Best of 2012 (1 of 3)

As 2012 comes to a close, I've been thinking about my favorite music from the past year. I'm emphasizing 'favorite' instead of best, because I haven't listened to every CD released this and certainly don't consider myself an authority onslaught 'best of...' lists. So, here are some of the best, err, I mean my favorites from 2012:

Swallow the Sun
Finnish doom metallers, Swallow the Sun released Emerald Forest and the Blackbird. The album is awash with sweeping melancholy passages juxtaposed against thick guitars and tortured screams. As layered sounds build around vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, steady tempos keep the listener on edge, waiting for the tension to release in some beautiful horror. Definitely one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lamb of God
Lamb of God released their 6th album, Resolution. A sober Randy Blythe dials up the emotion and carnage with coarse vocals, backed by blistering guitar work from Morton and Alder. Highlights include Undertow in which Blythe shreds his vocal cords on “I am the one who’s left to take the fall,” Ghost Walking (check out the video), and the inward-looking “King Me.” Brutal and to the point, but not lacking in substance, technicality, or scope, Resolution will continue to be in heavy rotation on my playlist.

Marilyn Manson
Being a product of the 90’s, I’ve always been fan of Manson. This year he released Born Villian, a creepy, goth-metal drenched record that again reaffirms his place in the genre. Start to finish the album is stripped back to bare flesh, exposing all the goodness that only Manson can bring.