Sami's best albums 2015

Introduction

I'll start again with a graph. It tries to make the effect of the album release date smaller than it would be if I would rate the albums only by the played minutes or my current rating of them.

In the graph:

X axis = tracks played from the album X average playing time of the tracks in the album (roughly speaking minutes played).

Y axis = the difference from the "very good album" subjective score given by the author. Weighed towards the current opinion (positive values -> better album).

non-linear regression line fitted to data.

I used this data to help picking up my best albums, but I also left some room for a gut feeling when making the actual list. 

Places 9. - 12.

The Sword - High Country

Its all about riffs and heavier the better. You don't need to be high to listen this, since listening it takes you high. Try to keep your foot not tapping the floor and you'll notice it.

Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor

A great surprise from a band that I thought will never again do anything worth mentioning.

Armageddon - Captivity & Devourment

This was one of the surprises that could not have been forecasted in the beginning of the year. Well, of course there are some familiar musicians in the band and their influence is easily heard in the bands music, but if it is this good it doesn't matter a bit.

The Vintage Caravan - Arrival

From the Grand Nation of Iceland! For some reason all the other hard rock/retro rock/easier listening bands avoided my list, so I suppose that this band should represent them here. I'm sure that there were some interesting bands in these genres out there also this year, but none of them was played in my lists enough time to enter the top 30 album plays.

Places 4. - 8.

The Crown - Death Is Not Dead

"Don't be so hasty young master Meriadoc" could be the comment by one famous character in LOTR. The Crown is so fast that when the album ends you remember to take a second breath after it started. So breathtaking but in the good way.

High on Fire - Luminiferous

This album has less minutes played  in my graph than it should be. The reason is simple, it is not found on streaming services (well it was at the beginning but then disappeared). I thought to listen them so many times when cycling to work or in the work, but since I had the album only at home (bought!) there was no way to listen them. Yes I know that I could rip the album to flacs or mp3 (actually done both), but still they were always somewhere not easily reachable. However, when I actully managed to listen them, I liked it enough to be put into my list. I guess its all the riffs and this absolute heaviness that makes it so catchy, except that the headphones tend not be staying on the head since you can not stop moshing your head. Prepare to be crushed!

Tau Cross - Tau Cross

The line-up of the band was interesting enough to take it for test and it passed the bar with flying colours.

Paradise Lost - The Plague Within

The is some mixed reviews out there about this album. Maybe someone liked the pop era Paradise Lost, but I don't. This was painfully obvious on their gig this year when all the songs sounding like crap were from these times. So, this album is good and PL should continue making this kind of music.

Apocalyptica - Shadowmaker

I don't know if this is the best Apocalyptica album, but it was the one that revealed their greatness to me. A truly awesome band. They also had a best gig of the year.

Podium performances

Bronze

Faith No More - Sol Invictus

Another album waited for over a decade. Fortunately the album hits the mark and is a genuine Faith No More album, and this is enough praise for any work of art.

Silver

Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud

Amorphis has not made a bad album since Eclipse, but this one hits the jackpot. There is all kinds of surprises and hooks in the songs. Lot's of folk influences, beautiful female vocals etc. Will earn lots of plays from me also in the future.

Gold

Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers

My BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR! It was a tight competion between this and Amorphis, but in the end I let the playing minutes to decide the winner. By changing their vocalist Barren Earth seemed to find all their hidden potential. I liked both the old Barren and their vocalist, but somehow this current album is better than the previous ones in all aspects. The album is so versatile, progressive, heavy, happy, you name it.

In the end its time to list some names left out from this list and also a few words why this has happened.

Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North I, II & III

- The album came out so late and having three full albums I simply did not dare to review this or put it into my list except as a joker. Feels like a proper StS album(s), and saying so could mean that it should be in the top three.

Enslaved - In Times

- It almost should be in my list and quite likely would have been if released a bit later. The album just was run down by so much other music during the year.

Slayer - Repentless

- I just can't say anything meaningfull of this album, so I'll let it out. Haven't made my mind yet.

Kylesa - Exhausting Fire

- Kylesa is recognisable, but this  album does not have the same hit potential than the previous ones.

Melechesh - Enki

- Interesting. In the beginning it was too much folk for me, but then it all just started working. I will follow them also in the future. 

Soulfly - Archangel

- A complication maker in my list. I did not know where to put it so I left it without a placement, but not without mentioning. Maybe too many Soulfly albums there already that I could not properly distinguish from each other. Although when you start to listen one, they are all so good, a frustrating problem.

Pentagram - Curious Volume

- Good old heavy doom metal. Four decades of it.

The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy

- One of my old favourites. Not their best album either, so not in the list.

Graveyard - Innocence & Decadence

- Their worst album so far. I still would rather listen them as not, but they can do better.

Venom - From the Very Depths

- Another set of older gentlemen (or not). They still got it.

P.S. This list of best albums is like a trip back to year 2012. So many same names there: Barren Earth, Paradise Lost, The Sword, Soulfly, Graveyard, High on Fire, Swallow the Sun. Either my musical taste has not evolved, I'm getting old and listening the same old shit all over again or these bands just happen to be the best that is out there. Anyway, Happy New Year! Now it is time to check all those remaining bands from this year that are still in my should listen list.