Best of Heavy Rock 2008 - A Ripple Music Round-up

Since year end lists seem to be the thing to do, and since we've been asked by our good buddy over at Heavy Metal Addiction to see what we could come up with, The Pope and I rummaged through all the heaping slabs of steaming metal and hard rock that Postman Sal had slumped through our office doors this year. Now, since we at the Ripple do things a little differently, focusing on the "Best Music You're Not Listening to," our year end list may look a little different than others. You'll find no Metallica, Motorhead or AC/DC on this list, even though those bands put out some fine releases. Truth be told, those guys don't need us propping up their sound anyways. But give us a group of guys (or girls) pounding it out when the odds are stacked against them, bills are due and the basement is leaking, well, that's our kinda band.

With that all in mind, the choosing was still really hard. We were forced to eliminate some definite favorites for lack of room or not fitting in with the genre (like Ernie Halter, Attack! Attack!, Vanessa Kafka or Amy MacDonald), but here it is, without further ado, the Ripple best of heavy metal/hard rock list of 2008. Just click on the band name to read the review. Argue at your will.


The Pope's List

Braintoy - Vehicles

East of the Wall - Farmer's Almanac

Opeth - Watershed

Byzantine - Oblivion Beckons

Trettioariga Kriget - War Years

Guillotine - Blood Money

Machinery - The Passing

Hollow Corp - Cloister of Radiance

Khold - Hundre Ar Gammel

Enslaved - Vertebrae (review coming)



Racer's List

Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows

Roadsaw - See You in Hell

The Chair - S/T

Brain Police - Beyond the wasteland

Space Probe Taurus - S/T

Bible of the Devil - Freedom Metal (review coming)

Colour Haze - All

Venomin James - Left Hand Man

Dead Man - Euphoria

Ogre - Plague of the Planet




There you have it. The best metal/hard rock you're not listening to. Below, find a list of all the other great sites involved in this fun year end project. Check em all out, agree, disagree, argue and comment. It's all good.

Peace and joy for the New Year!


Heavy Metal Addiction -- http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/

Hard Rock Hideout -- http://hardrockhideout.wordpress.com/

Heavy Metal Time Machine -- http://metalmark.blogspot.com/

Bring Back Glam -- http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/

Rock And Roll and Meandering Nonsense -- http://rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com/

Imagine Echoes -- http://www.imagineechoes.com/

Metal Excess -- http://metalexcess.wordpress.com/

Rock Of Ages -- http://rockofages.wordpress.com/

Layla's Classic Rock -- http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/

The Metal Minute -- http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/

All Metal Resource - http://allmetalresource.com/