best cd's of 2007?

for me:

fear of a blank planet- porcupine tree
systematic chaos- dream theater
the blackening- machine head
paradise lost- symphony x
guided by fire- ghost brigade
dead reckoning- threshold
disconnected- profane omen

1. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
2. Redemption - Origin of Ruins
3. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
4. Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell
5. Bad Brains - Build A Nation
 
 
 

 Dominici 
 Redemption
 Riverside
 Symphony X
 Dream Theater
 Pain of Salvation
 Aghora
 Porcupine Tree
 

that Woven EP "Aftermath" is doing some serious climbing. The 1st 5 tracks atre fantastic!..it may be my EP of the year.

This is a list of albums I played most.
 
Between The Buried And Me - Colors
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

Textures - Drawing Circles
Mr. Bungle - California
SikTh - Death Of A Dead Day
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela

Planet X - Quantum
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient

 
Most of you probably aren't into Christian/gospel/New Orleans style bluesy stuff... but this guy's singing is just

Top 3 are definitely how I would rank them. 4-10 are somewhat interchangeable in position.

1. White Stripes - Icky Thump
2. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows
4. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
5. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
6. Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
7. Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo
8. Ben Weasel - These Ones are Bitter
9. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
10. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

My Top 10 at the moment (in no order except for the Neurosis album):

Neurosis - Given To The Rising
Middian - Age Eternal
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Ulver - Shadows Of The Sun
The Ocean - Precambrian
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times
Rush - Snakes And Arrows
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient
Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic

The extended list:

Phish - Vegas 96
Orange Goblin - Healing Through Fire
Nile - Ithyphallic
Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Sigh - Hangman's Hymn
Melt Banana - Bambi's Dilemma
Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell
Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura
Richie Kotzen - Return Of The Mother Head's Family Reunion
Kristofer Aström - Rainawaytown
Blood Red Throne - Come Death
Behemoth - The Apostasy
Hiromi's Sonicboom - Time Control
Tomahawk - Anonymous
Witchcraft - The Alchemist
Joe Bonamassa - Sloe Gin
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace


I still have so many new albums to listen to, so my list will most likely change.

In no particular order:
After Forever - After Forever
Amorphis - Silent Waters
Demon Hunter - Storm the Gates of Hell
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Project 86 - Rival Factions
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Virgin Black - Reqiuem: Mezzo Forte

Shit, I forgot the following:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living with the Living
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
Dethklok - Dethalbum
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

 
man I'm digging this!..some of these tracks are totally melancholy yet BEAUTIFUL..That Jimmy Gnecco track "Dove Coloured Sky" may be better than anything on the upcoming Ours record..at least his vocal performance. He sounds totally angelic on there. This is the kind of album (or the feeling it gives) in a way PT or Marillion didn't make this year.

ORIGINAL: Big Suave

ORIGINAL: gazinwales
Slightly OT here, but Matt, did you know there is a version of this, UK/Europe, that
has 4 bonus tracks and a live DVD from the current tour?
Let me know if you want it and I'll see what I can do.

Yep, my buddy's already got it on order.

When he gets it, I'll check out the bonus tracks to see if they're worth me picking up the CD, as well. As for the live DVD, it sounds like it would be awesome to see, but it's PAL only. So, I wouldn't be able to view it anywhere but in my PC. If they hadn't already filmed the Eindhoven show for a DVD, I would probably be more inclined to try to hunt this CD/DVD down.

Thanks for the offer, though, Graham! Speaking of WT, one thing that I do definitely still have to hunt down is the new "All I Need" single for the unreleased bonus track.

 
Matt, I have the single here in front of me ready to send, shoot me an email with your mailing address.
I just got ThOE, with the bonus dvd.
It's decent, but quite dark and definately not sellable on its own.

Colors has been growing on me so much during the last few days, I think I have yet to modify my list again.

01. Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet (+ Nil Recurring)
02. Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance
03. El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
04. Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
05. Radiohead - In Rainbows
06. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
07. Between The Buried And Me - Colors
08. Oceansize - Frames
09. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
10. Dälek - Abandoned Language
11. Rush - Snakes And Arrows
12. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust!
13. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
14. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
15. Battles - Mirrored

My top 3 this year:
1) Dream Theater: Systematic Chaos
2) Avenged Sevenfold: Avenged Sevenfold
3) Nine Inch Nails: Year Zero

ORIGINAL: gazinwales
Matt, I have the single here in front of me ready to send, shoot me an email with your mailing address.
I just got ThOE, with the bonus dvd.
It's decent, but quite dark and definately not sellable on its own.

 
Wow, thanks man!!
 
Please check your e-mail. I just sent you an e-mail through the Forum.  

Since this thread is all about music, figured since this year was a particularly great one for comedy albums I'd make a comedy album list. They're in no particular order save the first:

1. Paul F. Tompkins - Impersonal (Probably the best album ever recorded by an comic ever. Absolutely unbelievable.)
2. Steven Wright - I Still Have a Pony
3. Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future
4. Jen Kirkman - Self Help
5. Patton Oswalt - Werewolves and Lollipops
6. Mike Birbiglia - My Secret Public Journal
7. Scharpling and Wurster - The Art of the Slap
8. V/A - Comedy Death Ray
9. Maria Bamford - How to Win!
10. Sklar Bros. - Sklar Maps

Oops, I forgot one!

Revised:
1) Dream Theater: Systematic Chaos
2) Avenged Sevenfold: Avenged Sevenfold
3) Nine Inch Nails: Year Zero
4) Serj Tankian: Elect The Dead

Well... obviously "Systematic Chaos"!

I'd also recommend Joe Bonamassa: "Sloe Gin"

I'll probably get flamed for this but Kanye West's Graduation album was pretty damn good. ::runs away::

ORIGINAL: GravenImage

I'll probably get flamed for this but Kanye West's Graduation album was pretty damn good. ::runs away::

 
Dude, Icky F'ing Thump was listed earlier, without flameage.  I wouldn't worry about it.

My 1st entry into this..and the easiest part likely.

Discs 85-51 (in reverse order)

http://tinyurl.com/2suwpo

As of right now:

1. Porcupine Tree-Fear of a Blank Planet/Nil Recurring.  Nice 1-2 punch from the band this year.  Gavin Harrison's best performances with the band to date.
2. Between the Buried and Me-Colors.  These guys took a quantum leap forward with this album.  The jump from Alaska to this is comparable to Radiohead's leap from The Bends to OK Computer.
3. Dillinger Escape Plan-Ire Works.  Chris who?  Gil Sharone rocks the drums on what has to be DEP's most consistent and musical album to date.
4. Stateless-Stateless.  Great use of odd times, killer songs, and one of the best surprises of the year.
5. Blackfield-II.  There are some really beautiful and lush moments on this record.
6. Fair to Midland-Fables From a Mayfly.  Great songwriting, and obviously a very talented group.  The whole album flows really well, and Say When is a great closer.
7. Rush-Snakes and Arrows.  A nice return to form, and these songs worked really well live.  Didn't grab me at first listen, but it grew on me quickly.
8. Kaddisfly-Set Sail the Prairie.  Musically, this album is amazing.  Extremely dynamic, emotional, and incredibly ambitious.  The vocals kind of drag it down in places for me, though.  However, this is still an amazing record by a band that is obviously incredibly talented.
9. The Panic Division-Songs From the Glasshouse.  If Tears For Fears and Mr. Mister had a love child, this is what it would sound like, and I'm not saying that just because they cover Broken Wings on this album.  It takes everything I loved about 80s pop-rock and puts it into one hour of music.  The song Stay is one of the best songs of this year.
10. Nine Inch Nails-Year Zero.  Loved it when it came out, but I haven't played it much lately.   Great sonics, but it slows down a little in the second half.

Honorable Mentions:
Thrice-The Alchemy Index vol  I and II: Fire and Water.  I was surprised by this one as well.  Fire's okay, but Water is the side I've been drawn to.  This one has really gained on me lately.
Dream Theater-Systematic Chaos.  I liked it more than Octavarium, and for a while I thought was their best since Awake, but I just haven't played it lately.  Lyrics were a big let down for me.  I do appreciate the consistency of the mood of the album though, and ITPOE smokes the song Octavarium in my opinion.
The Receiving End of Sirens-The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi.  This is my first experience with these guys, so I wasn't aware of the effect Casey Crescenzo's departure had on them, but I like this album.  Kind of sounds like they were thinking of excuses to stick some of the electronica aspects of the album in anywhere they could, but it's a solid album overall.
Three-The End is Begun.  After seeing them live with PT back in May, I thought the album was going to knock me out.  It didn't quite do that.  To my ears, it sounds a little thin, and it doesn't sound like they were entirely successful in translating the power of their live sound on to disc. 

^hey Rom, you didn't dig The Dear Hunter much?..not many fans of TREOS who aren't into TDH anyway, just wondering.

The new Oceansize?

Nice list anyway..I may want to check out The Panic Division record now.

ORIGINAL: romdrums


Honorable Mentions:
Thrice-The Alchemy Index vol  I and II: Fire and Water.  I was surprised by this one as well.  Fire's okay, but Water is the side I've been drawn to.  This one has really gained on me lately.

It's cool that you dig the new Thrice. I'm like you, wherein I'm drawn to the Water disc more so than the Fire disc. From the tidbits that I've found on the next part of the Alchemy Index (Earth & Air), it should be more along the lines, in awesomeness, of the Water disc.

DT - Systematic Chaos
Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura
Hiromi's Sonicbloom - Time Control (I just got it today, it's AWSOME!!!)
Jordan Rudess - The Road Home

Mention to Flower King's The Sum Of No Evil. Not there best, not what I was expecting but still a great album.

ORIGINAL: angra1

^hey Rom, you didn't dig The Dear Hunter much?..not many fans of TREOS who aren't into TDH anyway, just wondering.

The new Oceansize?

Nice list anyway..I may want to check out The Panic Division record now.

To be honest, I just like TREOS sound a bit more.  I respect what Casey's doing with TDH, but it just didn't hit me.  And I haven't heard the new Oceansize yet.  I'm a little low on funds right now, but I'm thinking I'll pick it up sometime after Christmas.  I've heard it's an awesome album. 

And yeah, the Panic Division disc is quite good.  I didn't really like it at first, but I've been listening to it a ton lately.  It's really different from their first record in terms of the songwriting.  I'm not really sure what's going on with them right now, though.  Their guitarist left about two months after the album was released, and they have yet to find a replacement.  They only toured for two months (including a brief stint on Kaddisfly's west coast tour back in Sept-Oct), and I think he left near the end of October.  It's too bad because he's an extremely talented musician.  From what I've heard through various channels, their lead singer, main songwriter is a bit difficult to work with.  It's too bad because I think they deserve a much wider audience.  I hope they can find a suitable replacement and get back on the road, because they deserve some success.

50-41
http://allmediareviews.blogspot.com

50. Coheed - NWFT
49. Dream Theater - SC
48. PT - FoaBP
47. People For Audio - THE NEW ANCIENTS
46. Inme - DAYDREAM ANONYMOUS
45. Alter Bridge - BLACKBIRD
44. Serj Tankian - ELECT THE DEAD
43. Menomena - FRIEND AND FOE
42. The Polyphonic Spree - THE FRAGILE ARMY
41. Deas Vail - ALL THE HOUSES LOOK THE SAME

Ok, here is my top 10, mostly in order

1. Between The Buried and Me-Colors
2. Dream Theater-Systematic Chaos
3. Porcupine Tree-Fear of a Blank Planet
4. Alter Bridge-Blackbird
5. Chimaira-Resurrection
6. Coheed and Cambria-No World For Tomorrow
7. White Stripes-Icky Thump
8. Machine Head-The Blackening
9. Symphony X-Paradise Lost
10. Megadeth-United Abdominations

Planet X: Quantum

It's time.
 
I count live albums, always have, always will.
 
1) Opeth ~ The Roundhouse Tapes. Moving into 'my favorite band' position
2) PT ~ FoaBP. Every song kills. Gavin is amazing. Love the concept. Flawless album.
3) Alter Bridge ~ Blackbird. Have not put a non-prog album up this high in years. Great hooks. Very heavy. I find
myself singing along to many songs.
4) Rush ~ Snakes and Arrows. I connected with it in a big way.
5) Symphony X ~ Paradise Lost. Just a great prog metal album all the way through.
6) BtBaM ~ Colors. Astonishing display of musicianship. I have to be in a mood though because it's so busy.
 
Honorable mentions
 
DT ~ SC. Felt it strongly upon it's release but skip 3 songs pretty regularly. ItPoE is stellar.
Scorpions ~ Humanity Hour. Nice production and sound and a really enjoyable album by a band that won't die.
 
 

ORIGINAL: Big Suave

ORIGINAL: Big Suave

My top 5:

1. Nightwish "Dark Passion Play"
2. Within Temptation "The Heart Of Everything"
3. Amorphis "Silent Waters"
4. Symphony X "Paradise Lost"
5. Sonata Arctica "Unia"

I wanted to give a little love to some more CD's. After my top 5, here are my next 3. However, I haven't figured out who 9 and 10 are yet to round out the top 10.

6. Dark Tranquillity "Fiction"
7. Dream Theater "Systematic Chaos"
8. Iced Earth "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part 1"

 
After some careful consideration, I would like to add #9 to my list...
 
01. Nightwish "Dark Passion Play"
02. Within Temptation "The Heart Of Everything"
03. Amorphis "Silent Waters"
04. Symphony X "Paradise Lost"
05. Sonata Arctica "Unia"
06. Dark Tranquillity "Fiction"
07. Dream Theater "Systematic Chaos"
08. Iced Earth "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part 1"
09. Vanishing Point "The Fourth Season" (See avatar)
10. ?

As for #10... at this time, I honestly can't think of another CD I've heard this year that warrants inclusion on a "best of" list for me.

Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet, Sorry but this album just ....PWNZ.....all the way. So much emotion.
 
Nightwish - Dark passion play, I Wasnt expecting a lot but.....GOD this album just kicked my ass from he first listen until now , and it will still kick my ass some more in 2008 for sure!
 
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos, Even tho its not my favorite,  DT still manage to pull out a great album!
 
Other: Colors ( Mind blowing, yet ..sometime a bit long) three- the end is begun ( Realy great band.)

Between The Buried And Me - Colors. Absolutely amazing album that I simply cannot stop listening to.
 
And the other two, Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos and Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow. Some honorable mention goes to Horse The Band, Three, and of course, Dethklok for their albums this year.

I've finally rounded up my top 10:

1-   Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
 
2-   Oceansize - Frames
 
3-   Riverside – Rapid Eye Movement
 
4-   Alan Morse – Four O’Clock and Hysteria
 
5-   The Gourishankar -  2nd Hands
 
6-   Thought Chamber – Angular Perceptions
 
7-   Dimension X - Implication of a Genetic Defense
 
8-   The Flower Kings – The Sum of No Evil
 
9-   Beardfish – Sleeping in Traffic: Part One
 
10- Ritual – The Hemulic Voluntary Band

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

it might have cracked my top 50 if I had heard it early enough..so I'll rank it as 50b
 
Far Less - A TOAST OF BAD TASTE..ver cool stuff here. My early favorite tracks would have to be the beautiful "Gentleman (Go to Sleep)" and "A Surprise Funeral (For the Charmed)" however not really any bad songs on this one.

Here is my revised list. Now, it shouldn't change anymore.

My Top 5 of 2007
 
Dream Theater - SC
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Rush - Snakes and Arrows
Planet X - Quantum
Saga- 10,000 Days

ORIGINAL: Scifi Saint

Here is my revised list. Now, it shouldn't change anymore.

 
2 Bright Eyes discs?..I knew he kinda broke out this year, but I didn't realize he realized more than one record.