The Year In Smear - 2012 Edition

[kalfitegrdan]

Great list, man! Good call on Derketa too. They landed just outside my top 10. I too an also a sucker for that doom paced death metal.

[smearCampaign]

Originally Posted by kalfitegrdan

Great list, man! Good call on Derketa too. They landed just outside my top 10. I too an also a sucker for that doom paced death metal.

Thanks. 2012 was a great year for death/doom!

[smearCampaign]

////////// Top 10 EPs //////////



10. Melvins - The Bulls & The Bees
I enjoyed this EP more than any of the other Melvins output in 2012. This EP is a pretty good cross section of the Melvins sound distilled into a few tracks.
We Are Doomed

9. Revocation - Teratogenesis
Personally I found Chaos of Forms to be a big letdown, but this EP puts Revocation back on the right track in my books. More songs like this please.
The Grip Tightens

8. Witch Mountain - Witch Mountain
These two songs are probably just B-sides from Cauldron of the Wild, which is fine by me. Both songs sound great and fit well within the Witch Mountain catalog.
Bloodhound

7. Pelican - Ataraxia/Taraxis
This EP has me really excited for their next full length album. My first chance to see them will be MDF this year and I really hope the schedule works out so I can catch Pelican.
Parasite Colony

6. Agalloch - Faustian Echoes
A one song EP and the longest track Agalloch has ever released. The opening audio sample sets a tone and the theatric and epic nature is carried throughout the track.
Faustian Echoes

[smearCampaign]

5. Tormented - Graveyard Lust
Swedes playing old school Swedish death metal with a small dose of Autopsy and crust punk thrown in for good measure. Fans of Bastard Priest and even Midnight, take note.
Graveyard Lust

4. Inverloch - Dusk | Subside
The continuation of Australia’s Disembowelment is as visceral and brutal as ever. I feel like they are spreading their wings, so to speak, and branching into more variety of sound than Disembowelment had in their short career.
Within Frozen Beauty

3. Down - The Purple EP
As the first of a planned set of four EPs this gets the whole thing started with a set of songs that sound like Down through and through.
The Curse is a Lie

2. Vattnet Viskar - Vattnet Viskar
Great up and coming atmospheric black metal band from New Hampshire. I had heard a few good things about this EP online and was blown away when I checked it out. I then had the pleasure of catching these guys at a free show back in October and they were excellent.
Barren Earth

1. Deathspell Omega - Drought
This follows suit with their last two full lengths in being a goddamn masterpiece. This material is much more compelling than their last single-song EP. I came late to their black metal party, but better late than never, right?
Scorpions & Drought

[smearCampaign]

10 bands that released albums in 2012 that I didn’t get a chance to listen to, but I think I probably should:
Ahab
Aluk Todolo
The Mars Volta
Pinkish Black
Samothrace
Soundgarden
Swans
Ufomammut x2
Witchcraft
Wrathprayer

[Natrlhi]

Originally Posted by smearCampaign

The Mars Volta

Don't bother.

Originally Posted by smearCampaign

Ufomammut x2

Do bother. Fucking definitely.

Nice thread. Lots of good stuff up in here. Your #1 is a shocker, though.

[mankvill]

Now who was your favorite houseguest of 2012?

[smearCampaign]

Originally Posted by mankvill

Now who was your favorite houseguest of 2012?

Some straight edge k-pop lover from Arkansas or something.

[mankvill]

Originally Posted by smearCampaign

Some straight edge k-pop lover from Arkansas or something.