Finsterforst: Rastlos (2012)

Folk Metal Album of the Year

Somehow, I managed to give the same album to two different reviewers. The other review will be posted later today. This one is by Patrick, proprietor of Beards, Etc.

Finsterforst are a German folk metal band who formed in 2004. Their third full-length album, Rastlos, comes out in late November. I was excited when Kelly sent me the advance promo, because I've been looking forward to hearing this for months.

As I've begun gearing up for my end-of-year discussions about the best metal records of 2012, I've noticed one tragically big hole. All year, I've been waiting for one truly outstanding folk metal album to appear, and all year I've been consistently disappointed at the absence of such a release. I'm happy to announce that my wait is at an end.

Anaal Nathrakh: Vanitas (2012)

Consistent Chaotic

I recently hinted that the new records from Pig Destroyer and The Secret were my second and third most-anticipated grind albums of the year, but I didn’t say which was number one. Now you know, it’s Vanitas.

Anaal Nathrakh has long been one of the most chaotic, tight, and furious bands on the planet. That would be enough to assure their success in the world of extreme metal, but Vanitas goes a step further. It establishes the band as one of the most consistent entities in the genre. They have kept everything that has made their last few releases so rewarding, from the nonstop pummeling of the blackgrind music to the infectious melody of many of the vocal lines. Still, they haven’t allowed themselves to be completely predictable.

The Sorrow: Misery-Escape (2012)

Oh God, the Horror

Review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

Maybe it's time to actually look into some of the bands that I am asked to review before agreeing to it. I had no idea that there still were bands like this. I might have really liked this seven years ago or so back when I liked Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and the like. If you have not figured it out yet, this is metalcore tinged with melodeath. Most metalcore bands by now have changed their sound somewhat, but this is definitely early 2000's metalcore sound.

Neurosis: Honor Found in Decay (2012)

Me: Suitably Chastised

I haven’t meticulously researched this--I’m not that kind of nerd--but it seems to me there are a handful of bands that have probably been mentioned in every single issue of Decibel, even if it’s just a passing reference. Black Sabbath, obviously. Metallica. Again, it’s not brain surgery to figure out why. Slayer, most likely. And Neurosis, I’d wager, is in all of them too. If you put together a list of the most influential bands in metal history, it’s easy to place the Oakland pioneers in the top ten.

Yet, most of their catalog is a notable gap in my knowledge base. (I found and explored Isis instead.) I’m familiar only with Through Silver in Blood and Given to the Rising, and even those I haven’t listened to much. Since I last heard those, I really got into the dark Americana vibe they work into their music, due in no small part to Von Till’s and Kelly’s solo material. So, understand that the following statement is based on limited knowledge, and a vastly increased appreciation for an important aspect of their sound.

Yakuza: Beyul (2012)

Horns of Metal

Guest review by joanismylover, the third metal attorney.

The saxophone is not a metal instrument, or so my thinking went. The first time I ever heard a saxophone at a concert was also the first time I saw a middle aged homemaker sitting down eating nachos at a concert. That was a Bruce Springsteen concert. I was totally perplexed by the nachos and unmoved by the saxophone.

So I was fully prepared to not like Yakuza, a saxophone wielding metal outfit that had been labled as "avant-garde metal" by some. I just couldn't imagine what it was going to sound like. Well, it sounds good, saxophone included.

Von: Satanic Blood (2012)

Too Bad It's Not Spraying

Guest review by Patrick, proprietor of Beards, Etc.

Von are a San Francisco based black metal outfit. This Halloween saw the release of their full-length debut Satanic Blood. The group actually originally formed in the late 80s, bit disbanded for nearly two decades before returning with an EP in 2010 under the leadership of bassist/vocalist Venien, who is now the band's sole constant member.

Atriarch: Ritual of Passing (2012)

In Which I Use the Word “Enema”

I was first introduced to deathrock by the Alaric/Atriarch split from earlier this year, and since then I’ve picked up a handful more in an effort to educate myself. Atriarch is just one of the bands bleeding the 30-year-old deathrock subgenre into the 40-year-old doom metal subgenre, making something that sounds fresh in the process. Why it took so long to combine doom with the punk equivalent of doom is a mystery, but the fact that it works so well is no surprise.

Ritual of Passing begins on a slow build that could be from just about any of the darker forms of metal, but when it breaks into the main riff it sounds much more like a deathrock riff played with metal-level distortion and amplification. The lyrical cadence and delivery are typical deathrock, until he twists it into a scream. At the end of the song, it turns into a black metal blast and screech. It’s a nice touch, and it suitably sets expectations for the album.

Tiamat: The Scarred People (2012)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Guest review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

It was with great trepidation that I started listening to this album. My experiences with Tiamat have been inconsistent to put it lightly. I absolutely loved The Astral Sleep. It was a terrific album of atmospheric death metal and sounded quite unlike anything else I had heard to that point. I became aware that the band altered their sound drastically but checked out A Deeper Kind of Slumber anyway. That one bored me into a coma. So this is only the third full-length album that I have listened to by Tiamat. I guess we will see where this comes in.

Havok: Point of No Return (EP 2012)

Quick and Dirty

Guest review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

Havok is yet another retro-thrash metal band. They are often overlooked in the mountain of similar bands that have popped up over the years, but that is a little unfair. Havok has a way of showing off their influences but still making music that sounds fresh and vital. Unlike a lot of the retro thrash metal groups, Havok has not picked one particular style of thrash to try to emulate. Influences from the Bay Area, East Coast, Germany, South America, and the almighty Slayer can all be heard. As such, they are one of the more interesting retro thrash metal bands and one that I try to check out whenever they release something new.

Venom: Black Metal (1982)

30th Anniversary
Motion for Reconsideration

Venom is one of the most influential metal bands in the genre’s history, only slightly less important than Black Sabbath and Motörhead. I don’t believe that’s a controversial statement. Venom took the simplicity of both of their forebears to its logical extreme, playing music and putting out albums while barely knowing how to play their instruments. They combined Sabbath’s preoccupation with the occult and Motörhead’s speed and attitude, taking on an evil persona themselves.

The legendary Black Metal came out 30 years ago today. All of their first three records are equally important, but only Black Metal had a new genre named for it. That’s not to say it’s actually a black metal record, because it’s not. I believe that is a controversial statement, but about half of you would likely agree. The other controversial statement I’m going to make is, overall, the record isn’t that great.