Well did it ever occur to you that the band records albums over a period of weeks/months, and considering they write, arrange, record, mix, master, etc. all in the studio, it would stand to reason that they could start recording in one year and finish in another. So if they finish recording an album at 12:01 AM on 1 January 1998, you consider that recording an album in 1998? I don't really see why it matters in the first place. May I ask why you care to know this particular piece of information?