2013 was another good year for metal. Lots of quality releases all year but my top 5 really stand out for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my whole list but there's something about my top 5 that made me obsess over these albums and learn all of their miniscule details.Let's get to it.
10. INTOXICATED Rock n' Roll Hellpatrol
Crude songs, crude musicianship and crude production. AKA right up my ally. Picture Midnight without quite the songwriting chops. Lot's of memorable anthem type songs though. Top 10 album and one of the worst album covers of the year.
9. AUTOPSY The Headless Ritual
I've been disappointed with the comebacks albums from Autopsy, until now. This cracks when it's supposed to crack and slows to a dirge when it's supposed to slow to a dirge. Really a return to form and up their with their best material.
8. DEVIL Gather The Sinners
Time To Repent and their demo were 2 of the Doom highlights of the last few years. Most comparable to Witchfinder General, they've always had some really catchy tunes. This continues with the new material but with more of a Garage/Punk sound.
7. JOEL GRIND The Yellowgoat Sessions
Joel Grind is an unstoppable riff machine. Between this early Bathory worship album and the new Toxic Holocaust album, the man is on a roll. He's never sounded so menacing.
6. DARKTHRONE The Underground Resistance
Gone are the days of razor thin production and razor sharp tremolo picking. Gone even are the days of Crust, D-Beat, Punk Darkthrone. This is Agent Steel like Traditional Heavy Metal Darkthrone.
5. MAGISTER TEMPLI Lucifer Leviathan Logos
This band came out of nowhere and floored me with the first track they released. The rest of the album didn't quite live up to that song but it's still very good none the less and boasts one of the best and most unique vocal efforts of the year.
4. TORTURE CHAIN Mutilating Astral Entities
USBM is on the rise and and Torture Chain should be there on the forefront for years to come. Primitive, Punk infused Black Metal.
3. SACRIPHYX The Western Front
Rather than bludgeon you over the head, Sacriphyx likes to add emotional depth to their Death Metal. Melodic (no, not MeloDeath as we've come to know it) and emotional, these are stories about "The Western Front" of World War I but this is not Bolt Thrower. This is about death and destruction and the solitude, not the glory of war.
2. ENFORCER Death By Fire
Look, if you can't look past the schtick of the band that's your problem. This is classic 80's metal. Great songs and great technical wizardy. Who cares if it's completely derivative?
1. MAGIC CIRCLE Magic Circle
This is by far my album of the year. I've probably heard it 70+ times. It's perfect. It takes the best of Pagan Altar and ties it together with a little Black Sabbath to create a new classic. My hope is that this isn't a one of since it's a side project.
Keep your eyes peeled for my honorable mentions...
Hello Heavy Metal Textbooks readers! I am Professor Fork Tongue and I'm here to answer your Heavy Metal questions, just make sure to raise your hands first. Anyway, I'll being doing a column here where I'll be covering great new releases and old obscure gems that have been buried by time and dust. In the mean time to familiarize you with my tastes, allow me to introduce to you my top 10 releases of the first half of 2013!
#10. PRIMITIVE MAN Scorn
Audio doom. And I don't mean the style of metal. I mean, dread, despair and DOOM. While this is Doom Metal, it isn't your grandpappys style of Doom. This is heavy, blackened, sludgy doom in the vein of the mighty Coffinworm Nothing peaceful or serene, just uncompromising, bludgeoning riffs.
#9. LANTERN Below
Simply put, one of the best Death Metal releases in the last several years. Old school early 90's Death Metal without sounding like a retread OSDM act . Great production also with a real cavernous sound but yet still very clear. Add in some heavy atmospherics and some Doom elements and you have yourself a contender for Death Metal album of the year.
#8 DEVIL Gather The Sinners
Metal is rarely this catchy especially when it's Garage Rock Doom Metal complete with 70's analogue production. The thing that sets it apart from the other bands of this ilk are the more gruff vocals and the Punk spirit that runs throughout. To me Doom is the premiere form of metal at the moment and Devil is one of the best at it.
#7 JOEL GRIND The Yellowgoat Sessions
How can you go wrong when the main man behind Toxic Holocaust decides to do a side project dedicated in sound and aesthetic to early era Bathory? You can't, that's how.This whole album rips and I've probably listened to it more than all but my #1 but I gotta take some points away for essentially being a cover band.RIP Quorthon.
#6 DARKTHRONE The Underground Resistance
If you haven't heard Darkthrone since their Black Metal heyday then you're really missing out. They've made great Crust Punk albums since and with this one they go (almost) all out Traditional Heavy Metal. I'm talking Agent Steel, Mercyful Fate kind of stuff. Seriously. Without a bad album in their catalogue and constantly evolving, Darkthrone is easily the most consistent band in Metal.
#5 MAGISTER TEMPLI Lucifer Leviathon Logos
This is a band that came out of absolutely nowhere to me. This is their debut LP, I heard no buzz about them beforehand, no demos, no nothing. When I happened to come across a teaser track they leaked online I was blown away. Traditional Heavy Metal in the old style with some NWBHM influences, what really carries it are the vocals. I'm not sure if they are for everybody but goddammit I love 'em. Oh, and RIFFS.
#4 TORTURE CHAINMutilating Astral Entities
This here badboy was only released on cassette at Chaos In Tejas a few weeks ago and is completely sold out. Nor is it on Youtube. Truly kvlt. But relax, it's too good to not be released in other formats. US Black Metal. If you think USBM can't stand up to our brothers from Norway, you're in for a surprise. Every demo Torture Chain has done before this is great and really upped my expectations for when they release a full length. Well, expectations meant. I wish I could provide a sample but here's there full demo from 2012 so you can get a taste.
#3 ENFORCERDeath By Fire
Call them a retro retread act, call them cock rock or a novelty, call them whatever you want. Enforcer brings us back to a time when Metal was more about fun than who can be more grim than the next guy. They balance somewhere between NWBHM and Speed Metal and goddamn is it awesome. If you can't enjoy this than you're just an asshole, it's that simple. Great musicians, great songwriting and songs you're going to actually remember months from now! Gasp! What a novelty. Memorable songs are a rarity in Metal these days and trust me there's a bunch of songs here you'll be waking up with in your head.
#2 SACRIPHYXThe Western Front
In their debut LP Sacriphyx takes Death Metal, elements of Doom and Black Metal combined with war themes and creates what is destined to become a classic. Other bands have done this but not the way Sacriphyx has. While most bands focus on the violence, Sacriphyx focuses on the emotions of war. Fear, despair, honor, valor and tell a story. The whole album is based off of WWI battles and even with growled lyrics they are able to convey all these emotions perfectly. A well thought out history lesson of a Death Metal album. Whodathunkit?
#1 MAGIC CIRCLEMagic Circle
Local Massachusetts Hardcore kids from bands like The Rival Mob who thought the could make a Doom Metal album and uh boy, where they right! Loosely musically comparable to bands like both Pagan Altar and Pallbearer and of course the indominable Black Sabbath,what really sets it apart is the vocal performance. Ozzy-esque with out the nasally voice it really pulls the whole album together and they are even better live. Great, memorable songs that can be played over and over without getting sick of them. The marks of a true classic.
There you have it you pencil neck geeks, my best of the first half of 2013. Hopefully the 2nd half is just as fruitful!!! See ya soon!
