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Top 6 Albums Of 2015


Xinlo

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well 2015 is officially over (thanks) and as I do every year, I'll list out my favourite musical offerings from the year. This year was a strange one, as many of my favourite bands released really solid records that I liked but never really got hooked on for some reason. I attribute it to my mental state through most of the year and not to the albums themselves though so with that in mind, here be the list:

 

1. Hand. Cannot. Erase. - Steven Wilson

 

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I've been a fan of Porcupine Tree for a couple years now, but I only recently dug into their frontman's solo career (just in time for the release of this new album). One of the first albums I picked up this year, back in february, its ridiculously melancholic storyline and atmosphere really grabbed me (the one exception to my previous paragraph) so it's the clear winner here. There was also a music video made for my favourite song from it which brings me to tears every time I watch it.

 

2. The Colour Before The Sun - Coheed & Cambria

 

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This album's a bit of a weird one for me. I hated the single the preceded its release, but the actual album as a whole is excellent. Taking a poppier, more stripped-down indie rock approach as opposed to their usual progressive rock style, this album is definitely the odd man out in their catalogue. It didn't quite hook me like their last album did, though my itunes tells me it's my third-most-played album behind two of my all-time favourites, so I must have loved it on some level. :P

 

3. Meliora - Ghost

 

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Another band I began listening to just in time for their new album, Ghost gave me exactly what I wanted (and some of what I thought was missing from their last two albums) on this one. It's crazy catchy, groovy and evil with some wicked solos and riffs that I just never get sick of. That said it is a much simpler and shorter album, and didn't quite top the other two for me.

 

4. Psychic Warfare - Clutch

 

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I've had a mild passing interest in Clutch for a long time, but for some reason I still have only heard their two newest albums fully. I love both of them too, so you'd think I'd seek out more haha. Anyway this is just a straight-up great hard/stoner rock album with hilariously brilliant lyrics that's just packed with good times. If you don't like this album you probably don't like fun.

 

5. The Book Of Souls - Iron Maiden

 

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This album is Iron Maiden's 16th album, and another where the single released was lacklustre but was not indicative of the album. Just as Maiden were starting to stagnate in their "comeback" style with the past 4 albums, they decided they should do a double album with three 10+ minute songs, one of which is a classic prog epic with piano (in Iron Maiden???). It could have been a dangerous move, and for some people it didn't work, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Enough to possibly call it the best of their newer 5 albums.

 

6. No Place In Heaven - Mika

 

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What's this? A mainstream pop album? What the heck, me. But I got into Mika's stuff when his first album came out way back in like... 2006, I think? Every song on that album was pop perfection and half of it was international radio hits everywhere except the US. I kinda forgot him for a while, and then saw this at walmart one day and impulse-bought it. I then listened to nothing else for a month. This album is possibly his best, with styles ranging from standard pop to indie rock to disco to french crooning. It all somehow works though, and the lyrics are very personal and well-thought-out, which is refreshing for a mainstream album like this.

 

Honourable mentions: The Congregation - Leprous, Feel The Misery - My Dying Bride, Songs From The North - Swallow The Sun, Love, Fear, And The Time Machine - Riverside

 

so there you go, here's hoping 2016's extensive list of upcoming albums is as good as it promises to be!

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