Part two will come out next week - sorry for the delay. The holidays are a difficult time to update.
1. Best Debut
Contestants: Hands Like Houses (Ground Dweller), Glass Cloud (The Royal Thousand), Art By Numbers (Reticence: The Musical), Obey the Brave (Young Blood), Skip the Foreplay (Nightlife)
I made the list of contestants, and didn't even notice Issues wasn't in it until after I'd started writing. Well, in any case, this was a really hard choice to make - all of the bands on the list have put out some class A material this year, and, understandably, remain on the DL as far as popularity is concerned. But, in the long run, one artist has shone out among the pack - Glass Cloud's innovation and unabashed brutality, their willingness to experiment, the musical skill every band member has, and their frenetic live energy (chickenfight mosh pits, anyone?) cement them firmly ahead of the pack. I am eagerly awaiting what the band has for us in the coming years.
That being said, as far as debuts go, I have to thank one of my favorite new bands Hands Like Houses for managing to make Risecore interesting again - the band is a beautiful reminder of how far you can get without screams and breakdowns.
Winner: Glass Cloud (The Royal Thousand)
2. Best Continuation
Contestants: As I Lay Dying (Awakened), The Chariot (One Wing), The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza (Danza IIII), Converge (All We Love We Leave Behind), Passion Pit (Gossamer), Whitechapel (Whitechapel), Veil of Maya (Eclipse), Every Time I Die (Ex-Lives), Parkway Drive (Atlas)
As is wont to happen, many other bands continued their careers with new releases this year, making this the largest category on the list so far. I want to be abundantly clear that I love each and every album on that list very much - every one has shaped my tastes and been played too many times on my iPod. That being said, which one had the best year musically? After much deliberation, I have to side with everyone else saying the new Tony Danza is one of the best releases of the year - ironically enough, it's also a finale. However, giving Josh Travis two marks on this timeline is something I believe shouldn't happen, so instead, let's give Danza a conjoint spot with what I consider its tie - Converge's All We Love We Leave Behind. Both albums are as blisteringly technical as they are frantic - the latter fully embodies the spirit of a time long gone, and both are trailblazers unfettered by the boundaries of genres and other such nonsense. Two incredible albums, two incredible bands.
Winner(s): The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza (Danza IIII: The Alpha/The Omega), Converge (All We Love We Leave Behind)
3. Most Improved
Contestants: Whitechapel (Whitechapel), Motionless in White (Infamous), The Word Alive (Life Cycles), Pierce the Veil (Collide with the Sky) Woe Is Me (Genesi[s]), Lamb of God (Resolution), Emmure (Slave to the Game)
Improvement is a hard thing to measure - one person's step forward is another person's step back. Thus, it's very likely people are going to disagree with me on this one, but I ask you to try and understand that I think each of these bands has stepped up their game. The real question then becomes which one has done so the most?
Well, it took a while to grow on me, but I have to hand it to Pierce the Veil - Collide with the Sky is quite possibly the band's best album to date. To anyone who disagrees - listen to 'Stained Glass Eyes and Colorful Tears' and compare to 'the Boy Who Could Fly' (Selfish Machines' strongest suite). Literally everything has improved - the vocals, the drumwork, the lyrics, everything has become so much more legit and emotional that it's hard to believe.
As far as a runner-up goes, I do believe Lamb of God deserves a medal for the willingness to experiment they brought to Resolution. Previous releases were repetitive at best and boring at worst - sometimes even using the same key the whole time. Resolution promptly threw that style out the window and pursued a new - and ultimately far more engaging - sound.
Winner: Pierce the Veil (Collide with the Sky)
4. Best Album: Deathcore
Contestants: The Acacia Strain (Death is the Only Mortal), Whitechapel (Whitechapel), Emmure (Slave to the Game), Upon a Burning Body (Red. White. Green.), Veil of Maya (Eclipse)
2012 was, without a doubt, a deathcore year - just as 2011 had releases from all of metalcore's big name bands, so did this year feature new records from my trifecta of deathcore awesomeness: Whitechapel, Emmure, and the Acacia Strain. It's truly interesting to think back to the start of the year, when I still couldn't stand deathcore and avoided Whitechapel like the plague. My, how the times change.
But, even so, which album brought the brutal and had the most bone-crunching breakdowns of 2012? This is an easy one - the Acacia Strain have a habit for incredible albums that certainly didn't stop this year. Death is the Only Mortal is a beast of an album. From Vincent Bennett's piercing 'Behold the hydra!' on 'Doomblade' to the soul-melting crunch of 'House of Abandon', Death is the Only Mortal lives past its dubiously serious name and delivers a furious musical attack.
Upon a Burning Body also deserve mentioning - by marrying two unlikely styles (Latin and metal), the crew from San Antonio also managed to create one hell of a listen - combine catchy riffs with lyrics that sound like a drinking song (yes, I'm thinking of 'Texas Blood Money') and you get some of the most fun I've had at a concert ever. Check these guys out - they won't disappoint.
Winner: The Acacia Strain (Death is the Only Mortal)
Runner-up: Upon a Burning Body (Red. White. Green.)
5. Best Album: Metalcore
Contestants: Texas in July (Texas in July), As I Lay Dying (Awakened), Every Time I Die (Ex-Lives), Parkway Drive (Atlas), Attack Attack! (This Means War), The Word Alive (Life Cycles)
Metalcore had a slower year in 2012, as all of the bigs in the scene had already released records last year - The Devil Wears Prada, We Came as Romans, and August Burns Red to name a few. Nevertheless, we still had a solid - if Risecore-studded - run in 2012. The trouble namely came from the fact that the homogenization of the genre continued notably this year - listen to Miss May I and Memphis May Fire and tell me they don't sound pretty similar. But, in any case, there was still plenty of great albums to those who looked a little farther. Namely, Parkway Drive returned to the forefront of the scene with their catchiest release yet. Atlas takes the sound of Deep Blue and plays with metal elements to create a spellbinding listen - chorus vocals on 'Wild Eyes' and a clean introduction on 'the River' spring to mind. I am unashamed to say that this album is what finally got me into metalcore's flagship band of Australians.
A release from a similarly legendary band came in the form of Awakened, as As I Lay Dying honed the style they'd begun with The Powerless Rise. The result was a distinct album that nevertheless was comfortingly familiar. Far from unoriginal, Awakened runs the dearth of scathing solos, piercing cleans, and tight riffs that AILD always loves, but there was something truly fascinating about this album that I haven't heard yet in an AILD album.
Winner: Parkway Drive (Atlas)
Runner-up: As I Lay Dying (Awakened)
That is all for right now - working with bus internet is getting too frustrating for me to make any headway. Have a great new year, and I'll see you guys next week.
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