LATEST EDIT: December 12/2016- Added a whole bunch of progressive rock albums; processing earlier suggestions on the list.

Assembled below are some choice selections in alternative metal, prog rock, prog metal, jazz and avant-garde metal. I don't necessarily consider these styles to be my favourite (I do have a penchant for post-metal and cavernous death metal these days), but they have been the foundations of my taste for the last seven or eight years.

1.

2.Soundgarden - Down On The Upside

3.Rishloo - Living As Ghosts With Buildings As Teeth

4.Karnivool - Asymmetry

5.Blindead - Absence

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These are the albums I've enjoyed so far this year to which I've given an approximate rating and organised in a rough order of preference. As the year progresses I'll add some descriptions to them as well. EP's are also included.

Recent additions: Armory, Russian Circles, Ulver, Tad Morose, SubRosa, Almah, Blood Bright Star, Autumnblaze, Ayreon, Chthonic, Darkestrah, God Is An Astronaut, Képzelt Város, Lodz, Månegarm, Obscure Sphinx, Caligula's Horse, Sky Architect, Keldian, Monster Magnet

1.Vulture Industries - The Tower

2.The Moth Gatherer - A Bright Celestial Light

3.Walrus - Walrus

4.Clutch - Earth Rocker

5.Oranssi Pazuzu - Valonielu

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All Studio releases including Full lengths, EPs, Collaborations and Splits.

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TOP ALBUM ARTWORKS OF 2013

1.Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)

2.Gris - À L'Âme Enflammée, L'Äme Constellée...

3.Shade Empire - Omega Arcane

4.Obliteration - Black Death Horizon

5.Dream Death - Somnium Excessum

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Track of the year: Prayer for Ascetic Misery- Ævangelist
Runners-up: Dyodyo Asema- Gnaw Their Tongues & Alkerdeel / Hereditaria- Lords of Bukkake /In Silence - The Prophecy/ Overcome- Hacride/ Atlas Stone- Haken/ s1- Blindead
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Great Lists to check out: R'Vannith, MechanisT, musclassia, teaster, Alex Fenger, !J.O.O.E.!, Nefarious, coolingsrock, 3rdWorld, any list by mz, Moose, etc.

1.Ævangelist - Omen Ex Simulacra

2.Cult Of Occult - Hic Est Domus Diaboli

3.Lords of Bukkake - Desagravio

4.Eloa Vadaath - Dead End Proclama

5.Haken - The Mountain

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1.Haken - The Mountain

2.The Ocean - Pelagial

3.Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

4.Deafheaven - Sunbather

5.Leprous - Coal

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1.Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

2.Monolithe - Monolithe IV

3.Nails - Abandon All Life

4.Totem Skin - Still Waters Run Deep

5.Ataraxie - L'Être Et La Nausée

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1.Death - Symbolic

2.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

3.Ihsahn - After

4.Virgin Black - Elegant...And Dying

5.Anathema - The Silent Enigma

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1.Ihsahn - Das Seelenbrechen

2.Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

3.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

4.Leprous - Coal

5.Obscure Sphinx - Void Mother

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There is no real arrangement here, apart for the top 3.

1.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

2.Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn

3.The Vision Bleak - Witching Hour

4.Avatarium - Avatarium

5.Black Sabbath - 13

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NO MORE ARGUMENTS ABOUT OPETH EDITION!

Ever had that one album that a band has made that everybody just passes off as being decent while you see it as a masterpiece? Well, here are (in no particular order) the albums that I feel deserve much more attention than what they got from their fanbases.

1.Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

2.Queensrÿche - Promised Land

3.Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold

4.Queen - Innuendo

5.System Of A Down - Steal This Album!

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Albums from 2013 worth being considered for a replay, I'm already having trouble remembering some of them. I'll TRY to order them from the one I liked most to the least.
I'm taking a passive stand to this year's music since I'm dedicating myself to old records currently, so probably 3/4 of the stuff I checked out came to me from this site one way or another

1.Cult Of Luna - Vertikal

2.Corrections House - Last City Zero

3.Dreadnought - Lifewoven

4.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

5.Obscure Sphinx - Void Mother

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That's the 2013 gnirpz's essentials in order, following the releases along the year. Every ranking should be based on production quality, originality, musical technicality and specs like that.

Unfortunatelly, mine is based on headbanging, taste of beer, air guitar and air drum solos.

2013 feelings, form best to worst

1.Gris - À L'Âme Enflammée, L'Äme Constellée...

2.Ghost B.C. - Infestissumam

3.Deafheaven - Sunbather

4.ASG - Blood Drive

5.Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed

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This is pretty much a carbon copy of a list I posted on deviantART. If you want to see me go into a little more detail on why I picked these albums (I find it hard to do that with MetalStorm's listing system) then check out the original list here: http://shuriken95.deviantart.com/journal/Top-35-Albums-of-2013-35-21-423820869

1.Leprous - Coal

2.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

3.Future Of The Left - How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident

4.Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

5.Haken - The Mountain

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These are all the albums that I listened to and know very well, from 2013. Order: best to worst. also contains albums that I still need to check out. I like most music, as you can see, and I don't come across many albums that I dislike. I guess it's a good thing :?

1.Protest The Hero - Volition

2.Revocation - Revocation

3.Omnium Gatherum - Beyond

4.Persefone - Spiritual Migration

5.August Burns Red - Rescue & Restore

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1.The Ocean - Pelagial

2.Deafheaven - Sunbather

3.Kvelertak - Meir

4.Obscure Sphinx - Void Mother

5.Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

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