I know the year isn't over quite yet. But what is your top five favorite records of this year and why?

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid
And no, I didn't put it here because this is Townsend's forum. This album really is the most entertaining metal album put out this year. It's got comedy, drama, aggression, passion, pretentiousness, musical bombasticism and tons of potential to be one of the most unique in his discography when looking back on his vast career of music.

Sonata Arctica - Unia
I hear tons and tons of crap about this album and can't understand any of it. Sure, it isn't the breakneck speed power-metal that this band was known for. But come on, we have Dragonforce for that now. What this band did on this album is leagues over their other material in song-writing. Progressive power metal indeed. I love this disc for its diversity, its unconventinal structure and most of all the artsy and very well put together lyrics.

Ulver - Shadows Of The Sun
A melancholic meditation. It is the anit-thesis of Blood Inside. An album that just flows through this dark, dusky terrian and a deep rooted sadness and longing. An extremely powerful and honest record. Parts in Vigil, Like Music and What Happened? almost have me in tears. One of Ulver's best

Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Although the concept of this album gets a little redundant at times, it's forgivable considering all the pros. Steven Wilson's voice is at its very best here I think, and the metal riffs don't sound awkward and out of place. They fit right in with the softer, crooning material found here. Anesthetize gets my vote on song of the year with is vast array of dynamics and soaring, other-wordly ending. Sleep Together sounds nothing like anything else they have done. Bravo

Between The Buried And Me - Colours
Crazy, off-the wall musicianship and writing. I wouldn't even call these songs but just a single musical piece. They have finally stripped themselves of the metalcore tag and entered the realm of progressive metal, rivaling even Dream Theater in musical prowness. This album's selling point? It's unpredictability and execution.

Of course, Dillinger hasn't been released yet. So we'll see if this changes.

I'll owe you two. I'm still checking out a lot of stuff from this year.

No particular order.

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient
Insanely entertaining and fun to listen to. The story is great, and Ziltoid is probably one of the best characters ever. Quickly becoming my favorite Dev record.

Shh... This Is A Library - self titled
Really great, dreamy acoustic-ambient. Having been described as sounding like a 'pretty air conditioner,' they capture the essence of youth and innocence in each one of their songs. Amazing debut album.

Melt-Banana - Bambi's Dilemma
Probably Melt-Banana's (a "noise rock" band from Japan) most "accesible" release so far. Doesn't keep it from being awesome. The seemingly random chaoticness is still intact, and as good as ever. 'Cracked Plaster Cast' is a favorite.

Finding even five albums worthy of a mention has been unfortunately difficult this year. There's been so many disappointments compared to what could've been

But anyways. The undisputed leaders:

#1: Ulver - Shadows of the Sun

Simply awesome and smooth. The perfect christmas album I would say (in mood). You can almost see the darkness outside with the very minute snowfall quietly falling with no movement outside. The songs have an excellent flow in the album length.

#2: Samael - Solar Soul

I was extremely surprised what they managed to brew up. Reign of Light was a good album and all, but somewhat dullish at times. But Solar Soul. It fixes all and improves on them by a huge shot. It's just an awesome album to put short. It just gets better and better as it goes on.

#3: Elend - A World In Their Screams

To reach a level of uneasiness while listening to an album that reaches the mightiness of Shinjuku Thief's Medea is a great deed. And that's what this album does. Definitely one of my all time favourite dark ambient/neoclassical albums.

#4: Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

At first the album seemed like a dud. Too similar to Octavarium (which still isn't anything special to me). But after ten or so listens, it suddenly clicked and started to open up in a completely new way. Especially the track The Ministry of Lost Souls and the combination of In the Presence of Enemies Pt. 1 and 2. And seeing them live too. The new tracks are extremely nice live tracks. Maybe not as good as Awake and Images and Words, but not too far.

#5: Rotting Christ - Theogonia

How could they continue on after two albums like Genesis and Sanctus Diavolos without dropping in quality? Well, they can. While this album isn't anything new for them, it really refines the whole process to a direct hit. Extremely well flowing and excellent live tracks too.

1-Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omnicient
2-Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead
3-John Zorn - Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
4-Ministry - The Last Sucker
5-Tomahawk - Anonymous

Ziltoid - who is it by again? Seems like I should know...

Lullaby for the Devil - Dead Soul Tribe

Fear of a Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree

Paradise Lost - Symphony X

Scarsick - Pain of Salvation

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid...
I post on the HDR forums. Reason enough? ;p

Radiohead - In Rainbows
Their best in nearly a decade!

Grinderman - Grinderman
Old guys led by Nick Cave playing kickass rock n' roll

Caribou - Andorra
Dreamy indie. It's very good.

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
My favorite by the band.

Suzanne Vega, Bat for Lashes, The Arcade Fire, Panda Bear, Rush, Porcupine Tree, 3, Therion, Behold The Arctopus, Feist (i think that was this year), Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Einsturzende Neubauten, John Zorn, linda thomspon, robin williamson, a bunch of others have put out solid albums this year.

It's been another great year for music.

I know the year isn't over quite yet. But what is your top five favorite records of this year and why?

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid
And no, I didn't put it here because this is Townsend's forum. This album really is the most entertaining metal album put out this year. It's got comedy, drama, aggression, passion, pretentiousness, musical bombasticism and tons of potential to be one of the most unique in his discography when looking back on his vast career of music.

Sonata Arctica - Unia
I hear tons and tons of crap about this album and can't understand any of it. Sure, it isn't the breakneck speed power-metal that this band was known for. But come on, we have Dragonforce for that now. What this band did on this album is leagues over their other material in song-writing. Progressive power metal indeed. I love this disc for its diversity, its unconventinal structure and most of all the artsy and very well put together lyrics.

Ulver - Shadows Of The Sun
A melancholic meditation. It is the anit-thesis of Blood Inside. An album that just flows through this dark, dusky terrian and a deep rooted sadness and longing. An extremely powerful and honest record. Parts in Vigil, Like Music and What Happened? almost have me in tears. One of Ulver's best

Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Although the concept of this album gets a little redundant at times, it's forgivable considering all the pros. Steven Wilson's voice is at its very best here I think, and the metal riffs don't sound awkward and out of place. They fit right in with the softer, crooning material found here. Anesthetize gets my vote on song of the year with is vast array of dynamics and soaring, other-wordly ending. Sleep Together sounds nothing like anything else they have done. Bravo

Between The Buried And Me - Colours
Crazy, off-the wall musicianship and writing. I wouldn't even call these songs but just a single musical piece. They have finally stripped themselves of the metalcore tag and entered the realm of progressive metal, rivaling even Dream Theater in musical prowness. This album's selling point? It's unpredictability and execution.

Of course, Dillinger hasn't been released yet. So we'll see if this changes.

You have great taste in music....thats pretty much my top 5

No specific order.

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient

Entertaining, at the very least. Ziltoid infiltrates my brain nearly every day with it's chugging guitar riffs and quirky lyrics. This may not be my favorite release from The Dev, but as with all of his releases, it's nothing less than amazing.

Virgin Black - Requiem: Mezzu Forte

This is one of the most overlooked bands on the planet right now, and their newest release puts their first two to shame, which is saying something. Their dark atmosphere and incredible orchestral composition is some of the best I've heard, and this is only one part of a trilogy. I can't wait for the rest.

Ulver - Shadows of the Sun

Someone in this thread has already described this album best. It's one hell of a trip through the minds of Ulver, as well as your own. The first time I listened to it, it tugged at my heart and nearly brought me to tears. It's dark, it's beautiful, and I could see this becoming one of my favorite Ulver releases.

Behemoth - The Apostasy

Probably the only "extreme" metal album on my top list, but it deserves this spot. Everything done on this album is what I've wanted to hear from Behemoth. Songs seem far less cheesy than on it's successor, Demigod, and more care seems to have been taken on the atmospheric portion ov the song writing. Once again, this is an example ov a band triumphing over all ov their previous material. The track Inner Sanctum with Warrell Dane is one ov the best extreme metal songs I've heard in a while.

Primordial - To The Nameless Dead

Until the other day, some other album would be in this spot, but once I gave the new Primordial album a complete listen, I fell in love. This mix of Celtic folk and black metal need not be overlooked by anyone. Forget a lot of the other folk or Viking metal bands, you need to be listening to these guys. Incredible atmosphere and songwriting combined with a very wall-of-sound production style. Deserving of this spot on the list.

It was hard choosing five favorites for the year, because of a pretty steady flow of great album. A few that I would have liked to mention are as follows.

In Lingua Mortua - Bellowing Sea: Racked by Tempest (Almost made it on this list instead of Primordial)
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Dodheimsgard - Supervillain Outcast
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
Oceans of Sadness - Mirror Palace
Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet
Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon

[djskrimp]

1. Devin Townsend "Ziltoid The Omniscient"

The other four, in no particular order, other than they are in my top 5 for 2007 thus far:

Demon Hunter "Storm The Gates Of Hell"
Between the Buried and Me "Colors"
Mnemic "Passenger"
Ulver "Shadows of the Sun"

Albums that get a mention, but not quite top 5:

November's Doom "The Novella Resevoir"
Novembre "The Blue"
Soilwork "Sworn to a Great Divide"
Sybreed "Antares"
Scarve "The Undercurrent"
Chevelle "Vena Sera"
Zonaria "Infamy and the Breed"

There's I haven't heard yet, so the list isn't set in stone.

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
Jesu - Pale Sketches
Saul Williams - Niggy Tardust
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient
Ministry - The Last Sucker

good year for da mewzeek

1: Devin Townsend - Ziltoid
2: Professor Fate - The Inferno
3: Anaal Nathrakh - Hell is Empty and All the Devils are Here
4: Mistress - The Glory Bitches of Doghead
5: Ash - Twilight of the Innocents

i can only list five but here are others that i think were great from this year as well:

The Berzerker - Animosity
Total Fucking Destruction - Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction
The Senseless - In the Realm of the Senseless
Dethklok - The Dethalbum
The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal
Himsa - Summon in Thunder
Manowar - Gods of War
Asesino - Cristo Satanico
Behemoth - The Apostacy
Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide
Demon Hunter - Storm the Gates of Hell
Cephalic Carnage - Xenosapien

I haven't actually listened to too many releases from this year, I can never keep up.

Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero was really cool, same with Ziltoid. I'm downloading some albums right now though, so I may be able to add to the list shortly.

I would like to nominate Megadeth's United Abominations as a worst of the year.

1. Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
2. Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant
3. Type O Negative - Dead Again
4. Amorphis - Silent Waters
5. Threshold - Dead Reckoning

Ziltoid is great, and there have been MANY other awesome albums this year (plus many I'm still looking forward to hearing), but the five above are all pure 10s.

I CAN'T PICK 5. I HATE YOU.

No order:

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
Jesu - One of their 5 releases this year, probably Conqueror or Pale Sketches
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times
Sigur Rós - Hvarf-Heim

That's 6. Argh.

Honourable mentions (or "Sorry") to:

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead
Shining - V: Halmstad
Sigh - Hangman's Hymn

Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell
Devin Townsend -Ziltoid The Omniscient

The rest: ask again in January '08