THEMADISRAELI’S TOP 20 OF 2012: PART 1

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  4 Responses »
Jan 012013
 

(With this post TheMadIsraeli begins a multi-part rollout of his list of 2012’s best metal. Sample songs are at the end of the post.)

I needed a break from Kataklysm.  I’ve hit the point in the discography where listening hurts right now, so I figure it’s time for me to do that top albums of the year list thing.

Putting together this list has been easy and hard at the same time.  2012 in hindsight for me didn’t provide as consistently killer of a bounty as 2011 did. However, what was killer still results in a bunch of excellent bands fighting tooth and nail in my head to be on this list.  For me, this was a year for death metal and melodic death metal.  Most of what really caught my ear saw either of those two styles being done well, being done excellently with old school aesthetics, or being so well written and cohesive it obviously stood above the rest.

First, I thought we’d start with the more prog or melodic stuff on my list.  There will be proggy and melodic shit later on in this list, but it’ll be under a different category.  I mostly stuck to more recent bands or first time releases for this section.

So without further ado, here is the first part of my top 20.  These first five albums are presented in no particular order because I couldn’t even possibly begin that level of scrutiny amongst a collage of already stellar works. Continue reading »

THE BEST OF 2012: A TOP 10 LIST FROM BREADGOD

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  4 Responses »
Dec 312012
 

(We welcome back guest contributor BreadGod with his list of the year’s best albums. I’ve taken the liberty of adding links where bands on his list were previously mentioned at NCS.)

2012 came and went, the world didn’t end, and everyone felt like an idiot for believing in all of that apocalyptic bullshit. One thing’s for certain: this was one of the best years – if not the best year – in metal history. The number of awesome metal albums released during this year is unprecedented. It was really hard for me to make this list, but after much listening and pondering, I narrowed it down to ten albums I feel are the best of 2012. First, my honorable mentions:

Abominable Putridity – The Anomalies of Artificial Origin

Abyssal – Denouement

Axis of Light – By the Hands of the Consuming Fire

Aylwin – Soil And Cold

Barrowlands – Demo 2012

Bitwa – Glory To Swietowit

Buried – The Only Promise
Continue reading »

A YEAR-END LIST FROM JOHAN HULDTGREN (OBITUS)

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  6 Responses »
Dec 312012
 

(Continuing with this year’s edition of Listmania, I again invited Johan Huldtgren of the killer black metal band Obitus to share with us his year-end list, because I’ve consistently found his musical tastes to be solid and interesting. Once again, he agreed. An expanded version of this list appears on Johan’s blog.)

I suspect few will be surprised by my choices this year. The list sees the return of many previous candidates, however a few newcomers have managed to make the cut this year, some fairly high up. Samples have been included to give you a taste, so you can either realize how correct I am or question your sanity for even reading this list. Now take it away in the comments.

10: Blodhemn – Holmengraa

This sounds and feels just like the early to mid 90’s. There is nothing new here, but for someone who enjoyed the music of that era this certainly brings it back to life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlhGs9o_67A

Continue reading »

FORK TONGUE’S OVERLOOKED GEMS OF 2012

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  11 Responses »
Dec 302012
 

(As our Listmania series continues for this rapidly closing 2012, we welcome guest writer Fork Tongue and his list of overlooked gems from the underground.)

Hello faithful NCS readers! 2012 was a helluva year in metal. When I hear old school metalheads say that we will never see another era like the mid 80’s through the early 90’s, it gets under my skin a bit. Old school metalheads talk about the days of yesteryear with a gleam in their eye and a chip on their shoulder. As well they should, as it was a great time for the music we all love. But after a bleak period from the mid 90’s through the mid 2000’s (at least in the mainstream) there has been a metal renaissance.

It’s been building and building, and in 2009 it hit what I thought would be it’s pinnacle. I was wrong. 2009, 2010, 2011, and now 2012 have all been unbelievable years that rival or better “the good ol’ days”, and anyone who doesn’t think so isn’t looking hard enough or is just an old fuddy duddy. There are tens of thousands of metal bands, so yes, there is more crap to wade through, but the law of averages tells you there’s also more truly great stuff out there than at any point in metal’s relatively short history. My list will show this, as it’s all about the overlooked gems of the year. Long live the renaissance!

No long-winded descriptions here. I’ll let the music speak for itself. Continue reading »

FOLKPOCALYPSE 2012

 Exceptions to the Rule, Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  37 Responses »
Dec 302012
 

(Our trollish fiend friend Trollfiend has emerged from his lair at ALSO, WOLVES and delivers this year-end list.)

One of the things I like about folk metal is that it seems to be largely free of kvlt haters.  You’ll rarely if ever hear someone slag on a band as not being ‘true’ folk metal.  That may be in part because no one can really seem to settle on a definition of the genre; quite a few people suggest that it’s not a genre at all.  But assuming for the nonce that those people are a) asshats and b) wrong, I think it’s safe to say that “metal played with or featuring folk or traditional rhythms and/or instruments” probably covers the spectrum pretty well. In fact it’s a damn loose definition; by those criteria I could easily call Nile a ‘folk metal’ band.

Of course, that’s a lack of kvlt haters within the genre.  Plenty of people outside the genre slag on folk metal all the time, probably because it’s not BRUTAL enough for them.  But that’s okay; not everyone likes the same shit, and if all you care about is BRUTAL, you can look at pretty much all the other “best of” or “top 10” lists that have cropped up everywhere like rancid boils.  I can save you the trouble of slogging through all of those lists, though, because they all say Pig Destroyer.

No, what I’m about to offer you is my baker’s dozen of the best folk metal albums of 2012 as chosen by me, the guy who likes this kind of shit.  That makes me an expert.  Also, because people seem to think folk metal is a fad that died out in 2009 (or should have) I am largely populating this list with new, newish, or up-and-coming bands just to make the point that it hasn’t gone away and is going to stick around like herpes, i.e., whether you want it to or not.  And it will probably itch like a motherfucker.  So you won’t see Enslaved’s RIITIIR or Korpiklaani’s Manala or Eluveitie’s Helvetios on here, which is fine, because I’m sure they’ll be covered elsewhere. Continue reading »

THE 40 BEST METAL ALBUMS I HEARD BEFORE DECEMBER 15: A LIST BY KAZZ

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  8 Responses »
Dec 292012
 

(In this guest post, NCS supporter Kazz lights the way through his list of the Top 40 metal albums of 2012, with selected commentary.)

This is a top 40. But instead of just writing some stuff about the top 10 (or, frighteningly, all 40) I just picked out a few releases that I felt were under the radar and needed to have some more words on the internet about them (except for my number one pick, which I couldn’t resist adding my 2 cents on). I’ll start at 25 because all the albums I wanted to write about are in that portion.

25.  Arkhamin Kirjasto– Torches Ablaze

24.  Six Feet Under– Undead
 

23.  Forefather– Last of the Line

Forefather isn’t reinventing the wheel here, but they’re playing a style that they’ve been one of the leaders in for over ten years. Their melodic/epic take on Viking/folk metal is full of memorable and stirring hooks. Vocals alternate between competent rasps and soaring cleans while keyboards add some texture to their driving Anglo-Saxon anthems. Continue reading »

THE BEST OF 2012: LISTS FROM AUSTIN WEBER

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  7 Responses »
Dec 292012
 


(We welcome back Louisville-based music writer Austin Webber with his personal round-up of the year’s best metal, organized by genre and accompanied by lots of music. This is a really diverse list with lots of names that haven’t appeared in our previous lists. The album art for almost all of these picks is also amazing.)

2012 was a great year for a wide range of metal subgenres and one that also solidified its future through the progression of many genre-muddying acts to quite interesting results! I’ve decided not to elaborate on the merits of this year’s obvious biggies and a large number of other bands because they are already on everyone else’s lists, and thus you’ve  been made aware of them too many times. A few here you may know, but hopefully you find something new. That’s my goal and the reason for this list.

For albums I already reviewed through my gig with LEO Weekly (a local Louisville, KY print publication with additional online component) I will paste in my reviews of them instead of writing a short synopsis. Continue reading »

RICHARD DONAHUE’S FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2012 (and a few other lists)

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  4 Responses »
Dec 282012
 

(In this guest post, NCS reader Richard Donahue shares his lists of favorite 2012 albums, honorable mentions, and the best metal tracks of the year.)

1. Goatwhore – Blood For The Master (TIE)

Their best record to date; if you consider yourself a fan of metal and don’t listen to Goatwhore or own this record, I pity thee.

AND

1. Testament – Dark Roots of Earth (TIE)

Featuring some of the best guitar work of the year by Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, Testament prove yet again to be one of the most consistent bands of their genre; Pure Heavy American Thrash Metal at its finest. Continue reading »

PUNMAN’S TOP 10-ISH OF THE YEAR

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  7 Responses »
Dec 282012
 

(Today we forge ahead with year-end Listmania by bringing you a guest post by a dude who calls himself Punman. So far, every list we’ve published has brought us something new, and this one is no exception.)

I’ll preface this with an immediate apology that many of these bands break the nominal rule of this site. But these are the albums I’ve found most compelling this year. Are they the best? Maybe. Most listened to? Not necessarily. The material I enjoyed the most — yes, that’s more like it. They’re not genre-busters, they’re not necessarily the most innovative (though some are), they’re just what I liked, what caught my ear, what I played and replayed and said “WOW THIS SHIT IS GOOD” or something like that.

I find lists of this sort to be a real masturbatory exercise, but that can be fun sometimes. Mostly, I just like looking at others’ lists. (And … shit just got creepy, didn’t it.)

So, here we go: Continue reading »

HAPPY METAL GUY’S SOUNDTRACK TO THE METALOCALYPSE

 Listmania, LISTMANIA 2012  4 Responses »
Dec 272012
 

(As part of our continuing year-end Listmania series, we welcome back guest contributor Happy Metal Guy. This post may make somewhat more sense to you if you also read Happy Metal Guy’s Metalocalypse Survival Guide.)

The unmetal horde is spreading its presence faster than I thought, and I dread the day their inferior presence taints the great, freezing kingdom of true metal in the North.

I can see the horde approaching in the distance. I need to plan my escape route to the next safehouse as soon as possible. But first, if you are reading this and this abandoned safehouse seems deserted and bloodless, it means that I have already safely made my way to the next safehouse.

This fateful year, I could not have made it through the unmetal apocalypse without the aid of the following soundtrack. These are the records that get me “into the mood” to slaughter those unmetal beanpoles as mercilessly as Scyther slashing through a field of burnt Bellsprouts. However, listen to them at your own risk! ‘Cos if they don’t work for you, you might be better off not listening to them at all while on the run; better to have your ears unplugged while escaping than to stubbornly adhere to someone else’s personal playlist. You wouldn’t want to end up like Egoistic Metal Guy, who is now that emaciated figure shambling about the floor just above you. The following soundtrack did not work for him, but he plugged those earphones into his ears anyway to give himself a “handicap”, so that the “piteous unmetal poseurs” could have a fair fight with him.

Well, so much for his valor. Continue reading »

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