Top 10 of 2012 - The Editor's Take

Today, we continue our posts regarding the albums we personally think are the best of 2012.

10. Rival Sons - Head Down. What classic rock should be... by a modern band!

 09. Charm City Devils – Sins. Straight up Glam from Baltimore. Charm City Devils deserve fame. "Man of Constant Sorrow" is a stand out.

08. Attack Attack – This Means War. The new one from the Columbus, Ohio metalcore band. Not as good as the band's self-titled album, but still darn good and way heavier.  

07. Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth. Classic arena rock. No album could have lived up to the hype or expectation, but A Different Kind of Truth filled a void in our current commercial music landscape. It's not 1984 anymore, and that's okay. Van Halen has evolved and we can too.

06. The Darkness – Hot Cakes. Poppy Glam. High notes. Tons of energy. Hilarious videos. What's not to love? "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us" is a stand out track.  

05. Scorpions – Comeblack.Re-recordings of classics and covers, too. For Scorps fans, this is a great album. Plus it marked a turning point: with this release the band let their fans know that full retirement wasn't really happening after all.

04. Europe - Bag of Bones. Don't ever doubt the vocal prowess of Joey Tempest.

03. Kix – Live in Baltimore. A strong live album by one of my favorite bands. Plus, Live in Baltimore puts Kix back on the map... and back in the studio. Rarely does a live album capture the true energy of a given concert... but this album does that in droves.

02. Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension. New music from my favorite band. This album doesn't get the top spot because of the sappy ballads. The rockers rock, though, and that's all we need from our bad boys from Boston.

01. I See Stars – Digital Renegade. My most-listened to, favorite album of the year bar none. This album would actually go into my "desert island" collection as well. I See Stars happens to be my favorite metalcore band, largely because of Digital Renegade. The songs are epic. The videos are epic. The guest stars (Cassadee Pope and Danny Worsnop) are epic. I can't say enough good things about this album. No, it's not Glam, but there are melodic breakdowns. Plus, I don't listen to Glam 24/7. If I did, I'd go crazy. Stand out tracks: "Electric Forest," "Filth Friends Unite" and "Endless Sky."

Honorable mention: Adler: Back from the Dead. This album is incredible, but it hasn't been out very long hence it's place below the top 10. I highly suggest you buy this one - you'll love it.

Comments

[fletch]

perhaps steve duran is born again, but I'm not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZbLHVZBzPw

[fletch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZb3Xya7jQ8

It's no longer about wanting to "be" somebody.

we "are" somebody.

I sing, "I want US to be somebody! somebody too. somebody soon


...and rug, sean and kevin thought that they could keep up.

[fletch]

it ain't no chinese democracy.

It's our japanese influence.

thank you dlr

[fletch]

one time in rug's basement, kevin invited sean to join him and his band during practice. kevin even invited sean to sing a few songs as they were looking for a lead singer. I chimed in and said, "Invite me. I'll sing for you." Kevin responded with disgust, "yeah right fletch."

[fletch]

bring it fatty, popularity, and catholic one

[gary]

just got back from tom keifer's solo show in Philly. Completely un-frickin'-real. He played and sang his ass off. Now "that" is what defines a "rock star". Simply, tom keifer "is" the real deal and is what I've always aspired to perform like.