These are my favorite albums of 2012. It was hard to get this list down to 16; I can't remember the last year that was this loaded with quality releases. As time goes on, I'll probably come across more albums that I somehow missed and add them to this list (Hence, the "morphin'" in the header above). These 16 albums are listed in descending order; the further you get down the page, the better the albums. Also, be sure to check out the playlist embedded at the bottom of this page. It's got some great songs from albums that didn't quite make the cut. Thanks for reading.
16. Meshuggah – Koloss
A lot has happened since these Swedes’ last album, obZen, was released in 2008. “Djent,” a
metal subgenre inspired by the band’s signature palm-muted guitar sound, has blossomed
into a full-bodied scene. For a while, it seemed like everyone had taken to
aping Meshuggah riffs; even Deftones got in on the fun with 2010’s Diamond Eyes. When Meshuggah finally
returned this year with the monolithic Koloss,
the band reminded everyone why djent even exists. Stripped down and more
organic than Meshuggah’s past few albums, Koloss
still has all the band’s trademarks: polyrhythms, syncopated grooves,
labyrinthine song structures. The songs are a bit slower than before, but
they’re also more deliberate. This leaves more room for subtle flourishes, like
the creepy vibe that snakes through “Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It
Motion.” Guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, and vocalist Jens
Kidman all shine on “Demiurge,” the viciously plodding album highlight.
Album Highlight:
"Demiurge"
15. Glass Cloud – The Royal Thousand
Glass Cloud started out as the pet project of vocalist Jerry
Roush, but guitarist Joshua Travis is the engine that drives the machine. The Royal Thousand is a fairly
straightforward metalcore album, but there is a distinct flavor to it, and that
owes a lot to Travis and his previous band, The Tony Danza Tapdance
Extravaganza. The guitar tapping part during the verses of “She Is Well and
Nothing Can Be Ill” and the herky-jerky stop-start breakdown in “Ivy &
Wine” were institutions on Danza albums. The complex guitar techniques and
down-tuned grooves are pervasive, but the genuine melodies and occasional bouts
of clean singing are welcome complements, and this can be attributed to Roush.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Berklee-educated rhythm section of the band is
comprised of Roush’s childhood friends.
14. As I Lay Dying – Weightless
This album makes up for 2010’s disappointing The Powerless Rise. As I Lay Dying
haven’t reinvented the wheel, but they’ve certainly tightened some screws and
added a supercharger for good measure. After all, metalcore isn’t ripe for innovation anymore; at this point, it’s a game of survival, and As I Lay
Dying have steadily refined their craft as the copycats have died off. The
chemistry between guitarists Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso has continued to
improve; the epic intro to “Overcome” reeks of old-school Metallica. Criminally
underrated drummer Jordan Mancino really shines on this album, and frontman Tim
Lambesis proves that he is still one of the best lyricists in metal. “A Greater
Foundation” is undoubtedly the album’s best song, and it boasts the catchiest
chorus I have heard this year.
Album Highlight:
"A Greater Foundation"
13. If These Trees
Could Talk – Red Forest
Red Forest has all
the makings of a solid post-rock album, but there’s just something that makes
this band stand apart from its peers. ITTCT aren’t as abrasive as Rosetta, and
they’re more focused than Russian Circles. Throughout the album, there are also
touches of Mogwai, Isis, and even Modest Mouse. Red Forest is an exercise in gently smoldering intensity. Its songs
are contemplative and wrought with somber melody. The problem with most
instrumental albums is that there aren’t many hooks to draw you in; Red Forest is meant to be experienced
as a whole, and some of the songs even blend into one another. The one song
that really sticks out is “Barren Lands of the Modern Dinosaur.” It begins with
a gentle guitar part that just screams Modest Mouse, and it slowly adds more
layers of guitar before exploding into a lush middle section that is driven by
a fiery slide guitar part. In most cases, having a third guitarist can be seen
as superfluous or indulgent, but on Red
Forest, each of the band’s three guitarists earns his keep.
Album Highlight: "Barren Lands of the Modern Dinosaur"
12. T.R.A.M. – Lingua Franca
Lingua Franca is
one of several jazz-fusion albums released this year that features prominent
metal musicians. If I had stretched this list to 20 albums, Trioscapes’ Separate Realities (which features
BTBAM’s Dan Briggs) would have made the cut. When your band is comprised of
members from Animals As Leaders, The Mars Volta, and Suicidal Tendencies, your
debut album will be met with some daunting expectations. T.R.A.M. deserve a
ton of credit because Lingua Franca
doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t take long for legend-in-the-making Tosin Abasi’s
signature guitar playing to make a strong impression on you, but I think the
breakout star of the album is Eric Moore, a wickedly creative pocket drummer
who gives the album a noticeable zest. Adrian Terrazas’ soulful saxophone takes
the atmospheric “HAAS Kicker” to another level. As a whole, the music is warm
and crisp, but album opener “Seven Ways Till Sunday” is my favorite track
because it does such a good job of blending AAL-style staccato riffs with
progressive jazz goodness.
Album Highlight: "Seven Ways Till Sunday"
11. Whitechapel – Whitechapel
At this point in Whitechapel’s career, you know what you’re
getting on any release: groove-laden death metal accented by dark atmospherics,
a triple-guitar assault, and ridiculously misanthropic vocals. With that being said, the songs on Whitechapel are tighter and more
cohesive than those from its predecessors; the band’s songwriting isn’t as
dependent on breakdowns as it used to be. Of course, there is a monstrous breakdown 45
seconds into “Hate Creation," but Whitechapel is able to show more
restraint now. There’s just no way a song as sinister and panicked as “Dead
Silence” would have turned up on A New
Era of Corruption or This Is Exile.
This is also the first album to feature Ben Harclerode on drums, and he adds a
kinetic edge to the rhythm section. Phil Bozeman still sounds like a crazed
madman, and his guttural low-end vocals are unmatched. I don’t know if I’ve
ever heard vocals as vicious and brutal as those at the beginning and bridge of
“Section 8.”
Album Highlight: "Section 8"
10. The HAARP Machine
– Disclosure
Disclosure is an
impressive debut album that blends disparate influences into a relatively even
mix; it borrows from The Faceless as much as it does System Of A Down. The
HAARP Machine began as a solo creative outlet for guitarist Al Mu’min, but he
eventually recruited other musicians who were comparable in proficiency and
ambition. Disclosure is an exercise
in technicality and precision, but it is also drenched in Eastern melodies. The
sitar is an integral part of almost every song. However, as talented as Al Mu’min and
his cohorts are, vocalist Michael Semesky is the one who makes this album
special. He has an impressive death growl, but his clean singing is incredible;
the harmony he sings about a minute into “Extension to One” complements the
music perfectly. I could do without Al Mu’min’s conspiracy theorist lyrics, but with
songs like the enchanting “Disclosure,” I’m willing to let that slide.
Album Highlight: "Disclosure"
9. Cattle
Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity
Cattle Decapitation have built an impressive reputation in
the underground for their ability to combine death metal and grind like a blood
drunk scientist. Their previous albums have been a bit too much for my taste,
but Monolith of Inhumanity caught me
by surprise. Cattle Decapitation decided to slow things down just a tad and add
a hint of melody, and the results are incredible. The band’s growth is no more
apparent than in vocalist Travis Ryan’s legendary performance. Crazed high
pitch screams, bone-rattling low growls, random subhuman sounds, and
honest-to-goodness clean singing make the awesomely titled “A Living, Breathing
Piece of Defecating Meat” a standout track. For my money, album closer “Kingdom
of Tyrants” is the most impressive metal song of the year. There’s just an epic,
sinister vibe that towers over everything. Ryan’s manic high screams put you on
edge right from the beginning of the song, and his haunting “singing” during
the chorus keeps you there. It’s just plain evil.
Album Highlight: "Kingdom of Tyrants"
8. Periphery – Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal
No one has played a bigger role in djent’s decade-long
journey from guitar website message boards to legitimate commercial and
critical standing than Misha Mansoor. The wunderkind guitarist and his band mates
helped establish the subgenre’s conventions on their self-titled 2010 debut,
and metal fans were rewarded with a memorable album. On Periphery II, the band has wisely moved away from the djent
formula. Periphery haven’t abandoned their signature sound; they’ve just added
more stuff to the mix. There are now touches of post-hardcore and electronic
music. This is no doubt due to the more prominent involvement of Mansoor’s band
mates in the writing process; many of the songs on the band’s debut had been
written years earlier in his bedroom. Mansoor has said that PII is more of a “grower” than Periphery,
and he’s right; instead, the songs become more addictive with every listen. Vocalist
Spencer Sotelo seems more comfortable and ambitious on this album. He seems
more vicious on the album’s first single, “Make Total Destroy,” and his
performance on “Scarlet” should forever ease any concern about Periphery having a
vocalist with such a high-pitched or “pretty” voice. Drummer Matt Halpern also
deserves mention for standing out on an album with three talented guitarists. His
sense of groove and his use of ghost notes both remind me of Brann Dailor.
Album Highlight: "Scarlet"
7. Skyharbor – Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos
Like Periphery, Skyharbor began in the bedroom of its
guitarist, Keshav Dhar. While Periphery is on the heavier end of the djent spectrum,
Skyharbor is closer to more ethereal bands like Textures and TesseracT. Blinding White Noise is certainly a djent
album through and through, but its rich textures and ambient atmospherics make
it an awesome debut for Skyharbor. Dan Thompkins’ soothing and dulcet vocals
certainly add to the album’s dreamy vibe. “Order 66” is driven by a bouncy,
chunky guitar riff overlain with a subtle but pretty clean guitar part during
the verses. The infectious hook in the chorus wouldn’t feel out of place on
rock radio. Skyharbor’s formula of
angelic singing, distorted rhythm guitars, and melodic guitar leads works to
greatest effect on the masterful “Catharsis.” Dhar’s dynamic songwriting
makes the song’s seven-minute runtime seem downright economical.
Album Highlight: "Catharsis"
6. Between The Buried
And Me – The Parallax II: Future Sequence
Between The Buried And Me have become a polarizing giant in
progressive metal. While most prominent metal bands’ detractors complain about
too much singing or aiming for the mainstream, BTBAM’s critics are put off by
their kinetic songwriting and hyperactive forays across genres and time
signatures. They’re just too weird.
While The Parallax II won’t do much
to change those minds, it is still BTBAM’s finest work since their 2007 masterpiece, Colors. “Astral Body,” the album’s lead single,
might be the most straightforward song they’ve ever done, and it clocks in at
five minutes, which is practically a haiku by BTBAM’s standards. The album is
chock full of weird stuff, too. There’s a xylophone, a flute, and a whole
surfabilly song. The mid-tempo polka section two-thirds of the way into “Lay
Your Ghosts To Rest” is my favorite moment from Parallax II, but “Telos” is undoubtedly the best song on the album.
Album Highlight: "Telos"
5. Lamb of God – Resolution
On the seventh album of their career, you can tell that Lamb
of God aren’t too concerned with breaking new ground anymore. Instead, the band
is content to tighten their grip on the throne with another hour-long slab of
Pure American Metal. Vocalist
Randy Blythe is at the center of this acerbic, raging beast, and his
performance stands out on Resolution
more than anyone else’s. He sounds as angry as ever, but he’s also not afraid
to show off his impressive singing voice on “Insurrection.” Chris Adler’s
frenzied drumming drives the scathing “Desolation,” and Mark Morton throws down
some sweeps in the epic guitar solo on “Ghost Walking.” Lamb of God usually try
something different with their album closers; “Reclamation” and “Vigil” are two
of the best songs they’ve ever written, but “King Me” blows them out of the
water. The song features a full orchestra and an opera singer. Randy Blythe
uses this apocalyptic soundtrack to confront his inner demons, and the results
leave little doubt as to who is the best frontman in metal today.
Album Highlight: "King Me"
4. The Contortionist
– Intrinsic
If it were possible to buy stock in bands, I would have
spent 2012 buying as many shares of The Contortionist as I could afford. This
band is the future of progressive metal, and their talent and work ethic are
about to pay off in the biggest way. Intrinsic
is a worthy successor to the band’s 2010 masterpiece, Exoplanet. It’s a tremendous step forward for such a young band.
The Contortionist have eliminated deathcore from their repertoire and further
explored the Isis-by-way-of-Cynic-by-way-of-Brian-Eno portion of their sound.
Jonathan Carpenter’s synths fit beautifully with the opening of “Causality” and
his singing takes the bridges of that song and “Geocentric Confusion” to
another level. There are enchanting ambient passages, impressive guitar
playing, and epic arrangements in every song. “Holomovement” is by far the
catchiest and most engrossing song on the album.
Album Highlight: "Holomovement"
3. Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
Gojira might be the most universally beloved band in metal
today. Their music is unyieldingly heavy, but also technical and refined. Joe Duplantier’s
lyrics are environmentally conscious, and he and his brother, Mario, are
talented visual artists who have carefully built Gojira’s beautiful and haunting aesthetic. They also know the importance of not putting the cart
before the horse. L’Enfant Sauvage is
another statement that reminds us why Gojira’s brand of technical death metal
is unparalleled. The hallmarks of their unique sound are easily recognizable.
The pick scrapes, finger tapping, extended double-bass breaks, and tremolo
picking are abundant on L’Enfant Sauvage.
The title track is catchy as hell. Joe Duplantier’s vocals are deeply moving,
and he even approaches clean singing at some points. Both Duplantier brothers
shine on “Liquid Fire.” Even the bonus tracks are awesome; “This Emptiness” opens
with one of the mightiest Gojira riffs ever. The weird and ambient “The Wild
Healer” offers a brief respite before the blistering opening of “Planned Obsolescence.”
By the time you reach the end of this album, it’s plainly obvious that Gojira
is the most appropriately named band in music.
Album Highlight: "L'Enfant Sauvage"
2. Baroness – Yellow & Green
When Baroness announced the title of their highly
anticipated third LP early in 2012, the metal community became even more
excited than usual. Two colors has to mean two
discs, right? There was also some concern; a double album is an ambitious
task. Savannah’s finest are fearless and talented enough to pull it off, and the
result is a timeless record. Their fearlessness is also apparent in the continued
evolution of their sound; Baroness hinted at it on Blue Record, and they’ve now become a genuine rock band. Baroness’
terrible bus accident definitely gave Yellow
& Green a sense of tragic importance, but the album also stands on its
own merits. Yellow & Green is
rich and deeply textured. Both discs start off with comforting instrumental
tracks. Yellow is moody and
contemplative while Green is weird
and trippy. “Board Up The House” might be the catchiest song in the Baroness
canon. The back half of Green drags a
bit, but the soft, eerie “Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor)” makes up for it.
If Baroness had only released the Yellow half in 2012, it still would have ended up in this spot on
my list. The lead single, “Take My Bones Away,” is a more traditional Baroness
song, but the rest of the disc is refreshing and diverse. “Cocainium” sounds
like it was recorded in the Seventies by some Pink Floyd devotees. The closing
track, “Eula,” is a haunting number that starts out with some acoustic guitar
and eventually explodes into a Tom Morello-style guitar solo. “March To The
Sea” is the best song I heard in 2012; the throbbing verse contrasts
beautifully with its soaring chorus. I still get goosebumps each time I listen
to "Twinkler," which almost sounds like two Gregorian monks’ attempt at a cover of “Dust In The Wind.” If Will Ferrell ends up covering “Twinkler” in Old School 2, I won’t be upset.
Album Highlight: "March to the Sea"
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Deftones – Koi No Yokan
Most of the reviews I read prior to Koi No Yokan’s release kept mentioning White Pony as a point of reference. At the time, I found this to be
encouraging because I consider White Pony
to be Deftones’ magnum opus. When I finally got my hands on Koi No Yokan, it only took one song for
me to realize that it sounded nothing like that album, and I couldn’t have been
happier. Like always, Deftones had struck a balance between devastation and
beauty; the music was still dark yet romantic. Instead, Koi No Yokan is another step forward for Deftones, which is pretty
incredible when you consider the fact that they’ve been going steady since
1988. It’s also the perfect follow-up to 2010’s superb Diamond Eyes.
After founding bassist Chi Cheng fell into a coma after his
tragic accident in 2008, the band shelved the still-unreleased Eros and took some time off to reflect.
They had been flirting with disbandment during the tumultuous 2006 Saturday Night Wrist recording sessions. In 2009, they enlisted longtime friend Sergio Vega
to perform in Chi’s stead, and they effectively became a different version of
the Deftones. Diamond Eyes was cohesive,
straightforward, and catchy, and it almost seemed like a reaction to Saturday Night Wrist, which was moody
and atmospheric. On Koi No Yokan,
this 2.0 version of the Deftones combined the best elements from both of those
albums. The songs are still catchy and self-contained, but they’re also dreamy
and atmospheric. It’s basically shoegaze metal.
Frank Delgado’s comforting synths and unconventional samples
are an integral part of nearly every song. He lurks in the verses of “Rosemary”
before taking each soaring chorus to an even higher place. Chino Moreno shines
on this album, as always, but he also shows off some new tricks; the first time
I listened to “Swerve City,” I could have sworn that Jared Leto was singing the
harmonies in the chorus. He really shows off his range on the dreamy, poppy
“What Happened To You?” Stephen Carpenter even breaks out an old school Around The Fur-era riff on the bombastic
“Poltergeist.”
As incredible as this album is, two songs stand out from the
rest. The first is “Leathers,” which sports a haunting chorus. This song also
shows off Chino’s ability as a lyricist (“Time to let everything outside you/
shed your casing / show your lines and shapes”) to be abstract while also presenting
a clear visual or emotional theme. The same can be said for “Entombed,” which I
believe to be one of the greatest songs Deftones have ever written. Delgado’s
candied synths complement Carpenter’s pensive, gentle guitar-tapping part
perfectly. Chino’s vocals are warm and mournful, and his lyrics are clearly focused
on Chi. “Entombed” is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful song written for their
fallen comrade and friend, and it is the embodiment of everything that has made
Deftones such a legendary band.
Album Highlights: "Entombed" and "Leathers"
2012: THE BEST OF THE REST
