I'm gonna be making a couple topics related to the end of the year for music, so let's start with your top 5 albums of 2006.

1. Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain: Phenomenal album, only furthers the legend these guys are setting for the metal scene.

2. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage: You can say it all starts to sound the same, but few bands can rock out as crazy as they do with that impressive of talent.

3. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side: These guys are great, pure Viking melodic death and they're just easy to access and fun to listen to. Great album.

4. Bleeding Through - The Truth: This came out early in the year but it's still a fantastic metalcore album. All hardcore crossover bands go through these guys first in my opinion. Bleeding Through does it right.

5. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance: These guys really rolled the dice with a more rock-oriented album, but I like it. It's dark and gloomy and still very catchy.

Honorable mentions:

No Trigger - Canyoneer
Keep of Kalessin - Armada
Hatebreed - Supremacy
Full Blown Chaos - Within The Grasp of Titans
Arsis - United In Regret
Goatwhore - A Haunting Curse
Madder Mortem - Desiderata

Good looks, I was just about to make this. Edited in a moment.

1. Fucked Up - Hidden World
2. Boris - Pink
3. Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me
4. None More Black - This Is Satire
5. J Dilla (RIP) - Donuts

HMs:
Isis - In The Absense of Truth
The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart
Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Ghostface - Fishscale
Converge - No Heroes
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

Not entirely sure which albums came out in 2006 and which didn't, but this is just going to be out of the ones I've listened to that I know are from 2006:

Copeland: Eat Sleep Repeat
Benevento/Russo Duo: Play Pause Stop
Oneida: Happy New Year
The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
moe.: The Conch

Not going to rank them, because, well, I'm lazy.

1. The Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
2. Grails - Black Tar Prophecies Vol. I, II & III
3. Sunn O))) & Boris - Altar
4. Harvey Milk - Special Wishes
5. Tom Waits - Orphans

Honorable Mentions:
Arsis, J Dilla, Ghostface [both], Kalas, Boris [both Vein releases], Tragedy, Russian Circles, Red Sparowes, Envy, Om, Jedi Mind Tricks, etc.

Technically, Pink was released in 2005. Fucked Up's new record is great but I wouldn't put it at the top of my list. They put out the best EPs, though.

1. Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain - I might be making a leap here but damn, I like this more than Pale Folklore and especially The Mantle. Beautiful stuff.

2. The Sword - Age of Winters - MAY THE MOUNTAINS RISE AGAINST YOU, MAY THE FOREST BLOCK YOUR PATH.

3. Raunchy - Death Pop Romance - Metalcore. Whodathunkit.

4. Melvins - (A) Senile Animal - I'm a Melvins noob but I'm pretty hooked on this.

5. Drudkh - Blood in Our Wells - Drudkh only gets better with time. Actually, The Swan Road wasn't so hot but they've more than made up for that with this release.

Honorable Mentions:

Amorphis - Eclipse (eat me)
Boris - Vein & Altar
Gory Blister - Skymorphosis
Pagan Reign - Tverd
Suffocation - Suffocation

I enjoyed both Drudkh releases this year.

Technically, I live in America, so it was 2006.

In no particular order:

The Roots - Game Theory
Jurassic 5 - Feedback
John Mayer - Continuum
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
The Game - Doctor's Advocate

I need to check out that Sword album.

I have Raunchy, just haven't listened to it much. I should do that.

1. Blood Brothers- Young Machetes
2. Carpenter Ant- Get Over It
3. Fucked Up- Hidden World
4. Loved Ones- Keep Your Heart
5. Tenacious D- The Pick of Destiny (I really like it)

HMs:
The Draft- In a Million Pieces
Smoking Popes- Live At Metro
None More Black- This is Satire
Cursive- Happy Hollow

Let's see.. I haven't really listened to many CDs from 2006.

Heavens- Patent Pending: This CD is fucking amazing. Has a dark 80s goth sound on some songs. It reminds me of the Sister of Mercy (whom I love). Plus Matt Skiba is the singer, what more needs to be said?

Dead to Fall- The Phoenix Throne: I was kind of afraid to listen to this buy every song on this CD is gold. Catchy too, oddly enough.

The Strokes- First Impressions of Earth: This CD is fantastic. I only liked a couple songs by The Strokes before this CD and now I love them. I guess some people think they are over rated but being a first time fan I love it.

She Wants Revenge- S/T: I don't know what it is about this CD but I love it and it is catchy as hell.

Moe.- The Conch: I can honestly say I have always hated Jam music. It made me want to stab sharp objects into my ears but this CD changed all that and I like moe. But that's about it.

HM:
Bleeding Through- The Truth

Technically, international mailorder + downloads (lol whodafuck buys shit nemore) means 2005.

Fuck yeah, this album rules.

Yeaaaaaaah I think I'll just use this as a recommendation topic lol. I've heard about three albums from 2006 so...

1. Jurassic 5-Feedback
2. Gnarls Barkley-St. Elsewhere
3. The Decemberists-The Crane Wife
4. The Roots-Game Theory
5. Robert Randolph and the Family Band-Colorblind

I was going to put this in the surprises section but it's really not a surprise to me that the new Kylesa record is sick.

In no particular order
Tom Waits - Orphans
Under the Influence of Giants - Under the Influence of Giants
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
Mogwai - Mr. Beast
The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

None. Everything out this year was mediocre at best. Even worse than 2005...

lies

That, somewhat.

I'd put Frost* - Milliontown, Tool - 10,000 Days and Nemo - Si Partie 1 on my list but none of them really... yeah. They're good, but not all that great.

You're crazy, 2005 was incredible. 2006 started off slowly but rounded out in the end.

I'm so backed up on shit I need to download, but, a few come to mind.

Reminder - Continuum
Madlib - Beat Konducta
Belle & Sebastian - life pursuit

I got a promo copy of the new (old, but still 2006) Sodom record and I'm listening now and it's actually good.

Justin Timberlake- Future Sex/Love Songs

Overplayed or not. I love it. Everytime a JT beat comes on in the bar, I'm running to the dance floor. I listen to this album daily lol. My guilty pleasure.

There were a few good country albums out this year, but none worth mentioning. Maybe Emerson Drive- Countrified

Yeah, it's pretty good. Blood On Your Lips is one of my favorite songs of theirs. SCREAMS THAT NEVER REACH MY EARS~

I should really just start a thread where you and I can discuss this stuff haha

Young Machetes and St. Elsewhere are the only albums from this year I really liked.

Top 5:

Giant Squid - Metridium Fields

Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars

Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

Negurã Bunget - Om


Honorable mentions:

Amesoeurs - Ruines Humaines EP

Jesu - Silver EP

!T.O.O.H.! - Rád a Trest

Summoning - Oath Bound

Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain

Bal-Sagoth - The Cthhonic Chronicles

Year of No Light - Nord

Envy - Insomniac Doze

Isis - In the Absence of Truth

I thought Rad a Trest was 2005? Great album anyway. Fuck Earache. >:(

eh, I think it was released here in the states in early '06, and that's good enough for me.

Yeah you're right, it was Dec. '05 in the Czech Republic, so it was '06 for the US. M-A hoooo~

2006 was a fucking awesome year for music.

Top 5

1. Joanna Newsom - Ys: There are hardly any words to do this album justice. Everytime I listen it gets better and better. Now that i've seen it performed live it just brings me to tears.

2. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain: Didn't even like these guys much at first. Talk about a turnaround.

3. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood: It's just such a solid album. Came out earlier and has stayed with me throughout the whole year.

4. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar: Can't help but love the blend of Eastern European and Mediterranean music as well as Zach Condon's modern take on it. I have a soft spot for Mediterranean rhythms and melodies so of course I love it. Can't wait to see the places this guy goes on his future musical career.

5. Boris - Pink: Technically 2005 release but I don't care cause I first heard it in 2006. Anyway, Boris fucking rock everybody to pieces, 'nuff said

Honorable Mentions

Cat Power - The Greatest
Danielson - Ships
Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Espers - Espers II
Isis - In The Absence Of Truth

In no particular order.

Valley of Ashes - Cavehill Hunters' Attrition: Triple LP of far-out acoustic psyche "jams". Six side-long droning behemoths. I lurve it.

Mono - You Are There: I'm not even going to explain this one. Mono know how to capture and release. Speaking of which...

Khanate - Capture/Release: New one from these loud doom favorites. Slow, dark, loud. If this doesn't count as an album (it's billed as an EP) I'll replace with Ocean's 'Here Where Nothing Grows' though I think that actually first came out in December of '05.

Ayin - Fear of Tigers: Local group featuring a few friends of mine strike a deal with this record that gives them international sales. Not that this fact alone makes it good, but... eh, listen to it.

Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars: Yup.

This isn't a comprehensive list by any means and is just coming from shit that just came into my head from '06.

Ooh, Diadem of 12 Stars. I forgot about that release completely. Nice.

I should've made room for either of the Titan releases, but eh.

the only ones i can think of off the top of my head i really listened to in 2006 were armalite, the falcon and common enemy. i got none more black, fucked up, and loved ones a little bit ago, and i like em all but i haven't sat and listened to any of em all the way through yet.

I saw Titan, they were great.

I am highly jealous.

I watched Wolves perform that when they opened for Agalloch. Pretty hypnotic shit.

Anyone wanna upload Diadem? >_>