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General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: Scorpion on October 05, 2013, 03:00:59 PM
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Alright, everyone, and welcome to my second Top 50 list. I know there's some people in front of me on the list, but Big Hath's given me the okay to go, since there doesn't appear to be a lot happening on that front, so here we are! I hope that you, faithful reader, will stumble across music both known and unknown and that you will walk away from this list with feeling of having gained something by reading this. That would make my day, ladies and gentlemen.
My first list (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=34124.0) was primarily metal oriented, but in the past year or so, my tastes have broadened considerably. There's still quite a lot of metal here - probably still more than any other genre - but I wouldn't say that it completely dominates this list, like it did on the first, and there'll be quite a few surprises thrown in as well.
What should be noted is that this list doesn't really adequately represent my Top 50, nor does it represent my Top 51-100, so the title is probably a little misleading. What happened is that my tastes have changed quite a lot, but obviously, some of the albums on the first list would still make my list now, be it at similar or at different positions. However, since I don't want to double any write-ups, this is what I would consider my Top 50 now, if the albums of my first Top 50 didn't exist. To still have an accurate representation of my tastes in the DTF database, I'll post a revised REAL Top 50 list at the end, containing both albums from here and from my other list. That way, every album on that list will have a write-up and this one won't feature any repeats. Sound good?
And... off we go!
50. Insomnium – Above the Weeping World (2006)
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDXKeyI9M9Y/TdcqLZcoGlI/AAAAAAAADFg/ajmZDjkIFBo/s1600/Insomnium_Above_The_Weeping_World.jpg)
Just making the list, we have Insomnium's masterpiece. For those that don't know, Insomnium are a melodic death metal band, hailing (like most of their peers) from Finland. However, while the music centres on the beautiful and haunting melodies that one knows from other bands of this genre, Insomnium, unlike other melodic death metal bands, don't use clean vocals. The closest that you come here are spoken words, which have just as much of a bone-chilling quality as the guttural, sorrowful growls of vocalist Niilo Sevδnen. If I had to sum up Above the Weeping World with one word, it'd be “sorrowful”. Every melody, ever growl, every spoken word of this record has an incredible mournfulness, and yet, at the same time, an incredible beauty to it. Highly recommended if you like dark and depressing music and aren't averse to growls.
Favourite tracks: The Gale/Mortal Share, At the Gates of Sleep, Devoid of Caring, In the Groves of Death
49. Riverside – Anno Domini High Definition (2009)
(https://www.furiacontralamaquina.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/adhd.jpg)
Coming in at #49, we have my favourite Riverside album, barely edging out Second Life Syndrome, which made the honourable mentions of my first list. Why is this my favourite? Well, for starters, it's completely devoid of filler. Yeah, we only have five songs, but each and every one of them is completely awesome, whereas each of the other Riverside albums has one or two songs that I'm not too keen on. The other aspect that puts this ahead of other Riverside albums is that it has somewhat of a harder edge, making it sit firmly between progressive rock and metal, while still retaining that certain, unique Riverside element that is so hard to describe and yet so unmistakeable. The third and final aspect that makes this my favourite Riverside album is the sheer amounts of groove and atmosphere that this album has, more so than any other of their albums – just listen to Egoist Hedonist and tell me that it doesn't groove and I'll call you a liar. Highly recommended for everyone that likes... well, progressive rock, metal, atmospheric stuff, groove... you know, Riverside.
Favourite tracks: Egoist Hedonist, Left Out, Hybrid Times
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ADHD is great :tup I tried Across the Dark by Insomnium last summer, but I've realized that Finnish melodeath isn't my thing anymore.
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You're off to a fantastic start, love both those albums. :metal
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Following. That Insomium album has some great cover art. Dark and depressing? I need to listen I guess.
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ADHD is my favorite Riverside album, so great choice! Haven't heard of the other one, but it does sound interesting, even though I don't know if I'd enjoy an entire album without any clean singing.
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ADHD is just awesome! :tup
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Never heard of Insomnium, but sounds like it is right up my alley.
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Riverside is on my bands-to-check-out-list. Or there is no concrete list, but you get my point.
But Jesus, had they any idea of what the abbreviation of the album would be? :lol
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But Jesus, had they any idea of what the abbreviation of the album would be? :lol
Look at the title of the new album and how it's abbreviated :D
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48. Billy Talent Billy Talent III (2009)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/82447585/Billy+Talent+III++PNG.png)
Well, this is probably going to be an unpopular choice of artist, and even those that approve, artist-wise, will probably disagree with the album selection, but eh. This album is, to me, what Billy Talent are about: catchy, moody rockers with a grungy edge. Yes, this is pretty mainstream, but that doesn't mean that it's bad on the contrary, this album is amazing, and soooo much fun every single time I listen to it. None of the songs are overly complex or anything, but they don't need to be. On the lyrical front, we have lyrics that are pretty dark and moody and which fit the tone of the music incredibly well. Yeah, there's some political overtones, but they're not really as in your face as it could be, and I don't really care anyway, because the songs groove and rock, just like they should. I don't think that many people here will like this, but if this description caught your interest, then you should definitely give this a try.
Favourite tracks: Rusted from the Rain, Saint Veronika, Tears Into Wine, White Sparrows, The Dead Can't Testify, Sudden Movement
47. Unexpect Fables of the Sleepless Empire (2011)
(https://www.qpratools.com/gallery/0006/unexpect-fables_of_the_sleepless_empire-front.jpg)
Unexpect's third album is, to me, the pinnacle of their career. You have the whackiness of In a Flesh Aquarium, without doubt, but it's presented in a more concise and straightforward way even though the word straightforward is woefully inadequate at describing Unexpect. It's also Unexpect's most accessible album, though it is, again, anything but. Most of the songs show incredible technical proficiency, but it never gets into the way of songwriting, though it might seem like it does on the first few listens. Noteworthy as well are the amazing vocals both male and female which boast a range that few other bands can match from operatic vocals to terrifying death growls, everything's here, and everything's used well. Highly recommended for just about anyone that likes weird and unpredictable, avant-garde music.
Favourite tracks: Words, Mechanical Phoenix, The Quantum Symphony, In the Mind of the Last Whale, Until Yet a Few More Deaths Do Us Part (the last three tracks)
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But Jesus, had they any idea of what the abbreviation of the album would be? :lol
Look at the title of the new album and how it's abbreviated :D
Clever.
I might or might not like Billy Talent. I know a handful of songs by them (Red Flag is awesome), but I don't care about their singer that much.
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I should really check out Unexpect again, last time I listened to them was more than a year ago I think.
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That Unexpect album is nuts and I love it.
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One of my friends really enjoys that Unexpect album. Maybe I should give it a try...
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Not much discussion on Billy Talent, but I didn't expect there to be, so that's okay. Great to see some love for Unexpect. :heart
46. Gamma Ray – No World Order (2001)
(https://images.wikia.com/lyricwiki/images/archive/1/16/20110403184503!Gamma_Ray_-_No_World_Order.jpg)
After some of the weirdest stuff that you'll find on this list, here we have some of the most straightforward stuff, but that's not always a bad thing. This is, at it's core, power metal, but you have some forays into speed metal (The Heart of the Unicorn) or some mid-tempo, groovy metal (Damn the Machine). What puts this ahead of the majority of Gamma Ray's discography – because, let's face it, if you substitute the song titles, that description could be applied to pretty much every Gamma Ray record ever – is the sheer consistency of this record. Every song on this record has great riffing, blazing solos and a chorus that will be stuck in your head for days. Even the one song that I'm not too crazy about, Solid, is still very solid (lol) and by no means a bad song. While this isn't quite as good as Land of the Free II (which made my first list), mainly due to this album lacking true stand-out songs like Empress or Insurrection, this is my second favourite Gamma Ray album, and deservedly so.
Favourite tracks: Dethrone Tyranny, Heaven or Hell, Damn the Machine, Fire Below, Follow Me, Lake of Tears
45. Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony (2013)
(https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Kalmah-Seventh-Swamphony1.jpg)
As some people may know, I've had quite a boner for Kalmah during the last few months, and I pretty much love all their albums – their discography is incredibly consistent. While there is one album that stands out above the others that we'll get to later (spoilers!) – though that just might be because I heard it first – it was really hard to decide on my second favourite of theirs, but after much deliberation, I have settled on their most recent release, Seventh Swamphony. Yeah, the title is pretty goofy, but don't let that fool you – this album is an incredible tour-de-force from beginning to end, from the furious opening riff of the title track to the last, epic seconds of The Trapper, this album starts off high and never lets up, featuring blazing riffs, face-melting solos and great vocals all the way through. My favourite track here is the longest track Hollo, clocking at 7:20, which is one of Kalmah's most unconventional tracks, featuring a section with clean vocals (which is a rarity for the band) and a blistering guitar solo, but really, every track here is great.
Favourite tracks: Seventh Swamphony, Hollo, Wolves on the Throne, The Trapper
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Okay now I gotta check out this Kalmah thing.
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Okay now I gotta check out this Kalmah thing.
To elaborate a tad more, they are basically some of the best melodic death metal around, but with no clean vox at all, and not really any focus on the keys either. People sometimes compare them to CoB, but in my opinion, that comparison is actually pretty rubbish. They're far more serious (which is inherently neither good nor bad) about what they do as well.
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Never heard of the last couple.
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That Kalmah album is great.
Don't think I've heard that Gamma Ray album yet.
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I think that Gamma Ray album was in the twenties in my list, it's fucking incredible. Glad to see some more appreciation for it.
That Kalmah album is great too. I only got it a couple of weeks ago and I need to check it out more, but it's a great listen, great band.
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44. Accept – Stalingrad (2012)
(https://www.discorder.com/images/covers/b/L/1/L18712.jpg)
With 2009's Blood of the Nations, Accept made a furious return to the scene of international heavy metal and showed everyone that they were still a force to be reckoned with, even without long-time vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, and the new vocalist Mark Tornillo showed everyone that he was Dirkschneider's equal in every aspect. Therefore, Accept's sophomore release with Tornillo, had high expectations to live up to and I must admit that I was sceptical whether Accept would be able to reach the heights of Blood of the Nations again. I needn't have worried, however, because Stalingrad not only reached the lofty heights of its predecessor, but exceeded them in almost every aspect. The songwriting is tighter, the riffs rock more than ever, axeman Wolf Hoffman shreds his way through some of his best solos ever and Tornillo belts out ever line with a passion that rivals Dirkschneider in his prime. If there is one thing that this album could be criticised for, it's that its best songs are packed at the beginning and the last few songs aren't quite as good as the beginning of the album, but considering the high quality of all the songs in general and the amazing closer The Galley, which rivals Shadow Soldiers as my favourite track on the album, it's hardly a big complaint.
Favourite tracks: Hung, Drawn and Quartered, Stalingrad, Hellfire, Shadow Soldiers, The Galley
43. Mastodon – The Hunter (2011)
(https://www.cdstarts.de/images/wallpaper/Mastodon_Hunter.jpg)
Mastodon's most recent is, at the same time, my favourite album of theirs. What you have on The Hunter is basically the scope and epicness of Crack the Skye, compressed into shorter, more straightforward songs, which rock and groove just the same. The riffs groove, the drums drive the songs along and the vocals fit the mood perfectly. My favourite track is the closing track, which shows some surprising Floydian influences. I know that some people prefer Mastodon's earlier stuff like Remissions or Leviathan, but to me – maybe because it's the first Mastodon album that I heard – The Hunter is what the band is all about.
Favourite tracks: Black Tongue, Stargasm, All the Heavy Lifting, The Hunter, Dry Bone Valley, The Sparrow
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That Accept album is terrific.
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Two fine choices right there. :tup
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The Hunter is already two years old? Wow, time flies!
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That Accept album is terrific.
Hell fu#king yes :metal
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Yay, another top 50 album to follow to check out more music. Have liked this list so far and though I still prefer Crack the Skye, The Hunter just has a lot of groovy songs.
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The Hunter is super awesome.
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Some great choices already :tup
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Nice picks!
I personally prefer Blood of the Nations to Stalingrad by a large margin, but I gotta admit, the title track might be their best song ever to me. As for The Hunter, it's a good and certainly very interesting album but cannot compete against Crack The Skye. Not many albums can. I'll follow your list! :smiley:
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Yeah, I think I'd still rank Blood of the Nations higher also.
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42. Devin Townsend Project – Addicted (2009)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/82981161/Addicted+High+quality+PNG.png)
Devin Townsend's second release under the DTP moniker is what I'd consider to be the best fusion of pop melodies and metal aggressiveness. Most of the album is amazingly simple, but catchy like nothing else. Devin's varied voice, be it his soothing singing or his screams are complimented perfectly by Anneke van Giersbergen's soaring voice – especially notable is the remake of Hyperdrive, now titled Hyperdrive!, on which she performs lead vocals. My favourite song here is probably Awake!!, because of the great riff and the way that it contrasts Anneke's great voice, Devin's singing and his screaming with maximum effectiveness, but every song here is amazing. Yes, the album isn't very varied in it's tone and mood, but for what it is, Addicted is perfect.
Favourite tracks: Addicted!, Bend It Like Bender!, Supercrush!, Numbered!, Awake!!
41. Opeth – Blackwater Park (2001)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/78850465/Blackwater+Park++png.png)
Blackwater Park was my introduction into the world of Opeth, and what an introduction it was. Blackwater Park, in my opinion, is the perfect introductory album for Opeth novices, and it sucked me right in. More like any other band, Opeth manage to perfectly contrast soothing, calm passages with the ferocious brutality of death metal, and for this reason, they are also a perfect introduction to death metal and harsh vocals in general. While some of the songs on this album aren't really all that popular among Opeth's fanbase, in my opinion this album is chock-full of great songs. Be it the more well-known songs like The Leper Affinity, The Drapery Falls or Bleak, or the hidden gems like Harvest or The Funeral Portrait, every song here is an amazing experience.
Favourite tracks: The Leper Affinity, Bleak, Harvest, The Drapery Falls, The Funeral Portrait
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:hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Two of my all-time favorites :metal
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Some great picks so far!
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Saw the change in thread title and Blackwater Park immediately came to mind. :tup :tup
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Two of my all-time favorites :metal
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Personally would have rated them both higher but yeah, AMAZING albums! :metal
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That Accept album is terrific.
Hell fu#king yes :metal
Add another fan here. The last two have been excellent.
Love that Gamma Ray album too.
Not much else for me to get my teeth into so far but I did Spotify Mastodon's CTS the other day and sort of enjoyed it. I know that doesn't sound like great praise but it was great , I just don't know that I'd be in the mood to listen to that sort of stuff very often.
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40. Fates Warning – A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)
(https://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/005/598/0000559867_500.jpg)
Fates Warning's A Pleasant Shade of Gray is unlike anything they have ever done, and it's amazing. While Fates Warning have made themselves a name for playing very good progressive metal (see Parallels or No Exit), this album is much more atmosphere-focused, which is doubtlessly Kevin Moore's work to a large part – his keys really shape the album. Alder's voice is amazing here as well, it's probably my favourite vocal performance of his. I don't listen to this album very often, mainly because it really is an album that you can't listen individual tracks from, but whenever I do, I am reminded again of the genius that is A Pleasant Shade of Gray.
Favourite tracks: The whole fucking thing
39. Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer (1992)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/5/2/9/529.jpg)
This is probably an unpopular choice for my second favourite Sabbath album, but I don't care. It might be due to the fact that, aside from the track Paranoid, this was the first that I heard of Sabbath, but it isn't ONLY that, because this album is truly fantastic. Dio delivers an amazing performance, Iommi's riffs rock just as hard as on the classic albums, and Geezer and Vinny are in top form just as much. What helps this album tremendously is it's pacing: it starts on a very high note with Computer God, which grabs the listeners attention, and then picks up quality again towards the end – the three closing tracks and the opener are my favourites here. While this may sound like there is a quality dip in the middle, which would make the album a little boring, this is not what it feels like – instead, it feels like the album is steadily gaining steam after a furious opening, making the whole album a great listen. My personal favourite here is I, mainly due to the simple but incredibly catchy main riff, but really, you can't go wrong with any of the tracks here.
Favourite tracks: Computer God, Too Late, I, Buried Alive
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Another quality update.
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Two excellent releases.
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Buried Alive is a great freaking track. Love the chorus!
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[quote
Dio delivers an amazing performance, Iommi's riffs rock just as hard as on the classic albums, and Geezer and Bill are in top form just as much.
[/quote]
Isn't Vinny Appice playing drums on Dehumanizer?
BTW - excellent album!!! :metal
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Late to the party but following.
Killer Sabbath record! :metal
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Tried to get into Pleasant Shade. Never could. Never dove deep into Sabbath.
:dunno:
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Tried to get into Pleasant Shade. Never could. Never dove deep into Sabbath.
:dunno:
I've always been lukewarm myself on APSOG. It had a could of great moments, but I find it relatively monotonous.
I appreciate the effort and the writing on it.
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Tried to get into Pleasant Shade. Never could.
:dunno:
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Isn't Vinny Appice playing drums on Dehumanizer?
That he is. Good catch, didn't remember that and didn't bother checking it again.
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Two albums that I checked out due to Sigz's praise. Shame that he isn't around anymore, he'd approve of this update.
38. Agalloch The Mantle (2002)
(https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Agalloch-The-Mantle.jpg)
The Mantle was my introduction to the genius that is Agalloch, and, to me, it's the definition of a grower. When I first heard it, I thought that it was boring, monotone and meandering. Sure, bits appealed to me, but every song seemed to be longer than it needed to be. However, the bits that I did like didn't leave my head for weeks, and every time they caused me to return to the album, I loved it a little more, until, finally, the last two tracks Odal and ...and the Great Cold Death of Earth clicked into place for me as well. What makes this album so great is the amount of atmospheric detail that this album possesses, even though, or maybe because it takes such a long time to reveal it in its entirety. Another thing that is amazing here is the use of acoustic guitars, and often, the layering of electric and acoustic guitars, which produces an amazing depth of sound. One thing that doesn't quite appeal to me quite as much are John Haughm's clean vocals his growls are massively superior but they nevertheless contribute to the unique atmosphere of the album.
Favourite tracks: In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion, You Were But a Ghost In My Arms, ...and the Great Cold Death of Earth, The Hawthorne Passage, A Desolation Song
37. Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral (1994)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/58046579/The+Downward+Spiral+dwnwrd.png)
Having heard a lot of praise for this one, The Downward Spiral was my first Nine Inch Nails album and it immediately pulled me in. The atmosphere on this album is incredible, from the evilly distorted guitars to Trent Reznor's amazing vocals, everything here is amazing. Mr. Self Destruct kicks off the album amazingly with metallic drums, guitars that barely even sound like guitars any more and weirdly processed vocals, but it just works like a charm. From there, the album is an emotional rollercoaster like no other album that I know and never lets up, until the closing track Hurt, which is probably NIN's most popular track, but that doesn't make it bad on the contrary, there's a reason why it's so popular, and it closes the album fantastically. This is definitely not an easy album, but once you've gotten into it, this is an album, nay, an experience unlike any other.
Favourite tracks: Mr. Self Destruct, Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now), March of the Pigs, Closer, Ruiner, A Warm Place, Eraser, Reptile, Hurt
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The Mantle was a significant grower for me. I listened to it a couple times, and didn't like it. Then I came back to it for some reason, and loved it. That was 2 years ago and Agalloch is one of my favorite bands, and this album means so much to me, it's definitely in my top ten. I love every bit of Haughm's vocal style. His harsh vox are absolutely god-tier, and so are his clean vocals. Maybe you don't like that style of clean vocals as much as me, but I think the only Agalloch album with weak clean vox is Marrow. His other clean vox are just excellent.
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TDS! :hefdaddy
It wasn't a difficult album to get into for me, it clicked instantly. I had already heard Pretty Hate Machine and Broken, howeva, I wasn't a NIN virgin.
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Great pick with The Mantle, one of my favorite albums. :tup
TDS is easily one of the best albums of the 90's though I still prefer The Fragile somewhat.
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I tried really, really hard to get into Agalloch with "The Mantle" but it just didn't work for me, despite repeated effort. Oh well.
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36. Buckethead Inbred Mountain (2005)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/39615057/Inbred+Mountain+buckethead.png)
Inbred Mountain is, in my opinion, the best that Buckethead's wacky side has ever produced. Unlike his more melodic and calm albums like Colma, Electric Tears or its follow-up Electric Sea, or his more riff-driven stuff like Crime Slunk Scene or Albino Slug, Inbred Mountain is 100%, no-holds-barred insanity, and it works amazingly. This is a very difficult album to follow, mainly because of how eclectic it is and how patched-together it seems at first listen, but repeated listens reveal hidden structures and how the whole thing makes sense after all. What I also like about this album, is that the song titles tell a story, and that with the music accompanying them, you can really picture the story behind Inbred Mountain, making it a kind-of concept album (though I'd hesitate to call it that), and a very interesting one at that.
Favourite tracks: In Search of Inbred Mountain, Johnny Be Slunk, Lotus Island, Plastination Station, Escape from Inbred Mountain
35. Redemption Snowfall on Judgment Day (2009)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/90529577/Snowfall+On+Judgment+Day.jpg)
Redemption are a band where you can't really go wrong with any of their albums (unless you pick up the s/t first, but chances are pretty slim), but Snowfall on Judgment Day was my first and will probably always be my favourite. Alder delivers an amazing performance here, and Nick van Dyk's songwriting reached amazing heights, especially with the amazing closer Love Kills Us All / Life In One Day. I can't really pinpoint what I like as much about this album as I do, as it is, no matter how you want to call it, pretty straightforward progressive metal, which is something that in general doesn't hold my interest a lot any more, but here, it works, and it works amazingly well.
Favourite tracks: Walls, Black and White World, What Will You Say, Fistful of Sand, Love Kills Us All/Life in One Day
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Redemption :heart
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Redemption :heart
what he said. Although, I prefer The Fullness of Time
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Really like Snowfall. I'm not too familiar with Buckethead, apart from a few random tracks.
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Redemption :heart
what he said. Although, I prefer The Fullness of Time
The Fullness of Time was my first Redemption album and still my favorite of theirs. Snowfall is probably my second favorite. I dig all of their albums, even the debut with that other guy on vocals.
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Best Redemption album, by a long mile.
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I tried really, really hard to get into Agalloch with "The Mantle" but it just didn't work for me, despite repeated effort. Oh well.
Did you, per chance, ever give AAtG a try? Obviously not liking the Mantle doesn't help your chances of liking AAtG, but the two are quite different and you might find it more to your liking. It's less on the folk side of things, generally heavier, and gives much more bang for buck imo.
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34. Ministry Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and to Suck Eggs (1992)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/24708169/Psalm+69+The+Way+to+Succeed++the+Way+to+Suck+Eggs+Ministry++Psalm+69.jpg)
Ministry are the masters of industrial metal, and no album shows it as much as this record does. Lightning-fast riffs, the shouted vocals of frontman Al Jorgenson, blistering solos and frantic drumming, everything comes together here to make Psalm 69 the ultimate Ministry album. Some of the tracks here, like Hero and Jesus Built My Hotrod, are some of the most well-known Ministry songs, but the others are no less brilliant. In fact, one of my favourite songs here is the mid-tempo number Scare Crow, which I rarely see mentioned, even among those that actually know/like this album. Also, while the title isn't my favourite from Ministry (From Beer to Eternity takes that one for sheer ridiculousness), it's still pretty awesome and shows that Ministry, despite how seriously they take the music they make, still have a sense of humour, and that's always good.
Favourite tracks: N.W.O., Hero, Scare Crow, Psalm 69, Corrosion, Grace
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Psalm 69 is excellent, but not my favourite Ministry album.
As far as I know, Scarecrow is one of their most popular songs. I like it too, but it's not among my favourites on album.
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Man my "to listen list" is gonna explode...
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I gave Redemption a try last night. First song I clicked on was Another Day Dies, and I was like "This dude sounds exactly like James Labrie"
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
They are an awesome band, though! Glad I tried it.
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33. God Is An Astronaut God Is An Astronaut (2008)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/80377561/God+Is+An+Astronaut+GodIsAnAstronaut.jpg)
God Is An Astronaut have, over the last three months or so, become one of my favourite post-rock bands, and this is my favourite album of theirs. What I like about them and what sets them apart from other post-rock bands is that their music is more busy and tight than the usual post-rock (this album has one song longer than ten minutes, which is, from my admittedly rather meagre knowledge of the genre, a rarity), without losing any of its atmospheric qualities. The guitar is very much the lead instrument here, but it rarely solos or becomes technical, instead focusing on the atmosphere. If you don't like the meandering nature of post-rock, but are a fan of the atmosphere it creates, then this is a band and, by extension, an album that might be worth checking out.
Favourite tracks: Shadows, Echoes, Snowfall, Remaining Light, Shores of Orion, Loss
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Good album, but I'm surprised you didn't mention what I and I've seen others consider the best song on the GiaA S/T album, "Zodiac."
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Good album, but I'm surprised you didn't mention what I and I've seen others consider the best song on the GiaA S/T album, "Zodiac."
It's a great song allright, like every song here, but it's never particularly grabbed me like the once that I mentioned do. :dunno:
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I had thought that God Is an Astronaut would generate more discussion. :'(
32. Sentenced The Cold White Light (2002)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61qqCdKeAwL.jpg)
Sentenced have undergone quite a change. Starting out as a run-of-the-mill death metal band, their sophomore release is heralded as the first melodic death metal album ever (and also, in my opinion, one of my favourites of the genre). However, as time went on, their sound changed and after their third album, which already notably strayed from death metal, they changed vocalists, to release what many consider to be their best album, Down. This album was completely devoid of death metal, with the band opting for a more rockish-straightforward sound, made unique by the morbidity of their themes and the voice of vocalist Ville Laihiala. I, however, disagree, with the general consensus, as I consider The Cold White Light to be their finest offering. It is much in the same vein of its predecessors Down, Frozen and Crimson, but what sets it apart from those is the absolute lack of filler tracks. Every track on this album is pure gold and works perfectly in the context of the album. The songs aren't exactly varied in their structure or their sound, but they don't need to, because there is just enough variety to keep the album from becoming boring and Sentenced do what they do very well anyway. Especially notable is the guitar playing of guitar mastermind Miika Tenkula and the unique sound of the vocals. My favourite here is probably Guilt and Regret, but really, you can't go wrong with any of these songs.
Favourite tracks: Cross My Heart and Hope to Die, Aika Multaa Muistot (Everything Is Nothing), Excuse Me While I Kill Myself, Blood and Tears, Guilt and Regret, No One There
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That is the only Sentenced album I own, but it's really fantastic.
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I own Crimson, and there is some great stuff on it, but also waaaay to much filler :-\
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I've been meaning to get into Sentenced, but I haven't gotten around to it yet, apart from a few songs.
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TCWL rules! :metal You're probably the first person to have a Sentenced album in their top 50 :tup
I own Crimson, and there is some great stuff on it, but also waaaay to much filler :-\
Crimson is easily their weakest album besides the death metal debut IMO. Try TCWL or Down, they're much stronger records.
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TCWL rules! :metal You're probably the first person to have a Sentenced album in their top 50 :tup
I own Crimson, and there is some great stuff on it, but also waaaay to much filler :-\
Crimson is easily their weakest album besides the death metal debut IMO. Try TCWL or Down, they're much stronger records.
I will, because the "good" songs on Crimson are pretty awesome :metal
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Oh yes indeed - Fragile, Broken and Killing Me, Killing You (to mention a few) are great :metal BTW, Broken was covered by Dark Tranquillity in 2008. I don't think the song works with screams though (sorry Mikael!).
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Oh yes indeed - Fragile, Broken and Killing Me, Killing You (to mention a few) are great :metal BTW, Broken was covered by Dark Tranquillity in 2008. I don't think the song works with screams though (sorry Mikael!).
Hey I quite like that cover!
My fave Sentenced album is The Funeral Album but this one deffo floats near the top as well.
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I own the albums Crimson and The Cold White Light. Got into them through the song "No More Beating As One". Didn't listen to any Sentenced in a long time. Maybe it's time to give those albums a spin again.
Greetings...
Nef
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Hey I quite like that cover!
It was the first thing by DT I ever heard (weird, I know!) and didn't leave the best possible taste in my mouth, which may be part of the reason I didn't check them out properly until this year. But yeah, I still think the chorus loses its power without the melody and they didn't even make the song instrumentally different from the original with the exception of the guitar tuning and the exclusion of the intro, which happens to be my favorite part of the song.
(sorry about the OT and rambling :lol)
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Glad to see some Sentenced appreciation - I wouldn't have thought that they'd be the most-discussed entry of this list. :lol
31. Portishead – Dummy (1994)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/66333464/Dummy.png)
Trip-hop is one of the most recent genres that I've started to explore. I don't remember what initially sparked my interest in the genre, but when I started looking into it, there are two names that you simply can't not encounter: Portishead and Massive Attack. Since I remembered the name Portishead from my dad's music library, that was were I decided to start my trip-hop journey. And the rest, as they say, is history. Let's talk about the music though – if I had to use one word to describe this album, it'd be “mesmerizing”. Everything about this album just sucks you in, from the hypnotic beats over the mysterious keys and sound effects to Beth Gibbons' voice. This album is also very relaxing and his quickly become my favourite chill-out album there is. As a whole, the album is very consistent, but also quite varied, making it feel like one album, without making it sound samey. If I had to pick a favourite, it'd probably be Roads for its ethereal calm, but none of the other tracks are very far behind.
Favourite tracks: Mysterons, Sour Times, Wandering Star, It's a Fire, Roads, Pedestal, Glory Box
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I tried really, really hard to get into Agalloch with "The Mantle" but it just didn't work for me, despite repeated effort. Oh well.
Did you, per chance, ever give AAtG a try? Obviously not liking the Mantle doesn't help your chances of liking AAtG, but the two are quite different and you might find it more to your liking. It's less on the folk side of things, generally heavier, and gives much more bang for buck imo.
I'll give it a shot, thanks :corn
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Dummy is great, albeit a tad dated, which may be why I like Third more. Also, Mezzanine is an album - the band (or "band") is Massive Attack.
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Also, Mezzanine is an album - the band (or "band") is Massive Attack.
That's the second fail of mine on this list! I should really proofread my entries a little more closely.
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That didn't get too many comments. I wonder why? I know there's some Portishead fans here...
30. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element, Pt. 1 (2000)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/6/5/7/1657.jpg)
If I had to pick one band as the biggest musical discovery of the past year, it'd probably be Pain of Salvation. In the space of three months, they have climbed to my #5 spot of my Last.fm charts, which should be a good indicator towards how much I love them. The Perfect Element, Pt. 1 is often regarded as one of their best albums, and it's easy to see why – it tells an interesting and cohesive story, which is held together by several musical themes that are reprised frequently, yet always fit naturally into a song – see the Used reprise in King of Loss – all of the band members deliver amazing performances, without ever becoming technical for the sake of being technical, and Daniel Gildenlφw's vocals are some of the best that I have ever heard, no matter which genre – his diversity is amazing, be it his crooning singing, his screams or whatever he does in between the two. This is, quite simply, one of the best concept albums that I know.
Favourite tracks: Used, Ashes, Idioglossia, Her Voices, King of Loss, Song for the Innocent, The Perfect Element
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Dummy is great, albeit a tad dated, which may be why I like Third more.
I disagree. I was quite disappointed with Third. I don't know why,it's not because of the change in genre. It just lacks highlights.
Also,TPE is awesome indeed.
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I bought TPE a couple of months ago and never listened to it :-\
It's probably time to change that.
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Dummy is great, albeit a tad dated, which may be why I like Third more.
I disagree. I was quite disappointed with Third. I don't know why,it's not because of the change in genre. It just lacks highlights.
I find Third more consistent and Silence, We Carry On and Machine Gun are definitely highlights for me.
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POS is one of my greatest discoveries over the last couple of years, amazing band.
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You really can't go wrong with any of Pain of Salvation's first 4 albums. My two personal favorites are "The Perfect Element" and "Remedy Lane," but the others are great too.
I was (and still am) kinda lukewarm on "Be" The idea was cool, but the implementation of that idea is a little bit...spotty.
I was never able to connect with any of their other material.
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:tup
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29. The Ocean Precambrian (2007)
(https://www.metalblade.com/us/covers/TheOcean-Precambrian.jpg)
The Ocean are, again, a recent discovery. I checked them out because I was supposed to see them open for Mastodon, a show which was cancelled due to flooding in our area, but the sole existence of this gig introduced me to one of my biggest discoveries of the past year. Precambrian was my first album by the band, and that's why it's my favourite, but this band is incredibly consistent and the others are not far behind in fact, their most recent, Pelagial, could just as well be in this place on another day. What I like about this album is the structure it starts out with rocking, straightforward songs, but as the album goes on, the songs become more brooding, more meandering and more unusual in structure, making the second half feel like an evolution of the first half, yet the album still manages to maintain a sense of unity within, which makes it an amazing listen. Musically, what The Ocean are doing here could best be classified as progressive post metal, but even that is a very insufficient description. If you like post metal, progressive metal, long, atmospheric passages and aren't averse to harsh vocals, then you should definitely give this a try.
Favourite tracks: Paleoarchaean, Neoarchaean, Rhyacian, Statherian, Ectasian, Stenian, Tonian
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Awesome album, but does this mean Pelagial will not be making an appearance?
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That is correct.
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:sad:
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The Precambrian did not start in 2007 though :biggrin:
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I think Pelagial is their best, but nice pick nonetheless.
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The new thread title made me think of Katatonia's Viva Emptiness, but I knew it's not about that album, because I vaguely remember you said you weren't that impressed with the songs you heard from Dead End Kings.
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The new thread title made me think of Katatonia's Viva Emptiness
Same here :lol
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The new thread title made me think of Katatonia's Viva Emptiness
Same here :lol
ditto
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Nice pick. I haven't listened to Precambrian much, but I love The Ocean. Pelagial is their best album, followed by Heliocentric.
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28. Amorphis – Elegy (1996)
(https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Amorphis-Elegy-e1325355550182.jpg)
While the Tomi Joutsen era was my introduction to Amorphis, I've come to prefer their earlier stuff, mainly because most of the tracks of the Joutsen era are quite good on their own, but too samey for one album to be amazing – which Elegy is. Many tracks here feature what would become the classic Amorphis sound, but there are quite a few tracks here that are unusual enough to add enough variety to make this my favourite Amorphis album, like the eastern sounds on Better Unborn or the unusual structuring of the title track. Pasi Koskinen isn't quite as strong in the vocal department as Tomi Joutsen, but he performs admirably here. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to get into Amorphis' earlier stuff.
Favourite tracks: Better Unborn, Of Rich and Poor, My Kantele, Weeper on the Shore, Elegy
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Great album :tup
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fyi, you used the "bold" tag instead of the img tag for the artwork
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Great amazing album :tup
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27. Fates Warning - Disconnected (2000)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BE9vzrfMX_Q/TBJws3RvEiI/AAAAAAAAAfA/4pHI7GsSZXA/s1600/Disconnected.jpg)
Alright, recent developments have forced me to revise my list a little, and this is one of them. After quite some deliberation, I have decided that A Pleasant Shade of Gray isn't actually my favourite Fates Warning album - Disconnected is. Like APSOG, it's some of their more atmospheric work, which is by a large part Kevin Moore's contribution, I think - at least, FW's work with him does turn out a fair bit more atmospheric than those albums that he doesn't play on. Anyway, the album is short, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't pack a punch - it does. Especially the longer tracks - Something From Nothing and Still Remains - here are executed so perfectly that you rarely feel their length. Alder delivers a great performance here - not quite as good as on APSOG - but the music here is just better, making me place this one higher than APSOG. I'm not sure if this would be a good album for something trying to get into Fates Warning, as it is far from their most accessible album - I'd give that to Parallels or Inside Out - but repeated listens really reveal the genius of this album and elevate this record far above most of their other records.
Favourite tracks: So, Something From Nothing, Still Remains, Disconnected Pt 2.
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fantastic Fates Warning album!!
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One of the numerous albums that are on my to-buy list :D
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Top 3 FW album, it's incredible.
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26. Angra Rebirth (2001)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6tJHBv82MIM/TRV6s4yOGgI/AAAAAAAABF4/vt4oMA2_eCo/s1600/Angra_Rebirth.jpg)
Rebirth is aptly titled, as it is Angra's first album with new vocalist Edu Falaschi, after the departure of previous vocalist Andrι Matos, and the two do sound notably different. However, at their musical core, Angra have actually changed very little, with the music still featuring traditional Brazilian influences, symphonic elements and blazing guitar riffs and solos. This album is amazingly consistent, lacking the true high points of the albums of the Matos era, like Carolina IV on Holy Land or Fireworks on the album of the same title, but it more than makes up for it with an absolute lack of filler. From beginning to end, this album is amazing, be it the symphonic opener Nova Era, the balladish Heroes of Sand or the unusually-structured Unholy Wars. The final track is a little weaker than the rest, but it's still quite good. Basically, if you like some good prog metal with a nice twist, then this might just be the album for you.
Favourite tracks: In Excelsis/Nova Era, Millenium Sun, Acid Rain, Heroes of Sand, Unholy Wars, Rebirth
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Judgement Day isn't a favourite track? :-\ Pretty good album though, not something I expected to see in anyone's top 50, especially at #26.
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I was just listening to Rebirth the other day, killer album.
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25. Devin Townsend Infinity (1998)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/6/2/3/3623.jpg)
Infinity is one of Devin's most overlooked albums, one that I rarely see mentioned when discussing his solo work, which is somewhat understandable when it is compared with behemoths like Ocean Machine or Terria, but it's still damn good. Truth kicks off the album with a bang and shows that a song doesn't need to be long to be epic. What follows is an amazing journey through a myriad of different styles, be it the straightforward nature of Christeen, the swing-metal of Bad Devil, the brooding nature of War, the full-out insanity of Ants, the almost countryesque Wild Colonial Boy or the amazing dynamic scope of Life Is All Dynamics. These different styles keep the album from becoming boring, but it still feels like a cohesive unit. Definitely a must-have for every fan of Devin's work and an album that deserves way more attention and recognition than it gets.
Favourite songs: Truth, Bad Devil, War, Ants, Wild Colonial Boy, Life Is All Dynamics, Noisy Pink Bubbles
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I was just listening to Rebirth the other day, killer album.
'Tis indeed a killer album.
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Weird album. Not really my stuff, but Bad Devil and Ants are great and I will give it more chances.
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Fuck yes! I knew it was Infinity when I saw the new thread title :lol Such an amazing album :hefdaddy
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I'm not into Devin Townsend, but I really love that Fates Warning album. Definitely a top 3 FW album for me.
I had no idea Kevin Moore was involved with it until I read it in this thread :loser:
Re: Angra - "Rebirth album"...I have it and I definitely enjoyed it, but not enough for it to make an appearance in a list like this, were I to take a second stab at that. Still, I can't deny that it's a pretty consistent album.
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24. Sigh – Imaginary Soniscape (2001)
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-0kZzJ541rM/S8J6CRrM7eI/AAAAAAAACaE/zC5qgU1cSns/s1600/imaginary+sonicscape.jpg)
Sigh are definitely a very weird band. Most of their music is a little more slow-paced, keyboard-driven, but they add in enough weird transitions, quotes from classical music, solos and unusual instruments to make this album a hell of a ride. The vocals are mostly harsh, but I find them pretty easy to understand, actually – for harsh vocals, that is. The performance of all band members is amazing, though the centrepiece is obviously the amazingly varied keyboard playing that drives most of the songs, which is interspersed with just enough guitar lead parts to keep the whole thing fresh and exciting, yet they never steal the show. My favourite track here is the epic Slaughtergarden Suite, but the opener Corpsecry – Angelfall or the catchy Ecstatic Transformation aren't very far behind.
Favourite tracks: Corpsecry – Angelfall, Nietzschean Conspiracy, A Sunset Song, Ecstatic Transformation, Slaughtergarden Suite, Bring Back the Dead, Requiem - Nostalgia
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Which Sigh album was the one you sent me? I don't think it was this one, but it was quite good.
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I don't know, I think it was either this one or the most recent one, which is close to this in quality, though.
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23. Adagio Archangels in Black (2009)
(https://www.guitareuromedia.com/images/2009/Adagio_archangelsinblack.jpg)
Just edging out their second offering, Underworld, Adagio's most recent album is my favourite of theirs. What made Underworld work was the way that heaviness, great vocals, orchestration and blazing solos complimented each other, woven into complex and unusually-structured songs that were rarely shorter than seven minutes. With their next album, Dominate, tried out an album of more straight-forward songs, which resulted in a very easily accessible album, but Dominate lacked the replay value and the depth of the songs of Underworld. Archangels in Black, I find, perfects what Dominate tried to do, by combining more straight-forward songs with depth and a high replay value. It is also notably heavier than its predecessors, employing harsh vocals much more frequently and much better than Dominate did. This album is lacking a true high-point the mini-epic Codex Oscura isn't really the high-point that you'd expect from its track length, though still great but more than makes up for this by an amazing consistency I can always put on any song of this album and simply rock the fuck out. Undead might probably my favourite, mainly because of the amazingly groovy instrumental section, but that might also be because it's the first Adagio song that I heard, and every song is pretty much killer anyway.
Favourite songs: Vamphyri, The Astral Pathway, Undead, The Fifth Ankh, Codex Oscura, Getsu Senshi
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:metal
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Good band. I do prefer their older stuff, I never really got into this one that much. I should re-visit it. I miss David Readman from the first two.
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I'm one of those people that think Dominate is the best Adagio album.
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"Archangels in Black" would be on the bottom of my list of Adagio albums, but it's still a pretty killer album :metal
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22. Opeth Still Life (1999)
(https://images.cryhavok.org/d/9125-1/Opeth+-+Still+Life.jpg)
At #22, we have Opeth's masterpiece, Still Life. Nowhere else do Opeth combine skull-crushing riffs and growls with moments of ethereal beauty like they do here. The opening track, The Moor, is my favourite Opeth song and, for me, demonstrates what the band is all about perfectly in twelve minutes, but the rest of the album is amazing as well. I haven't really understood all the intricacies of the story (as this is a concept album), but what I have understood is actually pretty cool (something that you'll VERY rarely hear me saying about a concept album!). Funnily enough, this is also the Opeth album that I took the longest to get, but the end result was worth it in spades.
Favourite tracks: The Moor, Benighted, Face of Melinda, Serenity Painted Death
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:metal
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Phenomenal album :2metal:
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Not Opeth's masterpiece. That would be Blackwater Park. My Arms, Your Hearse is my second favourite and Still Life sits solidly on the #3 spot for favourite Opeth album for me.
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Not Opeth's masterpiece. That would be Blackwater Park. My Arms, Your Hearse is my second favourite and Still Life sits solidly on the #3 spot for favourite Opeth album for me.
MYAH is better than SL, BWP is Opeth's masterpiece and both MAYH and SL are not in my top 3.
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Still Life is amazing, as are all other Opeth records. Although I have to say there is STILL something I don't quite get with this one. I feel like SL still has some undiscovered potential for me. So yeah, this album is definitely one of those that take their sweet time to fully sink in. And btw, Blackwater Park is the best Opeth record by miles :P Nothing can beat that atmosphere.
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Phenomenal album :2metal:
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21. SikTh The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild (2003)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/13076405/The+Trees+Are+Dead++Dried+Out+Wait+For+Something+W+367d0c8fd6ee1ad730a1a0b442a3b5.jpg)
I've had some pretty insane stuff on this list, but I think (unless I'm forgetting something here) that this entry is the most intense and fucked up album that I have here. SikTh are the masters of mathcore mixed with plenty of other stuff that makes them unclassifiable think Protest the Hero with a wider musical spectrum as a base of their sound and on steroids, and that's probably the closest that I can come to adequately describing the sound of this album. Some of the tracks here are more straightforward tracks (well, for mathcore), like Scent of the Obscene or Pussyfoot, but there's also the truly avant-garde stuff that just has you scratching your head the first few times, like the long and sprawling Can't We All Dream?, the amazing Nick Cave cover Tupelo or the closing track, When Will the Forest Speak...?, which is basically a recital of an amazingly unsettling poem. If you want to listen to an hour of music that will fuck over your brain in the best possible way, I can't think of a better album to do that than this one.
Also, AWESOME title.
Favourite tracks: Pussyfoot, Hold My Finger, Wait for Something Wild, Tupelo, Can't We All Dream?, When Will the Forest Speak...?
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I haven't heard the whole album, but the songs I have heard made my head explode.
In a good way.
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love SikTh, although I find both of their full-length records to be about equal.
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Checking out SikTh, sounds interesting so far.
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20. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Push the Sky Away (2013)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GinQy0RAL.jpg)
Nick Cave's previous three albums (two of them released under the name Grinderman and one under the Bad Seeds moniker) moved away from the piano and vocal-driven style of his more well-known work like Murder Ballads or No More Shall We Part and instead went more into a garage-rock direction. It worked surprisingly well, but the quieter side of Nick Cave has always been my favourite, making this album a pleasant surprise. This album is very stripped-down, with most songs being limited to piano, bass, drums and Cave's unique voice (which, I admit that, is an acquired taste). The lyrics, aside from the odd clunker (see the thread title, for example), are beautifully poetic, and Cave delivers them with such conviction that the vocals are easily the centrepiece of this great album. Be warned, though: this album doesn't click instantly, in fact, it's very much a grower and on my first listen, I couldn't really see anything special here, but with a few listens, what makes this album so amazing reveals itself: the way that Cave and his band use an absolutely minimalist approach to create stunning atmospheres. Take Water's Edge, for instance: the whole song is based around one unsettling bassline, but it works perfectly and it never becomes boring. Another example of this is the title track, which is probably my favourite and, at the same time, the most minimalist of all tracks. Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys Cave's earlier, more piano-driven albums like Murder Ballads or The Boatman's Call.
Favourite tracks: We No Who U R, Wide Lovely Eyes, Water's Edge, We Real Cool, Push the Sky Away
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Also, here's a recap of the list so far.
50. Insomnium - Above the Weeping World (2006)
49. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition (2009)
48. Billy Talent - Billy Talent III (2009)
47. Unexpect - Fables of the Sleepless Empire (2011)
46. Gamma Ray - No World Order (2001)
45. Kalmah - Seventh Swamphony (2013)
44. Accept - Stalingrad (2012)
43. Mastodon - The Hunter (2011)
42. Devin Townsend Project - Addicted (2009)
41. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)
40. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)
39. Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer (1992)
38. Agalloch - The Mantle (2002)
37. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)
36. Buckethead - Inbred Mountain (2005)
35. Redemption - Snowfall on Judgment Day (2009)
34. Ministry - Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and to Suck Eggs (1992)
33. God Is an Astronaut - God Is an Astronaut (2008)
32. Sentenced - The Cold White Light (2002)
31. Portishead - Dummy (1994)
30. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element, Pt. 1 (2000)
29. The Ocean - Precambrian (2007)
28. Amorphis - Elegy (1996)
27. Fates Warning - Disconnected (2000)
26. Angra - Rebirth (2001)
25. Devin Townsend - Infinity (1998)
24. Sigh - Imaginary Soniscape (2001)
23. Adagio - Archangels in Black (2009)
22. Opeth - Still Life (1999)
21. SikTh - The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild (2003)
20. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away (2013)
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I own 15 of those
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17 for me.
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2. Count 'em ... Two.
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2. Count 'em ... Two.
Lemme guess, Redemption and Angra?
Anyway, shame that there's not really a discussion of Nick Cave going on, but oh well. That's life.
19. Grayceon All We Destroy (2011)
(https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Grayceon-AllWeDestroy.jpg)
Grayceon make a style of music that is very difficult to describe. I'd say the closest I can come is progressive post-metal with cello instead of bass, but even that only paints a very rudimentary picture. Like the previous entry, this is a very atmospheric album, but in a totally different way. The way that Grayceon use the cello is very interesting and probably what makes this album so unusual: at times, the cello replaces the bass and plays bass-lines like you'd expect, but quite often, the cello also becomes the lead instrument, making the interplay between guitar and cello one of the most interesting parts of the album. Cellist Jackie Perez Gratz also lends vocal duties and her voice is very unique, but very fitting to the darkish mood of the whole album. The centrepiece here is the 17-minute epic We Can, but my personal favourite is probably the closer, War's End, which is amazingly simple and yet atmospheric like no other track here. Really worth a try for fans of post metal or Giant Squid (Jackie Perez Gratz's other band).
Favourite tracks: Shellmounds, We Can, War's End
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13 for me.
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Nobody cares for Grayceon? OK. :'(
18. Helloween The Dark Ride (2000)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/53422151/The+Dark+Ride+Bonus+Track.jpg)
The Dark Ride is a different beast than all other Helloween albums. While it's not really dark per say, it is certainly darker than any of their other albums. Yes, you have the anthemic songs like All Over the Nations or Salvation, which would just as well fit on other albums of the band, as well the Helloween-typical humour, as evidenced in Mr. Torture, but songs like the dark and groovy Mirror Mirror, the unsettling yet catchy The Departed or I Live for Your Pain paint a much darker picture than other Helloween albums, and as some of you might have noticed, darker stuff generally appeals to me a little more. Still, this an album that fans of Helloween will like, and most power metal fans in general, just be aware that it is slightly darker than what you've come to expect from Helloween..
Favourite tracks: Mr. Torture, Mirror Mirror, Salvation, The Departed (Sun Is Going Down), The Dark Ride
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Sorry about my lack of comments. I haven't heard any of Nick Cave, though I plan on checking him out based on several recommendations. I really like Grayceon, but I've only heard one or two songs.
I actually haven't listened to much Helloween. I tried the Keepers albums once, but I didn't really care for them.
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I nodded my head in approval just from reading your updated thread title. The Dark Ride was my first Helloween album and made me a total fanboy. Still one of my fav albums of theirs.
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17. Polkadot Cadaver – Sex Offender (2011)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/Polkadot.jpg)
From the ashes of Dog Fashion Disco rose Polkadot Cadaver, once again fronted by Todd Smith, with Jasan Stepp providing guitar duties once again as well. Unlike Dog Fashion Disco, who mixed metal, insanity and a pretty good horn section, Polkadot Cadaver show prodigious electronic influences, as evidenced by tracks like Bring Me the Head of Andy Warhol or the title track of their debut, Purgatory Dance Party, without missing the vocal acrobatics or the catchy melodies of Dog Fashion Disco. Sex Offender, the band's sophomore release is much in the same vein, but it has perfected the interplay between metal and electronic elements that Purgatory Dance Party had introduced. Every song is amazing here, from the ominous opener Opus Dei to the piano-ballad-with-a-twist Forever and a Day, that closes the album spectacularly. Sex Offender is ten tracks of what Polkadot Cadaver do best: the instruments provide a whacky basis, and Todd Smith shows just why he is one of the best avant-garde vocalists there is. Highly recommended for fans of Dog Fashion Disco and/or general insanity.
Favourite tracks: Bloodsucker, Starlight Requiem, Slaughterhouse Striptease, Cake and Eat It Too, Mongoloid
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Dark Ride is my favorite release from Helloween.
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Just want to share my love for that SikTh album.
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Checking out SikTh, sounds interesting so far.
holy fuck, this!
thought i'd checked these guys out before, but apparently not.
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16. Farin Urlaub Am Ende der Sonne (2005)
(https://www.farin-urlaub.de/v4/pix/cvr_amende_500.jpg)
And, once again, we have the album that probably no-one is interested in. Some people might remember from my first list that I absolutely love the German rock band die δrzte, mainly for their humorous yet deep lyrics and their catchy melodies. Farin Urlaub (which, in German, sounds like Fahr in Urlaub, which translates to Go on Vacation, a name that Urlaub chose for himself as an artist name due to his passion for travelling) is the guitarist and main songwriter of die δrzte, and Am Ende der Sonne (which translates to At the Sun's End) is his second solo album. It's a true solo album, with Urlaub playing all the guitars, drums and bass guitars the only guest contributions here are the brief brass passages over this album. This album is darker than its predecessor, and, indeed, darker than most of what die δrzte have done, but the seriousness works very well, and there's still plenty of humour here, like in the track Dusche (Shower), in which Urlaub sings about how his household items have gone insane and try to murder him, making the shower the only safe place, in the hidden track Noch Einmal (Once Again), in which Urlaub sings from the perspective of masochist speaking to his lover or in the track Wie ich den Marilyn-Manson-Δhnlichkeitswettbewerb verlor (How I Lost the Marilyn-Manson-Similarity-Competition), in which Urlaub excuses himself for not being like Marilyn Manson. This is a very guitar driven album and Urlaub shows that he is a capable guitar player, even though he is no shredder he writes interesting riffs and melodies, and when he does solo, it's almost always great, like in the semi-title track Sonne (Sun). I doubt that this album will appeal to the majority of those reading, simply because the lyrics are a large reason for how entertaining this album, but still if you're interested, do check it out.
Favourite tracks: Sonne (Sun), Porzellan (Porcelain), Unter Wasser (Under Water), Apokalypse wann anders (Apocalypse Another Day), Immer noch (Still), Alle dasselbe (All the Same), Noch Einmal (Once Again)
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2. Count 'em ... Two.
Lemme guess, Redemption and Angra
And Bingo was his name, oh!
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I've never heard Die Δrzte, let alone Farin Urlaub. I guess I should listen to it sometime though, it sounds really interesting!
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Wait a second, where have I been all this time?
Love that Farin Urlaub album. :heart :metal
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Not a big fan of die Δrzte or Farin Urlaub's solo stuff :-\
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Wait a second, where have I been all this time?
Love that Farin Urlaub album. :heart :metal
:heart
15. Cynic Traced in Air (2008)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/58145325/Traced+in+Air.png)
Would you call this death metal? Well, musically, it's a mixture of death metal and jazz fusion, but it's pretty much devoid of death growls something which older Cynic fans don't seem to appreciate that much, but what, for me, makes this all the more interesting. Instead of growls, vocalist Paul Masvidal uses clean vocals that have been vocoder-processed, which doesn't sound that cool on paper, but works amazingly well in context of the album, because they give the whole album an airy and almost ethereal quality. The music is amazing as well, with the two guitars and the bass rarely playing the same thing, making this album a hard one to grasp, but also a very rewarding listen, once all the intricacies of the compositions have revealed themselves to the listener. Special props have to go to bassist Sean Malone, who is definitely one of my favourite metal bassists of all time his basslines are just bursting with creativity, yet never become over-the-top or forced at all, something that not many bassists can do.
Favourite tracks: The Space for This, Evolutionary Sleeper, Integral Birth, The Unknown Guest
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A couple of awesome albums in these updates.
Helloween- The Dar Ride. Probably my favourite of theirs, but I'm a recent convert. Ignored them as a German wannabe maiden back in the day, which is a shame as the Keeper albums are great. I even like Pink Bubbles. I do prefer my power Metal a bit darker than the usual major key church hymn style.
Cynic. Spotified this a while ago and loved it. Atalented bunch of guys. Just don't know when I would be in the mood to listen to this sort of stuff though. Quality though.
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Cynic, another band that I listened to once about 2-3 years ago and that is now going on my to-listen-list again :)
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that cynic's damn good. a top 5 album from 2008 for me.
also deadly: polkadot cadaver. I love how its both avantegarde AND some of the most accessibly catchy music that I can try pushing on the less enlightened. only thing I dislike about the album is buying a physical copy off them at a show, only to open it the next day and find no cd inside.
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only thing I dislike about the album is buying a physical copy off them at a show, only to open it the next day and find no cd inside.
Ouch. That sucks major balls. Though I'm glad that someone likes that album. :lol
14. Pain of Salvation Entropia (1997)
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/6/5/4/1654.jpg)
I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a better debut album than Entropia with this album, Pain of Salvation really showed the world that they were to be a force to be reckoned with, and boy did they deliver on the promise that this album made. This is album is decidedly more funky and quirky than any album that came later, making it a little harder to get into, especially compared to their more straightforward progressive metal albums like The Perfect Element and Remedy Lane (though it isn't really correct to call these albums straightforward, but you know what I mean). It took me a few spins to fully grasp this one, but now I love it to bits. Unlike other Pain of Salvation albums, Entropia features quite a few transition tracks, which are quite good in the context of the album, but pretty worthless on their own. Still, the remaining tracks are more than up to scratch, be it the emotional and eclectic Winning a War, the multi-segmented People Passing By, which culminates in one of my favourite guitar solos ever, the groovy Stress, the proggy Nightmist or the melodic Plains of Dawn. Also worth a mention is the incredibly beautiful Japanese bonus track, Never Learn to Fly, which is quite stripped down, with Daniel's voice and the piano taking the stage for once. The whole thing is probably one of the most melancholic tracks Pain of Salvation have ever written, and it works amazingly. Speaking of Daniel's voice, he delivers an absolutely astounding performance here and clearly shows why he is considered to be one of the most versatile and one of the best singers in progressive metal.
Favourite tracks: People Passing By, Stress, To the End, Never Learn to Fly, Nightmist, Plains of Dawn
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2 stunning albums right there. Entropia is a wonderful and underrated album.
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Sucks that I can't get into Entropia...
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Sucks I can't get into PoS.
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Never Learn to Fly is just a bonus track? Maybe you mentioned that in your PM, but I can't remember... Anyway, that makes me think I should check out the album itself!
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I've always felt that Entropia doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. It's my personal favorite PoS album, and it's great to see it so high on your list.
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Never Learn to Fly is just a bonus track? Maybe you mentioned that in your PM, but I can't remember... Anyway, that makes me think I should check out the album itself!
Yep, you should definitely check it out! The album as a whole is a little more busy than Never Learn to Fly, but never really wanky or anything.
Anyway, next entry.
13. Ihsahn – After (2010)
(https://www.radiometal.com/images/posts/2010/01/ihsahninterview1.jpg)
The way that Ihsahn combines black metal with clean vocals and saxophone is nothing short of magical. Yes, he's a very capable guitar player, but often enough, the guitar takes the back seat behind Munkeby's (of Shining) sax playing, be it the melodic and melancholic playing of On the Shores or the eclectic insanity of A Grave Inversed, the sax never feels like a gimmick, but always like an integral part of the music, and, I think, that is what make this album so unique and at the same time, so amazing. Ihsahn's vocals are amazing as well, of course, both his growls and his cleans, but we all already knew that. In the future, his most recent release, Das Seelenbrechen might occupy a similarly high spot, but since it is quite new, I'm reluctant to place it so high already. For now, this remains my favourite Ihsahn release.
Favourite tracks: The Barren Lands, A Grave Inversed, Undercurrent, Frozen Lakes on Mars, On the Shores
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Aha! An album I've heard! After really is incredible. Undercurrent is probably my favorite track.
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Every time I see the name of this thread, it throws me off.
Because I'm thinking....there is NO WAY The Scorpions have released 50 albums!! :angel:
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They're getting close, though.
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I really dig that Ihsahn album.
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After is great! :tup
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Entropia dominates, but then again, I pretty much love his discography, so...
Interestingly, I think Daniel wrote Never Learn to Fly when he was just a weee kiddo. I'm guessing he was 12 or younger.
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Not having '! (Foreword)' in your list of favourite tracks from Entropia should be a crime.
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Tom, you're filling up my to-listen-list.
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12. Buckethead Population Override (2004)
(https://www.musicbanter.com/attachments/album-reviews/2715d1206909840-buckethead-population-override-buckethead-population-overide-203.jpg)
Buckethead is such an amazing shredder that it is often easy to forget that he's damn good in mellow territory as well and doesn't have to rely on shredding to get the deed done. Indeed, his more mellow stuff is some of his favourite music of mine, and Population Override is a perfect example of this. Basically, this album feels like a long blues or jazz jam, with the drums and the bass laying down simple grooves, over which Buckethead improvises, but he always keeps it interesting in a way that the album, despite its very nature, never becomes meandering or boring. What certainly contributes to this is that here, for the first time that I can remember, Buckethead shares the spotlight with keyboards. Of course they're not as up front as the man himself, but they always bring a fresh flavour to the songs and on my first listen, I was indeed surprised with how much they are actually utilised. Mind you, they never feel out of place, but it was a welcome surprise. The track titles seem to follow a loose concept about humans on earth, the damage they do and how that will someday backfire on humanity, and the cover fits with that as well. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes Buckethead's more mellow side, or is just looking for a good chill-out album in general.
Favourite tracks: Too Many Humans, Population Override, A Day Will Come, Earth Heals Herself, Super Human
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Didn't want to clutter up my update with responses, so here's a double post because why the fuck not.
Entropia dominates, but then again, I pretty much love his discography, so...
Interestingly, I think Daniel wrote Never Learn to Fly when he was just a weee kiddo. I'm guessing he was 12 or younger.
What? That's crazy! For a twelve year old to come up with such depressing stuff, that's insane. And a large part genius, but still. Insane.
Not having '! (Foreword)' in your list of favourite tracks from Entropia should be a crime.
Eh, I could have put down all the real tracks, but I just had to limit myself somewhat. ! (Foreword) is, while very good, not quite on the same level of epic as the tracks mentioned.
Tom, you're filling up my to-listen-list.
Great to hear! What have you listened to already? Anything that stuck out in particular?
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Nothing yet, sorry, I'm busy with my exams :lol
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Not having '! (Foreword)' in your list of favourite tracks from Entropia should be a crime.
Eh, I could have put down all the real tracks, but I just had to limit myself somewhat. ! (Foreword) is, while very good, not quite on the same level of epic as the tracks mentioned.
I respectfully disagree. Nightmist is of course the best track there (:biggrin:), but Exclamation Mark is easily second best on the album. Then again, all of Entropia is amazing really. All 'in my opinion' of course ;p
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11. Devin Townsend Project Ki (2009)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/62684839/Ki+High+quality+PNG.png)
Devin Townsend has quite a discography, and yet, among all those albums, Ki remains as one of the most unique of them all. The album is very restrained and mellow, but it would be utterly wrong to describe it as tranquil. On the contrary, despite the mellow nature of most of the songs, there is nearly always a certain anger palpable beneath the surface, just waiting to break through, making Ki an album all about tension and release, done in a masterful way. When the anger breaks through, on tracks like Disruptr or Gato, it's great, but the calm and yet threatening vibe of songs like Coast or Ki are even more amazing in my opinion. This album is also very guitar-driven, and Devin shows again that he is an amazing player that doesn't have to shred to make this particular fact known.
Favourite tracks: Coast, Disruptr, Heaven's End, Trainfire, Lady Helen, Ki
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Also, once more a recap, before we enter the Top 10. Any guesses for what's to come?
50. Insomnium - Above the Weeping World (2006)
49. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition (2009)
48. Billy Talent - Billy Talent III (2009)
47. Unexpect - Fables of the Sleepless Empire (2011)
46. Gamma Ray - No World Order (2001)
45. Kalmah - Seventh Swamphony (2013)
44. Accept - Stalingrad (2012)
43. Mastodon - The Hunter (2011)
42. Devin Townsend Project - Addicted (2009)
41. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)
40. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)
39. Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer (1992)
38. Agalloch - The Mantle (2002)
37. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)
36. Buckethead - Inbred Mountain (2005)
35. Redemption - Snowfall on Judgment Day (2009)
34. Ministry - Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and to Suck Eggs (1992)
33. God Is an Astronaut - God Is an Astronaut (2008)
32. Sentenced - The Cold White Light (2002)
31. Portishead - Dummy (1994)
30. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element, Pt. 1 (2000)
29. The Ocean - Precambrian (2007)
28. Amorphis - Elegy (1996)
27. Fates Warning - Disconnected (2000)
26. Angra - Rebirth (2001)
25. Devin Townsend - Infinity (1998)
24. Sigh - Imaginary Soniscape (2001)
23. Adagio - Archangels in Black (2009)
22. Opeth - Still Life (1999)
21. SikTh - The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild (2003)
20. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away (2013)
19. Grayceon - All We Destroy (2011)
18. Helloween - The Dark Ride (2000)
17. Polkadot Cadaver - Sex Offender (2011)
16. Farin Urlaub - Am Ende der Sonne (2005)
15. Cynic - Traced in Air (2008)
14. Pain of Salvation - Entropia (1997)
13. Ihsahn - After (2010)
12. Buckethead - Population Override (2004)
11. Devin Townsend Project - Ki (2009)
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YESYESYESYESYESYESYES
Favorite Devy album.
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As far as guesses... I forget, are you a BTBAM fan? If so, I'd expect to see Future Sequence make an appearance.
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Ki is absolutely amazing!
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As far as guesses... I forget, are you a BTBAM fan? If so, I'd expect to see Future Sequence make an appearance.
I hope so :metal
Ki is the only DTP album I don't like for some reason.
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Population Override is a favourite of mine too. I prefer Buckethead in mellow (normal) mode rather than the wild and weird stuff.
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19/40.
Ki is amazing.
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I like Ghost more.
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10. The Dresden Dolls Yes, Virginia (2006)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/54752639/Yes+Virginia+2453yesvirginia.jpg)
This album is one record that will probably stick out quite a bit on my list, but I don't really care. The Dresden Dolls are the favourite band of my father, and while our musical interests have drifted apart quite a bit (and have recently come a little closer again, though that's too recent to be reflected on this list), The Dresden Dolls are a band that I have always enjoyed, not quite as much as my dad, but a lot anyway. Yes, Virginia is their second album, and while their first album is very good as well (and features their best known song, "Coin Operated Boy"), this one is an improvement in every aspect the songs are more memorable, more varied, the piano playing and singing of Amanda Palmer is more creative and expressive than on the debut, and Brian Viglione delivers one of the most tasteful drumming performances that I know on this album. This is probably one of the most sparsely-instrumentated albums that I know, with the only instruments here being drums and piano, plus the very, very rare guitar appearance, but the duo of Palmer and Viglione create such an amazingly full sound that you rarely notice that it's actually only two people. Highly recommended to anyone that likes good female vocals and piano-driven rock.
Favourite tracks: Modern Moonlight, My Alcoholic Friends, Delilah, First Orgasm, Mrs. O., Shores of California, Mandy Goes to Med School, Sing
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Hah, I knew it from the title!
Fucking fine album. And really, Brian Viglione doesn't get a half of the appreciation he'd deserve. An amazing drummer. And Amanda a) plays piano b) sings c) writes lyrics damn well. What more can you ask for?
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A bit late, but just wanted to express my love for "Entropia" :metal
I wish PoS still made that kind of music :(
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A bit late, but just wanted to express my love for "Entropia" :metal
I wish PoS still made that kind of music :(
me too. but you could just move on to Shaolin Death Squad - 5 Deadly Venoms, or even Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome.
5DV is what youd get if the follow-up to Entropia was going in a slightly more avantegarde direction, while TPS is what youd get if they had gone in a heavier direction at that point.
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I do enjoy both proper LPs from the Dolls (about equally), but I'll say what I've said in a few other topics, in that I find Amanda's 2 solo studio records to be more interesting than the Dolls stuff overall.
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09. The Human Abstract Digital Veil (2011)
(https://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/digital-veil-cover.jpg)
The Human Abstract's third and probably last album is one of the shortest albums that I have, clocking in at about 36 minutes, but every minute is so chock-full of awesomeness that that is by no means a draw-back. The mixture of harsh and clean vocals here is amazing and the guitar playing of A. J. Minette is amazing in that it is some of the most technical stuff that I know, yet never feels out of place even for a second. Most of the songs here are pretty unconventionally structured, with no song following the standard verse-chorus-solo form, with plenty of breakdowns and variations around. The centrepiece of this album is the seven and a half minute epic Antebellum, but really, every song here is amazing. I think that the album would get a little dull if it were longer as the songs are very similar in mood and style, but as it is, it's perfect.
Favourite tracks: Elegiac, Complex Terms, Faust, Antebellum, Horizon to Zenith, Patterns
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You guys suck. :'(
08. Kalmah They Will Return (2002)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61bxg18kMAL.jpg)
The title track of this album was one of the first melodic death metal tracks metal ever that I heard and it left a profound impact. How could a genre that was filled with something that I hated (growls) feature such amazing playing and melodies at the same time? As a large part of this list will show, I have gotten over my dislike of harsh vocals, but this album will definitely always have a place in my heart for that. But what does the music sound like? Well, the comparison that I hear the most often is that Kalmah sound like Children of Bodom with less neoclassical keyboards and more focus on the guitars, and while that is true in the essentials, it doesn't adequately describe the band's sound. Firstly, I'd wager to say that Kalmah take their craft much more seriously than Children of Bodom, and it shows. Secondly, Pekka Kokko's vocal style is vastly different to what Alexi Laiho does Alexi shrieks and grunts, whereas Pekka's vocals are more of a fully-fledged growls. The third difference is that while the keyboards aren't as upfront as with Children of Bodom, they do a lot of atmospheric work, giving Kalmah's sound a certain sound of depth that Children of Bodom rarely possess. Anyway, enough of that. This album simply rocks, there's nothing about it. Notable is the amazing soloing of Antti Kokko, which is some of my favourite in the genre, and the amazing riffing, but really, everything on this album comes together to form an amazing album that is surely one of the best melodic death metal albums ever.
Favourite tracks: Hollow Heart, Principle Hero, They Will Return, Human Fates, The Blind Leader, My Nation
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I dig that human abstract album.
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I should check that Kalmah album. I only have For the Revolution and Seventh Swamphony.
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Swamplord is my favourite Kalmah album, but that's probably because it was my first. Then again, I don't really listen to melodic death metal as much anymore. I used to do that a lot when I was younger.
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I'm still following, Scorpion, and have checked out all of your submissions that I'm not familiar with. Some of them are OK, but they lose me a lot on the vocals.
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I'm still following, Scorpion, and have checked out all of your submissions that I'm not familiar with. Some of them are OK, but they lose me a lot on the vocals.
Sorry for that. Last year I have discovered quite a lot of harsh vocals for me, and while I love lots of clean stuff as well, that's mostly already represented on my first list. :) The next entry probably won't appeal to you either.
Anyway, update!
07. Children of Bodom Hatebreeder (1999)
(https://www.metal-fi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ChildrenOfBodom-Hatebreeder-Cover.jpg)
Funnily enough, just one entry higher than Kalmah's masterpiece, we have what I consider to be the best that Children of Bodom have recorded Hatebreeder. What makes this album so great for me is the amazing way that the guitar and Janne Wirman's neoclassical keyboards interact to create a very unique sound. Plus, the riffs and solos here are just a little more creative and enjoyable than on the follow-up, which is what prompted me to choose this one, even though the latter has my favourite Children of Bodom song on it (Kissing the Shadows). Alexi Laiho may be an egomaniacal dick, but he sure knew how to deliver the goods in his prime, and Hatebreeder is the perfect example of this.
Favourite tracks: Warheart, Bed of Razors, Black Widow, Children of Bodom, Downfall
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It's all good, bro! I'm still enjoying your list. Rock on, my friend :metal
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That's a pretty high position for that album, but it's your list and 5 years ago I would've agreed with you :D I have good memories of Hatebreeder, and Something Wild was THE album that got me into metal with harsh vocals, so Bodom still have a special place in my heart, even though I don't listen to them anymore.
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Keep in mind that this is my second list, so my real Top 50 is kinda an amalgamation of the two, so this would probably sit around 12-15 on the real list. Still high, but not AS high.
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Those Kalmah and CoB albums are great :tup
Ki is good but it's far from my favorite Devy album.
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Best CoB album right there.
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I listened occasionally to CoB about 3 years ago. Gotta check this out again.
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Hatebreeder is incredible. Blew me away when I discovered it. Probably their best album.
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Amazing album Hatebreeder is :tup
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sent.
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sent.
Just going to quote this.
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I can't get over Laiho vocals. :( There are plenty of good melodies on the album, but I just can't. If they had some decent growler, I would probably like them a lot more.
Children of Bodom is a hell of a song though.
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sent.
Just going to quote this.
heh
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06. Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious (2009)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_atKrCdoiKZ4/SxWoRuX_nyI/AAAAAAAAEII/2s_C3AYLv2U/s1600/Diablo+3.jpg)
Diablo Swing Orchestra are, from what I've observed, one of the more popular avant-garde metal bands out there, and I'd venture to guess that a large part of that reason is the fact that most of the songs here are completely wacky, and yet, insanely catchy. The way that Diablo Swing Orchestra fuse groovy metal riffs, male and female vocals and the danceability of swing into an entity that is so familiar and yet so unique is really what sets them apart from other avant-garde metal bands. The operatic vocals of Annlouice Loeglund are perfectly complimented by the slightly demented-sounding quasi-growls of guitarist Daniel Hakanson, making them one of my favourite vocal duos, especially evident on A Rancid Romance, where they switch on the verses and share chorus duties. Really, if you like swing and don't hate metal, then I can't imagine you disliking this album.
Favourite tracks: A Tap Dancer's Dilemma, A Rancid Romance, Lucy Fears the Morning Star, New World Widows, Vodka Inferno, Stratosphere Serenade
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Haha, when I saw the thread title I knew it was DSO! Splendid album!
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sent.
Just going to quote this.
:facepalm: :rollin
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05. Wintersun Wintersun (2004)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/83353743/Wintersun+High+quality+PNG.png)
I don't think that anyone has missed that I have irreversibly fallen in love with Wintersun's debut over the last half a year. It is one of those rare albums where everything is perfect, and the fact that this is only their debut makes it both even more amazing. I never thought they could top this one, and I was right, but after a long period of feeling so-so about it, their follow-up Time I is almost as good, making them one of the most consistent bands I know it only doesn't appear on this list due to the fact that I haven't been liking Time I for longer than a month or so. But anyway, this album is chock-full of amazing riffs, great vocals both clean and harsh INSANE drumming and some of the best lead guitar playing that I have ever had the pleasure to hear. What makes this album an interesting experience is the multitude of styles here you have the furious black-metal attack Beautiful Death, the melancholic and melody-driven Sadness and Hate, the almost power-metalish Death and the Healing and the beautiful for lack of a better word ballad Sleeping Stars, even though all the songs are pretty much seated in the same genre. Plus, as already mentioned, the guitar playing here is amazing just listen to the solo of Winter Madness, one of my favourite solos ever yet it never becomes over-the-top or shred for the sake of it. Really, this is the correct way to black metal. Hats off to Jari for this one.
Favourite tracks: Winter Madness, Sleeping Stars, Death and the Healing, Starchild, Beautiful Death, Sadness and Hate
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Fantastic album. As much as I like Time I, the debut is still my go-to Wintersun album. :tup
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This is a great album, though I still prefer Time I.
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04. Agalloch Ashes Against the Grain (2006)
(https://i2.listal.com/image/3680570/600full-ashes-against-the-grain-cover.jpg)
A little lower on this list, I already praised The Mantle quite a lot, but this one is my favourite Agalloch album, quite easily. The reason for that is the sheer consistency of the album. On The Mantle, every track is great in the context of the album, but here, every track can stand on its own as well. Be it the amazing opener Limbs, the anthemic Falling Snow, the epic Fire Above, Ice Below or the beautiful closing trilogy Our Fortress Is Burning..., which features one of the most amazing musical climaxes that I know with Bloodbirds, every track here is an absolute gem. John Haughm's voice is better than ever here, both his black metal growls and his hauntingly cold clean vocals are used to perfection on this album, and the atmosphere that this album evokes is cold and wintery like no other, and always manages to draw me in. Highly recommended to anyone that is looking to get into Agalloch or just likes atmospheric stuff in general.
Favourite tracks: Limbs, Falling Snow, Fire Above, Ice Below, Not Unlike the Waves, Our Fortress Is Burning...
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Yay! Great album.
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Nearing in on the finish!
03. Pain of Salvation Remedy Lane (2002)
(https://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/41263679/Remedy+Lane.jpg)
Remedy Lane is what I'd consider to be Pain of Salvation's masterpiece. Everything about this record is pretty much perfect, and the way that themes are reprised throughout makes this album a magical listen. Like always, Gildenlφw is in top form, both on the guitar and the vocals, but the other members deserve mentions as well the soloing by Johan Hallgren is some of my favourite soloing ever, especially on Rope Ends and Beyond the Pale, and Kristoffer Gildenlφw offers quite a spectrum of interesting bass parts, instead of simply following the guitar. Also, like with Entropia, the Japanese edition is far superior, because of the inclusion of one of PoS's most insane tracks, Thorn Clown, whose instrumental section might just be my favourite of the whole album.
Favourite tracks: Ending Theme, A Trace of Blood, Thorn Clown, Undertow, Rope Ends, Chain Sling, Beyond the Pale
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Knew it from the title change. One of my absolute favorite albums.
Though, I still don't own any other POS albums. I'm not sure why that is.
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TPE and Entropia nao.
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Ashes Against the Grain is one of my favorite albums. :tup
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Remedy Lane is incredible. That Wintersun album is classic too.
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Once Remedy Lane wasn't even in my top 4 PoS albums. I think it's my second favourite or favourite now. It's so god-damn amazing.
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I tried the Wintersun a year ot two back and the growls killed it for me at the time. Loved the music though. Will have to revisit it as I've been a bit more tolerant lately, though only if the growls are used sparingly.
I have that PoS album but it never diid anything for me at all. I just found it bland I think. I bought it cos I liked them when I saw them supporting DT but all the tracks I've tried have the same lack of impact with me. Guess they just aren't for me.
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Fucking love that Agalloch album. So good.
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Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time. :biggrin:
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AAtG is maybe my favorite of all time. I'm only just now getting into Rememdy Lane, but I'm enjoying it so far
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Remedy Lane is awesome, Chain Sling was the song that first clicked for me with PoS. I think The Perfect Element is more of a favourite for me though, even the two Road Salts kinda jostle for space alongside Remedy Lane, Undertow and Beyond the Pale are two of my absolute faaaavourite songs of theirs, though. I often put the CD on at work just to listen to Beyond the Pale on repeat. Bit sacrilegious for a concept album I know, but meh :P
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Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time. :biggrin:
:zydar:
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02. Dog Fashion Disco Adultery (2006)
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Dog Fashion Disco are a band, that, until they split after this album, only got better and better. Their penultimate release, Committed to a Bright Future was already a masterpiece of avant-garde metal, but Adultery is their masterpiece. What makes this album so amazing is the atmosphere that permeates it it feels more like a film, actually, than like an album, and many parts of the album have a decidedly film-noir feel to them and, of course, the brilliant vocals of frontman Todd Smith. I swear, this guy is one of the best singers that I have ever heard, and he brings his A-game on this record. There's simply everything, from the haunting narration on Private Eye and the crooning singing of Desert Grave to the amazingly brutal screams of Silent Film. The music here is very eclectic, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have direction on the contrary, once you get to know this album, it's actually an amazingly focused album. Highly, highly recommended for anyone that likes some weird stuff every now and then (or more often).
Favourite tracks: Silent Film, Desert Grave, Moonlight City Drive, Private Eye, The Darkest Days, The Hitchhiker
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I'm always intrigued when someone puts an obscure album so high, and being that I'm pretty much always in the mood for weirdness in music, I'll give this thing a spin at some point. ;D
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I still haven't heard the whole album, but I did really enjoy the few track I heard.
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Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time. :biggrin:
Yeah. I would love to be banned.
And screw the filter, y'all know what it says.
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ADULTERY :heart :heart :heart :heart :heart :heart :heart :heart
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01. Devin Townsend – Terria (2001)
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If there was one artist that I had give the prize of “biggest musical discovery through DTF” to, it's our favourite bald Canadian (not jingle.boy). Devin is simply a man that can do pretty much every style amazingly well, but even among his prodigious discography, Terria stands high above all the others. The album is amazingly consistent, with every second being amazing in the least, and it has a certain atmosphere that Devin has never recreated since, and, to be honest, I doubt that he could. This album features some of his best vocals and some top-notch guitar playing that shows that while Devin doesn't have to shred to impress, he can certainly impress with shredding.
In fact, I love this album so much that this is the only one on this list that I will do a track-by-track for. Yes, this will get long
Olives is a great opener. It sets the mood of the album perfectly, with some great distorted vocals and some nice guitar playing, both clean and heavily distorted. It doesn't really work as a stand-alone song, but as an intro to this album, I absolutely love it.
And just when Olives ends on a calm note, Mountain hits you in the face with its absolutely crushing opening. The first time I listened to this, I would have fallen out of my chair, if I hadn't been sitting on my bed. After that brutal opening, which features one of Devin's best screams, we move into calmer territory and the song becomes very bass driven and groovy as it trudges along, only to become more brutal again at the end. The lyrics don't seem to make that much sense to me, but who cares?
Earth Day might be one of Devin's most popular songs, and for a damn good reason. That opening riff is amazingly huge, and the song just never lets up, twisting and turning through its nine and a half minutes of runtime. The guitar playing here isn't anything THAT notable (though still great, of course) – in fact, pretty much every instrument here takes the backseat to what I would consider to be one of Devin's vocal performances, ranging from calm singing to absolutely punishing screams, culminating in the often-quoted “WELL IT'S JUST ENTERTAINMENT FOLKS!”. Still, as much as I love this song, I can't help thinking that it's slightly overrated – pretty much every other song on this album is, in my opinion, better than this one.
Deep Peace. What can I say about that one? This is probably my favourite Devin song ever, and Top 10 of all time. It starts of tranquil and calm, featuring just some tasteful nature noises and quiet acoustic guitar strumming. Then Devin's voice comes in, adding to peaceful atmosphere of this one, which just meanders along pleasantly for a while, until the music stops. And then it comes in – the best guitar solo that I have ever heard. Starting out with what seems like random notes on the electric guitar, over the course of its nearly three minutes, the solo gains shape, becoming more and more structured, all the while becoming more powerful and powerful, until it culminates in one of the best musical climaxes that I know, after which the song calms down again, slowly, ending on a tranquil note once again. Out of all of the songs on this album, this is the one that I can always rely on to take me on a journey.
Canada is a little more conventional, if there is such a thing, being more vocally focussed again, but that's by no means a bad thing. The lyrics are a little nonsensical again, but Devin's amazing vocals and the great atmosphere of this song more than make up for that.
Down and Under is a weird one. It's the shortest real track on this album, but it doesn't feel like a lesser song than the others, in fact, it feels just as worthwhile. It's built around a simple but engaging guitar motif and features, like pretty much song, some great vocals again. This song, more than any other on the album, really gives me the earthy feel that I think Devin was aiming for with this release.
The Fluke is another oddball. The first half is pretty straight-forward, very guitar- and vocal driven, featuring one of the best choruses that Devin has ever done and some great riffing. However, after about half of the song, it suddenly calms down and turns into a great ambient piece, complete with a nigh perfect transition into the next track.
Nobody's Here is one of the first Devin tracks that I really, really loved, and it's easy to understand why. Out of all songs on this album, it features what might be the most conventional song structure (well, this or Stagnant), but it's just executed so damn beautifully and has all those small musical twists that you from Devin, like the strange vocals or the weird guitar solo, that I don't really care about the simple structure of this one. The guitar solo and how it builds up into the final chorus especially is a thing of beauty.
Out of all the songs on this album, Tiny Tears took the longest to grow on me, but now it's my second favourite. The opening guitar notes cut right through everything, like falling tears, that I never fail to get chills within the first minute. After that we have some great vocal sections, a nice guitar solo and an amazing build-up after that, culminating in the “Kyrie eleison” section, which fits perfectly into the song.
And finally, we have Stagnant. This is probably the most upbeat song here, and also the most conventional, but again, that's not a bad thing. Devin delivers some great singing here – especially on the chorus, which features some infectious melodies that won't leave your head for days – and the guitar solo is another great example of just what a great player Devin is.
Humble ends the album on a quiet note. It has a more relaxed, jammy feel, but it works perfectly as a closer, giving the listener a chance to come down from the incredible journey that he or she has just experienced, tying the whole thing together nicely.
So there you have it. I could probably rave on about the merits of this album for another page, but this review is already long enough, so I'll just conclude with these four words:
LISTEN. TO. THIS. IMMEDIATELY.
Favourite tracks: The whole damn thing, but gun to the head, I'd pick Deep Peace, Nobody's Here, Tiny Tears and Stagnant
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really cool album. Of Devin's work I only have Terria, Ocean Machine, and Addicted and all three are great in their own way.
Looking forward to see how these albums mesh with your original list.
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Nice review. My favourite Devin album and a top 10 album ever for me.
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Wow, nice #1. At first I didn't really get Terria, but it's a real musical journey and I just had to get used to that. I finally really got into it when one night I listened to the whole thing while I was really tired and just lying in my bed, it was amazing. It's one of my favourite DT(P) albums now for sure, and Devin is also my biggest musical discovery through DTF probably. Nice top 50 Scrop, thanks for doing this!
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Alright, now I have the whole list, so here's the mixture of both of my lists, primarily for Big Hath's benefit. As those that remember my first list, will notice how little of that one is here, and how the positions have changed, which is a testament to how much my musical tastes have changed during the last year.
50. The Ocean - Precambrian (2007)
49. Avantasia - The Scarecrow (2008)
48. Amorphis - Elegy (1996)
47. Scars on Broadway - Scars on Broadway (2008)
46. Fates Warning - Disconnected (2000)
45. Symphony X - The Odyssey (2002)
44. Angra - Rebirth (2001)
43. Devin Townsend - Infinity (1998)
42. Sigh - Imaginary Soniscape (2001)
41. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
40. Pink Floyd - Animals (1977)
39. Adagio - Archangels in Black (2009)
38. Opeth - Still Life (1999)
37. SikTh - The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait for Something Wild (2003)
36. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away (2013)
35. Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing (1998)
34. Grayceon - All We Destroy (2011)
33. Helloween - The Dark Ride (2000)
32. Marillion - Clutching at Straws (1987)
31. Stratovarius - Dreamspace (1994)
30. Polkadot Cadaver - Sex Offender (2011)
29. Farin Urlaub - Am Ende der Sonne (2005)
28. Cynic - Traced in Air (2008)
27. Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness (2001)
26. die δrzte - 13 (1998)
25. Pain of Salvation - Entropia (1997)
24. Ihsahn - After (2010)
23. Buckethead - Population Override (2004)
22. Buckethead - Colma (1998)
21. Devin Townsend Project - Ki (2009)
20. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads (1996)
19. The Dresden Dolls - Yes, Virginia (2006)
18. The Human Abstract - Digital Veil (2011)
17. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech (1997)
16. Kalmah - They Will Return (2002)
15. Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder (1999)
14. Rammstein - Mutter (2001)
13. Iced Earth - Alive in Athens (1999)
12. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
11. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious (2009)
10. Megadeth - Rust in Peace (1990)
09. Trivium - Shogun (2008)
08. Wintersun - Wintersun (2004)
07. Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain (2006)
06. System of a Down - Toxicity (2001)
05. Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane (2002)
04. Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
03. Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery (2006)
02. Devin Townsend - Terria (2001)
01. System of a Down - Hypnotize (2005)
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I approve of this pick, although I would not have it quite so high.
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I approve of this pick, although I would not have it quite so high.
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I'm a casual Devin fan and own about 1/3 of his albums. I've always meant to check this one, but I guess I definitely will now.
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Awesome album from Devin! I prefer the energy of Addicted! though.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time. :biggrin:
Yeah. I would love to be banned.
And screw the filter, y'all know what it says.
:facepalm: :rollin