2015 albums

[Justin Case]

Hmmm...thought I already posted this. Maybe it was in another 2015 albums thread.

 

Anyhow...

 

http://is1.mzstatic.com/image/pf/us/r30/Music3/v4/c4/3e/09/c43e09af-e9b7-aa05-105c-7ca678acf9db/Faith_No_More_-_Sol_Invictus_-_Cover.200x200-75.jpg

Edited March 11, 2015 by Justin Case

[Mr. JD]

Collective Soul is releasing a new album this summer.

[RushCanuck]

I received an email today that you can now pre-order the new Muse album entitled Drones.

 

http://muse.mu/home.htm

[Segue Myles]

I am finally warming to all the new Toto stuff. May be blown away...and also the new Nightwish.

 

I am so spoiled this March!

[adace1]

Time to necro this thread.

 

1. Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful: Just a phenomenal album. Didn't think much of it at first but after a while I've grown to like it more than Imaginaerum. And I absolutely love the concept behind it.

 

2. Tremonti - Cauterize: Meat and potatoes hard rock/heavy metal. This has been my go-to album when I want something simple, catchy and heavy.

 

3. Symphony X - Underworld: This marks the first time they've incorporated old school elements since The Odyssey and I think it turned out really well. Every song is just killer!

 

4. Ghost - Meliora: Yeah, this is gonna make my 2015 top 10 for sure. I felt that Opus wasn't quite catchy enough while Infestissumam wasn't quite heavy enough. On Meliora they perfected the balance and delivered some of the catchiest, most memorable metal songs I've heard. I think it could have used one more song but otherwise it's definitely their best album.

 

5. Kamelot - Haven: Can't say I like it as much as Silverthorn (my favorite of theirs) but it's still fantastic and retains their trademark sound.

 

6. Paradise Lost - The Plague Within: Never been a huge fan of this band but this album definitely sticks out, especially after Nick's superb performance on the latest Bloodbath record. It's heavy as hell, dark and melodic all at the same time.

 

7. Tame Impala - Currents: It was pretty unexpected to see this band change their sound so drastically, but I'm a huge fan of 80's pop so I really dig the direction on this album. This and the new Chvrches record will probably tie for my pop album of the year.

 

8. Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine: So this band definitely isn't metal anymore but that's not at all a bad thing. This is by far their softest and most beautiful album. Lots of influences from great artists such as Steven Wilson, Pink Floyd, Opeth etc. There's even one track that could fit on a Cure album. I really liked the last album but I haven't found myself going back to it nearly as much as I have with this one.

 

9. Chelsea Wolfe - The Abyss: This is her darkest and most pained album, which is saying a lot. I'm glad she toned down the vocal effects, but on the whole I'm not connecting with it quite as well as I did with Pain is Beauty. Still, there are some really beautiful, haunting tracks like Iron Moon and Carrion Flowers.

 

10. God is an Astronaut - Helios/Erebus: So many bands have done the whole post-rock thing but few others nail quite like GIAA do. Some truly mesmerizing, intense stuff on this album. And it's a huge plus that's it's so diverse. This is really what post-rock should sound like.

 

Looking forward to:

 

Iron Maiden - Book of Souls

Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

Soilwork - The Ride Majestic

Motorhead - Bad Magic

Ahab - Boats of the Glen Carrig

Stratovarius - Eternal

Tesseract - Polaris

Scale the Summit - V

Deafheaven - New Bermuda

Chvrches - Every Open Eye

Clutch - Psychic Warfare

David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

Graveyard - Innocence and Decadence

Intronaut - The Direction of Last Things

Deftones - TBA

Saxon - Battering Ram

Avatarium - The Girl With the Raven Mask

Panopticon - Autumn Eternal

Draconian - Sovran

Trivium - Silence in the Snow

[Segue Myles]

So far:

 

1. Nightwish- Endless Forms Most Beautiful

I loved this from the first listen and I am already certain this is one of my all time favourite albums!

 

2. Fifth Harmony- Reflection

Sorry. This. Just. Is.

 

3. Toto- XIV

Wonderful! Not one single drop of originality, but the whole album is stunning!

 

4. The Gentle Storm- The Diary

Wowowowowowowowowowow! Amazing concept album. Stunning vocals, lush book, flawless instrumentation...

 

5. Tremonti- Cauterize

I was craving more Alter Bridge. I am also dying for the next Tremonti!

 

Disappointment of the year:

 

Paradise Lost- The Plague Within

I just cannot connect with this.

[Turbine Freight]

Michael Monroe - Blackout States. Can't come soon enough for me!

[ReRushed]

I'm looking forward to the new albums from Beach House, Deerhunter and the Dear Hunter.

[The Analog Cub]

Really warmed up to the new Muse album, Drones. It's better than the 2nd Law by a longshot, and might be better than The Resistance, though I'm not sure sure yet. It's not better than Black Holes and Revelations or Absolution.

 

Joe Bonamassa released a live record at Red Rocks playing Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf tunes, and that was a good release. Wish I owned the DVD.

 

That's as far as I've gotten on stuff that's been released. The real fun comes in September!

 

Iron Maiden - Book of Souls :haz:

David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

Gary Clark Jr. - The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim

[J2112YYZ]

I've never listened to David Gilmour's solo stuff but I did like the new song I heard. I think i'll give his new album a shot. Edited August 21, 2015 by J2112YYZ

[Digital Dad]

Only the Maiden. I will pre-order rhe book version. Not going for the Gilmour though the packaging looks really interesting. If fhats the best part about it han I am not in. Heard some of Ghost and it underwhelmed me. Not into Spocks Beard so I'll give that one a miss, though I do like Teds voice so I may preview some tracks.

[Turbine Freight]

Walter Trout - Battle Scars out in a few weeks. Should be a goodie.

[pip65]

Looking forward to Riverside's new album - Love, Life and the Time machine - to be released early September.

[adace1]

Update:

 

1. The Sword - High Country: Eh, besides a few tracks this one didn't really do much for me. Stoner rock is great and all but other bands have done it better. I really think they should have stuck to their roots.

 

2. Iron Maiden - Book of Souls: Another solid album from one of the world's best metal bands. Death or Glory, Empire of the Clouds and The Red and The Black are my standouts.

 

3. Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine: A very welcome, brilliantly executed change in style. Lots of hints of Steven Wilson, Opeth, Pink Floyd etc. on this one. Definitely one of the most beautiful albums of the year.

 

4. Soilwork - The Ride Majestic: It was a pretty hard feat to live up to the fantastic The Living Infinite but they definitely pulled it off here. Each song is really catchy and has a unique identity. An addictive album for sure.

 

5. Motorhead - Bad Magic: I dunno, it's solid enough but their style is so simplistic that it all the songs just start blending into each other after a while. Might give it another listen soon.

 

6. Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud: Wow! This might be my favorite of theirs! The melodies, the growls, the choruses, the lyrics...it's all pretty much perfect. Another strong contender for my top 10 of 2015 list.

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Another great year.

 

Maiden

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats

The Sword

Saxon(in October)

Riverside

Von Hertzen Brothers

The KVB

Courtney Barnett

Bop English

Tim Bowness

Steven Wilson

Ghost

Muse

FNM

Tame Impala

David Gilmour(next week)

Sweet Billy Pilgrim

Aristocrats

Richard Thompson

Sarah Cracknell

District 97

Built To Spill

Anekdoten

Therapy?

 

That's one sweet year. So far.

[Steevo]

1. The Sword - High Country: Eh, besides a few tracks this one didn't really do much for me. Stoner rock is great and all but other bands have done it better. I really think they should have stuck to their roots.

 

This was truly awful. They screwed up with this direction

 

Open to the new Saxon, Gilmour and Riverside. A few from that list Hatchey I will have to do some research on

Edited September 9, 2015 by Steevo

[Mr. Not]

New Stratovarius Album today on the 9th :D

[Segue Myles]

1. Nightwish- Endless Forms Most Beautiful

 

A lot of my initial "new release" enthusiasm had waned at this point, but what remains is an absolutely magnificent work of art that, whilst only subtley adding new elements to the bands sound, remains a fresh, invigorating and ultimately moving listening experience. Nothing comes close to this.

 

2. Toto- XIV

 

A few months ago,I predicted this one to be my album of the year, hands down. But it isn't. Partly this is because Nightwish SLAYED my year, but also, their is an overriding sense of familiarity to this album that, whilst not taking away at all from the greatness of the songs, feels only slightly less than fresh. For all my issues with their last album, Falling In Between, I would have to say I applaud that release for at least feeling like a new chapter. But if this is to be my beloved Toto's final album, they end their recording career with one of their finest albums of all time. At its best,it rivals their most famous classics.

 

3. Fifth Harmony- Reflection

 

A year spent battling depression, quitting very strong meds, and making big changes in my personal life, left me at times with little desire to pay attention to complex music. This album, a collection of typical sounding chart pop and rnb, brought a lot of innocent joy to my unfocused mind. Does it deserve a place on my list? No. But I cannot deny that this is the most I have enjoyed a modern pop album since 2003.

 

4. The Gentle Storm- Diary

 

A magnificent concept album, I bought the four disc edition: The gentle version, the heavy version, and each variations instrumental discs. An absolute heavenly delight!

 

5. Bon Jovi- Burning Bridges

 

This is meant to be a "fans only" album, being a small collection of unreleased songs, demos and a couple of new ones. This smacks of contractual obligation, as around the time of its release, the band left their label and they have announced a new, proper album for next year. What we have here, for all the antihype from the band themselves, is the strongest collection of songs from this band since 1995. And Richie Sambora had little to no part in its creation. Stellar.

 

More in a bit!

[Segue Myles]

Disappointments so far:

 

1. Paradise Lost- The Plague Within

The metallic edge of the two previous albums remains. The production is cleaner. Some great songs. But the melodies are not as strong, and after two phenomenal albums in Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us and Tragic Idol, this really falls flat. Bad album? No.

 

2. Idlewild- Everything Ever Written

This Scottish band is one of my favourites. Punk, REM style pop, Killers style choruses and a strong folk and American leaning pervades this album. As it did the previous five. Which were absolutely breathtaking. This one is just...nice. But after four years of quiet, this was a limp comeback.

 

3. Iron Maiden- Book Of Souls

Bored already. But not easily faulted.

[geezer]

I feel disappointed by the new The Sword album but I got the new Witchsorrow (a three piece English Doom Metal band) yesterday and it's a killer!