Taking flight from the prairies of Georgia, we're taken chase by a beguiling yet unsettling red-hooded cherub accompanied by a snarling beast baying for blood...
#7
Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone
Akin to all great metal records born from the darker pits of our psyche, Of Breath and Bone pours itself in like mist at our feet. Slowly then all at once like our nightly passage into slumber, we realize they've enveloped us totally in their sensuous soundscape. Whips of Celtic tinctured melodies, pile-driving double-kick and some of the most inspired acoustic lead work since before In Flames debased themselves by sporting trucker caps or opening craft beer bars can be heard amongst its elegant length. They have sculpted a stellar death metal selection, blending the frosted majesty of the Finnish while astutely channeling the Swedish penchant for barking gristle and serrated riffery. If a record glues you to your seat until it’s over, it's a bloody good album. Detractors of melodic death metal contend the contemporary devotees tapped melodeath's creative well dry. Others figure only the progenitors of the style can vouchsafe its survival. What utter tripe! The flourishes and brutality of Be'lakor augurs well for a commendable new wave of Australian heavy metal.
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The Top 10 Metal of 2012
#8 - Baroness - Yellow & Green
#9 - Rush - Clockwork Angels
#10 - Barren Earth - The Devil's Resolve
The Honorable Mentions