Top 10 Metal Albums of 2012

As 2013 draws to a close, I decided to finally release my list of top 10 metal albums of 2012 (in anticipation of my list of 2013 albums).  2012 was, once again, a fantastic year for heavy metal.  There were a ton of great releases from genre juggernauts and newcomers alike.  I'm pretty happy with the list I've devised, whether you like it or not.  Once again, I must give the disclaimer that this list skews heavily towards death metal releases, since that is the type of metal I'm immersed in the most.  Also, it's just my favorite.  So here are the top 10 releases of 2012.

10. Kamikabe - Aberration of Man

This band has been grinding it out in the Pittsburgh metal scene for years.  They just lost their singer to The Faceless after the release of their amazing EP, Aporia.  But they're still producing amazing music, albeit with a singer that doesn't quite match the talents of Geoffrey Ficco.  Abberation of Man is a totally seamless album, with each track transitioning perfectly into the next.  It's amazing and definitely earns a spot in the top ten metal albums of the year.

9. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

Kreator delivers yet again with a crushing thrash metal release.  I swear these German juggernauts get better with every album.  The record kicks off with a great build up and then just grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go.  The only thrash metal band I prefer at this point is Exodus.  My favorite track is the closer, "Until Our Paths Cross Again."

8. Cryptopsy - Cryptopsy

Cryptopsy's latest release was the best come back album of the year (after their prior shitty metalcore release).  I've seen a lot of mediocre reviews on the internet about this record, but I have to disagree with the naysayers who say Cryptopsy's lost their edge.  Cryptopsy kicked some serious ass.  Just listen to "Damned Draft Dodgers" and "Red Skinned Scapegoat" if you don't believe me.  This is the best stuff they've put out since the 1990s.

7. Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

Between the Buried and Me dropped another epic release in 2012.  What can I say?  It's awesome.  Like really awesome.  Check it out.

6. Allegaeon - Formshifter

I'm always happy to see an American death metal band really tearing it up.  American bands always get a bad rap and the U.S. is typically considered an inferior music scene for metal.  I dispute this on a regular basis and bands like Allegaeon do a lot to support my case that the U.S. has a ton of great death metal bands.  

Allegaeon has really taken the modern melodic death metal scene by storm.  I was blown away by their 2010 full length debut, Fragments of Form and Function.  And this release was no different.  Technical elements merge with melodic elements to create an amazingly heavy and beautiful musical array.  Behold... Colorado's Allegaeon.

5. Spawn of Possession - Incurso

Hey folks, a Swedish band is really good at making technical death metal.  Shocker!!  If you haven't noticed, I'm being sarcastic.  Sweden has always had one of the best metal scenes and Spawn of Possession are among the best Sweden has to offer.  Incurso is the third release from Spawn and it's easily their best to date.  Amazing and eery sounding with all the intricacies and nuances I love about technical death metal.  Do yourself a favor and listen to it.  (Also, this was my favorite album cover of the releases I picked for 2012's top ten.)

4. The Faceless - Autotheism

I remember running across a lot of talk on the internet, speculating that this album would never be released.  Michael Keene may take awhile to produce an album, but let's face it, The Faceless is no Necrophagist.  We were bound to hear a finished product eventually.  And the result, Autotheism, was totally worth the wait (four years since their last release).  I hesitate to say this is their best release, since I really loved Planetary Duality, but it's damn close.  If you love technical death metal with traces of Dream Theater, then check out The Faceless.

3. Gorod - A Perfect Absolution

Random thought: this album cover reminds me of Final Fantasy 7.  I can't totally figure out why, but that's what springs to mind.  Anyhow, this album is totally insanely awesome.  I can't speak highly enough about Gorod.  France typically gets overlooked when it comes to metal music, but these Frenchmen totally rule.

Much like with Cryptopsy's release, I read a lot of reviews of this record that gave it mediocre remarks.  I just can't understand this because I was absolutely floored by A Perfect Absolution.  I think it's a perfect mix of heavy elements, melodic elements, technical elements, and jazzy elements.  Listen to "Varangian Paradise" or "Birds of Sulphur" and tell me you're not impressed.  And I'll tell you why you should be.

2. Psycroptic - The Inherited Repression

This album should have been number one.  Seriously.  And if it weren't for Jari Maenpaa it definitely would have been number one.  But alas, I'm ranking The Inherited Repression number two.  Psycroptic is one of my favorite death metal bands and this was their best release ever.  It's so refined yet retains an element of rawness at the same time.  And it's tight, insanely tight.  Check out my review of it for more details.  This is one of the best technical death metal releases to have ever dropped.  You need to be listening to it.

1. Wintersun - Time I

I really thought this album was never going to be released.  Seriously I had given up on ever hearing another Wintersun album.  The self-titled debut of Jari Maenpaa's (of Ensiferum fame) side project was absolutely amazing when it came out in 2004.  Eight songs of pure gold that still move me to this day.  I loved it so I was stoked for Time.  But then there were delays... and more delays... and technical issues.... and more delays.  It really felt like Maenpaa was pulling an Axl Rose.

But it finally came out and wow... Time I was totally worth waiting nearly a decade for.  However if Wintersun keeps me waiting another decade for their release of Time II (which is supposed to drop in 2014), I will not be pleased at all.  But here it is, the best metal album of 2012: Wintersun's Time I.


EDIT: When I made this original post I forgot that Kamikabe's full length debut came out in 2012.  I cannot ignore the fact that it was an amazing and seamless album that deserved to be on this list.  So sorry Mors Principium Est.  I guess you'll still be relegated to an underrated role, yet again.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)...

Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live

Pathology - The Time of Great Purification

Wretched - Son of Perdition

Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes

Dethklok - Dethalbum III

Napalm Death - Utilitarian

Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme

Cannibal Corpse - Torture

The Agonist - Prisoners

Beneath the Massacre - Incongruous 

Job for a Cowboy - Demonocracy

Grave - Endless Procession of Souls

Nile - At the Gate of Sethu

Malignancy - Eugenics

Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity (not really my cup o' tea, but fans fucking love it)

Meshuggah - Koloss (very close to making it on my list)

Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (also very close to the top 10)

Allegaeon Posts New Track from Forthcoming Album

Allegaeon has posted a song from their forthcoming album, Formshifter, which is set to hit stores in the U.S. on May 8, 2012.  The track is called "Tartessos: The Hidden Xenochryst" and it's streaming live on Metal Blade Records' Youtube channel.  Check it out below:

Allegaeon - Fragments of Form and Function (2010)

Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Release Date: July 20, 2010


1. The Cleansing (4:30)

2. The Renewal (4:20)

3. Across the Folded Line (4:25)

4. The God Particle (5:24)

5. Biomech - Vals No. 666 (7:27)

6. From Seed to Throne (5:17)

7. Atrophy of Hippocrates (4:37)

8. Point of Disfigurement (4:03)

9. A Cosmic Question... (5:33)

10. Accelerated Evolution (8:09)

Melodic death metal has blossomed into an international phenomenon since the formative days of At the Gates, In Flames, and Dark Tranquillity.  Those Swedish death metal legends paved the way for the development of the genre and their impact is still being felt today.  It has been pleasing in recent years to follow the progress of the modern melodic death metal scene.  Although there are still a large number of bands out there who are straight copycats of the Gothenburg Sound, a new collection of acts have emerged that have taken the genre in new directions and to new heights.  Allegaeon is one of these bands that are bringing a new flavor to the genre.

Fragments of Form and Function is the first full length release by these Colorado inhabitants.  It has a much more mature and developed sound musically than the tracks they released on their 2008 EP (which is still a good listen and can be downloaded for free for a limited time on their Facebook page).  Allegaeon blends technical and melodic elements together beautifully to create an audio assault that should please any fan of heavy metal.

The first thing I noticed about the album is that, musically, it is VERY tight and clean.  The guitar and drum parts are executed flawlessly and merge together to create intricate arrangements that complement each other.  These guys definitely have chops, but more than that they construct awesome musical compositions.  Technical instrumentation and melodies are fused together into a beautiful tapestry of death metal songs.

“The Cleansing” kicks off Fragments of Form and Function with a rapid musical assault dubbed over with Ezra Haynes’ guttural vocal attack.  And the intensity builds with each song until a classical guitar break at the end of “Biomech – Vals. No 666”, which is the strongest track on the album.

The Cleansing

I’ve included links to several of their tracks and I’ll let the music speak for itself.  If you’re a fan of melodic death metal, then you should be very pleased with Allegaeon and their first album.  They are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Biomech - Vals No. 666

Accelerated Evolution

Final Rating: 9/10

3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Across the Folded Line, Biomech – Vals No. 666, Accelerated Evolution