GFreedom's 2015 Top-10 Rock & Prog-Rock albums list. (Part.1)

Hello all!
Since we are in the first month of 2016, it is a good time for me to write down the list with the best albums of 2015. (According to my opinion, of course).
My list is based on the albums I had the chance to listen to, which are about 60-65. From those 60-65 albums, I chose 10 as the best ones.
I am going to present my Top-10 list in 3-4 parts probably, so be a little patient please.
In case you are interested, you can check my Top-10 lists from the previous years, by clicking the following links:
2014 Top-10 albums:
Part. 1: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2015/01/gfreedoms-2014-top-10-rock-prog-albums.html
Part. 2: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2015/01/gfreedoms-2014-top-10-rock-prog-albums_17.html
Part. 3: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2015/01/gfreedoms-2014-top-10-rock-prog-albums_21.html
2013 Top-10 albums:
Part. 1: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2013/12/my-personal-top-10-prog-orientated-rock.html
Part. 2: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2013/12/my-personal-top-10-prog-orientated-rock_30.html
Now, let's take a look which albums are included in my 2015's list. Have in mind that the list is in alphabetical order:

           ANEKDOTEN: Until all the Ghosts are Gone

  Anekdoten is a Swedish band, formed up in the 90’s, by some musicians who joined their “forces” in order to play “modern” Progressive Rock. And now - 20 years and 6 studio albums later - they sound better than ever! The truth is that, all Anekdoten’s albums have a quality and some standards that you can’t find easily in our days. All their albums are almost equally good, but last year’s release was their best work so far. (Always in my opinion).

  Those who are familiar with Anekdoten, will realize that this album sound different. Here, the band “enriched” its sound, with the use of Mellotron and keyboards much more than before, and their sound became softer.

Also, the album includes some very interesting names as special guests, who helped for the needs of the recordings. So, further than the 4 members of the band, we see in the credits: Per Wiberg (ex-Opeth), Theo Travis (King Crimson & Steven Wilson) and Marty Wilson-Piper (ex-All About Eve).

  The album includes only 6 songs, but all of them are very good compositions. Listening to the album for the first time, I never felt the urge to press the ‘skip’ button, and that is something very important I think.

Highly recommended to all those who can enjoy a well-structured – but not so complicated - album, filled with beautiful melodies.

In case you are following Prog Archives, you should know that ‘Until all the Ghosts are Gone’ received an average rating of 4.28, and it is 2^nd in their list with the 100 best Prog albums of 2015.

Here's the song 'If it all comes Down to This' taken from this album, in case you want to have a small idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSLB_htKSYs

                      ARENA: The Unquiet Sky

  Arena is the “child” of Marillion’s former drummer Mick Pointer, and Clive Nolan, who is a member or participates in almost a dozen bands and/or projects.

  In 2011 the band released the album ‘The 7^th Degree of Separation’, which was not a good album in my opinion. As it seems, Clive Nolan and the rest of the band realized that it wasn’t an album that could fit to Arena’s standards, and in 2015 they presented to us the beautiful ‘The Unquiet Sky’. 

  After the disappointment of the previous album I must admit I wasn’t expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

‘The Unquiet Sky’ is a great album, with a dark concept theme, beautiful melodies, great arrangements, and a symphonic sound. In a few words, a proper Arena album!

Speaking for myself, I believe this is the best album that the band recorded after Contagion (2002).

Highly recommended to all the fans of Progressive Rock and Neo Prog. (But not only them!).

The Unquiet Sky has an average rating of 3.83 in Prog Archives.

By clicking the following link you can listen to the song ‘How Did it Come to This?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNfkd09NKac