EvoHavok
User

Reviews 3
Approval 95%

Soundoffs 1
Album Ratings 2928
Objectivity 68%

Last Active 12-30-22 5:00 pm
Joined 03-11-12

Review Comments 8,078

 Lists
03.11.22 A full decade on Sputnik06.07.17 Rating=year (2k milestone)
03.11.17 Half a decade on Sputnik02.18.16 Dir En Grey Ranking
12.12.15 Buck-Tick Ranking03.11.15 3 Years
12.23.14 Anathema Ranking11.02.14 My Dying Bride Ranking
09.18.14 Paradise Lost Ranking12.26.13 Finnish Albums I Enjoy
05.10.13 Birthday11.18.12 Last 10 Songs On Shuffle
03.27.12 Tell Me About Some Good Alternative/Har

Rating=year (2k milestone)

Well, I managed to hit 2000, but that's actually not the main idea behind this list, as it's not an extraordinary value by any means. So, at some point I noticed that rating 1989 was actually an album from that year, and after jamming a few newer things I wanted to hear, I decided I could try to make a theme out of this. The starting point was rating 1993. I'll list what I've heard from each year so far and will keep updating it.
1Slowdive
Souvlaki

1993 - For the longest time the only shoegaze 'classic' I knew was Loveless and that had to change. I was expecting something noisier, but what I got was more than satisfying in its own way.
2Manic Street Preachers
The Holy Bible

1994 - The concept behind this record and the stories about the highly troubled Richey had me quite intrigued. I loved the contrast between the pretty pleasant music and the very grim lyrics.
3Faith No More
King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime

1995 - Worthy follow-up to Angel Dust and it's always good to hear Mike Patton go crazy even on more grounded music like alternative metal.
4Type O Negative
October Rust

1996 - Everyone who knows my affection for gothic music probably wonders why I only rated this now. I am not sure either, but what I am sure of is that it slays, even if Bloody Kisses has the edge right now.
5Loreena McKennitt
The Book of Secrets

1997 - A beautiful, peaceful trip to various places around the world with great instrumental diversity and a wonderful vocal performance.
6Massive Attack
Mezzanine

1998 - My trip-hop knowledge is probably limited to the dabbling done by Team Sleep and The Gathering during their electronic era with Anneke, but this is such a cool and understandly essential experience. Lovely sense of atmosphere, overall production and Liz Fraser features.
7Control Denied
The Fragile Art of Existence

1999 - I can understand why a lot of Death fans don't jibe well with Tim Aymar, but for the most part he does the job just fine and sorta reminds me of a less refined Russell Allen from Symphony X. The bass sounds phenomenal, especially in the title track, and the guitar work is on point. R.I.P. Chuck.
8Boris
Flood

2000 - Now that's how you do a hypnotic album. Every small variation is really captivating, but even so, I wasn't exactly ready for that massive moment in the third movement/track. Really good choices of guitar effects, too. I definitely need to delve deeper into their work later on.
9Fantomas
The Director's Cut

2001 - Goodness gracious, what a beautiful nightmare! If you want to hear some of your favourite movie themes twisted by Mike Patton and Co., give this a try. Such a fresh album idea.
10City of Caterpillar
City of Caterpillar

2002 - I used to listen to post-hardcore more often in my first years here. Maybe the site in general did... I remember seeing this record pop up in various recommendations, yet I kept avoiding it. Perhaps it was due to the lengthier tracks revealing the post-rock elements which wouldn't have done much for me then, but are integral to the album's scope and quality.
11Kayo Dot
Choirs of the Eye

2003 - A seamless concoction of genres sustained by masterful songwriting. A melange of modern and classical. A clear purpose for experimentation that adds a ton of depth. A clarinet battling heavy guitars. A long overdue listen.
12Edguy
Hellfire Club

2004 - As much as I love Avantasia and think that Tobias is a really cool guy, I never checked his main band. This turns down the bombast a notch and has no army of guests, while adding more heavy metal and some humour. Works well with bacon and eggs in the morning.
13Coheed and Cambria
From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness

2005 - Since I've heard some Coheed tracks before, Claudio's seemingly polarising vocals don't represent an issue for me, especially considering there's plenty of modern prog with dubious singers out there. In fact their quirky and lively nature ends up making the lengthy record more engaging. I appreciate the balance between catchy and complex songs (the Willing Well suite in particular stands out) and it's safe to assume it could be a good bridge to more prog music for many people.
14Tokyo Jihen
Adult

2006 - This very elegant and sometimes playful album actually made me realize I haven't given a full listen to any Shiina Ringo material despite being familiar with her for years. The great production accentuates the solid chemistry between all members, some of them being part of the backing band during the later years of the first part her solo career.
15Phideaux
Doomsday Afternoon

2007 - One of the albums that's been sitting in my laptop since late 2015. The incredible bookends perfectly display Phideaux Xavier's compositional skills and the real orchestra's power, while the other tracks are no slouches either. The 70's influences are evident, but enough different ideas and twists are thrown in to give the album its own identity. Totally recommended for fans of symphonic progressive rock.
16Have a Nice Life
Deathconsciousness

2008 - Drenched in atmosphere with some hectic moments in the second disc, this is likely one of the most interesting and impressive debuts out there. A daunting, monumental listen worth checking out for fans of post-punk, industrial, shoegaze, post-rock and ambient that are all so well integrated.
17Arcana Coelestia
Le Mirage de L’idéal

2009 - Epic and enchanting, as far as that goes for funeral doom metal. The added layer of synths in the mix and the female vocals offer an ethereal quality, with the piano outro being a nice touch. The album also doesn't fall into the trap of overstaying its welcome or becoming too unvaried, even though certain aspects could've been slightly better emphasized by a more refined production.
18Chelsea Wolfe
The Grime And The Glow

2010 - Bearing in mind I've heard everything that came after this, her voice and evolution are certainly always mesmerizing, from the dark lo-fi folk present here to the heavily layered and genre-bending music she's been doing over the past few years. The tracks with additional musicians and their placement definitely give some nuance to prevent the record from becoming too bare-bones.
19Aquilus
Griseus

2011 - I initially thought the long running time would totally affect the record in a bad way, but it flowed nicely and didn't feel tiresome at all. Credit goes to the Opeth-ian dynamics, with black metal serving as the heavy counterpart in this case, and the beautiful classical arrangements akin to an epic film score. It would definitely fit the journey of a medieval fantasy series.
20Anglagard
Viljans Oga

2012 - Another album on this list I downloaded in late 2015 which took me too much to finally hear. A band that hasn't lost its strengths after a hiatus of 18 years in terms of releases, delivering extremely worthwhile instrumental folk prog with complex, diverse and memorable compositions, one notable example being the bass-flute duel in the third track. I totally recommend the debut, Hybris, as well.
21Caladan Brood
Echoes Of Battle

2013 - Impressive debut with a better grasp of epic black metal than a few bands with some history behind them, in the sense that it doesn't overly rely on the atmosphere conveyed and forget how to vary the music here and there, an important aspect for an album over 70 minutes long. While the drum machine and frequent synths may make one think the music's going to be too mechanical and unnatural, it has to be pointed out that the production favours some dynamics and weight instead of the overly sanitized and loud sound that plagues many releases of the genre in recent years.
22Howls of Ebb
Vigils of the 3rd Eye

2014 - Yeah, yeah, my death metal slice is hating me for delaying this so much, more so because I greatly enjoyed the other two releases. It turns out they were a force to be reckoned with right from the start, excelling at their brand of bizarre and unsettling music. It's not the first nor the last act to warp the genre's common formulas through eccentric musicianship, numerous unexpected tempo shifts and gauzier tones, but in spite of all possible associations there is always a distinctiveness present.
23Kauan
Sorni Nai

2015 - I recall wanting to listen to this majestic yet sorrowful album in its release year, but I kept prioritising other stuff and it sadly ended up ignored for a while. Carefully crafted, spacious soundscapes abound, and despite the tragic and mysterious events it's inspired by, the one-song story contains plenty of beautiful moments, such as sparse, delicate strings and vocals underlining the post-rock moods, which make the hard-hitting parts far more impactful, the penultimate act in particular, where the doominess is at its most violent.
24Kiryu
Hyakki Yakou

2016 - I really like Kagrra, so this was a no-brainer, albeit a spastic, grittier alternative. For the uninitiated, the two groups adopt a style that coalesces traditional Japanese instruments into upbeat alternative rock with youthful vocals. It's not merely a gimmick either, in this scenario having the frantic koto offer an unique feel of unease to the title track or the interchange between the shamisen and flutes heighten the playful attitude of "Irodori". At odds with the overly brickwalled mastering even by industry standards, I'm surprised and pleased to hear a well-rounded rhythm section, especially in a sea of modern visual kei dark rock which focuses more and more on downtuned, loud guitars.
25Sukekiyo
ADORATIO

2017 - What better way to end this list than with one of my most anticipated albums of the year? The side project of the ever-impressive Kyo from Dir En Grey offers through Adoratio a staggering amount of variety and unpredictability. The dominating forces would be the always delightful electronica-guitar/piano interplay, the varied drumming, ranging from smooth jazzy stylings to pummeling near-industrial percussion, and the sombre undercurrents, but to their aid come grooves of different forms, the subtle loop effects on "mannerism" akin to the acoustic passages of Opeth's 2001 opus, synth-dominated cuts that recall Buck-Tick's noisiest moments and enchanting melodies on the splendid "en" or the closer, which feels like an epic piece under the guise of a poppy tune due to the impellent violin manifesto in the centre. All is tied together by the vocalist's expectedly eclectic performance and the best production studio-wise they've had so far.
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