Where to begin… I have had a lot going on this last year and have repeatedly pushed my blog aside. I’ll get straight to the punch though; last year was an incredible for heavy progressive/alternative music. Below is a list of my favorite albums released in 2013. Originally I had started an overview section for each album, like I included with the EP Edition, but after much consideration and procrastination, I simply decided to leave it out this time around. It would have ended up being another year before this was released had I added the same amount of detail for each band.
As always, it was a very long process putting this together and incredibly difficult coming to a final decision about the order to place these albums with my continuously-evolving preferences. There will probably be days I’ll wish I’d done something differently, but it just came time I quit with the edits and got the article out there. So enjoy! I hope to release my top EP & LP lists of 2014 by January of next year. Without further hesitation, I give you my top 30 albums of 2013!
30. Emergent // Emergent
Location:
- Minneapolis, MN (USA)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Dead Letters
- Erode
- Reflect to Forget
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
29. Dayshell // Dayshell
Location:
- Southern California (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Share With Me
- Not Coming In
- I Owe You Nothing
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
- http://dayshellband.com/merch
- http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/dayshell
- http://merchnow.com/catalogs/dayshell
28. A Thousand Wings // White Moth Black Butterfly
- Nottingham (UK)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Paradise
- Omen
- Reluctance
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Rising Sun (single)
Support:
27. Endorphinia // Follow the White Rabbit
Location:
- Moscow (RU)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- War Song
- Zzz(Zzz)
- All Night and Day
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
26. Rescue & Restore // August Burns Red
Location:
- Lancaster, PA (USA)
Label:
- Solid State Records
- Currently with Fearless Records
Recommended Tracks:
- Fault Line
- Creative Captivity
- Spirit Breaker
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Thrill Seeker (2005)
- Messengers (2007)
- Constellations (2009)
- Leveler (2011)
Support:
- http://www.augustburnsred.com
- http://www.solidstaterecords.com/artists/August_Burns_Red
- http://www.merchdirect.com/augustburnsred
25. Inside/Out // Sleep Parade
Location:
- Melbourne (AU)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Inside/Out
- Devil’s Door
- 2:09
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- Things Can Always Change (2008)
- Mr Identify (2010)
Support:
24. The Grieving // Shreddy Krueger
Location:
- Kelowna, BC (CA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Hazel the Apparition
- In Ruin
- Empress
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Curses (2012)
Support:
23. Blacklistt // Blacklistt
Location:
- West Auckland (NZ)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Red Hush
- Icon
- Always
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
[ as Blindspott ]
- Blindspott (2004)
- End the Silence (2006)
Support:
22. Kingdom of Fear // Agent
Location:
- London (UK)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Dark Dreams
- Vondelpark
- Kingdom of Fear
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
21. Anthropocene // Being
Location:
- Orlando, FL (USA)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Air Atlantic (feat. Spencer Sotelo)
- Cosmonaut (feat. Misha Mansoor)
- Arcane Academic (feat. Gabriel Riccio, Travis Orbin & Justin Gosnell)
Music Videos:
- N/A
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
- http://beingmusic.bandcamp.com
- http://www.being-music.com/us-shop
- http://www.being-music.com/eu-shop
20. Dethroned & Uncrowned // Katatonia
- Stockholm (SE)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Hypnone
- The Racing Heart
- Lethean
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Dance of December Souls (1993)
- Brave Murder Day (1996)
- Discouraged Ones (1998)
- Tonight’s Decision (1999)
- Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001)
- Viva Emptiness (2003)
- The Great Cold Distance (2006)
- Night is the New Day (2009)
- Dead End Kings (2012)
Support:
- http://www.jsrdirect.com/bands/katatonia
- http://www.omerch.eu/shop/katatonia
- http://www.omerchnordic.com/katatonia
- http://omerch.tspmerchandise.com/category/bands/katatonia
19. aXiom // Boil
Location:
- Aarus (DK)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Darkest
- Equilibrium
- Vindication
Music Videos
Other Releases:
- Clarity (Unknown)
- Vessel (2007)
- A New Decay (2010)
Support:
18. Between Here and Lost // Love & Death
Location:
- Various
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Chemicals
- Whip It
- My Disaster
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
[as Brian “Head” Welch ]
- Save Me from Myself (2008)
Support:
17. The Isolation Process // The Isolation Process
Location:
- Stockholm (SE)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- The Dead End
- Victims of the Masses
- Underneath It All
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
16. Vol 3… Panthalassa // Helm
Location:
- Gold Coast, QLD (AU)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- To the Wolves
- Drag the Anchor
- Cull
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Vol I … Keelhaul (2008)
- Vol II … The Winter March (2009)
Support:
15. Cornerstone // This Misery Garden
Location:
- Geneva (SE)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Mr. X (Was Right)
- Crowded Hallway
- Holy Clutch
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Another Great Day on Earth (2009)
Support:
14. Asymmetry // Karnivool
Location:
- Perth (AU)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- We Are
- Aeons
- Sky Machine
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Karnivool (1999)
- Persona (2005)
- Themata (2005)
- Sound Awake (2009)
Support:
13. Puls // Port Noir
Location:
- Södertälje (SE)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Index
- Sun dé Man
- Thorns
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
12. Shrine of New Generation Slaves // Riverside
Location:
- Warsaw (PL)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Escalator Shrine
- Deprived (Irretrievably Lost Imagination)
- The Depth of Self-Delusion
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Out of Myself (2004)
- Second Life Syndrome (2005)
- Rapid Eye Movement (2007)
- Anno Domini High Definition (2009)
Support:
11. Black Out the Sun // Sevendust
Location:
- Atlanta, GA (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Black Out the Sun
- Decay
- Faithless
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Sevendust (1997)
- Home (1999)
- Animosity (2001)
- Seasons (2003)
- Next (2005)
- Alpha (2007)
- Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow (2008)
- Cold Day Memory (2010)
- Time Travelers & Bonfires (2014)
Support:
10. Emerge & See // Vain Velocity
Location:
- Thessaloniki (GR)
Label:
- N/A
Recommended Tracks:
- Lanthanum
- Bona Fides
- Vinegar
- Junkie Spoon
- Choreography
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- The Odds Are Even (2009)
- Synergies (2011)
Support:
9. Passing Through the Zer0s // Temple of Thieves
- Atlanta, GA (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- The Discovery of Something Greater Than Kelsie Grammar
- Mr. Hixx
- Parasite
- Soul Inside
- Reaping
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
8. Lux // Gemini Syndrome
Location:
- Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Resurrection
- Mourning Star
- Pleasure and Pain
- Basement
- Take This
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- N/A
Support:
7. The Living Infinite // Soilwork
Location:
- Helsingborg (SE)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Parasite Blues
- Long Live the Misanthrope
- Rise Above the Sentiment
- Tongue
- The Living Infinite I & II
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Steelbath Suicide (1998)
- The Chainheart Machine (2000)
- A Predator’s Portrait (2001)
- Natural Born Chaos (2002)
- Figure Number Five (2003)
- Stabbing the Drama (2005)
- Sworn to a Great Divide (2007)
- The Panic Broadcast (2010)
- Beyond the Infinite (2014)
Support:
6. Nothing More // Nothing More *
Location:
- San Antonio, TX / New Orleans, LA (USA)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Take A Bullet
- Jenny
- This is the Time (Ballast)
- The Matthew Effect
- God Went North
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Shelter (2003)
- Vandura (2006)
- Save You / Save Me (2007)
- The Few Not Fleeting (2009)
Support:
* [ Note – For those wondering why Nothing More is on this list rather than next year’s… It was released independently by the band in the summer of 2013; then in 2014 it was re-released after NoMo was signed to Eleven Seven Music. ]
5. Infinitas // Circles
Location:
- Melbourne (AU)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Verum Infiniti
- Radiant
- Erased
- Visions
- Another Me
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- The Compass (2011)
- Infinitas (Deluxe Edition) (2014)
Support:
4. Living Mirrors // Disperse
Location:
- Kraków (PL)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Choices Over Me
- Unbroken Shiver
- Message from Atlantis
- Profane the Ground
- Butoh
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
Journey Through the Hidden Gardens (2010)
Support:
3. Altered State // Tesseract
Location:
- Milton Keynes (UK)
Label:
- Century Media Records
- Currently with Kscope Music
Recommended Tracks:
- Of Mind – Nocturne
- Of Mind – Exile
- Of Matter – Retrospect
- Of Matter – Resist
- Of Energy – Singularity
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- One (2011)
- Perspective (2012)
Support:
- http://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/tesseractstore
- http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/tesseract
2. The Catalyst Fire // Dead Letter Circus
Location:
- Brisbane (AU)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Kachina
- Lodestar
- I Am
- The Cure
- The Veil
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Dead Letter Circus (2007)
- Next in Line (2008)
- This is the Warning (2011)
Support:
1. The Tide, the Thief & River’s End // Caligula’s Horse
Location:
- Brisbane (AU)
Label:
Recommended Tracks:
- Into the White
- A Gift to Afterthought
- Water’s Edge
- Dark Hair Down
- All is Quiet by the Wall
Music Videos:
Other Releases:
- Moments from Ephemeral City (2011)
Support: