Paulo André's Top 10 of 2007

10. Pain of Salvation - Scarsick One of the hardest bands to categorize - perhaps this is the true meaning of prog? - Pain of Salvation keep going strong after the juggernaut that was "Be" back in 2004. "Scarsick" was almost three years in the making and, in my opinion, Pain of Salvation never sounded better, production-wise, appearing more confident than ever. Perhaps hard to penetrate, like every other of their albums, it's ultimately very rewarding with its lush melodies, intricate rhythms and interesting lyrics - in case you don't mind Daniel blatantly attacking all things American. A very diverse album that cements Pain of Salvation as one of the most important bands of the prog realm. 9. Symphony X - Paradise Lost Perhaps Symphony X are losing their progressive edge but they surely are more aggressive than ever before. Russell Allen screams his guts out on "Paradise Lost" and it's a band at the peak of its form that backs him up. Songs like "Set The World On Fire", "Domination" or "Serpent's Kiss" are a constant, relentless onslaught tempered by ballads like "Paradise Lost" or "The Sacrifice" and it seems they have finally gotten their sound together, a huge step forward in terms of production from 2002's "The Odyssey". You win some, you lose some, but this is definitely an highlight in Symphony X's career, deserving of a place in my top 10 this year. 8. Radiohead - In Rainbows Radiohead are one of those bands from whom a new release is a worldwide event. And this one especially with its stunning sales strategy, of which more than enough has been said already. Unfortunately that almost subdued talking about the music itself as for me this is one of Radiohead's most accomplished albums to date, arguably a perfect cross between the rock of "The Bends" and "OK Computer" with the IDM of "Kid A". A short, but delightful album, which bears repeated listens, showcasing a band that has completely matured, is completely sure of itself and doesn't hold any fears or grudges whatsoever. 7. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos If a new Dream Theater album has come out during the year, is it possible not to include it in a progressive metal lovers' top 10? Maybe it is, but as for me, they are just unable to disappoint. Granted, this is no "Images & Words" or "Scenes From a Memory", but it still ranks in the top half of my Dream Theater album ranking, easily, and this is not a band happy with repeating itself anyway. Another epic, this time in the form of "In The Presence of Enemies", intelligently split a la "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is probably the centerpiece of "Systematic Chaos", one of the most diverse of the band's albums to date. 6. Interpol - Our Love To Admire Taking the cue from Joy Division, updating it and running with it to New York back where they belong, Interpol seems to have completely matured by their third album, "Our Love to Admire". Perhaps it is not their most energetic release but it definitely comes across as the album the band really wanted to make. It doesn't rock out as much as "Antics" and it's not as introspective and dark as "Turn On The Bright Lights", but it blends those two into a very distinct form of modern pop with enough doom and gloom to be classy and very, very elegant. 5. Blackfield - Blackfield II No matter how much I love 20 minute plus epics, there's always a soft spot in me for the art of the three minute pop song. Blackfield's self-titled debut was a very nice example of a collection of dark pop songs but this second offering from the Steven Wilson/Aviv Geffen collaboration is for me definitely their pinnacle so far. Backed by a very strong band, Wilson and Geffen spill their guts out on songs like "Epidemic" and "Where Is My Love?", writing some of my favorite melodies of 2007 as they went along. 4. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet / Nil Recurring EP If "Fear of a Blank Planet" already was one of the best of the year for me, coupling it with the leftovers in the "Nil Recurring" EP definitely makes the combination one of the best works of 2007 and the confirmation that there's simply no use in trying to guess Porcupine Tree's direction. They're one of those bands who keep reinventing themselves and never record the same album twice. Since taking a left turn into a more rocking and metal territory, this is the closer they got to their roots. Take for instance the fantastic Nine Inch Nails meets Massive Attack by way of John Bonham vibe of "Sleep Together", the soundscape based "Way Out Of Here", to say nothing of what's for me the best ballad this year, "Sentimental", or the 17 minutes of bliss in "Anesthetize", with even hints of Meshuggah (!). Some of the album themes reappear in "Nil Recurring" making for a complete experience that ranks among the best Porcupine Tree output ever. 3. Anekdoten - A Time of Day Some albums I just hate from the get go. It happened with Tool's "Aenima" back in 2001 and soon they became one of my very favorite bands. I can't be so assertive about Anekdoten but I can say that it took a good dozen spins to enter the realm of beauty that is inside "A Time of Day". Despite lacking a bit in the production department, this is a really strong and diverse album, deeply rooted in beautiful keyboard and guitar work complemented by a strong rhythm section and lush vocals. I'm especially drawn halfway into the record to the "A Sky About To Rain"/"Every Step I Take", featuring powerful lyrics and a hint of post-rock perfectly done. 2. Machine Head - The Blackening Easily my favorite metal album of the decade with its relentless assault of riffs, distortion, powerhouse drumming and everything else under the sun that makes for an incredible metal experience. This may very well be the blueprint against which every metal release will be compared against from now on. Enough said. 1. Three - The End is Begun I believe that nowadays, with so much music having been released since the dawn of times, it is getting more and more difficult to sound fresh and unique. Maybe the secret sauce is not getting tied to a single style. Or maybe the best style is no style. In any case, Three embody all that necessary detachment and just make immensely satisfying music to my ears with vocals and guitar playing that sound quite unlike anyone else. As it is useless attempting to describe "The End is Begun" I ask you to trust my word and go out to buy it if you haven't done so. You'll thank me for that one.