TOP WAVES GENERAL - JANUARY 2021
Unsurprisingly, the winner of this first edition of the TOP WAVES 2021 is VANDEN PLAS who makes a real razzia by rallying all the votes and leaving only the crumbs to the other nominated bands.
The Germans who have been regaling us with their progressive metal since 1995 and "Colour Temple" come back with the sequel of "The Ghost Xperiment - Awakening" released in 2019 and which "had marked the editorial staff of Music Waves for its metal evolution with riffs more muscular than usual". "Not surprisingly, this sequel is generally in line with the same trend, which the consistency of the band for over 25 years could suggest. "What doesn't change is this incredible propensity to produce rich melodies and songs with complex constructions while remaining extremely accessible. The refrains are clinically immediate and the album is full of nuggets".
In summary, this new album "joins [...] "Christ.0" and "Chronicles Of The Immortals - Netherwold" "part I" and "part II" among Vanden Plas's exceptional albums, and it is becoming a habit." (ProgRacer)
VANDEN PLAS The Ghost Xperiment - Illumination
The second place goes to WOBBLER "a diligent guarantor of a golden age of English obedience to which he pays homage in each of his albums".
"It is admitted that the Norwegians reached their peak with "From Silence To Somewhere" and it is no surprise that they continue in the same direction".
With "Dwellers Of The Deep", Wobbler wins his bet to follow up on his superb "From Silence to Somewhere" and beyond. This fifth album by Norwegians alone synthesizes the jubilation that lovers of progressive rock seek in this music in terms of character, charming melodies and sophisticated harmonies, twirling instrumental creations and vocal transcendence". (Nuno777)
WOBBLER Dwellers Of The Deep
To complete the podium of this first TOP WAVES of the year, we find THE RETICENT who "had already distinguished himself four years earlier with the release of "On The Eve Of A Goodbye", inspired by the suicide of a childhood friend". This year, "the American reappears with a new festive subject: Alzheimer's disease".
"To set this obscure theme to music, seven tracks follow one another for an hour of listening, covering the seven stages of Alzheimer's disease. The concept album forms a whole, a coherent whole. Throughout the disc, it is a plethora of genres which will not have of cease to cross themselves, to pass the relay to highlight the qualities of the composer".
"We will find in "The Oubliette" a solid base of progressive metal, sometimes with jazz [...] Opeth death metal [...], black metal [...], slow and depressing rock with doom flavors [...], or even film music on the last instrumental track".
In short, "The Reticent is signing a new poignant concept album, this one setting the bar a little higher than the previous one." (Darialys)
THE RETICENT The Oubliette
The detailed general ranking
VANDEN PLAS: The Ghost Xperiment - Illumination (progressive metal) 33
WOBBLER: Dwellers Of The Deep (Progressive Rock) 20
THE RETICENT: The Oubliette (progressive metal) 20
SOEN: Imperial (progressive metal) 14
TRANSATLANTIC: The Absolute Universe - Forevermore (Progressive Rock) 12
ACCEPT: Too Mean To Die (Heavy Metal) 11
ECCLESIA: De Ecclesiæ Universalis (Doom) 5
KORPIKLAANI: Jylhä (Pagan/Viking Metal) 4
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (MSG): Immortal (Heavy Metal) 4
PRDR: How Did The Desert Bloom (Rock) 4
RICK MILLER: Unstuck In Time (Progressive Rock) 3
MELANIE MAU & MARTIN SCHNELLA: Through The Decades (Rock) 3
GNÔ: Stereofish (Rock) 3
JOHN DIVA & THE ROCKETS OF LOVE: American Amadeus (Hard Rock) 3
STEVE HACKETT: Under A Mediterranean Sky (Progressive Rock) 3
STEVEN WILSON: The Future Bites (Rock) 1
THERION: Leviathan (Melodic Metal) 1
TOP WAVES METAL - JANUARY 2021
Reading the TOP WAVES GENERAL, not surprisingly, the first two places in the METAL category are trumped by the latest albums of Vanden Plas and The Reticent accompanied by SOEN who completes the podium.
In the lineage of their four previous productions that propelled the Swedes to the top of the progressive metal bands, "Soen delivers an album without frills and of a bluffing artistic maturity. Listen to it once and you'll hear the immediacy of the melodies, the urgency of the powerful riffs, the emotion of the vocal lines and the simplicity of the arrangements. Listen to it a hundred times and feel as much emotion and pleasure each time. The chafing spirits will reproach a minimal risk taking or an originality at half mast. We prefer to see it as the exceptional maturity of a band that brings pleasure while obviously taking just as much. "Imperial" is the most accomplished album of the Swedes and a total success." (Calgepo)
SOEN Imperial
The detailed Metal ranking
VANDEN PLAS: The Ghost Xperiment - Illumination (progressive metal) 42
THE RETICENT: The Oubliette (progressive metal) 25
SOEN: Imperial (progressive metal) 19
ACCEPT: Too Mean To Die (Heavy Metal) 15
THERION: Leviathan (Melodic Metal) 7
KORPIKLAANI: Jylhä (Pagan/Viking Metal) 6
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (MSG): Immortal (Heavy Metal) 6
ECCLESIA: De Ecclesiæ Universalis (Doom) 5
BELPHEGOR: Necrodaemon Terrorsathan (Black Metal) 3
MIKE LEPOND’S SILENT ASSASSINS: Whore Of Babylon (progressive metal) 3
THE WOLF YOU FEED: …and The Wild Returns (progressive metal) 3
PALLBEARER: Forgotten Days (Doom) 1
TOP WAVES ROCK - JANUARY 2021
Just like the TOP WAVES METAL, the ROCK is very much dominated by WOBBLER. But once said that, who to accompany him and complete this ranking?
To begin with, we find the supergroup's fifth album, TRANSATLANTIC.
"Musically speaking, the fans of Transatlantic, Neal Morse and Roine Stolt, and their different declinations, will not be disappointed, they will find everything they like in these great artists. The compositions have this immediately addictive and yet very worked out side which is their trademark. The inspiration is as always at the rendezvous, as well as the diversity of the melodies".
(Corto 1809)
TRANSATLANTIC The Absolute Universe - Forevermore
And then who to finalize this ranking? Against all expectations, it is the Frenchmen of GNO who inherit the third place.
The surprise to see them appear so high in the ranking is all the greater as the group "survived the departure of the charismatic Christophe Godin".
"The recipe from Gnô to "Sick Princess" is a mix of instrumental metal architectures and pop vocal melodies ribbed with tones ranging from dark to cheerful. "Stereofish" shows a Gnô that is more rock than metal while retaining its pop approach."
"If Gnô has always been the archetype of the metal trio, it's certainly in "Stereofish" that the band dimension is most evident."
In short, "for its second album, "Stereofish", Gnô Mark II retains all its melodic qualities and communicative energy while making its rock even more accessible." (Nuno777)
GNÔ Stereofish
The detailed Rock ranking
WOBBLER: Dwellers Of The Deep (Progressive Rock) 33
TRANSATLANTIC: The Absolute Universe - Forevermore (Progressive Rock) 19
GNÔ: Stereofish (Rock) 18
JOHN DIVA & THE ROCKETS OF LOVE: American Amadeus (Hard Rock) 15
MELANIE MAU & MARTIN SCHNELLA: Through The Decades (Rock) 9
STEVEN WILSON: The Future Bites (Rock) 7
MAD MAX: Stormchild Rising (Hard Rock) 6
PRDR: How Did The Desert Bloom (Rock) 6
RICK MILLER: Unstuck In Time (Progressive Rock) 6
STEVE HACKETT: Under A Mediterranean Sky (Progressive Rock) 5
CLINT SLATE: Dragons (Rock) 4
CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA: Give The Drummer Some (Jazz) 3
PALACE: Rock And Roll Radio (A.O.R.) 2
LE BARATIN DE LA JOIE: Allegro (Rock) 1
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME: Razzmatazz (Pop) 1
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