Here’s the big award: Top 25 albums of the year. This list is always a giant pain to make, as there are other albums that definitely deserved recognition. But, 25 was the number I chose, so I guess I gotta stick to it. Without further ado…
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25. 5R6 – “Islands
Grungy, alternative, and proggy to the core
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24. Transience – “Temple”
Enlightened and gritty
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23. Susanne Sundfor – “Ten Love Songs”
Incredible vocals and just so enjoyable
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22. Wilderun – “Sleep at the Edge of the Earth”
Surprisingly melodic and consistent
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21. Caligula’s Horse – “Bloom”
Incredible rhythms and grooves
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20. Chaos Divine – “Colliding Skies”
Amazing vocals and continued great songwriting
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19. Abigail’s Ghost – “Black Plastic Sun”
Superb guitars and nostalgia
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18. Borealis – “Purgatory”
Gotta love those riffs and vocal lines
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17. Steven Wilson – “Hand.Cannot.Erase.”
Surprised to see this here?
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16. Transport Aerian – “Darkblue”
Introspective, inquisitive, and so very dark
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15. Seven Steps to the Green Door – “Fetish”
Powerful concept combined with stunning harmonies
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14. Nad Sylvan – “Courting the Widow”
The most stylish and romantic album of the year
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13. Breaking Orbit – “Transcension”
Towering guitars and ethereal feelings
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12. Nordic Giants – “A Seance of Dark Delusions”
Wreathed in shadows and otherworldly tones
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11. Hillward – “Flies in Amber Stones”
Honest songwriting and great guitars
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10. Leprous – “The Congregation”
Stunning in just about every area
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9. Gazpacho – “Molok”
Intelligent and smooth
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8. Arcane – “Known/Learned”
A monumental achievement
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7. Steve Hackett – “Wolflight”
An incredible grower with such force
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6. Toxic Smile – “Farewell”
Perfect instrumentals and creative concept
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5. Kingcrow – “Eidos”
Inspired composition and introspective searching
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4. Osta Love – “The Isle of Dogs”
Word pictures that engage your imagination
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3. Lonely Robot – “Please Come Home”
Best guitars and pure enjoyment
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2. Earthside – “A Dream in Static”
An earth-shattering debut that exceeded all my expectations
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1. Riverside – “Love, Fear and the Time Machine”
This album has rocked my world with its amazing choruses, diverse structures, great instrumentals, and also with its palpable feelings and very personal content. Duda has always managed to speak to me in my current stage of life, and he has absolutely made this one of my favorite albums, not just of 2015, but of all time.
The PROG Mind 
You somehow left out Subsignal and BtBaM…
Nice list, and some really great releases amongst your selections.
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While I’m not a fan of BtBaM, I did love that Subsignal album. It was actually on the list, but I swapped in Abigail’s Ghost at the last second. It didn’t hit me as hard as Paraiso, for sure.
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What a great and eye-opening list. I will now be exploring a bunch of stuff I hitherto might have missed. Mucho thanks! 🙂
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