Your Top 10 Albums of 2012

I liked Amaryllis ok but it didn't grab me like the last one.

Dark Horseman wrote:

I liked Amaryllis ok but it didn't grab me like the last one.

I liked the last one a lot but something about Amaryllis just really clicked with me. It didn't hurt that TBS kept using the chorus to "Unity" as the background music to the highlights during the Cardinals post-season run. Even now when I hear that song, I keep picturing the 2012 Cardinal post-season.

tohostudios wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

I liked Amaryllis ok but it didn't grab me like the last one.

I liked the last one a lot but something about Amaryllis just really clicked with me. It didn't hurt that TBS kept using the chorus to "Unity" as the background music to the highlights during the Cardinals post-season run. Even now when I hear that song, I keep picturing the 2012 Cardinal post-season.

It was the first Shinedown CD I ever got. Until I picked up Pop Evil-Lipstick On The Mirror and really enjoyed it, I had no interest in modern rock bands. I picked up Amaryllis aftwards, followed by the other Pop Evil album, and the new Charm City Devils. Not sure if there are any other modern rock bands I'd like but those were enjoyable. Guess the previous Shinedown CD should be my next purchase of that genre.

DallasBlack wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

I liked Amaryllis ok but it didn't grab me like the last one.

I liked the last one a lot but something about Amaryllis just really clicked with me. It didn't hurt that TBS kept using the chorus to "Unity" as the background music to the highlights during the Cardinals post-season run. Even now when I hear that song, I keep picturing the 2012 Cardinal post-season.

It was the first Shinedown CD I ever got. Until I picked up Pop Evil-Lipstick On The Mirror and really enjoyed it, I had no interest in modern rock bands. I picked up Amaryllis aftwards, followed by the other Pop Evil album, and the new Charm City Devils. Not sure if there are any other modern rock bands I'd like but those were enjoyable. Guess the previous Shinedown CD should be my next purchase of that genre.

I'd say so. I really enjoy "The Sound Of Madness"; the track "Cry For Help" is one of my favorite modern rock tracks. I think I even put that one on a comp exchange.

Christian:


10. Machina - To Live and Die in the Garden of Eden - very 90's-ish grunge-revisited release. The band has the vocals of Candlebox (sometimes AIC), the drums of STP, and the guitars of Pearl Jam. There's a lot of sensitive songs and ballads here which is why it is number 10 and there's just too much of the soft side of the band.

9. German Pascual - A New Beginning - Your basic european power metal band - very strong vocalist, but the band sounds like every other metal band out there.

8. Boarders - R-Existence - Just a good metal release ala a diverse Megadeth and with great crunchy guitars.

7. Innersiege - Kingdom of Shadows - Basic straight up classic metal ala Queensryche's debut album. Good performances from this Illinois band.

6. Tourniquet - Anti-septic Bloodbath - Basic Tourniquet release: symphony intros, complex guitar riffs, and tons of time changes. Just not as good as their past stuff.

5. Teramaze - Anhedonia - Killer metal album, nothing like their progressive-ish 90's album, but this is very thrash-like, but with a lot of melodies and skillfully played riffs.

4. Saint - Desperate Night - Another winner from this classic, book of Revelation text, metal band. Pounding drums, scorching solos and driving vocals ala classic Priest.

3. Project 86 - Wait For the Siren - Great effort from this alt metal band with new boundaries being explored. One of their most consistent releases - hardly a skipper on it.

2. The Sacrificed - III - Classic 80's metal with high pitched vocals that are spot on in very cool songs.

1. Affector - Harmageddon - Prog metal that is better than anything Dream Theater's don in 10 years. Lyrics straight out of the book of Revelation over very complex metal passages. The vocals are perfect and were added at the last minute as this was an instrumental release at first. Surprising, since this sounds like metal worship at its best.


Secular -

10. Rush - Clockwork Angels - Rush is back with their best album in a decade. They're still too old as Geddy just can't bring it like he used to...

9. Tremonti - All I Was - Creed guitarist put out a solo album with really strong songwriting and this dude can actually sing as well as deliver killer solos.

8. Testament - The Dark Roots of the Earth - Pre-eminent thrash band is back and it's nothing as good as their 'Practice What you Preach' days, but it's solid and with some incredible covers especially Iron Maiden's "Powerslave."

7. Pharaoh - Bury the Light - This unique progressive/power metal band brings forth yet another quality album, but not quite as heavy as before and more of a polished sound, but these guys know how to write interesting metal tunes.

6. Flying Colors - Flying Colors - Progressive super-group consisting of Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy release a nice piece of 70's prog with pop-leanings sorta like Asia back in the day. Very good.

5. Celldweller - Wish Upon A Black Star - Former industrial metalist finally puts out a full length album with leanings toward techno rather than a driving guitar, but it's still a fascinating listen.

4. Lanfear - This Harmonic Consonance - awesome, awesome band with a unique approach to power metal and are highly concentrated on creating choral melodies that will stick in your noggin for hours.

3. Circus Maximus - Nine- The most skilled and note precision band in the prog metal genre return and deliver their typically perfect music. The singer CANNOT make a mistake or be off-key - it is IMPOSSIBLE. Music is always pristine and perfect, but there are other bands better at creating melodies than Circus although their songs are quite good.

2. Threshold - March of Progress - The Masters of driving progressive metal took 5 years to make a release and it was worth the wait - the songs are made with incredible craftsmanship as well as amazing emotion.

1. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth - This is the guitar album of the new Millenium: Eddie has done it again.
This is his finest guitar playing since 1984 - his tone is magnificent,his performance incredible, and he pulls out lick after lick of blistering guitar histrionics. Dave is decent and the chemistry is back- this is exactly what I thought VH would sound like in the future while listening to Mean Streets. The tone! I can't get over how great Eddie sounds! he finally achieved Van Halen perfection after years of trying out so much new technology and coming up with so-so results. This tone captures the more primal electric energy of the past with today's sheen production - you can still "feel" the guitar being picked and nothing sounds too processed to lose it's soul. This is the problemof so much of today's heavy guitar - the overly processed technology sucks the humanity out of the sound, but Eddie has brought the perfect hybrid of both worlds finally.

Combined:


10. Teramaze - Anhedonia
9. Saint - Desperate Night
8. Threshold - March of Progress
7. Project 86 - Wait For the Siren
6. The Sacrificed - III
5. Celldweller - Wish Upon A Black Star
4. Lanfear - This Harmonic Consonance
3. Circus Maximus - Nine
2. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth
1. Affector - Harmageddon

I love Amaryllis. When my list comes out (soon!) it will be #1, by a wide margin. I can't believe how good that album is.

Alrighty,


1) Shinedown -Amaryllis - Not even close! Love this album.

2) Tourniquet - Antiseptic Bloodbath - By far the biggest surprise of the year. Their best since their first three.

3) Tyketto - Dig In Deep - I know this disappointed a lot of people, but I love it.

4) Kreator - Phantom Antichrist - Wow! Best album yet for these guys.

5) Halestorm - The Strange Case of... - Man, when this is good, it's amazing, and when it's not amazing, it's still pretty good.

6T)Overkill - Electric Rattle Snake

6T)Accept - Stalingrad - Very strong releases for these two bands. Getting better with age. What's with all these 50 and 60 year old metal guys killing it?

King Of Asgard - ...to North - Love their sound. Pounding, majestic death/pagan metal.

9) Testament - Dark Roots of Earth - not as killer as previous couple, but still great.

10) Dragonforce - The Power Withing - Man, not as surprising at Tourniquet, but a nice comeback for these guys.

Others:

3 Inches of Blood
Cage - Supremacy of Steel - Not bad, but a big comedown from the previous masterpieces.
Pharaoh - Bury the Light - No stellar, but steady great metal.
Primal Fear - Unbreakable - Ditto the above comment
Elvenking - Era - I don't think they'll ever match their Wyrd/Winter Wake era, but this is good.
High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis - Good, solid doom/sludge, whatever this is.
Disciple - O God Save Us All - Came very close to top-10 status
Huntress - Spell Eater - Came very, very close to top-10 status, if it had less filler would have made it.

There are others that I haven't purchase, or absorbed yet.

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3) Tyketto - Dig In Deep - I know this disappointed a lot of people, but I love it.

This one really grew on my to the point I loved it. First listen I was disappointed but I kept going back to it and finding it better each time.

I'll also say that Trixter's New Audio Machine would certainly be top ten material for my money.

jstate wrote:

Quote :

3) Tyketto - Dig In Deep - I know this disappointed a lot of people, but I love it.

This one really grew on my to the point I loved it. First listen I was disappointed but I kept going back to it and finding it better each time.

I'll also say that Trixter's New Audio Machine would certainly be top ten material for my money.

I heard samples of that Tyketto and really liked it. Unfortunatly, 2012 was so busy with good releases, I forgot about it (as well as Primal Fear and a few others). Really liked Trixter (heck, I'm one of the few here that likes all three of their albums), but for that genre; Eclipse, Jimi Jamison, and H.E.A.T. beat it out.

I'm a fan of all their stuff too. I thought this latest sounded exactly like Trixter in 2012 should sound. Still maintaining what I liked about them in the first place only with a more matured take. I have that Jamison disc and really need to get on it considering it got a lot of love. Eclipse sits on my want list. May have to check out H.E.A.T..

DallasBlack wrote:

jstate wrote:

Quote :

3) Tyketto - Dig In Deep - I know this disappointed a lot of people, but I love it.

This one really grew on my to the point I loved it. First listen I was disappointed but I kept going back to it and finding it better each time.

I'll also say that Trixter's New Audio Machine would certainly be top ten material for my money.

I heard samples of that Tyketto and really liked it. Unfortunatly, 2012 was so busy with good releases, I forgot about it (as well as Primal Fear and a few others). Really liked Trixter (heck, I'm one of the few here that likes all three of their albums), but for that genre; Eclipse, Jimi Jamison, and H.E.A.T. beat it out.

i was really really disappointed with the new Tyketto. I thought the new Trixter album was the best thing they have done but the Tyketto was bland and nothing like Dont Come Easy.

I don't believe I have posted mine yet - I am still amassing albums from 2012 so this list may be subject to change (still interested in about 10 more albums from this year including Rage, Wintersun, Katatonia, Woods of Ypres, Enslaved, Bel'akor and a few others...)

1. Accept - Stalingrad
2. Sabaton - Carolus Rex
3. Testament - Dark Roots of Earth
4. Before the Dawn - Rise of the Phoenix
5. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

6. Orden Ogan - To The End
7. Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes
8. Baroness - Yellow & Green
9. Borknagar - Urd
10. Exumer - Fire & Damnation

Honorable mentions:

Hexen - Being and Nothingness

Overkill - The Electric Age

Kreator - Phantom Antichrist (sorry but Exumer dominated my german thrash list)

Soulfly - Enslaved (good album but thought Omen was better)

Vindicator - United We Fall (really good take on imo Megadeth's older 80s style, nothing terribly original but fun listen still)

Running Wild - Shadowmaker (love Running Wild, love Rock n Rolf always will be my top German power metal band but this simply didn't have enough hooks to make it in the top 10).

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was really really disappointed with the new Tyketto.

I was too on that first listen, but then it turned out to be one of those weird cases where it just clicked with me on subsequent listens. But get what you're saying on it being bland. Don't Come Easy is such a classic. Be almost impossible to top that one IMO.

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. Baroness - Yellow & Green

Good to see this one get some Top album love. I wasn't familiar with Baroness before but this made me a big fan. I'm almost scared to pick up the Red and Blue records for fear they won't live up to this one.

Also nice to see Exumer listed. That one really grew on me. And that Hexen disc is killer - top fiver for me.

My top ten for 2012 looks something like this from top to bottom:

Van Halen - A Different Kind Of Truth
KISS - Monster
Grave Digger- Clash Of The Gods
Accept - Stalingrad
Jorn - Bring Heavy Rock To The Land
Shinedown - Amaryllis
Striker - Armed To The Teeth
Saint - Desperate Night
Lillian Axe - XI: The Days Before Tomorrow
Crazy Lixx - Riot Avenue
Wig Wam - Wall Street

JBall_Z wrote:

Lillian Axe - XI: The Days Before Tomorrow

Glad to see someone else got to witness that great album besides me.

jstate wrote:

Quote :

was really really disappointed with the new Tyketto.

I was too on that first listen, but then it turned out to be one of those weird cases where it just clicked with me on subsequent listens. But get what you're saying on it being bland. Don't Come Easy is such a classic. Be almost impossible to top that one IMO.

Quote :

. Baroness - Yellow & Green

Good to see this one get some Top album love. I wasn't familiar with Baroness before but this made me a big fan. I'm almost scared to pick up the Red and Blue records for fear they won't live up to this one.

I really like Red and Blue, but I never checked out Yellow & Green for the same reason. I may have to finally give it a shot.

Superjuice, awesome that you listed that Lanfear record, such a great band and really cool people too. Great "prog" metal which depends wholly on great songs.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Superjuice, awesome that you listed that Lanfear record, such a great band and really cool people too. Great "prog" metal which depends wholly on great songs.

Just listened to Another Golden Rage a few days ago. Forgot how talented these guys are. Looks like I need to add another to my wantlist.

DallasBlack wrote:

JBall_Z wrote:

Lillian Axe - XI: The Days Before Tomorrow

Glad to see someone else got to witness that great album besides me.

Oh yeah! I think Lillian Axe was the first new release I purchased in 2012. Also, it was my first Lillian Axe album ever and I was not disappointed.

JBall_Z wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

JBall_Z wrote:

Lillian Axe - XI: The Days Before Tomorrow

Glad to see someone else got to witness that great album besides me.

Oh yeah! I think Lillian Axe was the first new release I purchased in 2012. Also, it was my first Lillian Axe album ever and I was not disappointed.

The s/t debut is also one of their best. I'd also suggest Poetic Justice and Psychoschizophrenia.

The new lilian axe is really good indeed.

I heard some excellent samples. Hope to get the CD soon.

I barely notice KISS Monster in the above lists

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Superjuice, awesome that you listed that Lanfear record, such a great band and really cool people too. Great "prog" metal which depends wholly on great songs.

I pretty much got the recommendation from you. I remember you from the Christian Metal Realm and your taste seemed to line up with mine.

WOW!! How much my list would change today...

The only thing that would change from my list would be dropping Blessed Curse out and adding in Eruption - Tenses Collide. Damn, only just found that album and it blew me away!

I re-visited my list. I'm ok with everything I posted. Not much has changed with one exception.

I might take out the Joey Ramone cd and replace it with Rival Sons' Head Down. That one has seen allot of playtime. It was a 2012 release, but I didn't get it till '13.