Dungeon Vic
Member
- Feb 9, 2004
- 123
- 0
- 16
This is what I sent to the mag, although it is the most relaxed list I ever compiled, just one criterion: which albums I was in the mood to listen to the most. Some I only got to listen very late (like Avatarium and Trallery), so they by default went to the bottom of the list.
Suicidal Tendencies - 13
Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies
Carcass - Surgical Steel
Satan - Life Sentence
Sodom - Epitome of Torture
Gama Bomb - The Terror Tapes
Freak Guitar - The Smorgasbord
Leprous - Coal
Hell - Curse and Chapter
Warbringer - IV Empires Collapse
Soilwork - The Living Infinite
Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories)
Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call to Jonestown
Voivod - Technical Earth
Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Protest the Hero - Volition
Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light
Avatarium - Avatarium
Violator - Scenarios of Brutality
Trallery - Catalepsy
And of course, like every year, the list is actually wrong. Trallery should be in the top 3 and I declare Catalepsy as the best thrash metal album of 2013. What started as a "6/10 complete mess of songwriting but with some very enjoyable passages" grew into "FUCKING EPIC, THIS IS THE METAL I LOVE". Highly recommended if you like your thrash with plenty of METAL influences and don't mind terrible English
I know plenty of my picks are considered unmetal and uncool (I got so much shit for Volbeat from some friends but I really, really didn't give a fuck, that band is insanely awesome and catchy when they do hard n' metal stuff, and I can live with half of their poppier songs) but there you go.
As for disappointments: Megadeth wasn't disappointing, just "did it have to be that bad Dave?" with extra special shitsauce for that atrocious video. Then Running Wild, who I worship their 1984-1994 (and up to The Rivalry really for some songs), supposedly returned to form with Resilient. Some good genuine RW ideas, terrible execution. One guy behind a PC (fuck that boring drum machine!) is an insult to the Running Wild legacy. End of story. Shame on Rolf!
Warbringer I thought was way better than the previous one, Hunter Seeker is one of their best songs for sure.
Gama Bomb released their best yet, very catchy, very enjoyable and while it sounds very typical new wave thrash, the vocals, the riffs, the humorous attitude makes it stand out very much.
Sodom, I know Dave feels very differently but I ended up listening to this album way, way more than the previous two and I just CANNOT RESIST Onkel Tom's charming delivery and his eternal butchering of the English language (EPI-TOMB!!!! HOW METAL IS THAT). That and the very enjoyable and memorable songwriting made this a winner for me and their best since M-16.
Carcass did not re-invent themselves as they did with every single one of their releases but they managed to release a FANTASTIC album that sends every immitator of the Heartwork sound (that's half of Sweden right there) and every Arch Enemy of this world wondering how the fuck Carcass, with the same recipe, sounds so clinically lethal, while they on the other hand sound boring, safe and lifeless.
Satan was the heavy metal album of the year. Just incredibly to the point heavy metal, totally 1983 but awesome. Incantations!
Violator worships Sepultura (87-91 period), one could even say "clones" but since Sepultura themselves and Soulfly compete against each other on who is going to be the most "decent" (ZZZZzzzzzzz.......), I very much welcome some quality Sep-thrash. Probably their best album too.
Hell did not manage to make me enthusiastic, like they did with their debut but they released a damn fine metal album. Time will tell how long it will stay with me though. Human Remains is a timeless classic for me, no doubts about it. This one, not so sure yet.
Avatarium is Leif Edling's new band (that's the dude behind Candlemass and Krux and one of the most consistent and gifted songwriters in the entire metal genre). It sounds like late Candlemass with a 70s chick on vox, very interesting combination. At times sounds like Candlemass doing a James Bond opening theme song (seriously, check out Moonhorse: ). Highly recommended for Candlemass fans.
Suicidal Tendencies - 13
Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies
Carcass - Surgical Steel
Satan - Life Sentence
Sodom - Epitome of Torture
Gama Bomb - The Terror Tapes
Freak Guitar - The Smorgasbord
Leprous - Coal
Hell - Curse and Chapter
Warbringer - IV Empires Collapse
Soilwork - The Living Infinite
Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories)
Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call to Jonestown
Voivod - Technical Earth
Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Protest the Hero - Volition
Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light
Avatarium - Avatarium
Violator - Scenarios of Brutality
Trallery - Catalepsy
And of course, like every year, the list is actually wrong. Trallery should be in the top 3 and I declare Catalepsy as the best thrash metal album of 2013. What started as a "6/10 complete mess of songwriting but with some very enjoyable passages" grew into "FUCKING EPIC, THIS IS THE METAL I LOVE". Highly recommended if you like your thrash with plenty of METAL influences and don't mind terrible English
I know plenty of my picks are considered unmetal and uncool (I got so much shit for Volbeat from some friends but I really, really didn't give a fuck, that band is insanely awesome and catchy when they do hard n' metal stuff, and I can live with half of their poppier songs) but there you go.
As for disappointments: Megadeth wasn't disappointing, just "did it have to be that bad Dave?" with extra special shitsauce for that atrocious video. Then Running Wild, who I worship their 1984-1994 (and up to The Rivalry really for some songs), supposedly returned to form with Resilient. Some good genuine RW ideas, terrible execution. One guy behind a PC (fuck that boring drum machine!) is an insult to the Running Wild legacy. End of story. Shame on Rolf!
Warbringer I thought was way better than the previous one, Hunter Seeker is one of their best songs for sure.
Gama Bomb released their best yet, very catchy, very enjoyable and while it sounds very typical new wave thrash, the vocals, the riffs, the humorous attitude makes it stand out very much.
Sodom, I know Dave feels very differently but I ended up listening to this album way, way more than the previous two and I just CANNOT RESIST Onkel Tom's charming delivery and his eternal butchering of the English language (EPI-TOMB!!!! HOW METAL IS THAT). That and the very enjoyable and memorable songwriting made this a winner for me and their best since M-16.
Carcass did not re-invent themselves as they did with every single one of their releases but they managed to release a FANTASTIC album that sends every immitator of the Heartwork sound (that's half of Sweden right there) and every Arch Enemy of this world wondering how the fuck Carcass, with the same recipe, sounds so clinically lethal, while they on the other hand sound boring, safe and lifeless.
Satan was the heavy metal album of the year. Just incredibly to the point heavy metal, totally 1983 but awesome. Incantations!
Violator worships Sepultura (87-91 period), one could even say "clones" but since Sepultura themselves and Soulfly compete against each other on who is going to be the most "decent" (ZZZZzzzzzzz.......), I very much welcome some quality Sep-thrash. Probably their best album too.
Hell did not manage to make me enthusiastic, like they did with their debut but they released a damn fine metal album. Time will tell how long it will stay with me though. Human Remains is a timeless classic for me, no doubts about it. This one, not so sure yet.
Avatarium is Leif Edling's new band (that's the dude behind Candlemass and Krux and one of the most consistent and gifted songwriters in the entire metal genre). It sounds like late Candlemass with a 70s chick on vox, very interesting combination. At times sounds like Candlemass doing a James Bond opening theme song (seriously, check out Moonhorse: ). Highly recommended for Candlemass fans.
Last edited by a moderator:
