Author Topic: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Honourable Mentions, I AM THE LAAAAAAAAAAST!  (Read 45353 times)

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Online jjrock88

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. A Little Cheese and the Ocean
« Reply #140 on: October 01, 2012, 01:25:02 PM »
Any album that has Michael Kiske AND Alice Cooper on it is all win to me!

Offline Scorpion

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #141 on: October 01, 2012, 02:15:10 PM »
Another update for today, before I hit the sack. :laugh:

22. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)



This album, released in 1970 is the oldest album on my list, and probably also the oldest album that I own. It is often cited as one of the defining album of heavy metal, and indeed, I can think of few other albums that have shaped the genre in such a way that Paranoid has. The album still shows the blues influences of Sabbath’s debut album, but it took the whole thing into a harder and more straightforward direction, best observed on the title track.

Every member of the band is pretty much on fire for this record, with Tony Iommi being the true star of the album however, with his guitar tone defining both the sound of this record and the sound of many other metal bands that were to follow up on this record. His often simple, yet never repetitive or boring riffs, coupled with memorable leads truly show his skill and that, coupled with his song writing prowess is what makes him, in my opinion, one of the fathers of metal as we know it, far more than Ozzy could ever be.

The song writing on this album is certainly the band at their peak, with the album being precisely to the point: this album may only be 42 minutes long, but there is not a second of these 42 minutes that I don’t enjoy. Especially the rather atmospheric and bluesy feel of Planet Caravan serves as a nice contrast to the other, more straightforward songs, and is executed masterfully –as are all the other songs, to that matter.

The production of this album is not the best when observed by today’s standards, but considering the fact that it was recorded more than forty years ago, the production is actually very good and honestly, a brilliant and perfectly crisp production wouldn’t work the same way as this album does as it is.

There isn’t really much more to say here, because everyone should have at least listened to this album once, and be it only for its massive influence on so many kinds of music, even if not everyone likes it.

Recommended tracks: War Pigs, Paranoid, Planet Caravan, Iron Man, Electric Funeral, Hand of Doom

21. Haken – Visions (2011)



Haken are one of the more recent bands that entered the world of progressive metal, with their debut album being released only in 2010, but from their debut album on (I haven’t heard the demo, so I can’t comment on that), these six guys from Britain have shown that they are undoubtedly a band from which one can expect many great released in the future – their first album already showed them more adept in meshing different genres than many bands are at their peak.

Their follow-up album, Visions, was released only a year later, and yet one could clearly hear how much the band had evolved and matured in this time. While the debut album Aquarius, as awesome as it was, was still riddled with growing pains, mainly on the side of the vocalist Ross Jennings (his vocals sounded rather inconsistent at times, and his vocals melodies often left quite a little to desire), Visions has been a step into the right direction in all aspects and has indeed abolished the problems of the debut in most areas.

The song writing on this album really shows Haken’s talent best, with the album containing everything that you want from a progressive metal band, be it longer epics (Nocturnal Conspiracy, Visions), instrumentals (Premonition, Portals), shorter and more straightforward songs (The Mind’s Eye, Insomnia) or atmospheric pieces of beauty (Deathless), this album has it all, and more importantly, it has it all done correctly. While many progressive metal bands lose themselves in their technical prowess and fall into the trap of overplaying for the sake of it, Haken never make this mistake – they do show their chops, of course, but it never feels out of place.

If you are a fan of progressive metal or rock, then you should listen to this album, because it is pretty close to the epitome of what the genre is about, and it is definitely one of the finest released in this genre of the last decade.

Recommended tracks: Nocturnal Conspiracy, The Mind’s Eye, Shapeshifter, Deathless, Visions
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Offline kirksnosehair

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #142 on: October 01, 2012, 02:18:21 PM »
I love that Maiden disc.  Never did warm to Praying Mantis all that much, despite trying.

Offline Nekov

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #143 on: October 01, 2012, 02:21:01 PM »
Paranoid is a good record. Visions on the other hand is beyond words. I think I ranked it even higher.
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #144 on: October 01, 2012, 02:25:48 PM »
Not a Sabbath fan whilst Ozzy was in the band, though I do like the classics. Much prefer Dio era Sabbath and Martin era too. I do love Ozzy's early albums though.

Visions is an excellent DT style album- enjoy it alot.

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #145 on: October 01, 2012, 02:25:54 PM »
Two phenomenal records  :metal

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #146 on: October 01, 2012, 02:43:05 PM »
Visions on the other hand is beyond words. I think I ranked it even higher.

I know I did. Nice picks!  :hat
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Offline TAC

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #147 on: October 01, 2012, 03:19:54 PM »
I should check out Visions. I was lukewarm on the debut. Can't argue with Paranoid, but I would take a number of other Ozzy era albums over it.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Online jjrock88

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #148 on: October 01, 2012, 06:01:32 PM »
Great pick with Paranoid!!

Offline Mladen

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #149 on: October 02, 2012, 12:24:12 AM »
Paranoid  :tup But how come Fairies wear boots isn't one of your favorites? Thank God you didn't list Rat salad as well.  ;D

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #150 on: October 02, 2012, 04:55:21 AM »
Paranoid  :tup But how come Fairies wear boots isn't one of your favorites? Thank God you didn't list Rat salad as well.  ;D

I'd probably agree with his favs songs.  FWB is great but I always thought it was one of the weakest tracks, never understood the amount of praise it got to be honest.
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Offline kirksnosehair

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. The Old and the New
« Reply #151 on: October 02, 2012, 07:35:12 AM »
I should check out Visions. I was lukewarm on the debut. Can't argue with Paranoid, but I would take a number of other Ozzy era albums over it.


Visions is very similar.  There's something about Haken that kind of....I don't know....I can't quite put my finger on it, but while I definitely enjoyed both albums and listened to them for a while when they were released, I never feel any urge to go back and listen to them now.   And I don't think I could tell you the name of a single song from either album.  I'm not saying it's bad music, but for some reason it just wasn't very memorable I guess 

Offline Scorpion

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #152 on: October 02, 2012, 12:33:29 PM »
20. Judas Priest – Stained Class (1978)



Deciding between this album and Sad Wings of Destiny was probably the hardest decision of this whole list, but in the end, Stained Class won out, if only for the fact that this album introduced me to Judas Priest – and what an album it is! The fourth album of the established metal band Judas Priest really had them firing all cylinders, and it shows everywhere on this record.

Opening up with what is the second best album opener that Priest have ever written (second only to The Hellion/Electric Eye), Exciter is a hint of what is to come on this album: it’s fast and heavy, yet melodic, with great and memorable riffs, jaw-dropping leads and some of the best vocals that Halford has ever recorded for Judas Priest.

Over the whole 43 minutes of this record, it doesn’t let up a bit, with the album containing no weak track and some of the best that Judas Priest have ever written, with the aforementioned Exciter, Stained Class and of course the beautiful Beyond the Realms of Death, which is my favourite Priest song and one of my favourite metal songs in general being a step above the rest of the material, which is all at least very good in its own right as well.

One thing that could be improved on this album is the production. For many albums from this time period, the production actually adds a certain atmosphere, but that is not really the case here, with the only exception being Beyond the Realms of Death, which works perfectly the way it is. The other tracks could do with some polishing, though it is a minor flaw at best and nothing that detracts from the enjoyment of the album in any way.

Recommended tracks: Exciter, Stained Class, Beyond the Realms of Death

19. Praying Mantis – Time Tells No Lies (1981)



Time Tells No Lies was Praying Mantis’ debut album, and it is their most popular to this day. Listening to this record, it isn’t hard to spot why: this album, even though it was the first album that the band recorded, was already a masterpiece, perfectly capturing the essence of melodic rock in this single album. Every track on this album is very good or better, with the lead single Cheated actually being one of the weaker songs on this album, which isn’t to say that the song is bad – it’s simply not as great as the others are.

The album opens with the already mentioned single Cheated, and while this already an absolutely gorgeous piece of melodic rock, there are even better songs to follow. Both All Day and All of the Night and Running for Tomorrow up the ante directly afterwards, with both songs showing Praying Mantis’ strengths very well. Rich City Kids, while good, is however the weakest track on the album and feels kind of underwhelming, especially when put onto a record with all the other awesome tracks on this album.

If the album was a great album from the beginning to Rich City Kids, then the last six tracks are what make this album truly brilliant and a masterpiece of melodic rock. From Lovers to the Grave to the album closer Thirty Pieces of Silver, one can find some of the best 29 minutes that melodic rock has to offer, with every aspect of the genre being present. From power ballads (Lovers to the Grave) over mid-tempo rockers (Beads of Ebony, Children of the Earth) to fast-paced songs that showcase the musical abilities of the members, this album has it all, and it is, in almost all cases done extremely well. Everyone who is interested in melodic rock should check this record out.

Recommended tracks: Lovers to the Grave, Panic in the Streets, Beads of Ebony, Thirty Pieces of Silver

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Offline kirksnosehair

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #153 on: October 02, 2012, 01:11:55 PM »
That's a quality Priest album.  Not really into Praying Mantis

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #154 on: October 02, 2012, 01:15:06 PM »
Scorp, that is a great Priest album.

Tell me, who is the vocalist on the first Praying Mantis album? I never followed them.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #155 on: October 02, 2012, 01:16:46 PM »
Scorp, that is a great Priest album.

Tell me, who is the vocalist on the first Praying Mantis album? I never followed them.

A dude named Tom Jackson. Never heard of him. :lol
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Offline Nekov

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #156 on: October 02, 2012, 01:36:48 PM »
You are killing me Scorp. Never listened to Praying Mantis and I've only listened to Painkiller by JP.
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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #157 on: October 02, 2012, 03:30:01 PM »
Stained Class is great but I agree about the production- the same as with all 70s Priest. They just didn't sound powerful enough. Starnge that the so-called live album sounds better than the studio stuff.

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #158 on: October 02, 2012, 05:24:15 PM »
Shit, your first update where I don't know either.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #159 on: October 02, 2012, 05:57:57 PM »
Wrong Haken album, but cool to see them on here. Also awesome to see The Scarecrow.
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Online jjrock88

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. This Stuff Is Older Than I Am!
« Reply #160 on: October 02, 2012, 09:38:29 PM »
Beyond the Realms of Death is off the charts amazing.

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #161 on: October 03, 2012, 03:35:50 AM »
Two more albums! I'm not really happy with the write-ups for them, but I sat on them quite a while and I can't get them any better right now.

18. Savatage – Poets and Madmen (2001)



Poets and Madmen is Savatage’s last album and, in my humble opinion, it is also their best. Even though (or maybe even because) both Zachary Stevens and Criss Oliva, who had defined Savatage’s sound on prior albums are no longer a part of the band, , the sound of this album is very different than that of most other Savatage albums, with the album sounding far grittier and darker than previous efforts.

Poets and Madmen is also the first Savatage album since streets to feature solely Jon Oliva on the vocals, and it is probably his voice that is the key part of the atmosphere of the album. Even though Stevens is probably far more skilled than Oliva is, the latter’s voice has very honest and emotional delivery to it, which is what makes me prefer it to the vocals on every other Savatage album.

Both musicianship and song writing on this album are nothing short of stellar, with the album featuring most of my favourite Savatage songs and musical moments, like the main riff and the solo of Morphine Child, the insanity of Man in the Mirror, perfectly captured in the stark contrast between verses and chorus, and the astounding soloing on Commissar. There are some songs that I don’t care for as much as others, but even those are very good, both in terms of song writing and musicianship.

If earlier Savatage album are too glammy or too upbeat for your tastes, then look no further than Poets and Madmen. This album is gritty, dark and emotional in a way that no other Savatage album manages, and the results are nothing short of amazing.

Recommended tracks: Commissar, Morphine Child, Man in the Mirror, Back to a Reason

17. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)



Pink Floyd’s ninth album shows, as many others would agree, the band and Waters at their musical and lyrical peak. The album contains only four songs, but all these four songs are masterpieces in their own right, with Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here being some of the most emotional performances in the history of rock music.

The album follows a loose lyrical concept, dealing with the themes of absence, inspired by the former band mate Syd Barrett, but also the music industry and their machinations. These themes are brought to life by both the band’s musical and Water’s lyrical genius, creating an album that of such emotional, musical and lyrical strength that few album can match.

The two most well-known tracks on this album, Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here are also my favourite off this album, but there is really not a bad track on the album. If you have by some coincidence not heard this absolute masterpiece of rock music, then do so right now.

Recommended tracks: Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Were Here, Have a Cigar

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Offline wolfking

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #162 on: October 03, 2012, 04:34:52 AM »
Poets was on my list too, incredible album.  Although;

both Zachary Stevens and Criss Oliva, who had defined Savatage’s sound on prior albums are no longer a part of the band, , the sound of this

Zak gave the band a more mainstream sound and opened them up to a wider audience, but IMO Jon is and defined the sound of Savatage.  Zak just opened a new chapter.
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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #163 on: October 03, 2012, 04:38:20 AM »
Poets was on my list too, incredible album.  Although;

both Zachary Stevens and Criss Oliva, who had defined Savatage’s sound on prior albums are no longer a part of the band, , the sound of this

Zak gave the band a more mainstream sound and opened them up to a wider audience, but IMO Jon is and defined the sound of Savatage.  Zak just opened a new chapter.

Yeah, maybe that was a bad wording. But he had shaped the sound of the band considerably, so my point still stands.
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Offline wolfking

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #164 on: October 03, 2012, 04:46:51 AM »
That's fine, I understand what you are getting at.
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Offline Nekov

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #165 on: October 03, 2012, 06:23:41 AM »
WYWH should be higher on the list. It's good that you have it there though  :tup
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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #166 on: October 03, 2012, 07:39:38 AM »
Savatage & Pink Floyd ... agree with the bands.. not really with the albums.... good song choice though... seeing Have a Cigar on the rec'd songs list makes me happy... Jon Oliva is ma man..

lovely write-ups  :tup

Offline kirksnosehair

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #167 on: October 03, 2012, 07:42:27 AM »
heh, that Savatage album was #39 on my list  :metal

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #168 on: October 03, 2012, 07:56:37 AM »
I could never get into Savatage.

Love WYWH!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #169 on: October 03, 2012, 08:28:31 AM »
I've liked or loved most Sava albums from Hall onwards but I was disappointed in P&M tbh. Not sure why and haven't listened to it in years. I bought the special edition too 'cos I expected to like it. Will dig it out and have another go.

Not a PF fan but this is their best album, along with Division Bell for me.

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #170 on: October 03, 2012, 10:45:20 AM »
Stained class and Wish you were here  :tup

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Re: Scorpion's Top 50 Albums v. Absence, Insanity and the Music Industry
« Reply #171 on: October 03, 2012, 10:54:54 AM »
Two great choices!

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16. die ärzte – 13 (1998)



As I already mentioned in my review of Geräusch, die ärzte are masters in meshing certain musical styles with each other and inject a sense of humour into them that is right up my alley, and there is no album where they were more successful with this than on 13. And while I praised Geräusch a lot already, there is a certain thing missing on it that you don’t even notice until you directly compare it with this album, and that is the perfect mesh of serious issues and humour, not only on the album, but in the songs themselves. Whereas on Geräusch you almost had the strict separation of serious and funny songs, the band manages to fill this album with songs that contain the best of both worlds.

Of course, there are still the odd completely serious song (Rebell) or those that completely consist of goofing off (Meine Freunde), but the majority of the songs succeed mainly because they successfully blend humour with content that actually bears thinking about, and they do so in a way that the humour doesn’t detract from, but rather adds to the song, like in Goldenes Handwerk, Nie Wieder Krieg, Nie Mehr Las Vegas, Männer sind Schweine or Grotesksong.

Even though this might seem like a contradiction to what I just said, the songs that I actually enjoy most individually are the more serious ones, like Rebell and Nie gesagt, but an album comprised solely of these songs wouldn’t work nearly as well as this album does, by providing the perfect balance between the two aspects of the musical identity of die ärzte.

Once again, the music itself is, at its base, rock, but with many influences thrown in here and there, be it jazz (Punk ist…), metal (Ignorama, Grau) and even some electronic elements (Männer sind Schweine). Still, compared to other albums, there is noticeably less musical diversity on this album, yet the album never feels boring (though that is largely because of the lyrics, so I suspect that someone who doesn’t understand German will get bored rather quickly).

13 really represents the musical peak of die ärzte, both lyrically and musically, a peak that they had been climbing up toward since their reunion in 1993, and one that they have, and will probably never reach again. One of the best German rock albums that I know.

Recommended tracks: Nie Wieder Krieg, Nie Mehr Las Vegas, Rebell, Der Graf, Nie gesagt, Grotesksong

15. Symphony X – The Damnation Game (1995)



Both Symphony X’s first two and last two albums have been subject of heavy criticism, and even though I enjoy every album that the band has put out, I can understand where the critics are coming from when talking about the debut (bad production and a somewhat awkward-sounding singer), Paradise Lost and Iconoclast (too samey in sound throughout, as well a very one-dimensional Russell Allen). With The Damnation Game, however, the criticism leaves me honestly baffled, because this album is nothing less than one of the best albums that Symphony X have ever released.

The neoclassical influences of the band are very prevalent here, with The Damnation Game and Dressed to Kill being perfect examples of this, mainly through the use of the harpsichord for melodies, solos and unisons, which, coupled with the melodies used, gives the whole thing a rather baroque feel to it. However, even though many people find it annoying and cheesy, I have always, when done tastefully, enjoyed things like this a lot, so you’ll find no complaint from me here.

One thing in particular that stands out on this album, in comparison to other Symphony X albums, is the creativity and versatility of the bass guitar, courtesy of Thomas Miller, on this album in a way that only The Divine Wings of Tragedy can match (the production on the debut is too shoddy to be able to clearly say something about the basslines there). At many times (certainly more often than on other metal songs), Romeo and Pinella let Miller take the stage and impress us with his short and yet jaw-dropping bass leads, as can be heard on The Edge of Forever, for instance.

The rest of the musicians show that they are some of the best in their fields as well on this album, with especially Romeo’s and Pinella’s work as they trade off melodies and leads being nothing short of amazing. Especially Romeo’s guitar tone on this album is something to behold, clear and majestic as opposed to the almost synthesizer-like sound of recent records.

And lastly, we have Sir Russell Allen on the vocals, and this man is truly a beast. This album is his debut with Symphony X and he could not have made a better first impression. From his first appearance in the title track to the last moments of A Winter’s Dream, Allen’s performance on this album is flawless, showing him to be superior to previous singer Rod Tyler (who wasn’t a bad singer by all means himself) in all aspects.

This album probably isn’t the best place for a Symphony X novice to start – that honour goes to Twilight in Olympus or The Divine Wings of Tragedy – and just how great this album only revealed itself to me after many listens, but when it does click, it is definitely worth it.

Also, this album is proof that many of the best things of humanity come from 1995.

Recommended tracks: Dressed to Kill, The Edge of Forever, Whispers, Secrets, A Winter’s Dream

« Last Edit: October 04, 2012, 11:44:33 AM by Scorpion »
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Online jjrock88

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This was the first Symphony X album I bought and what got me into the band. I was blown away then and still am. Just listened to it the other day.

Offline jingle.boy

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Just finally caught up.  So far, I'm 50/50 on the list... those mentioned that I know are great (and a few made my top 50); the others, meh.  But hey... that's tastes for ya.

I'm not sure I would put Damnation in my Top 10 for S-X albums (yes, I'm aware of how many albums they have released).  Sorry, but it's right down there with their s/t as my least favorite.
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