A very late 'Best of 2012' list

I didn't get round to listening to as many 2012 releases as I wanted to, so my list would probably look different from the list below. I also didn't write as many reviews as I wanted to write on this blog. In no particular order:

Sigh  - In Somniphobia (avant-garde black metal with jazz influences)
 Wildernessking (South Africa) - The Writing of Gods in the Sand (black metal)
Absence Of Light (Kenya) - Vyom Chakra (death metal)

Sindulgence (South Africa) - Recollections (progressive death metal)
The Ocean Doesn't Want Me (South Africa) -  As the dust settles (post-metal/ sludge/doom)

Grave - Endless Procession of Souls (old-school death metal)

Sophicide - Perdition of the Sublime (technical death metal)
Electric Wizard -  Legalise Drugs & Murder EP (doom metal)

Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone (melodic death metal)

Dodecahedron - Dodecahedron (atmospheric black metal)

My album of the year was In Somniphobia by Sigh. I found to be a refreshing and highly original listen. Had I listened to more 2012 releases, my album of the year choice would probablly be different too.

The most disappointing album I heard was Psalms for the Dead by Candlemass. It fell short of being a suitably grand send-off for a doom metal institution.

Friday Night Mayhem at ROAR, 08/02/2013

I found out about this gig the day before it took place. It was a fun Friday night, enhanced by a good crowd turnout.

I haven’t seen Stellitius since SummerFest 2012, so I was looking forward to seeing them again. The set began with a touch of theatricality; recorded growls in a language I couldn’t distinguish played over the PA. The experience of the band was evident by their tight performance and ability to keep going despite glitches – a string snapped on the bassist/vocalist’s guitar, which left the band without bass and vocals for two songs.  Both guitarists played solos, each showing technicality combined with a composed stage presence. I enjoyed the dynamic basslines coming from the powerful vocalist. The audience enjoyed the headbang-inducing grooves, with one young woman getting especially into the music and air-drumming enthusiastically throughout the first half of the set. At the end of the set, the vocalist announced that Stellitius will be releasing an album in the first half of the year, which I look forward to.

Barring their Rock The River 2011/2012 performance, I have struggled to fully enjoy a Marching Dead set. Not because of any lack of polish – they are technically brilliant – but because of the strange atmosphere induced during their sets. By strange atmosphere I mean a vocalist who gives off a conceited air, which can alienate some audience members. This time, I think that the vocalist/bassist (usually vocalist/guitarist) got the balance between stage presence and full-blown ego right this time. I enjoyed Marching Dead’s set, particularly their original number Demon Song, their cover of Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell and their cover of Judas Priest’s Painkiller. Vocalist Igor Crous managed the falsetto on the latter admirably, putting his own stamp on the song with a King Diamondlike sound. Both the covers I mentioned were excellent because of the way the band put their own spin on the songs while still staying true to the originals.

I hope that the gig circuit will see a little more of Stellitius in the future, and that Marching Dead will continue to be as enjoyable as they were that night.