42. Moutain Caller - "Chronicle II: Hypergenesis"

I start compiling this list as soon as the year starts. This means that releases that hurtle fourth early doors will initially be highly placed as frankly there is very little else to compete with. In the main, they tumble down the placings as the quantity of albums that I consider reaches triple figures. This album (with its January 26th birthdate) has bucked the trend. Every time I reassessed it, it heartily proved that it deserved its place in the top 50.

This is epic power prog with a lashing of grunge. Rush if they had been influenced by Pearl Jam. It is an instrumental concept album (the second instalment of an ongoing tale) but don’t let that put you off. This is a very modern reinterpretation of prog. The riffs have a granular raw dimension to them. They are sweeping and sumptuous, but they are beholden with a jagged edge and a scuzzy nature. Instead of feeling polished and smooth, this is a coarse and corrosive take on prog. Awe-inspiring and exquisite but tethered with a down-to-earth sensibility.