Best of lists ?

[LarryD]

I don't think we did a half year best of list request this year .......... anyone care to start one ? Or at least a list of contenders for the 3/4 mark ?

[Nos]

My favorite rock/metal stuff this year:

Inglorious - We Will Ride (Their best yet. Bluesy rock with big hooks)

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Two of Harris' epics need to go, but otherwise I like it a lot)

Laurenne/Louhimo - The Reckoning (Great vocals and catchy songs. Just wish the production made the harmonies easier to hear)

Light The Torch - You Will Be The Death Of Me (A slight step down, but still awesome melodic heavy rock/metal)

Smith/Kotzen - Smith/Kotzen (Adrian plays better on this than the Maiden album. Stellar stuff)

Soen - Imperial (Are they still getting better? Everything I want out of modern metal)

W.E.T. - Retransmission (It's not "Earthrage", but even so it's lovely stuff)

[Sir Exar Kun]

Lot of good stuff so far this year, but all fairly "safe" picks....

Edu Falaschi "Vera Cruz" - The best Angra album since "Temple of Shadows"! Sounds more like Angra than Angra.

Helloween s/t - Sounds exactly like a mashup of Kiske era Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Deris-Helloween. In no way should that come off as surprising. Part of me expected this album to try and go more "epic" in scope, but instead they simply did what they do best, and stick to the formula that got them this far.....

LTE 3 - Much more dialed in and focused than the first two, which had a tendency to have a lot more noodling / improv, whereas this album feels more structured and composed.

Need "Norchestration" - Maybe not as strong as the last two, but still a strong effort. Fates meets Kingcrow in Greece.

Really a lot of other good honorable mentions behind these, but at end of year these four will definitely appear high in the top 10.

Maybe the surprise of the year for me has been the second Sweet Oblivion album with Geoff Tate. It almost sounds like a (slightly more straightforward) successor to Promised Land. Aldo (from Secret Sphere) does a great job conjuring the classic Ryche sound, and has a few very DeGarmo-esque licks throughout. It's lacking some of the diversity of PL, but if you take songs like "My Global Mind" you could spin right into some of the tracks here. It's not a top 10 album, but it's a very pleasant surprise nonetheless.

Haven't listened to the new Neal Morse enough yet, but it could come close to this list. Iron Maiden is up next.....

[Mardoch]

Architects - For Those that Wish to Exist
Benthos - II
Born of Osiris - Angel or Alien
Erra - Erra
Pollen - Mutualism
Spiritbox - Eternal Blue (this isn't out yet but like half of the album has been released as singles and they're all excellent so)
VOLA - Witness


Stuff I have but haven't yet listened to (thanks, Ida) and have high hopes for:
Leprous - Aphelion
Jinjer - Wallflowers

[LarryD]

Need "Norchestration" - Maybe not as strong as the last two, but still a strong effort. Fates meets Kingcrow in Greece.

***This could be my #1 disc of the year.

[GaetanL]

Digging in the past is still a better ROI for me this year...

[Hearing Aid Man]

If I had to guess my top 5 for 2021 now...

My current top 3...
1. Fractal Universe - The Impassable Horizon
2. A.C.T. - Heatwave
3. Benthos - II

These I expect to be top 5 (placement TBD)...
4. Between the Buried and Me - Colors II (just waiting for the cd release
5. Dream Theater - A View From The Top Of The World

[Psychotic Symphony]

In no order, subject to change, etc...

Sonic Haven - Vagabond
The Stranger - Kaleidoscope
Flotsam and Jetsam - Blood In The Water
Terra Odium - Ne Plus Ultra
Dream Troll - Realm Of The Tormentor
Witherfall - Curse of Autumn
Silver Talon - Decadence and Decay
Powerwolf - Call of The Wild
Helloween - s/t
Neonfly - The Future, Tonight

MAYBE....

Between The Buried and Me - Colors 2
Need - Norchestration
new DT
New Sabaton
Arion - Vultures Die Alone

[introclaus]

2. A.C.T. - Heatwave

If this had been a full length, heck yes! I love everything this band does, and the latest two EPs are no different, but unfortunately it’s just not a full release and that’s annoying

[Norén]

The ones I have enjoyed the most this year are:

Vola
Leprous
Karmanjakah
Jason Bieler and the Baron von Bielski Orchestra
Downes Braide Association
Frost*

[Mardoch]

The Leprous definitely charts for me. Also the Spiritbox album is out today and it's disgusting. I'll be listening to it all day.

[outprogged42]

Only a few standouts thus far..

Ronnie Atkins - One Shot
WET - Retransmission
Images of Eden - Angel Born
League of Lights - Dreamers Don't Come Down
Evergrey - Escape of the Phoenix

I haven't kept up with new stuff as much this year compared to others. I expect Dream Theater to grow on me after it comes out.

[Random Axe]

I'll really have to concentrate to have a best-of list this year. Very little I'd consider remarkable.

Turbulence/Frontal

Seventh Dimension/Black Sky

AnimaTe/Infinite Imaginations

Need/Nochestrion

I'm sitting at work, and that's all I can think of without going to my car to look through CDs or my online purchase history.

[Tom C]

1. Terra Odium - NE PLUS ULTRA
2. Terra Odium - NE PLUS ULTRA
3. Terra Odium - NE PLUS ULTRA
4...

[jhallum]

Hmm. Not at all in any order:

A.C.T Heatwave
Acolyte -- Entropy
Arion -- Vultures Die Alone
Dvne -- Eteman Aenka
Epica -- Omega
Evergrey -- Escape of the Phoenix
Gojira -- Fortitude (This might be #1)
Helloween -- Helloween
Need -- Norchestrion
Soen -- Imperial
Subterranean Masquerade -- Mountain Fever
Vola -- Witness (Or this might be #1 too)
Witherfall -- The Curse of Autumn

According to my music player, I have 107 albums dated 2021 in my collection, far more than usual, thanks to the magic of radio, far more than usual, but I've also been exposed to some great stuff I wouldn't have otherwise heard.

[Sir Exar Kun]

Arion -- Vultures Die Alone

I've seen this one on a couple of "best of" lists, and for the life of me I can't get into it..... To my ears, they've devolved from a decent power metal band to something approaching nu-metal.... I found this album to be borderline unlistenable.

[jhallum]

Arion -- Vultures Die Alone

I've seen this one on a couple of "best of" lists, and for the life of me I can't get into it..... To my ears, they've devolved from a decent power metal band to something approaching nu-metal.... I found this album to be borderline unlistenable.

This album has a huge amount of energy to it, heavy in places as heck. It's my current iteration of "I need something that'll make me bounce off the walls".

[Random Axe]

Arion -- Vultures Die Alone

I've seen this one on a couple of "best of" lists, and for the life of me I can't get into it..... To my ears, they've devolved from a decent power metal band to something approaching nu-metal.... I found this album to be borderline unlistenable.

I have to agree with this sentiment. I absolutely adore the debut from these guys. When they replaced the singer with the current vocalist, who apparently only owns wife-beater t-shirts, they totally lost me. I suppose they were placing more importance on appearance than musical substance. Unlike the former guy, he has zero character to his voice.