I just bought the The Old Dead Tree album yesterday too.
Remembered you people had praised it, gave it a listen in the store and that's was it...
Now for some reason I still have 15? that I'm not supposed to have. But I'm glad, cause when I let go on of my promise of not buying anything but PoS albums I did it with style at least. Got an Ayreon album coming, PoS being released soon and need to buy a Katatonia shirt...but this is way off-topic. I'll just put in my list pretty much off the top of my head.
Top 10 2003:
1.
Green Carnation - A Blessing In Disguise
Different from Light of Day, Day of Darkness, yet great beautiful music all the same.
2.
Anathema - A Natural Disaster
I had already gotten down to Nr. 6 but then I remembered this album. Just beautiful and depressing, with a touch of anger...
3.
Opeth - Deliverance
Not as good as the previous ones, but it's still an awesome album. Angry album, though my favourite song is the more balanced Master's Apprentices...
4.
Evergrey - Recreation Day
Close contest with the following ones, but they made their best album so far so...
5.
Nevermore - Enemies Of Reality
Maybe it was the not so crystal clear production, or just the not that perfect music, but this album took me a long time to get into. Been loving it since I did. The music isn't always (Ambivalent, Create The Infinite) as brilliant as before, but Warrel wrote very very good lyrics (Never Purify, Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday, Who Decides?, Seed Awakening) and Loomis still knows how to write good music too (I, Voyager, Seed Awakening).
6.
The Old Dead Tree - The Nameless Disease
New-found love.
Great concept/theme. Some rough edges here and there, but that also makes the album original.
7.
Dredg - El Cielo
Different. Mainly hard rock I guess, but with a very original touch. Worth checking out, if you don't know them yet.
8.
Battlelore - Sword's Song
Tolkien-metal raises it's head from Lappeenranta.
A more balanced album this time, with a little bit more poppy elements. A mix of heavy & melodic music, as well as melodic female vocals and growled male vocals...very good keyboards too.
9.
Kotiteollisuus - Helvetistä Itään
This is where Suffer Our Pleasures was, but after brief thinking this whole album is good, where as with Tarot only the first half is
really good, so there we go.
Hynynen is a little less pissed off, but wrote some great lyrics here again. Alas, some might not like it, but just cause you get radioplay, it doesn't mean it's shit. Good riffing, great vocals and an all-together great band.
10.
Charon - The Dying Daylights
More rock and a little less metal as time passes. Which in my opinion is good. They don't sound so much like a pop-goth metal band anymore (though that was good too), and have changed their lyrical approach to a little bit more positive direction.
Well that's ten...
Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden gets a honourable mention, but isn't on the list just cause Jon doesn't fucking realize that he could write new music for a new album too.
Same for Dream Theater - Train Of Thought, but the music is very often just not my cup of tea...great lyrics.
Also the same for Silentium - Sufferion - Hamartia Of Prudence. Interesting idea of having a concept album with a spoken play-like dialogue in between every song. Not the best music, but some very catchy stuff.
Katatonia - Viva Emptiness is good, but not as long-lasting as their previous albums.
Oh my god I couldn't fit Kamelot - Epica on the list.
That's the 11th album then.
Thank you, goodnight/evening/morning/afternoon/midday.
