Your Most Anticipated Albums for 2015 (Prog, Rock, Metal, or otherwise...)

[The Letter M]

As a precursor for the eventual 2015 Release Date Calendar, I was wonder what everyone is looking forward to for 2015? With just over a month left in the year and probably not much more coming out before the new year, what is everyone anticipating for 2015? This will also be a good way for some of us to get wind of albums we may not even know are coming out! Feel free to include stuff that you KNOW is coming out for certain (that is, it has a release date, either by day or month), or things that you know a band is working on but haven't even set an approximate release date for. Heck, even include rumored announcements if you want!

For me, February is looking really good with both Neal Morse and Steven Wilson releasing their next solo albums. Neal's next album will feature music worked on by the whole Neal Morse Band, including music that other band members brought in and worked on with Neal! it'll be interesting to see how Neal incorporates two more members' input on a solo album (although would you really call it a solo album anymore?). Steven Wilson is a no-brainer, and I'm waiting for whenever the super-deluxe edition goes up for pre-order. Hopefully it's AFTER Christmas and I have some money to save up for it (same goes for Neal as well since he's usually guilty of doing such things as well).

Two more albums coming out in the Winter next year that I'm really looking forward to are Spock's Beard's 12th album and The Tangent's next masterpiece A Spark In The Aether, which I have already happily pre-ordered a couple months ago! No more word yet on SB's album, but I think it should be out before March or April, hopefully! Big Big Train are also lining up both a new album and a 3-disc compilation/re-recording with the whole new band doing songs pre-Underfall Yard, so that's exciting! And of course, there's Arjen's latest project The Gentle Storm, which sounds interesting enough. That pretty much covers all of my auto-buys.

Other things I'll likely get include the next Symphony X, Marillion's 18th studio album, the next Haken, the new Muse, the 5th Karmakanic album, and the new Tool album...if...that...ever...gets...released.

I'm sure there's a few more, but these are the ones I'm really excited about and 2015 is already looking loads better than 2014 has for me. How about you guys?

-Marc.

[Sacul]

New Steven Wilson and Haken for sure. And David Maxim Micic's new conceptual project/Bilo 4.0. Maybe another DT album?

[Mosh]

Haken (have they talked about doing an album next year?)

Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol 2
DT13
Iron Maiden #16
Symphony X (I'm really hoping they go a bit proggier for this!)
SB12
Maybe a new Van Halen? Or whatever they have up their sleeves.

Combine this with a new Star Wars film and 2015 already seems like a great year.

[ronnibran]

DT (assuming there will be one)
Neal Morse Band
Theocracy
Spock's Beard
The Gentle Storm

I'm sure there will be more, those are just the likely ones. It would be nice to get Redemption or Shadow Gallery, but not holding my breath.

[Anguyen92]

Mark Tremonti's next solo album.
DT
Iron Maiden (if its assured that the release is next year)
Halestorm
Shinedown
I heard Skillet wants their next album out in 2015 just to make up for how long it took for their last album to get out.
Muse

This is probably going to be my fave albums of next year, but who knows?  I might stumbled upon something I didn't expect to be great, but is actually phenomenal.  That happened a lot, this year.

[Tom Bombadil]

Tool

[The Letter M]

Haken (have they talked about doing an album next year?)

Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol 2
DT13
Symphony X (I'm really hoping they go a bit proggier for this!)

Combine this with a new Star Wars film and 2015 already seems like a great year.

I'm fairly certain I've seen Haken on Facebook talking about new songs for the next album, so I'm sure it is in the works as we speak.

I almost forgot about the new Moon Safari! I feels like so long ago since Himlabacken Vol. 1 came out that I forgot Vol. 2 would be on its way soon.

I'm not holding my breath for new DT until I hear that they're going back into the studio before the summer. If it's after May or June, then we probably won't see the album until 2016.

And I agree about Symphony X - I hope a proggier sound, a la V and Odyssey, will return. It could be a short 40-minute album for all I care, as long as it brings me back to those albums, then I'll be happy (not that I haven't enjoyed their last two albums, but something just felt missing from them to me).

And as far as films next year, there's a lot of great stuff, so yes - 2015 is going to be an amazing year! (Star Wars, Avengers and Ant-Man, Jurassic World [yes, I'll see it lol], and soooo much more!).

-Marc.

[senecadawg2]

I think Steven Wilson is really the only one on my radar at the moment, but I'm sure I'll find a lot of great stuff as we get closer. A lot of my favorite bands released albums this year, so it should be mostly new discoveries next year.

[carl320]

Tool

The first thing I thought of.  A man can dream, can't he? 

[425]

New Wilson and new Nightwish for sure.

[Mosh]

Haken (have they talked about doing an album next year?)

Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol 2
DT13
Symphony X (I'm really hoping they go a bit proggier for this!)

Combine this with a new Star Wars film and 2015 already seems like a great year.

I'm fairly certain I've seen Haken on Facebook talking about new songs for the next album, so I'm sure it is in the works as we speak.

I almost forgot about the new Moon Safari! I feels like so long ago since Himlabacken Vol. 1 came out that I forgot Vol. 2 would be on its way soon.

I'm not holding my breath for new DT until I hear that they're going back into the studio before the summer. If it's after May or June, then we probably won't see the album until 2016.

And I agree about Symphony X - I hope a proggier sound, a la V and Odyssey, will return. It could be a short 40-minute album for all I care, as long as it brings me back to those albums, then I'll be happy (not that I haven't enjoyed their last two albums, but something just felt missing from them to me).

And as far as films next year, there's a lot of great stuff, so yes - 2015 is going to be an amazing year! (Star Wars, Avengers and Ant-Man, Jurassic World [yes, I'll see it lol], and soooo much more!).

-Marc.

Cool! I missed that somehow.

There's also a Moon Safari live album out this year and they've posted snippets of Himlabacken 2 material! There will be a new 20 minute epic too, I'm so excited.

I know DT seems uncertain but it seems like they like their current schedule, I see no reason why they'd mess with that. Even though a change of pace could help them.

Definitely on SX. I don't even need them to go that far back, if they retain the heaviness of the past two albums but with more proggy stuff, I'll be fine. Paradise Lost meets Odyssey is perfect.

Oh yes forgot about Avengers and Antman! 2015 will surely top this year I think.

[mikemangioy]

So far for me: Steven Wilson, The Gentle Storm and Muse.
I'll also gladly accept a new DT and Maiden album, if ther'll be one 

[Fluffy Lothario]

Well, Fat Freddy's are putting out a new album, but the first track released was average.

Fire! Orchestra have put out an album the last two years, so maybe they'll make another one.

If Tool releases something, I'll at least listen to it.

That's about it.

[Dark Castle]

Steven Wilson for sure, and while there hasn't been much news on it, Baroness were in the studio this year, so if they came out with something next year I'd be one happy lad. Black Tusk had also finished recording their next album, a few weeks before Athon passed away But I think they're going to continue on as a band so that's another big one.

[Prog Snob]

Any Neal Morse release is always at the top of the list for me.  Steven Wilson gets the same respect from me.  Some of the others I'm looking forward to were already mentioned: Symphony X, Marillion, Haken, plus of course if DT happens to release the next CD this coming year. 

[lonestar]

I'd say topping my list now are Marillion, Nightwish, Steven Wilson, and Kingcrow, but I'm sure there are many more that will blow me away, plus the usual slew of unknown bands that always amaze me. Gotta love music man...

[jjrock88]

Symphony X and Queensryche are the two I'm looking forward to the most.

[Zantera]

A lot of albums, but mainly Faith No More & Mew.

[adace]

Steven Wilson
Nightwish
Symphony X
Enslaved
The Sword
Kamelot
Deftones
Testament

[?]

Top 3:

Katatonia
Paradise Lost
Steven Wilson

Unfortunately it looks like OSI are breaking their tradition of releasing a new album every three years.

[Evermind]

David Gilmour solo album (if it gets released in 2015)
Nightwish
Steven Wilson
Kamelot
Mark Knopfler
Blind Guardian
The Gentle Storm

I think that's about it for now.

[Zydar]

Haken
Iron Maiden
Dream Theater (maybe late in the year?)

[bl5150]

Symphony X and Queensryche are the two I'm looking forward to the most.

and I'm pretty certain the new Toto will be a goodun.   Not much other than those 3 has my hopes up.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Steven Wilson
Nightwish
Symphony X
Enslaved
The Sword
Kamelot
Deftones
Testament

I had no idea The Sword were coming out with a new album, that's awesome!

[The King in Crimson]

Steven Wilson
Nightwish
Blind Guardian
The Sword

Hopefully Leprous as it'll have been two years since Coal but I haven't heard anything about them being in the studio or recording

[RoeDent]

Steven Wilson and Spock's Beard first of all. Then maybe Arena and The Tangent.

A significant thing next year will be anniversaries. The debut albums of Spock's Beard (The Light), The Flower Kings (Back in the World of Adventures) and Arena (Songs from the Lion's Cage) all came out in 1995, so there will be plenty of opportunity for reflection upon their careers through the year.

[jingle.boy]

Epysode (part 3 of the trilogy)
The Gentle Storm
Serious Black - urban breed on the mic, with some names from other 'known' bands
Level 10 - a Russell Allen project
Nightwish
Kamelot
Dracula - Jorn on the mic
Countermove - Dutch supergroup movement with everyone from Arjen, to Floor Jansen.
Queensryche
Kansas - confirmed for March
Pagan's Mind - FB post this morning hinted that they were in the recording process
Spock's Beard
Symphony X
AudioPlastik - Dec Burke and Richard West and Simon Anderson project that's been going for 2 years

Others that have said they've been recording for a while, but no news
Anthriel
Borealis
Frost* - Gem is starting to be a bit of a 'Tool'
Seventh Wonder - released a single this year, so where's the album?
Borealis
Affector - Ted did tell me on the PN cruise in Feb that they were writing some stuff.

And maybe, just maybe Flaming Row with Part 2 of their trilogy.

Shall be another great year for music.

[The Letter M]

Kansas - confirmed for March

Frost* - Gem is starting to be a bit of a 'Tool'

Affector - Ted did tell me on the PN cruise in Feb that they were writing some stuff.

Kansas have a new album? I wonder what it'll sound like. It's been over 14 years since Somewhere To Elsewhere, so I'm curious as to how this will sound.

EDIT - Are you sure this isn't the Documentary & Greatest Hits combo that's coming out in March? If so, it's not anything new, music wise, but at least a new doc and a compilation.

As for Frost*, I've kind of given up that he'll ever release 6 Minutes In September, and that the band and his material have been left in musical limbo.

And as for Affector, I got their first album and haven't listened to it enough, but given the personnel involved, I should definitely get into it more in preparation for their next album.

-Marc.

[Mosh]

Agreed on Frost. I really doubt that a new album will ever be made. There's better chance of seeing a new Tool album at this point. 

[jingle.boy]

EDIT - Are you sure this isn't the Documentary & Greatest Hits combo that's coming out in March? If so, it's not anything new, music wise, but at least a new doc and a compilation.

Yes, that's exactly what it was.

[Accelerando]

Tremonti
Dream Theater
Muse

[GentlemanofDread]

I've got:
Steven Wilson
David Gilmour
Iron Maiden
Dream Theater
Coheed and Cambria
Muse

[The Letter M]

EDIT - Are you sure this isn't the Documentary & Greatest Hits combo that's coming out in March? If so, it's not anything new, music wise, but at least a new doc and a compilation.

Yes, that's exactly what it was.

Ah okay. You got me excited when you said Kansas and I thought they were making a new album (which is predominantly what this thread is for), but it's just another compilation with a documentary. The doc sounds interesting, but I'm not that huge enough of a Kansas fan to seek it out and pre-order the LE version. If it's cheaper later on, perhaps, or if I have enough money to get it when it comes out, I might.

Ah well, and here I thought another classic 70's prog band would be releasing a new album. There have been a few of those lately, although it's been a mixed bag. I guess Kansas took the Genesis route and just made a documentary and a new compilation. At least they didn't go the Yes route and make a sub-par album.

Also, if King Crimson are still doing studio work, I'm definitely adding that to my list. It's been FAR too long since the last KC album, so having a new album with the current 7-piece line-up would be amazing.

-Marc.

[XB0BX]

Just the new Steven Wilson and possibly DT13. I hope DT13 is more Systematic Chaos-inspired.

[The Letter M]

Just the new SV and possibly DT13. I hope DT13 is more SC inspired.

SV?

-Marc.