I really haven't been listening to a lot of new releases this year for the first time in a string of years where listening to new albums was pretty much one of my main hobbies.
![:lol](https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/Smileys/default/lol.gif)
I'm using this year more to listen to the back catalogue of artists I am already (vaguely) familiar with, inspired by twosuitsluke's incredibly extensive Spotify playlists!
![:metal](https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/Smileys/default/headbang.gif)
1. Periphery - Periphery IV: Hail Stan
2. Herod - Sombre Dessein
3. James Blake - Assume Form
4. Sâver - They Came With Sunlight
5. Artificial Language - Now We Sleep (this is growing on me, first listen was very meh)
6. Anderson.Paak - Ventura
Then there's a couple I like but am not over the moon about:
* Soen - Lotus
* Lost In Kiev - Persona
* Owel - Paris
* Labirinto - Divino Afflante Spiritu
"Meh" list:
* Port Noir - The New Routine (I really dig the lead single, but man this band became so 'fake cool/trendy' real fast)
* Moon Tooth - Crux
* Myrath - Forgotthename
* East of the Wall - NP-Complete
And last but not least, the "hype" list:
* Hypno5e (I've heard the album once and I'm pretty sure this will end up on #1, it's their most diverse album yet!)
* Cult of Luna (based on the single it sounds a bit like basic Cult of Luna, but I still love basic Cult of Luna more than 90% of the music out there)
* Klone (don't know if they're releasing this year, but their last proper album was far away their best so I'm optimistic)
* Agent Fresco (I'm really not sure if they're releasing something this year but it's been a while, and Destrier has become one of my favourite albums over the last half year or so)