At least in my crazy country, Thanksgiving is a pivotal day in the year. Today, people who are lucky eat too much in the company of friends and/or family. Tomorrow, people begin spending money they don’t have on presents people don’t need. And today also begins the countdown to the end of the year. From now ’til then, people take stock of the year and begin making lists of the best and worst that the year has brought us.
In the world of metal, that means lists of the best albums (and sometimes the worst). Back in 2009, when this site was just an ugly, smelly baby a few days old, I wrote a post about year-end lists and why people bother with them. The best reason still seems to be this: Reading someone else’s list of the albums they thought were the year’s best is a good way to discover music you missed and might like.
We don’t do an “official” NCS year-end “best albums” list. It’s just too damned much work, and I’m allergic to work. Fortunately, we have some other regular contributors who have more energy, and we’ll be publishing their year-end lists in December. We’ll also be publishing the year-end lists that major metal publications and “big platform” web sites are compiling; we started doing that yesterday with DECIBEL magazine’s list of 2012’s Top 40 Albums.
We’re also inviting some other folks to give us their lists in the form of guest posts for this site. And we’ll also have our annual list of the extreme metal songs we thought were the most infectious of the year. Soon, I’ll post an invitation for your song suggestions.
But we ain’t stopping there. If YOU have made your own list of the best metal albums you heard this year, we want to see it. Because we’re fucking nosy like that. (details about this invitation are after the jump . . .)
Here’s the deal: In the Comments to this post, or in an e-mail to me (islander@nocleansinging.com), give us your own list of the metal albums you’ve heard in 2012 that you thought were the best. It doesn’t have to be a specific number — doesn’t have to be a “Top 10″ or “Top 20″ list, it could be a Top 2 list.
And it doesn’t have to be a cross-genre list, i.e., the best of all metal you’ve heard this year. It could be the best hardcore albums you heard, or the best death metal, or the best black metal, or the best grind, or the best folk metal, or the best reggae metal, or the best prog, djent, or whatever-core, or the best rap metal — pretty much whatever you want to do and feel comfortable doing, as long as it fits your definition of metal.
Don’t be shy, and don’t worry about being judged. It ain’t our style to criticize or poke fun at what someone else thinks is great metal. Leave us your lists here or send them to me and I’ll put them in the Comments without identifying you by name, if you prefer anonymity. We’ll use this post as a collecting point for people interested in finding new metal that other NCS readers thought were great.
If you don’t have a list ready yet, no sweat, because you can come back to this post whenever you like and add your list later — or comment on the lists others have posted. I’ll put a link to this post at the top right side of every page so people can find it quickly — look for the link to NCS READERS’ YEAR-END LISTS.
Finally, if you’re willing to put your list in the form of a guest post, with some kind of description of the music and/or explanations of why you think the music is the best you heard, send it on to me by e-mail. Adding links to album covers would be nice, too, but not essential. I can’t promise I’ll post all guest submissions — I have to retain some minimal discretion about these things — but I did post every guest submission I received in response to my early-November invitation, so there’s that.
So start thinking and start commenting (please, and thank you).
64 Responses to “LISTMANIA: AN INVITATION”
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I need to start on my list and it will be a top 20. Names of bands that will be there: Gojira, Enslaved, Weapon, 7 Horns 7 Eyes, Aborted, Grand Supreme Blood Court, Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Ihsahn, probably Incantation, just to name a few.
I am very much willing to do this 😀
I’m still polishing it up, but I’ve got most of a top 40 list done.
I am still compiling my list, not even sure what has been released this year, and what i’ve just discovered this year. Also waiting for a couple of releases still.
I’m almost set with a top 40, but it still needs a few tweaks.
Count me in (at least to post a list in the comments), though I’ll probably be finalizing my list sometime around Christmas.
That’s cool. Our year-end list posts are going to run into next year anyway.
“it could be a Top 2 list.”
Lol. Perfect jab at me.
1. Testament-Dark Roots of Earth…The title track is amazing
2. Pig Destroyer- Book Burner
3 Converge- All we love we leave behind
4 Deftones-Koi No Yokan
5 Everytime I Die- Ex Lives
6 7 Horns 7 Eyes-Throes of Absolution
7. Gojira -L’Enfant Sauvage
8. The Chariot-One WIng
9 Revocation- Teratogenisis
10 Demon Hunter- True Defiance…yeah I know people either love them or really hate them. I love em
I got a real weak spot for Demon Hunter, too. Part of it is probably my Seattle bias at work, but I go way back with that band’s music and I’ve had a hell of a time at every show of theirs I’ve attended.
Top 20, not in any particular order:
Alcest-Les Voyages De L’Ame
Anaal Nathrakh-Vanitas
Carach Angren-Where The Corpses Sink Forever
Enslaved-RIITIIR
Gorod-A Perfect Absolution
Krallice-Years Past Matter
Ne Obliviscaris-Portal Of I
Oak Pantheon-From A Whisper
Panopticon-Kentucky
Secrets Of The Moon-Seven Bells
Anathema-Weather Systems
Between The Buried And Me-The Parallax II: Future Sequence
Devin Townsend-Epicloud
Neurosis-Honor Found In Decay
Planks-Funeral Mouth
Sinistro-Sinistro
The Omega Experiment-The Omega Experiment
Cloudkicker-Fade
Converge-All We Love We Leave Behind
Godspeed You! Black Emperor-‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
I like this list a lot. It’s got a bunch of my favorites on it, plus some albums I’ve missed — Sinistro and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Top twenty list will be worked up and sent out as soon as I get back from out of town (shouls have brought my laptop). Will also have mu very late, but not forgotten guest post sent to you as well
In no particular order:
Acyl – Algebra
Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
Mencea – Pyrophoric
Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I
Be’lakor – Of Breath and Bone
Khonsu – Anomalia
Allegaeon – Formshifter
also thrashed the Aegeon ‘Being’ EP quite a bit, a short offering but hopefully heralds more to come.
Found I couldn’t quite get into new Sylosis, Fear Factory, Meshuggah… they’re all well and good, but just missed something for me.
FYI, in case you missed it, Aegaeon put out a full-length in 2011. It’s more deathcore-sounding than “Being,” but probably the best deathcore release I’ve ever heard. Lots of death, just enough core.
That sir I did not know. ‘Lots of death, just enough core’. Lol, love that description, I’ll have to check this out
Deftones – Koi No Yokan
The Faceless – Autotheism
Atoma – Slylight
Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
Anathema – Weather Systems
Ihsahn – Eremita
Nachtmystium – Silencing Machine
Endevor – 296 Above Parallels
Ankhagram – Thoughts
Pseudogod – Deathwomb Catechesis
Two more I missed from two new names (at least for me) — Endever and Ankhagram.
I won’t be choosing a single album of the year since that’s stupid, but the ones I enjoyed the most are:
Gorod – A Perfect Absolution (brilliant tech death from France, super layered and catchy as fuck)
Spawn of Possession – Incurso (ridiculously complex)
Nomega – Deimos (psychedelic/stoner instrumental rock from Romania, #1 surprise of the year for me)
Muknal – S/T (horrific cosmic death metal from the US, shame that it’s so short)
Horseback – Half Blood (amazing album mixing black metal, post-rock, drone and Americana twangy blues)
Graveyard – Lights Out (duh)
Witchcraft – Legend (loved it)
Veil of Maya – Eclipse (djent/deathcore, I have no idea why I keep listening to it, but it buried itself inside my brain)
I still have a fuckload of listening to do, though, so it is all subject to change.
I’m particularly intrigued by the Nomega, partly from your description and partly because I’ve had really good luck with Romanian metal this year.
(Sorry for the wall of text. I was bored)
Top 2. These are in their own class – beyond music. Much like Emperor and Primordial, i don’t listen to them, as much as experience them.
Woods of Ypres – Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light
Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I
Other good ones. The original had some 40 albums on it, but i managed to cut it down a bit.
The Faceless – Autotheism
– This was a surprise. Aren’t The Faceless supposed to be shitty deathcore, not awesome prog?
Blodhemn – Holmengraa
– Briliant debut from this amazing one man band. Its nothing too original, but he captures the spirit of Norway.
It has ALOT of elements similar with Taake, and you can hear inspiration from Darkthrone and Mayhem.
There is even one part of “Thingvellir” wher Blodhemn stops existing, and transform into Immortal. Part of that song IS Immortal.
Cobolt 60 – The Grim Defiance
-Ripping, filthy, hateful, misantrophic Black Thrash onslaught. What more do you need? Just turn it up and Hammer The Creationist!
Moongod – Aeternam
-Melodic Death Metal with a very Eastern sound. Like a mix between Ex Deo and Melechesh.
Catchy, with good and interesting riffs and some clean vocals. They use some sampling, but don’t rely on keyboards.
The melody comes from the songwriting and guitar, the epic comes from samples
The Forsaken – Beyond Redemption
-Another Melodeath band doing it right. They are swedish, but not of the gothenburg school. If anything they sound like Amon Amarth.
They don’t use keyboards, but instead rely upon a dual guitar attack to create melody.
Many of todays Melodeath bands are in reality just power metal with growling. This is melodic DEATH METAL. You can almost smell the Entombed.
Lich King – Born Of the Bomb
-Hey guess what, bitch, they’re back! This is fun, pure and simple. Supreme riffing. Great vocals, Hilarious lyrics. (see Fan Massacre and We Came to Conquer)
Maybe other bands play
and maybe Manowar kills
But none of that shit matters
Lich King rules
Exumer Fire & Damnation
-After 25 years we fianlly have a new album from thrash legends Exumer. I think they must have been in a coma or something, because they obviously think its 1988.
They pick things up right where they left off, only more angry. Thrash album of the year.
Windfærer – solar EP
-Not sure what to say about this, its just awesome. Epic soaring riffs, thundering drums and furious vocals, come together and create something awesome. Atmosphere.
Runner Ups – most of them haven’t gotten the attention they deserve – yet..
Carach Angren -Where the Corpses Sink Forever
Kreator -Phantom Antichrist
Cripper – Antagonist
Bio-Cancer – Ear Piercing Thrash
Cryptopsy -Cryptopsy
Master -The New Elite
Ex Deo -Caligvla
Anaal Nathrakh -Vanitas
Kamelot – Silverthorn
Ragnarok – Malediction
Causemos – Infinite Event EP
Loch Vostok – V The Doctrine Decoded
rage nucleaire – unrelenting fucking hatred
Saturnian – Dimensions
Khonsu – Anomalia
Catuvolcus – Gergovia
Yet to listen to, but i know they will impress :
Dark Forest – Land of the Evening Star
Nidingr – Greatest of Deceivers
Faustcoven – Hellfire and Funeral Bells
Finsterforst – Rastlos
Nice list. Bio-Cancer is pretty interesting stuff- just stumbled on them a week or so ago. The guys in Vektor just endorsed the new Lich King for (possibly) thrash album of the year last night on their facebook page and stirred up a bit of butthurt from haters of “retro-thrash” (a term that I hate). It got me to check them out.
It has been a pretty good year for thrash in general, with Kreator, Destruction, Tankard, Lich King, Overkill, Exumer, Municipal Waste, Cobolt 60,Nekromantheon(I see now i forgot them in my list!) Aura Noir, Cripper, Kill Ritual, Tantara, Memorain, Sonic Pulse, Vindicator, Die Hard, Vesen, Dust Bolt, Testament, Dublin Death Patrol, Attomica!, Suicidal Angels, Hexen, West of Hell, Bonded by Blood, Algebra, M-pire of Evil, Ketzer, Bio – Cancer, Angelus Apatrida, Havok, Game Over, Desaster all releasing an album or EP this year.
Sure, not all of them are great, but most of em were!
Wow, Desaster was the best of the bunch for me, but I haven’t heard all of the ones you listed- there’s definitely still a few I’m interested in. Ketzer and Aura Noir were also high quality, and I want to throw in Bestial Holocaust as another black/thrash hybrid that deserves some attention.
Great list, again with lots of new discoveries for me — and I appreciate the commentary about your main picks.
The Forsaken….damn, that’s a name I haven’t heard since the early 00’s. Back in my college days, I used to rock the fuck out to Manifest of Hate. I had no clue they were still a band, much less had a new album out. I will have to give it a spin. Thanks for the heads up.
1. Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanities
This is easily my favorite of the year. Everything else below is kind of all in second place. Your Disposal and Lifestalker and perfect songs in my book and Travis Ryan has grown to be one the best and unique heavy metal vocalists out there.
2. Dysrthythmia – Test of Submission
Another mind-melting release from my favorite instrumental trio. Running Towards the End is one of the band’s best songs in a career full of great tunes.
3. Royal Thunder – CVI
Not my usual cup of tea, but something about this album has sucked me in. I have a sneaking submission it has something to do with the stellar lady vocals. I love me some lady vocals.
4. Devin Townsend – Epicloud
The album delivered on the promise given by the title, 100%
5. Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind
6. BTBAM – Parallax II
I think this is an improvement upon ‘The Great Misdirect’, but still not the perfection of ‘Colors’. Though, ‘Telos’ and ‘Lays Your Ghost to Rest’ are all time best material from the band.
7. Murder Construct – Results
One of my favorite metal moments this years, is the point in ‘Compelled by Mediocrity’ where Travis is belting ” BORN TO SUCK”.
8. Gojira – L’enfant Sauvage
9. Pig Destroyer – Book Burner
10. The Faceless – Autotheism
That’s a very diverse list. My only comment is to say that I had trouble getting deep into the new Dysrthythmia, despite the fact that they’re a band with incredible instrumental talent. Maybe I started listening to it in the wrong frame of mind, but it was so unhinged that I pulled up short before finishing it.
This has been a hell of a year. I can’t get a list cut below 20, our beloved genre has just become too diverse. I’d also like to mention that mine is no attempt at a “best of” but merely personal favorites. In alphabetical order:
Abyssal – Denoument
Amon – Liar In Wait (The triumphant return of the Hoffman brothers)
Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas
Black Breath – Sentenced To Life
Cannibal Corpse – Torture
Burzum – Umskiptar (Varg is a shitty human but his last three albums really chill me out)
Cara Neir – Sublimation Therapy
Cattle Decapitation – Monolith Of Inhumanity
Charon – Sulphur Seraph: The Archon Principle
Goatwhore – Blood For The Master (You all know you love it)
High On Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis (Candidate for infectious song list: King Of Days ?)
Hour Of Penance – Sedition
Marduk – Serpent Sermon
Ne Obliviscaris – Portal Of I
Okera – A Beautiful Dystopia
Panopticon – Kentucky (Holy shit, I never saw this coming)
Sylosis – Monolith
Temple – On The Steps Of The Temple
Whitechapel – Whitechapel (This album will crush you on a good bass system)
Wound Upon Wound – Wound Upon Wound
GOATWHORE! (I just had to say that.)
It definitely had to be said 😉
Also, I have missed these releases on your list: Abyssal, Amon, Cara Neir, Charon, and Temple. Seems I have some catching up to do.
I think you’ll enjoy them all.
I figured I’d get the most accurate list if I simply looked at what I listened to most (only slightly corrected for how long an album has been available; 10 spins in two months is better than in 10 months). Thus I find the following bands:
Allegaeon – Formshifter
Be’lakor – Of Breath And Bone
De Lirium’s Order – Veniversum
Haemic – Fields Of Sanguine
Hideous Divinity – Obeisance Rising
Konkeror – The Abysmal Horizons
Obscura – Illegimitation
Of these, I return to Haemic and Konkeror the most, followed by Allegaeon and Be’lakor. The former two really deserve some more attention (though both were featured here at NCS; I thank you for that).
A word of mention is required for De Lirium’s Order – Veniversum, with two near-perfect tracks (Autistic Savant, My Kingdom From Baekdu); it’s a pity they decided to put that last song in the package as well, it really destroys the ambience from My Kingdom.
Glad you liked Fields of Sanguine. Did you get a CD?
Gotta say, I am SUPER fuckin’ shocked that Dragged Into Sunlight’s “Widowmaker” has not popped up on some more of these lists. I’m still plotting mine…
Excuse me while I slip in some thoroughly non-kvlt selections (and maybe a couple kvlt ones, too).
Ne Obliviscaris – “Portal of I”
Easily my album of 2012. Like, no contest, man. This is lifetime top 10 material for me.
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo – “Tree of Tongues”
Mathcore with a sense of fun. It’s like Dillinger met the Deftones. Speaking of..
Deftones – “Koi No Yokan”
Up there with “White Pony” and “Diamond Eyes” in my estimation.
Art by Numbers – “Reticence: The Musical”
Showy guitar runs, stratospheric vocals, a song with a swing beat … the prog is strong in this one.
Between the Buried and Me – “The Parallax II”
Yep.
Converge – “All We Love We Leave Behind”
“Jane Doe” fans get ready for it …. I think this is the best Converge album.
Stolen Babies – “Naught”
It hasn’t quite grabbed me like their debut, but a lot of good songs, and I didn’t see this on any of the other lists and felt it deserved the love.
Numbers – “Numbers”
Far too metalcore for most tastes, but the zany genre leaps and massive melodic moments really hit me. It’s only an EP, but I’m keeping an eye on these dudes.
Periphery – “Periphery II”
An across the board improvement on their first record, featuring some of the catchiest tunes of the year.
The Odious – “Joint Ventures”
This actually hasn’t come out yet, but if they make good on their claims of releasing in December, it will belong on my list for sure.
Nope, no kvlt ones. I was wrong.
I’ve got mine narrowed down to 25 or so, and that’s skipping all the “big name” releases which I’m not going to put in the list (Korpiklaani, Enslaved, etc). I expect it will be done sometime around Easter.
Perfect. Just in time for our Easter supplement to the Best of 2012 lists. I’m aiming to have my 2011 list done by then.
Certainly not in any order indicative of quality or preference, these are the albums that I can remember right now that tickled my prostate (aurally-speaking, of course) this year so far:
1. Ohio Sky – Curses
2. Torche – Harmonicraft
3. Cancer Bats – Dead-Set On Living
4. Black Breath – Sentenced to Life
5. Meshuggah – Koloss
6. Baroness – Yellow & Green
7. Jack White – Blunderbuss
8. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…
9. Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud
10. Sylosis – Monolith
11. Enslaved – RIITIIR
12. Ihsahn – Emerita
13. Deftones – Koi No Yokan (holy shit this album is so fucking good)
14. Rob Delaney – Live at the Bowery Ballroom (ok yeah not technically an album per se, but fuck you it’s my list)
15. Gojira – L’enfant Sauvage
16. Melvins Lite – Freak Puke
17. Fitz & the Tantrums – Pickin’ Up the Pieces (ok technically this came out in 2008, I just discovered them this year and fucking love it. Again, fuck you, my list)
18. Beach House – Bloom
19. Fang Island – Major
20. Shovels & Rope – O, Be Joyful
The lack of Meshuggah in this thread is sickening.
1. Meshuggah – Koloss
2. Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind
3. Dying Fetus – Reign Supreme
4. Napalm Death – Utilitarian
5. Liberteer – Better to Die on Your Feet Than Live on Your Knees
…is my short list of most-favorites. Dark Roots of Earth was unbelievably shit though. Really disappointed in one of my favorite bands.
In alphabetical,not preferential order:
A Million Dead Birds Laughing – Xen
Aborted – Global Flatline
Acyl – Algebra (a late addition-thanks,Booker!)
Alcest – Les Voyages de L’Ame
Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas
Carach Angren – Where the Corpses Sink Forever
Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Pinata
Eryn Non Dae – Meliora
The Fathomless Deep – Equilibrant EP
Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
Gorod – A Perfect Absolution
In Mourning – The Weight of Oceans
Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I
Necroblaspheme – XXVI:The Deeper the Better
Necrovation – Necrovation
Oak Pantheon – From A Whisper
Royal Thunder – CVI
Stam1na – Nocebo
Synestesia – Nereus
One still hasn’t been able to decide on anything other than One’s favorite release of the year – Portal of I by Ne Obliviscaris.
There have been so many releases this year listed in these comments that One doesn’t even remember being released this year, leave alone remember having listening to… (._. ) …This is going to be a long December.
In any case, One shall post a link here to One’s list sometime at the beginning of next year, for anyone interested.
One will probably end up having a list discussing over 3 dozen releases. But, One felt One should put up a few more here to at least show off the One’s favorite 7 or whatever.
Portal of I by Ne Obliviscaris
Cognitive by Soen
Griseus by Aquilus
Beastwars & Tower of Skulls by Beastwars
Gentle Anarchy (Promo EP) by Hevein
Rengeteg by Thy Catafalque
Gods of Eden by Gods of Eden
Not in the final order but my top 20 for 2012
Sigh- In Somniphobia
Enslaed- RIITIIR
Ihsahn- Eremita
Gojira- L’Enfant Sauvage
Pallbearer- Sorrow and Extinction
Anguish- Through The Archdemon’s Head
Sear Bliss- Eternal Recurrence
Evoken- Atra Mors
Dawnbringer- Into The Lair of the Sun God
Wound Upon Wound- Wound Upon Wound
Mare Cognitum- An Extraconscious Lucidity
Daylight Dies- A Frail Becoming
Wodensthrone- Curse
Solbrud- Solbrud
Schattenbrandung- I-Apophanie
Elysian Blaze- Blood Geometry
Fuoco Fatuo- 33 Colpi di Schizofrenia Astrale Nell’Abisso Nero
The Cold View- Weeping Winter
Ysengrin- To Endotaton
Tempestuous Fall- The Stars Would Not Awake You
I’m looking forward to listening to the new Desolate Shrine album and the new Old Corpse Road (released in December) and also checking out some of the other recommendations from everyone else’s list, so many albums so little time so little money!
Top 40, let’s go.
1. Faustcoven – Hellfire and Funeral Bells
2. Anguish – Through The Archdemons Head
3. Ysengrin – To Endotaton
4. Tardigrada – Widrstand (Demo)
5. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
6. Orchid – Heretic (EP)
7. Evoken – Atra Mors
8. Revenge – Scum. Collapse. Eradication.
9. Velvet Robe – The Celestial Intelligencer
10. Lord Mantis – Pervertor
11. Morbus Chron – A Saunter Through The Shroud (EP)
12. Saccage – Death Crust Satanique
13. Bell Witch – Longing
14. Rust – Damned Hellish Voids
15. Bunker 66 – Infernö Interceptörs
16. Shroud of Despondency – Pine
17. Ash Borer – Cold of Ages
18. Bastard Sapling – Dragged From Our Restless Trance
19. Wodensthrone – Curse
20. Satan’s Satyrs – Wild Beyond Belief!
21. Anhedonist – Netherwards
22. Valborg – Nekrodepression
23. Agalloch – Faustian Echoes (EP)
24. Hellvetron – Death Scroll of Seven Hells and Its Infernal Majesties
25. Hooded Menace – Effigies of Evil
26. Nekromantheon – Rise, Vulcan Spectre
27. Deathhammer – Onward To The Pits
28. Charon – Sulphur Seraph
29. Ignivomous – Contragenesis
30. Jess and The Ancient Ones – S/T
31. Krallice – Years Past Matter
32. Horrendous – The Chills
33. Coffin Texts – The Tomb of Infinite Ritual
34. Necrovation – S/T
35. Aura Noir – Out To Die
36. Muknal – Muknal (EP)
37. Desaster – The Arts of Destruction
38. Incantation – Vanquish In Vengeance
39. Windhand – S/T
40. Ilsa – Intoxicantations
Nice to see Coffin Texts on another list. Overall there’s a lot here that I liked, so I’ll check out some of the ones I hadn’t heard about starting with Hellvetron because it’s on Spotify.
I only skimmed the thread, but I haven’t seen anyone mention Pathology??? And not enough people have Cattle Decapitation at their top pick, or maybe I’m just biased as I’m a vegetarian and share a similar philosophy as the band?
Last year I mainly listened to brutal death metal or tech death. This year I have listened to a lot of thrash and music with a lot of melodic guitar parts. So here is my end of the year list with some metal and some non-metal:
1: Baroness – Yellow & Green
2: The Sword – Apocryphon
3: Sonny Landreth – Elemental Journey
4: The Cast of Cheers – Family
5: Gorod – A Perfect Absolution
6: Witchcraft – Legend
7: Down – The Purple EP Part 1
8: Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
9: Tourniquet – Antiseptic Bloodbath
10: Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast
High On Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
Asphyx – Deathhammer
Hooded Menace – Effigies Of Evil
Cannibal Corpse – Torture
Serpentine Path – Serpentine Path
Ævangelist – De Masticatione Morturoum In Tumulis
Cardiac Arrest – Vortex Of Violence
Kowloon Walled City – Container Ships
Unsane – Wreck
Killing Joke – MMXII
Amazing year for metal in all its forms, my top 25 in order….
1. Kadavar – S/T
2. Winterfylleth – The Threnody of Triumph
3. Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
4. Black Breath – Sentenced to Death
5. Witchcraft – Legend
6. Alcest – Les Voyages De L’Ame
7. Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas
8. Desecresy – The Doom Skeptron
9. Horisont – Second Assault
10.St Vitus – Lillie: F-65
11.Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extincton
12.Anathema – Weather Systems
13. Meshuggah – Koloss
14.Dodecahedron – S/T
15.Graveyard – Lights Out
16.Conan – Monnos
17.Whores – Ruiner
18.Wolfbrigade – Damned
19.Burzum – Umskiptar
20.Enslaved – RIITHIIR
21.Dragged Into Sunlight – Widowmaker
22.Gallows – Gallows
23.Ahab – The Giant
24.Indesinence – Vessels of Light and Decay
25.Monolithe – III
Grand Magus – The Hunter
Black Magician – Nature is The Devils Church
Hooded Menace – Effigies of Evil
Inverloch – Dusk Subside
In no particular order:
Becoming the Archetype – I Am
Coldworker – Doomsayer’s Call
The Contortionist – Intrinsic
Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind
Enslaved – Riitiir
Gojira – L’enfant Sauvage
High on Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
Hour of Penance – Sedition
Lamb of God – Resolution
Meshuggah – Koloss
Nile – At the Gates of Sethu
Spawn of Possession – Incurso
Tombs – Path of Totailty
10. Agalloch – Faustian Echoes
9. Black Breath – Sentenced For Life
8. Revocation – Teratogenesis
7. Kreator – Phantom Antichrist
6. Aeon – Aeons Black
5. Before the Dawn – Rise of the Phoenix
4. Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I
3. Be’Lakor – Of Breath and Bone
2. Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas
1. Alcest – Les Voyages de l’Âme
Honorable mentions:
Whitechapel – Whitechapel
Wodensthrone – The Storm
Enslaved – RIITIIR
Deathspell Omega – Drought
Parkway Drive – Atlas
My Dying Bride – A Map of All our Failures
Katatonia – Dead End Kings
Asphyx – Deathhammer
Dew-Scented – Icarus
Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
Albums not on this list:
Wintersun – Time I
Top 10 German Metal Albums
Lunar Aurora – Hoagascht
Ahab – The Giant
Planks – Funeral Mouth
Kreator – Phantom Antichrist
Sophicide – Perdition of the Sublime
Desaster – The Arts of Destruction
Downfall of Gaia – Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes
Galaktik Cancer Squad – Celestia
Wolfhetan – Was der Tag nicht ahnt
Secrets of the Moon – Seven Bells
Actually over the last few weeks I’ve been trashing Finsterforst’s ‘Rastlos’, a great slab of metal meets germanic folk music. Who would have thought accordian in metal works so well? I’d put it in a revised ‘personal best of’ list for the year.
Cool, I’ll check out Finsterforst. I’m usually wary of folk metal but this sounds like it could be good (assuming that you meant thrashing and not trashing :-)).
ahh yes, thrashing would be much better!
I’m not a big folk metal fan either, but I really like how they’ve blended the elements of two style on this album. I first heard of Finsterforst through this post:
https://www.nocleansinging.com/2012/11/17/is-this-new-stuff-from-antestor-agoraphobic-nosebleed-and-finsterforst-any-good/
…there’s an edited video there of the opening track – the actual song is 12:00 on the album.
Since other people have put music like Deftones on their lists as well I will not refrain from stuff that might not be metal, strictly speaking. Furthermore I just wanted to add that I thought this was once again a great year for metal, and a ton of interesting stuff has come out.
1. Swallow the Sun – Emerald Forest and the Blackbird
2. Khonsu – Anomalia
3. Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
4. Zatokrev – The Bat, the Wheel and the Long Road to Nowhere
5. Okera – The Beautiful Dystopia
6. Anathema – Weather Systems
7. Be’lakor – Of Breath and Bone
8. Cradle of Filth – The Manticore and Other Horrors
9. Ne Obliviscaris – The Portal of I
10. Inborn Suffering – Regression to Nothingness
11. In Mourning – The Weight of the Oceans
12. The Pineapple Thief – All the Wars
13. Daylight Dies – A Frail Becoming
14. Lamb of God – Resolution
15. Aoria – The Constant
16. Deftones – Koi No Yokan
17. Before the Dawn – Rise of the Phoenix
18. Barren Earth – The Devil’s Resolve
19. Alcest – Les Voyages de L’Áme
20. Moonspell – Alpha Noir/Omega White
1. Anhedonist-Netherwards
2. Sigh-In Somniphobia
3. Sabaton-Carolus Rex
4. Thy Catafalque-Rengeteg (it was released in North America in 2012, so I figure it counts)
5. Woods of Ypres-Grey Skies & Electric Light
6. Derketa-In Death We Meet
7. Diablo Swing Orchestra-Pandora’s Pinata
8. Asphyx-Deathhammer
9. Alcest-Les Voyages de L’Ame
10. Heidevolk-Batavi
Looks like someone other than Oneself had the idea of putting Rengeteg on their list. 😀
Top 10 Albums of 2012
1. Dying Fetus – Reign Supreme
2. Cannibal Corpse – Torture
3. Pig Destroyer – Book Burner
4. Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Piñata
5. Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast
6. Spawn of Possession – Incurso
7. Kreator – Phantom Antichrist
8. Aborted – Global Flatline
9. Gorod – A Perfect Absolution
10. Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas
OK, here goes (if the links don’t format right I’ll repost in a more legible format).
My favorites of 2012. I just couldn’t limit myself to 25 full length albums, there were too many phenomenal EPs, splits, and compilations. So I made two lists, one for full lengths and one for the rest. Overall, I thought it was a good year for death metal, with lots of very good releases, but ultimately not a lot that truly stood out from the pack as great. It wasn’t such a great year for black metal, and there weren’t very many new releases that I enjoyed (but I managed to find a few, of course).
Full Albums (alphabetical order is boring, so here they are from roughly the least to most depraved):
Witchcraft – Legend (doom rock)
Occultation – Three and Seven (occult doom rock)
Therion – Les Fleurs du Mal (operatic)
Hail Spirit Noir – Pneuma (psychedelic black)
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Pinata (avant-garde)
Arkham Witch – Legions of the Deep (traditional/doom)
Hour of 13 – 333 (traditional/doom)
Natur – Head of Death (traditional)
Candlemass – Psalms for the Dead (doom)
Desaster – The Arts of Destruction (black/thrash)
Bestial Holocaust – Into the Goat Vulva (black/thrash)
Mongrel’s Cross – The Sins of Aquarius (black/thrash)
Faustcoven – Hellfire and Funeral Bells (black/doom)
Pact – The Dragon Lineage of Satan (black)
Secrets of the Moon – Seven Bells (black)
Nocturnal Torment – They Come At Night (death)
Resurgency – False Enlightenment (death)
Incantation – Vanquish in Vengeance (death/doom)
Putrevore – Macabre Kingdom (death)
Beheaded – Never to Dawn (death)
Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (black)
Pseudogod – Deathwomb Catechesis (death/black)
Proclamation – Nether Tombs of Abaddon (death/black)
Aevangelist – De Masticatione Mortuorum (death/black)
Revenge – Scum. Collapse. Eradication. (death/black)
Splits, EPs, and Compilations (alphabetically, because these are all pretty damn depraved; no links, but they’re worth seeking out):
Coffins – March of Despair (EP) (doom/death)
Deathspell Omega – Drought (EP) (black)
Decayed – A Feast of Decay (compilation)(black)
Diocletian / Weregoat – Disciples of War (split) (black/death)
Gospel of the Horns – Ceremonial Conjuration (EP) (black/thrash)
Hypnosia – Mental Terror (compilation) (thrash)
Nightbringer / Acherontas (spit) – The Ruins of Edom (black)
Purtenance – Sacrifice the King (EP) (death)
Teitanblood – Woven Black Arteries (compilation)(death/black)
Timeghoul – 1992-1994 Discography (compilation) (death)
Ungod – Chaos, Conquest & Defiance (compilation) (black)
Wooden Stake – At the Stroke of Midnight (compilation)(doom/death)
Really late to the game, but here are my top 25:
Top 10 (ranked)
1) Pallbearer- Sorrow and Extinction
2) Meshuggah- Koloss
3) Wintersun- Time I
4) Be’Lakor- Of Breath and Bone
5) Anaal Nathrakh- Vanitas
6) Anathema- Weather Systems
7) High On Fire- De Vermis Mysteriis
8) Bereft- Leichenhaus
9) If These Trees Could Talk- Red Forest
10) Vita Imana- Uluh
Other 15 (not ranked):
Alcest- Voyages de l’ame
Black Break- Sentenced to Life
Deftones- Koi No Yokan
The Devin Townsend Project- Epicloud
Eluveitie- Helvetios
Elysian- Wires of Creation
Gojira- L’enfant Sauvage
Old Man Gloom- NO
Om- Advaitic Songs
Ufomammut- ORO: Opus Primu and Opus Alter (technically two albums)
Vintersorg- Orkan
Winterfylleth- The Threnody of Triumph
Wodensthrone- Curse
Woods of Ypres- Woods 5: Grey Skies and Electric Light
4 Arm- Submission for Liberty
1. In Somniphobia -by- Sigh
2. Monolith of Inhumanity -by- Cattle Decapitation
3. Atra Mors -by- Evoken
4. Odalheim -by-Unleashed
5. Rastlos -by- Finsterforst
6. The Giant -by- Ahab
7. Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light -by- Woods of Ypres
8. Honor Found in Decay -by- Neurosis
9. Where the Corpses Sink Forever -by- Carach Angren
10. Sorrow and Extinction -by- Pallbearer
11. Sorathian Dawn -by- Sorathian Dawn
12. L’Enfant Sauvage -by- Gojira
13. III -by- Dopethrone
14. Sentenced to Life -by- Black Breath
15. The Burden of God -by- Nightmare
16. Deathwomb Catechesis -by- Pseudogod
17. Drought (EP) -by- Deathspell Omega
18. And So It Came to Pass -by- Dyscarnate
19. Time I -by- Wintersun
20. Thou Strong, Stern Death -by- Põhjast
21. Bury the Light -by- Pharaoh
22. Land of the Evening Star -by- Dark Forest
23. Eternvs Mos, Nex Ritvs -by- Thy Darkened Shade
24. Alpha Noir -by- Moonspell
25. Portal of I -by- Ne Obliviscarus
26. Sedition -by- Hour of Penance
27. Caligvla -by- Ex Deo
28. The Hunt -by- Grand Magus
29. Of Breath and Bone -by- Be’lakor
30. Dark Roots of Earth -by- Testament
31. Omen -by- Ahnengrab
32. Dar de Duh -by- Dordeduh
33. Blood for the Master -by- Goatwhore
34. Vessels of Light and Decay -by- Indesinence
35. Creation of Earth -by- Tenochtitlan
36. Enter the Dagobah Core -by- Umbah
37. Torture -by- Cannibal Corpse
38. Koloss -by- Meshuggah
39. Aeons Black -by- Aeon
40. Incurso -by- Spawn of Possession