “Peaceville 3” (along with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride) who helped forge a new and very bleak emotional style of British doom metal back in the early 90’s. They have since moved into dreamy, atmospheric rock territory… with breathtaking results. Very well-written and a completely surreal listening experience.

Mark’s List:

It’s hard to select my top 10 albums of 2010, because quite frankly, I didn’t like 10 albums this year. There’s really only one album that I felt was worth anyone’s time and that’s Cloudkicker’s Beacons. It’s an interesting picture of the current music industry when the best and brightest offering of the year was done by a single guy with no budget, no distribution, no touring and no label. I’m sure I missed a lot over the year, but almost everything I did hear illicited a reaction somewhere between indifference and disappointment. So instead of “Top Albums“, I’m submitting my “Top Trends of 2010“. It’s been fun, but here’s hoping 2011 is better.

Metal bands playing entire albums Live

Ask yourself this question: what is a more annoying trend? Bands playing with “symphony orchestras” (Metallica, Kiss, Dream Theater, Scorpions), or bands playing their albums live “In their entirety” (Judas Priest, Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica, Life of Agony, Opeth). In the case of Opeth, they pulled it off and gave us one of the most stunning DVD/CD packages of the year. On the flipside, Priest stumbled through a pedestrian version of British Steel, Mustaine struggled with Rust in Peace and LOA’s River Runs Red was just plain embarrassing.

“Comeback” albums

Everyone loved Diamond Eyes by the Deftones, and I thought it was pretty damn good too, but then I realized, “hmm, I don’t care about the Deftones anymore” and that was the end of it. I felt the same way about Danzig’s Red Deth Saboth. Good album, but Danzig’s ship has sailed LONG ago and even if the album was the next Lucifuge, I doubt I would’ve listened to it that often. Some say metal fans are the “most loyal” and will follow a band even after a few letdowns, but I say that’s a ton of bullshit and those people that do are normally assholes that spend most of their time trying to justify St. Anger, and convince you that Volume 8: The Threat is Real “isn’t half bad”.

Popular Black Metal

Probably the fact that we’re even talking about it on an American metal website means that Black Metal has gone too mainstream, but 2010 saw the genre really seep into popular culture. Luckily, Nachtmystium’s follow up to Assassins was so disappointing and non-metal that no one will start talking about the “New Wave of American Black Metal” anytime soon. Until the Light Takes Us was a critically-acclaimed documentary discussing the early days of the genre, and although I found it quite dull, the fact that it was made and put into small-run theaters shows that people are intrigued by the culture.

Dead Metal Icons

RIP Ronnie James Dio and Peter Steele. (Probably some others that I can’t think of or that weren’t that popular)

Break-out Albums

Call this the “Curse of Mastodon”, but it seems that when a metal band is about to make a real splash onto the mainstream scene, they release an album that is incredibly dull. This year saw quite a few with High on Fire’s Snakes for the Divine, Lair of the Minotaur’s Evil Power, and the aforementioned Nachtmystium coming to mind. One might call Fear Factory’s Mechanize a “comeback”, but we thought it just plain sucked, much to the chagrin to a few FF fans that decided that we were hurting the band’s feelings.

Metal and Food

Whether its the oppressive popularity of Kuma’s Corner, Melt on Man vs Food, the Grill ‘Em All guys winning The Great Foodtruck Race or a slew of metal cookbooks, for some reason, people have finally realized that metal fans are fat, and that non-metal people that want to seem “edgy” are also fat.

Best things of the Year:

Devin Townsend live solo tour, Kuma’s Insect Warfare burger, The Walking Dead, Southern Tier Pumking, the resurrection of Phil Anselmo, King Buzzo at the World Series, Slayer Christmas lights, Bed-Intruder Song, Mustaine’s autobiography, Soundgarden is back, “basement metal”, Transatlantic at the Park West (and live CD/DVD), Nerdist podcast, Danzig buying cat litter, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Behemoth’s videos, Three Floyd’s Apocalypse Cow (and Creeper beer dedicated to Pelican), Slayer on Kimmel, Ed’s Wacken Honeymoon, The Sword – Warp Riders, Tim & Eric Season Cinco

Worst of the Year:

Cynic’s Re-Traced, Dragonforce live albums, Iron Maiden’s lame set-list, Sepultura’s failed reunion, Ozzy’s Scream, Trooloo song, Facebook memes, Lady Gaga dancing to Metal Militia at Lollapalooza, the unnecessary Beatles cash cow on iTunes, Portnoy leaving Dream Theater and the subsequent whining and crying that followed in the all-too pretentious prog community, Metalocalypse going to 30 min, vampire bands, Halford solo tunes, Sirius-XM’s Liquid Metal, That Metal Show being renewed, South Park.

What I’m looking forward to in 2011:

A new Opeth album… Devin Townsend’s Destruction and Ghost… Scale the Summit’s new one… seeing Immortal in February… a possible Maiden:England Iron Maiden tour.

Editor’s note: As you might’ve noticed, we like to eat. And these days, there’s no shortage of metal-related foodstuffs to satisfy your midnight munchies. We hit up musician/businessman/author Steve Seabury to find out more about his forthcoming addition to the world of metal eats… Mosh Potatoes.

This is your first book, what drove you to write it?

It was about 5 years ago when I was out with some friends at a bar. I was stumbling home about 3 AM and just as most people coming home at that time, I had the munchies.  The cupboards were bare, I had some Taco Bell Fire Sauce from the night before, a couple of eggs and some other stuff hiding in the back of the Fridge that I probably wouldnt feed my dog. I said to myself “What would Lemmy Do in this situation?”. The next day the idea of Mosh Potatoes was created.”

There seems to be a trend of metalheads involved with food (Kuma’s Corner, Grill ‘Em All truck, “Hellbent For Cooking“), why do you think that is?

I had my first Grill ‘Em All Burger a couple of weeks ago. It was so bad ass. I mean this burger was one of the best things I have ever eaten. Amazing. Luke from Kuma’s Corner actually wrote the introduction for the book. He is a very cool dude who loves his metal. People have to eat no matter who you are. Good food, friends and METAL!!! It just doesn’t get any better.”

What sets Mosh Potatoes apart from the rest?

I think we are all fighting for METAL. I think its great that good food and heavy music are breaking into the scene. So many people think that great food is only for the social elite. Well I am here to tell you its not. I hope another 50 heavy metal cookbooks spring up and take over the cooking world.

How did you go about collecting and organizing the recipes for the book?

I went to work the next morning a little hung over. I spoke to some of the bands I was working with about the idea of the cookbook and they instantly loved it. The word spread and I was getting a ton of emails from bands from all over the world. I received over 300 recipes. Five years of pitching the book I finally got signed by the metal heads at Simon & Schuster. It took a while but I am glad to see it finally get released. Simon & Schuster rules!!!”

I assume you’ve tasted most if not all of the recipes included in Mosh Potatoes… any specific favorites that stand out?

There are so many great recipes in the book. It is so hard to narrow it down. There is such an amazing diversity of food in  this collection. Every turn of a page you have a different culinary experience. Each recipe gives you a backstage pass into the private homes of all of these great artists. I think it’s really cool and I hope you do too.
 

 

These are probably my most favorite recipes in the book; Evile – Cheese On Toast recipe, you are going to freak out when you try the Guns & Roses Chili, Zakk Wylde’s Spaghetti & Meatballs, the Pantera - Texas BBQ From Hell and Joey Z from Life of Agony has a kick ass recipe called Stuffed Lobster Zampella.
 

 

Wait to you try the desserts section on the book.The guys in Fear Factory, Hatebreed and Megadeth can bake some bad ass goodies. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. The Naam Pecan Pie is to die for. Amazing.”

If you’re on the road, what’s your go-to food option, also, what regional taste is your favorite? (Chicago pizza, Maryland crabcakes, Memphis BBQ, Philly cheesesteak?)

When you are traveling down the highway to the next gig then 7-11 is a friend of METAL. They have beer, nachos and Twinkies. You just can’t go wrong. But once you arrive to the show and you have some time to kill, then you have to go hunting for the best local hangs. There are some great staples but my personal all time favorite is when my band would do a gig in Philadelphia, PA. I am not a fan of the Phillies, actually I cant stand them (Lets Go METS) but man… Geno’s can make the ultimate Steak Sandwich. The BEST ever!! Its heaven on a roll.”

You’re a beer man, what’s your favorite beer(s)  Any favorite food pairings?

Beer and Grilling go hand and hand. I love cranking up Slayer, throwing some chicken or steak on the grill and chugging some good beer. Lately I have been buying 30 packs of Genesee Cream Ale. Upstate NY Beer. Just doesn’t get any better.”

What metal gods would you invite to dinner (living or dead)?

I would love to have dinner with Jim Morrison. He is a true rock god. I think it would be fun to eat handful of mushrooms, twist one up, drink some beers and eat a big ass steak. I would just sit back, visualize and listen to all of his crazy stories and philosophies. It would be so bad ass.”

You have an extensive track record of working with bands on the way up, what bands are grabbing you now?

I have been very lucky to work in the music industry all of these years and I am always trying to find new bands. Its like an addiction to me. When I am not listening to my own band Moth Eater I have been jamming out to King Giant, Red Fang, Evile and the new Howl kicks my ass.”

Puppets or Justice?

Cliff Burton is my idol. Puppets all the way.”

Mosh Potatoes hits stores everywhere Tuesday, November 16th. Pre-order your copy at Amazon, and cook along with our forthcoming video podcast.

Editor’s note: Howdy folks… as you can tell, we’ve been busy lately, so here’s a small sampling of some things we didn’t quite get to over the past few months.  Hopefully you enjoy our brevity and are able to catch up on what’s new and what sucks.

Megadeth – Rust in Peace Live (CD and DVD)

Mark’s Review:

My favorite album of all time given the live treatment?  I can’t lose, right?  Well, as far as production and performance, the band delivers on all counts.  Take No Prisoners is incredibly tight and it was great to hear Poison Was the Cure and Five Magics in a live setting.  Unfortunately, Mustaine’s already polarizing voice is failing, and he struggles through many of the songs.  It doesn’t ruin them, but it does make you think twice about putting on the actual album tracks instead.  Also, the songs they chose to round out the set are a huge letdown.  No one wants to hear Trust and In My Darkest Hour was played-out a decade ago.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “It’s good to hear Dave singing about serious topics again… you know, old ladies living in attics and such.”

Justin’s Review:

I’ve never been a “live album” kind of guy, but seeing and hearing Dave & Dave and the other dudes rip through this classic (and one of my favorite metal albums) wasn’t a bad way to kill an hour. It’s just a shame that they didn’t offer up an “instrumental-only” feature on the DVD… God… Mustaine’s vocals suck.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Dave may have mastered Five Magics, but clearly needs to work on his Pitch-Correction Spells.”

Dragonforce – Twilight Dementia

Mark’s Review:

This live album is quite bad.  Say what you want about Dragonforce, but Inhuman Rampage was a great power-metal album, unfortunately, all momentum built by Guitar Hero cannot excuse this sloppy, weak-sounding live set highlighted by the most unnecessary, curse-filled crowd banter by now-ex singer ZB Theart (stage name?).  I’ve heard these guys really suck live, and now, the world can hear it too.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Dammit!  I finally got past “Through the Fire and Flames” on “Expert”, and then I realized no one gives a shit about Dragonforce or Guitar Hero anymore.”

Justin’s Review:

I’d rather sit through an afternoon demonstration of proper sword sheathing etiquette at the Renaissance Faire than listen to 5 minutes of Dragonforce live.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I know pinball machines that write better songs than Dragonforce.”

Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini

Mark’s Review:

Justin sent me this album and I have to admit, while it’s musically very good, I just cant get into it.  You’d think that my love for Opeth would translate into Enslaved’s similar style, but I think they just lack some of the sophistication of Akerfeldt and crew.  Dynamically, I think it’s kind of stale, and the songs all sort of drone on.  I had the same problem with their previous release, Vertebrae, an album everyone loved but me.  Maybe this one is for you, but I grew weary of it.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “One would say this album was “not Mark’s cup of TEA”… eh, EH?… cause of Grandma and the tea?… anyone?… anyone own “Them” out there?… C’mon people, I’m King Fucking Diamond!”

Justin’s Review:

Yeah Mark… this one IS for me. Fantastic songwriting, stellar vocals, and catchy as hell, Axioma Ethica Odini is another dynamic prog/black metal classic by the Norwegian legends, and the perfect followup to the almost perfect Vertebrae. As far as their last three releases are concerned, Enslaved have surpassed Opeth in my book. There… I said it.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Enslaved were the guests of honor at Amon’s annual end of summer BBQ Bash.”

Soundgarden – Black Rain

Mark’s Review:

An unreleased track recorded during the Badmotorfinger sessions, this song is what every old-school Soundgarden fan wants: Chris Cornell murdering it with that falsetto.  A very solid track that is hopefully a sign of things to come from the re-formed outfit.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “See Chris?, I told you, the ladies LOVE the falsetto!”

Justin’s Review:

Proof in the pudding that Cornell and Co. have simply wasted 3/4 of their careers.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Hell yeah… I just added “Singles” to the top of my Netflix queue.”

Halford – Made of Metal

Mark’s Review:

Wow, this song really sucks.  I thought Halford had reached his nadir with Nostradamus, quite possibly one of the worst albums ever pressed, but this song is not only dated, but it’s cheesy and painful to listen to.  I think it’s time for the “Metal God” to hang em up, just live off the Priest legacy please, this is dreadful.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Ugh, Rob you played this song over the phone for me and I told you NOT to release it!! I guess you didn’t hear me?”

Justin’s Review:

Jesus Rob… could you possibly be any more cliché? You’re a bald, gay, middle-aged, metalhead, wearing a spiked, leather trench coat… singing about a super-sonic, metal NASCAR, that’s driven by aliens while riding laser beams. What the hell man?!?

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Did Mustaine ghost-write these lyrics?”