BAND of the decade!!!

[goo-goo]

The love for Haken baffles.

Affinity and The Mountain are stunning masterpieces. But I was very underwhelmed by Vector and Virus. All the things that I loved about Haken were lost in those two albums. Ross' vocals did take a long time to get used to. But musically, both Mountain and Affinity are just out of this world.

I'm surprised that you don't like Affinity Stads. Very synth heavy, very Toto and 1980s rock influenced.

[Adami]

I have not really listened to any Haken. Maybe a song or two? Didn't grab me.

Then I was in the shower and had Pandora on. A song came on that I had never heard before. I was trying to figure out if I knew who it was or could deduce. The sound was like DT but.....not. It sounded like a band that took the technical elements of DT and none of their pop or melodic sensibilities and did that. A band that clearly was impressed by DT doing fancy tech music and tried to build a sound around that. Where every riff could have EASILY been on a DT or Porcupine Tree or whatever album but with much less interesting vocals. I say "Is this what Haken sounds like? I bet this is what Haken sounds like."

I get out of the shower and check. Haken.

[cramx3]

The love for Haken baffles.

Affinity and The Mountain are stunning masterpieces. But I was very underwhelmed by Vector and Virus. All the things that I loved about Haken were lost in those two albums. Ross' vocals did take a long time to get used to. But musically, both Mountain and Affinity are just out of this world.

I'm surprised that you don't like Affinity Stads. Very synth heavy, very Toto and 1980s rock influenced.

The bold was my issue getting into them.

Anyway some bands...

Ghost
Haken
Caligulas Horse
Beast in Black
Greta Van Fleet

[hefdaddy42]

Can't believe no one's mentioned Cellar Darling yet.

I've never even heard of them.

[Stadler]

I have not really listened to any Haken. Maybe a song or two? Didn't grab me.

Then I was in the shower and had Pandora on. A song came on that I had never heard before. I was trying to figure out if I knew who it was or could deduce. The sound was like DT but.....not. It sounded like a band that took the technical elements of DT and none of their pop or melodic sensibilities and did that. A band that clearly was impressed by DT doing fancy tech music and tried to build a sound around that. Where every riff could have EASILY been on a DT or Porcupine Tree or whatever album but with much less interesting vocals. I say "Is this what Haken sounds like? I bet this is what Haken sounds like."

I get out of the shower and check. Haken.

Unfortunately, that, for me, is like saying "it's all the ingredients and look of real cheesecake, but none of the flavor or texture!".

[Glasser]

Between The Buried And Me,  easily! . Career took off in 2011 with their debut full length on Metal Blade.

[hefdaddy42]

Between The Buried And Me,  easily! . Career took off in 2011 with their debut full length on Metal Blade.

Good pick.

[faizoff]

Between The Buried And Me,  easily! . Career took off in 2011 with their debut full length on Metal Blade.

I'm looking this up and the first Metal Blade record was the Parallax EP in 2011 followed by the full length album in 2012. Weren't they already kinda taking off with Alaska and Colors?

[SoundscapeMN]

Between The Buried And Me,  easily! . Career took off in 2011 with their debut full length on Metal Blade.

I'm looking this up and the first Metal Blade record was the Parallax EP in 2011 followed by the full length album in 2012. Weren't they already kinda taking off with Alaska and Colors?

yes, to many, their breakthrough was Colors.

my feeling about them is that was pretty much their peak and the albums they've made since have paled. I honestly struggle to listen to any of their albums since Colors.

[Nachtmerrie]

First album in the 10's
1. TesseractT
2. Haken
3. Periphery

Including solo artists: Emma Ruth Rundle would probably be my nr. 3 instead of Periphery

Honorable mentions: Rivers of Nihil, Soen, Ne Obliviscaris.

Band of the decade: Cult of Luna

[Kwyjibo]

I have not really listened to any Haken. Maybe a song or two? Didn't grab me.

Then I was in the shower and had Pandora on. A song came on that I had never heard before. I was trying to figure out if I knew who it was or could deduce. The sound was like DT but.....not. It sounded like a band that took the technical elements of DT and none of their pop or melodic sensibilities and did that. A band that clearly was impressed by DT doing fancy tech music and tried to build a sound around that. Where every riff could have EASILY been on a DT or Porcupine Tree or whatever album but with much less interesting vocals. I say "Is this what Haken sounds like? I bet this is what Haken sounds like."

I get out of the shower and check. Haken.

Unfortunately, that, for me, is like saying "it's all the ingredients and look of real cheesecake, but none of the flavor or texture!".

Funny how people hear music differently. For me it's the other way round. Haken is much less technical and wanky than DT, but they have a great sense of melody. Only Ross takes some getting used to.

[twosuitsluke]

Coheed and Cambria obviously, followed closely by The Dear Hunter!

[Fritzinger]

I have not really listened to any Haken. Maybe a song or two? Didn't grab me.

Then I was in the shower and had Pandora on. A song came on that I had never heard before. I was trying to figure out if I knew who it was or could deduce. The sound was like DT but.....not. It sounded like a band that took the technical elements of DT and none of their pop or melodic sensibilities and did that. A band that clearly was impressed by DT doing fancy tech music and tried to build a sound around that. Where every riff could have EASILY been on a DT or Porcupine Tree or whatever album but with much less interesting vocals. I say "Is this what Haken sounds like? I bet this is what Haken sounds like."

I get out of the shower and check. Haken.

Unfortunately, that, for me, is like saying "it's all the ingredients and look of real cheesecake, but none of the flavor or texture!".

Funny how people hear music differently. For me it's the other way round. Haken is much less technical and wanky than DT, but they have a great sense of melody. Only Ross takes some getting used to.

I think, Haken are even more technical, but less wankery.

Their polyrhythms and odd meters are more complex than DT's (especially since Affinity, where I'd say their influence from Djent bands became bigger), but they don't solo/shred as much and as long. On the whole Vector album, there is only one single "solo" section (during Veil).

[DoctorAction]

As overall,  The Night Flight Orchestra was my fave of 10's ...

CHVRCHES

Both of these bands for me. Listening to them has altered my musical tastes in a way I'd not felt since getting into DT in 2000. Stupendous.

Maybe not this forum cup of tea but I think I would like to mention Vulfpeck as a contender. They've completly exploded as a band this decade, especially as a liveband. Whenever I see them perform they always radiates so much love for playing live either by themself or with guests.

Vulfpeck is fantastic.

The Cory Wong Band is as good as it gets right now in terms of being a top liveband.)[/url]

Ha! Been listening to a lot of Cory Wong recently. He really has something. 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

The Cory Wong Band is as good as it gets right now in terms of being a top liveband.)[/url]

Ha! Been listening to a lot of Cory Wong recently. He really has something. 

Yea me too. I just love the entusiasm and passion they have for playing music but also how hard they work to get it to sound as good as possible. I get a feeling Cory is a great bandleader and everyone is bringing their A-game all the time.

[Zantera]

Revisiting this thread years later and having had some time to reflect, I stand by some of my initial thoughts but thought i would still throw some names out there.

*Deafheaven - Very solid debut album in 2011 with Roads to Judah, but followed that up in 2013 with one of the decade's best albums Sunbather (imo the best Blackgaze album still), followed that album up with a darker album New Bermuda in 2015 and followed that one up with a third amazing album in a row with Ordinary Corrupt Human Love in 2018. I am aware that their latest album Infinite Granite got a bit more of a mixed reception (I still enjoyed it even if it might be their weakest, or second weakest) but that one came out in 2021 so it technically isn't counted for this. Based purely on the strength of their first 4 albums (especially the last 3 of those) I think Deafheaven is a solid candidate. They also sort of revolutionized the Blackgaze genre and their blending of styles feels quite unique, though I'm sure now others have copied what they did.

*Julia Holter - One of my favorite female artists. Tragedy seems to count as her debut studio album and it was a very solid album in 2011. She followed that up with another great album Ekstasis in 2012 before putting out some fantastic albums - Loud City Song (2013) which blew my mind at the time. Followed that up with the more accessible but equally great Have You In My Wilderness in 2015 and finished the decade with a huge double album Aviary in 2018. She blends pop with chamber music elements and I guess Art Rock or Art Pop might be a decent good terms for it. She definitely has her own style and I would almost compare her to someone like Kate Bush, not necessarily that the music is 100% alike but very forward-thinking, different pop/classical music. I think her last 3 albums especially have been fantastic.

There's a few others I considered but ultimately put more as 'honorable mentions' mostly due to not having that many releases. Wilderun with a great debut album and then the fantastic Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and IMO their masterpiece Veil of Imagination. Mike Vennart branching off into his solo career after Oceansize with 3 great albums. Kamasi Washington with 2 fantastic double albums in Jazz, especially The Epic I would consider one of the best albums of that decade.

[wolfking]

The love for Haken baffles.

Do not get me started again!

[WilliamMunny]

Revisiting this thread years later and having had some time to reflect, I stand by some of my initial thoughts but thought i would still throw some names out there.

*Deafheaven - Very solid debut album in 2011 with Roads to Judah, but followed that up in 2013 with one of the decade's best albums Sunbather (imo the best Blackgaze album still), followed that album up with a darker album New Bermuda in 2015 and followed that one up with a third amazing album in a row with Ordinary Corrupt Human Love in 2018. I am aware that their latest album Infinite Granite got a bit more of a mixed reception (I still enjoyed it even if it might be their weakest, or second weakest) but that one came out in 2021 so it technically isn't counted for this. Based purely on the strength of their first 4 albums (especially the last 3 of those) I think Deafheaven is a solid candidate. They also sort of revolutionized the Blackgaze genre and their blending of styles feels quite unique, though I'm sure now others have copied what they did.

*Julia Holter - One of my favorite female artists. Tragedy seems to count as her debut studio album and it was a very solid album in 2011. She followed that up with another great album Ekstasis in 2012 before putting out some fantastic albums - Loud City Song (2013) which blew my mind at the time. Followed that up with the more accessible but equally great Have You In My Wilderness in 2015 and finished the decade with a huge double album Aviary in 2018. She blends pop with chamber music elements and I guess Art Rock or Art Pop might be a decent good terms for it. She definitely has her own style and I would almost compare her to someone like Kate Bush, not necessarily that the music is 100% alike but very forward-thinking, different pop/classical music. I think her last 3 albums especially have been fantastic.

There's a few others I considered but ultimately put more as 'honorable mentions' mostly due to not having that many releases. Wilderun with a great debut album and then the fantastic Sleep at the Edge of the Earth and IMO their masterpiece Veil of Imagination. Mike Vennart branching off into his solo career after Oceansize with 3 great albums. Kamasi Washington with 2 fantastic double albums in Jazz, especially The Epic I would consider one of the best albums of that decade.

Vennart was the first thing that came to mind. Those three albums have been in constant rotation for years now. I feel like he's on the precipice of surpassing his Oceansize output in my mind's eye.

[me7]

Haken's output so far is my favourite "first six albums" run of any band from any decade. The balance of treading new ground while maintaining consistent quality is unparalleled IMO.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

My pick is Chelsea Wolfe.  Technically she has an album in '06, but she's disowned it because she doesn't consider it authentic to herself, and it's nothing like her later albums.  Starting in '10 her work is quite prolific, with Pain Is Beauty and Hiss Spun in particular being some of my favorite music of any decade. 

Honorable mentions:  TesseracT, VOLA, Sulphur Aeon, Entrails, PVRIS, Lights, Tremonti, Triptykon, Perturbator, The Midnight, Mega Drive, Lazerhawk, Plini, David Maxim Micic/Destiny Potato, Skyharbor, Witherscape, Emma Ruth Rundle, Ruth Moody, Daughter, Anna von Hausswolff, Agnes Obel, We Are The Catalyst, Red Handed Denial, Haken, Drab Majesty, Sylvaine. 

Can't believe no one's mentioned Cellar Darling yet.

I've never even heard of them.

They splintered off from folk metal band Eluveitie.  I like what I've heard, but I'm nowhere near familiar enough with them to proffer them for this thread. 

Including solo artists: Emma Ruth Rundle would probably be my nr. 3

Yes, she's been ascendant for me the last few years.  Some Heavy Ocean in particular has become one of my favorite albums of any period. 

CHVRCHES

Both of these bands for me. Listening to them has altered my musical tastes in a way I'd not felt since getting into DT in 2000. Stupendous.

Part of my taste had already been sliding in that direction for awhile, but CHVRCHES definitely represented a significant uptick in trying to find similar music, and has proved quite fruitful since then.  I had been growing more lukewarm about them with their middle two albums being a little disappointing, but Screen Violence was their best album since their debut and has rekindled my interest in them again. 

*Julia Holter - One of my favorite female artists. Tragedy seems to count as her debut studio album and it was a very solid album in 2011. She followed that up with another great album Ekstasis in 2012 before putting out some fantastic albums - Loud City Song (2013) which blew my mind at the time. Followed that up with the more accessible but equally great Have You In My Wilderness in 2015 and finished the decade with a huge double album Aviary in 2018. She blends pop with chamber music elements and I guess Art Rock or Art Pop might be a decent good terms for it. She definitely has her own style and I would almost compare her to someone like Kate Bush, not necessarily that the music is 100% alike but very forward-thinking, different pop/classical music. I think her last 3 albums especially have been fantastic.

I've been digging into her work more in the past year or two.  It really seems like the sort of music that will reward additional listens.  Aviary is the one that stood out the most so far.  Have you heard Agnes Obel?  She has a different sort of approach, but is also in that space of applying elements of classical music composition and instrumentation, but in a poppier, yet not watered down format. 

[Zantera]

*Julia Holter - One of my favorite female artists. Tragedy seems to count as her debut studio album and it was a very solid album in 2011. She followed that up with another great album Ekstasis in 2012 before putting out some fantastic albums - Loud City Song (2013) which blew my mind at the time. Followed that up with the more accessible but equally great Have You In My Wilderness in 2015 and finished the decade with a huge double album Aviary in 2018. She blends pop with chamber music elements and I guess Art Rock or Art Pop might be a decent good terms for it. She definitely has her own style and I would almost compare her to someone like Kate Bush, not necessarily that the music is 100% alike but very forward-thinking, different pop/classical music. I think her last 3 albums especially have been fantastic.

I've been digging into her work more in the past year or two.  It really seems like the sort of music that will reward additional listens.  Aviary is the one that stood out the most so far.  Have you heard Agnel Obel?  She has a different sort of approach, but is also in that space of applying elements of classical music composition and instrumentation, but in a poppier, yet not watered down format.

I have heard Citizen of Glass which I remember enjoying but that was a while ago. Could be worth investigating again. Also, Chelsea Wolfe is a good mention!

[Trav86]

Haken
The Neal Morse Band
Flying Colors
Slash
The Dead Daisies
Greta Van Fleet