The Best of 2008 – Lachlan

The year is nearly fucking over and I am glad. I am done with this year. Despite that pessimism, there have been a few highlights. Doing this AusGrind thang with Matt has been pretty fun as we slowly build up our jerk base.

We really hit our stride this year with Grindhead Records and released some of my favourite albums to date; Gruesome Stuff Relish, Pathology, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace’s amazing full length, Long Pig and Sound of Detestation. We also put on an amazingly successful Slaughterfest II, with the Canberra show selling out at The Basement. Thank you to everyone who helped out or came to a show.

Ebolie recorded a full length album that I am very proud of. Kill A Celebrity managed to put together a split with my favourite chaotic grinders Krupskaya. I got to see Pig Destroyer, Meshuggah, The Mars Volta, Grave, Against Me!, Graf Orlock and many others, and even got to play with the mighty Insect Warfare - twice. Meanwhile local Sydney bands like The Crooked Fiddle Band, Hospital the Musical, The Bakery, Pirate, Squid, Club Consolador and Squat Club reinvigorated my love for the local music scene.

All I want to do with my life is play music and tour, so lets hope 2009 brings more of that. I’m a total fucking narcissist, so while here are my top albums of the year, expect a more verbose bat-off in the next few days with a description of each.

What albums did you guys really enjoy – inside and out of the grind scene? I’m curious.

Lachlan’s top 10 albums for 2008

1. Cult of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
2. Secret Chiefs 3 - Xaphan
3. This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You
4. Gridlink - Amber Gray
5. Venetian Snares - Detrimentalist
6. Meshuggah - Obzen
7. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
8. A Storm of Light - And We Wept the Black Ocean Within
9. Kill the Client - Cleptocracy
10. Ef - I Am Responsible

Lachlan’s top 5 grind albums for 2008

1. Gridlink – Amber Gray
2. Kill the Client – Cleptocracy
3. Agents of Abhorrence – Earth.Water.Sun
4. The Kill – Hate Sessions
5. Phobia – 22 Random Acts of Violence

Lachlan’s top 5 Australian albums for 2008

1. The Bakery – The Bakery and the Beast
2. Pirate – Demo
3. The Kill – Hate Sessions
4. Agents of Abhorrence – Earth.Water.Sun
5. Sleepmakeswaves – In Today Already Walks Tomorrow

The Biggest Disappointments of 2008

Fuck these goddamn safe-playing pandering shitheads - especially bands as fucking innovative and original as the first two. Way to ruin a good thing.

1. Genghis Tron – Board Up The House
2. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works
3. Gronibard – We Are French, Fukk You