Deftones – Swerve City
I’ve always been a moderate Deftones fan, but they have really turned a corner with me since 2010’s Diamond Eyes (which was a fantastic album), and 2012’s Koi No Yokan goes even farther, with tight riffs, haunting vocals from Chino Moreno, and just another great album all around, and Swerve City is a great example of what makes this album great.
Clutch – Earth Rocker
The mighty Clutch is back, and their new tunes sound OUTTA SIGHT. They’ve been playing some new stuff on their current tour, and audiences have been loving what they are hearing. This is the title track from the new album, Earth Rocker, due out in March. Love the groove on this one.
Royal Thunder – Whispering World
I still can’t say enough good about this band. I featured them on my first Friday Find last week, and still haven’t gotten tired of this album. This one has a great groove to it, and Mlny Parsonz’ vocals go from soft to powerful to downright angry.
Orange Goblin – Acid Trial
Another band that I have been high on (pun intended) for a while now is the UK’s Orange Goblin. Eulogy for the Damned was one of my top albums of 2012. The riff at 1:50 is a great one that gets stuck in your head for a while. OG finally returns to the States this year, touring with Kyng, Lionize and Clutch – do NOT miss this one!
Opeth – Ghost of Perdition
The fine balance of melodic melodies and crushing death metal has been perfected by Mikael Åkerfeldt and company. Ghost Reveries and Blackwater Park are the 2 best from Opeth, in my opinion, and the 10 minute epic Ghost of Perdition is a stunningly beautiful yet brutal example of Opeth’s sound.
Soulfly – Plata O Plomo
I have no idea what the hell Max Cavalera and bassist Tony Campos are singing about in this song (I am pretty sure i heard something about Pablo Escobar, cocaine and Medellin in there), but this song, off of 2012’s Enslaved absolutely crushes.
Heavy Uber Alles 