Finally ... only took me a few months to put my list together.
Of course in the last weeks/months I've come across some incredible 2015 albums that I wish I had heard before in time to make my list, but that's okay ... you snooze you loose, right?
Okay, so I’ll preface this by stating that I am not including any Intromental bands on the list, as I really don’t like being accused of bias, haha. That said, albums by Borealis, Chaos Divine, Kingcrow, Leprous, Loch Vostok, Simulacrum and Subterranean Masquerade would of course all have made it onto this list had I chosen to include them.
Now, since everyone seem to name their list in reverse order (to keep the excitement till the last moment?), I'm of course going to be the contrarian and will start out with my #1 and work my way down the list.
Have fun reading it, and feel free to tell me that some of my choices are stupid,because I'm sure they are
1. Port Noir – Neon
“Puls” was one of the very best albums of 2013 and it was with excitement that I was awaiting the release of the new Port Noir disc “Neon”. While this is only a 16 minute long EP, it has the 4 most amazing songs of the year, all so different from each other, and together they more than make up for the shortened playing time. Ranging from radio-friendly electronic pop music to djent, from alternative rock to post-metal and from dark rock to prog metal, there’s a bit of everything on here. This is a band that will become leaders of the metal genre if there’s just a shred of justice in this world. Port Noir writes truly progressive music, which makes them my #1 of the year.
2. Avatarium – The Girl with the Raven Mask
I was sure all year long that this was going to become my #1 album of the year once released, however the Port Noir disc ended up taking that spot. That said, this is as close to perfection to my ears as can be. I loved the debut album, but this one has the upper hand by being more diverse (not just slow paced doom) and one out-of-this-world production that fits perfectly to this kind of music. Jennie-Ann Smith is a truly gifted singer, and with Leif Edling’s impeccable songwriting skills, (and I must not forget to mention Marcus Jidell’s phenomenal guitar playing), Avatarium is undisputably the most interesting doom band out there.
3. Year Of The Goat – The Unspeakable
Retro-metal? Psychedelic occult doom with prog-rock influences? I don’t know what this is to be honest, but whatever it is works for me. Imagine Rush meets Black Sabbath, add some While Heaven Wept, a pinch of Mercyful Fate and a bit of Ghost and you might be there … and yet, it is so much more.
4. Katatonia – Sanctitude
Best live album this year! Recorded in a church and capturing the essence of what Katatonia is all about these days; dark, melodic, and highly emotional metal/rock.
5. Michael Schenkers Temple of Rock – Spirit on a Mission
Michael Schenker is my favorite guitarist bar none, and one heck of a songwriter. From his days in Scorpions and UFO in the early 70’s, through his incredible hard rock solo discs almost 30 years ago or his melodic “hair metal” days of the 80’s to the last couple of years return to the classic sound, Michael has always (well, okay, a few of the late 90’s / early 00’s albums weren’t that great) delivered quality output upon quality output, and this is no exception. While not quite reaching the highs of “Bridge the Gap” from 2014, it’s still one kick-ass hard rock disc.
6. Moonspell – Extinct
For me this is the best Moonspell album since “Sin-Pecado” 18 years ago, and for a band with such a great discography that says a lot. “Extinct” has a bit of doom, a bit of death, a bit of black, lots of melody and first and foremost a sweet-ass gothic atmosphere.
7. Arena – The Unquiet Sky
I had given up on this band – I wasn’t a fan of their last output with old singer Rob Sowden (Pepper’s Ghost) and what I had heard of 2011’s “Seventh Degree of Separation” album (first with new vocalist Paul Manzi) didn’t keep my interest. However, more or less by chance I one day listened to “The Unquiet Sky” and was immediately hooked. This has everything I always liked from the band and even adds a more symphonic touch than ever before.
8. My Dying Bride – Feel the Misery
What a depressing, yet completely wonderful, disc this is! From the opening notes of “And My Father Left Forever” till the last ring of “Within a Sleeping Forest” this disc unrelenting drags you through darkness and despair, yet somehow you find yourself coming back again and again – and THAT is the beauty of this band.
9. Zierler – Esc
There’s just something about this guy and his songwriting that defy all logic. Finn Zierler is such a quiet and approachable guy, yet somehow he always manages to create some of the most frenzied and polarizing prog metal imaginable. Technical and melodic, dark and sweet, soft and wild – all blended together in something that sounds like no one else. Having known him personally for years, I can attest to the fact that the completely out-of-left-field progressive metal that he comes up with is as real and true as it gets. There’s nothing “forced” about this – it is pure genius at play.
10. Zak Brown Band – Jekyll & Hyde
Crossover country / singer-songwriter / rock that uniquely manages to blend everything from Led Zeppelin to Garth Brooks, from Dave Matthews to Alan Jackson, from Jimmy Buffett to Soundgarden … and yes, so much more. A fantastic live act, and this album is just full of great songs that will remind you of summer, good friends and what life is all about.
11. Tribulation – Children of the Night
This is not an easy one; not easy to describe and definitely not easy to listen to either – however, once you get into it, it’s so much more rewarding all the same. This is “avant garde metal” for sure – experimental, innovative, yet cunningly retro at the same time – almost makes you feel like you’re listening to all your favorite 70’s hard rock albums then throws some old school death metal grunts right in there, or how about a bit of black metal layered on top of a classic 80’s metal riff? Celtic Frost meets Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden teaming up with Dissection?
12. Trivium – Silence in the Snow
I’ve seen people talk about how this band has changed “once again” … to be honest, in my opinion they’ve never really changed, just evolved from album to album, and still delivered quality stuff each and every time. Sure, it might be too “poppy” for some, or too “clichéd” for others – heck, if people want to categorize it as metal for teenagers, I’m all for it. Makes me feel less than my 44 years old, hah!
13. Kamelot – Haven
I had kind of hoped that Thom Youngblood would take Kamelot a step further with this album and try something “new”. I felt that “Poetry…” was hinting at the band venturing out of their comfort zone, and while “Silverthorn” obviously maintained status quo as a necessary step to introduce new vocalist Tommy, it still kept my hopes alive for some kind of change. I guess “Haven” solidifies that Kamelot is comfortable where they are and that Thom doesn’t feel the need to challenge their position on the metal scene, and that’s perfectly acceptable, because their brand of power metal is so much better than 99.9% of what else is out there right now.
14. Orakle - Eclats
It’s no secret that my favorite band of the last decade is Leprous, and anything that sound remotely like them will have attention. Well, Orakle actually sounds A LOT like the progressive black metal we’re accustomed to from Leprous, with the constant flux between light and dark, melody and chaos, aggression and soft atmospheres – and just like the Norwegian masters, Orakle puts focus on building tension within each song, then explodes for a few bars, just to pull back again and make the listener feel like he/she just had their mind blown to smithereens. What unfortunately prevents Orakle from hitting on all cylinders (for me at least) is the choice of sticking to French (and not English) lyrics. That aside, this is amazing stuff that should appeal to any fan of aforementioned Leprous, Enslaved, Opeth, Ihsahn or Ne Obliviscaris!
15. Swallow The Sun – Songs from the North
“Songs from the North” is one of the most ambitious projects I’ve ever come across within the doom metal genre – a triple disc, with each disc being significantly different from each other, yet all maintaining the feel of coming from the same band. Disc one is classic death doom in the style we know from multiple 90’s doom bands (Saturnus, Amorphis, Paradise Lost, Anathema) with the bigger than life guitars and long-hanging/ever-ringing notes. Disc two is an acoustic themed album occasionally reminding of something you’d expect from Third & the Mortal or Theatre of Tragedy. Disc three is dark, catatonic and very dissonant, almost a true funeral doom album, which does make you think of the classic first few Katatonia discs. However, while each disc has its own unique identity, it is the trinity here that works in the favor of Swallow the Sun. I’ve honestly never been a big fan of the band, but seeing how they’ve managed to create this monstrous project and with such great results, I can’t help but tip my hat to them.
16. Ascendia – The Lion and the Jester
Best new power metal band I’ve heard all year. There’s nothing new or genre-pushing to this, but it’s just done so damn near perfect. There’s a bit of Kamelot, some Sonata Arctica, a pinch of Nightwish, a few Iron Maiden riffs and a lot of Iced Earth. Yes, all the ingredients to make a brilliant power metal disc.
17. Antimatter – The Judas Table
While we didn’t get a new studio album from Anathema in 2015, we at least got this one from Antimatter, and it perfectly fills the void. Lots of melancholy, plenty of dark brooding atmospheres accentuated by acoustic guitars, a bit of violin (!) and that typical soft-spoken oh-so-British voice.
18. Between the Buried & Me – Coma Ecliptic
I’ve been a fan of these guys ever since the “Colors” album, but never felt inclined to go back and engage myself in their first 3 albums as the “metal-core” aspects of those never really appealed to me. However, the band has something really unique going for them, in their ability to effortlessly blend extreme metal with huge melodies and a true progressive atmosphere (and here and there throw in a bit of jazz or fusion music), and over the years this has paid off by them achieving great success worldwide. With “Coma Ecliptic” Between the Buried & Me takes a step towards a more accessible style, while not “selling out” in any way on their principles of being proggy. There’s a lot going on here, but with almost entirely clean vocals and a grandiose production to back it, the album comes across as an album Dream Theater would have been proud to make, and for any band border-lining between true progressive metal and a commercial sound, that’s a really impressive feat.
19. Unleash the Archers – Time Stands Still
This girl, Brittney Hayes, is so METAL that I’m sure she could be a super hero (or villain) and get shot on daily without getting as much as a tiny scratch. For now it seems though that she is happy just doing this, delivering true classic heavy somewhere between power, thrash and old school metal, and I’m not one to argue with that.
20. W.A.S.P. – Golgotha
It only took Blackie Lawless 20 years to create a truly solid album since his last great disc, “Still Not Black Enough”. While not quite on par with that one and especially not as brilliant as “The Crimson Idol” (which is one of the best pure heavy metal albums ever recorded), “Golgotha” is a more than welcomed return to a guy who once was a true idol of mine.
21. Adele – 25
By now, this album has been beating all records possible to beat sales wise in just a few months, and somehow it also made it onto this list posted on a metal forum no less. Quite an achievement, huh?
Yeah well, Adele can sing the phone book front-to-back and I’ll listen. What a voice.
22. Subsignal – The Beacons of Somewhere Sometime
4 albums into their own career, it’s kind of unfair that we’re still comparing Subsignal to Sieges Even, but the fact is that both singer Arno Menses and guitarist/main-composer Markus Steffen were an integral part of that band for quite some years, and Sieges Even was one of the greatest progressive metal bands ever (at least in my opinion). With that said, there’s a clear distinction between the two bands – where Sieges Even were more technically intricate and more rooted in the metal scene, Subsignal is more based around strong melodies and have more of a pomp-rock sound. I almost feel like you can compare Sieges Even to a metal version of Rush, whereas Subsignal is a hard rock version of Yes – does that make sense?
23. Rasmus Seebach – Verden Kan Vente
Danish pop music where “love” rhymes with “dove” and “heart” rhymes with “art” … yeah, nothing fancy about this one, just so well done and it hits that soft spot like a bowl of mint-chocolate ice cream after a great steak dinner.
24. Gazpacho – Molok
The Norwegian post-prog rock band Gazpacho (why would anyone name themselves after a soup?) is back with album #9, and this is by far their most adventurous release; A concept as big as time itself, a concept where religion, folklore myths and scientific theories all meet. Musically Gazpacho also pushes the envelope on “Molok”, with a huge variety of sounds and influences coming across as a mix of Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Jethro Tull, Radiohead, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree and Marillion. It’s perhaps not quite a solid as “Night” and “Missa Atropos” which are my favorite Gazpacho discs, but it’s very close.
25. The Poodles – Devil in the Details
Sweden’s best hair metal / hard rock band! Throughout their so far only 10-year-old career, they’ve released a total of six amazing albums. This is a band, who proudly wear their influences on the sleeve, be it Winger, Guns’n’Roses, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith or TNT. It does seem that the band have chosen to venture a little bit out of their comfort zone with this album though, as there’s a bit of electronic/modern feeling to some of the songs, and there’s a little extra pomp (think Queen/Styx) to a few of the tunes as well. That said, Jake Samuels and his crew deliver yet another fun balls-to-the-wall hard rock disc.
26. Satan – Atom by Atom
I remember back in 1986 when I heard the “Into the Future” EP, and I was immediately hooked on this band. I followed them through their time as Pariah and back again to Satan, and as any good fan of a band would do, I went back to their early beginnings and bought both the first album (“Court in the Act”) as well as their one album under the name of Blind Fury. My favorite of them all however, was always the “Suspended Sentence”, which oddly enough is one of their most under-appreciated discs by other fans. Oh well … no one said my opinion was supposed to be the same as everyone else. Anyway … back to Satan (lol!); “Atom by Atom” is the second (or third if you will) album in their current constellation, which is the same as back in 1983 on the “Court in the Act” album. Musically this is classic NWOBHM with a great prototype thrash-edge, this just hits that sweet spot.
27. Paradise Lost – The Plague Within
What’s up with those old school doom-death/goth bands making their best album in twenty years? Moonspell, My Dying Bride (heck, even Pyogenesis reformed and came up with a pretty good album), and now Paradise Lost as well? Not since “Draconian Times” have the British lads in PL delivered such a high quality output. This is classic old school doom / death metal with great melodies and a dark and slow-plodding atmospheres just as it should be.
28. Symphony X – Underworld
I’m truly impressed by this – while I appreciated a couple of tracks off of the last few Symphony X albums, they just haven’t been the same since “V – Mythology Suite” (and that’s 15 years ago). But with “Underworld” it really seems like they are back to form, or at least close enough to where it matters again. Russell sings for real again (instead of his “angry man style” of late), Romeo’s fingers are up-and-down the fretboard like the guitar hero he has become known as, and the songwriting is very strong once again. While not their best album ever, it’s still a very good album and it makes me once again appreciate the grandeur that is Symphony X.
29. Tesseract – Polaris
It’s with good reason that Tesseract has become the biggest name in djent nowadays – their music is just so well composed, well produced and well performed, and all parts fit together perfectly. From Daniel Tompkins amazing voice, or Acle and James’s superb guitar playing, to the backbone of Jay and Amos’ rhythm section. This is a band that three albums into their career already are considered a true leader in a genre that right now is the hottest thing since sliced bread.
30. Melechesh – Enki
I’ve always had a soft spot for world music and especially the Middle Eastern styles have over the years proven to mix really well with heavy metal, so it can come as no surprise that a band blending thrash metal, black metal and Oriental folk music is an instant hit with me. I like this more than the previous disc “The Epigenesis”, but I do long for a little of the ferocity from “Emissaries”.
31. Eldritch – Underlying Issues
I would never have imaged for Eldritch to actually release another high quality album so late into their career. While the first 3 albums (’95-’98) were all considered classic prog metal albums by those of us that were around back then, the band went on a downward (too thrash metal inspired) spiral since then, and although always a great live band, their albums were of (at best) mediocre quality. That’s until now – because “Underlying Issues” is really a strong album – there’s an abundancy of great progressive tunes, lots of melodic power metal, and they even retained hints from their thrash metal days as well.
32. Good Tiger – A Headful of Moonlight
2015 was truly the year of Tesseract – not only did the band themselves release the great “Polaris”, but their former vocalists Ashe O’Hara and Elliot Coleman both returned with their bands Voices from the Fuselage and Good Tiger respectively. While Ashe’s VftF is an interesting band and concept, I do feel it keeps plodding away too much in it’s own slow paced tempo, so my vote is clearly for Good Tiger, which not only retains part of Elliot’s past with Tesseract (the melodic djent), but also manages to cross over nicely into different territories such as hardcore, prog-rock and a ton of groove.
33. Karnataka – Secret of Angels
This is not your typical female-fronted metal band – in fact, I am not even sure there’s a lot of “metal” to it, except some heavy sounding guitars here and there. It’s more like a well-polished prog rock album with a huge symphonic/orchestral and in places even ethnic/folk sound to it, making it slip in somewhere between Arena, Clannad, Threshold, Nightwish (mostly the vocals and the use of Troy Donockley on the bagpipes) and All About Eve.
34. Ghost Iris – Anecdotes of Science and Soul
The Danish metal scene has finally been touched by the Djent movement; 2015 brought us two great Djent albums in VOLA’s “Inmazes” and Ghost Iris’ “Anecdotes of Science and Soul”, and 2016 has already seen the Cold Night For Alligators album “Course of Events”. Yes, something is rotten in the state of Denmark for sure, and I like it. Musically Ghost Iris seem to lean towards the more “metalcore”/”math-core” based end of the Djent spectrum as I hear parts of not only Periphery but also Between the Buried and Me, Dillinger Escape Plan and a bit of Protest the Hero in their sound.
35. Native Construct – Quiet World
Native Construct (and perhaps even more so their label Metal Blade) surprised me with “Quiet World” – this is complex, adventurous and truly progressive metal, and I had not expected a release of this nature to be released on such an old school label as Metal Blade. Not that MB doesn’t try out new / young bands, but they are more commercially sounding that Native Construct, which in all honesty is a very acquired taste and not a band I would see as a money making machine in any commercial sense whatsoever. That said, this band creates an amazing blend of all things prog – from the technical aggression in the vein of Between the Buried & Me, through the schizophrenic jazz sounds of Mr.Bungle, to the pomp-prog rock of Queen, through the funkiness of Faith No More to clean prog metal of Dream Theater – there’s a bit of everything here. To be honest, the first couple of times I listened to the album, I had it pegged for a top 5 spot of the year. Unfortunately however, it began loosing it’s focus with me over time, and it fell down quite some ways … that said, I’m extremely hopeful for this bands future.
36. Dracula – Swing of Death
There’s just something about Jorn Lande’s voice that sets anything he does apart – it’s so full and so “unusual”, and man, he is always spot on. I’m a big fan of his ever since the Mundanus Imperium album (yeah, I know he did other stuff before that, but I never checked those out until after MI), and while most of his solo stuff has been suffering from mediocre songwriting, his voice could still bring it to a level where it was more than acceptable. With the new Dracula project he has created one heck of a cheesy concept, which is pretty laughable to be honest, but with a musical foundation (courtesy of guitarist and composer Trond Holter – formerly of the hard rock band Wig Wam) that’s just perfect for Jorn’s amazing voice, this is a winner in my book.
37. Kari Rueslatten – To the North
Kari started out years ago in the brilliant Norwegian doom/goth metal band The Third & The Mortal, and she was also part of the short-lived Storm project (with Satyr and Fenriz). In 1997 she decided to pursue a solo career, and while the first album (entitled “Demo Recordings”) kept some of the goth atmosphere, it was clear already from then that Kari was distancing herself from the metal scene. Over the next couple of albums, including the awesome “Spinnelsind” and perhaps most evident on “Pilot” she evolved into an eclectic mix of Bjork, Marie Boine, Jewel, Loreena McKennitt and Kate Bush. Her 6th solo album, “To the North” is a beautiful mix of all that Kari has done so far, albeit the metal elements are only present through the “darkness” that’s kind of looming over this album. There are some great folk/ethnic/world music tunes, some ambient pop tunes, and even a really great cover of The Byrds “Turn Turn Turn”. Oh, and speaking from personal experience – this album is fantastic at getting a 5-year old kid to go to sleep at night!
38. Agent Fresco – Destrier
I’m honestly not quite sure how to describe this, as it’s a little bit of everything from pop-rock to introspective alternative rock, to shoegazing post-metal and even hints of progressive rock/metal. I hear bands such as Karnivool, Pain of Salvation, Dredg, Sigur Ros and Leprous all intertwined in the sound of Agent Fresco. This is undoubtedly a band to watch out for in the coming years.
39. Ten – Isla De Muerta
Gary Hughes and his band Ten (in whichever constellation he decides on), is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know there’s nothing earthshakingly original about it, but this is just some of the best-written melodic and clean-polished hard rock out there. I’ve loved this ever since the debut many years ago and now 12 or 13 albums down the line it’s still great.
40. Earthside – A Dream in Static
Super cool disc this one – really awesome blend of “classic” prog metal (think Dream Theater) and more modern sounding prog (think Tesseract or Animals as Leaders). The song writing is superb, the production is stellar, the performance from both the core-band and all their guest vocalists (Björn from Soilwork, Daniel from Tesseract, Lajon from Sevendust and Eric from Face the King) are top notch, and the only thing that keeps me from placing this higher up the list is the fact that 50% of this album is instrumental.
41. Honeymoon Disease – The Transcendence
Classic heavy rock! Nothing more and nothing less. Imagine all the best parts of old school Thin Lizzy, hints of the original Saxon, a touch of UFO, some Girlschool, a bit of Purple, and a punch of The Runaways. Yup, this is brutally honest, pure unadultered, classic hard rock / heavy metal with all that it should come with; from the big belt-buckets to the flashy logo, from the creepy 70’s mustaches to the psychedelic headband … it’s all there, and it is so much fun!
42. Shattered Skies – The World We Used to Know
I’ve seen people describe this as Circus Maximus mixed with Tesseract, and I tend to agree with that much of the way. However, where both those bands have a unique sound, Shattered Skies isn’t quite there yet. Close for sure, but still there’s room for improvement. That said, facing a serious set back of losing one heck of a great singer, I’m pessimistically optimistic (or optimistically pessimistic, if you will) about the future of this band. So much promise though …
43. VOLA – Inmazes
“Mewshuggah”! Yup, I made that one up
That’s what happens when you cross the djenty aggro-metal of Meshuggah with the laid back alternative prog sounds of Mew – sure, you can throw in references to Periphery, Dredg and several others as well, but the main thing here is that the band almost effortlessly manages to combine genres that doesn’t necessarily work on paper. A little bit more own identity next time and VOLA will become a big name in the modern metal genre.
44. Sorcerer – In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
Anders Engberg is one of the very best singers in the Swedish heavy metal scene. First time I heard of him was 23 years ago when the Danish/Swedish band Twilight released the debut album “Eye for an Eye” with him fronting. Since then I’ve been a big fan of his incredible voice and followed him through his multiple bands and guest performances (including Lions Share, 220 Volt, Section A, and more). Now he is back with his original band where he started out in the late 80’s, the Swedish doom metal band Sorcerer. Musically we’re dealing with a true classic doom metal sound, not too different from early Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus – big guitars, lots of oomph and clean melodic vocals on top. It’s not very original (although it probably was back in their days of formation), but Anders’ voice is what makes this album remain in my top 50.
45. Draconian – Sovran
Doom / gothic metal in the vein of early/mid 90’s bands such as Theatre of Tragedy, Within Temptation, The Third & The Mortal – all bands that started out with the huge heavy doom sound where male growls were contrasted by the soft-toned female voice (Beauty & Beast metal as some called it). Nothing original here, but to be honest, considering that Draconian themselves were part of that scene many years ago, it doesn’t need to be, as this is a band doing what they’ve done best for the last 20 years. Songwriting is more than solid and with such an amazing vocalist as Heike Langhans in front (she is the newest member of the band actually, and she sounds SOOOO much like Sharon from Within Tempation) there really isn’t much to put your finger on – this is very good.
46. Mew – Plus/Minus
Mew is one of the biggest Danish rock bands of the last decade and with good reason – their brand of art pop/rock is very international sounding (not saying that most Danish pop/rock sucks, but … hehe), and fits well in with the sounds of Radiohead, Muse and bands of that ilk. There’s a clear indie pop sound to this album, with a ton of great catchy melodies, a good deal of progressive rock twists and turns, and of course topped by Jonas Bjerre’s amazing falsetto voice, which is one of the most distinct and absolutely best voices in the genre. Plus/Minus is a great comeback for a band that has been taking a few years off to regroup themselves, and while it doesn’t quite touch on the class of past albums like “Frengers” and “And the Glass Handed Kites”, this is a wonderful disc that should keep all the Mew fans happy.
47. RAM – Svbversam
Old school traditional US heavy metal – think Savatage, Vicious Rumors, Omen, Virgin Steele and Sanctuary – performed by a Swedish band nonetheless. Okay, to be honest, seeing the Swedish scene flourish by “retro bands” this can’t really come as a shock to anyone, that there’s another band from IKEA country delivering this old school style with great result. RAM have put out a few solid albums so far, and “Svbversam” is another notch up the ladder. \m/\m/
48. Anekdoten – Until All the Ghosts Are Gone
In the early nineties that progressive rock scene saw a bit of a retro/revival movement, with bands like Anekdoten, Anglagard, Landberk, and Flower Kings all building upon the sound laid down originally in the seventies by King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant and the like. In that “retro” scene Anekdoten released one of the very best debut albums with 1993’s “Vemod” and followed it up two years later with the incredible “Nucleus”. Since then the band has been a bit of a hit or miss for me. “Until All the Ghosts Are Gone” however is one heck of a strong statement – a great album that builds well on the sound of the classics of the prog genre, and brings a nice deal of originality to the table. Not reaching the level of the first two albums, (and most likely never will), is a bit of a let down for any fan of those, but if you’re able to put that aside, this is a great disc.
49. Pomegranate Tiger - Boundless
As much as I love the musicality at display here (I mean, come on, this is INCREDIBLE!), Pomegranate Tiger really needs to get hold of a vocalist. I like instrumental music in small doses, especially if it’s old school prog rock or neo-classical metal, but when music is as busy as this here, I need the vocals to tie it all together. Since the equally impressive debut album “Entities” a few years back, the band has actually been reduced to a one-man project, so I am expecting this to be a bit of an intermediate album while Martin Andres figures out where he’ll take it next … I really hope he will make a full band out of this and include a strong vocalist, so Pomegranate Tiger can become what they truly deserve to be, a tech-metal band up there with the big ones (think Watchtower meets Protest the Hero meets Spastic Ink meets Periphery).
50. Slayer – Repentless
I used to be a big time Slayer fan boy back in the day, as I’m sure many of those of us who grew up on thrash metal in the eighties were. I’m willing to forgive Slayer a few career missteps (“Undisputed Attitude” anyone?), or lackluster albums (“World Painted Blood” being the latest of those), as their classics are more classic than most other bands can even dream about. “Repentless” is a more than acceptable Slayer album – it’s actually pretty great here and there, and that it didn’t place higher than #50 on my list says quite a lot about what a great year for music 2015 has been.
Of course in the last weeks/months I've come across some incredible 2015 albums that I wish I had heard before in time to make my list, but that's okay ... you snooze you loose, right?
Okay, so I’ll preface this by stating that I am not including any Intromental bands on the list, as I really don’t like being accused of bias, haha. That said, albums by Borealis, Chaos Divine, Kingcrow, Leprous, Loch Vostok, Simulacrum and Subterranean Masquerade would of course all have made it onto this list had I chosen to include them.
Now, since everyone seem to name their list in reverse order (to keep the excitement till the last moment?), I'm of course going to be the contrarian and will start out with my #1 and work my way down the list.
Have fun reading it, and feel free to tell me that some of my choices are stupid,because I'm sure they are
1. Port Noir – Neon
“Puls” was one of the very best albums of 2013 and it was with excitement that I was awaiting the release of the new Port Noir disc “Neon”. While this is only a 16 minute long EP, it has the 4 most amazing songs of the year, all so different from each other, and together they more than make up for the shortened playing time. Ranging from radio-friendly electronic pop music to djent, from alternative rock to post-metal and from dark rock to prog metal, there’s a bit of everything on here. This is a band that will become leaders of the metal genre if there’s just a shred of justice in this world. Port Noir writes truly progressive music, which makes them my #1 of the year.
2. Avatarium – The Girl with the Raven Mask
I was sure all year long that this was going to become my #1 album of the year once released, however the Port Noir disc ended up taking that spot. That said, this is as close to perfection to my ears as can be. I loved the debut album, but this one has the upper hand by being more diverse (not just slow paced doom) and one out-of-this-world production that fits perfectly to this kind of music. Jennie-Ann Smith is a truly gifted singer, and with Leif Edling’s impeccable songwriting skills, (and I must not forget to mention Marcus Jidell’s phenomenal guitar playing), Avatarium is undisputably the most interesting doom band out there.
3. Year Of The Goat – The Unspeakable
Retro-metal? Psychedelic occult doom with prog-rock influences? I don’t know what this is to be honest, but whatever it is works for me. Imagine Rush meets Black Sabbath, add some While Heaven Wept, a pinch of Mercyful Fate and a bit of Ghost and you might be there … and yet, it is so much more.
4. Katatonia – Sanctitude
Best live album this year! Recorded in a church and capturing the essence of what Katatonia is all about these days; dark, melodic, and highly emotional metal/rock.
5. Michael Schenkers Temple of Rock – Spirit on a Mission
Michael Schenker is my favorite guitarist bar none, and one heck of a songwriter. From his days in Scorpions and UFO in the early 70’s, through his incredible hard rock solo discs almost 30 years ago or his melodic “hair metal” days of the 80’s to the last couple of years return to the classic sound, Michael has always (well, okay, a few of the late 90’s / early 00’s albums weren’t that great) delivered quality output upon quality output, and this is no exception. While not quite reaching the highs of “Bridge the Gap” from 2014, it’s still one kick-ass hard rock disc.
6. Moonspell – Extinct
For me this is the best Moonspell album since “Sin-Pecado” 18 years ago, and for a band with such a great discography that says a lot. “Extinct” has a bit of doom, a bit of death, a bit of black, lots of melody and first and foremost a sweet-ass gothic atmosphere.
7. Arena – The Unquiet Sky
I had given up on this band – I wasn’t a fan of their last output with old singer Rob Sowden (Pepper’s Ghost) and what I had heard of 2011’s “Seventh Degree of Separation” album (first with new vocalist Paul Manzi) didn’t keep my interest. However, more or less by chance I one day listened to “The Unquiet Sky” and was immediately hooked. This has everything I always liked from the band and even adds a more symphonic touch than ever before.
8. My Dying Bride – Feel the Misery
What a depressing, yet completely wonderful, disc this is! From the opening notes of “And My Father Left Forever” till the last ring of “Within a Sleeping Forest” this disc unrelenting drags you through darkness and despair, yet somehow you find yourself coming back again and again – and THAT is the beauty of this band.
9. Zierler – Esc
There’s just something about this guy and his songwriting that defy all logic. Finn Zierler is such a quiet and approachable guy, yet somehow he always manages to create some of the most frenzied and polarizing prog metal imaginable. Technical and melodic, dark and sweet, soft and wild – all blended together in something that sounds like no one else. Having known him personally for years, I can attest to the fact that the completely out-of-left-field progressive metal that he comes up with is as real and true as it gets. There’s nothing “forced” about this – it is pure genius at play.
10. Zak Brown Band – Jekyll & Hyde
Crossover country / singer-songwriter / rock that uniquely manages to blend everything from Led Zeppelin to Garth Brooks, from Dave Matthews to Alan Jackson, from Jimmy Buffett to Soundgarden … and yes, so much more. A fantastic live act, and this album is just full of great songs that will remind you of summer, good friends and what life is all about.
11. Tribulation – Children of the Night
This is not an easy one; not easy to describe and definitely not easy to listen to either – however, once you get into it, it’s so much more rewarding all the same. This is “avant garde metal” for sure – experimental, innovative, yet cunningly retro at the same time – almost makes you feel like you’re listening to all your favorite 70’s hard rock albums then throws some old school death metal grunts right in there, or how about a bit of black metal layered on top of a classic 80’s metal riff? Celtic Frost meets Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden teaming up with Dissection?
12. Trivium – Silence in the Snow
I’ve seen people talk about how this band has changed “once again” … to be honest, in my opinion they’ve never really changed, just evolved from album to album, and still delivered quality stuff each and every time. Sure, it might be too “poppy” for some, or too “clichéd” for others – heck, if people want to categorize it as metal for teenagers, I’m all for it. Makes me feel less than my 44 years old, hah!
13. Kamelot – Haven
I had kind of hoped that Thom Youngblood would take Kamelot a step further with this album and try something “new”. I felt that “Poetry…” was hinting at the band venturing out of their comfort zone, and while “Silverthorn” obviously maintained status quo as a necessary step to introduce new vocalist Tommy, it still kept my hopes alive for some kind of change. I guess “Haven” solidifies that Kamelot is comfortable where they are and that Thom doesn’t feel the need to challenge their position on the metal scene, and that’s perfectly acceptable, because their brand of power metal is so much better than 99.9% of what else is out there right now.
14. Orakle - Eclats
It’s no secret that my favorite band of the last decade is Leprous, and anything that sound remotely like them will have attention. Well, Orakle actually sounds A LOT like the progressive black metal we’re accustomed to from Leprous, with the constant flux between light and dark, melody and chaos, aggression and soft atmospheres – and just like the Norwegian masters, Orakle puts focus on building tension within each song, then explodes for a few bars, just to pull back again and make the listener feel like he/she just had their mind blown to smithereens. What unfortunately prevents Orakle from hitting on all cylinders (for me at least) is the choice of sticking to French (and not English) lyrics. That aside, this is amazing stuff that should appeal to any fan of aforementioned Leprous, Enslaved, Opeth, Ihsahn or Ne Obliviscaris!
15. Swallow The Sun – Songs from the North
“Songs from the North” is one of the most ambitious projects I’ve ever come across within the doom metal genre – a triple disc, with each disc being significantly different from each other, yet all maintaining the feel of coming from the same band. Disc one is classic death doom in the style we know from multiple 90’s doom bands (Saturnus, Amorphis, Paradise Lost, Anathema) with the bigger than life guitars and long-hanging/ever-ringing notes. Disc two is an acoustic themed album occasionally reminding of something you’d expect from Third & the Mortal or Theatre of Tragedy. Disc three is dark, catatonic and very dissonant, almost a true funeral doom album, which does make you think of the classic first few Katatonia discs. However, while each disc has its own unique identity, it is the trinity here that works in the favor of Swallow the Sun. I’ve honestly never been a big fan of the band, but seeing how they’ve managed to create this monstrous project and with such great results, I can’t help but tip my hat to them.
16. Ascendia – The Lion and the Jester
Best new power metal band I’ve heard all year. There’s nothing new or genre-pushing to this, but it’s just done so damn near perfect. There’s a bit of Kamelot, some Sonata Arctica, a pinch of Nightwish, a few Iron Maiden riffs and a lot of Iced Earth. Yes, all the ingredients to make a brilliant power metal disc.
17. Antimatter – The Judas Table
While we didn’t get a new studio album from Anathema in 2015, we at least got this one from Antimatter, and it perfectly fills the void. Lots of melancholy, plenty of dark brooding atmospheres accentuated by acoustic guitars, a bit of violin (!) and that typical soft-spoken oh-so-British voice.
18. Between the Buried & Me – Coma Ecliptic
I’ve been a fan of these guys ever since the “Colors” album, but never felt inclined to go back and engage myself in their first 3 albums as the “metal-core” aspects of those never really appealed to me. However, the band has something really unique going for them, in their ability to effortlessly blend extreme metal with huge melodies and a true progressive atmosphere (and here and there throw in a bit of jazz or fusion music), and over the years this has paid off by them achieving great success worldwide. With “Coma Ecliptic” Between the Buried & Me takes a step towards a more accessible style, while not “selling out” in any way on their principles of being proggy. There’s a lot going on here, but with almost entirely clean vocals and a grandiose production to back it, the album comes across as an album Dream Theater would have been proud to make, and for any band border-lining between true progressive metal and a commercial sound, that’s a really impressive feat.
19. Unleash the Archers – Time Stands Still
This girl, Brittney Hayes, is so METAL that I’m sure she could be a super hero (or villain) and get shot on daily without getting as much as a tiny scratch. For now it seems though that she is happy just doing this, delivering true classic heavy somewhere between power, thrash and old school metal, and I’m not one to argue with that.
20. W.A.S.P. – Golgotha
It only took Blackie Lawless 20 years to create a truly solid album since his last great disc, “Still Not Black Enough”. While not quite on par with that one and especially not as brilliant as “The Crimson Idol” (which is one of the best pure heavy metal albums ever recorded), “Golgotha” is a more than welcomed return to a guy who once was a true idol of mine.
21. Adele – 25
By now, this album has been beating all records possible to beat sales wise in just a few months, and somehow it also made it onto this list posted on a metal forum no less. Quite an achievement, huh?
22. Subsignal – The Beacons of Somewhere Sometime
4 albums into their own career, it’s kind of unfair that we’re still comparing Subsignal to Sieges Even, but the fact is that both singer Arno Menses and guitarist/main-composer Markus Steffen were an integral part of that band for quite some years, and Sieges Even was one of the greatest progressive metal bands ever (at least in my opinion). With that said, there’s a clear distinction between the two bands – where Sieges Even were more technically intricate and more rooted in the metal scene, Subsignal is more based around strong melodies and have more of a pomp-rock sound. I almost feel like you can compare Sieges Even to a metal version of Rush, whereas Subsignal is a hard rock version of Yes – does that make sense?
23. Rasmus Seebach – Verden Kan Vente
Danish pop music where “love” rhymes with “dove” and “heart” rhymes with “art” … yeah, nothing fancy about this one, just so well done and it hits that soft spot like a bowl of mint-chocolate ice cream after a great steak dinner.
24. Gazpacho – Molok
The Norwegian post-prog rock band Gazpacho (why would anyone name themselves after a soup?) is back with album #9, and this is by far their most adventurous release; A concept as big as time itself, a concept where religion, folklore myths and scientific theories all meet. Musically Gazpacho also pushes the envelope on “Molok”, with a huge variety of sounds and influences coming across as a mix of Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Jethro Tull, Radiohead, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree and Marillion. It’s perhaps not quite a solid as “Night” and “Missa Atropos” which are my favorite Gazpacho discs, but it’s very close.
25. The Poodles – Devil in the Details
Sweden’s best hair metal / hard rock band! Throughout their so far only 10-year-old career, they’ve released a total of six amazing albums. This is a band, who proudly wear their influences on the sleeve, be it Winger, Guns’n’Roses, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith or TNT. It does seem that the band have chosen to venture a little bit out of their comfort zone with this album though, as there’s a bit of electronic/modern feeling to some of the songs, and there’s a little extra pomp (think Queen/Styx) to a few of the tunes as well. That said, Jake Samuels and his crew deliver yet another fun balls-to-the-wall hard rock disc.
26. Satan – Atom by Atom
I remember back in 1986 when I heard the “Into the Future” EP, and I was immediately hooked on this band. I followed them through their time as Pariah and back again to Satan, and as any good fan of a band would do, I went back to their early beginnings and bought both the first album (“Court in the Act”) as well as their one album under the name of Blind Fury. My favorite of them all however, was always the “Suspended Sentence”, which oddly enough is one of their most under-appreciated discs by other fans. Oh well … no one said my opinion was supposed to be the same as everyone else. Anyway … back to Satan (lol!); “Atom by Atom” is the second (or third if you will) album in their current constellation, which is the same as back in 1983 on the “Court in the Act” album. Musically this is classic NWOBHM with a great prototype thrash-edge, this just hits that sweet spot.
27. Paradise Lost – The Plague Within
What’s up with those old school doom-death/goth bands making their best album in twenty years? Moonspell, My Dying Bride (heck, even Pyogenesis reformed and came up with a pretty good album), and now Paradise Lost as well? Not since “Draconian Times” have the British lads in PL delivered such a high quality output. This is classic old school doom / death metal with great melodies and a dark and slow-plodding atmospheres just as it should be.
28. Symphony X – Underworld
I’m truly impressed by this – while I appreciated a couple of tracks off of the last few Symphony X albums, they just haven’t been the same since “V – Mythology Suite” (and that’s 15 years ago). But with “Underworld” it really seems like they are back to form, or at least close enough to where it matters again. Russell sings for real again (instead of his “angry man style” of late), Romeo’s fingers are up-and-down the fretboard like the guitar hero he has become known as, and the songwriting is very strong once again. While not their best album ever, it’s still a very good album and it makes me once again appreciate the grandeur that is Symphony X.
29. Tesseract – Polaris
It’s with good reason that Tesseract has become the biggest name in djent nowadays – their music is just so well composed, well produced and well performed, and all parts fit together perfectly. From Daniel Tompkins amazing voice, or Acle and James’s superb guitar playing, to the backbone of Jay and Amos’ rhythm section. This is a band that three albums into their career already are considered a true leader in a genre that right now is the hottest thing since sliced bread.
30. Melechesh – Enki
I’ve always had a soft spot for world music and especially the Middle Eastern styles have over the years proven to mix really well with heavy metal, so it can come as no surprise that a band blending thrash metal, black metal and Oriental folk music is an instant hit with me. I like this more than the previous disc “The Epigenesis”, but I do long for a little of the ferocity from “Emissaries”.
31. Eldritch – Underlying Issues
I would never have imaged for Eldritch to actually release another high quality album so late into their career. While the first 3 albums (’95-’98) were all considered classic prog metal albums by those of us that were around back then, the band went on a downward (too thrash metal inspired) spiral since then, and although always a great live band, their albums were of (at best) mediocre quality. That’s until now – because “Underlying Issues” is really a strong album – there’s an abundancy of great progressive tunes, lots of melodic power metal, and they even retained hints from their thrash metal days as well.
32. Good Tiger – A Headful of Moonlight
2015 was truly the year of Tesseract – not only did the band themselves release the great “Polaris”, but their former vocalists Ashe O’Hara and Elliot Coleman both returned with their bands Voices from the Fuselage and Good Tiger respectively. While Ashe’s VftF is an interesting band and concept, I do feel it keeps plodding away too much in it’s own slow paced tempo, so my vote is clearly for Good Tiger, which not only retains part of Elliot’s past with Tesseract (the melodic djent), but also manages to cross over nicely into different territories such as hardcore, prog-rock and a ton of groove.
33. Karnataka – Secret of Angels
This is not your typical female-fronted metal band – in fact, I am not even sure there’s a lot of “metal” to it, except some heavy sounding guitars here and there. It’s more like a well-polished prog rock album with a huge symphonic/orchestral and in places even ethnic/folk sound to it, making it slip in somewhere between Arena, Clannad, Threshold, Nightwish (mostly the vocals and the use of Troy Donockley on the bagpipes) and All About Eve.
34. Ghost Iris – Anecdotes of Science and Soul
The Danish metal scene has finally been touched by the Djent movement; 2015 brought us two great Djent albums in VOLA’s “Inmazes” and Ghost Iris’ “Anecdotes of Science and Soul”, and 2016 has already seen the Cold Night For Alligators album “Course of Events”. Yes, something is rotten in the state of Denmark for sure, and I like it. Musically Ghost Iris seem to lean towards the more “metalcore”/”math-core” based end of the Djent spectrum as I hear parts of not only Periphery but also Between the Buried and Me, Dillinger Escape Plan and a bit of Protest the Hero in their sound.
35. Native Construct – Quiet World
Native Construct (and perhaps even more so their label Metal Blade) surprised me with “Quiet World” – this is complex, adventurous and truly progressive metal, and I had not expected a release of this nature to be released on such an old school label as Metal Blade. Not that MB doesn’t try out new / young bands, but they are more commercially sounding that Native Construct, which in all honesty is a very acquired taste and not a band I would see as a money making machine in any commercial sense whatsoever. That said, this band creates an amazing blend of all things prog – from the technical aggression in the vein of Between the Buried & Me, through the schizophrenic jazz sounds of Mr.Bungle, to the pomp-prog rock of Queen, through the funkiness of Faith No More to clean prog metal of Dream Theater – there’s a bit of everything here. To be honest, the first couple of times I listened to the album, I had it pegged for a top 5 spot of the year. Unfortunately however, it began loosing it’s focus with me over time, and it fell down quite some ways … that said, I’m extremely hopeful for this bands future.
36. Dracula – Swing of Death
There’s just something about Jorn Lande’s voice that sets anything he does apart – it’s so full and so “unusual”, and man, he is always spot on. I’m a big fan of his ever since the Mundanus Imperium album (yeah, I know he did other stuff before that, but I never checked those out until after MI), and while most of his solo stuff has been suffering from mediocre songwriting, his voice could still bring it to a level where it was more than acceptable. With the new Dracula project he has created one heck of a cheesy concept, which is pretty laughable to be honest, but with a musical foundation (courtesy of guitarist and composer Trond Holter – formerly of the hard rock band Wig Wam) that’s just perfect for Jorn’s amazing voice, this is a winner in my book.
37. Kari Rueslatten – To the North
Kari started out years ago in the brilliant Norwegian doom/goth metal band The Third & The Mortal, and she was also part of the short-lived Storm project (with Satyr and Fenriz). In 1997 she decided to pursue a solo career, and while the first album (entitled “Demo Recordings”) kept some of the goth atmosphere, it was clear already from then that Kari was distancing herself from the metal scene. Over the next couple of albums, including the awesome “Spinnelsind” and perhaps most evident on “Pilot” she evolved into an eclectic mix of Bjork, Marie Boine, Jewel, Loreena McKennitt and Kate Bush. Her 6th solo album, “To the North” is a beautiful mix of all that Kari has done so far, albeit the metal elements are only present through the “darkness” that’s kind of looming over this album. There are some great folk/ethnic/world music tunes, some ambient pop tunes, and even a really great cover of The Byrds “Turn Turn Turn”. Oh, and speaking from personal experience – this album is fantastic at getting a 5-year old kid to go to sleep at night!
38. Agent Fresco – Destrier
I’m honestly not quite sure how to describe this, as it’s a little bit of everything from pop-rock to introspective alternative rock, to shoegazing post-metal and even hints of progressive rock/metal. I hear bands such as Karnivool, Pain of Salvation, Dredg, Sigur Ros and Leprous all intertwined in the sound of Agent Fresco. This is undoubtedly a band to watch out for in the coming years.
39. Ten – Isla De Muerta
Gary Hughes and his band Ten (in whichever constellation he decides on), is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know there’s nothing earthshakingly original about it, but this is just some of the best-written melodic and clean-polished hard rock out there. I’ve loved this ever since the debut many years ago and now 12 or 13 albums down the line it’s still great.
40. Earthside – A Dream in Static
Super cool disc this one – really awesome blend of “classic” prog metal (think Dream Theater) and more modern sounding prog (think Tesseract or Animals as Leaders). The song writing is superb, the production is stellar, the performance from both the core-band and all their guest vocalists (Björn from Soilwork, Daniel from Tesseract, Lajon from Sevendust and Eric from Face the King) are top notch, and the only thing that keeps me from placing this higher up the list is the fact that 50% of this album is instrumental.
41. Honeymoon Disease – The Transcendence
Classic heavy rock! Nothing more and nothing less. Imagine all the best parts of old school Thin Lizzy, hints of the original Saxon, a touch of UFO, some Girlschool, a bit of Purple, and a punch of The Runaways. Yup, this is brutally honest, pure unadultered, classic hard rock / heavy metal with all that it should come with; from the big belt-buckets to the flashy logo, from the creepy 70’s mustaches to the psychedelic headband … it’s all there, and it is so much fun!
42. Shattered Skies – The World We Used to Know
I’ve seen people describe this as Circus Maximus mixed with Tesseract, and I tend to agree with that much of the way. However, where both those bands have a unique sound, Shattered Skies isn’t quite there yet. Close for sure, but still there’s room for improvement. That said, facing a serious set back of losing one heck of a great singer, I’m pessimistically optimistic (or optimistically pessimistic, if you will) about the future of this band. So much promise though …
43. VOLA – Inmazes
“Mewshuggah”! Yup, I made that one up
44. Sorcerer – In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
Anders Engberg is one of the very best singers in the Swedish heavy metal scene. First time I heard of him was 23 years ago when the Danish/Swedish band Twilight released the debut album “Eye for an Eye” with him fronting. Since then I’ve been a big fan of his incredible voice and followed him through his multiple bands and guest performances (including Lions Share, 220 Volt, Section A, and more). Now he is back with his original band where he started out in the late 80’s, the Swedish doom metal band Sorcerer. Musically we’re dealing with a true classic doom metal sound, not too different from early Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus – big guitars, lots of oomph and clean melodic vocals on top. It’s not very original (although it probably was back in their days of formation), but Anders’ voice is what makes this album remain in my top 50.
45. Draconian – Sovran
Doom / gothic metal in the vein of early/mid 90’s bands such as Theatre of Tragedy, Within Temptation, The Third & The Mortal – all bands that started out with the huge heavy doom sound where male growls were contrasted by the soft-toned female voice (Beauty & Beast metal as some called it). Nothing original here, but to be honest, considering that Draconian themselves were part of that scene many years ago, it doesn’t need to be, as this is a band doing what they’ve done best for the last 20 years. Songwriting is more than solid and with such an amazing vocalist as Heike Langhans in front (she is the newest member of the band actually, and she sounds SOOOO much like Sharon from Within Tempation) there really isn’t much to put your finger on – this is very good.
46. Mew – Plus/Minus
Mew is one of the biggest Danish rock bands of the last decade and with good reason – their brand of art pop/rock is very international sounding (not saying that most Danish pop/rock sucks, but … hehe), and fits well in with the sounds of Radiohead, Muse and bands of that ilk. There’s a clear indie pop sound to this album, with a ton of great catchy melodies, a good deal of progressive rock twists and turns, and of course topped by Jonas Bjerre’s amazing falsetto voice, which is one of the most distinct and absolutely best voices in the genre. Plus/Minus is a great comeback for a band that has been taking a few years off to regroup themselves, and while it doesn’t quite touch on the class of past albums like “Frengers” and “And the Glass Handed Kites”, this is a wonderful disc that should keep all the Mew fans happy.
47. RAM – Svbversam
Old school traditional US heavy metal – think Savatage, Vicious Rumors, Omen, Virgin Steele and Sanctuary – performed by a Swedish band nonetheless. Okay, to be honest, seeing the Swedish scene flourish by “retro bands” this can’t really come as a shock to anyone, that there’s another band from IKEA country delivering this old school style with great result. RAM have put out a few solid albums so far, and “Svbversam” is another notch up the ladder. \m/\m/
48. Anekdoten – Until All the Ghosts Are Gone
In the early nineties that progressive rock scene saw a bit of a retro/revival movement, with bands like Anekdoten, Anglagard, Landberk, and Flower Kings all building upon the sound laid down originally in the seventies by King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant and the like. In that “retro” scene Anekdoten released one of the very best debut albums with 1993’s “Vemod” and followed it up two years later with the incredible “Nucleus”. Since then the band has been a bit of a hit or miss for me. “Until All the Ghosts Are Gone” however is one heck of a strong statement – a great album that builds well on the sound of the classics of the prog genre, and brings a nice deal of originality to the table. Not reaching the level of the first two albums, (and most likely never will), is a bit of a let down for any fan of those, but if you’re able to put that aside, this is a great disc.
49. Pomegranate Tiger - Boundless
As much as I love the musicality at display here (I mean, come on, this is INCREDIBLE!), Pomegranate Tiger really needs to get hold of a vocalist. I like instrumental music in small doses, especially if it’s old school prog rock or neo-classical metal, but when music is as busy as this here, I need the vocals to tie it all together. Since the equally impressive debut album “Entities” a few years back, the band has actually been reduced to a one-man project, so I am expecting this to be a bit of an intermediate album while Martin Andres figures out where he’ll take it next … I really hope he will make a full band out of this and include a strong vocalist, so Pomegranate Tiger can become what they truly deserve to be, a tech-metal band up there with the big ones (think Watchtower meets Protest the Hero meets Spastic Ink meets Periphery).
50. Slayer – Repentless
I used to be a big time Slayer fan boy back in the day, as I’m sure many of those of us who grew up on thrash metal in the eighties were. I’m willing to forgive Slayer a few career missteps (“Undisputed Attitude” anyone?), or lackluster albums (“World Painted Blood” being the latest of those), as their classics are more classic than most other bands can even dream about. “Repentless” is a more than acceptable Slayer album – it’s actually pretty great here and there, and that it didn’t place higher than #50 on my list says quite a lot about what a great year for music 2015 has been.
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