Here we go! Part NINE of my Favorite Albums Series!

I’m just gonna start diving into each album from here on out!

This time – I’m sharing three more of my fav albums!

Gojira – L’enfant Sauvage – 2012

Like many metal heads, ‘Gojira’ came onto my radar with 2005’s ‘From Mars to Sirius’ album which I really, really enjoyed. Saying that, I wasn’t playing it non-stop. When 2008’s ‘The Way of All Flesh,’ arrived, I was blown away and it was played in heavy rotation, ‘Vacuity’ a fantastically heavy tune that really highlighted what the Duplantier brothers were creating. But when 2012’s ‘L’enfant Sauvage’ was released, that album absolutely blew me away and it was quickly cemented into my brain as a personal fav. Every track has a rawness to it, an energy, while also feeling polished and brain melting.

Key tracks – ‘Explosia,’ ‘L’Enfant Sauvage,’ & ‘Liquid Fire.’

Live – Yes! And got to meet the band and hang out! I saw them while they were touring for ‘The Way of All Flesh’ at Richards on Richards in Vancouver. For that show, there were maybe 50 people there. I can’t remember why, but something else was happening that night in Vancouver (perhaps a competing concert) and very few folks were there. But it made for a memorable show and Gojira crushed it.

Buckcherry – Time Bomb – 2001

Now, I know what you’re thinking – Buckcherry? Really?! Yes, really. I’ve always loved Buckcherry’s dirty brand of sleazy rock and roll, but their second album, ‘Time Bomb’ is perhaps the best mix of catchy tunes, hard life lyrics and rollicking good times.

When this album came out, it was met with a lukewarm response, and the band went on hiatus. It bummed me out because I LOVED this album then (and still love it to this day) and didn’t think I’d get more music from Josh and crew and wouldn’t get the chance to see them live. That changed, of course, but if I’m wanting to bang my head and listen to a mad man on vocals rasping about life’s hardships while also just trying to have fun, ‘Time Bomb’ will always be the album I throw on.

Key tracks – ‘Ridin’, ‘Slit My Wrists,’ & ‘Slammin.’

Live – Yes! After they announced their return with 2005’s ’15,’ they announced a Canadian tour, and I saw them at a venue in Langley BC with my guitar player of our band back then. The show was an absolute blast, and the band was firing on all cylinders. At some point I’m definitely wanting to see them live again.

Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor – 2005

Back in 2001 or 2002, I heard a few songs from Nevermore’s album ‘Dead Heart in a Dead World’ and is we solid. I liked it but I didn’t love it. Saying that, lead track, ‘Narcosynthesis’ is one of my all-time fav tunes from the Seattle band. Then, ‘Enemies of Reality’ arrived and I was beginning to dig more and more of what Dane and Loomis were creating. But when 2005’s ‘This Godless Endeavor’ arrived and I heard ‘Born’ for the first time, I knew this album was a behemoth and sure enough, every track slayed. From the surge of the first tune – ‘Born’ – to the epic closer of ‘This Godless Endeavor,’ this album pummels the listener and pummeled me. I can’t begin to estimate how many times I’ve listened to this album since I first heard it, but it’s easily in my top ten most listened to albums its just so very, very good. Their final album before Dane’s death, ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ is also phenomenal, but it just doesn’t catch the grandeur of this one.

Key tracks – ‘Born,’ ‘Sentient 6,’ & ‘This Godless Endeavor.’

Live – Yes! They didn’t come through Vancouver often when we lived down there and whenever they played Seattle dates, it often wouldn’t line up with us being able to see them, but they did appear on Megadeth’s Gigantour tour one year and we got to see them perform live on that and it was a highlight of the entire concert!