Apocalypse speaks with wisdom and power to prove how amazing this group has been around by keeping our spirits alive.

Yet, all that music that inspired Rob & Ellen to pick up their instruments and microphones is heard through their own ears, giving it a personal, and at the same time, new and fresh outlook.

Ultimately, Tarot finds Magenta reinvigorated. It’s a bold, cinematic work that reinforces their place within modern progressive rock while staying true to the genre’s spirit of exploration.

The Deadmans’ debut feels to me less like a finished statement than an attempt charged with considerable, still not fully realised potential.

Amulets remains a master of this sound, tape loops meshing with ambient guitar textures to conjure up evocative atmospheres.

Yes, it is an experimental album all the way, but experimental with a sense of purpose, making it music with substance.

Listening to this ambitious recording, it was quite a challenge for Smith and Hutchinson to tackle the Kibbo Kift Kindred and Hargrave’s vision.

Another gentle devastation from Iron & Wine, Hen’s Teeth is a great jumping-on point for new fans, and a beautiful follow-up to its predecessor too.

They have done a great job, not missing an original musical thread and giving it the exact shine and lustre that fits into what the new century had to offer.

SHOUTING THE ODDS is a solid chunk of Birmingham techno with very little by the way of frills, it’s muscular, rhythmic, machine music.

They were a very unique, very heavy band following in the footsteps of the Ozzy era from Black Sabbath with a dosage of progressive rock thrown into the mix with that delicious Maltese flavour in their work.

In the case of Magic Castles, with their new album, they actually do introduce that magic element that they saw fit to include in the band’s name.

As soon as the eruptive instruments start to kick in, it becomes this worldly view of a powder keg waiting to explode at any second.

And while Sun Raven’s genre-hopping could sound a bit complex on paper, Stephen Murray, its creator, makes it sound as if these sounds were always bound to be together.

Despite the chaos and disorder Sheeple brings to the table, the album remains surprisingly approachable. While thematic accuracy is a fleeting target, Franck has unleashed a powerful and passionate release this year.