What are we all listening to at the moment.

[Lew]

What are your guys albums of the year? I would say Earth Rocker but Volition just pipped it to the post I think. Fuzz' self titled is awesome as well.

Off the top of my head I'd go with

Lumbar - The First and Last Days
Suffocation - Pinacle of Bedlam
Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise

[Philly Q]

What are your guys albums of the year?

Without thinking about it very much, so I may be forgetting something:

Blood Ceremony - The Eldritch Dark
Clutch - Earth Rocker
Avatarium - Avatarium

[juansolo]

In order:

Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves (get the one with the extra disc)
Clutch - Earth Rocker
Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues
Monster Magnet - Last Patrol
Samsara Blues Experiment - Waiting for the Flood
Gloryhammer - Tales from the Kingdom of Fife

Doesn't really count as it's a live one but also:

Nightwish - Showtime, Storytime

[forestcaver]

What are your guys albums of the year? I would say Earth Rocker but Volition just pipped it to the post I think. Fuzz' self titled is awesome as well.

Not in order...

Nick Cave - Push The Sky Away
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day
Mogwai - Les Revenants
Atoms For Peace - Amok
Anna Calvi - One Breath

[Plenum n Heather]

In order:

Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves (get the one with the extra disc)

LOVE Riverside! One of the tragically overlooked bands of our age.

For me it's --

Acgua Fragile
Gentle Giant
Kansas

[juansolo]

In order:
Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves (get the one with the extra disc)

LOVE Riverside! One of the tragically overlooked bands of our age.

I have no idea what possessed them to play a gig in Holmfirth of all places, but they filled the place and were amazing.

Check out the three Lunatic Soul albums if you haven't already. All really worth a go.

[Plenum n Heather]

Thanks for the tip! Will do!

[Philly Q]

Lumbar - The First and Last Days
Suffocation - Pinnacle of Bedlam
Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise

Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves (get the one with the extra disc)
Samsara Blues Experiment - Waiting for the Flood
Gloryhammer - Tales from the Kingdom of Fife

I shall check these out, although I heard a couple of Lumbar tracks the other day and found them a bit..... difficult.  I heard a track from the Gloryhammer album too, and although it was (intentionally) funny it might still be a bit too power metal for me!

[juansolo]

GloryHammer is a joke, a funny one, and it's one I oddly just can't get enough of. It's taking the piss, but so unbelievably catchy. You NEED the extra track Wiiiizards! (casting their magic, over the mountains) if you dip in. You put it on as you're in the mood for something light and you end up listening to it all the way through every time. Genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0QxN6Il6q4

Samsara Blues Experiment have done three albums. Long Distance Trip is the first and the best. It's stoner done right with more than a hint of Jim Morrison vocally. The second album was a disappointment. It lacked the epic long trippy tracks and, well, everything that made the first album so good. The third, Waiting for the Flood is a return to form. It's only four tracks, but the shortest is 10:38 ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TnNb3cBzuE

Riverside (and Lunatic Soul, the singer's more ambient side project) are a prog metal powerhouse. How they're not known and not spoken about in the same ways as the likes of Porcupine Tree is beyond me. Albums.... Well all of them are brilliant. Shrine is my current favourite, but they've an insanely good back catalogue. Again try and snag the spec ed's of the discs as they tend to come with a lot more good content. Rapid Eye Movement is a lot of bang for buck as a starting point along with Shine of New Generation Slaves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HWv7YJtYCA

[Plenum n Heather]

Gloryhammer sounds like Nocturnal Rites! :)

And Riverside can do no wrong. They are heavily influenced by mid-era Opeth, imo, but they have a healthy dose of OSI/Kevin Moore era Dream Theater in there as well.

It's criminal to me that bands like Dream Theater (post Moore DT is a yawn-fest) get recognition over the likes of Riverside and Pain Of Salvation.

[juansolo]

Born from the ashes of Alestorm no less ;)

Just noticed you can get Reality Dream Trilogy 6CD Digipak BOX (Riverside), first three albums with all the extras for €25. Well worth it!

[Lew]

Lumbar - The First and Last Days
Suffocation - Pinnacle of Bedlam
Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise

Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves (get the one with the extra disc)
Samsara Blues Experiment - Waiting for the Flood
Gloryhammer - Tales from the Kingdom of Fife

I shall check these out, although I heard a couple of Lumbar tracks the other day and found them a bit..... difficult.  I heard a track from the Gloryhammer album too, and although it was (intentionally) funny it might still be a bit too power metal for me!

Yep, it's a hard listen in a good way. Not surprising what with the content. You know the story to the album I take it?

[Lew]

This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTW0gpC16DE#t=88

[Philly Q]

Yep, it's a hard listen in a good way. Not surprising what with the content. You know the story to the album I take it?

Yeah, I saw the cover art of the album, was intrigued and found a review which explained the background story of the band/project.

[Alex]

I didn't buy a lot of music in 2013, and certainly not a lot of new releases.

My favs are few:

Airborne - Black Dog Barking
Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods
Black Dahlia Murder - Everblack
Steven Wilson - The Raven that refused...

I also picked up the last Five Finger Death Punch (Wrong Side of Heaven), and the new Black Spiders (This Savage Land), but haven't really made up my mind yet on those.