There have been a lot more quality releases within the brutal genre in the past year or so. Maybe not as many as other genres but a lot when you consider the relatively small number of brutal bands there are. So, being that it's my favorite region of metal, and that the fanbase has expanded exponentially, I'd like to make a short list of the better releases (and a few soon to be released) to highlight some of the golden moments within a somewhat unappreciated genre.
Also note that; these are in no particular "best to worst" order. Just listed at random for anyone who may have missed a new release or someone who wants to get into the genre by beginning with some of the recent best.
Oh, and... My spelling for some of these releases might not be right so, if you would like to point out where please do.

1. Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies Of Artificial Origin

2. Abnormality - Contaminating The Hive Mind

3. Katalepsy - Autopsychosis

4. Beheaded - Never To Dawn

5. Portal - Vexovoid (I wouldn't necessarily consider this "brutal death metal" but they certainly deliver a fashion of brutality in their own way)

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My top 10 metal albums (any style) for 2012.

1. Psycroptic - The Inherited Repression

2. Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone

3. In Mourning - The Weight of Oceans

4. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

5. Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest and The Blackbird

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The title is self-explanatory, i guess.

1. Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme

2. Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

3. Be'Lakor - Of Breath And Bone

4. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

5. Meshuggah - Koloss

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1. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

2. Cattle Decapitation - Monolith Of Inhumanity

3. Pig Destroyer - Book Burner

4. Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme

5. Nile - At The Gate Of Sethu

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This is a list of almost every album/EP/demo I listened to from 2012. It is primarily composed of the better albums I listened to as I tend to forget about bad albums (and rightfully so).

NOTE: Most of these ratings don't stand anymore.

1. Igorrr - Hallelujah

2. Blut Aus Nord - What Once Was... Liber II

3. Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock

4. Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

5. Elderwind - Волшебство живой природы

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Pretty much a ranking of everything I heard this year

I'll add some comments for albums I feel the need to say something about.

A lot of things on this list are subject to change

1. Be'Lakor - Of Breath and Bone

2. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

3. The Faceless - Autotheism

4. Circus Maximus - Nine

5. Devin Townsend - Epicloud

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Note; Anything I rate lower than 8 I deem underwhelming. Sure, I might even acknowledge some of them as being rather enjoyble, but considering the "bigger picture of things", I find them unsatisfactory (in varying degrees, depending on their rating).

Partially ordered (the ones with descriptions). The rest are arranged alphabetically.

1. Sybreed - God Is An Automaton

2. Gorod - A Perfect Absolution

3. The Faceless - Autotheism

4. Ihsahn - Eremita

5. Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

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This is my work-in-progress rankings of the albums I've listened to in 2012. The order is likely to change throughout the year.

10 - Godly Album. Will likely listen to at least once a week for a decade.
9 - Fantastic Album. Will be a classic I remember even in senility.
8 - Great Album. Will recommend to friends.

1. Cannibal Corpse - Torture

2. Psycroptic - The Inherited Repression

3. Spawn of Possession - Incurso

4. Gorod - A Perfect Absolution

5. Bloodshot Dawn - Bloodshot Dawn

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I'm (sorta) back. *The Finishing Touches* OKAY, so obviously not as much stuff from the last half of the year as the first. Sorry guys, but that first six months nearly killed me. Some stuff as a result will be missing, but major stuff not present is stuff I probably didn't care for. Alrighty then, enough with the "stuff"...

1. Bound by Entrails - The Stars Bode You Farewell

2. Royal Thunder - CVI

3. Akphaezya - Anthology IV: The Tragedy of Nerak

4. Dissona - Dissona

5. Anhedonist - Netherwards

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No longer going to list the albums in order of preference, can't rate music like that. Gonna go alphabetically.
January albums to listen to-Iron Fire, Horrendous

March albums to listen to- Sigh, God Forbid, OSI, Dark Empire, Ignivomous

May- Litrosis, Ne Obliviscaris

June- Miseration, Ihshan, Vintersorg, Abnormality, Gnaw Their Tongues,

1. 3 Inches Of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal

2. 7 Horns 7 Eyes - Throes Of Absolution

3. Abigail Williams - Becoming

4. Abiotic - Symbiosis

5. Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies Of Artificial Origin

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Troy had the right idea doing this at the start instead of waiting so here we go...

However my list is in alphabetic order...

1. Abnormality - Contaminating The Hive Mind

2. Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies Of Artificial Origin

3. Aborted - Global Flatline

4. Aeon - Aeons Black

5. After Oblivion - Stamina

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