So. Why 2008?

Well, first of all, because this site wasn’t around in 2008. I didn’t start even kicking around the idea for it until January 2009, and then it was another month before it was launched. Since that time, 2008 has retained a sense of interest for me personally. There were a lot of records from that year that, if they were coming out now, I’d spend weeks agonizing over the reviews, the interviews, etc., and I guess part of me wanted to post year-end-type stuff for 2008 when this site went up, but I thought it was too late. Now it’s even later and all this time I’ve never really gotten it out of my system.

That’s why 2008. Also because it was an awesome year for records. Deadbird, Colour Haze, Ufomammut, Torche, Apostle of Solitude and Boris all put out killer records that year, as did many others. They’re in here, as is a track from Rebreather‘s last album, Burst‘s last album, Blue Cheer‘s last album with Dickie Peterson, Ancestors‘ first album, Elder‘s first, Graveyard‘s first, and so on. I included some stuff maybe you didn’t get to hear that year — Barr, Vulture, Mills of God, Lords of the North, etc. — as well. Things I would have enjoyed helping to spread the word on at the time if I’d had the opportunity.

I told myself yesterday when I was plotting out the tracklisting that I wasn’t going to go overboard. A list of well over 50 I whittled down to 36 and could slice no further. So 36 tracks it is. Still pretty unreasonable, if you don’t mind me saying. The whole thing totals out at four hours and 10 minutes on the dot, and those of you brave enough to make it that far (my suggestion is stream it front to back on the player above, just to be sure before you download) will be rewarded by spending the last half-hour of that time engulfed by Buried at Sea‘s “Ghost” in its entirety. It’s a long journey to get there, and I hope you’ll find once you do that the trip was worth it.

And some of these bands have new stuff out this year too, so it’s a decent refresher. Ancestors, Ufomammut, Colour Haze (hopefully), Bible of the Devil, Torche and Blood of the Sun have new records on the way, and that’s just off the top of my head. If you need to remind yourself of where they were three years ago, let alone where you were, you could do worse.

As for where you were in 2008, please, if you feel like sharing, I’d love to know. I was working in New York at the soon to be defunct Metal Manics, commuting two hours each way to and from the city every day, mastering the art of knowing which train was going to be on what track at Penn Station so I didn’t have to walk swept up in the crowd of people staring at the tvs in the hallway waiting for the announcement. My first nephew and niece were born that year. The economy collapsed. The guy I voted for won. I was there. I saw the whole thing. This is just a part of it.

Please stream audiObelisk Transmission 025 on the player above. To get the file, click the flyer at the top of this post to go to the download page or simply click here. The full tracklist, as always, is after the jump.

[PLEASE NOTE: These are, unless I screwed up somewhere (and I don’t think I did, but you never know) all 2008 releases, so I left the year out of the tracklisting.

0:04-3:53 Dozer, “The Flood” from Beyond Colossal (Small Stone)

3:53-6:45 Torche, “Grenades” from Meanderthal (Hydra Head)

6:45-10:52 Akimbo, “Great White Bull” from Jersey Shores (Neurot)

10:52-15:13 Lords of the North, “Souls Come Rising” from Lords of the North (Radio Optik)

15:13-31:50 Ancestors, “Neptune with Fire” from Neptune with Fire (Tee Pee)

31:50-35:10 The Kings of Frog Island, “Satanica” from II (Elektrohasch)

35:10-41:07 Bison B.C., “These are My Dress Clothes” from Quiet Earth (Metal Blade)

41:07-48:28 Deadbird, “Rule Discordia” from Twilight Ritual (At a Loss)

48:28-55:15 Ascend, “Ample.Fire.Within” from Ample.Fire.Within (Southern Lord)

55:15-1:00:44 Ufomammut, “Stardog” from Idolum (Supernatural Cat)

1:00:44-1:14:33 Toner Low, “II” from II (Roadkill Rekordz)

1:14:33-1:20:15 Earth, “Rise to Glory” from The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull (Southern Lord)

1:20:15-1:24:51 Scott Kelly, “The Ladder in My Blood” from The Wake (Neurot)

1:24:51-1:27:44 Barr, “Skogsbo is the Place” from Skogsbo is the Place (Sakuntala)

1:27:44-1:32:35 Colour Haze, “Moon” from All (Elektrohasch)

1:32:35-1:37:17 Bible of the Devil, “The Turning Stone” from Freedom Metal (Cruz Del Sur)

1:37:17-1:40:51 Vulture, “Order of the Vulture (A Birdwatcher’s Anthem) from Vulture (Self-released)

1:40:51-1:44:15 Goblin Cock, “Ode to Billy Jack” from Come with Me if You Want to Live (Robcore)

1:44:15-1:47:34 Boris, “Statement” from Smile (Southern Lord)

1:47:34-1:52:10 The Giraffes, “Honest Men” from Prime Motivator (Crustacean)

1:52:10-1:56:56 Blue Cheer, “Rollin’ Dem Bones” from What Doesn’t Kill You… (Rainman)

1:56:56-2:03:47 SuperHeavyGoatAss, “Tonite” from Nemesis (Arclight)

2:03:47-2:08:24 Graveyard, “As the Years Pass by, the Hours Bend” from Graveyard (Tee Pee)

2:08:24-2:14:25 Blood of the Sun, “Rise From the Underground” from Death Ride (Brainticket)

2:14:25-2:18:18 Hermano, “Hard Working Wall” from …Into the Exam Room (Regain)

2:18:18-2:22:24 Nebula, “Dream Submarine” from Heavy Psych (Salt of the Earth)

2:22:24-2:30:06 Fiftywatthead, “Followed by Thunder” from Fogcutter (Signed by Force)

2:30:06-2:37:55 Rebreather, “Migraine” from Sunflower (Nice Life)

2:37:55-2:45:57 Apostle of Solitude, “Confess” from Sincerest Misery (Eyes Like Snow)

2:45:57-2:53:26 Elder, “Ghost Head” from Elder (MeteorCity)

2:53:26-2:57:00 Iota, “We are the Yithians” from Tales (Small Stone)

2:57:00-3:03:19 Across Tundras, “Run with the Wolves” from Western Sky Ride (Saw Her Ghost)

3:03:19-3:11:26 Russian Circles, “Verses” from Station (Suicide Squeeze)

3:11:26-3:18:32 Burst, “We are Dust” from Lazarus Bird (Relapse)

3:18:32-3:40:16 Mills of God, “Monolith” from Call of the Eastern Moon (Modus Operandi)

3:40:16-4:10:00 Buried at Sea, “Ghost” from Ghost (Neurot)

Click here to download audiObelisk Transmission 025

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 11th, 2012 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Podcasts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.