It's safe to do so I think as we're closing in on the end of 2004.
I was suprised about my pick, as it was so obvious for me, yet so far fetched to begin with.
It wasn't Industrial
It wasn't Power Electronics
It wasn't Apoc./Neo/whatever folk
It wasn't experimental
It was a Rock album, plain and simple, nothing more, nothing less.
I picked it up more or less accidental, or just out of curiosity just to check out what all the fuss was about, and I was floored.
I could might aswell have left it in the record store where it was mingling with all the rest of the mainstream releases I mostly shun.
So not a day has gone by where I haven't listened to this album, my day just has not felt complete until I've sat through it.
It was:

It's good to hear that there are bands out there that can still make great rock. Songs built up in varied ways, not just retro rehash -insert clever The bandname here- type music with boring verse-chorus-verse-chorus constructed songs
What will your pick be?

