Posted by
Decapitated Dan
|
Decapitated Dan's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2013
Well it’s the end of the year, and what better way to recap it than by making a list! So check out what Metal Albums I liked best in 2013!
____________________________________
#10: Hail of Bullets - III The Rommel Chronicles (Metalblade)
Coming into 2013 I have to admit I did not know who Hail of Bullets was. That is the brilliance of doing the Monsters & Metal podcast, because I get to check out so many new bands each month and share them with the listeners of the show. So when I got a chance to share the song Pour le Mérite I was hooked, and I picked up the full album and loved it from start to finish. Now I have to go and check out everything else this band has done. My poor wallet.
____________________________________
SIX FEET UNDER!!!! I've been in love with this band since I first bought their album Warpath back in 1997. Unborn continues to showcase their amazing talents and that they have no means of slowing down. Every song is just a brutal assault on my brain, and as always I can not wait for more.
____________________________________
Sadly I don't recall how I came across Conducting from the Grave, but I do know it was because of their previous album Revenants. That album got me hooked on them, so when I saw that they were running a kickstarter to fund this album I quickly jumped on board to help make it a reality. From start to finish this album is just flat out amazing. My favorite track is probably Lycan, but it is hard to say when they are all so damn good.
____________________________________
Once again we come back to a Monsters & Metal tie in, because of the show I was able to interview lead man Parker Jameson. You can hear that interview on Episode #2. It was because of getting that chance that I got to check out how amazing this band was, not that I wouldn't have found out anyway. The music alone is like heaven to my ears, and hopefully you can hear why by just listening to the song Fires of Life. I can not wait to hear what they come out with next.
____________________________________
If you want to talk about a band that fell off my radar for a while and then skyrocketed back on it, look no further than Amorphis. I had not listened to an album of theirs since Far From the Sun, and probably would not have checked out Circle if it wasn't for Aub Driver. To me this album had the feel of Elegy and Tuonela combined into 1 and I loved every second of it. I gladly welcome Amorphis back into my listening rotation.
____________________________________
I had the privilege of hearing Battlecross for the first time when they opened for In Flames this past year, and I was blown away. It was one of those moments where you go home and immediately buy an album, which at that time was just 2011's Pursuit of Honor (which is amazing by the way). So when they released War of Will this summer I was excited, but after listening to it I was REALY F!#^ING EXCITED! As I look around the internet now at the end of the year and see the new album at the top of so many lists, it makes sense, because it is just that good.
____________________________________
These top 4 spots were REALLY tough to place because 3 of the 4 bands are in my top 5 favorite bands. Neaera is one of those bands that I am just in love with. Every single album is something I could listen to non-stop for days. So when I got a chance to listen to Ours is the Storm I had butterflies in my stomach all over again. From The Deafening to Guardian of Ashes this is as solid as it comes. I just pray for the day they come to States so I can see them play live.
____________________________________
Oh Soilwork, can you ever let me down? NOPE! When The Living Infinite came out I was kind of scared. I mean 2 discs, 20 songs, they couldn't all be good could they? Hell yeah they could and were. I can't even count how many times I found myself doing things with the album blaring in my ear drums. I can't even tell you what song I liked best, because I LOVED them all. There is a reason that Soilwork is my second favorite band of all time, it's because all 9 albums are always playing when I have music on.
____________________________________
When I first heard Heaven Shall Burn's Antigone album something exploded in my brain. All of the sudden I was able to see colors that didn't exist and hear sounds that had never been heard before. So almost 10 years later, when I hear Veto for the first time, all those sense tingling things come screaming back. I wish I had a term to really describe how amped up I get when I hear HSB, so lets make one up, shitfuckingfantstical. With songs that just destory my brain like Land of the Upright Ones to songs that just decimate my neck from head banging like Godiva, this album is perfection! P.S. HSB is my third favorite band.
____________________________________
Now how come if Neaera, Heaven Shall Burn and Soilwork are some of my all time favorite bands they are not sitting here in the #1 album of 2013 spot? Well oddly enough it all comes back to podcasting. So let's come full circle and back to Monsters & Metal once again, shall we. Howl was a band that I seriously just happened to stumble across, and I am so thankful for that every single day. I was blown away when I heard the song Demonic, so I had to check out more of what they had to offer. When I got the album, for some odd reason, I was drawn to listen to Your Hell Begins first and HOLY $#!+ it blew me away. Listening to the rest of the album all I heard was one amazing song after the next, and now I want more. I NEED MORE! Bloodlines is so good from beginning to end, that I just want to have it on repeat all day, every day.
Now I get to tell the funny story. So I also do a podcast called Tales From the Water Cooler. This is a weekly show, and each week I throw on some random song to end it. Well I knew that my co-host Jeff Jackson wasn't a big fan of Metal, and he is also a Priest. So I thought it would be fun to dedicate Your Hell Begins to him after an episode. Well Jeff one upped me, because he did his best to decipher the lyrics and then made a slower version of the song (Listen to it here). So I sent the song to the band, and because of that I was able to arrange an interview with Vincent Hausman on Episode #7 of Monsters & Metal.
____________________________________
So there you have it. My picks for the best of 2013! I have to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to Century Media and Metal Blade for joining me on my quest to bring my love of Horror Comic and Metal to people each month with Monsters & Metal.
• Note: It was not easy to make this list. There are so many great metal albums that come out each year, so I say to you, create your own list and let the world know what stood out to you.
