BravePicks 2012 is behind us and it's time for the scribes to speak. For the next few days we will share individual lists from each devout metalhead here at BraveWords including their Top Ten Albums, Top 3 Brave Embarrassments (always a fan fave!), Top 3 Concerts, Metal Prediction For 2012, What/Who Needs To Stop In 2013 and a short overview of the year. Here we go...

Mark Gromen Top 10 Of 2012

1) PARADISE LOST - Tragic Idol (Century Media)

2) OVERKILL - The Electric Age (eOne)

3) BLAZE (Japan) - Blaze (High Roller)

4) ACCEPT - Stalingrad (Nuclear Blast)

5) GYPSYHAWK - Revelry & Resilience (Metal Blade)

6) STRIKER - Armed To The Teeth (Napalm)

7) BARREN EARTH - The Devil's Resolve (Peaceville)

8) GRAVE DIGGER - Clash Of The Gods (Napalm)

9) MY DYING BRIDE - A Map Of All Our Failures (Peaceville)

10) DESTRUCTION - Spiritual Genocide (Nuclear Blast)

Top 3 Brave Embarrassments

1)  SLEDGE LEATHER - Imagine Me Alive (Metal Up Records) Former CHASTAIN frontwoman returns from the dead. Well, given the title, maybe not!

2) UNISONIC - Unisonic (EarMusic) Given the Hansen/Kiske reunion, everyone hoped for something more (metal?)

3) LITA FORD - Living Like A Runaway (SPV) Treat it like a throwaway.

Top 3 Concerts

1) ACCEPT - Filharmonie, Filderstadt, Germany

2) PRIMORDIAL/WHILE HEAVEN WEPT - Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia

3) BEHEMOTH/WATAIN/DEVIL'S BLOOD/IN SOLITUDE - Trocadero, Philadelphia

Metal Predictions For 2013

Todd LaTorre fronts TWO new albums, CRIMSON GLORY and QUEENSRYCHE

Live DVD from ICED EARTH, with Stu Block singing all the greatest hits

Domestic tour dates for BULLET. Hell, Nuclear Blast got WINTERSUN over here...

What/Who Needs To Stop In 2013

SCORPIONS, especially after what BW&BK; saw/heard in their homeland, at Wacken!

Thoughts on 2012...

Love the rise in number of North American outdoor festivals/tours, including Trespass America, an invasion from the UK based Metal Hammer magazine, but would like to see stronger overall line-ups. With the continued erosion of actual music sales, expect more live product (which costs less than studio efforts): witness the recent/upcoming rash of material from HAMMERFALL, U.D.O., MICHAEL SCHENKER, VICIOUS RUMORS, GAMMA RAY and MACHINE HEAD, within a month or so! Probably a boatload of books too; (auto)biographies and retrospectives. Floor Jansen seems a perfect fit for NIGHTWISH, especially the older/more metallic numbers. Glad to see KING DIAMOND has returned to the stage (can't wait to see/hear him again)! The current trend in label signing seems to be 70s hard rock inspired outfits, which is OK by me. Don't just stick with the tried and true, check out exciting "new" talent like VANDERBUYST, BLAZE (Japan), HOLY GRAIL, GYPSYHAWK and/or STRIKER. That said, still looking forward to 2013 albums from SAXON and VOODOO CIRCLE.