Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone (2012)

Tracklist

1. Abeyance
2. Remnants
3. Fraught
4. Absit Omen
5. To Stir the Sea
6. In Parting
7. The Dream and the Waking
8. By Moon and Star

Without a doubt one of my favorite MDM bands of all time, was really looking forward to this release since the epic 'Stone's Reach' in 2009. These guys and In Mourning are now just light-years ahead of the competition like Insomnium and the likes. All their cover arts are brilliant as well.

Australia, 2012

Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal

Website/Buy /// DL ZS

Samuel Lockridge - When I Rise (2012)

Tracklist

1. Heart Of Silk
2. Red River Prayer
3. Lady, I
4. Hangman
5. When The Walls Come Crashing Down
6. Moth To A Flame
7. At The Doorstep
8. Woodland Hymn
9. Hair In The Snow
10. Wine In The Sand
11. Ash In The Dirt
12. When I Rise

Brilliantly beautiful Folk from a relatively unknown artist to me. This guys lyrical content is just amazing, some of the best I've heard in a while. Sung on top of a soft and warm acoustic tone, and even at times more, the best way to describe this is a huge influence from artist such as Josh Ritter, The Tallest Man on Earth, Andrew Bird, and the Fleet Foxes. Really great find here and I can definitely see this in the top 10-15 at the end of the year.

United States, 2012

Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk, Indie Folk

Website/Buy /// DL ZS

Ahab - The Giant (2012)

Tracklist

1. Further South
2. Aeons Elapse
3. Deliverance (Shouting at the Dead)
4. Antarctica the Polymorphess
5. Fathoms Deep Below
6. The Giant

Germany, 2012

Funeral Doom Metal, Death Doom Metal

Website/Buy /// DL ZS

**Sorry for lack of posts this week, been getting caught up in 'Diablo 3' this whole week, so haven't had the time to add too much music! :D Will definitely be back to posting more though, don't want to get behind!**

Olan Mill - Paths (2012)

Tracklist

1. Bleu Polar
2. The Square Is Porcelain
3. Amber Balanced
4. Intestinal Flora
5. Eye’s Closed (For Rube)
6. Stalled Boson

Very good follow up album to 2010's 'Pine'. Fans of Deaf Center, The Caretaker and Tim Hecker should check this out. Much darker then the previous.

 United Kingdom, 2012

Dark Ambient, Modern Classical

Website /// Pre-order /// DL ZS

Wodensthrone - Curse (2012)

Tracklist

1. The Remaining Few   
2. Jormungandr
3. First Light
4. The Great Darkness
5. Battle Lines
6. Wyrgthu
7. The Storm
8. The Name of the Wind

 The debut 'Loss' was without a doubt a top 10 album of 09'. Now with their follow up three years later, Wodensthrone can be considered one of the premier Black Metal bands in recent years.

United Kingdom, 2012

Atmospheric Black Metal, Pagan Black Metal

Website /// Buy /// DL ZS

Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves (2012)

Tracklist

1. I Know It's Pathetic but That Was the Greatest Night of My Life
2. Sunshine in Chicago
3. The Moderately Talented Yet Attractive Young Woman vs. the Exceptionally Talented Yet Not So Attractive Middle Aged Man
4. That Bird Has a Broken Wing
5. Elaine
6. The Winery
7. Young Love
8. Song for Richard Collopy
9. Among the Leaves
10. Red Poison
11. Track Number 8
12. Not Much Rhymes With Everything's Awesome at All Times
13. King Fish
14. Lonely Mountain
15. UK Blues
16. UK Blues 2
17. Black Kite

 

One of my favorite Singer/Songwriters of this time.

United States, 2012

Singer/Songwriter,  Contemporary Folk

Website /// Buy /// DL ZS

Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)

Tracklist

1. Tapestry of the Starless Abstract
2. Xenoflux
3. Of the Leper Butterflies
4. Forget Not
5. And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope
6. As Icicles Fall
7. Of Petrichor Weaves Black Noise

Much like the 'Sunpocrisy' debut album I posted a few weeks back, this band comes out of the blue and with such a punch, that it's one that would be hard to avoid for so long. With insanely high praise coming from their demo album five years ago, the debut of Ne Obliviscaris is one for the ages. With the mix of Progressive, Black and Folk metal, it is definitely a wild album, and throw in quite a lot of Neo-Classical elements from the strings, it borders on extreme aggression and downright beauty in a blink on an eye. The growls are perfect, and the clean vocals are pretty damn good, although a bit understated at times, slight lack of production value. It's everything that long time fans of this band could ever expect and imagine, and hopefully we don't have to wait another five years for another album. Without a doubt one of the best Metal albums of the year, and maybe even further.

Australia, 2012

Progressive Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal

Website/Buy /// DL ZS

In Mourning - The Weight of Oceans (2012)

Tracklist

1. Colossus
2. A Vow to Conquer the Ocean
3. From a Tidal Sleep
4. Celestial Tear
5. Convergence
6. Sirens
7. Isle of Solace
8. The Drowning Sun
9. Voyage of a Wavering Mind

'Shrouded Divine' itself was another incredible beast all together, but I'll be damned if this isn't just as good as that debut. This is fuckin awesome. 

Sweden, 2012

Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal

Website/Buy /// DL ZS