Your Favorite Albums of 2020

[mike099]

Only listened to three so far:

Burden of Life -  The Make Shift Conquerer  purchased - Really like the variety of songs

Elder - Omens  purchased - A lot of folks do not like this one as much as Reflections, but the production and overall sound is great.  This one has synthesizers and has a prog feel.

Paradise Lost - Obsidian  not yet purchased -  Great sounding album

[jingle.boy]

In no particular order:

Albums I've purchased:
Thoughts Factory / Elements
The Night Flight Orchestra / Aeromatic
Harem Scarem / Change the World
The Unity / Pride
Ad Infinitum / Chapter 1: Monarchy
Confess / Burn 'em All
Nightwish / Human || Nature
Exlibris / Shadowrise

Albums I've only saved in Spotify for the moment:
Starmen / Welcome to My World
Diabulus In Musica / Euphonic Entropy
H.E.A.T. / H.E.A.T. II
Conception / State of Deception
Pure Reason Revolution / Eupnea
Cryptex / Once Upon a Time
Green Carnation / Leaves of Yesteryear

Katy (boy, that was a sweet iPad typo autocorrect!  ), Give Exlibris a try.  Just a short 6-track EP.

[The Walrus]

I listened to that EP earlier this week. It's kind of generic but I like the keyboard lead synth tone.

[Peter Mc]

Not listened to a whole bunch of new music this year but Ad Infinitum’s album Chapter I - Monarchy is by far my favourite so far. Really nicely done Symphonic(ish) metal album from a new band with a super talented singer. 

Apart from a couple of songs the new Satriani album is not grabbing me unfortunately.

[TAC]

1. Dawn Of Solace-Waves
2. Burden Of Life-The Makeshift Conqueror
3. Testament-Titans Of Creation
4. Dark Forest-Oak, Ash, & Thorn
5. Thematic-Skyrunner
6. Nicumo-Inertia
7. Sweven-The Eternal Resonance
8. Black Swan-Shake The World
9. Skyforest-A New Dawn
10. Ambush-Infidel

[wolfking]

1. Dawn Of Solace-Waves

I checked a couple of songs out a while back when you mentioned it and didn't like it.  I decided to youtube this while I'm sitting at week doing procedure manuals and shit and I'm actually really liking it.  Great atmosphere and mood.  Good melodies.  The vocals take some getting used to, but they fit the depressing, somber mood.  I like it.  Reminds me heavily of another band.  I'm thinking Voyager with the vocals, but I think I'm thinking someone else.

[TAC]

Still my song of the year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpjP5PXc-1k


Yeah, it's a bit off the beaten path for me, but it just kind of sucks me in.

[bl5150]

Still my song of the year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpjP5PXc-1k


Yeah, it's a bit off the beaten path for me, but it just kind of sucks

I think you're right 






kidding................just checked it out and yeah - it's a rather weird combo of elements.  The quality of his voice sounds more suited to pop than metal but it gives a unique vibe and that's half the battle.    Could be a grower.

[TAC]

I KNEW when I posted that, it would be quoted like that.

Lead Wings is great, but most of the album is pretty slow. I would've loved to have had a couple of more Lead Wings styled tracks on the . Still the album is quite moody and addicting.

[bl5150]

I KNEW when I posted that, it would be quoted like that.

I thought to myself "What would Tim do ............" 

[TAC]

Who's Tim?

[bl5150]

Some dude I  used to know who went off the rails and got into black metal.

[The Walrus]

I already know that Fairyland's new record (coming this Friday) is going to be in my favorite records of the year because that's the kind of person I am. Caligula's Horse is gonna have fierce competition in that regard but I'm also looking forward to that one a whole lot.

[TAC]

I already know that Fairyland's new record (coming this Friday) is going to be in my favorite records of the year because that's the kind of person I am.

A fairy?

[The Walrus]

I already know that Fairyland's new record (coming this Friday) is going to be in my favorite records of the year because that's the kind of person I am.

A fairy?

And what's the deal with airplane food?

[TAC]

[The Walrus]

Fairyland is really really good well composed symphonic metal. It's one of the holy trinity of amazing symphonic metal bands imo. The first album has Elisa C. Martin from Dark Moor on lead vocals. Great stuff with a unique flavor nobody else really has

Maybe I'll do a discography thread on them

[TAC]

Yeah, you should do that. I'd follow that.

[The Walrus]

I bet you would! Probably just to bust my balls the whole time! Right back atcha!  

[jingle.boy]

Yeah, you should do that. I'd follow that.

You'd be the Waldorf of that thread.

[TAC]

I bet you would! Probably just to bust my balls the whole time! Right back atcha!  

Nah, I'd go on the musical journey with you. Plus I figure a Fairyland thread would bust its own balls.

[The Walrus]

Any discography thread I want to make would probably just end up being me talking to myself anyway so I'm on the fence

[TAC]

I just did a discog thread with like 3 guys participating.

[SwedishGoose]

My purchases this year:

Allegaeon - Roundabout (single)
Ayreon - Electric Castle Live And Other Tales
Green Carnation - Leaves Of Yesteryear
Khadavara - Lucid Parasitosis (single)
Mariana Semkina - Sleepwalking
Mrs Amy Birks - All That I Am & All That I Was
Myrkur - Folkesanger
Pendragon - Love Over Fear
Poloniumcubes - Six
The Lickerish Quartet  - Threesome Vol 1
The Neal Morse Band  - Great Advenour Live In Brno
Vulkan - Technatura
We Came From Space - Reasons In The Rhyme (EP)


Of these I mostly gravitate to

Allegaeon
Mrs Amy Birks
Vulkan

Green Carnation
The Lickerish Quartet
Mariana Semkina

[Lowdz]

Some dude I  used to know who went off the rails and got into black metal.

I think Tim might be going through some stuff. He's listening to some depressing stuff. I'll see if he needs to talk 

[The Walrus]

Might have to add the new WOLFCLUB and Firewind to my favorites list, but it's a bit too early to tell. Also the new Lights & Motion.

Would anybody be interested if I posted the entire list of all the full albums I've heard this year? I'm on #131 right now. Most are albums I'll never return to again, but it's worth it for the gems (for my taste) that I've found that I otherwise would never have heard.

[emtee]

Katatonia is #1 so far.

[wolfking]

Just on Fairyland, I only know and own Score to A New Beginning and I must say, it's really excellent for the style.

[The Walrus]

Yay!!

[SoundscapeMN]

1. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea
2. Ours - Spectacular Sight III
3. Pat Metheny -  From this Place
4. Bruce Peninsula - No Earthly Sound
5. Green Carnation - Leaves of Yesteryear
6. Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void
7. The Dear Hunter - The Fox and the Hunt
8. The Monkees - The Monkees Live – The Mike & Micky Show
9. Nektar - The Other Side
10. Other Lives - For Their Love

Haven't Listened to Yet
Kristoffer Gildenlöw - Homebound
The Chap - Digital Technology
Marian Semkina - Sleepwalking
IAMX - Echo Echo

2019's in my playlist and feel like new albums
Lehto & Wright - Curios
Maraton - Meta
Misha Bower - Trying to Have it All

Some others I checked out, but were pretty forgettable

The Dustbowl Revival - Is It You, Is It Me
Rope and Ladder - Rope and Ladder
The Unknown Knowns - Question the Symmetry
We Are the City - RIP
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead - X: The Godless Void and Other Stories

[The Walrus]

Aww, I like that Dustbowl Revival record

[Sacul]

Haven't listened to many 2020 albums, I'll catch up when I have enough on backlog, but let's go with these by now:

• Nicolas Jaar Cenizas (Ambient Pop, Electroacoustic)
• Against All Logic 2017 - 2020 (Post-Industrial, Tech House, IDM)
• Algiers There Is No Year (Post-Punk, Art Rock, Soul, Post-Industrial, Gospel)
• Nine Inch Nails Ghosts VI: Locusts (Dark Ambient)
• Pure Reason Revolution Eupnea (Progressive Rock, Art Rock)
• Bohren & der Club of Gore Patchouli Blue (Dark Jazz)
• Nine Inch Nails Ghosts V: Together (Ambient, Drone)
• Nils Frahm Empty (Ambient, Modern Classical)
• Agnes Obel Myopia (Chamber Pop, Ambient Pop)
• Rustin Man Clockdust (Art Rock, Jazz Rock)

[The Walrus]

2 new additions to my favorites of 2020.

Master Boot Record - Floppy Disk Overdrive (MBR had one of my very favorite records of 2019, Internet Protocol, and this is just as good if not better, holy crap)
Fairyland - Osyrhianta (will listen at midnight, already know it'll be in my favorites, BRING IT ON!)

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Hey I finally got around to listening to something else from 2020. It was only an EP, but hey, it was awesome! Kat check it out, I know you liked the last Kardashev EP. 

Top Albums
1. Spectral Lore/Mare Cognitum - Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine (Atmospheric Black Metal) (this probably won't move from the #1 spot)
2. Invent, Animate - Greyview (Metal-Core/Post-Hardcore)
3. Serpent Column - Endless Detainment (EP) (Blackened Avant-Garde Mathcore)

Top EP's
1. Kardashev - The Baring of Shadows

[The Walrus]

^^ Enjoying that Kardashev EP, thanks for the heads-up, Pup. You should check out that Sylvaine/Unreqvited split EP, "Time Without End." It has the song Meadows of Elysium on it, the one I sent at the start of your last roulette that you loved - it dropped in January and is also only 4 tracks, 2 from each artist.