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

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

BraveWords scribe Carl Begai wrote in October:

Anyone familiar with Sanctuary - particularly Into The Mirror Black - will recognize The Year The Sun Died as new music from the band. Those fans will also likely be somewhat miffed that Dane doesn't use his trademark high-end vocals as much as he did on the first two records, particularly Refuge Denied ('87). In fact, it's a minor element on the new record. Dane insists that his range is still very much intact, however, and his voice in perfect health.

Vocalist Warrel Dane : "The '80s called; they wanted my high voice back (laughs). I can still do that; we still do 'Battle Angels' live even though I don't sing it note-for-note like I did back in the day. Hell, back in the day sometimes I couldn't even sing that song. It took a little bit of work for me to fall back into that groove, and I thought it would be best to use the high notes tastefully. We knew going in it wasn't going to be another Refuge Denied, and to tell you the truth I wouldn't want it to be."

Guitarist Lenny Rutledge: "We could have done something like Refuge Denied, but I think it would have locked us into that time frame. I know everybody likes to hear their favourite band sound like their favourite record so many years later, but I don't know if that's realistic."

Dane added: "One of the things I keep hearing, and I heard it again today from a guy here at the record company, is 'I'm a long time old school fan and I did not expect this record to be this good.' That's always great to hear. And here's the thing: when we did Refuge Denied it sounded a certain way, and when we did Into The Mirror Black we'd grown up a little bit. Our style progressed and developed, and I think we've taken the next step with this record. You know what band it is when you hear us, but I don't think any of the three records sound the same. They all have their own unique sound."

Read more at BraveWords.

BravePicks 2014 Top 30

here 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)