Please Help! 2009 Music

[Guidrummist]

I've been on rather a tight budget this year, and haven't been able to pick up a single new release since February (when I acquired Derek Sherinian's Molecular Heinosity). Now that it's getting near to the holiday season, I'm hoping some of my dear loved ones will be able to get me some as gifts. What are the best releases of 2009 that I should put on my wishlist? So far, my working draft is


Sonata Arctica: The Days of Grays
Dream Theater: Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Echoes of Eternity: As Shadows Burn
O.S.I.: Blood
Mastodon: Crack the Skye
Mystic Prophecy: Fireangel
Guilt Machine: On This Perfect Day
Epica: Design Your Universe
Shadow Gallery: Digital Ghosts


Are these all good albums? Am I missing any standout works from this year in the same style? Please help!


Thanks in advance everyone 

[mojobie]

Of those, the only one I own is DT's BC&SL, which is good.

[~V~]

Of those, I have Epica's and Dream Theater.
Both are great and Epica's is probably their best album to date... imho.

[i_am_fabio]

Most of those you listed are great! The only ones that i haven't heard are Echoes of Eternity (and to be honest i hope i never have to hear it  ) and Guilt Machine (which i hope to check out in the future).

Redemption "Snowfall on Judgement Day" is the album of the year for me. So obviously i'd suggest that.

A couple others that i've heard that were good:

Riverside "Anno Domini High Definition"
Narnia "Course of a Generation"
Subsignal "Beautiful and Monstrous"
Futures End "Memoirs of a Broken Man"
Fairyland "Score to a New Beginning"
Twinspirits "The Forbidden City"

A couple other 2009 releases that i hope to get to hear in the near future:

Edgend "A New Identity"
Killing Touch "One of a Kind"

[Guidrummist]

Thanks for your help, friends.

Fabio, I'll be honest: I generally consider the bulk of bands you've listed to be pleasant, but I certainly don't like them enough to listen to them in album-length chunks. The exception to this is Redemption, who are indeed rather excellent. Is their new release album of the year because it takes their talents to new heights, or is everything else this year just kinda weak? Either way, I suppose I'll stick it on my list.

Thanks again, you three. While I consider your opinions very helpful, I still welcome others from readers who have any differing opinions/recommendations 

[Absinthe]

i recently bought Sonata's Days of Grays. although a great album, (which i recommend getting soon) it lacks some of thier classic sound, just as a warning...

[i_am_fabio]

Thanks for your help, friends.

Fabio, I'll be honest: I generally consider the bulk of bands you've listed to be pleasant, but I certainly don't like them enough to listen to them in album-length chunks. The exception to this is Redemption, who are indeed rather excellent. Is their new release album of the year because it takes their talents to new heights, or is everything else this year just kinda weak? Either way, I suppose I'll stick it on my list.

Thanks again, you three. While I consider your opinions very helpful, I still welcome others from readers who have any differing opinions/recommendations 

For the record i don't care for previous albums from Narnia or Fairyland. Both have new singers and their new albums are awesome sounding to me. Especially the Fairyland disc.

Redemption is just great at what they do. They are masters at creating awesome music driven by immense emotion. I'm not sure if i could easily say it is their best album to date.....but i don't know if i could make a strong arguement against that either. If you are a fan of the band at all then I can't recommend it enough. 

Another album that i want to check out that was released this year is called "The Map is Not the Territory" by the band Cloudkicker. Good sounding stuff from what i've been able to check out.

[Hatchy]

No one has yet to mention Ayreon and Edguy ! They came out Jan/Feb time.

Ayreon - 01001101001
Edguy - Tinnitus Sanctus

Some others I enjoyed this year were;

Fairyland - Score to a new Beginning
Hammerfall - No Sacrifice, No Victory
Lunatica - New Shores (haven't actually listened to this one, but told its good stuff)

[Ricey]

Edit - I'm a moron, it seems.

[mojobie]

Picked up SG's "Digital Ghosts" (just had it delivered yesterday) and listened to the first three tracks on the way to work this morning. If the last four tracks are as good as the first three tracks (and I have no clue why they wouldn't be, SG's very consistent, IMO) it's well worth getting. Faster and heavier than "Room V" (only other disc I own from them) and what I've heard off of "Tyranny", which is better for me. 

[Hatchy]

Tyranny and Room V are in my collection, they won't disappoint you Mojobie.

[Guidrummist]

The only ones that i haven't heard are Echoes of Eternity (and to be honest i hope i never have to hear it  ) ....

I got it for Christmas, along with the DT, SA, and OSI. It's the first one I'm listening to, and so far, it reminds me mostly of a heavier, female-fronted Threshold. I'll be updating this post throughout the next few days with thoughts on this and the other albums, if anyone's interested in reading them  

EDIT 1: Listened to the Sonata album. Liked the "dramatic" format most of the songs take on, but seriously miss the solos. Elias can't craft a riff out of Tony's chord progressions nearly as well as Jani could.