Your favorite albums for the first half of 2015.

[Heretic]

So far my top15 would look something like this:

Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Vennart - The Demon Joke
mewithoutYou - Pale Horses
Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes
Hop Along - Painted Shut
Attalus - Into the Sea
Periphery - Juggernaut: Alpha
Periphery - Juggernaut: Omega
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
Mew - +/-
Death Grips - Jenny Death
Viet Cong - Viet Cong
Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls

Wow, I think its safe to say we are in a completely different music world.  I've never heard of any of those bands.

It goes to show how insanely difficult it must be for DT to keep us all happy. Here we all are because we care for their music (or did at one time for some) and yet our frames of reference are miles apart.

Well, in my case at least, discovering Dream Theater led me to searching out more bands that were progressive in nature, which lead to me broadening my music taste and eventually brought me to where I am today. I might not care as much for their style of music any longer, but I still enjoy it when I listen to it and I appreciate that it opened the gates for all sorts of new music for me. I think some people just don't get really into actively searching out new music and albums like Zantera and I do--  a lot of people listen to the things they're used to, and the things that bands they already enjoy are releasing. I love listening to new work by bands I love as well, but I am always looking for something new to discover and fall in love with.

[snowdog]

I haven't picked up many albums this year but I'd rank them like this:

1. Steven Wilson - HCE
2. Arcane - Known/Learned
3. Anekdoten - Until All the Ghosts are Gone
4. Muse - Drones

And the Muse album hasn't really grown on me at all.  Hope that changes but at the moment I would say that while it is #4 on my list I imagine some other albums could go ahead of it before the year is out.  I don't think anything can alter the top 2 spots though as those albums are both amazing.

[Sacul]

So far my top15 would look something like this:

Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Vennart - The Demon Joke
mewithoutYou - Pale Horses
Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes
Hop Along - Painted Shut
Attalus - Into the Sea
Periphery - Juggernaut: Alpha
Periphery - Juggernaut: Omega
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
Mew - +/-
Death Grips - Jenny Death
Viet Cong - Viet Cong
Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls

Wow, I think its safe to say we are in a completely different music world.  I've never heard of any of those bands.

It goes to show how insanely difficult it must be for DT to keep us all happy. Here we all are because we care for their music (or did at one time for some) and yet our frames of reference are miles apart.

Well, in my case at least, discovering Dream Theater led me to searching out more bands that were progressive in nature, which lead to me broadening my music taste and eventually brought me to where I am today. I might not care as much for their style of music any longer, but I still enjoy it when I listen to it and I appreciate that it opened the gates for all sorts of new music for me. I think some people just don't get really into actively searching out new music and albums like Zantera and I do--  a lot of people listen to the things they're used to, and the things that bands they already enjoy are releasing. I love listening to new work by bands I love as well, but I am always looking for something new to discover and fall in love with.

I think I may enter that category too - my tastes have drastically changed in the last year or so, and now I'm opened to way more genres than before. Even my top is *very* different now, like 3/4rds of it are new or so.

[Accelerando]

Tremonti - Cauterize
Muse - Drones
Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Drenge - Undertow
ASAP Rocky - At. Long. Last.

[wolfking]

Angra - Secret Garden
UDO - Decadent
Pyramaze - Disciples of the Sun
Level 10 - Chapter One
Eclipse - Armageddonize
Nightingale - Retribution
Serious Black - As Daylight Fades

Not much grabbed me this year really.

[amagr]

Santa Cruz-Santa Cruz
Steven Wilson-Hand Cannot Erase

[Sacul]

Not an album but David Maxim Micic's new EP is 

[Lowdz]

So far my top15 would look something like this:

Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Vennart - The Demon Joke
mewithoutYou - Pale Horses
Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes
Hop Along - Painted Shut
Attalus - Into the Sea
Periphery - Juggernaut: Alpha
Periphery - Juggernaut: Omega
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
Mew - +/-
Death Grips - Jenny Death
Viet Cong - Viet Cong
Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls

Wow, I think its safe to say we are in a completely different music world.  I've never heard of any of those bands.

It goes to show how insanely difficult it must be for DT to keep us all happy. Here we all are because we care for their music (or did at one time for some) and yet our frames of reference are miles apart.

Well, in my case at least, discovering Dream Theater led me to searching out more bands that were progressive in nature, which lead to me broadening my music taste and eventually brought me to where I am today. I might not care as much for their style of music any longer, but I still enjoy it when I listen to it and I appreciate that it opened the gates for all sorts of new music for me. I think some people just don't get really into actively searching out new music and albums like Zantera and I do--  a lot of people listen to the things they're used to, and the things that bands they already enjoy are releasing. I love listening to new work by bands I love as well, but I am always looking for something new to discover and fall in love with.

I think I may enter that category too - my tastes have drastically changed in the last year or so, and now I'm opened to way more genres than before. Even my top is *very* different now, like 3/4rds of it are new or so.

I seek it out and try it on the basis that there must be something there that would appeal to someone who likes DT. I am admittedly pretty narrow in my taste but I do try  Quite often I even like some of it but not in a "will play it often" sort of way.

[jingle.boy]

Angra - Secret Garden
UDO - Decadent
Pyramaze - Disciples of the Sun
Level 10 - Chapter One
Eclipse - Armageddonize
Nightingale - Retribution
Serious Black - As Daylight Fades

Not much grabbed me this year really.

Other than UDO, I agree with the above (and my lack of agreement with UDO is because I don't have it).

Others to add to my list:

Damnation Angels - The Valiant Fire
Forgotten Suns - When Worlds Collide
Kamelot - Haven
Kingcrow - Eidos
Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Shattered Skies - The World We Used to Know (shame on you RJ for not mentioning this)
Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase. (yes, I said it).
Cain's Offering - Stormcrow
Impelliteri - Venom
Jorn Lande & Trond Holter - Dracula: Swing of Death (I was pleasantly surprised by this one)
Lonely Robot - Please Come Home
One | Cinema - s/t
Pantommind - Searching for Eternity
RavenBlack Project - Breaking Through the Mist
Silentlie - Layers of Nothing
Sweet/Lynch - Only to Rise

I really struggle how people can say there isn't much out there ... seriously?  You're not looking hard enough.

[RoeDent]

I've only bought two 2015 albums so far, so by default they're my favourites.

Steven Wilson: Hand. Cannot. Erase.

The Tangent: A Spark in the Aether

A lot has been said about SW already, so I'll offer a few words of appreciation for A Spark in the Aether. The title track is a great album opener, and that keyboard riff at the start is so catchy. The Celluloid Road is fantastic as well, being a 21-minute journey across America that the majority of us make nearly every night, through our TV screens.

[Nekov]

I'll do a top 5 since we're half way through, will do the top 10 at the end. In no specific order

Steven Wilson - Hand Cannot Erase
Nightingale - Retribution
Von Hertzen Brothers - New Day Rising
Mumford & Sons - Wilder Mind
Florence & the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

[jingle.boy]

Nightingale - Retribution

Was released in November.  Great album tho.

[Big Hath]

Nightingale - Retribution

Was released in November.  Great album tho.

in Europe, but not until January in North America

[mike099]

Steven Wilson - Hand.Cannot.Erase
Beardfish - +4626 Comfort Zone

[sneakyblueberry]

Nightingale - Retribution

Was released in November.  Great album tho.

in Europe, but not until January in North America

TECHNICALITY!

I really should check out this Steven Wilson guy.

[Elite]

ITT: name as many albums as you can to show that you listen to the largest possible variety of music.

Here's mine

Steven Wilson's new one
Leprous' new one
The Napalm Death album was quite fun

I have no idea what else I've heard. Probably a lot more.

[Polarbear]

Toto - XIV
Faith No More - Sol Invictus
High on Fire - Luminiferous
Leprous - The Congregation
Paradise Lost - The Plague Within

Looking forward to:

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
The Sword - High Country
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic
Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

[faizoff]

Goes to show how few albums I've been listening to these days. So far this year all I got were
Steven Wilson
Between The Buried and Me
Faith No More

Still haven't heard the new Muse. Might check out 2 or 3 more this year, Lamb of God, Slayer and Iron Maiden are the only three that come to mind.

Edit: Just remembered Riverside as well.