Best Of 2014
Best Of 2014
So far, 2014 has been such an amazing ride in every respective field of music. Metal is no stranger, since its wide variety of sub-genres make this 2014 race and interesting one.
This list is 100% based on my personal taste and, while I try to listen to every genre and release, some are just way to Heavy for me so there probably won't be much Extreme stuff around here.
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.:: UPDATE LIST ::.
13/06: Added Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun ; Monolith - Dystopia ; Removed Within Temptation (didnt stick, changed the score).
30/05: Added Doom:VS - Earthless; Trophy Scars - Holy Vacants; Marty Friedman - Inferno; Mount Carmel - Get Pure; Motorpsycho - Behind the Sun; Portrait - Crossroads; Sabaton - Heroes.
24/05: Added A.C.T. - Circus Maximus; Los Random - Pidanoma; ION - ION.
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.:: RANKING DETAILS ::.
10 - If an Album gets a 10, it can mean a few things: It's a Metal Masterpiece, It's a flawless piece of music or it's just something that I will still remember 10 years from now and I consider to be among my all time favourites. Bear in mind that, again, this is a personal point of view, these might not be "That good" on a more public opinion.
9 - The difference between a 9 and a 10 usually go to that "still remember 10 years from now". While I may still be remembering It, a 9 usually means it probably wont grow on me on the same level a 10 would. These are usually really good Albums, probably among the best of their respective years and music that I will probably enjoy a lot from years to come.
8 - This is like the "Purgatory", since as I become more familiar with them, they rarely stick on the 8 position and usually go either higher to 9 or lower to 7. If something sticks after a a few weeks, this means its a really good Album but doesnt have that extra mile to make it unforgettable. Most of "Album of the Year" contenders are usually 8s.
7 - A good one but far from perfection. Quality problems, a few songs dont really fit the album or just something that you feel isnt on the same page as previous releases from this band, a 7 is the most common ratting we give during the year, since, of course, not all can be great. Still they can be enjoyable and provide a handful of good songs.
6 - The So-So ranking. A 6 means that something went really wrong for it not to be a 7 and theres a LOT more negative points than positive ones. On a 10 track Album, theres only 1 or 2 songs that are good ones. A lot of bands with a long list of records usually have a few of these on their repertoire.
5 - A badie. Means I didnt enjoyed anything from this one but could, at least, understand where they were going. Production problems and songs that feel unfinished are usually what drives me to rank a 5. Like any 6-or-below, these give me will to replay them whatsoever.
4 or Lower - I rarely rate anything lower than 4 unless I feel the urge to specifically say how bad it was. These are Albums that are hard to sit through the whole thing as I find myself quiting after track 3 or 4.
This list is 100% based on my personal taste and, while I try to listen to every genre and release, some are just way to Heavy for me so there probably won't be much Extreme stuff around here.
_____________________________________________________________________
.:: UPDATE LIST ::.
13/06: Added Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun ; Monolith - Dystopia ; Removed Within Temptation (didnt stick, changed the score).
30/05: Added Doom:VS - Earthless; Trophy Scars - Holy Vacants; Marty Friedman - Inferno; Mount Carmel - Get Pure; Motorpsycho - Behind the Sun; Portrait - Crossroads; Sabaton - Heroes.
24/05: Added A.C.T. - Circus Maximus; Los Random - Pidanoma; ION - ION.
_____________________________________________________________________
.:: RANKING DETAILS ::.
10 - If an Album gets a 10, it can mean a few things: It's a Metal Masterpiece, It's a flawless piece of music or it's just something that I will still remember 10 years from now and I consider to be among my all time favourites. Bear in mind that, again, this is a personal point of view, these might not be "That good" on a more public opinion.
9 - The difference between a 9 and a 10 usually go to that "still remember 10 years from now". While I may still be remembering It, a 9 usually means it probably wont grow on me on the same level a 10 would. These are usually really good Albums, probably among the best of their respective years and music that I will probably enjoy a lot from years to come.
8 - This is like the "Purgatory", since as I become more familiar with them, they rarely stick on the 8 position and usually go either higher to 9 or lower to 7. If something sticks after a a few weeks, this means its a really good Album but doesnt have that extra mile to make it unforgettable. Most of "Album of the Year" contenders are usually 8s.
7 - A good one but far from perfection. Quality problems, a few songs dont really fit the album or just something that you feel isnt on the same page as previous releases from this band, a 7 is the most common ratting we give during the year, since, of course, not all can be great. Still they can be enjoyable and provide a handful of good songs.
6 - The So-So ranking. A 6 means that something went really wrong for it not to be a 7 and theres a LOT more negative points than positive ones. On a 10 track Album, theres only 1 or 2 songs that are good ones. A lot of bands with a long list of records usually have a few of these on their repertoire.
5 - A badie. Means I didnt enjoyed anything from this one but could, at least, understand where they were going. Production problems and songs that feel unfinished are usually what drives me to rank a 5. Like any 6-or-below, these give me will to replay them whatsoever.
4 or Lower - I rarely rate anything lower than 4 unless I feel the urge to specifically say how bad it was. These are Albums that are hard to sit through the whole thing as I find myself quiting after track 3 or 4.
1.
Major Parkinson
- Twilight Cinema
(Progressive Rock / Folk / Electro / Industrial) :: A mysterious masterpiece. One of those Albums that, out of nowhere, re-writes your whole definition of the real meaning of "Strange".
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2.
Hail Spirit Noir
- Oi Magoi
(Blackened Progressive/Psychadelic Rock/Metal) :: One of the most innovative uses of Prog I've heard so far.
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4.
Triptykon
- Melana Chasmata
(Black/Thrash/Death/Doom....whatever....it's Tom G. Warrior...) :: Not sure how many times is Tom planning to recreate "Monotheist" but this one is the best of them, by far. It's pure darkness.
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5.
IQ
- The Road Of Bones
(Progressive Rock) :: It may seem a little bit unfair to have so many Prog Albums on the top but these are just amazing. This is probably their best work to the date, coming from a band that's been around since the early 80's.
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7.
The Oath
- The Oath
(Old School Heavy/Doom) :: Do you ever wonder how would Black Sabbath sound if Ozzy was a girl? I'm pretty sure the result would be something similar to The Oath's debut and aparently, only Album (since they announced the split-up few days after the release). It's a shame because this female duo certainly swept the underground metal community with this one.
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8.
Insomnium
- Shadows Of The Dying Sun
(Melodic Death) :: I've been into Insomnium since the first time I've heard "Since the Day It All Came Down" and this reminds me a little bit of their first work with some clear evolution.
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9.
Mastodon
- Once More 'Round The Sun
(Progressive Stoner Metal) :: I was never into Mastodon as much as everyone when Leviathan came out. I liked some songs but found them to be "not my cup of tea". However, I always respected the wild aproaches of the band towards not just Metal, but to Music in general. I really liked how they writen this album, the songs are catchy and theres a lot in the Riffs, Execution and ambient aspects.
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10.
Lascaille's Shroud
- Interval 02: Parallel Infinities - The Abscinded Universe
(Progressive Death Metal) :: Saw a few recomendations from other MS users and this one caught my atention quickly. I loved the Album, it' combines so many different elements of Classic Moody Prog and your Basis Melo Death, awesome combination of Clean vocals and guturals, great guitarwork and just amazing composition overall.
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11.
Doom:VS
- Earthless
(Funeral Doom) :: As you probably noticed, I'm a big fan of musical landscapes and Doom Metal is my melancholic, heavy and depressing contrast to a more happy and introspective Post-Rock. Love the way the dude made this record sound intense and yet, beautiful. It somehow paints me a picture that Death its suposed to be peaceful instead of dramatic. Good, really good.
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12.
Battery
- Armed With Rage
(Thrash Metal) :: I've already reinforced the sugestion of adding them to Metal-Storm since their debut album is a pretty heavy punch of Thrash. Think Vio-Lence and Slayer since thats pretty much what these Dannish boys are aiming for. While the production isn't really spot-on, I have to admit its nostalgic.
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13.
Persuader
- The Fiction Maze
(Power Metal) :: Not a pillar of its genre, not amazing, but a really solid work and one of the most enjoyable Power Albums so far. In fact, it has to be to dethrown Gamma Ray.
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14.
Ringworm
- Hammer Of The Witch
(Thrashcore) :: Never thought I would be into this type of music but Ringworm made me a believer. Some really heavy shit here.
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15.
Black Anvil
- Hail Death
(Progressive Black/Thrash Metal) :: 2014 is becoming the year I finally get into Black Metal (even if it's not its purest form, it still has Black Metal elements) This is like a Maelstrom of that Old School sound with a Progressive layer on top. surprisingly good
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16.
Gamma Ray
- Empire Of The Undead
(Power Metal) :: Kai has done it again, good balance between heaviness and melody. Loved the Thrash elements also.
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17.
Conquering Dystopia
- Conquering Dystopia
(Instrumental Progressive) :: Again, nothing new, weither to its genre or to Jeff Loomis work. Still, it's really good and should satisfty both the fans of technical instrumental and the guitar enthusiasts.
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19.
Diabulus In Musica
- Argia
(Symphonic Metal) :: I'm a sucker for female voiced Symphonic Metal and this one has that edge with the adding of Goth and heavier riffs. Despite the male gutural vocals being horrible, the Album is quite good.
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20.
Transatlantic
- Kaleidoscope
(Progressive Rock) :: Being a HUGE Prog fan, I can't be indiferent to everything this band puts out. Prog Rock at its finnest execution.
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21.
Sabaton
- Heroes
(Power Metal) :: Many elements make me enjoy this: Joakin's "manly" voice (this sounds so gay), the war inspired lyrics and the use of choruses giving an epic feel to the whole thing. Compared to their previous ones, I'd say this one is a clear evolution. Loved how they've put Bach's Air in the middle of "Hearts Of Iron". sounded good, though a little bit forced.
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22.
Lantlôs
- Melting Sun
(Post Metal/Rock) :: Seems like every ambient Black Metal band is jumping on this Post-Metal bandwagon, probably picking up the success of big hits like Deafheaven or Alcest. While this isnt a masterpiece on its own, its good enough to satisfy the fans of vast musical landscapes.
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23.
Trophy Scars
- Holy Vacants
(Post-Hardcore) :: I'm not usually into this type of music but I've bumped into this and instantly got drown in by the vocal charisma of the singer. Love the shifting and almost progressive Rythms and the pseudo-Industrial Riffs. Somehow I needed something different to get away from the big ammounts of Metal and Prog i've been consuming latelly.
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24.
Holy Moses
- Redefined Mayhem
(Modern Thrash) :: Something is happening to Thrash, its shifting into this diverse monster with the hability to merge itself with almost every other genre. This one is another proof of this theory, excelent blending of Hardcore and Death Metal.
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25.
A.C.T.
- Circus Maximus
(Progressive Rock) :: I love Opera Rock Albums and this one reminds me so many good things like Pink Floyd, Queen and Ayreon to name a few. Some clever use of catchy melodies and choruses, even though there aren't many amazing solos here, it's an album that presents itself like a story, and it works on my book
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26.
Marty Friedman
- Inferno
(Instrumental) :: Big Fan of Marty and, having the participation of Jason Becker himself, I'm a sucker for this one for sure. I know most think its just another Instrumental Album and it doesnt really add up to his repertoire, bla bla bla, but they're all wrong, this one is quite Different from anything he has ever done. First, I'd like to point out the insane use of Guests, Alexi Laiho, Danko Jones, Gregg Bissonette to name a few. Also, this one is heavy, quite possibly the heaviest album he has ever done (Megadeth included). Blastbeats included, Death Metal inspired riffs all over the place and, of course, the virtuosity and diversity of Marty's own style. Fans of Cacophony will enjoy this, since, as Marty himself said, this is what Cacophony would sound like if it was still around these days. Personal favs: Undertown and Horrors.
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27.
Skyliner
- Outsiders
(Prog/Power Metal) :: Another solid debut album from a genre that is showing itself really hard to innovate. Skyline certainly gave their two cents on how elements of Prog, Heavy and Power Metal should combine. Its fast, Melodic and yet complex and enjoyable. Theres a lack of vocal energy in some songs but this is something that the rest of the instrumental compensates. "World in Conflict", the 21 minute ending piece, is a bold one and, without a doubt, is the highlight of "Outsiders", since it manages to capture your atention despite its long lenght.
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28.
Monolith
- Dystopia
(Psychadelic Old School Doom) :: The first thing that comes mind when listening to "Dystopia" is how much the singer sounds like Ozzy. It's Doom Rock/Metal with a really psychadelic Sabbath/Wizard twist that is far from being innovative but, on the other hand, inovation doesnt seem to be the thing in 2014.
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29.
Kampfar
- Djevelmakt
(Folk Black Metal) :: Black metal is far from being one of my favourite genres. In fact, I would go the extra mile and say its far from being a genre I actually like. But I like this one .... I just do.
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30.
Mount Carmel
- Get Pure
(Stoner Rock) :: I think this one got shaded by this years Truckfighter, it's some really solid piece of Stoner Rock with a Huge ammount of "Vaughan'esque" Electric Blues Rock.
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31.
Portrait
- Crossroads
(Heavy Metal) :: Take N.W.O.B.H.M. Add Classic Doom Riffs. Mix it all together with an Old School production and you get what Portrait's third album is all about.
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32.
Los Random
- Pidanoma
(Alternative/Progressive Metal) :: Kind of on the same page of Tool for example. the drumming here is insane, if you're a fan of complex rythms, this may be for you
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33.
Íon
- ION
(Post-Black/Ambient Black) :: Yeah, I get it, everyone is joining the Blackgaze/Post-Metal gravy train and this is another debut album from a band thats certainly trying to do something more with that type of sound. Theres a really clever use of synths and some really strange and almost sci-fi landscape, specially on songs like Embers and Transcendence.
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34.
Motorpsycho
- Behind The Sun
(Psychadelic Prog Rock) :: Somehow underlooked, Motorpsycho is one of the most interesting and experimental Psychadelic bands in Europe nowadays. It is known for doing sucessful combinations of Garage, Indie and Psychadelic Rock without falling into the type of sound that every hipster band is aiming for. Behind The Sun is another proven point that you can, indeed, make something new out of something that's just old and overdone.
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Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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Comments
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Posts: 86  |
Posts: 86
I have nothing to say about the top 3, I find it just perfect  Good list so far.
---- Hey there, tiny wench !
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Posts: 541  |
Posts: 541 Written by Schnabeltier 24 on 29.04.2014 at 23:03 thanks man, means a lot. Yeah, the rest of the list shifts a lot as time goes by, but for some reason, those top 3 seem untouchable so far. I'll try to update it as time goes by
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Posts: 86 |
Posts: 86 Quote: And I'll look at it from time to time
---- Hey there, tiny wench !
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 Posts: 5277 |
Posts: 5277
If you want some "heavy shit" like you say about Ringworm, check out Plebeian Grandstand - Lowgazers - holy fuck, that shit is evil...
---- rekt
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Posts: 541 |
Posts: 541 Written by tea[m]ster on 07.05.2014 at 18:15 Thanks for the tip, I have a ton of stuff to listen but i'll try to check it out.
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| mordecai
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Posts: 231  |
Posts: 231
Thumbs up from me. Also not a big fan of black metal but this year i'm trying to find something I like in all of the genres.
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Posts: 352  |
Posts: 352
Nice list, I'll check your top 10 as soon as possible. Major Parkinson seems to be very appreciate on MS this year! I heard one song from this band and I was surprised : that was not metal but a kind of (new!) old prog rock  Try to check my own list 
---- Don't cry for my English
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Posts: 541 |
Posts: 541 Written by Korah on 31.05.2014 at 06:25 Like I said on the intro, I'm a huge prog fan so I'ts normal some of the top slots are more Prog Rock than Metal. Major Parkinson its amazing, I think its getting the deserved merit by the undeground community. pity it doesnt get more from the press. I will check yours, thanks for the words.
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