Sea of Tranquility

(Compiled by Duncan Glenday)
*** Please CLICK HERE to vote for YOUR favorite album of the year !***

(Click on each writer's name below to go directly to his list.)

Summarized List Of The Top 50 CDs, From All Of The SoT Staff

Pete Pardo
Brandon Miles
Benjamin Dudai
Eric Porter
Michael Popke
Simon Bray
Aaron Steelman
Steven Reid
Tom De Val
Carl Sederholm
Jon Neudorf
James Mannion

PETER PARDO

Top 30 of 2021

1. The Dead Daisies : Holy Ground
2. Styx : Crash of the Crown
3. Lucifer : IV
4. Helloween : Helloween
5. Mastodon : Hushed and Grim
6. Between the Buried and Me : Colors II
7. Dream Theater : A View From the Top of the World
8. Todd La Torre : Rejoice in the Suffering
9. Transatlantic : The Absolute Universe
10. Green Lung : Black Harvest
11. Neal Morse Band : Innocence & Danger
12. Agusa : En Annan Varld
13. Obscura : A Valediction
14. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu
15. Alcatrazz : V
16. UDO : Game Over
17. Tremonti : Marching in Time
18. Evergrey : Escape of the Phoenix
19. Liquid Tension Experiment : 3
20. Caligonaut : Magnified as Giants
21. Exodus : Persona Non Grata
22. Flotsam and Jetsam : Blood in the Water
23. Cynic : Ascension Codes
24. Terra Odium : Ne Plus Ultra
25. Epica : Omega
26. Billy Gibbons : Hardware
27. Glass Hammer : Skallagrim: Into the Breach
28. Black Label Society : Doom Crew Inc.
29. Robby Steinhardt : Not in Kansas Anymore: A Prog Opera
30. Lords of Black : Alchemy of Souls: Part II

Honorable Mentions:

Accept-Too Mean to Die
Michael Schenker Group-Immortal
Blind Golem-A Dream of Fantasy
Samsara Blues Experiment-End of Forever
Lyle Workman-Uncommon Measures
Cactus-Tightrope
Cheap Trick-In Another World
Smith/Kotzen-Smith/Kotzen
The Vintage Caravan-Monuments
Thunder-All the Right Noises
Cannibal Corpse-Violence Unimagined
Frost*- Day and Age
Dennis DeYoung- 26 East Vol. 2
Big Big Train-Common Ground
Cirith Ungol-Half Past Human
Ciccada-Harvest
Aziola Cry-The Ironic Divide
Optimistic Visionaries-Return
Kick the Cat-Gurgle
Brainstorm-Wall of Skulls
KK’s Priest-Sermons of the Sinner
A Dying Planet- When the Skies Are Grey
Hawkwind-Somnia
Jeremy Green with Keith Carlock-Standing Eight
Quill-Riding Rainbows

Best Live Albums of 2021:

1 Pat Metheny-Side Eye NYC V1.IV
2 King Crimson-Music is Our Friend
3 Be Bop Deluxe-Live in the Air Age
4 Nektar-Sounds Like Swiss
5 Lynyrd Skynyrd-Live at Knebworth
6 Allan Holdsworth-Leverkusen ’97
7 Can-Live in Stuttgart 1975
8 Steve Gadd Band-At Blue Note Tokyo
9 Gong- Live A Longlaville 27/10/1974
10 Chick Corea Akoustic Band- Live

BRANDON MILES

Top 15 of 2021

1. Dalriada : Őszel�'
2. Beast in Black : Dark Connection
3. Helloween : Helloween
4. Korpiklaani : Jylhä
5. Orden Ogan : Final Days
6. Stormkeep : Tales of Othertime
7. Carcass : Torn Arteries
8. Eclipse : Wired
9. Unto Others : Strength
10. Chvrches : Screen Violence
11. Pharaoh : The Powers That Be
12. Arion : Vultures Die Alone
13. Spirtbox : Eternal Blue
14. Metalite : A Virtual World
15. Hooded Menace : The Tritonus Bell

BENJAMIN DUDAI

My Favorite albums of 2021

I would say my Top 10 are more or less accurate. The rest are all great for different reasons and while I did try to rank them all it’s definitely not set in stone. It was a great year for the progressive and technical death metal bands producing many mindblowing stand out albums that of course will mostly get overlooked by the majority of metal fans.

1. Fractal Universe : The Impassable Horizon -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
2. Iotunn : Access All Worlds -- (Progressive Death Metal)
3. Burial in The sky : The Consumed Self -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
4. First Fragment : Gloire Éternelle -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
5. The Beast Of Nod : Multiversal -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
6. Inferi : Vile Genesis -- (Melodic Technical Death Metal)
7. Between The Buried And Me : Colors II -- (Progressive Rock/Death Metal)
8. Obscura : A Valediction -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
9. Archspire : Bleed the Future -- (Technical Death Metal)
10. Ex Deo : The Thirteen Years Of Nero -- (Symphonic Death Metal)
11. Mastodon : Hushed and Grim -- (Progressive Rock/Metal)
12. Paradox : Heresy II -- End of a Legend
13. Crystal Viper : The Cult -- (Traditional Heavy Metal/Power Metal)
14. Helloween : Helloween -- (Power Metal)
15. Alustrium : A moment of Silence -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
16. Anakim : The Elysian Void -- (Technical Death Metal)
17. Ophidian I : Desolate -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
18. Whitechapel : Kin -- (Progressive Deathcore/Death Metal)
19. Khemmis : Deceiver -- (Epic Doom/Epic heavyMetal)
20. Eternity’s End : Embers of War -- (Technical Power Metal)
21. Carcass : Torn Arteries -- (Death Metal)
22. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu -- (Heavy Metal)
23. Cynic : Ascension Codes -- (Progressive Metal)
24. Deviant Process : Nurture -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
25. Rivers Of Nihil : The work -- (Progressive,Technical Death Metal)
26. Cognizance : Upheaval -- (Technical Death Metal)
27. Vitrified Entity : Eternal Vitreous Dissolve -- (Technical Death Metal)
28. In Mourning : The Bleeding Veil -- (Progressive Melodic Death Metal)
29. Vildhjarta : måsstaden under vatten -- (Progressive Djent)
30. Abiotic : Ikigai -- (Progressive, Technical, Deathcore/Death Metal)

EPs

Chiliasm - Flesh Over Infinite -- (Technical Death Metal)
Phlebotomized - Pain, Resistance, Suffering -- (Melodic Technical Death Metal)

ERIC PORTER

Top 10 Releases for 2021

1. Chick Corea Akoustic Band : Live
2. Kick The Cat : Gurgle
3. Pat Metheny : Side Eye NYC V1.IV
4. Coevality : Multiple Personalities
5. Lyle Workman : Uncommon Measures
6. Agusa : EN ANNAD VARLD
7. Nad Sylvan : Spiritus Mundi
8. Circus Mind : Joy Machine
9. Jeremy Green : Standing Eight
10. Jane Gettner Premonition : Anomalia

MICHAEL POPKE

Best of 2021

This might be my most eclectic list yet…

1. The Neal Morse Band : Innocence & Danger --
2. The Night Flight Orchestra : Aeromantic II
3. Jack O’The Clock : Leaving California
4. Dream Theater : A View from the Top of the World
5. Brandi Carlisle : In These Silent Days
6. Ross Jennings : A Shadow of My Future Self
7. Transatlantic : The Absolute Universe-Forevermore (Extended Version)/The Breath of Life (Abridged Version)
8. Liquid Tension Experiment : LTE3
9. Dug Pinnick : Joy Bomb
10. Styx : Crash of the Crown
11. Immortal Guardian : Psychosomatic
12. Poverty’s No Crime : A Secret to Hide
13. Kent Hilli : The Rumble
14. Steve Lukather : I Found the Sun Again / Joseph Williams Denizan Tenant
15. Witherfall : Curse of Autumn
16. Steven Wilson : The Future Bites
17. Subterranean Masquerade : Mountain Fever
18. Foo Fighters : Medicine at Midnight
19. Therion : Leviathan
20. Blackmore’s Night : Nature’s Light

Reissues + Compilations + Live:

1. Cats in Space: Diamonds-The Best of Cats in Space
2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concert
3. Chris Cornell: No One Sings Like You Anymore
4. Katatonia: Mnemosynean
5. Various Artists: Driftless Dreamers-In Cuca County

SIMON BRAY

Best of 2021

1. Helloween: Helloween :
2. Cradle of Filth : Existence is Futile
3. Styx : Crash of the Crown
4. Chez Kane : Chez Kane
5. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu
6. Accept : Too Mean to Die
7. Dennis DeYoung : EAST26 Vol2
8. Powerwolf : Call of the Wild
9. The Darkness : Motorheart
10. Ad Infinitum : Chapter II - Legacy
11. Thunder : All the Right Noises
12. Lee Aaron : Radio On
13. Mary’s Blood : Mary's Blood
14. Tao : Prophecy
15. Blackberry Smoke : You Hear Georgia
16. Gus G : Quantum Leap
17. Jim Peterik and World Stage : Tigress
18. Beast in Black : Dark Connection
19. Bill Fisher : Halloucinations of a Higher Truth
20. The Georgia Thunderbolts : Can We Get A Witness
21. Toby Hitchcock : Changes
22. Wig Wam : Never Say Die
23. U.D.O. : Game Over
24. Orden Ogan : Final Days
25. W.E.T. Retransmission :

EPs:

Cirith Ungol: Half Past Human
Dirkschneider and the Old Gang: Arising

Re-issues:

HammerFall: Renegade 2.0

Not SoT friendly list:

The Stranglers: Dark Matters
ABBA: Voyage
Vanilla Ninja: Encore
Ian McNabb: Utopian
Paul Stanley's Soul Station: Now And Then
Toyah: Posh Pop

AARON STEELMAN

Best of 2021

Studio Albums

1. Agusa : En Annan Varld
2. Monobody : Comma
3. Dewa Budjana : Naurora
4. Antony Kalugin : Chameleon Shapeshifter
5. Ciccada : Harvest
6. Mediabanda : Maquinarius
7. Elephant9 : Arrival of the New Elders
8. Subterranean Masquerade : Mountain Fever
9. Raven Sad : The Leaf and the Wing
10. Fair Wind Pleases : The Wind of the Season
11. Caligonaut : Magnified as Giants
12. Hawkwind : Somnia
13. Mastodon : Hushed and Grim
14. Liquid Tension Experiment : 3
15. Mostly Autumn : Graveyard Star
16. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu
17. Antony Kalugin : Stellar Gardener
18. Kerrs Pink : Presence of Life
19. Dream Theater : A View from the Top of the World
20. Himmellegeme : Variola Vera
21. Between the Buried and Me : Colors II
22. Steve Hackett : Surrender of Silence
23. Cosmograf : Rattrapante
24. Mogwai : As the Love Continues
25. Chain Reaktor : Homesick

Live Albums and Reissues:

1. RPWL: God Has Failed: Live and Personal
2. Pink Floyd: A Momentary Lapse of Reason: Remixed & Updated
3. King Crimson: Music Is Our Friend
4. TesseracT: Portals
5. Black Sabbath: Sabotage Super Deluxe

STEVEN REID

BEST OF 2021

1. Helloween : Helloween --
2. Steven Wilson : The Future Bites --
3. Caligonaut : Magnified As Giants --
4. Frost* : Day And Age --
5. Aeon Zen : Transversal --
6. The Wildhearts : 20th Century Love Songs --
7. Crown Lands : White Buffalo --
8. Agusa : En Annan Varld --
9. Smith/Kotzen : Smith/Kotzen --
10. Paradox : Heresy II: End Of A Legend --
11. Styx : Crash Of The Crown --
12. Cyan : For King And Country --
13. Justin Sullivan : Surrounded --
14. Dennis DeYoung : 26 East Vol 2 --
15. Temtris : Ritual Warfare --
16. Lee Abraham : Only Human --
17. Thunder : All The Right Noises --
18. Air Raid : Freedom Ring --
19. Transatlantic : The Absolute Universe - Forevermore --
20. Galahad Electric Company : Soul Therapy --
21. Cast : Vigesimus --
22. Myke Gray : Shades Of Gray --
23. Wayward Sons : Even Up The Score --
24. Powerwolf : Call Of The World --
25. The Paradox Twin : The Silence From Signals --
26. Kali Trio : Loom --
27. Evership : The Uncrowned King Part I --
28. Cheap Trick : In Another World --
29. Catalyst : Chris: Kaleidoscopes --
30. Accept : Too Mean To Die --
31. Neil Campbell : The Great Escape --
32. Necromantia : To The Depth We Descend… --
33. Mammoth WVH : Mammoth WVH --
34. Joseph Williams : Denizen Tenant --
35. Portrait : At One With None --
36. Tony Kaye : End Of Inocence --
37. Chest Rockwell : The Existentialist --
38. Flotsam & Jetsam : Blood In The Water --
39. U.D.O : Game Over --
40. Blackberry Smoke : You Hear Georgia --
41. Unknown Refuge : From The Darkness --
42. Blaze Bayley : War Within Me --
43. Victory : Gods Of Tomorrow --
44. Joe Stump : Diabolical Ferocity --
45. Crown Of Glory : Ad Infinitum --
46. The Vicious Head Society : Extinction Level Event --
47. Asaf Sirkis : Solar Flash --
48. Glass Hammer : Skallagrim - Into the Breach --
49. King Zebra : Survivors --
50. Humanity Deluxe : Elements --

Re-Issues

1. Gentle Giant - Freehand (+blu-ray)
2. Jethro Tull - Benefit (deluxe)
3. Marillion - Fugazi (deluxe)
4. KISS - Destroyer 45 (super deluxe)
5. Donnie Iris - Back On The Streets
6. Uriah Heep - Everyday Rocks (vinyl picture disc edition)
7. Paul Di’anno’s Battlezone - Fighting Back
8. Georgia Satellites - Ultimate Georgia Satellites (3CD)
9. Jethro Tull - A (deluxe)
10. Vandenberg - The Complete ATCO Recordings 1982-2004 (4CD)

TOM DE VAL

Top 15 of 2021

1. Frost* : Day And Age
2. Mastodon : Hushed And Grim
3. A Formal Horse : Meat Mallet
4. Needlepoint : Walking Up That Valley
5. Motorpsycho : Kingdom Of Oblivion
6. Emma-Jean Thackray : Yellow
7. Transatlantic : The Absolute Universe (Forevermore
8. Soen : Imperial
9. Green Lung : Black Harvest
10. Cynic : Ascension Codes
11. Carcass : Torn Arteries
12. Cheap Trick : In Another World
13. Marissa Nadler : The Path Of The Clouds
14. Dream Theater : A View From The Top Of The World
15. Caligonaut : Magnified As Giants

CARL SEDERHOLM

Best of 2021

1. 1914 : Where Fear and Weapons Meet
2. Molten : Dystopian Syndrome
3. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu
4. Cannibal Corpse : Violence Unimagined
5. Ex Deo : The Thirteen Years of Nero
6. Hooded Menace : The Tritonus Bell
7. Thy Catafalque : Vadak
8. Mastodon : Hushed and Grim
9. Red Fang : Arrows
10. Rivers of Nihil : The Work
11. Gojira : Fortitude
12. Exodus : Persona Non Grata
13. King Woman : Celestial Blues
14. Ophidian I : Desolate
15. Wode : Burn in Many Mirrors
16. Pray U Prey : The Omega Kill
17. Blindfolded and Led to the Woods : Nightmare Withdrawals
18. The Ruins of Beverast : The Thule Grimoires
19. Zombi : Liquid Crystal
20. Genghis Tron : Dream Weapon
21. Kardashev : The Baring of Shadows
22. Capra : In Transmission
23. Steel Bearing Hand : Slay in Hell
24. Body Void : Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth
25. Midhaven : Of the Lotus and the Thunderbolt

JON NEUDORF

My Best Albums of 2021-Top 35+A422

1. Kayak : Out of This World
2. Frost : Day and Age
3. Motorpsycho : Kingdom of Oblivion
4. Vintage Caravan : Monuments
5. Poverty’s No Crime : A Secret to Hide
6. Strawbs : Settlement
7. Blind Golem : A Dream of Fantasy
8. Steven Wilson : The Future Bites
9. Wytch : Exordium
10. Downes Braide Association : Halcyon Hymns
11. Lindsey Buckingham : Lindsey Buckingham
12. Kimmo Pörsti : Past and Present
13. Samurai of Prog, The : The Lady and the Lion and Other Grimm Tales I
14. Samurai of Prog, The : The White Snake and Other Grimm Tales II
15. Robots of the Ancient World : Mystic Goddess
16. Void Vator : Great Fear Rising
17. Jakethehawk : Hinterlands
18. Suburban Savages : Demagogue Days
19. Appalooza : The Holy of Holies
20. The Striders : Out of the Blues
21. Anders Buaas : Tarot
22. Ghost Echo : Isolated Dreams
23. Chain Reaktor : Homesick
24. Witchcryer : When Their Gods Come For You
25. Giant Sky : Giant Sky
26. HFMC : We Are the Truth
27. Laughing Stock : Zero
28. Mythopoeic Mind : Hatchling
29. Vestamaran : Bungalow Rex
30. Vandor : On a Moonlit Night
31. Ian Perry’s Rock Emporium : Brute Force
32. Soup : Visions
33. Caligonaut : Magnified as Giants
34. Vokonis : Odyssey
35. Mariusz Duda : Claustrophobic Universe

JAMES MANNION

Top 10 of 2021

1. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu
2. Volbeat : Servant of the Mind
3. Bloodbound : Creatures of the Dark Realm
4. Tremonti : Marching in Time
5. Blaze Bayley : War Within Me
6. Kent Hilli : The Rumble
7. Infinite & Divine : Silver Lining
8. Devils in Heaven : Rise
9. Timo Tolkki's Avalon : The Enigma Birth
10. Stranger Vision : Poetica

Summarized List Of The Top 50 CDs, From All Of The SoT Staff

1. Iron Maiden : Senjutsu
2. Helloween : Helloween
3. Mastodon : Hushed And Grim
4. Styx : Crash Of The Crown
5. Agusa : En Annan Varld
6. Caligonaut : Magnified As Giants
7. Transatlantic : The Absolute Universe
8. Dream Theater : A View From The Top Of The World
9. Frost* : Day And Age
10. Steven Wilson : The Future Bites
11. Between The Buried And Me : Colors Ii
12. Carcass : Torn Arteries
13. Liquid Tension Experiment : 3
14. Cynic : Ascension Codes
15. Motorpsycho : Kingdom Of Oblivion
16. Ex Deo : The Thirteen Years Of Nero
17. Powerwolf : Call Of The Wild
18. Green Lung : Black Harvest
19. Kent Hilli : The Rumble
20. Beast In Black : Dark Connection
21. Antony Kalugin : Chameleon Shapeshifter
22. Dennis Deyoung : 26 East Vol 2
23. Hooded Menace : The Tritonus Bell
24. Obscura : A Valediction
25. Tremonti : Marching In Time
26. Paradox : Heresy Ii
27. Blackberry Smoke : You Hear Georgia
28. Poverty’s No Crime : A Secret To Hide
29. Subterranean Masquerade : Mountain Fever
30. Samurai Of Prog, The : The Lady And The Lion And Other Grimm Tales I
31. Thunder : All The Right Noises
32. Orden Ogan : Final Days
33. Ophidian I : Desolate
34. Exodus : Persona Non Grata
35. Rivers Of Nihil : The Work
36. Accept : Too Mean To Die
37. Cheap Trick : In Another World
38. Blaze Bayley : War Within Me
39. Chain Reaktor : Homesick
40. 1914 : Where Fear And Weapons Meet
41. Chick Corea Akoustic Band : Live
42. Dalriada : Őszel�'
43. Fractal Universe : The Impassable Horizon
44. Kayak : Out Of This World
45. The Dead Daisies : Holy Ground
46. The Neal Morse Band : Innocence & Danger
47. Cradle Of Filth : Existence Is Futile
48. Iotunn : Access All Worlds
49. Kick The Cat : Gurgle
50 (tied). Molten : Dystopian Syndrome
50 (tied). Monobody : Comma