The unavoidable "Best Album of 2012" Thread

[Jind]

Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol. 2012 was the year I became a huge, raving PL fan, sometime before seeing them live at Sonisphere in their tour for this album this band just finally clicked with me, first with their previous album "Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us", and slowly back to their whole discography

Paradise Lost is just that type of band - once they click and get their hooks in you it all becomes clear. I had come to PL with Icon then Draconian Times and while I liked them quite a bit, the releases that followed after One Second (which took some getting used to for me) sort of pushed Paradise Lost out of my memory for quite sometime.

I finally reconnected with them on 2007's In Requiem - a great album that while not as good as the last two, was a great incarnation of modern PL music where they brought back much of the styling I loved in the first place about Paradise Lost. Then came the great Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us and I was convinced they had come full circle and found the perfect blend of old and new. With Tragic Idol the rebirth continued in awesome fashion. My favorite thing about Paradise Lost has always been Greg Mackintosh's great guitar work - he wrings the perfect emotion out of every guitar part.

Just an honorable mention for albums of 2012 in the "traditional metal" category and perhaps a little "homerism" for a local band from my part of the world and an example of a band that probably most thought it's finest days were well past - New Haven Connecticut's own Obsession released the excellent Order of Chaos last year and serves as a great example of true traditional metal. Mike Vascera sounds as good now as he did way back on the great records in the 80's by Obsession. While Vascera is the only original member, the two new guitarists lay down some great old school metal riffing and soloing.

While specific to a category, for me it was a really great record representative of a certain type of metal I still love and have fond memories of.

 

[DanLights]

Paradise Lost is just that type of band - once they click and get their hooks in you it all becomes clear. I had come to PL with Icon then Draconian Times and while I liked them quite a bit, the releases that followed after One Second (which took some getting used to for me) sort of pushed Paradise Lost out of my memory for quite sometime.

I finally reconnected with them on 2007's In Requiem - a great album that while not as good as the last two, was a great incarnation of modern PL music where they brought back much of the styling I loved in the first place about Paradise Lost. Then came the great Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us and I was convinced they had come full circle and found the perfect blend of old and new. With Tragic Idol the rebirth continued in awesome fashion. My favorite thing about Paradise Lost has always been Greg Mackintosh's great guitar work - he wrings the perfect emotion out of every guitar part.

Just an honorable mention for albums of 2012 in the "traditional metal" category and perhaps a little "homerism" for a local band from my part of the world and an example of a band that probably most thought it's finest days were well past - New Haven Connecticut's own Obsession released the excellent Order of Chaos last year and serves as a great example of true traditional metal. Mike Vascera sounds as good now as he did way back on the great records in the 80's by Obsession. While Vascera is the only original member, the two new guitarists lay down some great old school metal riffing and soloing.

While specific to a category, for me it was a really great record representative of a certain type of metal I still love and have fond memories of.

I don't wanna derail the thread into Paradise Lost as much as I recently derailed my whole life into them recently, but In Requiem is definitely a killer album, all the songs are great. The first time I heard One Second I immediately thought "what is this crap??", turned it off and never listened to it again for years, until recently, it's now my favorite, I literally can't stop listening to it, "Say Just Words" really captured me when they closed with it when I saw them last May, and now it's a song I can't get enough of. Even their electro pop adventure "Host" has some great songs on it, I love how the setlist on the Dvd The Anatomy of Melancholy is so varied that they even included Gothic (minus the growls, he just sang in key instead of growling), and when they play the first song from Host Nick has to say "this one's from the controversial Host album".

 

[DanLights]

Another honorable mention to The Gathering, they released a great album in 2012 and have so far done two really good albums after recovering from the loss of their singer (the most beautiful woman in metal?? I think so, with Cristina Scabbia a close second), not giving any fucks and putting out great ambience-filled, post-rock influenced music with a great but not nearly as hot new singer.

 

[Skaldir]

My band HEL got nominated for The Best Folk / Pagan / Viking Metal Album 2012
http://www.metalstorm.net/awards/categories.php?cat_id=13

A pretty big honour for us, even I doubt we can win this poll.
Who liked can vote for us of course

 

[Mashreef]

Tank-War Nation

 

[mva801]

Lots of great stuff out last year, but overall I'd have to say Deftones - Koi No Yokan or Katatonia - Dead End Kings are easily my two favorites. Songwriting, mood, delivery, production. They are both fantastic.

Also wasn't aware Incantation had a new one out, til this thread. Gonna go check that one out!

 

[xplanet2112]

Would have been in my list if not for it's 2011 release...

I accidentally left off Leech If we get there one day, would you please open the gates? Really awesome album as good as If These Trees Could Talk.

Was it? Best dig out my CD and have a look... at least that makes my favourite CD of 2012 a clear choice, and 2011 for that matter!! That Junius CD is nothing short of stunning in my opinion and I will be catching up with their previous releases too. Thanks for the heads up on If These Trees Could Talk, I'm going to order that CD of Amazon soon, I do like a spot of post rock/metal.

Loving the Paradise Lost love coming out here... they are one of my all time faves!!

 

[B36arin]

My favourites are:

Meshuggah - Koloss
Wintersun - Time
Gojira - L'enfant Sauvage
Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest And The Blackbird

I was a bit disappointed by the latest Paradise Lost album, not as good as Faith Divides Us... And to be honest I haven't heard the new Katatonia yet, I've heard a few songs but haven't checked the album out yet.

 

[DanLights]

My favourites are:

I was a bit disappointed by the latest Paradise Lost album, not as good as Faith Divides Us... And to be honest I haven't heard the new Katatonia yet, I've heard a few songs but haven't checked the album out yet.

I agree it's not as good as FDUDUU, but it's great in its own way, Faith is like as metal as PL have ever been since Gothic, the new one is still quite metal, but also comes back to the whole In Requiem, Symbol of life era of catchy vocal melodies and delicious leads but without the industrial/goth influences (which I also love).