Tis the season of giving and 2013 was certainly the year the hard and heavy metal scene gave back! There was an exhausting parade of new releases and tours to boot! Be careful what you wish cuz you just might get it, and this year it came at us from all angles. And these days it seems that the output is tenfold, as bands of all shapes and sizes can easily Protools or GarageBand it-up in their bedroom and release to the masses in numerous forms, mostly digital. But is it quality stuff? Here come the BraveWords scribes to the rescue, who tear their way through the glut and the grit and come up the finest slabs of music the year had to offer. Just one rule: studio recordings only. No compilations, covers, live albums etc…

So after days of compiling, we bring you BravePicks 2013: The 12 Days Of Metal, our nice n' tidy summary of the year that was. Of course we will start with the countdown until New Year's and then the scribes step up with their always popular Brave Embarrassments, Concerts, Thoughts On 2013, Predictions For 2014 and What / Who Needs To Stop In 2014!

So jump in, strap in and grab a cold one!!!

2013 … The 12 Days Of Metal

8) GHOST B.C. - Infestissumam (Loma Vista Recordings)

This literally is a band taking the underground and the above ground by storm, the Swedes' occult rituals and anonymity adding to the spectacle of heaviness! An in the ultimate marketing ploy, the release of Infestissumam coincided with elections for a new Pope in Rome and the Swedes urged fans to vote for leader Papa Emeritus II! Sadly he didn't make the cut. And of note, the North American territory forces the band to use the B.C. suffix.

BraveWords' scribe Mark Gromen caught the band in Philadelphia recently for a sold-out ritual which is much of the band's appeal: "While the onstage identities might be masked, GWAR they are not, especially in terms of live antics. Initially pitched to metalheads, the band now transcends that, the specter (pun intended) of GHOST uniting goths, hipsters and atheistic curiosity seekers in a common purpose. What we were treated to, is a lesson in visual arts, circa the black & white or silent film era, relying on fog, dark, shadowy images and yes, eerie soundtrack. Incense burners practically ring the stage, so against the backdrop of stained glass windows, a black robed band stroll onstage (leaving his eminence to have a grand entrance, all his own) their shiny, black plastic masks looking like an army of Darth Vader clones, as they launch into the 'Infestissumam' intro."

Read more of Mark's live review here.

Infestissumam ended up hitting the Swedish album charts at #1! And the hype doesn't end there. Ghost recent released a new EP of classic covers produced by none other than major fan Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA).

2013 … The 12 Days Of Metal

12) ANVIL - Hope In Hell (The End)

11) MEGADETH – Super Collider (Tradecraft/Universal)

10) WATAIN - The Wild Hunt (Century Media)

9) VOIVOD – Target Earth (Century Media)

8) GHOST BC - Infestissumam (Loma Vista Recordings)

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