Album of the Midyear?

Well we are half way through 2014 (almost) so I was wondering, what has been some of your favorite albums so far, that came out this year?

(shrugs) Beats me. I've only bought old sh*t so far this year
Looking forward to the new discs from Accept and Overkill later this year tho.

My favorite so far (by a wide margin) is Cynic's Kindly Bent To Free Us. That'll be a tough one to beat for the year.

No opinion, I haven't purchased a single new release this year.

Nothing has really blown me away so far, unless we're counting reissues.

Then it would be:

Manilla Road- Mystification
Wrathchild America- 3-D
Sadus- Chemical Exposure

Guess I'll go with "Dawn of the New Centurion" by Hatriot.

Nothing yet.

I've made 10 2014 purchases so far this year and while there has been a few decent ones (The Strypes, and Vintage Caravan come to mind), ain't none of them made my nuts bounce up and down like a yo-yo. I expect that to change in the next few months, but I'll hold off giving props to anyone just yet. Too soon for me.

I've only bought 2 new releases this year: Primal Fear's Delivering The Black and Iced Earth's Plagues Of Babylon. Out of those, I'd lean toward Iced Earth I guess.

Fat Freddy wrote:

(shrugs) Beats me. I've only bought old sh*t so far this year
Looking forward to the new discs from Accept and Overkill later this year tho.

+1

My favorite would be

Triptykon - Melana Chasmata

But others I have dug

Alcest - Shelter
Landskap - S/T
Bloody Hammers - Under Satan's Sun
E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr - Spiralo
The August - Lizard King
Messenger - Illusory Blues
Devin Townsend - Casualties of Cool

and others that I liked enough to buy but have no chance of an end of year showing - Brody Dalle, Vintage Caravan, The Oath, Night Satan, Sabbath Assembly, Tusmorke

There's also a ton of 2013 releases that I haven't discovered till this year.

There has been a lot of mediocrity so far this year. Here are my current rankings, keeping in mind most of these wouldn't have made my top 15 last year; and also that I'm heavily biased towards the hair/sleaze genre:



1. Winger--Better Days Comin'
2. Rubicon Cross--Rubicon Cross
3. Confess--Jail
4. Arch Enemy--War Eternal
5. Tesla--Simplicity
6. The Treatment--Running with the Dogs
7. Iced Earth--Plagues of Babylon
8. H.E.A.T.--Tearin' Down the Walls
9. KXM--KXM
10. Joe Elliott's Down 'N' Outz--The Further Adventures of...
11. Axel Rudi Pell--Into the Storm
12. Gasoline Stars--Good Looks, Bad Behaviour
13. Pretty Maids--Louder Than Ever
14. Fatal Smile--White Trash Heroes
15. Veni Domine--Lights
16. Sister--Disguised Vultures
17. Humbucker--King of the World
18. Gotthard--Bang!
19. LRS--Down To The Core
20. Three Lions--Three Lions
21. Adrenaline Mob--Men of Honor
22. Johnny Crash--Fight The Cause
23. Primal Fear--Delivering the Black
24. Holy Moses--Redefined Mayhem

Biggest disappointments:

Sebastian Bach--Give 'Em Hell
The Last Vegas--Sweet Salvation
Jizzy Pearl--Crucified



I haven't heard the new Loudness album yet since it just came out, but if the album is like the single, I expect I'll rank it pretty high.

Gridlink's Longhenia was the first album I've listened to so far that made me open up to an entirely new genre of music I had no interest in. Gotta give them props on amazing musicianship.

aside from that
Sonata Arctica-Pariahs Child
Casualties of Cool-Casualties of Cool
Behemoth-The Satanist
Carnifex-Die Without Hope
Sabaton-Heroes

I haven't picked up every new release from bands I follow. One surprise upsetter has been the new Monster Magnet though (pretty sure that was this year and not late last year). Really dark and angry, but powerful stuff.

Runicen wrote:

I haven't picked up every new release from bands I follow.  One surprise upsetter has been the new Monster Magnet though (pretty sure that was this year and not late last year).  Really dark and angry, but powerful stuff.

According to my records, Last Patrol was 2013. Close, but no cigar.  

Axxis blew my mind

Anyone into classic melodic metal, check 'em out

KXM

Midnight Malice - Proving Grounds
Skull Fist - Chasing The Dream
Portrait - Crossroads
Primal Fear - Delivering The Black
Grand Magus - Triumph and Power

I second Portrait - Crossroads

I just got Dust Bolt - awake the riot, and I like that one a lot.

Savage Messiah - The Fateful Dark is pretty good

There were a few others I've bought, drawing a mind blank right now.

Misery Index - The Killing Gods
Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
Crowbar - Symmetry in Black
Floor - Oblation

I've been very happy with new releases this year. No particular order:

House of Lords - Precious Metal
Steel Panther - All You Can Eat
Sebastian Bach - Give 'Em Hell
Loud Lion - Die Tuff
Edguy - Space Police: Defenders of the Crown
Winger - Better Days Comin'

There's a handful of other albums I still need to listen to that have already been released.

And, like Pelata says. KXM for sure.

Sabaton -- Heroes for sure that one is just awesome.

Other ones I really dig

Hirax – Immortal Legacy

A Hill to die upon -- Holy Despair

Before the new brother firetribe and HEAT get to me its a 3 way race between:

Tusmorke Riset Bak Speilet
A.C.T. Circus Pandemonium
Ian Anderson Homo Erraticus

Other good ones:

Dawn Darker
Gamma Ray Empire of the Undead
Iced Earth Plagues of Babylon
Iron Savior Rise of the Hero
Primal Fear Delivering the Black
Quantum Fantay Terragaia
Red Dragon Cartel Red Dragon Cartel
Silent Force Rising from Ashes
Sinbreed Shadows
Skyliner Outsiders

Oh I forgot to add Brother Firetribe to my list. I'm enjoying that one quite a bit.

EDGUY - Space Police: Defenders of the Crown
EQUILIBRIUM - Erdentempel
BATTLEROAR - Blood of Legends
METAL INQUISITOR - Ultima Ratio Regis
BROTHER FIRETRIBE - Diamond in the Firepit
FALCONER - Black Moon Rising
STORMWARRIOR - Thunder & Steele
NOCTURNAL - Storming Evil
SLOUGH FEG - Digital Resistance
BELOW - Across the Dark River
PORTRAIT - Crossroads
GAMMA RAY - Empire of the Undead
WINGER - Better Days Comin'

Impatiently waiting to receive DARKEST ERA - Severance