Black Crowes: Before the Frost/Until the Freeze

Artist: Black Crowes
Album: Before the Frost/Until the Freeze
Date Released: September 1, 2009
Genre: American trad rock, blues-rock, rock & roll, hard rock, blues
Rating: 8.2

Few people have noticed, but the Black Crowes are awesome again. It all started last year when the veteran band got back together to put out the outstanding War Paint album; the momentum has been carrying them forward ever since.

Witness this year's effort: An ambitious double album of new material recorded in front of a live audience at Levon Helm's barn in upstate New York. The tracks are vintage Black Crowes with distinctive hints of The Band, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan (Chris Robinson sounds downright Dylanesque on "Appaloosa"). And the production values are exquisite; rarely does a live album sound so damn good. Add some incredible performances and strong tracks and you have an absolutely stellar album.

Given their surprising resurgence and reinstated relevancy, the Black Crowes are making a strong case for being one of the best blues-rock bands of all-time.

Them Crooked Vultures: Them Crooked Vultures

Artist: Them Crooked Vultures
Album: Them Crooked Vultures
Date Released: November 17, 2009
Genre: rock, hard rock
Rating: 7.7

There's been a lot of hype surrounding the release of Them Crooked Vultures -- and for good reason: the band is a supergroup consisting of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) [I can't help sing to myself at this point, "These are a few of my favorite things..."].

The band is clearly dominated by its guiding force, that being Homme, who performs all vocal and rhythm/lead guitar duties; the album often feels like it could easily double as a QOTSA effort, but that's not to diminish the contributions of the other two band members. John Paul Jones's rhythmic structures and bass progressions bring late-era Zeppelin to mind, while Grohl continues to show why he's one of the most talented and coveted drummers in the business.

Them Crooked Vultures is raw, nasty and heavy -- exactly what you'd want and expect from these particular guys. Track highlights include "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I", "Elephants", "Scumbag Blues" and "Interlude with Ludes."

Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue

Artist: Alice in Chains
Album: Black Gives Way to Blue
Date Released: September 29, 2009
Genre: hard rock, grunge, alternative metal
Rating: 8.0

With Black Gives Way to Blue, Alice in Chains wins the most surprising album of the year award.

It's fair to say that expectations were justifiability low given that it's been 14 years since their last album and seven years since the untimely death of vocalist Layne Staley. Moreover, given the recent surplus of over-the-hill bands trying -- and mostly failing -- to recapture former glory, it would be easy to dismiss this as another self-serving money-grabbing effort.

But not so fast. Black Gives Way to Blue is a very good album. Jerry Cantrell and company have introduced William DuVall to the team, and while he doesn't have that wounded-animal quality that Staley had, his vocal presence is nonetheless impressive and completely aligned with the band's characteristic gloomy sound. With DuVall onboard, Cantrell can once again arrange those gorgeous harmonies that were an integral part of their sound from a decade ago.

And the songs are great. Right from the opener, "All Secrets Known," the band plays goose-bump inducing grunge that picks up right where they left off. Other track highlights include "Check My Brain," "Your Decision," and "Acid Bubble."

Call me sentimental, but it's great to see this band back together again and sounding so damn good.

Porcupine Tree: The Incident

Artist: Porcupine Tree
Album: The Incident
Date Released: September 15, 2009
Genre: progressive rock, hard rock
Rating: 7.4

Porcupine Tree's The Incident is by no means their best work, but as many PT fans will acknowledge, they're still light-years ahead of most bands working in the prog genre. Though the songs often feel hurried and not fully realized, Steve Wilson's magical studio touches and his ability to weave gorgeous melodies from thin air contribute to a very listenable and hooky 2-CD album.

The Incident's tracks are at times overly sentimental and derivative ("Time Flies" borrows a little too heavily from Pink Floyd's Animals for my liking), but it's hard to not get caught up in the thought provoking lyrics and the teasingly infrequent but infectious chugga-chugga guitar riffing. Track highlights include "Black Dahlia," "The Incident," "Octane Twisted," and "Circle of Manias."

Baroness: Blue Record

Artist: Baroness
Album: Blue Record
Date Released: October 13, 2009
Genre: metal, sludge metal, progressive metal, alternative metal, hard rock
Rating: 8.5

Thunderous and Mastodonesque rockers from Georgia, Baroness have released the follow-up to their 2007 full-length, Red Record. On Blue Record, the band retains its Southern hard-rock sensibility ("Swollen and Halo" would make QOTSA proud) while continuing to lay out tracks that exude power and confidence.

The rhythm guitars are riffy and sludgey while the leads pour out crisp and melodic phrasings. The vocals are a mix of styles, sounding at times like Aaron Turner of Isis (check out the first few lines of the opener, "Bullhead's Psalm") while at others a touch more relaxed and clean. And the drums are unrelenting and fierce, providing the perfect support for the front lines.

Baroness is truly one of the best bands in the business, defying simplistic labels and expectations. Blue Record is a must-have for any lover of heavy and well-crafted music.