Hey, guys! I’d like to start off by thanking you all for being interested in my picks and I hope my list is interesting/different enough from other lists to hold your attention. After much careful thought and countless sleepless nights painstakingly combing through my Itunes (
), I came up with my top 50 favorite albums ever. I really aimed for variety in my list so with a few exceptions, I will not be listing more than one album from the same band. Except for numbers 1-10, the ordering is fairly interchangeable. Anyways, thanks again and enjoy! (P.S. Round 2 will be coming eventually. Still too many great albums that were left off the top 50).
50. Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (2008)
This is Scar Symmetry’s third album and their last featuring one of the best death metal vocalists of all time, Christian Alvestam. First a little info on the band and their general style: There is no other extreme vocalist out there, save Mikael Akerfeldt, who is able to both give me sheer goosebumps with his clean vocals and fill me with awe at the evil and brutality of his growls. This band is certainly the most accessible death metal band I’ve ever heard. In fact, the first time I heard them, I recoiled at their poppish tendencies. Shortly after that though, I began to appreciate them as innovators in their genre and simply one of the best melodeath bands around..
They have an amazing knack for mixing clean, melodic playing with headbangable metal riffs and drumming all with a progressive twist in terms of occasional odd time signatures. Their production is also top-notch and really adds to the enjoyment of this masterpiece.
All that said, this album is by far their best work in that it combines all these elements into a thoroughly enjoyable package. The lyrics are quite thought-provoking with an interesting blend of sci-fi and philosophy. Per their usual, the choruses are instantly catchy, the riffs are heavy and catchy as well, and the solos are superb. On the whole, this album is a significant step up from both of their previous albums and their two subsequent ones. Compared to more familiar standards in the genre such as Children of Bodom’s “Are You Dead Yet?” and In Flames’ “The Jester Race”, “Holographic Universe” is an often overlooked gem of an album that not only rivals those albums but, in my opinion, bests them. Maybe if Alverstam was invited back into the band then Scar Symmetry could repeat the greatness that is this album but for the time being, check out this unrivalled masterpiece of melodeath if you haven’t already.
Recommended tracks: Morphogenesis, Timewave Zero, Ghost Prototype II, Quantumleaper
49. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
If there was a single phrase to sum up this band’s sound, it would be “Pink Floyd gone pop.” Of course they are a lot more eccentric than Pink Floyd (at least 70’s and later Pink Floyd) with numerous folk and electronic influences, but I still get the same sense of adventurism and psychedelia with their music. Add to that the fact that covered all of “Dark Side of the Moon” and it’s pretty obvious who they are most musically indebted to.
“Yoshimi” is a concept album about a girl dying of cancer and naturally features themes of death and transcendence in its lyrics. Overall, the album has a very quirky and eccentric feel to it but it’s absolutely beautiful at the same time. Wayne Coyne’s vocals have this amazingly pained yet ethereal quality about them which I can’t imagine The Flaming Lips being without. Point in case is “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell” where his vocal delivery is positively hypnotic. Other highlights include “Do You Realize?” which is, as you might know, their most famous song, as well as the beautiful electronic-folk ballad “It’s Summertime.” What this album and band do best is blend the genres of alternative rock, prog rock, space rock, folk, electronic and psychedelia into an amazing, polished product. If you are a fan of any of those genres, then this album should be right up your alley.
Recommended tracks: Do You Realize?, It’s Summertime, Ego Tripping, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1
48. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)
Here we have the best rap-metal/nu-metal album of all time. Sure the guitar playing, drumming and lyrics are extremely simplistic compared to RATM for example. And sure I dislike rap as much as most metal fans but for me, Linkin Park is the best band in the genre. They do rap right.
What is the single most impressive element this band has to offer? By far, Chester Bennington’s fantastic vocal abilities. Whether it’s screaming or clean singing, this man can really deliver. Mike Shinoda’s rap parts are also tasteful and blend well with the music and I have no problem rap-dancing along to them (only time you’ll find me doing that). Also, I really admire Joe Hahn as a turntablist/keyboardist on the record since not only does he not overdo the whole record scratching thing, but he really adds to their sound on such tracks as Points of Authority and With You.
I absolutely do not consider this album a “guilty pleasure” even though it falls well outside the genres of the other albums on this list and even though nu-metal has been much maligned. Instead, I consider it thoroughly enjoyable, unforgettable and a staple of the genre. Maybe it didn’t make me an actual rap fan but “Hybrid Theory” showed me that rap definitely has its place in metal and at least deserves our respect if not affection (except gangsta rap, no respect for that at all).
Recommended tracks: Papercut, Points of Authority, Pushing Me Away
Topic: Adace's Top 50 Albums (Read 25073 times)
