In a year worthy of your rage, metal delivered in spades. What with the economy circling the drain and Sarah Palin coming down from the tundra and then refusing to go back, 2008's been the kind of year that really makes you want to smash your head into walls or punch random strangers in the face. Good thing there were so many awesome records available to serve as a soundtrack for exactly that kind of behavior. The ten discs below are just the tip of a very big, very heavy iceberg. Metal seems to
6. Jesu Why Are We Not Perfect (Hydra Head)Technically not a heavy release, but how can we discount Justin Broadrick, founding member of both Napalm Death and Godflesh? Fed up with the single-minded bludgeoning of those classic acts, Broadrick's intention from the start in forming Jesu was so that he could balance his heavy side with melodicism and thick, shoegaze-y guitar layering. But on this EP he reveals some of the most delicate sentiments of his career. Metalheads should be listening to st
Slayer in 2007Last year marked the inauguration of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour, a summer package from the creators of Warped Tour that featured heavier acts. There were some pretty surprising bands on the bill: besides Miami's Black Tide, performers included Mastodon, Underoath, and Of course, if you're a Slipknot fan, that band was the ultimate draw as it celebrated its high-profile return.Besides some really gross on-and-off rain on that boiling July day, the place was packed -- so
