Here are ten albums that did not make it to my Looking Back On 2009/Awards List, Top Ten Hard Rock Albums List or my Top 25 Heavy Metal Albums List. These are albums that I did buy, enjoyed, still listen to and reviewed on Metal Odyssey during 2009. They all deserve some Metal attention as well. There is no specific order of importance here, these are albums that I really want to celebrate – for their overall integrity in musicianship and songs. From the Progressive/Extreme Metal of Daath to the Hard Rock meets Heavy Metal of the ultra legendary Thin Lizzy, these 2009 albums blanket a few genres. It just wouldn’t feel right to me, not revisiting these albums one more time, in an end of year list. I put the header link below each album, so you can read the original review I posted during 2009. Enjoy or scream at this list… Happy Metal New Year too!
CHARM CITY DEVILS – LET’S ROCK AND ROLL
Charm City Devils “Let’s Rock-N-Roll” – A Charming Hard Rock Album
GREAT WHITE – RISING
Great White “Rising” rises to the top with A+ Hard Rock
CHILDREN OF BODOM – SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET
Children Of Bodom – “Skeletons In The Closet” Album Of Cover Songs Is Metal Thrashing Good
U.D.O. – DOMINATOR
U.D.O. – “DOMINATOR” Unleashes Potent Heavy Metal
ANVIL – THIS IS THIRTEEN
ANVIL – “THIS IS THIRTEEN” – THIS IS OLD SCHOOL, REAL HEAVY METAL
LAZARUS A.D. – THE ONSLAUGHT
LAZARUS A.D. “The Onslaught” – a real intense Thrash Metal invasion
RONNY MUNROE – THE FIRE WITHIN
Ronny Munroe “The Fire Within” – Metal Church vocalist roars on solo debut
SAXON – INTO THE LABYRINTH
Saxon continues to Rock with Old School Heavy Metal
DAATH – THE CONCEALERS
DAATH – “The Concealers” is a full blown Metal onslaught!
THIN LIZZY – STILL DANGEROUS
LIVE AT THE TOWER THEATRE PHILADELPHIA 1977
Thin Lizzy “Still Dangerous” reminds me Metal never ages.
Well, this will be the fourth and final list, in the Best Of 2009 Series of posts I’ve done this past week. All of my Metal accolades are out in the open for all to read and dissect. I thank any and everyone for taking the time to stop by Metal Odyssey for a visit(s) in 2009! I anticipate a tremendously Metal 2010! Let the new Hard Rock and Heavy Metal releases come! If you like, you can check out the other Metal Odyssey – Best Of 2009 posts, (there are 3 other posts), just click on the header links below:
METAL ODYSSEY’S TOP TEN HARD ROCK ALBUMS OF 2009
METAL ODYSSEY’S TOP 25 HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF 2009
METAL ODYSSEY LOOKS BACK ON HEAVY METAL 2009… AND SOME AWARDS!
Be sure to check out the following Hard Rock and/or Heavy Metal blogs for their respective Best Of 2009 Lists as well! There were many more cool albums released in 2009 than I was able to get my hands on! These other great blogs cover a ton of ground with Hard Rock and an array of Heavy Metal genres… it is all good fun to see so many albums that I have missed and where my favorites rank with other bloggers lists.
Heavy Metal Addiction – http://heavymetaladdiction.com/
All Metal Resource – http://allmetalresource.com/
Bring Back Glam – http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
Hair Metal Mansion – http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
Hard Rock Hideout – http://hardrockhideout.com/
Heavy Metal Time Machine – http://metalmark.blogspot.com/
Imagine Echoes – http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock – http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
Metal Excess – http://metalexcess.com/
The Metal Minute – http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/
Rock Of Ages – http://rockofages.wordpress.com/
The Ripple Effect – http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/
Saxon – the words durable, old school, enduring and still excellent at their Metal craft, come to my mind. Let’s be honest, this is not the same Saxon from their “Denim and Leather” days, yet they are Saxon 2009 – that is Metal-good enough for me. Saxon was an essential part of “the new wave of British Heavy Metal”, going back to the late 1970’s into the early 1980’s. When I first heard Saxon back then, I felt like I found a band no one else knew about… I had a cool Metal secret. Well, the secret was already out, as I later found. Saxon was justifiable a favorite of legions of Metalheads, therefore I was not alone with my new found Heavy Metal band after all. 
“into the Labyrinth” is the newest album from Saxon, released on January 13, 2009. “Battalions Of Steel” and “Valley Of The Kings” have an almost majestic Power Metal sound, complete with keyboards and what sounds to me like an enlightened choir. For me, Saxon pulls it off extremely well when they go the Power Metal route. “Live To Rock” is the single being pushed off of this album, it is bona fide Old School Heavy Metal with a cool, vintage, anthemic delivery to it. This is the fist raising – head banging tune that will stir up plenty of 80’s Heavy Metal memories for many. “Slow Lane Blues” is another fine example of how Saxon holds onto the Classic Metal approach, a fun tune that tells the complete story of a dude being pulled over by a cop for speeding. “Crime Of Passion” is heavy, heavy, Metal. Nigel Glockler punishes the drum kit on this song, again, head banging can and may occur when listening to this song too. If there is to be a song on this album that is considered a ballad, well, “Voice” is it. However, this is a heavy ballad – staunch Metalheads need not worry – Saxon does not get sappy here at all. “Hellcat” is my favorite track on this album, it is fast, furious and heavy. The three key Metal music ingredients I always embrace! “Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)” is a Heavy Metal exclamation point for Saxon on this album, man this song is good. “Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)” is a back woods – lets stomp in the swamp – foot stomping tune. It is a cool way to come down after the previous 12 tracks of fired up Heavy Metal.
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