BravePicks 2013: The Scribes Speak - Matt O'Shaughnessy
January 18, 2014, 10 years ago
Happy New Year from BraveWords and all the best for a headbanging 2014! To honour tradition, we always follow our annual BravePicks by handing over the pen to our devout scribes and let them speak out about the year that was and the year ahead of us!
So now we present each writer's take on 2013 with the always popular Brave Embarrassments, Concerts, Thoughts On 2013, Predictions For 2014 and What / Who Needs To Stop In 2014!
1) QUEENSRŸCHE - Queensrÿche (Century Media)
2) BLACK SABBATH - 13 (Universal)
3) MEGADETH - Super Collider (Universal)
4) STRYPER - No More Hell To Pay (Frontiers)
5) MOTÖRHEAD - Aftershock (UDR)
6) NEWSTED - Heavy Metal Music (Chophouse Records/Collective Sounds)
7) KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - Disarm The Descent (Roadrunner)
8) SACRED OATH - Fallen - (Angelthorne Music)
9) ATTACKER - Giants Of Canaan (Metal On Metal)
10) SPIRALARMS - Freedom (SPV)
1) KORN - The Paradigm Shift
Stick it … I mean stick to the older sound I say!
2) IWRESTLEDABEARONCE - Late For Nothing
For a good reason, kids screaming just didn't cut it for me.
3) BREED 77 - The Evil Inside
A new breed please.
1) SLAYER, GOJIRA, 4ARM - The Theater At Madison Square Garden NYC
2) MEGADETH's Gigantour - Hammerstein Ballroom NYC
3) TESTAMENT - Paramount, Huntington, NY
We must all grieve the sad loss of our influential brother in Big 4 metal Jeff Hanneman who was with the mighty SLAYER when they came roaring out of Huntington Park, California in 1981. Jeff's pioneering contributions to thrash metal are obviously priceless, timeless and will remain forever in the annals of metal history through the gift of Slayer's music. R.I.P. to a real groundbreaking musician. 2013 was also a thriving year for metal releases; the Todd LaTorre-fronted QUEENSRŸCHE overcame personality "issues" to deliver one of the year's most exceptional albums. BLACK SABBATH'S 13, a mammoth release by the true Godfather's of heavy metal left no stone unturned. MEGADETH returned blazing with Super Collider, a disc that was innovative and showed off more Mustaine magic. Leading Christian metallers STRYPER came back onto the scene armed with No More Hell To Pay, perhaps the bands heaviest and a true back-to-basics release. It was great to have the Sweet brothers and band return so strong. And of course you can't kill MOTORHEAD, Lemmy and Co. pounding it out hard with Aftershock. And former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted came roaring back with the aptly-titled Heavy Metal Music (under his new moniker NEWSTED) which saw him jamming with Megadeth's on Gigantour. And honourable mentions to PROTEST THE HERO, DEATHDEALER, FATES WARNING, CARCASS, MICHAEL SCHENKER, VARGA, TRIVIUM and METAL CHURCH for appeasing the Generation Nothing!
The reunited BLACK SABBATH forge ahead and follow-up 13, inspired by the millions of fans that still pray at their altar! The under-rated EDGE OF PARADISE finally get their big international breakthrough and get the global attention they truly deserve. ANTHRAX follow-up Worship Music and Anthems and show why once more the Joey Belladonna fronted group is sitting comfortably in the Big Four hierarchy.
The much dramatized and sad QUEENSRŸCHE situation including court cases. If they can't see eye to eye over the empire then let both entities carry on just like they have; fans will get headbanging world-class music from both parties.
