HORSE the Band: Desperate Living (4/5)

Joshua's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2009
#10 of 10



Year: 2009
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Label: Vagrant
TRT: 54:03

Love them, hate them, it's hard to deny that they're a really fun band.

Personally, they've always been a band that takes a while to click with me, and outside of their debut, this one was the fastest to do so.

They've matured a little over the years, and gotten away from their "LOL NINTENDOCORE" aesthetic, but the familiar bleeps and blops are still present and a fairly prominent force in their music, and I for one really enjoy that aspect of their sound.

The vocals are still a bit iffy, and their lyrics are still mostly ridiculous (though it's claimed that they're "much deeper than they appear on the surface" or something...), but all in all...they're just a fun band to listen to, and boy do they know how to write a breakdown.

01 Cloudwalker
02 Desperate Living
03 The Failure of All Things!
04 HORSE the Song (featuring K-SLAX)
05 Science Police
06 Shapeshift (featuring Jamie Stewart)
07 Between the Trees
08 Golden Mummy Golden Bird
09 Lord Gold Wand of Unyielding (featuring Lord Gold and His Purple Majesty)
10 Big Business (featuring Ed Edge)
11 Rape Escape (featuring Valentina Lisitsa)
12 Arrive

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Converge: Axe to Fall (4.5/5)

Joshua's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2009
#3 of 10


Year: 2009
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Label: Epitaph
TRT: 42:04

While I find it nigh impossible to deny the power and passion of Jacob Bannon and company, they don't always wow me with their delivery.

Jane Doe is a masterpiece, You Fail Me is also a great album, but 2006's No Heroes left me wanting and prevented me from getting too hyped up about a new Converge release.

Well, Axe to Fall has been stuck in my face since I first heard it, and simply refuses to dislodge itself from my head.

The first four tracks are such a whirlwind of fury, I'm slightly scared for my well being and the well being of those around me when it's on, because I find myself with an insatiable desire to RAGE.

After that, things get a bit sludgier and a bit heavier, and while the pace slows down considerably, the intensity certainly doesn't. While there are a couple moments that might drag comparatively, there's nothing egregious and as soon as things pick back up, you'll forget what it was that even bothered you.

While it doesn't surpass Jane Doe, it sure as hell bites and scratches and claws it's way to the same level.

01 Dark Horse
02 Reap What You Sow
03 Axe to Fall
04 Effigy
05 Worms Will Feed
06 Wishing Well
07 Damages
08 Losing Battle
09 Dead Beat
10 Cutter
11 Slave Driver
12 Cruel Bloom
13 Wretched World

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