Time Fades Away - Top 10 Of 2012
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Whenever making general lists like this, I try to include as many genres I listen to as possible. There were so many good doom/gothic/symphonic albums last year, but I didn't want to include them all, even though they deserve a high place on the list. I'll explain the reasons behind my selection, a few words for each album.
Carach Angren deserved their place here as I'm a huge fan of horror in music (and literature, but not movies); they also play a kind of symphonic black metal that I consider fresh for the genre and Where The Corpses Sink is a great blend of the two - each story sounds so realistic that I avoid listening to this album late at night. Anathema was never among my favourite bands, they were just a band I like to play when it rains outside, but this album changed my opinion completely. Even though it's not anything new and unheard musically, I just love the atmosphere it has. Somehow when you look at the album cover, you know what you are about to hear. The last song is about a man who describes how his near death experience felt, and I can imagine whole Weather Systems being a soundtrack for it. Xandria was a complete surprise for me, and I just had to choose it instead of Epica or Delain's albums. Up to Neverworld's End, Xandria was a "one-hit-wonder" of metal for me, Ravenheart was the only song I actually liked. But Manuela Kraller sounds so much like Tarja during her best years that I expect her every second to sing some Nightwish lyrics. It's not the best symphonic genre can offer, but I like the folk influences in some songs, something like Leaves' Eyes did on Meredead. Paradise Lost continued with their "electronic" phase, but it seems that Tragic Idol has some influences from their older albums, which blends awesomely together. It's a really catchy album and it sounds quite powerful live. The whole atmosphere is dark and gloomy, yet fast, the lyrics are pure melancholy/depression with anger kicking in from beneath, and that's what I love about PL - their "I don't give a fuck" attitude towards everything, no matter how bad it is. Eluveitie released their first real concept album, an epic story about Gallic wars. They used all the same elements as before - blend of male and female vocals, lots of folk instruments, lyrics in Gaulish and so on, but it sounds more mature to me than all their previous work. I was amazed when I heard it live, it has fantastic energy and melodies. Sabaton brought me what I was waiting for so long - a power metal album about Sweden, in Swedish. For a student of Swedish that loves history, it represents something really precious. Besides the fact it has helped me countless times during my studies, it's a great story, covering both bright and dark moments of the Swedish empire. Musically, Sabaton is always the same, but if the recipe is good, why change it much? I must catch them live sometime in Stockholm, the show in Serbia was amazing, but I wish to hear more songs in their native language. Swallow The Sun has slowly become my favourite doom metal band and they are becoming better and better with each album. Emerald Forest seems like they realised that the point of doom isn't only in slow songs, but also in atmosphere, acoustic parts, more clean and more female vocals, as it's good when you actually understand all the depression they sing about. The narrative part of William Blake's "London" was another great effect, Horror series are among their best songs. Maybe they've become a bit softer musically, but the lyrics are still on the same depressive level we love them for. Kamelot has been promising a lot with this album and they've kept the promise - Silverthorn returns us to Ghost Opera era, but with another singer, a young, talented, energetic and amazing frontman from Sweden named Tommy Karevik, and I'm sure no one else could have replaced Roy Khan better. In the beginning, whenever I played Silverthorn and forgot about it for a while, I used to think "Hell, Roy sounds awesome once again" and then I'd realise I'm actually listening to Tommy. Musically and lyrically, it follows the standard Kamelot pattern, only in a completely new and fresh way. Wintersun finally released their highly anticipated album and I couldn't believe it actually happened, I felt the end of the world is finally here. But it was only Jari, proving he hasn't been lying about the epicness of Time I. There's no need to say much about it, as probably almost everyone has heard it. It would probably be on the first place on this list if it were longer - if it wasn't cut in two. It promises something huge, an epic journey through the winter lands and all you get is 40 minutes of it... like a bit longer intro into it. But let's hope Time II will complete it in a good way. Woods Of Ypres have a special place in my heart. This whole album sounds like a suicide note to me, a goodbye from this world, explained through 11 songs, and David Gold's tragic death seems more as a suicide than as an accident. It's not on the first place because I'm praising the dead too much (the last thing David would want), it's here because it's perfectly depressive. Musically, it's nothing WOY haven't already done - both slow and fast, almost punkish doom meet once again, but it's the lyrics that show its greatness. You will face 11 songs about loneliness, rejection, bad sides of (modern) society, suicide, death, but also about hope and life. Gold will describe to you all the bad and tough things about death and loss, but he will also leave you a trace of hope, show you that there is always another choice, another way, a reason to continue. I think that everyone who has ever listened to WOY can recognize themselves in their lyrics and be surprised how well they reflect some of their own thoughts. Woods 5 is a perfect album for winter, but be careful not to listen to it when you are too depressed (or near a highway), because, well, you never know.
Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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