What's your album of 2013?

[Ami]

Just a little fun thread to see what everyone chooses.

As for me, has to be this:

Spoiler

I know it's another Greatest Hits album, but it has a few new songs such as the brilliant People Like Us and nostalgic, but catchy Catch My Breath. All the other hits to date just make it an amazing album and she's my favourite American female singer.

 

[Ⓐaron]

Kayo Dot - Hubardo

You can listen here, although this probably isn't the place to start if you're not familiar with this kind of music. The maudlin of the Well albums are probably better starting places, particularly Part the Second.

 

[SoulReaper]

Basically my top 20. I know there can be only one but I don't care and post a list. Too many great albums.

1. Gorguts - Colored Sands
2. Atlantean Kodex - The White Goddes
3. Procession - To Reap Heavens Apart
4. Tribulation - The Formulas of Death
5. Defeated Sanity - Passages Into Deformity
6. Cultes Des Ghoules - Henbane
7. Grave Miasma - Odori Sepulcrorum
8. Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise
9. In Solitude -Sister
10. Aosoth - IV - An Arrow InHeart
11. Satan - Life Sentence
12. Cult Of Luna - Vertikal
13. Age Of Taurus - Desperate Souls In Tortured Times
14. Inquisition - Obscure Verses For The Multiverse
15. Nails - Abandon All Life
16. Eartless - From The Ages
17. Argus - Beyond The Martyrs
18. Ulcerate - Vermis
19. Windhand - Soma
20 The Ruins of Beverast - Blood Vaults

 

[Fangu]

Daft Punk - Random Access Memory

 

[AvecAloes]

Atoms for Peace - Amok.

 

[Telcontar]

I'm with Fangu. Random Access Memories.

 

[Fastphase1]

Rush-Vapor Trails Remixed

After six years of hiatus due to Neil Peart's personal tragedy Rush released Vapor Trails in 2002. While the album was met with critical acclaim, it was a notable loudness war victim. However after positive feedback that two remixes from Retrospective 3 compliation happened, David Bottrill remixed the whole album.

The remix sounds incredible and it gives a whole new life for some songs ("Peaceable Kingdom's" verses have a lower register and title drop in "The Stars Look Down" has an echo effect that the original didn't have). It's my album of the year because not only it's a great remix but a massive love letter to fans who felt that the original lacked something.

 

[Geostigma]

Rush-Vapor Trails Remixed

After six years of hiatus due to Neil Peart's personal tragedy Rush released Vapor Trails in 2002. While the album was met with critical acclaim, it was a notable loudness war victim. However after positive feedback that two remixes from Retrospective 3 compliation happened, David Bottrill remixed the whole album.

The remix sounds incredible and it gives a whole new life for some songs ("Peaceable Kingdom's" verses have a lower register and title drop in "The Stars Look Down" has an echo effect that the original didn't have). It's my album of the year because not only it's a great remix but a massive love letter to fans who felt that the original lacked something.

Havent checked out the vapor trails remix but it sounds like it corrects one of my biggest complaints of the original mix



I dont really have an album of the year but I do quite enjoy A Perfect Circles single "By and Down". Im not a fan of APC or Tool all that much but I really like this song mainly due to how much it reminds me of the band Agalloch sound. If your into Agalloch this song is a very very nice spin on there style.

 

[Fastphase1]

You can listen the whole album at Rolling Stone's website for free. I bought the CD because of it. Now that I think of it, I used my whole one-week vacation from school sitting on my computer, listening that album.

 

[crevaxa]

I've got a tie for first.

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
One of the few bands that have never let me down.I was skeptical at first when I heard they would reunite, but once I heard Black Gives Way to Blue my fears were put to rest, and again when I heard the strange album title I was again skeptical, but then I just listened to the music. Shit's awesome. Jerry Cantrell might be the most underrated songwriter in modern rock music. You can hear the classic metal influence on nearly every song on this album. Hollow might be the heaviest single they've ever recorded.

Sulphur Aeon - Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide
Sometimes, when you see an album with a sick cover, you know the music inside of it is just going to be awesome. Sulphur Aeon's debut, Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide is one of those cases for me. I checked this album out simply because of the amazing depiction of Cthulhu emerging from his sunken tomb on the cover. The music though is absolutely soul crushing death metal.

 

[Cthulhu]

I googled said cover, it is indeed valid,

http://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/SulphurAeon_Cover_final.jpg (warning: big-ass version)

IÄ! CTHULHU FHTAGN!

 

[SoulReaper]

Now go buy the fucking record, it's solid.

 

[Joe]

Spoiler: Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days

 

[Mage]

I've got a tie for first.

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
One of the few bands that have never let me down.I was skeptical at first when I heard they would reunite, but once I heard Black Gives Way to Blue my fears were put to rest, and again when I heard the strange album title I was again skeptical, but then I just listened to the music. Shit's awesome. Jerry Cantrell might be the most underrated songwriter in modern rock music. You can hear the classic metal influence on nearly every song on this album. Hollow might be the heaviest single they've ever recorded.

Heard about this coming out but haven't checked it out yet. Gonna hit Amazon hard when payday rolls around. <3 Jerry Cantrell, what an amazing voice.

My album of 2013 was probably Babel by Mumford and Sons (yes I know it came out in September 2012 but I didn't get it til this year). Fuck da haterz, it's a brilliant drift-off/sing-along album and cheers me up. Anything that keeps me from going postal at work is a Good Thing.

 

[Geostigma]

Sulphur Aeon - Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide
Sometimes, when you see an album with a sick cover, you know the music inside of it is just going to be awesome. Sulphur Aeon's debut, Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide is one of those cases for me. I checked this album out simply because of the amazing depiction of Cthulhu emerging from his sunken tomb on the cover. The music though is absolutely soul crushing death metal.

Just checked it out. Its pretty damn good I only wish the songs were longer, I dont know if this feeling is because I liked it so much and wished there was more or if its valid complaint.

None the less solid album passing it on to fellow metal enthusiasts.

 

[SoulReaper]

I'll also try to describe the albums that made my top 10 as I haven't much to do anyways.

1. Gorguts - Colored Sands: the long awaited comeback album from Death Metal visionaries Gorguts did not dissapoint at all. So many interesting layers and textures, atmospheric yet brutal.... Yet it doesn't sound like their two predeccors. A fantastic addition to their already amazing discography. This is a band that keeps evolving.

2. Atlantean Kodex - The White Goddess: No this is some glorious Epic Heavy Metal. Think Viking era Bathory with some early Manowar and Solstice influences, yet they manage a sound of their on. Glorious uplifting songs with some beautiful folk influences and interesting themes.... an album I couldn't live without in bad times... it's really the most beautifully uplifting 2013 metal album without falling in the cheesy category at all.

3. Procession - To Reap Heavens Apart: Now this is some serious great Epic Doom Metal in the veins of Candlemass. Amazingly well written songs with riffs heavier than thou and the vocals have improved greatly from their last album. Mandatory for epic Doom Metal fans.

4. Tribulation - The Formulas Of Death: Now this is a completely different beast from their last album, which was killer straight forward Old School Death Metal. On this album they got some serious ambition. Songs that usually last over 6 minutes, throwing in strange influences in a while, (even Reggae and folk!) yet composing the songs so masterfully making this one of 2013's most fantastic metal albums.

5. Defeated Sanity - Passages Into Deformity: Possibly the most brutal Death Metal band going right now, on this album their songriting really has refined while being as brutal as they ever were. Some really amazing musicianship going on over here yet it never loses any of it's power.

6. Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane: Now this is some deranged old school Black Metal. Crushing riffs all the time with some of the most possessed vocals I've heard in a while. In a scene poisoned with stupid trendy bands with indie faggots flirting with postrock and sounding fucking innocent and sweet, this is a breath of fresh air.

7. Grave Miasma - Odori Sepulcrorum: Filthy Death Metal that sounds like it's recorded in a cave, which is a good thing. The atmosphere is deadly, and their riffs very interesting. As this is how Death Metal anno 2013 could sound like, I have high hopes for the genre.

8. Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise: Less Doom Metal and more psychedlic rock on her new album, but it doesn't matter. Her song writing has greatly improved and her beautiful vocals are as atmospheric as ever. Less heavy than her previous efforts, but... it's the atmosphere she creates that makes her stand out in the 'Occult Rock' trend.

9. In Solitude - Sister: Now hat do e have here; I loved their last album which was a nice mix of Mercyful Fate and NWOBHM. On this record, they seem to have listened to a lot of Gothic Rock. The record is still Heavy Metal, only with some interesting Goth rock influences. The songwriting is fantastic, and the songs really get under my skin after a couple of listens.

10. Aosoth - IV - An Arrow In Heart: Now this is some killer Black Metal. There's obviously a mid carreer era Deathspell Omega influence in their sound, but they create a killer atmosphere with some of the finest Black Metal riffs I heard in a while. A mandatory 2013 Black Metal release for fans of the genre.