I always grieve for amazing bands stuck on labels who don’t have the promotional power the band deserves. This album is a single 42-minute song, but it does not suffer from the filler or pacing issues of other such releases. While some of their other albums are more accessible, such as 2013’s “7”, this final album from the band before their split has the energy, emotion, and variety I love about them. Toxic Smile has never gotten the attention they deserve for their jazzy progressive metal.
While 2018’s “Solitude” is probably a better album overall, this album is the one that I listen to the most, even over the debut. Soon enough, though, I was drawn back in to see the brilliance here. This “Moments” record came along, and it was different, and I put it away for a couple years. Here’s the thing: IO Earth’s self-titled debut in 2009 is one of my all-time favorite albums. “Moments” and I have had a rocky relationship. This album will lead you through the jungle of your own heart, and hopefully you will find your way home again. My favorite album from him will always be “Heart of Darkness”, though, with its rife, desperate rhythms and dark mutterings.
Rick Miller is consistently good, as his latest album “Belief in the Machine” will attest. This album is different, I get that, but I love it just the same. However, “The Endless River” fed my love for ambient music, injecting the beautiful tones of Richard Wright’s keys, and that alone made me a fan. I know that many fans were disappointed by this release, being the swansong for possibly the greatest band of all time. “At the End of Myself”, however, offers sheer catchiness combined with a journey of hope, and that has stayed with me. Their latest album, “The Way to Us” is perhaps too sad to ever become a “favorite”. Speaking of heart-rending lyrics, Echoes of Giants know their way around that type of expression. Echoes of Giants – “At the End of Myself” (2013) The last half of this album is sheer bliss. However, this album clings to me because of its deep, heart-rending lyrics, and also the abstract ways in which the melodies weave and immerse themselves in the rest of the music. Chaos Divine – “The Human Connection” (2011)Ĭhaos Divine have released so much good music, including their excellent “Colliding Skies” in 2015. The music is colorful, technically impressive, and features one of my favorite drummers, Henry Rogers. “King of Number 33” is a splendid album with a 26 minute suite right in the middle. DeeExpus – “King of Number 33” (2011)ĭeeExpus have so much going for them that I’m truly surprised that they haven’t broken through to the “big time” in progressive rock yet. Mike is one of my all-time favorite artists, as a result. But there is something about the catchy choruses, wonderful guitars, and mature composition that enveloped me. This album began my love for Mike Oldfield. Mike Oldfield – “Man on the Rocks” (2014) “Routine” and “Transience” are two of the best songs Steven has ever written. However, this album takes the emotion and the cinematic vision to the max, and that is why it is my favorite from him. Steven Wilson is legendary, and I love much of what he offers. The title track is a truly wild experience. It also features Damian Wilson of Headspace on one track, but (ex) vocalist Santiago Burgi sounds quite a bit like Damian himself. While “The Tales” was a wonderful progressive metal album, “The Facts” is a perfect 39 minute album with pure-blooded theater, prog metal, and post-metal colliding. One was called “The Tales”, and one was called “The Facts”. Fughu – “Human (The Facts)” (2013)įughu’s “Human” was a two-part release. This album is like a journey into the underworld, and its source material (The Name of the Wind) stands tall. Being a side project for a couple members of Nightwish, it had the production values, too, to realize the sound they had envisioned. Imaginative, otherworldly, and dreamy, this debut from Auri is as beautiful as albums come. Still, some albums rise above the others to be some of my all-time favorites. If I made this list six months from now, the order would probably be different. All of them are 9s and 10s as far as ratings go, and so many are interchangeable as far as their placement on the list. This is an un-apologetically subjective list of my top 100 favorite albums from the last ten years.
While compiling this list, I realized that there may be albums that I consider “better” or technically stronger, but that really has no effect on which albums are my “favorites”.
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