4. The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate (Metal Blade)
I was a little concerned with this album at first, thinking that TBDM’s overall sound would change considering they replaced their lead guitarist. Deflorate, while more technical, remains as brutal as TBDM can be, and still retains that signature TBDM sound. I do miss the solos a bit, but Ryan Knight is a solid replacement. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this album, and enjoy every track on it, a must have for every TBDM fan.

3. Lamb of God – Wrath (Epic, Roadrunner)
This album was a pleasant surprise after Sacrament. I thought LOG had lost it, but they proved me wrong this year, as this album kicks some serious ass!

2. Conducting From The Grave – When Legends Become Dust (Sumerian)
I found out about this band just a few months ago and if it weren’t for Creature, this album would be number 1. These guys have tons of talent and I look forward to their future offerings.

1. Within The Ruins – Creature (Victory)
Just found out about this band but definitely my favorite album of the year. Their creativity and uniqueness has made it next to impossible for me to take this album out of my cd player.

9. Adagio - Archangels In Black (Listenable)
Adagio is a great power metal band that I think might get overlooked at times because of their similarity in name to that of Brazilian power metal band, Alagio. However, this album proves that they are definitely different.

8. Stratovarius – Polaris (Edel, Ear music)
I was shocked when I heard this album, it didn’t really sound like Stratovarius at all. Quite heavy, not what I was used to for them, but it was a pleasant surprise.

7. Sonata Arctica – The Days of Grays (Nuclear Blast)
I’m pleased to announce that Sonata hasn’t lost anything by replacing their guitarist. I was worried that it wouldn’t be the same Sonata Arcitca that I had grown to love, but this album is very good, and so long as Tony Kakko is still in the band, they’ll be fine.

6. Dream Theater – Black Clouds And Silver Linings (Roadrunner)
Dream Theater is my favorite band, and they would have gotten the number 1 spot, because I love this album, but I felt that other bands were more deserving, so here they are. If you don’t have this album already, get it.

5. Mastodon - Crack the Skye (Reprise)
There is often much debate over which Mastodon album is the best, which one is the worse, etc. but it cannot be denied that their latest is still nothing short of epic. The album is literally taking you through an adventure with space travel, usurping of thrones and devils. Seriously, read this article sometime, its really interesting. Its more progressive than previous entries and the music videos for the songs are AMAZING. Some of the best I have every seen.

4. The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate (Metal Blade)
These guys just keep getting better and better. Yet again, they fail to raise the bar with their newest release. While I might not be able to sing along to every song and every guitar riff like I still can on Unhallowed, without a doubt their musicianship has continued to improve with every album. Every track is awesome. This is one I can just play on loop and not get bored.

3. Baroness - The Blue Record (Relapse)
This is something everyone can gather round, as was proved here at KZSC. Nobody was immune to the awesome artwork of John Baizley (the singer/rythm guitarist) or the music itself. Our music director Caitlin was even willing to go see them in San Fransisco, and while me and Tooth Gnasher and Tooth Grinder (aka Stephanie our Station Manager and Tim our Volunteer Coordinator) might not agree on music all the time, Baroness was something we all agreed had passed the bar in terms of combining melodic sounds and awesome guitar riffs with hardcore/metalcore singing. This album would most likely be on our collective Top 10 list.

2. Between the Buried and Me – The Great Misdirect (Victory)
Even though I didn’t think it was possible, this album is more progressive than the 2007 hit Colors. In the same way though, its impossible to compare to Colors directly because they are so different. From the melancholy track “Mirrors” that goes straight into the hardcore track “Obfuscation” to the poppy piano riff in the beginning of “Fossil Genera” to the steel guitar playing on “Desert of Song” and finally the epic that is “Swim to the Moon” this cd takes you on a ride and bring something new to the table every time you pop it into your CD Player.

1. Scale the Summit – Carving Desert Canyons (Prosthetic)
This album is my number one for a couple reasons; if I want to do homework and can’t be distracted by lyrics, if I’m taking a girl on a date, but can’t stand to let her listen to her “Britney Spears” or “Lil Wayne” then I pop in this album. She can’t complain about scary vocals or anything because there are none. This album is a major step up from their 2007 album Monument. Each song has its own distinct sound and the technical level of the musicians is amazing. It also contains what is probably my number one played song of the year, “The Great Plains”. I can’t really explain why its my favorite song, it’s almost like comfort food.

Leviathin’s List of 2009′s Most Epic Albums Part 1

10. Porcupine Tree – The Incident (Roadrunner)
This is a 2-disc album, with the first disc being a straight 55 minute epic. Leave it to Steven Wilson. The only complaint I would have is that pretty much none of the tracks can really stand alone but as a whole its an epic song. If you want to hear just a part, check out the edited version of ‘Time Flies’ on their lastfm page.

9. Sonata Arctica – The Days of Grays (Nuclear Blast)
My favorite power metal band. They haven’t lost their touch at all. I love listening to them in the winter… They just seem like a winter band. This album is one of their best so far. Tony Kakko can sing the shit out of anything. Not as many epic super high screams as I would like but that doesn’t hurt it too much.

8. Animals as Leaders – Animals as Leaders (Prosthetic)
I wanted to put ALL of the instrumental metal bands I discovered this year into my list, but that would have taken up half the list and most of them don’t even have labels yet (see: Exivious and Cloudkicker, seriously, check them out) so I decided to put up the one I listened to the most. Animals as Leaders is like a more hardcore Scale the Summit, which is great. This is the album for someone trying to move into metal without words I think. It’s not all weird and introspective, its just metal, its easy to get.

7. Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings (Roadrunner)
This album is Dream Theater, the Dream Theater you know and respect, which isn’t a bad thing, but that’s why it isn’t higher on my list. It’s a good overview of what they can do, but they didn’t really go anywhere new. I was expecting something a little more groundbreaking from them. That being said, if you like Dream Theater, then you will still like this album, but if you don’t this one won’t change your mind about them.

6. Scar Symmetry – Dark Matter Dimensions (Nuclear Blast)
This band comes out with some of the catchiest songs. In that sense, they are like the opposite of Scale the Summit, I can’t focus on anything else when I listen to them, I just want to sing along. One of my favorite Melodic bands, I always love listening to the whole album. If you like this one, go back and check out the rest of their discography.

Chromeo, DJ-Kicks

Now is a good time for Electronic Music at KZSC. We have a bunch of new stuff goin’ on goin’ on, including the New Boys Noize, Metronomy, as well as some home-brewed local electro/experimental/psych from New Bengal Spice…

With the latest influx of brown envelopes came some pretty strong adds to the Electronic Music Department this week. Here’s the stuff I’m most excited about:

1. Zoot Woman: Synthy electroclash coming out of Britain, this group seems to stylistically tip their hat to the likes of Cut Copy and Grafton Primary. Grungy, yet catchy, something that you will definitely find yourself tapping your toes to.

2. Chromeo – DJ-KICKS: The 80′s disco revivalists put together a compilation of artists that they enjoy and are inspired by. So it comes as no suprise that this album is chock-full of delicious disco cuts. Check out ‘Toba – Movin’ On Up’ and ‘Donna Allen – Serious’ as well as a new cut from Chromeo themselves, ‘I Can’t Tell You Why.’

3. Metronomy – Night’s Out: Although this record has been flying all around the blogs the past few months, we’ve finally got it here in the station. Keep your ears peeled for the dark, melodic, synthy tracks coming from this band in the coming weeks.

4. New Bengal Spice- Wave Voltage: LOCAL! This guy was playing at Metamusic in Santa Cruz when I saw him. An absolutely stunning record replete with lush, electronic soundscapes, haunting vocals, and even, at times, pop sensibilities. Check out his myspace! http://www.myspace.com/newbengalspice

And now, the Electronic Music Weekly Top 10:

1 CHROMEO “Night By Night” [Single]
2 LA ROUX La Roux
3 LUSINE A Certain Distance
4 WALLPAPER Doodoo Face
5 INFECTED MUSHROOM Legend Of The Black Shawarma
6 BOYS NOIZE Starter [EP]
7 CHROMEO DJ Kicks
8 NADIA ALI Embers
9 HEALTH Get Color
10 ADRIANE LAKE Morning Glow

As you can see, Chromeo is up there twice. We’ve also got their EP, “Night By Night” in anticipation of their full release later on. To hear any of these great new electronic tunes, keep your ears and mind and radio dial tuned to 88.1 – specifically to any one of our great electronic shows! You can scope the schedule & playlists tab, but I’ll write them out here for your convenience:

Mondays @ 12-2pm: Techno Logic with Adam

Wednesdays @ 3-6am: Casa! Maison! House! with Vector C, then @8:30-10:30pm Wandering Stars with DJ PassiveTheory

Fridays @ 7-8:30pm: Recycled Air with Yours Truly!

Saturdays @ 2-4pm: Sleep Around the Clock with Galina

Cheers.

In the works this week: Our metal library is full to bursting. We have decided that a good ole purging is in order. We will be going through our Loud Rock section in the library and putting music in the bin to be sold at the cd sale!! If you would like to help with this endeavor leave a comment or send an email to loudrock[at]kzsc[dot]com

1    SLAYER “World Painted Blood” [Single]    Columbia – making their way into the double digits this is their tenth studio release.
2    HORSE THE BAND Desperate Living Vagrant – with a unique 8-bit sound this band is most interesting and certainly worth your time checking out.
3    BLACK COBRA Chronomega Southern Lord – their first album on the  ‘Southern Lord’ label, if you have heard of and liked Cavity or Acid King then you might dig these guys too. Their new cd cover is reminiscent of Death Magnetic and they sound a bit like a muddier Mastodon.
4    IMMORTAL All Shall Fall Nuclear Blast – crushingly brutal and heavy they also have great songwriting, check out the black metal group immortal on their 8th studio release.
5    LYNCH MOB Smoke And Mirrors Frontiers – Straight up rockers with a sound from the 80s they really sound like a blast from the past. This song made me think of Rocket – Def Lepaprd.

1    METALOCALYPSE: DETHKLOK Dethklok: The Dethalbum II    Williams St.
2    HATEBREED Hatebreed    E1
3    BLACK DAHLIA MURDER Deflorate    Metal Blade
4    MEGADETH Endgame    Roadrunner
5    MUNICIPAL WASTE Massive Aggressive    Earache
6    RODRIGO Y GABRIELA 11:11    ATO
7    SONATA ARCTICA Days Of Grays    Nuclear Blast
8    PORCUPINE TREE The Incident    Roadrunner
9    KITTIE In The Black    E1
10    SHADOWS FALL Retribution    Ferret

I’m working on setting up a concert calendar for the Loud Rock department, hopefully that will be up and running soon!

As for all the stuff on the charts pretty much all of it is worth your time. Pretty much. There are some exceptional works in there as well.

It has been a while my fellow metal heads. Exciting things happening at KZSC with the start of the Fall quarter. New musics are coming out too that are awesome. I’m sitting in a meeting where we are talking about our future and stuff so I’m going to go now…

1    BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME “Obfuscheion” [Single]    Victory – I saw these guys live the other day and they were so damn amazing. They played Obfuscheion and it was awesome. This sampler will definitely leave you craving for more.
2    CHILDREN OF BODOM Skeletons In The Closet Spinefarm – This is a bunch of covers including but not limited to Oops.. I did it again and Rebel Yell
3    METALOCALYPSE: DETHKLOK Dethklok: The Dethalbum II Williams St. – If you haven’t watched this show you need to go to Best Buy right now and buy the first two seasons. It is hilarious and metal.

4    ALICE IN CHAINS Black Gives Way To Blue Virgin – Its Alice In Chains it might not be the same as it was before but it still rocks.

5    ARCH ENEMY Root Of All Evil Century Media – A female fronted metal band that doesn’t have whiny vocals. They are rare but Arch Enemy does it right.

1    BLACK DAHLIA MURDER Deflorate Metal Blade
2    MUNICIPAL WASTE Massive Aggressive Earache
3    MEGADETH Endgame Roadrunner
4    TENET Sovereign
5    BEHEMOTH Evangelion Metal Blade
6    SONATA ARCTICA Days Of Grays Nuclear Blast
7    PORCUPINE TREE The Incident Roadrunner
8    SHADOWS FALL Retribution Ferret
9    RODRIGO Y GABRIELA 11:11 ATO
10    VADER Necropolis Nuclear Blast

Rodrigo Y Gabriela is an awesome acoustic spanish band that has never let me down. Give their old cd a listen as well. The Incident is a 55 minute epic piece that will entrance you and make you feel.. things. If your interested in upcoming shows in your area send me a message at loudrock@kzsc.org or leave a comment.

Health 'Get Color'

Hello there! Wanna know what’s going on inside the Electronic Music Department at KZSC? Then come no further my friend.

Kicking off the top ten is Health and Pictureplane who just so happen to be touring together right now. Health’s new effort, Get Color, is a fantastic blend of harsh, grinding noise with shimmering, beautiful melodies and fragile vocals overlaid. Their ability to pull these melodies from the aural chaos they make is unmatched. Scope this video of the album’s single, Die Slow:

HEALTH – Die Slow

1 HEALTH Get Color
2 PICTUREPLANE Dark Rift
3 YPPAH They Know What Ghost Know
4 YACHT See Mystery Lights
5 SCOTT HARDKISS Technicolor Dreamer
6 FELIX DA HOUSECAT He Was King
7 PENELOPES Priceless Concrete Echoes
8 SALLY SHAPIRO My Guilty Pleasure
9 IMOGEN HEAP Ellipse
10 PURACANE I’ve Been Here The Longest

Next, we got the weekly new additions to our station library:

CHROMEO DJ Kicks
GUSGUS 24/7
MY MILKY WAY ARMS – Lightsaber Circuit Breaker
U.S.E. Loveworld
BAABA MAAL Television

Thats all I have for you this week, friend. But watch this space (kzsc.org/blog) for more current information about what is gurgling in the seedy bowls of the non-commercial aural radio music war machine that is KZSC, Santa Cruz.

Lots of hard choices to make this week. Look past the break to hear about Prog Nation and some bands that should have made the adds list…

So I saw Progressive Nation when they hit San Jose last week. I would have preferred a better venue than the civic center. Kinda felt like I was going to a High School graduation… But the show was good. Or what I saw of it at least.. Me and Bisquick (who you guys will get to hear on air coming this fall) were dumbasses and forgot to check to see what time it started. It started at 6, we weren’t there till 7:15 ish… We missed Scale the Summit and Big Elf but we got to see Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa and Dream Theater of course. I was really bummed about missing out on Scale the Summit..

1    ANGHER Hidden Truth Dark Star – Started by a cellist/guitarist. I love classical instruments!
2    DIRGE WITHIN Force Fed Lies E1 – A dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral.
3    3 INCHES OF BLOOD Here Waits Thy Doom Century Media – They will be touring with Between the Buried and Me for the release of BTBAM’s new cd. In Flames will be there as well. Go see it. You won’t be sorry.
4    BLACK ANVIL Time Insults The Mind Relapse – They have a song called 777… I think they did their math wrong..
5    LEFT SETTER Left Setter – Listen to them. They are pretty kewl.

Honorable mention for Street Legal. Check out their myspace.

1   AUGUST BURNS RED Constellations Solid State
2    BURY YOUR DEAD It’s Nothing Personal Victory
3    MUNICIPAL WASTE Massive Aggressive    Earache
4    BEHEMOTH Evangelion    Metal Blade
5    PORCUPINE TREE Time Flies Roadrunner
6   SUICIDE SILENCE No Time To Bleed Century Media
7    KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Killswitch Engage (2009)    Roadrunner
8    WINDS OF PLAGUE The Great Stone War Century Media
9   BORN OF OSIRIS A Higher Place Sumerian
10    AUTUMN OFFERING Requiem Victory

Next week we’ll be adding Deflorate from The Black Dahlia Murder. Also, Porcupine Tree is moving up the charts in eager anticipation for their new cd The Incident.

—–

Shows are the same as from last week. Unknown dates for BTBAM’s upcoming tour, and Alestorm are going on tour soon as well. Stay tuned.