Albums of the 2020s Decade Tracker Thread

[RoeDent]

We've entered year 5 of the 2020s, meaning there are four years worth of albums to pick our Albums of the Decade (so far) lists. Where does your top 5/10/whatever currently stand if the decade ended now? I think this is where my top 5 currently stands:

1. Kyros - Celexa Dreams (2020)
2. Frost* - Day & Age (2021)
3. Ross Jennings - A Shadow of My Future Self (2021)
4. Haken - Virus (2020)
5. Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark (2022)

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Not sure of the order, but it could be these:

Draconian - Under a Godless Veil
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
Oceans of Slumber - Oceans of Slumber
Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
Wytch Hazel - III: Pentecost

[Jamesman42]

We've entered year 5 of the 2020s,

Fuck.


Anyways, I won't have a good top 5 for some time. I know I would put The Warning in there. I like a lot of stuff from roulettes, it seems like Caligula's Horse might make it over some time.

[TAC]

Top 10 so far I guess. Not in any order.


Helloween-s/t
Flotsam & Jetsam-Blood In The Water
Iron Maiden-Senjutsu
Tribulation-When Gloom Becomes Sound
Dream Theater-A View From The Top Of The World
Seven Sisters-Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt.1
Theocracy-Mosaic
Megadeth-The Sick, The Dying, and The Dead
Accept-Too Mean To Die
Saxon-Hell, Fire, And Damnation

[Sacul]

Roughly, I'd say:

[LithoJazzoSphere]

All Thoughts Fly in the top dozen, nice!

[SoundscapeMN]

A vague top 10?

Kevin Gilbert - Call Me Kai
Dirt Poor Robins - Deadhorse
Gospel - The Loser
Toehider - I Have Little to No Memories of These Memories
Dirt Poor Robins - Queen of the Night
Giant Sky - Giant Sky
The Mask of the Phantasm - New Axial Age
Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
Squid - Bright Green Field
The Dear Hunter - Antimai

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Dirt Poor Robins - Deadhorse
Dirt Poor Robins - Queen of the Night
The Mask of the Phantasm - New Axial Age

Great picks, Deadhorse is inching up on mine. 

Kevin Gilbert - Call Me Kai

What's the story behind this one?  I'm always leery of "new" albums by artists who are no longer around to make them, and I thought D'Virgillio had already gone through his stuff and polished it up to release years ago. 

[SoundscapeMN]

Dirt Poor Robins - Deadhorse
Dirt Poor Robins - Queen of the Night
The Mask of the Phantasm - New Axial Age

Great picks, Deadhorse is inching up on mine. 

Kevin Gilbert - Call Me Kai

What's the story behind this one?  I'm always leery of "new" albums by artists who are no longer around to make them, and I thought D'Virgillio had already gone through his stuff and polished it up to release years ago.

yeah the DPR stuff is just at a high quality, and both of those records, the production is a step up even from the Raven Locks records.

Call Me Kai is the release of the 3 albums he gave out to friends in the 80's for X-Mas gifts. And there's 1 extra collection.
It isn't 100% perfect, but there's a ton of unreleased music on it that I love. Plus, hearing it remixed/remastered by John Cuniberti makes it sound a lot better than it had originally. It's 47 tracks, much of which sound like home studio recordings, but they sound a ton better now.

I reviewed it on my YouTube channel a few years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj6vxjfc1Xc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQyJ9TKelow

[HOF]

Let's see... I whittled this down to a top 12 (an average of 3 per year so far!) in no order:

1. McStine & Minnemann - McStine & Minnemann
2. Dyble Longdon - Between a Breath and a Breath
3. Anthonie Tonnon - Leave Love Out Of This
4. Ske - Insolubilia
5. Big Big Train - Common Ground
6. Kite Parade - The Way Home
7. Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point
8. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Somapolis
9. Dim Gray - Firmament
10. Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
11. Advent Horizon - A Cell to Call Home
12. Peter Gabriel - i/o

If I had to pick a favorite from this list it would probably be Anthony Tonnon or Sweet Billy Pilgrim, but these are all really close.

[SwedishGoose]

Hard to say but I'd put these i the ranker

Rain - Singularity
Fish - Weltschmertz
The Anchoress- The Art of Losing
Transatlantic - Absolute Universe
Peter Gabriel- i/o
Moon Safari  - Himlabacken vol 2
Mrs Amy Birks - In Our Souls
Kaipa - Urskog

[twosuitsluke]

I could fill this purely with King Gizz albums, but I won't. My top 10...

1. Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: Window of the Waking Mind
2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
3. Avenged Sevenfold - Life is But a Dream...
4. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
5. Blink-182 - ...One More Time
6. Mastodon - Hushed and Grim
7. The Dirty Nil - Fuck Art
8. Faintest Idea - The Road to Sedition
9. Ghost - Impera
10. Andrew WK - God is Partying

[Zantera]

In no particular order I think my current top10 would include these (actually the order is just loosely chronological)

Vennart - In the Dead, Dead Wood
Deftones - Ohms
Bruit < - The Machine Is Burning and Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again
The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die - Illusory Walls
Between the Buried and Me - Colors II
Black Country New Road - Ants From Up There
Black Midi - Hellfire
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
Swans - The Beggar

[soupytwist]

Maybe something like this..?.

Seven Spires - Gods of Debauchery.
Dirt Poor Robins - Dead Horse.
Lana Del Rey - Blue Bannisters.
Creeper - Sanguivore.
Ghost - Impera.
First Aid Kit - Palomino
Unleash the Archers - Apex
Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
Powerwolf - Call of the Wild.
Garbage - No Gods, No Masters.

[wolfking]

Here's a rough 10;

Sworn - A Journey Told Through Fire
An Abstract illusion - Woe
Iron Maiden - Senjutsu
Flotsam and Jetsam - Blood in the Water
Mastodon - Hushed and Grim
Saxon - Carpe Diem
Between the Buried and Me - Colors 2
Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon
Soulwork - Overgivenheten
Magnus Karlsson - Hunt the Flame

Bonus album: Warbringer - Weapons of Tomorrow

[jingle.boy]

10 of my faves atm, chronologically

Defecto / Duality
Vanishing Point / Dead Elysium
Amahiru / s/t
Nahtram / Forest of Eternal Dawn
Odd Dimension / The Blue Dawn
Teramaze / And the Beauty they Perceive
Jani Limatainen / My Father's Son
D'Virglio, Morse, Jennings / Troika
Nicklas Sonne / Resonance
Fifth Angel / When Angels Kill

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Spiritbox - Eternal Blue

Cool, didn't realize you were a fan of theirs. 

Garbage - No Gods, No Masters.

It's hard to top their 90s material, but this one was quite enjoyable. 

Bruit < - The Machine Is Burning and Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again

Love this one. 

[nick_z]

 

Garbage - No Gods, No Masters.

It's hard to top their 90s material, but this one was quite enjoyable. 

Their first two albums, in particular, are SO good

[Lonk]

We've entered year 5 of the 2020s

[Buddyhunter1]

If I had to pick a top five so far, probably...

1: Kostnatění - Úpal (2023)
2: Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea (2020)
3: Parannoul - To See the Next Part of the Dream (2021)
4: Ibaraki - Rashomon (2022)
5: Sadness / abriction - sadness // abriction (2023)

[RoeDent]

The pandini took a couple years out of all of us...

[twosuitsluke]

If I had to pick a top five so far, probably...

1: Kostnatění - Úpal (2023)
2: Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea (2020)
3: Parannoul - To See the Next Part of the Dream (2021)
4: Ibaraki - Rashomon (2022)
5: Sadness / abriction - sadness // abriction (2023)

I've heard all of these (although for a couple once was enough ) and Rashomon is easily my favourite. Still really surprised to see it in your list though dude, didn't know you rated it that much.

[Nachtmerrie]

My list in no particular order:

Disillusion - Ayam
Draconian - Under a Godless Veil
Brutus - Unison Life
TesseracT - War of Being
Mastodon - Hushed and Grim
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium Undreamable Abysses
Haken - Fauna
Bell Witch - Future's Shadow Part I: The Clandestine Gate
Amenra - De Doorn
The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic Cenozoic

Quite a few albums I didn't rank on top of my yearlist but became better with the years. Disillusion might be the best example. That album is a masterpiece.

[Buddyhunter1]

If I had to pick a top five so far, probably...

1: Kostnatění - Úpal (2023)
2: Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea (2020)
3: Parannoul - To See the Next Part of the Dream (2021)
4: Ibaraki - Rashomon (2022)
5: Sadness / abriction - sadness // abriction (2023)

I've heard all of these (although for a couple once was enough ) and Rashomon is easily my favourite. Still really surprised to see it in your list though dude, didn't know you rated it that much.

It was my 2022 AOTY as soon as I heard it, I’ve been praising it since day one.

[nick_z]

I'm going to do a top 15 (chronological order, and not necessarily a specific order within a given year):

Dawn of Solace - Waves (2020)
Unleash the Archers - Abyss (2020)
Wytch Hazel - III: Pentecost (2020)
Paradise Lost - Obsidian (2020)
Meer - Playing House (2021)
Mastodon - Hushed and Grim (2021)
Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World (2021)
Ghost - Impera (2022)
An Abstract Illusion - Woe (2022)
Amorphis - Halo (2022)
Wilderun - Epigone (2022)
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars (2023)
Tanith - Voyage (2023)
Voyager - Fearless in Love (2023)
Pristine - The Lines We Cross (2023)

[TAC]

Dawn of Solace - Waves (2020)

Really cool album.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Great list, as expected. 

[nick_z]

Dawn of Solace - Waves (2020)

Really cool album.

It really is. The follow-up was very good too.

Great list, as expected. 

 

Looking at yours, Oceans of Slumber is a bit of a blind spot for me...I bought Winter when it came out. I like it but don't go crazy for it. They gave me the impression of being a very talented bunch, but wanting to do too much (not sure I need a cover of Nights in White Satin with blast beats ). I didn't explore much further. I guess the s/t would be a good place to start?

[Jamesman42]

Looking at yours, Oceans of Slumber is a bit of a blind spot for me...I bought Winter when it came out. I like it but don't go crazy for it. They gave me the impression of being a very talented bunch, but wanting to do too much (not sure I need a cover of Nights in White Satin with blast beats ). I didn't explore much further. I guess the s/t would be a good place to start?

Yo, checking this out now!

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Dawn of Solace - Waves (2020)

Really cool album.

It really is. The follow-up was very good too.

Great list, as expected. 

 

Looking at yours, Oceans of Slumber is a bit of a blind spot for me...I bought Winter when it came out. I like it but don't go crazy for it. They gave me the impression of being a very talented bunch, but wanting to do too much (not sure I need a cover of Nights in White Satin with blast beats ). I didn't explore much further. I guess the s/t would be a good place to start?

That's my favorite.  I don't like the production as much on the earlier ones or the most recent one (and the debut has a different, far inferior vocalist).  Personally the juxaposition of Cammie's voice and the death metal elements is one of my favorite things about them.  "Nights In White Satin" has been covered many times more traditionally, so I appreciate the attempt to spice it up some.  Dobber's hyperactive drumming style wouldn't work in every band, but I find it endlessly thrilling in their music.  Incidentally, the s/t album has a cover of Type O Negative's "Wolf Moon", which while not superior to the original, and perhaps not quite different enough, is still quite enjoyable. 

[Jamesman42]

I liked the cover, but it was missing those soaring vocals in the chorus over the "oh how I love you".

[Nachtmerrie]

That's my favorite.  I don't like the production as much on the earlier ones or the most recent one (and the debut has a different, far inferior vocalist).  Personally the juxaposition of Cammie's voice and the death metal elements is one of my favorite things about them.  "Nights In White Satin" has been covered many times more traditionally, so I appreciate the attempt to spice it up some.  Dobber's hyperactive drumming style wouldn't work in every band, but I find it endlessly thrilling in their music.  Incidentally, the s/t album has a cover of Type O Negative's "Wolf Moon", which while not superior to the original, and perhaps not quite different enough, is still quite enjoyable.

The selftitled album is also the first where the drumming doesn´t feel like overplaying it all the time. Drumming on The Banished Heart was way too much at times. Overall the selftitled has a great balance between the elements that make them a unique band. Curious where they go from here after Starlight and Ash.

 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I guess I'd have to listen to them sequentially with that in mind.  I think of something like the first minute of "A Return To the Earth Below", and I think it would fit most people's definition of overplaying, but he has such great feel and it sounds so cool, I have no problems with it.  There are other drummers that if they did something similar it might bug me, but not Dobber. 

I liked the cover, but it was missing those soaring vocals in the chorus over the "oh how I love you".

Hmm, I don't know if there's a specific timestamp you're thinking of, it sounds like she's doing them to me.

[Jamesman42]

The first time through the chorus (on a quick relisten).

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Oh, are you referring to the backing vocals blended with keyboard?  It sounds like she's singing the exact same melody as Justin did, but OoS' version is lacking the higher backing vocals and keyboards that the original had.