10. Baroness - Yellow and GreenThe third release from Baroness, which is presented as a double album of the first disc Yellow and the second Green. Between the two parts of the album Yellow for me is a bit stronger than Green, but that doesn't mean Green still doesn't sound fantastic and great. They go absolutely excellent together (and stand alone), just overall Yellow has more to it.
Each part to this double album is filled with memorable songs
The first half of the album was "Yellow Theme", "Take My Bones Away", "March to the Sea", "Little Things", "Twinkler", "Cocainium", "Back Where I Belong", "Sea Lungs", and "Eula". Now for the second part was "Green Theme", "Board Up the House", "Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor)", "Foolsong", "Collapse", "Psalms Alive", "Stretchmarker", "The Line Between", and "If I Forget Thee, Lowcountry".
The third full length album from French shoegaze post-rock/metal band Alcest whose consists only of Neige and Winterhalter for studio recordings. There is just something about Alcest that makes me think of a fantasy world filled with creatures like elves and faries, all within an intricate forest. Les Voyages de l'Âme, or "The Soul's Journeys"
The songs of this album are "Autre Temps", "Là où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles", "Les Voyages de l'Âme", "Nous Sommes l'Émeraude", "Beings of Light", "Faiseurs de Mondes", "Havens", and "Summer's Glory".
The third album from Swedish avant-garde symphonic progressive swing metal band D.S.O.This album really explores a variety of styles, but I think it's their strongest album (even with how fantastic their last album Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious was).
With going through all the different styles presented in this album, it still flows very coherently. This album also really displays the quality of musicianship for the members for being able to successfully pull all of that off. The songs range from swing, funk, opera, electronic, metal, and a lot in between. Now you may think how can this album possibly flow with all that jumping around between genres, well they found a way to really have it work.
Take the song "Aurora", this has to be the least likely song to hear from a metal band. The orchestration, the vocals, almost everything about this, it's the type of song that you would picture in an opera. The remaining tracks on the album are "Voodoo Mon Amour", "Guerrilla Laments", "Kevlar Sweethearts", "How to Organize a Lynch Mob", "Black Box Messiah", "Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball", "Mass Rapture", "Honey Trap Aftermath", "Of Kali ma Calibre", and "Justice for Saint Mary".
7. Ne Obliviscars - Portal of I
The first full length album from this Australian metal band, really is a great debut album which makes me eager to hear what this band will have for later releases.
This album consists of of the songs "Tapestry Of The Starless Abstract", "Xenoflux", "Of The Leper Butterflies", "Forgot Not", "And Plague Flowers The Kaleido", "As Icicles Fall", and "Of Petrichor Weaves Black Noise".
6. Hypno5e - Acid Mist Tomorrow If you're familiar with Hypno5e, then you have an idea of the atmosphere presented within their music. Acid Mist Tomorrow takes some of that feeling from their previous album Des Deux L'unes Est L'autre and really takes it a lot further.
This band I think is highly underrated in general, they combine ambient with experimental metal in just a fantastic way with both of their albums.When I had first heard Des Deux L'unes Est L'autre I wasn't sure how they would top such a great debut album, but they managed to and then some with Acid Mist Tomorrow.
Without dividing the songs into parts as is done with the track listing, this album consists of "Acid Mist Tomorrow", "Six Fingers In One Hand She Holds The Dawn", "Story Of The Eye", "Gehenne", and "Brume Unique Obscurité".
Now before I talk about The Parallax II: Future Sequence, I think it is only fitting to first discuss the previous release The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues. The two most recent releases from progressive death metal band Between the Buried and Me are both part of a two part concept album suite, which include it is most appropriate to listen to together. As to expect from these two releases, there is a high level of technicality, layering of multiple parts that are not typically seen in the "popular" music scene (I say that for in general).
First, Hypersleep Dialogues. This EP starts out with a dramatic opening of piano, brass, and pizzicato strings, followed by a suspended dissonance to introduce what is to follow. This is then followed by the standard instrumentation known for BTBAM, with Tommy's harsh vocals on top of it all. The whole thing consists of three tracks, "Specular Reflection", "Augment of Rebirth", and "Lunar Wilderness".
Of course some of the initial themes introduced in the orchestral opening are brought back within a different instrumentation, in order to bring a different tone to the original idea and to expand upon it. The three songs work with the detailed parts to also later on reference past aspects of the different sections presented. The same is done with Future Sequence, which also brings in some elements from the EP. Now the lyrics of this release set up the character development and concept of what appears to be a minds journey through space.
For Future Sequence is now taking the concept of bringing back ideas in a new way. The song "Extremophile Elite" takes part of on of the concepts in "Specular Reflection", but now has it with different lyrics and a slightly different voicing. Now I've read that some people were disappointed with this record, but for myself I loved it. Give it a listen after Hypersleep Dialogues to decide if this is for you, since I have also seen people list this as one of their favorite releases of the year.
Overall this second part consists of the songs "Goodbye to Everything", "Astral Body", "Lay Your Ghost to Rest", "Autumn", "Extremophile Elite", "Parallax", "The Black Box", "Telos", "Bloom", "Melting City", "Silent Flight Parliament", and "Goodbye to Everything Reprise".
The nineteenth album from Canadian prog rock superstars, which won the Album of the Year at the 2012 Prog Awards (that took place in September).
The songs on the album are "Caravan", "BU2B", "Clockwork Angels", "The Anarchist", "Carnies", "Halo Effect", "Seven Cities of Gold", "The Wreckers", "Headlong Flight", "BU2B2", "Wish Them Well", and "The Garden".
In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.There was also a book released to accompany and expand upon the story told in the album, which was also titled Clockwork Angels. This sci-fi novel was written by Kevin J. Anderson, and while I have not read it yet myself I do plan on changing that.
In their ninth studio album, Katatonia has just as much doom, gloom, and melancholy as ever, and really diving into the core of their sound. Though also continuing with a more progressive sound as seen in their previous album Night Is The New Day.
"Dead End Kings is about the corridors of our mind from where there is no return. Be a king or queen in your own right in these hallways, even at the dead end. Carry your burden with pride. That’s what we are doing, twenty years and counting. Kings, because we believe in what we are creating, in our own disturbing faith." ~ Jonas RenkseThis album I just love, and every song just flows so smoothly together really creating a solid atmosphere for the album. The special edition of Dead End Kings came with two bonus tracks; "Second" and "The Act of Darkening". These two tracks really are strong enough to have been on the album, but even without them the whole work is still wonderful.
The songs "The Parting", "The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here", "Hypnone", "The Racing Heart", "Buildings", "Leech", "Ambitions", "Undo You", "Lethean", "First Prayer", and "Dead Letters".
The album was reviewed by Danny Cavanagh of Anathema in an issue of Metal Hammer (x):
Certain bands, have just got 'it'. It is sometimes difficult to identify just what 'it' is; it's too deep to be called musical quality, and too abstract to be simply put down to good songwriting. It's timeless, and it's not to be either labeled or conceptualized. It's something magical, natural.. like the depth of love, and loss, like the feeling you can't describe - something intangible and beautiful that hangs on the music like an invisible, ethereal perfume. Whatever 'it' is, it's a sure sign of greatness, in any art form, and with Dead End Kings, Katatonia have proved again that they've got it. And they have got it in fucking spades.
The perfect soundtrack for an oncoming storm, which brings the listener through nothing less than an emotional journey. This is the ninth album from Anathema, and I really think their strongest one yet. Each song is filled with emotion, as you can expect from them, but such that can just overtake whomever is listening.
This album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2012 Prog Awards, which while they were beat by Rush, Anathema did however win the award for the best Live Event. I've only seen them live once, in 2011 when it was just Vincent and Danny playing acoustically to open for Blackfield, but just that they put their set together like that after the rest of the band not being able to make it over to the U.S. really says something about their musicianship. Plus they put on such a fantastic performance, they are a band whom I need to see (in full) at some point in my life at least once more.
There's feeling that I can't describe,
a reason that I cannot hide.
I've never seen a light that's so bright,
the light that shines behind your eyes.
a reason that I cannot hide.
I've never seen a light that's so bright,
the light that shines behind your eyes.
I can see this life and what you mean to me
and when I dreamed, I dreamed of you.
Then I wake, tell me what I do.
Songs such as "The Gathering of the Clouds", exhibit several vocal parts layering on top of each other creating a really great blend over the other instruments. Even with how the album opens, with the two part "Untouchable"
The remaining songs on the album are "Lightning Song", "Sunlight", "The Storm Before the Calm", "The Beginning and the End", "The Lost Child", and "Internal Landscapes".
The second album from the Finish folk metal band, brings the first part in an epic tale. Each song on this album is memorable and adds to this journey they are presenting. The music of the whole thing really fits wonderfully with the lyrics (a lot of which I think are just beautiful).
The release of this album suffered many delays, as their first (self-titled) album came out in 2004.
The whole album is five tracks; "When Time Fades Away", "Sons of Winter and Stars", "Land of Snow and Sorrow", "Darkness and Frost", and "Time". Each of these songs just flow from one to the other, where you just don't want the album to end (which is where Time II will come in hopefully this year).
In an interview on Noisecreep, bassist Jukka Koskinen said about their overall sound; "The Wintersun sound is like a movie soundtrack but no one has taken to the level we have. We have a softer side, a very progressive side, and a very brutal side to what we do." With how Time I is set up and orchestrated, I really have to agree with this since it really describes it well. There is a certain epic-ness to their sound, but presented in a way that's not 'over the top', but instead just the right way.Time will go on and we are drifting away in the night.
I've been searching so long, but I will find you even if it takes my whole life.
But tonight I feel so alone and I know that you are forever gone.
Oh time, don't fade away when I need you here, oh please don't leave me now.
Picking only ten albums from this year was difficult, as there was just a vast amount of great music released this past year. The other albums I have listened to from 2012 are as follows, and really the majority of these I would highly recommend listening to anyway. There are a few in here I have not gotten to listen to as much due to just either not having the chance or giving them their first listen more recently and not fully digested them. Which could also maybe in time give a slightly different list than what is above, but those albums really I could not stop listening to (and still feel the same way).
Circa Survive - Violent Waves | Children of Nova - Impossible Landscapes** | Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Ascension | Cynic - The Portal Tales | Dark Empire - From Refuge to Ruin | Deftones - Koi No Yokan | Devin Townsend Project - Epicloud | Flying Colors - Flying Colors | Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! | Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage** | HTDA - An Omen EP | The Human Abstract - Moonlight Sonata | Isis -Temporal | Kayo Dot - Gamma Knife** | Linkin Park - Living Things | Marilyn Manson - Born Villain | The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet** | Meshuggah - Koloss | Metric - Synthetica | Muse - The 2nd Law* | Neurosis - Honor Found in Decay** | No-Man - Love and Endings | Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol | The Pineapple Thief - All The Wars** | Placebo - B3 EP | Porcupine Tree - Octane Twisted | Sigur Rós - Valtari | Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods | The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania | Soen - Cognitive | Soundgarden - King Animal | Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion*/** | Swans - The Seer | Serj Tankian - Harakiri | Testament - Dark Roots of Earth | T.R.A.M. - Lingua Franca | Trioscapes - Separate Realities | Steven Wilson - Get All You Deserve* These albums I have already written a review of in previous posts (specifically in 2nd Law of Muse and "..and how prog is that? (-;").
** Close runner ups to the "top 10" that easily could have been included.
Even with those two lists, there are still many albums I have not gotten the chance to listen to. Ones I have been meaning to, and will eventually when I have access to them, are the following:
Absent Hearts - August Earth | Agalloch - Faustian Echoes | Art By Numbers - Reticence: The Musical | Atoma - Skylight | Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone | Beardfish - The Void | Being As An Ocean - Dear G-d… | The Big Pink - Future This | Bilocate - Summoning the Bygones | The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek | Car Bomb - w^w^^w^w | Cloudkicker - Fade | The Contortionist - Intrinsic | Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind | De Profundis - The Emptiness Within | Deathspell Omega - Drought | Dissona - Dissona | Eluveitie - Helvetios | Ensigerum - Unsung Heroes | Enslaved - RIITIIR | Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent | Eths - III | The Faceless - Autotheism | The Flower Kings - Banks of Eden | Gavin Harrison & 05Ric - The Man Who Sold Himself | Gazpacho - March of Ghosts | Grizzly Bear - Shields | Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited II | Headspace - I Am Anonymous | Ian Anderson - Thick as a Brick 2 | In the Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad | Ihsahn - Eremita | Jon Durant and Colin Edwin - Burnt Belief | Kamelot - Silverthorn | Lamb of God - Resolution | Les Discrets - Ariettes oubliées | Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made | Paul McCartney - Kisses on the Bottom | Mestis - Basal Ganglia | Mothlite - Dark Age | My Dying Bride - A Map of All Our Failures | Napalm Death - Utilitarian | Nile - At the Gate of Sethu | Nifty Breed - Keep Quiet | No Doubt - Push and Shove | North Atlantic Oscillation - Fog Electric | Nosound - At the Pier | Old Man Gloom - No | OSI - Fire Make Thunder | Periphery - Periphery II | Pig Destroyer - Book Burner | Sonata Arctica - Stones Grow Her Name | Stolen Babies - Naught | Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix | Vaura - Selenion | Ulver - Childhood's End | Jack White - BlunderbussWell I hope you have enjoyed my top ten list, there were just so many fantastic albums that came out in 2012, and I expect so many more to be released this year. Hopefully not forgetting some, I believe some groups that have albums set to release (or at least a likely possibility) are; Atoms for Peace, Black Sabbath, Cult of Luna, Cynic, Dir en Grey, Dream Theater, Ghost, How to Destroy Angels, Kill Hannah, Mastodon, Nine Inch Nails, Riverside, Steven Wilson, and Wintersun. I'm sure I'm missing some here, but I know as time goes on that will change. Any way, I look forward to all the new music that has yet to be released.
Note: I may edit this slightly later on, but only with additional comments for the albums I have in the top ten. I wouldn't be changing the order or anything, I just know me and that I will probably not get as much time to get to that immediately since my semester begins tomorrow. And if I do not change anything from what I have now, I hope you enjoy it either way.
