Doing a deep dive on 2019 records I haven't heard yet, in order to get them heard in time to rank 2019 albums. Obviously going to need to spend a lot more time with all of these, which I hope to do over the next few weeks.
This is what's been on the agenda since yesterday morning. I think this puts my 2019 album list over 50... wow.
1. Jordan Rudess - Wired For Madness (progressive rock)
2. Tyr - Hel (progressive power metal)
3. Myrath - Shehili (symphonic progressive metal)
4. Artificial Language - Now We Sleep (progressive rock/metal)
5. Queensryche - The Verdict (progressive metal)
6. Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave (melodic death metal)
7. Vanden Plas - The Ghost Xperiment: Awakening (progressive metal)
8. 65daysofstatic - replicr, 2019 (electronic post-rock)
9. Allegaeon - Apoptosis (technical melodic death metal)
10. Disillusion - The Liberation (progressive melodic death metal)
11. Thank You Scientist - Terraformer (progressive rock/metal)
12. W O L F C L U B - Frontiers (synthwave / dance)
13. Elvenking - Reader of the Runes: Divination (folk/power metal)
14. Cassetter - The Fugitive (synthwave / dance)
15. Michael Oakley - Introspect (synthwave / dance)
16. Opera Magna - Del Amor y Otros Demonios (symphonic power metal)
17. Lauri Porra - Dust (progressive / cinematic)
edit (thanks Sacul):
18. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell! (pop / pop rock)
19. Nils Frahm - All Encores (ambient / electronic)
edit (thanks Evermind):
20. iamthemorning - The Bell (progressive rock)
21. Evan Carson - Ocipinski (neo-folk)
22. Dreaming Madmen - Ashes of a Diary (progressive rock)
23. Mother of Millions - Artifacts (progressive rock/metal)
24. Mostly Autumn - White Rainbow (progressive / folk rock)
25. Avatarium - The Fire I Long For (progressive rock / doom metal)
26. Lee Abraham - Comatose (progressive rock)
27. Low Roar - ross. (ambient / post/folk rock)
edit (thanks Cyril):
28. Illyria - The Carpathian Summit (Agalloch-y folk/prog metal)
29. Wheel - Moving Backwards (if Tool was hard rock instead of alt metal)
30. Raiju - Non Sequitur (Protest the Hero, basically)
31. Capstan - Restless Heart, Keep Running (pop-punk meets The Human Abstract)
32. Ashbringer - Absolution (more Agalloch-y folk/blackmetal)
33. Obsidian Tide - Pillars of Creation (Prog metal, somewhere between Tool and Opeth)
I'm finishing up 14 as of right now, which leaves me with 15-17, plus anything else I come across. Lots of variety and so many surprises. Picking up a couple portable bluetooth speakers to lay around the apartment has done absolute wonders for something like this, because I get tired of wearing my earbuds all the time, and along with throwing unheard music into one big Spotify playlist, listening to new music is back to being fun instead of a chore. Just wish I could afford to buy everything I liked.