1998 was the year I left my teenage years behind, it was the year I started my final year at university, it was the year where the number of gigs I went to took a slight downward turn and never really recovered following my most prolific year in 1997. That was probably partly influenced by Middlesbrough Arena, during the mid-90s every Friday you could find 2nd and 3rd division indie (and occasional rock) bands interrupting the indie disco. So either those gigs started fading along with Britpop or it was my interest that was fading as the new bands I was listening to were increasingly coming from the heavier end of the spectrum.
Looking at some of the songs included here, I would definitely have started frequenting Blaises in Middlesbrough more than the Arena, which had a rock/metal room that I preferred as well as another room that was more like the Arena. A lot of my favourite bands from earlier in the decade had either split up or changed, Senseless Things & Faith No More were no more, Max had left Sepultura, Manics and Pearl Jam were on pretty different paths to what hooked me in, so the way was open for something new to come along.
In that respect, three of the best albums of the year were debuts (The Haunted, System of a Down and Carrie), another contender for best album of all time was from a band I'd only discovered a year earlier (Cradle of Filth) and another future favourite band contender introduced themselves (Dark Funeral). It was a line in the sand of sorts in my record collection.
My gig list for the year was only 12-strong, the full list is below:
17/01/98 Catatonia, Derrero (@Middlesbrough Arena)
14/02/98 Catherine Wheel, Feline, Radiator (@Middlesbrough Arena)
11/04/98 Dust Junkys, Bullyrag (@Middlesbrough Arena)
18/04/98 China Drum, Pecadiloes (@Middlesbrough Arena)
28/04/98 Tura Satana, Will Haven, Psycore (@Middlesbrough Cornerhouse)
14/05/98 Symposium, A (@Middlesbrough Arena)
30/05/98 Carrie, Feline (@Middlesbrough Arena)
25/09/98 Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Olivia Tremor Control (@Middlesbrough Arena)
13/11/98 Gold Blade (@Middlesbrough Arena)
20/11/98 Delakota (@Middlesbrough Arena)
04/12/98 Miles Hunt and Malcolm Treece (@Middlesbrough Arena)
14/12/98 Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia (@Newcastle Arena)
Two of the highlights were actually the support slots from Will Haven and A, a blisteringly intense (and very loud) performance from the former and some further familiarisation with the latter to set them on the way to what would end up being 3rd favourite band status. The Manics gig was notable for two things - James introducing Tsunami as 'Toon Army' with it being Newcastle and all and the performance of Clash cover Train In Vain being used later on as a B-side to You Stole The Sun From My Heart.
In terms of my own music, 1998 was a pretty barren year in terms of actually finishing anything, just the one EP from The Personnel completed with my brother. That highlighted two things - I was taking more care with writing the next Beneath Utopia album and also I had less time for such things moving into my final year at university. The Underdog album wouldn't see the light of day until May 99, but moved on leaps and bounds from the two previous releases in songwriting terms, even if the sound was still a bit shoddy.
But back to chart matters, the shortlist was shorter than usual, possibly reflecting the fact that while there were still some great songs released in 1998, they were from a more select cast of characters. This time the only bands that made the list but not the chart were Covenant, A, Pulkas, Spineshank and Sepultura, the latter highlighting that dip in quality after Max's departure.
1. Fear Factory - Resurrection
2. Cradle of Filth - Once Upon Atrocity/Thirteen Autumns and a Widow
3. The Haunted - Chasm
4. Symposium - The End
5. Pearl Jam - Given To Fly
6. The Haunted - Undead
7. Pitchshifter - Genius
8. Korn - Got The Life
9. Napalm Death - The Infiltraitor
10. Dark Funeral - Ravenna Strigoi Mortii
11. Shed 7 - Chasing Rainbows
12. The Haunted - Hate Song
13. Cradle of Filth - Lustmord and Wargasm (The Lick of Carnivorous Winds)
14. Emperor - A Fine Day To Die
15. The Gathering - Liberty Bell
16. Carrie - Breathe Underwater
17. Idlewild - When I Argue I See Shapes
18. The Gathering - Illuminating
19. Cradle of Filth - Beneath the Howling Stars
20. Dark Funeral - The Black Winged Horde
21. Pitchshifter - Please Sir
22. Cradle of Filth - Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
23. Manic Street Preachers - Tsunami
24. Manic Street Preachers - The Everlasting
25. System of a Down - Suite-Pee
26. Bolt Thrower - Powder Burns
27. Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
28. Black Crowes - Kickin' My Heart Around
29. Bolt Thrower - No Guts, No Glory
30. System of a Down - War?
31. System of a Down - P.L.U.C.K.
32. Metallica - Turn the Page
33. Entwined - Shed Nightward Beauty
34. The Haunted - In Vein
35. Hammerfall - Legacy of Kings
36. Pearl Jam - Brain of J
37. Cradle of Filth - Desire in Violent Overture
38. System of a Down - Spiders
39. Manic Street Preachers - Ready For Drowning
40. Cradle of Filth - The Twisted Nails of Faith
41. Korn - It's On
42. Carrie - California Screamin'
43. Catatonia - Mulder and Scully
44. Entwined - Under A Killing Moon
45. The Haunted - Blood Rust
46. Bal Sagoth - Blood Slakes the Sand at the Circus Maximus
47. Hammerfall - Heeding the Call
48. System of a Down - Sugar
49. Rob Zombie - Superbeast
50. The Haunted - Bullet Hole
51. The Haunted - Shattered
52. Nightwish - Sacrament of Wilderness
53. Nightwish - Sleeping Sun
54. Korn - Dead Bodies Everywhere
55. Iron Maiden - The Clansman
56. Cathedral - Voodoo Fire
57. Dark Funeral - Vobiscum Satanas
58. The Haunted - Choke Hold
59. The Gathering - Travel
60. Manic Street Preachers - Nobody Loved You
61. Manic Street Preachers - Prologue To History
62. Cecil - Acres
63. Dark Funeral - Thy Legions Come
64. Carrie - Joseph
65. Catatonia - Road Rage
66. Divine Comedy - National Express
67. The Gathering - Great Ocean Road
68. Dark Funeral - Enriched By Evil
69. Cradle of Filth - Black Metal
70. Silver Sun - I'll See You Around
71. Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar
72. System of a Down - Know
73. Rob Zombie - Dragula
74. Fear Factory - Edgecrusher
75. Soulfly - Eye For An Eye
