BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) IN THIS MOMENT – “BLOOD”
I was late to the game for In This Moment, but this past summer was a good time to catch up. I dug their first few albums, but this album is one of the best metal albums I’ve heard in a long time. It is refreshing to hear a hard metal album that doesn’t involve a dude growling his way through speed metal. Maria Brink has the best female rock vocals I’ve heard in a long time. To be completely honest, maybe even the best female rock vocals of all time. I just think her voice needs to get out there more for everyone to agree with it. Songs like “Blood” is going to be the gate-way to that. There is plenty on this album that could be an accessible single, but at the same time it’s got the balls and edge of a Slipknot or a System of a Down. In This Moment needs to be heard by all. Metal is still alive and kicking, In This Moment proves that and that it can still be sexy as hell.
(THREE) STONE SOUR – “HOUSE OF GOLD & BONES PT. 1”
I’ve been a fan of Slipknot since the debut album and Stone Sour the same. I’ve always leaned towards the Slipknot side of the Taylor/Root connection. This might actually be changed by this album. Stone Sour has put out some great albums, but “House of Gold & Bones Pt. 1” is a career definer. If Pink Floyd had “The Wall” or Alice In Chains had “Dirt” then this is probably right in between. Stone Sour takes a step back from abrasive metal and takes a deep breath as it explores areas that most metal heads seem too insecure to touch. The album can have four or five singles easily, but I really feel like it needs to be heard in a full listening setting. Albums like this is why headphones and weed were invented.
(TWO) MARILYN MANSON – “BORN VILLAIN”
Marilyn Manson’s door to get into the minds of the youth might be past him, but he is still putting out some of the best work of his career. In the 90’s he was controversial and his actions meant sometime. Now the world is a bit more jaded and a bit more immune to his attention-getting antics. This has greatly affected his “mainstream appeal”, but the man is still putting out some of the best musical art out there. He hasn’t taken any steps back from being upfront about controversy, but he has taken steps forward in maturity. His lyrics and expressions are at an all-time high. He’s not cranking out the catchy radio singles, but if you sat down with Manson’s last album then you know he’s an artist with a clear vision. This 2012 release is no different. It’s his eighth studio album and I can honestly say this album might be the best he has put out since the “Antichrist” days. The songs like “No Reflection”, “Slo-Mo-Tion”, the Johnny Depp featured “You’re So Vain” cover are solid, but people really need to hear “Pistol Whipped”. It is the best “should-be-stripper” song I’ve heard in years. If you’ve EVER been a fan of Manson, you need to check this album out to confirm your fandom or in probably a lot of cases, to regain it.
(ONE) JACK WHITE – “BLUNDERBUSS”
It’s hard to argue with anyone who thinks Jack White’s “Blunderbuss” is the best album of 2012. Jack White is one of the only real rockstars left in the world of rock and roll. He has had awesome success with The White Stripes and with other projects, but this record is special. It’s his first solo album. It sounds like the best parts of everything from those projects and the best parts of rock and roll. He is a true voice and this album is a reflection of that. I could talk about the singles like “Love Interruption” or “Sixteen Saltines”, but this album is a project that should be taken in and appreciated as a whole. In ten or fifteen years, people are going to look back on this album and wonder “why weren’t more albums like THIS?” I think I can speak for the human race when I say Thanks to Jack White. Thank you for saving and maintaining rock and roll. Someone had to do it and I’m glad it’s the awkward dude from Detroit.
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