Your Favorite Albums of 2020

[Buddyhunter1]

How in the hell did you ever make it to a Dream Theater forum?

I'm not sure I understand the question here, but if that was directed at Nachtmerrie, Dream Theater was my gateway band to a lot of the bands on his list. And the rest were all recommendations by DTF members or members of the old Mike Portnoy forum.

Yeah there's also at least like 4 or 5 prog bands in his list so idk what that comment was about

[Nachtmerrie]

How in the hell did you ever make it to a Dream Theater forum?

I don´t get the comment. It´s not other´s lists in this topic are very prog either.. Is it because you don't like the bands in my list or because you've never heard of them?

But to answer the question

Initially because of Dream Theater and I´ve broadened my taste over the last years. All the albums on my list are better then anything DT has released over the last decade imho. As mentioned by Puppies_On_Acid en Buddyhunter1 there´s still a lot of prog or bands with progressive elements in the list.

Rannoch, The Reticent, A.A. Williams, Unleash the Archers are direct recommendations from this forum.
Others I discovered just by following the reviews on a few international and Dutch websites.

 

[twosuitsluke]

Yea, I think it's pretty old news that there are a hell of a lot of us on here that don't even really listen to Dream Theater anymore.

Nachtmerrie, I think your list has a lot of albums that are very popular with a high percentage of DTF'ers. I mean Dream Theater are progressive metal, and a lot of your picks are progressive metal (although on the more extreme end of the spectrum) so it's hardly a stretch. I think if we end up compiling a top 20 of all the albums ranked in this thread, at least 10 that you mentioned have a shot of being in there!

There are some here I need to check out myself!

[DTA]

4. Sepultura - Quadra. Prog trash very creative and inspired! The instrumental quality of today Sepultura is the best of their entire career.

Glad to see this album get mentioned. I checked it out on a whim after abandoning the band 20 years ago when Against was released and was surprised at how great it was. The last few releases have been incredibly solid which I did not expect after stuff like Nation and Roorback. The absolute highlight of 2020 for me and has surpassed even Arise and Beneath The Remains at this point.

[wolfking]

How in the hell did you ever make it to a Dream Theater forum?

I don´t get the comment. It´s not other´s lists in this topic are very prog either.. Is it because you don't like the bands in my list or because you've never heard of them?

But to answer the question

Initially because of Dream Theater and I´ve broadened my taste over the last years. All the albums on my list are better then anything DT has released over the last decade imho. As mentioned by Puppies_On_Acid en Buddyhunter1 there´s still a lot of prog or bands with progressive elements in the list.

Rannoch, The Reticent, A.A. Williams, Unleash the Archers are direct recommendations from this forum.
Others I discovered just by following the reviews on a few international and Dutch websites.

 

Don't mind Chad.  Just ignore him and he'll go away. 

I love the Orbit Culture pick.  I should spin that a few more times, I think it would have a chance to crack my list actually.

[jingle.boy]

How in the hell did you ever make it to a Dream Theater forum?

I'm not sure I understand the question here, but if that was directed at Nachtmerrie, Dream Theater was my gateway band to a lot of the bands on his list. And the rest were all recommendations by DTF members or members of the old Mike Portnoy forum.

Just that none of these bands in the Top 15 (other than Haken) would seem to have anything in common with DTF (imo).  That's just me though - and my comment was meant to be mostly tongue-in-cheek. 

Initially because of Dream Theater and I´ve broadened my taste over the last years. All the albums on my list are better then anything DT has released over the last decade imho. As mentioned by Puppies_On_Acid en Buddyhunter1 there´s still a lot of prog or bands with progressive elements in the list.

Rannoch, The Reticent, A.A. Williams, Unleash the Archers are direct recommendations from this forum.
Others I discovered just by following the reviews on a few international and Dutch websites. 

It's all good man... I mean, it's not like DT makes any of my 'top lists' since 2006 either.  For someone with a low post count (no judgment ... just an observation that you aren't overly active or interactive), it seems .... slightly odd?? ... to me.  I've gotten a metric shit-ton of musical recommendations from DTF, so there's absolutely no issue in that.  But these aren't exactly bands that are household names by DTF standards.

[ariich]

It's all good man... I mean, it's not like DT makes any of my 'top lists' since 2006 either.  For someone with a low post count (no judgment ... just an observation that you aren't overly active or interactive), it seems .... slightly odd?? ... to me.  I've gotten a metric shit-ton of musical recommendations from DTF, so there's absolutely no issue in that.  But these aren't exactly bands that are household names by DTF standards.

Useful reminder that a low post-count doesn't mean someone is particularly new to the forum - he's been here 3 years. And also good to remember that some people read a lot but don't post much. Same with plenty of other people, some whom have been around for over a decade but are still sub-1,000 posts.

[CDrice]

I think my top 10 would be something like this.

1.Sepultura-Quadra I heard about Sepultura for a while and meant to check them out eventually. Since I heard good things about this album I finally decided to give it a shot last month. I was not disappointed. This album just blows me away everytime I listen to it 

2.Conception-State of Deception This was my top album until last month, but it still remains the one I listened to the most. I kind of like the Dark Symphony EP better than this, but still a very cool album for me 

3.Igorrr-Spirituality and Distortion I don't know how to describe this one. It's just a mix of lots of different things that shouldn't fit together and yet it's awesome 

And I don't really have anything else in particular to say about the rest of my top 10, so here's the remaining list

4.Haken-Virus
5.The Ocean-Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic/Cenozoic
6.Forndom-Fapir
7.John Petrucci-Terminal Velocity
8.The Birthday Massacre-Diamonds
9.Mr Bungle-The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
10.Pain of Salvation-Panther

[Nachtmerrie]

How in the hell did you ever make it to a Dream Theater forum?

I'm not sure I understand the question here, but if that was directed at Nachtmerrie, Dream Theater was my gateway band to a lot of the bands on his list. And the rest were all recommendations by DTF members or members of the old Mike Portnoy forum.

Just that none of these bands in the Top 15 (other than Haken) would seem to have anything in common with DTF (imo).  That's just me though - and my comment was meant to be mostly tongue-in-cheek. 

Initially because of Dream Theater and I´ve broadened my taste over the last years. All the albums on my list are better then anything DT has released over the last decade imho. As mentioned by Puppies_On_Acid en Buddyhunter1 there´s still a lot of prog or bands with progressive elements in the list.

Rannoch, The Reticent, A.A. Williams, Unleash the Archers are direct recommendations from this forum.
Others I discovered just by following the reviews on a few international and Dutch websites. 

It's all good man... I mean, it's not like DT makes any of my 'top lists' since 2006 either.  For someone with a low post count (no judgment ... just an observation that you aren't overly active or interactive), it seems .... slightly odd?? ... to me.  I've gotten a metric shit-ton of musical recommendations from DTF, so there's absolutely no issue in that.  But these aren't exactly bands that are household names by DTF standards.

No hard feelings, I'm fine

I'm more of a reader then a poster on DTF. That's mainly because writing in English takes some extra time for me which sometimes withholds me from posting.

I agree with you that the bands on my list aren't household names on DTF except for Haken and maybe Plini.
But bands like Periphery, Gojira, Mastodon and Opeth are quite popular over here. I'm pretty confident that anyone who likes these bands has a fair chance of enjoying The Ocean, Orbit Culture, Rannoch, the Reticent and Pallbearer.

[cramx3]

I don't see any reason to question Nachtmerrie's list.  Plenty of prog metal on there... I know it wasn't meant to be serious, but I don't even see how that list is that far off from the type of music enjoyed by this forum. I see a bunch of bands that performed at ProgPower for example.

[emtee]

Haken and Kansas are my clear # 1 and 2. Both are hugely unexpected.

[WebRaider]

Pain of Salvation - Panther
Plini - Impulse Voices
The Midnight - Monsters
Killer Be Killed - Reluctant Hero
Loathe - I Let It In And It Took Everything
Corelia - New Wilderness
Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant
Daniel Tompkins - Ruins
Sevendust - Blood & Stone
Their Dogs Were Astronauts - Dreamcatcher
Mother's Cake - Cyberfunk!
Deftones - Ohms
Black Crown Initiate - Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape
Pvris - Use Me

[Crow]

there's an entire crowd of fogeys here who don't look outside a safe sphere of prog/power metal and classic heavy metal who always complain about how there wasn't enough good music this year and don't even know the genres of half the artists on lists like nachtmerrie's are we even surprised by this at this point 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

there's an entire crowd of fogeys here who don't look outside a safe sphere of prog/power metal and classic heavy metal who always complain about how there wasn't enough good music this year and don't even know the genres of half the artists on lists like nachtmerrie's are we even surprised by this at this point 

Yeah, pretty much this.

[jingle.boy]

there's an entire crowd of fogeys here who don't look outside a safe sphere of prog/power metal and classic heavy metal who always complain about how there wasn't enough good music this year and don't even know the genres of half the artists on lists like nachtmerrie's are we even surprised by this at this point 

I would apply your first statement to me for sure.  As a fogey, I've done all the experimenting in musical tastes I need to in my life, and see no need to stray outside of my preferred swim lane - there's enough fantastic music in the genres that I like to satiate my ears.  Perhaps when you younglings reach fogey status, you'll understand / feel the same  .  As to the bolded part - that does NOT apply to me.  I've bought about 25 albums this year, and saved another 30 on Spotify.  I've got not complaints about there not being any good music this year.

[Stadler]

there's an entire crowd of fogeys here who don't look outside a safe sphere of prog/power metal and classic heavy metal who always complain about how there wasn't enough good music this year and don't even know the genres of half the artists on lists like nachtmerrie's are we even surprised by this at this point 

As a card-carrying "fogey", that doesn't make anyone a hero. It's just a matter of what you like in a song/band/genre.  Like Chad, I've listened to tens of thousands of songs, maybe more, hundreds of bands, maybe more, and tens if not hundreds of genres (and subgenres).  I know what I like.  I like melodies, I like warm sounds (guitar or keyboard) and I don't like atonal, arhythmic stuff.   If some new genre doesn't have a good melody to it, I'm probably not going to like it, and all the open-mindedness in the world isn't going to change that.  I will LISTEN to anything; that doesn't mean I will LIKE everything.

I'm more careful than most about using terms like "good music" (there is no "good music", only music I like or don't like), and yeah, there seems to be a dearth of music I like in recent years. Some of that is simply because I don't have time or bandwidth to absorb all of it like I did the classic material of my youth.  It's not in my DNA yet.  Even bands I like - Ayreon comes to mind, so does Rival Sons - I don't have the time or bandwidth to really dig in like it deserves. Some of it is periodic cycles; if I'm being honest, when I look back, there are cycles or periods that I seem to like more material than others.  That doesn't mean I don't like something from all years, but there seems to be a pattern. 

[Zantera]

I'm only 29 but I kinda feel like a fogey in some ways. 5 years ago I was the person putting hours upon hours every week seeking out new albums and I could go through 4 new albums in a week and end the year on 200 new albums listened to. And you do discover a lot of music, but it can also be draining because you sift through a lot of stuff. It worked fine for me then because I was unemployed for a lot of the time but now with work and other hobbies, I don't really feel the need to invest that time in new discoveries anymore. I think I've reached that point where I'm happy letting the music come to me rather than actively seeking it out, and I still get some new discoveries each year but I'll focus on the stuff I know and like, and when I want something new I'll go with whatever seems to be getting good reviews.

But I think also just for my own enjoyment, it's much more rewarding to me to do a deep dive with a band or artist, get into their whole discography rather than jump around and check out one new album by 20 different bands.

[jingle.boy]

Same.  I've got 20 years on you, and realized I was burned out on sampling 150-200 albums per year.  I'd spend virtually all of my listening time in 'discovery' mode, and not enough time on 'enjoyment' mode - whether current year releases, recent releases, or stuff I've already loved for decades.  Now I try to balance my time more across my entire (20k+ song) library.  If something doesn't grab me within the first 3-4 tracks, I move on.  Like I said, there's enough great music (for my tastes) to listen to that I don't need to spend my discretionary time listening to bad/mediocre/good music.

[Nachtmerrie]

I'm 41 but have been that fogey for years between my 25th and 35th. Sticking to the same bands and mainly dependent on commercial radio for the rare new band I liked.

That's has changed over the last few years and 2020 was quite extreme because working from home gave me many more hours to choose my own music.
Over the next years I want to find some sort of balance between discovering new music and diving deeper into the cataloque of some recent discoveries.

[DTA]

Same.  I've got 20 years on you, and realized I was burned out on sampling 150-200 albums per year.  I'd spend virtually all of my listening time in 'discovery' mode, and not enough time on 'enjoyment' mode - whether current year releases, recent releases, or stuff I've already loved for decades.  Now I try to balance my time more across my entire (20k+ song) library.  If something doesn't grab me within the first 3-4 tracks, I move on.  Like I said, there's enough great music (for my tastes) to listen to that I don't need to spend my discretionary time listening to bad/mediocre/good music.

I made a rule for myself to listen to any new album I get a minimum of 10 times before I get something new to avoid being in what you call constant "discovery mode". I might do this with 3-4 albums at a time so every 2 weeks or so I have a playlist with a different group of albums, plus I always throw in older albums that I want to relisten to or go through a particular band's discography one album at a time (bands like DT or Genesis who I've been listening to for 20+ years but don't play regularly anymore). It's a great way to get mileage out of new and old albums and if after 10 listens it still doesn't grab me, I rarely return to it.

[TAC]

there's an entire crowd of fogeys here who don't look outside a safe sphere of prog/power metal and classic heavy metal who always complain about how there wasn't enough good music this year and don't even know the genres of half the artists on lists like nachtmerrie's are we even surprised by this at this point 

I would apply your first statement to me for sure.  As a fogey, I've done all the experimenting in musical tastes I need to in my life, and see no need to stray outside of my preferred swim lane - there's enough fantastic music in the genres that I like to satiate my ears.  Perhaps when you younglings reach fogey status, you'll understand / feel the same  .  As to the bolded part - that does NOT apply to me.  I've bought about 25 albums this year, and saved another 30 on Spotify.  I've got not complaints about there not being any good music this year.

I've gone out of my comfort zone, mainly black metal and harsh vocals over the past few years, and I've found a ton of great music. But yes, I'm a Card Carrying Fogey, and my music listening can still be limiting. But I've probably sampled at least 200 albums, saved 40-50 on Spotify, and probably made about 15 purchases this year.

Compared to the last few years, I didn't think this was a great year, at least in terms of music that I liked.

[Train of Naught]

Yeah I’m pretty sure that 30 years from now I’ll have fallen into a comfort zone, and to be honest I’m really looking forward to it. I’m just thinking back only as far as 2 years I was spending so much energy looking for albums, saving them and then spinning them once or not at all. Also feeling this constant urge to find new stuff is exhausting.

I have sort of a comfort zone now, the comfort zone changes depending on mood, but for each mood it’s fairly limited now. I can get used to this, gives me so much more time and energy to do things I  actually enjoy!

I think the main complaint is towards people who don’t discover a lot of music in a year and then claim that year was a bad year for music, but I only know one or two people on this forum who do that.

[TAC]

I think the main complaint is towards people who don’t discover a lot of music in a year and then claim that year was a bad year for music, but I only know one or two people on this forum who do that.

Well, not to argue with you by any means, but people just have their own way of discovering or listening to music. Not everyone feels the need to painstakingly search out new bands. Some have their circle of bands and related bands and are happy with that. And sometimes in "their" world, it may not be a great year.

I realize when people "this hasn't been a good year " really just simply means "I haven't found a lot of music that I like".

[twosuitsluke]

Think I've finally set on my final top 20 of 2020:

1. Get Dead - Dancing with the Curse
2. NOFX/Frank Turner - West Coast vs. Wessex
3. Mother's Cake - Cyberfunk!
4. The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic
5. Ihsahn - Telemark/Pharos
6. Honorary Astronaut - EP .001
7. Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?
8. Haken - Virus
9. Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant
10. Enslaved - Utgard
11. Deftones - Ohms
12. The Reticent - The Oubliette
13. Pain of Salvation - Panther
14. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - K.G.
15. Vennart - In The Dead, Dead Wood
16. Kvelertak - Splid
17. Thy Catafalque - Naiv
18. Bad Cop, Bad Cop - The Ride
19.Obsidian Kingdom - Meat Machine
20. Intronaut - Fluid Existential Inversions

[Crow]

it's way way too late for anyone to care because i'm always super slow at getting this one out but here's my favorite albums of 2020
https://youtu.be/uv_KOPEaews

[ReaperKK]

it's way way too late for anyone to care because i'm always super slow at getting this one out but here's my favorite albums of 2020
https://youtu.be/uv_KOPEaews

Great video, I haven't heard much on your list but it was a good watch.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

it's way way too late for anyone to care because i'm always super slow at getting this one out but here's my favorite albums of 2020
https://youtu.be/uv_KOPEaews

I CARE!!!

....watching now....

[TAC]

it's way way too late for anyone to care because i'm always super slow at getting this one out but here's my favorite albums of 2020
https://youtu.be/uv_KOPEaews

Cyril gone country!


The Reticent!


The Bron didn't cross my path, but I'm going to check it out. Astolat too.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Aww, I thought for sure Paysage d'Hiver would make your top ten (came close though). Cool to see Pain of Salvation, Olhava, The Reticent, and Svalbard on the list though! The Reticent definitely needs way more exposure. That Bròn album was a massive surprise from last year too. Like, they had 4 albums previously that I sampled and were all pretty much trash.

Looks like I need to check out Bagdadski Vor and Astolat.

On the other hand, I just haven't been able to get into The Weeknd, even though it has lots of elements which, when combined, I should like....

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

it's way way too late for anyone to care because i'm always super slow at getting this one out but here's my favorite albums of 2020
https://youtu.be/uv_KOPEaews

The Reticent!

I'm pretty sure we all have you to thank for turning us all on to The Reticent (when you sent them in my roulette). One of the best finds of the past 5 years, IMO.

[TAC]

Yeah!

It was the perfect album for an album roulette. I had it on my Spotify for a bit, but I could never decide which track to use by itself.

[Crow]

That Bròn album was a massive surprise from last year too. Like, they had 4 albums previously that I sampled and were all pretty much trash.

I ended up picking up their previous black metal album (which is different from their electronic albums which are mediocre) and it's

well, it's fine, but way less distinctive than the new one. same vibe, less development, basically