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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: twosuitsluke on November 29, 2018, 12:22:23 PM

Title: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #44 - Is Only For the Weak...
Post by: twosuitsluke on November 29, 2018, 12:22:23 PM
Don't Get Too Excited...




I have finally gotten here! When I joined this forum about 4 years ago I remember reading through loads of the archived 'Top 50' lists and discovering some great albums. I always planned doing one of these and life just always got in the way. I have hosted a roulette and also completed a few other threads that took a fair bit of time and effort. A couple of years ago I even had a 'Top 50' list all ready to go (which has since been revised).

It's only because Evermind has just starting doing his second list that the thought of doing my own list is back in the forefront of my mind. So you can thank (or blame) him for this.

Before I start I just want to give a little background to my musical journey and how I got here, with the tastes that I have. This list features what I consider to be my definitive (at this point in time) list of my top 50 albums of all time. I deliberated as to whether I should use a *one album per band* rule, as I know some of you have in the past. For me though, it just wouldn't work as I do want this to be a true list of my favourite all time albums. Basically, a lot of what I consider to be my favourite bands have just released too many stellar albums. Anyway, on to how I got to DTF, and this list...

Back when I was a kid I wasn't into music, like at all! I was obsessed with computer games (which will become apparent later) and football. I just didn't care for music, even though my Dad, older brother and older sister were all massively into music, which also had a big influence on my tastes, even though I didn't know it at the time. By the time I hit about 17 (which was in 2000) I started to develop an interest in hip-hop and rap. This was partly due to my brother making me a mix tape which featured Eminem, among others. My musical taste was also being influenced by computer games at the time (mainly Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Crazy Taxi, both of which had punk rock soundtracks). I started to actually enjoy listening to music. I moved out of my Mum's later that year and moved south to live with my Dad. I got my first job and my journey continued from there. I was still mainly into hip-hop but all the alternative music getting radio play at that time (Sum 41, Linkin Park, Blink 182) started changing my tastes and I started to want to listen to actual bands playing instruments and the call of the electric guitar had me.

Around this time a guy I used to work with brought in an album (as he often did) and started playing it at work. I was like "what the fuck is this? I know all these songs, this shit is amazing!". Turns out it was Metallica's 'Black Album'. My older brother, who is 8 years older than me and a massive metalhead, played that album to death in the early 90's (along with another album that will feature on this list later). I wasn't even aware as a kid that Metallica resonated with me so much, but they ended up being my gateway band. From here I went on a path that lead me through Metallica's discography (almost exclusively). I have a vivid memory of the moment when I left hip-hop behind and became a metalhead. I was in HMV, like a week after I'd heard 'The Black Album' at work, and I had 'Stoned Raiders' by Cypress Hill in one hand and 'The Black Album' in the other. I obviously went with Metallica and never really listened to hip-hop again. Around this same time I also started hanging out with a whole new circle of friends, leaving childhood friends behind and cementing friendships that have been really strong over the last 15-16 years. Two of my friends at that time used to listen to Green Day, ALL. THE. TIME. I was already open to punk rock and that band became a big deal to me. It also paved my way to getting into ska, ska punk and reggae. I continued for years following this to follow the path of metal and get into various sub genres.

That leads me to 2014, when I joined this incredible forum. I'd been on a bit of a Dream Theater kick (I'd been into them since 2005 but there were still some albums I'd never listened to) and ended up just exploring all the stuff I hadn't heard. I don't even know why I ended up here as I've never been one forums really (other than Wheel of Time ones). I just got to the point where I was fed up of hearing the same old thing and needed to find new bands out of my usual circle.

Anyway, all of this is just a bit of a back story. This list will be fairly different to a lot of 'Top 50' lists as mine features quite a lot of punk rock. I mean I have discovered some amazing music on this site but most of what I consider my favourite all time albums are albums I discovered before ever coming here. There are very few albums I discovered in the last four years on this list. Even though this list isn't really representative of my current tastes it does list the albums that have impacted me most.

I want to start with some honourable mentions as my list ended up totalling 66. I'll split them up into either two posts of 8 or for posts of 4. I'll get this started tonight and try to keep the pace up as best I can but work is always kicking my ass... 

tl;dr basically...

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Crow on November 29, 2018, 12:24:59 PM
#1: Beyond the Bridge - The Old Man and the Spirit
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on November 29, 2018, 01:05:53 PM
On with the honourable mentions (part 1 of 4)...



Suicide By My Side
Sinergy
Genre: melodeath/power metal
2002


(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/5/6/6/2566.jpg?0025)


I discovered this band after bingeing on all of the Children of Bodom albums (this features Alexi Laiho and his then wife Kimberly Goss, on vocals). This album just shreds and is a must hear for fans of CoB  :metal



The Colour and the Shape
Foo Fighters
Genre: rock
1997


(https://img.cdandlp.com/2015/03/imgL/117430042.jpg)

I'm pretty sure I worked back and heard this after getting 'One By One', when it came out. This album just has so many good songs and is one that the Foos never managed to top in my opinion. I mean, famous tracks like 'Monkey Wrench' and 'Everlong' are just incredible but even the deeper cuts are perfect. 'Hey, Johnny Park!' may well be may favourite FF's song of all time.



Pound For the Sound
Capdown
Genre: skacore
2001


(https://img.discogs.com/WSwqNu9ppMi2xzXcuAgugV3sPKg=/fit-in/600x590/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1052646-1226812258.jpeg.jpg)

Capdown were part of the ska punk scene in the UK that was just vital and defining for me and a lot of my friends. They, along with other bands at the time, formed the most important 'scene' for me, in the UK, in the early to mid 00's. This is just the pinnacle of their work and it mixes ska, punk and hardcore (along with other elements) to make something that is as British as it is mind blowing. Just great stuff!




The Black Parade
My Chemical Romance
Genre: alternative rock/"emo"
2006


(https://img.cdandlp.com/2015/09/imgL/117585761.jpg)

Fuck the haters! This was the album where all my friends who had been like "MCR suck, fucking emo bullshit" ate their words and were begrudgingly like "This is alright actually". I love this band and this album was really important to me and was a big part to the soundtrack to my 2006. A great concept album, I was always destined for prog really  :rollin
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Crow on November 29, 2018, 01:21:24 PM
The Black Parade is actually great, yes
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Scorpion on November 29, 2018, 01:30:24 PM
WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY

Ahem. Great album. Need to relisten the whole thing, I haven't listened to it in a while.

That Sinergy album is dope also. :metal

Looking forward to the list!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: pg1067 on November 29, 2018, 02:01:38 PM

The Black Parade
My Chemical Romance
Genre: alternative rock/"emo"
2006


(https://img.cdandlp.com/2015/09/imgL/117585761.jpg)

Fuck the haters! This was the album where all my friends who had been like "MCR suck, fucking emo bullshit" ate their words and were begrudgingly like "This is alright actually". I love this band and this album was really important to me and was a big part to the soundtrack to my 2006. A great concept album, I was always destined for prog really  :rollin

I don't know diddly about this band or this album beyond the title track, which was the anthem for the L.A. Kings' 2012 run to the Stanley Cup, so I will forever love it.

https://youtu.be/tZL7S6vCVKY
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Bolsters on November 29, 2018, 08:29:09 PM
Following. Not familiar with anything yet.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Elite on November 30, 2018, 08:40:31 AM
Need to relisten the whole thing, I haven't installed while.

What? :lol
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Grappler on November 30, 2018, 08:51:01 AM
I'm a big fan of the first Sinergy album, which had Alexi Laiho and Jesper Stromblad on guitars.  I know the next two albums had Marco Hietala, but I never really got into them.

But that first album completely smokes.   :metal
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Adami on November 30, 2018, 01:20:17 PM
That's an awesome Sinergy album.

I remember I met Alexi after he and the singer broke up and the band was done, but I had noooo idea, so I kept asking him about it and he was just trying to evade answering without being rude. Dude was super cool considering I was (unknowingly) asking really rude questions.

But yea, great album. Marco's great on it too.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Evermind on November 30, 2018, 01:25:18 PM
Not familiar with anything so far, but I'm following. :tup
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on November 30, 2018, 01:48:47 PM
Yeah, that Sinergy album is really great.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on November 30, 2018, 04:02:30 PM
Glad to see Sinergy getting some love, it really is a great album  :hefdaddy

Not familiar with anything so far, but I'm following. :tup

Give the Sinergy album a listen dude, I'd love to get your opinion on it.

I'll try and update the next of the honourable mentions, in the next few hours  :corn
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on November 30, 2018, 04:05:48 PM
That's an awesome Sinergy album.

I remember I met Alexi after he and the singer broke up and the band was done, but I had noooo idea, so I kept asking him about it and he was just trying to evade answering without being rude. Dude was super cool considering I was (unknowingly) asking really rude questions.

But yea, great album. Marco's great on it too.

What a guy! I had a huge man crush on Alexi back in the day, I'd love to meet him. I'd probably just ask him what the fuck happened to his band and why they haven't released a decent album since 2005?!  So basically I'd also be asking him rude questions  :lol
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on November 30, 2018, 05:36:20 PM
Ok, let's move forward with part 2 of the honourable mentions...



Danzig II: Lucifuge
Danzig
Genre: metal
1990

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRxcfqsNGTdQDvVVAKnlNCKdifsnzq0VzGqrYDtrw37KDYVA52G)



This was one of my first old school metal albums that I listened to after my Metallica phase was ending and I was looking to explore the genre further. I'll never forget, my older brother gave me this album, Reign in Blood, Rust in Peace, Vulgar Display of Power and Arise! I mean what a killer selection of albums and a crash course in metal. This album is more bluesy than any of the other albums mentioned above but I love this album because of the stories and imagery that Danzing invokes. I'd recommend this album to anyone and everyone, it's just got a swagger to it. I've even got Blood and Tears tattooed on my arm  :lol



NOLA
Down
Genre: sludge metal
1995

(https://www.nuclearblast.de/static/articles/245/245169-1.jpg/1000x1000.jpg)



I was a big Pantera fan upon discovering (for those who don't know, Down features Phil and Rex, although he didn't play on this album, from Pantera, as well as Pepper Keenan from Corrosion of Conformity and Kirk Windstein from Crowbar) them and then ended up living with a friend who was equally as big a fan. I had no idea about Down back then but he used to play Stone the Crows all the time (which is still my fave Down song) and my love for this album just grew from there. It's easily my favourite Down album and just captures something I feel they were never able to recreate. Oh and the riffs! Those damn riffs!!!



Orchestra of Wolves
Gallows
Genre: hardcore punk
2006

(https://t2.genius.com/unsafe/224x220/https%3A%2F%2Fimages.genius.com%2F5e64229069215628cb858459899ae31a.500x493x1.jpg)



When Gallows hit the scene back in like 2005 or something, they were just like a breath of fresh air to me. They were young, angry and almost uncomfortably honest (in their lyrics). Orchestra of Wolves managed to somehow be aggressive and catchy at the same time! This album dealt with some serious issues in a really raw and real way. Just amazing, or at least to me it is.



The Sound of Perseverance
Death
Genre: progressive death metal
1998

(https://img.discogs.com/JXVwPP4bUK38QifZ-8dwFDeuyFQ=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-4062132-1527542555-2771.jpeg.jpg)



What can I say about Death that hasn't been said before. I'd tried all the classic death metal bands between like 2004-2008 or something (including most of Death's early albums). I left this one almost to last though and boy did I regret it! This seems to me like the album that probably paved the way for most modern progressive death metal (although I could be wrong). The production of this final Death album appeals to me more than their early albums and the songs just rule. If you've not heard it then go and listen now, get yourself educated.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Sacul on November 30, 2018, 07:12:13 PM
Nice, still haven't listened to that Down album but I'm looking forward to it  :metal
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Rattlehead on November 30, 2018, 08:06:25 PM
Lucifuge is one of my favorite albums of all time... Danzig was basically a bridge to me getting into heavier music back in the day, thanks to a good friend who introduced me to them. When I read the line about your Blood and Tears tattoo, the chorus almost immediately popped into my head and I had to go and listen to the song  :lol
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 01, 2018, 01:07:17 AM
Nice, still haven't listened to that Down album but I'm looking forward to it  :metal

It is a great album, not something I thought you'd be massively into but yea, the riffs are great.

Lucifuge is one of my favorite albums of all time... Danzig was basically a bridge to me getting into heavier music back in the day, thanks to a good friend who introduced me to them. When I read the line about your Blood and Tears tattoo, the chorus almost immediately popped into my head and I had to go and listen to the song  :lol

It is great, I don't think Danzig ever came close to topping the magic of this album. This would've made my top 50 years ago. Blood and Tears is one of my favourite metal ballads, so damn good.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on December 01, 2018, 03:11:09 AM
TSOP was number 33 on my top 50 years ago.  Such an amazing album and the perfect most accessible Death album.  I never thought about it being the foundation for progressive death, but you could be onto something there.

Down for some reason I've never checked out.  Never even heard a song, and I don't know why since I'm a huge Pantera fan.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Bolsters on December 01, 2018, 05:06:12 AM
NOLA is a cool album. I even sent a song from it in a roulette once.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 03, 2018, 07:12:35 AM
On with the third instalment of honourable mentions (I'll try and wrap the 4th up later tonight)...




The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed
The Wildhearts
Genre: rock
2003

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61KokZ1kUML.jpg)



Back in about 2009 my girlfriend, at the time, was lent this album by a friend of hers. I'd been aware of The Wildhearts for years (I think Ginger Wildheart is cool as fuck! I love his tattoos and his style) but never heard a thing by them. This album just blew me away. It is just chock full of catchy rock songs, that have punk and metal vibes as well. Like, every song is just great, has a catchy chorus and has something that just hooks you (or at least it does to me). A lot of fans rate their earlier albums higher but this is just a perfect little rock album to me and it was love at first listen.



Good Mourning
Alkaline Trio
Genre: punk rock
2003

(https://img.discogs.com/DmFgd-BsVdSJVDBw-J6P0KE0FnE=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-9648187-1485640119-6289.jpeg.jpg)



Alkaline Trio, where do I begin with my love for this band? I discovered them via the radio one rock show, when I used to work nights, back in like 2005? It was when Crimson was released, that became an album I loved but as I delved into their discography, it was Good Mourning that became my greatest love. This band are (for those who don't know) a dark, macabre punk rock band. They get lumped in with the popular pop punk bands of the early 00's (who I mostly love too) but they are so much darker. The lyrics are just great and the songs are punchy and catchy. I truly love this album and it's a shame it missed the top 50.



Crack the Skye
Mastodon
Genre: progressive metal
2009

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91SGL%2BKxlZL._SL1425_.jpg)



I surprised myself when I realised this also missed being in the top 50. I mean I love Mastodon and they really do have a great back catalogue, it's just when it came to rating the impact the actual top 50 albums had on me, this missed the mark. I mean it could've been any one of about 4 Mastodon albums that made it here but this one has a special place in my heart. There was a huge buzz around Mastodon when Leviathan came out and although I love both the albums that preceded this one, it was Crack the Skye that really made me love this band.



Shogun
Trivium
Genre: metal
2008

(https://img.secure.cdn2.wmgecom.com/media/catalog/product/cache/714/image/600x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/h/shogun_1.jpg)



Trivium were one of the first 'current bands' I got into after my Metallica obsession wore off. I'd been digging all the 80's and 90's metal bands but Trivium, along with bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine, were the first metal bands that were current and up and coming that I fell for (I mean the albums those three bands released in 2005 were just :hefdaddy ). Shogun came later though and I remember getting it for Christmas in 2008. It was a great album then but of all the Trivium albums, this is the sound and style I'd like to see them go back to. No surprises that this is Trivium at their proggiest. I mean just go listen to the song Shogun, it's probably my favourite all time Trivium song nowadays!!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Grappler on December 03, 2018, 07:20:48 AM
NOLA is an incredible Down album.  I love the band, but they really had something special on the first album.

The Sound of Perseverance was my first album by Death and I loved it from the start.  I'd had the Control Denied album for about 10 years before getting into Death, but then went back and acquired their full discography and hold them among my favorite death metal bands.  I think I listen to Symbolic more, since those songs have more hooks for me to dig into, but I will always love TSOP.

I haven't cared for Trivium since The Crusade came out. 
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Evermind on December 03, 2018, 07:55:55 AM
1/12, I own Crack the Skye but I'm honestly not into Mastodon that much. Also someone sent me Trivium in the roulette, it was alright but I didn't check it out further.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 03, 2018, 08:28:23 AM
NOLA is an incredible Down album.  I love the band, but they really had something special on the first album.

The Sound of Perseverance was my first album by Death and I loved it from the start.  I'd had the Control Denied album for about 10 years before getting into Death, but then went back and acquired their full discography and hold them among my favorite death metal bands.  I think I listen to Symbolic more, since those songs have more hooks for me to dig into, but I will always love TSOP.

I haven't cared for Trivium since The Crusade came out.

Yep, with you on the first point.

I find it crazy you had Control Denied for 10 years before working back! I was totally the opposite. I started with the early Death albums well over 10 years ago and only got around to listening to Control Denied about 2 years ago  :lol

With Trivium, have you ever listened to anything post The Crusade? Was it just because you didn't care for that album? Shogun is well worth a go if you ever liked anything about Trivium.

1/12, I own Crack the Skye but I'm honestly not into Mastodon that much. Also someone sent me Trivium in the roulette, it was alright but I didn't check it out further.

Can't think there is going to be a huge amount that you'd own in this list dude, probably only the odd power metal album. Do you remember what Trivium song you were sent?
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Grappler on December 03, 2018, 08:38:24 AM

Yep, with you on the first point.

I find it crazy you had Control Denied for 10 years before working back! I was totally the opposite. I started with the early Death albums well over 10 years ago and only got around to listening to Control Denied about 2 years ago  :lol

With Trivium, have you ever listened to anything post The Crusade? Was it just because you didn't care for that album? Shogun is well worth a go if you ever liked anything about Trivium.


I hated death metal growls in the 90's and early 00's, and only got on board with some of the melodic death bands like In Flames, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity.  In the mid 00's, I started getting more into straight-up death metal bands through discovering Bloodbath and some of the Swedish death/thrash bands like Darkane.

So I loved the idea of a band like Death with clean vocals on the Control Denied album back when it came out. 

As for Trivium, I got into Ascendency and The Crusade, but just started to dislike Matt Heavy's singing.  And The Crusade was cool, but the songs sound really wimpy versions of thrash when you put them next to stuff like Exodus and Death Angel.  That album just didn't have the punch that it really should. 

Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: Evermind on December 03, 2018, 09:08:42 AM
NOLA is an incredible Down album.  I love the band, but they really had something special on the first album.

The Sound of Perseverance was my first album by Death and I loved it from the start.  I'd had the Control Denied album for about 10 years before getting into Death, but then went back and acquired their full discography and hold them among my favorite death metal bands.  I think I listen to Symbolic more, since those songs have more hooks for me to dig into, but I will always love TSOP.

I haven't cared for Trivium since The Crusade came out.

Yep, with you on the first point.

I find it crazy you had Control Denied for 10 years before working back! I was totally the opposite. I started with the early Death albums well over 10 years ago and only got around to listening to Control Denied about 2 years ago  :lol

With Trivium, have you ever listened to anything post The Crusade? Was it just because you didn't care for that album? Shogun is well worth a go if you ever liked anything about Trivium.

1/12, I own Crack the Skye but I'm honestly not into Mastodon that much. Also someone sent me Trivium in the roulette, it was alright but I didn't check it out further.

Can't think there is going to be a huge amount that you'd own in this list dude, probably only the odd power metal album. Do you remember what Trivium song you were sent?

I was sent two of them (it was for the EP round), one of them was The Darkness of My Mind which I remember because I couldn't make out the lyrics in the chorus, and I think the second one was from also from Silence in the Snow. I've also checked out the title track from The Sin and the Sentence, which rocked, so I checked out the whole album and actually didn't make it past the fifth or sixth track.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 03, 2018, 10:15:08 AM
I hated death metal growls in the 90's and early 00's, and only got on board with some of the melodic death bands like In Flames, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity.  In the mid 00's, I started getting more into straight-up death metal bands through discovering Bloodbath and some of the Swedish death/thrash bands like Darkane.

So I loved the idea of a band like Death with clean vocals on the Control Denied album back when it came out. 

As for Trivium, I got into Ascendency and The Crusade, but just started to dislike Matt Heavy's singing.  And The Crusade was cool, but the songs sound really wimpy versions of thrash when you put them next to stuff like Exodus and Death Angel.  That album just didn't have the punch that it really should.

Yea, I get that. I remember a time when Phil Anselmo's vocals on Vulgar Display of Power were the harshest I'd ever heard, I found it almost unlistenable  :lol  I came around to them as I loved the music so much. The next hurdle for me was Children of Bodom, I remember hearing the live version of Lake Bodom and thought the music was just mind blowing, but the vocals??? I was just like "what is this shit??". It took me a while to warm to it but I got into loads of melodic death metal from there as well so I get it.

As to Trivium, I can understand where you are coming from in regards to The Crusade. They'd gotten a lot of attention after Ascendancy and they'd always been vocal about wanting to be huge, and the next Metallica. I think this was their attempt at making The Black Album, and it failed. After that they went back to a harder sound. Matt's vocals are mainly harsh on Shogun and it's seriously the one that I find myself wanting to listen to more, especially recently.

I was sent two of them (it was for the EP round), one of them was The Darkness of My Mind which I remember because I couldn't make out the lyrics in the chorus, and I think the second one was from also from Silence in the Snow. I've also checked out the title track from The Sin and the Sentence, which rocked, so I checked out the whole album and actually didn't make it past the fifth or sixth track.

If I was going to suggest where to start with Trivium I wouldn't be going anywhere near that stuff  :lol I mean, I understand in a roulette catering for you personally, but generally if I was to send songs to someone to get them into Trivium I'd send stuff from Ascendancy, The Crusade or Shogun  :metal
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 03, 2018, 02:35:09 PM
Here's your final instalment of honourable mentions, I'll get to the actual top 50 now  :tup



Burn My Eyes
Machine Head
Genre: metal
1994

(https://www.doseofmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Machine-Head-Burn-My-Eyes.jpg)




First time I heard Machine Head was when my older brother handed me a mix CD with 'Machine Head' scrawled on it. He didn't tell me anything about it, just said "Listen to this.". I didn't know if it was the name of the album or the band or what. It was his own personal mix of his favourite MH songs. I remember it had a good mix of Burn My Eyes and Through the Ashes of Empires, as well as a few other random songs. I remember especially though that it had 'Davidian', 'Old' and 'A Thousand Lies' on it. Those three became favourites of mine and was why, when I found out this mix CD's namesake was a band, I went and bought Burn My Eyes first. It was one of my all time favourites for a long time and I'm not sure Machine Head ever topped that three song run of the three aforementioned songs! The whole album is a masterpiece and one that still holds up 24 years later! ​



Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Genre: rock
2006

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Xo31Dv61L._SY355_.jpg)




Man, Wolfmother! I heard of them via Guitar Hero when 'Woman' was featured on the second game. At the time a friend of mine was living in the flat above and he loved this album. I already liked 'Woman' but he used to play this album constantly throughout 2008. I came to love this work of art and one of the main reasons was because it captured the feel of those classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin. There isn't a bad track on here and just typing about it makes me want to stick it on. To say I have been disappointed with their subsequent albums is an understatement. I've never known such a strong debut followed by such lacklustre releases. It's a crying shame. If for some reason you have never heard this but like the idea of a mordern band being able to sound fresh whilst having a 'classic rock' feel then check this out, it's just perfect.​



By the Way
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Genre: rock
2002

(https://t2.genius.com/unsafe/300x300/https%3A%2F%2Fimages.genius.com%2F0608d0b2fcb53709b89858ae45db39d8.1000x1000x1.jpg)




I can still remeber the day I bought this. I went to my local Woolworths (RIP) and picked this up and played in constantly for days. I had already heard Californication (the song) as well as a few other RHCP songs. I loved the lead single and just had a good feeling about this album. This is one of those albums that takes me back to a very specific time and place. It is the summer of 2002, I'm 19 years old, I've just started hanging out with friends, who would eventually become lifelong buddies, and I'm just loving life. Me and my friend Wayne used to play a shit ton of computer games back then, whilst just drinking and having fun, being kids. At the time this came out we were playing through Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube. I just have strong memories of leaving this album on repeat whilst trying to complete this game. It just holds such good memories of a time when I was forming this friendship through our mutual loves. RHCP have always been one of those mutual loves we've had. So many good songs and although it's not a popular pick for greatest RHCP album it's easily mine.​



Love, Ire and Song
Frank Turner
Genre: folk punk
2008

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Bz68LGe3L._SY355_.jpg)




Frank Turner is an artist that I have grown to love because of how much I can relate to his music. He is an English singer-songwriter, who is about my age and has a very similar outlook on life. His songs, which I mainly love for the lyrics, touch me and speak to me. He may not have the best voice and his lyrics may not be the most poetic but they speak to me like no other and they are fucking geniune! These songs were some of the first I heard by Frank Turner and all my favourite ones just tell a story. Highlights for me are 'Photosynthesis', 'Long Live the Queen', 'The Real Damage', 'Thatcher Fucked the Kids' and 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For the One of Me'. They are respectively about not just sitting still and letting life pass you by, losing a friend, waking up at some randoms house after a night on the town, how Thatcher (Tory Prime Minister in the 80's) fucked it for our generation and outgrowing your hometown. I just love him and his musical story telling, check him out!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on December 03, 2018, 02:37:02 PM
That Machine Head is classic.  So brutal and heavy.  The Trivium is wonderful also.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: ariich on December 03, 2018, 02:52:27 PM
>obsessed with computer games as a kid
>discover Metallica and Green Day in late teens around the turn of the millenium
>get massively into Linkin Park and lots of pop punk
>discover DT and prog metal a few years later

Bloody hell Luke, are you literally me?

Will be following this thread. Only in the honourable mentions and already a load of bands I like or even love (Sinergy, Foos, Mastodon, Machine Head, Chili Peppers, Frank Turner) and others I'm not particularly into but that fill me with nostalgia (Down! Alkaline Trio!).
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on December 03, 2018, 03:03:56 PM
>obsessed with computer games as a kid
>discover Metallica and Green Day in late teens around the turn of the millenium
>get massively into Linkin Park and lots of pop punk
>discover DT and prog metal a few years later


Bloody hell Luke, are you literally me?

Will be following this thread. Only in the honourable mentions and already a load of bands I like or even love (Sinergy, Foos, Mastodon, Machine Head, Chili Peppers, Frank Turner) and others I'm not particularly into but that fill me with nostalgia (Down! Alkaline Trio!).

This is pretty in line with my own development also.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 03, 2018, 03:31:43 PM
 :heart

You guys! We're all roughly in our mid 30's right?
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on December 03, 2018, 03:44:36 PM
:heart

You guys! We're all roughly in our mid 30's right?

34.  Although I didn't get into Linkin Park.  Offspring were my boys.  Then Iron Maiden, Sabbath and Priest came slightly before DT, but DT just as influential to me.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 03, 2018, 03:50:08 PM
:heart

You guys! We're all roughly in our mid 30's right?

34.  Although I didn't get into Linkin Park.  Offspring were my boys.  Then Iron Maiden, Sabbath and Priest came slightly before DT, but DT just as influential to me.

Yep The Offspring were a big deal to me too. Quite a few of their songs were on Crazy Taxi and I remember playing Americana so much when I was younger, that my younger brother snapped the CD in half  :lol

Where you had Maiden, Sabbath and Priest I had Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Pantera
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on December 03, 2018, 03:54:42 PM
:heart

You guys! We're all roughly in our mid 30's right?

34.  Although I didn't get into Linkin Park.  Offspring were my boys.  Then Iron Maiden, Sabbath and Priest came slightly before DT, but DT just as influential to me.

Yep The Offspring were a big deal to me too. Quite a few of their songs were on Crazy Taxi and I remember playing Americana so much when I was younger, that my younger brother snapped the CD in half  :lol

Where you had Maiden, Sabbath and Priest I had Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Pantera

I had Metallica and Pantera too.  Tool also were huge, as were Korn.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: ariich on December 04, 2018, 12:05:55 AM
Yep to Offspring, Maiden, Pantera as well as those I mentioned previously.

And yep I'm 34 as well.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on December 04, 2018, 01:13:39 AM
>obsessed with computer games as a kid
>discover Metallica and Green Day in late teens around the turn of the millenium
>get massively into Linkin Park and lots of pop punk
>discover DT and prog metal a few years later


Bloody hell Luke, are you literally me?

Will be following this thread. Only in the honourable mentions and already a load of bands I like or even love (Sinergy, Foos, Mastodon, Machine Head, Chili Peppers, Frank Turner) and others I'm not particularly into but that fill me with nostalgia (Down! Alkaline Trio!).

This is pretty in line with my own development also.
This sounds like me as well.

And I'm with you on By the Way, Luke. Best RHCP album by a long shot!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 04, 2018, 02:22:44 AM
>obsessed with computer games as a kid
>discover Metallica and Green Day in late teens around the turn of the millenium
>get massively into Linkin Park and lots of pop punk
>discover DT and prog metal a few years later


Bloody hell Luke, are you literally me?

Will be following this thread. Only in the honourable mentions and already a load of bands I like or even love (Sinergy, Foos, Mastodon, Machine Head, Chili Peppers, Frank Turner) and others I'm not particularly into but that fill me with nostalgia (Down! Alkaline Trio!).

This is pretty in line with my own development also.
This sounds like me as well.

And I'm with you on By the Way, Luke. Best RHCP album by a long shot!

It really is  :heart 

I'm glad to see all the thirty-somethings are following this thread, I'll deliver a few nostalgia hits for you along the way. For those who did follow a similar path to me, and got into punk rock in the early 00's, how many of you still listen to it as a genre?
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: ariich on December 04, 2018, 02:31:56 AM
I still listen to Green Day, Offspring, NOFX and Bad Religion. Also went back to a bit of Sum 41 recently which was rather enjoyable.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 04, 2018, 03:00:53 AM
I still listen to Green Day, Offspring, NOFX and Bad Religion. Also went back to a bit of Sum 41 recently which was rather enjoyable.

Yea dude, I was listening to some old Sum 41 recently as well, 'Does This Look Infected?' is still great  :metal

I need to get cramx3 posting in here as well. He's of similar age and loves all the classic punk and ska.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: wolfking on December 04, 2018, 04:04:23 AM
Why can't I meet guys like you in real life?
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 04, 2018, 04:22:56 AM
Why can't I meet guys like you in real life?

It's the eternal struggle  :tdwn I would say though, most of my friends have a big crossover within all of my musical tastes at some point. Every single one of my friends are into alternative music of some kind. Plenty of them were big into metal or punk. Unfortunately, most of them just lost the passion for it and don't keep up to date with new music, and if they do it's just the new releases from the same old bands. 80% of the bands I discuss on this forum my friends have never heard of.

But we have each other  :heart

Anyway, #50 is incoming...
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's Glorious "Top 50 Albums You Never Knew You Cared Less About"
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 04, 2018, 04:25:47 AM
Here we go maggots, number 50 for you...





#50 - Slipknot
Slipknot
Genre: metal
1999



(https://www.amoeba.com/sized-images/max/500/500/uploads/albums/covers/other//Slipknot_GreenVinyl.jpg)




​When Slipknot first hit the scene I was like 16 or 17 and I did not get it, at all. I was one of those guys who was just "This isn't music, this is just screaming!". I remember seeing the video for 'Left Behind' a few years later and just thought, this is the worst kind of shit. It was much later, after my tastes broadened, that I "got" What they were doing.

It was 2005 when my flat mate gave me a burnt copy of Slipknot's third album. I was into harsh vocals by that time but still had a negative view on the band and just didn't really want give them a chance. I tried their third album though and loved it, the more mellow tunes helped ease me in anyway. By the time 2006 rolled around I was ready to try their earlier albums again. Wow! I was not ready for the raw energy that their debut brought. I was just astounded by how this music made me feel. It pumped me up and just made me want to scream, but in a good way.

I've never been an aggressive person, at all, and I've always said metal gets a bad rap. People who don't get it think metal is for aggressive thugs but I honestly think it helps people channel their anger in a positive way to avoid outbursts in other areas of their life. It's not like I was angry, but it just felt good to scream this shit out. Some of you guys will never like music like this, and I appreciate this, but I think Slipknot deserve to be where they are. They brought their crazy stage show and shoved it down the mainstreams throat. Kids ate it up.

When it comes to the album itself this album is front loaded as hell. It's the first 5 songs that cement this albums place in my top 50. The back half of the album is kinda twisted, dark and fucked up (which I also love) but the beginning is just in your face and aggressive. I used to play these songs (sic, Eyeless, Wait and Bleed, Surfacing and Spit it Out) all the time. My friends at the time got sick of how much I'd blast them at like midnight after coming home from the pub. Corey's lyrics and vocal delivery were unlike anything else I'd heard at that point. It was angry and disgusting at the same time. It sounded like he was on the verge of throwing up and I loved it!

I know some of you have no interest in Slipknot at all, which is fine. If you've listened to them and they're not for you, that's cool. However, if you've got a preconception about them (as I did) or you checked them out years ago and your tastes changed, I urge you to at least listen to this from the beginning through until at least Spit it Out. Especially if your tastes have broadened to include raw intense performances, such as The Dillinger Escape Plan for instance. Enjoy, Maggots!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #50 - Pulse of the Maggots...
Post by: ariich on December 04, 2018, 04:49:46 AM
I still listen to Green Day, Offspring, NOFX and Bad Religion. Also went back to a bit of Sum 41 recently which was rather enjoyable.

Yea dude, I was listening to some old Sum 41 recently as well, 'Does This Look Infected?' is still great  :metal
Yeah I was surprised at how great it was actually. All Killer No Filler was obviously the breakout album and it still has some really fun tunes, but overall it hasn't aged all that well. Whereas Infected has if anything grown in my estimation.

As for Slipknot, Vol. 3 was great and the albums since have been solid enough, but I never could stand their first couple of albums and still can't.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #50 - Pulse of the Maggots...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 04, 2018, 05:17:23 AM
I still listen to Green Day, Offspring, NOFX and Bad Religion. Also went back to a bit of Sum 41 recently which was rather enjoyable.

Yea dude, I was listening to some old Sum 41 recently as well, 'Does This Look Infected?' is still great  :metal
Yeah I was surprised at how great it was actually. All Killer No Filler was obviously the breakout album and it still has some really fun tunes, but overall it hasn't aged all that well. Whereas Infected has if anything grown in my estimation.

As for Slipknot, Vol. 3 was great and the albums since have been solid enough, but I never could stand their first couple of albums and still can't.

'Does This Look Infected?' is where they started to let their metal influences come through. I always preferred it over 'All Killer, No Filler'. As for Slipknot, I can understand your point of view and I'm glad you at least dig Vol. 3. Everything after that, for me, just feels like a watered down version of Slipknot.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #50 - Pulse of the Maggots...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 05, 2018, 01:07:15 PM
This one isn't going to come as much of a surprise to anyone...



#49 - Watershed
Opeth
Genre: progressive metal
2008



(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41g1r2T9AWL.jpg)




​My journey with Opeth started back in 2005, when Ghost Reveries was released. I used to get Metal Hammer magazine every month back then and there was a real buzz about this band. I'm pretty sure Ghost Reveries was their 'album of the year' back then (which is saying a lot, as 2005 was the best year in music for me, seriously, the amount of amazing releases!) and they were featured all over the place. Every month they gave away a free CD with new music (as did Kerrang! every now and then) and I remember I had a CD with Ghost of Perdition on it. Safe to say I loved it and bought the album. From there I did a bit of research and had heard that Blackwater Park was one of their highly praised albums. I got that and also Still Life. For the next few years they were the only Opeth albums I had and I never went any further than that.

Fast forward to 2008 and I was eagerly anticipating the release of Opeth's new album. Now for me, Watershed is the last great Opeth album. When Heritage was released I couldn't have been more disappointed (but that's another story). Watershed is one of those albums where I love every song and each and every time I listen I'm like "Damn, I forgot how good this song is...and this one...and this one!". I rate Ghost Reveries higher but Watershed is still close to perfection.

I'm not going to even bother talking about individual songs as they're all great and the majority of you will know this album inside out anyway. I'm also not going to moan about the direction Opeth have taken, I was disappointed with Heritage but I like their post-Heritage albums quite a lot. I appreciate the direction they have gone, and maybe it's because of that, I love this album so much more. It's the last heavy Opeth album, and that's something to treasure.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: Podaar on December 05, 2018, 01:40:17 PM
Watershed is my favorite Opeth album, even though I'm a fan of all their albums/eras. This just hits the sweet spot for brutal/beautiful that is their trademark...and the flow of this album is simply breathtaking.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: Crow on December 05, 2018, 01:42:38 PM
I friggin love Ghost Reveries 2

(I mean I jest but they are pretty similar albums :P I do like this one a fair bit though just not nearly as much as Ghost Reveries)
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: ariich on December 05, 2018, 01:47:59 PM
Much better. ;)

I loved Watershed when it came out, but it's ended up around the #4-5 slot for me. So very strong still, but not up there with GR, BWP or Damnation.

I don't remember GR being Metal Hammer's album of the year but it's certainly possible!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 05, 2018, 02:20:30 PM
I don't remember GR being Metal Hammer's album of the year but it's certainly possible!

I feel 90% certain it was. That's one of the reasons I ended up buying it.

Find the list here. (https://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/metal.htm)
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: wolfking on December 05, 2018, 02:52:24 PM
Both of the Slipknot and Opeth are great.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: Podaar on December 05, 2018, 03:01:25 PM
I just realized it's been ten years plus since Watershed was released. Wow, where does the time go?
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 05, 2018, 03:10:36 PM
I just realized it's been ten years plus since Watershed was released. Wow, where does the time go?

I know man! Like 1998-2008 was a lifetime to me, whereas 2008-2018 was like no time at all  :tdwn
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: Podaar on December 05, 2018, 03:15:49 PM
It gets worse, brotha. Wait until you see your granddaughter pull into the driveway in her new car!  :lol
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 05, 2018, 03:30:22 PM
It gets worse, brotha. Wait until you see your granddaughter pull into the driveway in her new car!  :lol

 :lol

I have no words...
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: The Curious Orange on December 06, 2018, 06:08:10 AM
I'm a little bit older than most on here, so this is full of "young people's music" or as I call it "turn that bloody noise down and listen to some proper music instead, and while you're at it, get off my lawn!"

Anyway, my thought so far:

Foo Fighters - This band are everything I love, and I should love them, but I just don't. They've never quite gelled with me and I don't know why.
Down - Hell yeah. Great album, and Stone the Crows is a great tune, nice to see some love on here.
The Wildhearts - Double hell yeah. One of the best live bands I've ever seen. Also one of the worst live bands I've ever seen!
Machine Head - Man, I used to headbang to this back in the 90s. Not listened to it in years.
RHCP - agree totally, except Blood Sugar Sex Magic is their best album. I guess the best RHCP album is the first one you owned.
Slipknot - can't stand 'em, but I did like your explanation. A spot-on summary of how music is supposed to make you feel, goddammit. It's meant to rattle your bones and quicken your heart!
Opeth - Respect, good choice.

looking forward to the rest of your list!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 06, 2018, 07:32:22 AM
I'm a little bit older than most on here, so this is full of "young people's music" or as I call it "turn that bloody noise down and listen to some proper music instead, and while you're at it, get off my lawn!"

Anyway, my thought so far:

Foo Fighters - This band are everything I love, and I should love them, but I just don't. They've never quite gelled with me and I don't know why.
Down - Hell yeah. Great album, and Stone the Crows is a great tune, nice to see some love on here.
The Wildhearts - Double hell yeah. One of the best live bands I've ever seen. Also one of the worst live bands I've ever seen!
Machine Head - Man, I used to headbang to this back in the 90s. Not listened to it in years.
RHCP - agree totally, except Blood Sugar Sex Magic is their best album. I guess the best RHCP album is the first one you owned.
Slipknot - can't stand 'em, but I did like your explanation. A spot-on summary of how music is supposed to make you feel, goddammit. It's meant to rattle your bones and quicken your heart!
Opeth - Respect, good choice.

looking forward to the rest of your list!

Cheers dude. I'm glad to see some love for the bands you mentioned, especially The Wildhearts! They are just great but no one outside of the UK ever seems to know who they are.

I should be putting my next post up this evening!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #49 - Running Through the Fields of Sorrow...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 08, 2018, 11:56:18 AM
Another predictable pick for you all...




#48 - Octavarium
Dream Theater
Genre: progressive metal
2005



(https://www.music-bazaar.com/album-images/vol26/957/957466/2822207-big/Octavarium-cover.jpg)




​Onto the band that brought us all together. Despite Dream Theater being the band that led me to the musical discovery cave, that is DTF, I never really considered myself a huge fan of the band. When I think of my top 10 bands they are never a band that spring to mind, although I do love them. My journey with DT started in 2006 (which was a great year of musical discovery for me). My flat mate at the time had bought Octavarium and also the live 'Score' DVD. I remember watching it with him and being impressed with the musicianship, even though I thought the vocals were a bit lame. It wasn't something I loved but it was stored away in my brain as 'something to check out again'.

The following year I remember reading an article interviewing Herman Li from DragonForce (who I loved at the time). He said in this interview that he had been obsessed with 'Images and Words' when it came out and literally listened to it every day, for like a year. I thought "Maybe I need to check this album out". I did and I have fond memories of playing it on repeat whilst playing through Final Fantasy XII. After that I went back to the next album I knew I kinda liked, which was of course Octavarium. I fell for this one big time and it was the album that made me 'get' the prog epic. At first I was like, "A 25 minute song??? Fuck that". But I grew to love it (it's my favourite song on the album) as I did with the whole album. Some of the cheesier ballad type songs on this album took a while to grow on me it's honestly my second favourite DT album. You all know it to death anyway, so I'll move on :lol
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: Crow on December 08, 2018, 12:28:27 PM
if i had to say one thing about this, i'd say it's the 8th dream theater album
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: ariich on December 08, 2018, 02:18:06 PM
if i had to say one thing about this, i'd say it's the 8th dream theater album
That's a post.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: Tomislav95 on December 08, 2018, 04:56:39 PM
I'm ok with Octavarium being on your list :D it doesn't have many awesome songs but when played in full it is one of my favorites as well :tup
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: WebRaider on December 09, 2018, 03:56:01 PM
Really enjoy lots of stuff on your list (I knew I would ;) ) but Octavarium for me is still a great one!  :tup
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 09, 2018, 04:23:11 PM
I'll try to get #47 up tonight but at this point I've been at work for 14 hours and need to go to bed!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: wolfking on December 11, 2018, 04:29:25 AM
I'll try to get #47 up tonight but at this point I've been at work for 14 hours and need to go to bed!

Huh, I had a 14 hour day today too, respect.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: Evermind on December 11, 2018, 09:50:48 AM
Hope you guys are at least being paid for your overtime. Our company cut down the amount of possible OT hours for each department severely and then bosses and management were surprised when people, me among them, started leaving exactly after our 8,2 usual hours a day. :facepalm:

Regarding the list, I quite like Watershed although Ghost Reveries is much better, in my opinion, if we're talking growly Opeth. Octavarium is great too, sure.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: cramx3 on December 11, 2018, 02:00:15 PM
Good pick with the RHCP, that album made me fall in love with them.  It was my first full album (like you I knew some singles before) from them that I got. I'd say I rate Stadium Arcadium as better, but one thing about By The Way that you mentioned and hits home to me:

"This is one of those albums that takes me back to a very specific time and place. It is the summer of 2002"

holy fuck is this true for me as well.  That same summer my friend took me with his father and another friend to their vacation home for a week.  It was actually the first time I ever smoked marijuana.  The three of us would listen to this album all trip just chilling on the beach.  It was such a memorable experience (I was 17 at the time) and everytime I hear this album I think of my time in Grand Cayman Island with these two dudes (neither of which I am really close to anymore).
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: wolfking on December 11, 2018, 03:00:05 PM
Hope you guys are at least being paid for your overtime. Our company cut down the amount of possible OT hours for each department severely and then bosses and management were surprised when people, me among them, started leaving exactly after our 8,2 usual hours a day. :facepalm:

Regarding the list, I quite like Watershed although Ghost Reveries is much better, in my opinion, if we're talking growly Opeth. Octavarium is great too, sure.

I get some, but the amount I do extra is pretty crazy.  This would happen in my situation too, they would be surprised at me leaving and things not happening.  It's kind of my own fault, for years I've done it myself and just done extra cause it needs to get done.  I've now set an unfair and to most people an unfair standard and expectation.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 11, 2018, 05:58:51 PM
I'm ok with Octavarium being on your list :D it doesn't have many awesome songs but when played in full it is one of my favorites as well :tup

Yea man, it's pretty great!

Really enjoy lots of stuff on your list (I knew I would ;) ) but Octavarium for me is still a great one!  :tup

Glad to have you following dude.

Hope you guys are at least being paid for your overtime. Our company cut down the amount of possible OT hours for each department severely and then bosses and management were surprised when people, me among them, started leaving exactly after our 8,2 usual hours a day. :facepalm:

Regarding the list, I quite like Watershed although Ghost Reveries is much better, in my opinion, if we're talking growly Opeth. Octavarium is great too, sure.

My extra hours aren't even overtime, it's just because I do sleep ins!

I agree with you about Ghost Reveries  ;)

Good pick with the RHCP, that album made me fall in love with them.  It was my first full album (like you I knew some singles before) from them that I got. I'd say I rate Stadium Arcadium as better, but one thing about By The Way that you mentioned and hits home to me:

"This is one of those albums that takes me back to a very specific time and place. It is the summer of 2002"

holy fuck is this true for me as well.  That same summer my friend took me with his father and another friend to their vacation home for a week.  It was actually the first time I ever smoked marijuana.  The three of us would listen to this album all trip just chilling on the beach.  It was such a memorable experience (I was 17 at the time) and everytime I hear this album I think of my time in Grand Cayman Island with these two dudes (neither of which I am really close to anymore).

Glad to have you aboard dude. I love hearing stories about how music leaves a mark on people's lives.


Next update is incoming..
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #48 - Trapped Inside This...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 11, 2018, 06:02:55 PM
Here's the first entry featuring my favourite band  :heart ...




#47 - Afterman: Ascension/Descension
Coheed and Cambria
Genre: progressive rock/metal
2012/13



(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71EusCSmO8L._SX355_.jpg)


(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uc7P0YZ7L._SY355_.jpg)



This may be cheating but I have to put these together! Some of you may or may not know but I consider C&C my #1 band at this point. I'll touch more on it later as (spoilers) there will be more of their albums coming as we progress. I discovered C&C back in 2005 so by the time A: A/D rolled around I was already a lifelong fan. However, when Ascension was released I was travelling (I travelled around South East Asia and Australia from mid 2011- end of 2012) and wasn't really keeping up with new releases.

Now, I know for a fact I'm in the minority here but I was underwhelmed (and still am) by Domino the Destitute when I first heard it. Maybe that was why I didn't really get around to getting Ascension until Descension came out. On the flip side to Domino, I could not get enough of Dark Side of Me when it was released. It was easily my most listened to song of 2013! My love for both of these albums has definitely grown and even though I have put them both together on this list, my favourite of the two is Descension, by quite a bit. Surprisingly, or maybe not, my two favourite songs on Ascension are The Afterman and Subtraction, which are the two ballady songs. I mean the rest of the album is good but nothing reaches those highs, for me.

Moving onto Descension and there are way more tunes that I love. Most of these are located on the back half the album, culminating in the three song run of Iron Fist/Dark Side of Me/2's My Favourite 1. I dig the concept for these albums, even though I wasn't too hot on it at first. I REALLY love the album art and I have found my love for these albums continue to grow and grow.

This album takes me back to early 2013, I'd just started working in care and I'd not long come back from  travelling. I liked it back then but I'd say these albums grew on me especially in the last few years.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #47 - If He's Not Here, Then Where?...
Post by: Crow on December 11, 2018, 06:12:52 PM
Yeah I know for sure this isn't the last time we're seeing Coheed  :corn
Good album though, I'd rank this behind IKS and NWFT but that's about it
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #47 - If He's Not Here, Then Where?...
Post by: Rattlehead on December 11, 2018, 07:14:43 PM
Coheed is one of my favorite bands too. Their new album is pretty much all I've been listening to lately.

Ascension and Descension are both awesome, but I've always liked Descension more too. It has my favorite opener in their discography and is packed with some of the catchiest songs the band has to date.  :tup
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #47 - If He's Not Here, Then Where?...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 12, 2018, 03:57:50 AM
Coheed is one of my favorite bands too. Their new album is pretty much all I've been listening to lately.

Ascension and Descension are both awesome, but I've always liked Descension more too. It has my favorite opener in their discography and is packed with some of the catchiest songs the band has to date.  :tup

Totally, Descension has some really catchy songs. Dark Side of Me though, I can't emphasise enough how big a deal to me that song was. The only song that I've been that obsessed with, since it came out, was 'Waves' by The Dear Hunter.

With their new album, I like it but I think, for the first time ever, I wish they'd made it a bit shorter and cut some of the middle songs. The beginning and end of the album are brilliant but there is a lull in the middle for me. Some of the songs are starting to grow each listen so we'll see what my thoughts are come next year; I'll probably love all of it  :lol

Yeah I know for sure this isn't the last time we're seeing Coheed  :corn
Good album though, I'd rank this behind IKS and NWFT but that's about it

Of course  :corn :corn :corn

Interesting ranking. I know you love IKS but rating NWFT above Good Apollo I? I mean I love NWFT and rate both albums very close together, but that opinion is certainly in the minority  :lol
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #47 - If He's Not Here, Then Where?...
Post by: Rattlehead on December 14, 2018, 08:58:38 PM
With their new album, I like it but I think, for the first time ever, I wish they'd made it a bit shorter and cut some of the middle songs. The beginning and end of the album are brilliant but there is a lull in the middle for me. Some of the songs are starting to grow each listen so we'll see what my thoughts are come next year; I'll probably love all of it  :lol

I felt like that at first too... although there are still some songs that I don't particularly care for (yet, hopefully), the album makes up for it with songs like Toys, Queen of the Dark, The Gutter, It Walks Among Us, etc. Those songs contain pretty much every element that got me into the band in the first place. I still don't think the album is good enough to crack my top 3 for the band, but I'm really enjoying it.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #47 - If He's Not Here, Then Where?...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 17, 2018, 04:09:43 PM
Back to the summer of ska for this one...



#46 - Hello Rockview
Less Than Jake
Genre: ska punk
1998



(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51J6CTQSVGL.jpg)



This album was the second ska punk album I became obsessed with (the first being Favourite Noise by Reel Big Fish) back in 2004. I remember a girl I was seeing at the time lent it to me. I already knew 'All My Best Friends Are Metalheads' as it got quote a lot of radio play in the UK, but the album itself is just packed full of ska punky goodness. These songs are just infectious as fuck and make me want to dance around, all these years later. Ska punk gigs are the most fun to go to and LTJ have always delivered, every time I've seen them.

This isn't the sort of album that I imagine many people would rate around here but this was important to me as it is another album that a bunch of my mates were all into. Songs from this album were playing at all the house parties for years so they all take me to my carefree days of being in my twenties. Another thing I love about Less Than Jake, and this album, is how the bass is so prominent throughout.

I could list my favourite songs but it's pretty much the whole album. I know some of you will be familiar and some of the guys around my age will feel nostalgic about this.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you recognise the song that is arguably Less Than Jake's biggest hit? All My Best Friends Are Metalheads (https://youtu.be/eYIx0sFNDH4)
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #46 - History of a Boring Town...
Post by: cramx3 on December 17, 2018, 05:08:31 PM
I was a fan of Losing Streak before this album, but I remember being SO excited for release making my parents drive me to the local music store to pick it up and was so happy with what I heard.  I guess I put Losing Streak and Hello Rockview as my LTJ #1 and #2.  I went to my first concert ever that December of 1998 (wow 20 years of concerts for cramx3!) to see LTJ, made my Dad take my friend and I.  Was soooo much fun and was hooked to concerts from then on.  It's funny because I actually told that to Roger of LTJ last winter when they played at the same venue I had seen them in 98.  It used to be called Hunka Bunka Ballroom (now Starland Ballroom) and he actually talked about playing there in 98 during their set  :lol  I'll be seeing them again at the same venue this winter, they still are one of the funnest bands to see live, they just shine with working the crowd and being fun, not serious.  Sucks Vinny left the band though.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #46 - History of a Boring Town...
Post by: ariich on December 18, 2018, 04:39:07 AM
Not particularly a favourite of mine, but more lovely nostalgia from my late teens!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #46 - History of a Boring Town...
Post by: twosuitsluke on December 29, 2018, 03:35:39 PM
So Christmas was mental as I bought my first home a week before! I have been crazy busy but things are a little quieter now...




#45 Punk & Poetry
The King Blues
Genre: ska punk/punk rock/folk punk
2011



(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uy40DdyTL._SX355_.jpg)



Punk & Poetry was the first album to be released by The King Blues after I discovered them, a few years before. This album was a big deal to me and a stellar example of the great UK punk rock scene. I'd be very surprised to find anyone on DTF who knows this album particularly well.

The King Blues mixed punk rock with folk punk, hip hop, a bit of ska, some spoken word stuff, a helping of political anger and a rude boy attitude. This album, whilst not being my number one of theirs, is still close to flawless. It's a social commentary that manages to line up with my political views whilst also being really relatable. I just can't seem to discover stuff like this anymore but I guess I'm not looking for it so hard. When this album came out I was about three months away from setting off to travel for 18 months. It became my soundtrack on my walk to work and back, as well as house parties before I jetted off. It holds a real nostalgia for me, as do a lot of albums on this list, as you've gathered.

These guys write the sort of songs that I just love to sing along to. They're catchy, the lyrics are clever and about real life stories. They conjure up images of real people living real lives, it's a generational and cultural thing I know. I love this album because it describes what it is to grow up in the UK in my generation, in the best way I could imagine. I'm not patriotic at all but shit like this makes me at least partly proud to be British. This album won't be for everyone but if you want an example of what the evolution of British punk rock should sound like, then this is it right here!
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #45 - Is For The Last of The Dreamers...
Post by: twosuitsluke on January 08, 2019, 05:46:00 PM
No love for The King Blues? Can't say that I'm that surprised. This is an album that will be more up the DTF collective alley.




#44 - Clayman
In Flames
Genre: melodic death metal
2000



(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/1/7/317.jpg?3647)




I remember getting into In Flames after hearing the single 'Take This Life' back in 2006. The only real melodic death metal band I was listening to around that time was Children of Bodom (and maybe Arch Enemy actually). After buying 'Come Clarity', and loving it, I ended up picking 'Clayman' next. I couldn't even tell you why, I probably found it cheap second hand, or something. This album quickly became my favourite though and I think of it as the quintessential In Flames album. I mean, the riffs on this thing!!!

I really wish In Flames could write an album as good as this again and I think it is criminally underrated when discussing great metal albums. I know I got into this album around the same time as I was discovering Lamb of God as these albums conjure up images of walking to work, headphones blaring, in late '06. I lost count of the times I listened to 'Bullet Ride', 'Pinball Map' and 'Only For the Weak' on those cold winter mornings. 'Only for the Weak' holds a particularly special place in my heart and I still consider it my all time favourite In Flames song, it just has it all. In Flames were firing on all cylinders and just wrote hit after hit on this album. I know I
mentioned the riffs, but there is some extraordinary riffage all over this record. If I was to recommend an example of what melodic death metal sounds like then this would be the one. It still astounds me how great this is.

I had a few friends who were only casual In Flames fans, but only one who loved this album nearly as much as I did. It's one of my greatest disappointments, seeing how this band have deteriorated (for me) as years have gone on. I'll always have 'Clayman' though.

Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #45 - Is For The Last of The Dreamers...
Post by: cramx3 on January 08, 2019, 06:07:53 PM
Really never got into In Flames, always loved their melodic guitars but the death metal part and vocals always turned me off. 

However, I really enjoy Cyhra with former In Flames member Jasper on guitar who brings that same melodic guitars that I liked to a more melodic vocal band.  In Flames is opening for Within Temptation this winter and I plan on seeing them so should be interesting to see if my opinion on them changes and I am definitely more receptive to their vocals now than I did when I last listened.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #44 - Is Only For the Weak...
Post by: ariich on January 08, 2019, 11:39:00 PM
Yes Clayman! It was my first In Flames album. I think Bodom were the only death metal band I was listening to at the time because I found the whole neoclassical approach a lot of fun and that helped ease me into heavier vocal styles. So while I liked In Flames straight away it took a good few listens to really get used to it, but now it's one of my favourite albums in the genre (as is Colony, which is equally superb).

And I still dig the King Blues album you sent in my roulette (which I assume is coming up later on) but haven't checked out any more of their stuff yet.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #44 - Is Only For the Weak...
Post by: wolfking on January 09, 2019, 04:06:04 AM
Brilliant album and it's actually not one of my fav IF albums.  Shows how good this band were.
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #44 - Is Only For the Weak...
Post by: King Puppies and the Acid Guppies on May 06, 2019, 10:58:40 PM
 :corn
Title: Re: Twosuitsluke's "Top 50 Albums" #44 - Is Only For the Weak...
Post by: twosuitsluke on May 07, 2019, 12:28:43 AM
Yea, I'm getting married a week on Saturday so I've been in over my head with 'life stuff'  :lol

I'll get back to this at some point  :facepalm: