Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2005

 

10. Falkenbach - 'Heralding the Fireblade'

Another great Falkenbach album. It's surprising how often this band appears in my lists. I think I need to face facts that they're one of my favourite bands. This album is more mature and well put together than their previous works, in a good way. 

9. Moonsorrow - 'Verisakeet'

This is where they get a bit dirtier and darker, just like Thyrfing (see below). The songs tend to chug forwards with more of a militant march and are less keyboard melodies based. This is a great album, but unfortunately after this one I find they get a bit boring and it's a real pity because up to and including this album they are simply stars of pagan metal. 

8. Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad

A nicer production than previous albums, this is really easy to listen to and has some great riffs. Classic Hoest doing his thing. 

7. Solefald - 'Red for Fire'

I've always found Solefald a little too progressive for my tastes, but this album is amazing. In particular, the opening track 'Sun I Call' is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard and I highly recommend you read the lyrics while listening to it. A stunning, moving song that really carries this whole album.

6. Swallow the Sun - 'Ghosts of Loss'

This is where this band truly steps up and produces brilliance. This is one of my favourite gothic doom albums, the atmosphere here is incredible. Great artwork too. The whole album is massive ghostly lakes/manor house vibes which I love. 

5. Thyrfing - 'Farsotstider'

The piping twiddle of the past is well gone here, and this is a heavy, dirty beast of an album. Their last with the incredible Thomas Vanaanen on vocals, this buries most of the keyboards and builds a dark viking metal atmosphere of mid-paced chug. 

4. Paradise Lost - 'Paradise Lost'

A simply stunning Paradise Lost album, and their best since 'Draconian Times' ten years earlier. The songs are tight, well produced gothic rock classics, and while they do get heavier again later in their career, the solid gothic guitars are so welcome. This is a catchy album too and really blends the best of both worlds of this band. I simply love this album. 

3. To/Die/For - 'IV'

This was one of the most underrated bands in metal, although people in the gothic metal world (and Finland) usually feel the same as me. This is their 'Reign in Blood' and is dark, catchy, melodic, and just a slick goddamn product. They're about as dangerous as me nan's cup of tea, but as infectious as smallpox. That makes this a killer album. 

2. Rapture - 'Silent Stage'

Shit gets real here. This is a brilliant album of Katatonia inspired melancholy and I'm going out on a limb to say that opening track 'Misery 24/7' is the single best song the genre has ever produced. If you like gothic/doom/rock then listen to 'Misery 24/7' at loud volume right now- it's probably my favourite all time song (nearly). The rest of this album is just brilliant too and unfortunately it's their swansong. 

1. Sentenced - 'The Funeral Album'

Speaking of swansongs... RIP the mighty Sentenced with their second greatest album. In five years the main music writer would be dead and the main lyricist playing in a Russian language band. This band ended in its prime and really walked the talk. I still miss them 12 years later. 

[Requiem]

Looks like the Requiem show in this thread at the moment, but I have to carry on in honour of NTNR and BlutAusNerd. I'm waiting to read some of the lists from @True Belief and @Skull_Kollektor. That's right, I'm looking in your directions, chaps

 

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2006

 

10. Summoning - 'Oath Bound'

As I was putting this list together I just kept discovering so many great albums that kept knocking my original choices out of the top ten, such as Keep of Kalessin, Blind Guardian, Satyricon and even Cradle of Filth, but I'm glad Summoning stayed. This album is otherworldy (of course) and just something that you can immerse yourself in. Repetitive Tolkien marching metal. It's basically an hour of music to march around Middle-Earth to, and that's alright by me. 

9. Drudkh - 'Blood in Our Wells'

Not quite as transcendent as 'Autumn Aurora', but this album is brilliant. Folkish black metal with true Eastern European sorrow seeping through every moment. So glad I never fucking lived there...

8. My Dying Bride - 'A Line of Deathless Kings'

This album is a lot better than you and I remember it. I think we just remember that crappy photoshopped album cover. What the hell were they thinking? But the songs themselves are actually really high class MDB. 'Thy Raven Wings' for instance is a classic. Too bad this album gets overlooked. 

7. Insomnium - 'Above the Weeping World'

Boom and these guys are in the zone. Songs like 'Mortal Share' and 'The Killjoy' have riffs that just wring the tears out and send chills down the spine while being upbeat and rocking. It's quite a talent they have. Their first album with a 'proper' production which may or may not put you off. 

6. To/Die/For  - 'Wounds Wide Open'

Their last great album and the close of a gothic metal pop legacy that brought joy to many. A killer, killer album. Tracks like 'Like Never Before' and 'Liquid Lies' are some of the catchiest music you'll here in any genre. 

5. Kampfar - 'Kvass'

The best Kamfar album, this has some fantastic riffs and a stunning atmosphere. Beautiful album art too. I go back to this black metal classic all the time. It makes me want to stand shirtless in the snow, if we ever got any around here. 

4. Katatonia - 'The Great Cold Distance'

My bois. This album actually took 10 years to grow on me until I realised what a classic it actually is. Of course I've always enjoyed the hits like 'My Twin' but what I initially thought were filler tracks are actually really good. 'Journey Through Pressure' is easily their most underrated song, with some stunning, stunning lyrics. And if they had have included 'Unfurl' on the album proper instead of as a bonus track later on, this would have made it to number 1. 

3. Moonspell - 'Memorial' 

A huge and jaw-dropping return to full epic gothic metal. This is the year that these guys and some Fins  on this list (see next entry) said 'to hell with it' and actually put out proper metal albums. 'Memorial' is still my favourite Moonspell album since 1996's 'Irreligious'. It's just hit after hit on 'Memorial' and I highly recommend it to everyone. 

2. Amorphis - 'Eclipse'

Wow. The addition of Tomi Joutsen is about the best thing any band has ever done in the history of music. Like Moonspell, Amorphis brought back the growls, brought back the pace, brought back the upbeat melodies that stay with you for days, months. They even brought back the lyrics from their Finnish historical past. This album blew me away when it came out after their lame rock phase, and I thanked the metal gods then and I thank them now. 

1. Dissection - 'Reinkaos'

Well, here it is. I still have a longsleeve shirt from back in this era that says 'Fear the Return' on it in anticipation of this album. Jon Nodtveidt is released from jail and confounds the metal world by not making 'Storm of the Lights Bane' part 2, but instead making this melodic album. The thing is, this album is magikkal. The riffs are imbued with some kind of power that I can't explain. Anti-cosmic metal of death. Album of the year. 

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2007

Ten years ago! I bet all the albums I list end up feeling like they were released recently. Ah, getting old...

 

10. Novembre - 'The Blue'

A good but not great album from these Italian emoters. There's something funny going on with the production, but the dark melodies are (mostly) all here. 

9. Nightwish - 'Dark Passion Play'

The first Anette Olzon album, and it's very good. This is really Nightwish at their most epic and it's a great album. 

8. Watain - 'Sworn to the Dark'

Dissection worship with attitude, this is a rare gem of black metal in an era of falses. They've gone a bit Dimmu with their recent image, but in 2007 they were the real deal. 

7. Rotting Christ - 'Theogonia'

They use pace and breakdowns to great effect here. This is a catchy and emotional album, although this is the album where they start to recycle some of the same riffs, which they now do wholesale. 

6. HIM - 'Venus Doom'

The only HIM album I don't feel embarrassed listing here (hey, we're all friends right?! right??). This is their heaviest album, which isn't saying much, but the Sabbath and doom worship here is brilliant. This album is amazing. 

5. Paradise Lost - 'In Requiem'

Their big metal comeback and it's fantastic. Heavy songs, rough vocals, long hair in the photos. Paradise Lost are back. I still have a t-shirt of this album by the way. Looks great on me. 

4. Finntroll - 'Ur Jordens Djup'

Another high ranking for Finntroll but they deserve it. This album is (like Thyrfing and Moonsorrow) dirtier and heavier than previous efforts and it could well be my favourite. 

3. Turisas - 'The Varangian Way'

This is epic, ambitious, bombastic and pompous - four ingredients that almost guarantees entry to my lists. One of the greatest live bands too in this era. A staggering album. 

2. Amorphis - 'Silent Waters'

My hard-on for Tomi Joutsen, now on his second Amorphis album, remains firm of purpose as he croons and bellows his way through the magical mystery tour of ancient Finland. Watch the video for the title track and join the fanclub. The best Amorphis album ever? Some say so. 

1. Funeral - 'From These Wounds'

The miracle album. Lyrics about facing death in the modern age. Spine-tingling doom riffs. The planets align when songwriter extraordinaire Kjetil Ottersen and the voice of the palliative care unit Frode Forsmo meet for the first and only time, producing this untouchable masterpiece of doom metal.  

 

[Requiem]

I feel like I'm the only guy at the wedding up on the dance floor... 

Alright, let's see, where was I up to? 

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2008

10. Daylight Dies - 'Lost to the Living'

A beautiful album from these US doom craftsmen. No frills but a mature and skillful release. 

9. Kamfar - 'Heimgang'

Another great Kamfar album of pagan tinged black metal. I love the vibe that this band has. It's honest black metal with almost Thorns style riffs that are more mountains and forest than dungeon and crypt. 

8. Battlelore - 'The Last Alliance'

Laugh if you want, but this album is amazing. I'm serious. Battlelore are one of those bands that people love but most haven't heard. Melodic Tolkien inspired metal with hints of metals both power and pagan. 

7. Motley Crue - 'Saints of Los Angeles'

Hail the Sunset Strip. This is a surprisingly great album. 'Motherfucker of the Year' is a great motivational song if I want to rev myself up before that sporting event/board meeting/dish washing session. Bonus points for the nostalgia in songs like 'Down at the Whisky'. 

6. Amon Amarth - 'Twilight of the Thunder God'

The best Amon Amarth album, this has some nice epic moments that tweak the heartstrings a little more than usual. The inclusion of Apocalyptica in one track and the great Jens Bogren production really lift this album. Also my favourite artwork and contains the rousing 'Guardians of Asgaard'.

5. Thyrfing - 'Hels Vite'

New vocalist works well here, and overall we have some brilliant dark pagan songs. Gone are the days of keyboard twiddle melodies, this is true viking metal with stomp and grit. 

4. Moonspell - 'Night Eternal'

Another epic after previous album 'Memorial' brought in their huge metal sound. This album is brilliant, as is Anneke from The Gathering on 'Scorpian Flower'. 

3. Tiamat - 'Amanethes'

I spent some time in the old city of Jerusalem listening to this album after snow had fallen and I was almost alone in the city - and it was just perfect. This is the best Tiamat album for me with a sweet combination of gothic metal with middle eastern flavours. It's also really diverse, with something for the whole holy family. 

2. Eluveitie - 'Slania'

A pretty high ranking for Eluveitie's best album, but it's well deserved in an otherwise fairly quiet year for metal. This contains all the best aspects of the band: celitic jiggery/catchy choruses/In Flames worship guitars and the best album cover of any pagan metal band ever. It also works best and tweaking the heartstrings for a long lost past. Damn you Roman invaders! Hail the European pagan era. 

1. Septicflesh - 'Communion'

This album is at least 200% better than anything else that came out in 2008. The distractions of 'Sumerian Daemons' have been stripped away and here are epic tracks of orchestral orgasm. Perfect production, perfect focus, perfectly intense drumming, crystal clear and crushing crescendoes of orchestra. You can check off the symphonic masterpieces: 'Lovecraft's Death', 'Sunlight/Moonlight', 'Persepolis'. Untouchable. Moving. Supreme. 

[RelentlessOblivion]

Don't worry I've felt that way as well. Some threads just don't attract much attention. I would contribute more but simply don't feel many of those lists would be worth much.

[FatherAlabaster]

For me it's not a matter of attention, I enjoy reading through this stuff, I just haven't had time to devote to it lately. Lists take forever for me.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Same made worse by the fact the file I kept my collection catalogued in was erased in a recent update.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 2000

10. Nile "Black Seeds Of Vengeance"

Nile raise the bar with their second full length effort and really start to stamp their authority on USDM.

9. Virgin Steele "House of Atreus Act II"

Still dramatic and powerful even though not at the strength of the "Marriage.." records.

8. Immortal "Damned In Black"

We are at the arse end of Immortal's albums by this stage and it only got worse but there's still some hope prevalent on "Damned In Black".

7. Pantera "Reinventing Steel"

There's an odd nostalgic edge to this album for me as though I acknowledge it to be largely terrible it is the death of a band I grew up with.

6. Morbid Angel "Gateways To Annihilation"

There's a healthy mix on here of slower ploddy songs and more uptempo pieces too.

5. Electric Wizard "Dopethrone"

They have never topped this, one of my favourite Doom albums and I don't have a lot of those.

4. Decapitated "Winds Of Creation"

A real riff roaring debut here with a clinical efficiency to it.

3. Behexen "Rituale Satanum"

An unsung BM classic for me full of bitterness and scorn.

2. Lykathea Aflame "Elvenefris"

A one off record both in terms of the band and the avant-garde, eastern death metal sound also.

1. Deftones "White Pony"

I fucking hated most of the nu-metal scene (in case anyone who had seen any of my posts in the named thread and still had any lingering doubts) but there were a couple of occasions it was good and "White Pony" was the fucking pinnacle of it.  Drug fuelled craziness somehow churned out some of the most textured sounds I have ever heard and consequently one of the few albums that still speaks to me every time I listen to it. 

[Requiem]

13 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 2000

10. Nile "Black Seeds Of Vengeance"

Nile raise the bar with their second full length effort and really start to stamp their authority on USDM.

9. Virgin Steele "House of Atreus Act II"

Still dramatic and powerful even though not at the strength of the "Marriage.." records.

8. Immortal "Damned In Black"

We are at the arse end of Immortal's albums by this stage and it only got worse but there's still some hope prevalent on "Damned In Black".

7. Pantera "Reinventing Steel"

There's an odd nostalgic edge to this album for me as though I acknowledge it to be largely terrible it is the death of a band I grew up with.

6. Morbid Angel "Gateways To Annihilation"

There's a healthy mix on here of slower ploddy songs and more uptempo pieces too.

5. Electric Wizard "Dopethrone"

They have never topped this, one of my favourite Doom albums and I don't have a lot of those.

4. Decapitated "Winds Of Creation"

A real riff roaring debut here with a clinical efficiency to it.

3. Behexen "Rituale Satanum"

An unsung BM classic for me full of bitterness and scorn.

2. Lykathea Aflame "Elvenefris"

A one off record both in terms of the band and the avant-garde, eastern death metal sound also.

1. Deftones "White Pony"

I fucking hated most of the nu-metal scene (in case anyone who had seen any of my posts in the named thread and still had any lingering doubts) but there were a couple of occasions it was good and "White Pony" was the fucking pinnacle of it.  Drug fuelled craziness somehow churned out some of the most textured sounds I have ever heard and consequently one of the few albums that still speaks to me every time I listen to it. 

I love your call on 'Damned in Black' and agree. 

Regarding 'White Pony', that is a great album and in many ways signifies the end of my interest in nu-metal or whatever we want to call that album. The first three Deftones albums will always be very important to me. Great times with friends at school etc. 'Around the Fur' in particular because it came out in my last year of high school and we were all over it. 

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2009

 

10. Ensiferum - 'From Afar'

Like Amon Amarth, I don't love this band but I like them and for some reason I've purchased all their albums over the years. This is one of their better efforts. It's epic and more expansive than their usual tight pagan schtick. 

9. My Dying Bride - 'For Lies I Sire'

MDB are in the doldrums around this era, but even mediocre MDB is better than no MDB. There are some good tracks here. Too many randoms in the band member line-up really hurts this album though. 

8. Insomnium - 'Across the Dark'

A beautiful, emotional album of melodeath. When Insomnium get it right they're pretty unstoppable for emotional music and this album really nails it. 

7. Korpiklaani - 'Karkelo'

This album mystifies me a lot, because it's the first really consistent Korpiklaani album that not only doesn't bore me halfway through, it thrills me. Obviously 'Vodka' is one of the all time great drinking anthems, and their greatest song by about 200%, but the rest of this album is quality. Nice thick production helps. 

6. Katatonia - 'Night is the New Day'

I didn't know what to make of this when it first came out. My first thought was what the hell was a Tool CD doing in a Katatonia case? Once I calmed down and got over the phat, chunky riffs that really aren't my thing, this became quite a glorious set of dark anthems. Songs like 'The Longest Year' and 'Departer' are masterpieces. This doesn't make my top five Katatonia albums though. Oh yeah, I forgot to say 'my bois'. 

5. Swallow the Sun - 'New Moon'

A beautifully polished and melodic Swallow the Sun album, with Mikko Kotamaki's clean vocals (seemingly) used a lot more. This album is incredible. Huge anthems of atmopsheric doom. Check out the last song 'Weight of the Dead' and that end riff. 

4. Ex Deo - 'Romulus'

I knew I'd like Ancient Roman metal, and it turns out that I do. This is really well done, catchy paganish metal with a shine to it like a Centurion's breastplate. Lyrics of Roman victories and exploits. I'm a sucker for history mixed up in music and this really tickles my figs. 

3. Amorphis - 'Skyforger'

Amorphis are smashing it these days, and this one is another album of great songs. 'Silver Bride' and 'Majestic Beast' are classics. There's a touch of filler on here but don't tell them I said that...

2. Paradise Lost - 'Faith Divides Us, Death Units Us'

This is rock solid, no excuses, mint quality, modern era, returned to metal, Paradise Lost. Title track would be song of the year if it wasn't for 'I Was Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery' (see below). 

1. Woods of Ypres - 'Woods 4: The Green Album'

Album of the year. This is an absolutely masterpiece from the tragic, and too soon departed, genius David Gold. No one wrote lyrics like him. I encourage everyone to listen to these tales of relationship and personal woes with an open mind because what we have here is extraordinary. If you don't like 'I Was Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery' and its video (one of the best videos of all time), then you're not my friend. 

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2010

 

10. The Vision Bleak - 'Set Sail to Mystery'

I really like all the albums by these two Poe obsessives, and this album is as good as any. 19th century themes, phat gothic metal riffs with energy. 

9. Rotting Christ - 'Aealo'

This is a cool album but I don't go back to it very often for some reason. The first half is great. 

8. October Tide - 'A Thin Shell'

A really nice little album. The first two tracks are bona fide awesome, but unfortunately it's not sustained for the whole album. 

7. Eluvietie - 'Everything Remains as it Never Was'

The production is a bit harsh on the ears, but there are some great tracks on here about the Gaulish/Roman conflicts. Less impressive than 'Slania' but still has its moments. 

6. Watain - 'Lawless Darkness'

It's a thin year when this album comes in at number 6! This is a great black metal album of aural darkness and some catchy riffs. Hardly a classic though. 

5. Burzum - 'Belus'

A surprisingly good post-prison Burzum album. It puts some of the keyboard riffs from 'Daudi Baldrs' into metal and it works really well. His voice doesn't cut it like it used to though and Burzum just isn't the same, but it's as good as I think it's going to get. 

4. Borknagar - 'Universal'

A great album from this amazing band. It's just unfortunate that most of their earlier releases came out in some big years of metal for me so haven't really been making these lists. That 'Universal' comes in at number 4 is an indictment on the global metal community, but I definitely really love this album. 

3. Finntroll - 'Nifelvind'

An imaginative and amazingly well put together album from these troll masters! 

2. Blind Guardian - 'At the Edge of Time'

There are two absolute classic albums from 2010, and this is the first of them. It's my favourite BG album with great anthems like 'Sacred Worlds' and 'Valkyries'. It's just full of adventure, epics, and ambition. A triumph. 

1. Anathema - 'We're Here Because We're Here'

This album came out of nowhere. With the Cavanagh brothers' apparent born again Christianity, they pulled out the emotion and slathered it all over these songs. This is the best Anathema album since 1998, with the first five songs in particular being real tear-jerkers, and 'Angels Walk Among Us' being one of the greatest songs you'll ever hear in your life. God this band sucks now with their repetitive drum loops, but in 2010 they nailed it. 

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2011

 

10. Rhapsody of Fire - 'From Chaos to Eternity'

The final Luca Turilli album with the original Rhapsody. Check wikipedia if you don't understand. This album at first really left me cold with its gratuitous guitar widdles, but after a few listens the penny dropped and I saw the songs. This is a pretty good release, but yeah too much ego, even for me. 

9. Amorphis - 'The Beginning of Times'

It's a sad day when an Amon Amarth album makes it higher in a list than a Tomi Joutsen Amorphis album, but it was also a sad day when I first heard this album. The first two tracks are ok, with 'Mermaid' being a particularly enjoyable jaunt, but this album is slow, flat, boring and uninspired. It's still pretty good though comparable to most of the metal tripe released in 2011. 

8. Amon Amarth - 'Surtur Rising'

This is actually a really good album and I have no qualms with it being here at number 8. It's not my favourite AA album, but it's up there for me. Fuck their artwork is good around this era. 

7. Moonsorrow - 'Varjoina Kuljemme Kuilleiden Maassa

Not sure if I'm being too kind to this album by putting it at 7. It's a good album, but the songs are sooooooo looooooonnnnggg and the riffs build uuuuuuupppppp fooooorrrreeeevvvveeeeerrrrr and go nowhere. But having said that it's still a big epic album that is worth a few spins. 

6. Einherjer - 'Norren'

I love this band, and this is their least interesting album. It's still very good though, especially the super long opening track. It gets a bit boring halfway through the album though. It's too proggy with not enough hooks. They're experimenting a lot here, because that's what modern bands do unfortunately. 

5. Nightwish - 'Imaginaerum'

Love me some Anette Olzen. This is a good, solid, Nightwish album that seems boring when I look at it on paper but when I put it on the stereo I think, 'hell yeah this is awesome'. Still, gosh, making it to 5... 2010 and 2011 were pretty flat years for me. 

4. Whitesnake - 'Forevermore'

This is a fantastic rock album. David Coverdale is amazing. The production here is just beautiful and the guitarists are phenomenal. 

3. Fleshgod Apocalypse - 'Agony'

And here it begins. My favourite genre of metal these days, this is Fleshgod's first great masterpiece of symphonic orchestral death metal, despite there being just too much blasting. The instrumentation of these classically trained Italians is staggering. Terrible album cover though, my god what were they thinking? Lucky their next two albums are beautifully presented. Check out the video for 'The Violation'. Woah, what a song. 

2. Samael - 'Lux Mundi'

This is the best recent Samael album by miles. It's huge. Those big, hooky, riffs are superb. Just the right tinge of electro and dark metal that make you think simultaneously of intergalactic travel and Homeric odysseys. This is a truly great album and no one ever, EVER, talks about it. They should. 

1. Septicflesh - 'The Great Mass'

'The Vampire of Nazareth', 'The Great Mass of Death', 'Pyramid God'. Listen and tremble, ye mortals at this orchestral death metal masterpiece. 

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums 2012

 

While I do enjoy parts of Katatonia's 'Dead End Kings' and Anathema's 'Weather Systems' - and they probably come in at numbers 11 and 12 - they just don't make the cut, proving that Requiem doesn't play favourites with this list if the bands don't deliver the goods. 

10. Ensiferum - 'Unsung Heroes'

A lot of people poo-poo this album, but I think it's great. They've stripped back the big songs of 'From Afar' but the quality riffs remain, and this one feels a bit more folky and mid-paced, which is no sin in my church. 

9. Eluveitie - 'Helvetios'

I wish they would move away from the habit of making these super long hour plus albums. It's just too much. The good news is that you can pick your favourite three or four tracks here and they're exceptional. 'A Rose for Epona' is one of my favourite folk metal songs of all time and always brings a shiver down the spine. It's so beautiful and emotional. Goddamn you Romans, leave the pagan people alone you big bullies. What have the Romans ever done for us, huh? 

8. My Dying Bride - 'A Map of All Our Failures'

This is a very good album. The production is a lot more organic than previous recent releases (apart from the Barghest of Whitby EP), and the songs here are very good. It's not the best thing they've ever done but I can handle it. 

7. Borknagar - 'Urd'

Another fabulous album from the Borks. They now have the three vocalists all full time members of the band (Vintersorg, ICS Vortex and Lars Nedland) and the effects are stunning. 

6. Ex Deo - 'Caligvla'

The second (and final?) album of Ancient Roman metal. This is every bit as good as 'Romulus' and maybe better. I hope they carry on because this is so professional and awesome. Hail Caesar. 

5. Saturnus - 'Saturn in Ascension'

The second Saturnus album without main songwriter Kim Larsen, this is a great effort considering. It sounds a bit samey after the first 60 minutes and at 72 minutes long I wonder why the hell bands inflict this upon us when most songs sound the same. I mean, what's the point. Make the album 72 minutes if you need 72 minutes to cover the stylistic and emotive ground necessary. If you're just writing the same shit over and over again cut it off at 45 minutes and don't overstay your welcome. 

4. Moonspell - 'Alpha Noir/Omega White'

The double album. One disk heavy, one more rock orientated. The rock disk is brilliant, the heavy one is very good. They're a professional unit these days and never let me down. 

3. Paradise Lost - 'Tragic Idol'

Another solid Paradise Lost album. Nick Holmes, Greg Mackintosh and the lads are like old friends and it's always good to have them around. My CD version has amazing artwork and fold out things and all sorts. Blimey. 

2. Swallow the Sun - 'Emerald Forest and the Blackbird'

My favourite Swallow the Sun album and a masterpiece. The song 'Labrynth of London' is stunning beyond words, and the rest of this is an emotive tour de force of gothic doom. 

1. Woods of Ypres - 'Woods 5: Grey Skies and Electric Light'

The final masterpiece of David Gold and my favourite Woods album. Songs of atmosphere, darkness and light. Check out 'Career Suicide (is not real Suicide)' and 'Modern Life Architecture'. Check out any song on here and it's amazing. This is haunting and has two of the greatest songs to close an album out, including the hauntingly prescient track that suggests dying out on a highway... Album of the year. 

[Skull_Kollektor]

This is a super tough topic. At some point I will contribute, but I'll focus on the 70's, the 80's and the early 90's. My knowledge of music after 1995 is embarrassingly limited, if not nonexistent.

[FatherAlabaster]

Ah, but 95 itself was fucking mint.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top 7 Albums of 2001

7. Absu "Tara"

Technically fantastic throughout and those fucking drums man!

6. Emperor "Prometheus..."

Have a massive soft spot for this despite it being one the weaker outputs from the band.

5. Gorguts "From Wisdom To Hate" 

I find it hard to find any real turkeys in the Gorguts discography but "From Wisdom to Hate" falls firmly under the f"lawed but acceptable" category.

4. Satanic Warmaster "Strength & Honour"

Pure, Kvlt BM at it's best really.  Still somehow, often overlooked.

3. Funebrarum "Beneath The Columns Of Abandoned Gods"

Guttural growls galore on the New Jersey mobs debut here.  Often compared with Entombed/Carnage for reasons I have never understood.

2. Windir "1184"

There's the potential to write pages on this as a one liner on a Top Ten chart list can do no real justice to it.  

1. Opeth "Blackwater Park"

My introduction to the group and what a great place to start.

 

[Requiem]

Here's how I remind myself of albums that came out in a given year:

1. My memory.

2. Metal Storm awards for that year. Great memory jogger.

3. Wikipedia 'metal albums for that year' which had a huge list of albums released each year.

4. Bestblackmetalalbums.com best of list for that year in case I've missed a cult classic. 

5. Random band Wikipedia checks if I suspect a band has released an album for that year that might not be covered in the above.

99.9% of albums I own and 100% I know really well. No guesses or going by rumours.

 

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top Nine Albums 2002

9. Satyricon "Volcano"

A mixed bag really but some memorable if not a little too accessible moments.

8. Isis "Oceanic"

It's systematic in it's destruction and aggression.  Clever stuff.

7. Nile "In Their Darkened Shrines"

The Nile machine continues apace with album number 3.

6. Decapitated "Nihility"

It ain't no "Winds Of Creation" but the direction is still there.

5. Ghoul "We Came For The Dead"

Creepy, old-school crossover thrash and I fucking love it.

4. Inquisition "Invoking The Majestic Throne Of Satan"

The years it took me to get on with Inquisition's sound but fuck me am I glad I stuck with them, especially with this BM monster!

3. Opeth "Deliverance"

I like the density of "Deliverance", it certainly edges "Damnation" anyways.

2. Tsjuder "Demonic Possession"

My intro to Tsjuder came after the mediocre "Kill For Satan" and is still nowhere near "Desert Northern Hell".

1. Immortal "Sons Of Northern Darkness"

My previous comment on "Damned In Black" about the Immortal discography only getting better from here was misplaced and I hereby retract it.  "Sons"?  More like like "Masters".  This is the last great Immortal album.

 

[BlutAusNerd]

Here's how I remind myself of albums that came out in a given year:

1. My memory.

2. Metal Storm awards for that year. Great memory jogger.

3. Wikipedia 'metal albums for that year' which had a huge list of albums released each year.

4. Bestblackmetalalbums.com best of list for that year in case I've missed a cult classic. 

5. Random band Wikipedia checks if I suspect a band has released an album for that year that might not be covered in the above.

99.9% of albums I own and 100% I know really well. No guesses or going by rumours.

 

 

That bestblackmetalalbums.com guy used to post here. He seemed pretty cool, and I found some good albums on his site.

 

I usually just go through my RYM/metal-archives.com collection pages to find releases from the years I'm looking for. I remember most of them, but it has helped me catch quite a few that haven't been in my collection for as long.

 

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk

 

 

[MacabreEternal]

I checked out that bestblackmetalalbums.com site earlier will have a proper delve through it at my hotel tomorrow night.

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums 2013

 

10. Deafheaven - 'Sunbather'

A tough year, 2013, with so many really good albums but so few classics. 'Sunbather' is one of the few post black metal albums I really like, and for some reason this album speaks to me. Maybe it's the summer connotations and I was listening to this at the beach. The atmosphere on this album is incredible. 

9. Thyrfing - 'De Odeslosa'

A good but not great album from these guys. This is the third album in the row that is sort of the same, although the keyboards are a bit heavier here. Again, I really like it but I wouldn't mind something different next time. 

8. Watain - 'The Wild Hunt'

Same deal. A good black metal album, just like the last two. A few surprises like the overlong 'They Rode On' with the clean singing. Overall, it's cool and everything but I've heard it before. 

7. Finntroll - 'Blodsvept'

Same deal. This is a pretty good Finntroll album. These anthems are dark dark dark for this band which is really interesting. I can't admit to remembering too many of these riffs though. 

6. Carcass - 'Surgical Steel'

This is awesome. The production, the songwriting, the riffs. When I'm in the mood for death metal it's really hard for me to go past this album, probably because it's on the very light edge of death metal. I'm not often in the mood for death metal though, if you haven't noticed...

5. Black Sabbath - '13'

Rick Rubin's mastering job aside, this album is awesome. Great songs, great Iommi moments, cool lyrics. I'm down with this album. 

4. Rotting Christ - 'Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy'

This entire album is written around one basic riff idea. I'm serious, put it on and play the whole thing through - it's the same bloody riff. It goes da, da, da, da, der, da, da, da, da der.... The thing is, it's a really good riff, but it's the same. I don't know why people don't call RC out on this more often. Still a cool album though. 

3. Sirenia - 'Perils of the Deep Blue'

This is an absolute cracker of an album. The second best Sirenia album ever, it has some of the catchiest, most spine-chilling moments, and while I've always liked Sirenia, with their gothic symphonic pap, I never thought that would happen. The other odd thing is that this is a super long album, but it works! They tried that trick again with the next album and it flopped big time. 

2. Fleshgod Apocalypse - 'Labrynth'

Transcendent. Greek mythology, varied songs, classical piano, insane speed. One of the greatest moments of my life was climbing up Masada in Israel before the dawn listening to this album on the headphones. Absolutely amazing moment. If you want to immerse yourself into the classical history/mythology world, this album is your portal. 

1. Amorphis - 'Circle'

After the very tired 'The Beginning of Times', the band needed to do something special, and something special they did. 'Circle' is a classic. Fantastic emotive songs, beautiful melodies and a different overall vibe. Album of the year. And who knew their next album would be even better.... 

[True Belief]

Keep em coming bro....always a good read.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[deathstorm]

Yeah req keep them coming  your lists rock

[Requiem]

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2014

2014 is without doubt the worst year of metal in probably the history of metal (with the exception of the number 1 album). Anyway, here we go - I just managed to scrape 10 albums together...

10. Primordial - 'Where Greater Men Have Fallen'

Never a huge fan of these guys but I own a few albums. Live they're amazing. On CD they don't really do it for me. This is pretty cool I guess. 

9. Bloodbath - 'Grand Morbid Funeral'

I hesitated to put this in my list at all because I really don't know it very well and I don't own it. I like what I've heard and I intend to purchase it. Nick Holmes! My bois in Katatonia. Bloodbath are always pretty good. This didn't change my life though, like I thought it would when I first heard Holmes was in. 

8. Mayhem - 'Esoteric Warfare'

One of my favourite bands. Some random guitar player wrote this album and Attila, Necro, the random dude and Hellzy play on it. It's not as impenetrable as 'Ordo ad Chao' but it's still pretty hard to get into. I could have done with a little less 'esoteric' and a little more 'warfare'. Shitty artwork too. Who the hell are the guitarists these days? Who would even know or care? 

7. Eluveitie - 'Origins'

Another album I'm not super familiar with, but these guys are always good for a pagan laugh. No great hits on it though. 

6. Insomnium - 'Shadows of a Dying Sun'

This is a pretty good album of emotional melodeath and I do like it a lot. It's just not amazing and a lot of these riffs are recycled from past glories. 

5. Alestorm - 'Sunset of the Golden Age'

This is more like it. Obviously you have to be in the mood for this type of tomfoolery, but the song 'Drink' is a goddamn beer classic. Everything about this act is pretty second rate, but that's part of the fun. Pirate metal. I mean, really...

4. Sebastian Bach - 'Give em Hell'

This is a great rock album. The songs, the production, the mood. 'All My Friends are Dead' is a classic. 

3. At the Gates - 'At War with Reality'

The big return was disappointing I guess but it's still pretty good. The repetitive riff at the end of 'The Circular Ruins' is amazing.  

2. Varathron - 'Untrodden Corridors of Hades'

This is more like it! The Greeks and Italians seem to be the only ones left with any genuine heart and soul these days. This is a great unconventional black metal album with a truly haunting atmosphere. That opening track, 'Kabalistic Invocation of Solomon' is a true portal to raising dark spirits of the earth. 

1. Septicflesh - 'Titan'

Thank god this album exists to save a terrible year in metal. This is possibly my favourite album of the last fifteen years and gets better every listen. The ingenuity of the lyrics ('War in Heaven' is about black holes etc), the scope of the orchestral movements, the repetitive symphonic melodies at the end of 'Prometheus' and 'Confessions of a Serial Killer'. The perfect production. Each note here is a huge combination of heart-string tugging and gut punching, and it's the aural equivalent of the inner turbulence of a life lived between the fickle modern world and the infinite depths of mythology promulgated through the Jungian collective unconscious. Album of the decade. 'Prometheus' is song of the decade. 

[FatherAlabaster]

The decade's not even close to done yet! Hyperbole aside, I like "Titan". I also thought Thantifaxath, Dead Congregation, Behemoth, and Tryptikon had strong albums in 2014, but I didn't do a lot of digging around that year. Wouldn't expect many of those to appeal to a Requiem...

That At The Gates album annoyed the piss out of me. There were enough good parts on it that I feel like they could have done something special, but frustratingly, they routinely failed to capitalize on them, and dragged the songs down with placeholder riffs. Not to mention the sterile sound.