SotW 12/17/12: O'Brother - Lay Down

Artist: O'Brother
Song: Lay Down
Album: Garden Window

It's not super often that a song hits me as insanely hard as this one did, so when these times do come I cherish them. I highly recommend that you get the entire album from Atlanta post-rock/alternative/post-hardcore/IDevenK band O'Brother, as nearly every song on here is excellent, but "Lay Down" is truly something else, and it may be one of the single greatest rock songs I've ever heard. Everything form the impassioned vocal performance to the absolutely massive guitar tone to the impeccably timed builds and releases of tension is the closest to perfect that it could ever be, and idgaf holy shitballs this song is incredible.

Dodecahedron - Dodecahedron (2012)

Artist: Dodecahedron
Album: Dodecahedron
Country: Netherlands
Release Date: January 20th, 2012
Genre: Avant-garde black metal

Before we go into this album in any depth, let's get this out of the way: Dodecahedron sound a lot like Deathspell Omega: it's to the point where some turn their noses up at them and call them a poor man's version of that group. However, I disagree. While it's obvious that DSO are very strong influences, Dodecahedron is still a ridiculously enjoyable slab of chaotic, utterly evil-sounding avant-garde black metal, with the spectacular drum performance being a particular highlight. So, I can promise you this: if you are willing to turn off your originality filters for just 52 minutes, you will be treated to one of the most enjoyable pieces of heavy music to come out of 2012.

Sample song, tracklist, and download can be found after the jump. 

Every Time I Die - Ex Lives (2012)

Artist: Every Time I Die
Album: Ex Lives
Country: USA (Buffalo, NY)
Release Date: March 6th, 2012
Genre: Hardcore/mathcore/southern metal

I will admit that this is my first experience with Every Time I Die, and that I'm also a bit late here, but this album is up there with One Wing and All We Love We Leave Behind as one of the best metalcore albums of the year. While Converge gave the world yet another big "fuck you" with their latest album and The Chariot went for a more oddly-structured and experimental route, ETID inject some really sweet rock-y elements into Ex Lives that make it one of the catchiest and insanely fun things I've heard all year.

Sample song, tracklist, and download can be found after the jump. 

Abraham - The Serpent, the Prophet, and the Whore (2012)

Artist: Abraham
Album: The Serpent, the Prophet, and the Whore
Country: Switzerland
Release Date: October 1st, 2012
Genre: Sludge metal/metalcore

This is one of the more overlooked post-metal releases of the year, which is a shame, because this brings something to the table that's actually pretty rare for the genre: uniqueness. Imagine The Beyond-era Cult of Luna blended with Gaza and Underoath, and you'll have a decent idea of what this album sounds like. Highly recommended.

Sample song, tracklist, and link can be found after the jump. 

SotW 12/10/12: Adrift - The Soldier of My Words

Artist: Adrift
Song: The Soldier of My Words
Album: Black Heart Bleeds Black (2012)

This is just some straightforward, very well-executed post-metal that's more Through Silver in Blood than it is Panopticon. Some of the best heavy post-metal I've heard in a while, the full album is also well worth a look and may end up as one of the better post-metal albums of the year.

Departures - Teenage Haze (2012)

Artist: Departures
Album: Teenage Haze
Country: USA (Bayonne, NJ)
Release Date: November 27th, 2012
Genre: Melodic hardcore


If you heard 2011's When Losing Everything is Everything You Ever Wanted, then you'll know what to expect from Departures' second full-length, Teenage Haze: emotional, aggressive, beautiful, and technically competent melodic hardcore that would make Modern Life is War proud. Yeah... That's pretty much it.

Tracklist, sample song, and download can be found after the jump. 

Downfall of Gaia - Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes (2012)

Artist: Downfall of Gaia
Album: Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes
Country: Germany
Release Date: October 9th, 2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/crust punk/post-metal

Easily one of the best albums of 2012 in my book, this album only came into my radar a few weeks back but since then it's elevated itself to my top 5 of the year. It's like someone took the best parts of atmospheric black metal, crust punk, and post-metal, eliminating all of the fluff and filler that plagues post-metal and atmospheric black metal especially, and smashed the three together to create this simultaneously epic, punishing, and beautiful record. Think a crossbreed of Altar of Plagues, Full of Hell, and Fall of Efrafa.

Tracklist, sample song, and link can be found after the jump.