 |
1.
|
Fen - Dustwalker
[8.55/10] Really solid album, but not essential compared to their excellent previous two releases. The last half of the album lags behind slightly after a strong first half, and the overall sound feels less consistent and focused compared to Malediction Fields and Epoch. "Hands of Dust" is a real contender for song of the year to give the benefit of a doubt however. |
 |
2.
|
Riverside - Shrine Of New Generation Slaves
[8.5/10] Excellent prog release, the first real highlight of 2013. For me, It's about as close to classic 1970's prog rock that I have heard while also retaining the "heavier" elements and better maintaining the audience's attention than an album like Opeth's Heritage from 2011 (which I liked, but the overall reception was rather lukewarm). A strong contender for album of the year in my book as the year progresses. :D |
 |
3.
|
Cult Of Luna - Vertikal
[8.25/10] Great post-metal album. A worthy follow-up to their 2008 effort Eternal Kingdom. I really like the more experimental and "spacey" nature of this album, and the "Metropolis" like concept being weaved through the lyrics is fascinating. |
 |
4.
|
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
[9/10] This album is truly wonderful. The songwriting and music is exquisite and Steven Wilson's angelic voice graces every second. |
 |
5.
|
Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance
[8/10] Very solid take on the classic NWOBHM-styled sound. Darkthrone has proven once again that they do not need to reside in one given genre to make very enjoyable and solid music for these ears. Great stuff. |
|
6.
|
Through These Gates - In the Eyes of the Prophet
[7.25/10] An enjoyable blackened death metal experience. Crushing with a subtle layer of atmosphere layered over it. |
|
7.
|
Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
[8/10] I know it's not a metal record, but I still love this band and want to express my thoughts on it. I really like it! I think it's a big step up from "Sounds of the Universe" (which I thought was just ok) and the band sounds refreshed here. It has a cool "Songs of Faith and Devotion" vibe, while also reaching back to their 80s sound. The production sounds a bit compressed for my taste, but I still really enjoy this album! Great stuff once again from one of the legends of electronic music! :) |
 |
8.
|
Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche - Frequency Unknown
[1.5/10] While it is a very very slight improvement over his latest solo album and much of the recent Queensrÿche material, it's still not worth buying because of how generic, boring, and awful the music is still (not to mention those laughable re-recorded songs). Plus could his album title and cover art be anymore obvious? It's a pathetic excuse to put out this crap just because he wants to get back at the "other" Queensrÿche. It already guarantees I won't be buying this album just based on pure principle. Quite possibly the worst album of the year, maybe even the decade. |
 |
9.
|
Amorphis - Circle
[9.25/10] It's official, this is my album of the year. Such a big bounce back from 2011's "The Beginning of Times" and a very mystical, heavy record. It is a very refreshing listen and these songs are among the best I've heard this band create, with some of my least favorites even becoming big growers. A superb release from these prog/folk/melodic death metal legends. |
 |
10.
|
TesseracT - Altered State
[9/10] - A deep and sophisticated listen, this album is full of many layers that really hit all at once and would require a few listens to really be able to decipher more clearly, but it's so worth it in the long run. A wonderful and surprising album that will probably go down as a respected classic for this year and perhaps the entire decade. |
 |
11.
|
Christopher Lee - Charlemagne: The Omens Of Death
[7/10] - This is quite impressive for someone who is nearly a century old and has a wealthy career behind him! On its own, the flow can seem rather awkward and stilted, especially since the vocals and music don't really sync up with each other (while they individually sound very good on their own). This is the kind of concept album where you are to place more emphasis on the "concept" over the "album", but there is definitely some good stuff to get out of Christopher Lee's second homage to his legendary ancestor. |
 |
12.
|
Black Sabbath - 13
[8.25/10] - This album was rather unexpected from yours truly, I knew that Black Sabbath was releasing a new album, but I had no idea that it would be a real legit "return to form" if you will. The quality of the first half is actually quite impressive, and the last half is still really good as well. Perhaps a cash grab by many means, but a true effort to make a really good album nonetheless. :) |
|
13.
|
Bruce Soord/Jonas Renkse - Wisdom of Crowds
[9/10] - Fantastic release! Jonas Renkse and Bruce Soord have put together a great side project here. Love the music contained within. |
 |
14.
|
Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche
[8.25/10] - At last, an actual Queensrÿche album!! Todd La Torre has earned his place as the rightful heir to the throne once held by the now reviled Geoff Tate. There may be mixing problems here and there, the production is a little compressed and rushed sounding (not as bad as FU though), and the length of the album is extremely short, but overall, this is a very solid slab of music and a phenomenal return to form after many years of mediocre and deplorable albums. This points the way to a renaissance of sorts for this gem of a band. |
|
15.
|
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
[7.75/10] - Another non-metal record, but still another one that caught my attention. I am quite impressed with the 1970s vintage feel throughout this album without sacrificing its relevance in the modern world. Outside of Steven Wilson's new album, this is one of the best produced and engineered albums of the year (no "loudness war" here). The mastering is smooth on the ears and the analog technology suits it wonderfully. While some of the longer songs may feel a bit repetitive after a little while, there's no doubt in my mind that the music presented is really good and deserves to be mentioned. I was quite surprised with this one and I hope this band is able to take this sound further while preserving the awesome sound quality. Great release! |
 |
16.
|
Watain - The Wild Hunt
[8.5/10] - A phenomenal album by these Swedish black metal veterans and one of this year's surprisingly more diverse releases! Incorporating elements from flamenco, country, sea-chantey, doom, gregorian chant, tribal, and so forth, the result is a delicious Watain stew to be enjoyed by every raging black metal fan for years to come. |
 |
17.
|
Ulver - Messe I.X-VI.X
[7.25/10] - A fine ambient release that delves into its orchestral roots and takes in various elements from the band's previous albums and EPs. Not as accessible as an album like "Shadows of the Sun" or "Wars of the Roses", but Ulver was never really the most accessible band to begin with anyway. All-in-all, a solid album. |
 |
18.
|
Katatonia - Dethroned & Uncrowned
[8/10] First time I've been a bit let down from a release from one of my favorite bands. I'm glad its not new, original material because I loved everything else in this band's discography. I never felt like they did enough with this record except to add piano and acoustic lines here and there. I was hoping perhaps everything could be recorded, so that it could be more of its own entity, but oh well. It's a nice release, but not quite what I expected or was hoping out of it. Definitely check out the original album first, before getting into this one. |
 |
19.
|
Carcass - Surgical Steel
[9/10] - A fine return to skull pummeling melodic death metal for these Brits. It seems a bit repetitive and "samey" at first, but with repeated listens this one is bound to be a true contender for album of the year because all the elements you'd really want in an album of this nature are all present and the band is shown in top form, essentially starting right from where they left off 17 years ago, and potentially surpassing that point. Like fine wine, this band has refined their core sound while also retaining the brutality and visceral edge that made them a classic band right from the get-go. A great album for any metal collection. |
 |
20.
|
Dream Theater - Dream Theater
[7.25/10] - This album isn't terrible though thanks to my roommate blasting this album through the walls and hearing the same songs over and over again, this album has essentially gone down in value for me during that time. Still a consistent, solid listen, but this sound ages like rotting milk over time in my opinion. |
 |
21.
|
Haken - The Mountain
[8.75/10] - The number one prog metal album of the year. These men have certainly outdone themselves with this album and it's a wonderful experience listening to this album all the way through. This gives the new Dream Theater album a real run for its money as far as I'm concerned. Brilliant stuff. |
 |
22.
|
Deicide - In The Minds Of Evil
[7.75/10] - A nice, solid slab of blasphemous death metal from Benton and Co. While I don't think it's as good or as intense as the last album that came out a couple years before this, the production is certainly a lot more refined and crisp, and less prone to clipping. With repeated listens I notice new things I enjoy about this release which is nice. A good effort from these tramplers of the cross. \m/ |
 |
23.
|
Deafheaven - Sunbather
[8.3/10] - I've never heard of this band until this year, but I'm really enjoying what I hear with this one! It's a very nice mix of atmospheric shoegaze and raw black metal (which seems to be a trend with a lot of black metal bands within the past few years especially). Glad to have picked this up before the year wrapped itself up, because Im impressed with what this album has to offer. :) |
