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.