hypk
New Metal Member
It didn't do much for me, so I'd be more surprised to see it on lists than off.
Top 50 Albums of 2018
- Thread starter Harvester
- Start date
hypk
New Metal Member
That Ostura album is a monster. Definitely need to pick it up.
Also going to pick up the Barren Earth album. I loved their first EP, but they kinda flew off my radar. Definitely need to revisit them.
Album of the year for me is Boss Keloid's "Melted on the Inch". That first song is massive! Also surprised not to see "Stranger Fruit" by Zeal and Ardor on the list as it's been getting quite a bit of praise.
Great thread as usual!
Also going to pick up the Barren Earth album. I loved their first EP, but they kinda flew off my radar. Definitely need to revisit them.
Album of the year for me is Boss Keloid's "Melted on the Inch". That first song is massive! Also surprised not to see "Stranger Fruit" by Zeal and Ardor on the list as it's been getting quite a bit of praise.
Great thread as usual!
Music I already owned:
Distant Dream
Orphaned Land
Seventh Wonder
Kingcrow
Haken
Redemption
Music previously on want list:
Polyphia
Brainstorm
Shattered Skies
All Traps On Earth
Hago
Subsignal
Michael Romeo
Music added because of this list.
Maestrick
Tomorrow's Eve
Lost In Thought
Southern Empire
Animal Bite
Amorphis
Alien Weaponry
Ostura
Distant Dream
Orphaned Land
Seventh Wonder
Kingcrow
Haken
Redemption
Music previously on want list:
Polyphia
Brainstorm
Shattered Skies
All Traps On Earth
Hago
Subsignal
Michael Romeo
Music added because of this list.
Maestrick
Tomorrow's Eve
Lost In Thought
Southern Empire
Animal Bite
Amorphis
Alien Weaponry
Ostura
Speaking of Sisare, the lead singer reminds me of a more restrained Rikard Sjöblom, formally of Beardfish.
also Glenn, what about the new Riverside kept it off your top 50? I know you were a fan in the past.
The other two I was looking out for was the new Spock's Beard 'Noise Floor' and the self titled debut by The Sea Within. Both are in my top 50 for this year. Or the Fates Warning Live disc - which is killer.
Non prog/power metal 2018 standouts for me where Light the Torch (the renamed Devil You Know with former KSE singer Howard Jones), Circles 'The Last One', the new Coheed 'Unheavenly Creatures', The Ocean 'Phanerozoic I: Paleozoic', and Monuments "Phronesis"
The other two I was looking out for was the new Spock's Beard 'Noise Floor' and the self titled debut by The Sea Within. Both are in my top 50 for this year. Or the Fates Warning Live disc - which is killer.
Non prog/power metal 2018 standouts for me where Light the Torch (the renamed Devil You Know with former KSE singer Howard Jones), Circles 'The Last One', the new Coheed 'Unheavenly Creatures', The Ocean 'Phanerozoic I: Paleozoic', and Monuments "Phronesis"
CiG
Approximately Infinite Universe
That new Light the Torch is awesome. It might sneak into my top 10 this year. I just re-discovered it about a week ago and it has been hitting me just right.
I'm a big Riverside fan too, but that new one is really unmemorable for me. It isn't bad or anything, just doesn't do anything for me unfortunately.
Wouldn't surprise me, since they played new songs during the tour.
Another one I'm a bit surprised not mentioned by people is the new Distorted Harmony. Then again, I just realized that I had bought it, but forgot to download it. Doh!
engmtlhd
Member
To follow TheLongshot here...
Already owned:
BTB&M
Brainstorm
Shattered Skies
Orphaned Land
Judas Priest
Kamelot
Seventh Wonder
Kingcrow
Haken
Purchasing:
Distant Dream
Sisare
The Temperance Movement
Lord of the Lost
Lost in Thought - just purchased the digital version since I can't find the CD version...AMAZING!! "The Promise" is one of the best songs of the year for me personally.
Dynazty
Alien Weaponry
Other 2018 releases I've really enjoyed this year:
Lizzy Borden
Primal Fear
Spock's Beard
God's Army
Fifth Angel
U.D.O.
Mustasch - solid album
Already owned:
BTB&M
Brainstorm
Shattered Skies
Orphaned Land
Judas Priest
Kamelot
Seventh Wonder
Kingcrow
Haken
Purchasing:
Distant Dream
Sisare
The Temperance Movement
Lord of the Lost
Lost in Thought - just purchased the digital version since I can't find the CD version...AMAZING!! "The Promise" is one of the best songs of the year for me personally.
Dynazty
Alien Weaponry
Other 2018 releases I've really enjoyed this year:
Lizzy Borden
Primal Fear
Spock's Beard
God's Army
Fifth Angel
U.D.O.
Mustasch - solid album
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I actually kept up this year better than most, so I'd actually heard many of Glenn's choices this year, which is not usually the case!!
Loved Redemption (although I do miss Ray Alders vocals) and Michael Romeo for sure. Ostura is fantastic for sure, new, different, and just plain great music. I loved it.
Others that I grooved on this year
A Notion of Silence - Dynamo (for lovers of Threshold/Arena)
The Afterimage - Eve (kinda prog metalcore I guess, but I really rocked out to this, some screamo but Mars Volta-ish)
Atmospheres - Reach (reminds me somewhat of an earlier more technical Tesseract, nothing new, but I listened to this a ton)
Collibus - Trusting the Illusion (Just pounding proggy rock/metal/whatever with cracking vocals...relentless)
Dallian - Automata (Huge Symphonic Metally Rock, mixed vocals, enormous wall of sound, the drummer is a bit neurotic)
Erra - Neon (liked their last album a ton, this one is nothing groundbreaking, but I love just listening to it. Pounding and aggressive)
Ethernity - The Human Race Exctinction (Some of the same people from Epysode from a few years ago, Great vocals! and a really great prog/metal/rock feel for it)
Lost Domain - In the Waiting Room of Death (Crushing and Headbanging for sure, nothing really new, but excellent vocals and brain crushing)
Lux Terminus - The Courage to Be (This one took me by surprise, but the main dude behind this is incredible on the keyboards. If you loved the harder Return to Forever sound, try this one out)
Mask of Judas - The Mesmerist (Very technical, very rocky, mixed vocals, also relentless, but really great. Grabbed me the way Jinjer grabbed me)
Nahtram - An Ominous Journey (Huge and Bombastic, like the old days when we all got hooked on goth/symphonic metal)
Opus of a Machine - Stray Fire (more traditional laid back progressive rock, but has some fairly technical guitars and is super melodic)
Time, The Valuator - How Fleeting, How Fragile (This one really grabbed me, its huge and also airy, mixed metal styles, mixed vocals, both technical and musical, its also rythmically relentless on a number of tracks. Really liked this one)
Xenoverse - The Fall: Part 1 (Just great, a young band, mixed styles, not one thing, hard as hell on some tracks, others just synth insanity)
Loved Redemption (although I do miss Ray Alders vocals) and Michael Romeo for sure. Ostura is fantastic for sure, new, different, and just plain great music. I loved it.
Others that I grooved on this year
A Notion of Silence - Dynamo (for lovers of Threshold/Arena)
The Afterimage - Eve (kinda prog metalcore I guess, but I really rocked out to this, some screamo but Mars Volta-ish)
Atmospheres - Reach (reminds me somewhat of an earlier more technical Tesseract, nothing new, but I listened to this a ton)
Collibus - Trusting the Illusion (Just pounding proggy rock/metal/whatever with cracking vocals...relentless)
Dallian - Automata (Huge Symphonic Metally Rock, mixed vocals, enormous wall of sound, the drummer is a bit neurotic)
Erra - Neon (liked their last album a ton, this one is nothing groundbreaking, but I love just listening to it. Pounding and aggressive)
Ethernity - The Human Race Exctinction (Some of the same people from Epysode from a few years ago, Great vocals! and a really great prog/metal/rock feel for it)
Lost Domain - In the Waiting Room of Death (Crushing and Headbanging for sure, nothing really new, but excellent vocals and brain crushing)
Lux Terminus - The Courage to Be (This one took me by surprise, but the main dude behind this is incredible on the keyboards. If you loved the harder Return to Forever sound, try this one out)
Mask of Judas - The Mesmerist (Very technical, very rocky, mixed vocals, also relentless, but really great. Grabbed me the way Jinjer grabbed me)
Nahtram - An Ominous Journey (Huge and Bombastic, like the old days when we all got hooked on goth/symphonic metal)
Opus of a Machine - Stray Fire (more traditional laid back progressive rock, but has some fairly technical guitars and is super melodic)
Time, The Valuator - How Fleeting, How Fragile (This one really grabbed me, its huge and also airy, mixed metal styles, mixed vocals, both technical and musical, its also rythmically relentless on a number of tracks. Really liked this one)
Xenoverse - The Fall: Part 1 (Just great, a young band, mixed styles, not one thing, hard as hell on some tracks, others just synth insanity)
spag
I am a leaf on the wind
jingle.boy
The changing of the worrd is inevitabre!
- Dec 1, 2015
- 34
- 6
- 8
- 53
I'll second the love for Collibus and Ethernity. It's hard to believe it's *not* Magali Luyten singing on Ethernity.
With the mentions of Subsignal and Southern Empire on the Harvester's Top 50, I'm very surprised Mystery's Lies and Butterflies didn't make the cut. That's in my Top 3 of the year... maybe my AOTY.
With the mentions of Subsignal and Southern Empire on the Harvester's Top 50, I'm very surprised Mystery's Lies and Butterflies didn't make the cut. That's in my Top 3 of the year... maybe my AOTY.
Thanks to Glenn, I took another listen to Maestrick, which I'd bought earlier and listened a few times, but forgot about it. WOW! like most of this crazy music we all love, after a few more listens, you realize, this is amazing stuff. And thanks for the reminder about Shattered Skies new album. I absolutely LOVED their first album (The world we used to know) , but last years was meh, wasn't feelin it. Bought that one.... They are back in incredible form.
Here's some more that I forgot about....
Dali Thundering Concept - Savages (I have no idea what this is, and it took me a dozen listens to connect to it. It is insane tech metal, mixed vox, extreme almost, from France where there are tons of great metal acts. Its one of my favorites of its type this year, simply punishing from beginning to end, but incredibly musical)
Amberfield - Said (This has an older proggy vibe to it. Maybe Green Carnation, and possibly earlier Anneke van G type stuff. Moody, and sweeping. Not particularly metally, but very musical. Might even feel a little like Heart in a weird way!)
Scoredatura - Honest Oblivion (Probably my favorite instrumental album of the year. Super tech and almost menacing at times, but also the playing just doesn't let up. Great players simply attacking their instruments)
Art of Illusion - Cold War of Solipsism (Pretty sweeping, and very musical. Lots of piano and harmonious vocal passages. Not especially hard, but hypnotic if you're in the right mood. Extraordinary precision in the music, and pretty technical at times)
Helion Prime - Terror Of The Cybernetic Space Monster (Great album name for starters. Power Metal, good old fashioned. If you like/liked Blind Guardian give this a listen. Its really just honest power metal that I played dozens of times while nearly removing limbs with power tools in my woodshop this year)
Northward - Northward (Floor Jansen and Jorn Viggo doing some nice hard rock tunes that are super fun to listen to. Floor can do no wrong in the metal world I guess. And Jorn Viggo is just a phenomenal guitar player who makes everything look easy)
Distorted Harmony - A Way Out (loved this record. Super Musical and huge)
The Five Hundred - Bleed Red (something core, who knows with all these sub genres. I have no idea what metalcore is actually as I'm an idiot. This was a really strong release, and I liked it a ton. Melodic and driven, yet harsh and loud)
Also, my WORST album of the year.
Revolting - Monolith of Madness (This release is in fact... revolting. Why did I listen to the new release blogpost on this one. Like many of the extreme/death/deathcore/blah blah blah angry metal music this year and most years, this is an example of people who should have stayed in school and learned to fix toe nail fungus at their local foot massage establishment. Just awful)
Here's some more that I forgot about....
Dali Thundering Concept - Savages (I have no idea what this is, and it took me a dozen listens to connect to it. It is insane tech metal, mixed vox, extreme almost, from France where there are tons of great metal acts. Its one of my favorites of its type this year, simply punishing from beginning to end, but incredibly musical)
Amberfield - Said (This has an older proggy vibe to it. Maybe Green Carnation, and possibly earlier Anneke van G type stuff. Moody, and sweeping. Not particularly metally, but very musical. Might even feel a little like Heart in a weird way!)
Scoredatura - Honest Oblivion (Probably my favorite instrumental album of the year. Super tech and almost menacing at times, but also the playing just doesn't let up. Great players simply attacking their instruments)
Art of Illusion - Cold War of Solipsism (Pretty sweeping, and very musical. Lots of piano and harmonious vocal passages. Not especially hard, but hypnotic if you're in the right mood. Extraordinary precision in the music, and pretty technical at times)
Helion Prime - Terror Of The Cybernetic Space Monster (Great album name for starters. Power Metal, good old fashioned. If you like/liked Blind Guardian give this a listen. Its really just honest power metal that I played dozens of times while nearly removing limbs with power tools in my woodshop this year)
Northward - Northward (Floor Jansen and Jorn Viggo doing some nice hard rock tunes that are super fun to listen to. Floor can do no wrong in the metal world I guess. And Jorn Viggo is just a phenomenal guitar player who makes everything look easy)
Distorted Harmony - A Way Out (loved this record. Super Musical and huge)
The Five Hundred - Bleed Red (something core, who knows with all these sub genres. I have no idea what metalcore is actually as I'm an idiot. This was a really strong release, and I liked it a ton. Melodic and driven, yet harsh and loud)
Also, my WORST album of the year.
Revolting - Monolith of Madness (This release is in fact... revolting. Why did I listen to the new release blogpost on this one. Like many of the extreme/death/deathcore/blah blah blah angry metal music this year and most years, this is an example of people who should have stayed in school and learned to fix toe nail fungus at their local foot massage establishment. Just awful)
The Fiddler
Just Do It.
Thanks for taking the time to do this as always. I've got my work cut out for me over the holidays. I do have the Striker, however and I think it's my disc of the year. I rarely buy more than 10 discs a year, and usually fewer than that. I'm just stuck in the past, sorta like Kamelot.
Nice to hear they have a new album. I liked them when I saw them at ProgDay a few years ago and their last album, "Round Square of The Triangle" was pretty good.
Speaking of Helion Prime, if you liked their previous lead singer, she's in another band called Graveshadow, which released Ambition's Price this year, which is pretty solid.
hoodaman
Is it live or is it Dave?
- Dec 19, 2006
- 857
- 29
- 28
My list ended up looking like this:
10. Freak Kitchen - Confusion to the Enemy
09. Tesseract - Sonder
08. Sevendust - All I See is War
07. Seventh Wonder - Tiara
06. Shattered Skies - Muted Neon
05. Distorted Harmony - A Way Out
04. Icefish - Human Hardware (I know its technically 2017 release but I didn't find out about it until Progpower last year)
03. Night Flight Orchestra - Sometimes the World Ain't Enough
02. Haken - Vector
01. Vola - Applause of a Distant Crowd
10. Freak Kitchen - Confusion to the Enemy
09. Tesseract - Sonder
08. Sevendust - All I See is War
07. Seventh Wonder - Tiara
06. Shattered Skies - Muted Neon
05. Distorted Harmony - A Way Out
04. Icefish - Human Hardware (I know its technically 2017 release but I didn't find out about it until Progpower last year)
03. Night Flight Orchestra - Sometimes the World Ain't Enough
02. Haken - Vector
01. Vola - Applause of a Distant Crowd
