BravePicks 2017 - The Scribes Speak!
Alitzia Tyminski

Top 20 of 2017
1) Power Trip - Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord Recordings)
2) Grave Pleasures - Motherblood (Century Media Records)
3) Bloodclot - Up In Arms (Metal Blade Records)
4) Black Anvil - As Was (Relapse Records)
5) Obituary - Obituary (Relapse Records)
6)  Junius - Eternal Rituals For The Accretion Of Light (Prosthetic Records)
7) Iron Reagan - Crossover Ministry (Relapse Records)
8) Converge - The Dusk In Us (Epitaph)
9) Ulver- The Assassination Of Julius Caesar (House Of Mythology)
10) Diablo Blvd - Zero Hour (Nuclear Blast)
11) Enslaved - E (Nuclear Blast)
12) Godflesh - Post Self (Avalanche Recordings)
13) Ackercocke - Renaissance In Extremis (Peaceville Records)
14) Krallice - Loüm (Independant)
15) Loss - Horizonless (Profound Lore)
16) Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun (Sargent House) 
17) Tombs - The Grand Annihilation (Metal Blade Records)
18) Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand (Reprise Records)
19) Death Of Lovers - The Acrobat (Dais Records)
20) Integrity - Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume (Relapse Records) 
 
Top 3 Concerts
Asakusa Deathfest – Asakusa Gold Sounds - Tokyo, Japan

Converge, Neurosis & Amenra – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, Canada

Decibel Magazine Tour 2017 – Kreator, Obituary, Midnight & Horrendous – The Opera House – Toronto, Canada

Top 5 Brave Embarrassments
Aborym – Shifting.Negative  (Agonia) 
Not a total waste and I get the band wanting to create a tribute to one of their influences but in trying to emulate “The Downward Spiral” by Nine Inch Nails, some of the magic that makes Aborym special was lost. It has always been the sound of black metal being taken to its coldest most inhuman conclusion via Industrial’s mechanized destruction of all organic life that made them such an intense ride. Now that the blackness is gone we are left with a decent N.I.N tribute, too bad there are tons of other bands doing this type of thing much better.

Operation Mindcrime – The New Reality (Frontiers Records) 
Worst of lists and modern day Geoff Tate go hand in hand!

Linkin Park – One More Light (Warner Brothers) 
Not to speak ill of the dead, this is not metal barely even rock yet part of the metal media continues to pushing this band as such…

Serious Black – Magic – (AFM Records) 
The only thing magical about this steaming turd pile is that it was able to make Operation Mindcrime sound heavy in comparison. Unbelievably smarmy wuss metal

Quiet Riot - Road Rage (Frontiers) 
Take a copy Quiet Riot’s Metal Health album and listen. Now take a copy of Quiet’s Road Rage album listen. Need I say more. Kevin DuBrow and Randy Rhoads are rolling in their graves…

What/Who Needs To Stop In 2018
Lyric videos…

Thoughts On 2017
Ah 2017, the year that brought us the return of Twin Peaks and The Last Jedi!

I checked out a music festival in Tokyo, Japan called Asakusa Deathfest in October, where fans were donning Celtic Frost patches as the metal community all over the world was mourning the loss of Martin Ain. Fans flew in from The Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Indonesia to New York rubbing shoulders in a small venue to see Wormrot, Coffins, Rude and more! How can I forget buying merchandise in an Indian restaurant where death metal curry took place after hours! I sat across the table from Jonas Stallhammer sipping on Indian chai tea (so metal)! Ackercocke 10 years later return with an onslaught! The end of 2017 was a bummer for losing heroes. Along with Luke Skywalker, we lost Warrel Dane. As Luke Skywalker will most likely return as a spirit Jedi through the power of the force, so will Warrel through the power of the music he left behind.

Metal Predictions For 2018
Waiting on the The Atlas Moth, Coma Noir record and their upcoming tour with Royal Thunder! My money is on KEN mode, Judas Priest and Portal.

Check out the thoughts of our other scribes:

Mark Gromen
Greg Pratt
Carl Begai
Aaron Small
Rich Catino

Check out our BravePicks 2017 countdown where Overkill took the top spot here.