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General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: Arch Benemy on December 01, 2011, 02:51:46 PM
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Hope you're not sick of these yet!
Hi
For those who don't know, I'm Ben. This is my top 50 albums thread. I've done my best to sort them as accurately as possible, but as I'm sure is the case for many of those doing these lists, only the top 10-15 are set in stone, and the others may fluctuate from day to day, week to week. I've been doing the write-ups for these over the past month or so, so be assured that I won't flunk out halfway through like some who will remain nameless ;). I've also put a fair bit of effort into making them readable and interesting, so I hope they are entertaining. I will admit though that I may have been a bit intoxicated during some of these writing sessions, so should I veer off on a tangent or start indulging in excessive hyperbole, that might be why :lol
A couple more disclaimers (excuses.) I'm definitely more of a 'metal guy,' but there are also rock, prog, hip-hop, pop and a few other genres thrown in, so with any luck there will be something in this list for everybody. I'm also not particularly fond of some of the bands which might be considered forum favourites, so hopefully whilst there will be a few albums which everybody has heard of, and some that a few are familiar with, there should also be more than a couple which nobody recognises. If nothing else, hopefully I can get a bit more exposure for these hidden gems!
Anyway, without further ado:
50. Textures - Polars
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/textur-polars.jpg)
Texture’s material has a mature edge which I feel sets them apart from the crowd of bands who label themselves Progressive Metal. This is their first record, and whilst the vocals lack the refinement of their later efforts, it is well paced and has a great flow, feeling very much like an album and not just a collection of songs. From the thrashy opening track ‘Swandive’ to the closing ethereal bliss of ‘Heave’ they manage to be experimental and punchy, but without falling under the ‘djent’ umbrella which some have ridiculously labeled them with. Although very much a metal band, their name is a reflection of their style, and delicately layered vocals and clean guitar lines are interwoven throughout the record. The highlight for me is the title track, a sprawling 20 minute epic which encapsulates every aspect of what makes this band great. Textures are very much a band that focus on song development, with tracks often shifting from idea to idea and building to a barnstorming crescendo before falling away again. This practice of segueing riffs, grooves or breaks together seamlessly elevates the tracks to something greater than the sum of their parts. A thinking man’s metal band, with a thinking man’s metal album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMD4EXPj_YM
49. Evile - Enter the Grave
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/evile-entert.jpg)
Thrash is not very far up my personal hierarchy of metal sub-genres, but this album has a sense of fun that I feel is often missing from other bands who make this type of music. The lyrics are both cheesy and awesome throughout, dealing with such hilariously metal subjects as Roman gladiatorial combat, mosh pits and shark attacks, all delivered with a commendably straight face. There’s no doubt that this is not ground-breaking stuff, but what it definitely is is a lot of fun! The instrumentation is sublime throughout with typically energetic thrash drumming, whilst somehow the late, great Mike Alexander manages to keep up on bass. Make no mistake though, this is a guitar album through and through, with lightning fast picking punctuating neck-snappingly heavy riffs and finger-shredding solos. All these ingredients mixed with great songwriting ability makes for a thrash album which stands out from the field and a debut album which cemented Evile’s position as one of the great young English metal bands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=924bRfmiJ20
48. CunninLynguists – Oneirology
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/cunnin-oneiro.jpg)
I fell in love with this record on first listen. If I had to describe it in a sentence, it would be ‘A hip-hop album for people who don’t like hip-hop.’ The most noticeable feature for me is the mix of the backing tracks. The music is synth and bass heavy and full of reverb, giving a warm, almost 80’s style retro sound (I sometimes imagine that if Devin Townsend produced a hip-hop album it would sound not dissimilar to this.) The vocals too are far from your ‘standard’ hip-hop fare. There are samples and guests musicians throughout, adding atmosphere and depth to song introductions and bridges. The main vocalists have great flow and appreciation for timing, and their words are refreshingly profanity-free, although when they do swear it is to add emphasis to the depth of the lyrics rather than a cheap way of bulking out a phrase or to appear ‘cool.’ Those lyrics are also easily comprehensible, intelligent and moving, dealing with subjects such as drug addiction, the spread of HIV in ghetto communities and racism, although there are a few more light-hearted songs too. The song structures are often unusual; sometimes avoiding choruses, sometimes stopping or changing styles without warning. Definitely an album for fans of trip and hip-hop to check out, and probably a good starting point for those more tentative about the genre.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Stars+Shine+Brightest+In+The+Darkest+Of+Night+Ft+Rick+Warren/3Ul3qR?src=5
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Awesome. I will certainly follow your list as I'm sure I'll get some nice recs from it! :tup
Nice to see CunninLynguist on the list! :heart
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Will follow.
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I am follow.
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in b4 Cosmology
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Following.
Will check out Textures later tonight.
Thrash ... pass (but a cool cover)
3rd one... love the name. Think I'll get me some of that tonight. Mrs. Jingle deserves it.
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Following.
Will check out Textures later tonight.
Thrash ... pass (but a cool cover)
3rd one... love the name. Think I'll get me some of that tonight. Mrs. Jingle deserves it.
If you're going to check out Textures I'd actually recommend their later albums, perhaps their new release Dualism. Polars is a personal favourite, but their newer stuff is a lot better produced, has a better balance of singing and harsh vocals, and is just generally more accessible. Try the song Reaching Home for an example of their more melodic style.
And if the plan with the missus works out, that's actually a pretty good album to put on in the background :hat
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And if the plan with the missus works out, that's actually a pretty good album to put on in the background :hat
Yup, I agree.
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47. A – A vs Monkey Kong
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/aiethe-avsmon.jpg)
A are a band I loved before I got into metal. Considering they cite their influences as including Rush and van Halen, their material contains few metal or progressive moments; they’re essentially a pop-punk band, with occasional electronic tendencies. This album is just a fun ride from the start, with about an equal ratio of heavy songs to more mellow and relaxed tracks. I love the vocals of Jason Perry, his most English of accents not at all Americanised as he sings, yells and talks over the music. The lyrics are often funny and memorable, and the band are tight and melodic. This is a good time album, designed to put a smile on your face rather than break any musical conventions, and is a great record to throw on when amongst a group of friends with differing tastes in music, as most people should find something to enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx2UagBZaQY
46. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/agallo-ashesa_02.jpg)
Wow, when I first heard Agalloch I had no idea what to make of them. I had no idea that this genre of music even existed. I still don’t know how they came up with their style, but I’m glad they did as they’ve created some truly great albums. From the opening notes of Limbs the atmospheres and soundscapes they create are spine-tingling and haunting. The vocals, from black metal rasps to gothic baritone, are used sparingly and are often buried in the mix, an effect which, deliberate or not, only adds to the feeling of desolation and mystique which permeates the music Agalloch make. However you want to label them, be it black metal, folk, doom or other, the only tag which really matters is that of ‘excellent music!’ Haha
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Limbs/32peU0?src=5
45. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/mogwai-hardco_06.jpg)
Mogwai are a comparatively recent addition to my favourite bands, as although I’ve been aware of them for many years it was only with the release of ‘Hardcore…’ that I decided to really look into them. This album seems to be a departure from their usual post-rock style, in that it incorporates a heavy electronic element, but in my opinion this only betters their sound. This is a largely instrumental album of simple yet captivating melodies, perfect for unwinding after a stressful day. The undoubted highlight track for me is Rano Pano which takes one simple melody and builds and builds upon it in a gripping crescendo, but tracks like How to Be A Werewolf and You're Lionel Richie offer similar musical journeys which are always rewarding to make, no matter how many times I've made them before
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN3iuBYzBiY
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I really need to give CunninLynguists a listen....
Nice, as always, to see Agalloch on these lists!
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Not THAT familiar with those three bands hmmmmm
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I really need to give CunninLynguists a listen....
+1 been hearing good things about them for a while but haven't checked them out yet. I like the tune you linked AB. Definitely liked the production and atmosphere of it.
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If you're going to check out Textures I'd actually recommend their later albums, perhaps their new release Dualism. Polars is a personal favourite, but their newer stuff is a lot better produced, has a better balance of singing and harsh vocals, and is just generally more accessible. Try the song Reaching Home for an example of their more melodic style.
And if the plan with the missus works out, that's actually a pretty good album to put on in the background :hat
Gave Reaching Home a whirl... good stuff. I wasn't floored by it, but it was good. Polars on the other hand... I'm just not a big fan of screamy vocals.
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Early update today because I'm going out and getting smashed later
44. Born of Osiris - The Discovery
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/bornof-discov.jpg)
Although only released in March of this year, this album has quickly established itself as a firm favourite. After their excellent first record BOO disappointed with their second, and I was unsure as to what this release would bring. Well I needn’t have worried as this is an album of absolute intensity and fantastically accomplished musicianship for a band so young. This style of music, described by Wikipedia as ‘Progressive Deathcore :facepalm: will not be to everyone’s liking, but for me this album encapsulates everything I like about technical metal; inhuman drumming, tangled and complex rhythms with inventive and melodic leads, intense but not overbearing vocals, and the tightness of sound that comes from having supremely talented members. Add to this a keyboardist who has genuinely interesting ideas and holds an integral position within the band’s sound and you have a group who stand apart from the crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_rVQiywVw0
43. The Agonist – Lullabies for the Dormant Mind
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/agonis-lullab.jpg)
There’s nothing particularly exceptional about The Agonist’s sound; they are talented of course, with decent guitarists and a typically speedy metal drummer (although the drums are triggered to within an inch of their life on ‘Lullabies...’) and vocalist Alyssa White-Gluz is not only a ferocious screamer but also a surprisingly adept clean singer, but there’s something about this metalcore album which I find hugely enjoyable. The songs are fast, exciting and varied; some are heavy to the point of being almost extreme metal, others are catchy and hook-laden, some have progressive arrangements and complex meters, others are straight-ahead rockers. It’s an album I can throw on and know I’ll enjoy from start to finish (aside perhaps from a slightly out of place vocal cover of a movement from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake) and that’s why it gets a spot on my list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jud_SnKTlY
42. Lostprophets - The Fake Sound of Progress
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/lostpr-fakeso.jpg)
Although Lostprophets are now (in my opinion) rather bland radio-fodder, they started their career as an adventurous, original and exciting metal/punk/electronic hybrid band. To me TFSOP sounds like the lovechild of Incubus and Linkin Park, and whilst that combination sounds like it would be terrible, this actually works! The drums are the driving force on this record, tight, groovy and interesting throughout, and along with the bass provide enough of a foundation to allow the guitar players to use their notes sparingly. The use of samples and turntables don’t feel like gimmicks here as they are played tastefully and add texture to the songs, and in a couple of interludes are allowed to come to the forefront and provide an unusual transition between tracks. A must-listen album for those who dismiss this band based on their more recent offerings.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Awkward/2oFVe9?src=5
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Mogwai, Agalloch and Cunninlynguists already?
I approve of this thread.
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The Agonist!! :metal
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The Agonist!! :metal
Knew you'd like that one haha. Also I'm surprised you're not very familiar with Agalloch. They're a little different, a bit 'out there.' Would probably be right up your alley.
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The Agonist!! :metal
Knew you'd like that one haha. Also I'm surprised you're not very familiar with Agalloch. They're a little different, a bit 'out there.' Would probably be right up your alley.
Well I have their latest album but I didn't take the time to check them out further yet! :tup
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:metal to all of this (that I know)
AND GORILLE WTF GET THE MANTLE RIGHT FUCKING NOW
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Oh dear I'm very hungover. Pretty heavy batch, this.
41. Devin Townsend – Physicist
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/devint-physic.jpg)
Controversy! Most Devin fans would probably say that Physicist is his worst album (aside from his ambient and electronic work) but I’ve never understood why it doesn’t get much love. It’s definitely not as melodic or progressive as his other work, and the mix is muddy, but those factors actually enhance my enjoyment of the album. Combined, they give Physicist a driving, industrial sound at times reminiscent of KMFDM or Fear Factory, and I think it makes for an exciting listen. I like the way Devin often keeps his voice monotonous during the verses before becoming more melodic on the choruses, but most of all I like how he creates such powerful, energetic songs using only a handful of notes or chords. Kingdom for example only uses something like 4 or 5 chords throughout its six minutes, and yet never becomes boring or sterile. Four or five tracks from this album would make it into my top 25 Devy songs, and considering the strength of his discography that is praise indeed.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Kingdom/3hZG1J?src=5
40. Psycroptic – The Scepter of the Ancients
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/TheScepteroftheAncients.jpg)
This album is everything I love about death metal presented in a way that suits the sound perfectly. Yes there are lightning fast drums, but they are not triggered to death and sound refreshingly natural. Yes there are blistering guitar riffs and lines, but the gain hasn’t been turned up to 11 and the guitars sound tight and under control. And yes there are harsh vocals, but they are varied, interesting and often unusual. The songs themselves are decidedly progressive in structure, often switching tempo or veering into unexpected territory, but it never feels forced or unnatural. Imagine a combination of Death and Necrophagist; this is that band. For those open to extreme metal I cannot recommend this album enough.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Cruelty+Incarnate/2oZGrt?src=5
39. Trivium - Ascendancy
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/triviu-ascend_05.jpg)
When this album was first released there was an absolute maelstrom of critical acclaim around the band, so much so that I thought ‘They can’t be that good, surely?’ Well I was wrong, this album is that good. Full of aggression yet catchy and accessible, Ascendancy was ‘metal’ enough to have old-school thrash fans interested, but also ‘core’ enough to attract the younger, more lucrative fanbase. This virtually across-the-board appreciation caused many of those who didn’t ‘get’ the band to actively hate them, but that feeling was unwarranted. In my opinion this is Trivium’s finest record, the perfect blend of head-banging verses and soaring, anthemic choruses throughout, and that the majority of the members were not even into their twenties during recording only adds to the accomplishment.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Declaration/2zQnNa?src=5
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Ascendancy :metal
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Lots of things to check out it seems...
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I really like Physicist a lot... I do have issues with the mix on it and usually those type things don't bother me so much.
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Ascendancy :metal
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Ascendancy :metal
I'm actually pretty surprised you like that album, wouldn't have figured Trivium as being your cup of tea.
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Moving swiftly along
38. Spastic Ink - Ink Complete
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/cover_1010111622010.jpg)
As you’d expect from any project featuring the Jarzombek brothers this instrumental album is technically overwhelming, almost to the point of being exhausting. I think my appreciation for the record was increased because I first heard it in separate chunks, a track here, a track there, before finally getting the album and being able to take it in as a whole. Many of the tracks lack a traditional structure but there are still plenty of hooks, although not in the traditional ‘catchy’ sense, and when there are no hooks there is astonishing technicality to hold the attention. There are slower, more melodic moments too; ‘To Counter and Groove in E Minor’ is one of my favourite instrumental tracks of all time. The fact that one of the tracks syncs up with sections of Bambi only adds to the awesomeness.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/To+Counter+And+Groove+In+E+Minor/2L2OQg?src=5
37. Dethklok - The Dethalbum
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dethkl-dethal_04.jpg)
OK, so it’s a joke album by a joke band. Doesn’t matter. This album rocks harder during even the slower moments than most ‘real’ bands can when they’re going all out. Yes you will enjoy the tracks more if you’re familiar with the TV series, but even for the uninitiated the riffs and grooves here are more than solid enough to stand alone. Add a hefty dose of humour, some of the most metal song titles ever and fantastic instrumentation throughout and you have a recipe for a great death metal album. Of course it’s death metal by the numbers, but intentionally so, and anyway, when you have songs with titles like ‘Bloodrocuted’ you don’t question, you just headbang.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Thunderhorse/xAs2b?src=5
36. Liquid Tension Experiment – Liquid Tension Experiment 2
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/liquid-liquid_02.jpg)
Another all instrumental album, and probably one which most of you are already familiar with. I think LTE2 is a step up from LTE1 in every department. The sound is great, the songs are better and the improvisations more concise and less overwhelming. Acid Rain and particularly When the Water Breaks are the standout tracks for me, the latter being the best thing I think LTE ever recorded, but I love listening to this album as a whole and being entranced by how different each song is, whilst still retaining that core LTE sound.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Acid+Rain/NdOk?src=5
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Cool update, that Ink thingie looks interesting...
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Physicist is awesome, I don't get why it's so looked down upon.
As for the rest, don't know most of it, more to add to my endless growing list of music-I-have-to-check-out.
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THAT RABID DISCUSSION! Must be my acerbic wit and captivating intelligence. I guess that makes it time to alienate some more people with another album that nobody knows :lol So next we have
35. Car Bomb – Centralia
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/84fc74e7d5.jpg)
I’m pretty sure nobody else on this board will have heard this album, but it is quite an experience. Aside from having the best band name ever they also have one of the most raw, grating and dissonant styles of metal I’ve ever heard. If you like melody, structure and order, this is not the record for you. There are no choruses here, of even verses. Hell, there’s barely even a riff to be found, instead the guitars are used almost as percussion instruments, screeching and grinding through the tracks. There are moments where it sounds to me like the instruments are trying to escape, or that the members have lost control of them. I’ve no idea how they wrote this stuff. But far from making an unlistenable record, Car Bomb’s music is exciting, unpredictable and original, and even with the absolute mayhem present throughout almost every track the playing is always tight and energetic. Whilst Centralia most definitely won’t be to everybody’s taste, I love the absolute battering I get every time I listen to it. Like being repeatedy punched in the face by a beautiful woman.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Pieces+Of+You/46XldR?src=5
34. Muse – Showbiz
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/muse-showbi_11.jpg)
Like Physicist this is an album that most fans of the band consider to be their weakest offering, but in fact this is my favourite Muse album. Before I took up guitar I played piano for about 10 years and so have a soft spot for the instrument, and on Showbiz Matt Bellamy uses the keys to create some truly beautiful and haunting moments. It always seemed to me that on later albums the pianos and synths were a bit of an afterthought for Muse, but on this record they share the limelight with the guitars on many of the songs, from the spacey and unusual opener Sunburn to the delicate harmonies of Falling Down, which also features one of my favourite Bellamy vocal performances. The songs with less piano, generally the albums heavier moments, are great too, with Matts trademark tortured vocals soaring over some great guitar/bass interplay and solid and often groovy drumming. And in the middle of the album is Unintended, one of the sweetest little ballads I’ve ever heard. Overlooked by the more hardcore Muse fanbase perhaps, but Showbiz is appreciated by me.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Sunburn/2ug8vD?src=5
33. Between the Buried and Me – Alaska
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/betwee-alaska.jpg)
Heavy yet subtle, brutal yet beautiful, angry yet joyous, Alaska is an album of juxtaposition and contradiction. Much of the fuss about this album surrounds the track ‘Selkies: An Endless Obsession,’ and whilst that track does sum up the BTBAM style in a nutshell, it is not the only such moment on the record. The songs can be jarring and jagged but with always with a fluidity that belies just how intense and technical the tracks are. Songs like All Bodies and Backwards Marathon have some extremely heavy sections but always manage to strike a balance between those parts and the more melodic and mellow moments, and the transitions between them are always perfectly executed. And whilst there are moments of straight-ahead aggression in Croakies and Boatshoes and Roboturner they again are counter-balanced by moments of calm such as Breathe In, Breathe Out and Medicine Wheel. In terms of musicianship this is my favourite performance by Blake on drums, and similarly I think Tommy’s vocals are at their most varied and interesting here, including the pig-squeals! (used ironically, of course.) Overall an album of balance, of extremity being allowed to run free before being pegged back to create an entirely different dynamic, a talent which BTBAM excel at.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Selkies+The+Endless+Obsession/2zh3hR?src=5
Coming soon, No. 32! :caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine:
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Selkies is an awesome song.
The Muse album is definitily decent, while I prefer BH&R.
I'kll try the other thing out, but from the description I don't think I will like it :-\
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Selkies is an awesome song.
The Muse album is definitily decent, while I prefer BH&R.
I'kll try the other thing out, but from the description I don't think I will like it :-\
yeah that Car Bomb album is definitely one for the extremests. If you're not a fan of bands like The Dillinger Escaoe Plan and Converge then it's probably worth a miss
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Super list so far! :tup Maybe Unexpect will be on the next update?? :D
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Alaska! :tup
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Super list so far! :tup Maybe Unexpect will be on the next update?? :D
I must admit, I've not quite fallen in love with Unexpect yet. I definitely like them quite a lot, but I wouldn't say they've clicked yet.
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Time for three albums I like slightly more than the last three, including the moment you've all been waiting for, following hot on the heels of No. 33
32. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dtowns-oceanm_02.jpg)
Listening to this album is like being enveloped in a big warm cloud. I find the ‘wall of sound’ production that Devin uses on many of his albums really comforting, the audio equivalent of a hug. This is just an album of great tracks, and ends with what could be my favourite Devin song of all. You could probably describe this record as being Devin’s ‘core’ sound, big, chunky heavy rock songs interspersed with moments of serenity, although the use of hardly any harsh vocals does set it apart from his other pre-DTP material. Seventh Wave is a great opener, building from the slow intro into the absolutely sumptuous chorus and progressing from there, and that sets the tone for the whole record. I could gush about almost all the songs here, but for me the undoubted highlight is The Death of Music. In the right frame of mind this song transcends music and becomes a life-affirming experience. It’s like nothing else he’s ever recorded. I once listened to this song on repeat for about four hours whilst dozing on a plane and had the most amazing lucid dreams, with visions of oceans and cityscapes and driving ranges in the sky. I can only wonder at the frame of mind he was in to write this, or how draining it was to record a vocal performance of this intensity and emotion. The juiciest of cherries on a delicious cake of an album.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Death+Of+Music/3IdqWO?src=5
31. Buckethead – Colma
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/bucket-colma.jpg)
An album which is quite a departure from Buckethead’s normal sound, Colma is a mellow, subtle and delicate collection of tracks which he wrote for his mother to enjoy when she was ill. Eschewing his usual virtuosity in favour of minimalism, the songs on Colma are nonetheless captivating. I love the way he will often take a single phrase or arpeggio and develop it into a full song; opener Whitewash is a great example of this. There are some albums which you have to be in the right frame of mood for, but I can throw this album on at any time and it will either help me relax after a tough day or inspire me to take a breath and reconstitute my thoughts during a difficult period. I particularly enjoy this record if I am out and about in a busy place, for example shopping. Turning the volume up so that every other sound is blocked out and drifting through the crowds in my own little world gives me a sense of detachment from the stresses of the world that I find incredibly valuable. Colma is sometimes happy, often melancholy, occasionally breath-taking and always beautiful.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Big+Sur+Moon/2zLABO?src=5
30. Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/panter-vulgar_03.jpg)
Although I would have been too young to appreciate or even understand this album when it was released, Pantera’s music has a timeless quality which makes the aggression contained as relevant today as it was 20 years ago. A lot of that is simply due to the quality of the material. Dimebag’s riffs are heavier and punchier than anything the ‘djent’ movement can create, and the chemistry and sense of groove he had with his brother Vinnie Paul is something no amount of practice can emulate. Of course ‘Walk’ is the song everybody talks about from this album, and it is a testament to the band that a song comprised of three notes can be considered one of the greatest metal tracks of all time. Aside from the instruments, I really like Phil Anselmo’s vocals. On ‘Fucking Hostile’ I love his ability to scream vocals at 100mph and still have them easily comprehensible, and whilst I think his clean singing on this record is neither as good nor as prevalent as it is on some other Pantera records he still utilises it well. If Colma is a record to wind me down then this is the opposite, the album to pump me up for challenges ahead.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/This+Love/1Up6wr?src=5
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Super list so far! :tup Maybe Unexpect will be on the next update?? :D
I must admit, I've not quite fallen in love with Unexpect yet. I definitely like them quite a lot, but I wouldn't say they've clicked yet.
Have you tried their latest album?? Considering your list, I'm sure you'll like it! :tup
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Super list so far! :tup Maybe Unexpect will be on the next update?? :D
I must admit, I've not quite fallen in love with Unexpect yet. I definitely like them quite a lot, but I wouldn't say they've clicked yet.
Have you tried their latest album?? Considering your list, I'm sure you'll like it! :tup
Haven't yet, although I hear it's probably a good starting place for the band (a bit less crazy.) I actually first discovered them about 5 years ago through someone on the SikTh forums, but I sort of forgot about them and since then my musical horizons have changed so much that it's like listening to a new band.
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Their newest is by far their best IMO, and the only one I can really listen to. The earlier stuff is just too much insanity for my brain to cope with.
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Their newest is by far their best IMO, and the only one I can really listen to. The earlier stuff is just too much insanity for my brain to cope with.
WE, Invaders and Utopia are not THAT crazy though... But yeah Fables is the way to go! :tup
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Time for three albums I like slightly more than the last three, including the moment you've all been waiting for, following hot on the heels of No. 33
32. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dtowns-oceanm_02.jpg)
Listening to this album is like being enveloped in a big warm cloud. I find the ‘wall of sound’ production that Devin uses on many of his albums really comforting, the audio equivalent of a hug. This is just an album of great tracks, and ends with what could be my favourite Devin song of all. You could probably describe this record as being Devin’s ‘core’ sound, big, chunky heavy rock songs interspersed with moments of serenity, although the use of hardly any harsh vocals does set it apart from his other pre-DTP material. Seventh Wave is a great opener, building from the slow intro into the absolutely sumptuous chorus and progressing from there, and that sets the tone for the whole record. I could gush about almost all the songs here, but for me the undoubted highlight is The Death of Music. In the right frame of mind this song transcends music and becomes a life-affirming experience. It’s like nothing else he’s ever recorded. I once listened to this song on repeat for about four hours whilst dozing on a plane and had the most amazing lucid dreams, with visions of oceans and cityscapes and driving ranges in the sky. I can only wonder at the frame of mind he was in to write this, or how draining it was to record a vocal performance of this intensity and emotion. The juiciest of cherries on a delicious cake of an album.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Death+Of+Music/3IdqWO?src=5
31. Buckethead – Colma
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/bucket-colma.jpg)
An album which is quite a departure from Buckethead’s normal sound, Colma is a mellow, subtle and delicate collection of tracks which he wrote for his mother to enjoy when she was ill. Eschewing his usual virtuosity in favour of minimalism, the songs on Colma are nonetheless captivating. I love the way he will often take a single phrase or arpeggio and develop it into a full song; opener Whitewash is a great example of this. There are some albums which you have to be in the right frame of mood for, but I can throw this album on at any time and it will either help me relax after a tough day or inspire me to take a breath and reconstitute my thoughts during a difficult period. I particularly enjoy this record if I am out and about in a busy place, for example shopping. Turning the volume up so that every other sound is blocked out and drifting through the crowds in my own little world gives me a sense of detachment from the stresses of the world that I find incredibly valuable. Colma is sometimes happy, often melancholy, occasionally breath-taking and always beautiful.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Big+Sur+Moon/2zLABO?src=5
30. Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/panter-vulgar_03.jpg)
Although I would have been too young to appreciate or even understand this album when it was released, Pantera’s music has a timeless quality which makes the aggression contained as relevant today as it was 20 years ago. A lot of that is simply due to the quality of the material. Dimebag’s riffs are heavier and punchier than anything the ‘djent’ movement can create, and the chemistry and sense of groove he had with his brother Vinnie Paul is something no amount of practice can emulate. Of course ‘Walk’ is the song everybody talks about from this album, and it is a testament to the band that a song comprised of three notes can be considered one of the greatest metal tracks of all time. Aside from the instruments, I really like Phil Anselmo’s vocals. On ‘Fucking Hostile’ I love his ability to scream vocals at 100mph and still have them easily comprehensible, and whilst I think his clean singing on this record is neither as good nor as prevalent as it is on some other Pantera records he still utilises it well. If Colma is a record to wind me down then this is the opposite, the album to pump me up for challenges ahead.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/This+Love/1Up6wr?src=5
Both the DT and Pantera selections are top notch! I have yet to delve into Buckethead. I like instrumental guitar stuff so I'm not sure what my hold up is... I'll have to check it out.
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^You should definitely check out Colma. Much of his other material is too wacky or dissonant for anyone except the most devoted Bucket-heads, but even my Nan likes Colma.
I'm going to start doing these in batches of two now because:
a) I haven't quite finished the write-ups and I won't have enough free time to get them done at the rate I'm currently posting
b) Building up tension ooooohhhh
c) I'm the OP and I can do what I want
29. Mastodon – Leviathan
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/mastod-leviat_08.jpg)
What I love about this album, aside from the amazing drumming, unusual guitar lines and complex yet memorable rhythms, is the atmosphere. Leviathan is a concept album based on the story of Moby Dick, and somehow Mastodon have recreated the sound of a turbulent ocean quest in their music, not through simply sampling ocean sounds, but through the clever use of notes to create moments of tension, panic, anger and peace. To me this album sounds like the ocean, but not a calm, soothing seascape, rather a harsh, violent and unforgiving battleground. Many listeners are instantly put off or Mastodon because of their vocals, especially on these earlier albums, and whilst there is no doubt that their singing has improved of late the pure intensity of the vocals from all four members, and the different textures that each one provides during the course of the album, fit the music perfectly. Picking standout tracks is hard for me here because each song complements the album so well, but the vocal melodies in Naked Burn and the outtro solo of the epic Hearts Alive are favourite moments of mine.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Seabeast/3CkJXj?src=5
28. Agalloch - The Mantle
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/457697-agalloch-the-mantle.jpg)
The second Agalloch album on my list, and my favourite by them. Simply one of the most immersive and haunting albums I’ve ever heard. I love how Agalloch don’t rush their music – it’s five minutes into the album before you hear any vocals – but let the songs develop slowly and in doing so build up the desolate atmosphere which defines their sound. Even when they do speed up a bit during songs like ‘I Am the Wooden Doors,’ they still manage to keep the overall feel of the album intact. The use of acoustic guitars particularly impresses me, adding subtle harmonies in order to keep the pseudo-folk vibe alive during sections that could otherwise be considered black metal. This is not an album I would throw on during a summer’s day, but at moments when I’m feeling down or reflective this is perfect ‘thinking’ music. Agalloch certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, but they have a style all their own, something which is becoming harder and harder to come by. And if nothing else, it’s fucking cool to have an album which features the sound of someone hitting the skull of a deer as an instrument.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/You+Were+But+A+Ghost+In+My+Arms/2Bunr0?src=5
Goddamn those are two good albums.
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Agalloch! :heart
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Agree with everything about Leviathan. The atmosphere of the album is so powerful and every song is just perfect. It would probably make it in my top 20 albums of all time, perfect record.
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27. Tenacious D – Tenacious D
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/tenaci-tenaci_02.jpg)
This album just plain rules. Everybody knows Tenacious D for the song Tribute with the comedy music video, and whilst that song is great it’s by no means the peak of this album. I love Jack Black’s voice throughout, distinctive and with a great range, and the acoustic guitars by Kyle Gass are clean and melodic, and suit the music to a T. In fact all of the instrumentation on the album is great, with some extremely talented musicians including Dave Grohl on drums. However, only about two thirds of the tracks are actual songs. The other tracks are skits and comedy sketches, something which would irritate me to death if they weren’t actually funny. But they are funny, and I find that they don’t get old. I guess it helps that I really like Jack Black as an actor, and I have no doubt that if someone didn’t like him then they wouldn’t get this album at all. His lyrics are of course ridiculous throughout, but that’s the point of the album, and they’re memorable and anthemic and songs like ‘Wonderboy’ and ‘Fuck Her Gently’ are sure to incite a sing-along even amongst people who don’t normally like rock music, such is their appeal. There are not many albums where I know every word to every song, but this is one of them.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Friendship/3Y2MN6?src=5
26. Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dreamt-sixdeg_02.jpg)
The album featuring the song which first introduced me to Dream Theater. As my musical tastes were expanding and I was beginning to appreciate more complex music, my friend said to me “Ben, you should check out Dream Theater, you’d probably really like them.” So when I got home, I opened up Kazaa and entered Dream Theater. First song on the list, ‘The Glass Prison.’ When it was downloaded about 4 hours later, I hit play. What I heard over the next 14 minutes shaped my musical development for the rest of my life. I had no idea people could make music like this. When I got around to buying the whole album I revelled in the complexities of Blind Faith, absorbed the atmosphere of Misunderstood, was blown away by the intensity of The Great Debate, and wallowed in the sadness of Disappear. And as for the title track, I had all those reactions and more. I’m sure most of you know this album pretty well so I won’t go into more detail, save to say that I still love it, and that The Glass Prison is my second favourite DT song, behind Octavarium.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Glass+Prison/2jdFL2?src=5
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The Mantle :heart
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Great to see Agalloch and DT!
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Both awesome albums, it sucks that PoD was such a let down :(
Six Degrees is my favorite DT album :heart
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25. Vital Remains – Dechristianize
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/VR5.jpg)
Dechristianize is probably the heaviest album on my list, but it is far from a run-of-the-mill death metal album. In my opinion this is Vital Remains’ most progressive record. Lead guitarist Dave Suzuki finds a way to incorporate neo-classical solos and leads into the music without it ever seeming forced or clichéd. There are even moments of acoustic classical and flamenco guitar, but these too seem to make perfect sense within the whirlwind of noise offered up by the rest of the instruments. The drums, also played by Suzuki, are phenomenal on this album. Sure, there’s the obligatory 100mph blasting synonymous with the genre, and the speed of some of his rolls and double-bass are breathtaking, but there are also moments of great groove where he plays *shock, horror* tastefully. The issue of taste may be an issue for some with regard to the vocals, as Glen Benson is definitely a character who divides opinion, and the lyrics (written by Suzuki) are not going to win over those of a religious disposition, but his guttural growl and Suzuki’s demonic screams are a perfect fit to the intensity of the music. My only qualm with this record is the lack of bass (played by guess who) but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the music. Full of epic moments and unexpected twists and turns, Dechristianize is a quality album from start to finish.
Apparantly VR are so heavy that Grooveshark cannot support the weight of their music, so no link.
24. Gojira – Terra Incognita
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/070fqfsk9dzhveon8ij2.jpg)
Another heavy album, from perhaps the heaviest band to ever exist. But Gojira are not just heavy for the sake of it, this is controlled, groove-laden music with much more intelligence that your ‘average’ metal album. As their first record, Terra Incognita does suffer from a less than crystal clear sound, but much like Agalloch that murkiness only succeeds in making the album more atmospheric. And there is great atmosphere here, helped by a surprising amount of variety in the music. The intro to Lizard Skin may be the heaviest moment of music in my entire library, whilst 1990 Quatrillions de Tonnes is a haunting instrumental layered with vocal samples which never fails to give me goosebumps. And the grooves, oh god the grooves. Mario Duplantier is an absolute beast of a drummer and his work on this album is often flabbergasting, but his most impressive moments are often not when he is playing all-out, but instead keeping to a simple beat and allowing those mammoth grooves to flow, as during Blow Me Away You (Niverse). Whilst I also love Gojira’s later albums, there is an intensity to this record that sets it apart as my favourite by them, and it is a must for fans of heavy music.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Lizard+Skin/rZTng?src=5
LOL THAT'S NOT MUSIC IT'S JUST NOISE YOU CAN'T EVEN HEAR WHAT HE'S SAYING HOW CAN I DANCE TO THAT
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^You should definitely check out Colma. Much of his other material is too wacky or dissonant for anyone except the most devoted Bucket-heads, but even my Nan likes Colma.
I'll definitely give it a listen. I've heard a few other folks say good things about Colma.
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Gojira :metal
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Great picks! Cool to see some Vital Remains :)
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The Mantle :heart
Very much this. This album was a game changer for me. You Were But A Ghost In My Arms / The Hawthorne Passage is about as close to a perfect 20 minutes as you can find in music.
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Whoops two day bump, but what a pair I have for you today.
23. Strapping Young Lad – Alien
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/strapp-alien.jpg)
OK I lied about Dechristianize being the heaviest album on my list, but that’s because in my opinion Alien is the heaviest album of all time. Not heavy in the sense that it’s thrashy and noisy and impenetrable (although it does have its moments) but rather heavy in its intensity, anger and insanity. And insanity really is the word. For those not in the know about Devin Townsend he is quite severely bi-polar, although he is able to control it with medication. For Alien, afraid that Strapping’s music was losing its edge, he stopped taking that medication and allowed himself to regress. The panic, schizophrenia and paranoia that followed are chronicled via the devastating sound of the album. This is not easy listening. Shitstorm is the single angriest song I’ve ever heard, with Devin ranting and raving at himself, other people, and the world in general. I love the lyrics on this record, with other subjects including the problems of being human, dealing with materialism, and the complexities of love (dealt with with STL-era Devin’s trademark skepticism, of course.)
But it’s not just the lyrics and the vocal performance which are great on this album, the music more than matches Devin’s intensity. Gene Hoglan’s drums are the perfect battering ram with which to hammer home the emotional beating this record delivers, and between screaming his head off Devin and the rest of the band deliver some seriously great grooves. The main riff to Love? Is guaranteed to grab my attention and get me nodding my head no matter where I am or what I’m doing, and the moments of relative calm such as Thalamus have an ugly beauty which betrays the other side of Devin’s split personality, the man coming to terms with a world he struggles to understand. And topping it all off is Info Dump, Devin’s attempt at putting the feeling of relapsing into his disorder into a single track. Listened to loudly through good headphones it is a genuinely frightening experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw903mFTkcE
Things start to get less heavy from here on.
22. Miocene – A Perfect Life With A View Of The Swamp
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/51T6ND4XXPL_SS500_.jpg)
Of all the albums on my list this is the one which I would recommend the most highly to those who haven’t heard it. Which I suspect is most people :lol Miocene are sadly not around anymore, having split in 2006, but their legacy includes an album of fantastic, original music from a band who were not afraid to push musical boundaries or try something new. ‘A Perfect Life…’ took over three years to write and it shows. It is difficult to label them as belonging to any particular genre because this is an album of such varied music, but you could probably describe them as being experimental progressive metal. When playing ‘as a band’ their sound is not dissimilar to Tool, both vocally and instrumentally, with the same tortured guitar tones, prominent bass, stunning drumming and frequent time signature and tempo changes employed by Maynard and co.
But that style of music doesn’t make up even half of this record. There are several fully electronic tracks, not just the interludes that many metal bands employ, but fully realized pieces in the vein of Aphex Twin and Venetian Snares. Other genres to be found include ambience, drum’n’bass, hip-hop, the closing track is acoustic, and there is even a spoken word piece. And these genres are by no means relegated to their own specific tracks, but incorporated smoothly into songs which were previously heading in a completely different direction. ‘The Fall,’ for example, is a prog-metal style song for five and a half minutes, before going off on a tangent and becoming a live drum’n’bass track, whilst ‘Sympathy For Gordon Comstock’ starts as an ambient synth piece before being layered with traditional instruments, and then finally breaking down into an electronic glitchcore mindfuck. I really really love this record, not just because of how Miocene pushed the boat out musically, but also because they clearly put everything they had into making it, and that labour of love has resulted in an album they can look back and be proud of.
Have a listen if you fancy something a bit different, or just want something to fill the gap until the next Tool album!
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Fall/2zq2MF?src=5
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Colloquial+Drug+Terminology/2zpZ1S?src=5
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Alien is about the biggest musical sledgehammer to your face.
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Alien is about the biggest musical sledgehammer to your face.
Agreed, it's just non-stop musical punishment. And i love it :biggrin:
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Onward.
21. Silversun Pickups – Carnavas
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/silver-carnav.jpg)
Silversun Pickups are a band I stumbled upon via Guitar Hero. Their music has the quality of being both uplifting and summery whilst also being melancholy and heartfelt. It’s impossible to ignore their similarity to Smashing Pumpkins, even down to both bands having a female bass player, but in my opinion Carnavas is a greater album than any that the Pumpkins released. Brian Aubert’s feminine Corgan-esque vocals range from breathy and intimate to aggressive and desperate, but they are always musical and his voice is always warm and soothing. There are a lot of great guitar parts on this record, with a great use of fuzzy, clean and spacey tones, and the bass lines are interesting and don’t just follow the guitars. The drumming is great too; whilst not particularly complicated Chris Guanlao always manages to find the right beat for a section, and comes up with some great grooves. I also really like his snare tone, triggered into a snappy clapping sound which occasionally gives an almost electro-rock vibe, something enhanced by the subtle use of synth and samples layered into the Pickup’s music.
I’m not a particularly big fan of Indie music, but what makes this album truly great is the number of ‘goosebump’ moments scattered throughout it. The crescendo during the guitar solo in Lazy Eye, the drums coming in during the second verse of Rusted Wheel, the snare fill into the verses of Well Thought Out Twinkies, the sudden reprise during Dream at Tempo 119, all these moments send chills down my spine and cause the hairs on my arms to stand up time after time after time. Today I did my Christmas shopping, and I listened to this album whilst I was out and about. The normally stressful experience was made smooth and easy by listening to this music, as it is a pleasure to listen to no matter the situation I find myself in.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Lazy+Eye/4jK8mS?src=5
20. Audioslave – Audioslave
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/audios-audios_11.jpg)
I have a confession to make. I discovered Audioslave before I discovered Rage Against the Machine or Soundgarden. I was watching MTV2 with my Dad and the video for Cochise came on and both of us sat straight up in our seats. Who are these guys? Where did they come from? That intro! Those riffs! That voice! My Dad bought the album and I pinched it off him and listened to it over and over again. It’s just a fantastic album, heavy but with immense groove, every track a memorable one. Chris Cornell's voice is absolutely superb, whether he’s softly singing as during What You Are or screaming as on Cochise. He has such a range and he knows exactly how to utilise it to best effect depending on the style of song. His haunting, lilting, southern rock style crooning on The Last Remaining Light is a particular favourite moment for me. Tom Morello’s guitar playing is both restrained and also no-holds-barred on this album, in that he doesn’t go overboard with the dissonant guitar solos which he so often used in Rage, but what he does play he plays with a power that few can match, assisted by his unwaveringly excellent tone. The same goes for Tim Commerford. He’s notoriously secretive about what goes into making those heavy and warm bass sounds, but he has tone like no other, and an ability to create funky licks that don’t feel out of place on what is essentially a hard rock album. In my opinion this should go down as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMvN45sjo4
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Both of these are pretty cool albums. I'd argue the Pumpkins thing but it's all opinion. Very surprised you got into Audioslave before Rage or Soundgarden, but I'm getting old so I have to be relative.... :-\
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I love that Audioslave album.
Pity the other two aren't as good :-\
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I love that Audioslave album.
Pity the other two aren't as good :-\
Yeah it's too bad, Out of Exile had a couple of great moments but couldn't touch the original. I never even bothered listening to the third.
19. Metallica - …And Justice For All
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/metall-andjus_02.jpg)
Metallica get a bad rap from a lot of people, and for a lot of valid reasons. It’s certainly true that in recent years their songwriting hasn’t been all that fantastic, and albums such as St. Anger and Lulu aren’t helping matters. It could also be stated without too much argument that Lars Ulrich has become something of a lazy drummer. But back in their ‘glory’ days Metallica really were a force to be reckoned with, and for me Justice is the pinnacle of all they achieved. Every track is a winner here, with not a single weak point on the album. Structurally the songs here are much more progressive than their more recent output, often lengthy and comprising of many different sections, tempos and even time signatures. Opener Blackened is thrashy and exciting, whilst the title track is sprawling and varied and contains one of my favourite parts on the whole album, the reprise of the intro part during the melodic breakdown. Genius. The guitars are typical Metallica, thrashy riffs and speedy solos along with the occasional acoustic interlude, it’s just that on Justice they’re done better than usual, and whilst one could never accuse Ulrich of over-drumming even he is on top form here, playing to suit the music perfectly.
The most revered song from this album would have to be One, with its instantly recognizable intro refrain and iconic lyrics, but whilst I do love that song it is not the standout for me. That title falls to To Live Is To Die, the album’s instrumental track. From the harmonies of the acoustic guitar in the introduction, thru the heavy riffage of the verses and the tasteful guitar solo, into one of the most beautiful sections I’ve ever heard from any band, let alone Metallica. A hugely emotive track, made even more poignant by the knowledge that this was the last thing Cliff Burton wrote before he died. …And Justice For All is a fitting legacy for Burton, and whilst Metallica will always have their detractors albums such as this are the reason they have such a huge fanbase in the first place.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/To+Live+Is+To+Die/35Evhj?src=5
18. Dream Theater – Images and Words
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dreamt-images_04.jpg)
The album that (realistically) started it all for DT and is still regarded by many as their crowning achievement. It’s not hard to see why, either. Some of the songs on this record are incredible, and whilst the sound of the album may have dated as the years have gone by the quality of the material hasn’t dwindled at all. Pull Me Under is probably my least favourite song from I&W but even that is a great piece of music with its catchy chorus and chugging verses. Dream Theater are a band known for their technical virtuosity, so it is testament to Images that even the relatively straightforward tracks such as Another Day and Under A Glass Moon are still fantastic songs and miles ahead of most others in the progressive metal genre.
But enough about simplicity, because the juiciest parts of this particular steak are the epics: Metropolis and Learning to Live. You would be hard-pressed to find a Dream Theater fan who doesn’t have one of or even both those songs in their top 5 DT tracks. They’re certainly in mine, Metropolis for its extreme technicality that even at its peak in the instrumental section never sounds excessive or out of place and Learning to Live for its melodies, including some of my favourite LaBrie vocals, and that absolutely immense and spine-tingling closing passage. This is such a strong album that half of the tracks on it would make my DT top 10, and considering the strength of Dream Theater’s back catalogue that is an indication of how highly I value this record.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Under+A+Glass+Moon/2yv2Yx?src=5
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I love Alien, and I have I&W 17 places higher than you :)
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Now there are a couple of albums I can agree with you on how great they are. AJFA is my top Metallica disc, and you know how I feel about I&W. As Mason said, 17 places higher for me too..
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:tup AJFA and I&W! :tup
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AJFA is a great album, and I&W is a Top 3 album for me :tup
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Great picks!
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A bit more love for those albums, they are classics. These next two are not classics, but I still love them.
17. Protest the Hero – Fortress
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/protes-fortre_02.jpg)
This album is just a fun ride from start to finish. The most immediately noticeable aspects of PTH’s sound are the vocals of Rody Walker. They’re definitely a case of love them or hate them, and I fall into the former category. His range is superb, everything from passionate singing, whispering and falsetto to high shrieks and guttural growls, it’s just his approach that puts some people off as he switches between these techniques swiftly and often. I feel it adds an extra dimension to their music, as he uses his voice as an additional instrument. He creates atmosphere too, from moments of grandiose epicness during Bone Marrow to urgent forcefulness as during Bloodmeat. But no matter what he does, it’s always with a sense of fun.
Whilst the vocals are great it’s the music which is the real star of the show here. Fortress is an album of supreme technical achievement on every instrument. The song structures allow the instruments pretty much free reign, as whilst the songs do often have choruses the ways in which they are reached are more often than not highly unconventional, with solos, breakdowns and instrumental sections popping up everywhere. The guitarists always find a way to surprise or astound, coming up with lick after lick more melodic than the last, or riffs which sound like they shouldn’t work, but do. The bassist too is exceptionally busy, often playing in a style more befitting to a lead instrument but still complementing everything else that’s going on. The drums are less standout but are still highly impressive, and more than complete Protest’s sound. This in an album to put a smile on my face, and I’d bet that Protest were also sporting pretty big grins when they recorded it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypCdGNe3Bvs
16. Avenged Sevenfold – Sounding The Seventh Trumpet
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/avenge-soundi_03.jpg)
First things first, if I’m being completely objective this is not a fantastic album. Sevenfold wrote and recorded it when they were all still in high school, and there are moments of sloppiness from all members. This was also before Syn Gates joined the band so Zacky V played all the guitars on the record, and as such there are none of the harmonies or complex guitar lines that Sevenfold’s later albums feature. But none of those things matter to me, and I love this record. I’ve mentioned before that it was Avenged Sevenfold who got me listening to metal in the first place, and this album was also largely responsible for getting me started in playing guitar. I learnt to play this entire album (minus the intro solo) when I only had an acoustic guitar, and though I no doubt sounded terrible I would sit for hours and hours playing along to these tracks. I know ‘Sounding…’ back to front, inside out and upside down.
I’ve mentioned some of the negatives about this album but don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of merit here too. Most obvious are the drums. The Rev really was an outstanding drummer, and on this album he didn’t hold back at all. Every song has skilled, frantic and original drum work that would challenge musicians of twice his age and experience, and when you also take into account that 9 of the 13 drum tracks were recorded in one take, you begin to appreciate what a talent the music world lost with his passing. Shadows’ vocals are impressive too, though lacking the maturity of A7X’s later albums. On tracks such as ‘Streets’ and ‘Warmness on the Soul’ his clean voice is still controlled and melodic, and indicative of the talent that he would become, whilst his harsh vocals are tearing and feral. There are good songs here too, surprisingly progressive and often unconventionally structured, and even now some 9 years after I first heard it, and with my musical horizons considerably broadened, I still enjoy listening to STST. For all its cheesy lyrics, corny vocal harmonies, scuffed notes and immaturity, it’s more than nostalgia that keeps me coming back.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Thick+And+Thin/2zfRRv?src=5
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16. Avenged Sevenfold – Sounding The Seventh Trumpet
First things first, if I’m being completely objective this is not a fantastic album.
Without that sentence there would have been no excuse to place it above Images & Words.
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16. Avenged Sevenfold – Sounding The Seventh Trumpet
First things first, if I’m being completely objective this is not a fantastic album.
Without that sentence there would have been no excuse to place it above Images & Words.
But that's the thing. This is MY favourite 50 albums, not the 50 best albums ever written. That Sevenfold album means more to me than Images because of the context in which I first heard it. It was incredibly important to my musical delevopment, and whilst nobody, least of all me, would argue that it is better than I&W it is still closer to my heart.
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There isn't even such a thing as "being best objectively", it's all opinions.
Many people here on this forum might have Images & Words in their top5 albums, some other people may not have it in their top1000 albums.
Who is wrong? Nobody cause it's all opinions. :P
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There isn't even such a thing as "being best objectively", it's all opinions.
Many people here on this forum might have Images & Words in their top5 albums, some other people may not have it in their top1000 albums.
Who is wrong? Nobody cause it's all opinions. :P
Yeah, this.
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Sequoia Throne is what initially really got me interested in Protest The Hero. I have a severe mental block on most growling rawr, rawr vocals but that dude can sing his ass off when he's not doing that and the band is obviously talented.
I know Fortress is supposed to be their best album but because of previously stated issues with the growls etc. someone suggested their new album and I'm growing into the vocals more and more. I think in time I'll come to really enjoy Fortress when I'm more prepared for it...lol
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There isn't even such a thing as "being best objectively", it's all opinions.
Many people here on this forum might have Images & Words in their top5 albums, some other people may not have it in their top1000 albums.
Who is wrong? Nobody cause it's all opinions. :P
Yeah, this.
This as well. And nice pick for I&W by the way, my favourite album ever :)
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For the record, I totally understand where Elite was coming from. I actually agree that I&W is the better album that STST, but whether an album is objectively better than another is irrelevant when it comes to personal preference. I listen to fucking Millionaires, for chrissakes.
However I am grateful that something in this list has actually provoked some real conversation :lol
Lets have another update
15. Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/refuse-shapeo_04.jpg)
In certain circles this is regarded as the best punk album of all time, and I fall into one of those circles. This is punk music, but not as we know it. The term ‘punk’ implies simple chords, frantic drumming and angry vocals being spat over the top. The Shape of Punk to Come is a far far more thoughtful affair. The philosophy or message of the album is that punk can no longer be revolutionary if it is packaged within music designed with commercial appeal, and with that in mind the music here is complex, angular and often jarring. Refused take the idea of punk and twist it into whichever direction they see fit. This album contains both heavy and mellow songs and within those songs there are elements including electronic, spoken word and jazz, as well as the use of samples and references to outside media. This is intelligent punk music.
All this complexity is fine, but the message of the album would be lost, at least to me, if it were not an extremely enjoyable listen. Whilst not easily digestible there is plenty here for the more discerning punk appreciator to enjoy. The rhythm section in Refused is fantastic, with fantastic drums and prominent bass throughout this record, whilst the guitars are crisp and heavy and help to enhance the sense of unease that is ever-present. The vocals are more standard hardcore-punk fare, but they are delivered with integrity and honesty throughout, and on ‘The Apollo Program was a Hoax’ are haunting and spine-tingling. The album has fantastic flow too, with great transitions meaning that the tracks are even more hard-hitting when listened to in the context of the whole record. Sadly, the title of the album was not prophetic, as this was Refused’s last album and whilst it should have been a considered a benchmark for future punk bands to match, in my opinion nobody has even come close.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Deadly+Rhythm/2V4hRN?src=5
14. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/eminem-slimsh_11.jpg)
It is my personal opinion that Marshall Bruce Mathers III, AKA Eminem, was the greatest lyricist of all time. I say was because in recent times (since he stopped doing drugs, to be honest) I find that his inspiration has dried up and his music is sterile and boring, and often terrible. But on his earlier albums his work is simply unparalleled. Eminem has a flow and rhyming style that nobody I’ve ever heard has been able to match. He’ll take the most unconventional words or phrases and somehow rhyme them five or six times. Who else could come up with multiple rhymes for ‘hallucinogen’ or ‘orange juice?’ And not only can he come up with these fantastic groups of words but he’ll find a way to fit three or four of them into one sentence without disturbing the flow of the line or the song.
The Slim Shady LP is Eminem’s second record, but the first on which he really began to develop his style. It’s also the one with the most humour. And Eminem is all about humour. The idea that people could be offended by his music is comical to me because so much of it is so obviously delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. ‘My Fault,’ ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘Role Model’ are often laugh-out-loud funny, but there are also moments of genuine melancholy here. The young Marshall had a very difficult childhood and adolescence, and The Slim Shady LP was released before he had become famous and made any money, and the desperation and hopelessness that come with struggling to make ends meet are addressed in ‘If I Had’ and ‘Rock Bottom.’ Whatever you think of him, it is impossible to deny that Eminem has had a massive impact on the music industry, and that he did it by working from the ground up is testament to his talent, innovation and originality.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/My+Fault/2EMeNV?src=5
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But Kezia is their best album.
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But Kezia is their best album.
No it isn't I am objectively right
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Not going to be able to update this till tomorrow so here's a shameless bump in the hope of stealing some of Lat's thunder
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Fail
13. Born of Osiris - The New Reign
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/bornof-newrei.jpg)
It’s hard for me to describe what makes this album so enjoyable for me. Born of Osiris just make fun, heavy music which sounds great when played loud. Clocking in at only 21 minutes The New Reign is the definition of short and sweet, and every one of the eight tracks is chock full of fantastic music. Not a single moment is wasted here, as every single riff is a winner, every single guitar lead is melodic and complementary, and every breakdown and groove a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This combination of heavy djent-style riffage mixed with breakdowns and melodic sections hardly sounds original, but Born of Osiris are not your average metal band. I mentioned during my ‘The Discovery’ write-up that BOO use keyboards like no other band within this saturated genre, and on The New Reign this is more obvious than on any of their records since. Far from being a gimmick the keyboards here absolutely hold the tracks together and the frequent use of synth leads instead of guitar are what give BOO their signature sound, and more than likely are a big part of the reason that they have become such a sensation within the modern progressive metal genre. It’s hard to think of another up-and-coming band trying to make a name for themselves who would dare to take such risks as the Chinese style breakdown in Abstract Art.
Another reason that this album sounds so good to me is the production. If I had to describe it in one word it would be ‘chunky.’ The guitars are Meshuggah tight to the drums, probably because they’re all played by the same person, and this means that the grooves hit exactly as hard as they’re intended to. The drums themselves sound clicky and triggered, but it suits the album and with a good sound system they provide one hell of a punch. There’s a lot of bass frequencies here and it just sounds so good that any qualms about the unnatural cleanness (some might say soullessness) of the record just go out the window. If you like heavy music, and I do like heavy music, this is an album that’s almost impossible to dislike, because it’s just so well executed. Good stuff.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Empires+Erased/4jT33e?src=5
12. Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/rageag-rageag_08.jpg)
From the opening notes of Bombtrack to the closing riff of Freedom every moment of Rage Against The Machine’s first and best album is as hard-hitting, revolutionary and relevant today as it must have been when it was released 20 years ago. As with the Pantera and Refused albums already mentioned RATM has a timeless quality to it which keeps winning over new fans even today, including legions who would not have been born upon its release. I remember hearing Bullet in the Head for the first time whilst out and about in a friend’s car, and when it had finished I thought to myself ‘That was the best song I’ve ever heard.’ I may have been slightly chemically altered at the time as I no longer have that mindset, but the song and the album still hold a very special place in my heart.
What makes this record so great is that every member is just on fire throughout. Aside from his technical and effect-laden solos, Tom Morello’s guitar work is never over-complicated, instead relying on a catchiness and power which is never wide of the mark. In fact some of his riffs, particularly those in Killing in the Name and Wake Up, have become iconic and are familiar to many who are unfamiliar with the band. Tim Commorford on bass is perhaps even more integral to Rage’s sound than Morello’s guitar as he slaps, taps and snaps the heaviest and funkiest of bass grooves, and Brad Wilk’s drums are powerful and effective, but again never over-complicated. This is not a complex album, but every note and hit is used to perfection. Whatever you make of Zach de la Rocha’s ideologies, his lyrics deal with issues which are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them as an angsty teenager. His passion about and knowledge of the subjects he deals with is infectious, and he delivers his message with a venom that rivals even the most extreme of metal singers. For a rap-metal band to have formed when it was a fledgling genre, and that whilst most similar bands have come and gone whilst Rage’s music is still revered, is a testament to the longevity and influence of their material. I think this record is the best thing the band, and indeed the genre, has ever produced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0j0GCbMC7A
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Interesting take with that RATM album, nice writeup. I have that CD somewhere, I'll probably put it on again sometime.
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Interesting take with that RATM album, nice writeup. I have that CD somewhere, I'll probably put it on again sometime.
Yeah it's always worth a listen. For some reason I've ended up with five copies of that album too, even though I only ever bought two copies. I guess it's just drawn to me.
Entering the top 10 with this update.
11. Dimmu Borgir – Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dimmub-purita.jpg)
In my early days of musical discovery I one day had the sudden desire for something heavy. Like really, really heavy. I’d been listening to Avenged Sevenfold and SikTh who were great, but I wanted something more brutal. On a whim I decided to head to my local HMV and pick up the CD with the most metal looking album cover I could find. Thus, I discovered Dimmu Borgir. Upon returning home I put it in my stereo, hit play – and was greeted with classical music. Yes the first track, Fear and Wonder, is a symphonic introduction, mellow yet dark and eerie. I enjoyed it, but I wanted something heavy. Nothing could prepare me though for what followed, the absolute whirlwind of intensity of ‘Blessing Upon the Throne of Tyranny’ and much of the nine tracks which follow it. Talk about a musical punch to the face, this was heavy on a level I’d never imagined, and I loved every second of it.
Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia is about as far as one can stretch Black Metal before it becomes a different genre. Yes there are screeching vocals and ambient passages but the level of technicality on this album is far beyond the average black metal release. Just to keep everything together at this speed is an achievement, with blistering guitars and the stunning light-speed drumming of Nick Barker. There is also a surprising amount of variety to keep things interesting, from the synth-led ‘Hybrid Stigmata - The Apostasy’ to the positively evil sounding minimalism of ‘Puritana.’ This is an ambitious album from start to finish, and I have yet to hear a black metal album that tops it.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Puritania/2rT5Nv?src=5
10. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/eminem-marsha_14.jpg)
Much darker and more mature than the Slim Shady LP, this is my favourite hip-hop album of all time. This album takes everything which was great about the previous album and builds upon it. The production is better and the sound is crisp and punchy. The little touches are great too. One of the best tricks Eminem employed on his earlier albums was the subtle doubling of certain lines, phrases and words to add emphasis to them. It’s something he uses frequently and I really enjoy the effect it creates, as if he is backing himself up. The lyrics on this album are fantastic too, and as this album was written and released just as Eminem was becoming more well known in the music business the sudden fame and infamy he found himself subjected to provided a plethora of new material for him to write about.
Some of the songs on this album are absolutely mind-blowing. Few will be unfamiliar with the track ‘Stan’, the very dark single about one fan’s infatuation with the rapper which ultimately ends in tragedy, and on which there is a fantastic guest spot from Dido. This is not easily digestible hip-hop for the masses, this is intelligent music by a gifted but troubled man. There are still moments of humour throughout the album, particularly in ‘The Real Slim Shady’ and ‘Kids,’ but in songs such as ‘The Way I Am’ and ‘Marshall Mathers,’ Eminem displays an anger which was never apparent on his earlier albums. On the genuinely disturbing ‘Kim’ that anger boils over into a song which almost crosses the line in terms of what is acceptable to put on record, but music is clearly the primary outlet for all of Eminem’s anger and hearing his train of thought in such an honest and uncompromising way makes for a fascinating listen. Eminem will always have his detractors but in my opinion The Marshall Mathers LP is a masterpiece and no matter what new music he creates, this is the album I choose to judge him by.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc6mpx9MHzw
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Great call with PEM, Ben. Anyone who doesn't like this section (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kChpThFdsHA#t=133s) ain't welcome in my home.
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Lat is kicking my ass at updating regularly, but hey, it's christmas.
9. The Devin Townsend Project – Addicted
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dtowns-addict.jpg)
One of Devin Townsend’s many, many talents is creating engaging music in a variety of different genres, even when the genres he chooses to implement are unfamiliar to him or his fans. Sometimes he will take two existing genres and combine them to create something entirely new. That’s what happened with Addicted, which I can safely say is the only pop-metal album I own. Designed to be both heavy and accessible, Devin as usual hits the nail squarely on the head with this album. The vibrant and colourful album artwork exudes a sense of fun which is mirrored by the music contained therein. There are songs to rock out to, songs to dance to and songs to sing along to. Devin puts in his usual fantastic performance on this record but the standout feature of Addicted is the inclusion of Anneke van Giersbergen on guest vocals, and her delicious voice adds the masterstroke to what is a sumptuously layered and massive sounding record.
I actually think Addicted gets off to a bit of a slow start, with the tracks ‘Addicted!’ and ‘Universe in a Ball!’ being my two least favourite on the album, although they are still fun songs, but from ‘Bend it Like Bender!’ onwards every song is simply fantastic. ‘Supercrush!’ benefits from its simplicity, allowing Anneke’s vocals to carry the song on their own, whilst the harmonies between her and Devin on the slow and pretty ‘Ih-Ah!’ are a delight to listen to time and time again. Devin brings the best out of his voice on ‘The Way Home!’ with choruses which grow in intensity until his singing is almost operatic in its range and power, and during the bridge in ‘Numbered!’ he breaks out some of his trademark arpeggios to add another layer of melody to the already dense and warm sound. As is often Devin’s style he adds many more layers into the music than are immediately obvious, and some of the layers are almost indistinguishable from each other. This means that there is always something new to hear, some new sample or sound which you won’t pick up on until your listen to it through headphones, or louder, or through a bass-heavy system. Even though this album is musically simpler than much of his previous output it is clear that no less effort has been put into making it.
Addicted was the first Devin Townsend album I heard, and it proved to be an ideal starting point. Catchy and fun, this is music to be enjoyed by anybody on any occasion. In my opinion nobody else could create an album so unconventional yet so immediately accessible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xr83DFlzjU
8. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dtowns-ki_02.jpg)
Oh yes, a Devin double. It is almost impossible for me to choose a favourite from Ki and Addicted, which is unusual considering how very different these albums are from each other. Where Addicted is upbeat, happy and easily listenable, Ki is restrained, melancholy and challenging. Addicted is the sound of a man who has found a new direction and is embracing it, whilst Ki is the sound of Devin wrestling with his decision to veer from his early musical leanings. What gives Ki the edge for me is the atmosphere. No album by Devin or indeed any other artist that I’ve heard has an atmosphere to match this record. Yes Ki is mellow, with a thin production unusual for Devin, but for the first half of the album you can hear that there is something lurking beneath the surface of the music, something angry and menacing which Devin is struggling to hold back. Indeed that anger does break through the surface a few times, most noticeably on ‘Disruptr’ and ‘Gato,’ but by the time the reprise of ‘Heaven Send’ has passed the atmosphere changes and becomes more positive, as if Devin has purged his anger and re-found his confidence to create peaceful music.
The loss of anger does not affect the quality of the songs during the second half of Ki though, in fact some of the finest moments here are created when Devin is metaphorically looking forward instead of over his shoulder. ‘Ain’t Never Gonna Win…’ and ‘Winter’ are funky yet minimalist, whilst the Elvis-like rock’n’roll of ‘Trainfire’ is toe-tapping and hip-shaking like nothing else Devin has recorded. My favourite moment of the album though is the title track. Both halves of ‘Ki’ the song I find utterly mesmerizing with Devin’s mediatory vocals mirrored in the soothing purr of his guitar during the first four minutes, before he launches into what I think is the most melodic and beautiful piece of music in his entire discography. They way that arpeggio section is built up, with the backing vocals, drums and samples building in intensity and volume in the background until Devin launches into the foreground with his soaring vocals is to me the very definition of musical genius. A moment of absolute musical joy on an album which is not always easy listening, nor instantly gratifying, but with a modicum of patience and an appreciation for what Devin Townsend is saying with his music I think this is the most rewarding of all his albums.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Coast/3hWAr6?src=5
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Awesome update and writeup! Dimmu Borgir is an awesome band too!
Sorry I haven't been posting, I haven't felt like I could contribute anything but I just wanted to say your writeups are a pleasure to read!
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Wow Devin back to back.... which certainly means it's a great update to the list! :) :tup
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Awesome update and writeup! Dimmu Borgir is an awesome band too!
Sorry I haven't been posting, I haven't felt like I could contribute anything but I just wanted to say your writeups are a pleasure to read!
Thanks, I've enjoyed writing them just as much. It's been interesting for me to put together this list and it will be interesting to look back in to see how things change over the next few years.
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Ooh getting close, isn't this just so exciting.
in b4 Cosmology
Called it
7. Rolo Tomassi – Cosmology
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/5060100668529_600.jpg)
Rolo Tomassi had me hooked the very first time I heard their music. There are some bands who I just ‘get,’ and Rolo are one of those bands. I hate to sound like a fanboy but I really do like absolutely everything they’re recorded. Cosmology is their most accessible record to date, but accessible is a relative term. Their sound has developed to sit somewhere between hardcore and mathcore, although their earliest releases were almost as avant-garde as Mr. Bungle. For such a young band Rolo are extremely daring with their music. There is not a single chorus on Cosmology, even on lead single ‘Party Wounds,’ although that track and many others on the album still manage to contain unconventional hooks which mean the songs are not completely alienating. But what Rolo Tomassi do best, what they in my opinion do better that any other band I’ve heard (apart from one who has yet to feature on this list) is juxtapose the dissonant with the melodic in order to create heavy, sometimes violent songs with moments of startling beauty.
There are still elements of Rolo Tomassi’s early, more extreme musical direction here, particularly on the first three tracks, all of which are less than two minutes long. The synths of intro ‘Katzenklavier’ collapse into the impossibly heavy riffs of continuation track ‘Agamemnon’ whilst vocalist Eva Spence seems to be tearing her vocals chords apart over the top, before the most abstract track on the album ‘House House Casanova’ kicks in with its clashing guitar tones and rumbling bass. Things start becoming more melodic from here on in until the slow-burning ‘Kasia’ builds from simple arpeggios and airy synths into a climax which manages to be both powerful and vulnerable as Eva showcases her delicate and heart-rending clean singing voice, before the song breaks down into a progressive, angular affair, led by the video-game style keyboards of Eva’s brother James. Eva’s clean singing on this album is truly beautiful, and on the melodic breakdowns in ‘Sakia’ and ‘Tongue in Chic,’ she utilises it to spine-tingling effect. Every listen of this album makes me fall in love with her over and again, but the rest of the band deserve your attention too. The closing title track, with its reverb drenched guitars, tight rhythm section and wavy synths evokes in me images of childhood trips to the seaside, whilst Eva’s cooing, siren-like vocals float above it all. It is a stunningly beautiful end to the album.
Rolo Tomassi are never going to be huge. They’re too indie for a lot of the metal crowd, whilst being too heavy for much of the indie crowd, but for me Cosmology is about as good as you can make music which is this unorthodox, complex and challenging. With any luck they’ll have many more albums like it.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Kasia/3gGL5L?src=5
6. Dream Theater – Scenes From A Memory
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/dreamt-metrop_03.jpg)
This album is a journey. Coming off the back of Falling Into Infinity, generally considered DT’s weakest album, and featuring new member Jordan Rudess, it was important that the band made a statement with this record. And what a statement it turned out to be. Scenes is my favourite Dream Theater album. In my opinion none of the songs on this record reach the highs of ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Learning to Live,’ but as a complete package this record tops Images and Words for me. Initially I was not particularly interested in the concept behind SFAM. I knew the basics of the story and appreciated it despite its clichés, but I was more interested in the individual songs. And the songs are fantastic. At 12 tracks, SFAM has the most songs of any DT album, but even the weakest songs on Scenes are far beyond what most bands manage to release. The variety in the tracks here is also notable. There are two instrumentals: one triumphant and melodic, the other dark and brooding, which sit alongside ten minute plus epics, short and simple transition tracks, ballads, heavy rockers and full-on prog mindfucks. This album has it all. Particular favourites of mine are the eastern-tinged Home, the mischievous Fatal Tragedy and the climactic Finally Free, which is as excellent as all Dream Theater album closers seem to be.
As the concept and storyline of Scenes began to become more important to me and the subtleties more obvious, I began to notice another feature of Scenes, which is that the music at any point is absolutely perfectly suited to the point of the storyline to which it is assigned. It astounds me how the band have created music which tells as much of a story as the lyrics. It is easy to create happy music or sad music, but to create tension, intrigue, drama and despair is a much harder task. Of course we all know that Dream Theater are no ordinary band, but even with their immense talent that they managed to pull off writing what is essentially a musical is still a fantastic feat. And that they did it within the context of music which can be enjoyed even with total ignorance of the album concept is greater still. As a whole, or as separate parts, Scenes From A Memory blows me away on every listen.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Act+II+Scene+Six+Home/3WbzhG?src=5
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I need to check out that cosmology album!
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I need to check out that cosmology album!
Do it. you can listen to the whole thing for free on Grooveshark
https://grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Cosmology/65431413
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Once again, great writeups!
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But Kezia is their best album.
No it isn't I am objectively right
Oh. Well, that changes everything
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I need to check out that Dream Theater album!
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I need to check out that Dream Theater album!
:| You for real? That's an essential DT album! One of the 'holy trinity!'
5. Lights – The Listening
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/lights-listen_08.jpg)
An unusual choice perhaps considering the heaviness of my list so far, but this is not a mistake, I really have put this sugary sweet pop album in my top five. And with good justification, because The Listening is the single most charming and lovely album I’ve ever heard. It’s hard for me to do another long write-up extolling the virtues of this record because there’s not a lot to it, but I love it for what it is. Light’s voice is not particularly powerful so she sings with a heart-warming restraint, even during choruses and ‘louder’ songs. It is actually when she sings quietly that her voice sounds best, as on the nostalgic ‘Pretend’ and the endearing ‘February Air.’ Lights also knows how to use her voice as a tool to develop a song, for example the different ways she sings the choruses on one the albums’ highlights, ‘The Last Thing on Your Mind.’ I don’t even mind when she uses autotune on her voice. Normally it’s not something I’m too keen on but as with everything else on the record, she pulls it off.
There is some variety in the songs here, but this is no prog masterpiece. Lyrically Lights deals with such outside-the-box subjects as being yourself and staying strong in the face of adversity, but unlike many pop artists who just sing what is put in front of them Lights wrote the entirety of the music and lyrics on The Listening, and as such her songs sound genuine and honest despite the clichés. Much of the music on the album is quite minimal which allows her voice to lead the songs, but what music there is is tastefully performed and well produced. Lights has a tendency towards ‘spacey’ sounding synths and their sparse and airy sound complements the overall feel of the album. I don’t have anything else to write about The Listening, except that it makes me happy, and that’s all I can ask from any album. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Lights is totally awesome, unfathomably attractive, and into black metal. Honest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7_ucPlzaiA
4. Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/avenge-waking_07.jpg)
This is it, the album which got me into metal. To be specific, the guitar solo in ‘Chapter Four’ got me into metal. I used to be more into bands like Less Than Jake and Sum 41, until one day it occurred to me that when I was reading through my Kerrang magazines I would just ignore half of the bands in there, because I had no knowledge of metal. So I fired up Kazaa and entered the name of the first metal band which popped into my head, which happened to be Sevenfold. Chapter Four was the first song on the list, and whilst I was enjoying it quite a lot it wasn’t until the simple yet awesome guitar solo with Shadow’s vocals over the top that I realized that ‘Hey, I might be onto something here.’ I downloaded a few more songs from Waking The Fallen and Sounding The Seventh Trumpet to tie me over until I could buy the albums, and whilst I’ve already expressed my love for STST, it’s WTF which I consider Sevenfold’s true masterpiece. There is not a weak moment on this album; better than that, there is not a single moment which I consider less than outstanding. This is the perfect Metalcore album.
Metalcore bands and in particular Avenged Sevenfold get a lot of hate from the more hardcore metal community for the way they look, their stage names and their use of vocal harmonies and clean singing. Well it’s all bullshit. The music on Waking The Fallen transcends that sort of petty judgement by being so damn good. The addition of Syn Gates to the band led to massively improved guitar work from the first record, with every song featuring great harmonies and leads. Gates also brought the added dimension of guitar solos, and though there are only a handful on WTF they are fantastic. There’s the aforementioned Chapter Four solo, the lightning fast and fun intro to ‘Eternal Rest’, the slow and melodic licks of ‘I Won’t See You Tonight Part 1’ and it’s dissonant and disjointed brother in Part 2, and what is my favourite moment of the album, the epic and climactic outtro solo to ‘Second Heartbeat,’ easily my favourite Avenged Sevenfold song of all.
The drums are also great on Waking, as you would expect from a talent such as The Rev, but they are more thoughtful than the all-out assault of STST and really help to give the songs structure, and topping it all are the vocals of M Shadows. How I wish that his voice had stayed like this. His clean singing voice is fantastic on this record and he hits the highs as consistently as the lows. Shadows has the ability to maintain notes for what seems like as long as he wants, giving a smooth and epic feel to his vocal passages. This was also before he started using Axl Rose’s vocal coach, and as such there are none of the nasal intonations that he developed on later records, which are fine, but not really to my taste. His screams are also great, not particularly pitched but they are powerful and have an intensity which suits the music. I love his vocals on this record so much that judged solely on this album, Shadows is my second favourite male vocalist, behind only Devin Townsend.
Great vocals, guitar and drums are fine things by themselves, but without great songs they don’t mean a thing. Waking The Fallen is simply full of good songs. ‘Unholy Confessions’ is a perfect single, with a catchy main theme and heavy and soft refrains to give the perfect idea of what the band are about. ‘Remenissions’ and ‘Desecrate Through Reverence’ are more progressive tracks with unconventional structures, whilst the I Won’t See You Tonight duo share riffs and phrases but little else, as the first is a slow and heartfelt epic and the second a heavy as hell punk-metal thrasher. Put simply, every song here is awesome, all the elements that make them up are awesome, and the album as a whole is awesome. Waking the Fallen is awesome.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Second+Heartbeat/2CKUkU?src=5
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:heart :heart :heart OMG LIGHTS OMG :heart :heart :heart
I love that lady so much. Catchy, infectious songs, and she's gorgeous to boot. Great pick.
Favorite song on that album is the last one, Quiet. I could listen to it on repeat forever.
Also, good choice for your Number 4 as well. Avenged Sevenfold's crowning achievement without a doubt.
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I binged on Waking the Fallen for so long when I first got it. Such a good album.
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I haven't posted at all, but I've been keeping up with your list. Nice variety and great descriptions for each album. :tup
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That Light album is cool.
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I haven't posted at all, but I've been keeping up with your list. Nice variety and great descriptions for each album. :tup
Thanks, gotta say I thought you'd given up following this list as from what I've gathered we have quite different tastes, but hopefully you still found it interesting.
WE'RE NEARLY THERE OMG
3. SikTh – The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/1021709604_l.jpg)
SikTh were another band I was lucky enough to discover during my early forays into metal, and this album pretty much defines the excitement that I felt as I discovered a love for this new music. After catching the video for ‘Scent of the Obscene’ on TV I was staggered by the technicality of the music, and picked up the album soon after. Little did I know that I was buying what would become my most listened-to album of all time. I’ve listened to ‘Trees…’ thousands of times but it never gets boring or stale, in fact it’s the opposite. The more I listen to this record the more I love it, and part of the reason for that is that there’s always something new to hear, some subtle sample hidden deep in the mix, or a vocal layer which I’ve never noticed before that suddenly makes itself apparent.
Musically, SikTh are INTENSE. Extraordinarily technical, the way the six members play off of each other is something I’ve never heard any other band do as well. The two guitars of Pin and Dan are mixed to the left and right channels respectively throughout the duration of the record, giving a ‘twin attack’ sort of sound. A technique they frequently employ, particularly during heavier songs, is for one member to play a staccato pattern whilst the other plays the opposite rhythm, filling in the gaps if you like. It gives the music a schizophrenic feel, something more than matched by the two vocalists Mikee and Justin. Justin is a more traditional vocalist, with a clean singing voice and a high pitched screaming voice, but Mikee is a different entity altogether. The only singer I’ve ever heard who uses as many different techniques as Mikee is Mike Patton. Wail, growls, whispers, shrieks, inward singing and others I don’t even know how to describe, Mikee uses them all, and to great effect. The way the two singers trade-off vocal parts is something else which defines SikTh’s sound. Some songs are sung entirely by one member, others will have the verses and chorus performed by different members, and sometimes Mikee and Justin sing different words, phrases and even syllables. Intense really is the only word I can find to describe this music.
But it’s not all baffling rhythms and ear-bashing noise. I mentioned in my write-up of Cosmology that there was another band which juxtapose heavy and soft moments really well on my list. SikTh are that band. The soft moments in ‘Scent…’ and ‘Wait for Something Wild,’ contain some truly beautiful music, the former with tapped notes which sound to me like pieces of heaven falling and the latter containing an amazing drum solo layered with soft synths and delicate vocals. In fact a large percentage of ‘Trees…’ is not heavy at all. I think of the album as being constructed of three different sections. There are the first four songs which are all heavy and get the album off to a barnstorming start. Then there are the two piano interludes ‘Emerson pt 1’ and part 2, tributes to their late friend of the same name. Between these interludes the pace of the album drops a lot. ‘Peep Show’ is a simpler song, almost pop like in its structure. There’s a dark and heavy cover of Nick Cave’s ‘Tupelo,’ and one of the albums highlights for me, ‘Can’t We All Dream?’ which after an abstract introduction features a stunningly beautiful and largely improvised vocal performance by Mikee, truly magical stuff. The third section of the album gets heavier again, before finishing on the spoken word poem ‘When Will The Forest Speak…?’
I love ‘Trees…’ so much that I have the artwork and a line from the poem tattooed on my arm, which may seem extreme to some but to me is a fitting tribute to an album which changed the way I listen to music. Some bands and albums go in and out of favour with me as my musical tastes develop, but I will never stop listening to and enjoying this album. It’s just too good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-BzWuc16GE
2. Between the Buried and Me - Colors
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/betwee-colors_05.jpg)
For the longest time I thought this was my favourite album. The first time I listened to this album was the single greatest musical experience I’ve ever had. Listening through headphones in bed one night, this record took me on a journey and put me in a place that I’ve never since been able to revisit. I remember when White Walls ended I just took out my headphones and sat up in bed, no longer tired. I just sat there for about an hour, thinking about where I had been. I didn’t want to watch TV or listen to anything else, because at that time I didn’t think I would ever enjoy anything as much again, and it seemed disrespectful to even try.
I still adore this record, although as it is only number two on my list you’ll realize I’ve gotten over my fear that nothing else would ever match up. The way the songs flow into each other to make one massive hour-long epic is genius, and some of the transitions are inspired. But the album flow is not just a simple movement from A to B. The songs ebb and flow, entwining ideas and sounds to create tracks that really do have almost tangible colours. The use of reference and reprise is sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious, but always done to perfection. I love how a riff or phrase that I’ve heard a hundred times can suddenly be heard in a new light when I realize that it was played half an hour earlier in a different time signature and with a different purpose within the music.
Again with reference to the album flow, I view the album as being about reconciliation. After the delicate opening moments with just piano and vocals, the way The Backtrack builds in intensity and heaviness before transitioning into A Decade of Statues, and the subsequent heaviness and anger in that song, seems to me to be a starting block for the rest of the album to resolve that anger until by the end of White Walls the theme is of about being proud of what has been accomplished, and moving on. I think this is reflected not only in the way the songs become (on average) more progressive and less heavy as the album continues, until at the end the album comes full circle with the piano outtro, but also in the lyrics, which are often confusing and vague, but at times beautiful and meaningful.
To wrap things up, as I could go on forever about the subtleties and nuances of Colors, this album has it all. Fantastic, original musicianship, great vocals both clean and harsh, great structure and songwriting, but it also has a further depth that I was lucky enough to discover on first listen. This album is beautiful, for all the blastbeats and guttural screams, there is a transcendent beauty to the songs that I’ve never heard in any other metal album. And that is why this is my favourite metal album of all time.
https://grooveshark.com/#/s/Prequel+To+The+Sequel/2pL25J?src=5
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So much win on this page. SO MUCH WIN
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So much win on this page. SO MUCH WIN
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It's funny reading these lists because usually in everyone's top ten, all the albums are tied to some specific emotion or listening experience or moment when everything seems to come together. For example like in the description for Colors here. I say it's funny because I don't think I've ever felt that way about music before. I do have one experience sort of like that that's tied to one of my favorites, but pretty much every artist, every album I refer to as great has been a slow burn where I start out liking it and then suddenly, somewhere down the line, I'm suddenly all like 'Dis is deh awsum!!1111' I can never attribute it to some grand revelation or some moment where everything clicked. Very weird, but I guess I feel just sorta left out. :P
Well, anyways, great list so far. I might have to give Sikth another try as I originally wrote them off as another annoying metalcore band. ;D
Can't wait to see your number 1.
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I can never attribute it to some grand revelation or some moment where everything clicked.
Isn't that exactly what this is?
every album I refer to as great has been a slow burn where I start out liking it and then suddenly, somewhere down the line, I'm suddenly all like 'Dis is deh awsum!!1111'
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I can never attribute it to some grand revelation or some moment where everything clicked.
Isn't that exactly what this is?
every album I refer to as great has been a slow burn where I start out liking it and then suddenly, somewhere down the line, I'm suddenly all like 'Dis is deh awsum!!1111'
Not really, there's never really a single moment for me, just the realization that something that I liked before has become something that I really liked. Moments accrue into something greater I guess.
For example, Still Life is one of my favorite albums now, but when I was initially getting into it, it was a slow process, liking/loving one song at a time. I think my first thought when I first listened was "The Moor is cool, but the other songs are only okay." Just kinda weird that I've never had the kind of sudden revelation that everyone else seems to have.
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Waking the Fallen and Colors! :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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I haven't posted at all, but I've been keeping up with your list. Nice variety and great descriptions for each album. :tup
Thanks, gotta say I thought you'd given up following this list as from what I've gathered we have quite different tastes, but hopefully you still found it interesting.
Ha, well, I've always liked reading these lists. I find them interesting because they give a better window into the listening habits of the members here, and the more elaborate the descriptions, the better, even if the listed albums aren't in conjunction with my preferences. Plus, if I want people to follow mine when the time comes, the least I can is not be a selfish twit and follow and comment on theirs. :biggrin:
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Wow, I haven't heard either of those albums but I think you win the prize for best writeups for sure!
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Donde esta los eldorado, Benjamino?
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Props for Colors! :tup
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I LOVE that SikTh album!! And Colors is really good too! :tup
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Donde esta los eldorado, Benjamino?
No sé, pero he oído que hay tocino
OK so it's done, we're here.
1. Ayreon - The Human Equation
(https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/prostheticsummer/ayreon-humane.jpg)
So here it is, my favourite album of all time, although I didn’t realize it was my favourite until quite recently. I definitely didn’t ‘get’ this album on first listen, in fact I didn’t really like it that much, but after reading up about the concept and actively following the storyline whilst listening I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the world that Arjen Lucassen has created. I’m not really a concept album fan, and in fact I’m not hugely enamored with Ayreon’s other albums, but something about this record just resonates within me and I love it more and more with every listen.
What I find particularly fascinating about this album is how I respond to it emotionally. I don’t tend to get emotionally invested with much of the media I take in; I’ve never cried at a film or TV show, nor do I often empathise with the problems facing the characters therein, but I care for the characters in The Human Equation as if I know them personally, and I feel their pain, loss, sadness and elation with every listen. This is the only record I’ve ever heard which has taken me through such a wringer of emotions. Day Thirteen brings me to tears on every listen, Day Seven always makes me smile, Day Sixteen makes me angry, most of the tracks give me goosebumps and some of them will have me rocking out (I once listened to this album whilst trying to get to sleep, but just as I was almost gone Day Eighteen was playing and I started headbanging in my semi-lucid state and woke myself up again.) Listening intently to the full hour and 42 minutes of this album is one of the most emotionally rewarding things I have ever done, and the experience keeps getting better and better.
In terms of the album's music, Arjen uses synths in a way that I would probably find cheesy in most other contexts, but he has a talent for picking exactly the right sound for any moment, whether that sound be melodic or dissonant. I particularly enjoy the guests synth solos though, especially those in Days Two and Fifteen, which just take me to another world. Arjen’s guitars are heavy, warm and often atmospheric, and though he’s no shredding virtuoso the playing is exceptional, and the solos are tasteful and only add to whatever vibe he wants a certain song to get across. The use of woodwind and various stringed instruments all add to the sumptuous layers of sound which are at times thick and enveloping and at others thin and haunting. But above all, the music complements the vocals, because above everything else this album is about the performance of the guest vocalists.
Some of the singers on this album (Akerfeldt, LaBrie, Townsend) I was familiar with before hearing The Human Equation, but it is the lesser known guests who really stand out for me, particularly Magnus Ekwall and Marcela Bovio. As far as I’m concerned the casting is perfect, and each singer fits their role like a glove. Rage is the perfect foil for Townsend’s furious screams, Heather Findlay’s glorious comforting voice caresses the ears as Love, and Irene Jansen gives everything and more that her role as Passion requires. I was never a massive fan of female vocals in rock and prog, but this album single-handedly changed my opinion.
The ending of the album is a contentious point. I choose to ignore it. As I mentioned, I’m not massively interested in the rest of the Ayreon albums so I have no desire, at this point anyway, to tie this record in with the overall Ayreon concept, which is the point of that ending. For me this album is perfect as a standalone piece of musical art, and I would change nothing about it. Maybe if and when I decide to further immerse myself in the Ayreon concept then The Human Equation will have still more to offer me, but as it is I still hear new things upon every listen, and I have no intention to stop listening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTSt58Xelz8
Well thanks everyone for your input, hope you enjoyed reading all this as much as I enjoyed putting it together!
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Wow, quite a surprising number 1, but it's a really excellent album and definitely Arjen's best IMO, so I can't fault it! :tup
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Wow, quite a surprising number 1, but it's a really excellent album and definitely Arjen's best IMO, so I can't fault it! :tup
Haha I actually told you that was my number one when we were at Sonisphere, but we'd both had a few so I guess you forgot
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Oh yeah! Totally forgot, so I'm definitely blaming the beer. :lol
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Good shit man. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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:tup
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While I'm not the biggest Ayreon-fan, I did really enjoy following your list, because it was both diverse and had interesting write-ups.
Props! :tup
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Great pick for number 1 and once again nice writeups for the list!
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I guess our tastes aren't so far apart! THE was my #2. Fantastic album, and great choice for #1. Great writeup too.
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I need to check out that Dream Theater album!
:| You for real? That's an essential DT album! One of the 'holy trinity!'
This was obvious sarcasm, as far as that can go on the internet :lol
As for the rest of your list; I can't say much other than that your top 5 is awesome!