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. 

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. 

SotW 11/26/12: Downfall of Gaia - In the Rivers Bleak

Artist: Downfall of Gaia
Song: In the Rivers Bleak
Album: Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes (2012)

Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me: an unusually unique and astoundingly well-done mixture of crust punk, atmospheric black metal, and post-metal that will have a very high spot in my best of 2012 list. "In the Rivers Bleak" is a perfect showcase for this brilliant album, giving attention to the best parts of the three genres it's primarily composed of, all while removing all traces of the fluff that post-metal and atmospheric black metal especially are known for. Think a mix of Altar of Plagues, Amenra, and Full of Hell. Also, the video is pretty sweet.

Oak Pantheon - From a Whisper (2012)

Artist: Oak Pantheon
Album: From a Whisper
Country: USA (Minneapolis, MN)
Release Date: September 25th, 2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/folk

Don't let the questionable cover art deter you, for this is definitely one of the better folky atmospheric black metal releases I've had the pleasure of listening to this year. First off, the vocals are excellent, going between piercing and harsh shrieks, Agalloch-esque whispering, and sparingly used, surprisingly tolerable, non-stupid cleans. It also doesn't hurt that these boys can write excellent riffs and that they are really adept at blending the folk sections into the metal sections without making the music seem gimmicky or forced.

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

REVIEW: Toluca - Act I (2012)

Artist: Toluca
Album: Act I
Country: Russia (Moscow)
Release Date: October 12th, 2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/screamo

Summary: "Act I" is not only surprisingly good for such a new and underexposed band: it's also a standout among its renowned stylistic peers.

Review, tracklist, sample song, and download are after the jump. 

The Secret - Angus Dei (2012)

Artist: The Secret
Album: Angus Dei
Country: Italy
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Genre: Blackened hardcore/grind

Description: I haven't listened to this yet, but considering how much I loved the bleak, furious, and hateful blackened hardcore presented on 2010's Solve Et Coagula, this will be an immediate priority for me and it should be for you too. Also, it's produced by the always-excellent Kurt Ballou, so yeah. You need this.

Track list, sample song, and download are after the jump.

SotW 10/29/12: Deafheaven - Punk Rock/Cody (Mogwai cover)

Artist: Deafheaven
Song: Punk Rock/Cody (Mogwai cover)
Album: Split w/ Bosse-De-Nage (2012)

It's rare that a band puts out a cover that honors the original, creates something completely new, and becomes something utterly brilliant, but this Mogwai cover from Bay Area metallers Deafheaven does just that. Translating a classic post-rock track into an epic slice of atmospheric black metal is an idea that could have gone so very wrong so very quickly, but this song, bleeding as much emotion as anything other original black metal track in the past few years (largely due to the always-excellent vocals of George Clark), does absolutely everything right. It goes between the expected doom-paced sections that sound exactly what you'd expect a metal cover of a post-rock band to sound like, more furious metal sections, and peaceful periods of pure post-rock bliss, all combining to create what is easily the best cover of the year, if not one of its best songs period.

Bosse-De-Nage - III (2012)

Artist: Bosse-De-Nage
Album: III
Country: USA (San Francisco, CA)
Release Date: 06/26/2012
Genre: Atmospheric/depressive black metal

Description: Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, known for being the breeding ground for a ton of quality acts, Bosse-De-Nage do not fail to impress on their third full-length. This is a lot better produced and more down-to-earth than a lot of other post-rock-tinged atmospheric or depressive acts, with a greater focus on energy than on atmosphere. The guitar tones and riffs are stellar, and the drum performance here is particularly noteworthy, as is their welcome prominence in the mix in comparison to similar acts. This is some of the highest-quality USBM that you're likely to hear this year, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not check this out.


Track list, sample song, and download are after the jump.

The Great Old Ones - Al Azif (2012)

Artist: The Great Old Ones
Album: Al Azif
Country: France
Release Date: 04/27/2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/sludge metal

Description: We've all heard the atmosludge-infused black metal schtick before, but it's uncommon to find a band that does it as proficiently as The Great Old Ones. The difference here is that this French act puts far more emphasis on the sludge facet of their sound than their peers do, creating an exceptionally eerie and murky black metal album. Also, as is made obvious by the band and track names, the entire album is a love letter to the Lovecraft mythos. Win win (win).  

Tracklist, sample song, and download are after the jump.

Panopticon - Kentucky (2012)

Artist: Panopticon
Album: Kentucky
Country: USA (Louisville, KY)
Release Date: 06/05/2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/bluegrass


Description: One of Austin Lunn's weirdest albums yet, this one is his attempt at melding atmospheric melodic black metal with traditional coal miner bluegrass. There have been a spectrum of reactions to this so far, ranging from very positive to very negative, and while I invite listeners to make their own decisions I fall more toward the latter camp. This is a really cool and unique album and I wholeheartedly recommend it, although I believe we can all agree that the artwork sucks. 

Tracklist, sample song, and download are after the jump.