- Devin Townsend – Ziltoid the Omniscient
- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raising Sand
- N.I.N. – Year Zero
- Neil Young – Chrome Dreams II
- The Bad Plus – Prog
- Alex Skolnick Trio – Last Day In Paradise
- Steve Vai – Sound Theories
- Rush – Snakes & Arrows
- Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
- Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
- Eddie Vedder – Into The Wild
In that order, I think.
Honourable Mentions
- Metheny/Mehldau Quartet
- Tomahawk – Anonymous
- Dominici – O3 A Trilogy Part 2
- Symphony X – Paradise Lost
- Paradise Lost – In Requiem
- Black Snake Moan OST
- Radiohead – In Rainbows
- Ministry – The Last Sucker
- Kanno Yoko – Smooth in the Shell
- Megadeth – United Abominations
Good, not great.
Disappointments of the Year
- Dream Theater – Systematic Chaos
- Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
- Type O Negative – Dead Again
- Velvet Revolver – Libertad
These albums are not bad. They just fall short of my admittedly high expectations.
Dishonourable Mention
- Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist
Not even “so bad, its good”, just mediocre.