TOP 5 2014 ALBUMS

[Nekov]

This is hard

1. IQ - Road of bones
2. Anathema - Distant Satellites
3. Ownl John - Owl John
4. Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
5. Nightingale - Retribution

[hefdaddy42]

No particular orderPink Floyd - The Endless River

Oh, I missed the release on that!  How is it?

Gorgeous, beatiful, and ambient.  Reminiscent of old PF.

[bosk1]

If you know (not sure which edition you got), is the deluxe edition worth it?

[jingle.boy]

No particular orderPink Floyd - The Endless River

Oh, I missed the release on that!  How is it?

Gorgeous, beatiful, and ambient.  Reminiscent of old PF.

... without the vocals

Bosk... let me allow you to test drive the album.  Put "Cluster One" on a loop for about 45 minutes.  You've just listened to The Endless River.

[mikemangioy]

1 - Z2 by Devin Townsend
2 - Are You Kidding Me? No. by Destrage
3 - Pale Communion by Opeth
4 - Museica by Caparezza
5 - Heroes by Sabaton
6 - Restoration EP by Haken
7 - Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters

Yeah, I know they're seven but I couldn't exclude anything.

[wolfking]

1. Primal Fear - Delivering the Black
2. Evergrey - Hymns for the Broken
3. Live - The Turn
4. Vanden Plas: Chronicles Of The Immortals - Netherworld
5. In Flames - Siren Charms

[hefdaddy42]

If you know (not sure which edition you got), is the deluxe edition worth it?

I didn't get the deluxe.  And, in general, ignore Canadians.  But yes, most of it is instrumental.

[bosk1]

And, in general, ignore Canadians.

One of the most basic tenets I live by.

[BlackInk]

Put "Cluster One" on a loop for about 45 minutes.  You've just listened to The Endless River.

Yeah, this is pretty much spot on. It's all nice, but gets a bit boring after a while.

[Zook]

1. Angel At My Table - Light
2. Taylor Swift - 1989
3. Amaranthe - Massive Addictive
4. Shear - Katharsis
5. Arion - Last of Us

6. Rainover - Transcending the Blue and Drifting into Rebirth
7. Anathema - Distant Satellites

[Mosh]

No particular order:
1: Opeth - Pale Communion
2: Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
3: Swans - To Be Kind
4: Clipping - Clppng
5: Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun

Great year, was really hard to choose 5 but these are the ones that got the most plays from me I think.

And just for fun, here's 5 EP's:

1: Haken - Restoration
2: Periphery - Clear
3: Chon - Woohoo!
4: Val Emmich - Autobio, Pt 1
5: The Helix Nebula - Meridian

[jingle.boy]

If you know (not sure which edition you got), is the deluxe edition worth it?

I didn't get the deluxe.  And, in general, ignore Canadians.  But yes, most of it is instrumental.

And by "most", you mean "everything except the last track".

[PuffyPat]

I could probably do 10, but I'm sure about these 5. Got a tie for the one spot. I tried to decide which I liked better, but I couldn't, so I just stuck 'em both at the top.

1. Bear Hands – Distraction
1. The Guru – Pretty Things
3. The Black Keys – Turn Blue
4. Antemasque – Antemasque
5. Future Islands – Singles

[The King in Crimson]

1. Swans - To Be Kind
2. YOB - Clearing The Path To Ascend
3. Darkest Era - Severance
4. Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken
5. Cynic - Kindly Bent To Free Us

Honorable Mention:
Agalloch - The Serpent And The Sphere
Horrendous - Ecdysis

[jjrock88]

1- Primal Fear- Delivering the Black

2- Judas Priest- Redeemer of Souls

3- Accept- Blind Rage

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Most of the music I listen to on any given year is catching up from previous years/decades, so I don't listen to too many new albums

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I've only listened to maybe 10 releases this year.

1. Swans - To Be Kind
2. Have a Nice Life - The Unnatural World
3. Behemoth - The Satanist
4. Haken - Restoration
5. Agalloch - The Serpent & the Sphere
6. Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

Went ahead with a top 6 cause Restoration isn't an album, but really deserves a spot there anyways.

[Heretic]

Locktender - Kafka
alt-J - This is All Yours
Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
Jakob - Sines
Anathema - Distant Satellites

If I could put Haken - Restoration in, it'd be fourth, but it's an EP, so I'm not sure I'd rank it with the other albums. Its quality, however, fits in just fine.

[Polarbear]

1. Flying Colors - Second Nature
2. Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun
3. Opeth - Pale Communion
4. Scar Symmetry - Singularity (Phase 1 - Neohumanity)
5. Ghost Brigade - 4: One With The Storm

[wolfking]

1- Primal Fear- Delivering the Black

I thought this might be the case. 

3. Behemoth - The Satanist

This would probably be number 6 or 7 for me.

4. Scar Symmetry - Singularity (Phase 1 - Neohumanity)

This one would probably make my top 10.

[Scorpion]

1. Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
2. Need - Orvam: A Song for Home
3. Casualties of Cool - Casualties of Cool
4. Dog Fashion Disco - Sweet Nothings
5. Evergrey - Hymns for the Broken

Honourable mentions:

Devin Townsend - Sky Blue
Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
Farin Urlaub - Faszination Weltraum
Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
Destiny Potato - Lun
Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
Haken - Restoration
Psycrence - A Frail Deception
Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld

Damn, it's been a good year.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

3. Behemoth - The Satanist

This would probably be number 6 or 7 for me.

Oh didn't know there were some love for Behemoth on the forums. Cool to hear!

[Mosh]

The Satanist is great! Barely missed my list.

[Evermind]

1. Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
2. Need - Orvam: A Song for Home
3. Casualties of Cool - Casualties of Cool
4. Dog Fashion Disco - Sweet Nothings
5. Evergrey - Hymns for the Broken

Damn, it's been a good year.

Need would definitely make my top 10, brilliant album. It's outstanding how many good ones were released this year that it didn't made my top 5, great year indeed.

[lonestar]

Agreed, a tremendous piece of music.

[emtee]

1) IQ - The Road Of Bones (everything else pales in comparison)


2) Priest - Redeemer Of Souls
3) Soen - Tellurian
4) TA - Kaleidoscope
5) Earth Wind And Fire - Now Then And Forever

[Sacul]

What the hell, forgot to mention the gorgeous Belighted, by iamthemorning.

[senecadawg2]

1. Anathema- Distant Satellites
2. David Gray- Mutineers
3. Agalloch- Serpent and the Sphere
4. Edguy- Space Police
5- Kayo Dot - Coffins on Io
6. Need- Orvam: A Song for Home
7. Petter Carlsen- Sirens
8. The Antlers- Familiars
9- Voyager- V
10- Ne Obliviscaris- Citadel

[Lowdz]

off the top of my head

Edguy - Space Police
Dynazty - Renatus
H.E.A.T - Tearing Down The Walls
MindMaze - Back fROM tHE Edge
Red Zone Rider - S/T

Lots of good stuff bubbling under - Winger, Age Sten Nilsson's Ammunition, Primal Fear, Flying Colors, Accept, Threshold, Unisonic, Ace Frehley, Silent Force (was that this year?), MAsterplan, Stryper, Project Arcadia. I thought it was a good year.

Still deciding on the Harem Scarem, Rated X, Lynch Mob

Biggest disappointment - Judas Priest (liked it at first but... I was wrong),

[Jaq]

1. While Heaven Wept-Suspended At Aphelion
2. Scar Symmetry-The Singularity Part 1
3. Pink Floyd-The Endless River
4. Sanctuary-The Year The Sun Died
5. Flying  Colors-Second Nature.

[senecadawg2]

Dynazty - Renatus

a great album!

[lucky7]

1. Foo Fighters  Sonic Highways
2. Pink Floyd The Endless River
3. Bruce Springsteen High Hopes
4. Slash & Myles Kennedy World on Fire
5. The Roots ...and then you shoot your Cousin

[Mosh]

Biggest disappointment - Judas Priest (liked it at first but... I was wrong),

Priest pretty much met my expectations. I didn't really expect anything great, but I didn't think it'd be bad. And that's pretty much what I got. Some solid classic Metal. It's middle of the road for them but it's really consistent (only one or two songs I don't really like) and there are a few songs that could become favorites of mine down the road, such as Sword of Damocles and Hell and Back. The bonus disc is really great too, some of the best "bonus tracks" I've heard.

[jingle.boy]

Lots of good stuff bubbling under - Winger, Age Sten Nilsson's Ammunition, Primal Fear, Flying Colors, Accept, Threshold, Unisonic, Ace Frehley, Silent Force (was that this year?), MAsterplan, Stryper, Project Arcadia. I thought it was a good year.

Silent Force was December 2013.  What did Masterplan release this year?

It's been a GREAT year, imo.  And I'm just remembering (and discovering) some new things here because of these lists.  to some of you.

[ToT-147]

Jordan Rudess - Explorations   
Adrenaline Mob - Men of Honor 
Hammerfall - (r)Evolution 
Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion 
Haken - Restoration (not an album, but... anyway) 

[jjrock88]

off the top of my head

Edguy - Space Police
Dynazty - Renatus
H.E.A.T - Tearing Down The Walls
MindMaze - Back fROM tHE Edge
Red Zone Rider - S/T

Lots of good stuff bubbling under - Winger, Age Sten Nilsson's Ammunition, Primal Fear, Flying Colors, Accept, Threshold, Unisonic, Ace Frehley, Silent Force (was that this year?), MAsterplan, Stryper, Project Arcadia. I thought it was a good year.

Still deciding on the Harem Scarem, Rated X, Lynch Mob

Biggest disappointment - Judas Priest (liked it at first but... I was wrong),

Lowdz, what turned you off the Priest release?