VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Travis Ryan – Cattle Decapitation
A year ago, I didn’t know this man’s name or any of his
band’s songs, despite their status as decorated veterans of extreme metal.
After much prodding by metal blogs, I gave Monolith
of Inhumanity a listen. As soon as I picked my jaw off the ground, I watched
as many Travis Ryan videos as I could find on YouTube. His vocal performance on
Monolith is caustic, brutal, and
unconventional. I never thought the sound of a vocalist hocking a loogie would
fit perfectly in a song. Ryan’s fearlessness, especially in his approach to
trying out “clean” vocals, makes his performance stand out in a year that also
featured releases from Randy Blythe, Phil Bozeman, and Chino Moreno.
GUITARIST OF THE YEAR
Paul Waggoner – Between The Buried And Me
BTBAM’s signature brand of “adult contemporary progressive
death metal” wouldn’t be possible without musicians who know exactly what
they’re doing. Shifting through jazz, blues, death metal, swing, bluegrass, and
prog all in the course of one song isn’t easy to pull off, and keeping the
listener engaged throughout is even harder to pull off. Waggoner’s soulful, elegant,
and technical guitar playing is the driving force behind all of this. His
distinctive guitar sweeps are still unparalleled. Being the standout member of
a band that also features Tommy Rogers, Blake Richardson, Dan Briggs, and
Dustie Waring is no small task. One of his biggest musical influences is Frank
Zappa, and it shows. Waggoner isn’t far away from joining him in the pantheon
of legendary prog guitarists.
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Mario Duplantier – Gojira
My first Gojira show was back in November 2008, and I
distinctly remember it because it was the first time that a band’s drummer
received my undivided attention during their set. His playing style is an
artful balance between nuanced technicality and utter brutality. Every time he
breaks into one of those extended rapid-fire double bass fills where he taps
the ride cymbal, my feet start pattering uncontrollably. Mario makes up half of
a talented duo. His brother, Joe, is the band’s singer and main guitarist; the
band’s unique guitar techniques and songwriting make up the bulk of Gojira’s
signature sound. Still, the band’s
heavy-oh-so-heavy-holy-crap-how-can-something-be-so-damn-heavy songs wouldn’t
hold up as well without Mario’s superb drum playing.
FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
"Hank is Dead" by Red Fang
Red Fang have made a name for
themselves by playing awesome stoner rock and making hilarious music videos. "Prehistoric Dog" featured a LARP battle with homemade beer can armor, and "Wires" showed the band having some serious fun with their $5,000 music video
allowance. Their third music video doesn’t disappoint. It’s pretty
straightforward, and the song is awesome. The air guitar battle is predictably hilarious, but the shower scene at the beginning makes me laugh every time I
watch it.
Previous Years:
2011 – "Love As A Weapon" by Darkest Hour
2010 – "You've Seen The Butcher" by Deftones
2009 – "Oblivion" by Mastodon
BEST COVER SONG
"A Commotion" by Mastodon
To celebrate Record Store Day, indie pop/folk songstress Feist and prog metal titans Mastodon came together for a split 7” named Feistodon, on which each artist covered a song by the other. I’ll admit that I wasn’t much of a Feist fan before I listened to this, but I really enjoyed her subdued, delicate take on Mastodon’s “Black Tongue.” Mastodon’s cover of “A Commotion” is just excellent; they really took the song and made it their own. Feedback and some nice meaty guitars stand in for Feist’s brooding violins at the beginning of the song. A spooky harmonized singing part soon follows. Then, Brann Dailor lays down one of his glorious drum fills, and we’re off to the races. The repeated shouts of “A COMMOTION!” during the chorus and the melodies during the rollicking second verse wouldn’t feel out of place on a My Morning Jacket record. The song finally settles into a calm, foreboding bridge before a fiery guitar solo comes in and takes us home. I’m a sucker for a good cover song, and this is the best one I’ve heard in years. I hope Mastodon starts playing it live.
FAVORITE ALBUM COVER
Yellow & Green by Baroness
Singer/guitarist John Dyer Baizley’s reputation as an artist
has begun to rival that of his band. I’m happy that his artwork seems to turn
up on more album covers each year, but the pieces he does for Baroness have
always been my favorite. Yellow & Green’s cover art continues the same
theme from the band’s first two album covers: naked women festooned with wild animals. This is a hauntingly beautiful and immersive piece, just
like Baroness’ music.
MOST WTF ALBUM COVER
Don't Hear It...Fear It by Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell
GUILTIEST PLEASURE
"In The End" by Vext
Last year, talented vocalist Tommy Vext (center-left) joined
forces with solo-instrumentalist Angel Vivaldi (center-right). Taken at face
value, this seemed like an odd pairing. Vext cut his teeth as a singer for several
metalcore bands, and Vivaldi has spent the past few years making quality (and
proggy) “InstruMetal.” So, it’s only natural that VEXT’s first EP would be just
as puzzling. Calling this “metal” would be charitable; it’s radio rock. Aside
from the occasional guitar lead, this is as derivative and straightforward as
it gets. Luckily, Tommy Vext can sing, and that got the soaring chorus of “In
the End” stuck in my head. It’s also the first song I’ve heard that gave me nostalgia when I listened to it for the first time. Each time I hear it, it feels like it's 2005 again. It
doesn’t even matter that VEXT’s rhythm section looks like it’s made up of
Jersey Shore castoffs. That only enhances the whole “guilty pleasure” part of
the experience.
Previous Years:
2011 – "All Hail The Fallen King" by Chelsea Grin
2010 – "Cryomancer" by Defiler
2009 – "Without You" by Bury Your Dead
TOP 5 CONCERTS
1. Killswitch Engage – 12/6/2012
It was a dream come true to see
Killswitch Engage perform Alive Or Just
Breathing in its entirety. AOJB
was a landmark release that helped alter the metal landscape when it was
released in 2002, and it also made a huge impression on me. Unfortunately,
Jesse Leach, the man whose dynamic vocals and powerful lyrics helped make AOJB so special, left the band shortly
after its release. Leach rejoined Killswitch Engage back in February of 2012,
and the band wisely made their first North American headlining tour with him a
celebration of AOJB’s ten-year
anniversary. Let’s just say I got pretty emotional when Leach sang “Vide
Infra.”
2. Lamb of God – 11/20/2012
2012 was an eventful year for
frontman Randy Blythe. His band put out a new record, he got his own radio
show, and he was detained in the Czech Republic under cloudy circumstances. It
was nice to see them play in Georgia for the first time in two years, and the
band was at the top of its game. Blythe in particular seemed revitalized and
energetic, and he was able to whip the crowd into a frenzy. It was awesome
seeing the band perform “11th Hour,” a haunting tale of alcoholism
and self-destruction that I adopted as my anthem when I finally decided to quit
smoking.
3. The Contortionist – 7/31/2012
The openers weren’t much to speak
of, but The Contortionist’s robust set list more than made up for that. The
band moved smoothly between the heavier songs from Exoplanet and the more atmospheric ones from Intrinsic. I was especially impressed with The Contortionist’s
ability to keep the audience engaged as they alternated between the more
complex pieces and the more ambient passages within their songs. There were too
many songs to mention here, but I loved watching them play the “Exoplanet”
suite in its entirety. Hopefully this is the first of what will be many
headlining tours.
4. Summer Slaughter Festival – 8/1/2012
The Summer Slaughter always has an
impressive lineup, but this year’s edition was absolutely stacked. There were
lots of quality death metal bands; Job For A Cowboy and Veil Of Maya in
particular played excellent sets. However, co-headliners Between The Buried And
Me stole the show. They started their set with “White Walls,” the epic
17-minute album-closing song from Colors.
Their songs are long as hell, but there are so many dynamic/tempo/genre changes
within each song that you’re always on your toes.
5. Dead Letter Circus & Fair To Midland – 4/10/2012
I went to this show to see Dead
Letter Circus for the second time, and the Aussies didn’t disappoint. Most of
their songs were from 2010’s amazing This
Is The Warning. They did play a new song called “Wake Up,” which was more
on the electronic side but still catchy as hell. To my great relief, they
finished their set with “Next In Line,” an older song that got me hooked on the
band when I first saw them back in 2011. Fair To Midland, a prog rock band from
Texas, played after DLC, and they blew my mind. I haven’t seen a more electric
set since I saw Underoath for the first time. Darroh Sudderth is easily the
craziest frontman I have ever seen. He spent most of the band’s set
crowdsurfing, climbing walls, and flailing around wildly. “Whiskey &
Ritalin” was an awesome way to start their set, but the highlight of the night
was seeing them play a song called “Rikki Tikki Tavi.” I didn’t know whether to
laugh or headbang.
5 MOST ANTICIPATED 2013 RELASES
1. Killswitch Engage –
Disarm The Descent (April 2)
By all accounts, Killswitch's 2009 self-titled album was a
commercial and critical disappointment. After a rocky spring 2010 tour,
highlighted by Howard Jones’ abrupt and mysterious exit, the band fell into a
lengthy period of inactivity. By the time 2012 came around, it was clear that
the band needed a shot in the arm. Exit, Howard Jones. Re-enter, Jesse Leach.
If his last collaboration with Adam D (Times of Grace – The Hymn of a Broken Man) is any indication, the new Killswitch
album will be a glorious return to form.
2. Intronaut – Habitual
Levitations (March 19)
Valley of Smoke is
one of my favorite albums of all time. Intronaut’s crunchy, jazzy take on
progressive metal never grows stale, and the addition of clean vocals actually
made Valley of Smoke’s songs better. Intronaut
also delved even further into post-metal territory on that album. The band
added Indian raga to their repertoire on the album before that, so I’m pretty
excited to see what got put into the mix this time. The lead single, “Milk
Leg,” has only whet my appetite.
3. The Ocean – Pelagial (April 30)
The Ocean usually puts out albums in pairs, so I’m sure that
this record will be a delight from start to finish. I’ve missed the band’s
dark, sludge-tinged post-metal, and I’m sure that The Ocean’s meticulous
mastermind, Robin Staps, has thrown a few curveballs into the mix. 2010’s Heliocentric and Anthropocentric featured strings, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, and
even a vibraphone. I’m also looking forward to hearing some more of Loïc
Rossetti’s superb vocal work. There aren’t too many vocalists that can scream
and croon interchangeably like he does.
4. Dead Letter Circus –
TBA
This Australian band’s infectious brand of alternative rock
has so many layers to it; the delayed guitar and subtle electronic atmospherics
serve as a perfect backdrop for Kim Benzie’s signature high-pitched vocals.
Dead Letter Circus claims Deftones, Tool, and Nine Inch Nails as just a few of
its influences, but the band sounds most like Australia’s legendary Karnivool.
5. Mastodon – TBA
A couple of months ago,
Atlanta’s finest metal band announced that it would be contributing a song for
the next Pixar movie, Monsters University.
Mastodon has already made a memorable appearance in an animated feature
film, so the possibilities are endless here. They also scored some of the music
for 2010’s forgettable Jonah Hex, in which guitar hero/part-time tasmanian devil Brent Hinds scored a cameo as a
Union soldier. Needless to say, a cameo as a Pixar-ified monster would blow
that out of the water. If Mastodon also puts out their next album in 2013,
that’d be pretty cool too, I guess.
