My Top 5 Albums of 2014

Hey everybody!

Well, 2014 has been an interesting year for me. On the negative side of things, I’ve lost my Grandfather of 80 years of age, as well as a host of deaths & issues. Fortunately, there were far more positives. Making the Heavy Metal Otaku blog (It was rocky at first, but I think things improved), going to my 5th Genericon & Connecticon, meeting wonderful new people at said conventions, signing up to Facebook, and simply enjoying time with those that I love & know. That sounds sappy, but it’s true!

In any case, I wanted to put out some content before my Christmas break. Nothing too big, but definitely some stuff to tide you over until we begin 2015. With a lot of great music coming out this year, I think it would be appropriate to show off what I thought the top 5 albums of the year were. Some legends returned to continue their legacy, while newcomers have appeared to cement their own positions in music history. In any case, I hope you enjoy what I’ve put here.

5) Black Light Discipline: Death By A Thousand Cuts (Sample song: “Link”)

We begin this list with a relatively unknown band here in the United States. Coming from the brutal & metal land of Finland, Black Light Discipline has only been around since 2008, making them the youngest band to be on this list. Death By A Thousand Cuts marks their 3rd album to be released by the band, and it’s a nice album. It’s not necessarily sparkling or dazzling, but the music on here is fun, and it’s just as good at a metal concert as well as a dance club. There’s good instrumentation, nice usage of sound effects, and the vocals, while not remarkable, are quite respectable. Death By A Thousand Cuts isn’t an album that you’ll want to speed towards your local music store to buy, but if you manage to listen to it online through some sort of livestream, then you might be entertained by what you’ll hear. 

4) Judas Priest: Redeemer of Souls (Sample song: “Link”)

From a unknown group to one of the most iconic metal bands around, Judas Priest has been kicking ass for 40 years. Releasing some classic albums, not to mention to infamous ones, they have created a legacy that is deserved to a T! Redeemer of Souls, their 17th album, is yet another step on their journey. Despite getting some flak thrown at them because of this release (Not to mention some flak thrown at them because of Nostradamus), Redeemer of Souls is a return to their older form, but with modern music technology at their disposal. Many of the songs on here sound like pieces taken from albums like British Steel, Defenders of the Faith, and Painkiller: there’s the old-school vibes coming off of many of the songs on ROS, where things felt raw & edgy, and when Heavy Metal was more treasured than it is now. Thanks to newer recording methods & tools, the songs on this release sound crisp, clean, and fresh.

Despite some of the hate that they’ve received from this album & Nostradamus, Judas Priest are now more powerful than they’ve ever been. When they come to a city, their presence is immediately felt. If you hold Priest close to your metallic heart, you owe it to yourself to buy this album, and redeem your soul!.....Pun intended.

3) Weird Al Yankovic: Mandatory Fun (Sample song: “Link”)

If a comedy album reaches number 1 on the Billboard 200, then you know it does something right. Taking influence from older & newer singers/bands, Weird Al has created another comedic masterpiece for the ages! Setting the music against the background of some equally parodied communist/socialist propaganda posters, and you have an atmosphere that’s equal parts funny & WTF. You really won’t find any bad music on Mandatory Fun: every song on this release is chock full of goofy humor, clever puns, and plenty of juvenile groaners (Smart juvenile groaners, that is). Simply put, if you like to laugh, then this album is most certainly mandatory!

2) Devin Townsend: Casualties of Cool (Sample song: “Link”) & Z2 (Sample song: “Link”)

A tie might appear to be something of a cop-out on a “Top 5” list, but it was hard to decide which of these two albums I enjoyed the most. In the end, I couldn’t decide, and chose to put these two together at number 2. Casualties of Cool & Z2 actually share something in common with the Deconstruction & Ghost releases back in 2011. Casualties of Cool is the calmer & atmospheric of the two albums. It’s artistic, full of vibrant energy, and peaceful. It calms your soul, and has the power to open your Third Eye if you let it. Z2 is the exact opposite: it’s loud, bombastic, and incredibly heavy. It’s a metallic tour-de-force that comes at you with the fury of 20 Mach trucks, and once it hits you, you won’t feel the same. You won’t be disappointed if you pick either one, as they’re both wonderfully produced albums. If you happen to get both releases, then you’ll be in music bliss for quite some time!

1) Septicflesh: Titan (Sample song: “Link”)

With maybe the exception of Death By A Thousand Cuts (Emphasis on the word maybe), the one thing that each of these albums have in common with one another is that I knew I was going to like them. Redeemer Of Souls, I liked. Mandatory Fun, I Liked. Casualties of Cool & Z2, I liked. With Titan, I did not expect to like it!

Let me explain why. I’m not a fan of Death Metal, and Black Metal by extension. I’ve always found them to be cheap forms of Heavy Metal music, that only people with minimal talent try to perform. I’ve also found Death Metal to be crude, poorly done, and overall not a well evolved form of music. There have been exceptions here & there, but these exceptions have only applied to songs. Titan marks the first time I’ve straight up loved a Death Metal album. When they released Order of Dracul, Burn, and Prototype as singles, for some strange reason I enjoyed them. Come time for the album to see release, I jumped on the chance to acquire it. I didn’t not regret it!

Despite being Death Metal, this is Death Metal with style. It’s got a accompanying symphony, boys & girls choirs, and a production value that is out of this world! Every song on here is an absolute blast to listen to, and each of them are dripping with a epic, gothic-like atmosphere. I can describe things any further, as it would ruin the experience. Suffice it to say, if you had to buy just one album of 2014, make sure that Titan is your first!

Well, these are the top 5 albums of 2014. See you later this week, when I’ll show you my top 5 games. See you soon!