Scorpion's Top 50 Albums, the 2nd v. All Going Away Now

[aprilethereal]

Two of my all-time favorites

[Riitasointi]

Personally would have rated them both higher but yeah, AMAZING albums! 

[Lowdz]

That Accept album is terrific.

Hell fu#king yes

Add another fan here. The last two have been excellent.
Love that Gamma Ray album too.

Not much else for me to get my teeth into so far but I did Spotify Mastodon's CTS the other day and sort of enjoyed it. I know that doesn't sound like great praise but it was great , I just don't know that I'd be in the mood to listen  to that sort of stuff very often.

[Scorpion]

40. Fates Warning – A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)



Fates Warning's A Pleasant Shade of Gray is unlike anything they have ever done, and it's amazing. While Fates Warning have made themselves a name for playing very good progressive metal (see Parallels or No Exit), this album is much more atmosphere-focused, which is doubtlessly Kevin Moore's work to a large part – his keys really shape the album. Alder's voice is amazing here as well, it's probably my favourite vocal performance of his. I don't listen to this album very often, mainly because it really is an album that you can't listen individual tracks from, but whenever I do, I am reminded again of the genius that is A Pleasant Shade of Gray.

Favourite tracks: The whole fucking thing

39. Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer (1992)



This is probably an unpopular choice for my second favourite Sabbath album, but I don't care. It might be due to the fact that, aside from the track Paranoid, this was the first that I heard of Sabbath, but it isn't ONLY that, because this album is truly fantastic. Dio delivers an amazing performance, Iommi's riffs rock just as hard as on the classic albums, and Geezer and Vinny are in top form just as much. What helps this album tremendously is it's pacing: it starts on a very high note with Computer God, which grabs the listeners attention, and then picks up quality again towards the end – the three closing tracks and the opener are my favourites here. While this may sound like there is a quality dip in the middle, which would make the album a little boring, this is not what it feels like – instead, it feels like the album is steadily gaining steam after a furious opening, making the whole album a great listen. My personal favourite here is I, mainly due to the simple but incredibly catchy main riff, but really, you can't go wrong with any of the tracks here.

Favourite tracks: Computer God, Too Late, I, Buried Alive

[wolfking]

Another quality update.

[jjrock88]

Two excellent releases.

[TAC]

Buried Alive is a great freaking track. Love the chorus!

[silentl]

[quote

Dio delivers an amazing performance, Iommi's riffs rock just as hard as on the classic albums, and Geezer and Bill are in top form just as much.
[/quote]


Isn't Vinny Appice playing drums on Dehumanizer?
BTW - excellent album!!!

[kirksnosehair]

Late to the party but following.


Killer Sabbath record! 

[jingle.boy]

Tried to get into Pleasant Shade.  Never could.  Never dove deep into Sabbath.

[TAC]

Tried to get into Pleasant Shade.  Never could.  Never dove deep into Sabbath.

I've always been lukewarm myself on APSOG. It had a could of great moments, but I find it relatively monotonous.

I appreciate the effort and the writing on it.

[Lolzeez]

Tried to get into Pleasant Shade.  Never could.

[Scorpion]

Isn't Vinny Appice playing drums on Dehumanizer?

That he is. Good catch, didn't remember that and didn't bother checking it again.

[Scorpion]

Two albums that I checked out due to Sigz's praise. Shame that he isn't around anymore, he'd approve of this update.

38. Agalloch – The Mantle (2002)



The Mantle was my introduction to the genius that is Agalloch, and, to me, it's the definition of a grower. When I first heard it, I thought that it was boring, monotone and meandering. Sure, bits appealed to me, but every song seemed to be longer than it needed to be. However, the bits that I did like didn't leave my head for weeks, and every time they caused me to return to the album, I loved it a little more, until, finally, the last two tracks – Odal and ...and the Great Cold Death of Earth – clicked into place for me as well. What makes this album so great is the amount of atmospheric detail that this album possesses, even though, or maybe because it takes such a long time to reveal it in its entirety. Another thing that is amazing here is the use of acoustic guitars, and often, the layering of electric and acoustic guitars, which produces an amazing depth of sound. One thing that doesn't quite appeal to me quite as much are John Haughm's clean vocals – his growls are massively superior – but they nevertheless contribute to the unique atmosphere of the album.

Favourite tracks: In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion, You Were But a Ghost In My Arms, ...and the Great Cold Death of Earth, The Hawthorne Passage, A Desolation Song

37. Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral (1994)



Having heard a lot of praise for this one, The Downward Spiral was my first Nine Inch Nails album and it immediately pulled me in. The atmosphere on this album is incredible, from the evilly distorted guitars to Trent Reznor's amazing vocals, everything here is amazing. Mr. Self Destruct kicks off the album amazingly with metallic drums, guitars that barely even sound like guitars any more and weirdly processed vocals, but it just works like a charm. From there, the album is an emotional rollercoaster like no other album that I know and never lets up, until the closing track Hurt, which is probably NIN's most popular track, but that doesn't make it bad – on the contrary, there's a reason why it's so popular, and it closes the album fantastically. This is definitely not an easy album, but once you've gotten into it, this is an album, nay, an experience unlike any other.

Favourite tracks: Mr. Self Destruct, Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now), March of the Pigs, Closer, Ruiner, A Warm Place, Eraser, Reptile, Hurt

[WindMaster]

The Mantle was a significant grower for me. I listened to it a couple times, and didn't like it. Then I came back to it for some reason, and loved it. That was 2 years ago and Agalloch is one of my favorite bands, and this album means so much to me, it's definitely in my top ten. I love every bit of Haughm's vocal style. His harsh vox are absolutely god-tier, and so are his clean vocals. Maybe you don't like that style of clean vocals as much as me, but I think the only Agalloch album with weak clean vox is Marrow. His other clean vox are just excellent.

[Ruba]

TDS! 

It wasn't a difficult album to get into for me, it clicked instantly. I had already heard Pretty Hate Machine and Broken, howeva, I wasn't a NIN virgin.

[adace]

Great pick with The Mantle, one of my favorite albums.

TDS is easily one of the best albums of the 90's though I still prefer The Fragile somewhat.

[kirksnosehair]

I tried really, really hard to get into Agalloch with "The Mantle" but it just didn't work for me, despite repeated effort.  Oh well.

[Scorpion]

36. Buckethead – Inbred Mountain (2005)



Inbred Mountain is, in my opinion, the best that Buckethead's wacky side has ever produced. Unlike his more melodic and calm albums like Colma, Electric Tears or its follow-up Electric Sea, or his more riff-driven stuff like Crime Slunk Scene or Albino Slug, Inbred Mountain is 100%, no-holds-barred insanity, and it works amazingly. This is a very difficult album to follow, mainly because of how eclectic it is and how patched-together it seems at first listen, but repeated listens reveal hidden structures and how the whole thing makes sense after all. What I also like about this album, is that the song titles tell a story, and that with the music accompanying them, you can really picture the story behind Inbred Mountain, making it a kind-of concept album (though I'd hesitate to call it that), and a very interesting one at that.

Favourite tracks: In Search of Inbred Mountain, Johnny Be Slunk, Lotus Island, Plastination Station, Escape from Inbred Mountain

35. Redemption – Snowfall on Judgment Day (2009)



Redemption are a band where you can't really go wrong with any of their albums (unless you pick up the s/t first, but chances are pretty slim), but Snowfall on Judgment Day was my first and will probably always be my favourite. Alder delivers an amazing performance here, and Nick van Dyk's songwriting reached amazing heights, especially with the amazing closer Love Kills Us All / Life In One Day. I can't really pinpoint what I like as much about this album as I do, as it is, no matter how you want to call it, pretty straightforward progressive metal, which is something that in general doesn't hold my interest a lot any more, but here, it works, and it works amazingly well.

Favourite tracks: Walls, Black and White World, What Will You Say, Fistful of Sand, Love Kills Us All/Life in One Day

[kirksnosehair]

Redemption 

[jingle.boy]

Redemption 

what he said.  Although, I prefer The Fullness of Time

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Really like Snowfall. I'm not too familiar with Buckethead, apart from a few random tracks.

[kirksnosehair]

Redemption 

what he said.  Although, I prefer The Fullness of Time

The Fullness of Time was my first Redemption album and still my favorite of theirs.  Snowfall is probably my second favorite.  I dig all of their albums, even the debut with that other guy on vocals.

[wolfking]

Best Redemption album, by a long mile.

[senecadawg2]

I tried really, really hard to get into Agalloch with "The Mantle" but it just didn't work for me, despite repeated effort.  Oh well.

Did you, per chance, ever give AAtG a try? Obviously not liking the Mantle doesn't help your chances of liking AAtG, but the two are quite different and you might find it more to your liking. It's less on the folk side of things, generally heavier, and gives much more bang for buck imo.

[Scorpion]

34. Ministry – Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and to Suck Eggs (1992)



Ministry are the masters of industrial metal, and no album shows it as much as this record does. Lightning-fast riffs, the shouted vocals of frontman Al Jorgenson, blistering solos and frantic drumming, everything comes together here to make Psalm 69 the ultimate Ministry album. Some of the tracks here, like Hero and Jesus Built My Hotrod, are some of the most well-known Ministry songs, but the others are no less brilliant. In fact, one of my favourite songs here is the mid-tempo number Scare Crow, which I rarely see mentioned, even among those that actually know/like this album. Also, while the title isn't my favourite from Ministry (From Beer to Eternity takes that one for sheer ridiculousness), it's still pretty awesome and shows that Ministry, despite how seriously they take the music they make, still have a sense of humour, and that's always good.

Favourite tracks: N.W.O., Hero, Scare Crow, Psalm 69, Corrosion, Grace

[Ruba]

Psalm 69 is excellent, but not my favourite Ministry album.

As far as I know, Scarecrow is one of their most popular songs. I like it too, but it's not among my favourites on album.

[Lolzeez]

Man my "to listen list" is gonna explode...

[Tom Bombadil]

I gave Redemption a try last night. First song I clicked on was Another Day Dies, and I was like "This dude sounds exactly like James Labrie"
 

They are an awesome band, though! Glad I tried it.

[Scorpion]

33. God Is An Astronaut – God Is An Astronaut (2008)



God Is An Astronaut have, over the last three months or so, become one of my favourite post-rock bands, and this is my favourite album of theirs. What I like about them and what sets them apart from other post-rock bands is that their music is more busy and tight than the usual post-rock (this album has one song longer than ten minutes, which is, from my – admittedly rather meagre – knowledge of the genre, a rarity), without losing any of its atmospheric qualities. The guitar is very much the lead instrument here, but it rarely solos or becomes technical, instead focusing on the atmosphere. If you don't like the meandering nature of post-rock, but are a fan of the atmosphere it creates, then this is a band and, by extension, an album that might be worth checking out.

Favourite tracks: Shadows, Echoes, Snowfall, Remaining Light, Shores of Orion, Loss

[SoundscapeMN]

Good album, but I'm surprised you didn't mention what I and I've seen others consider the best song on the GiaA S/T album, "Zodiac."

[Scorpion]

Good album, but I'm surprised you didn't mention what I and I've seen others consider the best song on the GiaA S/T album, "Zodiac."

It's a great song allright, like every song here, but it's never particularly grabbed me like the once that I mentioned do.

[Scorpion]

I had thought that God Is an Astronaut would generate more discussion.

32. Sentenced – The Cold White Light (2002)




Sentenced have undergone quite a change. Starting out as a run-of-the-mill death metal band, their sophomore release is heralded as the first melodic death metal album ever (and also, in my opinion, one of my favourites of the genre). However, as time went on, their sound changed and after their third album, which already notably strayed from death metal, they changed vocalists, to release what many consider to be their best album, Down. This album was completely devoid of death metal, with the band opting for a more rockish-straightforward sound, made unique by the morbidity of their themes and the voice of vocalist Ville Laihiala. I, however, disagree, with the general consensus, as I consider The Cold White Light to be their finest offering. It is much in the same vein of its predecessors Down, Frozen and Crimson, but what sets it apart from those is the absolute lack of filler tracks. Every track on this album is pure gold and works perfectly in the context of the album. The songs aren't exactly varied in their structure or their sound, but they don't need to, because there is just enough variety to keep the album from becoming boring and Sentenced do what they do very well anyway. Especially notable is the guitar playing of guitar mastermind Miika Tenkula and the unique sound of the vocals. My favourite here is probably Guilt and Regret, but really, you can't go wrong with any of these songs.

Favourite tracks:  Cross My Heart and Hope to Die, Aika Multaa Muistot (Everything Is Nothing), Excuse Me While I Kill Myself, Blood and Tears, Guilt and Regret, No One There

[wolfking]

That is the only Sentenced album I own, but it's really fantastic.

[aprilethereal]

I own Crimson, and there is some great stuff on it, but also waaaay to much filler