Favorite 5 albums of the year 2020

karljant

karljant

Ancient Mariner
Self explanatory. Here are mine:

Paradise Lost - Obsidian (Doom/ Gothic Metal)
PG. Lost - Oscilate (Post Rock)
Iress - Flaw (Post Metal)
Zeal And Ardor - Wake Of A Nation (Gospel/ Alternative/ Black Metal)
Mark Lanegan - Straight Songs Of Sorrow (Alternative Rock)

What's your list?
 
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I only have 3 albums from 2020

1) Night - High Tides - Distant Skies
2) British Lion - The Burning
3) AC/DC - PWR/UP
 
srfc said:
I only have 3 albums from 2020

1) Night - High Tides - Distant Skies
2) British Lion - The Burning
3) AC/DC - PWR/UP
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Yup... it was kind of a week album in quantity for well known reasons (therefore affecting quality). Records from Sepultura, Napalm Death, Enslaved and Névoa were also worthy inclusions but 9 is quite a odd number (plus I think the ones above are on another level).
 
1. Unleash The Archers - Abyss
2. Armored Saint - Punching the Sky
3. Nightwish - Human. :||: Nature.
4. Sons of Apollo - MMXX

That’s about it. Other albums I listened to a few times and generally liked include Testament - Titans of Creation and John Petrucci - Terminal Velocity.
 
Oranssi Pazuzu-Mestarin Kynsi (listening to Careful With That Axe, Eugene by Pink Floyd while riding a roller coaster in the dark on acid)
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-KG (psychedelic garage rock from Australia)
Osees-Protean Threat (psychedelic garage rock from California)
Bartess Strange-Live Forever (what pop music should sound like, from USA)
Boris-NO (various metal genres, from Japan)
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
3. Nightwish - Human. :||: Nature.
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I was actually wondering how this one held up for you as it’s had more time to sink in. On release I loved the hell out of it. As the year has gone on I don’t like it as much as it’s settled for me, but I still really think it’s a cool as hell album and in their upper echelon of releases, and in a lot of ways I appreciate it more than I did before.
 
Diesel 11 said:
I was actually wondering how this one held up for you as it’s had more time to sink in. On release I loved the hell out of it. As the year has gone on I don’t like it as much as it’s settled for me, but I still really think it’s a cool as hell album and in their upper echelon of releases, and in a lot of ways I appreciate it more than I did before.
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It held up better than expected. I still think it sounds like Tuomas has his head a little too far up his own ass, but the sonic achievements are really something. Not sure who pointed it out, but the three-part vocal harmonies throughout the album are stellar. How's The Heart is an instant classic, I love Tribal, and the rest of the songs are all solid. It's definitely more of an album than a collection of songs, which is both very cool and makes a few of the songs less memorable on an individual basis.

I do not listen to the second disc.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Not sure who pointed it out, but the three-part vocal harmonies throughout the album are stellar.
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Might’ve been me. I remember you disliked the mixing of the vocals and to an extent I actually agree with that point, but when listened to it with the right stuff it sounds gorgeous.

MrKnickerbocker said:
I do not listen to the second disc.
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Damn, ah well. Nightwish actually really got me appreciating orchestral music as a whole, and a large part is do to “All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World”. It’s true that there isn’t a whole lot that really happens, but that ‘minimalism’ actually makes me like it more. It’s a great piece to be introspective with while it’s on and IMO it’s my favorite song on the album (although it’s really more of a suite). When I watch films now I’m constantly analyzing the music in them thanks to Nightwish, so that’s really cool.

But I love that the album is split in two, because it allows the listener to pick and choose — if you like the typical metal style, then Disc One is for you. If you like orchestral stuff, then Disc Two is for you. Or if you’re like me — both disc are great together.
 
I listened to Ghost Of Orion a reasonable amount of times when it came out. It's a good album but IMO middle of the rank when it comes to MDB (at least there are some slight differences here and there from their typical sound that kinda spice up the record). Flowers Of Evil was a total let down... Not that I'm totally anti electronic Ulver, but it's way too linear for my taste. Utgard is really cool and has lots of quality - no matter if the songs are more into folk (like to see them embrace this side after so many time absent), prog or black. But it's an album I rarely listen to... I don't know why. It's not like the previous one (E) that although being well played (as always) simply bored me to death. That's not the case with Utgard. I really like it but somehow I end up listening to it too little. Perhaps i'm just not in the mood for their sound right now and eventually will listen to it much more in the future.
 
Night Prowler said:
As nothing else worth checking out is coming out until the end of the year... it's time for my favorite songs of the year - Spotify playlist:

open.spotify.com

Best of 2020

Best of 2020 · Playlist · 11 songs
open.spotify.com open.spotify.com

I limited myself to one song per artist. Overall a poor year.

Top 5 albums:
1. Paradise Lost - Obsidian
2. Enslaved - Utgard
3. Dark Tranquillity - Moment
4. Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment
5. The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic I Cenozoic
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@Night Prowler May Our Chamber Be Full is also a cool collaboration. The only record from your list that really disappointed me (as did the previous one) was Moment by Dark Tranquillity.
 
karljant said:
I listened to Ghost Of Orion a reasonable amount of times when it came out. It's a good album but IMO middle of the rank when it comes to MDB (at least there are some slight differences here and there from their typical sound that kinda spice up the record). Flowers Of Evil was a total let down... Not that I'm totally anti electronic Ulver, but it's way too linear for my taste. Utgard is really cool and has lots of quality - no matter if the songs are more into folk (like to see them embrace this side after so many time absent), prog or black. But it's an album I rarely listen to... I don't know why. It's not like the previous one (E) that although being well played (as always) simply bored me to death. That's not the case with Utgard. I really like it but somehow I end up listening to it too little. Perhaps i'm just not in the mood for their sound right now and eventually will listen to it much more in the future.
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But Sodom's Genesis XIX is a really good one, isn't it?
 
Magnus said:
But Sodom's Genesis XIX is a really good one, isn't it?
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Listened to a couple of songs... seems more modern sounding and heavy (blast beats and stuff). But TBH I think the last album I've listened to them that rang with me was Tapping The Vein. Every now and then when they release new stuff I go and check and it sounds cool but lacks a bit of that "x" factor. Same with Kreator after Hordes Of Chaos... After making the crap pie that was Endorama these dudes came out firing with all cylinders with Violent Revolution and Hordes Of Chaos (in between they released Enemy Of God which IMO is merely ok) and although the following albums followed the same heavy thrash vibe there was something missing. That's the same for Sodom since the 90's.
 
karljant said:
Listened to a couple of songs... seems more modern sounding and heavy (blast beats and stuff). But TBH I think the last album I've listened to them that rang with me was Tapping The Vein. Every now and then when they release new stuff I go and check and it sounds cool but lacks a bit of that "x" factor. Same with Kreator after Hordes Of Chaos... After making the crap pie that was Endorama these dudes came out firing with all cylinders with Violent Revolution and Hordes Of Chaos (in between they released Enemy Of God which IMO is merely ok) and although the following albums followed the same heavy thrash vibe there was something missing. That's the same for Sodom since the 90's.
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Like you, I lost them around Tapping The Vein. Yet, give the new album a chance. Sounds like Persecution Mania meets Agent Orange in the new millennium, without being nostalgic. A very rare case of a band going to its best 80s albums without sounding ridiculous. Annihilator tried more than once and failed, Sodom seem to have succeeded.
 
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