Drum roll please … or maybe a hearty dose of blast-beats! Tis the season to commence the good, bad and ugly of 2014! Of course we’re talking about BravePicks 2014, where all the staff put their collective metal minds together to build the ultimate lists including individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY),  Top 5 Brave Embarrassments, Top 3 Concerts, What/Who Needs To Stop In 2015? and Metal Predictions For 2015.

BravePicks 2014

12) 1349 - Massive Cauldron Of Chaos (Season Of Mist)

 

Norwegian black metal 1349 - whose name is derived from the year the Black Death reached Norway - reared its ugly head in September via 1349's Massive Cauldron Of Chaos.

"The people who once scoffed at the long-haired and corpse-painted still do," bassist Seidemann told BraveWords' Jason Deaville. "Black metal isn't mainstream, and it's definitely not big business. After twenty years most people still think what we do is just satanic racket without tune or rhythm. To be honest, I am happy that I no longer get stopped by the police, have my phone tapped, get shouted at in the street, or get passed over for jobs because I play black metal. Some people now actually think what I do is some sort of music instead of devil worship. Conditions for black metal musicians have improved and thus we get to bring our music on the road."

 

 

Massive Cauldron Of Chaos (the band's sixth, and latest, studio album) immediately stands-out from its predecessors, Jason Deaville adds, delivering a much thrashier and dirtier affair. This isn't to say that 1349 are jumping on the thrash bandwagon, as MCOC retains that grim, wholly-Nordic vibe they are known for. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I would date this album to around the mid-90s, alongside venerable albums of the time from Satyricon, Immortal, and Dissection. It is classic in tone and ambiance, but not at the expense of evil.

"Yes, along those lines Massive Cauldron Of Chaos definitely has a strong sense of groove and a '70's vibe lurking in the depths, but the trash is there along with the death and black. We strive to always make sure that a 1349 album is instantly recognizable as such, and I'm confident that we have succeeded in that task."

Read more at BraveWords.

 

 

BravePicks 2014 Top 30

12) 1349 - Massive Cauldron Of Chaos (Season Of Mist)

13) SANCTUARY - The Year The Sun Died (Century Media)

14) OBITUARY - Inked In Blood (Relapse)

15) GRAVE DIGGER – Return Of The Reaper (Napalm)

16) ACE FREHLEY - Space Invader (eOne)

17) MASTODON — Once More ’Round The Sun (Reprise)

18) EDGUY – Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown (Nuclear Blast)

19) THE DAGGER – The Dagger (Century Media)

20) PRIMORDIAL – Where Greater Men Have Fallen (Metal Blade)

21) UNISONIC - Light Of Dawn (earMusic)

22) PRIMAL FEAR – Delivering The Black (Frontiers)

23) DEVILMENT – The Great And Secret Show (Nuclear Blast)

24) MR. BIG - ...The Stories We Could Tell (Frontiers)

25) EYEHATEGOD – Eyehategod (Housecore)

26) STEEL PANTHER – All You Can Eat (Open E)

27) CALIFORNIA BREED – California Breed (Frontiers)

28) TESLA – Simplicity (Tesla Electric Co.)

29) PRONG – Ruining Lives (SPV/Steamhammer)

30) GAMMA RAY – Empire Of The Undead (EarMusic)