Best of 2014: Reader picks

Before I get into my personal picks for the best records of 2014, I want to give my readers the spotlight.

To tabulate this list, I looked at all the posts to this blog for the year. I tossed out all of the Saturday Shuffles which tend to get quite a bit of traffic and focused just on the reviews. These are the Top 10 most viewed articles of the year.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again in 2015.


10. Metallica - "Lords of Summer." Published April 8. A new tune from Metallica that may or may not make their next record. I liked it despite its flaws.



9. Iced Earth - Plagues of Babylon. Published January 30. A mixed bag from a band that was once among my favorites, but has been quite spotty in recent years.


8. Bob Wayne - Back to the Camper. Published May 14. Bob Wayne parted ways with Century Media and got back to basics on this record, the only non-rock album to make my reader top 10.


7. Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls. Published August 4. I'm a bit surprised that this one landed so low on the reader list.


6. Van Canto - Dawn of the Brave. Published April 6. As with above, I'm a bit surprised that this one landed so high.


5. Grand Magus - Triumph and Power. Published February 17. I love the old school vibe of this record, and I'm glad some other people do, too.


4. Anti-Mortem - New Southern. Published June 21. Probably my favorite new band of the year. Apparently you guys liked them, too.


3. Nightwish - Showtime, Storytime. Published January 9. Women did well on this list of your favorite posts of the year. Nightwish, with a late posting of their 2013 live set, was the first of three female-fronted groups to top the list.


2. The Pretty Reckless - Going to Hell. Published April 10. If there was a big surprise on this list, it was this album. A more commercial rock record from a band fronted by an actress. I didn't really think it would play well with the audience for this blog, but apparently it did.


1. Lacuna Coil - Broken Crown Halo. Published April 23. This one was also a bit of a surprise, though less than No. 2. Lacuna Coil's latest was the most viewed post by a long shot, coming in at about 25 percent more views than its closest competitor.