MikeMangioy's 50 reasons why I'm better than you - v. Numero Uno

[mikemangioy]

Well, it’s finally my turn to do the infamous Top 50 albums list. As you may already know, I’m not a list guy, as I don’t like the feeling of saying “This is better than that”, but following these lists on this board is very fun and I always end up discovering great stuff in them. So I figured “Hey, let’s do it. Why not?” and here I am.

I’m a guy that loves music, especially rock and metal. I know that most of you are crazy explorers, always seeking new artists, but me? Not so much.
I like it more when a band hits me automatically, and that’s the reason why I probably know much less music that the rest of you guys, and also the reason why this list is pretty cliché, actually. But hey, I’m only 15 so I got plenty of time to get into more and more bands as time passes.

This list is from the heart. I chose the 50 albums very easily, and I ranked them very easily too. It was surprising how easy of a process it was, but still, this list is just ranked because it is a list and the ranking is not that important. At least until the top 20.
Being a pretty genuine and from-the-heart list, there are a lot of recurring artists. And pretty well known artists too. But expect also some obscure stuff.

Ok now I’ll stop talking and I’ll explain to you how this is gonna work:
I’ll do one album per post, and the review is gonna be divided in these sections:
-   The review itself
-   How have I discovered it (this will appear only when an artist gets mentioned for the first time)
-   The favorites

OK! I’ll start in a few hours. If you want to follow, please feel free to tell me. See you soon 

[Lowdz]

I'm a sucker for these lists so I'm in. I could have done a top 50 at 15 but it would have had alot of NWOBHM bands in it. And lots of Rush.

[Evermind]

I'm following, but I've got to say starting the list without the first update or at least honorable mentions is a mean thing to do. 

[Tomislav95]

I'm following this because lists
I've been thinking about doing top 50 list myself but I'm not very good at writeups and I think I don't know enough music. Maybe someday

[mikemangioy]

I'm following, but I've got to say starting the list without the first update or at least honorable mentions is a mean thing to do. 

 

[Sacul]

Will follow just because I'm a sucker for lists. And music ones are some of may favorites. I expect to find some really interesting stuff here .

[Xenon]

Following.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Hey, I don't even think I could have come up with a full top 50 list when I was 15. Looking forward to it.

[mikemangioy]

Let's kick this off.

#50

NEVERMORE - NEVERMORE

Heavy/Thrash Metal - 1995

At the bottom of the list there’s the debut album by the Seattle non-grunge band Nevermore.
IMO Nevermore are very underrated. Even though they don’t come from California nor they’ve been founded in the eighties, their name should be up there with Testament and Exodus as one of the best metal bands (even though they’re not exactly thrash metal).

This album is their first album and you can tell that it’s a debut even if you didn’t know it: it just sounds like something has to evolve in this album, and infact their sound has evolved album by album until Dead Heart In A Dead World and This Godless Endeavor, which IMO are their masterpieces.
The riffing is great, creative and Jeff Loomis is one of the best guitarists around, even though he is very underrated like the band itself. His solos are halfway Petrucci and halfway Mustaine, with a touch of Maiden. The drumming is great too, even though I don’t really love the drum sound in this one.
 A cool and unique element of Nevermore (both their strong and weak point) are Warrell Dane’s vocals: he sounds great, he has a both angelic and demonic operatic voice and his use of falsetto is creative. Now, in this album it doesn’t happen, but sometimes the vocal lines in Nevermore songs are just wrong, like they are taken from other songs and pasted in editing. One example of this? Next In Line.

Song-wise the album is varied: we have the opener, What Tomorrow Knows which is a funereal-march-sounding track, with an obsessive riff that repeats over and over. It’s actually pretty strange, there aren’t any other Nevermore songs like this one, but it works. The ballad of the album, The Sanity Assassin, has a great chorus that will be stuck in your head as soon as you listen to it and an evil sounding bridge, with positive lyrics, I always liked the contradiction there. Other tracks include the groovy Garden Of Gray, the furious thrashers Sea Of Possibilities and Godmoney, and the ode to LSD, Timothy Leary.

Tracklist:                                                Personnel:
What Tomorrow Knows                                       Warrel Dane: vocals 
C.B.F.                                                                  Jeff Loomis: guitars
The Sanity Assassin                                            Jim Sheppard: bass
Garden Of Gray                                                   Van Williams: drums on CBF, TSA, SOP,
Sea Of Possibilities                                              TL
The Hurting Words                                               Mark Arrington: drums
Timothy Leary                                                     
Godmoney


Favorites: The Sanity Assassin Garden Of Gray Sea Of Possibilities Godmoney

How I've discovered Nevermore
Back in February, a metalhead friend of mine posted on Facebook a status: “Dead Heart In A Dead World”, and I was like “OK.”. But then I read a comment under the status, saying “the best progressive thrash album”. My mind was blown. My two favorite types of metal combined? Are you joking? And then I listened to the record and I began a Nevermore fanboy for like a month and a half

#49

U2 - HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB

Alternative/Pop Rock, 2004 (damn this album is 10 years old already )

Back in 2005, this, Muse and Green Day were my jam. All three of them are on my list, two of them being with an album from that period. And this is U2’s.

Even though U2 do have mainstream success, no one really seems to mention them ever. The guys wrote some of the best sounding commercial rock songs, like Where The Streets Have No Name, and like all of the Achtung Baby record. And their shows, my God. Whoever is able to pull off shows like ZOOTV or PopMart or U2360° is a pro. Just that.

This record is really relaxing and laid back, even in the moments when it gets heavier like the first track, Vertigo, and All Because Of You. All four of the guys work great and make a quite unique sound, which, as DT fans, we kinda know well (ahemIWalkBesideYouLiftingShadowsahem). That’s it, nothing else to say: it’s a really laid-back record, like most of U2’s stuff. There are also some different mood songs like Love And Peace Or Else, which are a nice touch.

Tracklist:                                                Personnel:
Vertigo                                                                 Bono – vocals, add. guitar, piano
Miracle Drug                                                        The Edge – guitars, keys, back. Vocals
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own        Adam Clayton – bass, keys
Love And Peace Or Else                                      Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, back. vocals
City Of Blinding Lights
All Because Of You
A Man And A Woman
Crumbs From Your Table
One Step Closer
Original Of The Species
Yahweh


Favorites: basically track 1 through 6

How I've discovered U2
Ten years ago, a little me just started discovering music and U2 was pretty much the first band I got into. My dad was a huge fan, so he helped and also MTV helped () – Vertigo was my shit.

[sneakyblueberry]

I love the layout of your lists, mikemangioy.  Like a couple of songs on that U2 album, never heard Nevermore.  Following.

[Tomislav95]

I love Dead Heart in a Dead World by Nevermore but never heard debut (yet). U2 is not my cup of tea though.

[Evermind]

Never been a fan of U2. I've tried Dead Heart in a Dead World by Nevermore, can't say I liked it. Nothing wrong with it, just not the genre I would listen, so this update is 0/2 for me.

until Dead Heart In A Dead World and This Godless Endeavor, which IMO are their masterpieces.

I take it these two albums will eventually make an appearance on this list? 0/4 for me then. 

[mikemangioy]

I love the layout of your lists, mikemangioy.  Like a couple of songs on that U2 album, never heard Nevermore.  Following.

thanks man! Check them out, they're great 

until Dead Heart In A Dead World and This Godless Endeavor, which IMO are their masterpieces.

I take it these two albums will eventually make an appearance on this list? 0/4 for me then. 

maybe.. maybe not 

[wolfking]

Obscure Nevermore pick, but I approve.  Love seeing the more forgotten albums of an artist listed in people's 50.  Following.

[jjrock88]

That's a good Nevermore album. Garden of Gray is an excellent song. For me, no question that Dead Heart is their best album though.

Can't stand U2

[mikemangioy]

Obscure Nevermore pick, but I approve.  Love seeing the more forgotten albums of an artist listed in people's 50.  Following.

Thank you! It's quite an underrated album.

Can't stand U2

yeah, from what I see it's a pretty hit or miss band.

[mikemangioy]

Next two!

#48

GREEN DAY - AMERICAN IDIOT

Punk rock/Alternative rock, 2004

Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait STOP mashing that keyboard with insults. Ahem, yes I like Green Day. Yes, I know their latest three albums are absolutely atrocious (apart from a few songs). But American Idiot? American Idiot is great.

It’s their most proggy album too, given it is a concept album and given that there are two relatively long songs, with movements. But, honestly, the ”””””prog””””” elements are what I care the least about this record.
 You see, the thing is, this was basically my first album as a whole. Ten years ago, when I was 5, all I listened was this and a bit of U2 and Muse, as I’ve already said in the U2 write up before – and being a little kid this record was the right one: it is energetic, even the ballads are a bit uplifting and overall it’s just fun.

From the infamous opening title-track all the way to the emotional finale, Whatsername, AI tells the story of this guy, Jesus Of Suburbia, who escapes from his town, and he makes various encounters throughout his journey.
This record is pretty varied: we have straight punk pieces like St. Jimmy, long suites like Jesus Of Suburbia and Homecoming (best song of the record), the four singles that everybody knows: American Idiot, Holiday, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (the outro of that song is as heavy as Green Day can get) and Wake Me Up When September Ends, and some underrated ballads like Give Me Novacaine and Whatsername.

So yeah: energetic, straight to the point and overall fun.

Tracklist:                                                     Personnel:

American Idiot                                                           Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitar
Jesus Of Suburbia                                                     Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals,
Holiday                                                                      vocals on Homecoming
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams                                    Trè Cool – drums, backing vocals,
Are We The Waiting                                                  vocals on Homecoming
St. Jimmy
Give Me Novacaine
She’s A Rebel
Extraordinary Girl
Letterbomb
Wake Me Up When September Ends
Homecoming
Whatsername

Favorites: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams St. Jimmy Give Me Novacaine Homecoming Whatsername

How I've discovered Green Day:
The song American Idiot was EVERYWHERE at the time. Then Holiday was. Then Boulevard was. Then Wake Me Up was. You get the idea.

#47

EVILE - ENTER THE GRAVE
Thrash Metal, 2007

The next album is pure, raw, heavy and fast classic tharsh metal… done in 2007.
Evile is an English band, capable of taking each historic thrash metal band’s best characteristics and mix ‘em up together to create awesome thrash stuff.
We have Testament-sounding riffs, Metallica/Slayer vocals, Megadeth solos and some Iron Maiden-ish lyrics. Really a nice bundle of stuff.

Even though all the album is pretty similar, each song is memorable and there’s at least one riff per song that makes you go nuts.
The lyrics take inspiration from movies and facts: the title track talks about a serial killer, First Blood talks about Rambo, We Who Are About To Die is taken from The Gladiator and so on.

The not so good thing with Evile is that IMO, this is their only pretty good album. They wrote too much samey stuff, they should explore more.

So if you wanna listen to something heavy, fun while drinking beer, but still modern, put on some Evile and rock on. I know, it’s a pretty short review but that’s all there is to say.

Tracklist:                           Personnel:

Enter The Grave                              Matt Drake – vocals, rhythm guitar
Thrasher                                         Ol Drake – lead guitar
First Blood                                      Mike Alexander - bass
Man Against Machine                     Ben Carter - drums
Burned Alive
Killer From The Deep
We, Who Are About To Die
Schizophrenia
Bathe In Blood
Armoured Assault


Favorites: Enter The Grave Thrasher Burned Alive Schizophrenia

How I've discovered Evile:

Back in November ’13 IIRC, I was in a plug.dj page and someone put on an Evile song called In Dreams Of Terror. I was hooked since then.

[sneakyblueberry]

I was just thinking about American Idiot today.  It was the first present my girlfriend (now wife) ever bought me.  I wasn't a huge GD fan but that album is actually really good.  Its not like, Dookie good - but its good!

[Scorpion]

I've overplayed American Idiot slightly, but it's still good and has some of my favourite Green Day songs in Letterbomb, Give Me Novacaine, Wake Me Up, Homecoming and Whatsername.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I don't really have any strong opinion on American Idiot. It's just ok to me.

[wolfking]

I haven't really liked anything since Nimrod.

Evil are good, that album is really solid.

[Xenon]

Enter the grave is an amazing album.

[Obfuscation]

I think I prefer Dookie over American Idiot but I haven't heard those albums in years so not that strong of confirmation on that.

[bl5150]

I don't mind the look of where this is going.

So far:

Nevermore: a band I never connected with - would rather listen to Sanctuary

U2 : haven't heard anything I liked since Joshua Tree .

Green Day:  nah

Evile :  very good at what they do , which is to recapture the classic sound of Metallica/Slayer better than the bands do themselves these days. I like that album.

[mikemangioy]

Wow, I expected hate from Green Day but everything went better than I expected 

[Tomislav95]

Wow, I expected hate from Green Day but everything went better than I expected 

It's not that we love them but we refrain ourselves

[Sacul]

Cool choices - never heard any of those .

[Evermind]

Cool choices - never heard any of those .

Yep, this. I think I'll come back in this thread when I see an album I've actually heard. 

[mikemangioy]

Cool choices - never heard any of those .

Yep, this. I think I'll come back in this thread when I see an album I've actually heard. 

 

[Xenon]

The fun in following a list is discovering new music, or I am wrong?

[Evermind]

You're not wrong, but I've got enough new music for now, so for this list, the fun for me is commenting on something I actually know.

I'm checking out one random recommended song from these albums too, but nothing stood out so far. Just not my thing, I guess.

[mikemangioy]

Moving on!

#46

METALLICA - METALLICA (AKA The Black Album)
Heavy Metal, 1991

So, we all know who Metallica is, there’s no need to introduce them, but instead let’s introduce this record.
This record here, The Black Album, was the most commercially successful album by James and co., especially thanks to Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters. Many people bash this album based on that fact but everyone needs to realize that there are GEMS on this record.

The thrash sound is completely gone, what we have here is simple, pure and straight-forward heavy metal tunes. There’s still somewhat of a thrash influence (mainly in Through The Never), but the songs are shorter, and more straight to the point, and I like that: it’s different from the other ‘Tallica records (of course not different like Load and Reload, which BTW, are both great).

You come to enjoy this record when you realize what a great collection of song it is: we have the Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters pair of singles (which are the worsts song on the album IMO), then there’s that pounding awesomness of Sad But True, the fast-paced Holier Than Thou and The Struggle Within, there’s The Unforgiven, which is miles ahead of Nothing Else Matters as a ballad, the underrated Through The Never and the final songs, the best ones of the record: The God That Failed and My Friend Of Misery. Just awesome.

You can say anything to change my mind, to make me think and I know that Metallica has a thousands problems, but I think they might be my favorite band along with DT. *runs away and hides*

Tracklist:                                                  Personnel:

1.Enter Sandman                                                James Hetfield – rhythm guitar, vocals
2.Sad But True                                                    Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
3.Holier Than Thou                                             Lars Ulrich - drums
4.The Unforgiven                                                 Jason Newsted – bass, vocals
5.Wherever I May Roam
6.Don’t Tread On Me
7.Through The Never
8.Nothing Else Matters
9.Of Wolf And Man
10.The God That Failed
11.My Friend Of Misery
12.The Struggle Within


Favorites: Sad But True The Unforgiven Through The Never and the last three tracks.

How I've discovered Metallica:
I was arfraid of this band and metal in general when I was a child, but then I bought Guitar Hero Metallica. Yep. *runs further

#45

QUEEN - SHEER HEART ATTACK
I-don’t-know-about-you-but-I-can’t-find-a-genre Rock, 1974

Now, this is an historical band. Even if they didn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of music, Queen is (well, practically was) a band that managed to have a hit in every single album they’ve ever made. Seriously, even If you’re not into these guys at all you may know 20 songs already, that’s what happened to me, at least.

Sheer Heart Attack is the band’s third album and it was their most experimental at the time: we have a variety of sounds here – the strange Brighton Rock opens the record, followed by the Broadway-ish Killer Queen and the triple suite (that DT covered, too) Tenement Funster, Flick Of The Wrist and Lily Of The Valley. The album continues to twist and turn and we find pretty heavy stuff too (Flick Of The Wrist, Stone Cold Crazy) along with powerful ballads (In The Lap Of The Gods) and silly songs (Bring Back That Leroy Brown).

Definietly quite a journey of an album, nice to listen to if you want something both simple and complex, but still majestic. No pun intended.

Tracklist:                                                            Personnel:

1.Brighton Rock                                                               Freddie Mercury – vocals, piano
2.Killer Queen                                                                  Brian May – guitar, vocals, piano
3.Tenement Funster                                                        Roger Taylor – drums, vocals
4.Flick Of The Wrist                                                         John Deacon – bass, guitar on 10
5.Lily Of The Valley
6.Now I’m Here
7.In The Lap Of The Gods
8.Stone Cold Crazy
9.Dear Friends
10.Misfire
11.Bring Back That Leroy Brown
12.In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited

Favorites: Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley Stone Cold Crazy Misfire Bring Back That Leroy Brown

How I've discovered Queen:
Well, Queen is always been there as a band, I knew them since I was little, like everybody else. But it was when I saw a tribute band live in concert that I understood that they were one heck of a band, and so I explored their catalogue more.

[sneakyblueberry]

Solid update TF/FotW/LotV is a great medley, love the DT version as well

[Evermind]

I don't think I've ever listened to one full Queen album. I did listen to a lot of their songs though.

And this Metallica album is the first album on this list I actually own. Good stuff. I like both Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters though. Overall, definitely solid update.

[Sacul]

The fun in following a list is discovering new music, or I am wrong?

Oh yeah, and I'm adding that Green Day album and some Nevermore to my Have-to-listen-to-some-day-soon list, which isn't short .