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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: nick_z on April 03, 2022, 07:24:20 PM
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Figured this could be useful, since there was a similar thread for 2021.
With the first quarter of 2022 already gone, here are some albums I enjoyed this year so far (in no particular order, at this stage):
Ghost - Impera
Wilderun - Epigone
Dawn of Solace - Flames of Perdition
Amorphis - Halo
ARÐ - Take Up My Bones
Eight Bells- Legacy of Ruin
Messa - Close
Kvaen - The Great Below
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds - Pt.2
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
Schizophrenia - Recollections of the Insane
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It's been a good three months!
Lords Of The Trident-The Offering
Riverwood-Shadows And Flames
Hammerfall-Hammer Of Dawn
Dawn Of Solace-Flames Of Perdition
Bomber-Nocturnal Creatures
Saxon-Carpe Diem
Scream Maker-Bloodking
Voodoma-Hellbound
Tony Martin-Thorns
Ereb Altor-Vargtimman
The Silent Wedding-Ego Path
Lost Domain-Merchant Of Emotions
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Strong start to the year indeed!
9/10
Amorphis - Halo
D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
Frank Turner - FTHC
8/10
Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Revel in Time
Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
Bonobo - Fragments
Max Cooper - Unspoken Words
Diablo - When All the Rivers Are Silent
Dog Fashion Disco - Cult Classic
Ereb Altor - Vargtimman
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Ghost - Impera
The Longest Johns - Smoke & Oakum
Messa - Close
Oddland - Vermilion
Owel - The Salt Water Well
Persefone - Metanoia
Sabaton - The War to End All Wars
Silent Skies - Nectar
Von Hertzen Brothers - Red Alert in the Blue Forest
The Weeknd - Dawn FM
Wilderun - Epigone
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Midlake - For the Sake of Bethel Woods
Team Me - Something in the Making
Cloud Cult - Metamorphosis
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
Nordic Giants - Symbiosis
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Ty Tabor - Shades
Persefone - Metanoia
Owel - The Salt Water Well
Black Country New Road - Ants From up there
Other Country Ensemble - Convivencia
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It's been a good three months!
Agreed. But for mostly different reasons. :biggrin:
Purchased:
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Pt II
Star One - Revel in Time
Everygrey - Before the Aftermath (Live in Gothenburg)
The Ferrymen - One more River to Cross
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Saved on Spotify:
Nasson - Scars
Shining Black - Postcards from the End of the World
Degreed - Are You Ready
Kissin Dynamite - Not the End of the Road
Agarthic - The Inner Side
Lana Lane - Neptune Blue
Kalle Walner - Voices
Serious Black - Vengeance is Mine
D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
New Horizon - Gate of the Gods
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
Zadra - Guiding Star
Girish and the Chronicles - Hail to the Heroes
Ronnie Atkins - Make it Count
Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side - Miles from Nowhere
Bomber - Nocturnal Creatures
Lords of the Trident - The Offering
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My favourites so far:
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
Jethro Tull - The Zealot Gene
D'Virgilio Morse Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Ghost - Impera
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
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Really enjoying Soulsplitter II Connection.
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2022 releases for me so far:
Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
Marillion - An Hour Before It’s Dark
Kite Parade - Letting Go
D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Retreat From Moscow - The World We Used To Know
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Some really good stuff in the first quarter of the year already!
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Top 11 so far, loosely in order:
Emily Jane White - Alluvion
Sylvaine - Nova
Shape of Despair - Return To the Void
Ashes of Ares - Emperors and Fools
Messa - Close
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Kate Havnevik - Lightship
Amorphis - Halo
Star One - Revel In Time
Nightrage - Abyss Rising
Celeste - Assassine(s)
Other quality albums:
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Animals As Leaders - Parrhesia
The Anix - Revenge
Atrium Carceri & Kammarheit - Colossus
Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
The Birthday Massacre - Fascination
Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
Dance With the Dead - Driven To Madness
E-L-R - Vexier
In Loving Memory - The Withering
Lana Lane - Neptune Blue
Mindwarden - Timeless
Persefone - Metanoia
Punch Brothers - Hell On Church Street
Tineidae - Mothership
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
Zguba - Znoj
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Here's what I've gotten so far this year:
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
Star One - Revel In Time
D'Virgilio Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Of those six, I'd say BBT and P-SA are my favorites so far, but the new Marillion is really good too. The one I have neglected so far has been the new Star One, which I've maybe listened to once or twice. I just haven't been in the mood for prog metal lately, but I'm sure I'll give it it's due later this year.
Looking forward, I cannot wait for new albums by Porcupine Tree, The Tangent, Muse, and Ryo Okumoto (whose previous solo album Coming Through, is a favorite of mine). 2022 is shaping up to be another good year of music from bands/artists I love!
-Marc.
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Standouts...
Marillion - An Hour Before Its Dark
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Amorphis - Halo
Current AOTY frontrunner - Allegaeon - Damnum
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As I try to pick a top 12 for each year (on average, one album per month), I would say that, for now, "my first nominees" for my top 12 ;D would be (although some other albums already released may be included in my top 12 at the end of the year - depending on the quality of the albums to be released from April onwards):
Steve Vai - Inviolate (Current AOTY frontrunner)
Michael Romeo - War Of The Worlds Pt. 2
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
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Punch Brothers - Hell On Church Street
didn't know about this.
They always seem to sneak a record in, but it's often not mentioned until much later in the year (and there's also like 1 or 2 gems includesd).
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What I've checked out so far (in no order)
Bad Omens - THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND
Ghost - Impera
Sabaton - The War to End All Wars
Set It Off - Elsewhere
Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
Skillet - Dominion
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
only one I'm not a fan of is the Skillet album, very underwhelming. The rest range from enjoyable to very good.
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My favourites so far are (in order):
Frank Turner - FTHC
Ghost - Impera
Venom Prison - Erebos
Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
Persefone - Metanoia
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
Wilderun - Epigone
Hot Water Music - Feel the Void
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - The Harvest
And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Messa - Close
Hangman's Chair - A Loner
Foxtails - Fawn
Dream Widow - Dream Widow
Redeemon - Redeemon
Animals as Leaders - Parrhesia
Billy Talent - Crisis of Faith
Amorphis - Halo
Others that I've yet to rank:
Don Bolo - Bahamas
Blood Incantation - Time Wave Zero
Port Noir - Cuts
Schizophrenia - Recollections of the Insane
Weigedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the Road
Celeste - Assassine(s)
Oh Hiroshima - Myriad
Vorga - Striving Toward Oblivion
Meshuggah - Immutable
Allegaeon - DAMNUM
Dog Fashion Disco - Cult Classic
Dan Adriano and the Bygones - Dear Darkness
Absent in Body - Plague God
I'm sure I'm missing some but that's good enough.
9/10
Frank Turner - FTHC
My man!
What a corker right? It's such a great return to form. Farewell to My City is the best album closer he's ever written and I also can't stop spinning Punches!
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Top15 so far
Black Country New Road - Ants From Up There
Beach House - Once Twice Melody
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Wilderun - Epigone
Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
Dog Fashion Disco - Cult Classic
Deathcrash - Return
And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Raum - Daughter
Mydreamfever - Rough and Beautiful Place
Foxtails - Fawn
Sel Balamir - ()rphans
Jyocho - Let's Promise to be Happy
Owel - The Salt Water Well
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Not ranked at all, no particular order, but here are my favorite new albums of the year so far.
Amorphis – Halo
D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Persefone – Metanoia
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Animals As Leaders – Parrhesia
Punch Brothers - Hell On Church Street
Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If
Greensky Bluegrass – Stress Dreams
Pinegrove - 11:11
St. Paul & the Broken Bones – The Alien Coast
Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory
Shovels & Rope – Manticore
String Machine – Hallelujah Hell Yeah
Band of Horses – Things Are Great
Brad Mehldau - Jacob's Ladder
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Not checked out a lot but;
Amorphis - Halo
Saxon - Carpe Diem
The Ferrymen - One More River to Cross
Hammerfall - Hammer of Dawn
Evil Invaders - Shattering Reflection
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait
An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying and the Dead
Machine Head - Of Kingdom and Crown
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Thank you for letting me know Messa has a new record!
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Top15 so far
Black Country New Road - Ants From Up There
Beach House - Once Twice Melody
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Nice!
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Evil Invaders - Shattering Reflection
Don't know this one...I've seen the band mentioned somewhere online...I guess worth checking out, huh?
Thank you for letting me know Messa has a new record!
It's great! I had meant to check out Messa for a while, and kept forgetting. The new one coming out made me go back to their other albums as well. Fantastic stuff!
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Evil Invaders - Shattering Reflection
Don't know this one...I've seen the band mentioned somewhere online...I guess worth checking out, huh?
Thank you for letting me know Messa has a new record!
It's great! I had meant to check out Messa for a while, and kept forgetting. The new one coming out made me go back to their other albums as well. Fantastic stuff!
Indeed it is.
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I didn't realize how popular Messa was until it seems everyone is talking about them with their new album. Messa has a bit more of a traditional slant, but it reminds me of one of my favorite albums from last year, from The Answer Lies in the Black Void.
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Everygrey - Before the Aftermath (Live in Gothenburg)
I know they have a new album coming out very soon, but somehow I totally missed that they have a live one out. Just audio, or was there a DVD as well? How is it?
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Reminder to myself that I want to check this one out.
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Everygrey - Before the Aftermath (Live in Gothenburg)
I know they have a new album coming out very soon, but somehow I totally missed that they have a live one out. Just audio, or was there a DVD as well? How is it?
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Reminder to myself that I want to check this one out.
Evergrey - I haven’t seen the video anywhere. I believe it was a livestream, so maybe they just wanted to keep it kind of ‘exclusive’ that way?
Lalu - definitely check that out.
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My favourites so far are (in order):
Frank Turner - FTHC
9/10
Frank Turner - FTHC
My man!
What a corker right? It's such a great return to form. Farewell to My City is the best album closer he's ever written and I also can't stop spinning Punches!
Luke, last year your recommendation of the Turnstile album turned out to be perhaps my biggest surprise for 2021 - something that's not generally in my wheelhouse that I ended up enjoying a ton. I guess I'll have to check this one out :)
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Kate Havnevik - Lightship
You know, I really enjoyed her debut Melankton when it came out...then I kind of forgot about her, perhaps assuming she had disappeared from the scene. But clearly I was wrong ;D I will need to explore some more...
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Everygrey - Before the Aftermath (Live in Gothenburg)
I know they have a new album coming out very soon, but somehow I totally missed that they have a live one out. Just audio, or was there a DVD as well? How is it?
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Reminder to myself that I want to check this one out.
Evergrey - I haven’t seen the video anywhere. I believe it was a livestream, so maybe they just wanted to keep it kind of ‘exclusive’ that way?
Lalu - definitely check that out.
The Evergrey was a CD/Blu Ray release.
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Kate Havnevik - Lightship
You know, I really enjoyed her debut Melankton when it came out...then I kind of forgot about her, perhaps assuming she had disappeared from the scene. But clearly I was wrong ;D I will need to explore some more...
She's one of those artists that I'm surprised never caught on. She combines a lot of qualities of Bjork and Imogen Heap together, without quite copying either.
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Lalu - definitely check that out.
I listened to it today; working, so I don't remember a lot but Damian sounded awesome. The album was maybe a little lighter than I'd prefer it to be but that might, and probably will, change as I listened to it more.
The Evergrey was a CD/Blu Ray release.
Thanks!
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My favourites so far are (in order):
Frank Turner - FTHC
9/10
Frank Turner - FTHC
My man!
What a corker right? It's such a great return to form. Farewell to My City is the best album closer he's ever written and I also can't stop spinning Punches!
Luke, last year your recommendation of the Turnstile album turned out to be perhaps my biggest surprise for 2021 - something that's not generally in my wheelhouse that I ended up enjoying a ton. I guess I'll have to check this one out :)
Nice one, FTHC and GLOW ON really are great albums.
Frank Turner is kinda folk punk. For me personally, his music really resonates as he is also from the UK and about my age. His latest feels like a proper body of work, a picture (in music) of his life at this point, reflecting on where he's been, how life has changed and where he is going. His last few albums have been OK but nothing like the masterpiece that is England Keep My Bones.
Rich is also a fan, but not sure there are many more of us on here. Hope you enjoy dude!
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I've only listened to a few albums that have come out this year but they've been pretty solid:
Black Map - Melodoria - 5/5
Ludovico Einaudi - Underwater - 3/5
The Weeknd - Dawn FM - 3/5
Korn - Requiem - 2.5/5
Brandon Boyd - Echoes And Cocoons - 2/5 (I was really hoping this would be good but I didn't really connect with it)
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Saw this on a few lists and they are playing ProgPower in less than 2 months as a replacement band so I figure I should finally check them out... really good album after a couple listens but will need many more I think to truly appreciate this dense prog metal album....
Wilderun - Epigone
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Wilderun - Epigone
Well yeah, this is a fantastic record and right on course for being my AOTY. Have you heard the previous two as well?
You can skip the debut (and check it out later, it's good in its own way I guess), but Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and Veil of Imagination are both amazing too. Epigone is a logical follow-up as far as I'm concerned. It's honestly impossible to pick a favourite album out of these three. This band is my favourite metal act these days.
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Wilderun - Epigone
Well yeah, this is a fantastic record and right on course for being my AOTY. Have you heard the previous two as well?
You can skip the debut (and check it out later, it's good in its own way I guess), but Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and Veil of Imagination are both amazing too. Epigone is a logical follow-up as far as I'm concerned. It's honestly impossible to pick a favourite album out of these three. This band is my favourite metal act these days.
I sampled a song or two awhile ago and it didn't grasp me (I don't remember which songs those were) but I haven't listened to any of their other stuff, just Epigone really.
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Wilderun - Epigone
Well yeah, this is a fantastic record and right on course for being my AOTY. Have you heard the previous two as well?
You can skip the debut (and check it out later, it's good in its own way I guess), but Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and Veil of Imagination are both amazing too. Epigone is a logical follow-up as far as I'm concerned. It's honestly impossible to pick a favourite album out of these three. This band is my favourite metal act these days.
Epigone is excellent. Yes, it is very dense album, but I find it to be a captivating listen, every time. Sleep at the Edge of the Earth might be my favorite but you are right that they are all really good.
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I couldn't finish it, honestly.
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I found it a real grower. It didn't really do much for me on first listen. But I love the previous two loads, so I figured I'd give it a couple more shots to see if I was missing something, and it turned out I was. It's quite different, and I definitely still don't think it's as good, but it's still pretty captivating and powerful.
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Let's update with a top 25
1. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
2. Frank Turner - FTHC
3. Ghost - Impera
4. Venom Prison - Erebos
5. Kirk Hammett - Portals
6. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
7. Ibaraki - Rashomon
8. Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
9. Persefone - Metanoia
10. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
11. Rammstein - Zeit
12. Hot Water Music - Feel the Void
13. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - The Harvest
14. Wilderun - Epigone
15. The Lazy Eyes - SongBook
16. Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island
17. Moontooth - Phototroph
18. Messa - Close
19. Gnome - King
20. Dream Widow - Dream Widow
21. Somali Yacht Club - The Space
22. Hangman's Chair - A Loner
23. Foxtails - Fawn
24. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
25. Hällas - Isle of Wisdom
There's loads of stuff that could make the cut on multiple listens and a few in here that left such a good first impression I've chucked them in.
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It's way too early to even think about ranking anything for me. Most albums I haven't even gotten to more than once. I'll worry about that later in the year. But other albums since my last post that are quality releases include - Darkher, Demonical, Depressed Mode, Emma Ruth Rundle, Ethel Cain, Evergrey, Giant Walker, Kaipa, Lights, Master Boot Record, Miseration, Molly Tuttle, Pure Reason Revolution, Sharon Van Etten, The Gathering, Those Who Bring the Torture, Tigran Hamasyan, and Visions of Atlantis.
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Since we are past the mid-year mark, it's a good time to update this...
No particular order within the groups.
Current Top-tier:
Ghost - Impera
Wilderun - Epigone
Amorphis - Halo
Dawn of Solace - Flames of Perdition
Messa - Close
Other notable albums:
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
Arð - Take Up My Bones
Eight Bells - Legacy of Ruin
Godless Truth - Godless Truth
Kvaen - The Great Below
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Pt.2
Nite - Voices of the Kronian Moon
Audrey Horne - Devil's Bell
Rammstein - Zeit
Moon Tooth - Phototroph
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait
Sylvaine - Nova
Kardashev - Liminal Rite
Black Map - Melodoria
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Other albums I liked - streaming, not purchased yet:
Tersivel - To the Orphic Void
Satan - Earth Infernal
Frank Turner - FTHC
GGGOLDDD - This shame should not be mine
Stabbing Westward - Chasing Ghosts
Lords of the Trident - The Offering
Tomarum - Ashes in Realms of Stone Icons
Famyne - II: The Ground Below
Iris Divine - Mercurial
Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
Seven Kingdoms - Zenith
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Saor - Origins
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
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I put up a video on YouTube last week as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZKjY2Jwh8A), but with a slight change, here's my midseason list.
1. Gospel - The Loser
2. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
3. The Family Crest - The War: Act II
4. Midlake - For the Sake of Bethel Woods
5. The Warning - ERROR
6. Team Me - Something in the Making
7. Warpaint - Radiate Like This
8. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
9. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation (10 track version)
10. Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
11. Cloud Cult - Metamorphosis
12. Archive - Call to Arms & Angels
13. Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
14. Everything Everything - Raw Data Feel
15. Nordic Giants - Symbiosis
16. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
17. Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
18. Tachys - Tachys
19. Grimus - Abandonic
20. Bjørn Riis - Everything to Everyone
21. Zero Hour - Agenda 21
22. Bubblemath - Turf Ascension
23. Bloc Party - Alpha Games
24. Ty Tabor - Shades
25. The Gathering - Beautiful Distortion
26. Courtney Swain - Silver Lining
27. Persefone - Metanoia
28. Chrome Canyon - Director
29. Oddland - Vermilion
30. Church of the Cosmic Skull - There Is No Time
31. Black Country, New Road - Ants from Up There
32. Owel - The Salt Water Well
33. Elvis Costello & the Imposters - The Boy Named If
EPs/Live Albums
1. Dirt Poor Robins - Queen of the Night - Episodes
2. Typhoon - Underground Complex No. 1
3. The Lickerish Quartet - Threesome Vol. 3
4. Oldster - The Sun Destroyers
5. Major Parkinson - A Night at the Library (Live)
Haven't Heard
Black Map - Melodoria
Foals - Life is Yours
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt
Jethro Tull - The Zealot Gene
King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard - Butterfly 3001
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Made in Timeland
James LaBrie - Beautiful Shade Of Gray
Kula Shaker - 1st Congressional Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs
Lines in the Sky - Insight [EP]
Maraton - Perdurant Lives
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Punch Brothers - Hell on Church Street
Venus Principle - Stand In Your Light
Von Hertzen Brothers - Red Alert in the Blue Forest
Reissues
Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True (Vinyl)
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (Vinyl Reissue)
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Midyear Top 10
And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Elephant Gym - Dreams
The Weeknd - Dawn FM
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
deathcrash - Return
Soccer Mommy - Somewhere, Forever
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in Your
Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music in Zion
Black County New Road - Ants from Up There
UMI - Forest in the City
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My list as of now:
Seventh Wonder - The Testament
Bad Omens - THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND
Ghost - Impera
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
Alestorm - Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Set It Off - Elsewhere
James Labrie - Beautiful Shade of Grey
Sabaton - The War to End All Wars
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
Wilderun - Epigone
Scorpions - Rock Believer
Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos
Skillet - Dominion
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Still early for me, but the frontrunners are Seventh Wonder, Evergrey and Big Big Train.
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Here's what I've gotten so far this year:
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
Star One - Revel In Time
D'Virgilio Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Of those six, I'd say BBT and P-SA are my favorites so far, but the new Marillion is really good too. The one I have neglected so far has been the new Star One, which I've maybe listened to once or twice. I just haven't been in the mood for prog metal lately, but I'm sure I'll give it it's due later this year.
Looking forward, I cannot wait for new albums by Porcupine Tree, The Tangent, Muse, and Ryo Okumoto (whose previous solo album Coming Through, is a favorite of mine). 2022 is shaping up to be another good year of music from bands/artists I love!
-Marc.
Well, in the last three months since my first post in this thread, I've only gotten the new Tangent and PT albums, so not many new ones since then, but I'll go ahead and rank these 8.
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
The Tangent - Songs From The Hard Shoulder
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
D'Virgilio Morse & Jennings - Troika
Star One - Revel In Time
-Marc.
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Receiving multiple plays:
Darkher - The Buried Storm
Emily Jane White - Alluvion
Giant Walker - All in Good Time
Messa - Close
Red Handed Denial - I'd Rather Be Asleep
Sylvaine - Nova
White Ward - False Light
Zola Jesus - Arkhon
I quite like them, but haven't gotten around to additional full album plays yet:
Amorphis - Halo
Ashes of Ares - Emperors and Fools
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Demonical - Mass Destroyer
Depressed Mode - Decade of Silence
Entrails - An Eternal Time of Decay
Kaipa - Urskog
Kate Havnevik - Lightship
Miseration - Black Miracles and Dark Wonders
Nightrage - Abyss Rising
Shape of Despair - Return To the Void
Star One - Revel In Time
Top 25 songs so far:
Arch Enemy - "Handshake With Hell"
Ashes of Ares/Ripper Owens - "Monster's Lament"
Battle Beast - "Master of Illusion"
Carpenter Brut/Sylvaine - "Stabat Mater"
Chelsea Wolfe - "Oui Oui Marie"
Darkher - "Where the Devil Waits"
Earthside - "All We Knew and Ever Loved"
Emily Jane White - "Battle Call" and "Show Me the War"
Emma Ruth Rundle - "In Sadness For Our Dying World (here come the Christians)"
Ethel Cain - "A House in Nebraska"
Giant Walker - "The Fact in Fiction" and "Coda"
Kate Havnevik - "Alta" and "Space Ark"
Lights - "Rent"
Marissa Nadler - "Saunders Ferry Lane"
Mors Principum Est - "Pure"
Red Handed Denial - "Father Said" and "Carbon Copies"
Shape of Despair - "Dissolution"
Spiritbox - "Hysteria"
Sylvaine - "Mono No Aware" and "Everything Must Come To An End"
Zola Jesus - "Undertow"
Lots of others on the periphery, possibly another play away from rocketing up my lists.
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At the moment:
1. Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
2. Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
3. Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side - Miles From Nowhere
4. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
5. The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
6. The Tangent - Songs From the Hard Shoulder
7. Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
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2022 releases for me so far:
Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
Marillion - An Hour Before It’s Dark
Kite Parade - Letting Go
D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Retreat From Moscow - The World We Used To Know
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Some really good stuff in the first quarter of the year already!
Only things I have to add to this list right now:
Fernando Perdomo - Out to Sea 4
Fernando Perdomo - Jangle
Anticipated releases later this year: new David Longdon, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, King's X, Peter Gabriel (hopefully).
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Updated to a top 35. No surprises that Coheed are sat at the top of my list. That album is 100% locked in, but everything else is likely to move a little bit...
1. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
3. Frank Turner - FTHC
4. Rammstein - Zeit
5. Ghost - Impera
6. The Flatliners - New Ruin
7. Venom Prison - Erebos
8. White Ward - False Light
9. Kirk Hammett - Portals
10. The Interrupters - In the Wild
11. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
12. Kreator - Hate Über Alles
13. Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
14. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
15. Persefone - Metanoia
16. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
17. Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island
18. The Lazy Eyes - SongBook
19. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
20. Moontooth - Phototroph
21. Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
22. Wilderun - Epigone
23. Messa - Close
24. Gnome - King
25. Hot Water Music - Feel the Void
26. Arch Enemy - Deceivers
27. Alexisonfire - Otherness
28. Ibaraki - Rashomon
29. Dir en Grey - Phalaris
30. Dream Widow - Dream Widow
31. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - The Harvest
32. Somali Yacht Club - The Space
33. Hangman's Chair - A Loner
34. Foxtails - Fawn
35. Hällas - Isle of Wisdom
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Top five so far:
1: Ibaraki - Rashomon
2: Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
3: death's dynamic shroud.wmv - Transcendence Bot
4: Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
5: Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
Already a better year than 2021 for me, and there's still a handful of releases in the next couple months I'm looking forward to.
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Not in any order..faves so far.
AOTY...Bomber-Nocturnal Creatures
Lords Of The Trident-The Offering
Riverwood-Shadows And Flames
Hammerfall-Hammer Of Dawn
Dawn Of Solace-Flames Of Perdition
Michael Monroe-I Live Too Fast To Die Young
Voodoma-Hellbound
Ereb Altor-Vargtimman
Saxon-Carpe Diem
The Silent Wedding-Ego Path
Lost Domain-Merchant Of Emotions
Cleanbreak s/t
Among These Ashes-Dominion Enthroned
Zero Hour-Agenda 21
The Mist From The Mountains-Monumental-The Temple Of Twilight
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If you guys need help with a list of what has come out this year, and what's is going to come out, check this album:
https://ibb.co/album/Q3Wk7n
I'll update it again by November 2022.
:metal
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After seeing Parkway Drive the other night, their new album Darker Still is going to do some damage in my current rankings. Not sure where it will land yet. Also need to add in Porcupine Tree and Blind Guardian since my last update.
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I haven't spent quite as much time listening to '22 music in the past couple months since my last post. I'm kind of behind on new releases, and I'm not sure whether I'll really catch up or not, so many other listening projects in the fire lately. Main changes/additions:
*Kate Havnevik's Lightship is probably #1 now.
*Soilwork's Overgivenheten is in the mix for the second tier, with "Vultures" being in the top 25 songs.
*Revocation's Netherheaven is in tier 2, with "Galleries of Morbid Artistry" in the top 25 songs.
*Oceans of Slumber's Starlight and Ash is in tier 2. I imagine it'll be a sleeper (har har), and could be substantially higher by the end of the year.
*Dreadnought's The Endless is probably lower tier 1, with "Liminal Veil" and "The Paradigm Mirror" probably as top 25 songs.
*Tedeschi Trucks Band has 4 albums out this year, at least one of them is somewhere in the mix, with "Hear My Dear" as a standout track.
*Pure Reason Revolution's Above Cirrus is rising, particularly due to "Lucid".
*Kingfisher Sky's Walk the Plank EP is soaring, almost every track has a top 25 case.
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Update for the end of 2022's third quarter - No particular order within the groups below.
Current Top-tier:
Ghost - Impera
Wilderun - Epigone
Amorphis - Halo
Dawn of Solace - Flames of Perdition
Messa - Close
Halo Effect - Days of the Lost
Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying...And the Dead!
Other notable albums:
(Many with the potential to "move up" as they get more listens)
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
Arð - Take Up My Bones
Eight Bells - Legacy of Ruin
Godless Truth - Godless Truth
Kvaen - The Great Below
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Pt.2
Nite - Voices of the Kronian Moon
Audrey Horne - Devil's Bell
Rammstein - Zeit
Moon Tooth - Phototroph
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait
Sylvaine - Nova
Kardashev - Liminal Rite
Black Map - Melodoria
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II
Blind Guardian - The God Machine
White Ward - False Light
Satan - Earth Infernal
Saor - Origins
My Sleeping Karma - Atma
A-Z - A-Z
Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
Darkest Era - Wither on the Vine
Other albums I liked - streaming, not purchased yet:
(some of them will be soon)
Tersivel - To the Orphic Void
Frank Turner - FTHC
GGGOLDDD - This shame should not be mine
Stabbing Westward - Chasing Ghosts
Lords of the Trident - The Offering
Tomarum - Ashes in Realms of Stone Icons
Famyne - II: The Ground Below
Iris Divine - Mercurial
Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
Seven Kingdoms - Zenith
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Cleanbreak - Coming Home
Early Moods - Early Moods
Eruption - Tellurian Rupture
Phantom Spell - Immortal's Requiem
Species - To Find Deliverance
Trial - Feed the Fire
An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Miscreance - Convergence
Spiritus Mortis - The Great Seal
Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
Algebra - Chiroptera
Crone - Gotta Light?
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Been some great albums released since I last updated so here we go. There are plenty of others I'm not ready to rank yet but this settled on a top 40. Bit of movement going on but the top 10 is pretty much unchanged. Got high hopes for new Devin Townsend but not sure what else is coming this year that might crack that top 10.
Oh and King Gizzard's final (but also possibly not) release of the year, this Friday.
1. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
3. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
4. The Mars Volta - The Mars Volta
5. Frank Turner - FTHC
6. Rammstein - Zeit
7. Ghost - Impera
8. The Flatliners - New Ruin
9. Venom Prison - Erebos
10. White Ward - False Light
11. Kirk Hammett - Portals
12. Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying...and The Dead!
13. Machine Head - Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn
14. The Interrupters - In the Wild
15. Kreator - Hate Über Alles
16. Sigh - Shiki
17. Persefone - Metanoia
18. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
19. Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
20. The Lazy Eyes - SongBook
21. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim
22. Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
23. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
24. Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island
25. Lamb of God - Omens
26. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
27. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
28. PUP - The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
29. Moontooth - Phototroph
30. Civilians - Civilians
31. Asunojokei - Island
32. Wilderun - Epigone
33. Messa - Close
34. Gnome - King
35. Hot Water Music - Feel the Void
36. Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
37. Arch Enemy - Deceivers
38. Alexisonfire - Otherness
39. Ibaraki - Rashomon
40. Dir en Grey - Phalaris
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Wow, I didn't realize that Cave In had a new album. I'll have to give that a spin tomorrow.
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Wow, I didn't realize that Cave In had a new album. I'll have to give that a spin tomorrow.
I'm not a huge or anything, but it is really good.
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Not much time left in 2022 and I don't expect surprises in the remaining days.
As it stands now QR will be my AOY. Never expected such a thing.
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Not much time left in 2022 and I don't expect surprises in the remaining days.
As it stands now QR will be my AOY. Never expected such a thing.
Still to come ....
Threshold
Disturbed
Epica
Mercenary (supposedly)
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I think I overdosed on new calendar year music in '20 and '21. I remember in particular last November-December I listened to probably 75% just '22 music. It was too much. I've still listened to a fair amount this year, but much less than those two years. There are still a few releases I want to check out, and a number I need to revisit, but I'm happy enough with what I've already listened to at this point. I need to update my release dates, but the upcoming albums that have the most potential to make big waves on my end of year list are Remina and David Maxim Micic.
Mercenary (supposedly)
Where are you seeing a release date on this? I know they've released a couple singles and were in the studio last month, but I can't find anything official about when it's coming out in a quick search. And given that the first single was 2-3 years ago, and it's been almost a decade since the previous album, I'm not holding my breath.
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I think I overdosed on new calendar year music in '20 and '21. I remember in particular last November-December I listened to probably 75% just '22 music. It was too much. I've still listened to a fair amount this year, but much less than those two years. There are still a few releases I want to check out, and a number I need to revisit, but I'm happy enough with what I've already listened to at this point. I need to update my release dates, but the upcoming albums that have the most potential to make big waves on my end of year list are Remina and David Maxim Micic.
Mercenary (supposedly)
Where are you seeing a release date on this? I know they've released a couple singles and were in the studio last month, but I can't find anything official about when it's coming out in a quick search. And given that the first single was 2-3 years ago, and it's been almost a decade since the previous album, I'm not holding my breath.
Me either... it's likely a snowball's chance in hell. I guess "recording" in 2022 is much different than "releasing".
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mercenary-album-recording-2022#/
Last update was a few weeks back - not much on the recording, but at least they're still regularly active with the backers.
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Not much time left in 2022 and I don't expect surprises in the remaining days.
As it stands now QR will be my AOY. Never expected such a thing.
Still to come ....
Threshold
Disturbed
Epica
Mercenary (supposedly)
I forgot about Disturbed, Epica could be good but I doubt Disturbed breaks my top 10. Threshold I haven't been following, but I'll have to check it out.
I still have a few albums on my list for this year that are already out and I haven't lsitened to in full:
Gwar - The New Dark Ages
The Interrupters - In The Wild
Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying... and the Dead!
Devin Townsend - Lightworks
Sleeping with Sirens - Complete Collapse
I don't know if I'll get to all them this year. My list is around 25 so far and I'm pretty sure my top 5 are solid and not going to change, but who knows?
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New Interrupters is pretty good dude. It may end up making my top 10, but great album regardless.
GWAR was OK but don't think I went back for a second listen.
New Megadeth is obviously very good, and kinda continues to grow on me (although I've been on a huge Megadeth kick this year).
Devin Townsend underwhelmed me but its growing after each listen. Make sure you listen to Nightwork as well!
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2022 releases for me so far:
Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
Marillion - An Hour Before It’s Dark
Kite Parade - Letting Go
D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Retreat From Moscow - The World We Used To Know
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Some really good stuff in the first quarter of the year already!
Only things I have to add to this list right now:
Fernando Perdomo - Out to Sea 4
Fernando Perdomo - Jangle
Anticipated releases later this year: new David Longdon, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, King's X, Peter Gabriel (hopefully).
This has turned out to be a pretty busy year for new releases after all. Additions since my last post:
Ryo Okumoto - The Myth of Mostrophus
Tim Bowness - Butterfly Mind
Dim Gray - Firmament
King's X - Three Sides of One
Eric Johnson - The Book of Making/Yesterday Meets Today
PJ Moore & Co. - When A Good Day Comes
David Longdon - Door One
Also in the live and reissue categories:
Big Big Train - Summer Shall Not Fade
Marillion - Holidays in Eden (Deluxe Edition)
Tim Bowness & Giancarlo Erra - Memories of Machines
Still waiting for the new Sweet Billy Pilgrim which hit a production delay but is coming later this month. Guessing the new Peter Gabriel is not coming this year since they've announced a tour for next year but not a release date with 7 weeks to got this year.
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New Interrupters is pretty good dude. It may end up making my top 10, but great album regardless.
GWAR was OK but don't think I went back for a second listen.
New Megadeth is obviously very good, and kinda continues to grow on me (although I've been on a huge Megadeth kick this year).
Devin Townsend underwhelmed me but its growing after each listen. Make sure you listen to Nightwork as well!
I saw the first three mentioned bands over the summer and heard some of the new stuff, it was all good, but none blew me away to prioritize those albums. I LOVE Devin but everything I had sampled of the album just hasn't been for me, but I haven't given the full album a proper listen. I'll probably check out Lightwork and Nightwork before the others mentioned.
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Aside from two upcoming anniversary box sets, there's only two more new albums left of interest for me to be released this year (Bruce Springsteen and Threshold). Then I can kind of wrap up this release year.
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Not much time left in 2022 and I don't expect surprises in the remaining days.
As it stands now QR will be my AOY. Never expected such a thing.
Still to come ....
Threshold
Disturbed
Epica
Mercenary (supposedly)
Don't forget Nemophila's dropping 12/14
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Not much time left in 2022 and I don't expect surprises in the remaining days.
As it stands now QR will be my AOY. Never expected such a thing.
Still to come ....
Threshold
Disturbed
Epica
Mercenary (supposedly)
Don't forget Nemophila's dropping 12/14
also 11/15 (same day the full film hits YouTube).
(https://scontent.ffcm1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/311948510_549576603642594_5866520456128960081_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=UkdI2wRZSEcAX8jHkmc&tn=M0ozK8dxGZIQfeiS&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-2.fna&oh=00_AfBfTMn3O6paip6_YF1WGFY3BGGPoBU5jxqLWg4QuxhU4Q&oe=636E97E5)
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It says a lot that in a year with a new Porcupine Tree album, a new Marillion album and a new Devin Townsend album, my Album Of The Year is probably The Tipping Point by Tears for Fears.
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It says a lot that in a year with a new Porcupine Tree album, a new Marillion album and a new Devin Townsend album, my Album Of The Year is probably The Tipping Point by Tears for Fears.
The Tipping Point seems to get better every time I come back to it. Not sure if I like it better than the new Marillion album or not, but it's up there in the running for sure.
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My 2022 Albums of the Year List:
Went over this on YouTube (1-Hour Tour) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxgXhivfERs)
LPs
1.Gospel - The Loser
2 Dirt Poor Robins - Queen of the Night
3 Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories
4 The Family Crest - The War: Act II
5 Midlake - For the Sake of Bethel Woods
6 The Dear Hunter - Antimai
7 Major Parkinson - Valesa - Chapter I: Velvet Prison
8 The Warning - ERROR
9 Team Me - Something in the Making
10 Umphrey's McGee - Asking for a Friend
11 Warpaint - Radiate Like This
12 Cloud Cult - Metamorphosis
13 Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
14 Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
15 Archive - Call to Arms & Angels
16 Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
17 Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
18 Evan Konrad - Denial
19 Disillusion - Ayam
20 Von Hertzen Brothers - Red Alert in the Blue Forest
21 King's X - Three Sides of One
22 Foals - Life Is Yours
23 Sloan - Steady
24 Everything Everything - Raw Data Feel
25 Nordic Giants - Symbiosis
26 Long Distance Calling - Eraser
27 King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
28 Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
29 Sound & Shape - Disaster Machine
30 The Barnum Meserve - Designs
31 Cats in Space - Kickstart the Sun
32 Bjørn Riis - Everything to Everyone
33 jennylee - Heart Tax
34 Snarky Puppy - Empire Central
35 Tachys - Tachys
36 Markéta Irglová - Lila
37 A-Z - A-Z
38 Muse - Will of the People
39 Zero Hour - Agenda 21
40 black midi - Hellfire
41 Bubblemath - Turf Ascension
42 Grimus - Abandonic
43 The Mars Volta - The Mars Volta
44 Ty Tabor - Shades
45 Dan Moxon - All My Friends
46 Bloc Party - Alpha Games
47 Skeleton Staff - Malapropism
48 Maraton - Unseen Color
49 The Gathering - Beautiful Distortion
50 Kings of Mercia - Kings of Mercia
51 Courtney Swain - Silver Lining
52 Josh Rouse - Going Places
53 Persefone - Metanoia
54 Matt O'Leary - Dichotomania
55 Chrome Canyon - Director
EPs
1 Typhoon - Underground Complex No. 1
2 Gospel - MVDM: The Magical Volumes Vol. 1: The Magick Volume of Dark Madder or the Magic Volume of Dark Matter
3 The Lickerish Quartet - Threesome Vol. 3
4 Oldster - The Sun Destroyers
5 Bjørn Riis - A Fleeting Glimpse
6 Lines in the Sky - Insight
Haven't Heard
Black Map - Melodoria
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt
Jethro Tull - The Zealot Gene
King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard - Butterfly 3001
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Made in Timeland
Eric Johnson - The Book of Making
Eric Johnson - Yesterday Meets Today
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
James LaBrie - Beautiful Shade Of Gray
Motorpsycho - Ancient Astronauts
Ryo Okumoto - The Myth Of The Monstrophus
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Punch Brothers - Hell on Church Street
Russian Circles - Gnosis
Antoinio Sanchez - SHIFT (Bad Hombre, Vol. II)
Crippled Black Phoenix - Banefyre
The Midnight - Heroes
Reissues/Archive releases
dredg - Leitmotif [20th Anniversary Vinyl]
Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True (Vinyl)
KMG Archive Series: N.R.G. - Live at Keystone
KMG Archive Series - Kevin Gilbert and Mickey Sorey - Beer Jam 2
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (Vinyl Reissue)
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Marillion - An Hour Before Its Dark
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Amorphis - Halo
Bloodywood - Rakshak
Band-Maid - Unleash
Aoty frontrunner is still Allegaeon - Damnum, but Nemophila - Seize the Fate will probably snatch that title, four singles already released and they're 3/4 kicking ass.
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@SoundscapeMN, you need to get on those King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard releases.
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I've only got 3 more albums due to release this year, by Weezer, NOFX and Misþyrming. Not expecting any to make my top 20, but theoretically possible.
So for now, here's my provisional top 20. No 5 star albums this year, but a whole bunch of 9/10s and many many 8/10s.
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
2. A.A. Williams - As the Moon Rests
3. Markéta Irglová - Lila
4. Soilwork - Övergivenheten
5. Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
6. Frank Turner - FTHC
7. Disillusion - Ayam
8. Actor|Observer - Songs for the Newly Reclusive
9. Amorphis - Halo
10. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
11. Devin Townsend - Lightwork
12. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
13. D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
14. Ghost - Impera
15. Threshold - Dividing Lines
16. Andy Gillion - Arcade Metal
17. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
18. Röyksopp - Profound Mysteries I-III
19. The Longest Johns - Smoke & Oakum
20. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
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Super loose order, my priority hasn't been on '22 music as much the last few months, and there's a lot going on in the next month, so we'll see what happens with it.
1. David Maxim Micic - Bilo IV
2. Kate Havnevik - Lightship
3. Remina - Strata
4. Red Handed Denial - I'd Rather Be Asleep
5. Giant Walker - All in Good Time
6. Sylvaine - Nova
7. Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
8. Emily Jane White - Alluvion
9. Darkher - The Buried Storm
10. Morphide - Anhedonia
11. Dreadnought - The Endless
12. Zola Jesus - Arkhon
13. Autumn's Grey Solace - Therium
14. A.A. Williams - As the Moon Rests
15. Frayle - Skin & Sorrow
16. Messa - Close
17. White Ward - False Light
18. Ashes of Ares - Emperors and Fools
19. Shape of Despair - Return To the Void
20. Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
21. Dream Unending - Song of Salvation
22. Revocation - Netherheaven
23. Soilwork - Overgivenheten
24. Amorphis - Halo
25. Star One - Revel in Time
26. Tedeschi Trucks Band - I Am the Moon: I. Crescent
27. Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
28. Demonical - Mass Destroyer
29. Nightrage - Abyss Rising
30. Depressed Mode - Decade of Silence
31. Miseration - Black Miracles and Dark Wonders
32. Kaipa - Urskog
33. Bjork - Fossora
34. Setyoursails - Nightfall
35. Entrails - An Eternal Time of Decay
36. Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait: The Orphean Testament
EPs:
1. Kingfisher Sky - Walk the Plank
2. Spiritbox - Rotoscope
3. Vila - Liminal Space
3. Sara Gazarek - Vanity
4. Hanging Garden - Neither Moth Nor Rust
5. Marissa Nadler - The Wrath of the Clouds
6. Purity Ring - Graves
7. Frou Frou - Off Cuts
8. Emma Ruth Rundle - Orpheus Looking Back
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Coheed and Cambria not even getting a look in? For shame.
Looking at that I can send exclusively 2022 releases in your upcoming roulette and take home the prize :tup
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His voice put me off when I checked them out a long time ago, but, it was a long time ago... Probably time for a revisit at some point.
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His voice put me off when I checked them out a long time ago, but, it was a long time ago... Probably time for a revisit at some point.
It's what most people struggle with but I love it. Do you remember what album you checked out?
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Good Apollo...Volume Two, probably, when it came out. It's still sitting on one of my music hard drives. I've heard other songs here and there as well, but nothing that recently. The closest was the Minutes To Midnight cover of a Rush song he did with Danny Carey and some others a couple years ago.
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I don't think I have anything left for 2022 release wise so here is how my end of year list shakes out:
1. Black Map - Melodoria - 5/5
2. James LaBrei - Beautiful Shade Of Grey - 4.5/5 - Really surprised by how good this album was
3. Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - 4.5/5 - Loved this album from jump where as Kendrick's past two albums took time to grow on me
4. Steve Vai - Inviolate - 4/5 - My Favorite Vai album
5. Wet Leg - Wet Leg - 3.5/5
6. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings - 3/5
7. Ludovico Einaudi - Underwater - 3/5
8. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation[/i] - 3/5
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimted Love - 3/5
10. The Weeknd - Dawn FM - 3/5
11. 3rd Secret - 3rd Secret - 2.5/5
12. Korn - Requiem - 2.5/5
13. Joe Satriani - The Elephants Of Mars - 2.5/5
14. Brandon Boyd - Echoes And Cocoons - 2/5 - I was hoping this would be good but it was lackluster at best
15. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum - 2/5
16. D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika - 2/5
17. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika - 2/5
18. Andy McKee - Pulse - 2/5
19. Von Hertzen Brothers - Red Alert In The Blue Forest - 1.5/5
20. Muse - Will Of The People - 1/5 - Pretty bad album start to finish
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Albums I know I can rank:
1a. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
1b. Meshuggah - Immutable
3. Simon Phillips - Protocol V
4. Stabbing Westard - Chasing Ghosts
5. North Lane - Obsidian
6. Derek Sherinian - Vortex
7. Lost in Kiev - Rupture
8. Bonobo - Fragments
Others I can’t rank yet:
Allegaeon - Damnum
Astodan - Evora
Astrosaur - Portals
Burial - Antidawn
Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
The Comet is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
Crown Compass - The Drought
Darkane - Inhuman Spirits
Despot - Pass of Change
Distance - Everything in Exchange for Nothing
Joystick - The Landing
Long Distance Calling - Eraser
Marillion - An Hour Before It’s Dark
Mother of Millions - Others EP
O.R.k - Screamnasium
OK Wait - Well
Persefone- Metanoia
Revocation - Netherheaven
Russian Circles - Gnosis
Rolo Tomassi - When Myth Becomes Memory
SOM - The Shape of Everything
Still Motions - syn-the-sis
Sunbleed - Amphitrite
Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point
Thornhill - Heroine
Toundra - Hex
Turpentine Valley - Alder
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Will update if something sneaks in at the last minute but this should be pretty solid. This year was great enough that I'll make a top ten!
1: Ibaraki - Rashomon (progressive metal, black metal)
2: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava (psychedelic rock, jazz rock)
3: Cave In - Heavy Pendulum (alternative metal, sludge metal)
4: death's dynamic shroud - Transcendence Bot (vaporwave, electronic rock)
5: Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture (avant-garde metal, black metal)
6: Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation (progressive rock / metal)
7: Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus (progressive rock)
8: David Maxim Micic - Bilo IV (progressive rock / metal)
9: An Abstract Illusion - Woe (progressive metal, death metal)
10: Celldweller - Satellites (electronic / industrial metal)
Honorable mentions:
Devin Townsend - Lightwork (progressive rock)
death's dynamic shroud - Midnight Tangerine (synthpop)
Asunojokei - Island (blackgaze)
Best EP:
Greet Death - New Low (shoegaze, slowcore)
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I really need to get to that Celldweller album.
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I really need to get to that Celldweller album.
It definitely grew on me. On one hand, it’s corny as hell even for his standards and more metal-focused than I’d ideally want from him, as I think he’s generally better when he sticks to a more hard rock level of intensity. But it also has the least amount of filler of any Celldweller album I’ve beard.
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Interesting, the '03 s/t is my gold standard for him. I don't think it has much filler, it's one of my favorite albums in general. I'm just glad he's still releasing albums occasionally and not just remix #741 for x video game I've never heard of.
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I actually haven’t listened to the s/t yet. I will at some point.
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Wow, it's like being into NIN but not having heard The Downward Spiral.
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@SoundscapeMN, you need to get on those King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard releases.
I've got to the point with them when are I just will randomly pick 1 album of theirs to checkout. Omnium Gatherum, from the early reviews, seemed to be best one based on my tastes.
I mean I have listened to probably 5 or 6 of their albums, which given they have 23 albums (per rateyourmusic at least https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/king-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard) after forming the band in 2010. That means I have yet to even check out 17 or 18 of their albums.
Plus their music is hit and miss for me. Polygonwanaland I really enjoy, and Omnium Gatherum is fun, although I still have some reservations about the production being a little hot on it.
I mean among the other 4 albums they put out this year, which one is worth my time? I have heard some good things about "Changes," per someone I know on YouTube has been addicted to it.
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I mean among the other 4 albums they put out this year, which one is worth my time?
The one that's on my list. ;D
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I'm ready to post my final summary of the music year 2022.
My Top 10 Albums of 2022:
D'Virgilio Morse Jennings - Troika
Ghost - Impera
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Liam Gallagher - C'mon You Know
Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
Queensrÿche - Digital Noise Alliance
David Longdon - Door One
Threshold - Dividing Lines
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9
Honorable mentions:
Jethro Tull - The Zealot Gene
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
James LaBrie - Beautiful Shade Of Gray
The Halo Effect - Days Of The Lost
Bruce Springsteen - Only The Strong Survive
Nothing In Writing - New Lives For Rent
My Top 10 Songs of 2022:
D'Virgilio Morse Jennings - Everything I Am
D'Virgilio Morse Jennings - Another Trip Around The Sun
Ghost - Kaisarion
Liam Gallagher - Everything's Electric
Big Big Train - Made From Sunshine
Threshold - King Of Nothing
The Flower Kings - The Great Pretender
The Halo Effect - Shadowminds
The Halo Effect - Gateways
Ozzy Osbourne - Mr Darkness
Bands/artists I've either discovered, or already knew about but explored their discography in more detail, this year:
Alice Cooper (his 1976-1984 period)
Big Big Train (probably my most listened to band of this year)
Blondie
Blue Öyster Cult (thanks, Kev)
The Cars
IQ
Best reissues/box sets of 2022:
The Beatles - Revolver (Super Deluxe Edition)
Kiss - Creatures Of The Night (40th Anniversary Box Set)
The Beach Boys - Sail On Sailor 1972
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Updated 2022 releases for me:
Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
Marillion - An Hour Before It’s Dark
Kite Parade - Letting Go
D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Retreat From Moscow - The World We Used To Know
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Fernando Perdomo - Out to Sea 4
Fernando Perdomo - Jangle
Ryo Okumoto - The Myth of Mostrophus
Tim Bowness - Butterfly Mind
Dim Gray - Firmament
King's X - Three Sides of One
Eric Johnson - The Book of Making/Yesterday Meets Today
PJ Moore & Co. - When A Good Day Comes
David Longdon - Door One
Esthesis - Watching Worlds Collide
Nothing in Writing - New Lives for Rent
Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Somapolis
Live and reissue categories:
Big Big Train - Summer Shall Not Fade
Marillion - Holidays in Eden (Deluxe Edition)
Tim Bowness & Giancarlo Erra - Memories of Machines
With Sweet Billy Pilgrim in, that's the last of the highly anticipated releases for me. And it's a strong candidate for album of the year too. Most likely top 10 (in order I heard them, not ranked yet):
1. Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
2. D'Virgilo, Morse & Jennings - Troika
3. Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
4. Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
5. Kite Parade - The Way Home
6. Dim Gray - Firmament
7. Eric Johnson - The Book of Making/Yesterday Meets Today
8. PJ Moore & Co. - When A Good Day Comes
9. David Longdon - Door One
10. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Somapolis.
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I separate things into two categories ... Purchased, and Saved (on Spotify). I try to limit myself to 25 purchases, and be disciplined enough to only save 25 on Spotify (because, really... I just don't have time to go back to them very often, so the album needs to wow me in order to save it). I've failed miserably at the latter so far this year - there's a lot of REALLY EXCELLENT release (for my tastes. I haven't done a final ranking yet, but here's what I got (largely in chronological order)
Purchases:
The Ferrymen / One More River to Cross
Lalu / Paint the Sky
Evergrey / Before the Aftermath
D'Virglio, Morse, Jennings / Troika
Star One / Revel In Time
Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side / Miles From Nowhere
Michael Romeo / War of the Worlds Pt II
Altzi / All Eyes on Me
Jani Limatainen / My Father's Son
Gladenfold / Nemesis
Evergrey / A Heartless Portrait
Spheric Universe Experience / Back Home
Seventh Wonder / The Testament
Dovorian / Kneel and Follow
A-Z / A-Z
Virtual Symmetry / Virtual Symmetry
Stratovarious / Survive
Borealis / Illusions
Teramaze / Flight of the Wounded
Evership / The Uncrowned King: Act 2
Threshold / Dividing Lines
Saved:
Kissin Dynamite / Not the End of the Road
Agarthic / The Inner Side
Floor Jansen / Live in Amsterdam
Degreed / Are You Ready
Kalle Wallner / Voices
Serious Black / Vengeance is Mine
New Horizon / Gate of the Gods
Zadra / Guiding Star
Girish and the Chronicles / Hail to the Heroes
Ronnie Atkins / Make it Count
Knight Area / D-Day II: The Final Chapter
Shining Black / Postcards from the Edge of the World
Nasson / Scars
Autumn's Child / Zenith
Bomber / Nocturnal Creatures
Kingcrown / Wake Up Call
Poison Rose / Little Bang Theory
Neil Zaza / Vermeer
Jeff Scott Soto / Complicated
Crashdiet / Automation
Skills / Different Worlds
Edge of Forever / Seminole
City of Lights / Before the Sun Sets
Junkyard Drive / Electric Love
Cleanbreak / Coming Home
Thundermother / Black and Gold
Rust 'n' Rage / One for the Road
Dynazty / Final Advent
Giant / Shifting Time
Queensryche / Digital Noise Alliance
Royal Hunt / Dystopia Pt 2
Sede Vacante / Conium
Freternia / The Final Stand
Galderia / Endless Horizon
Jason Richardson / II
Captain Blackbeard / Neon Sunrise
Sarayasign / Throne of Gold
Enemy Eyes / History's Hand
Nicklas Sonne / Resonance
Journey / Live in Concert at Lollapalooza
Still TBD:
Sinner / Brotherhood
Cats in Space / Kickstart the Sun
Journey / Freedom
Ellefson-Soto / Vacation in the Underworld
Alter Bridge / Pawns and Kings
Mantric Momentum / Trial By Fire
Induction / Born From Fire
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3. Markéta Irglová - Lila
:heart
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So I just ran all the albums, that I thought were worth a damn this year, through the ranker. This is what I've come up with. I need to tweak it a bit and there are some albums I want to revisit before the year is out, but this probably won't end up changing too much.
It wasn't until I did this that I realised how far down The Dear Hunter and Devin Townsend had ended up ranking this year. I must admit I'm a bit shocked by how little these two albums have hit me.
1. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
3. The Mars Volta - The Mars Volta
4. Frank Turner - FTHC
5. Ghost - Impera
6. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
7. Rammstein - Zeit
8. The Flatliners - New Ruin
9. Kirk Hammett - Portals
10. Venom Prison - Erebos
11. Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
12. White Ward - False Light
13. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Changes
14. Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying...and The Dead!
15. The Interrupters - In the Wild
16. Machine Head - Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn
17. Disillusion - Ayam
18. Worm - Bluenothing
19. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim
20. Kreator - Hate Über Alles
21. Sigh - Shiki
22. Persefone - Metanoia
23. David Maxim Micic - BILO IV
24. Species - To Find Deliverance
25. The Lazy Eyes - SongBook
26. Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
27. NOFX - Double Album
28. Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island
29. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
30. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
31. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
32. King Buffalo - Regeneration
33. Lamb of God - Omens
34. Dream Unending - Songs of Salvation
35. Devin Townsend - Lightwork
36. Hot Water Music - Feel the Void
37. Sarattma - Escape Velocity
38. Moontooth - Phototroph
39. Asunojokei - Island
40. Civilians - Civilians
41. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
42. The Murlocs - Rapscallion
43. Wilderun - Epigone
44. Aenaon - Mnemosyne
45. PUP - The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
46. Thy Catafalque - Mezolit (Live at Fekete Zaj)
47. In The Woods... - Diversum
48. Messa - Close
49. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
50. Arch Enemy - Deceivers
51. Spirit Adrift - 20 Centuries Gone
52. Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest
53. Norma Jean - Deathrattle Sing for Me
54. Gnome - King
55. Darkthrone - Astral Fortress
56. Chat Pile - God's Country
57. Dreadnought - The Endless
58. Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed
59. Blood Incantation - Timewave Zero
60. Crippled Black Phoenix - Banefyre
61. Dopapod - Dopapod
62. Conjurer - Páthos
63. Yin Yin - The Age of Aquarius
64. Kardashev - Liminal Rite
65. The Hirsch Effekt - Solitaer
66. Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
67. Elder - Innate Passage
68. Gospel - The Loser
69. Chemicide - Common Sense
70. Parius - The Signal Heard Throughout Space
71. Russian Circles - Gnosis
72. Dir en Grey - Phalaris
73. Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
74. Might - Abyss
75. Destrage - SO MUCH. Too much
76. Jamie Lenman - The Atheist
77. Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality
78. Ibaraki - Rashomon
79 Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Night Gnomes
80. Alexisonfire - Otherness
81. Meshuggah - Immutable
82. Fallujah - Empyrean
83. Decapitated - Cancer Culture
84. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
85. Satyr - Totem
86. Revocation - Netherheaven
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My top 15 favorite albums of the year:
1. Queensryche “Digital Noise Alliance”
2. Alter Bridge “Pawns & Kings”
3. Porcupine Tree “Closure/Continuation”
4. Slash w Myles Kennedy “4”
5. Halestorm “Back From The Dead”
6. Disturbed “Divisive'”
7. Muse “Will of The People”
8. Derek Sherinian - “Vortex”
9. Ghost “Impera”
10. Ozzy Osbourne “Patient Number 9”
11. The Dead Daisies “Radiance”
12. Saxon “Carpe Diem”
13. Shinedown “Planet Zero”
14. Scorpions “Rock Believer”
15. Ann Wilson “Fierce Bliss”
Honorable mentions:
16. Def Leppard “Diamond Star Halos”
17. Ryo Okumoto “The Myth Of The Mostrophus”
18. James LaBrie “A Beautiful Shade of Grey”
....and many disappointments too :tdwn
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hmm let me throw together a top 10 just for the sake of having it counted, haven't fully dug into absolutely everything this year and this isn't final but it's good enough :lol
#1: Aethereus - Leiden
#2: An Abstract Illusion - Woe
#3: Wiegedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the Road
#4: Gang of Youths - Angel in Realtime
#5: Midnight Odyssey - Echoes of the Thalassic Deep
#6: Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
#7: Am Himmel - As Eternal as the Starless Kingdom of Sorrow
#8: Beyoncé - Renaissance
#9: Gospel - The Loser
#10: Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
y'know what this was a pretty good year for albums if my non-finalized top 10 still looks this good :corn
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Haven’t listen to a lot of new stuff (as has been the case in the last 5 years as well), but here’s a top 5:
1. Wilderun - Epigone
2. Major Parkinson - Valesa Chapter I: Velvet Prison
3. The Mars Volta - s/t
4. Gabriel Kahane - Magnificent Bird
5. Julian Lage - View with a Room
Something like this, I guess.
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Yikes Luke, are you '20-'21 me? ;) How many albums total have you heard this year?
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Yikes Luke, are you '20-'21 me? ;) How many albums total have you heard this year?
I've checked out a lot. I try to keep up with new releases every Friday, and I'd say on average that is like 3 new releases a week. Some of those ranked above have only had one listen but the majority have at least 2.
Working from home the last few years has been a game changer for my music consumption :lol
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oh yeah i listen to anywhere between 3-12 new albums a week depending on how dense/interesting the new release crop is, i've definitely heard hundreds of albums this year but only bought about 35-ish i think
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Although I tried to institute a 100 album limit per year a couple years back, I'm currently sitting at 169 albums sampled this year.
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I could add it up from my Last.fm profile but it'd be over 150 easy.
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I unearthed my blog do to a top 10 this year, but I'll save youze all a click...
https://tinglereview.com/2022/12/03/top-10-albums-of-2022/
10 Porcupine Tree – Closure/Continuation
I didn’t really know that I needed Closure or Continuation regarding Porcupine Tree, but then I saw them live at the Met in Philly, and man, turns out I really missed them. Often, bands come back after decades only to release a single mediocre reunion album before returning to obscurity. C/C manages to avoid that tendency. It serves as a reminder of what we liked about PT all along, sure, but it’s also one of their strongest albums yet, and proof that the band have more to say.
9 John Scofield – John Scofield
A warm and inviting solo(?) jazz guitar album that features the masterful playing we’ve come to expect from Scofield, who fills incredible amounts of space despite each song only consisting of a few clean guitar tracks. The sound is not so much “sparse” as it is tasteful and delicate; one of the most pleasant albums I heard in all of 2022.
8 The Weeknd – Dawn FM
The Weeknd builds on his familiar dark-electronic tinged aesthetic with this masterpiece; not only one of his most fully-realized works, but one of the nicest concept albums I’ve heard in several years. It’s the type of album where you can’t listen to it without feeling drawn into the questions posed by the overarching work; and it’s incredible catchy – once you start it, you’ll just want to listen through until the very end.
7 deathcrash – Return
If you’ve got a hankering for a blend of Red House Painters-style Slowcore with American Football-style Midwest Emo, there are no better 2022 albums to turn to. deathcrash nail the aesthetic and the overall sound perfectly, so much so that, with this debut, the instantly became one of my favorite new bands.
6 Julian Lage – View with a Room
Lage’s playing is such a treat to begin with, but “View with a Room” just sounds so good. The compositions cover many different tempos, styles, and moods. And the addition of Bill Frissel as a second guitar player on this record really enhances the depth of the overall atmosphere and sound of each song.
5 DOMI and JD Beck – NOT TiGHT
A fantastic debut from two young prodigies the nails this confluence of neo-soul, nu-jazz, and chillhop influences. A starstudded affair that includes appearances from Thundercat, Herbie Hancock, Anderson.Paak, Snoop Dogg, and even the great Kurt Rosenwinkel. Honestly, with a debut like that, how much better could it possibly get?
4 And So I Watch You From Afar – Jettison
A wonderful song-cycle brimming with nostalgia and sentiment. The sparsely decorated spoken-word sections do just enough to heighten the emotional connotations of the music’s drawn out tensions. And I’m right at home with these post-rock guitars and these strings. Barely a dull moment to be found. There are plenty of post-rock bands, few reach the level of ASIWYFA when they are at the top of their game.
3 Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
Soccer Mommy delivers yet again with another thorough record that is thematically interesting as it is rich with catchy melodies and provocative turns of phrase. Whereas the preceding record, “Color Theory”, explored the shades of grief and depression as related to the color palette , “Sometimes, Forever” looks at the contradictions that have accompanied Sophie Allison’s newfound success: the irony of the continued human struggle, and the loss of personhood that lurks behind one’s burgeoning public life.
2 Black Midi – Hellfire
Black Midi is a force unlike much else. “Hellfire” combines the energy of a punk band with the finesse and artistry of peak Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. I was blown away, at times, with how intense and aggressive this album could sound. Other times, I was swept away by its beauty. With “Hellfire” Black Midi are 3 for 3, cementing themselves as one of the best new bands around.
1 Elephant Gym – Dreams
Elephant Gym have, single-handedly, taken the genre of “math rock” and elevated it not only to the next level but several levels beyond that. Is this even “math rock” anymore? Is it jazz? Is it folk? Is it sample-based music? Throughout the course of the album, you hear all of those influence. You also will hear (I counted) at least 5 languages. I love the diversity of it all. They are so unparalleled in their uniqueness, their approach, and their ability to inspire. And that is why “Dreams” is my favorite album of 2022.
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I spend my Friday afternoons with a few new album tickers. I drop the needle on probably a half dozen albums. I'll sit and listen to the really good ones. I'll Save on Spotify the ones I like, but I'll everything on a text document. I give a * to the ones I Save.
There's like 220 albums on my overall list of things I've sampled. Doesn't mean I've listened front to back on all of them.
I generally keep an upper tier.
Then I'll break the rest out to groups...Modern, Classic Heavy Metal, Harsh, Instrumental, EP's...etc
I did good this year, because usually by the end of the summer, I've stopped adding albums that I check out. My Spotify Library does need a good purge though.
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Yea I have my own system Tim, which isn't too dissimilar to yours. I counted to 200 new albums on last.fm and stopped, but there won't be many more that I missed. That's an average of 4 new albums a week, which I don't think is particularly crazy really,based on the sheer volume music that is released nowadays.
My Spotify playlists also need a good purge to be honest :lol
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I spend my Friday afternoons with a few new album tickers. I drop the needle on probably a half dozen albums. I'll sit and listen to the really good ones. I'll Save on Spotify the ones I like, but I'll everything on a text document. I give a * to the ones I Save.
There's like 220 albums on my overall list of things I've sampled. Doesn't mean I've listened front to back on all of them.
I generally keep an upper tier.
Then I'll break the rest out to groups...Modern, Classic Heavy Metal, Harsh, Instrumental, EP's...etc
I did good this year, because usually by the end of the summer, I've stopped adding albums that I check out. My Spotify Library does need a good purge though.
That's an interesting system Tim, I like it.
I have a master excel spreadsheet of every album I want to listen to, as I go reading the forums and other outlets I'll toss albums on the list. I'll typically listen to 1 or 2 albums front to back daily and rank them on RYM. Songs/albums I like get moved to Spotify. My Spotify playlists are organized by genre so I I can just pick a genre to listen to that day.
If I really love an album I'll buy the physical media of it, usually vinyl if it's available.
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I spend my Friday afternoons with a few new album tickers. I drop the needle on probably a half dozen albums. I'll sit and listen to the really good ones. I'll Save on Spotify the ones I like, but I'll everything on a text document. I give a * to the ones I Save.
There's like 220 albums on my overall list of things I've sampled. Doesn't mean I've listened front to back on all of them.
I generally keep an upper tier.
Then I'll break the rest out to groups...Modern, Classic Heavy Metal, Harsh, Instrumental, EP's...etc
I did good this year, because usually by the end of the summer, I've stopped adding albums that I check out. My Spotify Library does need a good purge though.
That's an interesting system Tim, I like it.
I have a master excel spreadsheet of every album I want to listen to, as I go reading the forums and other outlets I'll toss albums on the list. I'll typically listen to 1 or 2 albums front to back daily and rank them on RYM. Songs/albums I like get moved to Spotify. My Spotify playlists are organized by genre so I I can just pick a genre to listen to that day.
If I really love an album I'll buy the physical media of it, usually vinyl if it's available.
I'm glad to part of a community where this is considered normal :lol
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I think people would faint if they saw mine.
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Ok, not a busy year for me, but my final top five....
5- Band-Maid - Unleash!
4- Marillion - An Hour Before Its Dark
3- Lalu - Paint the Sky
2- Nemophila - Seize the Fate
1- Allegaeon - Damnum
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I have a very hard time rating music unless I've heard it enough, like at least 5 times. I don't have the desire to listen to 100+ albums honestly. I need to check out Nemophila, but I may not get to it before the end of the year. So this could be my final rankings:
Bad Omens - THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND
Seventh Wonder - The Testament
Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
Ghost - Impera
Parkway Drive - Darker Still
Set It Off - Elsewhere
Stratovarius - Survive
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
Alestorm - Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum
Dirty Heads - Midnight Control
Blind Guardian - The God Machine
James Labrie - Beautiful Shade of Grey
Sabaton - The War to End All Wars
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
Seven Kingdoms - Zenith
Slipknot - The End, So Far
Rammstein - Zeit
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Devin Townsend - Lightwork
Porcupine Tree - Closer / Continuation
Wilderun - Epigone
A Day to Remember - You're Welcome
Scorpions - Rock Believer
Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen
Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos
Skillet - Dominion
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I spend my Friday afternoons with a few new album tickers. I drop the needle on probably a half dozen albums. I'll sit and listen to the really good ones. I'll Save on Spotify the ones I like, but I'll everything on a text document. I give a * to the ones I Save.
There's like 220 albums on my overall list of things I've sampled. Doesn't mean I've listened front to back on all of them.
I generally keep an upper tier.
Then I'll break the rest out to groups...Modern, Classic Heavy Metal, Harsh, Instrumental, EP's...etc
I did good this year, because usually by the end of the summer, I've stopped adding albums that I check out. My Spotify Library does need a good purge though.
That's an interesting system Tim, I like it.
I have a master excel spreadsheet of every album I want to listen to, as I go reading the forums and other outlets I'll toss albums on the list. I'll typically listen to 1 or 2 albums front to back daily and rank them on RYM. Songs/albums I like get moved to Spotify. My Spotify playlists are organized by genre so I I can just pick a genre to listen to that day.
If I really love an album I'll buy the physical media of it, usually vinyl if it's available.
I'm glad to part of a community where this is considered normal :lol
My firm has a profile system that identified my primary trait with the 'catchphrase' "changing the world one spreadsheet at a time"
I have multiple spreadsheets to track my music experiences.
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Top 10
AOTY. Bomber-Nocturnal Creatures
2. Megadeth-The Sick, The Dying, and The Dead
3. Lords Of The Trident-The Offering
4. Michael Monroe-I Live Too Fast To Die Young
5. An Abstract Illusion-Woe
6. Trial-Feed The Fire
7. Riverwood-Shadows And Flames
8. Queensryche-Digital Noise Alliance
9. Saxon-Carpe Diem
10. Ardarith-Home
11-20 (No order..)
Disillusion-Ayam
Entheogen-Transmogrify
Dawn Of Solace-Flames Of Perdition
Ereb Altor-Vargtimman
The Silent Wedding-Ego Path
Lost Domain-Merchant Of Emotions
Cleanbreak s/t
Zero Hour-Agenda 21
Hammerfall-Hammer Of Dawn
Jack Starr's Burning Star-Souls Of The Innocent
Honorable Mentions (No order)
Speres-Helios
Blind Guardian-The God Machine
The Mist From The Mountains-Monumental-The Temple Of Twilight
Tony Martin-Thorns
Spirit Adrift-20 Centuries Gone
Rumours-The Lower We Sink, The Less We Care
Autoneosis-Moon Of Foul Magics
In The Woods-Diversum
Clayshaper-Vampiric
The Palimpsest-Primary
The Halo Effect-Days Of The Lost
A Circus Of Fools-Broadcast from Gen.0
Eldprov-Rift
Voodoma-Hellbound
All The Fury-Layers
Fallujah-Empyreon
Korrosive-Toxic Apokalypse
EPs
1. Phantom Spell-Immortal's Requim
2. Dark Forest-Ridge And Furrow
3. Mourn The Light-Stare Into The Face Of Death
Instrumental
1. Stars Begin To Fall-s/t
2. Mindscape-Different Ways
3. My Consequence s/t
SOTY Michael Monroe-Everybody's Nobody
2. Megadeth-We'll Be Back
3. Bomber-Aurora
4. Ardarith-Enter The Void
5. Riverwood-Dying Light
6. Eldprov-Third Crow
7. An Abstract Illusion-Prosperity
8. Trial-Snare Of The Fowler
9. Disillusion-Abide The Storm
10. Lords Of The Tyrant-Acolyte
Disappointment Of The Year
Michael Schenker Group-Universal
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Late entry onto my list.... Landfall / Elevate.
Brazillion melodic rock... very 80s-like. I mean, not like Night Flight Orchestra 80s-like, but still a nice 80s vibe.
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My top 20 favorite albums of the year
(https://i.imgur.com/ffH16Vo.png)
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Pretty solid list, especially for A.A. Williams and Remina.
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Late entry onto my list.... Landfall / Elevate.
Brazillion melodic rock... very 80s-like. I mean, not like Night Flight Orchestra 80s-like, but still a nice 80s vibe.
Well, this escalated quickly.
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Late entry onto my list.... Landfall / Elevate.
Brazillion melodic rock... very 80s-like. I mean, not like Night Flight Orchestra 80s-like, but still a nice 80s vibe.
Well, this escalated quickly.
I guess for little, good quality, traditional melodic rock gets produced these days, I'm willing to latch on to some of it for a little diversity. This one sounded pretty solid to me. I mean, it's not like it'll be top-10, top-25 or even top-50 of the year, but I might come back to it a few times in my lifetime.
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Pretty solid list, especially for A.A. Williams and Remina.
Thanks ;)
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Here's ten albums for my ten of the year. Not sure or really care on the order but Woe is by far the best album of the year.
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait
Amorphis - Halo
Saxon - Carpe Diem
The Ferrymen - One More River to Cross
Hammerfall - Hammer of Dawn
Evil Invaders - Shattering Reflection
Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying and the Dead
Machine Head - Of Kingdom and Crown
Stratovarius - Survive
Song of the year is An Abstract Illusion - In the Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster.
The Threshold and Avantasia would possibly have a chance of cracking a top 10 but I've haven't been bothered giving them much time.
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The Threshold and Avantasia would possibly have a chance of cracking a top 10 but I've haven't been bothered giving them much time.
Hmmmm... I didn't even bother buying Moonflower Society. I found it to be Avantasia by the numbers. Nothing that stood out, and if I ever replay that again, I'll just be thinking to myself "why am I simply not listening to <insert any other Avantasia album here>?"
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Actually ended up with 150 albums/EPs i listened to this year which is quite a step up from 70 last year. Main reason was getting a job where I can listen to music 6-7 hours extra a day if I feel like it, so really been upping my game. I'll post the top25 here but I'll put the full list in a link below. Overall I would say it's been a great year for music!
1. Black Country New Road - Ants From Up There
2. Black Midi - Hellfire
3. Elephant Gym - Dreams
4. Umphrey's Mcgee - Asking For a Friend
5. Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
6. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
7. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
8. Carly Cosgrove - See You in Chemistry
9. Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
10. Deathcrash - Return
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11. Wilderun - Epigone
12. Beach House - Once Twice Melody
13. Goose - Dripfield
14. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - XI: Bleed Here Now
15. The Comet is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
16. Alvvays - Blue Rev
17. Gospel - The Loser
18. Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes
19. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
20. Asunojokei - Island
21. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
22. Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music in Zion
23. Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality
24. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
25. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Full list here: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Zantera/favorite-albums-of-2022/
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Great list Zantera, plenty of stuff there that I should check out. I've listened to very few new releases this year, I should prob fix that and make my list soon.
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Great list Zantera, plenty of stuff there that I should check out. I've listened to very few new releases this year, I should prob fix that and make my list soon.
You should! It's been a great year. There's albums I placed down in my 60s or 70s that I still liked a fair bit and will return to in the future. Sure the bottom half has some albums that didn't click with me but even closer to the bottom there's still albums that were closer to 'okay' than 'bad'. :)
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My Top 25 of albums that I've listened at least 4-5 times.
1. Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
2. Shape of Despair - Return to the Void
3. Animals as Leaders - Parrhesia
4. Blut aus Nord - Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses
5. Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
6. Hundred Year Old Man - Sleep In Light
7. Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait
8. Brutus - Unison Life
9. Gaerea - Mirage
10. Disillusion - Ayam
11. Celeste - Assassine(s)
12. Remina - Strata
13. Kardashev - Liminal Rite
14. Cobra the Impaler - Colossal Gods
15. Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality
16. Lorna Shore - Pain Remains
17. Terzij de Horde - In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy
18. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
19. White Ward - False Light
20. Fallujah - Empyrean
21. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
22. Amorphis - Halo
23. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
24. Russian Circles - Gnosis
25. Absent in Body - Plague God
Other albums I like but haven't heard enough yet include:
Astronoid
Ithaca
King Buffalo
An Abstract Illusion
Lost Domain
Devin Townsend
Oceans of Slumber
Hiroe
Zeal & Ardor
Wilderun
Silent Skies
Elder
A.A.Williams
Playgrounded
Mizmor & Thou
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The Threshold and Avantasia would possibly have a chance of cracking a top 10 but I've haven't been bothered giving them much time.
Hmmmm... I didn't even bother buying Moonflower Society. I found it to be Avantasia by the numbers. Nothing that stood out, and if I ever replay that again, I'll just be thinking to myself "why am I simply not listening to <insert any other Avantasia album here>?"
Honestly, with the lack of interest I've had this year, I'm just making up the numbers. I thought it was decent, but I haven't returned to it so I guess there's the answer.
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Great list Zantera, plenty of stuff there that I should check out. I've listened to very few new releases this year, I should prob fix that and make my list soon.
You should! It's been a great year. There's albums I placed down in my 60s or 70s that I still liked a fair bit and will return to in the future. Sure the bottom half has some albums that didn't click with me but even closer to the bottom there's still albums that were closer to 'okay' than 'bad'. :)
Cool, I'll prob make a playlist with a song from each of the top 20 albums and check them out.
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Here's what I've gotten so far this year:
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
Star One - Revel In Time
D'Virgilio Morse & Jennings - Troika
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Of those six, I'd say BBT and P-SA are my favorites so far, but the new Marillion is really good too. The one I have neglected so far has been the new Star One, which I've maybe listened to once or twice. I just haven't been in the mood for prog metal lately, but I'm sure I'll give it it's due later this year.
Looking forward, I cannot wait for new albums by Porcupine Tree, The Tangent, Muse, and Ryo Okumoto (whose previous solo album Coming Through, is a favorite of mine). 2022 is shaping up to be another good year of music from bands/artists I love!
-Marc.
Well, in the last three months since my first post in this thread, I've only gotten the new Tangent and PT albums, so not many new ones since then, but I'll go ahead and rank these 8.
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
The Tangent - Songs From The Hard Shoulder
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
D'Virgilio Morse & Jennings - Troika
Star One - Revel In Time
-Marc.
Well I haven't posted in here since mid-July, and the only new albums I've gotten since then have been Kaipa's Urskog, The Neal Morse Band's Morsefest 2021, Lonely Robot's A Model Life, Coheed And Cambria's Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind, The Aristocrat's With Primuz Chamber Orchestra, Ryo Okumoto's The Myth Of The Mostrophus, Tim Bowness' Butterfly Mind, Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More, James Labrie's Beautiful Shade Of Grey, Muse's Will Of The People, The Mars Volta's self-titled reunion album, David Longdon's Door One, Big Big Train's Summer Shall Not Fade, and most recently, the King Crimson At 50 BD/DVD/CD box set.
Of course, I'm not including any re-issues like the 40th Anniversary Box Set for Moving Pictures or the 12-disc IQ Archive Collection, or the recent Ayreon remix/remaster of the Universal Migrator albums. And while I've gotten those above albums, I'll admit I have probably only listened to a few of them once or tiwce (like JLB's album, or the new CAC). I'll rank the ones that I've really gotten into, though:
Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
David Longdon - Door One
Big Big Train - Summer Shall Not Fade
The Tangent - Songs From The Hard Shoulder
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through
Ryo Okumoto - The Myth Of The Mostrophus
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
D'Virgilio Morse & Jennings - Troika
Star One - Revel In Time
Lonely Robot - A Model Life
Muse - Will Of The People
For the rest, I definitely need more time to really think about how I feel about them, but the ones listed above I've given plenty of time to so I feel comfortable with their relative rankings and placements. I know it probably comes off as being a huge fanboy, but the music out of the BBT camp this year has been amazing, and features the last studio performances by David Longdon (that we know of), so they'll definitely be treasured albums for sure. The Tangent is always a top-album for me whenever they release new music, and Andy is hard at work on more music for 2023! Both P-SA and Ryo are filling in the void left by Spock's Beard, and the PT reunion was suitably well-received by me (even going so far as to order the big artbook version). The rest is fairly in the same order, but I threw in Lonely Robot and Muse at the bottom - with LR, it's definitely more of the same from the John Mitchell project (though that's not a BAD thing), and with Muse, while fairly enjoyable (with a couple standout tracks), its short length and otherwise middling song writing sits at the bottom of albums I've listened to this year.
I feel like I didn't get into as much music this year as years past, but maybe there just wasn't much coming out as many bands were either touring or just in the studio for an album NEXT year (looking at Riverside, Haken, Dream Theater and more), so 2023 should prove to be another exciting year for new music from the bands that I love.
-Marc.
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9 John Scofield – John Scofield
A warm and inviting solo(?) jazz guitar album that features the masterful playing we’ve come to expect from Scofield, who fills incredible amounts of space despite each song only consisting of a few clean guitar tracks. The sound is not so much “sparse” as it is tasteful and delicate; one of the most pleasant albums I heard in all of 2022.
This one is great as well, yes :)
1 Elephant Gym – Dreams
Elephant Gym have, single-handedly, taken the genre of “math rock” and elevated it not only to the next level but several levels beyond that. Is this even “math rock” anymore? Is it jazz? Is it folk? Is it sample-based music? Throughout the course of the album, you hear all of those influence. You also will hear (I counted) at least 5 languages. I love the diversity of it all. They are so unparalleled in their uniqueness, their approach, and their ability to inspire. And that is why “Dreams” is my favorite album of 2022.
And this sounds interesting enough for me to check out!
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Squeezing in a few, one I thought was a 2021 release, and one just got released this week but is fucking fire...
7- Lonesome_Blue- Second to None
6- Band-Maid - Unleash!
6- Bloodywood- Rajak
4- Marillion - An Hour Before Its Dark
3- Lalu - Paint the Sky
2- Nemophila - Seize the Fate
1- Allegaeon - Damnum
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I don't listen to as much new stuff as I used to either, but my favorites based on what I have heard are:
Taylor Swift - Midnights
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
Arcade Fire - WE
Death Cab for Cutie - Asphalt Meadows
The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention
Albums by longtime favorites I felt underwhelming:
Muse - Will of the People
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
Incomplete (still need to give them more time):
Devin Townsend - Lightwork
Ghost - Impera
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An enjoyable batch of 17+1 in no particular order:
Meshuggah - Immutable
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Changes
Earthless - Night Parade of One Hundred Demons
Elder - Innate Passage
Krallice - Crystalline Exhaustion
Birth - Born
Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
Revocation - Netherheaven
Conan - Evidence of Immortality
The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention
Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy
Ott - Heads
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Undreamable Abysses
Deathspell Omega - The Long Defeat
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Pt. 2
+
Primus - Conspiranoid EP
I also liked, but was somewhat disappointed by Björk's Fossora and Devin's Lightwork.
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I'll need to wait until the year has actually ended to do my final list, as the new Vulfpeck album comes out on the 30th. I don't imagine it'll break my top 20 but who knows, and there's a good chance it'll make my honourable mentions.
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Actually ended up with 150 albums/EPs i listened to this year which is quite a step up from 70 last year. Main reason was getting a job where I can listen to music 6-7 hours extra a day if I feel like it, so really been upping my game. I'll post the top25 here but I'll put the full list in a link below. Overall I would say it's been a great year for music!
1. Black Country New Road - Ants From Up There
2. Black Midi - Hellfire
3. Elephant Gym - Dreams
4. Umphrey's Mcgee - Asking For a Friend
5. Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
6. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
7. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
8. Carly Cosgrove - See You in Chemistry
9. Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
10. Deathcrash - Return
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11. Wilderun - Epigone
12. Beach House - Once Twice Melody
13. Goose - Dripfield
14. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - XI: Bleed Here Now
15. The Comet is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
16. Alvvays - Blue Rev
17. Gospel - The Loser
18. Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes
19. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
20. Asunojokei - Island
21. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
22. Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music in Zion
23. Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality
24. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
25. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Full list here: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Zantera/favorite-albums-of-2022/ (https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Zantera/favorite-albums-of-2022/)
So I went through the top 25 and checked out a song from each album. I don't know what's happening to me but I didn't love anything, only mildly liked the stuff I didn't already know :-\ . I'll check out more stuff from this year then make a short list soon.
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Favorites:
1. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
2. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind
3. Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
4. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
5. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
6. Weezer - SZNZ (I’m counting this as one big project, fight me)
7. black midi - Hellfire
8. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava
9. Devin Townsend - Lightwork
10. Meshuggah - Immutable
Least Favorites:
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim
Two songs that go absolutely nowhere and take their sweet time doing it. Releasing 5 albums in one year is impressive, but they can't all be winners.
Muse - Will of the People
A band with nothing left to say has something to say, and it's nothing.
Ghost - Impera
The album that killed my interest in the band. Sounds like a parody. Awful.
Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills
there's nothing thrilling about this release. ha. ha. ha.
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I'll need to wait until the year has actually ended to do my final list, as the new Vulfpeck album comes out on the 30th.
I wish more people would take that approach in general. It vexes me to see publications and influencers drop best of year lists in early November.
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I'll need to wait until the year has actually ended to do my final list, as the new Vulfpeck album comes out on the 30th.
I wish more people would take that approach in general. It vexes me to see publications and influencers drop best of year lists in early November.
12/30 is really pushing it though if you want your album to get AOTY consideration!
Seriously, not sure why they didn’t push that one back a week or two. Things released near the holidays tend to get lost in the shuffle.
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...
So I went through the top 25 and checked out a song from each album.
"Quote from: Evermind on April 17, 2016, 03:11:10 PM
“Zantera / Sacul music”"
Now I get it.
I don't know what's happening to me but I didn't love anything, only mildly liked the stuff I didn't already know :-\
(https://i.giphy.com/media/1yMfsRiblWJifHQ8Zq/giphy.webp)
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I like to adopt the criteria of "12 best albums of the year" just to be fair with the 12 months of the year. So they are, in alphabetical order:
Alter Bridge - Pawns And Kings (rock/metal)
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika (prog metal)
Derek Sherinian - Vortex (instrumental)
Hibria - Me7amorphosis (metal)
Joe Satriani - The Elephants of Mars (instrumental)
Megadeth - The Sick The Dying And The Dead (metal)
Michael Romeo - War Of The Worlds Pt. 2 (prog metal)
Pattern-Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through (prog)
Porcupine Tree - Closure_Continuation (prog/prog metal)
Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance (metal/prog metal)
Soilwork - Overgivenheten (metal)
Steve Vai - Inviolate (instrumental)
Also 12 albums that I liked almost as much as the above: A-Z, Coheed And Cambria - Vaxis II A Window Of The Waking Mind, Edu Ardanuy - Wild, Graham Bonnet Band - Day out in Nowhere, Jeff Scott Soto - Complicated, Kirk Hammett - Portals EP, Muse - Will Of The People, Primus - Conspiranoid EP, Ross Jennings - A Shadow of My Future Self, Ryo Okumoto - The Myth of the Mostrophus, Scorpions - Rock Believer and The Dead Daisies - Radiance.
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I'll need to wait until the year has actually ended to do my final list, as the new Vulfpeck album comes out on the 30th.
I wish more people would take that approach in general. It vexes me to see publications and influencers drop best of year lists in early November.
12/30 is really pushing it though if you want your album to get AOTY consideration!
Seriously, not sure why they didn’t push that one back a week or two. Things released near the holidays tend to get lost in the shuffle.
Can't see any reason why any of those things should be the case. If people/publications want to do their lists in December so it only really covers things released up to the end of November, then they should be including the previous December. That's generally how music/TV/movie awards work - they cover a full year, it's just different to the calendar year to fit with when the awards ceremony takes place.
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I'll need to wait until the year has actually ended to do my final list, as the new Vulfpeck album comes out on the 30th.
I wish more people would take that approach in general. It vexes me to see publications and influencers drop best of year lists in early November.
I guess most of them received the november and december releases as promos by then.
I get your point but my list isn't really set in stone. It can be totally different within a few months. In the end it's just fun to make a list, the moment doesn't really matter.
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There's usually not much being released this time of the year so it kind of makes sense, but I do agree generally that if you are only considering up to November, then December the previous year should be fair game. At the end of the day, this time of the year is just dead time for the music business.
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Some of them do receive promos ahead of time, but that only works for bands on major labels or ones that have a connection to the publication. Lots of independent bands aren't part of that media channel. A magazine like Decibel says that if anything of interest comes out in the last couple months they'll mention it in a later issue, but I don't think nearly as many people care about a footnote in the January or February issue (probably more like April/May by the ludicrous dating those rags use). The bigger issue is that if you release in early November that's almost 1/6 of the year that you don't have for releases to marinate. Although for a lot of them they're just giving albums a cursory couple listens enough to churn out a review and then move onto the next hyped thing. I paid close attention to this last year when I was following new releases more heavily, and there were several dozen albums released in December alone that people seemed to like, but mostly they were too small and lost in the shuffle by that point.
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Well, while I'm pausing in between "festivities", I might as well post the list I put together for 2022:
Top 20:
1. Ghost - Impera
2. Amorphis - Halo
3. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
4. Wilderun - Epigone
5. Halo Effect - Days of the Lost
6. Messa - Close
7. A-Z - A-Z
8. Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance
9. Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying…And the Dead!
10. Dawn of Solace - Flames of Perdition
11. Black Map - Melodoria
12. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
13. Blind Guardian - The God Machine
14. Darkest Era - Wither on the Vine
15. Threshold - Dividing Lines
16. Disillusion - Ayam
17. Seven Kingdoms - Zenith
18. Sonja - Loud Arriver
19. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
20. Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the order...that's partly for fun. Although I'd say the albums in the top 10 have generally distinguished themselves from the rest. Obviously the big "out of nowhere" surprise for me was An Abstract Illusion. A fantastic album. Ghost (Tobias Forge, really) are kinda unbelievable in how they worm their way into my brain every time. There's so much attention to detail in Impera's songs. Yes, they are catchy and clearly written to be POP(ular), but I think you can tell there is a true lover of classic rock/metal behind them. There's a plenty of incredibly tasty guitar in this album. Amorphis' album too was another super high-quality piece of evidence of how consistent these guys are. I know sometimes "consistency" means "auto-pilot", and there is a bit of that risk with them at this point. But so far, so good :) (in fact, I'd argue Under the Red Cloud, Queen of Time and Halo were somewhat of a return to form after a couple of records' lull). Messa's Close was also great. I'd heard of them, but hadn't checked them out before this year. All three of their albums are excellent. More surprises, this time from "veterans": Queensryche and Megadeth. Not masterpieces, obviously, but much better than I expected. I ended up listening to DNA and The Sick...a ton. Wilderun's Epigone came out very early in the year, and stayed very much at the top. It's a dense record, and it sure takes its time, but it's beautiful stuff. Halo Effect's album is great too - again, I was expecting to enjoy it, given the people involved, but it went beyond that. I mean, nothing new and certainly no stylistic surprises there, but the songwriting is top-notch. Different genre, but similar result for the A-Z album. Always a pleasure to hear Alder and Zonder together, and the songs really work here. I like that they went for this catchy + sophisticated approach, and the other members of the band are fantastic too.
Some (very) honorable mentions (alphabetical order):
Arð - Take Up My Bones
Audrey Horne - Devil's Bell
Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
Crone - Gotta Light?
Eight Bells - Legacy of Ruin
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait
Freedom Hawk - Take All You Can
Godless Truth - Godless Truth
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Kardashev - Liminal Rite
Kvaen - The Great Below
Moon Tooth - Phototroph
My Sleeping Karma - Atma
Nite - Voices of the Kronian Moon
Rammstein - Zeit
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Pt.2
Ruby the Hatchet - Fear is a Cruel Master
Saor - Origins
Satan - Earth Infernal
Sylvaine - Nova
Tomarum - Ashes in Realms of Stone Icons
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
White Ward - False Light
Other saved albums - streaming but not purchased yet (order more or less based on when I checked them out first):
(this is a bit of an artificial distinction, really. Some of these, with a little more time, would have the potential to be "listers" for the year)
Tersivel - To the Orphic Void
Frank Turner - FTHC
GGGOLDDD - This shame should not be mine
Stabbing Westward - Chasing Ghosts
Lords of the Trident - The Offering
Famyne - II: The Ground Below
Iris Divine - Mercurial
Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
The Spirit - Of Clarity and Galactic Structures
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Cleanbreak - Coming Home
Early Moods - Early Moods
Eruption - Tellurian Rupture
Phantom Spell - Immortal's Requiem
Species - To Find Deliverance
Trial - Feed the Fire
Miscreance - Convergence
Spiritus Mortis - The Great Seal
Algebra - Chiroptera
Parius - The Signal Heard Throughout Space
Ritual Dictates - No Great Loss
The Cult - Under the Midnight Sun
Mother of Graves - Where the Shadows Adorn
Brymir - Voices in the Sky
Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
O.R.k. - Screamnasium
Nothing in Writing - New Lives for Rent
...and just in the last couple of weeks or so:
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Freedom of Fear - Carpathia
Secret Shame - Autonomy
Veldune - Veldune
Darkswoon - Bloom Decay
Gloson - The Rift
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Looking at the posts here, some random thoughts...
Ghost - Impera
Seven Kingdoms - Zenith
Nice to see some sharing of the Ghost love ;) I have included Seven Kingdoms in my list too. A fun power metal record, with more than a bit of Unleash the Archer influence.
Top 10
6. Trial-Feed The Fire
I was revisiting this one just yesterday...I think it'll be in my shopping cart soon. I know we've talked about them before...this is such a great combo of power and more classic, old school epic metal. Really good.
11-20 (No order..)
Cleanbreak s/t
I know this is a bit random, but I wanted to highlight it as this album was quite a pleasant surprise. I checked it out back when you recommended it, even though typically Frontiers' project-bands have near zero appeal to me, and this is an absolutely legit hard rock/metal album with fantastic performances by everyone involved. Nothing terribly new of course, but I hope they do more.
Here's ten albums for my ten of the year. Not sure or really care on the order but Woe is by far the best album of the year.
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Song of the year is An Abstract Illusion - In the Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster.
Yes, as I mentioned in my post, Woe was a top, top album for me too. For sure, the surprise of the year, as far as I'm concerned. And I also agree on the song pick - these are some amazing 14 minutes, with one incredible moment after another.
My Top 25 of albums that I've listened at least 4-5 times.
1. Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
6. Hundred Year Old Man - Sleep In Light
Lots of great stuff in your list...love the Avatarium album...it's in my "saved" list, and it will be purchased soon. It's great how they keep subtly expanding their sound, while not losing their core identity. And Jennie-Ann Smith is just a joy to listen to. I have seen the Hundred Year Old Man record highlighted in a couple of lists as one of the best "post-metal" albums this year. It's in my queue to check out. In that same general ballpark, I have recently discovered Gloson (The Rift is the album's title), and it's very, very good.
Plenty more to go through here...so much more music to discover and so little time ;)
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1. Richard Dawson – The Ruby Cord
2. black midi – Hellfire
3. Lucrecia Dalt – ¡Ay!
4. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There
5. Gospel – The Loser
6. betcover!! – 卵（Tamago)
7. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
8. Daniel Rossen – You Belong There
9. Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture
10. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
11. Jenny Hval – Classic Objects
12. Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
13. Boris – Heavy Rocks
14. Chat Pile – God's Country
15. The Mars Volta – s/t
16. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum
17. Como Asesinar a Felipes – Luz, figura y sombra
18. Boris – W
19. Animals as Leaders – Parrhesia
20. deathcrash – Return
21. Arcade Fire – WE
Great list, I'll be checking out some of that stuff, as I'm only familiar with the bolded ones.
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Realized yesterday that while this has been a really good year for new releases from several of my favorite bands, 2023 is looking to be pretty barren in terms of new music from favorite artists. Peter Gabriel is supposed to release a new album, and there is a chance the Big Big Train get their new album out by the end of 2023 (they'll probably have something out next year to fill time I imagine), but there is literally nothing else on my radar for this coming year at the moment. Marillion will be putting out their Seasons End deluxe edition I guess. The new Haken sounds somewhat promising as well. But it may just be a year where I'll have to mine new artists or older releases that I've not picked up yet.
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My Top 25 of albums that I've listened at least 4-5 times.
1. Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
6. Hundred Year Old Man - Sleep In Light
Lots of great stuff in your list...love the Avatarium album...it's in my "saved" list, and it will be purchased soon. It's great how they keep subtly expanding their sound, while not losing their core identity. And Jennie-Ann Smith is just a joy to listen to. I have seen the Hundred Year Old Man record highlighted in a couple of lists as one of the best "post-metal" albums this year. It's in my queue to check out. In that same general ballpark, I have recently discovered Gloson (The Rift is the album's title), and it's very, very good.
Plenty more to go through here...so much more music to discover and so little time ;)
Listening to the Gloson album right now. Pretty impressive on first listen. Huge Cult of Luna influences but I don't mind if it's done like this.
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1. Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance
2. Ghost - Impera
3. Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Pt 2
4. Tony Martin - Thorns
5. Avatarium - Death, Where is Your Sting
6. Scorpions - Rock Believer
7. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
8. Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying and the Dead
9. Coheed and Cambia - Vaxis 2
10. Muse - Will of the People
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Here's ten albums for my ten of the year. Not sure or really care on the order but Woe is by far the best album of the year.
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Song of the year is An Abstract Illusion - In the Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster.
Yes, as I mentioned in my post, Woe was a top, top album for me too. For sure, the surprise of the year, as far as I'm concerned. And I also agree on the song pick - these are some amazing 14 minutes, with one incredible moment after another.
It’s rare that black/death/doom sticks the landing for me, but this one definitely did it this year. What a surprise, and in my top 5 for sure.
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Here's ten albums for my ten of the year. Not sure or really care on the order but Woe is by far the best album of the year.
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Song of the year is An Abstract Illusion - In the Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster.
Yes, as I mentioned in my post, Woe was a top, top album for me too. For sure, the surprise of the year, as far as I'm concerned. And I also agree on the song pick - these are some amazing 14 minutes, with one incredible moment after another.
It’s rare that black/death/doom sticks the landing for me, but this one definitely did it this year. What a surprise, and in my top 5 for sure.
I've struggled with new stuff for a while now and I've made that known. Tim recommended me listen to this and I did cause he's usually on the money. Something about it caught my attention right away and by the second listen, I was hooked. A masterpiece.
Cheers Tim. And shoutout to Tom for buying the digital format as a gift. :heart :metal
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Pawns and Kings was my album of the year. Nothing else came all that close.
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Taking time to reflect and there has been a lot of really good music in 2022. Here are some of my favorites (many of which are already listed ITT)
1. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II
2. L.S. Dunes - Past Lives
3. The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost
4. Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance
5. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
6. A-Z - S/T
7. Parkway Drive - Darker Still
8. Magna Carta Cartel - The Dying Option
9. Ghost - Impera
10. Armor for Sleep - The Rain Museum
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Normally I try and do my proper year-end lists on January 1st. This year I think they might have to wait a week, just way too many albums left to check out (obviously I'll never get to everything, but there's a ton of heavy hitters I at least need to give cursory listens to in case they have a shot). And my list is flatter than the last couple years, so it doesn't take as many listens to get a bit higher on it as it did those years. I've already checked out at least three just in the last couple days that could become big players.
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Looking forward to it, Litho!
There were a couple of "late" discoveries (on my part...the albums came out earlier in the year) that I'm really enjoying...didn't make the list as I didn't sit with them long enough. But I wondered if you knew them, since it feels like the sound could appeal to you:
Veldune - Veldune
Darkswoon - Bloom Decay
I mentioned those in the previous "...listening" thread, just before it got locked. Both female-fronted bands, not metal, and very intriguing...
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My Top 25 of albums that I've listened at least 4-5 times.
1. Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
6. Hundred Year Old Man - Sleep In Light
Lots of great stuff in your list...love the Avatarium album...it's in my "saved" list, and it will be purchased soon. It's great how they keep subtly expanding their sound, while not losing their core identity. And Jennie-Ann Smith is just a joy to listen to. I have seen the Hundred Year Old Man record highlighted in a couple of lists as one of the best "post-metal" albums this year. It's in my queue to check out. In that same general ballpark, I have recently discovered Gloson (The Rift is the album's title), and it's very, very good.
Plenty more to go through here...so much more music to discover and so little time ;)
Listening to the Gloson album right now. Pretty impressive on first listen. Huge Cult of Luna influences but I don't mind if it's done like this.
So, I finally got to Hundred Year Old Man...wow, quite a journey. I like how the musical climaxes really nail the "emotional" and epic combo. Maybe, given how long the album is already, I would've cut the long-ish interlude of sorts Monoamine, since it doesn't really add much (at least as a first impression), but overall I was impressed.
Another album I saw on your list as well as others on the interwebz is Brutus's Unison Life. I think I remember seeing them mentioned in the past (maybe it was another band with the same name? Not sure). Anyway, I didn't think it'd be in my wheelhouse, but I really enjoyed it. The vocals sometimes threaten to cross the line of too angsty (for my taste), but somehow they manage not to, and I'm actually liking them. Very cool record.
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Another year dominated by really heavy music. Seems like instead of being super diverse like I have always been, I'm just steering hard into the really heavy stuff.
1. Machine Head - Of Kingdom And Crown
- This album floored me and is easily the album I have listened to the most this year. Just a masterpiece in my opinion and a serious contender for my favorite album from them.
2. The Warning - Error
- These ladies continue to amaze. Their 3rd studio album and they are only currently 21, 19 and 16. Just insane how good they are.
3. Tony Martin - Thorns
- I still cannot believe how good this man's voice is at his age and this album got a lot of play from me when it came out. He really needs to do more.
Best of the rest:
Lalu - Paint The Sky
The Prize - S/T
Ashes Of Ares - Emperors And Fools
Blind Guardian - The God Machine
Halestorm - Back From The Dead
Ryo Okumoto - The Myth Of The Mostrophus
Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance
Best EP:
Primus - Conspiranoid
Disappointments of the year:
Megadeth - I called this The Sick, The Dying...And The Boring. I don't know, just never clicked. That astronaut song is an abomination.
Ugly Kid Joe - Holy crap is this album bad. Their last album and EP were excellent. Some of their best work. I never made it through my first listen of this. Just a terrible record.
Finds Of The Year:
Big Big Train - No band got listened to more this year than these guys. I was very late to the party but I listened to a crapload of their music all year long.
Arena - Finally dipped my toes into this band and have loved them as well.
Beyond The Black - No idea how I even came across them but I have really enjoyed all of their albums. Very solid band that has a writing team behind them that writes enjoyable music.
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Normally I try and do my proper year-end lists on January 1st. This year I think they might have to wait a week, just way too many albums left to check out (obviously I'll never get to everything, but there's a ton of heavy hitters I at least need to give cursory listens to in case they have a shot). And my list is flatter than the last couple years, so it doesn't take as many listens to get a bit higher on it as it did those years. I've already checked out at least three just in the last couple days that could become big players.
Yea I'm planning to do a listen through of my top 50 (or maybe a few more) albums and get the rankings right. Top 10 is pretty solid but there's been a fair bit of movement outside the top 10, and some great late discoveries. As you'd said in your roulette, it's actually a bit difficult trying to do this alongside a roulette at this time of year.
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So, I finally got to Hundred Year Old Man...wow, quite a journey. I like how the musical climaxes really nail the "emotional" and epic combo. Maybe, given how long the album is already, I would've cut the long-ish interlude of sorts Monoamine, since it doesn't really add much (at least as a first impression), but overall I was impressed.
Another album I saw on your list as well as others on the interwebz is Brutus's Unison Life. I think I remember seeing them mentioned in the past (maybe it was another band with the same name? Not sure). Anyway, I didn't think it'd be in my wheelhouse, but I really enjoyed it. The vocals sometimes threaten to cross the line of too angsty (for my taste), but somehow they manage not to, and I'm actually liking them. Very cool record.
Brutus is fantastic. I love the raw energy and emotion in her voice combined with the diversity of their music. Their live release (Live in Ghent) is great because it captures that energy even better. I have tickets for two of their shows next year and I can't wait.
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2. The Warning - Error
- These ladies continue to amaze. Their 3rd studio album and they are only currently 21, 19 and 16. Just insane how good they are.
:heart
Another group that reassures me that the future of rock and metal is in very capable hands.
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Took some time the last week or so to listen through my top albums to nail down the order, and also threw together a favorite songs list. This really was an outstanding year for music.
Top 10 albums:
1. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Somapolis
2. Dim Gray - Firmament
3. Marillion - An Hour Before It’s Dark
4. Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
5. Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
6. David Longdon - Door One
7. Kite Parade - The Way Home
8. PJ Moore & Co. - When A Good Day
9. Eric Johnson - The Book of Making/Yesterday Meets Today
10. D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
Other albums (in no order):
- Esthesis - Watching Worlds Collide
- Fernando Perdomo - Out to Sea 4
- Fernando Perdomo - Jangle
- The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
- King's X - Three Sides of One
- Nothing in Writing - New Lives for Rent
- Retreat From Moscow - The World We Used To Know
- Ryo Okumoto - The Myth of Mostrophus
- Tim Bowness - Butterfly Mind
- Yaatri - Lucid
Top 10 songs:
1. Marillion - Care
2. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - We Are the Bright Carvers/
Skywriting (cheating here).
3. David Longdon - The Letting Go
4. Tears for Fears - Rivers of Mercy
5. Big Big Train - Last Eleven
6. Marillion - The Crow and the Nightingale
7. Eric Johnson - My Faith In You
8. Kite Parade - Suffer No Longer
9. Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet
10. Dim Gray - Avalon/The Tide
Other favorite songs (in no order):
- David Longdon - Love is All
- Dim Gray - Ashes
- Dim Gray - Meridian
- D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Everything I Am
- D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Julia
- Eric Johnson - Love Will Never Say Goodbye
- Fernando Perdomo - Dream State
- Fernando Perdomo - Keep Your Chin Up Girl
- The Flower Kings - A Million Stars
- Kite Parade - Letting Go
- Kite Parade - The Way Home
- Marillion - Sierra Leone
- PJ Moore & Co. - When A Good Day Comes
- Retreat from Mosco - Radiation
- Ryo Okumoto - Crysalis
- Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Down I Go
- Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Get Back To What You Started
- Tears for Fears - Break the Man
- Tears for Fears - Stay
- Tim Bowness - Dark Nevada Dreams
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I didn't exactly keep up with music releases this year but these were my favorites of what I did listen to.
The Warning - Error. Just straight forward rock done well. The band itself is one of my favorite discoveries of the last few years. They've already started doing some writing for their next album too.
Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9. Ozzy has been my favorite ever since I was a kid and I like every album he's done so this being here is no surprise. I do really enjoy the album though.
Ghost - Impera. Tobias Forge strikes again with another album full of ear worms that get stuck in my head for days. Spillways is one of my favorite songs of the year.
Sonja - Loud Arriver. I only listened to this one yesterday but I haven't been able to get a couple songs out of my head since so Ill throw it on here. Also knowing the shitty way Melissa Moore was fired from her previous band makes me happy to see this new project getting good reviews.
Tony Martin - Thorns. I was starting to believe this thing was never coming out. Really solid album that shows that Martin can still bring it in the studio. I hope we can get another one sometime in the near future.
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As is my "norm" I listen to all the current year' albums toward the end of year, and it's led to an updated re-ranking...not that anybody cares, LOL
My top 15 favorite albums of the year:
1. Queensryche “Digital Noise Alliance”
2. Slash w Myles Kennedy “4”
3. Alter Bridge “Pawns & Kings”
4. Halestorm “Back From The Dead”
5. Disturbed “Divisive'”
6. Derek Sherinian “Vortex”
7. Muse “Will of The People”
8. Porcupine Tree “Closure/Continuation”
9. Ghost “Impera”
10. Ozzy Osbourne “Patient Number 9”
11. Saxon “Carpe Diem”
12. Scorpions “Rock Believer”
13. Shinedown “Planet Zero”
14. The Dead Daisies “Radiance”
15. Ann Wilson “Fierce Bliss”
Honorable mentions:
16. Def Leppard “Diamond Star Halos”
17. Ryo Okumoto “The Myth Of The Mostrophus”
....and many disappointments too :tdwn
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Happy New Year, everyone!
I'm going to list a few favorite songs as well...alphabetical order by artist:
Alter Bridge - Fable of the Silent Son
Amorphis - The Moon
An Abstract Illusion - In the Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster
Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
A-Z - At the Waters Edge
Black Map - Witching Hour
Blind Guardian - Secrets of the American Gods
Brymir - Voices in the Sky
Cleanbreak - Coming Home
Clutch - Mercy Brown
Coheed and Cambria - Love Murder One
Darkest Era - A Path Made of Roots
Darkswoon - Eaten By Wolves
Dawn of Solace - Dying Light
Disillusion - Abide the Storm
Early Moods - Return to Salem's Gate
Freedom Hawk - Coming Home
Ghost - Kaisarion
Godless Truth - Breathe Fire
Halo Effect - Gateways
Iris Divine - Thirteen
Megadeth - We'll Be Back
Messa - If You Want Her To Be Taken
Moon Tooth - Phototroph
Queensryche - Lost in Sorrow
Ruby the Hatchet - Change
Saor - The Ancient Ones
Satan - Luciferic
Secret Shame - Saccharine Dream
Seven Kingdoms - A Silent Remedy
Sonja - Fuck, Then Die
Sumerlands - Twilight Points the Way
Sylvaine - Mono No Aware
Threshold - Let It Burn
Devin Townsend - Call of the Void
Wilderun - Identifier
Didn't feel like ranking them, but if I were to pick the three or four favorites, I'd probably say An Abstract Illusion - "In the Heavens...", Ghost - "Kaisarion", Halo Effect - "Gateways", Blind Guardian - "Secrets of the American Gods"
Some other great songs from the albums above:
Amorphis - Seven Roads Come Together
A-Z - Trial By Fire
Coheed and Cambria - Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Chord)
Dawn of Solace - White Noise
Ghost - Spillways
Ghost - Hunter's Moon
Halo Effect - The Needless End
Messa - Dark Horse
Queensryche - Behind the Walls
Sonja - Wanting Me Dead
Sumerlands - Heavens Above
Wilderun - Distraction III
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I haven't even finished ranking my albums, much less my favorite songs!
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Top songs?
Bloodywood- Dana Dan, Machi Bassaad
Band-Maid- From Now On
Allegaeon- Called Home, Beasts and Worms, To Carry My Grief Through Torpor and Silence (hands down best song name lol)
Marillion- Care
Lalu- Chosen Ones
Nemophila- Adabana, Enten, Zen
Lonesome_Blue- Superhero, Aurora
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1. An abstract illusion- Woe
2. Kardashev- liminal rite
3. Marillion- An hour before its dark
4. Glaston- I am whole
5. Soen- Atlantis
6. Blue October- Spinning the truth around
7. Venus principle- stand in your light
8. Lee abraham- Only human
9. Björn Riis- a fleeting glimpse
10. Dream unending- Song of salvation
11. Dance with dead- driven to madness
12. Nordic giant- Symbiosis
13. Lights & Motion- The World I remember
14. Deserta- every moment, everything you need
15. Esthesis- Watching worlds colide
16. Persefone- metanoia
17. Haevn- Holy Ground
18. Avandra- prodigal
19. Retrospective- introvert
20. A.A. Williams- As the moon rests
Note that there is a 100% chance that this will be different in a few months because none of these album have fully grown on me. I might do a new post in a few months just to compare.
Also song of the year for me is In the heaven above, you will become a monster by An Abstract Illusion.
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Ok, I think I can make my final list now. I've given a good number of listens to everything I wanted to check out from the year. I'm sure I'll continue to discover other things that came out last year for years to come, but that's always the case.
I've decided to go with a top 25, and then a whole bunch of honourable mentions (basically being 8/10 albums that didn't make the top 25).
Top 25:
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
2. A.A. Williams - As the Moon Rests
3. Markéta Irglová - Lila
4. Soilwork - Övergivenheten
5. Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
6. Frank Turner - FTHC
7. Disillusion - Ayam
8. Devin Townsend - Lightwork
9. Actor|Observer - Songs for the Newly Reclusive
10. Amorphis - Halo
11. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
12. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
13. D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Troika
14. Ghost - Impera
15. Threshold - Dividing Lines
16. Andy Gillion - Arcade Metal
17. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
18. Lonesome_Blue - Second to None
19. Röyksopp - Profound Mysteries I-III (I know they're separate releases but for ranking I'm treating them as one album!)
20. The Longest Johns - Smoke & Oakum
21. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation
22. Jani Liimatainen - My Father's Son
23. The Weeknd - Dawn FM
24. NOFX - Double Album
25. Nemophila - Seize the Fate
Honourable mentions:
Aeternam - Heir of the Rising Sun
Anomalie - Galerie
Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Revel in Time
Antimatter - A Profusion of Thought
Architects - Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit
Arena - The Theory of Molecular Inheritance
Alex Banks - Projections
Andrew Bayer - Duality
Big Big Train - Welcome to the Planet
Blind Guardian - The God Machine
Bonobo - Fragments
Borealis - Illusions
The Butterfly Effect - IV
Max Cooper - Unspoken Words
Dance Gavin Dance - Jackpot Juicer
Destrage - So Much, Too Much
Diablo - When All the Rivers Are Silent
Dog Fashion Disco - Cult Classic
Drudkh - Всі належать ночі (All Belong to the Night)
Elder - Innate Passage
Ereb Altor - Vargtimman
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait: The Orphean Testament
Everything Everything - Raw Data Feel
The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree
GoGo Penguin - Between Two Waves
Halestorm - Back From the Dead
The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost
Ed Harrison - Valley
He Is Legend - Endless Hallway
Illyria - Take Me Somewhere Beautiful
Infected Mushroom - IM25
Kardashev - Liminal Rite
Lonesome_Blue - First Utterance (EP)
Machine Head - ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN
Maraton - Unseen Color
Messa - Close
David Maxim Micic - BILO IV
Mors Principium Est - Liberate the Unborn Inhumanity
Muse - Will of the People
Null - Origin
Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
Oddland - Vermilion
Ott - Heads
Owel - The Salt Water Well
Parius - The Signal Heard Throughout Space
Persefone - Metanoia
Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality
Sabaton - The War to End All Wars
Shinedown - Planet Zero
Silent Skies - Nectar
Regina Spektor - Home, Before and After
Thunder - Dopamine
Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories
Von Hertzen Brothers - Red Alert in the Blue Forest
Weezer - SZNZ EPs (except Spring, which was mediocre)
White Ward - False Light
Wilderun - Epigone
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Jesus, how could I forget Soilwork?! Definitely a top 5 album for me.
Love your number 1 Rich! :metal
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Love your number 1 Rich! :metal
Indeed!
Lots of great records all over the list, actually...
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I'm still finishing up on some listens but am hoping to get my list finalised soon.
Is anyone planning to try and compile everyone's lists, and work out a DTF top 10 for last year?
Also, seeing Woe by An Abstract Illusion so high on people's lists make me feel I'm missing something with this album. I've listened to it 5 times but it hasn't grabbed me. I know tastes and all but it's in so many top 10s, and literally topped the last two lists posted!
That being said, on relistens to other albums I realised that I treated Rashomon by Ibaraki too harshly. That album has shot up my rankings.
Top 25:
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
6. Frank Turner - FTHC
7. Disillusion - Ayam
8. Devin Townsend - Lightwork
11. The Dear Hunter - Antimai
14. Ghost - Impera
17. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
24. NOFX - Double Album
Honourable mentions:
Elder - Innate Passage
Kardashev - Liminal Rite
Machine Head - ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN
Messa - Close
David Maxim Micic - BILO IV
Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
Parius - The Signal Heard Throughout Space
Persefone - Metanoia
Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality
Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories
White Ward - False Light
Wilderun - Epigone
Great list dude, and nice to see NOFX and Frank Turner making someone else's lists. All the above will certainly be making my list. No Coheed though? I thought you were somewhat of a fan, but maybe I'm mistaken.
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Nemophila and Lonesome_Blue :heart
Impressive to see an album make the list that was basically released in the last week of the year, definitely speaks to its caliber. Second to None is amazing.
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1 - David Maxim Micic - Bilo IV
2 - Kate Havnevik - Lightship
3 - REMINA - Strata
4 - Red Handed Denial - I'd Rather Be Asleep
5 - Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
6 - Sylvaine - Nova
7 - Giant Walker - All In Good Time
8 - Morphide - Anhedonia
9 - Emily Jane White - Alluvion
10 - AEries - Arcanum
11 - Darkher - The Buried Storm
12 - Zola Jesus - Arkhon
13 - Frayle - Skin & Sorrow
14 - Messa - Close
15 - White Ward - False Light
16 - Yaatri - Lucid
17 - Dreadnought - The Endless
18 - YAYA Kim - a.k.a. YAYA
19 - Shape of Despair - Return To the Void
20 - Ashes of Ares - Emperors and Fools
21 - Cobra the Impaler - Colossal Gods
22 - Autumn's Grey Solace - Therium
23 - A.A. Williams - As the Moon Rests
24 - Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
25 - Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait: The Orphean Testament
26 - Lost Domain - Merchant of Emotions
27 - Jani Liimatainen - My Father's Son
28 - Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
29 - Blind Guardian - The God Machine
30 - Celldweller - Satellites
31 - Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
32 - Demonical - Mass Destroyer
33 - Dream Unending - Song of Salvation
34 - Visions of Atlantis - Pirates
35 - Tedeschi Trucks Band - I Am the Moon: I. Crescent
36 - Revocation - Netherheaven
37 - Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
38 - Star One - Revel In Time
39 - Amorphis - Halo
40 - Entrails - An Eternal Time of Decay
Honorable Mentions - Tier 1:
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Aeternam - Heir of the Rising Sun
Allen/Olzon - Army of Dreamers
Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Animals As Leaders - Parrhesia
Arch Enemy - Deceivers
Atomic Symphony - Hybris
Atrium Carceri/Kammarheit - Colossus
Avishai Cohen Trio - Shifting Sands
Bjork - Fossora
Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest
Celeste - Assassine(s)
Deathless Legacy - Mater larvarum
Depressed Mode - Decade of Silence
Derek Sherinian - Vortex
Disillusion - Ayam
Edenbridge - Shangri-La
Elder - Innate Passage
Envy of None - s/t
Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter
Halestorm - Back From the Dead
i_o & Lights - Warehouse Summer
Ithaca - They Fear Us
Kaipa - Urskog
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Leather - We Are the Chosen
Luna Fawn Ripley - Death of a Songbird
Maceration - It Never Ends...
Mecha Maiko - NOT OK
Mindwarden - Timeless
Minuit Machine - 24
Miseration - Black Miracles and Dark Wonders
MMXX - Sacred Cargo
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Crooked Tree
Moriah Woods - Human
Nightrage - Abyss Rising
Punch Brothers - Hell on Church Street
Ripped To Shreds - Jubian
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
Setyoursails - Nightfall
Shaam Larein - Sticka en kniv I varlden
Sharon Van Etten - We've Been Going About This All Wrong
Soilwork - Overgivenheten
Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point
The Birthday Massacre - Fascination
The Hellacopters - Eyes of Oblivion
The Interrupters - In the Wild
triosence - Giulia
Wine From Tears - I'm Fine...
Zguba - Znoj
Honorable Mentions - Tier 2:
Ardours - Anatomy of a Moment
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Charlotte Wessels - Tales From Six Feet Under Vol. II
Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
Dance With the Dead - Driven to Madness
Devin Townsend - Lightwork
E-L-R - Vexier
Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice
Encryptment - Dodens fodsel
First Aid Kit - Palomino
Giant - Shifting Time
Hangman's Chair - A Loner
Hatchie - Giving the World Away
Immolation - Acts of God
In Loving Memory - The Withering
King's X - Three Sides of One
Knight Area - D-Day II: The Final Chapter
Lana Lane - Neptune Blue
Lights - PEP
Lisa Batiashvili - Secret Love Letters
Master Boot Record - Personal Computer
Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying...and the Dead!
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds//Pt. 2
Persefone - Metanoia
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Projected - Hypoxia
Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance
Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills
SZA - SOS
Teremaze - Flight of the Wounded
The Anix - REVENGE
The Gathering - Beautiful Distortion
The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost
The Midnight - Heroes
The Weeknd - Dawn FM
Those Who Bring the Torture - Cosmos Osmosis
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt
Tineldae - Mothership
Ty Tabor - Shades
EPs:
Kingfisher Sky - Walk the Plank
Spiritbox - Rotoscope
Shedfromthebody - Destruction/Breathing/Healing
Vila - Liminal Space
Sara Gazarek - Vanity
Pre-Human Vaults - Allegiance Divine
GoGo Penguin - Between Two Waves
Marissa Nadler - The Wrath of the Clouds
Lethian Dreams - EnVain
Hanging Garden - Neither Moth Nor Rust
R. Missing - Placelessness and Saturnining
Silver Talon - Bloodflow
The Answer Lies in the Black Void - In Obsidian Clouds
Frou Frou - Off Cuts
Purity Ring - Graves
TesseracT - Regrowth
Emma Ruth Rundle - Orpheus Looking Back
Super flat year. The ranking is so granular albums are easily close to leapfrogging a bunch ahead of them if I gave them another listen. I made the executive decision in the past couple months especially to spend much more time giving one-listens to albums to see if anything would hit rather than additional plays to ones I'd already heard. I'm sure I'll be sorting out this year for years to come.
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Are you done editing this post? :lol
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I doubt it. :p
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1 - David Maxim Micic - Bilo IV
2 - Kate Havnevik - Lightship
3 - REMINA - Strata
4 - Red Handed Denial - I'd Rather Be Asleep
5 - Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
6 - Sylvaine - Nova
7 - Giant Walker - All In Good Time
8 - Morphide - Anhedonia
9 - Emily Jane White - Alluvion
10 - AEries - Arcanum
11 - Darkher - The Buried Storm
12 - Zola Jesus - Arkhon
13 - Frayle - Skin & Sorrow
14 - Messa - Close
15 - White Ward - False Light
16 - Yaatri - Lucid
17 - Dreadnought - The Endless
18 - YAYA Kim - a.k.a. YAYA
19 - Shape of Despair - Return To the Void
20 - Ashes of Ares - Emperors and Fools
21 - Cobra the Impaler - Colossal Gods
22 - Autumn's Grey Solace - Therium
23 - A.A. Williams - As the Moon Rests
24 - Avatarium - Death, Where Is Your Sting
25 - Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait: The Orphean Testament
26 - Lost Domain - Merchant of Emotions
27 - Jani Liimatainen - My Father's Son
28 - Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
29 - Blind Guardian - The God Machine
30 - Celldweller - Satellites
31 - Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
32 - Demonical - Mass Destroyer
33 - Dream Unending - Song of Salvation
34 - Visions of Atlantis - Pirates
35 - Tedeschi Trucks Band - I Am the Moon: I. Crescent
36 - Revocation - Netherheaven
37 - Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
38 - Star One - Revel In Time
39 - Amorphis - Halo
40 - Entrails - An Eternal Time of Decay
Honorable Mentions - Tier 1:
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Aeternam - Heir of the Rising Sun
Allen/Olzon - Army of Dreamers
Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Animals As Leaders - Parrhesia
Arch Enemy - Deceivers
Atomic Symphony - Hybris
Atrium Carceri/Kammarheit - Colossus
Avishai Cohen Trio - Shifting Sands
Bjork - Fossora
Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest
Celeste - Assassine(s)
Deathless Legacy - Mater larvarum
Depressed Mode - Decade of Silence
Derek Sherinian - Vortex
Disillusion - Ayam
Edenbridge - Shangri-La
Elder - Innate Passage
Envy of None - s/t
Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter
Halestorm - Back From the Dead
i_o & Lights - Warehouse Summer
Ithaca - They Fear Us
Kaipa - Urskog
Lalu - Paint the Sky
Leather - We Are the Chosen
Luna Fawn Ripley - Death of a Songbird
Maceration - It Never Ends...
Mecha Maiko - NOT OK
Mindwarden - Timeless
Minuit Machine - 24
Miseration - Black Miracles and Dark Wonders
MMXX - Sacred Cargo
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Crooked Tree
Moriah Woods - Human
Nightrage - Abyss Rising
Punch Brothers - Hell on Church Street
Ripped To Shreds - Jubian
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
Setyoursails - Nightfall
Shaam Larein - Sticka en kniv I varlden
Sharon Van Etten - We've Been Going About This All Wrong
Soilwork - Overgivenheten
Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point
The Birthday Massacre - Fascination
The Hellacopters - Eyes of Oblivion
The Interrupters - In the Wild
triosence - Giulia
Wine From Tears - I'm Fine...
Zguba - Znoj
Honorable Mentions - Tier 2:
Ardours - Anatomy of a Moment
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
Charlotte Wessels - Tales From Six Feet Under Vol. II
Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
Dance With the Dead - Driven to Madness
Devin Townsend - Lightwork
E-L-R - Vexier
Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice
Encryptment - Dodens fodsel
First Aid Kit - Palomino
Giant - Shifting Time
Hangman's Chair - A Loner
Hatchie - Giving the World Away
Immolation - Acts of God
In Loving Memory - The Withering
King's X - Three Sides of One
Knight Area - D-Day II: The Final Chapter
Lana Lane - Neptune Blue
Lights - PEP
Lisa Batiashvili - Secret Love Letters
Master Boot Record - Personal Computer
Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying...and the Dead!
Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds//Pt. 2
Persefone - Metanoia
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Projected - Hypoxia
Queensryche - Digital Noise Alliance
Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills
SZA - SOS
Teremaze - Flight of the Wounded
The Anix - REVENGE
The Gathering - Beautiful Distortion
The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost
The Midnight - Heroes
The Weeknd - Dawn FM
Those Who Bring the Torture - Cosmos Osmosis
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt
Tineldae - Mothership
Ty Tabor - Shades
EPs:
Kingfisher Sky - Walk the Plank
Spiritbox - Rotoscope
Shedfromthebody - Destruction/Breathing/Healing
Vila - Liminal Space
Sara Gazarek - Vanity
Pre-Human Vaults - Allegiance Divine
GoGo Penguin - Between Two Waves
Marissa Nadler - The Wrath of the Clouds
Lethian Dreams - EnVain
Hanging Garden - Neither Moth Nor Rust
R. Missing - Placelessness and Saturnining
Silver Talon - Bloodflow
The Answer Lies in the Black Void - In Obsidian Clouds
Frou Frou - Off Cuts
Purity Ring - Graves
TesseracT - Regrowth
Emma Ruth Rundle - Orpheus Looking Back
(https://i.imgflip.com/76thb7.jpg)
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(https://i.imgflip.com/76thb7.jpg)
Round 6 will be here before you know it. :)
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Just published the RYM version of my list.
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/LithoJazzoSphere/2022-favorite-albums/
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I went the whole hog and did a top 100. 2022 really was a great year, it's surprising how all the releases creep up on you...
1. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind (progressive rock/metal)
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum (mixed bag of genres)
3. The Mars Volta - The Mars Volta (progressive pop/rock)
4. Frank Turner - FTHC (folk punk)
5. Ghost - Impera (metal)
6. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (progressive/jam rock)
7. Rammstein - Zeit (metal)
8. The Flatliners - New Ruin (punk rock)
9. Kirk Hammett - Portals (instrumental spaghetti western soundtrack/metal)
10. Venom Prison - Erebos (melodic death metal)
11. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Changes (psychedelic soul jazz rock)
12. Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying...and The Dead! (thrash metal)
13. The Interrupters - In the Wild (ska punk)
14. Machine Head - Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn (metal)
15. Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor (progressive metal)
16. White Ward - False Light (progressive black metal)
17. Disillusion - Ayam (progressive metal)
18. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim (progressive/jam rock)
19. Sigh - Shiki (progressive/melodic black metal)
20. Kreator - Hate Über Alles (thrash metal)
21. The Lazy Eyes - SongBook (psychedelic rock)
22. Worm - Bluenothing (death metal)
23. Persefone - Metanoia (progressive metal)
24. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum (post-hardcore/metal)
25. Species - To Find Deliverance (technical thrash metal)
26. The Dear Hunter - Antimai (progressive/funk rock)
27. David Maxim Micic - BILO IV (progressive metal)
28. NOFX - Double Album (punk rock)
29. And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison (post-rock)
30. Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island (psychedelic rock)
31. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory (progressive/post-metal)
32. Lamb of God - Omens (metal)
33. Dream Unending - Songs of Salvation (progressive death metal)
34. Asunojokei - Island (J-eafheaven)
35. Civilians - Civilians (progressive/jazz rock)
36. In The Woods... - Diversum (progressive metal)
37. Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons (progressive blackened metal)
38. Ibaraki - Rashomon (black-ish metal)
39. King Buffalo - Regenerator (progressive rock)
40. Wilderun - Epigone (progressive metal)
41. PUP - The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND (punk rock)
42. Devin Townsend - Lightwork (progressive metal)
43. Arch Enemy - Deceivers (melodic death metal)
44. The Murlocs - Rapscallion (psychedelic rock)
45. Messa - Close (progressive doom metal)
46. An Abstract Illusion - Woe (progressive metal)
47. Hot Water Music - Feel the Void (punk rock)
48. Hällas - Isle of Wisdom (progressive rock)
49. Moontooth - Phototroph (progressive rock/metal)
50. Aenaon - Mnemosyne (progressive metal)
51. Sarattma - Escape Velocity (progressive death metal)
52. Thy Catafalque - Mezolit (Live at Fekete Zaj) (avant-garde/progessive metal)
53. Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika (progressive metal)
54. Spirit Adrift - 20 Centuries Gone (metal)
55. Norma Jean - Deathrattle Sing for Me (metalcore)
56. Gnome - King (stoner metal)
57. Darkthrone - Astral Fortress (black-ish metal)
58. Blood Incantation - Timewave Zero (ambient/soundscape)
59. Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest (death metal)
60. Yin Yin - The Age of Aquarius (Funk and disco beats/Electro experimentation)
61. Kardashev - Liminal Rite (progressive metal)
62. Chemicide - Common Sense (thrash metal)
63. Parius - The Signal Heard Throughout Space (progressive metal)
64. Elder - Innate Passage (progressive/stoner metal)
65. Jamie Lenman - The Atheist (alt rock)
66. Chat Pile - God's Country (sludge/noise rock)
67. Dreadnought - The Endless (progressive metal)
68. Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed (post-metal/shoegaze)
69. Dopapod - Dopapod (funk/jam rock)
70. The Hirsch Effekt - Solitaer (progressive metal)
71. Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash (progressive metal)
72. Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality (progressive/post-metal)
73. Behold! The Monolith - From the Fathomless Deep (sludge metal)
74. Gospel - The Loser (post-hardcore)
75. Conjurer - Páthos (progressive/post-metal)
76. Spiritworld - DEATHWESTERN (thrash metal)
77. Dir en Grey - Phalaris (progressive metal)
78. Crippled Black Phoenix - Banefyre (post-rock)
79. Foxtails - Fawn (post-hardcore)
80. Alexisonfire - Otherness (post-hardcore)
81. Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation (progressive rock)
82. Obsidious - Iconic (progressive metal)
83. Astronoid - Radiant Bloom (dreamy shoegaze)
84. Russian Circles - Gnosis (post-metal)
85. Amorphis - Halo (melodic death metal)
86. Destrage - SO MUCH. Too much (progressive metal)
87. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Night Gnomes (psychedelic rock)
88. Decapitated - Cancer Culture (death metal)
89. Redeemon - Redeemon (skacore)
90. Fallujah - Empyrean (progressive death metal)
91. Septicflesh - Modern Primitive (symphonic death metal)
92. Allegaeon - DAMNUM (progressive death metal)
93. Meshuggah - Immutable (Meshuggah)
94. Revocation - Netherheaven (death metal)
95. Billy Talent - Crisis of Faith (alt/punk rock)
96. Might - Abyss (sludgy extreme metal)
97. Satyr - Totem (progressive rock)
98. Don Bolo - Bahamut (progressive)
99. Wormrot - Hiss (grindcore)
100. Hangman's Chair - A Loner (progressive metal)
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Nice genre selection at number 93, so true. Great list as well.
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Nice genre selection at number 93, so true. Great list as well.
I know :lol they are a law unto themselves
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I went the whole hog and did a top 100. 2022 really was a great year, it's surprising how all the releases creep up on you...
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum (mixed bag of genres)
6. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (progressive/jam rock)
11. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Changes (psychedelic soul jazz rock)
18. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim (progressive/jam rock)
Do you have all of their 2022 releases in your top 20? :biggrin: Or was there more?
31. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory (progressive/post-metal)
32. Lamb of God - Omens (metal)
50. Aenaon - Mnemosyne (progressive metal)
I have seen the Rolo Tomassi album mentioned in a few places, and I haven't checked it out yet. Not familiar with it at all, so I'm curious. I used to listen and enjoy Lamb of God a fair bit, but I guess I got a little tired of the sound on the last few albums. Haven't listened to this one yet. I take it from your ranking it's pretty good? I kinda randomly checked out the Aenaon recod a few days ago (again, I saw it mentioned in a few lists), and I thought it was a pretty cool record. Avant-gardish, but not too weird for the sake of being weird. And obviously recommended to those who like their sax in metal :)
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I went the whole hog and did a top 100. 2022 really was a great year, it's surprising how all the releases creep up on you...
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum (mixed bag of genres)
6. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (progressive/jam rock)
11. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Changes (psychedelic soul jazz rock)
18. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim (progressive/jam rock)
Do you have all of their 2022 releases in your top 20? :biggrin: Or was there more?
31. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory (progressive/post-metal)
32. Lamb of God - Omens (metal)
50. Aenaon - Mnemosyne (progressive metal)
I have seen the Rolo Tomassi album mentioned in a few places, and I haven't checked it out yet. Not familiar with it at all, so I'm curious. I used to listen and enjoy Lamb of God a fair bit, but I guess I got a little tired of the sound on the last few albums. Haven't listened to this one yet. I take it from your ranking it's pretty good? I kinda randomly checked out the Aenaon recod a few days ago (again, I saw it mentioned in a few lists), and I thought it was a pretty cool record. Avant-gardish, but not too weird for the sake of being weird. And obviously recommended to those who like their sax in metal :)
No, there was actually one other King Gizzard release this year I didn't rate, it was an EP called Made in Timeland :lol
The new Rolo Tomassi is really good, and the previous is also pretty damn good. They've just been moving away from their hardcore sound for years, and getting more progressive, really great stuff.
New Lamb of God is pretty standard fair, it's just the songs are stronger than they've been in years.
I've heard a few Aenaon, but this latest is pretty cool, and I too like sax in my metal!
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5 - Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Nice to see this one so high, Litho. When I first checked it out a few months, I did kinda randomly...I ended up liking it a lot, and I came back to it often.
I know it's a different side of synthwave, but did you check out The Midnight's latest album, Heroes? I only gave it one listen, and it left a pretty good impression (minus perhaps the song Brooklyn. Friday. Love, which sounded a bit too, um, bouncy?). Need to go back to it.
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I found it really disappointing. I like a lot of their earlier material a great deal though, so I'm sure I'll give it another shot later on.