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User
Reviews 69
Approval 96%
Soundoffs 5
News Articles 169
Band Edits + Tags 83
Album Edits 98
Album Ratings 351
Objectivity 73%
Last Active 05-21-22 9:45 pm
Joined 07-15-09
Review Comments 14,702
| Sitarhero's Best Of '14
2014 was a year full of transitions for me, so I didn't have much time to
discover new albums. However, of the limited number of new releases I got
my hands on this year, these were the best. In no particular order... | | 10 |  | Casualties of Cool
Casualties of Cool
I've gotta admit, I was looking forward to Z2 far more than I was this, and this took a
while to grow on me, but now that it has it's probably the superior of Townsend's 2014
efforts. How the man continues to reinvent himself in excellent ways is beyond me, but
it makes me curious to see what he does next. | | 9 |  | Winger
Better Days Comin'
There were no less than two excellent hair-nostalgia albums released this year with
Winger's 'Better Days Comin' and Mr. Big's 'The Stories We Could Tell'. This spot is for
both of them, although Winger's album is probably slightly better by sounding just a
little more vital and energized, which is what you'd want out of this kind of hard rock
record. However, The Stories We Could Tell might be the more sentimental pick
because it will be Mr. Big's last album with drummer Pat Torpey who was diagnosed
with Parkinson's disease. | | 8 |  | The Contortionist
Language
A fresh vocalist and a fresh sound suits these guys just fine. Of course, there will be
inevitable complaints about the band getting soft, but the ongoing evolution suits the
band just fine. | | 7 |  | Animals as Leaders
The Joy of Motion
After a disappointing sophomore effort, AAL bounced back with The Joy of Motion which
shows that the trio still has a bunch of tricks up its sleeve as well as improved
songwriting. | | 6 |  | Skyharbor
Guiding Lights
The band's first single off the album - 'Evolution' - was as much a mission statement as
it was a snapshot of the band's ambitions. With haunting ambiences, guitar
technowizardry and warm vocal melodies galore, the album shows a substantial amount
of growth for a band that was already well-placed in terms of having a trademark sound
and earns the band it's progressive label. | | 5 |  | Destiny Potato
Lun
The album may be inconsistent but the scope of mastermind David Maxim Micic's
Townsendian prog-pop-metal ambitions and virtuosic guitar and compositional skill is
matched only by singer Aleksandra Djelmas' vocal repertoire making this an incredibly
intriguing project. | | 4 |  | Big Wreck
Ghosts
This album came out of nowhere and won the band a whole slew of new fans. It's
probably the pinnacle of modern rock, it may sound superficially simple and accessibly
catchy, but if you dig even a little bit past the surface you'll find layer upon surprising
layer. | | 3 |  | Warren of Ohms
The Wolf and the Fox
I'm not even a fan of math-rock and this album resonates with me pretty deeply.
Exquisite passion and emotion in every note that's played and sung. | | 2 |  | Babymetal
Babymetal
What? You were expecting this not to be on the list? Maybe it's a gimmick, maybe we'll
forget all about it in a couple of years, but for now it's the sound of 2014. | | 1 |  | Destrage
Are you kidding me? No.
The Protest the Hero comparisons are easy to make, but I think Destrage are even
wilder and wackier than their influences. The music is a surprise a minute and fun to
boot. | |
Titan
12.11.14 | wow dude, is 9 really that good? | Calc
12.11.14 | 1 is probably 1 I haven't heard alot from this year either | SitarHero
12.11.14 | Tin Soldier (off Winger's album) is one of my favourite songs of the year. The rest of the album is just "good" but moreso if you like hard rock. | TheSupernatural
12.11.14 | Wasn't expecting to see 4 on any year end list but my own lol | SitarHero
12.11.14 | Heh, yeah. I was a casual fan of the band before, but the album blew me away. | SitarHero
12.11.14 | Also, Calc I discovered Thank You Scientist this year even though their album is 2 years old. That would've been my AOTY in 2012 if I'd known about it, but it's my actual AOTY* for this year. | XingKing
12.12.14 | I need to check some of these out so I can discover some more gems from this year! | Calc
12.12.14 | good that band is fuking exploding too | SitarHero
12.12.14 | Hey Xing you should check out #3 for sure. I'm pretty sure it's your kinda thing :D | SitarHero
12.15.14 | Ok, maybe the new Amogh Symphony album belongs on this list. |
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