Album Of The Year

[Avaitor]

Awww yeah, so ready for the new Cynic. I loved Traced In Air, but I've tired of the EPs they keep releasing.

I did really like the EPs, but it has been time for a full album for a while now. And I still say that it delivers.

[Nel_Annette]

The EPs certainly aren't bad, but Re-Traced is just four remixes and a cool new song. Carbon-Based Anatomy is six tracks, but only two of them feel like actual songs, as the other four tracks just feel like transitions to make the whole thing feel like a medley. The Portal Tapes I bought but never really gave a chance to once I read that they were old demos.

I was introduced to the band through Traced In Air. I know Focus has this big place in metal history, but... I really don't care for it that much.  It's the one I listen to least.

[Avaitor]

Focus is my favorite non-Maiden album period, and I still listen to it regularly. In my eyes, it's about as perfect of an album as you can get. But I do very much like all of their stuff.

[Avaitor]

I didn't post a top 10? Let me remedy that.

10- Steel Panther- All You Can Eat
9- Agalloch- The Serpent & The Sphere
8- Cynic- Kindly Bent to Free Us
7- Ne Obliviscaris- Citadel
6- Opeth- Pale Communion
5- Weezer- Everything Will Be Alright in the End
4- At the Gates- At War With Reality
3- Alcest- Shelter
2- Pallbearer- Foundations of Burden
1- Triptykon- Melana Chasmata

Man, what a great year, even if Agalloch's new release was mostly a disappointment in my eyes. Also, I really need to get back into some more non-metal music. Still, I can't wait to see what 2015 promises!

[Nel_Annette]

I'm still trying to make it through 2014 albums I meant to listen to, but I do know that my two favorites were the records by Broken Bells and Foster The People.

[Avaitor]

I didn't think that anything could beat "Cirice" for single of the year, but then this came out.

It's been too long since Maiden's last, and they haven't lost an ounce of their power. I can't wait to see how the album turns out!

[Avaitor]

Now seems like a good time to post my top 10, or at least what I think it will be.

10- Faith No More- Sol Invictus
9- Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly
8- Lucifer- Lucifer I
7- Ghost- Meliora
6- Paradise Lost- The Plague Within
5- Horrendous- Anareta
4- The Mountain Goats- Beat the Champ
3- High on Fire- Luminiferious
2- Refused- Freedom
1- Iron Maiden- The Book of Souls

I was going to write a little about each, but I started running out of things to say. But there's a lot of good stuff that could have made it here.

[Avaitor]

An early top 10

10- Insominum- Winter's Gate
9- PJ Harvey- The Hope Six Demolition Project
8- A Tribe Called Quest- We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service
7- Cobalt- Slow Forever
6- Blood Incantation- Starspawn
5- The Kills- Ash & Ice
4- Childish Gambino- Awaken, My Love!
3- Beyonce- Lemonade
2- Khemmis- Hunted
1- Nails- You Will Never Be One of Us