A Year In Metal - 2012: Highlights Through The Eyes Of The MS Staff & Elite
Written by: | Susan |
Published: | January 25, 2013 |
And thus it begins.
The 2012 Metal Storm Awards are almost upon us.
In a little over a week we'll open the MSA voting and you readers will be able to crown THE BEST albums. Stay tuned for the feast of excellent music to be laid before you. Can you feel the tension in the air?
Before that happens, though, we staff and elite took some time out of our work to list our personal favorites and recaps of the year, right here in this article. Perhaps some of these lists below will contain hints as to what you'll find in the upcoming MSA nominations? Ah, the mysteries around here are endless...
Grab some popcorn, read, then tell us how our lists compare to yours. Bon appetit!
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Staff
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Staff
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[user_id]13767[/user_id] Favorite Album: Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas Best Home-Country Album: The Canyon Observer - Chapter II: These Binds Will Set You Free [EP] Most-Played Song: Anaal Nathrakh - "To Spite The Face" Most Promising Band: The Great Old Ones - Al Azif Best Concert: Officium Triste (at Doom Over London fest) Biggest Disappointment: Not going to God Is An Astronaut concert. Metal Moment Of 2012: Becoming a staff member, priceless And 2013? To discover some exquisite deviant underground music and possibly attending any gig or festival. |
[user_id]1423[/user_id] Favorite Album: Faal - The Clouds Are Burning Best Home-Country Album: High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis Most-Played Song: Torche - "Walk It Off" Most Promising Band: Ortega Biggest Disappointment: Neurosis - felt like they were going through the paces with the latest. Also having to cancel a trip to Europe at the last minute, and thus cancel a meet up with Marcel. Amsterdam was spared our rampage. Metal Moment Of 2012: Wandering in to a record shop in Seattle, and when buying a copy of Ahab's having a conversation about the band with the dude behind the counter. Used to just receiving blank stares when I hand my purchases to the cashier. And 2013? It's not 2012, that's already an improvement. |
[user_id]966[/user_id] Favorite Album: Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence, Threshold - March Of Progress and In Mourning - The Weight Of Oceans Best Home-Country Album: Vertigo Steps - Surface/Light and Miss Lava - Red Supergiant Most-Played Song: "Astral Body" - Between The Buried And Me; "Someone (Like You)" - Vertigo Steps; "Kingdom" - Devin Townsend; "Internal Landscapes" - Anathema Most Promising Band: In The Silence, Atoma, Elysian, The Safety Fire and Spelljammer. Best concert: Devin Townsend + Fear Factory; Switchtense (twice); Mastodon; Ava Inferi; Kylesa (gig of the year even though it was in January) Biggest Disappointment: Coram Lethe - Heterodox; another year without a new Porcupine Tree album (DVDs don't count Steven!) Metal Moment Of 2012: Moita Metal Fest 2012 (kind of like local Wacken around these parts); lots of collective headbanging, messy hairs, air guitars, crowd surfing and thrashing; also any other show in Moita is ridiculously fun because of the crowd. And 2013?: New albums from Riverside, Kylesa, Cynic, Grayceon, Dark Tranquillity, Rotting Christ, Fates Warning and more! Hope to discover more bands, see new bands live for the first time and go to more local festivals. |
[user_id]41942[/user_id] Favorite Album: High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis Best Home-Country Album: Vale Of Amonition - Infernal Supremacy EP Most-Played Song: Goatwhore - "When Steel And Bone Meet" | Hour Of 13 - "Lucky Bones" Most Promising Band: Desultor Best Concert: Didn't attend any. Biggest Disappointment: Moonspell - Alpha Noir / Omega White Metal Moment Of 2012: Being made Staff And 2013? New Tool Album? Hope they release it this year. |
[user_id]125330[/user_id] Favorite Album: Testament - Dark Roots Of Earth Best Home-Country Album: Kreator - Phantom Antichrist and Dew-Scented - Icarus Most-Played Song: Actually any Amon Amarth song from - Surtur Rising; it's stuck in my car CD-player and when there is scrap on the radio I will listen to this . Most Promising Band: Speedwolf (FB link) - seriously, check them out. Best Concert: Crap, WAY to many! Other than Barge To Hell I would say Destruction in a fricking bar (best I have seen them in YEARS), Meshuggah was great and so was Turisas Biggest Disappointment: Naglfar - Téras and without even blinking Six Feet Under - Undead Metal Moment Of 2012: Barge To Hell cruise - first and foremost with Sodom, Sacred Reich and Sepultura as my TOP 3. But equally awesome was my west-coast trip with my brothers in Watain for a couple of days!!! TTD!!! And 2013? Looking forward to the new Belphegor and Rotting Christ. |
[user_id]1443[/user_id] Favorite Album: This time I can't really point out one clear favourite. Quite a few albums blew me away, but, admittedly, none of them as much as some of the previous years' favourites. The ones that impressed me the most: Enslaved - RIITIIR, Indesinence - Vessels of Light and Decay, Reverence - The Asthenic Ascension, Asphyx - Deathhammer, Agruss - Morok, Ash Borer - Cold Of Ages, Witchsorrow - God Curse Us, Bong - Mana-Yod-Shusai and quite a few others. Best Home Country Album: Flapjack - Keep Your Heads Down Most-Played Song: I think it was Opeth's "Godhead's Lament" again. This song never bores me and I play it least at a few times a week. Most Promising Band: Lurk. Best Concert: Judas Priest, Epitaph Tour, Spodek, Katowice, April 14th. Biggest Disappointment: Drudkh - Eternal Turn of the Wheel. How the mighty have fallen. The most uninspired and bland shit since The Guessing Game. And 2013? Let's hope Skepticism and Slayer release their new full-lengths. |
[user_id]1861[/user_id] Favorite Album: Without a doubt A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays Best Home-Country Album: Either Gorod - A Perfect Absolution, Igorrr - Hallelujah or Klone - The Dreamer's Hideaway, but sadly certainly not Gojira. Most-Played Song: A Forest Of Stars - "Gatherer Of The Pure" (check it); Gorod - "Birds Of Sulphur" (check!); Stolen Babies - "Prankster" (listen!); Anaal Nathrakh - "You Can't Save Me, So Stop Fucking Trying" (it's here). Most Promising Band: - Best Concert: All Gorod shows in Toulouse (two this year), Vulture Industries and Refused @ Hellfest Biggest Disappointment: Overall, a disappointing year, with so few groundbreaking albums. There is some pretty solid stuff, thankfully. Also, no apocalypse. Would have loved to witness the end of the world. Metal Moment Of 2012: Hellfest as usual? And 2013? Will have to see if Dark Tranquillity, Terra Tenebrosa, Shining (NOR), Orphaned Land and others live up to their legacy... On a non-metal note, traveling through the Pyrenées and near Toulouse searching for minerals again! |
[user_id]2481[/user_id] Favorite Album: Keep Your Opinions To Yourself - Undiscovered Country Of Old Death And Strange Years In The Frightful Past Best Home-Country Album: Keep Your Opinions To Yourself - Undiscovered Country Of Old Death And Strange Years In The Frightful Past Most-Played Song: Atoma - "Bermuda Riviera" / Xandria - "A Prophecy Of Worlds To Fall" / Keep Your Opinions To Yourself - "11" Most Promising Band: Atoma Best Concert: Both times seeing KYOTY live. The first time just before their release, and finding out how good they are. The second time, driving out to see only their set and ignoring the rest of the bands so as not to ruin the mood they put me in. In 45 minutes, I reflected on my life, floated to new worlds, shed some tears on the inside, and walked out the instant they finished a better man. Biggest Disappointment: The release of so very few great symphonic & gothic metal releases. Metal Moment Of 2012: Sailing the seas along the coast of Hordaland, and driving around the fjords of Norway And 2013? Hopefully a return to seeing another metal festival in Europe, it was sorely missed last year. |
[user_id]1763[/user_id] Favorite Album: Lurk - Lurk Best Home-Country Album: 3 Inches Of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal Most-Played Song: Nachtmystium - "Borrowed Hope & Broken Dreams" Most Promising Band: Lurk Best Concert: Marduk & 1349 Biggest Disappointment: Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes Metal Moment Of 2012: Altogether, a totally un-metal year for ol' Doc And 2013? Find some time to get back to reviewing! I miss this. |
[user_id]125[/user_id] Favorite Album: The Eden House - Timeflows (EP), Karcius - The First Day, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - Exegesis, Ancestors - In Dreams And Time, oh and Moonspell's Omega White was a surprise beyond any expectations Best Home-Country Album: Possibly Estoner - The Stump Will Rise. Most-Played Song: Don't have one, but Karcius "Hypnotic" is damn awesome and memorable. Most Promising Band: Kontinuum, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster. Best Concert: Has to be Beardfish in Tallinn, also Spock's Beard and Lazuli at Night of the Prog 2012. Biggest Disappointment: Hellfest 2012 sucked so much with its line-up I had to break my winning 5-in-a-row attendance streak. Metal Moment Of 2012: Attending Night of the Prog 2012 at its fantastic location. And 2013? Something good to listen to, I have high expectations for the new Riverside, Kingcrow, Jolly and Spock's Beard, and some good festivals and shows would be awesome. Oh, and of course new Freak Kitchen. |
[user_id]23[/user_id] Favorite Album: Too many to choose from. Best Home-Country Album: Flapjack - Keep Your Heads Down Most-Played Song: Gojira - "L'enfant suavage" (based on last.fm charts) Most Promising Band: This is always a tough one as there have been many great debuts this year. Albums by Glass Cloud, Charon (from Saxony), The Weakening and Abnormality were my favorites so I'm most looking forward to what they can come up with next. Best Concert: Voivod in Warsaw Biggest Disappointment: Ministry - Relapse Metal Moment Of 2012: Accidentally pushing G. C. Green of Godflesh into a pile of mud. And 2013? Hope to get back to reviewing again, if time allows. |
[user_id]109674[/user_id] Favorite Album: Enochian Theory - Life... And All It Entails. Will probably end up as one of my favorites of the decade as well - it's just that lovely. Best Home-Country Album: Burning Circle - Ruins Of Mankind. Our scene produces at least one album per year to be excited about - I think that's a good start. Most-Played Song: Dream Theater's "Space-Dye Vest". The year was pretty depressing, comforting that comes from beautiful music was much needed (and had). Most Promising Band: Beyond The Bridge, Headspace, Dissona. Best concert: None. Assign the blame to my place of residence I guess. Biggest Disappointment: Sonata Arctica half-assed an album. Several months ago, I was okay with the amount of crap on Stones Grow Her Name because of songs on it that are a highlight in their entire discography. Then they did this. Fuck my life. Metal Moment Of 2012: Not sure. This year wasn't as metal as I hoped it would be. And 2013?: Since nearby festivals are either becoming boring or take place during my exam-period, I look forward to discovering more bands, reviewing and actually having gigs to visit. New albums from (eep!) Subsignal, Riverside, Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity, James LaBrie, (double eep!) Dream Theater, Pain Of Salvation, Fates Warning, Kvelertak and Headspace are hopefully all worth looking forward to. |
[user_id]2115[/user_id] Favorite Album: Grimes - Vision. Yep, Promonex is going all hipster now. Best Home-Country Album: Kreator - Phantom Antichrist and Panzerballett - Tank Goodness Most-Played Song: Periphery - "Scarlet", The Algorithm - "Access Granted", Grimes - "Oblivion". Most Promising Band: Make Them Suffer. Best Concert: Refused at Hellfest, hands down. Biggest Disappointment: Wacken 2012. In its entirety. Metal Moment Of 2012: New job! And a promotion only one month later! And 2013? Can I haz even moar promotions!? |
[user_id]40513[/user_id] Favorite Album: The Algorithm - Polymorphic Code Best Home-Country Album: Cattle Decapitation - Monolith Of Inhumanity Most-Played Song: The Algorithm - "Access Granted" Most Promising Band: Bloodshot Dawn Best Concert: Didn't make any Biggest Disappointment: Not being able to find a better job Metal Moment Of 2012: Being promoted to Metal Storm Staff And 2013? Finding a much better job so I can get out of my father's house and back on my own |
[user_id]1729[/user_id] Favorite Album: Head Phones President - Stand In The World; Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas; Wilderun - Olden Tales And Deathly Trails; A.I.(d) - Disorder. Best Home-Country Album: Wilderun - Olden Tales And Deathly Trails Most-Played Song: Thought Machine - "The Autumn Lives Here" Most Promising Band: Wilderun, Royal Thunder, Blue Aside Best Concert: Tie between seeing Fair To Midland in 2 different cities, and attending the onslaught of the Summer Slaughter Tour Biggest Disappointment: Thy Majestie - ShiHuangDi. Metal Moment Of 2012: Interviewing my heroes in Fair To Midland And 2013? More exciting interviews planned. You'll have to wait and be surprised!! |
[user_id]35890[/user_id] Favourite Album: High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis Best Home-Country Album: Other than De Vermis, Black Breath - Sentenced To Life. Most-Played Song: Either Aura Noir's "Abbadon" or Deathhammer's "Lead Us Into Hell". Or Mion's Hill's "Evocation/Pestilent Sabbat." Or Necrovation's "Resurrectionist." Most Promising Band: Mion's Hill Best Concert: Behemoth & Watain: Decible Magazine Tour Biggest Disappointment: 3 Inches Of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal Metal Moment Of 2012: Not getting thrown out of any Red Fang shows. And 2013? Surviving more end of days days, The Underground Resistance and Earth Rocker. |
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Elite
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Elite
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[user_id]4365[/user_id] Favorite Album: Favorite Album: Igorrr - Hallelujah and Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock. Best Home-Country Album: Bong - Mana-Yood-Sushai, Indesinence - Vessels of Light and Decay and Necro Deathmort - The Colonial Script. Most-Played Song: Something off Igorrr's latest one I would imagine. Most Promising Band: Agruss, Chthe'ilist and Muknal. Best Concert: Anaal Nathrakh at Bloodstock, Pig Destroyer, Undersmile. Off the top of my head. Biggest Disappointment: Where to start... Nile, Deathspell Omega, Gojira, Candlemass, Meshuggah, Drudkh, Katatonia and a bunch more. All great, or once great, bands massively letting the side down this year. Metal Moment Of 2012: Steel prices fell to their lowest level in 3 years. Solemn 23 and Cal Wolvington / Ernil-whatsit nuking their own accounts. And 2013? The return of !T.O.O.H.!. Also worth mentioning that Abyssal have already made an AotY-worthy record that will be hard to beat. |
[user_id]37723[/user_id] Favourite Album: Nadja / Vampilla - The Primitive World, because Monolithe's Interlude Second is an EP Best Home-Country Album: Nothing great from Hong Kong or China released this year... as usual Most-Played Song: "Your Reward" by In The Silence, and that's excluding the times I've listened to it as my ringtone. Most Promising Band: Kontinuum and In The Silence Best Concert: I wanted to go to the Mono concert when they came to Hong Kong, but the tickets were sold out )= Biggest Disappointment: Delain, Candlemass Metal Moment Of 2012: It has been a rather sweet softy year for me :3 And 2013? Terra Tenebrosa, Ghost, Leprous, Enshine, Atoma, Voivod, Kylesa, Madder Mortem, Last Chance To Reason, Fractal Gates immediately comes to mind, but I'm sure there'll be plenty more to look forward to as the year unfolds. |
[user_id]1093[/user_id] Favorite Album: Eluveitie - Helvetios Best Home-Country Album: Corrosion Of Conformity -Corrosion of Conformity Most-Played Song: Hammock - "(Tonight) We Burn Like Stars That Never Die" Most Promising Band: Eating The Sun. They are a small local band, but great mix of doom and grunge. Best Concert: Albannach at Celtoberfest Biggest Disappointment: 2012. Yeah, pretty much the whole year. Lost my job due to a bullshit lawsuit. Did not get to go to the three conventions I wanted to, including Dragon*Con (which I had tickets and a hotel for!). Scrapped the original recordings of our album because we did not like them and now are looking for a new studio to record in. I could go on and on, but it is not productive, so all I will say is that 2013 is the year I return to kick ass. Metal Moment Of 2012: My band was headlining a festival and we got shut down by the cops! And 2013? Watching every single episode of every Star Trek in a year! Trek Year! |
[user_id]1186[/user_id] Favorite Album: Dead Can Dance - Anastasis, Enslaved - RIITIIR, mind.in.a.box - Revelations. Best Home-Country Album: Dissona - Dissona, OSI - Fire Make Thunder Most-Played Song: Chimp Spanner - "Mӧbius Pt I" Most Promising Band: Profusion [Italy] Best Concert: Mastodon/Opeth/Ghost Biggest Disappointment: Only attending 3 concerts... Metal Moment Of 2012: Getting really fat for no reason. And 2013? Riverside, Shining (NOR), KMFDM, Clutch, Ghost, Leprous, Falkenbach, Devin Townsend, Orphaned Land, Chimp Spanner, Animals As Leaders, Last Chance To Reason, Haken... and Tool. |
[user_id]27874[/user_id] Favorite Album: Agruss - Morok, Alkerdeel - Morinde, Cloak Of Altering - Ancient Paths Through Timeless Voids, and Igorrr - Hallelujah... Extremely hard to choose between them. There are quite a few which I really enjoyed as well though but these albums seem to be among the strongest for me. Best Home-Country Album: LvxCælis - Mysteria Mystica Maxima XXIII and Wrathprayer - The Sun Of Moloch. The Chilean extreme metal scene is doing great! Most-Played Song: I'm gonna go all non-metal here. Bôa - Duvet is the best pop song I've heard in a long time. Most Promising Band: Agruss... Debut of the year for me. Can't wait to see what they can do next. Best Concert: Alkerdeel at Roadburn was insanely mesmerizing and Nasum's farewell tour with Pyramido, Skitsystem and Black Breath... Energetic is an understatement Biggest Disappointment: Candlemass' excuse of an album... To a lesser extent: Neurosis and Pig Destroyer. Good albums, but I expected way more from those two bands considering their previous masterpieces. Metal Moment Of 2012: Roadburn 2012... Great bands and great people. Also, Roadburn aside: This has probably been the year I've been to most concerts yet. And 2013? Well, right now I can only say that Roadburn 2013 will be a blast just like the previous two times I was there. Hoping for great albums this year, too. |
[user_id]828[/user_id] Favorite Album: Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay without a doubt, but honourable mentions to Faal - The Clouds Are Burning & In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad Best Home-Country Album: Perversion - Pillars of the Enlightened Most-Played Song: Faal - "Tempest" & Monuments Collapse - "White Owl" Most Promising Band(s): In The Silence, Dissona, Abstracter, Xanthochroid & Monuments Collapse Best Concert: Brutal Assault 2012 as a whole really. Had such a blast at that festival. Biggest Disappointment: The mud at Wacken this year, that shit was brutal. Metal Moment Of 2012: 2012 has been another unbelievable year for me but there were two main highlights. The first was my summer trip to Europe again to attend Wacken, Brutal Assault 2012 & Summer Breeze Festivals, with the most "metal" highlight probably being when standing right at the front of the crowd, shoulder to shoulder with all the members of Textures while watching At The Gates live at Brutal Assault. The second highlight? Well, that was by far the best thing to happen this year....getting married! And yes, it was a metal themed wedding And 2013?: Who knows? But after 2 amazing years in a row I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store. |
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Written on 25.01.2013 by
Susan appreciates quality metal regardless of sub-genre. Metal Storm Staff since 2006. Twitter: @HeavyMetalSusan |
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