BravePicks 2018 - The Scribes Speak!
Aaron Small

Top 20 of 2018
1) SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS – Living The Dream (Snakepit / Roadrunner)
2) THE DEAD DAISIES – Burn It Down (Spitfire / SPV)
3) BLACK LABEL SOCIETY – Grimmest Hits (eOne)
4) CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – No Cross No Crown (Nuclear Blast)
5) MONSTROSITY – The Passage Of Existence (Metal Blade)
6) AT THE GATES – To Drink From The Night Itself (Century Media)
7) LIGHT THIS CITY – Terminal Bloom (Creator Destructor)
8) BLOODBATH – The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn (Peaceville)
9) ORANGE GOBLIN – The Wolf Bites Back (Candlelight / Spinefarm)
10) MONSTER MAGNET – Mindfucker (Napalm)
11) NASHVILLE PUSSY – Pleased To Eat You (earMUSIC)
12) NITA STRAUSS – Controlled Chaos (Sumerian)
13) MYLES KENNEDY – Year Of The Tiger (Napalm)
14) TREMONTI – A Dying Machine (Napalm)
15) BLACK STONE CHERRY – Family Tree (Mascot)
16) BLACK FAST – Spectre Of Ruin (eOne)
17) JOE SATRIANI – What Happens Next (Sony / Legacy)
18) SOULFLY – Ritual (Nuclear Blast)
19) AMORPHIS – Queen Of Time (Nuclear Blast)
20) CANCER – Shadow Gripped (Peaceville)

Top 3 Concerts
SLAYER / ANTHRAX – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
WEDNESDAY 13 – The Rockpile – Toronto, ON
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY / CORROSION OF CONFORMITY / EYEHATEGOD – Rebel – Toronto, ON

Top 5 Brave Embarrassments
DEREK SMALLS – Smalls Change (BMG)
First solo album from the Spinal Tap bassist is an absolute stinker! Don’t answer this “Butt Call”. 

PSYCHOSTICK – Do (Self-Release)
Juvenile, infantile, pathetic attempt at comedy metal.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES – Still Cyco Punk After All These Years (Suicidal Records)
Absolutely no need to re-record frontman Mike Muir’s 1996 solo album.

NANOWAR OF STEEL – Stairway To Valhalla (Audioglobe)
This “happy metal” band sings about Barbie, cat food, the Tooth Fairy, and vegan dinosaurs – beyond ridiculous!

LORDI – Sexorcism (AFM)
With music this dreadful, it’s no wonder they hide behind masks and costumes. Seriously, who buys such garbage?

What / Who Needs To Stop In 2019
Ratt and Great White – both bands are a faint shadow of their former selves.

Thoughts On 2018
Sadly, on June 22nd, drummer Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan, Hellyeah) passed away at the age of 54. In addition to interviewing Vinnie on numerous occasions over the years, every time I visited his hometown of Las Vegas, our paths would cross. He had a heart of gold and truly loved music. Gone but never forgotten, and always celebrated – R.I.P.

Perhaps the most surprising event of this past year was the sudden demise of Machine Head, with both guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain announcing their departure prior to the band’s fall tour. The pair would complete all previously announced shows, after which Demmel temporarily joined Slayer to fill in for Gary Holt, who left the European leg of Slayer’s farewell tour to be with his dying father. And McClain rejoined his former band, Sacred Reich, who will release a new album in 2019.        

Metal Predictions For 2019
Expect great new albums from: Alter Bridge, Altitudes & Attitude, Anthrax, Blacktop Mojo, Buckcherry, Carcass, Children Of Bodom, L.A. Guns, Megadeth, Steel Panther, Tesla, Volbeat, Wayland, and Wednesday 13. On the live front, Iron Maiden bring their glorious Legacy Of The Beast Tour to North America. March 22nd marks the long-awaited premiere of Mötley Crüe’s biopic, The Dirt, via Netflix. And a massive thank you to everyone who visits BraveWords for their daily fix of news, reviews, and exclusive interviews; we sincerely appreciate it.      

Check out our BravePicks 2018 countdown where Behemoth took the top spot here.

More Scribes Speak:
Mark Gromen