But in looking at it a little more in depth, a couple of things stand out.
There is a lot of depth good-very good (3-3.5 stars) albums. And even the albums better than those are not at a shortage.
There's quite a lot of prog metal, neoprog, and modern progressive rock. I remember 1999 maybe being the peak or at least plateau of the underground progressive metal scene. 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 I suppose also fit in there to a point. A ton of bands influenced by Dream Theater were coming out, and oddly enough, many of them pretty good, even as short-lived as they were.
Of course it was the year Dream Theater's Scenes from a Memory came out. A comeback of sorts, and an unexpected one for me, as I wasn't even all that clued into that much of their online activity in 1998 and 1999. Those were the days of dialups and going to the library for the internet of course.
And much the same with Marillion. The album came out and was unaware of it for a few weeks, etc.
SFAM was 1999's top disc as it had a ton of staying power for me. I listened to it for months. James LaBrie admittedly sounded maybe better than he ever had, etc.
1. Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory
2, Marillion - marillion.com
3. Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Lost Trident Sessions
4. Spock's Beard - Day for Night
5. Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 2
6. Dream Theater - Christmas CD 1999: Cleaning Out the Closet
7. maudlin of the Well - My Fruit Psychobells... A Seed Combustible
8. Opeth - Still Life
9, Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun
10. sElf - Breakfast with Girls
11. uneXpect - Utopia
12. Tiles - Presents of Mind
13. Fish - Raingods with Zippos
14. Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
15. Owsley - Owsley
16. Little Hans - Wunderkind
17. Mullmuzzler - Keep it to Yourself
18. 3 - Paint by Number
19. Muse - Showbiz
20, Francesca Gagnon - Au Dela Des Couleurs
21. Live - The Distance to Here
22. Mr. Bungle - California
23. Yes - The Ladder
24. Nexus - Detrás del umbral
25. I Mother Earth - Blue Green Orange
26. The Tea Party - Triptych
27. Xen - 84.000 Dharma Doors
28. Conditioned Response -In Flagranté Delecto
30. Jim Matheos - Away with Words
31. Pepe Deluxé - Super Sound
32. Zero Hour - Zero Hour
33. The Flower Kings - Flower Power: A Journey to the Hidden Corners of Your Mind
34. Evil Wings - Colors of the New World
35. Queensryche - Q2K
1. Giraffe - Giraffe
Afro Celt Sound System - Volume 2: Release
rel January 25, 1999
Dan Swanö - Moontower
rel January 26, 1999
XTC - Apple Venus Volume 1
rel February 17, 1999
Tiles - Presents of Mind
rel February 22, 1999
Jason Falkner - Can You Still Feel?
rel February 23, 1999
Francesca Gagnon - Au Dela Des Couleurs
rel March 2, 1999
Gordian Knot - Gordian Knot
rel March 5, 1999
Kula Shaker - Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts
rel March 8, 1999
Silverchair - Neon Ballroom
rel March 8, 1999
dEUS - The Ideal Crash
rel March 16, 1999
Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
rel March 22, 1999
The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One
rel March 23, 1999
Owsley - Owsley
rel March 23, 1999
Spock's Beard - Day for Night
rel March 23, 1999
Amorphis - Tuonela
rel March 29, 1999
Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway
rel April 6, 1999
Fish - Raingods with Zippos
rel April 19, 1999
Edwin - Another Spin Around the Sun
rel April 27, 1999
Hood - The Cycle of Days and Seasons
rel April 1999
No-Man - ((Speak))
rel April 1999
Steve Hackett - Darktown
rel May 4, 1999
Evergrey - Solitude Dominance Tragedy
rel May 17, 1999
Pepe Deluxé - Super Sound
rel May 1999
Ice Age - The Great Divide
rel June 1, 1999
The Apples in Stereo - Her Wallpaper Reverie
rel June 8, 1999
The Tea Party - Triptych
rel June 8, 1999
Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun
rel June 12, 1999
Mr. Bungle - California
rel June 13, 1999
Derek Sherinian - Planet X
rel July 13, 1999
Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 2
rel June 15, 1999
Cardiacs - Guns
rel June 21, 1999
Anathema - Judgement
rel June 25, 1999
The Frames - Dance the Devil...
rel June 25, 1999
Agalloch - Pale Folklore
rel July 6, 1999
I Mother Earth - Blue Green Orange
rel July 13, 1999
sElf - Breakfast with Girls
rel July 13, 1999
Mullmuzzler - Keep it to Yourself
rel August 24, 1999
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
rel September 4, 1999
Muse - Showbiz
rel September 7, 1999
Necrophagist - Onset of Putrefaction
rel September 14, 1999
Queensryche - Q2K
rel September 14, 1999
Vanden Plas - Far Off Grace
rel September 16, 1999
Yes - The Ladder
rel September 20, 1999
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Lost Trident Sessions
rel September 21, 1999
John Paul Jones - Zooma
rel September 1999
D.F.A. - Duty Free Area
rel October 1, 1999
Live - The Distance to Here
rel October 5, 1999
Calla - Calla
rel October 11, 1999
Royal Hunt - Fear
rel October 15, 1999
Marillion - marillion.com
rel October 18, 1999
Opeth - Still Life
rel October 18, 1999
Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory
rel October 26, 1999
Anekdoten - From Within
rel October 1999
Pat Metheny - A Map of the World
rel November 8, 1999
The Flower Kings - Flower Power: A Journey to the Hidden Corners of Your Mind
rel November 16, 1999
3 - Paint by Number
rel November 30, 1999
Bruford Levin Upper Extremities - B.L.U.E. Nights
rel December 17, 1999
Dream Theater - Christmas CD 1999: Cleaning Out the Closet
rel December 1999
Conditioned Response -In Flagranté Delecto
rel 1999
Giraffe - Giraffe
rel 1999
Evil Wings - Colors of the New World
rel 1999
Lemur Voice - Divided
rel 1999
Little Hans - Wunderkind
rel 1999
Jim Matheos - Away with Words
rel 1999
maudlin of the Well - My Fruit Psychobells... A Seed Combustible
rel 1999
Nexus - Detrás del umbral
rel 1999
Ozric Tentacles - Waterfall Cities
rel 1999
Sinkadus - Cirkus
rel 1999
uneXpect - Utopia
rel 1999
Xen - 84.000 Dharma Doors
rel 1999
Zero Hour - Zero Hour
rel 1999