1998
note: I have dredg's "Leitmotif" for 1998, but it has been documented to being released in 1999 and 2001 as well, so more or less any of the 3 years would qualify for it. It is well documented though it was released INDEPENDENTLY before the Major Label release in 2001.The year 1998 was a year I was in the thick of Dream Theater fandom I suppose, as I got to see them live for the 2nd time with ELP and Deep Purple.
And of course their new side project Liquid Tension Experiment came out on the heals of Falling Into Infinity, a polarizing record for many. LTE though most loved, and I will admit I did enjoy then, but probably more now as I wasn't as into instrumental rock music up until that point.
But looking at the rankings and calendar, 1998 was quite a deep year, compared to some other years. But at the same time, there doesn't seem to be any all-time favorites.
dredg's Leitmotif is a great debut album, quite original and does not overstay its welcome. And I came to learn about its cool concept/story after enjoying it for awhile. I suppose by default, and my love of dredg, it is my favorite album from 1998. But it's interesting scanning the list, many of the other albums I could easily rank higher than it, as many are albums that are my favorites from said artists (Superior, Jeff Buckley, Chroma Key, VAST, Mansun, Platypus, Pushmonkey).
But it's splitting hairs I guess. I look at this year and calendar as having many (20-25 or more) very good, 3.5-4 star albums. With a few at least bordering on 4.5.
In other words, not Top Heavy, but DEEP and in a matter of speaking.
1. dredg - Leitmotif
2. Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment
3. Superior - Younique
4. Pain of Salvation - One Hour by the Concrete Lake
5. Jeff Buckley - Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk)
6. Marillion - Radiation
7. Shadow Gallery - Tyranny
8. Enchant - Break
9. Angra - Fireworks
10. Chroma Key - Dead Air for Radios
11. Mansun - Six
12. Fates Warning - Still Life
13. Galactic Cowboys - At the End of the Day
14. VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theater
15. Spock's Beard - The Kindness of Strangers
16. Poncho Sanchez - Afro Cuban Fantasy
17. Platypus - When Pus Comes to Shove
18. King's X - Tape Head
19. Valinor's Tree - Kingdom of Sadness
20. Pushmonkey - Pushmonkey
21. Sculptured - The Spear of the Lily Is Aureoled
22. The Gathering - How to Measure a Planet?
23. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
24. Ty Tabor - Moonflower Lane
25. Marillion and the Positive Light - Tales from the Engine Room
26. Steve Hackett - The Tokyo Tapes
27. Soundscape - Man and Machine [EP]
28. Rush - Different Stages
29, Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse
30. White Willow - Ex Tenebris
31. Without Warning - Step Beyond
32. Power of Omens - Eyes of the Oracle
33. OHO - Ecce OHO
34. Vincent Gallo - Buffalo '66 Soundtrack
35. Imogen Heap - I Megaphone
36. Al Di Meola - The Infinite Desire
37, Gorguts - Obscura
38. Wondermints - Bali
39. System of a Down - System of a Down
40. sElf - Brunch [EP]
41. The Rubinoos - Paleophonic
42. Poundhound - Massive Grooves from the Electric Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungelism Rock Music
43. Dream Theater - Once in a Livetime
44. At the Drive-In - In/Casino/Out
45. New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
46. Metropolis - Shadows of the Past
47. Lenny Kravitz - 5
48. Lorde of All Desires - The Scent of Malevolence
49. Van Halen - Van Halen III
Concerts8/23/98 Deep Purple/Emerson Lake and Palmer/Dream Theater - Grand Casino Hinckley, MN
10/19/98 King's X/Galactic Cowboys - Ground Zero Minneapolis, MN