By Andrew Bansal
The year of 2013 has crossed its half-way point, and this is usually a good time to recap the first half and reminisce on the good music that came out during the period. When your mind is open and receptive to the entire spectrum of heavy music rather than just a subset of it, you find yourself appreciating a lot of bands of hugely varying styles. I found this to be true in my case this year as I ended up enjoying a plethora of albums. Some of the big names came up with massively disappointing albums, there were others that vindicated the people who kept the faith in them, and then there were new bands that popped up with awesome releases.
Hence I present to you my top 13 albums list at this point. As always, I’d like to point out that only full-length studio albums of original material have been considered for the list. EPs, split albums and covers albums haven’t been taken into account. I hope you enjoy what you read below, and just keep in mind; as for the albums I left out, it’s not that I hate each and every one of them, it’s just that the 13 listed below are, in my opinion, serve best as albums purely for the purposes of listening at home.
13.Nails – Abandon All Life: Southern California’s very own hardcore punk/power violence outfit Nails released their second LP early this year, and solidified the reputation they had built through the first album and the subsequent touring behind it, which included some killer gigs here in Los Angeles. Nails stay brutal, precise and hard-hitting throughout this relentless 17-minute wall of sound. Vocalist/guitarist Todd Jones leads the charge with a fierce exhibition of his musical expression. On the strength of this release, the band is expected re-conquer the genre’s followers in the States and beyond during the remainder of the year.
12.Soilwork – The Living Infinite: Many bands attempt double albums, and a lot of them fall flat on their faces because they get too concept-minded and drift away from what the band stands for. Soilwork’s ‘The Living Infinite’ is a glorious exception to this norm. The band has managed to put forth some of their best material ever on this massive 20-song effort, tunes that fans of Soilwork and melodic death metal would more than likely enjoy. Soilwork has hit the proverbial jackpot with The Living Infinite. One of the catchiest metal albums I’ve heard not only this year but in a long time.
11. Vreid – Welcome Farewell: Norwegian black metal band Vreid unleashed a terrific set of tunes for their sixth studio effort ‘Welcome Farewell’, an album that appeases the typical black metal fan but also explores the artistic side of bassist and prinicipal songwriter Jarle Kvåle that opens up the band to newer audiences, with progressive and melodic elements to bridge the extreme metal parts together. Even amidst the furious madness it possesses in its faster-paced tunes, this brilliantly written album lets the listener soak it all in. ‘Welcome Farewell’ is a hugely positive and pivotal step in the evolution of Vreid.
10.Children Of Bodom – Halo Of Blood: Finnish exports Children Of Bodom received a lackluster response to their previous two albums, but this time with the new release Halo Of Blood they’re back at their best. At least some if not all tunes create the kind of impact that made their early albums like ‘Follow The Reaper’ so popular. Bodom’s wintery European heavy metal sound has made its return in true earnest on this album, with great contributions from each member of the band backed up by Peter Tägtgren’s fantastic production values. A strong release, without a doubt.
9.Holy Grail – Ride The Void: After a gem of a debut album in 2010, Pasadena metal warriors Holy Grail returned with their sophomore effort ‘Ride The Void’ at the dawn of the new year, a very audacious effort at that. They’ve shown that they’re not afraid to push their boundaries to come up with a musical style that includes the traditional metal characteristics they’ve always been known for, but with a strong touch of shred and melody. Frontman James Paul Juna’s self-harmonized vocals to go with Alex Lee and Eli Santana’s ripping guitar leads make for an enjoyable listen for fans of classic/power/melodic metal. Ride The Void is most definitely Holy Grail 2.0.
8. Kvelertak – Meir: Yet another band to reach sophomore status this year is Norway’s blackened rock ‘n roll outfit Kvelertak, with the release of ‘Meir’, an album that stays consistent with the band’s style and at the same time showcases their progress and evolution. It’s more dynamic with stronger, more melodic guitar riffs and a harsher extreme metal side to it. Their music enjoys the rather unfortunate distinction of attracting a hipster crowd, but all said and done, Meir proves that Kvelertak is a band I would recommend to just about all fans of heavy music.
7. White Wizzard – The Devils Cut: Despite suffering through an insanely unhealthy number of lineup changes and the ridicule of the metal community that ensued, when the time came for Los Angeles-based classic metal flag bearers White Wizzard to write material for their third full-length studio album ‘The Devils Cut’, the band once again delivered with some truly great music played by the strongest lineup the band has had in a long, long time. Led by Joseph Michael’s soaring vocals complimented perfectly by Will Wallner and Jake Dryer’s dual guitar attack and beefed up further by Jon Leon and Gio Durst’s typically meaty rhythm section, this album lives, breathes and bleeds pure heavy metal. A must-have for all old-school metal lovers.
6. Anciients – Heart Of Oak: Based out of Vancouver, Canada, progressive metal band Anciients have released a fantastic debut full-length album. North America’s answer to Enslaved, Anciients cover a wide gamut of musical emotions and expressions through this hour-long masterpiece that ranges from crooning melodies to brutal extreme metal. The guitar tones are absolutely exemplary on this one, and the vocal arrangements with the clean and harsh parts have been put together excellently. Having already toured with the Death To All band and Lamb Of God this year, Anciients are out to blow audiences away with this material. I’ve said it before and will say it again, Anciients is going to be the next big thing in metal.
5. The Ocean – Pelagial: German prog juggernaut The Ocean have impressed one and all with their past efforts, but this time they truly outdid themselves with ‘Pelagial’, an epic release in every sense of the word. This concept album explores the depths of the very entity that embodies this band, the ocean. Guitarist and mastermind Robin Staps has hit the nail on the head with what he wanted to achieve, because this album really does feel like a journey. As a result, I find it to be the perfect companion during travel on the Los Angeles public transportation. The Ocean’s ‘Pelagial’ is a blissful relief to the ears.
4. Scorpion Child – Scorpion Child: Even though it builds upon a very vintage, classic 70s hard rock sound, Scorpion Child’s self-titled debut has been one of the freshest releases of the year. The band has managed to create something that’s more than just a rock revival thing, with their individual modern influences shining through and blending with the 70s tendencies. Songs like ‘Kings Highway’, ‘Polygon Of Eyes’, ‘The Secret Spot’ are instant classics, but this free-spirited, unadulterated album keeps things varying from one tune to the next, and is pure delight for the true ‘album listeners’. With a debut as amazing as this, the Austin-based quintet have unearthed something special.
3. Clutch – Earth Rocker: The mighty Clutch have returned with a stunning new release this year called Earth Rocker, presenting the Neil Fallon-induced Southern rock elements as always, but with more of a hard rock approach this time. That being said, the album remains diverse and personifies Clutch the band perhaps more accurately than any of the previous nine albums. From the opening title track to the album-closer ‘The Wolf Man Kindly Requests’ with delightful tunes such as ‘Mr. Freedom’, ‘DC Sound Attack’ ‘Gone Cold’ and ‘Book, Saddle & Go’ in between , Earth Rocker is pure gold.
2. Enforcer – Death By Fire: Even though they still remain a somewhat unknown entity in the States, Sweden’s old-school metal band Enforcer have been going from strength to strength throughout their nearly decade-long career with impressive albums like ‘Into The Night’ and ‘Diamonds’. Their third album ‘Death By Fire’ absolutely blows away almost everything that came out this year so far, with a certain class and timelessness that can only be associated with the old-school approach. Delightfully reminiscent of Paul Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden and classic speed metal, Enforcer’s newest album has everything going right for itself, and besides it’s one of the best produced albums I’ve heard in a long time. Horns up for Enforcer! \m/
1. Cauldron – Tomorrow’s Lost: Toronto-based classic metal trio Cauldron’s third LP ‘Tomorrow’s Lost’ is my choice for the number 1 album at the mid-year point of 2013. In comparison to their past two albums, this one is more guitar-oriented as Ian Chains gets to write 50 per cent of the material along with frontman Jason Decay. But the catchy choruses so typical of this band are still prominent on this one, music that you simply can’t erase from memory once you’ve heard it. The album is a winner from start to finish, with a kickass opening tune ‘End Of Time’ and real gems like ‘Summoned To Succumb’, ‘Burning Fortune’ and ‘Relentless Temptress’. This album fulfills the metalheads’ appetite more than anything else released in 2013 so far, and is powerful enough to convert them into Cauldron fans for life.