{"id":1731,"date":"2014-12-22T20:22:08","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T20:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heretodestroy.com\/blog\/?p=1731"},"modified":"2014-12-23T14:48:45","modified_gmt":"2014-12-23T14:48:45","slug":"top-20-albums-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heretodestroy.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/22\/top-20-albums-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 20 Albums of 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had a really hard time narrowing down what my top album would be when putting this list together. I know; I say that every year. But it\u2019s true. There are always will be lots of really good albums to choose from. However usually only handful stand out as something exceptional. It\u2019s those albums that make the decision hard. Steel For Brains<\/a> bypassed all that this year and simply didn\u2019t rank their top picks at all. Instead they just listed them alphabetically. Right about now I\u2019m thinking that was a smart idea.<\/p>\n

Initially this wasn\u2019t an issue at all. The Atlas Moth\u2019s<\/a> The Old Believer<\/a><\/em> was hands down the best thing I heard all year. But then Atriarch<\/a> put out An Unending Pathway<\/a><\/em> and things got a bit dicey. Both albums were stellar in their own unique way. It seemed like each week I was leaning towards one, then the other. But the year is coming to an end and no matter what order I place things in, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that both bands put out incredible, career defining albums.<\/p>\n

I spend about 7 hours a day at work with my headphones on. So you ever walked by me Monday to Friday and wondered, \u201cWhat the hell is he listening to all day?\u201d Now you know. Odds are it was one of these 20 albums.<\/p>\n

\"Atriarch<\/p>\n

01. Atriarch – An Unending Pathway<\/em><\/h1>\n

Sometimes it\u2019s kind of embarrassing when you realize how much music you own and haven\u2019t really listened to. With the convenience and affordability of music now, it can be really easy to consume more than you can digest so to speak.<\/p>\n

Because of this once and while I stumble across an album on my iPod and realize I\u2019ve had it for quite some time, but never really given it a good listen. A couple of months ago one of those albums was Atriarch\u2019s<\/a> Forever the End<\/a><\/em>. Even though it was released in 2011, it took me this long to give the album the attention it rightfully deserved. Initially I was disappointed that I waited so long to give it a chance, but it actually worked out kind of good because the band was about to release a new album – An Unending Pathway<\/a><\/em>. So now I had not one, but two Atriarch albums to dive into.<\/p>\n

When I initially listened to Atriarch, my ears picked up on the doomier and heavier elements of their sound. But it was the shades of post punk and goth that really appealed to me. All of which were somewhat subtle on Forever the End<\/i>, but became much more prominent on An <\/i>Unending Pathway<\/em>. Resulting in the album sinking it’s hooks deep into me.<\/p>\n

While definitely is heavy, Atriarch belong to the select group of metal bands who understand heaviness isn\u2019t just about huge riffs and screaming. Heaviness can also be established by more subtle elements that give songs a layer of darkness and mood that has more weight than simply being pummeled by riffs. Which is exactly what makes An Unending Pathway<\/em> stand above so many other albums that came out this year. I don\u2019t know what possessed me to revisit Atriarch, but it was a really good decision on my part.<\/p>\n