Seeing as it's just newly turned to 2013, it feels a more than satisfactory time to make a 'Top 20 Albums of 2012' list. After a lot of consideration and debate, amongst me, myself and I, I have finally constructed my list.
It was extremely hard as you can imagine. Previously, I did create a list but after assessing it I realised I was a tad too biased towards the hardcore punk material released last year. And now, here is my final draft of 'My Top 20 Albums of 2012'. Enjoy.
20. Moonspell - Alpha Noir 19. Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1
18. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour 17. Gallows - Gallows
16. Indian Handcrafts - Civil Disobedience For Losers 15. Being As An Ocean - Dear G-d
14. Fear Factory - The Industrialist 13. Sylosis - Monolith
12. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life 11. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
10. Lamb of God - Resolution
This album being one of the first major releases of 2012 and under a lot of speculation, Lamb of God have set the tone for 2012 profoundly. As usual, they deliver mind-blowing heavy riffing with the odd solo accompanied with crushing drumming, as heard on Desolation and Invictus. Randy Blythe's spine-shivering vocals are on top form, which allows him to remain one of the most talented vocalists in recent metal history. Not only have Lamb of God gave us what they're great at, but they have also experimented in small parts to broaden the listening ear. For instance, an acoustic intro followed by a rhino-charged riff creates the perfect mosh-pit tune that is Ghost Walking. And King Me rounds off the album perfectly with atmospheric tones, spoken word and grand sounding guitars. All in all, a very satisfying listen.
Check Out: Ghost Walking
9. Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay
Admittedly, this was the first Neurosis album I had completely listened to. But after two listens it really dawned on me the skill of musicianship on this album. I had always been intrigued by this band reading how respected and popular they are. Now, although it may seem a daunting task to listen to this album in one shot (giving that the shortest song is just short of 6 minutes), but once you receive your first hearing you'll be gripped to found out how the album progresses. By using moody guitar tones, mid-to-slow tempo rhythms, some classical instrumentals and synths, it all moulds together creating a very compelling listen. Compelling, but only listen when seeking a complex musical experience.
Check Out: All Is Found... In Time
8. Gojira - L'enfant Sauvage
L'enfant Sauvage, directly translated to Wild Child, is an album that does exactly what it says on the tin. The opening track, Explosia, is an explosion of heavily chugged riffs, heavily shrieked vocals and heavily blasted drums. And the rest of the record is no different... Gojira deliver a bombardment of crazy prog. metal with each track having it's own personality while keeping the set heaviness, resulting in no stand out tracks. With the odd atmospheric bridge linking each breakdown to another, Gojira continue to prove themselves as prog. metal pioneers. It's heavy. It's self-explanatory. It's Gojira.
Check Out: They're all brilliant.
7. Torche - Harmonicraft
Harmonicraft is an album that you could listen to in any mood. It can be heavy, it can be melodic. Torche have given everything you need. The extremely deep guitar tuning works in surprisingly perfect harmony (excuse the pun) with the contradictory high melodic overtones, as heard on Snakes Are Charmed for example. But the album can take a sudden change of direction becoming a sped up array of sludge rock riffs giving you that extra punch of 'Oh yeah'. The vocals are a positively melodic affair, as are the lyrics. For Mastodon and Baroness fans alike, you will relish in the delights of this album and this band. Torche still have a lot more to offer.
Check Out: Snakes Are Charmed
6. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
After the release of their mini-album The North Stands For Nothing back in 2010, we knew While She Sleeps were onto something, but who knew it would be this? Although they set the foundations of their sound within metallic hardcore, While She Sleeps have surprised us all on their debut by becoming more metal than expected yet more experimental as expected also. On this album the band have used thrashy riffs with Taylor's vocals growled on top alongside some piano and atmospheric experimentation with their guitars. Tracks like Dead Behind The Eyes and The Plague of a New Age display how metal they really are, yet tracks such as Seven Hills and Our Courage, Our Cancer, show how melodic and intricate they can also be. For such a young band they are plentiful of mature song writing. But this begs the question, can they top this?
Check Out: Seven Hills
5. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
The melodic punk rockers have done superbly on their third full-length effort, On The Impossible Past. They have stuck with their original song writing ethics, but they have somehow wrote some of the best material they may ever write on this album. It is a very melancholic affair, yet it has opposite effect on you. Instead it picks you up with its uplifting guitar chords and shouted vocals. The lyrics are at large pretty clever, relatable and create very clear imagery. It's a simple, but very effective and infectious album. Tune after tune, you can't help but put this album on repeat basically.
Check Out: Burn After Writing
4. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Deftones are a marmite band, to put it plainly. You either like them, or you don't. And for as anticipated as Koi No Yokan was, it was always going to be an album that fans of Deftones will love. In short terms, they have displayed exactly what they have done in the past but to absolute perfection. It's heavy, it's progressive and it's clever. Chino Moreno and the gang have wrote some of their best stuff here. Swerve City opens the album with a catchy riff guaranteed to keep your ears peeled for more. It can be absurdly heavy too by trying their hand at 'djent' on Poltergeist. Then it develops into atmospheric breaks to keep you alert on Entombed and Gauze. And as always Chino's angelic singing satisfies you more than ever. Deftones, finally escaped the shadows of White Pony, have become a perfection incarnation of themselves on Koi No Yokan.
Check Out: Swerve City
3. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
The pioneers of mathcore/hardcore are back, and they mean business. Their 2001 release, Jane Doe, has been recognised as the pinnacle of their career, up until now that is. All We Love.. grabs your attention from the off and throws you into a black hole of chaos, you may want to get out but you can't! Mathcore is a sub-genre that can be pretty difficult to get to grips of, but Converge have made things easier for you here by layering melodic overtones on top of their signature grinding guitar riffs and drums. Converge have always produced good music, but this takes them back to the absolute forefront of metal and rock music once more. All We Love We Leave Behind at the very least equals that of Jane Doe, if not surpasses it.
Check Out: Trespasses
2. Meshuggah - Koloss
Arguably the most influential band of the last two decades, Meshuggah are back. Following up on 2008's full-length, obZen, they have continued their journey down into the depths of guitar tuning. They are back with their famously known deep guitar riffs (deepest sound in the universe second only to the sound waves of black holes), time signatures sometimes too difficult to follow and Kidman's robotic growls. All the tracks, but best noted, Marrow and Demiurge, deliver catchy heaviness enough to shatter the Earth's crust. And through the constant heavy weaponry, the album comes to a tranquil conclusion on The Last Vigil, perfect to reattach your ears to without fear of being harmed. By the sounds of things it's everything you need from a Meshuggah record, however there is some sort of refreshing feel to it all. It may have been recorded in one of the members getaway homes, but the production levels are some of the best you'll ever experience. It's the best Meshuggah record to date. Simple as.
Check Out: Marrow
And now for my Top Album of 2012, it goes to...
1. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
Yes, the Canadian hardcore punk quartet that is Cancer Bats. From the moment I first heard this album I knew it would be an incredibly hard task for anyone to top it. It's shoves you into a pissed off, 'Fuck you' type of mood with R.A.T.S. as the albums opener. Liam Cormier's vocals sound like a fucked off shrieking wolf which accompany Scott Middleton's riffs with perfection. The riffs on this record are just immense. And as for one of their singles, Road Sick, it just takes the album to a whole other level. Although it may come across as very melodic, it is still very much a punk record. I need not explain this band and record any further, you'll understand when you hear it.
Check Out: Road Sick
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this review. I hope you enjoyed it and, as you should know, any feedback is well appreciated.
Stewart Toner.
No comments:
Post a Comment