So 2009 isn't quite over yet, but here is my top 40 artists chart for the past year, with short explanations for some of the artists:
1
Dark Moor: 569 scrobbles
Still my favorite band, the band that got me into power metal as well as metal in general.
2
Blind Guardian: 489 scrobbles
Maybe a bit artificially high on my charts because of the number of tracks in
Nightfall in Middle Earth, but still deserving of a high spot.
3
Dream Theater: 468 scrobbles
Saw them in July in Asheville, and listened to
Black Clouds & Silver Linings about a million times before the show.
4
Queen: 466 scrobbles
5
Helloween: 398 scrobbles
6
Nine Inch Nails: 390 scrobbles
I probably wouldn't have listened to NIN half as much if it wasn't for the fact that
The Slip is free and
Ghosts I-IV is really cheap. Thanks, Trent.
7
Led Zeppelin: 385 scrobbles
8
Opeth: 349 scrobbles
Everyone should listen to Opeth. Even if you don't like metal.
9
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: 342 scrobbles
Easily the most metal artist on my charts.
10
King Crimson: 298 scrobbles
11
Machinae Supremacy: 263 scrobbles
Another good free album,
Deus Ex Machinae put this artist high on my charts.
12
Extol: 250 scrobbles
Listened to
The Blueprint Dives a lot. If nobody told me, I would never be able to guess that they are the same band that made
Burial, which is also great, but in a completely different way.
13
Tool: 247 scrobbles
14
Lacuna Coil: 245 scrobbles
15
Iron Maiden: 230 scrobbles
16
Holy Blood: 227 scrobbles
Of the bands I started listening to in 2009 for the first time, I think Holy Blood is my favorite. I can't wait to hear
Oskord once they release something...
17
Nightwish: 222 scrobbles
18
Talking Heads: 206 scrobbles
19
Rush: 196 scrobbles
20
Rhapsody of Fire: 190 scrobbles
21
Yes: 188 scrobbles
There used to be an artist image of Chris Squire with a zebra stripe jacket and triple neck bass with a caption that read something like: "Scientists have determined that it is physically impossible to find a picture more prog than this." That always made me laugh.
22
Angra: 185 scrobbles
23
JT Bruce: 164 scrobbles
I have to say something for all the artists with free stuff - JT Bruce is great if you like technical instrumental prog metal. You can download three albums for free on Jamendo, and you can buy his latest (and best) album,
Universica on
his website.
24
Sonata Arctica: 163 scrobbles
25
Tourniquet: 153 scrobbles
26
The Allman Brothers Band: 146 scrobbles
27
Theatre of Tragedy: 142 scrobbles
28
Antonio Vivaldi: 141 scrobbles
I listened to a lot more "classical" music this year than I used to, which is something I'm happy about.
29
Cynic: 138 scrobbles
30
Narnia: 134 scrobbles
31
Ensiferum: 127 scrobbles
Saw them at Volume 11 Tavern in Raleigh in November (my car was hit and had to be towed along the way, forcing us to walk part of the way, but it was worth it).
32
Frédéric Chopin: 120 scrobbles
33
Depeche Mode: 118 scrobbles
34
NESkimos: 112 scrobbles
Their albums have tons of short songs, so they are a bit overrated on this chart. Video game cover bands are one of my guilty pleasures.
35
ZAO: 109 scrobbles
I've had
The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here for years, but it wasn't until 2009 that I really started listening to it a lot. Usually I'm sort of turned off by metalcore, but I think Zao is pretty good regardless of their genre.
36
XOC: 107 scrobbles
Another video game band with lots of short songs and an unusually high number of scrobbles...
37
Black Sabbath: 106 scrobbles
37
VNV Nation: 106 scrobbles
39
Johann Sebastian Bach: 103 scrobbles
40
DragonForce: 101 scrobbles
DragonForce? How did this get here... I guess when their new album came out I listened to it a lot.
2010 predictions:
Jazz Fusion - I've been listening to
Billy Cobham and I'd like to hear more of this. I've always wanted to listen to more Jazz, but I've found it inaccessible. I think I'll enjoy fusion a bit more.
Melodic Death - Since I like Ensiferum and
Blackguard, I'd like to listen to more.
Thrash - I really enjoyed
Gama Bomb (another artist with a free album available on their website), and I've never really explored thrash metal outside of Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth.
Less Power Metal - I'll probably keep listening to Dark Moor, Helloween, Blind Guardian, and the other artists I like, but I'll probably stop looking into new power metal bands in favor of some of the other genres I listed.
Angra
The Course of Nature
