Metal Mixtape: Best of 2007

I probably heard over 10,000 songs this year. These 11 kept me returning to them. As I age, I find myself gravitating towards song over sound, at least when making year-end lists and other notations for posterity. Sounds come and go, but songs stay. Anyway, sound in metal has become basically moot. It’s hard to imagine sounds faster than Agoraphobic Nosebleed, slower than Khanate, or blurrier than the Crucial Blast roster. Anyone can dial up amp settings, but few have the focus and je ne sais quoi necessary for lasting songwriting. Sequenced and volume normalized for your enjoyment –

Invisible Oranges Best of 2007 [92.3MB .zip]

1. Modern Life Is War – Big City Dream
2. Inked in Blood – Altars
3. Dark Tranquillity – The Lesser Faith
4. Ignitor – March to the Guillotine
5. 3 Inches of Blood – Night Marauders
6. Hacride – Fate
7. Aeon – You Pray to Nothing
8. Watain – Sworn to the Dark
9. Neurosis – Water Is Not Enough
10. Nahemah – Phoenix
11. Long Distance Calling – The Very Last Day