Top Ten Los Angeles Metal Albums of 2012
Categories: Metal, Year End Wrap-Up 2012
Twenty twelve was another strong year for Los Angeles metal bands. What's especially cool is that we're not just kicking ass in one kind of metal -- L.A.'s got it going on in just about every metal sub-genre. Without further ado, then, here are our top ten Los Angeles metal albums of 2012.
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See also: Top 20 L.A. Metal Albums Ever
10. HuntressSpell Eater
On the debut from Huntress, guitarists Blake Meahl and Ian Alden plunder the Judas Priest playbook and provide massive riffage to complement the devilish shrieks of vocalist Jill Janus. The witchcraft-obsessed lyrics harken back to when metal was more based in spectacular fantasy than gory reality. Huntress want to make us forget about reality, and we're ok with that.
See also: Is Huntress Frontwoman Jill Janus Too Hot To Be Metal?
9. Dreaming DeadMidnightmares
Dreaming Dead's self-released sophomore effort is a dizzying whirlwind of blackened thrash metal. On vocals and guitar, Elizabeth Schall is influenced by death metal pioneer Chuck Schuldiner, but is quite capable of living up to the burdens that go with those comparisons. The compositions here would have had lesser bands teetering on the verge of collapse within seconds.
See also: Dreaming Dead's Elizabeth Schall: A Rare Metal Frontwoman
8. The ShrinePrimitive Blast
While we cede that this release may lean more towards punk, the amount of grime and attitude present feels pretty metal to us. The Shrine blasts out a chaotic cacophony of noise that would have been at home alongside '80s crossover thrash bands like D.R.I. and Corrosion of Conformity. The pools these guys are skating in are really dirty.
See also: The Shrine Skate Pools, Play "Psychedelic Violence"
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