Metal Storm logo
tea[m]ster's 2012 Must Listens And Recs


Well, it's been a terrific 2012 for metal fans. I listened to hundreds of albums and I'd like to share my favs with you. Although it was very difficult I have narrowed down my top 20.

Created by: tea[m]ster | 26.04.2012



1. Sunpocrisy - Samaroid Dioramas
post/sludge/atmospheric (5.0)
2. Downfall Of Gaia - Suffocating In The Swarm Of Cranes
post/sludge/crust punk (4.9)
3. Rush - Clockwork Angels
prog rock/metal (4.8)
4. Adrift - Black Heart Bleeds Black
post/sludge metal (4.8)
5. Constants - Pasiflora
post rock/shoegaze (4.7)
6. Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - Exegesis
post metal (4.7)
7. Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme
post rock/shoe gaze (4.7)
8. Katabatic - Heavy Weather
experimental post rock (4.6)
9. Líam - MMIX
post rock (4.5)
10. Atoma - Skylight
post/atmo/prog metal (4.5)
11. Process Of Guilt - Fæmin
post/sludge metal (4.4)
12. Irreversible - Ashes
post metal (4.4)
13. Kowloon Walled City - Container Ships
atmospheric sludge/noise (4.4)
14. Handling Noise - Handling Noise
experimental/alternative/post rock (4.4)
15. Fehler - Dissona
blackened sludge metal (4.3)
16. Lithium Dawn - Aion
alternative/atmospheric/post metal (4.3)
17. Vaura - Selenelion
prog/psychedelic metal (4.3)
18. Sinistro - Sinistro
atmospheric sludge/doom/post metal (4.2)
19. Valerinne - Kunstformen Der Natur
post rock/metal (4.2)
20. Marriages - Kitsune
atmospheric post rock (4.2)
21. Sauroctonos - Our Cold Days Are Still Here When the Lights Are Out
post/black (4.2)
22. 417.3 - 2
post rock/metal (4.1)
23. Absolace - Fractals
alternative/progressive/atmo metal (3.5)
24. Alkerdeel - Morinde
black sludge (3.9)
25. Amenra - Mass V
post/sludge metal (4.0)
26. Architects - Daybreaker
post hardcore (3.5)
27. Arktika - Symmetry
atmospheric sludge metal (3.8)
28. Asidefromaday - Chasing Shadows
post metal/sludge/hardcore
29. Atriarch - Ritual Of Passing
atmospheric black (3.5)
30. Bitcrush - Collapse
post rock/shoegaze/ambiant (4.0)
31. Bridges To Dreams - Victims
post/psychedelic/experimental (4.0)
32. Black Clouds - Everything Is Not Going To Be Ok
post/ambiant/experimental
33. Black Shape Of Nexus - Negative Black
post/sludge/drone (3.8)
34. Black Sheep Wall - No Matter Where It Ends
sludge (4.0)
35. Chaos E.T. Sexual - Ov
post/industrial/noise metal (3.6)
36. Closed Room - Closed Room
shoegaze/experimental post rock (4.0)
37. Crown - The One
atmospheric industrial sludge
38. Cynic - The Portal Tapes
atmospheric metal
39. Dating - Outminded
extreme pop/post rock/shoegaze (4.1)
40. Devil Sold His Soul - Empire Of Light
post hardcore (3.6)
41. Dumbsaint - Something That You Feel Will Find Its Own Form
post/atmo metal
42. Earthrise - Eras Lost
post metal (4.1)
43. Enfold - Melencholia
post rock/shoe gaze (3.9)
44. Enochian Theory - Life... And All It Entails
prog metal (4.0)
45. Enslaved - RIITIIR
advantgarde (4.0)
46. Erode Pas - Erode Pas
post/sludge metal (3.5)
47. Eryn Non Dae. - Meliora
post/sludge/mathcore/djent (4.1)
48. Flares - Kingdom Come
post rock/metal
49. Frames - In Via
post rock
50. From Oceans To Autumn - Oath Of Eternals
atmospheric post/sludge metal (3.8)
51. Giardini Di Miro - Good Luck
indie/post rock (3.7)
52. Glass Cloud - The Royal Thousand
post hardcore
53. Goodbye, Titan - Real Life Awaits Us
post rock/metal
54. Harakiri For The Sky - Harakiri For The Sky
post black metal (4.1)
55. Horn Of The Rhino - Grengus
sludge metal
56. I Am Waiting For You Last Summer - Edge Party
post rock/atmo/electronica
57. If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
post rock
58. Islands - Islands
post metal
59. Klone - The Dreamer's Hideaway
progressive metal (4.0)
60. L'Alba Di Morrigan - The Essence Remains
alternative post rock/metal (3.6)
61. Майтрейя - Помнят Kамни
post metal
62. Memories Of A Dead Man - V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
atmospheric sludge metal/post hardcore (3.7)
63. Milanku - Pris A La Gorge
post rock/metal/downtempo (4.0)
64. Nahrayan - The Beginning Of The End...
atmospheric sludge metal (3.8)
65. PG.Lost - Key
post rock/metal (3.5)
66. P.H.O.B.O.S. - Atonal Hypermnesia
industrial sludge (3.9)
67. Planks - Funeral Mouth
blackened sludge (3.8)
68. Prisma - You Name It
prog/post/experimental metal (3.6)
69. Reverence - The Asthenic Ascension
atmospheric black metal (3.8)
70. Rituals - Rituals
atmospheric sludge/post metal (4.0)
71. So Far As I Know - Far From The Earth Beneath Your Feet
post rock (3.5)
72. Speaking To Stones - Elements
prog metal (3.6)
73. Súl Ad Astral - Selftitled
post/black metal (3.9)
74. Temple* - On The Steps Of The Temple
post metal (4.0)
75. The American Dollar - Awake In The City
post/atmo rock
76. The Best Pessimist - Love Is
ambiant/atmo/post rock (3.5)
77. The Great Old Ones - Al Azif
post/sludge/black (3.8)
78. This Gift Is A Curse - I, Guilt Bearer
sludge metal (4.0)
79. Three Steps To The Ocean - Scents
post metal (3.8)
80. To-Mera - Exile
prog metal (3.9)
81. Tuber - Tuber EP
instrumental post rock/metal (3.7)
82. Ufomammut - Oro - Opus Primum
sludge/psychedlec metal (3.7)
83. Ufomammut - Oro - Opus Alter
sludge/psychedlec metal (3.7)
84. Voltron - Kaventsmann
sludge/doom metal (3.8)
85. Whales And Aurora - The Shipwreck
post/sludge metal
86. X Suns - X Suns
post rock (3.7)



Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by tea[m]ster ]



Comments page 2 / 2

‹‹ Back to Lists
Comments: 47   Visited by: 125 users
31.12.2012 - 01:30
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
I'm not bothered about the amount of bandcamp bands but rather the abundance of the word "post" on this list. I can stomach only a handful of post metal bands a year before I get thoroughly bored of it. A pretty derivative area of music.

By the way there's no sludge in that P.H.O.B.O.S. record. The other albums might be considered so but not the new one.
Loading...
31.12.2012 - 01:41
IronAngel

Written by Guest on 31.12.2012 at 01:30

I can stomach only a handful of post metal bands a year before I get thoroughly bored of it.


I agree. When it's good, I really like it. But after half a dozen albums I just find very little energy to check out others. Because let's face it, most of them sound pretty much the same, and there doesn't seem to be much of a consensus about what's actually good in the genre. When I feel like listening to some new "post-metal", I'll just put on my favorite. I liked that Rituals album, but if I'd heard it later in the year after Adrift or Planks (both of which are pretty meh for me) I might prefer them over it.

Kowloon Walled City and Sunpocrisy would be my picks of the year in the style, I guess. I also enjoyed Neurosis, Rituals and Strage several times. I'm sure some of the other albums would be equally good, but I've reached my limit and it takes something special to break into that arbitrary company.
Loading...
31.12.2012 - 01:59
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by IronAngel on 31.12.2012 at 01:41


I agree. When it's good, I really like it. But after half a dozen albums I just find very little energy to check out others. Because let's face it, most of them sound pretty much the same, and there doesn't seem to be much of a consensus about what's actually good in the genre. When I feel like listening to some new "post-metal", I'll just put on my favorite. I liked that Rituals album, but if I'd heard it later in the year after Adrift or Planks (both of which are pretty meh for me) I might prefer them over it.

Kowloon Walled City and Sunpocrisy would be my picks of the year in the style, I guess. I also enjoyed Neurosis, Rituals and Strage several times. I'm sure some of the other albums would be equally good, but I've reached my limit and it takes something special to break into that arbitrary company.

To be honest I don't think I listened to any of those. Sunpocrisy was something I really wanted to fully explore before the year's end because of the positive response but it just never happened. Actually I think the only post-metal stuff I've really heard were those borderline sludge/post mixes that pop up often. I know many were good but can't name any from memory.
Loading...
01.01.2013 - 22:46
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by Guest on 31.12.2012 at 01:30

I'm not bothered about the amount of bandcamp bands but rather the abundance of the word "post" on this list.


Thanks for checking out my list JOOE. Yes, a lot of "post" tags on it but it is my favorite genre of music. Don't be scared, not many of them sound the "same" believe it or not. I try to find stuff with some variety or experimentation. Love the bands that take chances. I did like other stuff this year but nothing really blew me away (maybe RIITIIR). Be'Lakor, Ihsahn, Ministry, Circus Maximus, Neurosis, Wintersun, Testament, Saturnus, Ne Obliviscarus and OSI were alright.

Take some time and check out some of the stuff on my list, I bet you will find something you dig a lot!
----
rekt
Loading...
01.01.2013 - 22:50
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by IronAngel on 31.12.2012 at 00:42

I'll try to check out most of your top 20 though, I've barely heard half of them.


I know you will like most of these! Their is too much variety not to.
----
rekt
Loading...
03.01.2013 - 22:19
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Written by IronAngel on 31.12.2012 at 00:42

Bah, too many obscure Bandcamp bands.

There can never be enough obscure bandcamp bands
----
14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
Loading...
03.01.2013 - 22:36
IronAngel

Trying to finish my own list before getting swamped in 2013 albums, I remembered a glaring gap in your list! Not that it's a must-listen or anything, but if you like Constants you should check out Whirr's Pipe Dreams. It's very much in that same vein of 90s guitar-heavy shoegaze. A little noisier and a little more energetic, with vocals a bit too deep in the mix. Both are pretty derivative, I'll grant you that, but they stand shoulder to shoulder, and head and shoulders above, most modern shoegaze/dream pop artists in terms of energy and authenticity.

BoxCar: I like to do my listening in one place, or two at most. I hate having to keep a browser tab open to listen to an album, and I'm pretty neurotic about scrobbling what I listen to for Last.fm (even if I can't scrobble my iPod Touch and still listen to CDs, too). I already have to skip interesting albums or only quickly check them out because of time constraints, and sadly those Bandcamp bands get shoved to the bottom of the pile. Unless they come highly recommended or for some reason look just like my thing, anyway.
Loading...
04.01.2013 - 00:02
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by IronAngel on 03.01.2013 at 22:36

BoxCar: I like to do my listening in one place, or two at most. I hate having to keep a browser tab open to listen to an album, and I'm pretty neurotic about scrobbling what I listen to for Last.fm (even if I can't scrobble my iPod Touch and still listen to CDs, too). I already have to skip interesting albums or only quickly check them out because of time constraints, and sadly those Bandcamp bands get shoved to the bottom of the pile. Unless they come highly recommended or for some reason look just like my thing, anyway.

I dunno what browser you use but there's a Chrome extension that allows you to scrobble stuff off bandcamp / youtube and other stuff (providing it's in Band - Song format I think). Was pretty handy when I still had a last.fm
Loading...
04.01.2013 - 09:52
IronAngel

Written by Guest on 04.01.2013 at 00:02

I dunno what browser you use but there's a Chrome extension that allows you to scrobble stuff off bandcamp / youtube and other stuff (providing it's in Band - Song format I think). Was pretty handy when I still had a last.fm


Oh? That's nice. Probably should have looked into it earlier. Might be one for Firefox too, and I'm not religious about my browser anyway.
Loading...
04.01.2013 - 20:10
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by IronAngel on 03.01.2013 at 22:36

Whirr's Pipe Dreams

Seconded. Great release.
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
Loading...
04.01.2013 - 21:55
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by IronAngel on 03.01.2013 at 22:36

you should check out Whirr


Ha, I missed Pipe Dreams! I posted a rec for their 2011 EP in my post/sludge/atmo thread a few weeks ago. I like it, their is a lot of content for an EP! I will see if I can dig up their latest.

I have a rec for your 2012 list. Sorry if it's on it already but did you hear the new album from Exotic Animal Petting Zoo? I am not a big mathcore fan but that album is great!
----
rekt
Loading...
04.01.2013 - 22:50
IronAngel

Written by tea[m]ster on 04.01.2013 at 21:55

I have a rec for your 2012 list. Sorry if it's on it already but did you hear the new album from Exotic Animal Petting Zoo? I am not a big mathcore fan but that album is great!


Must have read the name somewhere, it looks familiar. I doubt I've ever heard them though. Will check it out. I will never finish my list like this.

Edit: Oh yes I've seen this cover.
Loading...
05.01.2013 - 19:03
Fredd
Account deleted
I dont know over 90% of the albums listed here give me the 3 or 4 i must hear, please.
Loading...
05.01.2013 - 19:18
IronAngel

Written by Guest on 05.01.2013 at 19:03

I dont know over 90% of the albums listed here give me the 3 or 4 i must hear, please.


My choices from his list would be Sunpocrisy, Bitcrush, Reverence and P.H.O.B.O.S. Assuming you'd heard Enslaved and Alkerdeel, anyway. But I imagine he'd recommend the top 3-4.
Loading...
17.01.2013 - 03:13
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by Guest on 05.01.2013 at 19:03

I dont know over 90% of the albums listed here give me the 3 or 4 i must hear, please.


The Vaura release might be something you'd dig Fredd. Also try Sauroctonos.
----
rekt
Loading...
20.02.2013 - 19:33
togo95

Thanks tea[m]ster, I'm sure I will like many albums from the list, which are new to me, just have to find time and listen to them.
Anyway I'd also like to recommend you probably the best band playing something similiar to post-metal in Slovakia ever - The Ills, at least from what I've heard. If you don't know them, they have a bandcamp page as well: http://exitab.exitmusic.org/album/splendor
Loading...
21.02.2013 - 01:47
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by togo95 on 20.02.2013 at 19:33

Thanks tea[m]ster,


Thanks for the kind words and the rec. I will check it out stay tuned...
----
rekt
Loading...

Hits total: 5209 | This month: 7