It cannot be said that the year 2013, which is coming to an end, has disappointed lovers of progressive gaming. The calendar, whose pages are slowly coming to an end, abounded in numerous publications. Some were average, others just good, but there were also a few gems that will be talked about for a long time.
Everywhere we are bombarded with all sorts of annual summaries that are supposed to pull out what the past 365 days have brought the best (and sometimes the worst). Below is a list of prog-rock albums that, in my opinion, deserve to be called the best musical works of 2013.
Big Big Train – English Electric: Full Power
“English Electric: Full Power” is a compilation of two albums forming a coherent whole “English Electric (Part One)” and “English Electric (Part Two)”. The first of them was released in 2012 and met with a very good reception by the prog-rock world. The second part, however, bears the year 2013 on the cover and is in all respects a full-fledged continuation of the excellent predecessor. However, only listening to both releases, which have been mixed to form a whole (along with additional, previously unpublished tracks), allows you to experience the musical artistry pouring out of each subsequent track. “English Electric: Full Power” is a record that you will always come back to and never get bored. In my opinion, it deserves to be called the album of the year.
Ayreon – The Theory Of Everything
Not once has Dutch prog rock maestro Arjen Anthony Lucassen ever failed. Practically, it has become a kind of icon, which is always associated with great production, complexity of texts and excellent arrangements, which simply can not be faked. The rock opera, whose comprehensive review can be found on our website, is undoubtedly one of the best albums of 2013.
Steven Wilson – The Raven That Refused to Sing
You can talk about this album endlessly. The third solo album of the prog-rock god, which is undoubtedly Steven Wilson, literally pushes into the chair. Each piece that is on it is a separate story taken alive from the works of E. A. Poe, Lovecraft or Arthur Machen. It is impossible to find weak moments here. It is a musical feast that could never end.
Dream Theater – Dream Theater
This list could not do without at least the slightest hint of the new album of prog metal titans. It may not be a work that grows up to the heels of the earlier achievements of the American band, but it is an interesting position in its discography. “Dream Theater” is the first album on which the new drummer of the group – Mike Mangini – could finally show everyone that he perfectly fills the gap left by Mike Portnoy. The album is filled with everything that Dream Theater is best at. There are endless changes of tempo, virtuoso solos and interesting (especially in the closing track “Illumination Theory”) arrangements. Finally, you can easily listen to the bass (which has recently been drowned out by other instruments), which John Myung operates with surgical precision. Interestingly, the single promoting the album The Enemy Inside was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Metal Song”. Now all that’s left is to keep your fingers crossed.
Haken – The Mountain
Another album, the review of which can be found on our website. “The Mountain” is an album from which you can not even break away. It vibrates with pure, prog-rock energy that fills the listener long after the last note sounds. Haken is a band that will definitely stir up a lot of things on the music scene in the future.
The year 2013 was also full of many interesting live albums. We should mention such releases as Anathema “Untouchable”, Steve Hackett “Genesis Revisited: Live at Hammersmith”, Pendragon “Out of Order Comes Chaos” or Devin Townsend “The Retinal Circus”.