BravePicks 2018 - The Scribes Speak!
Dillon Collins

Top 20 of 2018
1) RIVERS OF NIHIL – Where Owls Know My Name (Metal Blade)
2) KHEMMIS - Desolation (Buck Spin)
3) HIGH ON FIRE - Electric Messiah (eOne)
4) ALICE IN CHAINS - Rainer Fog (BMG)
5) HAUNT - Burst Into Flame (Shadow Kingdom Records)
6) JUDAS PRIEST - Firepower (Sony)
7) MANACLE - No Fear to Persevere (Hard & Heavy Records/No Remorse Records)
8) GHOST - Prequelle (Loma Vista)
9) CORROSION OF CONFORMITY - No Cross No Crown (Nuclear Blast)
10) BEHEMOTH - I Loved You at Your Darkest (Metal Blade)
11) LEGEND OF THE SEAGULLMEN – Legend of the Seagullmen (Dine Alone)
12) KING WITCH – Under The Mountain (Listenable)
13) IHSAHN - Amr (Candlelight)
14) SLEEP - The Sciences (Third Man)
15) CANCER BATS - The Spark That Moves (New Damage)
16) REVOCATION - The Outer Ones (Metal Blade)
17) ZEAL & ARDOR - Stranger Fruit (MKVA)
18) DIMMU BORGIR - Eonian (Nuclear Blast)
19) OMNIUM GATHERUM - The Burning Cold (Century Media)
20) METAL ALLEGIANCE - Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty (Nuclear Blast)

Top 3 Concerts 
Heavy Montreal 2018 – Rob Zombie, Gojira, Emperor, Baroness, etc. – Montreal, Que
Cancer Bats – The Rock House – St. John’s, NL
November Mayhem Festival – Manacle, Outlyrs, Lionsault, etc. – St. John’s, NL 

Top 5 Brave Embarrassments
MACHINE HEAD – Catharsis (Nuclear Blast)
A rare misfire from Robb Flynn and the boys. The exits of Dave McClain and Phil Demmel months later made this one sting that much more.

GODSMACK – When Legends Rise (BMG)
So this is Godsmack now right? Totally cool with pretty standard and tame radio rock? 

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH – And Justice For None (Prospect Park)
There have been seven FFDP albums? 

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE – Gravity (Spinefarm)
Everything I hate modern rock. Formulaic and flacid lyrics, whiny emo vocals without the metal core aggression, radio ready hooks. Far from the BFMV that made The Poison and Scream Aim Fire. 

DISTURBED – Evolution (Reprise)
For an album called Evolution, this is as paint-by-numbers as it gets.

What/Who Needs To Stop in 2018
Farewell tours for cash-grabs. How many of these are actually going to be ‘The End?’

Thoughts on 2018
While tried and true favourites continued to impress the hell out of me this year (Judas Priest, Behemoth), I was perhaps most surprised by the hidden gems that stand out on my year end list.  NWOBHM startups like Haunt and Manacle and doomy Scots King Witch churned out records every bit as strong as groups twice their age. Also, farewell to some icons gone way too soon. The loss of Vinnie Paul was a particularly shocking blow. 

Metal Predictions for 2019
We’ll still be waiting on that Tool record. Honestly, who knows based on the metal landscape today. The first three months of the year are looking stacked with new releases from Jinjer, Overkill, Children of Bodom, Whitechapel, Dream Theater and Rotting Christ. Hopefully the icons stay in good health, bands avoid shameful cash grabs and there are a few more (pleasant) surprises around the corner. Oh, and let’s hope Threatain isn’t still a thing.

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

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