Last quarter to top ten

[Wyvern]

Without starting a personnal discussion regarding 2004 album qualities, it has been pretty weak for me. I guess I'm barely going to make 25 albums for this year (a lot from the past, but few new).

Nevertheless as a good metalhead I'm making my top ten. So far was pretty static but lately I have sat down and hear the material back to back, so some reshuffle of positions have arose.

Since we are entering the last quarter of the year (T-92 and counting) I wonder how's everybody top 10 so far?

Mine as today is:

1. Wolf – “Evil Star”

2. Rival – “State Of Mind”

3. Ayreon – “The Human Equation”

4. Manigance – “D’Un Autre Sang”

5. Motorhead – “Inferno”

6. Malediction – “Esclave Du Vice”

7. Spastic Ink – “Ink Compatible”

8. Cans – “Beyond The Gates”

9. Steel Prophet – “Beware”

10. Skyclad – “A Semblance Of Normality”


The basis for my list are: originality, expectations regarding a band new album, performance of the band, impact of the music, mood

 

[sixxswine]

This could still change, but there will be no Priest record on this list!
There will be no new Van Halen record on this list!
And as much as I wanted to like Velvet Revolver,
you won't find them on here either...
Here goes...



1.) Iced Earth Glorious Burden(still one of my favorite records, a great group of musicians making great metal. The Trilogy still gets me every time, it's "Epic." Some people didn't get it & maybe it wasn't for them to "get.")
2.) Exodus Tempo of the Damned(even if Zetro is out, they made one hell of a record)
3.) Death Angel The Art of Dying(I was never huge on them, I am now)
4.) Edguy Hellfire Club(Thanks JD for introducing me to this great band!)
5.) Megadeth The System has Failed(The last Megadeth record, it's great & stomps the last two studio records.)
6.) Shadows Fall The War Within(Next big thing)
7.) King Diamond Deadly Lullabyes(One of the best "LIVE" records I have heard)
8.) Killswitch Engage The End of Heartache(see #6.)
9.) Six Feet Under Graveyard Classics II(I guess I like beautiful women covered in shit?!)
10.) Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake(the title track with Poland & Skolnick gives me goose bumps!)

 

[tsorl]

Haven't really bought much new cds this year, but I'll try to scrape out a top 3:

1) Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden
Purely because of the mindblowing Gettysburg trilogy. The rest is above average too, but nothing spectacular.

2) Blaze - Blood & Belief
Blaze's best effort so far.

3) Seven Witches - Year of the Witch
Not quite as magical as last year's Passage... but still pretty damn good.

This will probably look a lot different by the end of the year. I still haven't heard the new Jag Panzer, Megadeth, Jon Oliva's Pain, Chris Caffery etc. records.

I'll also give a special mention to Blind Guardian's Imaginations Through The Looking Glass dvd. Shows the way live dvd's should be made and the extra stuff is actually interesting for a change.

 

[SoundMaster]

I'm one of the few who feels that 2004 has been a GREAT year, so far:


1) My Dying Bride - "Songs of Darkness, Words Of Light"
Easily this great bands best release in almost a decade.
Pure emotion, pure doom. NO BAND can create the atmosphere
of pure dread & suffocating darkness that the Bride can.

2) the Gathering - "Sleepy Building"
Yet another fantastic release from this incredible Dutch band.
A live, semi-unplugged bonanza that truly showcases Aneke's amazing
vocal abilities. Again, a record spilling over with emotion.

3) Motorhead - "Inferno"
I truly think they've gotten BETTER with age. Their last 3 records
are amongst their best! "Inferno" can teach the younger folks how
metal is done!

4) Pain of Salvation - "12:5"
A live recording in an intimate setting....the band goes "unplugged"
and truly shines. These live recordings blow away their studio counterparts.

5) Saxon - "Braveheart"
I've only just recently 'discovered' this great band. And their new record
is the perfect "British heavy metal" album. Every song is quality, every song
a rip-roaring metalfest. Do not ignore this great, classic band!

6) Dio - "Master of the Moon"
I know many fans are disappointed with the record's mostly slow tempo,
but it's fine with me. Overall, the songwriting is fantastic. Dio returns to
his doomier days....imagine a cross between Dio-era Sabbath & "Killing the
Dragon"! Soon to be classic album, for sure.

7) Evergrey - "Inner Circle"
Another great band from Sweden (seems to me that Sweden is becoming the new mecca of metal). Although not quite as strong as masterwork "Recreation Day", this record sees Evergrey continue down their unique metallic path.

8) Exodus - "Tempo of the Damned"
If Exodus had released this record in 1989, they'd be bigger than Megadeth ever hoped to have been. It's got that classic, vintage thrash feel, but with a modern sound/element. Pure aggression!

9) King Diamond - "Deadly Lullabyes"
As another poster stated, this is one of the best sounding live records ever released. The King's vocals sound superb - something which I wasn't expecting. Was this doctored in the studio? Perhaps, but i dont know. Regardless, it's classic metal from one of the genre's icons.

10) Scorpions - "Unbreakable"
The Scorpions are a band I gave up on almost 15 years ago. They were GREAT in the late 70s & early 80s then just shrunk to shit. However, the new
album is a refreshing ride into past glories. Sure, the sound is updated somewhat, and has a modern element, but the songwriting & performances are very reminiscient of this band's classic albums.

Overall, the 'classic' bands have struck gold this year. And, with a new Priest record on the horizon, things are looking even better!

 

[Greeno]

So far only 6 albums I would consider being in a top 10 for the year. They are.. in no order..


Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned
Wolf - Evil Star
Fireball Ministry - The Second Great Awakening
The Wildhearts - Must Be Destroyed
Ligeia - Gloria
Dio - Master Of The Moon

I don't buy very much new stuff so making a top 10 is gonna be hard for me.

 

[USMC0341]

Are we talking ONLY old school bands, or just metal releases of 2004 in general?

If it's any metal bands...here are 3 awesome fucking albums from 2004:

1) Shadows Fall - The War Within
2) Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake
3) Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden

 

[JonnyD]

hmm ok heres some in no order at all

Edguy - Hellfire Club

Into Eternity - Buried in Oblivion

Blaze - Blood and Belief

Iced Earth - The Glorous Burden

Exodus - Tempo of the Damned

Vintersorg - The Focusing Blur

Borknagar - Epic

Death Angel - The Art of Dying

Vehemence - Helping the World to See

Megadeth - The System has Failed

Jon Oliva's Pain - Tage Mahal

Metal Church - The Weight of the World

hmmm thats all I can think of at the moment

 

[DrillSergeant]

In alphabetical order:

Annihilator - All For You

Death Angel - The Art of Dying

Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned

Megadeth - The System has Failed

Metal Church - The Weight of the World

Motörhead - Inferno

Tankard - Beast Of Bourbon

Unleashed - Sworn Allegiance

 

[Wyvern]

5) Saxon - "Braveheart"

"Lionheart" The other one is a blood and guts movie with Melly.

 

[sixxswine]

There are so many people that are getting a hard on for Wolf. Don't get me wrong it's a good record, but I didn't think it was anything mind blowing.
I wish I could have included the Motorhead record on the list, but with two strong records by LoG & Shadows Fall, they were promptly shown the door.
I don't I will have a top 10 in a couple of months, it's damn hard!

 

[Victim of Deception]

No order:

Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm
Arsis - A Celebration of Guilt
Rwake - If You Walk Before You Crawl, You Crawl Before You Die
Eyes of Fire - Ashes to Embers
Vader - The Beast
Decapitated - The Negation
Motorhead - Inferno
Cult of Luna - Salvation
Isis - Panopticon
Crisis - Like Sheep Led to Slaughter
Wolf - Evil Star
Electric Wizard - We Live
Fear Factory - Archetype

 

[Wyvern]

There are so many people that are getting a hard on for Wolf.

No I'm getting a hard on with Rival, with Wolf is like a Rocco Siffredi movie

And just matter of taste, to me Shadows Fall is plain horrible. I don't even have their albums, so no chance of even hit a top 1000 bottom line.

A lot of people love "The Glorious Burden" and for me is another boring IE album, so again EVRYTHING is in the ear of the beholder.

Peace.

 

[Break Zero]

Shadows Fall - The War Within
Megadeth - The System Has Failed
Fantomas - Delirium Cordia
Exodus - Tempo of the Damned
Black Label Society - Hangover Music Vol. 6
Fear Factory - Archetype
Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden

Still need to listen to new Dio, Fates Warning, Motorhead, Evergrey, Death Angel...

 

[TheGraveDigger]

Ok, it is still way too early for me to start putting my brain through the pleasure and torture of coming up with a top 10 and putting them in order. So for now I am just throwing the names of 10 albums out there that have potential to make my year end countdown in no particular order....

Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned

Cans - Beyond The Gates

Edguy - Hellfire Club

Metal Church - Weight Of The World

Tad Morose - Modus Vivendi

Dionysus - Anima Mundi

TNT - My Religion

Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden

Shadows Fall - The War Within

Death Angel - The Art of Dying

There is still ALOT of stuff I did not hear yet. As far as Tad Morose goes the album was originally dated and released in 2003 but it did not come out in America until 2004 which is when I was able to grab it so I am counting it as a 2004 album.

 

[JonnyD]

heres a few more

Symphorce - Twice Second
Flotsam and Jetsam - Live in Phoenix (DVD)

 

[carnut]

Here are some I like a lot, but not in this particular order...

Vision Divine - stream of consciousness
Dreamscape - End of Silence
Tad Morose - Modus Vivendi
Ayreon - The Human Equation (guess this is my top one this year)
Evergrey - The Inner Circle
Wolf - Evil Star

but still have to listen to soooo much stuff.....Exodus, Metal Church, Motorhead, Jag Panzer,....probably some surely will end up in my list!!

 

[Greeno]

And just matter of taste, to me Shadows Fall is plain horrible. I don't even have their albums, so no chance of even hit a top 1000 bottom line.

I like them when the singer "sings". Too bad he does not do it very much.

A lot of people love "The Glorious Burden" and for me is another boring IE album, so again EVRYTHING is in the ear of the beholder.

Same here. I've tried to get into IE many times but for a few songs they don't do much for me.

 

[SickBoy]

A rather weak year indeed, especially when compared to 2003...
These would make my list, in no particular order:

Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned
Jag Panzer - Casting The Stones
Saxon - Lionheart
Iron Savior - Battering Ram
Evergrey - The Inner Circle
Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden
Megadeth - The System Has Failed
Dio - Master Of The Moon
Omen - Eternal Black Dawn

Evergrey, Saxon and Jag Panzer made the best impression...

 

[megamich]

Orphaned Land - Mabool
Best 2004 album so far. Buy it! You won't regret.

Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned

Cannibal Corpse - The Wrechted Spawn

Vehemence - Helping The World To See

Still waiting for my copy of the new Amon Amarth album - Fate of Hornes.

 

[Wicked Child]

1.)Motorhead-Inferno
2.)Iced Earth-The lorious Burden
3.)Saxon-Lionheart
4.)IQ-Dark Matter
5.)Exodus-Tempo Of The Damned
6.)Metal Church-Weight Of The World
7.)Megadeth-The System Has Failed
8.)Heart-Jupiter's Darling
9.)Rush-Feedback
10.)Death Angel-The Art Of Dying

And this list might change very soon. The new Kreator and Priest are still yet to be released, and I haven't heard Jon Oliva's Pain and Chris Caffery's albums yet.