Stereoboard's Top 5 Metal Albums Of 2012 (Gojira, Cradle Of Filth, Devin Townsend, Kreator Feature)
Sunday, 23 December 2012
Written by Alec Chillingworth
“No, I won’t put The Darkness in it!” This is an excerpt from the internal struggle I experienced as I was putting this list together. It was ridiculously hard to narrow it down to just 5 albums, and whilst I really loved The Darkness’s new album, I refused to include it here. Because this is for metal albums. Monstrous, raucous, wonderfully nasty albums. 2012 has been a superb year for metal music, so before I delve into my top 5; I’d like to shower honourable mentions upon artists who just missed out: Ihsahn, Soulfly, Converge, Deftones, Cancer Bats, Deadly Circus Fire and God Seed. You really should listen to these too, but I can’t really explain why, as that would defeat the purpose of creating a top 5. So, as I sit here roasting chestnuts on an open fire and scaring off carol singers with the latest Cannibal Corpse CD, here you go. Drum roll, please?
5: Gojira – L’enfant Sauvage
The prospect of a new Gojira album always does end up turning the metal community into a group of pant-wetting, giddy little wrecks. Expectations have been astronomically high ever since the band’s 2008 masterpiece ‘The Way Of All Flesh’; in a similar way to Machine Head with ‘The Blackening’, many were worried that the French metal titans wouldn’t be able to top their previous effort. Of course, being Gojira, they have done. With ease. Everything on this album just seems to be turned up an extra notch; trademark guitar scrapes are interspersed alongside crushing, angular riffs and mechanically precise drumming. Gojira seem to have taken the melodic elements from ‘The Way Of All Flesh’ even further on this album, with ‘The Gift Of Guilt’, ‘Liquid Fire’ and the leviathan of a title track all boasting obscenely huge choruses and hooks. This is seen by many as Gojira’s finest work. Until their next album comes along, of course.
4: Kreator – Phantom Antichrist
Kreator remind me of Slayer, career-wise. They released uncompromising levels of god-like thrash metal back in the 80s, went through a somewhat dodgy phase throughout the 90s, and have been the subject of a huge resurgence at the turn of the millennium. However, whilst Slayer’s newer material is noticeably sub-standard compared to their classic material, Kreator have been on the rise ever since 2001’s ‘Violent Revolution’. This latest album is no exception, kicking off with the rousing intro of ‘Mars Mantra’, which in turn tails off into the absolutely colossal title track. The art of dynamics seems to have been executed perfectly on this album, with acoustic sections at the beginning of ‘Civilization Collapse’ and epic album closer ‘Until Our Paths Meet Again’ allowing listeners to prepare themselves for the oncoming onslaught of German thrash. Mille Petrozza’s vocals are as rage-fuelled as ever; they actually sound heaps better on this record than they ever did back in Kreator’s so-called heyday. Album highlight ‘From Flood Into Fire’ provides arguably the thrash sing-along moment of the year, something that can only be tried and tested in the live environment. This is music to listen to whilst suiting up in armour and riding into battle on a massive horse. 100% chest-beating, fist-pumping metal.
3: Heart Of A Coward – Hope And Hindrance
Djent. It’s a word that would make most self-respecting metal fans spit their Jägermeister all over their copiously bearded chins. It has become a dirty word within the metal community; it has become the Boris Johnson of heavy music. This album was described to me as ‘Djenty’. Based solely on this description, I listened to it with criminally low expectations. And was I in for a surprise. Heart Of A Coward have carved themselves their own fresh, modern take on groove metal, utilising the Djent guitar tone as a tool to keep it sounding contemporary. Instrumentation throughout the whole album is astounding; the guitar wizardry during ‘Around A Girl (In 80 Days)’ proves that modern musicians really are as talented as their predecessors. Vocals are handled expertly by ex-Sylosis front man Jamie Graham, spewing out Phil Anselmo-esque squeals during ‘Killing Fields’ and straight-up death growls throughout the course of the album. My problem with most modern metal bands that play a variety of styles is usually the vocals; when a guy goes from performing a throat-shredding scream to doing angelically pristine vocals (*Cough* Asking Alexandria *Cough*), I just find it, well… Kind of wimpy. The clean vocals on display here actually prove to be one of the high points, with sheer passion and genuine feeling seeping from Jamie’s voice during ‘Light’. If you’re not a fan of the hordes of modern metal bands cropping up across the place, then I highly recommend that you listen to Heart Of A Coward; they might just change your mind.
2: Cradle of Filth – The Manticore & Other Horrors
Whatever your opinions on Cradle of Filth, you can’t deny that the blokes aren’t hard workers. Releasing an album every 2 years or so and touring extensively is an honourable accolade, and due to previous album ‘Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa’ not living up their previous efforts, the filthy British vampires really had a lot to prove with this album. Obviously, if you didn’t like Cradle before then this won’t change your mind. But fans of the Filth are lapping this up, and rightly so. Opening up with the absolutely punishing ‘The Abhorrent’, this album really is a statement of intent. Arguably their heaviest and catchiest set of tunes, it just boasts confidence and sheer song writing talent. Paul Allender’s criminally under-rated guitar playing earns him another gold star, with the riffs to ‘Frost And Her Pillow’ and ‘Succumb To This’ proving to be some of the most heroic melodies the man has ever committed to tape. Drummer Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka’s unorthodox fills and cymbal splashes only add further to Cradle’s unique sound, ensuring that his lightning-fast playing style never gets boring or repetitive. Vocalist and general ghoul Dani Filth has done a job worthy of applause here, his high screams sounding even more demonic now that they’re not being used so frequently. Hell, he even sings on this album! Well, I say sing; you’ll have to make up your own mind about that. Having been one of Britain’s most unique, divisive bands for nearly 2 decades now, Cradle have proved their authenticity and staying power over and over. This is easily their strongest set of songs since their grand opus ‘Midian’ back in 2000, and any Filth haters (quite a few of you, then) can go shove it; The Cradle is well and truly rocking, and it’s here to stay.
1: Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud
At the start of this article, I said that I’d only be including ‘Monstrous, raucous, wonderfully nasty albums’. I lied. This album isn’t monstrous. It isn’t raucous (well, not in the traditional sense). It isn’t wonderfully nasty. It’s fun.
Devin Townsend has never been one to try and actively please the metal elitists. Not because he can’t - just because he doesn’t actually want or need to. He’s proven his metal credibility over the years; his untouchable commandments in steel range from his now defunct band Strapping Young Lad to producing Lamb of God’s ridiculously gritty ‘As The Palaces Burn’. As if this isn’t enough, Mr. Townsend has also bagged guest spots with prestigious giants of the scene such as Steve Vai, Gojira, and legendary Emperor vocalist Ihsahn. Dev’s ‘Deconstruction’ album last year marked yet another heavy metal triumph, containing enough noodling around the fretboard to make The Dillinger Escape Plan question the complexity of their own back catalogue.
‘Epicloud’ isn’t your traditional metal album. It isn’t ‘Painkiller’. It isn’t ‘Master of Puppets’. And it certainly isn’t ‘Reign In Blood’. But, as I said before, it’s fun. If it were released through a major record label then it would easily be at the top of the charts. The album opens with a gospel choir, for God’s sake. That’s just how ballsy it is.
Fans of Dev’s ‘Addicted’ album or the catchier moments on his 1998 masterpiece ‘Infinity’ will have plenty to dig in to; it’s an album with energy in abundance, kicking off with cheese-fest ‘True North’, whilst songs such as ‘Lucky Animals’ and ‘More!’ literally ooze with exuberance and swagger. The riffs are memorable, the structures are simple, and the production job is, as usual, superb. Anneke Van Giersbergen has returned to the fold to provide guest vocals, her rich, luscious tones adding a real power to the more upbeat tracks, just as she did on ‘Addicted’. Undoubtedly, Devin’s vocals have remained the focal point of the album, as they’re just so damn hard to ignore. The ease in which he swoops from his raging shriek to a hushed whisper puts singers half his age to shame, but it’s his operatic vocals that truly steal the show. A re-recorded version of live staple ‘Kingdom’ from his slightly dodgy ‘Physicist’ album (which is still pretty decent, to be honest) truly comes alive here, the raw energy of the song finally being transferred to disc. Dev-heads will be happy to know that the inevitable self-referencing legacy shows no signs of stopping, with ‘Lucky Animals’ nicking the bridge from Strapping Young Lad’s ‘Monument.’
In a similar vein to ‘Addicted’, it’s the power ballads on the album that truly stand out. Don’t worry; it’s not quite Bonnie Tyler territory. In particular, ‘Save Our Now’ is a shining example of how to deliver an emotional piece of music without scraping the barrel in an Adele-like fashion; every word uttered by Townsend is done so with complete truth and conviction. Anneke’s harmonisation with Devin is stupendously victorious during the chorus, creating a tune that wouldn’t be out of place at a stadium rock concert. But then again, the riff at the end of ‘More!’ sounds like it was played by Lamb of God. The album is that versatile.
If you just listen to Slayer, then you’re not going to like this album. If you just listen to Manowar, then you’re not going to like this album. But if you’re an open-minded individual who wants to listen to something a little bit upbeat and different, then I cannot recommend this album highly enough. Devin Townsend is a real innovator, one of the few truly unique artists left on this auto-tuned planet full of copycats. This album is a testament to that. It’s honest and simple. But most of all, it’s fun. In a time when the news is full of death, disease and dodgy children’s TV presenters, fun is exactly what this world needs. And that is exactly why ‘Epicloud’ is my album of the year.
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Fans of Dev’s ‘Addicted’ album or the catchier moments on his 1998 masterpiece ‘Infinity’ will have plenty to dig in to; it’s an album with energy in abundance, kicking off with cheese-fest ‘True North’, whilst songs such as ‘Lucky Animals’ and ‘More!’ literally ooze with exuberance and swagger. The riffs are memorable, the structures are simple, and the production job is, as usual, superb. Anneke Van Giersbergen has returned to the fold to provide guest vocals, her rich, luscious tones adding a real power to the more upbeat tracks, just as she did on ‘Addicted’. Undoubtedly, Devin’s vocals have remained the focal point of the album, as they’re just so damn hard to ignore. The ease in which he swoops from his raging shriek to a hushed whisper puts singers half his age to shame, but it’s his operatic vocals that truly steal the show. A re-recorded version of live staple ‘Kingdom’ from his slightly dodgy ‘Physicist’ album (which is still pretty decent, to be honest) truly comes alive here, the raw energy of the song finally being transferred to disc. Dev-heads will be happy to know that the inevitable self-referencing legacy shows no signs of stopping, with ‘Lucky Animals’ nicking the bridge from Strapping Young Lad’s ‘Monument.’
