Current all-time favorites
Blind Guardian - A Night at the Opera
From its classically themed songs up to its heavy use of choirs overlapping vocals and overall atmosphere this album is quite possibly the most epic (in the truest sense of the word) album that I have heard up to date. Its scope is enough to alienate every listener who doesn't try hard enough. But if you do....well I've got that album for I think 6 years now and still listen to it regularly - its that good.
Mr. Bungle - California
Mr Bungle. A name that is widespread and known to fans of the eccentric master of all musical styles, Mike Patton. And Mr Bungle is indeed a child of Mr. Patton: a seemingly chaotic sphere of different styles, timings and song structures clash together and leave the listener in absolute and pure confusion. Mr Bungle never succeeded to capture my interest much with that approach. Until their last album from 1999: California.
Mr. Bungle actually gave its music a direction and suddenly everything works: a strange mixture of the Beach Boys, Klezmer and a whole lot of other styles I can't name - which somehow decided they wanted to work together and produce something awesome. It is like the manic part of a bipolar person: inexplicably happy and upheaving most of the time, while being utterly strange, chaotic and insane in the process. Just listen to it and you will know what I mean. In the end, its an addictive rollercoaster ride you won't soon forget - I sure didn't.
Maudlin Of The Well - Part, the Second
This music is like an impressionistic picture. Violins and utterly strange vocals tell of colors - movement - flickering, light sparkling on mint colored waves, cities looking like beds of flowers, a burning sky heralding the coming the night...Strange yet undeniably beautiful and relaxing.
Ohhh and its available for free. Check it out, will ya? [http://maudlinofthewell.net/]
Opeth - Watershed
With this album Opeth has become my favorite band these days. Everything fits in this album. The dark Death-Metal-esque passages are perfectly in sync with the slow contemplating parts of the songs - never being entirely expected and never failing to capture ones interest. The two "ballads" (for lack of a better word) Burden and Coil are the best of their kind I've heard from Opeth - Coil, in particular, is absolutely beautiful. The ingenious artsy endings of The Lotus Eater and Burden are just the icing on the cake here - Awesome!
Honorable Mentions
Dream Theater - Octavarium
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Ayreon - The Human Equation
The Protomen - Act II: The Father Of Death
Secret Chiefs 3 - Xaphan: Book of Angels Vol. 9
System Of A Down - Toxicity
In Extremo - Mein Rasend Herz
Iron Maiden - Brave New World / A Matter of Life and Death
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle Earth
Machinae Supremacy - Overworld
Puddle Of Mudd - Come Clean
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
The Offspring - Americana
Sum 41 - Chuck
Muse - Absolution