Recording Academy While hard rock and metal bands were snubbed in most of the categories for the 2013 Grammy Awards that were announced tonight (Dec. 5), the one category devoted to those genres features a diverse range of nominees. The Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category boasts nominations for Anthrax , Halestorm , Iron Maiden , Lamb of God , Marilyn Manson and Megadeth . Of all those acts, only Iron Maiden has previously won a Grammy. Anthrax are nominated for ‘I’m Alive’ off their album ‘Worship Music,’ while Halestorm got a nod for ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ from their full-length effort ‘The Strange Case Of …’ Meanwhile, Iron Maiden scored a mention for ‘Blood Brothers’ from their ‘En Vivo’ CD/DVD and Lamb of God got a nod for ‘Ghost Walking’ from their ‘Resolution’ album. Finally, Marilyn Manson earned a nomination for ‘No Reflection’ off ‘Born Villain, while Megadeth scored a mention for ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ from their album ‘TH1RT3EN.’ Congrats to all of those acts for representing hard rock and metal at the upcoming 55th annual Grammy Awards taking place on Feb. 10, 2013 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will air live on CBS at 8PM ET. In other rock categories, the Black Keys and Jack White led the way with multiple nominations. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Anthrax, ‘I’m Alive’ Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ Iron Maiden, ‘Blood Brothers’ Lamb of God, ‘Ghost Walking’ Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ Megadeth, ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: Vote in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards” align=”center”]
Universal Republic Records Hinder exploded upon the scene with their 2005 debut ‘Extreme Behavior,’ which sold over 3 million copies and spawned five singles that landed on the rock charts including the massive hit ‘Lips of an Angel.’ Their following two albums also did well and had top 10 rock singles, and now the Oklahoma band returns with their fourth effort, ‘Welcome to the Freakshow.’ That title is somewhat misleading, suggesting an album filled with wild and crazy upbeat songs. There are a couple of those, but ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ is very ballad-heavy. It’s also the most diverse Hinder album to-date. You’ve likely heard the opening track ‘Save Me’ on the radio. It’s up-tempo and packed with hooks. It’s a great opener, and one with a lot of meaning for frontman Austin Winkler. ?”?I had just gotten out of rehab for drugs and alcohol and I revisited the song,?” ?he says.? “?To me,? ?it felt like I didn’t need anything negative like drugs.? ?Those aren’t going to save me.? ?I can save myself though.?” ?‘Ladies Come First’ is not quite as deep. It’s vintage Hinder, a good-time track that’s heavy, but also melodic and extremely catchy with racy (some would say dirty) lyrics. The title track is also edgy and aggressive, with Winkler’s trademark raspy vocals and a nice guitar solo from Joe Garvey. ?The middle section of the album doesn’t measure up to the first few songs. There are a couple generic ballads and the poppy ‘Is It Just Me’ that has some clever hooks but not much depth. Hinder does rebound during the last part of the album with a couple of standouts. ?‘See You In Hell’ references late great celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, has a call-and-response chorus and is destined to become a staple at live shows. ‘Anyone Like You’ is another ballad, but it has a country flavor, making it more distinctive and less slickly produced than the rest of the ballads on the album. ?The closer ‘Wanna Be Rich’ has a lot of electronic elements and is downright dancy in spots. In some parts of the song the electronic influence is subtle enough to co-exist with the band’s guitar driven style, but other times it takes over and sounds out of place. ?There are songs on ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ that are among the best Hinder has ever done. But there are also some misfires and filler that detracts from the overall quality of the release. Hinder are at their best when they showcase their own distinctive sound, and too often on this album the song quality is there, but their identity is obscured.
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire This year 2012 will be remembered as one that was incredibly rich with quality metal albums. With some of extreme music's most consistent bands having issued near-perfect additions to their discographies this year, many of the albums listed here could have easily come in at No. 1 if released in past years. Albums from Between the Buried and Me , Converge , Pig Destroyer and Gojira made 2012 an incredibly competitive year, and certainly one of the best so far in the 21st century. The year also saw stellar new releases from the likes of Down and Lamb of God , among others. For fans who lean more rock than metal, we've got a separate list for you. But here, we present our picks for the 10 Best Metal Albums of 2012: ? 10 'Blood for the Master' Goatwhore ? ? Coming in at No. 10 is Goatwhore 's blackened death metal gem 'Blood for the Master.' Released on Feb. 13, the band unleashed one of their heaviest and greatest career achievements early in the year. With 'Blood for the Master' fueling an ever-increasing fanbase, Goatwhore earned a place on this year's Summer Slaughter tour along with opening shows for High on Fire, Hate Eternal and 3 Inches of Blood, among others, in 2012. Listen to 'Collapse in Eternal Worth' ? ? 9 'Resolution' Lamb of God ? ? Lamb of God continued their streak of creating addictive “pure American metal” with 'Resolution.' The band stays the course with their latest album, with powerful consistency and flawless execution. While there is no mistaking the album's tracks as anyone but Lamb of God, the band experiments with some doom with 'Straight for the Sun' and spoken word parts with 'King Me.' Add pummeling tracks such as 'Desolation' and Ghost Walking,' and you've got a killer album. Listen to 'Ghost Walking' ? ? 8 'Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP' Down ? ? Although 'Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP' contains only six songs, the tracks within offer a sustaining energy that carries the weight of a full-length. The vocal prowess of Phil Anselmo remains powerful, especially when delving low into his range, while the rest of Down pump out monstrous sludge into the groove-driven 'Levitation' and the anthemic 'Witchtripper.' Listen to 'Witchtripper' ? ? 7 'Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light' Woods of Ypres ? ? The tragic death of Woods of Ypres mastermind David Gold in December 2011 was a massive loss to the metal world, and tragically, Gold did not live to see the release of 'Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light.' Gold harnessed immense depth and introspective thought, using death itself as the album's central theme. 'Woods 5' follows a man who sees death after being struck by lightning and finds neither a God nor an afterlife. Listen to 'Lightning & Snow' ? ? 6 'Book Burner' Pig Destroyer ? ? With an album so good even Larry King contributed to it (kind of), Pig Destroyer ended a five-year wait for new material in 2012 with 'Book Burner.' The addition of Misery Index drummer Adam Jarvis to the lineup delivered a much dirtier and twisted sound to the new record, displayed prominently in 'The Diplomat.' Along with the all-knowing guitarist / producer Scott Hull and tremendous guest vocalists accompanying J.R. Hayes, the grind of Pig Destroyer remains second to none. Listen to 'The Bug' ? ? 5 'L'Enfant Sauvage' Gojira ? ? Although Gojira already possessed mountains of fans and a solid discography, the band is widely considered to be the breakout metal act of 2012. The French metallers unveiled 'L'Enfant Sauvage' to universal acclaim, successfully balancing the band's key components of brutality, beauty and progression with flawless production attached. For songs like 'The Axe,' 'Explosia,' the title track and much more, we say 'merci beaucoup' to Gojira. Listen to 'L'Enfant Sauvage' ? ? 4 'De Vermis Mysteriis' High on Fire ? ? High on Fire gifted fans with the incredible trippy sludge-fest 'De Vermis Mysteriis' in 2012, which explores the story of Jesus Christ's time-traveling stillborn twin brother who drinks a serum to see the past through his ancestors eyes in order to discover how his brother became a religious icon. Still with us? Even if the concept goes over your head, the brilliance of tracks such as 'Fertile Green' and 'King of Days' will bring you to sonic enlightenment. Listen to 'Fertile Green' ? ? 3 'All We Love We Leave Behind' Converge ? ? Converge possess one of extreme music's most impressive discographies, and 'All We Love We Leave Behind' ranks among the band's crowning achievements. The group strides closer to their hardcore roots with 'Trespesses' and 'Sparrow's Fall,' continue the legacy of Kurt Ballou's ingenious shredding with 'Sadness Comes Home' and even create experimental beauty with 'Coral Blue.' Listen to 'Sadness Comes Home' ? ? 2 'Utilitarian' Napalm Death ? ? Many metalheads expected just another grind record with Napalm Death 's 15th studio album, 'Utilitarian.' Those people were wrong. 'Utilitarian' turned out to be not just a phenomenal album, but a monumental achievement for the British legends. Barney Greenway's unmatched voice remains terrifying and demented, while the band's songwriting created an avant-garde niche consisting of scattered saxophone solos and otherworldly clean vocals. Listen to 'The Wolf I Feed' ? ? 1 'The Parallax II: Future Sequence' Between the Buried and Me ? ? 'The Parallax II: Future Sequence' is metal music's greatest conceptual accomplishment of the year. Set in outer space, BTBAM have created the most complex music you'll ever zone out to, performed by the strongest group of pure musicians within the realm of metal. Much like the band's 2007 album, 'Colors,' the record takes unexpected twists and turns while sonic plates spin without the slightest wobble. For that, we crown it the Best Metal Album of 2012. Listen to 'Telos' ? ? What's Your Favorite Metal Album of 2012? Which one of our 10 picks is your favorite? Did we get the order right? Did we miss your favorite metal album of 2012? Tell us our hits and misses in the comments section below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-rock-albums-of-2012/” title=”Next: 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012″ align=”center”] ?
Relapse On Feb. 16, 1990, metal pioneers Death unleashed ‘Spiritual Healing’ upon the masses. As just one part of a legendary discography, the album continues to be celebrated by fans and is well known as a tech death staple. While the band Death may no longer be around, metalheads will now be given a new chapter of the band with Relapse Records’ re-release of ‘Spiritual Healing.’ The album comes out on Nov. 20, but we’re honored to give you the entire reissue right now and exclusively here at Loudwire. With the re-release of ‘Spiritual Healing,’ the memory of legendary frontman Chuck Schuldiner is honored by the 3-CD deluxe special edition, gifting fans with some never-before-heard material. This new edition of ‘Spiritual Healing’ includes a remastered version of the album, 16 previously unreleased rehearsal outtakes, instrumentals and jams from the ‘Spiritual Healing’ recording sessions, along with a full live performance recorded on March 17, 1990, at Streets in New Rochelle, N.Y. A few weeks ago, we helped release the premiere of Death performing ‘Leprosy’ live from the new ‘Spiritual Healing’ reissue, but now we’ve got all three discs available for streaming right here. To pre-order the reissue of ‘Spiritual Healing,’ which comes out Tuesday (Nov. 20), check out the album’s official Relapse page or purchase the record through iTunes . Also, be sure to check out Death’s official Facebook page for more info. Without further ado, please enjoy the exclusive premiere of Death’s ‘Spiritual Healing’ reissue!
Reprise Green Day have got love on the brain, while their toes are firmly dipped in the influences of eras gone by on ‘ ¡Dos! , the second album of their new trilogy. The disc even has a old-school pacing, clocking in at just under 40 minutes, but taking 13 tracks to get there. The quick-hitting nature of the songs makes the album a more immediate listen that seems to fly by. ‘¡Dos!’ comes across as a more cohesive collection than its predecessor (‘¡Uno!’) both lyrically and musically. The first part of the album follows the story of a man pursuing the girl that seems out of reach and the eventual comedown that follows, while the latter portion allows for a few steps outside the lyrical storyline. Album opener ‘See You Tonight’ and closer ‘Amy’ perfectly bookend the album with a restrained Green Day dipping into what feels like ’60s era Everly Brothers territory. The disc digs in with the out and out pursuit of the young woman on ‘F— Time,’ a song that almost brings to mind teens dancing the twist and a Georgia Satellites guitar lick thrown in in for good measure while singer Billie Joe Armstrong begins the courting process. ‘Stop When the Red Lights Flash’ continues the process, with the boast, “ Out of sight, out of mind, just give me one more time, I’ll make you surrender. ” For those looking for radio singles, ‘Stop When the Red Lights Flash’ seems like an obvious choice. But the wheels begin to come off with ‘Ashley,’ a frenetic track about the young woman of the singer’s desires falling further out of reach both romantically and in his desired interest. Highlights on the album include Armstrong’s exhausted lament on ‘Lazy Bones,’ a track that stands out from the rest of the disc and could potentially be its biggest single. Another standout, ‘Makeout Party,’ provides a showcase for drummer Tre Cool, who gets to steer away from keeping the beat to offer drum fills with reckless abandon while bassist Mike Dirnt fuels the song’s breakdown midway through. Current single ‘ Stray Heart ‘ was an obvious choice for radio play as well, as the bouncy feel of the track reflects the sound of ’80s era The Jam or more recently Weezer’s poppy side. It’s straight-up ear candy that instantly connects and is the poppiest track of a very commercial sounding release. For those looking for the hard-edged snarl of some of Green Day’s mid-2000s music, this album is not likely the place for you, but ‘¡Dos!’ does work extremely well as an infectious pop record with touches of early rock influences. Green Day will put a bow on the trilogy with the release of ‘¡Tre!’ on Dec. 11.
Reprise Deftones ‘ seventh studio album, ‘Koi No Yokan’ is without a doubt one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The veteran act has compiled one of the most celebrated discographies of the past 20 years, and although the album won’t see a release until Nov. 13, the entire ‘Koi No Yokan’ album is now available for streaming in full. Rolling Stone has just posted the entire record, and so far the reaction from fans has been incredibly positive. We’ve been amping up Deftones fans for several weeks, as the songs ‘ Leathers ‘ and ‘ Tempest ‘ were released to tease ‘Koi No Yokan,’ but now fanatics can hear the complete album, which boasts eleven tracks total. After the success of the band’s 2010 full-length, ‘Diamond Eyes,’ Deftones returned to the studio with a greater confidence riding off the creative accomplishments of the album. “Because we got through making that record, it was so well received and we loved it, it was a confidence-builder [for] all of us as a band,” frontman Chino Moreno tells Rolling Stone . “So when we went in to make this record, I think we carried a lot of that over with us. There was no doubt.” Moreno continues, “Diamond Eyes was capturing lightning in a bottle. We had just come together, had a lot of constraints in terms of time, so we’re just banging things out. This time we had a little more chance to experiment and just play.” Without further ado, get the hell over to Rolling Stone and listen to ‘Koi No Yokan’ in full: [button href=”http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/deftones-unleash-angst-and-tension-in-new-album-koi-no-yokan-premiere-20121108″ title=”Listen to Deftones, ‘Koi No Yokan’ in Full” align=”center”]
Relapse For those unfamiliar with the metal band Death , you’re missing a crucial piece of music history. Widely known as the first death metal band, Death accumulated one of music’s greatest discographies before the passing of frontman Chuck Schuldiner, with the record ‘Spiritual Healing’ being one of his crown jewels. The upcoming reissue of the classic album includes a new live disc, and we’re proud to exclusively premiere a never-before-released live performance of the track ‘Leprosy.’ The official reissue of ‘Spiritual Healing’ will see a release date of Nov. 20 through Relapse Records. The three-disc deluxe edition contains a completely new remaster of the ‘Spiritual Healing’ album, a CD of 16 previously unreleased rehearsal outtakes and studio instrumentals, along with an extra disc that showcases a full live performance from 1990 in New Rochelle, N.Y., along with “unearthed” versions of various tracks and pre-’Human’ rehearsals of ‘Suicide Machine,’ ‘Together as One’ and ‘See Through Dreams.’ This exclusive premiere of ‘Leprosy’ was recorded on March 17, 1990, at Streets in New Rochelle. ‘Leprosy’ was the final track played that night, with Death delivering an absolutely punishing performance showcasing the masterful musicianship of each member of the band, but like other Death works, Chuck Schuldiner shines through with blistering guitar work and cement-churning vocals. To pre-order the reissue of ‘Spiritual Healing,’ check out the album’s official Relapse page or purchase the album through iTunes . Also, be sure to check out Death’s official Facebook page for more info. And finally, listen to the exclusive premiere of ‘Leprosy’ live in the player below. Listen to Death, ‘Leprosy’ (Live @ Streets – March 17, 1990) ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/death-silver-medal-extreme-metal-olympics/” title=”Next: Death Win Silver Medal in Extreme Metal Olympics” align=”center”]