1.Avantasia - Angel Of Babylon

2.Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony

3.Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies

4.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

5.Accept - Blood Of The Nations

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Must Listen: The First 3

1.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

2.Primal Fear - Delivering The Black

3.Nightingale - Retribution

4.Voyager - V

5.Dynazty - Renatus

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1.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

2.Primal Fear - Delivering The Black

3.Vanden Plas - Chronicles Of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1)

4.Threshold - For The Journey

5.Voyager - V

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The things I liked in 2014

1.Disforia - The Age Of Ether

2.Accept - Blind Rage

3.Arion - Last Of Us

4.Exodus - Blood In, Blood Out

5.Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds

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1.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

2.Doom:VS - Earthless

3.Helevorn - Compassion Forlorn

4.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

5.Dominia - Theophania

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Suggestions For The Eclectic Metalhead - 2014 Edition. I spent over half of 2014 NOT absorbing new metal, and thus spent the rest of the year catching up. I'm pretty certain I missed many great albums, as well as missing a few entire genres, so know that this isn't an exhaustive list (and why it is only 30 instead of 50). These albums all easily rate an 8 or higher and are my favorite and most recommended albums. If your tastes are equally varied, please recommend me your favorites in return!

1.Evenoire - Herons

2.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

3.Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age

4.November-7 - Awaraxid 7mg

5.Sivyj Yar - From The Dead Villages' Darkness

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1.Ancient Bards - A New Dawn Ending

2.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

3.Eluveitie - Origins

4.Hoth - Oathbreaker

5.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

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1.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

2.Vanden Plas - Chronicles Of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1)

3.Primal Fear - Delivering The Black

4.Pretty Maids - Louder Than Ever

5.Teramaze - Esoteric Symbolism

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100% subjective.
I also listened to albums far from metal or metal world (Hanggai, Lisa Gerrard, ...) but I decided not to list them there.

Updated constantly - feel free to recommend something to check out.

1.Darkspace - Dark Space III I

2.Blues Pills - Blues Pills

3.Earth - Primitive And Deadly

4.Aenaon - Extance

5.Triptykon - Melana Chasmata

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1.Opeth - Pale Communion

2.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

3.Delain - The Human Contradiction

4.Arch Enemy - War Eternal

5.Within Temptation - Hydra

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This list is provisional with no specific order. It's subject to change as time passes and more albums get released. For now, Triptykon's new work tops my chart.

1.Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare

2.Triptykon - Melana Chasmata

3.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

4.Behemoth - The Satanist

5.Witch Mountain - Mobile Of Angels

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Pretty much every album that's caught my attention over the year, including non-metal. (Variety is a virtue, y'know )

I'll only be commenting on albums that I've given enough time to really form an opinion on. Chances are albums that failed to interest me beyond a first listen will eventually be removed from the list.

1.Swans - To Be Kind

2.Darren Korb - Transistor Original Soundtrack

3.Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies

4.Gazpacho - Demon

5.Vampillia - My Beautiful Twisted Nightmares In Aurora Rainbow Darkness

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Rating:
10 - Allmost impossible to get. The band need to create something astronomical good.
9 - Only the best albums of the year gets this.
8 - A really good album on all levels.
7 - A good album, but nothing special.
6 - An average album with some good songs.
5 - Not a good album, maybe 1 or 2 good songs.
4 and below - I rather not waste my time on it...

1.

2.Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

3.Behemoth - The Satanist

4.Vanden Plas - Chronicles Of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1)

5.Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution

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Same as every year, my list of 2014 albums I listen and care to give a rating to.

1.Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral

2.Los Random - Pidanoma

3.The Atlas Moth - The Old Believer

4.Giant Squid - Minoans

5.Behemoth - The Satanist

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This is close to my final list for this year.

1.Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era

2.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

3.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

4.Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase I - Neohumanity)

5.Ghost Brigade - IV - One With The Storm

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