Album Of The Year 2013 – Number 11
So, here we are, half-way through this labour of love that I refer to as my ‘Album Of The Year 2013’ countdown. It’s not easy, but all of the readers, new followers, comments and conversations that I’ve had off the back of it makes the whole thing very worthwhile indeed.
For those of you who might be new to this blog, thanks for showing an interest and clicking a link to bring you here. It is much appreciated. And, just for you, here are the links to numbers 20-12 for your delectation!
Day 1 – Number 20
Day 2 – Number 19
Day 3 – Number 18
Day 4 – Number 17
Day 5 – Number 16
Day 6 – Number 15
Day 7 – Number 14
Day 8 – Number 13
Day 9 – Number 12
But enough of that, let’s get down to business and reveal the album at Number 11 in my 2013 Album of the Year…:
DARKANE
‘The Sinister Supremacy’
Prosthetic Records
One of the big questions I always ask myself when choosing albums for this list is ‘how many times have I played the record?. In the case of Swedish melodic death metal band Darkane and their latest release, ‘The Sinister Supremacy’, the answer is ‘many, many times’. On that basis alone, I knew that this album was very good and very deserving of a spot in my end of year list.
Darkane have always differed from the vast majority of other bands within the genre in so far as their aggressive outpourings have always threatened to spiral into chaos, only to be pulled back from the brink via intelligent song writing and glorious melody. Often quite progressive in their rhythms and song structures, Darkane have always seemed to try to push the genre as far as it can go without imploding. And, more or less, the same is true here, although for my money, this has been taken down a notch, slightly softened. The whole thing is still heavy, technical and aggressive as hell, but in a more mature, grown-up way.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTSw2PfJx_s&w=560&h=315]
The vocals are absolutely brilliant, one minute spitting venom, the next soaring magnificently. The song writing remains out of the top drawer and there are some really strong choruses to get lodged in you brain and provide the accessibility that this type of music requires.
As I concluded in a previous blog earlier in the year, “The Sinister Supremacy” is sharp, incisive, reassuringly brutal and, with more than just a hint of ‘core’ and thrash about it, it should appeal to more than just the average melodeath fan. I stand by this summary wholeheartedly and welcome it into my top 20 for 2013 with pleasure.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUzHOi0H0yQ&w=420&h=315]
Remember, if you missed last year’s countdown, my ‘Album Of The Year 2012’ list can be seen here.
