The Lebanese Rock / Metal scene saw several good album releases in 2012, most notably:  Near Surface’s “Crooked Landings”, Ostura’s “Ashes Of The Reborn”, Blaakyum’s “Lord Of The Night”, Weeping Willow’s “Impale”, Amadeus Awad’s “Time Of The Equinox” and Zix’ “The Warwhore” (check our Lebanese Bands tag archives).

The following is a list of “Top 10 Releases of 2012” lists by staff members and contributors; as always, feel free to share yours in the comments.

1- Mickey Hart Band – Mysterium Tremendum
2- Grizzly Bear – Shields
3- Darth Vegas – Brainwashing For Dirty Minds
4- O.S.I – Fire Make Thunder
5- Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Piñata
6- Ostura – Ashes Of The Reborn
7- Tenacious D – Rize of the Fenix
8- Jack White – Blunderbuss
9- Dr. John – Locked Down
10- Pin-Up Went Down – B-Sides

1- Enochian Theory – Life… and all that Entails
2- Kaipa – Vitjar
3- Swallow the Sun – Emerald Forest and the Blackbird
4- Saturnus- Saturn in Ascension
5- Ne Obliviscaris – Portal Of I
6- Kristoffer Gildenlow – Rust
7- Saga – 20/20
8- Vintersorg – Orkan
9- Sylvan – Sceneries
10- Arjen Lucassen – Lost In The New Real

  • Karim Koreitem’s Top 10 Releases of 2012

1- Oddland – The Treachery of Senses
2- T.R.A.M – Lingua Franca
3- Mestis – Basal Ganglia [EP]
4- Chimp Spanner – All Roads Lead Here [EP]
5- Intervals – In Time [EP]
6- Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
7- Polarization – Chasing The Light
8- Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Piñata
9- Existem – Years of Winter
10- Burzum – Umskiptar

  • Yves Nasrallah’s Top 10 Releases of 2012

1- OSI – Fire Make Thunder
2- Mickey Hart Band – Mysterium Tremendum
3- Anathema – Weather Systems
4- Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Pinata
5- Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
6- Ihsahn – Eremita
7- Darth Vegas – Brainwashing For Dirty Minds
8- Devin Townshend Project – Epicloud
9- Soen – Cognitive
10- Deftones – Koi No Yokan

  • Charbel Jreijiri’s Top 10 Releases of 2012

1- Eluveitie – Helvetios
2- Mickey Hart Band – Mysterium Tremendum
3- Kaipa – Vittjar
4- Arjen Anthony Lucassen – Lost In The New Real
5- Diablo Swing Orchestra -Pandora’s Piñata
6- Tenacious D – Rize of the Fenix
7- Kristoffer Gildenlöw – RUST
8- Five Alarm Funk – Rock The Sky
9- Swallow The Sun – Emerald Forest And The Blackbird
10- Xandria – Neverworld’s End