Here are my top 10 albums of 2012. What a year.
I’d always been a fan of ZP’s vocals, and I was really interested to see what the new band would sound like. I absolutely loved this album, and they’re an awesome live band.
This is an outstanding power metal album, nuff said.
A very late entry, as this only came out a couple of weeks ago but WOW what an album. Fronted by Canadian powerhouse Sass Jordan, this is an album of back to basics, kick ass, rock and roll.
No bells and whistles, no electronic wizardry, just pure music, warts and all. It’s raw, it’s powerful, and it’s incredible.
I liked Papa Roach’s album Infest, but after that, from my point of view at least, they disappeared into obscurity, mainly because I fell out of favour with the “Nu-Metal” scene. I honestly thought I was going to hate this album, but it turns out the opposite happened. It’s bloody awesome, full of catchy tunes, and great music.
What can I say? Well, I came across these guys via a Facebook ad. I’d never heard of them, but a quick trip to Reverbnation sorted that out. Female fronted metal has seldom sounded this good. This album will tear you a new one.
Yep, a Europe album in my top 10. Simply put though, this is an incredibly good hard rock album. It’s a nod to the classic rock era, and following up Last Look At Eden was always going to be tough. They did it though, and this album is an absolute must.
I’d never heard of these guys until this year, when I came across the EP Hello It’s Mz Hyde. That was great, so when the album came out, it was already very high on my wish list. It’s an album of contrasts, and very much has a split personality. Halestorm rock though, and rock hard.
Mark is one of the most influential guitarists of the modern era, and undoubtedly one of the best. This album saw him unleashed, and he often ventured into very heavy territory, and wrote some pretty dark lyrics. It’s moody, atmospheric, and just goes to show what an amazing talent he is, as a musician and a songwriter.
I’ve always liked Richie, and his solo efforts have always delivered the goods. This new album though was very dark, and extremely personal. It showed a side to him that we don’t often see. It provided an insight into the man himself through some very emotional music.
This is BCC’s finest album to date, but unfortunately quite possibly their last. It’s a shame, because it’s an absolute stormer. It could have charted a lot higher in this list, but because of the furore surrounding it, to me personally it lost some of it’s appeal. It’s still an awesome album, but I always feel saddened when I listen to it now.
10. Sandi Thom – “Flesh and Blood”
I’ve been a fan of Sandi for some time now, as I admire her style of music. The new album progressed naturally from the simplistic approach of her previous record, and allowing more influences, and experimentation into the music. The result is something that in concept, is a little more complex, but still brilliantly executed, with some great songs to listen to.
