Fisting Andrew Golota’s Top 10(ish) of 2012

2012 has been a long year, and I’m glad it’s over. Usually I can count on heavy music to get me through the tough times, but this year I had to survive on extra helpings of bad retro thrash, bad retro death metal, and countless doom bands trying to bore me to death [what, moss peeping ain’t good enough for ya?? Steel Druhm].

Luckily, many of the old masters came through for me with quality stuff, and a few newer bands gave me hope as well. 2012 punched me in the head repeatedly until I blacked out, but when I regained consciousness, these are the parts I remembered. Enjoy.

(ish): Down // Down IV Part I: The Purple EP
Being an EP, I couldn’t really justify putting this in the top 10. Regardless, Down IV got some serious replay action from me this past summer. It was nice to see Down ditch the overblown production of their last couple albums and return to (more or less) the stripped-down approach that put them on the map in the first place. If you liked NOLA, give this one a try.

#10: Van Halen // A Different Kind Of Truth
David Lee Roth may have retired the high kicks (and probably doesn’t snort coke like a vacuum anymore), but his first record with VH in 28 years was surprisingly good. Using a mix of old and new material turned out to be a smart move, giving Truth some continuity with the classic-era albums. Eddie Van Halen is still a mad scientist on the guitar, but the real shock was that his son Wolfgang happens to be a bass virtuoso as well. I’m still expecting these guys to break up any second now.

#9: Testament // Dark Roots Of Earth
With their second post-reunion album, thrash legends Testament expand their sound to its pre-‘90s borders. There’s plenty of furious riffs on here, but there’s also more melodic input from guitar genius Alex Skolnick, and even a ballad, the band’s first in years. As a fan of Testament’s heavier material, I wish Dark Roots skewed more in that direction, but hey, I’m not complaining.

#8: Woods of Ypres // Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light
On what turned out to be their final album, Woods of Ypres take their Darkthrone-meets-Type O hybrid to its logical conclusion. Lyrically, almost the entire album is fixated on death, which is chilling considering Woods vocalist David Gold’s untimely demise just prior to this album’s release.

#7: Rush // Clockwork Angels – Rush is seriously not fucking around anymore. Since their excellent last album Snakes and Arrows, our favorite Canadians have embarked on several massive tours, appeared in a documentary that finally made them non-threatening to women (my wife thinks they’re cute old men now), and then upped the musical ante considerably on Clockwork Angels. The progressive songcraft, instrumental prowess and smart lyrics that you’ve come to expect are all here in heaping portions. This album feels like a triumphant comeback, even though these guys never went away.

#6: Corrosion Of Conformity // Corrosion Of Conformity
This back-to-basics incarnation of COC (Pepper Keenan out, Reed Mullin back in) bashed out a surprising return to form on this self-titled album. As someone who enjoyed their Keenan-era material and didn’t really give a shit about their hardcore years, I was not really sure what to expect here. Never fear – this record is an expert blend of the old and the new, and compared to COC’s last couple albums, actually ups the energy level considerably.

#5: Killing Joke // MMXII
All your favorite black and death metal bands are full of shit. If you want to hear some people who are serious about the end of the world, with a frontman who actually IS completely batshit insane, Killing Joke is where it’s at. Their new record MMXII is just the latest in a long line of quality albums.

#4: Gojira // L’Enfant Sauvage
Gojira is not about songs or albums, as much as an overall sound and feel. That said, I felt like their last album The Way Of All Flesh was a half-assed, mostly-filler record that I didn’t get all the fuss over. L’Enfant Sauvage is a huge step in the right direction. The songwriting here is significantly better and more memorable than on Flesh, while keeping the Gojira trademarks (insane drumming, bizarre guitar noises, lyrics about hugging trees) firmly in place.

#3: Baroness // Yellow & Green
On Yellow and Green, Baroness made the transition from “stoner/sludge/metal band” to “guys who write really fucking good songs.” This development seems to have rubbed the metal purists the wrong way, but they can eat shit. “Take My Bones Away”, “Eula” and “March To The Sea” are all classics in the making.

#2: Night Flight Orchestra // Internal Affairs
NFO is basically Bjorn Strid (Soilwork) living out his ‘70s rock fantasy, with a little help from some other Swedish metal all-stars. A lot of albums like this are cropping up lately, and most of them suck ass. Luckily, NFO has the chops and the cred to pull it off, paying homage to Rainbow, Heart, Molly Hatchet and even fucking ABBA. The result is a damn
fun record that has not left my car for the last six months.

#1: Devin Townsend Project // Epicloud
Devin Townsend subverts the entire metal aesthetic, using the heaviest tools in his arsenal (downtuned guitars, massive production) to create the most positive, feel-good record imaginable. I still can’t figure out how that works, but it does. Like the Baroness record, Epicloud seemed to bother the more closed-minded among us, and their discomfort amused me greatly. But more importantly, songs like “Where We Belong,” “More”, and “Save Our Now” are expertly crafted and instantly memorable. This record grabbed me pretty hard this year and didn’t let go.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
Kreator // Phantom Antichrist
Prong // Carved Into Stone
Deftones // Koi No Yokan
The Devil’s Blood // The Thousandfold Epicentre
Sithu Aye // Isles EP

 

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