SPIN's 20 Best Metal Albums of 2012

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December 12 2012, 11:30 AM ET

#2

Pallbearer - Sorrow and Extinction (Profound Lore)

Doom-rock's newest Drab Four play metal as if the only bands who ever existed were Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, and Candlemass: suffocating atmosphere, downtrodden and downtuned funereal bleakness, heavy guitars, spooky vocals, and more hooks than should fit in that coffin. But unlike other pretenders to the crypt, these downer-rockers sell it convincingly, and Pallbearer's sincere, weirdly melodic hopelessness served as a perfect antidote to the 2012 pop charts' ubiquitous cheer: Their answer to Carly Rae Jepsen would be "Call Me Never." Songs like "The Legend" and 11-minute closer "Given to the Grave," with its soaring solo, are dark enough to suggest the bandmembers never bothered to learn major chords at all. The only thing bright about this group is its future. K.G.

SPIN's 20 Best Metal Albums of 2012

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