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!

MARTIN POPOFF

Top 20 Of 2014

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

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

3) DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – Z2 (HevyDevy)

4) CALIFORNIA BREED – California Breed (Frontiers)

5) THE TEA PARTY – The Ocean At The End (Anthem)

6) CONEY HATCH – Four (Frontiers)

7) OPETH – Pale Communion (Roadrunner)

8) TESLA – Simplicity (Tesla Electric Co.)

9) VANDENBERG’S MOONKINGS – Vandenberg’s MoonKings (Mascot)

9) RED DRAGON CARTEL – Red Dragon Cartel (Frontiers)

10) MELVINS – Hold It In (Ipecac)

11) ORANGE GOBLIN – Back From The Abyss (Candlelight)

12) ADRENALINE MOB – Men Of Honor (Elm City Music)

13) JOHN GARCIA – John Garcia (Napalm)

14) INSOMNIUM - Shadows Of The Dying Sun (Century Media)

15) ACCEPT – Blind Rage (Nuclear Blast)

16) ELECTRIC WIZARD – Time To Die (Spinefarm)

17) CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – IX (Candlelight)

18) BLACK LABEL SOCIETY – Catacombs Of The Black Vatican (eOne)

19) BLOODBATH - Grand Morbid Funeral (Peaceville)

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

 

Top 5 Brave Embarrassments

1) MACHINE HEAD – Bloodstone & Diamonds (Nuclear Blast)

Way too processed.

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

Way too samey. Obviously, tall expectations.

3) NASHVILLE PUSSY – Up The Dosage (SPV/Steamhammer)

One of my favourite bands, but this one’s weirdly sterile.

4) SLIPKNOT - .5 The Gray Chapter

Yep, still nu-metal. or for modern times, the very definition of nu-metal.

5) RIOT V – Unleash The Fire (SPV)

Thin, sappy, trebly power metal loaded with clichés.

 

Top 3 Concerts

1) TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA – Air Canada Centre, Toronto

2) RED DRAGON CARTEL – The Garrison, Toronto

3) MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Rockpile West, Toronto

Thoughts On 2014

Biggest shock, for me, was the cleaving in half of Megadeth. Still, as he always does, I think Dave will turn this negative into a positive. Otherwise, no new heroes emerged. But it’s good to see the next wave of heritage acts—Mastodon, Devin Townsend, Zakk, the older UK doomsters, Opeth, heck... Mr. Big an’ Tesla—hanging onto an ever-growing fan base. If it’s gotta be all about concert tickets now, then many of these bands have assured futures.

Metal Predictions For 2015

Lots of death! And I don’t mean death metal. Seriously, the talk of the industry insiders is that metal’s founding heroes will begin “dropping like flies” given that the first big wave of the guys that invented it are hitting that 65 year range, which I know is young, but coupled with hard living...

What/Who Needs To Stop In 2015

No single tracks, no EPs, pleez. The album—fortunately and against predictions still—seems to reign as the legitimate body of work, a significant enough snapshot in time, a place to compare one track against another 11. I hope this continues. Like the days of 45s, it’s too much work thinking about then playing, a few minutes of an artist at a time.

 

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)