Yeah, another year has come and gone, oh dear where did the time go, blabbity-blah-blah - you've heard it all. But this article isn't just about what you've heard - it's about what we've heard down here in the FEARnet Music Catacombs in the wild and wacky year 2008 - and what you should have heard, if you've been paying attention to these pages. If you haven't, you've got another appointment with the spanking machine, and I'm turning it to eleven this time.

The lights may be kinda dim down here, and there are some lingering smells we still can't identify, but we at least have excellent acoustics - and we've picked up some pretty awesome frequencies from the world of music over the course of 2008. Everyone who travels Ye Olde Interwebs knows that lists rule... Hence, year-end summation time! And since we're all kissing off another year, we thought it would be all nice and poetic to narrow the list down to our 8 favorite evil '08 events in the world of Spooky Tunes. Ain't we just the cutest?

So here we go, in no particular order...

Apocalyptica: Worlds Collide Tour, Summer 2008

This one's close to your writer's withered old heart, as I've played the cello for more than half my life and always dreamed of the day when the words "cello" and "moshpit" would no longer be mutually exclusive. But that said, I never imagined the levels of total metal destruction that this Finnish group manages to achieve with each and every show, album and video. Worlds Collide marked a crossover of sorts for the band - the single "I'm Not Jesus" (with vocals by Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor) helped a lot toward this goal, and for good reason: it's a compelling track with an unforgettable chorus hook and raw power to spare.

When I covered the Worlds Collide Tour, I thankfully came away with only minor injuries and two important memories: first, the guys are really cool, laid-back and accessible to their fans, and genuinely in love with all music. Second, you just will not believe how much four guys with antique classical instruments can rip the skin right off ya.

Repo! The Genetic Opera Premieres

R-rated horror musical? Been there, thank you Sweeney Todd. R-rated sci-fi horror musical? Yup, Rocky Horror, check. R-rated sci-fi horror/splatter musical with alumni from Buffy and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, the Skinny Puppy dude, and that hot singer from all the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals? It feels like Darren Lynn Bousman just filmed my wildest dreams, then took a brief detour into one of my nightmares to pick up Paris Hilton - you know, just to keep me grounded.

But seriously, folks? this is not the kind of movie you see every day, and for that reason alone it?s a memorable moment in musical cinema... not to mention this film has enough songs in it for about three of your average musicals (at one point there were supposed to be 64 songs in total, but I think they ended up with just over half that), and Bousman's initial ?roadshow? promotional campaign strategy was refreshing, reminding me of the old exploitation flicks of yore. Totally weird and unique, and I'm looking forward to adding the DVD to my collection in January.

Daemonia Share "Melodies of Horror" with FEARnet

It was the thrill of a lifetime to chat with the band founded by Goblin's own Claudio Simonetti - an outfit that managed to transcend their early reputation as the definitive Goblin cover band to become one of the most beloved cult metal acts in Europe. After their truly awesome collaboration with Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth for the closing-titles theme from Dario Argento's La Terza Madre (and I don't care what the haters say, I loved the hell out of that movie, and Claudio's music in particular), the band is at last returning to the studio for what bassist Federico Amorosi told me will be entirely original (i.e. non-Goblin) material.

I for one would have been satisfied to hear Daemonia replay horror movie tunes for the next ten years, but I know they've got skills just waiting to be tapped for all new songs, and frankly I can't wait for what's coming. We don't know too many details yet, but we've got our fingers, toes and several other body parts crossed in anticipation...

Nine Inch Nails' One-Two Punch: Ghosts & The Slip

Okay, technically this is two entries, but they came so close together it caught me (and most of the world) totally off-guard... and besides, this is my article, dammit!

Since band founder Trent Reznor parted ways with Interscope records on less than ideal terms (I took Trent's little "my label is shit, go steal this album" onstage rant as a hint that something was amiss), the world waited tensely for what would come next... and they still weren't prepared for what finally emerged. First came Ghosts I-IV, a two-hour epic double album comprised entirely of instrumentals. Fickle half-fans who just wanted to hear Trent remake The Downward Spiral over and over again were flabbergasted; lovers of pure, raw, uninhibited music for its own sake (like say, yours truly) were delighted. Not only that, he let folks download the entire first volume for free.

And while we were still reeling from the shock, out came another entire album, The Slip... and this baby was available for download entirely free of charge. Gratis. Complimentary. Yup. It pretty much rendered any critical nitpicking irrelevant (except for those who aren't happy unless they're bitching about something), but even at full CD price this one would have been a keeper. The "Lights in the Sky" tour that followed (and which continues into next year) turned out to be one of the band's most ambitious and epic productions in their long history... and according to Trent, it might be their last. So go see them wherever you can in 2009, for their kind shall never grace this earth again.

Twilight Soundtrack Album

Although not quite groundbreaking in musical terms, this album is significant as part of the Stephenie Meyer-spawned teen book behemoth - which began, of course, with Twilight and continued with three more books, a mega-blockbuster rivaling that of the Caped Crusader himself, and more adaptations in the pot. It was almost pointless to review a CD that virtually every 14-year-old girl in North America had already committed to purchasing before the label had signed a single artist, but hey, it's about cool teen vampires, and I'm not quite as stupid as I look, so I secured a copy. Now here's the scary part: I was actually impressed.

Frankly, I'd expected an emo-fest of epic proportions... but instead found a collection of really unique and thoughtful tracks, many by independent artists with distinct style and character. I was also pleased to find that vamp kid Rob Pattinson is a really good singer - I'm almost disappointed that any success he might have as a recording artist will be unfairly construed as riding the coattails of his movie-star status... but nevertheless, if he puts a record out, I'll take a listen.

Talkin' Tunes (and Flicks) with Midnight Syndicate

The quintessential "Halloween Band" - with almost perennial CD releases that have become an integral part of spooky events large and small - always seemed a natural for these pages, but this year marked an ambitious new venture for band founder Edward Douglas: the completion of the first Midnight Syndicate feature film, The Dead Matter (which is slated for an early 2009 release). The band teased anticipating fans with a kind of "pre-soundtrack" album, Cemetery Gates, but there will also be an official score CD following the film's release, so expect lots of Syndicate scoops very soon.

Amid the increasing buzz surrounding The Dead Matter, I saw the perfect opportunity to talk to Ed about the band's creative history, their inseparable association with our favorite holiday, and their additional plans for the future. He didn't disappoint, and gave us some fascinating insights into a band whose music has now become inseparable from your favorite Halloween spookhouse experience.

Moonspell: Night Eternal

Portugal's premier sorcerers of Gothic metal just get better and better with each new release. I thought they'd never top 2006's Memorial, but after realizing that I'd put the tracks "Shadow Sun" and "Age of Mothers" on an endless repeat loop in my iPod and refused to listen to anything else for nearly a week, I finally had to admit to myself that Night Eternal was on the verge of unseating my old favorite.

By the way, if Night Eternal grabs your attention, you'll be glad to know the band's long-awaited DVD release Lusitanian Metal is out now, and it promises to be the ultimate chronicle of the band?s dark history. Naturally, you'll hear all about it on these pages very soon.

Bauhaus's Swan Song: Go Away White

Another bittersweet moment in the history of dark rock came with the release of the legendary UK band's final album - their first since 1983, and born from the success of a series of reunion tours (including one with Nine Inch Nails in 2006). Sadly, their reunion was short-lived, as their time spent touring again reminded them of why they didn't get along in the first place. But they gave their fans one last parting gift in the form of Go Away White - and despite a few rough spots, it's a fitting coda to a career that became the soundtrack of life and undeath for two-plus generations of Goth ghouls. I'll miss you blokes... but even if your future as a band is as dead as Bela Lugosi, your legacy will live forever - like the Count himself - in beautiful gloom.

There's already buzz aplenty on the music scene for 2009, with new albums ready to drop from bands like Combichrist, Mastodon, Napalm Death, Heaven & Hell, Rammstein, Cannibal Corpse and Mushroomhead... plus the upcoming release of the Midnight Syndicate movie The Dead Matter, and lots more on the horizon that I can't remember at the moment because I'm just so freakin... tired... but never mind that.

All I'm asking Satan Claus for this year is a little well-deserved holiday rest, 'cuz I expect the catacombs to be buzzin' with more than just the usual flies in 2009.

Until then... Rock Like Hell!