Now that we have completed the BravePicks Of 2014 countdown - which Bloodbath triumphed (see the entire list here) - it is time now to shine the spotlight on the people that actually helped to build our mountain of metal! It was a massive task, as BraveWords was flooded with hundreds and hundreds of releases in 2014, showcasing the fact that the scene is as vibrant as ever! Each day, the BraveWords scribes will spout off their good, bad and ugly for 2014 and thoughts on the coming year! We’re talking 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 - The Scribes Speak!

JASON DEAVILLE

1) 1349 - Massive Cauldron Of Chaos (Season Of Mist)

2) EXODUS - Blood In, Blood Out (Nuclear Blast)

3) BEHEMOTH - The Satanist (Nuclear Blast)

4) TWILIGHT - III: Beneath Tridents Tomb (Century Media)

5) AT THE GATES - At War With Reality (Century Media)

6) MAYHEM - Esoteric Warfare (Season Of Mist)

7) BLOODBATH - Grand Morbid Funeral (Peaceville)

8) SARGEIST - Feeding The Crawling Shadows (W.T.C. Productions)

9) BEYOND CREATION - Earthborn Evolution (Season Of Mist)

11) HORNED ALMIGHTY - World Of Tombs (Scarlet)

12) WHORE OF BETHLEHEM - Upon Judas Throne (Independent)

13) NOISEM - Consumed (A389 Recordings)

14) NACHTMYSTIUM - The World Left Behind (Century Media)

15) INHUMAN REMNANTS - Inattentional Blindness (Eschatonic)

16) ATAXIA - Calignious (Independent)

17) COLD CRYPT - Bearing The Light (Cimmerian Shade)

18) PRIMORDIAL - Where Greater Men Have Fallen (Metal Blade)

19) PRIMAL FROST - Prosperous Visions (Maple Metal)

20) RAGE NUCLÉAIRE - Black Storm Of Violence (Season Of Mist)

Top 5 Embarrassments

1) LANTLOS - Melting Sun (Prophecy)

A beautifully sculpted black metal leviathan reduced to indie rock trite.

2) IN FLAMES - Siren Charms (Sony Music)

At The Gates has shown us that Swedish melodic death metal is still relevant - without resorting to radio rock ditties.

3) MACHINE HEAD - Bloodstone & Diamonds (Nuclear Blast)

It's hard to believe this guy, shiny Adidas attire and all, was once a staple of the early Bay area thrash scene.

4) OPETH - Pale Communion (Roadrunner)

Go back and take a listen with this in mind: department store music. Yeah, I thought so. Perfect for those Sears shopping excursions with grandma and grandpa.

5) SLIPKNOT - The Gray Chapter (Roadrunner)

Come on, can we all just agree that these clowns were relevant for like a week in 1999? How is this still a thing? Oh, wait, those of us with an ounce of sensibility, and taste, saw through it almost immediately, returning to our beloved 1999 SATYRICON and their incredible Rebel Extravaganza.

Top 3 Concerts

1) DEATH DTA - Le National, Montreal

2) NILE -  Opera House, Toronto

3) CRYPTOPSY - APK, London

What/Who Needs To Stop In 2015

AGALLOCH and their forest-dwelling denizens. Yeah, we get it, you love trees and nature and shit. I'll take my Sounds From The Forest meditation cd over this mundane pretentiousness any day!

Thoughts On 2014

Along with the music, metal journalism hit an all-time low - with many a scribe/site losing touch with what it means to be METAL; preferring instead to follow the en vogue of 'metal'. Without naming names, 2014 was the year of indie rock (MYRKUR), and J-Pop (BABYMETAL) disguising itself as metal. Shame on those of you who ate this up. Don't fret, us real metalheads forgive and forget like no one's business... we'll gladly welcome you back to 2015 with some new ENSLAVED and NAPALM DEATH!

Metal Predictions For 2015

IMMORTAL settles their name dispute, with Demonaz and Horgh walking away with the original name, and the crab-walking Abbath starting a new project under the ridiculously suitable moniker of 'I'M MORTAL'. RIP.

 

BravePicks 2014 Top 30

1) BLOODBATH – Grand Morbid Funeral (Peaceville)

2) ACCEPT – Blind Rage (Nuclear Blast)

3) JUDAS PRIEST - Redeemer Of Souls (Epic)

4) BEHEMOTH - The Satanist (Metal Blade)

5) EXODUS - Blood In, Blood Out (Nuclear Blast)

6) AT THE GATES – At War With Reality (Century Media)

7) MAYHEM - Esoteric Warfare (Season Of Mist)

8) TRIPTYKON - Melana Chasmata (Century Media)

9) CANNIBAL CORPSE – A Skeletal Domain (Metal Blade)

10) OVERKILL - White Devil Armory (Nuclear Blast/eOne)

11) ARCH ENEMY - War Eternal (Century Media)

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)