2012: It Was the Best of Tunes, It Was the Worst of Tunes (Part 2)

Ah, so here we are again. Though I realize making my entire top 20 list as one post would've been much easier to do, I figured I'd drag it out just a tad bit more. Well, that and I needed to sleep before heading to work.

So, with little fanfare, here are numbers 1-10 of my favorite 20 albums released in 2012.





10. Napalm Death-Utilitarian

If you'd have told me Napalm Death were going to take some of the biggest risks this year in the extreme music community, I'd have asked you to supply me with some of the drugs you were taking. Shockingly, these risks, which range from a saxophone solo (hi there guest cameo from John Zorn!), to guitarist Mitch Harris singing cleanly, work incredibly well for the godfathers of grindcore. And for those of you who are uncomfortable with experimentation, don't worry, there are still plenty of righteous blasts of hostility to be found. True, ND have been on a good tear for the past ten or so years, but this one will probably warrant the most repeats (next to Enemy of the Music Business at least) in their recent catalog. Diversity is your best friend sometimes.

9. Early Graves-Red Horse

Two years after losing frontman Makh Daniels in a horrible van accident, this promising dark hardcore/crust band return with an effort that was as punishing as it was inspiring. New vocalist John Strachan (also of The Funeral Pyre) seems like a natural fit, his Gothenburg-style yells adding a very strong Disfear vibe (and the Tragedy influence is even stronger than before) to a band that I'm sure some were uncertain were ever going to return after their excellent 2010 effort Goner. Well, they're still going strong, and in my opinion, this is even better than that record. To quote one Joey Diaz, "TREMENDOUS!"

8. Witchcraft-Legend

I've slept on this band for way too long, and it figures that my first real exposure to them is when they have a mostly new lineup. Shame, since this is some absolutely beautiful heavy metal. In my book, Magnus Pelander and Mlny Parsonz (Royal Thunder) were neck and neck for vocal performance of the year, and despite the album positioning on this list, I'm not quite sure who won out in the end. I get the feeling that this will be a grower, and over time, could potentially sneak into my top five. If you still haven't listened to these Swedes, and count yourself as an old school metal/doom/stoner/hard rock fan, I implore you to find this album however you can, and give it a spin.

7. Gaza-No Absolutes in Human Suffering

Ouch. This album wants to hurt you. Badly. Not like in that pseudo-hardcore tough guy way, but in that "tear your hair out and pummel you to death with a microphone" kind of way. I've always liked this band, but something always prevented me from loving them. Their BotchalesceVerge sound (I will NEVER used that term again) has been perfected on this full-length however, so watch out. This is some of the most chaotic music I've heard in a long time, making you feel like you had been crushed by a bulldozer. Mathcore fanatics and fans of "violent" music in general will be drawn to this like a moth to flames.

6. High on Fire-De Vermis Mysteriis

I'm going to make a ballsy claim here: this will be the last truly great HOF album. Matt Pike checking into rehab earlier this year didn't particularly surprise me, but you know the old saying of "No Drugs, No Soul?" Well, this has TONS of soul, some of the best riffs I've heard from the (now) legendary guitarist, and it feels pretty drenched in drug use. Easily the best thing in this band's catalog since Blessed Black Wings, though let's hope their next effort doesn't turn into the band's equivalent of St. Anger. For now though, let us bask in its sheer power and magnitude.

5. Royal Thunder-CVI

The moment I heard about this GA stoner rock/doom metal band signing to Relapse Records, I knew their full length debut would be a monster. True, some songs on this can drag a bit, but Mlny Parsonz's vocals are enough to keep the listener's attention throughout any potential mediocrity (which there really isn't any). With fantastic chemistry between rhythm section and guitarists abound, and the aforementioned amazing performance from Ms. Parsonz, this bluesy and doom-soaked debut was well worth the wait. All I can hope is that they don't become too big to forget that they still owe us another show!

4. The Devil's Blood-The Thousandfold Epicentre

Okay, technically I'm cheating by putting this one on my list, given that it saw release in Europe back in November 2011, but we didn't see an official release in the U.S. until January. So nyah nyah. My childish insult aside, they were one of the standouts this year at Maryland Death Fest, and this is damn good psychedelic rock/metal from the Netherlands, with soaring vocals, a great use of the hammond organ, and a lyric sheet that makes the listener feel like they've been dropped off in a mid-70s drugged-out satanic ritual. Speaking of Maryland Death Fest, I just remembered that I neglected to type a proper review on here, so here's a quick recap: Everyone but Anvil, Die Pigeon Die, and Needful Things were good, and the latter were more disappointing than bad.

3. Pig Destroyer-Book Burner

I was scared that the sheer amount of dicksucking that this album was receiving would ruin it for me, but I'll admit: it may be warranted. It has been way too damn long since the D.C. masters of grind released a new album, but this was definitely worth waiting five years. The production might throw fans off, but Scott Hull's riffs slay and J.R. Hayes still sounds like a man possessed. This album is also more noticeably groovy than past efforts, but it works in its favor, especially on "Iron Drunk" and "The Diplomat." Guest vocals by Kat Katz (AnB/Salome) and Jason Netherton (Misery Index) only add to the intensity, and "The Bug," which features one of two collaborations between Hayes and Katz, might be my favorite song of the year. I'm expecting their set at 2013's Maryland Death Fest to be pure insanity.

2. Converge-All We Love We Leave Behind

I've never been shy about my love for Converge, and I'm probably one of the few who prefers their newer material (Jane Doe and onward) to their older material. Whereas 2009's Axe to Fall was a family affair stuffed with guest appearances galore, Converge is back to doing their thing as four piece on this album with no appearances but their own. Jake's vocals are torturous and pained like usual, and his skills as a songwriter have certainly not diminished, but to me the stars of this one are his bandmates. I've always thought that as musicians, Converge was severely overlooked. Kurt Ballou can riff with the best of them, Nate Newton's vocals and bass lines are growing in size, and Ben Koeller can beat his drums better than most in his field (opener "Aimless Arrow" and the title track are proof). The kings of metallic hardcore continue to reign supreme.

1. Christian Mistress-Possession

Unbelievable. Just when I think Relapse has dropped the ball with signing newer acts, this proves me wrong. No disrespect to the purveyors of the "retro metal" revival that seems to be the thing nowadays, but I prefer to see my favorite music genre go forward rather than take two steps backward. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of the albums though, and god DAMN did I love this one. Incredible guitar melodies that could compete with the best of early Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, soulful and sultry vocals that resemble if Grace Slick listened to a lot of Black Sabbath, and a very solid production that mixed just the right amount of modern with "old school," I'll be shocked if this band doesn't blow up within the next few years, or at least doesn't garner a slightly bigger following. The only thing I can ask now is COME TO THE EAST COAST!

And there you go, my top twenty albums list is complete. But you might be asking "Ryan, why title this 'best of tunes, worst of tunes' without a bottom 20?" Well, not to sound egotistical, but I avoided most of the albums this year that I knew would disappoint me.

But there were two albums that stuck with me the same way shit sticks to your shoes...




Dead Icons-Condemned

Remember my unpopular opinion on hardcore being mostly stale now? This is the epitome of it. I was struggling to say anything worth note, be it slightly positive or overwhelmingly negative, about this album. At the end of the day, however, I found it to be completely unmemorable and forgettable, which sometimes is the worst crime of all. I'm sure they're all nice guys, but this just didn't do a thing for me.



Lamb of God-Resolution

I feel bad bashing this because of the band's recent troubles involving Randy Blythe's manslaughter case, and I also avoided the new releases that nearly everyone has on their "worst of" lists (Muse, Bad Brains), but good fuckity god did this suck. The opening song "Straight For the Sun" is passable (mostly due to LoG going sludge on it), but it was a downward spiral after those two and half minutes were over. There is no life and variety to be found on this release, and LoG have pretty much confirmed their decision to take the Slayer route by deciding not to stray too far from the sound that helped secure them gold records. If you're okay with that, then you might not despise this album nearly as much as I did. For me though, I'm still yearning for something to match As The Palaces Burn. I'll probably have to keep waiting though.




NOW you have it. The best (and worst) of 2012's music, as chosen by this bearded weirdo.

As with last year, here are some other top lists from fellow music fans, a.k.a. friends and acquaintances.

Kris Hargitt

1. Torche-Harmonicraft
2. Gaza-No Absolutes In Human Suffering
3. The Rival Mob-Mob Justice
4. Power Trip-7"
5. Converge-All We Loves We Leave Behind
6. Rise and Fall-Faith
7. Burning Love-Rotten Thing to Say

Lew Cabral

1. Converge-All We Love We Leave Behind
2. Every Time I Die-Ex Lives
3. Grizzly Bear-Shields
4. Pig Destroyer-Book Burner
5. Gojira-L'Enfant Sauvage

Ben Johnson

Cattle Decapitation-Monolith of Inhumanity

Pig Destroyer-Book Burner

Christopher Millard (Children of the Reptile)

The Sword-Apocrypon

Dragonforce-The Power Within

Justin Palughi

Converge-All We Love We Leave Behind

Between the Buried and Me-The Parallax II: Future Sequence

Come back tomorrow for another best of/worst of list featuring movies, MMA, and all other sorts of things!

2012: It Was the Best of Tunes, It Was the Worst of Tunes (Part 1)

To say that 2012 has been interesting would be like stating that Black Sabbath were an amazing musical act. I got two new jobs (down to just one as of this writing, mostly due to distance), went back to school, and even traveled to a festival that was previously only thought of as a dream and nothing more.  We'll save that hoopla for another entry though, since this is about what obviously matters most: MUSIC! As with last year, I've assembled a list of my own favorite releases that I happened to hear and found quite pleasant on my ears. This was a rather difficult process, even more so than assembling my favorites of 2011. Despite its difficulty, it does make me optimistic for the next year though, as there isn't the slightest thing wrong with finding more good music.

Even dillydallying though, let's get to it. I'm making this a two part post due to links being attached for key tracks too.

But first!





HONORABLE MENTIONS



Magic Circle-Single 7"

An amazing glimpse of things to come from a supergroup comprised of members from The Rival Mob, Mind Eraser, and Doomriders. It has a tad bit in common with the latter, but this two song 7" shares more similarities with Black Sabbath and the melodic doom bands of the 80s (Candlemass, Trouble) than anything else.

Alcest-Les Voyages De L'Âme

I'm shocked that I never gave this band a listen until now. Roughly translated to "The Soul's Journey," this feels like a fairly natural meeting of haunting, melodic alternative post-rock and screeching black metal. There are moments on this that can genuinely give me chills depending on how my week has been going. Too bad I don't speak a lick of French, I would love to read about what I'm hearing. Strongly recommended for fans of Opeth, Agalloch, and Katatonia.

CREEM-CREEM 12"

*cues joke from Family Guy related to this band's name* Unusual feeling about their name aside, this was some damn good 80s-style hardcore punk from New York. This is what I wish Ceremony had evolved into.

Torch Runner-Committed To The Ground

North Carolina, you're doing me proud these days. The hardcore/grindcore band keeps evolving and playing shorter, faster songs, while turning the angry factor to eleven. In all honesty, I don't have too much more to say here, seeing as how this goes by in a flash, but what a flash it is.

Fiona Apple-The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

I've always liked this gal, even if recalling her album names post-Tidal have made me want to claw my face off. Smooth, sultry, sad, and even funny at times, this was easily my favorite non-loud music discovery I heard all year (outside of the PHENOMENAL Chelsea Wolfe).

Power Trip-S/T 7"

Time to entice the haters: I think hardcore is pretty boring right now. I feel the genre is too riddled with cliched acts, singing about the same subjects and catering towards the "cool" side of things, which is the complete antithesis of what hardcore is about. Mercifully, before signing to Southern Lord, these Texans released a banger of a 7" this year, chocked full of speed and groove. Comparisons to the now-defunct Iron Age are inevitable, but I can only hope these guys last a little longer and continue to impress.

The Rival Mob-Mob Justice

C'mon, the intro alone is worth a spot alone on an end of the year list, and the band themselves will admit (and have) that this is purely for the intention of moshing really, REALLY hard. Oh, and as for the rest of the release? It's rather good.

Enabler-All Hail the Void

I suppose the reason this didn't quite make the top 20 was due to this being an example of "good record, better live." Not to dismiss the band or anything, because this is still very enjoyable. Ex-members of Today is the Day and Fall Out Boy (really!) make a very good metallic hardcore album that often crushes, but is better experienced in a live setting. This was especially apparent when (in my opinion) they stole the show during this summer's Southern Lord tour.

Now, we shall march forward onto the actual list. Well, at least the first half.

Speaking of march...







20. Coffins-March of Despair

The guitars are evil, the drums are primitively simple, and the vocals sound like a demon is getting ready to vomit onto your very soul. Naturally, I loved it. I can never keep track of who is doing what in the lineup of Japan's kings of death/doom, but as long as they keep churning out awesome releases like this one, I don't care who performs what.

19. Action Bronson-Blue Chips/Rare Chandeliers.

Technically these are two different albums, but given how busy the New York rapper is, I don't see the problem with putting both of these in the same spot. I've been so down on newer hip-hop and rap, but something about this guy just works. Perhaps its the subject matter (food, weed, money, women, wrestling, etc.) or perhaps its his uncanny vocal resemblance to Ghostface Killah. With the latter album, the insanely cool beats conjured up by The Alchemist only up the enjoyment factor. Did I mention that both of these were put up for free online? So go ahead and give these (and his excellent full-length Dr. Lecter) a go. I sense that this guy is going to explode in popularity, and I couldn't be happier if that comes to be.

18. Torche-Harmonicraft

Ahh Torche, you never disappoint. Hell, even your weakest efforts still have something worth revisiting. Personally, I've always preferred Torche a bit more than Floor (here comes the shitstorm now...I just realize I made that joke too. Oy), and maybe it was because I've always been attracted to a good melody more than anything. I find it impossible to be in a bad mood when listening to a Torche album, and nobody else does sludge-pop better than Steve Brooks & company. Can we also talk about how awesome the video to "Kicking" was too? Because it totally is.

17. Pallbearer-Sorrow and Extinction

I love Profound Lore, but it took me almost a full year to FINALLY listen to this in its entirety, and while I don't think the hype is 100% justified, I think the attention is still very well deserved. Epic, traditional doom metal with melodic (almost soaring) vocals that can tug at your very heartstrings. Perhaps my only complaint is that there are only five songs on this impressive debut, but I predict this band will have a rather big year and churn out something that even surpasses this titan of a record.

16. Panopticon-Kentucky

I'm incredibly strict about what black metal (if any at all) I like anymore, and I'm even harder to please when it comes to one man black metal bands from the states. I'm always open to hearing new things though, and this melding of black metal and bluegrass songs (blackgrass?), along with unusual additions to the genre (recorder and banjo) worked better than I could have ever expected it to. A concept record about the horrors of coal mining and forest destruction in his native state, this was one of the most emotional albums I've heard from the genre, and will leave you truly concerned for the well being of the artist and his home land.

15. Baroness-Yellow & Green

One of the more controversial albums released this year (well, at least down in Wilmington, where folks seem to be split), Baroness' double album upped the melody even more than usual, and toned down quite a large bit of the aggression heard on their previous full-lengths. Did it make for a good listen? Well, in my eyes, it absolutely did. True, the lyrics are weaker than normal ("Little Things" could be phenomenal if you ignore them), and there are some filler songs here and there, but the fact the GA natives were able to make a double album that didn't completely stink is enough to warrant some respect. This is one that I think those with more time to kill and more open minds will appreciate.

14. Deftones-Koi No Yokan

Yeah, I like the Deftones. Fight me. They're one of the few bands that I'm still a fan of after going through all of my music "phases." Oddly enough, it might be due to that fact that this band has been willing to grow and change themselves, and barely resemble the primitive nu-metal act heard on Adrenaline (though you could argue about the band ever even belonging in that genre). Mixing influences from post-rock, post-hardcore, and European acts like Meshuggah, this band has never sounded more like themselves and less like a Korn clone. Admittedly, 2010's Diamond Eyes is still a better album, but the atmosphere dripping from tracks like "Leathers" and "Rosemary" help secure this a spot in the top 20.

13. Neurosis-Honor Found in Decay

I'll probably get crucified for this not being higher, but it didn't mean it was a bad record whatsoever. Hell, Neurosis isn't capable of making a completely bad album. The use of hammond organ on this will leave you salivating, making you wish that the California post-metal giants had used it more, while they also prove to be one of the few bands in the world who can still pull off using bagpipes in metal without sounding cheesy. Scott Kelly's and Steve Von Till's vocals are still amazing and instantly recognizable, and "At the Well" could compete with the best material from Through Silver in Blood.

12. Black Breath-Sentenced To Life

What a rager. I was impressed by these cats' debut EP years ago, but never did I imagine they could churn out something so nasty-sounding. The Stockholm sound has been alive and well in America over the past few years, and you can largely attribute that to these Washingtonians (along with Nails, All Pigs Muse Die, and the surprisingly inactive Trap Them). Combining the best of Swedish death metal with a very strong hardcore punk vibe, it might be impossible to not bang your head to at least two of the tracks on this one.

11. Burning Love-Rotten Thing To Say

I'll probably get an endless amount of hate for this, but I was not a fan of Burning Love's "Songs for Burning Lovers." Perhaps I was still mourning the loss of Cursed, but something just didn't click with me. Whatever was lacking on that album is gone though, as this one was a bonafide, amped up release. Chris Colohan's vocals are expectedly strong, the riffs more memorable (and more based in rock & roll than hardcore), and the lyrics are fittingly biting. Bravo guys, looking forward to future releases again now.

And that does it for Part 1. Tune in for part 2 in a few hours.