Favorite 2013 album releases

The only new releases I picked up this year are

Witchburner -- Blood thirsty eyes

Warbringer -- IV: Empires Collapse

Megadeth -- Super Collider

Enforcer -- Death by fire

Sabaton -- Swedish Empire live

Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance

Night Demon -- Night Demon EP

Scythe -- Subterranean Steel

Hatchet -- Dawn of the End (I actually forgot I bought it until right now haha)

I really want to pick up the new Saxon,Gama Bomb, Hail of bullets, and Autopsy for sure though.

The new Queensryche (Wilton-Jackson-Rockenfield) release has been the most surprising one for me- although their songs are very short in length (a little too short given their style), they've got enough hooks that stick on for very long. Brings back memories of the old Queensryche, with a piece that hints at every one of their first five records.

2013 was a very good year to me, Thank God.

So many purchases and many favourites (i bought over 150 cds!), but still working on my top ten list. Favourites include Metal church, Running Wild and Vicious Rumors.

Gilbert wrote:

2013 was a very good year to me, Thank God.

So many purchases and many favourites (i bought over 150 cds!), but still working on my top ten list. Favourites include Metal church, Running Wild and Vicious Rumors.

How are those last two? I missed out on getting those due to funds.

corplhicks wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

2013 was a very good year to me, Thank God.

So many purchases and many favourites (i bought over 150 cds!), but still working on my top ten list. Favourites include Metal church, Running Wild and Vicious Rumors.

How are those last two? I missed out on getting those due to funds.

Very good. Of course, do not expect any surprises. The sound is pure, classic, enjoyable metal. Especially running wild.

Tracii Guns' League Of Gentlemen - First Record would be my surprise of the year. I got it awhile back and have finally gotten around to giving it a listen. My expectations were low and the influences are very obvious, but damn am I enjoying it as a record start to finish.

Gilbert wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

2013 was a very good year to me, Thank God.

So many purchases and many favourites (i bought over 150 cds!), but still working on my top ten list. Favourites include Metal church, Running Wild and Vicious Rumors.

How are those last two? I missed out on getting those due to funds.

Very good. Of course, do not expect any surprises. The sound is pure, classic, enjoyable metal. Especially running wild.

That's awesome. With bands like these I don't want any surprises.

1. Alter Bridge - Fortress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smtiybX0aCw

2. Pretty Maids - Motherland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFENWGSVdwk

3. Escape the Fate - Ungrateful (guilty pleasure)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF6J5ik8f5E

4. RA - Critical Mass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_htDms5mkg

5. Emphatic - Another Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBLSjjN88rA

6. Stratovarius - Nemesis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rTvUiJZVgA

7. Withem - The Point of You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0Voj0WWnCA

8. Eden's Curse - Symphony of SIn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z24MmgWVQXk

9. Mercenary - Through Our Darkest Days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYbFhNNH7jM

10. Metal Church - Generation Nothing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YCJEiQBSA4

11. Monster Truck - Furiosity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQyII5C3sYQ

12. Pro-Pain - The Final Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEnSgqt2uto

Honorable Mentions...

Haken - The Mountain
Dream theater - S/t
Skillet - Rise
W.E.T. - Rise Up
Asking Alexandria - From Death to Destiny
Jorn - Traveller
Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies

finally put my Best of 2013 list together.


1. THE BRONX - IV
2. POWER TRIP - Manifest Decimation
3. CARCASS - Surgical Steel
4. WITHERSCAPE - The Inheritance
5. IN SOLITUDE - Sister
6. GHOST - Infestissumam
7. FREE FALL - Power & Volume
8. HOLY GRAIL - Ride The Void
9. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - Disarm The Descent
10. POWERWOLF - Preachers Of The Night
11. ORCHID - The Mouths Of Madness
12. SCALE THE SUMMIT - The Migration
13. PARADOX - Tales Of The Weird
14. ILLUMINATI - The Core
15. EDITORS - The Weight Of Your Love
16. BIFFY CLYRO - Opposites
17. BAD RELIGION - True North
18. AYREON - The Theory Of Everything
19. PAUL DEMPSEY - Shotgun Karaoke
20. BRING ME THE HORIZON - Sempiternal

Great year.
Black Sabbath-13
Megadeth- Super Collider
Saxon- Sacrifice
Metal Church- Generation Nothing
Flotsam & Jetsam- Ugly Noise
Helloween- Straight Out Of Hell
Krokus- Dirty Dynamite
Deep Purple Now What
Motorhead- Aftershock
Alice in Chains- Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
King Kobra- II
Warrior Soul- Stiff Middle Finger
Fates Warning- Darkness in a Different Light
David ''Rock" Feinstein- Clash of Armour
Death Angel- The Dream Calls For Blood
Newsted- Heavy Metal Music

Slightly updated list:

1. Kayo Dot - Hubardo
2. Protest the Hero - Volition
3. Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light
4. The Safety Fire - Mouth of Swords
5. Beastmilk - Climax (sleeper pick for me; this album has gotten the hell played out of it the past week or so. We'll see how it stacks up later though.)
6. Lorde - Pure Heroine
7. Laura Marling - Once I Was an Eagle
8. Plini / Sithu Aye - I (EP)
9.  Enforcer - Death By Fire
10. Holy Grail - Ride the Void

1. Purson - The Circle & the Blue Door
2. Jess & the Ancient Ones - Astral Sabbat
3. Boards of Canada - Tomorrows Harvest
4. Beastmilk - Climax (Again, like wurthless, It's difficult to tell how this album will stick with me, but it is great!)
5. Blood Ceremony - The Eldritch Dark
6. Voivod - Target Earth
7. The Creepshow - Life After Death
8. Hexvessel - Iron Marsh
9. Black Sabbath - 13
10. Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Mind Control

Horrible mentions for

Blues Pills, Noctum, Age of Taurus, Horisont, Black Trip, Sigur Ros, Queens of the Stone Age, Jex Thoth, The Temperance Movement, Onslaught, Cathedral, Chelsea Wolfe, Carcass, Monolith Cult, Tombstoned, Laura Marling, Ghost, Bloody Hammers, Windhand, Seremonia & Orchid who all put out really good records this year.

11. Andrew Stockdale - Keep Moving
10. Free Fall - Power & Volume
09. Monster Magnet - Last Patrol
08. Queensryche - s/t
07. Pinnick Gales Pridgen - s/t
06. Crashdiet - The Savage Playground
05. Orchid - The Mouths of Madness
04. Motorhead - Aftershock
03. Black Sabbath - 13
02. Clutch - Earth Rocker

01. Megadeth - Super Collider

Honorable mentions:
Tom Keifer, Skid Row, Zodiac, Riverside, Uncle Acid, Stone Temple Pilots, Noctum, Newsted, Night Demon, High Spirits, Age of Taurus, Horisont, Cauldron and Black Star Riders.

I have adjusted my list:

1. The Winery Dogs - s/t
2. dUg Pinnick - Naked
3. Pinnick Gales Prigden - s/t
4. AdrianGale - Suckerpunch
5. Pamela Moore - Resurrect Me
6. HIM - Tears On Tape
7. Vicious Rumors - Electric Punishment
8. W.E.T. - Rise Up
9. Fates Warning - Darkness In A Different Light
10. Newman - Siren

Honorable Mention:

LaValle - Dear Sanity
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent
Pretty Maids - Motherland
Coldspell - Frozen Paradise
Laneslide - Flying High
Covered Call - Impact
Snowfall - Cold Silence
Pink Cream 69 - Ceremonial
Seventh Key - I Will Survive
No Love Lost - s/t

Here's my list:

1. Carcass - Surgical Steel
2. Anciients - Heart Of Oak
3. Age Of Taurus - Desperate Souls Of Tortured Times
4. Clutch - Earth Rocker
5. Inquisition - Obscure Verses For The Multiverse
6. Living Sacrifice - Ghost Thief
7. Windhand - Soma
8. Corsair - S/T
9. Night Demon - S/T
10. Toxic Holocaust - Chemistry Of Consciousness

Honorable mentions - Motorhead, Stryper, Orchid, Holy Grail, Darkthrone, Death Angel, In Solitude, and Havok.

Hopefully my final list:

Out of contest - Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light

1. Erra - Augment
2. Akeldama - Everything Beautiful
3. James LaBrie - Impermanent Resonance
4. Atma Weapon - Dark Tower
5. Being - Anthropocene

In no order:
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent
Pamela Moore - Resurrect Me
Sean Hall - Beneath the Solace
Polyphia - Inspire
Andy James - Psychic Transfusion
Mutiny Within - Synchronicity
Tides From Nebula - Eternal Movement
Desolate Dreams - A Sentinent City
Constructing Infinity - Stonewall
Last Chance to Reason - Level 3
A Skylit Drive - Rise
Protest the Hero - Volition

Top 20 Thrash Metal picks (In alphabetical order):

Accuser - Diabolic
Condition Critical - Operational Hazard
Death Angel - The Dream Calls For Blood
F.K.U. - 4: Rise Of The Mosh Mongers
Fueled By Fire - Trapped In Perdition
Generation Kill - We're All Gonna Die
Green Death - The Deathening
Harlott - Origin
Hatriot - Heroes Of Origin
Havok - Unnatural Selection
Iron Reagan - Worse Than Dead
Onslaught - IV
Power Trip - Manifest Decimation
Sodom - Epitome Of Torture
Soulless  - In Death's Grip
Tempestora - The Battle Begins
Toxic Holocaust - Chemistry Of Consciousness
Violator - Scenarios Of Brutality
Warbeast - Destroy
Warbringer - IV: Empires Collapse

I'm pretty much ready to make my list, but my wife apparently bought me some CD's of new titles, good woman that she is, so probably this weekend. I know you all are f*cking drooling to see it. haha.

Probably going to be that Battle Beast album for me. Also because it kind of came out of nowhere, and it's really something that's fun. The more people say Battle Beast are silly, the more I like 'em.

TheKing's Top 30 CDs of 2013

1. Vega - What the Hell!
2. Black Sabbath - 13
3. Enforcer - Death By Fire
4. Haken - The Mountain
5. Deep Purple - Now What?!
6. Krokus - Dirty Dynamite
7. Stryper - No More Hell to Pay
8. Airbourne - Black Dog Barking
9. Artillery - Legions
10. Hatchet - Dawn of the End
11. W.E.T. - Rise Up
12. Kadaver - Abra Kadaver
13. Steve Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing
14. Wolfpakk - Cry Wolf
15. Hardcore Superstar - C'Mon Take On Me
16. Nektar - Time Machine
17. Pink Cream 69 - Ceremonial
18. Reckless Love - Spirit
19. Queensryche - Queensryche
20. Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves
21. Corsair - Corsair
22. Tom Keifer - The Way Life Goes
23. Running Wild - Resilient
24. Gin Lady - Mothers Ruin
25. SinCity - Thirteen
26. Extol - Extol
27. Amorphis - Circle
28. Bloodgood - Dangerously Close
29. Crashdiet The Savage Playground
30. Arabs in Aspic - Pictures in a Dream


Honorable Mention:
Kings of the Sun - Rock til Ya Die, Deliverance - Hear What I Say!, Birds and Buildings - Multipurpose Trap, 77 - Maximum Rock N’ Roll, Avantasia - The Mystery of Time, Blazon Stone - Return to Port Royal, Gamma Ray - Master of Confusion, Holy Grail - Ride the Void, Keldian - Outbound, Leprous - Coal, Masterplan - Novum Initium, Megadeth - Super Collider, Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 1, Place Vendome - Thunder in the Distance, The Poodles - Tour De Force, Rocka Rollas - Metal Strikes Back, Sandstone - Delta Viridian, Tangent, The - Le Sacre Du Travail

Not So Good

Serenity War of Ages
Sacred warrior - Waiting in Darkness

Nice list!

Here is how my personal list of favorites for 2013 looks....

Rank Artist Title
1 Black Sabbath 13
2 Dream Theater Dream Theater
3 Motorhead Aftershock
4 Megadeth Super Collider
5 Death Angel The Dream Calls For Blood
6 Black Label Society Unblackened
7 Hagar, Sammy Sammy Hagar & Friends
8 Winery Dogs , The The Winery Dogs
9 Warbringer IV: Empires Collapse
10 Queensryche Queensryche
11 Metal Church Generation Nothing
12 Toxic Holocaust Chemistry of Consciousness
13 Sevendust Black out the sun
14 Avenged Sevenfold Hail to the king
15 Deep Purple Now What?!
16 Clutch Earth Rocker
17 Five Finger Death Punch Wrong side of Heaven (Vol 1 & 2)
18 Gwar Battle Maximus
19 Anthrax Anthems
20 Prowler After You
21 Anselmo , Phil Walk through exits only
22 Rush Clockwork Angels (Live)
23 Pinnick , Dug Naked
24 Heretic From The Vault… Tortured and Broken
25 Black Star Riders All Hell Breaks Loose

Here we go:

10. Dream Theater - s/t
-Finally we have a return to form, if only in a few ways, and although the band still can't write themselves out of the same dull formula they've kept since Octavarium, they at least bring some excitement, passion, and spontaneity to their arrangements. Only bad note: lyrics are as bad as a Joel Osteen book.

9. Newsted - Heavy Metal Music
-Straight up, raunchy, and heavy. I love how Jason uses his vox here. The disc starts to wear thin after some time, so best to take a side A/B approach and split it. Only bad note: dude rhymes 'heart' with 'start,' a major offense in my book (seriously, I can't even listen to that song).

8. Annihilator - Feast
-Jeff really knows how to riff it up, and this time he's brought double the SPEEEEEED!!! [explosion here]. Hyperbole aside, this album is hard, fast, and aggressive, carrying more bite then recent efforts. Also Padden is starting to show more character in his voice, even if it's subtle. Only bad note: awful packaging with crappy lenticular artwork once again involving zombies (thrash and zombies seem to be having this love affair of late).

7. Carcass - Surgical Steel
-These guys get thrashier with each album, it seems. Though I hesitate to give it near the props I gave Heartwork, SS has so much going for it. Unique riffing, melodic power leads, proper and mannered usage of triggers, breakdowns, and tight, short songs that stick with you. They may not be my dad's grindcore band anymore, but like I care; this thing shreds. Only bad note: nothing really. This is solid throughout.

6. Onslaught- VI
-This is a nasty little treat, and Onslaught's best by miles. The sound of this disc is surprisingly sharp and full at the same time, and the guitars tear up everything in sight. Best thing is Sy Keeler's vocals, up front and harsh. Sounds like he's spewing hate and blood. Killer. A lot of these songs are extremely memorable, such as 6-6-f*cking-6 and Fuel for My Fire, but the standout track is the Middle Eastern Children of the Sand, which features an unknown female vocalist providing a beautiful, haunting line over a catchy, aggressive chorus. Only bad note: pretty short, with nine tracks total yet one of them being a short intro.

5. Haken - The Mountain
-Prog "metal," so to speak, with an intelligent vibe and very fluid changes that make the whole ordeal swirl in your head like a f*cking good potpourri. Frontman Ross Jennings really finds his style after wandering a bit on the first two albums, and though the music is a bit more mellow than their masterpiece, Visions, the band sounds so natural in their element that you get the feeling that they've found their way home. As S.D. has pointed out, lots of nods to various prog lords of yore. This is a feast, friends. Only Bad Note: none. This is a perfect record.

4. Accuser - Diabolic
Everyone's favorite Scott Waters turned me onto this band thanks to that goofy website he runs. Anyway, Diabolic is a slaughterhouse. In fact, if you were to walk into a slaughterhouse, this is what you'd hear. Actually, it's even more horrifying than that. Let me back up. Apparently this German thrash quartet has been around since the 80's (this was the first I'd heard of them) and their work, while good, never really hit the sweet spot--sort of like older Onslaught. This time around they cranked up the guitars while Frank Thoms traded in his shouting for a throaty, violent growl, and hit the mark at last. I've said enough; read Scott's review of it here. Only bad note: the loudness factor is really amped here, leaving a lot to be desired at high volumes.

3. Death Angel - The Dream Calls for Blood
-Hot damn, was I surprised by this. DA always did good after Act III, releasing strong thrash titles that were at least competent with their signature style, but with this latest something went very well in the studio and the band has never sounded more menacing. Mark Osegueda gives a fierce vocal delivery that should be noted as the top vocal performance of the year. Rob and Ted have always had a knack for meshing their guitar arrangements perfectly, and here they thunder through with some of the best interplay I've heard in a long time. This is brutal, old-school thrash, and much more akin to the brutality of Ultra-Violence than the more punky and technical Act III. No modern touches here, just like the good old days. And this really is Mark's show. Dude can stop a tornado with his voice. Only bad note: have yet to find one. This really is flawless.

2. Black Sabbath - 13
-So this one was quickly forgotten, it seems. It needs to be remembered. This is a comeback win for the ages. Tony sounds so inspired here with every shaking power chord and every bluesy lead that I imagine him in tears during the entire recording. Geezer is strong as well, weaving in and out of the iconoclastic stomp. Ozzy...well, Ozzy is Ozzy, and his voice is miles from where it was in the 70's, but it carries well. The songs--there's not a bummer here--are constructed with care and follow the familiar arcs that we all know and love. 13 seems to be a cross between the debut and Master of Reality, which is just what we needed from our fab 4 (-1). Only bad note: while the new drummer what's-his-name emulates Bill's style well, the production dries the drums out for some reason and loses a lot of heaviness. Of course, Bill is sorely missed.

1. Metal Church - Generation Nothing
-F*ck yes this is the Metal Church I remember. This year saw the latest release from the best metal group to come out of Seattle, and I can't praise it enough. Whereas Present Wasteland saw the warriors in somewhat of a slump due to unwarranted label issues, the independently produced Generation Nothing just happens to be their best release since Blessing in Disguise.

Generation Nothing does several things very right, a couple things okay, and really nothing wrong at all. The band defaults to their musical concepts of old: razor-sharp, thrashy riffs, some complex passages, haunting use of clean tones, constant application of the tritone, and gallons of hooks and melodies that stay in the head. The best thing here is vocalist Ronny Munroe. Whereas on previous albums we heard mostly the man's midrange, here he kicks himself in the ass and pushes it HARD. This is Ronny doing his best to channel the late David Wayne, and it works. High-pitched, gravelly, nasty, screaming US power metal madness is his forte at last. He really shines through here and deserves a great amount of credit for making this release work.

Every track is pretty much consistent, not too damaged by the ongoing loudness wars, and dark as night. There are nitpicks, but they are few and not weighty enough to distract. For one the packaging is pretty much the poorest I've seen in a long time. MC has never been known for stunning artwork outside of their debut, and though it's not near the catastrophe Hanging in the Balance was, it's still pretty damn ugly with it's trifold digipak made out of cheap cardboard with poorly photoshopped grays and juvenile fonts. The CD even has a poorly aligned label slapped on. The worst offender is lack of a booklet with lyrics (!). The reason for all of this is obvious, however: Kurdt & co. came out of Present Wasteland, which I believe was a flop, with little profit. The choice here, it seems, was to independently produce the record and releasing it through a small distributor, relying on word-of-mouth and social networking to market the release (very little promotion was put into this outside of the Rat Pak package, and the supporting tour is mostly festivals, clubs, and bars--fine by me). So though a lot was thrown into the actual music, not a lot was thrown into presentation. But I could care less when the music is just so outstanding.

I love this band so much, there's a possibility they could end up replacing Van Halen as my top favorite in the next decade, and for those who know me THAT'S SAYING A LOT. Their comeback is a welcome breath of fresh air and it's good to hear them where they used to be.

Honorable mention: Deep Purple - Now What
-Unfortunately I haven't heard this album deep enough to include it here, but my guess is it would have made it. The mechanics of the songs I've heard are brilliant and make for a very heavy and fluid Purple record. Sounds like a classic. Hoping to purchase this one soon.

Oh man!! I was so sure that I had my top ten for the year sorted! And then this!!



If this was any more "Up my street" it would be in my house! Fantastic record and if it isn't in my top 10 it will be very, very close.

I've moved Motorhead's Aftershock into my top 10 of the year.