[Music] Album of the Year 2014

[Marxman]

Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

Honorable Mentions:
Soen - Tellurian
At The Gates - At War With Reality
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden

Not really close. I didn't think this was a particularly good year in music, at least as far as metal and hard rock is concerned. Citadel blew everything else out of the water. A tremendous sophomore effort that nearly equals some of the best work in the genre (Opeth, namely).

Speaking of Opeth, holy god was Pale Communion terrible. Like, really terrible.

[Stormcall]

Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

Not really close. I didn't think this was a particularly good year in music, at least as far as metal and hard rock is concerned.

Guess it depends on what kind of metal you like then, cause I thought it was a pretty kick ass year for metal personally. Last year was much less inspiring.

[hellhamster]

Guess it depends on what kind of metal you like then, cause I thought it was a pretty kick ass year for metal personally. Last year was much less inspiring.

Agreed, metal this year was the best since 2011. Not amazing, but still pretty great. 2013 only had the triumphant return of Gorguts, Kayo Dot, Deafheaven, Gris, Paysage d'Hiver, and a truckload of great OSDM.

[Badpaladin]

Guess it depends on what kind of metal you like then, cause I thought it was a pretty kick ass year for metal personally. Last year was much less inspiring.

While I can't get over Swans' album being the best for me, I'm inclined to agree; 2014 was spectacular for Metal. Behemoth's album in particular was spectacular - not that it did anything unique, but it was just so well-executed. I also really dug the Thantifaxath and Saor albums this year.

[Vestig3]

Only got 2 albums this year overall it was quite a disappointing year (Ofc for the genre's that i like)

Coldplay - Ghost Stories
Kensington - Rivals

[sharlez]

U2 - Songs of Innocence.

Also enjoyed Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes (Tom Morello is a perfect fit)

[nbm02ss]

Too lazy to do anything other than a top 10 list:

1. Nightingale - Retribution
2. Swans - To Be Kind
3. Woven Hand - Refractory Obdurate
4. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry
5. Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
6. Abigor - Leytmotif Luzifer
7. Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
8. Panopticon - Roads to the North
9. Thou - Heathen
10. Morbus Chron - Sweven

[Xe4ro]

I only got 6 albums that came out this year (new, no re-releases etc.)

And for me my personal favourite would be Opeth's Pale Communion.

[inboundpaper]

Masked Intruder - M.I.
Bad Cop/Bad Cop - Boss Lady
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Both of CJ Ramone's releases

Dishonorable mention to Rise Against's The Black Market.

[Deletedaccount1]

I change my vote from To Be Kind to Run the Jewels 2

[Medusa Cascade]

For me it's Akdong Musician - Play

[Deleted]

In Flames - Siren Charms
Machine Head - Bloodstone and Diamonds
Behemoth - The Satanist
Mastodon - Once more round the sun

And many others but that's the shortlist.

[Xe4ro]

Can't really think of any new releases I bought this year besides these two:
Deine Lakaien - Crystal Palace (Darkwave)
Devin Townsend - Z² (Prog Metal)

Both are really good though, I like 'em a lot.

I was quite surprised of myself that i liked Sky Blue more than Dark Matter, the Ziltoid Part

[Radio]

I was quite surprised of myself that i liked Sky Blue more than Dark Matter, the Ziltoid Part

Sky Blue appealed to me very quickly, but I didn't know how to feel about Dark Matters at first. It eventually really grew on me over time to the point where I enjoy it more than Sky Blue (though I did listen to Sky Blue all the way through something like 50 times before I reached that point), especially once I dropped the dialogue by listening to the third disc.

[hellhamster]

Sky Blue appealed to me very quickly, but I didn't know how to feel about Dark Matters at first. It eventually really grew on me over time to the point where I enjoy it more than Sky Blue (though I did listen to Sky Blue all the way through something like 50 times before I reached that point), especially once I dropped the dialogue by listening to the third disc.

Z² was decent, it had some really good songwriting at places, but the super soft and light production was a huge goddamn no no for me...

[Deleted]

I don't really listen to albums, mainly playlists.

Prince's Art Official Age was brilliant though, and One Direction's album was surprisingly good.

[Helicon]

My favourite albums released in 2014 are (in no particular order):

Solitary Sabred - Redemption Through Force
Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
Midnight - No Mercy for Mayhem
Skelator - King of Fear
Stallion - Rise and Ride
P.T.O.M.A. - Shit into Existence
Riot V - Unleash the Fire
Castle - Under Siege
Varathron - Untrodden Corridors of Hades
Cloven Hoof - Resist or Serve

I should also mention that I enjoyed the Bölzer EP, the Sacral Rage promo/demo and the amazing Agrimm Doomhammer - The Day Thy Fall Is the Night We Doom EP!
Many great albums released in 2014... These are the ones that popped in my head right away, for sure there are more I'm forgetting
Now all that's left is to see which ones are great enough to stand the test of time :P I guess by 2016 I'll know which ones I trully liked, if I kept returning to listen to them.

[ro9ue]

I can probably list a handful but the primary album I played the most this year was Chevelle "La Gargola"

[Radio]

Z² was decent, it had some really good songwriting at places, but the super soft and light production was a huge goddamn no no for me...

Dev did feel a little subdued this time around compared to his usual impact. Some of the tracks on both discs were really heavy even amongst his overall work but the with the resulting sound you wouldn't think that they were so.

I definitely still got my money's worth out of the album though, made up for the lact of mastering impact by driving it up with a good set of headphones.

On the topic of all albums released in 2014 that I listened to... very few of the artists that I listen to released anything this year:

Tomorrow's Modern Boxes - Thom Yorke
Casualties of Cool - Dev
Z² - Dev

So there's not much of a point even making my own list! Not enthusiast enough to pour through new albums by genre so I'll leave that to posters like you and Longview.

[galimim]

my top 20 albums of 2014

1) King 810 - Memoirs of a Murderer
2) Feed The Rhino - The Sorrow And The Sound
3) Architects - Lost Forever//Lost Together
4) Black Moth - Condemned To Hope
5) Slipknot - .5 The Gray Chapter
6) Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds
7) Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
8) Beartooth - Disgusting
9 Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown
10) Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun
11) Lower Than Atlantis - Lower Than Atlantis
12) Skindred - Kill The Power
13) Trash Talk - No Peace
14) Marmozets - The Weird And The Wonderful Marmozets
15) Castle - Under Siege
16) Behemoth - The Satanist
17) Killer Be Killed - Killer Be Killed
18) Of Mice & Man - Restoring Force
19) Bear McCreary - Black Sails OST
20) Mariachi el Bronx - Mariachi el Bronx III