The 2010 Arsies: January 7, 2010

January 7, 2010

Okay, I'll admit it. If I really wanted to, I could just give my bracket a quick once-over, make snap judgments, and come up with a grand prize winner within about 10 minutes. Nothing to it! Forget this heavyweight process of dedicating a day to each mano-y-mano matchup.
Were I to do that, however, I'd miss days like today, when I woke up convinced I knew who was the winner... only to be shocked in the final analysis. I was convinced that the staggeringly fresh mathy goodness of Animals As Leaders would completely annihilate I-can't-believe-they're-still-around veterans Kreator. Oh, but I was very wrong. "Hordes Of Chaos" comes across like a mashup of the best parts of thrashy metal from the last 20 years, blended with a self-assuredness that keeps making me wonder, "Why did I ever stop listening to them?" (That is, until I try listening to anything else they put out in the 90s.)
So, Kreator pulls off a surprise (but not surprising) win! But really, if you haven't heard Animals As Leaders yet, you really owe it to yourself to give it at least one listen. There are no losers in the Arsies. Tomorrow: Nile vs God Forbid. Oh boy!