And here we go again for another round and another year! But before unveiling this first TOP WAVES, let's have a look at the official french ranking (source Snep) of physical sales in the genres we are interested in.
In 8th position, we find "Rush" by Maneskin
"Imagine Dragons' "Mercury Act I" is stable at number 42, ahead of the boss Bruce Springsteen and "Only the Strong Survive
Muse's "Will of the People" comes in at number 64
A nice surprise on all levels, in 80th position, we find our friend Laura Cox and "Head Above Water".
"Return of the Dream Canteen" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is 109th
"Zeit" by Rammstein is 113th
Arctic Monkeys' "The Car" is 122
Memoriam's "Rise to Power" is 126th
Xandria's "The Wonders Still Awaiting" enters at number 135
Uriah Heep's "Chaos & Colour" is 144th
Katatonia's "Sky Void of Stars" is at number 181
"Riverside's "ID.entity" is 188th
TOP WAVES - GENERAL
It's a close fight that finally gave its verdict in favour of Threshold who offers us "Dividing Lines is the synthesis of everything the band has done since its beginnings, a melodic and balanced album" (ThibautK)
THRESHOLD Dividing Lines
The Anglo-Saxon progressive metal beats those of the Polish Riverside.
"Less atmospheric than the previous two albums, "ID.entity" takes us back to Riverside's first love, a clever mix of psychedelic prog and references to the 70's canons, dressed up with a modernity pushed by judicious metal surges, all carried by a flawless interpretation." (TonyB)
RIVERSIDE Id.entity
Much further on, it's other Poles, but officiating in a black metal register, who make their mark with "Opvs Contra Natvram".
For the occasion, "Behemoth signs a flamboyant, epic and violent album, a perfect synthesis of the best of their art" (Noise)
BEHEMOTH Opvs Contra Natvram
The detailed ranking
THRESHOLD: Dividing Lines (Progressive Metal) 32
RIVERSIDE: Id.entity (Progressive Rock) 26
BEHEMOTH: Opvs Contra Natvram (Black Metal) 8
URIAH HEEP: Chaos & Colour (Hard Rock) 7
STEVE VAI: Vai / Gash (Rock) 6
STRYPER: The Final Battle (Melodic Metal) 6
BEYOND THE BLACK: Beyond The Black (Melodic Metal) 5
BJORK: Fossora (Autres) 5
ELDER: Innate Passage (Progressive Rock) 5
FORLESEN: Black Terrain (Doom) 3
LARKIN POE: Blood Harmony (Rock) 3
METRIC: Formentera (Pop) 3
NINA HAGEN: Unity (Rock) 3
TEN: Something Wicked This Way Comes (Melodic Hard Rock) 3
WHEEL: Rumination (Progressive Metal) 3
ARCTIC MONKEYS: The Car (Alternative Rock) 2
ZERO HOUR: Agenda 21 (Progressive Metal) 1
VOIVOD: Ultraman (Thrash) 1
THE PRETTY RECKLESS: Other Worlds (Hard Rock) 1
BLACK PAISLEY: Human Nature (Hard Rock) 1
CHRISTIAN DEATH: Evil Becomes Rule (Alternative Rock) 1
DREADNOUGHT: The Endless (Doom) 1
TOP WAVES - METAL
Unsurprisingly, the METAL TOP WAVES honours Threshold, far ahead of Behemoth and finally Wheel who completes the podium.
"With this short EP called "Rumination", Wheel (too) quickly depicts three atmospheres representative of his immense talent, but frustrates us with only 12 minutes of music." (ProgRacer)
WHEEL Rumination
The detailed ranking
THRESHOLD: Dividing Lines (Progressive Metal) 42
BEHEMOTH: Opvs Contra Natvram (Black Metal) 11
WHEEL: Rumination (Progressive Metal) 10
VOIVOD: Ultraman (Thrash) 9
STRYPER: The Final Battle (Melodic Metal) 9
BEYOND THE BLACK: Beyond The Black (Melodic Metal) 9
FORLESEN: Black Terrain (Doom) 5
DREADNOUGHT: The Endless (Doom) 3
SPIRIT ADRIFT: 20 Centuries Gone (Heavy Metal) 3
ZERO HOUR: Agenda 21 (Progressive Metal) 3
CONAN: Evidence Of Immortality (Doom) 1
GATE OF MIND: The Beast Inside (Thrash) 1
LOUDNESS: Sunburst (Heavy Metal) 1
OSYRON: Momentous (Progressive Metal) 1
TOP WAVES - ROCK
The TOP WAVES ROCK is largely dominated by Riverside, but who is going to join them on the podium?
In second place, we find Vai/Gash, a project that "Steve Vai left in the box for over 30 years".
"Efficient and impeccably composed, "Vai/Gash" is a rejuvenation of barely half an hour, but it's enough to put you in a good mood for a whole day. (Newf)
STEVE VAI Vai / Gash
In third place, we find Uriah Heep
"Chaos & Colour is a warm and vibrantly alive record on which the veterans of Uriah Heep prove that they still have energy to spare." (Corto1809)
URIAH HEEP Chaos & Colour
The detailed ranking
RIVERSIDE: Id.entity (Progressive Rock) 32
STEVE VAI: Vai / Gash (Rock) 20
URIAH HEEP: Chaos & Colour (Hard Rock) 13
TEN: Something Wicked This Way Comes (Melodic Hard Rock) 5
ARCTIC MONKEYS: The Car (Alternative Rock) 5
BJORK: Fossora (Autres) 5
ELDER: Innate Passage (Progressive Rock) 5
LARKIN POE: Blood Harmony (Rock) 5
THE WHITE BUFFALO: Year Of The Dark Horse (Rock) 4
METRIC: Formentera (Pop) 3
NINA HAGEN: Unity (Rock) 3
BLACK PAISLEY: Human Nature (Hard Rock) 3
CHRISTIAN DEATH: Evil Becomes Rule (Alternative Rock) 1
AUTUMN'S CHILD: Starflower (A.O.R.) 1
MANESKIN: Rush! (Pop) 1
WORKING KLASS HEROES: No Excuses, No Remorses (Rock) 1
THE PRETTY RECKLESS: Other Worlds (Hard Rock) 1
More informations on http://www.musicwaves.fr/