FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Graveyard follow suit to their name, like a rusty tombstone, symbolizing age and progression over time. If cleaned properly, you’ll find a treasure once forgotten, or an antique piece like Lights Out, that just needs to be revisited.
As promised last week, here are the Top 10 metal albums of 2012 according to the writers of Hellbound.ca. You will notice that, in comparison to our previously published Top 10 Canadian albums of 2012 list, a few Canadian artists actually ended up charting higher here than on the Canuck top 10. The reason for this is simply because we had more writers submit top 10 lists here than did for the Canadian list.
Collected, compiled and edited by Sean Palmerston
Review by Ola Mazzuca Reading, England technical death metal up-and-comers Sylosis recently toured the US with Lamb of God. And what a fine time it…
Korpiklaani are a band of the wild that produce music far from an animal call, but a signature sound that summons fans – those who appreciate progenitors shaping the credibility of a once scoffed metal sub-genre through an innovative tribute to culture.
The 69 Eyes borrow elements from a music library incredibly vast. To say that they supply signature twists and turns would be a bit of a stretch but there’s no denial in their ability to provide us with Goth ‘N’ Roll so melodic and relevant to sometimes crude and wild for the amorous bunch.
Enslaved’s unique, progressive, black metal style is the root of the voyage you take on this album. It’s arguably the band’s most uniform element, and they hit all the right notes this time.
Sylosis have just unleashed their latest masterpiece Monolith through Nuclear Blast on October 5th. On this, their third album, the band has taken their blend of progressive thrash and moved things forward. While still a complete ‘shred fest’, Monolith has more feel to it, more ambience if you will. Taking the band to record where giants have tread before (Monnow Valley Studio, which has housed Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Rush to name a few) seems to have given Sylosis the ability to convey mood a little more, and dial back on the technicality of their songs. Monolith is a fantastic achievement for this young band, and I had the pleasure of speaking with founding member/guitarist/vocalist Josh Middleton a few days after the North American release of the album.
Overall, Full Pull is a terrific outing for Bullet and their first for Nuclear Blast. While the album contains little in the way of surprises, the songs are strong and catchy with great sing along choruses. Sometimes, that’s all you really need in a record.
“the Swedes leave you to rewind, ponder and reflect on its content, strengthening Witchcraft’s status as revival artists of doom today”
The Early Years is a decade of primal folk, and a document that has evidently shaped one of metal’s most extreme divisions today.