My HIGH ENERGY 2017 list.
Lots of prog.

No rating=haven't heard yet/not enough spins

★★★★★ - Masterpiece!
★★★★½ - Excellent!
★★★★☆ - Great!
★★★½☆ - Very Good!
★★★☆☆ - Enjoyable!
★★½☆☆ - OK, Nothing Special
★★☆☆☆ - Mediocre
★½☆☆☆ - Poor
★☆☆☆☆ - Don't Touch
½☆☆☆☆ - I Want My Money Back

1.This Social Coil - Pictures

2.Gone Is Gone - Echolocation

3.Hibernal - The Dark Of The City

4.Gotthard - Silver

5.Pain Of Salvation - In The Passing Light Of Day

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Slow start to 2017. Keep an eye on this list you bargain-basement shoppers...

1.Au-Dessus - End Of Chapter

2.Viscera - 3/Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals

3.Slowdive - Slowdive

4.Echoes(UK) - Cornerstone

5.Fen - Winter

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This year, I will be posting far more thoroughly than I have in the last two years or so. The list below is ranked in order from best to worst, but I'll likely end up cutting some albums in the end. I will also be temporarily evaluating albums I have not yet heard based on one or two songs, denoting these albums with *. Using the list, I can then come back to them later in the year. Feel free to give me any 2017 recommendations you might have. Cheers!

1.Combat Astronomy - Symmetry Through Collapse

2.Fen - Winter

3.Oceanic - Trappist

4.Hubris - Apocryphal Gravity

5.The Ominous Circle - Appalling Ascension

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Within this list I shall be keeping track of everything I listen to in 2017. I will be listing albums in listening order with the newest discoveries at the bottom, then accompanied by a score (that may change as the year moves along). This is purely for personal gain as I am merely keeping track of the absurd amount of music that comes out. It is therefore likely that this will become something very long, and the majority of records will not be able to be linked to this website. Most likely updated daily.

1.Shaarimoth - Temple Of The Adversarial Fire

2.Tol Sirion - The Ashes Of A Dark Heart

3.Svangur Kvöl - Wreck Of The World

4.Mornië Utúlië - W Bezmiarach Nocy

5.Cold Body Radiation - The Orphean Lyre

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Right... Let's get this out of the way from the get-go. Alternative metal is hard to define. I guess that comes from it always wanting to experiment, explore and fuse heavy metal with non-metal music genres. It also makes it an ever changing and growing genre.

Also, before you guys flood me, yes my list contains a lot of Industrial & Nu Metal bands, as well as other genre.. As far as I'm concerned, my picks all fit quite well in the scope of an alternative metal list. Don't you agree? Wait... You disagree? Well, let's agree to disagree and move on.

As for the list itself, I'm going to try and list through time what I (me, myself & moi) consider as essential alternative albums. I will also limit myself to a maximum of 4 releases each year to prevent a messy list, which often makes it a difficult decision, especially in the early 2000's. So yes, it is possible your personal favourite won't be featured. You can tell me all about it in the comments below and we can discuss it, even argue it.

Now, have fun, enjoy my list and let me know what you think or would personally put in your favourite alt-metal list!

-Guib-

EDIT: I will now add my pick for best album of each year using the (best of xxxx) in the chosen album's description.

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Guib's Best Alternative Metal Album Picks

Best Of 2022
Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die

Best Of 2023
Mutoid Man - Mutants

Best of 2024 So Far
...tbd

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Last Updated: March 27th, 2024

1.Living Colour - Vivid

2.Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking

3.Faith No More - The Real Thing

4.Godflesh - Streetcleaner

5.L7 - Smell The Magic

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----Updated every weeks----

I'm looking for all genres without exceptions, with currently little preferencies for Progressive, Death and Black metal! Listenning to every albums 2 or 3 times at less before including it in my list.
I specify my favourite songs in order of preferency

❤ = Amazing song!

1.Persefone - Aathma

2.Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand

3.Caligula's Horse - In Contact

4.Mutoid Man - War Moans

5.Ne Obliviscaris - Urn

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Getting started on this later than usual

1.Persefone - Aathma

2.Schammasch - The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite

3.Au-Dessus - End Of Chapter

4.Heretoir - The Circle

5.Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand

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https://fullblackreviews.blogspot.com
My blog if you want to read some reviews.

1.Septicflesh - Codex Omega

2.Schammasch - The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite

3.Sun Of The Sleepless - To The Elements

4.Satyricon - Deep Calleth Upon Deep

5.Origin - Unparalleled Universe

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Will eventually turn this into an end of year list. Includes both Metal and non Metal stuff.
In no particular order.

1.Process Of Guilt - Black Earth

2.Rosetta - Utopioid

3.Akercocke - Renaissance In Extremis

4.Tchornobog - Tchornobog

5.Schammasch - The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite

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Last updated on 30.12.2017

1.Paradise Lost - Medusa

2.Kind Man - Kindness Ends

3.Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

4.Septicflesh - Codex Omega

5.Immolation - Atonement

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**DISCLAIMER: This list is based on my own opinion and musical taste, and should not be taken otherwise.
-
Self-explainatory list that's used mostly for personal reminders of upcoming releases.
All releases listed in this list that contain the format (*) are either uncertain or undetermined yet.
-
Your recommandations & suggestions are welcome! :-)
-
Aaaaaaand, my favorite album for 2017 is..... !

1.Ayreon - The Source

2.Leprous - Malina

3.Vuur - In This Moment We Are Free - Cities

4.The Dark Element - The Dark Element

5.Iron Maiden - The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter

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This is very simple, I took the ratings for a bunch of alternative metal albums on MS and ranked them accordingly

To qualify:
The album must have been released when the band was labelled as "Alternative Metal" by MS. So for example the three most recent Gojira albums count, but early Gojira does not.

The band must have more than 10 fans on MS

Therefore this is not a reflection of my opinions, rather a reflection of numbers so if you wanna get mad, get mad at the numbers, not me. And remember that this really isn't that serious

1.Mass Hysteria - Contraddiction

2.Tool - Lateralus

3.The Butterfly Effect - IV

4.Tool - Ænima

5.Mass Hysteria - Le Bien-Être Et La Paix

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Ratings go from:

WORSHIP ❤️❤️❤️: Absolute greatness, a mindblowing album.
LOVE ❤️❤️🖤: Amazing release with very few flaws.
LIKE ❤️🖤🖤: Enjoyable but far from perfect.
DISLIKE 💔: Not very good or maybe not fitting my tastes.

I've decided to stop rating albums with a numerical value as I tend to feel uncomfortable with that. This list has a minimalistic, subjective and visceral approach, based purely on sensations and personal tastes. Mainly for personal use and doesn't pretend to be a serious ranking, but emerges from the need to remember which bands and albums I enjoyed and the ones I disliked. I constantly revisit new releases so first impressions may change over time. It usually takes 8-10 spins for me to get completely sure of a rating.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Abhoria - Abhoria

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agrypnie - Metamorphosis

5.Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form And Function

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Current Top 100 as of September 2019. Having listened to metal for 45 years or so - here are my favourites (favourite track). One album limit per band. Enjoy!

1.Absu - Absu

2.AC/DC - If You Want Blood You've Got It

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

5.Alcest - Écailles De Lune

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✮✮✮✮✮ - Incredible, possibly Album Of The Year
✮✮✮✮½ - Awesome
✮✮✮✮ - Solid release
✮✮✮½ - Good release
✮✮✮ - Not bad
✮✮½ - Shuffle material (probably boring as an album)
✮✮ - Disappointing

1.Wormwood - Ghostlands - Wounds From A Bleeding Earth

2.Sólstafir - Berdreyminn

3.Akercocke - Renaissance In Extremis

4.Benighted - Necrobreed

5.Immolation - Atonement

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