Collaborators' Top Albums of 2012

Welcome to the 8^th annual ProgArchives Collaborator’s 2012 Album of the Year contest!

Again we find ourselves at the pinnacle of the musical year – the end. Each year, ProgArchives hosts a contest to see what the best progressive rock albums of the year were. The contest is open to all the collaborators of the site, including VIP Members, Prog Reviewers, Collaborators, Special Collaborators, and Admins. Each collab is allowed to vote for 10 albums. Over the past few months, these lists have been collected and collated into the Collaborator’s 2012 Album of the Year list.

I returned as the collator for a second time this year, and I was very pleased with the results. We as collaborators wanted an earlier deadline, and even with less time, I was amazed to find myself faced with 82 voters and a record-breaking 264 individual albums that were nominated. I’d like to thank all the collaborators that took the time to compile their list that made this post possible.

As a listener, I was shocked by the huge diversity in sonic power and musical creativity that was presented to the progressive rock scene this year. Incredibly well-crafted efforts in each of our subgenres came out this year, and while some seemed to impress our collaborators the most, there were so many to choose from. Sadly, however, as we see each year, each release couldn’t be carefully evaluated by all our collaborators, so this list is not as comprehensive as we would hope.

Enough of my chatter – without further ado, here it is:

The ProgArchives Collaborators’ Top Albums of 2012

1.   ANGLAGARD – Viljans Öga

To many, Anglagard was the symbol of the resurgence of progressive rock in the 1990s. Possessing a unique style driven by King Crimson and Yes along with a number of other influences, their 1992 debut album Hybris is heralded as one of the best progressive rock albums of all time. They quickly followed the album with Epilog in 1994, but disappeared afterwards. Reunions occurred over the next two decades, but it took 20 years after their debut for the band to reappear in the studio. Viljans Öga is the fantastic result.

“Listening to Viljans Oga is as if they've never been away and they've simply taken up where they left off all those years ago… It's Anglagard doing what they do best…the mellow pastoral moments creating strong dynamics alongside the heavier bombastic parts, expertly weaved together with their trademark quirky touches. All this would count for nothing without the strength of the compositions…  Viljans Oga can easily sit alongside Hybris and Epilog as some of the most enjoyable symphonic prog I've ever heard.” –Nightfly, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·         Genre: Symphonic Prog

·         Country: Sweden

·         429 ratings, 4.33 Stars

·         Appears on 28% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 9

·         Song sampler (“Ur Vilande”)

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2.   BIG BIG TRAIN – English Electric (Part One)

Big Big Train are no strangers to the progressive rock scene, but they are perhaps the best modern example of a band who matured and developed over time. Forming in the early 1990s, the band’s early output did little to the fledgling progressive rock scene of the time. Over the next 15 years, however, the band developed into one of the most well-respected modern crossover/symphonic prog bands of the day. Their 2009 masterpiece The Underfall Yard seemed hard to bear, but their follow up, English Electric (Part One), did just that.

“[English Electric (Part One)] is, in short, a true prog original, as well as one of my biggest surprises of the year - having been none too impressed by the band's back catalogue, I really hadn't planned on giving them another go, but … I'm profoundly glad I did. Big Big Train fans will be thrilled by their heroes' latest triumph; prog fans who have previously given them short shift might be advised to give this one a taste because it might just win them over.” – Warthur, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·         Genre: Crossover Prog

·         Country: United Kingdom

·         385 ratings, 4.28 stars

·         Appears on 32% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 3

·         Song Sampler: (“Judas Unrepentant”)

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3.   ECHOLYN – echolyn

Another familiar face, Echolyn has been releasing high-quality and well-respected symphonic progressive rock since the beginning of the 1990s. While the band’s influence seemed to wane as the ‘90s came to an end, 2002’sMei showed a strong return from the American powerhouse. 2005 saw The End is Beautiful, and when the band went silent, many feared that was the band’s end as well. That was proven wrong almost 7 years later when the band announced the release of their eighth, self-titled, album. Echolyn proved to be an incredible return for the band.

“Echolyn have brought us an octet of stellar sonic craftsmanship. There is a mellow maturity present throughout this experience. Musically and thematically, it is an emulsion of Mei and The End is Beautiful, an enchanting exploration of the breadth of human emotion. Oddly, this is the band's second eponymous album…Echolytes know what to expect from this quintet, and they delivered eight times over. Well done gentlemen.” – Epignosis, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·         Genre: Symphonic Prog

·         Country: United States

·         262 ratings, 4.15 Stars

·         Appears on 25% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 4

·         Song sample: (“The Cardinal and I”)

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4.   THE FLOWER KINGS – Banks of Eden

Four in a row, we have one of the original 1990s progressive rock revival bands. The Flower Kings, headed by prog rock veteran Roine Stolt, have been producing high quality modern symphonic prog for over two decades continuously. Uncharacteristically, though, Banks of Eden, the band’s 11^th studio album, comes after an unprecedented 5 year gap. It was worth the wait, however, as Banks of Eden follows the already wonderful Sum of No Evil with some of the band’s freshest material yet.

“I find the band's 2007 release The Sum of No Evil to be an absolute masterpiece, so it was difficult for me to imagine a fitting follow-up. My faith in Roine and company is strong, however, and after hearing Banks of Eden, it is even more unwavering. One of the best things about TFK is their ability to remain stylistically consistent while still providing depth of variety. Banks of Eden is further evidence of this; although the classic TFK sound is mostly unchanged here, this album is different from anything the band has ever done before… this is modern prog at its finest. The Flower Kings are not kings by name alone.” – Anthony H, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·         Genre: Symphonic Prog

·         Country: Sweden

·         347 ratings, 4.11 Stars

·         Appears on 23% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 4

·         Song sample: (“Numbers [Excerpt]”)

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5.   MOTORPSYCHO (feat. STÅLE STORLØKKEN) – The Death Defying Unicorn

Motorpsycho have, just like its friends here, been around since the early 1990s. Similar to Big Big Train, however, the band made a small impact on the budding Norwegian prog scene in its early years. The trio kept plugging on, however, and produced an incredibly large amount of material over its two decade existence. The band slowly began to gather steam as it collaborated with other well-known Norwegian musicians such as Jaga Jazzist and, on this offering, Ståle Storløkken. The Death Defying Unicorn is a massive double-concept-album that uses the already incredible musical power of the band and Storløkken in addition to the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. This massive album is perhaps their best yet.

“Motorpsycho has become somewhat of a cult hit around the prog community of late hailed by many respective reviewers and collabs as album of the year so I had to indulge. Before I approached the album I had no idea what to expect…so I put on the headphones one dark evening after midnight and let the music immerse my soul. I think I was lifted into another plane of existence as the music simply nailed me to the couch with its inexorable power. I can only include with the inevitable after being treated to a mesmerising musical explosion like this. The album is an undisputable masterpiece of prog and one of the must listen to albums of 2012.” – AtomicCrimsonRush, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·         Genre: Eclectic Prog

·         Country: Norway

·         187 ratings, 4.19 Stars

·         Appears on 20% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 2

·         Song sample: (“The Hollow Lands”)

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6.   MAGMA – Félicité Thösz

The kings of Zeuhl don’t come around often anymore, but when they do, they can still produce a mean piece of avant-garde mastery. Félicité Thösz follows the band’s wondrous 2009 output Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré and shows no slowing of the 40-something year old band. The band retains their classic styling to please classic fans while exploring enough new territory to certainly bring in many new wary explorers – the band even features a track sung in French rather their native Kobaian!

“On this (hopely till know) not too much anticipated 2012 release of one of the most original and progressive bands of progressive rock history we get to hear a different side of Christian Vander's composition skills. Instead of creating a dark operatic en technical album, Magma returns with an angelic celebration of life…another must-have Magma release for fans an perhaps the easiest entry into the band's discography to this date. The production is great, the compostion briljant and the album has a really postive, mysterious & adventerious mood that really cheers me up.” – Friso, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·         Genre: Zeuhl

·         Country: France

·         135 ratings, 4.23 Stars

·         Appears on 15% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 3

·         Song sample: (“Ëkmah”)

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7.   THE MARS VOLTA – Noctourniquet

Sadly this incredibly experimental album proves to be the last of one of the most celebrated experimenters of the last decade. The Mars Volta may have split up in early 2013, but their last effort, Noctourniquet, was an experience of musical exploration, the bounds of sound, and how far they can bring their fans without driving them insane. The Mars Volta have explored many sonic routes, from mind-blisteringly technical yet incredibly emotional heavy Latin prog to mellow acoustic Latin-inspired jams. To many, this album rivals their highly-celebrated 2002 debut De-Loused in the Comatorium, and I can see why.

“Let me start off this review by saying that this is quite possibly The Mars Volta's best work. After repeated listens it seems to just keep getting better, it's slowly creeping its way into my top 2 TMV albums with Deloused and Frances up there previously and it shows no signs of slowing it's journey into my favorite records of this year and of all time… It's a record seething with emotion and like most TMV records uses that to make the songs memorable and fantastic-sounding. It's a formula that's been working for years now but with Noctourniquet it seems very much refreshed, like this is a new era for TMV.” – The Truth, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·         Genre: Heavy Prog

·         Country: United States

·         214 ratings, 3.67 Stars

·         Appears on 14% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 4

·         Song sample: (“Zed and Two Naughts”)

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8.   THE TEA CLUB – Quickly Quickly Quickly

Perhaps the biggest underdogs of the contest, The Tea Club are the newest contestants, with their debut coming out in 2008. The band weaves an incredible form of accessible yet wonderfully progressive music that entrances the listener. Being released in November of 2012, the album was late to rise to the challenge, but it provided ample competition to the big dogs of the fight. With such a phenomenal effort so early in its career, The Tea Club are destined to live a truly entrancing career of quality music.

“[Quickly Quickly Quickly] picks up where "Rabbit" left off and but finds the band pushing further into longer, slightly more complex tracks…Just as Rabbit was clearly a better album than General Winter, QQQ shows further sonic growth over its predecessor. But the Teas have avoided the trap of getting mired down in too much cerebral posturing or unnecessary shred. They achieve pleasing complexity without abandoning their strengths: unapologetic melody, colorful storytelling, and an authentic, intimate connection to their listener…this one is close to perfect. One of 2012's gems” – Finnforest, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·         Genre: Crossover Prog

·         Country: United States

·         45 ratings, 4.34 Stars

·         Appears on 10% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 2

·         Song sample: (“The Eternal German Infant”)

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9.   STORM CORROSION – Storm Corrosion

Steven Wilson and Mike Åkerfeldt are perhaps two of the most beloved figures in progressive rock at the current moment. So when news leaked that the duo would be collaborating on a separate project from Opeth, the progressive rock community was in a buzz. Mike Portnoy was rumored to be a member, but he was out not soon after word leaked. Years past after the rumor was released, and 2012 finally saw the culmination of their work in Storm Corrosion. A dark experience of dark folk-tinged prog delicacies, the project turned out to be about just what every prog fan hoped for.

“Whatever you think [Storm Corrosion] will be, it isn't…you might be tempted to imagine that this will sound like some kind of combination of [Opeth and Porcupine Tree].  It doesn't. That said, in my opinion it's the best of them. This is the kind of album that takes the listener on a voyage, that you just want to put on a nice stereo system and close your eyes and let the music carry you away. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Talk Talk, not necessarily in how it actually sounds but just in how exquisitely it's put together…every track feels perfectly composed and paced, with 10 minute songs that seem to pass in the blink of an eye and gorgeous soundscapes that feel like portals to other worlds…if you're looking for a beautiful, otherworldly trip then this is the album for you.” – VanVanVan, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·         Genre: Eclectic Prog

·         Country: United Kingdom and Sweden

·         291 ratings, 3.75 Stars

·         Appears on 14% of all lists

·         Number of #1 listings: 0 (highest placement #2)

·         Song sample: (“Drag Ropes”)

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10.   RUSH – Clockwork Angels

Rush are the unadulterated kings of the Heavy Prog genre and have been for almost 40 years. The second 1970s survivor on the list, Rush have continually produced high quality music in a number of different forms over their long career. Clockwork Angels is the band’s 19^th studio album, a feat few bands reach. Returning to the concept form, the band weave a dense dystopian narrative through impressive song writing ability that shows the band is hardly done. Some may not have been impressed by this album, but many more welcomed it amongst the bands many other masterpieces.

“Clockwork Angels is a concept album and as such should be viewed as a whole and listened to in its entirety in one sitting…this is a definitive Rush album wherein the sum is greater than the parts…as a modern Heavy Prog album it is a triumph… Musically we are treated to enormous riffs, kenetic bass-playing and some of Peart's best drum work in decades…This could be the best Rush album since "Moving Pictures", it is certainly on a par with "Signals" and was rewarded by reaching #2 in the Official US Album Chart, quite a feat by the un-hippest rock band on the planet.” – Tony R, Administrator

Statistics:

·   Genre: Heavy Prog

·   Country: Canada

·   462 ratings, 3.95 Stars

·   Appears on 12% of all lists

·   Number of #1 listings: 2

·   Song sample: (“Caravan [Single Edit]”)

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 Full list incoming...