Top 50 Albums: The UMH Experience

[Ultimetalhead]

Oh come on now, it's not THAT bad.

[Obfuscation]

Are you kidding me??? I can't believe I amde it through the intro track first of all just to hear the other autrocities that album has in it. The only okay song it has is Nevermore and it's bores me right from the beginning.

[Ultimetalhead]

The only BAD songs on it are Too Extreme!, Radikult, and maybe Destructos. The rest range from decent to pretty good.

[Obfuscation]

Well I don't enjoy just anything from that album but if you do, then godspeed to you mate and I hope you enjoy it.

[Ultimetalhead]

40. Symphony X - Paradise Lost


Symphony X is like Ayreon, where people are immensely divided with their opinions. Most call them cheesy, and don't give them a second glance. Those people are wankers. This album is far and away Symphony X's heaviest album, and I'd say it almost has more in common with power metal than prog. The progressive tendencies come with the musicianship of Michael Romeo. Some of the guitar solos on this album are absolutely monstrous, stuff that no other player could pull off. Of course, special mention must be given to vocalist Russel Allen, who has his shining moment in the title track. His voice has a raw emotion that very few singers can emulate, and in case you aren't aware, he's a flawless live performer. Overall, this album is most likely Symphony X's most accessible album, since there aren't any 20 minute epics. Newcomers should definitely listen to it.

Recommended tracks: Set the World On Fire, Eve of Seduction, Seven

39. Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese


After however many albums on this list have featured guitar as the dominant instrument, we've got an album that has more impressive bass than anything. Les Claypool is an absolute master of the instrument, and he sings these broken phrases at the same time. I can't even begin to comprehend how he does it. This album is very entertaining, it's funky and incredibly heavy at the same time. Even for those who don't like bass or thing the music is too "bare" (this can happen in power trios, except Rush for some reason), there's plenty of lyrical humor to keep the album interesting throughout it's runtime. Pretty much everyone has heard the song "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", and that song is here, but the rest of the songs are just as good. Check it out.

Recommended tracks: Sgt. Baker, Is it Luck?, Tommy the Cat

38. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element Part I


This album is a true progressive masterpiece. Singer and songwriter Daniel Gildenlow has crafted a touching conceptual piece about two characters from troubled and abusive pasts. The music has something I thought I'd never see in any album, pacing. This album builds up much like a movie would. By the bridge of the title track, the intensity of this album is completely palpable. The music isn't very technically challenging, but it's more impressive to me how moving some of the pieces are. Simplicity is definitely the way to go with an album like this. There's not too much else to say with this one, just listen to it.

Recommended tracks: In the Flesh, Ashes, Reconciliation

[skydivingninja]

Guess I'm a wanker then because Paradise Lost was my first SymphX album and I hated it    But you know, tastes and all that.

[Durg]

I bought Paradise Lost because of the "Others Recommend" section on Napster when listening to Dream Theater.  You're right, it's quite heavy but quite unique (although I don't listen to a lot of power metal).  I really like Russel Allen's singing.  I read a review somewhere that he sounds a bit too much like Dio but is that a bad thing?  Still I don't crave listening to it as much as maybe Dream Theater.  I'm not sure why.

[Gadough]

I would put Paradise Lost's title track in my "Top 20 songs of all time" list. The emotion in his voice is incredible. The whole album is good, but damn....dat title track.

The Perfect Element is another great album. Good picks Justin.

[Zantera]

Paradise Lost is fairly good, I really liked it when it came out and I was more into Prog Metal.
It's not the type of album I would just put on now, but I still think it's a good album for what it is, even though Symphony X as a whole has never 'clicked' with me.
The Perfect Element is also a fairly good album, I remember spinning it several times on the same day when I was checking out PoS, and it has some solid songs on it.
I know most PoS fans seem to have a 'Remedy Lane VS TPE'-type of debate, I'd probably say that I prefer The Perfect Element.

Have not heard Primus, so can't comment.

[Durg]

Have not heard Primus, so can't comment.

I have.  Les Claypool?  That's dude's crazy.  I can't get into the music but there's no denying that he's got crazy, mad skills on the bass.

[Ravenheart]

I used to listen to a lot of Symphony X back in my time, and for the most part, they're very cheesy, but I don't think they're bad (Candlelight Fantasia is a gorgeous song). And Russell Allen is a hell of a singer.

Great to see The Perfect Element here--one of the most powerful and emotional pieces of music ever conceived. Primus is pretty cool, too.

[ariich]

(Candlelight Fantasia is a gorgeous song). And Russell Allen is a hell of a singer.

YES! Agree with both these comments. I like a bit of SX from time to time - definitely cheesy but so epic as well and they have some good stuff. Paradise Lost is a good album, although far from their best IMO. The good songs are really great, but there are some quite boring ones as well.

Great to see The Perfect Element here--one of the most powerful and emotional pieces of music ever conceived.

YES!

Primus is pretty cool, too.

Yes.

[wolfking]

Primus are an excellent band, although I only own the Brown album, I might check this one out, Tommy the Cat is a great song.

Paradise Lost has also been one of my fav albums over the last few years.  Addictive, heavy, excellent performances and just wonderful songs, I seriously don't understand why people just write them off.

Perfect Element is also an album that I have fallen in love with over the last year.  Wonderful music, great contrast between songs and really, every song on the album is amazing.  I agree to a certain extent how you say the music isn't technically challenged, but honestly, the band has amazing chops.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Paradise Lost is the only Symphony X album I own, but it is very good.

[Jirpo]

Great choices!

[jsem]

Paradise Lost is the only Symphony X album I own, but it is very good.

Get V or Divine Wings now.

[wolfking]

Paradise Lost is the only Symphony X album I own, but it is very good.

Get V or Divine Wings now.

Or The Odyssey.

[skydivingninja]

Paradise Lost is the only Symphony X album I own, but it is very good.

Get V or Divine Wings now.

Or The Odyssey.

Or listen to better music

[King Postwhore]

Saw Primus on the Sailing tour and what an album that is.

Here Come the Bastards & Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers rocked the house!!!  I've never seen a sea of people jumping up and down going nuts like when I heard "Those Damned..." live. 

[Mr. Beale]

Paradise Lost was my first Symphony X album and I fell in love with it. Not as good as V but still kicks some serious ass, I don't get why people give it crap.

[Zydar]

Paradise Lost is the only Symphony X album I own, but it is very good.

Get V or Divine Wings now.

Or The Odyssey.

Or listen to better music

[sneakyblueberry]

Fuck yeah SEAS OF CHEESE!!!

The only thing bad about that album is nothing.

[ClairvoyantCat]

The Perfect Element is an absolutely beautiful album.

Symphony X is not a bad band by any measure; I hardly ever listen to them but it's a fairly fun listen if I do.  I didn't care for Paradise Lost much, though, except for a few tracks.  I'd take Divine Wings or V first. 

[ariich]

Yeah Divine Wings! o/

Generally if I fancy listening to an SX album, that's the one I go to.

[Ravenheart]

Moar updates plz.

[Ultimetalhead]

37. Deicide - Once Upon the Cross


Deicide are another one of the relatively well-known death metal bands. This album is what some would call a quick hit, a drive-by musical experience if you will. This album is ridiculously short, and if it was a second longer, it'd be a complete failure. This is a perfectly calculated death metal attack. Any time I'm in a sour mood and just need something incredibly intense to eat up a half-hour, this album's got the exact idea. Every song is absolutely killer, and it contains arguably the greatest death metal song of all time, "When Satan Rules His World". Oh, and if you're against organized religion in any fashion, the lyrics will definitely appeal.

Recommended tracks: Christ Denied, When Satan Rules His World, Kill the Christian, Trick or Betrayed

36. Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated


Aside from having one of the best album covers ever, this album is another flawless slab of death metal. This one holds the coveted title of "First death metal album I ever heard". I remember going to my then-girlfriend's house, and downloading it off of LimeWire (seriously). As I listened to it, I felt like I was being born again. My eyes had been opened to a whole new type of metal, and holy shit did I like it. It was more intense than thrash, which I had been listening to exclusively. That, and the lyrics are so ridiculously violent that it physically repulsed me. To a metal-obsessed teenager, that's all it took. And, what was my then-girlfriend's response to my new awakening, you ask?

"...that's not even music." Yeah, that relationship went south.

Recommended tracks: Hammer Smashed Face, I Cum Blood (seriously), Necropedophile (seriously), Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt (...seriously)

35. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell


Another old favorite here. My dad was responsible for Meat Loaf. He played me Bat Out of Hell at an early age, and I didn't think much of it, because there's way too much going on with that album for a child to understand and appreciate. When I started getting into Pink Floyd and Metallica, I listened to Bat Out of Hell again and fell in love. I quickly got a hold of the sequel, and found something even better. This album is a real piece of work. It touches on a million different genres, while still maintaining the pop sensibilities. In fact, I'd probably go so far as to call this progressive pop-rock. Loads of people respect Yes for breaking into the mainstream with an 8 minute song, but Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf did the same thing with a 12 minute song. If you can find me another 75 minute pop album that covers this much ground and doesn't collapse in on itself, well, fucking show it to me.

Recommended tracks: Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back, Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are, Everything Louder Than Everything Else

[Gadough]

I love that Cannibal Corpse album. Fuck da hataz

[ClairvoyantCat]

I love that Cannibal Corpse album. Fuck da hataz

 

[Quadrochosis]

qwhy is that image os big what the hell

[Ravenheart]

Swing and a miss.

[Ultimetalhead]

qwhy is that image os big what the hell

What?

Swing and a miss.

What?

[Ravenheart]

Metallica Deicide and Cannibal Corpse, however, sucks cock and then blows the semen back into the cock in an endless back-and-forth exchange for eternity.

[Ultimetalhead]

No. You're just not indie enough to handle it.

[Ravenheart]

No. You're just not indie enough to handle it.

[ClairvoyantCat]

Ooooh look at me I'm Ravenheart