Album Of The Year 2013 according to...

Hey there gang! Welcome to this second installment of "Album Of The Year 2013 according to..."
In the following days and weeks I'll continue publishing two to three picks for 2013's best album according to people that Halifax Collect can jive with. These people are musicians, writers, film makers, fans, philanthropists and what have you. All I know is, they have good taste.

MOTÖRHEAD - Aftershock [UDR GmbH]

Album of the year for me is Motörhead's Aftershock album. Mostly because its a fucking great album but partly because it's probably one of Lemmy's last albums. He's been sick and this album is as sentimental as a Motörhead album can get but also a classic rocker! Motörhead's last two albums, Motörizer and The World Is Yours are awesome albums and with this album Lemmy and the boys deliver - business as usual, great as always!
- Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson

*** Þráinn is master shredder and soloist in the larger-than-life Skálmöld (site). He's also a unpretentious, real as balls metal lifer!



BLACK SABBATH - 13 [Vertigo]

Hands down my favorite record of 2013. Why? Because for the first time in forever I purposely avoided all previews, went to a record store on release day and bought a record without pure anticipation / no spoilers. It was like being a kid again, going home to my basement lair and absorbing it with fresh ears for the first time.
Yes, I know it's not perfect (I would have loved to see Bill Ward play drums on it). But considering how old these dudes are and how much life they've lived since 1979, it really is as good as it's gonna get. Iommi still delivers.
Not to mention the memory of going to the Sound Garden with my three year old (at the time) daughter in tow and her helping me bring it to the register...priceless.
Life is a cycle of events and once in a while something will propel you back to a time in your life when you knew no problems and life was as simple as listening to a Black Sabbath album in your room paying attention to every detail. I'm grateful for the chance to do it all over again many years later.
- Dom

*** Dom Romeo (twitter) owns, runs and bleeds the ever so reliable and passionate A389 Recordings (site). You may also know him as the creator of huge, violent and memorable riffs for Pulling Teeth and Day Of Mourning.



CULT OF LUNA - Vertikal [Indie]

I had been waiting on a new release from Cult Of Luna since their last in 2008. This record is everything I look forward to hearing from an album. The atmosphere is perfect in every song and interlude and this album will both floor you with the best sludge riffs known to man and will help your soul be at ease with the most soothing somber sections of any record of post rock origin. It is evil, victorious, and a religious experience to me in every way an album can change your life. It is very rare an album or band has this kind of impact and influence on my life but somehow Cult Of Luna have managed to do that with every release.
My favorite song from this release was "Vicarious Redemption". This song will be played at my funeral. All 18 minutes and 51 seconds of it.
- Brian Hillhouse

*** Brian's (twitter) bands and project have long been on Halifax Collect's radar (interview / related stories). You should be familiar with Seraph/The Light/Field of Delusions (site / tumblr / bandcamp). If you are not familiar with at least one of those, fix that. Now.


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Album Of The Year 2013 according to... (Dec 28)