Here is the list from last year for those of you who are curious.

2009 Honorable Mentions

50

Metric – Fantasies

Metric is a fun band. Picture a more peppy version of Stars with a heavier electronic/synth influence and you’ve pretty much nailed what to expect. Although Stars doesn’t have Emily Haines so that helps to put some distance between this and all the stuff that made me go “eh” this year. “Help I’m Alive” is also one of the best singles of the year. Indie bands with pop sensibilities aren’t a rare thing anymore, but it is nice when bands hit the formula just right and make something like this. This one only falters for not being consistent.

49

Persefone – Shin-ken

Depending on how positively you view 2009, it is either the year everybody doing death metal or deathcore got prog or the year all the shitty kids in neon playing horrible metalcore got synthesizers. Persefone is in the former camp, and is also the best progressive metal band in Andorra. I have no idea where Andorra is, but if they have other bands like Persefone we should blame 9-11 on them and invade in order to bolster our technical death metal crops. It’s melodeath in a way, but it is interesting melodeath. I think it might be a concept album too, but I won’t take away from it for that.

48

The Paper Chase – Someday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1

The Paper Chase is one of those rare bands that you can always pick out of a lineup. Whether it be the strained vocals, the disturbing guitar riffs, or the piano that is either possessed or in need of a dire tuneup, the Paper Chase blazes their own musical trail- and they might blaze it through your nightmares. John Congleton writes some of the best lyrics out there and it helps contribute to the feeling of malaise and rot the Paper Chase exudes. This is the soundtrack to making your skin crawl, and I mean that in such a positive way. O’Death kind of took the wind out of their sails for me when it comes to being the darkest band that doesn’t play a genre that is inherently evil, but where as O’Death can be called “goth folk” or whatever, the Paper Chase kind of avoids any real classification. Symphonic What The Fuck is close.

47

Blut aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars

This is some super dense black metal. You can practically feel this CD crushing you from all sides.  Dark, foreboding, and yet strangely soaring. This doesn’t go the typical direction most black metal releases go. It ends up being a pretty symphonic, albeit symphonically (is that even a word?) heavy, release. Blut Aus Nord really know how to set up a good atmosphere.

46

Amber Daybreak – Sentinels

Hey look at you Belgium, getting involved in the great European screamo war. Very Suis La Lune-like sound here. More melodic than a lot of the genre and they don’t screw around with the post-rock influence as much as most seem to be getting into, which is a plus in their case. Some pretty super drumming and nice frenzied vocals really get this one flying out of the gate. It is easy to listen to the whole thing in one sitting and not even realize you did, it is so seamless and well put together. Consider this is Amber Daybreak’s first album and it is even more impressive. can’t wait to see where they go from here. Plus I bet they make a mean waffle.