12. Kamelot – The Black Halo (2005)
Memento Mori. Nuff said. The Black Halo was the last great Kamelot album before they got all gothic on us and started writing boring elevator music. The album starts off with their heaviest track, March Of Mephisto. Kamelot is known for being a power metal band, but this is some pure Heavy Metal. Featuring vocals by Demon Booger’s Shagrath, who plays the role of Mephisto, adds even more heaviness that’ll blow Doc Brown’s mind. When The Lights Are Down is a more traditional power metal tune, but still keeps it heavy. Kamelot has never really written the rainbows and unicorns poppy power metal like Sonata Arctica used to, at least not to my knowledge. They’ve always had a darker heavier tone, and it’s much more present on The Black Halo, even on the fast tracks. But there are also more mid tempo moodier pieces like This Pain and Moonlight. Roy Khan gives us an exceptional performance on Abandoned, which also has a reprise from Epica that is really beautiful, haunting and epic. I’m not much for the interludes of Epica and The Black Halo, but Interlude I: Dei Gratia, which comes before Abandoned is also really eerie and haunting and opens the track well. Back to Memento Mori now. The almost 9 minute masterpiece is Kamelot’s crowning achievement and I don’t think they’ll ever surpass it. They pulled out all the stops for this song, and within in it, created an intense and just bad ass instrumental section which isn’t common in Kamelot’s music. Some say having Serenade as the closer track kills the epic finish from Memento Mori, but I rather like Serenade, and it works as a cool down from the epic ear fucking that Memento Mori just gave us. A lot of sequels suck, but The Black Halo surpasses Epica in every regard, and is Kamelot’s best album. AND THAT’S OBJECTIVE BECAUSE I SAID SO!
Recommended tracks: When The Lights Are Down, Soul Society, Abandoned, Moonlight, The Black Halo, Memento Mori, Serenade
11. The Magnificent – The Magnificent (2011)
This was the album where Michael Eriksen knocked Russell Allen out of my #1 singer spot. I was quite amused and put off when I saw the track list for this album because of all the cheesy song titles which screamed 80s hair metal, but once I listened to it I was surprised by how good these songs were. Yes, they are very cheesy 80s inspired hair metal love songs, but they are written really well, and I don’t think the album as a whole would have worked with someone else singing. Michael Eriksen has so much charisma and passion in his singing and fits in so well. As a homage to 80s hair metal, they do it better than every band I’ve heard from that genre (Come at me, Kangaroo Humper) and have way more class. Holding On To Your Love, Cheated By Love, and Memories start off the album with a 1-2-3 punch from hell. Seriously, not many albums start off this strong. Memories, my favorite from the album is so much fun to sing along to and the song in general is just so…. Happy. Sometimes that’s just the best kind of rock/metal to listen to. I cannot say enough good things about Michael Eriksen’s performance here, but it would be a crime not to mention the brilliance of the other musicians. I believe if The Magnificent would have come out in the 80s, they would have been bigger than Bon Jovi. I’m going to be a broken record again, but every song on this album could be a hit. Pretty much every song follows the same formula and structure which is certainly a deal breaker for some, but The Magnificent isn’t a prog band, and other than the song structures, these songs sound nothing alike. I hope The Magnificent isn’t a one off project, because I WANT MORE. As I said, I was never a big fan of hair metal. Bands like Whitesnake have several good songs, but they also produced a lot of limburger. Only grade A Cheddar with The Magnificent
If you like hair metal, and want something modern, check this album out NOW!
Recommended tracks: Holding On To Your Love, Cheated By Love, Memories, Love’s On The Line, Tired Of Dreaming, Lost
HM's:
Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)I haven't listened to this that much, but giving it props for the holy shit vocals and catchy, but badass metal.
Loreena McKennitt – The Book Of Secrets (1997)Nice new age folky stuff. You may have heard the remix of The Mummer's Dance. McKennitt has a nice voice, and there are some cool instrumentals here too.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)Although I think this album is highly overrated, at the same time, it deserves the praise. I haven't heard every Pink Floyd album, but of the run from '73 to '79, this album is the most consistent, and doesn't have any weirdness going on (debatable I'm sure). I don't listen to this album much at all, but when I do, it's quite an enjoyable 40 minutes.
Topic: Zook’s Top 50 Albums Thread! v. A New #1 Has Been Crowned (Read 34677 times)
