Been a good year for music. But my top record came in the last weeks of 2018:
1. Lost Domain - ...In the Waiting Room of Death
TAC suggested this band, and I was blown away how good the record was (and their previous EP). The best way to describe them, at least for me, is to call them a hybrid of Queensryche and Fates Warning, with a commanding female lead vocalist, and a very riff-oriented vibe. It's not as proggy as Dream Theater, but the prog is there. Tons of great drama on the record, without being melodramatic.
2. Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog
Nice comeback album to my ears. Their previous was good (I'd say four or five tracks are great, but the rest filler), but very samey in terms of pacing. Things just got washed out. Rainer Fog gets things sorted with a nicely paced trip, all killer, no filler. My favorite, "Red Giant," is probably my favorite song of theirs in the post-Layne Staley era. And that's saying something, given some of the tunes on Black Gives Way to Blue.
3. Witherfall - A Prelude to Sorrow
Much anticipated second album doesn't disappoint. The two massive long songs are the highlight. Really dark, really progressive, with some incredibly dramatic vocals. If you haven't checked these guys out, I'd say mix the prog side of Floyd and Queen with metal side of Dream Theater and 80s Metallica.
Biggest disappointment:
Sevendust - All I See is War
I've been a hardcore 7D fan since the late 1990s. This record was exactly what I was dreading. They went LIGHT, and while Sevendust can do the acoustic thing really well, and has, they tried to marry a lighter sound with their all electric instrumentation, and it fell way flat for me. No life, no balls. I was pretty crushed. I thought the record before this, KILL THE FLAW was a great album, really heavy, with some proggier moments here and there mixed with their traditional riffy, yet melodic nu-metal guitar sound. But I knew they'd either go really light with this one, or really heavy. Unfortunately, they did the former, and it never clicked for me. Hoping the next one kicks the heaviness into high gear.