1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

3.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

4.Amorphis - Skyforger

5.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

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1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Alcest - Écailles De Lune

3.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

4.As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security

5.Before The Dawn - Deadlight

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1.Accept - Blind Rage

2.Arch Enemy - War Eternal

3.Astral Doors - Notes From The Shadows

4.At The Gates - At War With Reality

5.Crimson Shadows - Kings Among Men

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1.Alestorm - Sunset On The Golden Age

2.Alterbeast - Immortal

3.Archspire - The Lucid Collective

4.Barathrum - Warmetal

5.Dagor Dagorath - Dissident

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Take a look at the Top Album lists of recent years and you'll notice an obvious trend. In 2005 the average rating of the top 25 albums is 8.76. Jump to 2014 and the average among the top 25 has dropped to 8.26. An almost linear decrease is observable for the 10 years in between.

I was curious to see what a Top 100 for 2000-2014 would look like if I factored the votes to account for the 'rating decline'. I hope you find it interesting.

1.Agalloch - The Mantle

2.Opeth - Blackwater Park

3.Blindead - Affliction XXIX II MXMVI

4.Aquilus - Griseus

5.Nevermore - Dead Heart In A Dead World

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So, my pick of top 10 albums of the year 2014

1.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

2.Behemoth - The Satanist

3.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

4.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

5.Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen

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1.Freak Kitchen - Cooking With Pagans

2.Threshold - For The Journey

3.Serdce - Timelessness

4.Lux Occulta - Kołysanki

5.Freedom Call - Beyond

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1.Helevorn - Compassion Forlorn

2.Septicflesh - Titan

3.Arch Enemy - War Eternal

4.Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era

5.Ghost Brigade - IV - One With The Storm

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1.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

2.Septicflesh - Titan

3.Entombed A.D. - Back To The Front

4.Pain Of Salvation - Falling Home

5.At The Gates - At War With Reality

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1.Septicflesh - Titan

2.Sanctuary - The Year The Sun Died

3.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

4.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

5.Diabulus In Musica - Argia

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1.Hatriot - Dawn Of The New Centurion

2.Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral

3.Benighted - Carnivore Sublime

4.Thanatos - Global Purification

5.Harlott - Origin

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Great year, especially when it comes to melodic stuff. So glad that At the Gates and Empyrium delivered something solid. Even happier that Vanhelga really has become a "Lifelover 2", only darker. Although I am dissapointed that Deathstars didn't release a #1 album.

1.Vanhelga - Längtan

2.Harakiri For The Sky - Aokigahara

3.Twilight Force - Tales Of Ancient Prophecies

4.Duskmourn - Legends

5.Saor - Aura

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1.Sólstafir - Ótta

2.Behemoth - The Satanist

3.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

4.Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen

5.Falloch - This Island, Our Funeral

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After much deliberation and re-listening, this is my top 10 of 2014. I stand by it. What a great year, here's hoping 2015 is even better.

EDIT: Added a few more latecomers.

1.Behemoth - The Satanist

2.Septicflesh - Titan

3.Vader - Tibi Et Igni

4.Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun

5.Aspherium - The Fall Of Therenia

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1.Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds

2.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

3.Behemoth - The Satanist

4.More Than A Thousand - Vol.5 Lost At Home

5.Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

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