Retro Albums of the Year 2010's: 2020

[MirrorMask]

Not much to report for 2006...

1. IRON MAIDEN - A Matter of Life and Death
2. BLIND GUARDIAN - A Twist in the Myth
3. MANEGARM - Urminnes hδvd (The Forest Sessions)

4. EDGUY - Rocket Ride
5. CIRCLE II CIRCLE - Burden Of Truth

[KevShmev]

2006:

01 The Flower Kings - Paradox Hotel
02 Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
03 David Gilmour - On an Island
04 The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics
05 Devin Townsend - Synchestra
06 The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
07 Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (this is still pretty new to me, so hard to accurately rank it for now)
08 Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental
09 Frost* - Milliontown
10 OSI - Free

[nick_z]

2006

This is a period where I'm noticing more and more albums that I actually purchased later...I guess things were slowing down a little with music listening at the time

(*) for albums bought later on

Top 15 (pretty fluid):

Amorphis – Eclipse
Katatonia – The Great Cold Distance
The Gathering – Home
Blind Guardian – A Twist in the Myth
Mastodon – Blood Mountain
Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death
Novembre – Materia
Pure Reason Revolution – The Dark Third
Frost* - Milliontown *
Stolen Babies – There Be Squabbles Ahead
Pharaoh – The Longest Night *
Lamb of God – Sacrament
Hammers of Misfortune – The Locust *
Insomnium – Above the Weeping World *
Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May

The Honorable Mentions:

Agalloch – Ashes Against the Grain *
Amon Amarth – With Oden On Our Side *
Black Stone Cherry – Black Stone Cherry
Buckcherry - 15
Daughtry – Daughtry
Enslaved – Ruun *
Esbjorn Svensson Trio – Tuesday Wonderland
Evanescence – The Open Door
Evergrey – Monday Morning Apocalypse
Green Carnation – Acoustic Verses
Glenn Hughes – Music for the Divine
Gojira – From Mars to Sirius *
I – Between Two Worlds *
Ihsahn – The Adversary *
Killing Joke – Hosannas from the Basements of Hell
KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope
Lacuna Coil – Karmacode
L’Aura – Okumuki
Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
OSI – Free
P!nk – I’m not Dead *
Placebo – Meds
Pyramaze – Legend of the Bone Carver *
Rebel Meets Rebel - Rebel Meets Rebel
Red – End of Silence *
Scott Reeder – Tunnelvision Brilliance
Saturnus – Veronika Decides to Die
Scar Symmetry – Pitch Black Progress
Sikth – Death of a Dead Day
Sleep of Thetis – Thin Limits
Snow Patrol – Eyes Open *
Textures – Drawing Circles
Three Days Grace – One-X *
Tool – 10,000 Days
Trivium – The Crusade

[ReaperKK]

Not the greatest year but some solid stuff for 2006. It was around this time I really got into discovering new music.

1. Tool - 10,000 Days - 5/5
2. Dark New Day - Black Porch Sessions - 5/5
3. dredg - Live At The Fillmore - 5/5
4. Across The Delta - Dancing To Architecture - 4.5/5
5. God Is An Astronaut - A Moment Of Stillness - 4/5
6. OSI - Free - 4/5
7. Guthrie Govan - Erotic Cakes - 4/5
8. Army Of Anyone - Army Of Anyone - 4/5
9. Chambao - Caminando - 3.5/5
10. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela - 3.5/5
11. Joe Satriani - Super Colossal - 3.5/5
12. Jakob - Solace - 3.5/5
13. Ferry Corsten - L.E.F. - 3.5/5
14. Kaki King - ...Until We Felt Red - 3.5/5
15. Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire 3.5/5
16. Incubus - Light Grenades - 3.5/5
17. Antoine Dufour - Development - 3/5
18. Ben Kenney - Maduro - 3/5
19. David Gilmour - On An Island - 3/5
20. Zero 7 - The Garden - 3/5
21. Jonatha Brooke - Live In New York - 3/5
22. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - 3/5
23. Isis - In The Absence Of Truth - 3/5
24. Mogwai - Mr. Beast - 2.5/5
25. Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery - 2.5/5
26. Godsmack - IV - 2.5/5
27. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium - 2.5/5
28. Tenacious D - The Pick Of Destiny - 2.5/5
29. Paul Gilbert - Get Out Of My Yard - 2/5
30. Deadsy - Phantasmagore - 2/5
31. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain - 1.5/5
32. The Flower Kings - Paradox Hotel - 1/5

[ariich]

2006 was a hell of a year!

1. BT - This Binary Universe
2. Frost* - Milliontown
3. The Flower Kings - Paradox Hotel
4. The Cat Empire Project - Cities
5. Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head
6. Amorphis - Eclipse
7. Emilie Autumn - Opheliac
8. The Dear Hunter - Act I: The Lake South, the River North
9. Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery
10. Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third
11. Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - The Phat Pack
12. Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
13. The King's Singers - Landscape & Time
14. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
15. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
16. In Flames - Come Clarity
17. The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra
18. Von Hertzen Brothers - Approach
19. Blue October - Foiled
20. Wolverine - Still

Also great:
Amon Amarth - With Oden on Our Side
As Tall as Lions - As Tall as Lions
Bizali - EP 2
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Chick Corea - The Ultimate Adventure
Cursive - Happy Hollow
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Ensiferum - Dragonheads EP
Insomnium - Above the Weeping World
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
The Mars Volta - Amputechture
Michel Camilo - Rhapsody in Blue
Mutemath - Mutemath
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Norther - Till Death Unites Us
The Panic Channel - (ONe)
Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere...
Saltillo - Ganglion
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress
Sleeping at Last - Keep No Score
Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard
Strapping Young Lad - The New Black
This Day & Age - The Bell and the Hammer

[SoundscapeMN]

2007

No writeup from the blog again (unsure if there are any more left?), so to summarize, 2007 was the 1st *Big Year* for anticipated albums for me in recent memory. "The Class of 2007" as I call it all made my top 10-15. Kaddisfly ultimately took the crown for me, it was an amazing year of getting attached to many records. From that *class* Kaddisfly, The Dear Hunter, Fair to Midland maybe I found battled eachother for months. Frames and Colors came in late, and the likes of Kiss Kiss, Minus the Bear, Biffy Clyro, Silverchair, In Vain, House of Fools, Bloc Party and 3 I kept going back to frequently.

The only sad thing for me is post-2007, there have not been a ton of newly discovered records unfortunately, but 2007 gave so much great music, I can't be too down about that. And it sort of set the standard going forward with every year nearly 50 or more albums would come out that I enjoyed if not loved.

Also the fact I have an additional 11 EPs in my list  (which my rym has even more) just adds to how much stuff came out this year.

1. Kaddisfly - Set Sail the Prairie
2. The Dear Hunter - Act II: The Meaning of and All Things Regarding Ms.Leading
3. Between the Buried and Me - Colors
4. Oceansize - Frames
5. Fair to Midland - Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True
6. House of Fools - Live and Learn
7. Three - The End is Begun
8. Kiss Kiss - Reality vs. the Optimist
9. Silverchair - Young Modern
10, The Receiving End of Sirens - The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi
11. Biffy Clyro - Puzzle
12. Menomena - Friend and Foe
13. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
14. Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice
15. Battles - Mirrored
16. In Vain - The Latter Rain
17. The Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
18. Fields. - Everything Last Winter
19. Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8
20. Blackfield - Blackfield II
21. Neverending White Lights - Act II: The Blood and the Life Eternal
22. Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
23. St. Vincent - Marry Me
24. Dirt Poor Robins - The Cage
25. People for Audio - The New Ancients
26. Various Artists - Once: Music From the Motion Picture
27. The New Pornographers - Challengers
28. Thurisaz - Circadian Rhythm
29. Pepe Deluxι - Spare Time Machine
30. Time of Orchids - Namesake Caution
31. *Shels - Sea of the Dying Dhow
32. The End - Elementary
33. Chromeo - Fancy Footwork
34. Marillion - Somewhere Else
35. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army
36. Stateless - Stateless
37. Andre Matos - Time to Be Free
38. Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
39. Jared Micah & Hats - T.C.H.T.O.B.
40. Born of Osiris - The New Reign
41. Far-Less - A Toast To Bad Taste
42. Nicole Atkins - Neptune City
43. The Ebb and Flow - Attack and Decay
44. The Antlers - In the Attic of the Universe
45. Sigur Rσs - Hvarf / Heim
46. Alter Bridge - Blackbird
47. The Pax Cecilia - Blessed Are the Bonds
48. Phideaux - Doomsday Afternoon
49. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
50. Centaur Rodeo - Tongues of Flame
51. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
52. Best Friends Forever - Romance Conflict Adventure
53. Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!
54. Editors - An End Has a Start
55. Jazzkamikaze - Travelling at the Speed of Sound
56. OneRepublic - Dreaming Out Loud
57. Fish - 13th Star
58. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Until the World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun
59. Paulson - All At Once
60. Rush - Snakes & Arrows
61. Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow
62. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

EPs
1. Bend Sinister - Bend Sinister
2. Janelle Monαe - Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase
3. Ne Obliviscaris - The Aurora Veil
4. Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring
5. The Reign of Kindo - The Reign of Kindo
6. The Apex Theory - Lightpost
7. Cavil at Rest - Orion Way
8. 100Ft Snowman - 100Ft Snowman
9. Woven - Aftermath
9. Dead Letter Circus - Dead Letter Circus
10. This City Sunrise - This City Sunrise
11. Between Two Skies - A Thousand Conscious Moments

Concerts
2/14/07 Dir En Grey/Fair to Midland - The Fine Line Minneapolis, MN
4/23/07 The Dear Hunter (Say Anything/Saves the Day/Meg and Dia) - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
4/05/07 Mutemath - The Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN
5/10/07 Andy McKee/Antoine Dufour - The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
6/16/07 Fair to Midland/69 Eyes - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
7/3/07 The Police/Fiction Plane - XCel Energy Center St.Paul, MN
7/5/07   Ours/April Bauer - The Fine Line Minneapolis, MN
7/24/07 St.Vincent - 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
8/9/07   Dream Theater/Redemption/Into Eternity - State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
8/23/07 Fair to Midland/Far From Falling - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
9/6/07  The Receiving End of Sirens/Envy on the Coast/Emanuel/Middle Class Rut - The Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
9/9/07   Rush - XCel Energy Center St.Paul, MN
9/12/07  Editors/Biffy Clyro - The Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
10/14/07 Pat Metheny Group/ Nachito Herrara - Orchestra Hall Minneapolis, MN
10/16/07 The New Pornographers/Benjy Ferree/Emma Pollock - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
10/19/07 The Polyphonic Spree/Rooney/The Redwalls/Person to Person - The Pantages Theatre Minneapolis, MN
10/21/07 Between the Buried and Me/Horse the Band/Animosity/Giants - The Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
10/23/07 Figurines/The Appleseed Cast/Dappled Cities - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
10/23/07 Do Make Say Think/Apostle of Hustle - The Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
10/26/07 Empires/Nomia - Memory Lanes Minneapolis, MN
10/27/07 Minus the Bear/The Helio Sequence/Grand Archives - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
10/31/07 Al Di Meola - The Dakota Jazz Club Minneapolis, MN
11/6/07   Behemoth/Job for a Cowboy/Gojira/Beneath the Massacre - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
11/07/07 Annuals (soundcheck) - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
11/07/07 Dethklok - Coffman Memorial Union Minneapolis, MN
11/07/07 Battles/White Williams - The Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
11/14/07 Nonpoint/Skindred/Karnivool - The Rock Nightclub Maplewood, MN
11/16/07 Blues Traveler/Lisa Bouchelle - The Cabooze Minneapolis, MN
11/17/07 Enslaved/Arsis/The Faceless/The Agonist - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
11/18/07 RX Bandits/Men Women and Children/Nurses - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
12/1/07  Particle/House of Fools - The Cabooze Minneapolis, MN
12/16/07 Fair to Midland/Resident Hero - Station 4 St.Paul, MN

[jingle.boy]

That's a lot of fucking shows!

Not mentioned yet:

After Forever - s/t
Allen Lande - The Revenge
Amaran's Plight - Voice in the Light
At Vance - VII
Circus Maximus - Isolate
Consortium Project IV - Children of Tomorrow
Darkwater - Calling The Earth To Witness
Delain - Lucidity
DGM - Different Shapes
Dominici - O3 A Trilogy Part 2
Eden's Curse - s/t
Genius - Episode 3: The Final Surprise
Heart of Cygnus - Utopia
Jorn - The Gathering
Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
Lord - Ascendence
Masterplan - MKII
Mind's Eye - A Gentleman's Hurricane
Myrath - Hope
Mystery - Beneath the Veil of Winters Face
Nation Beyond - The Aftermath Odyssey
Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura
Nemesea - In Control
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Nocturnal Rites - The 8th Sin
Pagan's Mind - God's Equation
Pathosray - s/t
Planet Alliance - s/t
Poverty's No Crime - Save My Soul
Pride of Lions - Roaring of Dreams
Redemption - The Origins of Ruin
Ride the Sky - New Protection
Serenity - Words Untold & Dreams Unlived
Shadow Circus - Welcome to the Freak Room
Silent Force - Walk The Earth
Speaking to Stones - s/t
Sun Caged - Artemisia
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Thought Chamber - Angular Perceptions
Threshold - Dead Reckoning
Thunderstone - Evolution 4.0
Triosphere - Onwards
Vanishing Point - The Fourth Season
Vision Divine - The 25th Hour
Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything
Xandria - Salome The Seventh Veil

Fuck I used to buy a lot of albums every year! 

[ariich]

Another fantastic year!

1. The Cat Empire - So Many Nights
2. The Dear Hunter - Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
3. Amorphis - Silent Waters
4. Nellie McKay - Obligatory Villagers
5. Moonsorrow - V: Hδvitetty
6. After Forever - After Forever
7. Nightingale - White Darkness
8. Fair to Midland - Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True
9. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
10. Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring EP
11. Radiohead - In Rainbows
12. Frank Turner - Sleep Is for the Week
13. Alter Bridge - Blackbird
14. Primordial - To the Nameless Dead
15. Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II - Fire & Water
16. Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything
17. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
18. Biffy Clyro - Puzzle
19. Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
20. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

Also great:
Alpha Rev - The Greatest Thing I've Ever Learned
Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Arkona - От сердца к небу
Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold
Between the Buried and Me - Colors
Blackfield - Blackfield II
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Dream Theater - Official Bootleg: Falling Into Infinity Demos
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Ensiferum - Victory Songs
Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Matthew Good - Hospital Music
Infected Mushroom - Vicious Delicious
Kyte - Kyte
Machine Head - The Blackening
Mother Mother - Touch Up
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Oceansize - Frames
Σlafur Arnalds - Eulogy for Evolution
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Polkadot Cadaver - Purgatory Dance Party
The Reign of Kindo - The Reign of Kindo EP
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Stateless - Stateless
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Turisas - The Varangian Way

[jingle.boy]

Alpha Rev - The Greatest Thing I've Ever Learned

Really?? ... my tags have it as 2008. 

<Hey Google!>

Seems we're both right:

The Greatest Thing I've Ever Learned is the debut LP by Alpha Rev. The album was independently released in 2007, and then re-released on February 12, 2008 by Sea Change Records with an alternate track listing

[KevShmev]

2007:

01 Radiohead - In Rainbows
02 Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
03 Blackfield - Blackfield II
04 Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura
05 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
06 The Flower Kings - The Sum of No Evil
07 Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
08 Rush - Snakes & Arrows
09 Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient
10 Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

[nick_z]

2007

(*) as usual for albums purchased later

Alter Bridge and Biffy Clyro were almost surely the most played albums that year. I had enjoyed One Day Remains, but Blackbird definitely took it to a different level. Nothing earth-shattering in terms of style or novelty, of course, but so many great, modern hard rock songs. As for Biffy Clyro, I had enjoyed their quirkiness on their previous albums (to a point), but here they hit the spot for me. A fun and super-cool album.

I enjoyed Systematic Chaos quite a bit when it came out, but I don't love it as much now. Still a fun listen, though. As for Rush - Snakes and Arrows is a very pleasant album, it sounds great and it was in pretty constant rotation then, but it didn't quite live up to the expectations I had.

Top 15 (somewhat fluid)

Alter Bridge – Blackbird
Amorphis – Silent Waters
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle
Paradise Lost – In Requiem
Pain of Salvation – Scarsick
Fair to Midland – Fables from a Mayfly *
Dream Theater – Systematic Chaos
Rush – Snakes and Arrows
Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
High on Fire – Death Is This Communion
Turbonegro – Retox
Blackfield – II
Darkest Hour – Deliver Us
Brandi Carlile – The Story *

The Honorable Mentions:

Alcest – Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde *
Tori Amos – American Doll Posse
Avenged Sevenfold – Avenged Sevenfold *
Sara Bareilles – Little Voice *
Baroness – Red Album
Battles – Mirrored
Be’Lakor – The Frail Tide *
Beardfish – Sleeping in Traffic: Part 1 *
Between the Buried and Me – Colors *
Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City
Bon Jovi – Lost Highway
The Butterfly Effect – Imago *
Chevelle – Vena Sera *
Circus Diablo – Circus Diablo
Clutch – From Beale Street to Oblivion *
Collective Soul – Afterwords *
Dark Tranquillity – Fiction *
The Dear Hunter – Act II: The Meaning of… *
Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works *
Down – Over the Under
Endeverafter – Kiss or Kill
Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
The Foreshadowing – Days of Nothing *
Kate Havnevik – Melankton
Helloween – Gambling with the Devil *
HIM – Venus Doom
Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light
KT Tunstall – Drastic Fantastic
Lifehouse – Who We Are *
Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight
Machine Head – The Blackening
Raine Maida – The Hunter’s Lullaby
Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice
The Mission – God Is a Bullet
Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
Novembre – The Blue
The Ocean – Precambrian
OneRepublic – Dreaming Out Loud
Ozzy Osbourne – Black Rain
Pain – Psalms of Extinction
Paramore – Riot! *
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raising Sand *
Powerwolf – Lupus Dei *
Prong – Power of the Damager
Scorpions – Humanity Hour I
Sieges Even – Paramount
Sixx:AM – The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
Swallow the Sun – Hope *
Serj Tankian – Elect the Dead
Three – The End is Begun
Threshold – Dead Reckoning
Type O Negative – Dead Again
Within Temptation – The Heart of Everything

[MirrorMask]

2007, an year with so manyt solid releases, difficult to make a proper list; many albums are GREAT but there's not the OMFG THIS IS AWESOME album that stands miles above the rest, they're all pretty good.


Let's try to make a ranking somehow...

1.1. Sonata Arctica - Unia (the craziest and wackiest Sonata album, all over the place, I love it)
1.2. Helloween - Gambling with the Devil (wonderful album criminally underrated)
3. Therion - Gothic Kabbalah (another complete hit by this amazing band)

Then trying to make a top 10 with some very, very good albums...

4. Elvenking - The Scythe
5. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
6. Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
7. Gamma Ray - Land of the Free II
8. Kamelot - Ghost Opera
9. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
10. Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold

Then all the albums that are still worth mentioning and that probably on any other day I would have put in the top 10:


Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
Turisas - The Varangian Way
Manowar - Gods Of War
Andre Matos - Time to Be Free
Ensiferum - Victory Songs
Powerwolf – Lupus Dei
Domine - Ancient Spirit Rising
Korpiklaani - Tervaskanto
Tarja Turunen - My Winter Storm


Oh, shoutout also to Korpiklaani's earlier albums that I probably forgot to put in the previous year, just like Elvenking's The Winter Wake from 2006, great album.

Coming in the more recent years is gonna be so hard to remember every single band, there are so many releases....

[ReaperKK]

You saw a lot of really great shows in 2007 Soundscape, my year in music:

2007:

1. Fair To Midland - Fables From A Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True - 5/5 - One of my favorite albums of all time
2. Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet - 5/5
3. Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring - 5/5
4. John Lenehan - Ludovico Einaudi - The Piano Music - 4.5/5
5. Rush - Snakes & Arrows - 4.5/5 - The best Rush album IMO
6. Black Light Burns - Cruel Melody - 4.5/5
7. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos - 4.5/5
8. God Is An Astronaut - Far From Refuge - 4/5
9. Grails - Burning Off Impurities - 4/5
10. Kanye West - Graduation - 4/5
11. The Pineapple Thief - What We Have Sown - 4/5
12. Alter Bridge - Blackbird - 4/5
13. Erik Mongrain - Fates - 4/5
14. Feist - The Reminder - 3.5/5
15. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Paitence & Grace - 3.5/5
16. Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vol. I & II - Fire & Water - 3.5/5
17. Michael Kelsey - The Way It Rolls - 3/5
18. The National - Boxer - 3/5
19. Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live At Radio City - 3/5
20. 50 Cent - Curtis - 3/5
21. Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild - 3/5
22. Robert Plant | Alison Krauss - Raising Sand - 3/5
23. Wycleff Jean - Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant - 3/5
24. Balmorhea - Balmorhea - 2.5/5
25. Jack Wall & Sam Hulick - Mass Effect - 1.5/5
26. Amon Tobin - Foley Room - 1/5
27. Robert Glasper - In My Element - 1/5

A lot of really great records that I haven't listened to in a while. I was in college during 2007 and just writing these album names out brought back a flood of memories. It was around here I really started to explore some music and genre's I hadn't previously through friends.

[SoundscapeMN]

thanks Reaper, jingle. I was lucky enough to have plenty of great shows come to my town, and have the time/money to see them (also being single at the time), to go to dozens of concerts every year. And in some cases, more than 1 on the same night, lol. (pulling off the "concert jump,")

[ReaperKK]

I need to go through and try to figure out all the shows I've been to. It isn't many, I didn't really start going to concerts until I got a job outside of college.

I did catch a lot of punk shows while in High School.

[HOF]

2007 was a really good year for music, in no small part due to the Genesis box set reissues (the first two volumes at least). 2007 also saw the first new releases by Rush and Marillion that I bought on release. Those are my big 3 bands. And then my probably my next favorite band, Big Big Train, released a major transitional album that saw NDV play with the band for the first time. I also got married in 2007, so a pretty big year for me overall.

1. Big Big Train - The Difference Machine.
2. Crowded House - Time on Earth
3. The Clientele - God Save the Clientele
4. Marillion - Somewhere Else
5. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
6. Battles - Mirrored
7. Rush - Snakes and Arrows
8. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
9. Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild Soundtrack
10. Across the Universe - Original Soundtrack
11. Robert Fripp - At The End of Time
12. The Frames - The Cost

[WardySI]

1. AMORPHIS - Silent Waters
2. PARADISE LOST - In Requiem
3. ALTER BRIDGE - Blackbird
4. SEVENDUST - Alpha
5. PAGAN'S MIND - God's Equation

VANISHING POINT - The Fourth Season
REDEMPTION - The Origins Of Ruin
POWDERFINGER - Dream Days at the Hotel Existence
SAXON - Inner Sanctum
THE CULT - Born Into This

[jingle.boy]

1. AMORPHIS - Silent Waters
2. PARADISE LOST - In Requiem
3. ALTER BRIDGE - Blackbird
4. SEVENDUST - Alpha
5. PYRAMAZE - God's Equation

VANISHING POINT - The Fourth Season
REDEMPTION - The Origins Of Ruin
POWDERFINGER - Dream Days at the Hotel Existence
SAXON - Inner Sanctum
THE CULT - Born Into This

[MirrorMask]

To come back to the "damn can't remember them all" thing.... in 2006 came out the wonderful An Ancient Muse by Loreena McKennitt, that's how I got to know her.

[WardySI]

1. AMORPHIS - Silent Waters
2. PARADISE LOST - In Requiem
3. ALTER BRIDGE - Blackbird
4. SEVENDUST - Alpha
5. PYRAMAZE - God's Equation

VANISHING POINT - The Fourth Season
REDEMPTION - The Origins Of Ruin
POWDERFINGER - Dream Days at the Hotel Existence
SAXON - Inner Sanctum
THE CULT - Born Into This

I really must proof check my posts 🤣

PAGAN'S MIND... I will fix it thanks for the pickup 😁

[SoundscapeMN]

2008

2008 I loved during 2008 and have continued to love more since 2008. If 2007 had the "Class of 2007," 2008 was the year of the surprise/out-of-nowhere band and album.

Apes & Androids' Blood Moon I literally just checked out randomly from a blog 1 day, and it became my 3rd favorite album of all-time. Ours, Bend Sinister, The Reign of Kindo, Burst, Foals, The Stiletto Formal and a good stack of fantastic EPs I own physical copies of and continue to be among if not my favorite records from those artists.

I would love to go back and take-in all the 2008 albums on my list again for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time, which is why I sometimes consider 2008 my favorite year of music from the 2000's in some ways.

1. Apes and Androids - Blood Moon
2. Ours - Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy)
3. Bend Sinister - Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers
4. The Reign of Kindo - Rhythm, Chord & Melody
5. Burst - Lazarus Bird
6. Foals - Antidotes
7. The Stiletto Formal - ‘Fiesta, Fiesta, Fiesta, Fiesta!
8. 夢中夢 [Mutyumu] - イリヤ -Il y a-
9. Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
10. Kacica - Mosaic
11. Sculptured - Embodiment
12. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
13. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
14. Marillion - Happiness Is the Road
15. King's X - XV
16. Protest the Hero - Fortress
17. Anathallo - Canopy Glow
18. Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - Animal!/Not Animal
19. Adebisi Shank - This Is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank
20. Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel
21. East of the Wall - Farmer's Almanac
22. The Chap - Mega Breakfast
23. Annuals - Such Fun
24. The Age of Rockets - Hannah
25. Woven - Designer Codes
26. God Is an Astronaut - God Is an Astronaut
27. Black Mountain - In the Future
28. Eroica - Hisen the Architect
29. Media Addicts - Elsewhere
30. The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
31. Opeth - Watershed
32. Demians - Building an Empire
33. The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
34. Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.
35. Presence of Soul - Blinds
36. Arsis - We Are the Nightmare
37. Skeletons - Money
38. Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free
39. Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
40. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
41. The Myriad - With Arrows, With Poise
42. Klimt 1918 - Just in Case We'll Never Meet Again
43. ‘Forward, Russia! - Life Processes
44. Steven Wilson - Insurgentes
45. Umbrella Tree - The Church & the Hospital
46. The Rockwells [USA] - Place & Time
47. Russian Circles - Station
48. The Faceless - Planetary Duality
49. Bloc Party - Intimacy
50. Cynic - Traced in Air
51. Lehto & Wright - Between the Jigs and the Reels
52. Timbre - Winter Comes to Wake You
53. Exotic Animal Petting Zoo - I Have Made My Bed in Darkness
54. Jeremy Messersmith - The Silver City
55. Big Fresh - Big Fresh Forever
56. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
57. The Dresden Dolls - No, Virginia...
58. She Said Destroy - This City Speaks in Tongues
59. Metallica - Death Magnetic
60. A Silent Film - The City That Sleeps
61. Caroline Smith and The Good Night Sleeps - Backyard Tent Set
62. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
63. Pat Metheny - Day Trip

EPs
1. Agalloch - The White [EP]
2. Warpaint - Exquisite Corpse [EP]
3. Distrails - Virginia Creeper [EP]
4. Tangled Thoughts of Leaving - Tiny Fragments [EP]
5. Opus Dδi - Touch the Sun [EP]
6. Paper Route - Are We All Forgotten [EP]
7. Nomia - Nomia EP
8. 22 - ESP - Extended Sensory Play [EP]
9. The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra - Escapements [EP]
10. Other Lives - Other Lives [EP]


Concerts
2/8/08 Marilyn Manson/Ours - Myth Maplewood, MN
2/22/08 St.Vincent/Foreign Born - The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
2/13/08 uneXpect/Visideon/Echoes of Eternity - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
2/25/08 Nicole Atkins and the Sea - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
3/1/08 Russian Circles/Dalek/Young Widow - The Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
3/24/08 Black Mountain/Nordic Nomadic/Birds of Avalon - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis,MN
4/7/08 Dimmu Borgir/Behemoth/Keeper of Kalessin - Myth Maplewood, MN
4/8/08 Baroness/Genghis Tron/ - The Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
4/8/08 Between Two Skies
4/11/08 Kansas - Mystic Lake Casino Prior Lake, MN
5/7/08 The Swell Season - The Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis, MN
5/12/08 Progressive Nation
Dream Theater/Opeth/Between the Buried and Me/3 Myth Maplewood, MN
5/12/08 Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - The Turf Club St.Paul, MN
5/22/08 Rush - XCel Energy Center St.Paul, MN
5/29/08 Kaddisfly/Between Two Skies - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
6/12/08 Ours/Plain Jane Automobile/God or Julie - The Fine Line Minneapolis, MN
6/13/08 Annuals - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
6/19/08 Return to Forever - The Orpheum Theate Minneapolis, MN
6/25/08 Liquid Tension Experiment - Park West Chicago, IL
6/28/08 Fair to Midland/Far From Falling - The Rock - Maplewood, MN
7/6/08 Umphrey's McGee - Minnesota Zoo Amphitheatre Apple Valley, MN
7/22/08 The Apples in Stereo/Poison Control Center/Big Fresh - The Turf Club St.Paul,MN
9/6/08 Jenny Dalton/Murzik/Lamb Lays with Lion - The Ritz Theater Minneapolis,MN
9/7/08 Eight-Head - The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
9/22/08 Cavil at Rest - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
9/26/08 Nordic Roots Festival
Vasen - The Cedar Cultural Center
9/28/08 Nordic Roots Festival
Hoven Droven/Hurdy Gurdy - The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
10/02/08 Three/Tub Ring - 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
10/10/08 Oceans - Ogara's Bar and Grill St.Paul, MN
10/15/08 Minus the Bear/Annuals - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
10/21/08 Ours - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
10/31/08 We Valedictorians - The Music Box Theatre Minneapolis, MN
10/31/08 Vulnerata - Big V's St.Paul, MN
11/17/08 dredg/Judgement Day - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
12/5/08 Amanda Palmer - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN

[ariich]

1. Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vols. III • IV - Air & Earth
2. Caravan Palace - Caravan Palace
3. The Reign of Kindo - Rhythm, Chord & Melody
4. The Butterfly Effect - Final Conversation of Kings
5. Frost* - Experiments in Mass Appeal
6. Sia - Some People Have Real Problems
7. Karmakanic - Who's the Boss in the Factory
8. Moon Safari - blomljud
9. God Is an Astronaut - God Is an Astronaut
10. Von Hertzen Brothers - Love Remains the Same
11. Loreena McKennitt - A Midwinter Night's Dream
12. Toehider - Toehider
13. Frank Turner - Love Ire & Song
14. The King Blues - Save the World - Get the Girl
15. Opeth - Watershed
16. Protest the Hero - Fortress
17. The King's Singers - Simple Gifts
18. Closure in Moscow - The Penance and the Patience
19. Ott - Skylon
20. Equilibrium - Sagas

Also great:
Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
Ayreon - 01011001
Blue Sky Black Death - Late Night Cinema
Bodies of Water - A Certain Feeling
Bumblefoot - Abnormal
Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Avishai Cohen Trio - Gently Disturbed
Communic - Payment of Existence
Copeland - You Are My Sunshine
The Dear Hunter - Random EP #2
The Fall of Troy - Phantom on the Horizon
Haken - Enter the 5th Dimension
Justice - Planisphθre
Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky EP
Muse - H.A.A.R.P.
Pendulum - In silico
Pyramaze - Immortal
Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
Shinedown - The Sound of Madness

[Crow]

man i keep forgetting about this thread

2006:
#1: The Mars Volta - Amputechture
#2: Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
#3: My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
#4: Protest the Hero - Kezia
#5: The Paper Chase - Now You Are One of Us
#6: Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway

2007:
#1: Oceansize - Frames
#2: The Dear Hunter - Act II
#3: Kaddisfly - Set Sail the Prairie
#4: The Receiving End of Sirens - The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi
#5: The Ocean - Precambrian
#6: Between the Buried and Me - Colors
#7: Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow
#8: Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient
#9: Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
#10: Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vol. I & II

good year. also this was the year where i found out about dream theater existing which is neat

2008:
#1: Ayreon - 01011001
#2: Cynic - Traced in Air
#3: La Dispute - Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair
#4: Keep of Kalessin - Kolossus
#5: Senses Fail - Life Is Not a Waiting Room
#6: Bodies of Water - A Certain Feeling
#7: Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vol. III & IV
#8: Earth - The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull

2008 has a lot of "good but not great" albums for me, 01011001 would be like, #7 on both of the 2006 and 2006 lists lol. not a good year.

2009 on the other hand,

well, we'll get there. but uhh. quick skim, i have eight 9/10 or 10/10 albums across that year on RYM lmao

[jingle.boy]

Soundscape ... you've officially veered completely off course (as it relates to my tastes) this year.  I own precisely zero of the albums you mention, and only Marillion and Metallica are bands that I own ANYTHING of from that list.  Most, I'f never even heard of.  To be fair, you could probably type pretty much the same about this list.

Not mentioned yet:

Avantasia - The Scarecrow
Avantasia - The Flying Opera: Around The World In Twenty Days [Live]
Axel Rudi Pell - Tales of the Crown
Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows
Bob Catley - Immortal
Borealis - World of Silence
Cloudscape - Global Drama
Delta - Black & Cold
Dream Theater - Chaos in Motion
Eclipse - Are You Ready to Rock
Eden's Curse - The Second Coming
Europe - Almost Unplugged
Evergrey - Torn
Firewind - The Premonition
House of Lords - Come To My Kingdom
It Bites - The Tall Ships
Jorn - Lonely Are The Brave
Journey - Revelation
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Nocturnal Rites - The Sacred Talisman
Powerworld - s/t
Presto Ballet - The Lost Art Of Time Travel
Pyramid Theorem - Voyage to the Star
Revolution Renaissance - New Era
Royal Hunt - Collision Course:Paradox II
Rush - Snakes & Arrows Live
Sacrum - Cognition
Secret Sphere - Sweet Blood Theory
Serenity - Fallen Sanctuary
Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls
Silent Call - Creations From A Chosen Path
Soul Secret - Flowing Portraits
Starbreaker - Love's Dying Wish
Theocracy - Mirror of Souls
Unitopia - The Garden

[KevShmev]

2008:

01 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
02 Opeth - Watershed
03 Steven Wilson - Insurgentes
04 Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
05 David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
06 Ayreon - 01011001
07 Neal Morse - Lifeline
08 Taylor Swift - Fearless
09 Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
10 Demians - Building an Empire

[nick_z]

2008

Busy, busy life that year, and real-time music discovery took a backseat, relatively speaking. I'm noting a lot of albums from that year that I got later on. A shorter list, regardless, and a pretty mixed bag of records in terms of genres when I look at it. LOVED the Ashes Divide album. Sure, Billy Howerdel's vocals can't touch Maynard's, but the songwriting here is excellent - a little catchier and at the same time a touch new wav-ier than A Perfect Circle (at least their albums to date at that point). Warrel Dane's solo album was maybe Nevermore-lite but, again, fantastic songs. Also really enjoyed Shinedown's Sound of Madness. Grand Magus hit the sweet spot between their doomier beginnings and the epic-metal side of their sound with Iron Will.

(*) for albums purchased later

Top 15:

Ashes Divide – Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright
Warrel Dane – Praise to the War Machine
Shinedown – The Sound of Madness
Grand Magus – Iron Will
Audrey Horne – Le Fol *
Slipknot – All Hope is Gone
Black Stone Cherry – Folklore and Superstition
Hinder – Take it to the Limit
Burst – Lazarus Bird
Coldplay – Viva la Vida
King’s X – XV
Ihsahn – angl *
Frost* - Experiments in Mass Appeal *
Metallica – Death Magnetic
Opeth – Watershed *

Edit: The Butterfly Effect - Final Conversation of Kings should be here too

The Honorable Mentions:

3 Doors Down – 3 Doors Down
Avantasia – The Scarecrow *
Beardfish – Sleeping in Traffic: Part 2 *
Big Linda – I Loved You
Disturbed – Indestructible
Draconian – Turning Seasons Within *
Enslaved – Vertebrae *
Extreme – Saudades de Rock *
Evergrey – Torn
The Faceless – Planetary Duality *
The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound *
Gojira – The Way of All Flesh *
Guns n’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
In Solitude – In Solitude *
Journey – Revelation
Judas Priest – Nostradamus
Klimt 1918 – Just in Case We’ll Never Meet Again
Meshuggah – ObZen
Moonspell – Night Eternal *
Omnium Gatherum – The Redshift *
Pharaoh – Be Gone *
Ra – Black Sun
Taylor Swift – Fearless *
Testament – Formation of Damnation
Theocracy – Mirror of Souls *
Trivium – Shogun *
Tyr – Land *
Steven Wilson – Insurgentes *
Kip Winger – From the Moon to the Sun *

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

man i keep forgetting about this thread

At least you aren't nearly as far behind as I am. I still haven't posted my 2004-2007 lists...

Of course I was on vacation for a week and a half so....

[nick_z]

4. The Butterfly Effect - Final Conversation of Kings

Ha! My version is 2009 (I guess it's the 2CD re-issue)...Love this album...Have to amend my list

[SoundscapeMN]

Soundscape ... you've officially veered completely off course (as it relates to my tastes) this year.  I own precisely zero of the albums you mention, and only Marillion and Metallica are bands that I own ANYTHING of from that list.  Most, I'f never even heard of.  To be fair, you could probably type pretty much the same about this list.

 

my taste around this time became more about the "Indie" and less about the bands in the neoprog/prog-metal scene, so I wasn't listening to or enjoying the music from a lot of the stuff I was so into in the 90's and earlier part of the 2000's.

and you're right, your list has many bands I've never heard of, and some I own other records from, or heard of, but never got into.

Different tastes. I've often wondered why I enjoyed some music from certain eras, but then hear a similar style or the same band's album from years later and it doesn't work for me. Is it my taste changing or is the music/music-in-that-style just not as good? (i.e. Transatlantic after Bridge Across Forever?)..maybe it's a little of both? I dunno lol.

[ReaperKK]

Man so much music to discover from here! 2008 I was still in college and I was going through a phase similar to what Soundscape mentioned where I was getting into more indie and solo acoustic music. I think those college years is when I had a huge shift in tastes, for example I discovered my first world music album by the cellist Jami Sieber. Anyway, here is 08:

1. Kaki King - Dreaming Of Revenge - 5/5 - This is such a fantastic album. Her vocals can be a little off putting on the few songs she sings but otherwise this album is just great. To me this is Kaki King venturing out into the post-rock space and doing a kick ass job of it.
2. Peter Ciluzzi - Music Without Words - 5/5 - I opened my rym profile to see what I had for this year and no surprise my 2nd place album of the year is an acoustic instrumental album
3. Opeth - Watershed - 4.5/5 - I didn't get into this album until way past 2008 but it's one of my favorites from this year
4. Braid Paisley - Play - 4/5
5. Erik Mongrain - Equilibrium - 3.5/5 - I remember counting down the days until this album's release. It wasn't as good as his debut but good nonetheless
6. Antoine Dufour - Existence - 3.5/5
7. Ben Kenney - Distance and Comfort - 3.5/5 - Great but slightly flawed album. Ben has some serious chops on this record
8. Jami Sieber - Unspoken: The Music Of Only Breath - 3.5/5
9. Balmorhea - Rivers Arms - 3/5 -
10. The Raconeturs - Consolers Of The Lonely - 3/5
11. Metallica - Death Magnetic - 3/5
12. Trifonic - Emergence - 2.5/5
13. Natasha Beddingfield - Pocketful Of Sunshine - 2.5/5
14. Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vols. III & IV - Air & Earth - 2.5/5
15. Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends 2.5/5
16. Candlebox - Into The Sun - 2.5/5 - Another album I really looked forward missed the mark a bit with me
17. Random Rab - aRose - 2/5
18. Marco Benevento - Invisible Baby - 2/5 - I heard the song "Bus Ride" from this album and had to know who or what band it was. After finally hearing the album I was let down.
19. God Is An Astronaut - God Is An Astronaut - 2/5
20. Protest The Hero - Fortress - 1.5/5 - I need to give this album another chance. I like some stuff but it never clicked for me. However I've had some songs come up randomly from this album and I enjoyed them more than I remember.
21. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - 1.5/5
22. No-Man - Schoolyard Ghosts - 1/5 - No-Man no thank you
23. The Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Black Pear Tree - 1/5 - Awesome guitar playing, the rest of the album not so much
24. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - 0.5/5 - I could not escape this album. My gf at the time had a sister who played the hell out of this album.

[HOF]

2008 is a short list for me, but these are all pretty good:

1. Big Big Train - English Boy Wonders [re-recorded and re-issued]
2. Kip Winger - From the Moon to the Sun
3. Marillion - Happiness is the Road
4. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
5. Martin Orford - The Old Road
6. Caroline's Spine - Work it Out

[WardySI]

Had forgotten how big a year 2008 was until I went through the collection


1. CIRCLE II CIRCLE Delusions Of Grandeur

2. EVERGREY Torn

3. GUNS N'ROSES Chinese Democracy

4. PYRAMAZE Immortal

5. CANDLEBOX Into The Sun


Then these and probably in the following order...

SEVENDUST Chapter VII
WARREL DANE Praises To The War Machine
SOULS OF WE Let The Truth Be Known
JORN Lonely Are The Brave
HOUSE OF LORDS Come To My Kingdom
ICED EARTH Crucible Of Man (Wicked II)
BLAZE BAYLEY The Man Who Would Not Die
MOONSPELL Night Eternal
GYPSY ROSE Another World
KINGS X XV
ACDC Black Ice
SAXON Into The Labyrinth
THE LIVING ENDWhite Noise
THE SCREAMING JETS Do Ya

[MirrorMask]

My 2008.

1. AVANTASIA - The Scarecrow (awesome album and the rebirth of Avantasia)
2 but almost 1.2 - ELVENKING - Two Tragedy Poets (...and a Caravan of Weird Figures) - This is a wonderful acoustic album that I dearly loved since day one, and is tied to awesome memories!
3. Rage - Carved in Stone (the titans of german heavy metal never let down)

And then...

4. Judas Priest – Nostradamus
5. Ayreon - 01011001
6. Royal Hunt - Collision Course:Paradox II
7. Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge
8. Edguy - Tinnitus Sanctus
9. Black Stone Cherry – Folklore and Superstition
10. Blaze Bayley - The Man Who Would Not Die

Worth mentioning:

Loreena McKennitt - A Midwinter Night's Dream
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Secret Sphere - Sweet Blood Theory
Circle II Circle - Delusions Of Grandeur
Iced Earth - Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked part II)
Eluveitie - Slania
Jon Oliva's Pain - Global Warning


Oh, and seeing mentioned Secret Sphere I totally forgot their awesome masterpiece A Time Never Come, check it out folks, one of the best italian power metal albums ever recorded! 

[WardySI]

Forgot Nostradamus, really liked that album!

Also think Alone is one of their finest songs 

[SoundscapeMN]

2009

2009 probably was the most extensive year for me, maybe ever, for bands I was into putting out a new album. And while that was great, as it turned out, ended up having a mix of albums I loved and really enjoyed, to albums that I really didn't get into.

The good ones were rather good, although it's funny how with some of them I don't necessarily go to them as much as some others in their catalogs. Others tho, I find are the best records they ever made (Long Distance Calling, Umphrey's McGee, Local Natives, The Antlers, Riverside, As Tall As Lions).

But like 2008, I found and have continued to find since 2008 a large collection (15+) of EPs since 2009. That Cale Parks EP I continue to listen to frequently after having heard it for the 1st time just a few years ago., It probably has a lot to do with the fact Brian Jacobs from Apes & Androids produced it and played on it.

The Soundscape album and Kevin Gilbert releases are archival, but given I waited many years to hear both, and listened to a ton back then, so much so, I still feel are my favorite 2 releases from 2009, even though the music was written and made well over a decade before coming out that year.

1. Kevin Gilbert - Nuts/Bolts
2. Soundscape - Grave New World
3. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories the World is Grey I'm Tired Let's Wash Away
4. The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life and Death
5. dredg - The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion
6. Pure Reason Revolution - Amor Vincit Omnia
7. Umphrey's McGee - Mantis
8. Long Distance Calling - Avoid the Light
9. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
10. note. - my city of ghosts, stars and hours
11. Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left
12. The Antlers - Hospice
13. Archive - Controlling Crowds
14. Ramona Falls - Intuit
15. Mutemath - Armistice
16. Brooke Waggoner - Go Easy Little Doves
17. My Latest Novel - Death and Entrances
18. Falling Up - Fangs!
19. maudlin of the Well - Part the Second
20. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is a Mouth
21. As Tall as Lions - You Can't Take It With You
22. Greg Herriges - Telluric Currents
23. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
24. Vektor - Black Future
25. Porcupine Tree - The Incident
26. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
27. Karen O - Where the Wild Things Are
28. The Kris Norris Projekt - Icons of the Illogical
29. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings
30. Sholi - Sholi
31. The House Harkonnen - Vol.6
32. Shelter Red - Strike a Mortal Terror
33. Malajube - Labyrinthes
34. Grammatics - Grammatics
35. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
36. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
37. The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Lookin' For a Little Strange
38. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
39. Grimus - Panikon
40. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
41. The Boy Will Drown - Fetish
42. Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
43. Persefone - Shin-ken
44. Nosound - A Sense of Loss
45. Sσlstafir - Kφld
46. Toria - Toria
47. Scott Matthews - Elsewhere
48. The Minor Canon - Emptiness Is Form
49. Baliset - A Time for Rust
50. Modern Skirts - All of Us in Our Night
51. Operahouse - Escape From the Sun
52. The Mars Volta - Octahedron
53. Karnivool - Sound Awake
54. Imogen Heap - Ellipse
55. Andre Matos - Mentalize
56. Muse - The Resistance
57. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
58. Brain Freeze - Focus
59. The Swell Season - Strict Joy
60. Brute Heart - Brass Beads

AM - Future Sons & Daughters
Phideaux - Number Seven
Oceansize - Feed to Feed
John Frusciante - The Empyrean
3 - Revisions
Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
Between the Buried and Me - The Grear Misdirect
Transatlantic - The Whirlwind

EPs
1. Cale Parks - To Swift Mars
2. Sound & Shape - The Love Electric
3. Painted in Exile - Revitalized
4. Warpaint - Exquisite Corpse
5. Distrails - Dry Flies
6. Murder by Death - Finch
7. 100Ft Snowman - Juggling Knives
8. Sigmund Droid - Maximum Grind
9. Emanuel and The Fear - Emanuel and the Fear
10. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Old Dominion
11. This City Sunrise - This City Sunrise Sings in Unison
12. Oceansize - Home and Minor
13. Water & Bodies - Water & Bodies
14. Other Lives - Other Lives
15. Graph - EP2

Concerts
1/12/09 Jeremy Messersmith/Best Friends Forever/Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
1/22/09 Greg Herriges - Celtic Junction St.Paul, MN
2/01/09 Umphrey's McGee - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
2/13/09 Delta Spirit/Other Lives - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
3/1/09 Collective Unconscious performs The Beatles Abbey Road - St. Joan of Arch Church Minneapolis, MN
3/20/09 Collective Unconscious performs Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water - Little Falls High School Little Falls, MN
4/5/09 Fair to Midland/Far From Falling - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
4/9/09 Bloc Party - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
4/10/09 dredg/Torche/From Monuments to Masses - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
4/11/09 Paper Route/Brooke Waggoner - Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
4/19/09 Robyn Hitchcock/Adam Levy - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
5/2/09 Elvis Perkins/Other Lives/Dawes - The 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN
5/9/09 Between Two Skies - The Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
5/15/09 Protest the Hero/Misery Signals/The Number Twelve Looks Like You/Fall From Grace - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
5/22/09 The Bewitched/Natalie Lovejoy - Bryant Lake Bowl Minneapolis, MN
5/28/09 Doves - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
6/04/09 St.Vincent - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
6/6/09 What's That? (Radiohead Tribute)/Exit Stage Right (Rush Tribute) - The Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
6/10/09 Ozric Tentacles - The Loft at Barfly Minneapolis, MN
6/13/09 Within Reason/Janus/Pop Evil - The Rock Night Clun Maplewood, MN
6/17/09 Blind Pilot/Local Natives - The 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN
6/20/09 Red Pens/Total Babe - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
6/21/09 Hiromi's Sonic Bloom - The Dakota Jazz Club Minneapolis, MN
*6/23/09 King's X/B!Cold Colours - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
7/2/09 mewithoutYou/The Dear Hunter/Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
7/24/09 Exit Stage Right (Rush Tribute) - The Lowry Theater St.Paul, MN
8/8/09 Exit Stage Right (Rush Tribute)/Animus (Dream Theater tribute) - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
8/9/09 dredg/RX Bandits/As Tall as Lions - Station 4 St.Paul, MN
8/21/09 Progressive Nation
Dream Theater/Zappa Plays Zappa/BigElf/Scale the Summit - Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis, MN
8/30/09  Do the Dean
Boiled In Lead /Prudence Johnson and Dan Chouinard/Greg Herriges Trio/Diane Jarvi/ AntonCafι Accordion Orchestra/Marc Anderson, JT Bates and Jim Anton/Laura Mackenzie and Dαithν Sproule/Marcus Wise and Mike Salovich/Nirmala Rajesakar and Marcus Wise/Elgin Foster/Tim Sparks/The Petesons/Axis Mundi/Eric Hohn and Blair Krivanek/ Lehto and Wright/Eastside/Dakota Dave Hull - Celtic Junction St.Paul, MN
9/9/09 Ramona Falls - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
9/11/09 Prog Power USA
Crimson Glory Tribute/Royal Hunt/Sabaton/Diablo Swing Orchestra/Mindflow/Cage - Center Stage Atlanta, GA
9/12/09 Prog Power USA
Fates Warning/Brainstorm/Pagan's Mind/Orphaned Land/Circus Maximus - Center Stage Atlanta, GA
9/30/09 The Dear Hunter/The Felix Culpa/Empires - The Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN
10/12/09 Fair to Midland/The House Harkonnen/Far From Falling - The Rock Maplewood, MN
10/13/09 School of Seven Bells/Warpaint/The Depreciation Guild - The 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
10/17/09 Mutemath/As Tall as Lions - First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
10/29/09 The Bewitched - The Bryant Lake Bowl Minneapolis, MN
11/8/09 Steely Dan - Northrop Auditorium Minneapolis, MN
11/24/09 Soap performs Pink Floyd's Animals - Downtime Bar and Grill Minneapolis, MN
11/29/09 Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros/Fool's Gold/Local Natives - The Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN