Those wacky Mayans, eh? Just like Nostradamus after them, they seemed
to promise the (end of the) world but here we all are, still trudging
through a dark winter’s day, broke, cold and full of malice. And while
I, like all of the writers here at the Sleeping Shaman, am broke, cold
and full of malice, I am also one of the few who answered the call, like
some kind of Pavlovian chump, to attempt an end of year round-up. When
head Shaman Lee came-a-knockin’ this time last year I’d only been
writing for the Shaman for a few months and had only gotten a few
reviews and features under my belt. I wasn’t as hugely engrossed in the
scene as I am now, and while it may just be a sign of my ever-growing
love for all things heavy, it really seems like this year has been a
vintage one for the scene.
Seriously, how fucking good has 2012 been for heavy, alternative music?
We’ve seen well-established bands release career-defining albums and
returning to action after long hiatuses, and we’ve seen a ton of
underground bands come through the ranks to release demos, EPs and
albums that have made a huge impact, contributing to an ever-growing
scene full of top-quality musicians and noise-mongerers. And although we
only have a few days left until 2013 (and the Apocalypse is looking
less and less likely) the amazing music will stay with us for years to
come.
Ever the festival of the calendar year, Roadburn 2012
certainly didn’t disappoint with a frankly ridiculous lineup of great
UK and international talent that included almighty sets from the likes
of Sleep, The Obsessed, Voivod, d.USK/dISEMBOWELMENT, Chelsea Wolfe,
Conan, OM, Yob, Jesu, Bongripper and a stupid amount of others who I
ought to be ashamed for not listing in full. The Jus Oborne-curated 2013
lineup is already taking serious shape and looks to continue Roadburn’s
trend for setting the bar high for alternative, metal festivals.
A fantastic new festival also emerged on our own front door this year; in April Desertfest
played host to Karma to Burn, Orange Goblin, Corrosion of Conformity,
Church of Misery, Zoroaster and a who’s who of British
stoner/sludge/doom bands across three venues in Camden. After the
success of the 2012 event, the organisers have already starting
announcing some impressive bands for 2013 including a host of reformed
bands and Desert scene godfathers. Right on. Elsewhere Damnation
Festival boasted an equally impressive line-up with Doom-stalwarts
Electric Wizard, 40 Watt Sun, Pig Destroyer and Amenra. The ATP I’ll Be
Your Mirror event at Alexandra Palace in May brought legends Sleep,
Melvins, Harvey Milk, Slayer, Yob, Codeine, Mogwai and many more
together under one (presumably worse-for-wear) roof.
But for many people the highlight of 2012 came late in the year with the return of Neurosis who released their tenth album Honor Found In Decay
in October and played a triumphant co-headline show at the Forum with
Godflesh in December, an event which many people – in an inevitable
hyperbole-haze – presumed would bring about the end of days. For others,
it was just another in a long line of fucking awesome shows that 2012
offered us.
Once again though it’s the quality of underground bands that have
either emerged or continued to produce amazing work that really proves
that the coming years will continue to be good for all of us. As ever,
it would be difficult (not to mention foolish) to try to list all of the
bands who did stellar work this year but the fact that the task would
be so hard just shows the huge variety and quality of music being
produced here and around the world.
I’m going to end this admittedly lop-sided round-up with a partial
list of some of my favourite albums released this year (in no particular
order). Feel free to comment/deride and/or discuss your own favourite
releases on Facebook, Twitter or any other social medium or vacant wall.
But for now, whatever your creed, wherever you are, happy holidays everyone…
Swans ‘The Seer’
Godspeed You! Black Emperor ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!’
Amenra ‘Mass V’
Samothrace ‘Reverence to Stone’
Earth ‘Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II’
Ishmael ‘Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here’
Eagle Twin ‘The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale’
Conan ‘Monnos’
Baroness ‘Yellow & Green’
OM ‘Advaitic Songs’
Scott Kelly, Steve Von Till & Wino ‘Songs of Townes Van Zandt’
Bong ‘Mana-Yood-Sushai’
Caravan of Whores ‘Road to Kurti’
Grimpen Mire ‘A Plague Upon Your Houses’
Off! ‘Off!’
Wizard’s Beard ‘Four Tired Undertakers’
Drcarlsonalbion ‘La Strega and the Cunning Man In the Smoke’
Seabuckthorn ‘The Silence Woke Me’
Reissues
High on Fire ‘The Art of Self Defense’
My Bloody Valentine ‘Loveless’
Rest in Peace Wiht and Dopefight. And a massive RIP to MCA.
[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 22/12/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/articles/2012-year-of-the-apocalypse-tom-mckibbins-end-of-year-round-up/
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