Top 10 Albums of the Year So Far (Jan-Mar)
It's been a good year so far but there are so many more records that I'm excited for, so this list could change drastically in the near future. |
| 10 |  | Devin Townsend
Empath
This album... yikes. It's only here because of all of the 3's I have, this one is the best. This album really frustrates me. There are a lot of great ideas that get completely overshadowed by the most useless garbage. Animal sounds, annoying choirs, and Disney cheese symphonics. Yikes, this thing gets praise from the Devy fanboys, but in reality it's a mess.
3/5 |
| 9 |  | Mark Morton
Anesthetic
This album reminds me of the Slash debut solo album in a lot of ways. Various singers, various styles, but also with this disc a little less cohesion. There are some great songs here, but there are also some really forgettable ones.
3.5/5 |
| 8 |  | In Flames
I, the Mask
In Flames... a band that gets perpetually shat on for the past decade or so. While it may be deserved the band really tried to correct their course here, and it somewhat worked. The album lands here on this list because it provided two songs that stand out in the In Flames catalog; Voices and I Am Above. Those two songs save the album for me. The rest of the disc goes from average to forgettable.
3.5/5 |
| 7 |  | Candlemass
The Door To Doom
This album for me was pretty neat. The original singer sounds fresh in a band this long lived, which is pretty exciting. The riffs are golden here, and the Tony Iommi guest appearance is much appreciated. Not all of the songs are noteworthy here but there are some great Candlemass songs on this disc.
3.5/5 |
| 6 |  | Misery Index
Rituals of Power
This was my first exposure to Misery Index, and it was awesome. This is a solid Death Metal record. Nothing flashy, just a band that gets the job done. Sometimes I appreciate albums like that a lot, and this is one of those times.
4/5 |
| 5 |  | Soilwork
Verkligheten
This album is one that has grown on me considerably, every listen provides a better grasp of this beast of a record. Soaring vocals and melodic leads are the bread and butter here, and I love it. Soilwork seem to continue to push their sound here and the band really succeeds at the mission they set out to accomplish with this disc.
4/5 |
| 4 |  | Judiciary
Surface Noise
This is the debut album from Judiciary and it kicked my ass. Full disclosure I only discovered this band because Liquid Metal played a song from them, but damn this band shows promise. The riffs are sweet and the energy is high.
4/5 |
| 3 |  | Children of Bodom
Hexed
Take what I said about Dream Theater above and apply it here. This album is only lower because some of the songs do tend to be a little samey. However the high points on this album kick ass, and this is easily their finest record since at least Are You Dead Yet.
4/5 |
| 2 |  | Dream Theater
Distance Over Time
Dream Theater has never really been a band that I've necessarily loved, but this album is fantastic. It's fun throughout and doesn't take itself too seriously. Overall a refreshing listen from a band this far in their career.
4/5 |
| 1 |  | Whitechapel
The Valley
This album had a huge amount of hype for me and it did not disappoint. This is now in my opinion their best album. The clean vocals really add another layer to the sound and I love just about every song here.
4.5/5 |
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