Citizen X's Top 10 Albums of 2009

It seems about this time of year every man and his dog seems to want to tell the world what his favourite albums of the last twelve months have been and, well, I'm not exception.

So, what follows is, in no order and with brief explanation, my personal Top 10 Albums of 2009.

Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Ok, so maybe there is a little order to the list. This album goes at the top because it is, by far, the best album I had the pleasure of listening to this year. If you haven't heard it yet, I strongly recommend you pick a copy up and give it a spin!

The Atlas Moth - A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky
Chances are, you've never heard of The Atlas Moth and that's a shame. This was one of the best debut albums I've heard in a long time. Go check out the review I posted recently.

Hurt - Goodbye to the Machine
New album from my favourite band, again probably most of you haven't heard of them. A slight move away from the heavier songs off their previous two records, but still an excellent album.

Týr - By the Light of the Northern Star
To me, Týr represent the best in what is fast become an over saturated 'Folk Metal' scene and ...Northern Star is another example of how to perfectly blend traditional folk with traditional metal.

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a huge Alice in Chains fan. They also know my pet hatred of replacement singers. It might come as a surprise then just how much I love this album. From the second I heard the first single, 'A Looking In View', I was convinced they could pull this off and the day the album came out I played it none-stop for a solid twelve hours. Just goes to show what you can do with a bit of respect for what you've done, what you've lost and finding the right person to fill that void.

Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us
A surprising return to form, from one of the UK’s best bands. That the new songs hold up live alongside classics from Gothic and Icon is testament to the quality of this album.

The Dead Weather - Horehound
I've long been a fan of Jack White and his latest side project did not disappoint!

Chimaira - The Infection
A slower, sludgier offering from Chimaira that has divided their fan base, but it's a direction I personally love!

KISS - Sonic Boom
Another band returning to form, the glam legends follow up to the dismal 'Psycho Circus' is a superb album, with plenty of classic sounding KISS songs to get any party started!

Creed - Full Circle
Yeah, ok, I'm going to get a lot of stick for this (I can already imagine the look of disappointment on Pete's face when he reads this.) But you know what? I don't care. I don't care that none of my friends like Creed and I care even less that none of them have even ever bothered to actually listen to them. I love this band and always have done. So, needless to say I was excited to hear they'd got back together. This new album does not disappoint! It seamlessly combines the best aspects of both Creed's earlier heaviness of My Own Prison with the more melodic and radio friendly sounds of Weathered, whilst having hints of Stapp's solo work.

So, there we have it, the 10 sonic highlights of my 2009. I hope you agree with some of my choices, I also hope you disagree with some (after all, life'd be boring if we all liked the same things!) and I sincerely hope there's some albums on here you haven't listened to and that you'll give them a chance before the year's out!

Cheers,
Tom.