*Five Storey Ensemble
*Circle Of Illusion
*Sound Of Contact
*Haken
*Birds & Buildings
*Ayreon
*Leprous
*Nemrud
*Days Between Stations
*Clive Nolan

Biggest surprise: Sigur Ros live. I went to the show unaware of their new direction with the latest LP, was blown away.

Biggest expectation: Valerinne's second LP. They announced a release for November still in the summer; some delays meant it was only ready in December. Expectations met.

Dearest LP: Heights by Damascus.

Biggest discovery: Ao Vivo Em Londrina by O Terço.

Greatest disappointment: PAs distancing from Math Rock.

Cult of Luna and Kayo Dot did really surprise me positively. Also a nice new melodic prog doom folk band Sisare.

Disappointments: Riverside and Leprous

Crazy, exceptionally great year in music. Personally 2013 will go down as one of my all time favourite years in music since 1993 for me.

Biggest surprise and biggest achievement that one my heart instantly is Fates Warning's Darkness In A Different Light. Album of the year for me....but here are just a few others I've enjoyed as well. ;)


Unreal City--La Crudelta Di Aprile
The Psychedelic Ensemble-The Tale Of The Golden King
Tangerine Dream--Finnigans Wake
Fright Pig--Out Of The Barnyard
Ochre--La Moddie
Edison's Children--The Final Breath Before November
Dead Heroes Club--Everything Is Connected.
Royal Hunt--A Life to Die For
Devin Townsend--Retinal Circus
Spocks Beard--Brief Nocturnes
The Flower Kings--Desolation Rose.
Himilabacken--Vol.1
Genesis Revisted--Live At The Hammersmith Odeon (2013) 2dvd 3cd set
Kompendium--Elements
Believe--The warmest Winter Sun
Days between Stations--In Extremist
Airbag--The Greatest show on earth
Il Cerchio D'Oro---Dedalo E Icaro
IQ---Tales From The Lush Attic (Remix/reissue 2013)
Anathema--Universal
Maurizo Guarini--Creatures From A Drawer
Soulfly--Savages
The Tangent: The Rite Of Work
Magenta--The 27 Club
Dead Can Dance--In Concert 2012 (album released 2013)
Clive Nolan--Alchemy (studio Version)
Clive Nolan--Alchemy live! (Box Set (3cd/2dvd 2013)
Autechre--Xai
Pendragon--Introducing Pendragon (2cd Compilation album 2013)
Depeche Mode--Delta Machine
Ulver---Messe I.X--VI.X
WinterSun--Time I
Hibernal--The Machine
Comedy Of Errors--Fanfare And Fantasy
T--Psychoanorexia
Orphaned Land--All Is One
Nine Inch Nails--Hesitation Marks
Haken--The Mountain
Dream Theater--Live at Luna Park (2dvd--3cd set)
Device--Vilify
Trivium-- Vengeance Falls
Ayreon-- The Theory Of Everything (2cd/DVD set)
Arena--The Rapture
Queensryche---X2
Amon Amarth--Deceiver Of Gods
Levin Rudess Minnemann--The Project
James LaBrie--Impermanent Resonance.
Steven Wilson--The Raven That Refused To Sing:And other short stories.
Riverside--Shrine Of A New Generation
Lifesigns--Lifesigns (debut 2013)
Big Big Train--English Electric Full Power
Tears For Fears--The Hurting 4cd Reissue box set-2013)
Aciients--Heart Of Oak
Cosmograf--The Man Left In Space
Sound Of Contact--Dimensionaut
Nightwish--The Ballads (compilation 2013)
Metallica: Through The Never (Music from the Motion Picture)
Katatonia--Dethroned & UnCrowned
The Alan Parsons Project--I Robot ( 35th Anniversary Legacy Edition)
Skinny Puppy--The Weapon
Fish-- A Feast of Consequences.
PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi) - In
Classic: Da Mozart - A Celebration (2013)
Leprous--Coal
Draconian--The Arcane Rain Fell (2013 digital reissue)
Ministry--From Beer To Eternity (farewell album)
Psykerion--The Thought Chamber
Motorpsycho--Still Life With Eggplant.
Gary Numan's--Splinter
The Eldritch Dark--Blood Ceremony
DREAM THEATER--DREAM THEATER

Also. Truth is I have no disappointments for what I've listened to or discovered for 2013.
Really don't. Amazing year.



Edited by progbethyname - January 22 2014 at 01:02

Nine Inch Nails-Hesitation Marks
Was the most interesting album for me, released in 2013

Horizons wrote: Biggest surprise was Sigur Ros's new edgier side, Arcade Fire's magnum opus, and Depeche Mode's great album.  Disappointments were..  Riverside, Russian Circles, Hubardo,

I liked Russian Circles. I agree on Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire, and Hubardo, though.

Other than those:

Surprises: Deafheaven, My Bloody Valentine, Vampire Weekend, Midlake

Disappointments: Chelsea Light Moving, Lee Renaldo and the Dust, Atoms for Peace, Bosnian Rainbows, and every other "side project" from which I was expecting a lot more.

I too, was impressed by the DT - need to listen to it more - but a lot of people have thought that it was prog-metal by numbers and just the same as their last few releases.
I don't mind bands doing what they do best....but some people feel that if a band does not change they are not progressing....
Oh and best CD of 2013 - Late listen for me - last week of the year in fact - Fanfare & Fantasy - Brilliant stuff!

Edited by M27Barney - January 23 2014 at 05:11

valravennz wrote: Comedy of Errors - Fanfare and Fantasy was the biggest surprise for me - brilliant stuff. I also enjoyed Riverside, The Tangent, Spock's Beard, Ayreon and Haken, among a huge list of other greats. Disappointment was probably Dream Theater and even then, it was not a terrible album and on the Post Rock side, Russian Circles - I expected more from them!  To be honest, most of the releases this year that I listened too, have been great, placing 2013 among the best prog years in recent times!

progbethyname wrote: King Manuel wrote: For me the biggest surprise was Dream Theater. I did not expect too much, but when the album was finally out, I was totally blown away. One of their greatest! Biggest disappointment: The lack of love for the last DT output here on the PA. Another disappointment for me is Days Between Stations. After their brilliant debut, the new album leaves me totally bored. Like your DT enthasism here. I agree with you. I don't find much fault in the album. People want to hear DT do something completely different because of their insane musicianship, so a lot of people especially here on PA are tired of the DT formula to Prog metal. I will admit DT's last 4 albums have not been dramatically different from one another, but their latest effort is absolute quality musicianship and it is creative, but it lacks diversity. I say screw it cause their is no crime in sticking to what you are good at. People forget as well that DT have already exhausted the difference engine so much already and have done so much for the Prog metal genre in general. They have made their Mark and made it well, which is why some people expect more. They expect radical differences in sound from what DT did from 1992 to 1999 where every album was very uniquely different from one another. That just doesn't happen often. I think it's kind of unfair to be critical of DT in this matter, especially since they are a 28 year old band! I mean what were Floyd, Genesis and King Crimson doing after being 28 years old? Some. Didn't make it till 28. They Burt out! People gotta start respecting the fact that DT can still create powerful, virtuosic music while showing no signs of slowing down after 28 freakin' years. Yes. I too am a bit upset for how DT's 2013 effort been rated here on PA. Ok. I shall make that my disappointment for 2013 as well. I dunno. Seems unfair. They still sound great. 4 stars easily!

I agree with all of this up the the eleventh dial on amp. X11.

I'd say Riverside's was a bit of a disappointment and I have their previous 4 albums, but really don't have much of a desire to get that one after listening to it. That might change someday though.

^I thought  Kompendium was a 2012 release but then I may be wrong.