Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year

[BlutAusNerd]

^ and here I thought we would have more than just one album in common. I'm not sure why Ghost Reveries didn't make my list now that I look at it, and I'm kind of surprised The Eerie Cold and From Mars to Sirius weren't on yours. At some point, I'm going to go back through these and edit them, as I have acquired a great deal more music since composing all of these lists, and I think they'll probably change a great deal when I account for those as well.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[FatherAlabaster]

4 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

^ and here I thought we would have more than just one album in common. I'm not sure why Ghost Reveries didn't make my list now that I look at it, and I'm kind of surprised The Eerie Cold and From Mars to Sirius weren't on yours. At some point, I'm going to go back through these and edit them, as I have acquired a great deal more music since composing all of these lists, and I think they'll probably change a great deal when I account for those as well.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I could probably switch The Eerie Cold for Echoes Of Decimation, but like my top 100 DM list, it's meant to be a reflection of what's been most relevant to me lately. I guess you could call this my "current top 10 of 2005". If I'd done this a few years ago, the Gojira album would have definitely been on there, but they've lost their appeal for me since. Like you, I could see this and any list I do changing as time goes by, which is part of the reason I find them difficult. My brain has always worked that way, lists of anything are rarely on the tip of my tongue. 

[BlutAusNerd]

BlutAusNerd's Top 10 Albums of 2013:

Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius: Vile, murky, and chaotic black/death metal. More brutal and also more progressive than most of the bands making this sound popular right now, and also more atmospheric. Introspective and vast.

Antediluvian - λόγος: The more ugly and ritualistic side of black/death metal, explosive and slimy, but with careful songwriting and great arrangements. An immensely enjoyable bludgeoning.

Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane: Easily one of the best black metal albums to rear its ugly head after the 2nd wave explosion. A sound that is both nostalgic and original, with engrossing songs and absolutely haunting vocals.

Ennui - The Last Way: Amazing funeral doom from the nation of Georgia, of all places. Massively emotive and masterfully performed, and an amazing degree of atmosphere. Stunning.

Grave Miasma - Odori Sepulcrorum: More dense, murky, ritualistic black/death metal. The mood here is tense and impenetrable, with a slew of crushing riffs that transport you to an unforgettably dark place.

Lantern - Below: Death metal that is both old school and completely unique. Lantern's approach is much like that of Cultes des Ghoules, arranging familiar old elements into something new and exciting, with a truly creepy and cavernous sound.

Satan's Host - Virgin Sails: Killer black/power metal hybrid, much like their other newer outings. An old band reinventing themselves with impressive amounts of style.

Vhöl - Vhöl: Very unique and exciting new band, combining hardcore, thrash, some black metal, and strange progressive tendencies into a sound unlike any other. Unusual, but captivating.

Voivod - Target Earth: A legendary band that somehow managed to re-invigorate themselves into making one of the finest albums of their career after the loss of their main songwriter. Voivod's unique style is all over this, but in a way that you've never heard before, and it rules.

Zemial - Nykta: Probably the most adventurous black/thrash/heavy metal album I've ever heard. Zemial augments their sound here with some amazing 70's progressive rock influences to create an album unlike any other, combining spacey soundscapes with raging riffs and incredible drumming.

Better late than never for this, I suppose. All of the posting in here lately made me realize that I didn't have anything past 2012 on here, so I figured I now had enough to make this list possible. I still don't have a ton of albums for this year, but considering that, I had a surprisingly difficult time narrowing this down to 10 picks due to the exceptionally high level of quality on offer from the 2013 releases that I did have this year. This turned out to be a pretty amazing year, even if I did discover many of these after the year had ended, and may likely end up being the strongest year of this decade. It's obviously too early to tell, but still, those are 10 damn fine albums that knocked a number of other worthy albums out of their way.

[FatherAlabaster]

Nice, I'll have to check out that Lantern album. I didn't get much out of Cultes Des Ghoules or Antediluvian, but I haven't gone back to them since they first came out. Recently heard something by Vhol that I couldn't stand, but I don't recall what it was. The Abyssal album is great, and Grave Miasma is still near the top of my favorite albums for the past few years, along with "Colored Sands", which for some reason I'm not surprised to see absent from your list. 

[BlutAusNerd]

Nice, I'll have to check out that Lantern album. I didn't get much out of Cultes Des Ghoules or Antediluvian, but I haven't gone back to them since they first came out. Recently heard something by Vhol that I couldn't stand, but I don't recall what it was. The Abyssal album is great, and Grave Miasma is still near the top of my favorite albums for the past few years, along with "Colored Sands", which for some reason I'm not surprised to see absent from your list. 

Truth be told, I've still never gotten around to picking up Colored Sands. It would probably have to be up there with Obscura for me to merit inclusion on this list though, as many of the albums that I cut from this year, like Hell, Ataraxie, Suffocation, etc... were pretty strong.

I'm not surprised that Cultes des Ghoules didn't do much for you honestly, as the closest album that I can compare it to is De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which I know that you're not big on. The Antediluvian is a bit more surprising, especially with how much you've liked Abyssal and Grave Miasma, but they are on the more raw and less progressive side of that sound. It definitely merits revisiting though, as I think both of their albums are killer. I'm not sure how much mileage you'll get out of Lantern, but I really can't recommend it enough, it's easily one of my favorite death metal albums from any era, not just modern times.

EDIT - As luck would have it, a Lantern video happened to be included in my latest round of death metal recommendation videos.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[FatherAlabaster]

31 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

Truth be told, I've still never gotten around to picking up Colored Sands. It would probably have to be up there with Obscura for me to merit inclusion on this list though, as many of the albums that I cut from this year, like Hell, Ataraxie, Suffocation, etc... were pretty strong.

I'm not surprised that Cultes des Ghoules didn't do much for you honestly, as the closest album that I can compare it to is De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which I know that you're not big on. The Antediluvian is a bit more surprising, especially with how much you've liked Abyssal and Grave Miasma, but they are on the more raw and less progressive side of that sound. It definitely merits revisiting though, as I think both of their albums are killer. I'm not sure how much mileage you'll get out of Lantern, but I really can't recommend it enough, it's easily one of my favorite death metal albums from any era, not just modern times.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

The maturity of the songwriting on Colored Sands is in a league of its own. The guitar and bass work are stellar, and survive a somewhat flat drum and vocal sound. I'm not going to compare it to Obscura, which has a weird energy that I haven't heard anywhere else. Colored Sands is unique. I'll nitpick about the production, and I agree with Cody that the last two or three tracks drag a bit, but it's probably my favorite DM album of the past few years, and I think it's done a lot to move the genre forward. 

[RelentlessOblivion]

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1997

1. Strapping Young Lad - City

Totally unique industrial/death metal. Their best work imo.

2. Arckanum - Kostogher

Chaotic Swedish black metal. Extremely aggressive, punishing, and evil.

3. Hades - Dawn Of The Dying Sun

Viking metal with a more aggressive black metal basis for the sound. Great stuff for sure.

4. Sacramentum - The Coming Of Chaos

Melodic black metal at its finest. Evil sounding and memorable.

5. Destroyer 666 - Unchain The Wolves

Black/thrash with a hint of melody about it. Punishing, headbangable, and Australian.

6. Ragnarok - Arising Realm

Very well written black metal, retains a sense of melody and balance, a fine example of the genre.

7. October Tide - Rain Without End

Melodic doom/death. Gloomy and atmospheric if not as heavy as others in the style.

8. Morgion - Among Majestic Ruin

Gloomy doom/death. Atmospheric and dramatic.

9. Sadistik Exekution - K.A.O.S

The title says it all this is total chaos. Black/death with tons of punk influence it takes several listens to work out exactly what is happening here.

10. Dark Tranquillity - The Mind's I

More accessible then even their previous album this was DT's last strong showing before they devolved into pure commercial mellowdeath.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 1994

This was more of a struggle than I thought.  I actually only justed scraped together 10 albums.

10 Cianide "Descent Into Hell"

Fucking hell does this ever rattle the bones and joints.  Thunderous DM from Cianide.

9 Incantation "Mortal Throne of The Nazarene"

For me it is just shaded by "Onwards.." in terms of being Incantations best output but it is still a monster of a DM record.

8 Gorgoroth "Pentagram"

The debut full length from the bonkers Norwegians was explosive yet mired in grime and evil.

7 Burzum "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss"

Although I prefer "Det Som Engang Var" the ritualistic, black beauty of "Hvis.." cannot be ignored.

6 Bolt Thrower "For Victory"

The raging and heavy fury of Bolt Thrower perfectly exemplified on this their fifth full length.

5 Mayhem De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

There is no denying the freezing blackness on display here a benchmark album for BM.

4 Darkthrone "Transylvanian Hunger"

I can't explain the sound of "Transylvanian Hunger", I have heard it described as "warm yet still raw" which I can see but for me it just feels more assured, like the band were brimming with confidence when they put it together.

3 Emperor "In The Nightside Eclipse"

1994 was the year for BM releases wasn't it?  Sitting atop of the pile for this year is the symphonic yet scahing majesty of Emperor and their debut full length masterpiece.

2 Pantera "Far, Beyond, Driven"

I still hold this album in the highest regard of all Pantera releases.  It was the year they got darker and more evil sounding yet still were able to command such a strong presence within their fan base and metal at large.  The last great Pantera album and one I thoroughly enjoy just as much as now as I did 22 years ago.

1 Machine Head "Burn My Eyes"

Still the best album ever released by Flynn and co.  Often I sit and wonder where all this potential went as some of the rest of their back catalogue is appalling by comparison.   If I had only heard "Burn My Eyes" once I would still be able to recite the riffs verbatim in my head.  Memorable and furious metal that appealed perfectly to my 18 year old brain at the time.

[RelentlessOblivion]

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1998

10. Arch Enemy - Stigmata

Aggressive, memorable, well performed melodeath hurt slightly by weak vocals. Still their best work by some way and well worth a listen.

9. Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle Earth

This is, in my opinion, Blind Guardian's crowning glory. Epic, catchy, engrossing power metal perfection.

8. Skepticism - Lead & Aether

Creepy minimalist funeral doom. This record gives me the chills every time.

7. December Wolves - Completely Dehumanized

Black thrashing savagery with some more memorable melodic passages scattered throughout. Well written and very enjoyable if not totally original.

6. Cradle Of Filth - Cruelty And The Beast

By far CoF's best album. Heavy, melodic, balanced, and evil. Everything you could want from symphonic black metal right here.

5. Unholy - Rapture

A strange kind of gothic/doom record with hints of black metal. There's an odd almost groovy nature to the music here that lurks on the periphery making this more memorable.

4. Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

Heavy, progressive, with a bit of a rock vibe in places. The pinnacle of Death's discography and one of the most unique death metal albums ever.

3. Gorguts - Obscura

Discordant, chaotic, death metal. It takes a few listens to fully grasp what's going on here but it is worth the effort.

2. Inquisition - Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult

Lyrically this is nothing special. Musically however is a different story. This is evil, heavy, and unique. The combination of mid paced atmospheric passages and bursts of demonic fury create something truly sinister.

1. Evoken - Embrace The Emptiness

This is perhaps the finest funeral doom album ever. Oppressive and bleak atmosphere that seems to possess a physical weight. This record will ruin your year but in a good way.

[BlutAusNerd]

I don't know if I've mentioned it before or not, but if you dig Completely Dehumanized, you should check out the follow up Blasterpiece Theater. Less thrash and more industrial, but maybe even more vicious. The re-recording of To Kill Without Emotion is even faster than the original.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[RelentlessOblivion]

Can't recall you mentioning it but I will check that out at some point.

[RelentlessOblivion]

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1999

10. Type O Negative - World Coming Down

Call me a fanboy or whatever but the mix of goth-rock and doom with a hint of pop really works.

9. Morgion - Solinari

Heavy, atmospheric doom/death that blends clean and heavy sections perfectly and retains memorability throughout.

8. Demons & Wizards - Demons & Wizards

What do you get when Hansi Kursch teams up with Jon Schaffer? The band Iced Earth should have been is what. Great vocals over heavy, power-packed, riffs and one of the finest power metal albums ever released.

7. Mournful Congregation - Tears From A Grieving Heart

Their heaviest, least melodic, album. If anything the melancholic atmosphere they're known for is more tangible here on the stripped back debut.

6. Agalloch - Pale Folklore

Atmospheric folk metal with strong melodies. The composition is excellent as is the songwriting.

5. Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black

Heavy, aggressive, more then a little thrashy this power metal masterpiece is Warrel Dane's crowning glory.

4. Novembers Doom - Of Sculptured Ivy And Stone Flowers

Heavy, melodic, doom/death that stays with you long after the record stops playing. Such a shame they went away from this styles and devolved into the generic death metal band we know today.

3. Judas Iscariot - Heaven In Flames

Melodic black metal that takes you straight to the middle of winter in magnificent fashion.

2. Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

The title says it all. Frostbitten riffs from the depths of Norwegian winter abound.

1. Taake - Nattestid Ser Porten Vid

What an astonishing album. Excellent melodies, outstanding composition, everything you want in black metal.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top Nine Albums 1995

9 White Zombie "Astro Creep 2000"

After the confusion of "LA Sexorcisto.." I quite enjoyed "Astro Creep..", it was more memorable and darker at the same time.

8 Opeth "Orchid"

An underrated Opeth release for me, should be in more list for 1995.

7 Blut Aus Nord "Ultima Thulee"

Perfect combo of atmosphere and riffs.

6 Blind Guardian "Imaginations From The Other Side"

One of the few mainstays on my Power Metal playlist.

5 Immortal "Battles In The North"

Cold and furious BM from Abbath and co.

4 Darkthrone "Panzerfaust"

A recent discovery for me and what a great find it is, one of their better releases IMO.

3 Dissection "Storm of the Light's Bane"

Come on how shit a list wolud this be without this on it?

2 Ulver "Bergtatt"

Hands down one of the most amazing albums I have ever heard, although I have struggled to pin down ten albums from 95 for this list the final two are sterling examples of some of the best metal music ever released.

1 Suffocation "Pierced From Within"

Yep, a no-brainer for me.  Technical and brutal in perfect equal amount.

 

That was a struggle and highlights for me that 95 is a year that I need to catch up with as I have never fully heard At The Gates "Slaughter..", Vader "De Profundis" or have much memory of Absu "The Sun.."

Just realised Deicide's "Once Upon The Cross" was 1995 so that could have been the 10th entry.

[FatherAlabaster]

"Bergtatt", "Orchid", and "Pierced..." are winners for me, too. "Slaughter Of The Soul" is a facile, poppy album that appealed to a lot of people at the time because of its directness. I used to love it when I was a teenager, but it's lost its appeal for me. The variety of riffs in their older material is more engaging to me. (I could say nearly the same about "Once Upon The Cross".) Dark Tranquillity's "The Gallery" is a 1995 release also, one of my favorite melodic DM albums despite the cheesy bits.

[BlutAusNerd]

I remember seeing a dip in the quality of my own top 10 lists after '94, but there was still plenty worth listening to around that time. If you ever go out for doom, I'm pretty sure October Tide's Rain Without End, Anathema's The Silent Enigma, Novembers Doom's Amid its Hallowed Mirth, and Skepticism's Stormcrowfleet were all great releases from the year. On the black metal front, there's Mortuary Drape's All the Witches Dance, Nåstrond's Toteslaut, Necromantia's Scarlet Evil Witching Black, Moonspell's Wolfheart (well, black/gothic/folk/whatever, but an amazing album nonetheless), and plenty of others. This is an extemporaneous list as I'm just on my phone and can't look up my collection on my phone or check my best of list for reference, but pretty much any of those albums would be worthy additions to your top 10 for '95.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk

[RelentlessOblivion]

We have some common ground again, but several of the albums which made your list I wouldn't have considered. I found '95 to be an easier year. '97 onwards was where I struggled. Not going to do 2000s for a while yet. 80s will be after that so yeah.

[BlutAusNerd]

We have some common ground again, but several of the albums which made your list I wouldn't have considered. I found '95 to be an easier year. '97 onwards was where I struggled. Not going to do 2000s for a while yet. 80s will be after that so yeah.

I do distinctly remember 1997 being one of the years that I was the most displeased with, and I think it may still be the weakest list out of all of the ones that I made. Again, I'm sure there's great stuff out there from that year, I just have to find more of it.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk

[RelentlessOblivion]

Yeah I'm not really happy with '97 or '99. Some good stuff on both lists but overall not the strongest of mine.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 1996

10. Adramelech "Psychostasia"

Finnish DM at its very best, heavy and technical at the same time.

9. Bethlehem "Dictus te Necare"

Simply fucking bonkers, with tormented and tortured vocals that are enough to send anyone into mental health services.

8.Mercyful Fate "Into The Unknown"

One of the most overlooked MF albums for me.  Has a real aggressive and raw feel to it.

7.Opeth "Morningrise"

This where things start to get proggy for Opeth, some excellent lead work on this record too.

6. Blut Aus Nord "Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Ages"

Icy cold and mystical at the same time.  Such a powerful and emotive record for me.

5.Gorgoroth "Antichrist"

I've seen this album get panned as being "ordinary" but I think it is as fetid and grim as you could ever want BM to be.

4. Sacramentum "Far Away From The Sun"

Always lauded for the melody but just as important is how cold and dark this sounds at the same time.

3. Burzum "Filosofem"

One of Varg's more captivating releases for me.  There's a very clever use of repetition throughout the record which makes the progression of tracks go almost unnoticed at times.

2. Cryptopsy "None So Vile"

One of the albums that truly redefined extremity, what we have here ladies and gentlemen is 32 minutes of superb and challenging death metal.

1. Immolation "Here In After"

Top spot claimed by this absolute monster of a DM record.  The riff of the title track alone is enough to contort your very being into some writhing and shapeless mass! Hands down Immolation's finest hour!

 

[FatherAlabaster]

Fuck yeah, dude, great list.

[MacabreEternal]

It was a strong year - could have added just as long a "honourable mentions" list.

[MetalComa]

In no real order:

Rust in Peace- Megadeth

Ride the lightning-Metallica

1919 Eternal- Black Label Society

Blue Oyster Cult- Blue Oyster Cult

Cowboys From Hell- Pantera

Paranoid- Black Sabbath

The Hunter- Mastodon

La Sexorcisto- White Zombie

Arise- Sepultura

Korn- Korn

Juidge how you will, but these albums all kick ass. I could think or so many more if this were top 50

[FatherAlabaster]

14 minutes ago, MetalComa said:

In no real order:

Rust in Peace- Megadeth

Ride the lightning-Metallica

1919 Eternal- Black Label Society

Blue Oyster Cult- Blue Oyster Cult

Cowboys From Hell- Pantera

Paranoid- Black Sabbath

The Hunter- Mastodon

La Sexorcisto- White Zombie

Arise- Sepultura

Korn- Korn

Juidge how you will, but these albums all kick ass. I could think or so many more if this were top 50

Pick a year and try again.

[MacabreEternal]

35 minutes ago, MetalComa said:

In no real order:

Rust in Peace- Megadeth

Ride the lightning-Metallica

1919 Eternal- Black Label Society

Blue Oyster Cult- Blue Oyster Cult

Cowboys From Hell- Pantera

Paranoid- Black Sabbath

The Hunter- Mastodon

La Sexorcisto- White Zombie

Arise- Sepultura

Korn- Korn

Juidge how you will, but these albums all kick ass. I could think or so many more if this were top 50

How can you get this thread so wrong?  It isn't hard, the clue is not only in the title but every post in here too.

[Ecthelion]

On 1/31/2016 at 9:55 AM, FatherAlabaster said:

"Slaughter Of The Soul" is a facile, poppy album that appealed to a lot of people at the time because of its directness. I used to love it when I was a teenager, but it's lost its appeal for me. The variety of riffs in their older material is more engaging to me. (I could say nearly the same about "Once Upon The Cross".) Dark Tranquillity's "The Gallery" is a 1995 release also, one of my favorite melodic DM albums despite the cheesy bits.

The Red in the Sky is Ours is probably their best album by far.