Author Topic: Dark Castle's Radular Top 50 V. Skeletonwitch Booty Shorts Feel Great (Read 23404 times)

Dark Castle · « **Reply #105 on:** April 25, 2012, 12:04:58 PM »

24. Death - Human (2011 Reissue)

I believe the only time I have a reissue specifically, and only because it just fixes everything wrong with the production of the original, Human, my second favorite Death album comes in at 24. Death are the band that basically pioneered Death Metal, and what inspired so many bands today, whether they're death metal or not, all because of how groundbreaking they were with each album. Starting off as a straight up, gory death metal band, with each album, Chuck's idea's blossomed into more progressive ideas, and Human really burst open the doors for progressive death metal. With a roster including Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert from Cynic this album was chock full of intense complexity that was awe inspiring. Chucks vocals are still one of my most favorites to these days, they are 150% full of passion and are immediately noticeable, no other band has even come close to him, even those trying to imitate. The musicianship of this album like all Death albums is insane, but all the while it's not just a wank fest, the songs are incredibly memorable and stick to your head for days. So if you're in the mood to try out death metal, this is a good album to start, as Chuck is the man behind it practically.
Favorite Tracks: Suicide Machine, Lack of Comprehension, See Through Dreams, Flattening Of Emotions

Dark Castle · « **Reply #106 on:** April 25, 2012, 02:43:42 PM »

23. Foo Fighters Wasting Light

Dave Grohl, a man who seems to effortlessly make radulartastic music continued this streak with last years Wasting Light. It's the first Foo Fighters album where I loved every single song, every song is at least an 8/10. I took my brother with me to go get this during the past summer vacation. We ended up driving around town listening to the entire album, and around track 7 'Back and Forth' one gnarly storm started brewing, so we finished at home. While I'm normally into Extreme Metal for the most part, a lot of people assume that is all I listen too, when the matter of the fact is I the gambit and listen to almost every genre. The biggest thing that I love about this about this album is Dave Grohl's voice, it's quite simply awesome. Each song has it's own stamp of personality, ranging from heartbreak to doing what you want, and everyone in the band brings their A-game. Another cool thing about this album is that it was recorded on analog in Dave Grohls garage. I know that doesn't really matter much, but I find that a really radular small fact about it, and how each album comes with an inch of the analog tape. So if you're into bands like Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Them Crooked Vultures, you should really check these guys out if you haven't yet for some odd reason.
Favorite Tracks: Rope, White Limo, These Days, Back & Forth, Matter of Time, Walk

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #107 on:** April 25, 2012, 03:01:59 PM »

Always liked The Foo Fighters, even though they seem to get some hate.

wolfking · « **Reply #108 on:** April 25, 2012, 04:49:08 PM »

Foo Fighters are a good band.

Human is absolutely incredible.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #109 on:** April 25, 2012, 07:17:48 PM »

Can't wait to check these out.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #110 on:** April 26, 2012, 02:26:08 PM »

22. Fuck The Facts - Die Miserable

Aside from two other bands, this was the best discovery I made last year. It's grindcore with a punk as fuck attitude, and everything about this album is a big fuck you to happiness. I'd read the review for it in Decibel, and while it got a positive review, the reviewer only gave it a 7/10. And a month later I was at the local record store in town and saw it sitting on the shelf, and I thought "eh Fuck it, I don't really see anything I was looking for anyways" and bought it. In my opinion, this album is easily an 8.5, or even 9/10, it's vicious, relentless, and an amazing listen. I'd popped it in and was waiting for the damned album to start when out of nowhere guitars came out of nowhere like a Kansas Twister, and blastbeating roared through like thunder, and to top it all off, the vocalist came in, sounding like a pissed off goddess of misery. The whole album never lets up in its' tone, it's seriously a depressingly miserable album that is so fucking awesome. They're also a fantastic band for when you are pissed off and you just want to give the world the middle finger and tell it to fuck off. I'd recommend for people who are into Converge, Rotten Sound, and Trap Them.
Favorite Tracks: Drift, Cold Hearted, Lifeless, Alone, Die Miserable, 95

Dark Castle · « **Reply #111 on:** April 27, 2012, 12:24:22 AM »

SPECIAL ALBUM - NOT PART OF OFFICIAL TOP 50
---------------------------------------------------------------
Woods of Ypres - Woods IV The Green Album
Woods of Ypres - Woods 5 Grey Skies and Electric Light

A band that I will always hold dear to my heart, they were a large part in what made me come to love Doom Metal and opened my eyes to many other bands. It's quite late on the news, but I found out just now that David Gold, the core member of the group, died this past December in an automobile accident. Much like his last name, David Golds voice was just fantastic, and his growls were powerful. Woods Of Ypres's sound was Melancholic to say the least, and the guitar tones helped you feel it. I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery is easily in the Top 15 songs I've ever heard, go check it out RIGHT NOW if you haven't heard it, it's an incredibly moving piece. I just wanted to say my respects for David Gold, he was an incredibly talented musician, and the fact that he was taken away at just 31 just further shows how bullshit the world we live in is.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #112 on:** April 30, 2012, 02:17:04 PM »

21. Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

Children Of Bodom was the band that burst open the doors to extreme metal, and they're a special band to me. Every Time I Die was and still should be a staple in my daily jaunt of listening to music, I would listen to it at least 4 times a day. A lot consider this their best album, and while I don't agree, it's what really got me into extreme metal so I figured it should be the one to go on the list. It was sophmore year, and I was in my highschool's theater production of The Wizard of Oz. Every day, before the director would arrive I'd be blasting this album on repeat, sitting in the back. And this past year I finally got to see them live, and they even played a few songs off of Follow The Reaper, and it just brought back the same excited feeling I'd get when listening to it. By brand they're one of Finland's finest Melodic Death Metal bands, and everybody is a wonderful musician. Alexi Laiho's growls are radulartastic, along with his guitar playing. If you're a fan of bands such as At The Gates, and Kalmah, you'll love Children of bodom if you aren't already a fan like I am, and always will be!
Favorite Tracks: Bodom After Midnight, Every Time I Die, Taste of My Scythe, Hate Me!, Kiss My Shadow

Elite · « **Reply #113 on:** April 30, 2012, 02:19:32 PM »

I really hope you have Hatebreeder higher up

While it's not in my top albums, I used to love the shit out of that album some years ago.
That said, Follow The Reaper would probably be my second favourite CoB album.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #114 on:** April 30, 2012, 02:35:16 PM »

Quote from: Elite on April 30, 2012, 02:19:32 PM

I really hope you have Hatebreeder higher up
While it's not in my top albums, I used to love the shit out of that album some years ago.
That said, Follow The Reaper would probably be my second favourite CoB album.

I don't, but it's probably my 3rd favorite

I've been surprised by the fact that I've been told by many people that they don't like it D:

Dark Castle · « **Reply #115 on:** May 08, 2012, 08:11:35 PM »

20. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

Black metal is a genre where you have to find that one band that acts as an agent and opens the gates wide open. Enslaved was that band for me, and this album is quite a gem. They flawlessly blend black metal with progressive elements and even alternative elements. Moments of beauty are gracefully woven in with pure agression, such example being "Night Sight" It starts off with clean singing and clean toned guitars, and builds up into a troo black metal song and interchanges throughout the rest of it's duration. I don't really remember for sure how I really found out about these guys, I really just remember seeing a review in Decibel and thinking I should check them out if I ever remembered, next thing I knew a few weeks later they were sitting in the used section at the local record store so I got it. Good car ride home, it was definitely a great car ride home. There's not really much more to say, other than that if you're a fan of well produced, well made black metal, or you're trying to find some how to enjoy the genre, these guys are prime candidates to check out.
Favorite Tracks: Raidho, Axioma, Night Sight, Lightening.

wolfking · « **Reply #116 on:** May 08, 2012, 08:16:52 PM »

Follow the Reaper was one of the first albums that got me into extreme metal too. When I heard the title track, I was just floored, what a terrific album. Shame Bodom can't reproduce this sort of quality anymore.

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #117 on:** May 08, 2012, 11:18:02 PM »

I have a friend who likes Woods of Ypres, they're from near where I live IIRC. Could never get into them, but I appreciate what they do.

adace · « **Reply #118 on:** May 08, 2012, 11:27:47 PM »

Not my favorite Enslaved album, but still a great pick

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #119 on:** May 09, 2012, 02:21:46 PM »

I really like Enslaved, and I've had some surprising success with them in some of the roulettes. I think I like Vertibrae a little more, but I won't argue with any Enslaved love.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #120 on:** May 09, 2012, 05:09:33 PM »

19. Mastodon - Crack The Skye

I've had a tough time deciding on whether I prefer Crack The Skye or The Hunter. For now though I've stuck with Crack The Skye, as it's such an absolute beast. It may not be as catchy as Blood Mountain or The Hunter, but it makes up in that with songs that are memorable works of art. Mastodon always brings their A game to the table for each record, but with Crack The Skye, it's like they brought their A+ game to the table. Things start off with the song Oblivion, and right away, something new is there, and it's Brann Dailor's voice. To my knowledge this is the first album where he was a vocalist, and he's got a pretty phenomenal voice. Brent and Bill also have gnarly tones for their guitars, I mean they just have that old school motherland Russia tone to them. Every member of this band is a fantastic musician, and each one of them shine throughout the album. The concept of the album is if I remember correctly some guy trying to get to the son and goes through a worm hole, somehow landing in Rasputin's or the Czar at the time of Rasputin's body, and they have to find a way to get that guy back to his body. It's pretty nuts, but it's a beautiful album, and it was the first one of theirs that I got, so it's quite special to me. For fans of Baroness, Neurosis, and men with beards.
Favorite Tracks: Oblivion, Divinations, Quintessence, The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/Spiral, Ghost of Karelia, Crack The Skye, The Last Baron............... so pretty much every track

Heretic · « **Reply #121 on:** May 09, 2012, 08:41:13 PM »

CRACK THE SKYE

BanksD · « **Reply #122 on:** May 09, 2012, 08:42:14 PM »

Enslaved

Dark Castle · « **Reply #123 on:** May 10, 2012, 12:13:15 PM »

18. Black Tusk - Set The Dial

Black Tusk show up at 18, a band that have started to emerge in popularity in the past 2 or 3 years. They are a well oiled team of 3 who put out pummeling sludge anthems about Satan, the world ending, and everything unholy. They're also a band I decided to try out because of my John Baizley rule which is: If a band had John Baizley do the artwork for their album, then it's a 95% guarantee that they kick major ass. I'm telling you it hasn't failed me yet. Black Tusk's 3 members handle guitar, bass guitar, and drums individually, but join forces to add a shit load of variety to vocals. The fact that they add these the distinct layers of vocals provide for interesting dynamics, and they've got the tunes to back up any doubts people might have. Set The Dial is their most recent effort from 2011, but it is their strongest effort yet. I mentioned that they're a sludge metal band, and guitar is sludgy as molasses, bass is kind of a counteract to the sludgy tones, and the drummer is reminisent of a brann dailor fan, all the while providing his own flash. A great thing about this band is that after awhile of pummeling songs that work out your ears, they provide a break, with slow, ambient like songs that crescendo leading into another set of pummelation(yes, pummelation) so it's very easy to go through the album in one sitting, and a great one to come back to. So if you're a fan of Mastodon, Baroness, Kylesa and/or Crowbar, you should really check these guys out, it's completely worth your while
Favorite Tracks: Bring Me Darkness, Mass Devotion, Set the Dial to Your Doom, This Time Is Divine, Growing Horns, Crossroads & Thunder

Elite · « **Reply #124 on:** May 10, 2012, 12:30:48 PM »

Crack the Skye as an amazing record.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #125 on:** May 13, 2012, 02:11:37 PM »

17. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse

To the best of my knowledge, there isn't that many grindcore fans on these forums, so I'm going to assume many of you don't know who Agoraphobic Nosebleed is. Masterminded by Scott Hull, Agorapocalypse takes you on one hell of a ride, through programmed drums that are fucking astounding even if they are programmed, through duo vocals, it's chaotic and you might think holy fuck what just happened after listening to it. Guitars are like buzzsaws, slicing your ears with razor riffage. Richard Johnson and Katherine Katz split off vocal duties, Richards having a more throaty bellow, where as Katz a shriek like howl that makes your balls crawl back up in fear. The record itself is just a great example of what grindcore should be, pissed off, and telling everyone to fuck off, but what separates these guys from many other acts is that they have the quality musicianship to back up their fuck off attitude, where as many new bands or just bands on those shitty obscure label just don't care about how they sound. This isn't going to be the last grindcore record on this list, but these guys set the bar high for other bands, and I think they've only played one live show in their 20 years as a band. Radulartastic.
Favorite Tracks: Dick to Mouth Resuscitation, Hung From The Rising Sun, Trauma Queen, White On White Crime, Druggernaut Jug Fuck, Flamingo Snuff

ariich · « **Reply #126 on:** May 13, 2012, 02:53:35 PM »

Crack the Skye is an excellent album, but I haven't even heard of those latest two.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #127 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:47:46 PM »

16. Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory

Well here it is, my one Dream Theater entry, and it's my favorite from them although Six Degrees might overtake in awhile. Anywho back to SFAM, it wasn't the first Dream Theater album I heard, that would be Images And Words, but when my friend put it on during a road trip and we were coming back home and it just blew me away. Everyone is at their A++ game on this album, and with the members of Dream Theater already being amazing, that's saying a lot, considering how talented everyone in Dream Theater already is. I also find it really cool that they did a whole album based off of one song from a past album, and they pull of the story quite well, which is actually quite gripping. I could go on about the music, but if you're on this forum, you should know what they sound like and this album in particular, otherwise well....this is kind of awkward eheh. From Mike Portnoy's bombastic drumming, to Jordan Ruddess's lovely keyboard wizardry to James Labries Soaring voice to John Myungs' tasty bass to John Petrucci's awing guitar, this really showcases their talent, and if you for some reason haven't listened to this yet, go do it right now!
Favorite Tracks: The whole thing, it's not really an album to pick apart tracks.

Nekov · « **Reply #128 on:** May 15, 2012, 02:09:23 PM »

Yes. Finally and album I know and love.

I would rank it higher though.

Dark Castle · « **Reply #129 on:** May 19, 2012, 01:22:47 PM »

15. System Of A Down - Mezmerize

Another milestone, we're now at the Top 15! To kick this off I've chosen SoaD's Mezmerize, a truly radular album. What seperated this album from the rest of theirs is just how amazingly strong every song is, there are no weak points on this album. And with Daron adding his vocals much more than past albums, their music is that much more diverse. Along with everything being more layered, the album has a focus to it that I feel the others don't. Everyone sounds on top of their game here, and the songs have so much feeling to them I get swept up in the emotions of the songs. Songs like Radio/Video and Question!
are truly touching. More on the music, is the fact that it's a very diverse album where they tried things I hadn't heard in their other albums, and straight up classic SoaD songs make their way on the album, ensuring their audience they are ditching them for something entirely new. So if you're a fan or looking to start somewhere, this is my favorite album of theirs, and I know you'll enjoy it, if not as much as I did.
Favorite Tracks: B.Y.O.B., Cigaro, Radio/Video, Violent Pornography, Question!, Old School Hollywood

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #130 on:** May 19, 2012, 07:20:26 PM »

SFAM

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #131 on:** May 19, 2012, 11:20:35 PM »

Can we get a condensed listing of 50-15?

Dark Castle · « **Reply #132 on:** May 20, 2012, 04:35:45 PM »

15. System of a Down - Mesmerize
16. Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
17. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse
18. Black Tusk - Set the Dial
19. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
20. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
21. Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
22. Fuck the Facts - Die Miserable
23. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
24. Death - Human (2011 remastered edition)
25. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy
26. Converge - Jane Doe
27. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
28. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech
29. Cephalic Carnage - Misled by Certainty
30. A Life Once Lost - Hunter
31. Ihsahn - After
32. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
33. Annihilator - Never, Neverland
34. Dawnbringer - Nucleus
35. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life
36. The Mars Volta - De-loused in a Comatorium
37. Ghost - Opus Eponymous
38. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
39. Doomriders - Darkness Comes Alive
40. Overkill - Ironbound
41. Skeletonwitch - Breathing the Fire
42. Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
43. Indian - Guiltless
44. Holy Grail - Crisis In Utopia
45. The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual
46. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
47. BLOOD STAIN CHILD - Epsilon
48. Red Fang - Murder The Mountain
49. The Wretched End - Ominous
50. Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve

News: Untethered Angel official video: https://youtu.be/gylxuO6dKOw

Author Topic: Dark Castle's Radular Top 50 V. Skeletonwitch Booty Shorts Feel Great (Read 23404 times)