REIGN IN BLONDE’S BEST OF 2010 SO FAR

Well y’all, 2010 is half over, and we gals figured, why wait until the end of the year to make a list that you can all rip us apart on? So we all got together and made our own lists of top 3 albums that we’ve been diggin’ so far in 2010. Not surprisingly, we all chose different stuff. Think you know what we like? Check ‘em out below, and then proceed to tell us how ‘gheey’ we are in the comments.

JULIA:



Ihsahn - After: I like albums that are different from the norm, but sometimes too weird turns me off. After straddles the line between bizarre and awesome; and for me it totally works. It’s powerful, yet calming? Maybe it’s best you listen for yourself, or maybe it’s just so good I can’t quite describe why!

Eluveitie - Everything Remains As It Never Was: I’ve fully embraced my nerdy metal side with this one. Can’t say anyone would be shocked that I love it, but it’s the simple things in life, like solid melodies and instrumentation that’s way outside the box (Hurdy. Gurdy. Enough said.) that appeal to my musical senses.

Howl - Full of Hell: I saw them with Skeletonwitch earlier this year, and was impressed right off the bat. Again, it’s not the type of sound I’m usually into, but Howl has something special about them that no one can quite put their finger on. It’s dark and doomy, but not overly oppressive. They’re definitely the new act to keep on your radar… and you better or else you’re missing out.


ELISE:



Daughters - Daughters: Lots of people seem to care about bands that I don’t care about, and many people don’t seem to care about the bands that I do care about. This is one of the latter. Daughters is not so much “br00tal” as it is goofy, which is why many people won’t get it, but also why I ultimately love it. After all, my favorite music isn’t usually the typical members of the metal family, but rather their wacky next door neighbors. Or in this case, wacky next door neighbors who break up after putting out the best album of their career. ::pout::

Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones: My taste remains consistently inconsistent. I’ve never been one of those “tr00” type of gals. I think most old school death/black metal is pretty boring, and Celtic Frost was always a bit over my head, but friends kept insisting that Eparistera Daimones was “the album of the year.” And I’m not quite sure about all that, but damn this shit is evil. From the moment I heard Satan! Savior! on “Goetia,” Tommy G. totally made me his bitch. Alas, I’m still not “tr00,” but I guess I can dabble.

Black Tusk - Taste the Sin: It’s simple, really. I like things that are fun. Black Tusk take what I would consider an otherwise joyless subgenre and make it fun. The comparisons to their Savannah broz, Baroness keep popping up (Gee, I wonder who did their album art?), but the difference is that Black Tusk are way more fun. Good, wholesome (ha!), Southern fun. I bet these guys use an iFun. Four Weddings and a FUNeral. Thank you for being a fun. Fun.


ANGELA:



Rotting Christ – Aealo: This album has been rocking my face off since I first read about it via Elise on um, this website! I don’t know a terrible amount about the band, nor do I have a fucking CLUE how to pronounce the name of the album, but what I CAN tell you is this; besides the occasional awkward chanting by random female folk vocalists, the whole album from beginning to end is really captivating and dare I say, FUN. “Black metal” and “fun” in the same sentence may piss some of you off, but trust me, give the album a whirl and I think you’ll know what I mean. You may even find yourself singing along. Seriously.

Periphery – Periphery: The level of talent in this band is undeniable. We’ve (people that like good music) been waiting for this album for a while now, and Periphery refused to fall short of “awesome”. Despite numerous line-up changes, Misha and crew did a mighty fine job of keeping the consistency of the band’s rep intact, as well as the vocal style on songs that had been written far before the current lead singer took his place within the group. Normally I don’t dig his vocal style, but Periphery make it work.

Deftones – Diamond Eyes: Omg omg omg omg. Even though I’m totally biased about this release because I’m a bit of a nut for Deftones, I can say that this CD had really blown me away. Never have Deftones been tighter, and Chino’s vocals I think have finally come to complete fruition. Although fans will never stop wondering about the unreleased album made with bassist Chi Chang, Eros, the heart and soul on Diamond Eyes has helped solidify the fact that Deftones can continue making original tunes even without their fallen brother. Their summer tour coupled with Mastodon might just give me a heart attack.

And because this was far more serious then my usual rants, I’ll add this: Donkey boner.