Looking back at 2012, I put this list of my top 20 Albums of the year. This is just an indicative order, as I had no methodology to define them. But those were the ones that I played the most since I got them and obviously the ones that touched me.
20. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Late entrant, to be honest it may escalate my preferences after a few more times listening to it. But I can say that the songs Poltergeist and Tempest were already enough to get this album in the top 20.
19. Enslaved - RIITIIR
Only 8 songs, like the old times. But 8 masterpieces. Vocal and rhythm variations beautifully done, the definition of progressive black metal!
18. Threshold - March of Progress
Great progressive metal piece! Good follow-up from the previous Dead Reckoning, but not quite as good.
17. Unisonic
I'm a huge fan of Michael Kiske and Kay Hansen, and I really like Pink Cream 69. Therefore no surprises I found this album very good. I was very happy that Kiske is singing quality hard rock again. And some songs more on the metal side and my favorites : Souls Alive, Never Too Late and Never Change Me.
16. Lamb Of God - Resolution
A punch in the face. Modern Metal with energy, melody and powerful vocals. It would be even better if focused on less songs.
15. Slash - Apocalyptic Love
Born a Hard Rock Classic. After the first CD, expectations were high and Slash and Miles didn't disappoint us. It doesn't have the same "charm"of the different singers, but at least one of the best.
14. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
I only found the time to listen to it later in the year, but got my speakers tired of playing the title song, The Axe and The Gift Of Guilt. It was enough to get it close to my top 10.
13. Parkway Drive - Atlas
I must confess, metalcore is relatively new to me. Not many bands of the genre appeal to me, in 2012, Parkway Drive is the one. Despite the fact that the vocals do not vary much, I really like the guitars in combination with Winston McCall's vocals. In sum, the metalcore CD of the year.
12. Opera Diabolicus - 1614
It was very high in my least earlier in the year, but lost some ground later. Still, an amazing work, I just love the different singers, long songs with many variations and of course all the Black and Gothic atmosphere. If you like Krux, Therion and Mercyful Fate - get this one!
11. Rush - Clockwork Angels
I'm a big Rush fan, mostly the albums leading to Moving Pictures. But I loved Test for Echo, not so much the ones after that. Clockwork Angels is a damn good record, specially Caravan, The Anarchist and Seven Cities of Gold. But I miss the progressiveness of the past, it's really more rock than progressive nowadays.
10. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist
German Thrash Metal! Not a revolutionary or innovative album, but an amazing demonstration of making powerful, brutal, fast and melodic metal. A Thrash metal lesson.
9. Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones Part 1
Very late arrival in my list and it jumped up to 9th just like that! And I'm not a fan of Alternative Metal, and do not like Slipknot. But I just loved this CD. The double single sticks to your head and all songs are really nice, except The Travelers, Pt. 1 and Taciturn.
8. Manowar - The Lord of Steel
The best album since Louder Than Hell. It's what Manowar fans want, nothing new, nothing different, just true metal with lyrics that are just a variation from old songs, but who cares? "Never gonna change our style, If you don't like it time to leave"
7. Testament - Dark Roots of Earth
Man what a year for Thrash Metal! Testament is back with the modern, aggressive and melodic thrash metal from the last two CDs. Awesome!
6. Adrenaline Mob - Omerta
This amazing CD was top of my list for many weeks loosing ground only in the last weeks of the year. One of the best metal singer and drummer in activity, playing together with an awesome and creative guitar player equals one of the very best CDs of the year.
5. Anathema - Weather Systems
Simply beautiful Gothic Metal! So well written and perfectly executed, regardless of your genre preferences, this is one of the best pieces of music of the year. Present in almost all "top" lists and you just need to carefully listen a couple of times to know why.
4. Meshuggah - Koloss
Those guys are amazing, so creative, so brutal and heavy. The monstrous drummer, the djent guitars and the vocal that is basically another instrument perfectly blend in a new, modern and heavy sound. Do Not Look Down is the song of the year and I listened to it more than 50 times since March.
3. Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
"This is not music, it's art" that's how I read it during the year and couldn't agree more. Not an easy listen, but once you grab their concept, what a journey. This is where Jazz meets Metal, Rock meets Metalcore, Dream Theater meets Carcass.
2. Kamelot - Silverthorn
I'm biased since my roots are in Power Metal. But still this CD is so good. A lesson of progressive power metal, a comeback after a weak CD and loosing the very charismatic singer. As history has thought us, nobody is irreplaceable!
1. Periphery - Periphery II
More than one hour of modern progressive metal with only 2min that I do not like (Epoch). Periphery is doing something really special and have a promising future. The variation on the vocals is just perfect and the quality of the musicians is suburb.
20. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Late entrant, to be honest it may escalate my preferences after a few more times listening to it. But I can say that the songs Poltergeist and Tempest were already enough to get this album in the top 20.
19. Enslaved - RIITIIR
Only 8 songs, like the old times. But 8 masterpieces. Vocal and rhythm variations beautifully done, the definition of progressive black metal!
18. Threshold - March of Progress
Great progressive metal piece! Good follow-up from the previous Dead Reckoning, but not quite as good.
17. Unisonic
I'm a huge fan of Michael Kiske and Kay Hansen, and I really like Pink Cream 69. Therefore no surprises I found this album very good. I was very happy that Kiske is singing quality hard rock again. And some songs more on the metal side and my favorites : Souls Alive, Never Too Late and Never Change Me.
16. Lamb Of God - Resolution
A punch in the face. Modern Metal with energy, melody and powerful vocals. It would be even better if focused on less songs.
15. Slash - Apocalyptic Love
Born a Hard Rock Classic. After the first CD, expectations were high and Slash and Miles didn't disappoint us. It doesn't have the same "charm"of the different singers, but at least one of the best.
14. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
I only found the time to listen to it later in the year, but got my speakers tired of playing the title song, The Axe and The Gift Of Guilt. It was enough to get it close to my top 10.
13. Parkway Drive - Atlas
I must confess, metalcore is relatively new to me. Not many bands of the genre appeal to me, in 2012, Parkway Drive is the one. Despite the fact that the vocals do not vary much, I really like the guitars in combination with Winston McCall's vocals. In sum, the metalcore CD of the year.
12. Opera Diabolicus - 1614
It was very high in my least earlier in the year, but lost some ground later. Still, an amazing work, I just love the different singers, long songs with many variations and of course all the Black and Gothic atmosphere. If you like Krux, Therion and Mercyful Fate - get this one!
11. Rush - Clockwork Angels
I'm a big Rush fan, mostly the albums leading to Moving Pictures. But I loved Test for Echo, not so much the ones after that. Clockwork Angels is a damn good record, specially Caravan, The Anarchist and Seven Cities of Gold. But I miss the progressiveness of the past, it's really more rock than progressive nowadays.
10. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist
German Thrash Metal! Not a revolutionary or innovative album, but an amazing demonstration of making powerful, brutal, fast and melodic metal. A Thrash metal lesson.
9. Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones Part 1
Very late arrival in my list and it jumped up to 9th just like that! And I'm not a fan of Alternative Metal, and do not like Slipknot. But I just loved this CD. The double single sticks to your head and all songs are really nice, except The Travelers, Pt. 1 and Taciturn.
8. Manowar - The Lord of Steel
The best album since Louder Than Hell. It's what Manowar fans want, nothing new, nothing different, just true metal with lyrics that are just a variation from old songs, but who cares? "Never gonna change our style, If you don't like it time to leave"
7. Testament - Dark Roots of Earth
Man what a year for Thrash Metal! Testament is back with the modern, aggressive and melodic thrash metal from the last two CDs. Awesome!
6. Adrenaline Mob - Omerta
This amazing CD was top of my list for many weeks loosing ground only in the last weeks of the year. One of the best metal singer and drummer in activity, playing together with an awesome and creative guitar player equals one of the very best CDs of the year.
5. Anathema - Weather Systems
Simply beautiful Gothic Metal! So well written and perfectly executed, regardless of your genre preferences, this is one of the best pieces of music of the year. Present in almost all "top" lists and you just need to carefully listen a couple of times to know why.
4. Meshuggah - Koloss
Those guys are amazing, so creative, so brutal and heavy. The monstrous drummer, the djent guitars and the vocal that is basically another instrument perfectly blend in a new, modern and heavy sound. Do Not Look Down is the song of the year and I listened to it more than 50 times since March.
3. Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
"This is not music, it's art" that's how I read it during the year and couldn't agree more. Not an easy listen, but once you grab their concept, what a journey. This is where Jazz meets Metal, Rock meets Metalcore, Dream Theater meets Carcass.
2. Kamelot - Silverthorn
I'm biased since my roots are in Power Metal. But still this CD is so good. A lesson of progressive power metal, a comeback after a weak CD and loosing the very charismatic singer. As history has thought us, nobody is irreplaceable!
1. Periphery - Periphery II
More than one hour of modern progressive metal with only 2min that I do not like (Epoch). Periphery is doing something really special and have a promising future. The variation on the vocals is just perfect and the quality of the musicians is suburb.
