Top 3 Most Anticipated Albums of 2012

There are many bands scheduled to come out with new music in 2012. Some bands are just releasing new singles while other bands are coming out with their first albums or EPs. Since this post is a little late and isn't exactly at the start of 2012, I am not able to put albums in here that I would have liked. At the top of this list are the albums This Means War by Attack Attack! and The Ascent by Secrets. Now just because these albums have already come out, does that mean that there are going to be no good albums released this year? Absolutely not! 2012 just started and it is bound to be one of the best years for the post hardcore/metalcore music industry. There are many great bands that will be releasing albums sometime during 2012, but this is my list of the three that I am anticipating the most.

Metalcore band Asking Alexandria

3. Asking Alexandria - Title TBA: 2011 was the biggest year in this band's history. They released their second full length album entitled Reckless and Relentless, for which they got praise for their originality and rock n' roll style, played on the Teggart Main Stage at Vans Warped Tour and even opened the stage for rock n' roll legends Guns N' Roses. When things didn't seem like they could get any better for fans of the British band, they did with the announcement that the band will be releasing their third full length album in late 2012. Although no album artwork or title have been released for the album, lead singer Danny Worsnop said that the band's next album will be "a musical baby of Mötley Crüe and Slipknot". This band and its fan base continues to grow and it no doubt will continue with all of the things that they have planned for 2012. In March, the band will head out on their monster North American headlining tour entitled The Still Reckless Tour with support from Trivium, Dir En Grey, I See Stars, Motionless In White and The Amity Affliction. The band has also announced that they will embark on the entire Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with high on fire, White Chapel, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Anthrax, Slayer and Slipknot. There is not doubt that 2012 will be a huge year for Asking Alexandria and with the release of what is going to be their monster third album, it may even make this year better than last year.

Digital Renegade Album Cover

2. I See Stars - Digital Renegade: This is a band looking to make a bigger impact than ever before in 2012. They have been around for what seems like forever, but have never really had a ground-breaking record; until now. The band announced that they will be releasing their third full length album entitled Digital Renegade on March 13, 2012. They said it will differ greatly from their sophomore album The End Of The World Party which was released in 2011. Their previous album featured very little screaming and instead focused mostly on electronics and cleans vocals. The band said that although their new album will have the same electronic feel that all I See Stars fans have come to know and love, it will be much more similar to their first full length album entitled 3-D but much heavier. To prove that they are not messing around and are a legitimate hardcore band, the band has toured and will continue to tour to support their cause. They recently wrapped up headlining the Leave It To The Suits Tour with support from Stick To Your Guns, Memphis May Fire, Our Last Night and Make Me Famous and are about to embark on The Still Reckless Tour mentioned above. The band released their first single off of their new album entitled Filth Friends Unite and will be releasing their second single off of the album entitled nzt48 later this week. From what I heard from Filth Friends Unite and what the members of the band have been saying about the new songs, I expect this album to be the best I See Stars one yet.

Metalcore band The Word Alive

1. The Word Alive - Title TBA: My number one most anticipated album of 2012 is the sophomore full length album from The Word Alive. This is another band that made 2011 its breakout year. The band gained a lot of the recognition they rightfully deserved, mostly because of their first full length album they released in 2010 entitled Deceiver. This album is one of my favorites of all time because it ties in elements of generic metalcore but then it has hints of heavier breakdowns that are followed by softer vocals. After this album release the band went on numerous different tours in 2010 and 2011, including playing the entirety of Vans Warped Tour 2011. This band has continued to grow over the years and will definitely become even bigger with the announcement of another full length album that will be released in the summer of 2012. Like Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive has not released any album artwork or a title for the new album but they have given fans numerous teasers on Facebook and Twitter saying that the new album "will be like Deceiver on steroids". Although the band says the musical elements of the next album will be similar to that of Deceiver, they said that the lyrics for their upcoming album will be much more positive than their last. The band is currently in the recording process for the album and are also preparing for their first tour of 2012 with Secrets and Mest in support of Attack Attack! and Escape The Fate on the This War Is Ours Tour. The Word Alive is not only a great metalcore band, but just a great band in general. The thing I like most about this band is that they always inform their fans on everything they are doing and respond to them as much as possible. The release of their next album will be epic and will hopefully get them even more attention from people in the music business. That is why The Word Alive gains the top spot in my Most Anticipated Albums of 2012.