After more than two years of hard work, as well as some definite procrastination along the way, I have finally finished my list for the best albums of 2014. Yes, you’re reading this correctly – 2014! It should go without saying that this has been, by far, the most difficult list for me to piece together. So much great music was released in that year and I wanted to be sure to do the utmost amount of justice to all the bands who contributed in that time. That being said, it is an absolutely huge sigh of relief to get this off my chest, and I can pretty much guarantee that I will never spend so long on a single post ever again (unless my life depends on it).
As always, I hope you enjoy and are able to find a new band or two to add to your own list of favorites. Let me know what you were listening to in 2014 and/or since then! So many great things happening. Top EP’s of 2015 coming next!
Honorable Mention: Kallisti // EYE
Location:
- Dubai (UAE)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- God Has His Reasons
- The Call
- Lost In A Void That I Know Far Too Well ∆
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Empty Yard Experiment (2011)
Support:
Honorable Mention: The Artifact // Deceptic
Location: 
- Göteborg, Sweden
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Lead Astray
- The Shining Throne
- Ocean
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
Honorable Mention: Envision // smallman
Location: 
- Asenovgrad (BG)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Vision
- The Bond
- Prayer
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Smallman (2006)
- Labyrinth of Present (2010)
Support:
30. Minor Empires // Minor Empires
Location:
- Madrid / Barcelona (ES)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Targets
- Truth Seeker
- Numbers
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
Support:
- http://www.minorempires.bigcartel.com
- https://minorempires.bandcamp.com
- http://radixrecords.bigcartel.com
29. La Gárgola // Chevelle
Location:
- Chicago, IL (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Hunter Eats Hunter
- Under the Knife
- Choking Game
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Point #1 (1999)
- Wonder What’s Next (2002)
- This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) (2004)
- Vena Sera (2007)
- Sci-Fi Crimes (2009)
- Hats Off to the Bull (2011)
- The North Corridor (2016)
Support:
28. Breaching the Sound // Vestascension
Location:
- Baltimore, MD (USA)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- The Heart Machine
- An Endless Voyage
- Burn Your Garden Down
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
27. Tauri // Surrender the Sun
Location:
- Sydney (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Reason
- Crave
- Tides
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
26. Wovenwar // Wovenwar
Location:
- San Diego, CA (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Prophets
- Tempest
- Moving Up
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
25. Lowborn // Anberlin
Location:
- Florida (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Hearing Voices
- We Are Destroyer
- Stranger Ways
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Blueprints for the Black Market (2003)
- Never Take Friendship Personal (2005)
- Cities (2007)
- Lost Songs (2007)
- New Surrender (2008)
- Dark is the Way, Light is a Place (2010)
- Vital (2012)
- Devotion (2013)
Support:
24. Transmissions // Starset
Location:
- Columbus, OH (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- It Has Begun
- Point of No Return
- Down with the Fallen
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
23. Distant Satellites // Anathema
Location:
- Liverpool (UK)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Dusk (Dark is Descending)
- Distant Satellites
- The Lost Song (Part 3)
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Serenades (1993)
- The Silent Enigma (1995)
- Eternity (1996)
- Alternative 4 (1998)
- Judgement (1999)
- A Fine Day to Exit (2001)
- A Natural Disaster (2003)
- We’re Here Because We’re Here (2010)
- Weather Systems (2012)
Support:
22. Outside the Universe // Widek
Location: 
- Gdańsk (PL)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Enter Through the Sun (feat. Matthieu Romain & Gru)
- Ion
- Spiral
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- 2010/2011 Songs (2011)
- Multiverse (2011)
- Aurora Borealis (2012)
- Journey to the Stars (2015)
Support:
21. A Brave New World // Sounds of Sirus
In dedication of vocalist, Josh Day. RIP ~ 2013
Location:
- Melbourne (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Opposite of Thinking
- Pristiq
- Daylight Paranoia
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Singularity (2011)
Support:
20. The Joy of Motion // Animals As Leaders
Location:
- Washington D.C. (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- The Woven Web
- Air Chrysalis
- Physical Education
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Animals As Leaders (2009)
- Weightless (2011)
Support:
- http://www.allinmerch.com/category/AAL
- http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/animals-as-leaders
- http://merchnow.com/catalogs/animals-as-leaders
19. Telescapes // Full Code
Location: 
- Melbourne (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- (b)TtM²
- Aquautomaton
- Lion
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
18. Arecibo // Forever the Optimist
Location: 
- Brisbane (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Revolutions
- Enter, Circus
- End of Antics
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
17. Reflection – ForTiorI
Location:
Bigburg (DE)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Dissent: The Fight
- Anamnesis: Rebirth
- Afterworld: Transform
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Triton (2011)
- Sloan (2012)
- Chronicles (2013)
- Inspiring Nightmare (2015)
Support:
16. Simulacra // Opus of a Machine
Location: 
- Gold Coast, QLD (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Tuatara
- The Feeding
- Hourly Painted Obscurity
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
15. Time Travelers & Bonfires // Sevendust
Location: 
- Atlanta, GA (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Black
- The Wait
- Bonfire
- Denial
- Come Down
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Sevendust (1997)
- Home (1999)
- Animosity (2001)
- Seasons (2003)
- Next (2005)
- Alpha (2007)
- Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow (2008)
- Cold Day Memory (2010)
- Black Out the Sun (2013)
- Kill the Flaw (2015)
Support:
14. Walking on a Flashlight Beam // Lunatic Soul
Location: 
- Warsaw (PL)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Walking on a Flashlight Beam
- Gutter
- Shutting Out the Sun
- Pygmalion’s Ladder
- Cold
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Lunatic Soul (2008)
- Lunatic Soul II (2010)
- Impressions (2011)
Support:
13. Thrones // Alaya
Location: 
- Chicago, IL (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Poor Gloria
- White Noise
- Sleep
- Paths
- Inside
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
12. LUN // Destiny Potato
Location: 
- Belgrade (RS)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Indifferent
- Blue Sun
- Lost Dream
- Walls of Thoughts
- Machine
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
11. The Gyre // Carthasy
Location: 
- Perth (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Echoburst
- Endorphin
- Dresden
- Ascent
- 6 Underground
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Apertures (2011)
Support:
10. Language // The Contortionist
Location: 
- Indianapolis, IN (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Language I: Intuition
- The Parable
- Primordial Sound
- Ebb & Flow
- Integration
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Exoplanet (2010)
- Intrinsic (2012)
- Language: Rediscovered Edition (2015)
Support:
- http://www.shopbenchmark.com/thecontortionist
- http://merchnow.com/catalogs/the-contortionist
- http://goodfightmusic.merchnow.com/catalogs/the-contortionist
9. Living as Ghosts with Buildings as Teeth // Rishloo
Location:
- Seattle, WA (USA)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Dead Rope Machine
- Dark Charade
- Salutations
- Winslow
- Just A Ride
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Terras Fames (2004)
- Eidolon (2007)
- Feathergun (2009)
Support:
8. A Voice Within // Intervals
Location: 
- Toronto & Ontario (CA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- The Self Surrendered
- Moment Marauder
- Siren Sound
- The Escape
- Atlas Hour
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- The Space Between (2011)
- In Time (2012)
Support:
- https://intervalsmusic.bandcamp.com
- http://www.districtlines.com/Intervals-us
- http://basick.supplies/collections/intervals
7. Aeons // Stealing Axion
Location: 
- Tacoma, WA (USA)
Label:
- N/A (previously with Inside Out Music)
Recommended Tracks:
- Parallel Futures
- Lost Awakening
- Skyline
- Memories
- Exiled
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Moments (2012)
Support:
6. Two Thrones // Malrun
Location: 
- Aarhus (DK)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Eye of Horus
- Forbidden Fruit
- Cycle of Abuse
- Serpent’s Coil
- The Ghost of You
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Beauty in Chaos (2010)
- The Empty Frame (2012)
- Oblivion Awaits (2015)
Support:
5. The Amanuensis // Monuments
Location:
- London (UK)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Origin of Escape
- Atlas
- I, the Creator
- Saga City
- The Alchemist
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Gnosis (2012)
Support:
- https://www.indiemerch.com/monuments
- http://www.indiemerchstore.com/b/monuments
- http://www.impericon.com/en/monuments
4. Tellurian // Soen
Location: 
- Various
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Void
- Kuraman
- Ennui
- The Words
- Koniskas
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Cognitive (2012)
Support:
- http://merchnow.com/catalogs/soen
- http://www.kapanen-production-store.de/Soen-Official-Merchandise-Store
3. Sines // Jakob
Location: 
- Napier, Hawkes Bay (NZ)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Magna Carta
- Blind Them With Science
- Resolve
- Darkness
- Harmonia
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
Support:
2. Marula // Eden Circus
Location:
- Hamburg (DE)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Her Lovely Hands Upon the Black Earth
- Summon a Ghost
- A Desert In Between
- 101
- A Shore Uncertainty
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
- http://edencircus.bigcartel.com
- http://www.impericon.com/en/eden-circus-marula-digipak
- http://lifeforce.musiclogistics.net/artists/eden-circus
1. Guiding Lights // Skyharbor
Location:
- Various
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- New Devil
- Allure
- Evolution
- Guiding Lights
- The Constant
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
Support:
The Undertow 