By Peter Lindblad
If this were a physical examination, the patients known as
hard rock and heavy metal would get a clean bill of health. 2012 has witnessed
a flurry of fine rebound albums from the reinvigorated likes of Fear Factory,
Slash, Rush, Prong, and Kreator – to mention a few. No one is writing them off
anymore. Even Van Halen returned from a long self-imposed exile to prove to
everyone that Eddie was still God and that nepotism can work, even if they do have
incredibly bad taste in first singles – “Tattoo”? Really?
There’s a new half a super group called Kill Devil Hill that’s
fusing Pantera grooves with Black Sabbath’s gothic dirges and churning out
wickedly melodic metal. For so long, Whitechapel has been chained to a radiator
in the grim, dingy basement known as deathcore, but with their latest hate-filled
self-titled missive, they have blasted their way out of their restraints and moved
on to more adventurous sonic exploration. Cattle Decapitation has scared
everybody out of their wits with some of the most uncompromisingly brutal music
in recent memory, and progressive-metal architects Gojira have given the French
– the French, of all people – a reason to get excited about their musical
export business.
And there’s more to come. Testament is going back to its Dark Roots of the Earth, Dying Fetus
hasn’t been aborted and The Deftones are reportedly set to release a record
this fall. Strap yourself in folks. 2012 is going to be a white-knuckle ride,
and a crash is inevitable. As for the first half of the year, I’ve compiled my
Top 10, which is subject to change. The first five (Nos. 10-6), included here, are just a taste.
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| Fear Factory - The Industrial 2012 |
10. Fear Factory: The
Industrialist – Jackhammer industrial beats and raging vocals swim in the
deep, toxic pool of disturbing dystopian visions, crushingly heavy guitars, and
cinematic soundscapes of what may be Fear Factory’s most ambitious concept
record yet. Fascinating alien melodies probe and prod a sound that is at once
cavernous and claustrophobically condensed, with Dino Cazares constructing a
Byzantine labyrinth of densely layered guitars under the imaginative lyrics and
righteous bellowing of Burton C. Bell.
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| Slash - Apocalyptic Love 2012 |
9. Slash, Featuring
Miles Kennedy and the Conspirators: Apocalyptic Love – On the heels of a
scintillating live album, Slash lays down some of the slinkiest, most
infectious grooves of his career, with knock-down, drag-out brawls like “You’re
A Lie,” “Standing in the Sun,” “No More Heroes” and “One Last Thrill” capturing
at least some the grit and dangerous energy of Appetite for Destruction. Providing a thrilling foil to Slash’s
smoking, snaky leads is singer Myles Kennedy, whose spine-tingling vocals
circle high above the fiery rock ‘n’ roll crashes Slash and The Conspirators
gleefully orchestrate. Axl can have the Guns ‘N Roses name. Slash doesn’t need
it.
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| Prong - Carved into Stone 2012 |
8. Prong: Carved into
Stone – In full gallop, with smoke blowing out of its nostrils, “Eternal
Heat” charges hard out of the gate, setting the blistering pace and aggressive
tone for what is surely one of the most punishing records of Prong’s career.
Seething with rage, Carved into Stone
abandons industrial rigidity for a thicker, fuller sound that takes a baseball
bat to society’s sick head and beats it bloody with violent, bare-knuckled
poetry. Urgent and restlessly creative, Carved
into Stone is a heat-seeking missile that’s locked onto its target and that
target is you. Get ready to be blown apart.
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| Over Kill - The Electric Age 2012 |
7. Over Kill: The
Electric Age – Relentless from beginning to end, The Electric Age spits fire and rages against the dying of their
light – with apologies to poet Dylan Thomas – by tossing this exceedingly
vicious and extraordinarily tight thrash-metal Molotov cocktail right in the
face of a dogma that believes extreme music is entirely a young man’s game.
Rarely has Over Kill sounded so dangerous and desperate, as rampaging drums,
searing guitars, and the venomous, teeth-gnashing vocals of Bobby “Blitz”
Ellsworth propel these grizzled, gasoline-guzzling East Coast veterans on a
high-octane journey through an urban wasteland of garbage-strewn dark alleys
and lawless streets.
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| Accept - Stalingrad 2012 |
6. Accept: Stalingrad
– Thankfully, Wolf Hoffman didn’t empty his bag of riffs on 2010’s Blood of the Nations, considered by many
as the best metal album of that year. A worthy successor, the storming Stalingrad is one scorching meat grinder
of a track after another – thanks to Hoffman’s rugged, gnarly guitars and the
sweaty toil of a band that’s regained its hunger – and singer Mark Tornillo’s
balls-to-the-wall screams are winning over converts who swore they’d never
accept an Accept without Udo Dirkschneider.
