Have twelve months really gone by so quickly this year? Yes indeed they have. And the end of the year not only signifies the passage into the new one, it also means that the holiday season is right around the corner, and the herculean task of filling everyone’s Christmas stocking and holiday wish list comes once more. What to do? So much to buy, in this technological age, it’s easier than ever to buy sundry amounts of gifts from the small to the large, right from one’s smartphones. But none of that still solves the sometimes frustratingly enigma of what to get everyone, from family to friends, that gift that strikes the right chord. And pun firmly intended as a segue-way here, music is always the universal gift, the sonic language that knows no barriers, and brings on multitudes of emotions not many other artistic mediums can usually channel up so easily and so wide stretching. I’ve complied a list of some of the best of the best of 2013. Hi-Fi, Low-Fi, All-Fi, read it before you crank it.

Here at Geeks Of Doom, we love our hard rock and metal, so it’s no surprise that we’ve filled this year’s Guide with our favorites!

Nirvana
In Utero – 20th Anniversary Edition
3CD + DVD Super Deluxe Edition | In Utero (2CD Deluxe Edition)

The 20th Anniversary of the Seattle grunge trio’s follow-up to their smash success Nevermind, which pretty much ushered in that flannel era, In Utero finds the band in the same familiar waters, but with a more dark, thrashing, sinister edge to it. While the album may not have been as radio friendly, albeit even like a welcoming post punk traveling circus that Nevermind was, In Utero still puts the band in a more complexly arranged sonic arena and requires a little bit more attention from the listener for full absorption. This deluxe package includes live track, alternate versions, concise liner notes with rare pictures, and more.

Five Finger Death Punch
The Wrong Side of Heaven & the Righteous Side Of Hell, Vol. 2
CD | CD/DVD | MP3

Powerful stuff from the aptly named Five Finger Death Punch. Hard rock and then some, with riffs, drumming, and an overall glass on steel sonic pace that while may not be the most festive music to play at the Christmas parties, still remains a powerhouse of a record which is perfect for any headbanger’s stocking. Provided there’s not a hole in it.

Iced Earth
Live In Ancient Kourion
Deluxe 3-Disc CD/DVD | 2-Disc CD | MP3

Live In Ancient Kourion, released by Century Media, is the Iced Earth’s first officially recorded DVD/Blu-Ray and is taken from a 2.5-hour show filmed in December 2011 in the ancient Kourion Theater in Limassol, Cyprus during Iced Earth’s tour for their last studio album Dystopia.

Newsted
Heavy Metal Music
CD | MP3 | Vinyl

The former Metallica and Flotsam and Jetsam man of the bottom end tackles a solo project with the same kind of verve and kick ass fervor he gave to both those aforementioned musical units. Sparse but brimming with attitude and color, longtime fans of the man will not be disappointed, and newbies will get a major pricking of their ears, as every genre and style of hard-nosed rock and roll is tackled. Newsted plays it no-nonsense, but not too seriously, the record and listener reaps the dividends.

The Beatles
On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2
CD | vinyl.

Almost 20 years ago, the first installment of these sessions, which found the newly founded Fab Four in the BBC studios performing a sundry amount of their early classics and songs that would become classics. Now, comes the second volume of these sessions, and it still retains that raw excitement and spontaneity the band had in those early, formative years, before the drugs and internal drama, the over their head approaches to business and the band, and the groundbreaking music surfaced. There’s that charm that the four men from Liverpool exuded during this time that they would never, ever sport again as the Beatles freight train kept on a rollin’. Live at the BBC Volume 2 perfectly captures for sonic posterity that zeitgeist, and thus, remains an irresistible package.

Lita Ford
The Bitch Is Back…Live
CD | MP3

A 12-song live album recorded at a show at Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA in early October 2012, finds Metals matriarch in fine form, and the fact that the show was performed in a small but famous club near the San Fernando Valley just adds to it’s allure and luster.

Metallica
Metallica Through The Never (Music from the Motion Picture)
CD | Vinyl

The soundtrack companion to the theatrical release Metallica Through The Never, which was more than just a concert film; it actually had a narrative in which a young roadie winds up on a sprawling adventure in which a full live performance by Metallica acts as a centerpiece. The band still has much life left in the tank, and it shows on what amounts to a virtual best of collection, with choice cuts performed for the rabid audience from Ride the Lightning, And Justice For All, Master of Puppets, The Black Album, and more.

Chris Squire & Billy Sherwood
Conspiracy Live
CD/DVD

Chris Squire, the legendary bass player from the prog Rock ensemble Yes, and Billy Sherwood, who was also in that band for a spell, perform muscular, heavyweight live performances from a wide array of projects the men have been involved with, be it cuts from Yes records or their own solo projects. Squire still shows why he’s at the top of his game with this release.

Mpire of Evil
Crucified
CD | MP3

M:Pire of Evil consists of guitarist Mantas (Jeff Dunn), a founding member of Venom; Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, who fronted Venom from 1988-1993, on bass and vocals; and ex-Throwdown drummer JXN. The album includes 11 tracks, 9 of which are re-recorded songs from Dolan’s era with Venom. The CD booklet has art by Mantas, as well as lyrics and band pics.

Mike Watt Tote Bag

The ever adventurous man with the van with the bass in his hand, Mike Watt, who cut his musical teeth in bands such as The Minutemen, Firehose, and his current stint in Iggy and the Stooges, is the subject of this cool little tote bag. Released as a fun curio for this year’s Record Store Day and replete with Watt’s ad about his “missing bass,” which was stolen back in 2008, this unique item is perfect for toting a bunch of vinyl or whatever one’s imagination can conjure up.

Tribute To Ron Asheton
DVD

A heavyweight lineup comes out in droves to remember the late Ron Asheton, whose guitar sounds and riffs were as an integral ingredient to the overall success of The Stooges as much as anything else in the lineup, lead singer, sonic rag doll Iggy Pop included. The band kicks out the jams and then some, as a virtual A to Z of Stooges classics commences, with influential guests like Henry Rollins and James Williamson (before his re-entry into The Stooges as a permanent member) paying amplified tribute to a legend of the Detroit Rock and Roll sound.

Songs That Saved Your Life: The Art of The Smiths 1982-87
By Simon Goddard
Paperback | Kindle

This book is an incredible, wholly detailed but never exhaustive song by song breakdown of one of Manchester England’s finest, a project dripping with sincere passion. Not a puff job by any means, this guide, which is chock full of tidbits and trivia about pretty much everything The Smiths ever laid down on wax, is a labor of love. Hard to put down, Songs That Saved Your Life is pretty much the template for how comprehensive books on music and respective bands should be presented.

2013 was a busy year for the memory of The Smiths and some of its key members. Johnny Marr, responsible for the guitar sounds which were signature smooth as silk, yet dipped in an ambient kind of vibe, released the highly adventurous The Messenger. While pretty much unfortunately ignored by most of the record buying public, the album remains a dark horse of the 2013 music season, and a Herculean one at that.

The Misfits
Dea.d. Alive
CD | MP3

While former singer Glenn Danzig continues to do with thing in Danzig, his old bandmates in The Misfits are keeping the skull fiend alive. Dea.d. Alive contains 14 live tracks, most of which were taken from their Halloween shows in Times Square in New York City, with a select few songs coming from the band’s encore set in their home state of New Jersey. Along with 13 Misfits tunes from their recent era – meaning post-Glenn Danzig days – there’s also a cover of “Science Fiction – Double Feature” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, which is the first time a recording of their rendition has been released.

Voivod
Target Earth
CD | MP3

Target Earth is the 13th studio album from the Canadian progressive thrash metal band Voivod and is the first with new guitarist Daniel Mongrain aka Chewy (replacing the late Denis D’Amour aka Piggy, who passed away in 2005) and marks the return of original bassist Jean-Yves Theriault (Blacky). The band’s latest entry back into the world of prog-rock influenced thrash metal topped Geeks Of Doom’s list of best albums of 2013.

Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer
An Evening With Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer
CD | Vinyl

Super couple author Neil Gaiman and musician Amanda Palmer did an intimate West Coast tour in Fall 2011 where he recited poems and she played some tunes and the duo did some chatting, and all was well. They then put together a live CD shows, which was only available through Kickstarter, but has now been released to the general public. This 3-CD set includes spoken word pieces by Gaiman like “The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury,” “Judy Blume,” Palmer’s catchy ode to one of her favorite authors, and even some duets, like the appropriate ukulele cover of “Makin’ Whoopee.” Some of the Doom Crew got to see this live performance, so this selection comes highly recommended.

Motorhead
Aftershock
CD | Digipack CD | Vinyl | MP3

Two words: It’s Motorhead. Why say more. It ain’t broke, so the band didn’t need to fix it, that’s pretty much has been Motorhead’s masthead since they began. Aftershock is no different. From beginning to end, it’s a musical Formula One race out of control, spitting tires and blazing flames, all creating a sense of sonic wonderment that fans of the band have been whiplashing themselves to for years. They wouldn’t have it any other way. Aftershock keeps that approach fully alive.

Anthrax
Anthems
CD | Vinyl | MP3

A small EP, but a giant wave in sound as till-the-end-of-time thrashers Anthrax performs cover versions of songs by some of their favorite bands, Rush, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, and more. Done in their style mixed with the original versions’ sonic attacks, the result is a fun hybrid of sounds and styles, but always staying within the Anthrax framework.

Testament
Dark Roots of Thrash (Live)
CD | DVD/2-CD | MP3

It’s a well-voiced opinion here at Doom headquarters that Bay Area thrashers Testament belong in the #5 slot in the famous Big 4. Their newest live album, Dark Roots Of Thrash, was recorded earlier this year in Huntington, NY on tour in support of their studio album, Dark Roots of Earth. The 3-disc set (2 CDs + 1 DVD) 19 live tracks, including fan favorites like “Into the Pit,” “Practice What You Preach, and “Over the Wall,” plus a DVD of the live performance. PREACH!

MP3 Purchases: When you purchase MP3s through Amazon, it stores your purchases to Amazon’s Cloud Drive; from there you can stream the music right from their online player. Also, if you have a Kindle Fire, your MP3 purchases will automatically be available for you to stream on your device. All your purchases are backed up and available for you to download at any time. You can download the files to your computer to load to an MP3 device and to your iTunes account if you have one. If you’d like to gift these MP3 purchases, you can – just click the “Give album or song as gift” button on the right on the product page. From there you enter the recipient’s email address and then select either specific songs to gift or the entire album.

CD AutoRip Purchases: After you complete a purchase of an AutoRip CD, a free MP3 version of that album will be added to your Amazon Cloud Player library and will be available on your PC/Mac, Kindle Fire, Android phone, iPhone & iPod Touch, and iPad. Albums eligible for this offer are marked on Amazon.com with an AutoRip logo. If you do not yet have a Cloud Player account, you can activate one for free. Available to US customers only.

AMAZON SHIPPING INFORMATION

If you’re ordering through Amazon.com in the United States, here’s their ordering deadlines for delivery on or before Christmas Eve (12/24) for items in-stock shipped to physical addresses within the United States and marked “Ships from and sold by Amazon.com” or “Fulfilled by Amazon.com.”

Contiguous U.S.
– Dec. 17: Free Shipping (non-Prime)
– Dec. 18: Standard Shipping
– Dec. 21: Two-Day Shipping
– Dec. 23: One-Day Shipping
– Dec. 24: Local Express Delivery
– Dec. 25: Email and printable Amazon Gift Cards can be sent immediately, at any time

For more details about local delivery and delivery to the non-contiguous U.S (Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), as well as international shipping, see the Christmas Ordering Deadlines For U.S. Shipments page.

Remember, if all else fails, there’s also the Amazon.com Gift Card, you can have emailed to the recipient (arrives immediately) or you can print out the gift card at home and give it to the intended that way. If you order in enough time, you can get the physical gift card sent to you.