You came, you saw, you voted. And after all the calculations were calculated, Great Western Valkyrie was your album of the year, just as it was our album of the year. Thanks to everyone who took the time to take part.
In the end, three albums dominated. While each of the 50 titles available for selection received support, the top three — which were well ahead of the pack — gathered over a third of the votes submitted. Here’s the Top Ten, in reverse order.
10. Mastodon - Once More Round The Sun
9. Opeth - Pale Communion
8. Robert Plant - Lullaby And…The Ceaseless Roar
7. H.E.A.T. - Tearing Down The Walls
6. Blues Pills - Blues Pills
5. Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls
4. Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey - Going Back Home
3. Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators - World On Fire
2. AC/DC - Rock Or Bust
1. Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie
It’s been some year for Rival Sons. They ended 2014 playing bigger venues than they were at the beginning, and some of these gigs have truly felt like stepping stones to greater things. They’ve done Letterman. They’ve done Jools Holland. At the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour show, where an audience of music’s great and good arose as one to give the band a standing ovation after their short set, it felt like a real moment, a passing of rock’s flaming torch. And the weird thing is that you’ll struggle to find anyone who believes that Great Western Valkyrie will reflect the band at their peak. There’s a lot more to come.
