Your favorite album of this year?

definately definately DEFINATELY The Human Equation, I'm thinking this could possibly be THE greatest album of all time for me (its going to be extremely hard to top)

 

I cant believe no one has mentioned Evergrey - The Inner Circle .. Intense album musically, lyrically and everything in between.

 

Either The Flower Kings - Adam & Eve, or Ayreon - The Human Equation.

So far, it's been a lackluster year for music in my opinion. But I am still anticipating the upcoming Angra release (October I think), a new one from Porcupine Tree, and Pain of Salvation's BE.

The only albums I can think offhand that have already come out this year that I haven't gotten yet but plan to are Bad Religion's "The Empire Strikes First" and Into Eternity's "Buried in Oblivion."

 

Well, I think Ayreon's "The human equation", a discovery for me.

 

Another vote for The Human Equation, i totally love taht album

 

Porcupine Tree's new one won't be out til next year... and I think Pain of Salvation's "Be" might be the worst album I've ever heard (and Pain of Salvation is my favorite band).

 

SR wrote

i have similar feelings.

Technetium wrote

It would be so much better if Stolt just played his guitar and stopped insisting on singing (i really hate his voice)....should have got Daniel Gildenlow to sing the whole album.

ProdMetalMorrissey wrote

that good huh? it will be interesting to hear this sucker.

 

Why do you think that?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

I'm initially disappointed in Be like (almost) everyone else and it suffers from acute pretentiousness, but I can still find many redeeming qualities on it. Of course, the fact I should even state such a thing about a POS album may be cause for concern...

 

I've never been so frustrated and disappointed by an album before.

I've given BE about 15 listens now... and I hate it just as much as I did on the first listen.

Being a Pain of Salvation fanatic, I expect this quirky and forward-thinking band to change and evolve on each album. However, I do not like this change at all. It seems to me that they perhaps became a bit enamored with the "Broadway Musical" style while they were performing in "Jesus Christ Superstar". That's what this album sounds like, a 70's rock opera like Superstar. It's extraordinarily cheesy and has little resemblance to the Pain of Salvation of the previous 4 albums.

I'm not one of those people that says, "It's not metal so I don't like it." I don't have a problem that there is not a trace of metal to be found on BE. I like good music, regardless if it's metal or not. However, BE fails to deliver any music that I would consider good. Everything is offensively bad. There's a half baked take on renaissance music, a painful rendition of gospel music and a few tracks that contain little more than samples. The instrumental dexterity is largely absent and Daniel's melodramatic voice is now a liability. Daniel sounds like he's acting a part in a musical, as his singing is largely stylized and artificial. Time will tell if this is a band-killer or if it will become a mere curiosity amongst a catalogue of brilliant releases.

 

My top 5 and my runner up for last.

1. Finntroll - Nattfodd
2. Skyfire - Spectral
3. Iced Earth - Glorious Burden
4. Nightwish - Once
5. In Flames - STYE

Runner up
Evergrey - The Inner Circle

 

Of this year's albums, Killswitch Engage--The End of Heartache. I haven't purchased many new releases, to be honest. But of what I have bought so far, this is the favorite.

The film score for The Passion of the Christ comes in a close second. I never have seen the movie (it's my religion, but still, I didn't ever have an interest in the movie), but someone played the score for me in a coffee shop I go to, and when I heard it, I decided it was good and bought it.

I know this isn't the same kind of musical taste the dedicated metal fans here have, and I really hope I won't get flamed for it.

 

I haven't heard the new Fates Warning yet(and the current downloadable track didn't impress me too much).

But I'd have to go with Knight Area's "The Sun Also Rises". Warmly melodic and technically excellent.

 

Your tastes are your own, but how in gods name did soundtrack place higher than evergrey?

 

I don't get it, I think it's PoS's best album yet. (BE)

 

So far, I'd have to say Megadeth's "The System Has Failed."

 

At the moment

Threshold - Subsurface
Abydos
Angra - Temple Of Shadows
Mind Key - Journey of a Rough Diamond
Nightwish - Once

 

I like the new Threshold and Evergrey, too.

 

I heard another song... "Left Here"... which was also mediocre.

 

Therion - Sirius B/Lemuria

Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night (got it in august, heck yes!)

and, if this counts... the US release of Einherjer - Blot