Feature / Music / Year End 2012
2012: A Year In Review

January 20, 2013

2012: A Year In Review
2012: A Year In Review

Top 5 Awesome Songs from 2012

Top 5 Awesome Songs from 2012

5

Anathema - "Lightning Song" (from Weather Systems)

Of all the songs on Anathema's excellent release Weather Systems, none of them exemplifies the feel of the album better than "Lightning Song". A short piece compared to the rest of the album, the track is five minutes of immaculately designed strings, vocals, and guitars, all written with the purpose of reaching into your heart and pulling out every drop of emotion there might be inside. It's the loudest and most intense burst of music on the whole album, and its guaranteed to pierce even the coldest of hearts.

4

Gojira - "L'Enfant Sauvage" (from L'Enfant Sauvage)

Gojira aren't holding anything back with the title of track of their latest release, L'Enfant Sauvage. It's four minutes of frantic syncopated thrash riffing, complete with guttural screams that somehow hold a tone and the most fervent drumming of their discography. It's clear why this song was the lead single--after meandering just a bit too far with their last release, Gojira wanted to prove that they could still write metal as heavy as the best. This song should leave no doubt about that fact.

3

She Said Destroy - "The Bleeding" (from Bleeding Fiction)

We spent a good part of our review for She Said Destroy's new EP Bleeding Fiction detailing each and every minute of this amazing piece (which comprises the whole release), so believe us when we say it's worth your time to hear. It's halfway between a dirge and a fanfare, both remorseful and triumphal, introspective and exuberant. It's also half an hour long. But don't let that keep you from hearing it--the piece is consistently beautiful throughout, and never gives up on its energy or quality.

2

Devin Townsend Project - "Kingdom" (from Epicloud)

The Devin Townsend song "Kingdom" is one of his finest pieces, not to mention a live concert staple. However, the studio recording of that song from 2000's Physicist, to put it bluntly, sucked. It's no surprise, then, that Townsend was looking to rerecord it. What is surprising is how well the new version encapsulates everything the album wanted to accomplish. It is thrashy and soaring, heavy and graceful, and, most importantly, epic and loud. The absolute over-the-top instrumentation on this recording brings out every single bit of intensity the original wanted, and in the process became one of the best individual recordings of his career.

1

Diablo Swing Orchestra - "Justice for Saint Mary" (from Pandora's Piñata)

This song almost defies description. It's hard to communicate exactly why this song is so amazing, as nothing as mere as the typed word will be able to do it justice. Imagine that you've just sat through 40-someodd minutes of the best and most creative metal this year, and this track is the capstone. It starts out deceptively soft, with a pondering but strong ballad-esque opening, yet by the time it finishes, it's become the heaviest piece on the entire album. We won't spoil it if you haven't heard it yet, but the way this song finishes this already incredible album will, most likely literally, floor you. This was the more-than-perfect ending to an already perfect album, and by far the best composition this year.

- Sarah

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— words by the SPB team • January 20, 2013

2012: A Year In Review
2012: A Year In Review

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. Top 5 London Live Shows of 2012
  3. Top 5 Records That Don't Really Count of 2012
  4. Top 5 Splits (within the realm of Metal) in 2012
  5. Best Hip-Hop Records of 2012
  6. Best Hip-Hop Mixtapes of 2012
  7. Top 5 Awesome Reissues of 2012
  8. Worst 5 Albums You Had to Pay Money For of 2012
  9. Top 5 Great (Legally) Free Albums From 2012
  10. Top 5 Albums By Classic Rock Artists Who Have No Business Continuing to Release Music in 2012
  11. Top 5 Late Arrivals or Records I Never Got to in 2012
  12. EPs That Deserved Extra Attention in 2012
  13. Top Sorta Mainstream Records That We Didn't Quite Get To Review But Need To Be Heard of 2012
  14. Top 5 Bands I Discovered in 2012
  15. Top 5 Awesome Songs from 2012
  16. Top 5 Bands At Fest 11 We Caught, Missed & Discovered in 2012
  17. Top 5 Pieces of Album Art of 2012
  18. Top 10 Worst Pieces of Album Art of 2012

Series: Year End 2012

A collection of coverage rounding up the year 2012, covering our favorite albums, shows, bands, and more, as well as asking record labels and bands about their past twelve months in music — More from this series

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