Top 10 Albums of 2023

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I thought you liked Mercenary enough that you were thinking of sending something from them in TAC's roulette?  A lot of these are pretty niche, but I imagine some would appeal to you.

Oh shit, you're right.  I missed that on your list. Recommend me one or two that I should give a go at.

@ RJ... I've tried SS before, but kinda meh due to the grow factor.  I'll give this one a spin and see if my opinion changes.... edit - the first 10 seconds did not help your case.  Sick guitar work or not, the growls are killing me.  YOU KNOW MY EARS ARE DELICATE FLOWERS!!!! 

  Scar Symmetry is almost AOR it's so light.

Their choruses and the occasional verse can certainly veer in that direction, but there's nothing particularly "light" about something like the title track "Pitch Black Progress".

Oh no, I agree there.  That whole album is a monster.  I was more meaning the newer stuff.  The last one was fine but there's something off about the new one for me.  The melodies and the cleans just don't gel that well for me.  As Chad said, jarring is a good word.  I'm gonna go back to it though as I've loved pretty much everything they have done up til now.

Hmm, kind of opposite for me.  I was crestfallen when Alvestam left, and didn't give the albums after more than a few cursory listens.  Per's solos were still incredible, and Karlsson's grows were quite good, but Palmqvist's cleans felt like a huge step down.  But with the new album while I'm still not completely "over" Alvestam leaving, enough distance has passed that I'm more at peace with it.  The cleans still aren't a highlight, but they're decent enough now, and the songs grabbed me more, particularly "Xenotaph".  I think this will eventually lead to me reappraising the in-between albums now. 

[wolfking]

I thought you liked Mercenary enough that you were thinking of sending something from them in TAC's roulette?  A lot of these are pretty niche, but I imagine some would appeal to you.

Oh shit, you're right.  I missed that on your list. Recommend me one or two that I should give a go at.

@ RJ... I've tried SS before, but kinda meh due to the grow factor.  I'll give this one a spin and see if my opinion changes.... edit - the first 10 seconds did not help your case.  Sick guitar work or not, the growls are killing me.  YOU KNOW MY EARS ARE DELICATE FLOWERS!!!! 

  Scar Symmetry is almost AOR it's so light.

Their choruses and the occasional verse can certainly veer in that direction, but there's nothing particularly "light" about something like the title track "Pitch Black Progress".

Oh no, I agree there.  That whole album is a monster.  I was more meaning the newer stuff.  The last one was fine but there's something off about the new one for me.  The melodies and the cleans just don't gel that well for me.  As Chad said, jarring is a good word.  I'm gonna go back to it though as I've loved pretty much everything they have done up til now.

Hmm, kind of opposite for me.  I was crestfallen when Alvestam left, and didn't give the albums after more than a few cursory listens.  Per's solos were still incredible, and Karlsson's grows were quite good, but Palmqvist's cleans felt like a huge step down.  But with the new album while I'm still not completely "over" Alvestam leaving, enough distance has passed that I'm more at peace with it.  The cleans still aren't a highlight, but they're decent enough now, and the songs grabbed me more, particularly "Xenotaph".  I think this will eventually lead to me reappraising the in-between albums now.

I picked the new one up on CD for some reason, so I'll throw it in the car tomorrow mate and give it another spin.  I agree, I was into the band in real time and Alvestam leaving was massive, especially after HU.  Although, I love Per's playing and while DMD wasn't anywhere near as good, it was a quick solid return.  I'm with you on the cleans, definitely no Alvestam but I could live with them for the most part.  The Unseen Empire however I really loved.  I think that may be my second fav SS album.  Really good solid collection of songs.

maybe for me too much time has passed.  I though Neohumanity was a great record too, maybe it's a me thing with the new one but as I said, maybe it needs another go with fresh ears.

I'll also say, the debut is beautiful and very underrated.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Yeah, I'm not sure where the consensus is on later albums, but SID always got the short end of the stick, and yet I find the difference in quality between the first three fairly minor.  It doesn't have the mini-epic tracks like later ones do, but pretty much all the other ingredients are there. 

[Nachtmerrie]

Updated list:


1. Bell Witch - Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate
2. Haken - Fauna
3. TesseracT - War of Being
4. Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
5. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Petrodragonic Apocalypse
6. Ne Obliviscaris - Exul
7. Riverside - ID.Entity
8. Ahab - The Coral Tombs
9. Marianas Rest - Auer
10. Rorcal - Silence
11. Rannoch - Conflagrations
12. Fvnerals - Let the Eart be Silent
13. Periphery - V: Djent is Not a Genre
14. Svalbard - The Weight of the Mask
15. Sól án Varma – Sól án Varma
16. Baroness - Stone
17. Tribunal - The Weight of Remembrance
18. Sermon - Of Golden Verse
19. Redemption - I am the Storm
20. Anubis Gate - Interference
21. Hypno5e - Sheol
22. The Ocean - Holocene
23. Shores of Null - The Loss of Beauty
24. Mutoid Man - Mutants
25. Predatory Void - Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being

Still a lot of albums that I want to listen or listen more including Orbit Culture, Wayfarer, Primordial, Downfall of Gaia.

[jingle.boy]

Other than Redemption and Riverside, I legit have not listened to a single one of these - and haven't even heard OF about 1/2 of them!

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Lots of doom, sludge, post-metal-ish stuff, most of which I don't suspect is normally up your alley.

[jingle.boy]

Lots of doom, sludge, post-metal-ish stuff, most of which I don't suspect is normally up your alley.

You suspect correctly!

[ReaperKK]

My updated list and I'm pretty sure it's my final list for the year. Quite a bit of good music this year:

1. KOAN Sound - Led By Ancient Light - 5/5 - I didn't think Post Malone would get beat out but I think this might be my album of the year.
2. Post Malone - Austin - 5/5 (really impressed by how great this album is)
3. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - All Our Friends Are Vampires - 5/5
4. Ola Englund - The Chug Project, Vol. 1 - 4.5/5
5. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are - 4.5/5 (Surprisingly good album)
6. Jakub Zytecki - Remind Me - 4.5/5
7. Fractures - Shift - 3.5/5
8. Metallica - 72 Seasons - 3.5/5
9. Balmorhea - Pendant World - 3/5
10. Matthew Halsall - An Ever Changing View - 3/5
11. Skrillex - Quest For Fire - 3/5
12. Candlebox - The Long Goodbye - 2.5/5
13. Gorillaz - Cracker Island - 2.5/5
14. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit - Weathervanes - 2.5/5
15. Steven Wilson - Harmony Codex - 2.5/5
16. Filter - The Algorithm - 2/5 (there were some good spots here but otherwise this album isn't great)
17. Grails - Anches En Maat
18. Haken - Fauna - 2/5
19. The Winery Dogs - III - 2/5
20. Joe Hisaishi & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - A Symphonic Celebration: Music From The Studio Ghibli Films of Hayo Miyazaki - 2/5

[PixelDream]

1. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
2. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
3. Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V
5. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent is not a Genre
6. Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium
7. Ozric Tentacles - Lotus Unfolding
8. Empire State Bastard - Rivers of Heresy
9. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - The Silver Cord
10. Hania Rani - Ghosts

Honorable mention for Metallica's latest record, which was pretty fun and added some nice tunes to their two-night setlist in Amsterdam earlier this year.

[TAC]

Right now, my Top 10 looks something like this:

1. Theocracy-Mosaic
2. Sacred Outcry-Towers Of Gold
3. Lovebites-Judgement Day
4. Suotana-Ounas I
5. Fires In The Distance-Air Not Meant For Us
6. Tanith-Voyage
7. Celestial Wizard-Winds Of The Cosmos
8. Kalmah-s/t
9. Hanging Garden-The Garden
10. Hellripper-Warlocks Grims & Withered Hags


I'll sort out 11-20 or 25 later..


EP's
1. Hwaino-Ashes Of The World Tree
2. Armada North-Colossus

Instrumental
1. June 1974- Please Destroy Me
2. Paul Gilbert-The Dio Album

Live Releases
1. Motorhead- Live At The Montreaux Jazz Festival '07
2. Lovebites- Knocking At Heaven's Gate-Live In Tokyo 2023

[lonestar]

My top 5 at the moment, I'll flesh out a top ten at some point...

1- Tesseract - War of Being
2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
3- Gacharic Spin - W
4- Hanabie - Reborn Superstar!
5- Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear /Haken - Fauna

[TAC]

2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

I feel like this is just outside of my Top 10, but I expect it to make the Top 15. I think on the whole, I like the Hanging Garden album more, as they're relatively similar.

[nick_z]

Right now, my Top 10 looks something like this:

1. Theocracy-Mosaic
2. Sacred Outcry-Towers Of Gold
3. Lovebites-Judgement Day
4. Suotana-Ounas I
5. Fires In The Distance-Air Not Meant For Us
6. Tanith-Voyage
7. Celestial Wizard-Winds Of The Cosmos
8. Kalmah-s/t
9. Hanging Garden-The Garden
10. Hellripper-Warlocks Grims & Withered Hags

Wow, that Fires in the Distance made your top 10, in the end! Also cool to see Hanging Garden in there. It's an album that kept growing for me over the past few months. Not quite sure it'll make my top 10, but it sure was a sleeper hit in my book.

2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

I feel like this is just outside of my Top 10, but I expect it to make the Top 15. I think on the whole, I like the Hanging Garden album more, as they're relatively similar.

I wouldn't have thought of associating the two, other than the presence of female vocals in both...

I enjoy the OK Goodnight album, but it just might be trying too hard to be "eclectic" for me (to be clear, probably not at all what the band is doing...just feels that way to my ears  ). Some parts I absolutely love, some not as much.

[TAC]

Right now, my Top 10 looks something like this:

1. Theocracy-Mosaic
2. Sacred Outcry-Towers Of Gold
3. Lovebites-Judgement Day
4. Suotana-Ounas I
5. Fires In The Distance-Air Not Meant For Us
6. Tanith-Voyage
7. Celestial Wizard-Winds Of The Cosmos
8. Kalmah-s/t
9. Hanging Garden-The Garden
10. Hellripper-Warlocks Grims & Withered Hags

Wow, that Fires in the Distance made your top 10, in the end! Also cool to see Hanging Garden in there. It's an album that kept growing for me over the past few months. Not quite sure it'll make my top 10, but it sure was a sleeper hit in my book.

2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

I feel like this is just outside of my Top 10, but I expect it to make the Top 15. I think on the whole, I like the Hanging Garden album more, as they're relatively similar.

I wouldn't have thought of associating the two, other than the presence of female vocals in both...

I enjoy the OK Goodnight album, but it just might be trying too hard to be "eclectic" for me (to be clear, probably not at all what the band is doing...just feels that way to my ears  ). Some parts I absolutely love, some not as much.

I've listened to the FITD album a half dozen times this week. I'm really enjoying it. The long instrumental passages are so enjoyable. The album works while driving, at work in the background, or sitting on my couch with headphones. It's one of those albums where I don't have to try and like...I just do.


Yeah, the Hanging Garden and OK Goodnight albums seem to pair themselves off to me for some reason.

[Nachtmerrie]

Other than Redemption and Riverside, I legit have not listened to a single one of these - and haven't even heard OF about 1/2 of them!

I was thinking the same when I saw the lists of ReaperKK en TAC list
My list is indeed quite heavy this year with a lot of doom.

It probably shows the enormous amount of good music and the diversity of this forum.

Currently listening to the Hanging Garden album and I will pick some more albums out of their lists.

[nick_z]

Currently listening to the Hanging Garden album and I will pick some more albums out of their lists.

Their previous one, Skeleton Lake, is very good too.

[TAC]

Currently listening to the Hanging Garden album and I will pick some more albums out of their lists.

Their previous one, Skeleton Lake, is very good too.

Yes it is!!

[Jamesman42]

2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

I feel like this is just outside of my Top 10, but I expect it to make the Top 15. I think on the whole, I like the Hanging Garden album more, as they're relatively similar.

Is the song you sent me from this album?

[TAC]

2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

I feel like this is just outside of my Top 10, but I expect it to make the Top 15. I think on the whole, I like the Hanging Garden album more, as they're relatively similar.

Is the song you sent me from this album?

It is!

[Glasser]

1. Theocracy-Mosaic

Nice call! I'm loving it! Great songs.Matt sounds awesome and the playing is on point

[Blind_FaithX]

Right now, my Top 10 looks something like this:

1. Theocracy-Mosaic
2. Sacred Outcry-Towers Of Gold
3. Lovebites-Judgement Day
4. Suotana-Ounas I
5. Fires In The Distance-Air Not Meant For Us
6. Tanith-Voyage
7. Celestial Wizard-Winds Of The Cosmos
8. Kalmah-s/t
9. Hanging Garden-The Garden
10. Hellripper-Warlocks Grims & Withered Hags

Wow, that Fires in the Distance made your top 10, in the end! Also cool to see Hanging Garden in there. It's an album that kept growing for me over the past few months. Not quite sure it'll make my top 10, but it sure was a sleeper hit in my book.

2- OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

I feel like this is just outside of my Top 10, but I expect it to make the Top 15. I think on the whole, I like the Hanging Garden album more, as they're relatively similar.

I wouldn't have thought of associating the two, other than the presence of female vocals in both...

I enjoy the OK Goodnight album, but it just might be trying too hard to be "eclectic" for me (to be clear, probably not at all what the band is doing...just feels that way to my ears  ). Some parts I absolutely love, some not as much.

I've listened to the FITD album a half dozen times this week. I'm really enjoying it. The long instrumental passages are so enjoyable. The album works while driving, at work in the background, or sitting on my couch with headphones. It's one of those albums where I don't have to try and like...I just do.

Glad to see that the "too slow vibe" is not an issue anymore;) great album indeed!

[Blind_FaithX]

Other than Redemption and Riverside, I legit have not listened to a single one of these - and haven't even heard OF about 1/2 of them!

I was thinking the same when I saw the lists of ReaperKK en TAC list
My list is indeed quite heavy this year with a lot of doom.

It probably shows the enormous amount of good music and the diversity of this forum.

Currently listening to the Hanging Garden album and I will pick some more albums out of their lists.

Great list, did you listen to the last Saturnus album? According to your taste I think you might enjoy it

[cramx3]

Marc ... If you dig that Eclipse and Cyhra album, try Creye / III:Weightless.  Autumn's Child might float your boat too.

Did you check out Tygers of Pan Tang?

I heard the Cyhra album sucks so it got pushed to the bottom.  I mostly forgot about Eclipse and haaven't heard anything.  Not familiar with the others.

DGM comes out in November and I have high expectations on that making my list.

Same.  Along with Angra.

Didn't realize their album was close to release, I'll have to check that out too then

Eclipse was unmemorable; Cyrha was not terrible.

Listened to the new Eclipse today, maybe 3 total listens and I'm not into it much at all.  Definitely sounds very Eclipse, but the songs are just lacking the hooks that usually keep me coming back.  There's like 2 songs that I enjoyed maybe and the rest was forgetable.  That's unfortunate. 

[Dr. DTVT]

Likely my Album of the Year:
Orbit Culture - Descent

Will definitely make the top 10:
Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase II)
Vintersea - Woven Into Ashes
Unitopia - Seven Chambers

Contenders for a spot in the top 10:
Dream The Electric Sleep - American Mystic
Southern Empire - Another World
RPWL - Crime Scene
Ne Obliviscaris - Exul
Haken - Fauna
OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
Riverside - ID.Entity
Advent Horizon - A Cell to Call Home
Soen - Memorial
Theocracy - Mosaic
Mystery - Redemption
Ice Age - Waves of Loss and Power

[HOF]

Likely my Album of the Year:
Orbit Culture - Descent

Will definitely make the top 10:
Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase II)
Vintersea - Woven Into Ashes
Unitopia - Seven Chambers

Contenders for a spot in the top 10:
Dream The Electric Sleep - American Mystic
Southern Empire - Another World
RPWL - Crime Scene
Ne Obliviscaris - Exul
Haken - Fauna
OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
Riverside - ID.Entity
Advent Horizon - A Cell to Call Home
Soen - Memorial
Theocracy - Mosaic
Mystery - Redemption
Ice Age - Waves of Loss and Power

This is going to be very high on my list.

[wolfking]

Marc ... If you dig that Eclipse and Cyhra album, try Creye / III:Weightless.  Autumn's Child might float your boat too.

Did you check out Tygers of Pan Tang?

I heard the Cyhra album sucks so it got pushed to the bottom.  I mostly forgot about Eclipse and haaven't heard anything.  Not familiar with the others.

DGM comes out in November and I have high expectations on that making my list.

Same.  Along with Angra.

Didn't realize their album was close to release, I'll have to check that out too then

Eclipse was unmemorable; Cyrha was not terrible.

Listened to the new Eclipse today, maybe 3 total listens and I'm not into it much at all.  Definitely sounds very Eclipse, but the songs are just lacking the hooks that usually keep me coming back.  There's like 2 songs that I enjoyed maybe and the rest was forgetable.  That's unfortunate.

Erik Martensson just one day years ago woke up and forgot how to write a good song.  He was the best out there at one stage but after I think maybe Armageddonize everything was just rubbish.

Looks like though I haven't even listened to the last 3 Eclipse albums.  Wowsers!

[jingle.boy]

Dude... given the way your tastes strayed away from even decent Melodic Rock, don't even bother.  You wouldn't last 30 seconds with their drivel nowadays.  I can barely stomach it.

[wolfking]

Dude... given the way your tastes strayed away from even decent Melodic Rock, don't even bother.  You wouldn't last 30 seconds with their drivel nowadays.  I can barely stomach it.

Yeah wow, noted. 

Wait.....is there such a thing as decent melodic rock these days?

[jingle.boy]

Dude... given the way your tastes strayed away from even decent Melodic Rock, don't even bother.  You wouldn't last 30 seconds with their drivel nowadays.  I can barely stomach it.

Yeah wow, noted. 

Wait.....is there such a thing as decent melodic rock these days?

If/when you host a roulette, it will be my pleasure to find one or two to prove it to you.

[wolfking]

Dude... given the way your tastes strayed away from even decent Melodic Rock, don't even bother.  You wouldn't last 30 seconds with their drivel nowadays.  I can barely stomach it.

Yeah wow, noted. 

Wait.....is there such a thing as decent melodic rock these days?

If/when you host a roulette, it will be my pleasure to find one or two to prove it to you.

 

[twosuitsluke]

Current top 50. There's been a bit of movement since I last posted, and likely to be more before the year is out, with some albums still to rank...

1. Avenged Sevenfold - Life is But a Dream…
2. Blink-182 - One More Time...
3. Faintest Idea - The Road to Sedition 
4. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
5. In Flames - Foregone 
6. Ghost - Phantomime 
7. Green Lung - The Heathen Land
8. The Bar Stool Preachers - Above the Static
9. Closure in Moscow - Soft Hell
10. Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

11. Distant Worlds Orchestra - Distant Worlds VI: More Music From Final Fantasy
12. Enslaved - Heimdal 
13. The Dirty Nil - Free Reign to Passions
14. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
15. Random Hand - Random Hand
16. Haken - Fauna
17. Stoned Jesus - Father Light
18. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
19. Better Lovers - God Made Me An Animal
20. Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium

21. Baroness - Stone
22. AVKRVST - The Approbation
23. Worm/Dream Unending - Starpath
24. Nospūn - Opus
25. Stortregn - Finitude
26. Mutoid Man - Mutants
27. Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hag
28. Bear Ghost - Jiminy
29. Riskee and the Ridicule - Platinum Statue
30. Beyond the Lamplight - Don't Forget to Leave It All Behind

31. Ok Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
32. Rannoch - Conflagrations
33. Joe Hisaishi - A Symphonic Celebration - Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki
34. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - The Silver Cord
35. Gama Bomb - Bats
36. Messa - Live at Roadburn
37. Spirit Adrift - Ghost at the Gallows
38. Drain - Living Proof 
39. The Ocean - Holocene
40. Ihsahn - Fascination Street Sessions 

41. Sarmat - Determined to Strike
42. Sigh - The Eastern Forces of Evil 2022 Live
43. Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit
44. Ulthar - Anthronomicon/Helionomicon
45. Ningen Isu - 色即是空
46. Blood Incantation - Luminescent Bridge
47. The Menzingers - Some of it Was True
48. The Hives - The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons 
49. Chris Creswell - The Stubbornness of the Young 
50. Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph)

[cramx3]

My updated rankings since I gave a listen to all the top albums again this week, a couple shifts and additions, but nothing major: (from best to least best)

Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But A dream
Delain - Dark Waters
Ad Infinitum - Chapter III - Downfall
Avatar - Dance Devil Dance
Voyager - Fearless in Love
Code Orange - The Above
Haken - Fauna
Mammoth WVH - Mammoth II
Rave the Reqviem - EX-EDEN
VV - Neon Noir               
Greta Van Fleet - Starcatcher
Kamelot - The Awakening
The Winery Dogs - III
Babymetal - The Other One
Xandria - The Wonders Still Awaiting
Within Temptation - Bleed Out
AJR - The Maybe Man
Tesseract - War of Being
Metallica - 72 Seasons
In Flames - Forgone            
Twilight Force - At the Heart of Wintervale
Eclipse - Megalomainum          
Bouncing Souls - Ten Stories High   
Rancid - Tomorrow Never Comes
Steel Panther - On The Prowl


Still want to check these out:

Beartooth - The Surface - seeing them in Jan so this has the most urgency
Frozen Crown - Call of the North - seeing them in Sept at progpower so I really want to check it out, but maybe not before the end of the year
Eleine - We Shall Remain - seeing them in Sept at progpower so I really want to check it out, but maybe not before the end of the year
Angra - Cycles of Pain - seeing them in Sept at progpower so I really want to check it out, but maybe not before the end of the year
Cyhra - The Vertigo Trigger - I like them, but have little desire to check this out based on reviews and my limited time to invest in new music right now

[Glasser]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

1) Compass- A Silent Symphony.
2) Tanith- Voyage.
3) Lalu- The Fish Who Wanted To Be King.
4) Sky Empire - The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Power - Part One.
5) Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit.
6) Temic- Terror Management Theory.
7) Nospūn- Opus.
8) Metallica- 72 Seasons.
9) A7X- Life Is But A Dream...
10) Earthside- Let The Truth Speak.

Edit: 11) Theocracy- Mosaic

[cramx3]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

1) Compass- A Silent Symphony.
2) Tanith- Voyage.
3) Lalu- The Fish Who Wanted To Be King.
4) Sky Empire - The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Power - Part One.
5) Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit.
6) Temic- Terror Management Theory.
7) Nospūn- Opus.
8) Metallica- 72 Seasons.
9) A7X- Life Is But A Dream...
10) Earthside- Let The Truth Speak.

I should also check out Nospun and Earthside since I'll be seeing them as well next year.

As for so much new music.  I saw Unleash the Archers make a post yesterday about their new album and they said that the label is still determining a release date because there's an expected 250 metal albums to be released next year.  So you are right, the market is saturated.

[twosuitsluke]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

1) Compass- A Silent Symphony.
2) Tanith- Voyage.
3) Lalu- The Fish Who Wanted To Be King.
4) Sky Empire - The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Power - Part One.
5) Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit.
6) Temic- Terror Management Theory.
7) Nospūn- Opus.
8) Metallica- 72 Seasons.
9) A7X- Life Is But A Dream...
10) Earthside- Let The Truth Speak.

Great list dude, especially Tomb Mold, Lalu, Nospūn, A7X and Earthside (which is still growing on me).