Author Topic: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Done!  (Read 31013 times)

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Offline Jirpo

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #70 on: December 19, 2011, 06:56:13 PM »
There isn't even such a thing as "being best objectively", it's all opinions.
Many people here on this forum might have Images & Words in their top5 albums, some other people may not have it in their top1000 albums.
Who is wrong? Nobody cause it's all opinions. :P

Yeah, this.
This as well.  And nice pick for I&W by the way, my favourite album ever :)

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #71 on: December 20, 2011, 06:36:36 AM »
For the record, I totally understand where Elite was coming from. I actually agree that I&W is the better album that STST, but whether an album is objectively better than another is irrelevant when it comes to personal preference. I listen to fucking Millionaires, for chrissakes.

However I am grateful that something in this list has actually provoked some real conversation  :lol

Lets have another update

15. Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come



In certain circles this is regarded as the best punk album of all time, and I fall into one of those circles. This is punk music, but not as we know it. The term ‘punk’ implies simple chords, frantic drumming and angry vocals being spat over the top. The Shape of Punk to Come is a far far more thoughtful affair. The philosophy or message of the album is that punk can no longer be revolutionary if it is packaged within music designed with commercial appeal, and with that in mind the music here is complex, angular and often jarring. Refused take the idea of punk and twist it into whichever direction they see fit. This album contains both heavy and mellow songs and within those songs there are elements including electronic, spoken word and jazz, as well as the use of samples and references to outside media. This is intelligent punk music.

All this complexity is fine, but the message of the album would be lost, at least to me, if it were not an extremely enjoyable listen. Whilst not easily digestible there is plenty here for the more discerning punk appreciator to enjoy. The rhythm section in Refused is fantastic, with fantastic drums and prominent bass throughout this record, whilst the guitars are crisp and heavy and help to enhance the sense of unease that is ever-present. The vocals are more standard hardcore-punk fare, but they are delivered with integrity and honesty throughout, and on ‘The Apollo Program was a Hoax’ are haunting and spine-tingling. The album has fantastic flow too, with great transitions meaning that the tracks are even more hard-hitting when listened to in the context of the whole record. Sadly, the title of the album was not prophetic, as this was Refused’s last album and whilst it should have been a considered a benchmark for future punk bands to match, in my opinion nobody has even come close.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Deadly+Rhythm/2V4hRN?src=5


14. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP



It is my personal opinion that Marshall Bruce Mathers III, AKA Eminem, was the greatest lyricist of all time. I say was because in recent times (since he stopped doing drugs, to be honest) I find that his inspiration has dried up and his music is sterile and boring, and often terrible. But on his earlier albums his work is simply unparalleled. Eminem has a flow and rhyming style that nobody I’ve ever heard has been able to match. He’ll take the most unconventional words or phrases and somehow rhyme them five or six times. Who else could come up with multiple rhymes for ‘hallucinogen’ or ‘orange juice?’ And not only can he come up with these fantastic groups of words but he’ll find a way to fit three or four of them into one sentence without disturbing the flow of the line or the song.

The Slim Shady LP is Eminem’s second record, but the first on which he really began to develop his style. It’s also the one with the most humour. And Eminem is all about humour. The idea that people could be offended by his music is comical to me because so much of it is so obviously delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. ‘My Fault,’ ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘Role Model’ are often laugh-out-loud funny, but there are also moments of genuine melancholy here. The young Marshall had a very difficult childhood and adolescence, and The Slim Shady LP was released before he had become famous and made any money, and the desperation and hopelessness that come with struggling to make ends meet are addressed in ‘If I Had’ and ‘Rock Bottom.’ Whatever you think of him, it is impossible to deny that Eminem has had a massive impact on the music industry, and that he did it by working from the ground up is testament to his talent, innovation and originality.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/My+Fault/2EMeNV?src=5

Offline AcidLameLTE

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #72 on: December 20, 2011, 06:39:38 AM »
But Kezia is their best album.

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #73 on: December 20, 2011, 06:50:29 AM »
But Kezia is their best album.
No it isn't I am objectively right

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #74 on: December 21, 2011, 05:12:40 PM »
Not going to be able to update this till tomorrow so here's a shameless bump in the hope of stealing some of Lat's thunder

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #75 on: December 23, 2011, 01:35:32 PM »
Fail

13. Born of Osiris - The New Reign



It’s hard for me to describe what makes this album so enjoyable for me. Born of Osiris just make fun, heavy music which sounds great when played loud. Clocking in at only 21 minutes The New Reign is the definition of short and sweet, and every one of the eight tracks is chock full of fantastic music. Not a single moment is wasted here, as every single riff is a winner, every single guitar lead is melodic and complementary, and every breakdown and groove a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This combination of heavy djent-style riffage mixed with breakdowns and melodic sections hardly sounds original, but Born of Osiris are not your average metal band. I mentioned during my ‘The Discovery’ write-up that BOO use keyboards like no other band within this saturated genre, and on The New Reign this is more obvious than on any of their records since. Far from being a gimmick the keyboards here absolutely hold the tracks together and the frequent use of synth leads instead of guitar are what give BOO their signature sound, and more than likely are a big part of the reason that they have become such a sensation within the modern progressive metal genre. It’s hard to think of another up-and-coming band trying to make a name for themselves who would dare to take such risks as the Chinese style breakdown in Abstract Art.

Another reason that this album sounds so good to me is the production. If I had to describe it in one word it would be ‘chunky.’ The guitars are Meshuggah tight to the drums, probably because they’re all played by the same person, and this means that the grooves hit exactly as hard as they’re intended to. The drums themselves sound clicky and triggered, but it suits the album and with a good sound system they provide one hell of a punch. There’s a lot of bass frequencies here and it just sounds so good that any qualms about the unnatural cleanness (some might say soullessness) of the record just go out the window. If you like heavy music, and I do like heavy music, this is an album that’s almost impossible to dislike, because it’s just so well executed. Good stuff.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Empires+Erased/4jT33e?src=5


12. Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine



From the opening notes of Bombtrack to the closing riff of Freedom every moment of Rage Against The Machine’s first and best album is as hard-hitting, revolutionary and relevant today as it must have been when it was released 20 years ago. As with the Pantera and Refused albums already mentioned RATM has a timeless quality to it which keeps winning over new fans even today, including legions who would not have been born upon its release. I remember hearing Bullet in the Head for the first time whilst out and about in a friend’s car, and when it had finished I thought to myself ‘That was the best song I’ve ever heard.’ I may have been slightly chemically altered at the time as I no longer have that mindset, but the song and the album still hold a very special place in my heart.

What makes this record so great is that every member is just on fire throughout. Aside from his technical and effect-laden solos, Tom Morello’s guitar work is never over-complicated, instead relying on a catchiness and power which is never wide of the mark. In fact some of his riffs, particularly those in Killing in the Name and Wake Up, have become iconic and are familiar to many who are unfamiliar with the band. Tim Commorford on bass is perhaps even more integral to Rage’s sound than Morello’s guitar as he slaps, taps and snaps the heaviest and funkiest of bass grooves, and Brad Wilk’s drums are powerful and effective, but again never over-complicated. This is not a complex album, but every note and hit is used to perfection. Whatever you make of Zach de la Rocha’s ideologies, his lyrics deal with issues which are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them as an angsty teenager. His passion about and knowledge of the subjects he deals with is infectious, and he delivers his message with a venom that rivals even the most extreme of metal singers. For a rap-metal band to have formed when it was a fledgling genre, and that whilst most similar bands have come and gone whilst Rage’s music is still revered, is a testament to the longevity and influence of their material. I think this record is the best thing the band, and indeed the genre, has ever produced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0j0GCbMC7A

Offline Elite

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #76 on: December 23, 2011, 06:26:32 PM »
Interesting take with that RATM album, nice writeup. I have that CD somewhere, I'll probably put it on again sometime.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #77 on: December 24, 2011, 06:03:12 PM »
Interesting take with that RATM album, nice writeup. I have that CD somewhere, I'll probably put it on again sometime.
Yeah it's always worth a listen. For some reason I've ended up with five copies of that album too, even though I only ever bought two copies. I guess it's just drawn to me.

Entering the top 10 with this update.

11. Dimmu Borgir – Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia



In my early days of musical discovery I one day had the sudden desire for something heavy. Like really, really heavy. I’d been listening to Avenged Sevenfold and SikTh who were great, but I wanted something more brutal. On a whim I decided to head to my local HMV and pick up the CD with the most metal looking album cover I could find. Thus, I discovered Dimmu Borgir. Upon returning home I put it in my stereo, hit play – and was greeted with classical music. Yes the first track, Fear and Wonder, is a symphonic introduction, mellow yet dark and eerie. I enjoyed it, but I wanted something heavy. Nothing could prepare me though for what followed, the absolute whirlwind of intensity of ‘Blessing Upon the Throne of Tyranny’ and much of the nine tracks which follow it. Talk about a musical punch to the face, this was heavy on a level I’d never imagined, and I loved every second of it.

Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia is about as far as one can stretch Black Metal before it becomes a different genre. Yes there are screeching vocals and ambient passages but the level of technicality on this album is far beyond the average black metal release. Just to keep everything together at this speed is an achievement, with blistering guitars and the stunning light-speed drumming of Nick Barker. There is also a surprising amount of variety to keep things interesting, from the synth-led ‘Hybrid Stigmata - The Apostasy’ to the positively evil sounding minimalism of ‘Puritana.’ This is an ambitious album from start to finish, and I have yet to hear a black metal album that tops it.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Puritania/2rT5Nv?src=5


10. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP




Much darker and more mature than the Slim Shady LP, this is my favourite hip-hop album of all time. This album takes everything which was great about the previous album and builds upon it. The production is better and the sound is crisp and punchy. The little touches are great too. One of the best tricks Eminem employed on his earlier albums was the subtle doubling of certain lines, phrases and words to add emphasis to them. It’s something he uses frequently and I really enjoy the effect it creates, as if he is backing himself up. The lyrics on this album are fantastic too, and as this album was written and released just as Eminem was becoming more well known in the music business the sudden fame and infamy he found himself subjected to provided a plethora of new material for him to write about.

Some of the songs on this album are absolutely mind-blowing. Few will be unfamiliar with the track ‘Stan’, the very dark single about one fan’s infatuation with the rapper which ultimately ends in tragedy, and on which there is a fantastic guest spot from Dido. This is not easily digestible hip-hop for the masses, this is intelligent music by a gifted but troubled man. There are still moments of humour throughout the album, particularly in ‘The Real Slim Shady’ and ‘Kids,’ but in songs such as ‘The Way I Am’ and ‘Marshall Mathers,’ Eminem displays an anger which was never apparent on his earlier albums. On the genuinely disturbing ‘Kim’ that anger boils over into a song which almost crosses the line in terms of what is acceptable to put on record, but music is clearly the primary outlet for all of Eminem’s anger and hearing his train of thought in such an honest and uncompromising way makes for a fascinating listen. Eminem will always have his detractors but in my opinion The Marshall Mathers LP is a masterpiece and no matter what new music he creates, this is the album I choose to judge him by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc6mpx9MHzw

Offline black_biff_stadler

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Entering top 10
« Reply #78 on: December 24, 2011, 07:26:23 PM »
Great call with PEM, Ben. Anyone who doesn't like this section ain't welcome in my home.
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Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #79 on: December 26, 2011, 07:22:58 PM »
Lat is kicking my ass at updating regularly, but hey, it's christmas.

9. The Devin Townsend Project – Addicted




One of Devin Townsend’s many, many talents is creating engaging music in a variety of different genres, even when the genres he chooses to implement are unfamiliar to him or his fans. Sometimes he will take two existing genres and combine them to create something entirely new. That’s what happened with Addicted, which I can safely say is the only pop-metal album I own. Designed to be both heavy and accessible, Devin as usual hits the nail squarely on the head with this album. The vibrant and colourful album artwork exudes a sense of fun which is mirrored by the music contained therein. There are songs to rock out to, songs to dance to and songs to sing along to. Devin puts in his usual fantastic performance on this record but the standout feature of Addicted is the inclusion of Anneke van Giersbergen on guest vocals, and her delicious voice adds the masterstroke to what is a sumptuously layered and massive sounding record.

I actually think Addicted gets off to a bit of a slow start, with the tracks ‘Addicted!’ and ‘Universe in a Ball!’ being my two least favourite on the album, although they are still fun songs, but from ‘Bend it Like Bender!’ onwards every song is simply fantastic. ‘Supercrush!’ benefits from its simplicity, allowing Anneke’s vocals to carry the song on their own, whilst the harmonies between her and Devin on the slow and pretty ‘Ih-Ah!’ are a delight to listen to time and time again. Devin brings the best out of his voice on ‘The Way Home!’ with choruses which grow in intensity until his singing is almost operatic in its range and power, and during the bridge in ‘Numbered!’ he breaks out some of his trademark arpeggios to add another layer of melody to the already dense and warm sound. As is often Devin’s style he adds many more layers into the music than are immediately obvious, and some of the layers are almost indistinguishable from each other. This means that there is always something new to hear, some new sample or sound which you won’t pick up on until your listen to it through headphones, or louder, or through a bass-heavy system. Even though this album is musically simpler than much of his previous output it is clear that no less effort has been put into making it.

Addicted was the first Devin Townsend album I heard, and it proved to be an ideal starting point. Catchy and fun, this is music to be enjoyed by anybody on any occasion. In my opinion nobody else could create an album so unconventional yet so immediately accessible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xr83DFlzjU


8. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki




Oh yes, a Devin double. It is almost impossible for me to choose a favourite from Ki and Addicted, which is unusual considering how very different these albums are from each other. Where Addicted is upbeat, happy and easily listenable, Ki is restrained, melancholy and challenging. Addicted is the sound of a man who has found a new direction and is embracing it, whilst Ki is the sound of Devin wrestling with his decision to veer from his early musical leanings. What gives Ki the edge for me is the atmosphere. No album by Devin or indeed any other artist that I’ve heard has an atmosphere to match this record. Yes Ki is mellow, with a thin production unusual for Devin, but for the first half of the album you can hear that there is something lurking beneath the surface of the music, something angry and menacing which Devin is struggling to hold back. Indeed that anger does break through the surface a few times, most noticeably on ‘Disruptr’ and ‘Gato,’ but by the time the reprise of ‘Heaven Send’ has passed the atmosphere changes and becomes more positive, as if Devin has purged his anger and re-found his confidence to create peaceful music.

The loss of anger does not affect the quality of the songs during the second half of Ki though, in fact some of the finest moments here are created when Devin is metaphorically looking forward instead of over his shoulder. ‘Ain’t Never Gonna Win…’ and ‘Winter’ are funky yet minimalist, whilst the Elvis-like rock’n’roll of ‘Trainfire’ is toe-tapping and hip-shaking like nothing else Devin has recorded. My favourite moment of the album though is the title track. Both halves of ‘Ki’ the song I find utterly mesmerizing with Devin’s mediatory vocals mirrored in the soothing purr of his guitar during the first four minutes, before he launches into what I think is the most melodic and beautiful piece of music in his entire discography. They way that arpeggio section is built up, with the backing vocals, drums and samples building in intensity and volume in the background until Devin launches into the foreground with his soaring vocals is to me the very definition of musical genius. A moment of absolute musical joy on an album which is not always easy listening, nor instantly gratifying, but with a modicum of patience and an appreciation for what Devin Townsend is saying with his music I think this is the most rewarding of all his albums.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Coast/3hWAr6?src=5

Offline Jirpo

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Entering top 10
« Reply #80 on: December 26, 2011, 07:27:19 PM »
Awesome update and writeup! Dimmu Borgir is an awesome band too!

Sorry I haven't been posting, I haven't felt like I could contribute anything but I just wanted to say your writeups are a pleasure to read!

Offline WebRaider

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #81 on: December 26, 2011, 10:56:03 PM »
Wow Devin back to back.... which certainly means it's a great update to the list! :)  :tup

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Entering top 10
« Reply #82 on: December 27, 2011, 04:11:18 AM »
Awesome update and writeup! Dimmu Borgir is an awesome band too!

Sorry I haven't been posting, I haven't felt like I could contribute anything but I just wanted to say your writeups are a pleasure to read!
Thanks, I've enjoyed writing them just as much. It's been interesting for me to put together this list and it will be interesting to look back in to see how things change over the next few years.

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #83 on: December 28, 2011, 01:06:19 PM »
Ooh getting close, isn't this just so exciting.

in b4 Cosmology

Called it

7. Rolo Tomassi – Cosmology



Rolo Tomassi had me hooked the very first time I heard their music. There are some bands who I just ‘get,’ and Rolo are one of those bands. I hate to sound like a fanboy but I really do like absolutely everything they’re recorded. Cosmology is their most accessible record to date, but accessible is a relative term. Their sound has developed to sit somewhere between hardcore and mathcore, although their earliest releases were almost as avant-garde as Mr. Bungle. For such a young band Rolo are extremely daring with their music. There is not a single chorus on Cosmology, even on lead single ‘Party Wounds,’ although that track and many others on the album still manage to contain unconventional hooks which mean the songs are not completely alienating. But what Rolo Tomassi do best, what they in my opinion do better that any other band I’ve heard (apart from one who has yet to feature on this list) is juxtapose the dissonant with the melodic in order to create heavy, sometimes violent songs with moments of startling beauty.

There are still elements of Rolo Tomassi’s early, more extreme musical direction here, particularly on the first three tracks, all of which are less than two minutes long. The synths of intro ‘Katzenklavier’ collapse into the impossibly heavy riffs of continuation track ‘Agamemnon’ whilst vocalist Eva Spence seems to be tearing her vocals chords apart over the top, before the most abstract track on the album ‘House House Casanova’ kicks in with its clashing guitar tones and rumbling bass. Things start becoming more melodic from here on in until the slow-burning ‘Kasia’ builds from simple arpeggios and airy synths into a climax which manages to be both powerful and vulnerable as Eva showcases her delicate and heart-rending clean singing voice, before the song breaks down into a progressive, angular affair, led by the video-game style keyboards of Eva’s brother James. Eva’s clean singing on this album is truly beautiful, and on the melodic breakdowns in ‘Sakia’ and ‘Tongue in Chic,’ she utilises it to spine-tingling effect. Every listen of this album makes me fall in love with her over and again, but the rest of the band deserve your attention too. The closing title track, with its reverb drenched guitars, tight rhythm section and wavy synths evokes in me images of childhood trips to the seaside, whilst Eva’s cooing, siren-like vocals float above it all. It is a stunningly beautiful end to the album.

Rolo Tomassi are never going to be huge. They’re too indie for a lot of the metal crowd, whilst being too heavy for much of the indie crowd, but for me Cosmology is about as good as you can make music which is this unorthodox, complex and challenging. With any luck they’ll have many more albums like it.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Kasia/3gGL5L?src=5


6. Dream Theater – Scenes From A Memory



This album is a journey. Coming off the back of Falling Into Infinity, generally considered DT’s weakest album, and featuring new member Jordan Rudess, it was important that the band made a statement with this record. And what a statement it turned out to be. Scenes is my favourite Dream Theater album. In my opinion none of the songs on this record reach the highs of ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Learning to Live,’ but as a complete package this record tops Images and Words for me. Initially I was not particularly interested in the concept behind SFAM.  I knew the basics of the story and appreciated it despite its clichés, but I was more interested in the individual songs. And the songs are fantastic. At 12 tracks, SFAM has the most songs of any DT album, but even the weakest songs on Scenes are far beyond what most bands manage to release. The variety in the tracks here is also notable. There are two instrumentals: one triumphant and melodic, the other dark and brooding, which sit alongside ten minute plus epics, short and simple transition tracks, ballads, heavy rockers and full-on prog mindfucks. This album has it all. Particular favourites of mine are the eastern-tinged Home, the mischievous Fatal Tragedy and the climactic Finally Free, which is as excellent as all Dream Theater album closers seem to be.

As the concept and storyline of Scenes began to become more important to me and the subtleties more obvious, I began to notice another feature of Scenes, which is that the music at any point is absolutely perfectly suited to the point of the storyline to which it is assigned. It astounds me how the band have created music which tells as much of a story as the lyrics. It is easy to create happy music or sad music, but to create tension, intrigue, drama and despair is a much harder task. Of course we all know that Dream Theater are no ordinary band, but even with their immense talent that they managed to pull off writing what is essentially a musical is still a fantastic feat. And that they did it within the context of music which can be enjoyed even with total ignorance of the album concept is greater still. As a whole, or as separate parts, Scenes From A Memory blows me away on every listen.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Act+II+Scene+Six+Home/3WbzhG?src=5

Offline Gorille85

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #84 on: December 28, 2011, 01:09:43 PM »
I need to check out that cosmology album!

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #85 on: December 28, 2011, 01:23:28 PM »
I need to check out that cosmology album!
Do it. you can listen to the whole thing for free on Grooveshark

https://grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Cosmology/65431413

Offline Jirpo

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #86 on: December 28, 2011, 03:45:37 PM »
Once again, great writeups!

Offline AcidLameLTE

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums
« Reply #87 on: December 28, 2011, 03:49:12 PM »
But Kezia is their best album.
No it isn't I am objectively right
Oh. Well, that changes everything

Offline Elite

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #88 on: December 30, 2011, 02:30:51 AM »
I need to check out that Dream Theater album!
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #89 on: December 30, 2011, 03:08:53 PM »
I need to check out that Dream Theater album!
:| You for real? That's an essential DT album! One of the 'holy trinity!'

5. Lights – The Listening



An unusual choice perhaps considering the heaviness of my list so far, but this is not a mistake, I really have put this sugary sweet pop album in my top five. And with good justification, because The Listening is the single most charming and lovely album I’ve ever heard. It’s hard for me to do another long write-up extolling the virtues of this record because there’s not a lot to it, but I love it for what it is. Light’s voice is not particularly powerful so she sings with a heart-warming restraint, even during choruses and ‘louder’ songs. It is actually when she sings quietly that her voice sounds best, as on the nostalgic ‘Pretend’ and the endearing ‘February Air.’ Lights also knows how to use her voice as a tool to develop a song, for example the different ways she sings the choruses on one the albums’ highlights, ‘The Last Thing on Your Mind.’ I don’t even mind when she uses autotune on her voice. Normally it’s not something I’m too keen on but as with everything else on the record, she pulls it off.

There is some variety in the songs here, but this is no prog masterpiece. Lyrically Lights deals with such outside-the-box subjects as being yourself and staying strong in the face of adversity, but unlike many pop artists who just sing what is put in front of them Lights wrote the entirety of the music and lyrics on The Listening, and as such her songs sound genuine and honest despite the clichés. Much of the music on the album is quite minimal which allows her voice to lead the songs, but what music there is is tastefully performed and well produced. Lights has a tendency towards ‘spacey’ sounding synths and their sparse and airy sound complements the overall feel of the album. I don’t have anything else to write about The Listening, except that it makes me happy, and that’s all I can ask from any album. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Lights is totally awesome, unfathomably attractive, and into black metal. Honest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7_ucPlzaiA


4. Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen



This is it, the album which got me into metal. To be specific, the guitar solo in ‘Chapter Four’ got me into metal. I used to be more into bands like Less Than Jake and Sum 41, until one day it occurred to me that when I was reading through my Kerrang magazines I would just ignore half of the bands in there, because I had no knowledge of metal. So I fired up Kazaa and entered the name of the first metal band which popped into my head, which happened to be Sevenfold. Chapter Four was the first song on the list, and whilst I was enjoying it quite a lot it wasn’t until the simple yet awesome guitar solo with Shadow’s vocals over the top that I realized that ‘Hey, I might be onto something here.’ I downloaded a few more songs from Waking The Fallen and Sounding The Seventh Trumpet to tie me over until I could buy the albums, and whilst I’ve already expressed my love for STST, it’s WTF which I consider Sevenfold’s true masterpiece. There is not a weak moment on this album; better than that, there is not a single moment which I consider less than outstanding. This is the perfect Metalcore album.

Metalcore bands and in particular Avenged Sevenfold get a lot of hate from the more hardcore metal community for the way they look, their stage names and their use of vocal harmonies and clean singing. Well it’s all bullshit. The music on Waking The Fallen transcends that sort of petty judgement by being so damn good. The addition of Syn Gates to the band led to massively improved guitar work from the first record, with every song featuring great harmonies and leads. Gates also brought the added dimension of guitar solos, and though there are only a handful on WTF they are fantastic. There’s the aforementioned Chapter Four solo, the lightning fast and fun intro to ‘Eternal Rest’, the slow and melodic licks of ‘I Won’t See You Tonight Part 1’ and it’s dissonant and disjointed brother in Part 2, and what is my favourite moment of the album, the epic and climactic outtro solo to ‘Second Heartbeat,’ easily my favourite Avenged Sevenfold song of all.

The drums are also great on Waking, as you would expect from a talent such as The Rev, but they are more thoughtful than the all-out assault of STST and really help to give the songs structure, and topping it all are the vocals of M Shadows. How I wish that his voice had stayed like this. His clean singing voice is fantastic on this record and he hits the highs as consistently as the lows. Shadows has the ability to maintain notes for what seems like as long as he wants, giving a smooth and epic feel to his vocal passages. This was also before he started using Axl Rose’s vocal coach, and as such there are none of the nasal intonations that he developed on later records, which are fine, but not really to my taste. His screams are also great, not particularly pitched but they are powerful and have an intensity which suits the music. I love his vocals on this record so much that judged solely on this album, Shadows is my second favourite male vocalist, behind only Devin Townsend.

Great vocals, guitar and drums are fine things by themselves, but without great songs they don’t mean a thing. Waking The Fallen is simply full of good songs. ‘Unholy Confessions’ is a perfect single, with a catchy main theme and heavy and soft refrains to give the perfect idea of what the band are about. ‘Remenissions’ and ‘Desecrate Through Reverence’ are more progressive tracks with unconventional structures, whilst the I Won’t See You Tonight duo share riffs and phrases but little else, as the first is a slow and heartfelt epic and the second a heavy as hell punk-metal thrasher. Put simply, every song here is awesome, all the elements that make them up are awesome, and the album as a whole is awesome. Waking the Fallen is awesome.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Second+Heartbeat/2CKUkU?src=5

Offline Gadough

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #90 on: December 30, 2011, 06:06:22 PM »
:heart :heart :heart OMG LIGHTS OMG :heart :heart :heart

I love that lady so much. Catchy, infectious songs, and she's gorgeous to boot. Great pick.

Favorite song on that album is the last one, Quiet. I could listen to it on repeat forever.

Also, good choice for your Number 4 as well. Avenged Sevenfold's crowning achievement without a doubt.
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Offline AcidLameLTE

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #91 on: December 30, 2011, 06:08:47 PM »
I binged on Waking the Fallen for so long when I first got it. Such a good album.

Offline Ravenheart

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #92 on: December 31, 2011, 06:15:42 PM »
I haven't posted at all, but I've been keeping up with your list. Nice variety and great descriptions for each album.  :tup

Offline Gorille85

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #93 on: December 31, 2011, 06:22:07 PM »
That Light album is cool.

Offline Arch Benemy

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #94 on: January 01, 2012, 11:46:21 AM »
I haven't posted at all, but I've been keeping up with your list. Nice variety and great descriptions for each album.  :tup
Thanks, gotta say I thought you'd given up following this list as from what I've gathered we have quite different tastes, but hopefully you still found it interesting.

WE'RE NEARLY THERE OMG

3. SikTh – The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild



SikTh were another band I was lucky enough to discover during my early forays into metal, and this album pretty much defines the excitement that I felt as I discovered a love for this new music. After catching the video for ‘Scent of the Obscene’ on TV I was staggered by the technicality of the music, and picked up the album soon after. Little did I know that I was buying what would become my most listened-to album of all time. I’ve listened to ‘Trees…’ thousands of times but it never gets boring or stale, in fact it’s the opposite. The more I listen to this record the more I love it, and part of the reason for that is that there’s always something new to hear, some subtle sample hidden deep in the mix, or a vocal layer which I’ve never noticed before that suddenly makes itself apparent.

Musically, SikTh are INTENSE. Extraordinarily technical, the way the six members play off of each other is something I’ve never heard any other band do as well. The two guitars of Pin and Dan are mixed to the left and right channels respectively throughout the duration of the record, giving a ‘twin attack’ sort of sound. A technique they frequently employ, particularly during heavier songs, is for one member to play a staccato pattern whilst the other plays the opposite rhythm, filling in the gaps if you like. It gives the music a schizophrenic feel, something more than matched by the two vocalists Mikee and Justin. Justin is a more traditional vocalist, with a clean singing voice and a high pitched screaming voice, but Mikee is a different entity altogether. The only singer I’ve ever heard who uses as many different techniques as Mikee is Mike Patton. Wail, growls, whispers, shrieks, inward singing and others I don’t even know how to describe, Mikee uses them all, and to great effect. The way the two singers trade-off vocal parts is something else which defines SikTh’s sound. Some songs are sung entirely by one member, others will have the verses and chorus performed by different members, and sometimes Mikee and Justin sing different words, phrases and even syllables. Intense really is the only word I can find to describe this music.

But it’s not all baffling rhythms and ear-bashing noise. I mentioned in my write-up of Cosmology that there was another band which juxtapose heavy and soft moments really well on my list. SikTh are that band. The soft moments in ‘Scent…’ and ‘Wait for Something Wild,’ contain some truly beautiful music, the former with tapped notes which sound to me like pieces of heaven falling and the latter containing an amazing drum solo layered with soft synths and delicate vocals. In fact a large percentage of ‘Trees…’ is not heavy at all. I think of the album as being constructed of three different sections. There are the first four songs which are all heavy and get the album off to a barnstorming start. Then there are the two piano interludes ‘Emerson pt 1’ and part 2, tributes to their late friend of the same name. Between these interludes the pace of the album drops a lot. ‘Peep Show’ is a simpler song, almost pop like in its structure. There’s a dark and heavy cover of Nick Cave’s ‘Tupelo,’ and one of the albums highlights for me, ‘Can’t We All Dream?’ which after an abstract introduction features a stunningly beautiful and largely improvised vocal performance by Mikee, truly magical stuff. The third section of the album gets heavier again, before finishing on the spoken word poem ‘When Will The Forest Speak…?’

I love ‘Trees…’ so much that I have the artwork and a line from the poem tattooed on my arm, which may seem extreme to some but to me is a fitting tribute to an album which changed the way I listen to music. Some bands and albums go in and out of favour with me as my musical tastes develop, but I will never stop listening to and enjoying this album. It’s just too good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-BzWuc16GE


2. Between the Buried and Me - Colors



For the longest time I thought this was my favourite album. The first time I listened to this album was the single greatest musical experience I’ve ever had. Listening through headphones in bed one night, this record took me on a journey and put me in a place that I’ve never since been able to revisit. I remember when White Walls ended I just took out my headphones and sat up in bed, no longer tired. I just sat there for about an hour, thinking about where I had been. I didn’t want to watch TV or listen to anything else, because at that time I didn’t think I would ever enjoy anything as much again, and it seemed disrespectful to even try.

I still adore this record, although as it is only number two on my list you’ll realize I’ve gotten over my fear that nothing else would ever match up. The way the songs flow into each other to make one massive hour-long epic is genius, and some of the transitions are inspired. But the album flow is not just a simple movement from A to B. The songs ebb and flow, entwining ideas and sounds to create tracks that really do have almost tangible colours. The use of reference and reprise is sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious, but always done to perfection. I love how a riff or phrase that I’ve heard a hundred times can suddenly be heard in a new light when I realize that it was played half an hour earlier in a different time signature and with a different purpose within the music.

Again with reference to the album flow, I view the album as being about reconciliation. After the delicate opening moments with just piano and vocals, the way The Backtrack builds in intensity and heaviness before transitioning into A Decade of Statues, and the subsequent heaviness and anger in that song, seems to me to be a starting block for the rest of the album to resolve that anger until by the end of White Walls the theme is of about being proud of what has been accomplished, and moving on. I think this is reflected not only in the way the songs become (on average) more progressive and less heavy as the album continues, until at the end the album comes full circle with the piano outtro, but also in the lyrics, which are often confusing and vague, but at times beautiful and meaningful.

To wrap things up, as I could go on forever about the subtleties and nuances of Colors, this album has it all. Fantastic, original musicianship, great vocals both clean and harsh, great structure and songwriting, but it also has a further depth that I was lucky enough to discover on first listen. This album is beautiful, for all the blastbeats and guttural screams, there is a transcendent beauty to the songs that I’ve never heard in any other metal album. And that is why this is my favourite metal album of all time.

https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Prequel+To+The+Sequel/2pL25J?src=5

Offline Sigz

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #95 on: January 01, 2012, 11:48:44 AM »
So much win on this page. SO MUCH WIN
Quote
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Offline Gadough

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #96 on: January 01, 2012, 11:57:19 AM »
So much win on this page. SO MUCH WIN
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #97 on: January 01, 2012, 12:38:48 PM »
It's funny reading these lists because usually in everyone's top ten, all the albums are tied to some specific emotion or listening experience or moment when everything seems to come together. For example like in the description for Colors here. I say it's funny because I don't think I've ever felt that way about music before. I do have one experience sort of like that that's tied to one of my favorites, but pretty much every artist, every album I refer to as great has been a slow burn where I start out liking it and then suddenly, somewhere down the line, I'm suddenly all like 'Dis is deh awsum!!1111' I can never attribute it to some grand revelation or some moment where everything clicked. Very weird, but I guess I feel just sorta left out.  :P

Well, anyways, great list so far. I might have to give Sikth another try as I originally wrote them off as another annoying metalcore band.  ;D

Can't wait to see your number 1.

Offline Sigz

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #98 on: January 01, 2012, 02:27:36 PM »
I can never attribute it to some grand revelation or some moment where everything clicked.

Isn't that exactly what this is?
every album I refer to as great has been a slow burn where I start out liking it and then suddenly, somewhere down the line, I'm suddenly all like 'Dis is deh awsum!!1111'
Quote
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #99 on: January 01, 2012, 02:35:07 PM »
I can never attribute it to some grand revelation or some moment where everything clicked.

Isn't that exactly what this is?
every album I refer to as great has been a slow burn where I start out liking it and then suddenly, somewhere down the line, I'm suddenly all like 'Dis is deh awsum!!1111'
Not really, there's never really a single moment for me, just the realization that something that I liked before has become something that I really liked.  Moments accrue into something greater I guess.

For example, Still Life is one of my favorite albums now, but when I was initially getting into it, it was a slow process, liking/loving one song at a time. I think my first thought when I first listened was "The Moor is cool, but the other songs are only okay." Just kinda weird that I've never had the kind of sudden revelation that everyone else seems to have.

Offline Heretic

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #100 on: January 01, 2012, 03:02:57 PM »
Waking the Fallen and Colors! :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

Offline Ravenheart

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Top Ten Time
« Reply #101 on: January 01, 2012, 03:21:52 PM »
I haven't posted at all, but I've been keeping up with your list. Nice variety and great descriptions for each album.  :tup
Thanks, gotta say I thought you'd given up following this list as from what I've gathered we have quite different tastes, but hopefully you still found it interesting.

Ha, well, I've always liked reading these lists. I find them interesting because they give a better window into the listening habits of the members here, and the more elaborate the descriptions, the better, even if the listed albums aren't in conjunction with my preferences. Plus, if I want people to follow mine when the time comes, the least I can is not be a selfish twit and follow and comment on theirs.  :biggrin:

Offline Jirpo

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #102 on: January 01, 2012, 06:53:43 PM »
Wow, I haven't heard either of those albums but I think you win the prize for best writeups for sure!

Offline black_biff_stadler

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #103 on: January 01, 2012, 07:00:03 PM »
Donde esta los eldorado, Benjamino?
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Offline Zantera

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Re: Arch Benemy's Top 50 Albums - Bronze and Silver
« Reply #104 on: January 02, 2012, 03:37:48 AM »
Props for Colors!  :tup