DigitalMetal.com Staff Picks 2006!
There comes a time when one has to dig through old stuff. While trying to preserve history by adding old Digital Metal reviews to our current archives, we stumbled upon a long since forgotten Top of the Year list, compiled by our staff, and it’s all the way from the year 2000 and 6. Oh my, oh my! Now, today, with hindsight by your side: what are your favorites from 2006?
Because there are never enough year end lists, here are the Digitalmetal.com staff picks of 2006.
CHRIS DICK
1. Enslaved – “Ruun”
2. Katatonia – “The Great Cold Distance”
3. Ihsahn – “The Adversary”
4. Agalloch – “Ashes Against the Grain”
5. Zombi – “Surface to Air”
6. Akercocke – “Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone”
7. Mastodon – “Blood Mountain”
8. Napalm Death – “Smear Campaign”
9. Converge – “No Heroes”
10. Insomnium – “Above the Weeping World”
Honorable Mentions:
1. Dolorian – “Voidwards”
2. Amon Amarth – “With Oden on Our Side”
3. The Gathering – “Home”
4. I – “Between Two Worlds”
5. Nocturnal Rites – “Grand Illusion”
Most disappointing:
Iron Maiden – “A Matter of Life and Death”
ERIK THOMAS
1. All Shall Perish- “The Price of Existence”
2. Unexpect -“In A Flesh Aquarium”
3. Anaal Nathrakh- ‘Eschaton”
4. Insomnium -“Above The Weeping World”
5. I-“Between Two Worlds”
6. Starkweather -“Croatoan”
7. Negura Bunget -“Om”
8. Ligeia -“Your Ghost is a Gift”
9. The Faceless -“Akeldama”
10. As Blood Runs Black -“Allegiance”
11. Noumena “Anatomy of Life”
12. Misery Inc- “Random End”
13. Amon Amarth -“With Oden on Our Side”
14. Daylight Dies -“Dismantling Devotion”
15. Protest the Hero -“Kezia”
Biggest Disappointment: Terrorizer “Darker Days Ahead”
APOLLYON
1.Gojira – “From Mars to Sirius”
2. Tenhi – “Maaäet”
3. Celtic Frost – “Monotheist”
4. Agalloch – “Ashes against the grain”
5. Magyar Posse – “Random Avenger”
6. Mokoma – “Kuoleman laulukunnaat”
7. Khoma – “The Second Wave”
8. Keep of Kalessin – “Armada”
9. Dolorian – “Voidwards”
10. Communic – “Waves of Visual Decay”
11. Stam1na – “Uudet kymmenen käskyä”
12. Vader – “Impressions in Blood”
13. SYL – “The New Black”
14. Daylight Dies – “Dismantling Evolution”
15. GWAR – “Beyond Hell”
GRIMULFR
1-Negura Bunget- “OM”
2-Amon Amarth- “With Oden on our Side”
3-Belphegor- “Pestapokalypse VI”
4-Unleashed- “Midvinterblot”
5-Manegarm- “Urminnes Haud”
6-Hellveto- “Zmierzch”
7-Enslaved- “Ruun”
8-Kampfar- “Kvass”
9-Belenos- “Chants de Bataille”
10-Ancient Rites- “Rubicon”
11-Lja- “Til Avsky for Livet”
12-Hellebaard- “Valkyrenvlucht”
13-Bothildir- “for what once was”
14-Grimm- “Dark Medieval Folklore”
15-Wolven Ancestry- “The Wrath of Gaia”
Biggest Disappointment: Celtic Frost-“Monotheist”
TIM DODD
1. Doom: VS – “Aeturnus Vale”
2. Insomnium-“Above the Weeping World”
3. Borknagar-“Origin”
4. Black Crucifixion-“Faustian Dream”
5. Amon Amarth-“With Oden on Our Side”
6. Theatre of Tragedy-“Storm”
7. Gorgoroth-“Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam”
8. Draconian-“The Burning Halo”
9. Hellveto-“Zmierzch”
10.Wolverine-“Still”
Honorable Mentions:
Dolorian-“Voidwards”
Agalloch-“Ashes Against the Grain”
Axel Rudi Pell-“Mystica”
Dissection-“Reinkaos”
Nocturnal Rites “Grand Illusion”
JEFF LAMB
1. Converge – “No Heroes”
2. Woods of Infinity – “Hedja”
3. Made Out of Babies – “Coward”
4. Ghoul – “Splatterthrash”
5. Hekel – “De Dodenvaart”
6. The Sword – “Age of Winters”
7. Sunn0)))/Boris – “Altar”
8. Funerot – “Invasion From the Death Dimension”
9. STNNNG – “Dignified Sissy”
10. Regurgitate – “Sickening Bliss”
11. Witch – “s/t”
12. Lifelover – “Pulver”
13. Merrimack – “Of Entropy and Life Denial”
14. Goatwhore – “A Haunting Curse”
15. Asunder – “Works Will Come Undone”
CHRIS AYERS
1. The Ocean- “Aeolian”
2. Gojira- “From Mars to Sirius”
3. Sepultura- “Dante XXI”
4. Om- “Conference of the Birds”
5. Intronaut- “Void”
6. Vore- “Maleficus”
7. Confessor- “Unraveled”
8. Daylight Dies- “Dismantling Devotion”
9. Helmet- “Monochrome”
10. (The) Melvins- “(A) Senile Animal”
11. Indian- “The Unquiet Sky”
12. Volumen- “Science Faction”
13. Totimoshi- “Ladrón”
14. Incantatio-, “Primordial Domination”
15. Don Caballero-“World Class Listening Problem”
Biggest Disappointment: that metalcore isn’t being taken over more quickly by traditional metal!
DAN ZIDAR
The Gathering “Home”
Mogwai “Mr. Beast”
Mono “You Are There”
Dim Mak “Knives Of Ice”
Jesu “Silver”
Zombi “Surface To Air”
Katatonia “The Great Cold Distance”
Daylight Dies “Dismantling Devotion”
The Daysleepers “The Soft Attack”
Agalloch “Ashes Against The Grain”
Enslaved “Ruun”
Mouth Of The Architect “The Ties That Blind”
Killing Joke “Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell”
Neko Case “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood”
General Surgery “Left Hand Pathology”
FRED PHILLIPS
1. Lamb of God – “Sacrament”
2. Poisonblack – “Lust-Stained Despair”
3. Trivium – “The Crusade”
4. Rebel Meets Rebel -“s/t”
5. Jon Oliva’s Pain – “Maniacal Renderings”
6. Into Eternity – “The Scattering of Ashes”
7. Amon Amarth – “With Oden on Our Side”
8. Strapping Young Lad – “The New Black”
9. Kiuas – “Reformation”
10. In Flames – “Come Clarity”
11. Slayer – “Christ Illusion”
12. Angel Blake – “s/t”
13. Stonegard – “Arrows”
14. Cannibal Corpse – “Kill”
15. Beyond Fear – “s/t”
Biggest disappointment: Black Label Society – “Shot to Hell”
SHANE WOLFENSBERGER
1. Agalloch – “Ashes Against The Grain”
2. Scar Symmetry – “Pitch Black Progress”
3. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”
4. Saturnus – “Veronika Decides To die”
5. Novembre – “Materia”
6. Doom:VS – “Aternum Vale”
7. Insomnium – “Above The Weeping World”
8. Katatonia- “The Great Cold distance”
9. Daylight Dies – “Dismantling Devotion”
10. Kalmah – “The Black Waltz”
11. Noumena – “Anatomy of Life”
12. Into Eternity – “The Scattering of Ashes”
13. Gojira – “From Mars to Sirius”
14. Asunder- “Works Will Come Undone”
15. All That Remains – “The Fall Of Ideals”
Biggest Disappointment: Shadows Fall
BRENT MITTLESTADT
1. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”
2. Agalloch – “Ashes Against the Grain”
3. Cult of Luna – “Somewhere Along the Highway”
4. I – “Between Two Worlds”
5. Converge – “No Heroes”
6. Isis – “In the Absence of Truth”
7. Genghis Tron – “Dead Mountain Mouth”
8. Drudkh – “Blood In Our Wells”
9. Burst – “Origo”
10. Cancer Bats – “Birthing the Giant”
Most Disappointing Album: Arsis – United in Regret
Find more articles with: 2006, 2010, Blog, Staff, Staff Picks
Wow!, great/diverse year for metal indeed, best albums for me where/are in no particular order by: Ammon Amarth, Katatonia, Agalloch, Negura Bunget, Daylight Dies, Cult of Luna, Converge, Insomnium, Gojira, Mastodon, Enslaved, Mogwai…..That year was mind-opener!
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 08:07one of my favorite years of the decade
1. Burst – Origo
2. Enslaved – Ruun
3. Negura Bunget – Om
4. Katatonia – The Great Cold Distance
5. Scar Symmetry – Pitch Black Progress
6. Drudkh – Blood in Our Wells
7. Cult of Luna – Somewhere Along the Highway
8. The Faceless – Akeldama
9. Insomnium – Above the Weeping World
10. The Sword – Age of Winters
note: Akercocke – Words and Gojira – Mars to Sirius were 2005 releases otherwise they’d be on here too
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 09:209.
2005-2006-ish was a time when a lot of the albums had totally different releases dates in The States and Europe. Thus you’ll see Akercocke and Gojira making an appearance, even if they really shouldn’t.
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 09:24Here are my favorites from that year in no particular order:
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 10:16Killing Joke – Hosannas From The Basement Of Hell
Warning – Watching From A Distance
Saturnus – Veronika Decides to Die
Agalloch – Ashes Against the Grain
Funeral – From These Wounds
Solitude Aeturnus – Alone
Dawnbringer – In Sickness and In Dreams
Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist
Ahab – Call of the Wretched Sea
My Dying Bride – A Line of Deathless Kings
Daylight Dies – Dismantling Devotion
Katatonia – The Great Cold Distance
Nachtmystium – Instinct: Decay
Cannibal Corpse – Kill
Negura Bunget – Om
Novembre – Materia
Ha! I barely remember doing that. I still pretty much agree with them. What a turbulent year of my life though. Music makes strong memories.
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 11:27Have to say, I’d most definitely add Asunder and especially Negura Bunget to my list. Haven’t listened to that Vader album in a few years.
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 14:50Have to add Melechesh’s Emissaries and Pyramaze’s Legend of the Bone Carver to my top 10 of 2006, perhaps replacing the Draconian and Hellveto. Indesinence’s Neptunian EP is also a nice addition found later.
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 17:37If i had to do it again, Id bump “Om” up to top 3 or 5
on Mar 25th, 2010 at 19:20Best album of that year would have to be Vader’s Impressions in Blood. Worst album of that year would have to be Celtic Frost’s Monotheist. Leave it to Vader to save the day for metal. Honorable Mention would have to be I’s Between Two Worlds, simply because it made the breakup of Immortal easier to deal with.
on Mar 26th, 2010 at 11:04Why the hate towards Monotheist?
on Mar 26th, 2010 at 11:19Some not mentioned I rate highly would be:
on Mar 28th, 2010 at 03:13* Anata – The Conductor’s Departure
* The Arcane Order – Machinery of Oblivion
* Decapitated – Organic Hallucinosis
* Eluveitie – Spirit
* Mercenary – Hours that Remain (seriously, no mention!?)
* Psycroptic – Symbols of Failure
* Raunchy – Death Pop Romance
* Textures – Drawing Circles
* Threat Signal – Under Reprisal
From what I can remember, the problem with Hours that Remain was that it came after Everblack and 11 Dreams. So there was a hint of progress going on between those albums, but Hours that Remain seemed like it didn’t really bring anything new to the table. Might have to revisit the album as I haven’t heard it in years, but I remember feeling indifferent about it, if not disappointed.
on Mar 28th, 2010 at 04:18I would definitely revisit it. It was a far more melodic album due to the departure of Kral, but most fans would probably agree it was Mercenary at their peak.
on Mar 28th, 2010 at 17:27