The new Code songs sound pretty good--a definite improvement over their debut, which I found really tedious--but I still don't know if it deserves to be called avant-garde. It has nice atmosphere, but I don't hear anything very experimental in there.

Yeah, the new code doesn't sound promising. Least of which the newest one, "Possession is the Medicine", which is basically a tasteless "blackened thrash" song

To me so far only one new Code song has the potential to surpass the first album, we will see...
On the other hand, for the unaware, there's a new song on Bergraven's myspace profile and it rocks!

When I think about it, I'm unsure whether it would even be appropriate to call the first CODE album avantgarde. It's incredibly unique in atmosphere, and even more awesome. I've only listened to the first song they posted, "let's get skeletal - necro spiritual"; the opening riff didn't do much for me but the chorus sent shivers down my spine.


and yeah, Bergraven finally tried doing some promotion for the new album, maybe it will be released soon to! I saw the test press of the vinyl (the cd will come later) and it's bloody beautiful. the album's great too, rediscovered it recently.

Now I am in expectance of Mine[thorn] album called Junkhive Noir, release date is April 20th. I hope it'll please me more then last Axis of Perdition.

powaviolence = Camille?

I have not been here in a long time. I'm catching up on classic releases this year, except for getting the new Fen record. Still very cozy in here...

I think that from 2009 so far I like:
Code, Madder mortem, Portal, Maudlin of the well and Cheer-accident.
So...that's it!

Ah, is the new PORTAL out? Haven't heard it yet! A list of what I've enjoyed 2009 so far (still haven't heard new KRALLICE, PORTAL, ORGAN:, IRM etc):

NARR
ALUK TODOLO
BERGRAVEN
PESTE NOIRE
ABSU
AVA INFERI
AMESOEURS
MADDER MORTEM
KATHARSIS
MAUDLIN OF THE WELL
CODE
DECREPIT SPECTRE
SUNN 0)))
DIAMATREGON
VOIVOD
KLABAUTAMANN

That is, a decent album year, methinks! Probably a lot I've missed, esp. in more mainstream extreme metal (NILE for example).

Gotta add HAVOHEJ to that of course!

oh, havohej, what a blasphemic madness...
I liked Maudlin, Code and Madder mortem a lot. Portal is out or in the least it leaked and I like it, quite accesible and enjoyable album.
Peste noire I found awful and Klabautamann average but I have to give Klabautamann some more spins... my nr. 1 so far are Cheer-accident, album fear draws misfortune. Great Avant-prog album.

I am looking forward to new Solefald, Present (!), Gorguts, Drottnar, Doctor Nerve, Pin-up went down, Pryapisme, Subterranean masquerade, Bubblemath and some other albums. However many of them will be probably postponed to 2010

I have to say that after a while, I got a bit bored by Klabautamann. I'm sorry Tentakel, but to me they sound more or less like a German ENSLAVED.

CHEER-ACCIDENT you say? Any details on that you can share (origin, label, title etc)?

If you are talking about 'Merkur' I must say that the similarities with Enslaved are very obvious at begin but then they fade out, and there's much more in there than mere Enslaved, I think. They follow different paths to achieve the same, could be an explanation.
Anyway, for me it is Woburn House the band that won 2009 in the Zeitgeister league. Their album is simply fresh and new for me, something very needed that came to me out of nothing.
And yes, the <code> album turned out to be succesful, I'm, still listening to it and so need to buy it asap.
Also I must talk about Secrets of the Moon, who have made an awesome album again, although it is much more dense than Antithesis so this time it's a bit more boring for me, but very good and within expectations (by the ground floor, though).

Soon we will have to start a 2010 thread in which we still are waiting for some of the albums that were spoken in this very thread at start, together with new Virus(!!!), Gruenewald, Mothlite and a lot more for sure. 2010 could be as good as 2009, do you think so?

Ava Inferi - Blood Of Bacchus
Behemoth - Evangelion
Code - Resplendent Grotesque
Grave Miasma - Exalted Emanation
Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest

There are quite a few albums albums that need additional spins but the above are the best so far.

Æthenor - Faking Gold & Murder http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =469496383
Methadrone - Better Living Through Chemistry http://www.myspace.com/methadrone
Nadja - Under The Jaguar Sun http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =501579522
Pyramids With Nadja – s/t http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =505429369
Bloody Panda - Summon
Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore - Mitleid Lady EP
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Here Be Dragons
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Mutations EP
Kronos Quartet – Floodplain
Ossein - Führer http://www.myspace.com/ossein
Sparklehorse and Fennesz - In the Fishtank
Rome – Flowers From Exile
A Hawk and A Hacksaw – Délivrance
The Builders And The Butchers - Salvation is a Deep Dark Well http://www.myspace.com/thebuildersandthebutchers
Unto Ashes - The Blood of My Lady
The Dutchess And The Duke - Sunset / Sunrise http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... d=13746252
Woods - Songs of Shame http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... d=12362469
Dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion http://www.myspace.com/dredg
Junius – The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist http://www.myspace.com/junius

Are we going to do the voting for the best 2009 albums? I'm really interested which 10 will be chosen