DigitalMetal.com’s Official Best of 2004!
Continuing our series of ‘old shit’ here at Teeth of the Divine, we present you with the best heavy metal albums of 2004. Boo-yah! From what we can remember, as it’s been five or six years already, is that the list was conducted on our forum and all the posters, staff members and other mental patients were invited to voice their favorites. The albums were then given points based on how many times, and how soon they were mentioned. Or something like that. None the less, the result represents a collective mind. Thus, we call it official. But, most importantly, how does your Top 2004 list compare to ours today?
1.Necrophagist “Epitaph”
2.Disillusion “Back to Times of Splendor”
3.Mastodon “Leviathan”
4.Into Eternity “Buried in Oblivion”
5.Susperia “Unlimited”
6.Insomnium “The Day it All Came Down”
7.Arsis “A Celebration of Guilt”
8.(tie) The Amenta “Occasus”
8.(tie) Pig Destroyer “Terrifyer”
9.Leviathan “Tentacles of Whorror”
10.The Dillinger Escape Plan “Miss Machine”
Honorable Mentions:
Unearth “The Oncoming Storm”
Enslaved “Isa”
The Chasm “The Spell of Retribution”
Borknagar “Epic”
Dismember “Where Iron Crosses Grow”
EP
Misery Index “Dissent”
***
Well, another year in the proverbial bag and quite a varied year it was, with this year’s top 10 being a solid cross section of all genres from the rending black metal of Leviathan to The Dillinger Escapes Plan’s adventurous musings.
Notable omissions? One could argue that former US death legends Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Deicide have officially lost their clout as they all released albums in 2004 and none of them even got a sniff of the top 10. What about European death metal stalwarts Entombed and Dismember? Both released comeback albums of sorts and only Dismember garnered any sort of surprisingly lukewarm recognition. Are metal fans now bored with classic death metal, preferring the heightened polish and variety of acts like Disillusion and Into Eternity? Where were usual former Digitalmetal [Teeth of the Divine!] favorites Finntroll and Behemoth? Behemoth may have suffered from the same fate as Enslaved’s ISA, having a dual release date that spanned both US and European markets.
What about surprises? How about the retro thrash turnaround of Susperia that seemed to please fans? Or Aussie newcomers The Amenta and their blistering debut? Or how about metalcore’s poster children Unearth hovering around the top ten with their long awaited sophomore album?
Of course perennial favorites Mastodon, Pig Destroyer and The Dillinger Escape Plan made their predictable appearance, but who would have thought that the one man German progeny Muhammed Suicmez and his band Necrophagist would have swept the year end honors as they have for many publications? Epitaph’s uber technical ferocity seem to enamored many of you as it beat second place band Disillusion by a healthy margin. But can Necrophaghist follow Epitaph up, or will they fade like many former death metal greats?
We will just have to wait until 2005 concludes to find out. Thanks to those who voted, keep Digitalmetal.com [teethofthedivine.com, dammit] your number source for online extremity, and have a great metal year.
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“But can Necrophaghist follow Epitaph up, or will they fade like many former death metal greats?”
Good point.
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 10:20meh I thought Anata – Under a Stone with No Inscription SMOKED that Necrophagist release (which was also not as good as Onset of Putrefaction).
Generally agree with the rest of the list although Isa would be in my top 5 and Arsis and Insomnium would probably take top honors.
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 10:50Six years later, still no new Necrophagist. That really boggles the mind.
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 12:00It took me some time to figure out what I have from that year. I probably missed a few but here’s the top 10 of what I found (in no particular order):
Fall of the Leafe – Volvere
Leviathan – Tentacles of Whorror
Bethlehem – Mein Weg
Golem – Dreamweaver
My Dying Bride – Songs of Darkness, Words of Light
Necrophagist – Epitaph
Augury – Concealed
Anaal Nathrakh – Domine Non Es Dignus
Esoteric – Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum
Disillusion – Back to Times of Splendor
Honorable Mentions:
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 12:39Mar de Grises – The Tatterdemalion Express
Sympathy – Arcane Path
Orphaned Land – Mabool
I really can’t believe how I missed Disillusion the first time around. Luckily found ’em a few years back. Definitely the best album of 2004 for me.
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 14:06oh yeah Augury and Anaal Nathrakh would have made my list too
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 15:15I need to track down that first Augury album
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 16:35I still like that one better than the new one, could not get into that at all
on Apr 5th, 2010 at 18:273, 4 & 5…yes. I agree with Jordan about Anata
on Apr 7th, 2010 at 00:00Skyfire – Spectral
Shadows Fall – War Within (better than Unearth’s)
Quo Vadis – Defiant Imagination
Wintersun – S/T
Orphaned Land – Mabool
Augury’s Concealed still rules today.
on Apr 7th, 2010 at 08:212004 was a pretty f-ing awesome year for metal, thats for sure.
on Apr 9th, 2010 at 00:10DEATHSPELL OMEGA- SI MONUMENTUM,REQUIRES,CIRCUMSPICE
This was BY FAR the most important, influential and flat out amazing album of the year, and perhaps the entire decade.
on Apr 12th, 2010 at 13:02