2004: The End

Hands down, Green Day’s American Idiot is the first release I mention. A classic disc, AI will stand the test of the time. I anticipate listening to this release plenty more times in 2005. Green Day distance themselves from the band who first achieved their commercial success with a song about masturbation, and move forward. From the in-your-face title track through the somber “Wake Me When September Ends” to the kiss-off that is “Whatsername,” AI is a great release.

For a couple of years, it was uncertain whether Megadeth‘s vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine would ever pick up a guitar again after a nerve injury. After rehabilitation, Mustaine picked up the guitar, lined up some studio hired guns and created a monster of a release called The System Has Failed. The opening images paint a world in chaos, while the closing lyrics are reflective about hoping to become a better man. Mustaine can still play guitar and has achieved a creative high.

I’m putting Fear Factory’s Archetype in my list, but it wasn’t a no-brainer. This is one release that had to grow on me. At face value, it is a comeback CD of sorts, with the bassist switching to guitar and playing a lot of the same type of riffs that their former guitarist played. The more I listen to this release, the more I realize that there is not a single song that slows the momentum. The release is definitely a calculated release as the band progresses, even through the slower “Bite The Hand That Bleeds” through each track with sharp precision. The no-brainer final track “Recess” has become one of my favorite songs in 2004.

Another CD that earned a lot of time in my player was Beyond Surface’s Destination’s End. I’m not into the gothic rock scene and the “life is terrible / I’m so alone” themes that the genre usually employs to get their meaning across. BS combines the aforementioned themes, but couples it with superb musicianship. The songs melt into one another, much in the same way a release like KISS’ Destroyer or AC/DC’s Back In Black sometimes feel like a continuous jam. The cover of “Come Back And Stay” is true to the original and ties up the release nicely.