Album of the Year 2015

[Gildenmagier]

2015 is pretty much over and as a music fanatic I usually have a brief look back on what was released in the past 12 months. I bought the following 2015 albums:

• Andreas Gabalier - Mountain Man
• Blind Guardian - Beyond the Red Mirror
• Blur - The Magic Whip
• Dr. Dre - Compton
• Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday
• The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy

I had tremendous expectations towards The Prodigy - and they delivered. They didn't reinvent the genre, but "The Day Is My Enemy" is what I hoped for. Noel Gallagher's new album was the real surprise. "Riverman" and "The Right Stuff" are arguably two of the finest tunes he ever wrote. Brilliant.

 

However, none of them could excite me as much as Blur.

 

"The Magic Whip" is the first Blur album since 2003 and once again they managed to reinvent themselves. After spending some time in China and Hong Kong, the band created a very special feeling with this album. Highlights like "Thought I Was a Spaceman" and "My Terracotta Heart" are amongst the best songs in Blur's lengthy history, while the beautiful "Ghost Ship" being the icing on the cake.

 

My album of the year: Blur - The Magic Whip

What about you? What recent releases did you buy and who takes this years cake?

Edited December 15, 2015 by The Loving Sausage

[Boooda]

My favorites of the year are between 

 

 

Muse - Drones

 

Modestep - London Road

 

Big fan of both of these groups and I was pleased with what they delivered

[Iris Heart]

Fear Factory - Genexus

Coal Chamber - Rivals

Vogelfrey - Sturm und Klang

Motorhead - Bad Magic

Melechesh - Enki

Marduk - Frontschwein

Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat

Carach Angren - This is not a Fairytale

Ensiferum - One Man Army

Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Korpiklaani - Noita

Six Feet Under - Crypt of the Devil

Krisiun - Forged in Fury

[Gildenmagier]

Fear Factory - Genexus

Coal Chamber - Rivals

Vogelfrey - Sturm und Klang

Motorhead - Bad Magic

Melechesh - Enki

Marduk - Frontschwein

Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat

Carach Angren - This is not a Fairytale

Ensiferum - One Man Army

Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Korpiklaani - Noita

Six Feet Under - Crypt of the Devil

Krisiun - Forged in Fury

You missed the essential information.

[Banana_Sausage47]

Paradise Lost's The Plague Within tops it for me. Amazing album. Repentless from Slayer was not bad considering it was the first album without Hanneman.

[AlteredFormula]

Yeah I'm gonna let you finish,

 

Despite it being a re-release of an older album, PRhyme's self titled Deluxe Edition, Just the 4 more songs were better than anything else released this year.

 

I honestly cant pick a favourite song off the album, and I cant remember the last time I picked up an album that made me feel that.

 

I'm playing this track a lot in particular at the moment.

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNeDMj5XRG0

Edited December 15, 2015 by AlteredFormula

[harsly]

I don't listen to much new music but I'd say that Ghost released the best album of 2015.

 

[NotAFoxAnymore]

Favourite release of this year out of what I heard is The Mindsweep by Enter Shikari. They also became my favourite band this year

The Day is My Enemy was badass also, aside from Ibiza. That song was dreadful imo

Edited December 15, 2015 by Kurisu

[Wulfie]

Sadly that I don't listen to modern music, becuase this looks like fun.

[OnePieceDude]

Very suprised to see no mention of Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly"

 

 

 

Like seriously..have you guys even HEARD this thing? It's phoneminal! 

Edited December 16, 2015 by OnePieceDude

[Avatar_Of_Battle]

I'm gonna start by saying that I didn't buy any albums this year. However, I did listen to the ones that interested me and if I cared to buy full albums instead of individual songs I would have. (not that I do either anymore.) Not too many bands or artists I enjoy listening to tbh and there were only 4 new albums out this year that interested me.

 

       Disturbed - Immortalized                                   Breaking Benjamin - Dark Before Dawn                          Three Days Grace - Human

                                               

 

Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace all finally released albums after not releasing an album for 5, 6, and 3 years respectively. (yes for Disturbed I'm not counting The Lost Children as an actual album release. Asylum was the last real album release to me.) None of these albums in particular were spectacular compared to their older albums (imo obviously) but I would have to put Breaking Benjamin slightly ahead of the other two bands.

 

The last group I was interested in this year completely blew all 3 of those bands away this year for me though. And that group/album is,

(idk if OP would count them though as they are a music production company.)

[Gildenmagier]

I'm gonna start by saying that I didn't buy any albums this year.

I only buy very few new releases a year. Out of 109 albums I bought so far this year only six of them were released in 2015.

[RunItsAShark]

Album of the Year:

Purpose by Justin Bieber

 

  

 

Reason: The songs are catchy and have good meaning and his voice is definitely the best of all moderns pop-stars (in my opinion).

[Shaowsintzu]

Yelawolf - [Love Story]

Hopsin - [Pound Syndrome]

Tech N9ne - [Strangeulation: Vol. II]

Chipmunk - [Rap vs Grime]

Kendrick Lamar - [To Pimp a Butterfly]

The Game - [The Documentary 2]

Machine Gun Kelly - [General Admission]

Edited March 8, 2016 by Shaowsintzu

[markcavan]

I've almost 1,600 albums in my digital library and only 1 is from 2015 which is Mumford & Sons - Wilder Mind.

 

I guess 2015 wasn't an interesting year for me music wise !

[loljens]

(Im not sure if this qualifies since it was released 15 Jan 2016 but a bunch of songs came out in 2015) Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor

Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho

[Bati-Wan_Kenobi]

Arkaik - Lucid Dawn

 

 

Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction

 

 

The Black Dahlia Murder - Abysmal 

 

 

Really hard to choose between three. I'm going for The Anthropocene Extiction. Great year for the metal music.

Edited March 8, 2016 by NaganoJPN

[Maxximum]

I reckon this is very strange reviving a thread that had its last reply from 4 years ago and that its title would not correspond with the time we're in right now, but the content will and that's what will make sense as a result. Every now and then it's okay to just take a little stroll down memory lane and share different experiences. It's pretty good to just reflect back to the past, let alone make a cameo in it. 

I acknowledge the fact that music has changed by a large proportion in the last decades. Sometimes I feel like the modern era of music does not receive much attention that the ones back in the day got in comparison and in some cases (or in most cases anyway) they are regarded as "trash", and I don't blame anyone for that - We are all unique, we like different things, we see things from different perspectives and I guess that's just how things are. It's very difficult to adapt to a change or accept it, and that's a fact. 

 

Anyway, I was checking the forums out as always, and decided to visit this Media Room section. I wondered if there's ever been an "album of the year" thread created, so I found this for 2015 as well as 2017 (which I'll be posting in later). I feel like this should've been an on-going series since the year this site was established. There could've been an "Album of the Year" 2011 - current year threads and as a matter of fact, I'm not even sure if I should create them right now. Maybe a couple of thoughts from you guys would be great. I basically enjoy giving my input and sharing what I like with this community. 

 

The intro should've been short, though. Let me get down with this. I have a hard time selecting just one out of all favorites, so I'm gonna list the top 10 albums which represented 2015 for me in no particular order. In each album I will list down their top tracks (my favorite ones [in no particular order, again], but the entire album is recommended), because, c'mon, every album has a top track(s) despite the overall quality.

 

#1

Album: Blurryface

Artist: Twenty One Pilots

 

Top Track(s): "Ride", "Heavydirtysoul", "Stressed Out"

The album that introduced me to Twenty One Pilots, courtesy of the song "Stressed Out." I love the Alternative/Indie/Hip-Hop/Rock style this band has. The songs are lyrically good and the flow keeps everything going. This album is definitely worth a try and a shot. I've already seen a few posts from the "What Are You Listening To?" thread, where I saw YouTube links/videos of the song "Ride", which is awesome. The album is great overall. 

 

#2

Album: Every Open Eye

Artist: CHVRCHES

 

Top Track(s): "Leave a Trace", "Never Ending Circles", "Clearest Blue", "Empty Threat", "Bury It"

A great synth-pop band. The exhilarating style and the flow of CHVRCHES' music is extremely relaxing. The other albums are just as good as this one. Lauren Mayberry is adorable and cute, and her voice will leave you in tears. I definitely recommend this album. 

 

#3

Album: Human

Artist: Three Days Grace

 

Top Track(s): "Fallen Angel", "The Real You", "Human Race", "The End Is Not The Answer"

So it seems like the "Fallen Angel" was stolen by Thousand Foot Krutch, and they turned it into "Lifeline" 

I don't know a lot about 3DG, but the songs are pretty much good. What I do know and have heard about is that there's been a new lead vocalist that replaced the previous one that everyone loved and preferred. The new 3DG songs are not well appreciated, but it's still okay to the majority. One of the older 3DG songs I like is "Never Too Late" from the "One-X" (2006) album. 

 

#4

Album: Threat To Survival

Artist: Shinedown

 

Top Track(s): "Thick as Thieves", "How Did You Love", "Cut the Cord", "Asking For It"

Good album, but "Amaryllis" (2012) is frankly better, in my opinion. Always loved Brent Smith's vocals in the songs as that brought the energy and power to the songs. Shinedown is a great band. I recommend this one. 

 

#5

Album: Into the Wild Life

Artist: Halestorm

 

Top Track(s): "Apocalyptic", "Amen", "I Am the Fire", "Scream", "Mayhem"

Halestorm! This might not be their best album, because I think "The Strange Case of..." (2012) was better, but this one still rocks. Lzzy Hale proved that she's one of the best female lead vocalists there is. Her voice is just powerful and controls the pitch, changing it often throughout the songs. Go ahead and give "I Am the Fire" a listen, where you'll hear her powerful voice, giving the decibels a piece of her. It's not like one of those death metal notes or tones, it's just amazing I simply can't put it in words. Holla at me what you think. Go ahead and try it!

 

#6

Album: General Admission

Artist: Machine Gun Kelly

 

Top Track(s): "A Little More" (feat. Victoria Monet), "Till I Die", "Spotlight" (feat. Lzzy Hale)

One of my favorite rappers. Not too many people like him, but I enjoy his songs. One thing I love about him is that he stays close and loyal to rap. Hip-Hop has changed over the years, but he's the one I still look up to. He is well-detailed with his lyrics and the flow is just great. "A Little More" (feat. Victoria Monet) is my favorite in this album. Great album overall. If you want to give this a shot, here's your chance - Kells. 

 

#7

   

Album: That's The Spirit

Artist: Bring Me the Horizon

 

Top Track(s): "Throne", "Happy Song", "Run", "Drown"

Probably not the best band out there, but this album was such a hit in 2015. My love for Alternative rock introduced me to this one. I also like the album cover art - it looks pretty simple, lol... but I love a damn good album cover art. Yeah, this album is good. It's worth listening to.

 

#8

Album: Delirium

Artist: Ellie Goulding

 

Top Track(s): "Love Me Like You Do", "Something in the Way You Move", "On My Mind"

Ellie Goulding is one of the best singers I know and listen to. Her songs are a top notch, both lyrically and instrumentally. I remember one of her songs with Calvin Harris, and then I was eventually introduced properly when her 2013 hit song "Burn" reached the highest of highs. This album is worth it. Her song "Love Me Like You Do" has that nice sensation to it. 

 

#9

Album: Beauty Behind the Madness

Artist: The Weekend

 

Top Track(s): "The Hills", "In The Night", "Can't Feel My Face"

I really enjoyed this one. I started listening to it in the last quarter of 2015. The Weeknd definitely had it all in this album. I could feel the power provided by this album, especially when I listened to those top tracks above. He later released a remix of "The Hills" (feat. Eminem), where his rap lyrics fit the song in every way. Eminem's also one of my favorite rappers. Oh, and the song "In The Night" brought a good vibe every time I played it. Dude had a powerful voice in that song that spiced things up. 

 

#10

Album: Know-It-All

Artist: Alessia Cara   

 

Top Track(s): "Here", "Seventeen", "Outlaws", "Scars To Your Beautiful"

This debut album of hers killed it. It's really worth it. The songs are filled with purely equipped lyrics that just never cease to amaze and please. Those top tracks are definitely worth checking out. "Here" is what I first listened to and kept hitting the replay button. The lyrics are just so good, it's like she's telling a story about a party she ended up at, without any knowledge of how she got there. YouTube has everything, search them up. "Seventeen" is as well as beautiful song. "Scars To Your Beautiful" has an appealing and inspiring message to those who look down to themselves in terms of looks and attractiveness.  

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Singles Recommendations:

 

 Zedd - "Transmission" (feat. X Ambassadors & Logic)

 

 Wiz Khalifa - "See You Again" (feat. Charlie Puth)

 

 Melanie Martinez - "Pity Party"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

That was my top 10 (in no particular order) for 2015. 2015, the year I joined this wonderful site. I surely enjoyed posting this. Going over my thoughts about music and sharing them, publicizing them in the process. I appreciate the posts above me and I certainly enjoyed some of them. Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, Justin Bieber's Purpose, and many more above me, for example. They helped enlarge my music library and here's hoping you enjoy some of mine. I'd really appreciate it if you ever let me know what you think about them.

 

On 12/16/2015 at 5:06 AM, Avatar_Of_Battle said:

I'm gonna start by saying that I didn't buy any albums this year. However, I did listen to the ones that interested me and if I cared to buy full albums instead of individual songs I would have. (not that I do either anymore.) Not too many bands or artists I enjoy listening to tbh and there were only 4 new albums out this year that interested me.

 

       Disturbed - Immortalized                                   Breaking Benjamin - Dark Before Dawn                          Three Days Grace - Human

                                               

 

Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace all finally released albums after not releasing an album for 5, 6, and 3 years respectively. (yes for Disturbed I'm not counting The Lost Children as an actual album release. Asylum was the last real album release to me.) None of these albums in particular were spectacular compared to their older albums (imo obviously) but I would have to put Breaking Benjamin slightly ahead of the other two bands.

 

The last group I was interested in this year completely blew all 3 of those bands away this year for me though. And that group/album is,

(idk if OP would count them though as they are a music production company.)

 

I guess my favorite Disturbed's albums are "Ten Thousand Fists" (2005) & "Evolution" (2018). The one song I'm stricken and can't let go of (no pun intended... well, maybe ) is none other than "Stricken". One of the best songs I've ever heard! The "Immortalized" (2015) album is not that bad, just not my favorite and it didn't make it to the top 10, probably because I listen to way too many songs than everyone here.  

I'm gonna give Breaking Benjamin a go very soon. 

Edited August 5, 2019 by ee28max

[Avatar_Of_Battle]

49 minutes ago, ee28max said:

I guess my favorite Disturbed's albums are "Ten Thousand Fists" (2005) & "Evolution" (2018). The one song I'm stricken and can't let go of (no pun intended... well, maybe ) is none other than "Stricken". One of the best songs I've ever heard! The "Immortalized" (2015) album is not that bad, just not my favorite and it didn't make it to the top 10, probably because I listen to way too many songs than everyone here.  

I'm gonna give Breaking Benjamin a go very soon. 

 

Honestly...I hated just about every song off Evolution. (and the fact that it fucking wrecked their streak of albums debuting at #1 just irritates me even more) Are You Ready was good for a bit but that's it. I'd probably go with Ten Thousand Fists being slightly ahead or tied with Indestructible.

 

I like plenty of songs from Breaking Benjamin, but they are spread over all their albums. Ember, their latest album, was pretty average to me with nothing standing out.