Dogmatic

And here we are at the death knell of another year. This can only mean one thing for all ye faithful droogs who’ve been here since 2003. You guessed it! It’s time for the Dogmatic Best of 2006 where we look back at the year’s best offerings in the pop-counterculture’s cesspool of goodies, nasties and indeed - all the delicious things that go bump in the night! Boo!

Musically, it has been an awesome year of supremely fine tuneage with some damn good releases from the established acts of the Metalsphere as well as some great young acts coming on through. There wasn’t a month or week that went past without a decent slab of tunes coming down the pipeline.

So without further delay, and after considerable consideration, internal debate and over analysis… here are the Dogmatic Top 10 Albums Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi… 2006. Enjoy!

When it came to choosing ‘Album of the Year’ - my mind was made up months ago. Celtic Frost’s brilliant return to the scene with the extremely dark and fiendish ‘Monotheist’ was a clear winner. This album just drips a disquieting tone that is hard to comprehend let alone surpass. It’s just so fuckn nefariously good and sickly evil at the same time. I’ve been playing it since the day it came out and it is always a cathartic listening experience to this day. A brilliant album no question which has served as the soundtrack of my life throughout the course of this year!
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…In this darkness, called my mind. The waste you left for me. I’m your shit, your verbal smut. Your twisted world recapped. This is you, your lifeless soul. Your sick and fucked-up lies. In my world your love is death. Your disease, your skin that burns. Oh God, why have you forsaken me…”

But as the year came to a close, the Frost was nearly knocked off the number one perch by the Deftones’ ‘Saturday Night Wrist’ album. Undoubtedly this is the Deftones’ best release in a number of years. I have been enjoying this one so much, that I’ve gone back over the band’s back-catalogue and re-listening (and appreciating!) just what a damn fine band they truly are! For fans, there is a ‘Deftones/Bob Ezrin Demos’ collection doing the rounds on the ‘net - do check it out! And for Aussie fans, the band will be touring our shores in the new year! (See you there!)
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…I’ve looked outside. But I’ve never wandered out. I’d like to pull you into me. Intercept you, in between but I will never walk without, outside…”

I know many who would have this one further up. You’ll get no argument from me! This is indeed a brilliant album and illustrates what is so exciting about the new American Metal sound that has rejuvenated a flagging genre from the dire that was the nu-metal movement. Masterfully crafted, this is an album that will pulverize you to nothingness with the meticulous musicianship of all involved. Oh, and weren’t they fuckn amazing live when they turned the Palace into mush!
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…Blood and fire used to fill the night, burnt and drowned by our very lives. You missed a sinking boat by years, dollar signs, crocodile tears. It’s over now it long has been…”

Interestingly enough, Ministry have been making the Dogmatic Top 10 each year for the past 3 years. Well it goes without saying, they are one of my fave bands of all time and I love everything they do - so possibly, my views are a little tainted and definitely biased. But.. I challenge anyone to listen to Rio Grande Blood and not be blown away by the offerings on show. The band has also been nominated for a Grammy for the Lieslieslies song. (Best song on the album by the way…) And wouldn’t it be great on Grammy night if Ministry do pull this one of - and we bear witness to Al Jourgensen (and co) getting on that stage and giving the good old USA a heartily felt… FUCK YOU VERY MUCH! When all is said and done, this is one of Ministry’s finest!
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…Absolute destruction is the battleground we’re given. Strip away the fabric of a thousand years of livin’…”

Dropping the pace down a cog considerably, I was turned onto Gary Numan’s Jagged album by reading Tom Warrior’s (of Celtic Frost fame) blog. He was full of praise of this, Gary’s 17th studio album, and I thought to myself, “Self, we gots to check this out!” And I am glad I did. I never got round to giving this the full Dogmatic review, but this is one of the most dark, disturbing and sombre albums I have ever heard. In short, I love it! Gary Numan has always been considered one of the pioneers of the Industrial sound. His early works and songs such as ‘Cars’, ‘We Are Glass’, ‘Down In the Park’ et al - have been major influences on the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. With this album, Numan has returned the favour and lifted what is great about today’s exponents of the Industrial movement - and spawned an album that is so ethereal and lugubrious that it drips of excellence.

“…Who hasn’t made, A big mistake, Betrayed a love, Or turned to hate? You think it’s you…”

Easily Iron Maiden’s best album since the glory days of the mid-eighties. I would have rated this higher if not for the weak start to the album, but the second half of this disc is friggn sensational as the album finishes on a very high note. Hopefully we’ll get to see the lads back in the land Down Under as it has been years since their last tour. Amazing how a band that is close to 30 years old still manages to release quality such as this. A masterpiece!
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…You lie in your death bed now. But what did you bring to the table. Brought us only holy sin. Utter trust is a deadly thing…”

When it comes to the Metalcore scene, no one does it better than Killswitch Engage. In fact, they leave most of their supposed contemporaries for dead. Brutally powerful riffs topped off with the enigmatic melody that lead crooner Howard Jones perfectly injects into each and every song. You see folks, the Switch ain’t afraid of melody. They embrace it! Combine that with bone-crunching guitars and you’re in for a treat seeing this mob live as the crowd is always in full-voice singing back to the band with loud abandon. I’m not sure if this is the breakthrough album for them, but give ‘em another year or so and these guys are gonna be massive!

“…No more broken promises. The shattered hearts will heal. No more broken promises. No more…”

Musically, Mastodon is unparalleled - delivering an intricate bludgeoning with each and every track. But it ain’t all a slice of bludgeon-riffola as far as these guys are concerned. The solos are interlaced with melodic undertones and the band have an uncanny knack of injecting unique sounding melodies with vocal and guitar alike layered on top of a complex and perplexing rhythm section. Or in short, the drumming is fucking amazing and lays an immense foundation for the band to work from. This album is so multi-faceted and continually refuses to let up its ferocity despite frequent shifts in style, mood, and attitude. Truly, a classic album.
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…The hero of the gods. The crossing of the threshold. The belly of the whale. Refusal of return…”

Satyricon have done the unthinkable! They’ve given Black Metal a groove! Now, Diabolical, first and foremost - is incredibly diabolical and sinister as sinister can be! But these guys have taken a woeful, miserly genre and turned it on its head. I’m quite sure, Black Metal diehards probably hate this album (’cos it’s good!) but in all honesty - how can one take serious a bunch of twats running around the frozen mountain-tops of Europe with ‘corpse-paint’ on their pimply faces scaring the village nuns away? Yeah, those dweebs would hate this album for sure ‘cos Satyricon have injected friggn awesome riffs and songs into this album - arguably the band’s best. Cannot fault this album and I eagerly await to see what the band will have on offer next time around!

“…Countless nights of ferocius anger. And grinding teeth. The jaw is clenched. The spark is lit. The target locked. We want you dead…”

A new Slayer album doesn’t happen too often. In fact, it has been a laborious five years since the underrated ‘God Hates Us All’ album pummeled our eardrums on that fateful 9-11 day. Sheesh, if ever a band was created to be the perfect soundtrack for airplanes crashing into towers… then Slayer is it! So here we are, several years later and the band’s original (and definitive) line-up have once again joined forces to bring us another slab of Slayer nastiness! With drummer supremo Dave Lombardo back in the ranks, the band is whole again.
[FULL REVIEW HERE]

“…You’ll never touch God’s hand. You’ll never taste God’s breath. Because you’ll never see the second coming. Life’s too short to be focused on insanity…”

Notable Exceptions:

• Cradle of Filth (Thornography) - I’m really getting into this album. Quite possibly their best release since the mind-blowing ‘Midian’. A few more listens and this one would have been staking a place in the Top 10!
• Revolting Cocks (Cocked & Loaded) - a great release and just got pipped out of the Top 10.
• Tool (10,000 Days) - initially, I was so in love with this album but I got tired of it fast and now just can’t even listen to it anymore. In hindsight, I was expecting more from Tool.
• Devin Townsend (Synchestra) - Devin continues to blow me away with everything he touches. Another amazing solo effort!
• The Gathering (Home) - one of my fave bands who are in the habit of continually releasing exceptional albums.
• AFI (Decemberunderground) - Although this is a great album, it is not a brilliant one like their prior. Great songs throughout tho.
• Strapping Young Lad (The New Black) - My least fave album by Strapping for a while but I did get tons of enjoyment from it regardless.
• Dog Fashion Disco (Adultery) - A great album from a new act. Reminded me of Faith No More in places. Will definitely be checking them out again.
• Johnny Cash (American V: A Hundred Highways) - The Man In Black with Rick Rubin at the helm, ’nuff said!
• Godhead (The Shadow Line) - My boys! Another great release from Jason & co.
• The Eagles of Death Metal (Death By Sexy) - a fun record! Hatebreed (Supremacy) - didn’t really give this one a decent crack, but what I have heard - I like!
• Lacuna Coil (Karmacode) - the album that is destined to make them superstars. Great all round, but prior releases are much better.
• Poisonblack (Lust Stained Despair) - Not bad, but check out their prior one which is brilliant!
• The Prize Fighter Inferno (My Brother’s Blood Machine)
• Sepultura (Dante XXI)

Disappointment of the Year:
Killing Joke (Hosannas From The Basement Of Hell): I had high anticipations for this one seeing as the previous album was so good. I really tried giving this one a shot, but could just not get into it. Alas.