Best 2014 release!

So, the end of the year is coming. It is time for christimas tree, trading gifts, santa claus...and time to choose your favorite 2014 release.

Here are some options I've got in mind.

- Guardian - Almost Home
- Letter 7 - Trust
- Saint - Broad is the gate
- The Tourniquet Ark (ted kirkpatrick) - Onward to Freedom
- Darrell Mansfield - I am not Alone
- Veni Domine - Light
-Jupter VI - Movable Walls
- Pylon - Homo Homini Lupus
- Taker - It is Finished
- Teramaze - Esoteric Symbolism
- Lyberty'n'Justice - The Vow
- The Brave - Rise
- Barren Cross - Birth Pangs


Rereleases:

- Saint - Warriors of the son 2004
- Deliverance - Stay of Execution
- Vengeance Rising - released upon the earth

What else is relevant?

My list would include:

The Autumn League - Concept Of Irony
Blood Thirsty - Sanguine River Absolution
Cloth - Cloth EP
Dalit - Descent (I don't have this one yet, but I'm sure it's gonna be great!)
Northern Flame - Glimpse Of Hope
Pantokrator - Incarnate
Promise Land - Harmony In Ruins
Sardis - Escape
Wovenhand - Refractory Obdurate
Various - Repossession: A Christmas Album
Various - Prophecy Foretold: A Brutal Christmas Compilation (as with the Dalit, I don't have this one yet but it's gonna be a good'un I know!)

Pretty lean year, eh?

I vote A Hill to Die Upon - Holy Despair.

My votes (tie):
Demon Hunter - Extremist
Pylon - Homo Homini Lupus
Michael Sweet - I'm Not Your Suicide

Runners up:
The Brave - Rise
Pantokrator - Incarnate (listening now ).

This was a lean year. Some we expected never arrived (Worldview). But there were a few stellar releases. Being more of a melodic/classic metal fan myself, there are two that leap right to the top:

Saint - Broad Is The Gate
Letter 7 - Trust

Both are incredible albums that I will enjoy for a long time to come. Nothing else that came out this year really grabbed me. Guardian's album, while not as bad as many made it sound, was also not quite what I was hoping for. It's not bad, but not great either.

I would also have to go with Saint & Letter 7 as my top two.  I would also have to list Sardis, Apologetix, Seventh Day Slumber and the Rhett Walker Band.

In the musical turd department, I would have to list Guardian.  I am so glad that I sold that one.  Yucky-icky-blech!

Messenger - Perfect Strom

Razorigami - Truths From Beyond This Machine

Disciple - Attack

My favorite is still a february release:

Letter 7 - Trust

Great album that reminds me the 80's hard'n'heavy we all love so much.Neither classic bands from the 80's such as Bloodgood and Stryper could make an album with so many influences from that time. And this release is so much better than their first two albums (Letter 7).

Even though I still want to get Darrell Mansfield - I am not Alone and maybe Jupter VI - Movable Walls, I doubt that I will enjoy one of these albums more than Trust.

And people will disagree, but my second favorite release is:

Guardian - Almost Home

At the first listening, I thought: "This is garbage!". Then I realize that Guardian isn't a hard rock band since Fire & Love came out. And after a few listenings, I started to enjoy this album. Jamie's voice has grown a bit older, but he's still a great singer and Tony Palacios looks so much better than in the last few Guardian albums. And I enjoy the old influences that they put together in a modern album.

"Lean" year is right. I liked a few songs from the stuff mentioned, but I can't say I was too excited about anything released so far.

I have trouble keeping track of which album came out when.... Pantokrator's Incarnate definitely.... Did Anestor's Omen came out this year?

Ted Kirkpatrick/Tourniquet is killer.

Fundy wrote:Messenger - Perfect Strom

Razorigami - Truths From Beyond This Machine

Disciple - Attack

At last a Messenger ~ Perfect Storm fan... Keep trying to promote this 80's style metal band but not many people are raving about it!!! Awesome release!!!

Markification wrote:

Fundy wrote:Messenger - Perfect Strom

Razorigami - Truths From Beyond This Machine

Disciple - Attack

At last a Messenger ~ Perfect Storm fan... Keep trying to promote this 80's style metal band but not many people are raving about it!!! Awesome release!!!

It's probably going to be my album of the year.  Love it!

The new Harmony disc arrived today, am listening to it now.  Sounds great on the 1st listen!!!

I only picked up 4 2014 releases so far, I guess.

FWIW, Pantokrator was 2013, and LemonMouse mentioned Antestor, which was 2012.

My 2 favorites would be A Hill to Die Upon and Saving Grace.  Also, while not "Christian" and I don't think I've seen it mentioned really anywhere, I happened to think that Austrian Death Machine "Triple Brutal" was really pretty solid!  For Today's effort, to me, was a bit lackluster. 

That's all of the 2014 for me.

Grindboy wrote:
FWIW, Pantokrator was 2013, and LemonMouse mentioned Antestor, which was 2012.

Huh. I got nothing, then. I'll check my MP3 player later.

I'm actually so lame I keep a spreadsheet!  Otherwise I'd have no idea about anything.

Grindboy wrote:I'm actually so lame I keep a spreadsheet!  Otherwise I'd have no idea about anything.

You're not the only lame one, I do the same thing.

I'm pretty sure PANTOKRATOR was Jan 2014.  Probably my favourite of 2014, but there has been some other great releases that I've enjoyed.

http://hmmagazine.com/blog/the-jump/pantokrator-announces-incarnate-release-date-jan-21/

Grindboy wrote:I only picked up 4 2014 releases so far, I guess.

FWIW, Pantokrator was 2013, and LemonMouse mentioned Antestor, which was 2012.

My 2 favorites would be A Hill to Die Upon and Saving Grace.  Also, while not "Christian" and I don't think I've seen it mentioned really anywhere, I happened to think that Austrian Death Machine "Triple Brutal" was really pretty solid!  For Today's effort, to me, was a bit lackluster. 

That's all of the 2014 for me.

I enjoy the latest 'A Hill To Die Upon', great release.

Believe they are working on a new album already as are Pantokrator.

The only 2014 albums I have are Beartooth's Disgusting and BabyMetal's s/t. So those are my Best of 2014.

All the other albums I thought of were actually from 2013 -- 8:18, Ghost Thief, Mythos....

It's Teramaze - Esoteric Symbolism and it's not even close.

My copy of Pantokrator says C2013 Rottweiler Records.  That's what I've been going off of (and what got put into my nerd spreadsheet!).

If people want to say it's among the best of 2014 that's fine and I won't argue with it, but was just trying to provide some info.


Some like Mythos get mentioned here -- I know!  #1, I don't get most things brand new anymore, so I'm sure I got this in '14; and #2, years go by in a couple weeks anymore, so it seems like not very long ago.  That was a great album, fully agree.

Grindboy wrote:My copy of Pantokrator says C2013 Rottweiler Records.  That's what I've been going off of (and what got put into my nerd spreadsheet!).

If people want to say it's among the best of 2014 that's fine and I won't argue with it, but was just trying to provide some info.


Some like Mythos get mentioned here -- I know!  #1, I don't get most things brand new anymore, so I'm sure I got this in '14; and #2, years go by in a couple weeks anymore, so it seems like not very long ago.  That was a great album, fully agree.

My copy is on Soundmass label, maybe they were released at different times?