I began this decade in my final year of high school, in the early phases of my metal journey (Mastodon, Machine Head, Dream Theater, Pantera and Avenged Sevenfold were still recent discoveries). One Masters degree and one PhD later, I'm now a tax-paying Londonian, and have ploughed through what must be comfortably over 2000 new releases during the previous ten years. To commemorate the end of a turbulent decade, I've put together a list of the albums that have stuck with me throughout this decade - I wouldn't consider this to be a 'best albums' list, as there have been some truly ingenious works released in more avant-garde territories, but ultimately these are the albums that have ended up dominating my listening habits, or otherwise making a sufficient impression to make this list.

1.Sylosis - Monolith

2.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

3.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

4.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

5.Cult Of Luna - Vertikal

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2008 might've been my first proper taste of metal, with the acquisition of albums from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath and that most grandiose of gateway bands, DragonForce. 2009 might've seen me expanding my palette, with Iron Maiden, Alice In Chains, Avenged Sevenfold, and more entering my world, and Guns N' Roses triumphantly re-entering it. But 2010 was when I delved into more 'intense' stuff with Machine Head, In Flames, and most notably of all, Sylosis, and saw my relationship with metal shift from ever-increasing interest into full-blown love affair. To commemorate this 5-year anniversary, and because I love making lists, I decided to do a retrospective of the best albums and songs that have been released during this time period, and give brief tributes to them. Yay music!

1.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2.Sylosis - Monolith

3.Protest The Hero - Volition

4.Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR

5.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

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Cos, y'know, same shiz different year. Ran out of space again so will post final album opinions in comments.

1.Infestus - The Reflecting Void

2.Dirge - Hyperion

3.Nero Di Marte - Derivae

4.Steve Rothery - The Ghosts Of Pripyat

5.Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere

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For Posterity. In No Particular Order. I'm certain I missed some quality releases, so I might update the list some time. Cheers.

1.Darkspace - Dark Space III I

2.Botanist - VI: Flora

3.Nachtmystium - The World We Left Behind

4.Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus

5.Pallbearer - Foundations Of Burden

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Just an organized list of my favorite albums of the year, in order of most liked, onward.

How I rate albums has little to do with the order of this list. Obviously, I'm not going to give an album a low rating and include it (anything I rate below an "8" gets left out), but there's a sense of semblance, regardless. Also, just because I give a rating of 8+ doesn't mean I will include it. An album can be good and also be something I don't care to listen to more than a few times.

1.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

2.The Great Old Ones - Tekeli-Li

3.Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen

4.Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

5.Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun

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Pretty much every album that's caught my attention over the year, including non-metal. (Variety is a virtue, y'know )

I'll only be commenting on albums that I've given enough time to really form an opinion on. Chances are albums that failed to interest me beyond a first listen will eventually be removed from the list.

1.Swans - To Be Kind

2.Darren Korb - Transistor Original Soundtrack

3.Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies

4.Gazpacho - Demon

5.Vampillia - My Beautiful Twisted Nightmares In Aurora Rainbow Darkness

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This year, I will try to listen to less music more. That is, I won't go out of my way to hear and list every possible album I sort of dig on the first spin, and the ones I do include I aim to know thoroughly. A lot of the albums I include tentatively will probably get deleted, too. Without further preamble, interesting albums in no particular order:

1.Owen Pallett - In Conflict

2.Menace Ruine - Venus Armata

3.Pallbearer - Foundations Of Burden

4.Jenny Hval & Susanna - Meshes of Voice

5.Tuomas Henrikin Jeesuksen Kristuksen Bändi - Käkkyrällään

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2014 is upon us and as per usual here is yet another unimaginative top list!

1.Monarch - Sabbracadaver

2.Nasheim - Solens Vemod

3.Earth - Primitive And Deadly

4.Darkspace - Dark Space III I

5.Lethian Dreams - Red Silence Lodge

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I'll start off by saying that I wasn't planning on doing a list so early on in the year, but I've come across numerous albums that I'd like to share with people who enjoy my lists (or people who hate my lists).

This list will be a little different than my 2013 list. I created that list at the end of the year, and then decreased it to my Top 25 of 2013. This list will be a compilation of all 2014 albums I've come across and given a listen.

1.Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution

2.Artificial Brain - Labyrinth Constellation

3.Ophis - Abhorrence In Opulence

4.Ghost Brigade - IV - One With The Storm

5.Infestus - The Reflecting Void

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I doubt I'll have the time to sample enough music to match the 201 albums I covered in 2013, but hopefully I'll be able to listen to a fair few things and pass on me ol' thoughts.

1.Sleepmakeswaves - Love Of Cartography

2.Infestus - The Reflecting Void

3.Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere

4.Ortega - Crows

5.Dirge - Hyperion

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Revised to TOP 20 but might still update...
Last updated: 3/14/15

1.Lantlôs - Melting Sun

2.Eden Circus - Marula

3.Moanaa - Descent

4.Fen - Carrion Skies

5.Pet Slimmers Of The Year - Fragments Of Uniforms

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The 50 albums worth remembering that I've come across from 2014.

1.Arizmenda - Stillbirth In The Temple Of Venus

2.Dead Congregation - Promulgation Of The Fall

3.Vanhelgd - Relics Of Sulphur Salvation

4.Horrendous - Ecdysis

5.The Great Old Ones - Tekeli-Li

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❤ Favorite
♫ Good
✔ Some music worth listening
✘ Disliked

When the date and style of music is not noted is that I plan to listen this album.
I also clarifies what is my favorite music on each album.

Enjoy !!!

Other 2014 lists I approve :
Zaphod

1.Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

2.Psygnosis - Human Be[ing]

3.Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds

4.Hail Spirit Noir - Oi Magoi

5.Triptykon - Melana Chasmata

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Thank you all once again for all of the suggestions and recommendations from 2014, and for following this list over the year! I can't promise I'll get to all of the suggestions, nor will I make this list as much of a priority. However, I will probably get to them at some point in the near future. The only thing I need to do is adjust my ratings, which are skewed very high at the moment.

1.Qualeaceans - Capture Of Ziz

2.Amogh Symphony - Vectorscan

3.Schammasch - Contradiction

4.Kayo Dot - Coffins On Io

5.Stoic Dissention - Autochthon

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my favorite albums in this year so far ...

1.Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus

2.Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum

3.Darkspace - Dark Space III I

4.Bergrizen - Scherbengericht

5.Infestus - The Reflecting Void

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