Picking a Top 20 was hard. I came up with a list of over 40, whittled it down to 20, and then couldn’t decide on the order. So here they are alphabetically. Most of these came out in 2012, but I threw in a few here that I just discovered this year that are too good to leave out.
- Bill Mallonee – Amber Waves. Bill is still the best. Poetic words, great music.
- The Bloody Strummers – Return of the Halcyon Days. Coolest indie combination I have heard: The Doors + SF59. Genius.
- Branden Mann And The Reprimand – The Chemicals Won’t Balance. This is 2011 that I just discovered. Groovy folk that is fun to cruise to.
- The Choir – The Loudest Sound Ever Heard. The Choir. What else needs to be said? They keep getting better with time.
- Destroy Nate Allen – With Our Powers Combined. Crazy fun folk punk that Josh Lory turned me on to.
- Insomniac Folklore – A Place Where Runaways are not Alone. I think Steve got me hooked on this dark gothic folk.
- Jagged Doctrine – To Whom It May Concern. Industrial metal still rules, and Jagged Doctrine is still bringing it.
- Jeff Elbel + Ping – Gallery. Elbel has been all over the place, but his own band is a great listen.
- Kissing Cousins – Unfortunate End. Just an EP, but still some great, dark alternative. The cousins never disappoint.
- S. Underground – PTSD (Legacy Edition). Okay, the original was out years ago, but this re-master makes it perfect. Probably my top album of the year.
- Megadeth – TH1RT3EN. Another 2011 release that I got this year. Mustaine is killing it on his last few albums. This is awesome stuff. Metal rules!
- Saint – The Revelation. Not terribly original, but top of the line power metal.
- SLIDE – Auto Tune Massacre. I love the sound they hit on here. Collector’s Edition now that they changed their name to Dime Store Zombies.
- Soul-Junk – 1961. Brilliant return to indie rock.
- Starflyer 59 – IAMACEO. Wasn’t sure how this would be after the last album, but it is an excellent independent debut.
- Steve Scott – Emotional Tourist: A Steve Scott Retrospective. Career spanning album that should have been a box set.
- Ultra Monark – Exorcising Spirits. Elder/4LC front man returns with the next level of twisted alterna-goth awesomeness.
- Unteachers – Fear of Silence. This is technically only one song on a split, but it is one awesome song and the 7-inch has one of the coolest covers ever.
- W.A.S.P. – Babylon. Okay, this one is actually 2009, but I finally got a copy and it is really good. Blackie makes more sense that he has embraced God.
- Wovenhand – The Laughing Stalk. Awesomeness. Epic awesomeness.
