BravePicks 2015 - The Scribes Speak: Nick Balazs
January 5, 2016, 8 years ago
Now that we have completed the BravePicks Of 2015 countdown - which Slayer ruled supreme (see the entire list here) - it is time now to shine the spotlight on the people that actually built our mountain of metal! It is a massive task, as BraveWords gets flooded with hundreds and hundreds of releases, showcasing the fact that the scene is as vibrant as ever! Each day, the BraveWords scribes will chat about the good, bad and ugly for 2015 and thoughts on this year! So check out our individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments, Top 3 Concerts, What/Who Needs To Stop In 2016? and Metal Predictions For 2016.
BravePicks 2015
Nick Balazs
Top 20 Of 2015
1) ENFORCER – From Beyond (Nuclear Blast)
2) CHAPEL OF DIESEASE – The Mysterious Ways Of Repetitive Art (F.D.A. Rekotz)
3) CAIN’S OFFERING – Stormcrow (Frontiers)
4) TRIBULATION – The Children Of The Night (Century Media)
5) STRYPER – Fallen (Frontiers)
6) SANTA CRUZ – Santa Cruz (Spinefarm)
7) QUEENSRŸCHE - Condition Hüman (Century Media)
8) ARMORED SAINT – Win Hands Down (Metal Blade)
9) GHOST – Meliora (Loma Vista)
10) LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY – Prometheus: Symphonia Ignis Divinus (Nuclear Blast)
11) IRON MAIDEN – The Book Of Souls (Sanctuary/BMG)
12) NIGHTWISH – Endless Forms Most Beautiful (Nuclear Blast)
13) DIEMONDS – Never Gonna Die (eOne)
14) RAM - Svbversvm (Metal Blade)
15) ENSIFERUM – One Man Army (Metal Blade)
16) GRUESOME – Savage Land (Relapse)
17) CHASTAIN – We Bleed Metal (Pure Steel)
18) TRIAL – Vessel (High Roller)
19) LUCIFER – Lucifer I (Rise Above)
20) BLIND GUARDIAN – Beyond The Red Mirror (Nuclear Blast)
Top 5 Brave Embarrassments
1) HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES – Hollywood Vampires (Universal)
Alice Cooper and buddies team up for some ho-hum covers.
2) STARBLIND – Dying Son (Pure Steel)
Iron Maiden rip off with minimum originality.
3) SPACE MIRRORS – Stella Polaris (Atomic Age)
International spacey prog rock with Hawkwind’s Nik Turner didn’t turn out so well.
4) OPERATION: MINDCRIME – The Key (Frontiers)
I tried the key, but the lock wouldn’t open.
5) VIRGIN STEELE – Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation (SPV)
David DeFeis missing the plot in 2015.
What/Who Needs To Stop In 2016
Our metal heroes need to stop dying! But something that needs a good whipping is the secondary ticket market. A virus that doesn’t just plague rock concerts, buyers snatch up all these prime seats for high profile shows/sporting events and then sell them at massive/unfair prices. Scalping is as old as Roman Coliseum events, so I really don’t know what could be done to prevent this, but something’s gotta give!
Thoughts on 2015
This year could not have ended soon enough. In a blink of an eye we lost Lemmy, Twister Sister drummer AJ Pero, and though I wasn’t a huge fan of his work, Scott Weiland’s voice will be missed. Black Sabbath declared it was the end, one of the better newer acts In Solitude called it quits, and then the horrific events occurred at the Eagles Of Death Metal show in Paris. On the positive side of things, we get Ritchie Blackmore returning to ride the Rainbow, Deep Purple finally goes to the Rock Hall, Enforcer, RAM, and Night Demon show the future the heavy metal is in good hands. The new Iron Maiden dazzled many and the Guns N’ Roses rumors were juicy, but overall, 2015 was pretty rough.
Metal Predictions For 2016
This Guns’ reunion won’t last to 2017, Dystopia is Megadeth’s best album in years, and Tony Iommi will team up with Glenn Hughes for an album with a 2017 release.
Top 3 Concerts
1) STEEL PANTHER – House Of Blues, Cleveland
2) SCORPIONS, QUEENSRŸCHE – Jacobs Pavilion, Cleveland
3) NIGHTWISH, SABATON, DELAIN – Agora Theater, Cleveland
