2012 Revised
Looking back at my old list I realized it's pretty damn shit, here's an rupdated one |
| 20 |  | Om
Advaitic Songs
It's alright, but Id it off my phone for something a bit more accessible, it's great to chill out to though. 5.5/10 |
| 19 |  | alt-j
An Awesome Wave
It's a good album, but I got sick of it once they one The Mercury Award and their music was plastered all over douche adverts
and BBC3. 6/10 |
| 18 |  | Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lost in the New Real
Some good stuff from Arjen (-some-), but I was never into him or Aryeon anyway - it's all a bit too cheesy prog for me. 6/10 |
| 17 |  | Astra
The Black Chord
I prefered The Weirding. 6.5/10 |
| 16 |  | The Devin Townsend Project
Epicloud
Quite disappointing from Monsieur Devy - after listening to Deconstruction and Ghost I was expecting to be blown away. It was
good, but not -that- good. 6.5/10 |
| 15 |  | Muse
The 2nd Law
Prepare your butts, they're about to get mad.
I liked it. Yeah, I said it. I prefer it to Resistance, even Black Holes to some extent. It's very hit and miss, granted, but when it
hits, it hits hard. Animals, Liquid State, The 2nd Law blow the other songs out of the water - but that really isn't a challenge, is
it? 6.5/10 |
| 14 |  | The Flower Kings
Banks of Eden
Numbers is a mind-blowing track, it's rather dark for TFK, that's why I love it (and that length, hnnng). The other songs ranged
from meh to good, and that's not counting the other tracks on the bonus edition. 7/10 |
| 13 |  | Anathema
Weather Systems
A great album, tracks like The Lost Child and The Storm and The Calm are fantastic, but for the rest of the songs, they were a
little too feel-good for me - I cannot into positive emotions. 7/10 |
| 12 |  | The Pineapple Thief
All the Wars
The Pineapple Thief are a fantastic band, don't get me wrong, but this album seemed a little lacking in comparison to Little Man
or Someone Here is Missing. Tracks like Last Man Standing, Reaching Out and One Step Away are easily forgotten, whereas
tracks like Burning Pieces, Warm Seas and Give it Back are Muse-esque in their grandeur. But that'll always be TPT's problem -
being compared to Muse, but fortunately this album wasn't as disappointing as theirs. 7/10 |
| 11 |  | Tetrafusion
Horizons
Great album, but originality is a bit concerning - it sounds a little too much like stereotypical progressive metal for my liking,
apart from the ending of Styrofoam Breath which is just beautiful. It's a shame this EP wasn't made longer. 7/10 |
| 10 |  | iLiKETRAiNS
The Shallows
Ironically, The Pineapple Thief is the reason why I'm into these guys - saw them twice this year at Manchester and Sheffield
where they played a large proportion of The Shallows, and lordy lordy lord it was good. The vocalist sounds uncannily like The
Editors's vocalist, and sometimes it gets rather monotonous - if ILT were to produce a live album, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
7.5/10 |
| 9 |  | Naked Truth
Ouroboros
This jazz fusion band's second album is not easy listening. But when you're in the mindset, it's bloody brilliant - some of the
brass section's layering is very jarring in some songs, and the writing (if there even was any) is inconsistant, but oh my god, the
opening track 'Dust' makes up for all that. 7.5/10 |
| 8 |  | The Mars Volta
Noctourniquet
I haven't listened to this in a while, but I do remember listening to it and thinking it was a love-hate album; some tracks like
Imago and Lapochka are obvious filler and it really bugs me. Sure, it isn't as magnificent as Deloused or Frances, but this is a
fairly strong album - the last three tracks make up for its inconsistency. 7.5/10 |
| 7 |  | North Atlantic Oscillation
Fog Electric
Being post-progressive-electronica-rock-ambeint-fusion-fuck-core, you can't really make heads or tails where this band ought
to be - they've made their own niche. All the fields they reach into they cover magnificently on Fog Electric, from the ambient-
electronic 'Interval' to the post-rock 'The Reciever'. Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for long songs. 8/10 |
| 6 |  | Storm Corrosion
Storm Corrosion
I was never into Steven Wilson or Mikael Akerfeldt before listening to this - I think this is what really got me into Opeth and
Porcupine Tree; so I wasn't let down by the over-hype all the other fans experienced. In fact, I wasn't let down at all - this is a
really strong album with very little flaws, but it's not my absolute favourite. 8/10 |
| 5 |  | Rush
Clockwork Angels
Lower down on the list this time - it's a great album and one of Rush's best since Moving Pictures - but the whole feel-good
tones make my black and rotting heart twinge rather uncomfortably; if they reeled it back a bit I'd be in love with it. 8.5/10 |
| 4 |  | Ancients
Star Showers on the Euphrates
I bought this album on a whim, and I don't regret it one bit. The music is as beautiful as the artwork - I highly reccomend the
track Icarus. 8.5/10 |
| 3 |  | Between the Buried and Me
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
This was rather low down last time; after a few more listens it's become my
favourite BTBAM album with Colours - the flute solo in Melting City is to die for.
9/10 |
| 2 |  | Crippled Black Phoenix
(Mankind) The Crafty Ape
Good lordy lordy lord this album is fantastic - from its reach to diverse genres like
(In the Yonder Marsh)'s dark ambient tones to The Brain/Poznan's space rock
elements; it rarely fails to surprise me on every listen. 9/10 |
| 1 |  | Coheed and Cambria
The Afterman: Ascension
Hands down my favourite album; the concept of The Amory Wars flies right over my
head in the other albums, but Ascension is just so gripping. The only flaw is ending
on Subtraction, otherwise I think it's perfect - 9.5/10 |
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