2012 - Voivod's Random Best Of List
This list is about albums that got to me during 2012. Comments are welcome. |
| 1 |  | Kreator
Phantom Antichrist
Kreator did it again with their awesome mixture of thrash and old school metal, I really can't have enough of this. |
| 2 |  | Paradise Lost
Tragic Idol
Paradise Lost came up with the album that should have been the successor of "Draconian Times" back in the '90s, period. Analogously to Kreator, the old school metal factor is more than welcome |
| 3 |  | Uzala
Uzala
Out of nowhere, this ensemble of dudes from Oregon came with a psychedelic doom metal album that's been spinning my decks throughout 2012. Awesome, any way you look at it.
http://uzala.bandcamp.com/ |
| 4 |  | Windfaerer
Solar
These guys from New Jersey really hit their target with this EP, absolutely fantastic folk/black metal with a most innovative usage of violin throughout the songs.
http://windfaerer.bandcamp.com/ |
| 5 |  | Grave
Endless Procession Of Souls
Another excellent record that came out of the blue, "Endless Procession..." is all about the Celtic Frost groove combined with top notch OSDM. What more can someone ask for? |
| 6 |  | The Devil's Blood
The Thousandfold Epicentre
The Dutch masters of occult rock with the best female vocals in the genre, have returned with a great second album. Check it out, if you haven't already. |
| 7 |  | Graveyard
Lights Out
Retro rock is going political. Graveyard combine their furious retro hard rock affair with intimate blues rock in order to cast out global and personal demons out of our/their own system. |
| 8 |  | Meshuggah
Koloss
Meshuggah are doomed to produce albums of great quality and their last offering is no exception, even though the simplfication of song structures does take something away from their elegant "industrial" charm. |
| 9 |  | Antidrasi
Orkos Tou Misous
Antidrasi (in English: Counter Reaction) are one of the most acclaimed punk/crossover/hardcore acts of Greece. After an absence of many years, they come with "Orkos Tou Misous" (Oath Of Hatred), an album of harsh and vitriolic criticism against all kinds of oppression. |
| 10 |  | Resurgency
False Enlightenment
Debut album of Resurgency from Greece is awesome brutal death metal that combines elements from both the European and the US death metal scenes. |
| 11 |  | Wardrum
Desolation
Greek power/prog metallers Wardrum have produced a great piece of old school power/progressive metal, comparable to acts such as Vicious Rumors, Riot, Evergrey etc. They are certainly a band on the rise. |
| 12 |  | Christian Mistress
Possession
"Possession" is a great piece of old school heavy metal with female vocals. I like their debut a tad better, though. |
| 13 |  | Prototype
Catalyst
Prototype came back with their third album after a 6-year absence which leans more to "classic" metal than the prog/power/thrash of previous releases. Still it is a great album. |
| 14 |  | OSI
Fire Make Thunder
Although Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore have put an admirable effort in further homogenizing the OSI sound and giving a good album in the process, I really wish there was more diversity and songs like "Invisible Men". |
| 15 |  | Municipal Waste
The Fatal Feast
The masters of fun crossover thrash have done it again, although I somehow miss the maturity/diversity of "Massive Aggressive". |
| 16 |  | Candlemass
Psalms For The Dead
Swedish doomsters called a farewell to arms with an album that honors their name, but does little to evolve from their universal approach over doom metal. |
| 17 |  | Black Swan
Aeterna
Black Swan's ability was unmatched in creating really eerie ambient soundscapes, Aeterna is great in its own right, but nowhere near past albums. Black Swan's rate of churning out new releases must be decreased. |
| 18 |  | Katatonia
Dead End Kings
Katatonia's last album has its moments, but a burnt out syndrome from their effort for the previous - and pretty much unmatched - album is somehow apparent. |
| 19 |  | Fear Factory
The Industrialist
"The industrialist" is a great album but some steps lower than their previous one, as it is treading through the band's motions. Also, a live drummer is ALWAYS better than than a drum machine, unless of course your name is Thomas Haake and you are programming the drums for "Catch 33". |
| 20 |  | Enslaved
RIITIIR
Since the release of "Monumension", this band has always been a soft spot for me, but on "RIITIIIR" they forgot to infuse the prescribed dosage of black metal into the pot. I really hope they move out of prog metal in their next one. |
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