So much good stuff nominated this year, thank you MS! So far I've discovered and liked: Alkerdeel, Indesinence, Faal, Monolithe, Elysian Blaze, Ævangelist and the re-recorded Darkspace demo.
Also, somehow connected to the MS awards I discovered Abyssal.
None of the extreme doom nominations I discovered have been able to beat Profetus though. "...to Open the Passages in Dusk" is definitely my album of the year.

Written by Skyum on 07.02.2013 at 11:18
None of the extreme doom nominations I discovered have been able to beat Profetus though. "...to Open the Passages in Dusk" is definitely my album of the year.

I liked that one... but not as much as most of the nominees in the extreme doom category. Glad that you have discovered a few names though! That's the spirit.

Written by Iriki on 06.02.2013 at 00:40

Written by psykometal on 05.02.2013 at 22:59

Written by Iriki on 05.02.2013 at 22:51

Indeed, actually I voted on him in the Black Metal as a Write-in vote

He goes in Progressive.

It could be, but i chose putting him in Black Metal because I got so many favs in prog that I wouldn't have chosen him among them.

BTW, it was the same problem with Shining's lastest, which I didn't find as nominated in any category. ):

Anyway, we hope he wins in one way or another...Eremita is indeed an unforgetteble opus, so difficult to achieve in this times.

Gonna check alot of stuff that got nominated when I have time. But voting lost it's appeal for me, seems kind of pointless...

That's the opposite of ''That's the Spirit" lol

Nah, the opposite of "the spirit" is shooting your load on the very first occasion.

Hey, Abbath put out a doom album, according to the write in votes. Funny name for an album, though.

I went this whole year thinking this wasn't a great year, I checked out most of the albums that are now nominated. Now, however, upon hearing them again I have a hard time choosing what to vote for... I also bought like 10 albums on bandcamp yesterday.
Also, I hate to see Kreator, Overkill and Testament nominated. Their albums sounded really mediocre to me (especially Kreator's and Testament's), and one of those 3 will probably win, while other thrash bands did a much better job this year.
EDIT: Actually, I can think of only one band that did a 'much' better job, but still, most of thrash metal this year was mediocre.

Written by M C Vice on 09.02.2013 at 09:02

Hey, Abbath put out a doom album, according to the write in votes. Funny name for an album, though.

What?! Abbath from Immortal or some other Abbath that I am unfamiliar with? I'm not a fan of doom but I would still check out a doom band/album from Abbath Doom Occulta...

Written by psykometal on 10.02.2013 at 07:17

Written by M C Vice on 09.02.2013 at 09:02

Hey, Abbath put out a doom album, according to the write in votes. Funny name for an album, though.

What?! Abbath from Immortal or some other Abbath that I am unfamiliar with? I'm not a fan of doom but I would still check out a doom band/album from Abbath Doom Occulta...

Someone has put as a write in vote "I - Still Hate This Genre" in the doom catagory. I was pretending that it was tha band I (http://www.metalstorm.net/bands/band.php?band_id=2296&bandname=I)
Is there one of those little smiley things that show something going over someone's head?

Not a big fan of the new Wintersun, but I don't see why it wasn't nominated in the symphonic metal category, I like it more than most of the stuff there. I avoid write-ins though. It will probably end up high anyway, since Wintersun seems to be voted for in every category.

Written by Zap on 10.02.2013 at 12:40

Not a big fan of the new Wintersun, but I don't see why it wasn't nominated in the symphonic metal category, I like it more than most of the stuff there. I avoid write-ins though. It will probably end up high anyway, since Wintersun seems to be voted for in every category.

Wintersun never even came close to being nominated by the staff and elite. The Wintersun votes that aren't in the extreme power category won't count.

Written by [user id=4365] on 10.02.2013 at 18:25

Wintersun never even came close to being nominated by the staff and elite. The Wintersun votes that aren't in the extreme power category won't count.

I know it didn't come close in extreme power, and I know it won't count in categories as black metal and stoner metal, but why not in symphonic metal? Sounds like symphonic (extreme) power metal to me.

Written by Zap on 10.02.2013 at 18:59
but why not in symphonic metal? Sounds like symphonic (extreme) power metal to me.

That is something that has been discussed as well although I don't remember what was the outcome of that. There's a fair chance that a Wintersun write-in for the Symphonic category could be treated differently than one in the doom category ahahahha.

If The Electric Age doesn't win for thrash I am going to fucking seriously kill some shit not really you get the point though
NO NEED BEGGIN GIMME ALL YO MONEY THERE'S A FLAT DOOR FEE IF ALL YOU WANT IS HONEY

Written by M C Vice on 10.02.2013 at 10:39

Someone has put as a write in vote "I - Still Hate This Genre" in the doom catagory. I was pretending that it was tha band I (http://www.metalstorm.net/bands/band.php?band_id=2296&bandname=I)
Is there one of those little smiley things that show something going over someone's head?

Ah I know of I, and I've seen the "I - still hate this genre" write-in. But that isn't just Abbath in the band so that would be why it went over my head. *shrug*

I really don't want Electric Age to win Thrash award for simply giving a "okay, Overkill is nominated, rest gonna fuck up" nod. People should seriously listen all those nominations and give their votes at the end.

Written by [user id=4365] on 10.02.2013 at 18:25

Written by Zap on 10.02.2013 at 12:40

Not a big fan of the new Wintersun, but I don't see why it wasn't nominated in the symphonic metal category, I like it more than most of the stuff there. I avoid write-ins though. It will probably end up high anyway, since Wintersun seems to be voted for in every category.

Wintersun never even came close to being nominated by the staff and elite. The Wintersun votes that aren't in the extreme power category won't count.

Actually it ended up 11th in the Extreme Power category, so it wasn't that far away.

But yeah, just like each album could only be nominated by us in one single genre category, write-in votes will only be counted in one single genre category. Which one that is depends on the category in which a given album receives most votes by the users. We'll take a closer look at that in a few days and delete all invalid votes, so people can use their votes for other releases.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 11.02.2013 at 10:32

I really don't want Electric Age to win Thrash award for simply giving a "okay, Overkill is nominated, rest gonna fuck up" nod. People should seriously listen all those nominations and give their votes at the end.

I don't want it to win for the same reason. Also because I think it's not that great, but that's just me.

I really think you can't include in the same category Alcest and Les Discrets with bands like Borknagar and then mix those three with Taranis. Blackgaze and Melodic Black Metal are different type of genres and Borknagar is another thing entirely.

Who did this?

Hi.

For those of you who have spotify, I'd like to post some spotify playlists I've created for the nominees. You'll find some are missing: sorry, they do not appear at spotify.

Melodic Black Metal / Metalgaze
http://open.spotify.com/user/sarmisen/playlist/385yjo4wlUxmXUrXyHk0oy

Doom
http://open.spotify.com/user/sarmisen/playlist/3mgOjOFMXNFG9Jg3MouwqO

Thrash
http://open.spotify.com/user/sarmisen/playlist/7aB55otDKIzA5YrpdiTIxt

Melodeath / gothemburg
http://open.spotify.com/user/sarmisen/playlist/2LEVqbMh7kZbeBb7gRa5HO

Death Metal
http://open.spotify.com/user/sarmisen/playlist/5Iq7qdXAWqmq2D7sYtmvUU

As soon as I create more I'll post them here.

In order to give the bands the chance to make their strongest possible showing and to give your votes the biggest impact, we just deleted a bunch of write-in votes which appeared in more than one category. Check the voting discussion thread to find out which votes were affected, and head back to the awards intro screen if you want to discover the other entries and vote anew

LOL @ the metalstorm staff not even including Wintersun in the final nominations. What a joke... trying to manipulate the voting results due to their own bias. I probably won't be participating in the voting anymore, every year the staff tries harder and harder to squeeze their own bias and tastes into nominations. Sad, pathetic, and unprofessional.

Cool story, bro.

Written by Italics on 24.02.2013 at 22:22

LOL @ the metalstorm staff not even including Wintersun in the final nominations. What a joke... trying to manipulate the voting results due to their own bias. I probably won't be participating in the voting anymore, every year the staff tries harder and harder to squeeze their own bias and tastes into nominations. Sad, pathetic, and unprofessional.

No offense, but you sound like one of those fangirls who was raging over Leonardo DiCaprio not getting his Academy Awards nomination for his role in Titanic.

Thing is: we have ten slots to give away. We have our ways to determine the staff's collective top 10 in any given category. I myself was certain that Wintersun would make it, but they finished 11th. Tough luck. Feel free to use your write-in vote. Preferably after checking out the other nominees. Kälter's Ubuntu might actually be right up your alley.

Written by Italics on 24.02.2013 at 22:22

LOL @ the metalstorm staff not even including Wintersun in the final nominations. What a joke... trying to manipulate the voting results due to their own bias. I probably won't be participating in the voting anymore, every year the staff tries harder and harder to squeeze their own bias and tastes into nominations. Sad, pathetic, and unprofessional.

Ah shit, you caught us man, fuck we're totally busted guys...

Honestly though, the MSA nominees are chosen by Staff and 100% based on our musical tastes and not the Hot 100 charts (or whatever popularity polls you think we should base the nominees on) so you would be absolutely 100% correct about us "trying to manipulate the voting results due to their own bias". We prefer to call it "musical tastes" instead of "bias" though.

Super job their Shirley in figuring that out all by yourself.

(I've been rewatching Scrubs on Netflix lately so I just couldn't resist the urge to channel my inner Dr. Cox. )

The problem here that a lot of people (like yourself) fail to understand is that the MSAs are not just another popularity contest for the biggest name bands in metal (more like a popularity contest for the little guys since a lot of Staff listen to so many unknown and unrecognized bands ). Sure some big names make it in (because we, in Staff, agreed that said big name band's album was truly worthy of the recognition) but part of the ultimate goal of the MSAs is to have fun helping others find bands that they may not have otherwise looked into if they hadn't seen the band's album nominated in an official awards ceremony on a metal website.

The manner in which we choose our awards ceremony's nominees is what helps to set us apart from several other metal sites because we do tend to give the little guys a chance to shine and be recognized for their hard work (that in many cases is paid for by their own hard work and sweat rather than being funded by a major label).

As Promonex stated, if you believe that Wintersun deserves a nomination then PLEASE vote for them as a write-in, that is after all why we give you guys the write-in option so you can vote for albums that we did not nominate.

Written by psykometal on 25.02.2013 at 04:59

Written by Italics on 24.02.2013 at 22:22

but part of the ultimate goal of the MSAs is to have fun helping others find bands that they may not have otherwise looked into if they hadn't seen the band's album nominated in an official awards ceremony on a metal website.

Like I probably never would have listened to Midnattsol if the Espa-whatever sisters weren't going head to head in last years awards. Great band.

Feels like rolling up his sleeves and joining in.

Written by Italics on 24.02.2013 at 22:22

every year the staff tries harder and harder to squeeze their own bias and tastes into nominations. Sad, pathetic, and unprofessional.

actually, it is our own "bias", and by "bias", it just means tastes. people cast votes for what they like and what the don't. we ultimately don't particularly give a shit if the band is big and popular or small and relatively obscure. the only thing that matters is the quality of the albums being assessed.

i'm also not entirely sure how one could do any type of awards without a degree of "bias", because, simply put, "bias" = "preference". if i prefer album X to album Y, i'm will vote for X, not Y.

i am sorry if you fail to comprehend the notion of preference, particularly when your own "bias" causes you to lash out like a schoolchild. if WS got in and one of the other bands didn't, you wouldn't say word one. you're just pissed because of your own "bias."

i have a better idea, rather than frothing at the keyboard, try listening to those bands that were nominated. free of bias. you might be pleasantly surprised.


me? i wouldn't really know. i don't touch that genre.

Written by Italics on 24.02.2013 at 22:22

LOL @ the metalstorm staff not even including Wintersun in the final nominations. What a joke... trying to manipulate the voting results due to their own bias. I probably won't be participating in the voting anymore, every year the staff tries harder and harder to squeeze their own bias and tastes into nominations. Sad, pathetic, and unprofessional.

How dare the MS staff not follow your personal tastes. That's what the write in votes are for. If your favorite release of a genre is something that's not included, just write it in. If they were trying to twist the results to their own biases the "write ins" wouldn't exist.

Written by BitterCOld on 25.02.2013 at 07:22
i'm also not entirely sure how one could do any type of awards without a degree of "bias", because, simply put, "bias" = "preference". if i prefer album X to album Y, i'm will vote for X, not Y.

That's what I was thinking as well... Is there any kind of awards that isn't done with a little bit of "bias" ( = preference/tastes) in the beginning?
Don't think so and anyone else who thinks otherwise is hella naive to say the least.