Picking the top albums of any year can be a tricky business, especially when you don't ascribe to any one genre of music. Literally thousands of new albums are released every year, and from such a large pool, every list will be very different. The following few posts will be my picks for the top 12 albums of 2012. I will pick the very best of each full-length album I have heard (in my opinion) and briefly review it here, as well as embed players of a select song from each album. This is a fun activity both to write about and to read about. So, without further ado, here are numbers 12 through 10 on my end-of-year list.
12. Sybreed-God is an Automaton. Sybreed has, over the years, crafted a unique sound the embodies elements from both extreme metal and new wave music. This new genre is dubbed 'deathwave'. Vocals switch between uplifting and soaring clean vocals to vicious screams amid chugging metal riffing, blast beats, and near constant synths to give the music a powerful, epic vibe. Sybreed has released three full-length albums, and this is their best effort yet. The music sounds dark and is extremely riveting. The eye-catching cover art was created by Seth Siro Anton of Septicflesh, who has a distinctive style. Check out the track I have selected below. This illustrates what Sybreed is all about in my opinion.
11. Between the Buried and Me-The Parallax II:Future Sequence. This full-length album is a follow-up to the band's previous EP, "The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogs". This disc is a progressive behemoth that is flush with energy and emotion. From face-ripping roars to melodic cleans, the vocals are as good as any progressive metal band. The energy of the music is powerful progressive metal with death-like leanings and peaceful melodic passages. Upon listening to the song below, you should understand why this album made my year-end list. It was highly anticipated from the get-go and did not disappoint.
10. Katatonia-Dead end Kings. Katatonia has roots in mostly solemn, doom metal. The new dist presents these elements of doom and mixes them with more refined progressive rock tendencies. This album is fantastic from start to finish and does not contain a single poor track, Each song is rich with melancholic melody and strong baritone vocals unlike any other band. This Swedish band knows how to make high-grade music that toes the line between genres. The track below is indicative of the entire record's sound. You will be hooked.
Thanks for reading, everyone and stay tuned for part two of my list coming tomorrow!
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