Best metal of 2007?

[carlosgp]

Oh yes. How could I forgot The Roundhouse Tapes? Wonderful live album, one of the best live metal albums in years. I was not considering it a 2007 album, I suppose because the music is not new...

[fierce_freak]

loud and unremarkable.

figured someone would say something like this. I obviously disagree, and we have different taste in our music, so no point in arguing it. I have to be honest and say that I've only heard of two bands on your list, both in the flops section (Darkthrone and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum). I'll have to see what style the other bands you listed are as I love a variety of stuff (just prefer math, grind, deathcore, etc.)

Just got back from picking up 6 cd's, all from this year, many of which I would bet belong in the best of '07 (a fantastic year for metal, for my taste):

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid

Animosity - Animal

War from a Harlot's Mouth - Transmetropolitan

Job for a Cowboy - Genesis

Suicide Silence - The Cleansing

The Agony Scene - Get Damned (at least i think that's the title)

[Patu]

Nice to see Nightwish mentioned here. It's not on my top 3 but the new album is very good.

I'd rank new Dream Theater, Symphony X and Threshold on my top 3.

[en480c4]

For me, the top metal album of the year was definitely Epica's The Divine Conspiracy. It has all of the things I really love in an album, mainly stunning female vocals and enough going on that you can discover new things with every listen. This is an album that gets better and better the longer I have it.

[catscratch]

Not much metal added to my collection this year so I can't really say. But the surprise of the year in any genre so far happened to be a metal album:

Outworld - s/t

Well, no, I lie. I wasn't surprised at all at how good this was. I've been following this band and album for a while and heard a good bunch of it before release. I also am a fan of Rusty Cooley's work in general.

This sounds a bit like a thoroughly pissed-off Symphony-X, though just to leave it at that would be an injustice. There's Pantera in here, and Nevermore, and a bit of Meshuggah for good measure. Still, this isn't just a sum of its influences but a new sound.

Oh, and it's also better than anything SyX ever did, except possibly V. That's a very high recommendation if there ever was one. And Rusty Cooley absolutely shreds. If you don't know of this guitarist, then brace yourself.

P.S. I've yet to check out the new Alchemist, but if the whole disk is as good as the two tracks I've heard, it will be my pick for 2007 out of what I've heard thus far. Alchemist is my favorite current metal band (used to be Nile but after Darkened Shrines they really didn't do anything original... or good).