DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: Elite on April 04, 2012, 01:37:13 PM
-
So, welcome to my top 50 albums ever!
Let me start off by saying it was ridiculously hard to choose the albums I wanted to have in there. When I first started out, I selected 87 albums that I deemed important enough to enter the league of the best albums I have heard as of yet. Obviously this number had to be cut down and this was very difficult. The result is something which might not actually represent what I listen to the most, but what I think of as albums and music that are good. Also, these threads are obviously highly influenced by what one has and hasn’t heard, so if your favourites aren’t on the list one way or another, it might simply be because I haven’t heard them yet. I always thought I knew quite a lot of music, but coming to these forums has introduced me into more than I could ever have found on my own. You guys rock, let that be known first, as quite some stuff on this list I owe to DTF.
A little trivia for the hell of it:
- Newest albums are from 2011 (3 albums)
- Oldest albums (2 of them) are from 1969
- 4 artists with 3 albums
- 6 artists with 2 albums
- Making a total of 36 different artists
First a couple of Honourable Mentions (in alphabetical order); albums that almost made it, or would have made it some time ago:
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
- Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes form a Memory
- Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
- maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map
- Mastodon – Blood Mountain
- Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
- Pink Floyd – Meddle
- Porcupine Tree – The Sky Moves Sideways
- Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
- Symphony X – Paradise Lost
And then the actual Top 50!
50. Opeth – Still Life (1999)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PnJrFbqsL._SS500_.jpg)
According to progarchives.com this is Opeth’s best album. While I do not agree with that, this is certainly an awesome album to start off my top 50. Still Life, from front to back completely rocks. This was actually one of the latter Opeth albums I checked out long ago, but it grabbed me and still won’t let go. To me, this album has some of Opeth’s signature songs and this is where they really took off into the direction their latter material went. Tracks like Moonlapse Vertigo, The Moor and Serenity Painted Death have all become favourite Opeth tracks (of mine) and not without reason. Hell, I even went as far as naming one of my guitars Melinda, indeed after the song on this album. One awesome, awesome record.
Favourite song: Moonlapse Vertigo
Other songs worth checking out: The Moor, Face of Melinda, Serenity Painted Death
49. Toxik – Think This (1989)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RAqxKyqkL._SS400_.jpg)
This is one of the more obscure albums on this list. Toxik was a progressive thrash metal band around late ‘80s and the beginning of the ‘90s. Though they’ve only released two albums, apparently they had a large following and did get some cult status through the music they made. Musically, these guys were way ahead of their time. Just listen to the track Technical Arrogance, which is basically exactly that which the title implies. This is some complex stuff, heavy with multiple layers of awesomeness. One of the few things that I hold against this albums is the relatively poor production, but the music makes up for that, by a long shot.
Favourite song: Shotgun Logic
Other songs worth checking out: Technical Arrogance, Think This, Machine Dream
48. Myrath – Desert Call (2010)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bVsKiniOL._SS500_.jpg)
Myrath are a very unique band with the current progressive metal scene. They are from Tunisia and they blend typical ‘Eastern’ sounds to their metal, making for a very interesting mix of known and unknown sounds, phrases and musical patterns. They draw their influence heavily from contemporary prog/metal artists and that is clearly audible, but they don’t rip off anything. All the music sounds fresh and new and the fact that they use the idiom of their homeland music also greatly contributes to the uniqueness of their style. For a typical example I’d recommend trying out the songs Desert Call and Madness. Having seen these guys live once made me appreciate their stuff even more. Very tight on stage and a great stage performance. This is good stuff, and in a sense one of the more ‘unique’ progressive metal albums I have ever heard.
Favourite song: Madness
Other songs worth checking out: Desert Call, Silent Cries, Shockwave
-
Still Life is my favorite Opeth album. Big Myrath fan too (hint hint).
-
Never heard of Toxik. I will check them out. I'm not into Opeth, and Myrath just has not held my attention.
But I will certainly follow. Off to a good start.
-
Still Life is my favorite Opeth album.
-
Thanks for the reactions! Here the second update with probably a couple of more controversial picks. Oh, and yes, Still Life is awesome, and while I really think it's very good, in my opinion Opeth has done some slightly better things. Anyway, the next three here:
47. Firewind – The Premonition (2008)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ejr8g5DWL._SS500_.jpg)
A bit of an oddball in my whole list. I don’t usually like power metal, but when I do I really do, as is the case with this album. Firewind blew me away with this album the first time I heard it and I still enjoy listening to it. I must admit that after this I have never listened to any other Firewind album, so shame on me. Though, with some music or bands I find one album is enough and I have no real desire to really listen to all their other stuff, especially since power metal isn’t my main focus. Anyway; on to the actual album. As far as my knowledge of power metal goes, this album is fairly generic, but far less cheesy than stuff like Rhapsody or Dragonforce. This is a very solid album and both the guitars and the vocals really stand out. One of the more awesome things about this album is that Firewind did a very solid and decent cover of the Flashdance hit 'Maniac', which I didn’t include in my top tracks, because it’s a cover, but would have been included. Really, I’m not that good at saying a lot about this albums. It’s just very, very solid and good to listen to. If you’re a bit into power metal-ish stuff but don’t like the usual over-the-top stuff, this might very well be up your alley.
Favourite song: Angels Forgive Me
Other songs worth checking out: Into The Fire, The Silent Code, Remembered
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator (2007)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61olfwPeQAL._SS500_.jpg)
Why is this on my list, you might ask? Well, only because this album and this band have influenced my music taste for years to come. The reason I started playing guitar was because I saw this band live and starting the guitar led me to a lot of other music, that have defined, re-defined or killed my music taste in the past, present and future. In a sense, you may say this is where it all really took off for me. I bought this album at the concert and I’ve listened to it many, many times since. Though I haven’t actually heard this record in at least the past 2-3 years, I can still feel confident and without any shame whatsoever that I once loved this band and this band may well have been the catalyst for everything else that follows on this list. The music is very difficult to categorize, post something like post-hardcore or experimental rock should suffice. For the purpose of this list I inserted the CD into my CD player once again and to my surprise, I still completely remember every little thing about this album. Although their latter CD called ‘Phantom on the Horizon’ is actually better, this is where it all started for me and that’s why this is on my list. Thank you TFOT, for forming me and showing me the way. I’m sorry you guys broke up.
Favourite song: Semi-Fiction
Other songs worth checking out: Ex-Creations, Caught Up, The Dark Trail
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MLd-kjbBL._SS500_.jpg)
Ah, yes, Leprous. One of the more interesting bands to emerge in the past couple of years. On this album the band employs a brilliant mixture of (melodic) death metal and progressive elements with catchy sing-along choruses. The first time I saw the band live was at the 2010 edition of the ProgPower Europe festival and they blew the audience away. People were literally talking about them throughout the whole three days and were almost the best of the weekend. Great, really solid live performance. I actually got to meet the band afterwards, bought their CD and got it signed. We had a nice chat about stuff and they invited me to come to their next show in The Netherlands, which I attended as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go backstage, but that show also was great. By now they have released a new album, called ‘Bilateral’, which I haven’t really gotten round to listening. The music on Tall Poppy Syndrome is frantic, heavy and a mixture of different things. Though some people here will have already heard it, I recommend this to anyway who’s on the lookout for some very good and different modern progressive metal.
Favourite song: White
Other songs worth checking out: Phantom Pain, Passing, Not Even a Name
-
Really nice to see The Premonition in here.
-
Tall Poppy Syndrome rocks, and Myrath is awesome. I think one of the most interesting genres to emerge in the recent years is Oriental prog (orphaned land, Myrath). Love that shit.
-
Still Life is my favorite Opeth album.
-
Following. Not much to comment on so far. Not really an Opeth fan. Don't know any of the others on the list (although I like your honorable mentions). Will be checking out some of the others (Firewind in particular) at some point in the near future.
-
i just finished spinning tall poppy syndrome bout an hour ago. so good. :metal (and dude, you gotta get on checking out bilateral!)
the only other album i know (thus far) is still life (also :metal)
...pumped to check out that toxik album if i can find it. :corn
-
Really nice to see The Premonition in here.
This, such a fantastic album. Can't wait for the new one in May.
Following. Not much to comment on so far. Not really an Opeth fan. Don't know any of the others on the list (although I like your honorable mentions). Will be checking out some of the others (Firewind in particular) at some point in the near future.
Check out The Premonition man, killer cd.
-
I would argue that Bilateral is easily better album than Tall Poppy Syndrome. Not that TPS is bad (I hate their cover sheets though), but you'll love Bilateral.
I also have that Firewind album. I think I like the what is currently their new one a little more.
-
Alright thanks!
I will definitely check out Bilateral. It's something I've meaning to do, but I just haven't put it on yet. The latest Firewind album, is that 'Days of Defiance'? Then I'll check that out as well.
As for that Toxik album; I'm not sure if you can find it anywhere, I know I bought it off some internet site. There are a couple of songs of theirs on YouTube though, that I'm quite sure of.
Glad you guys like the list so far! More is following shortly.
-
Premonition and Days of Defiance are close calls for me, both very different but both excellent.
-
*following*
Just bought that "Tall Poppy Syndrome" album last week (https://www.kirksnosehair.com/Portals/0/images/smilies/bsmoke.gif)
Firewind is cool, I have all of their albums.
-
Update time!
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King (1969)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61eAaC6lJvL._SS500_.jpg)
The second oldest album (but only by a smidge) on my list comes in at the 44th position. Basically, this album has to be on any prog-lover’s list. It is often regarded as the first progressive rock record and therefore one of the better ones. While I’m unsure whether the first part of that statement is true (anyone here must surely know?) the second part proves itself in the sense that I think it is very good. Actually, this album would be almost flawless to me if the god-annoying Moonchild wouldn’t be on this record. Seriously, the other 4 songs are all top-notch pieces that can maintain themselves even now, 43 years later. Epitaph is one of the best songs ever written in my opinion and the rest certainly doesn’t fall that far behind. Oh, and the album cover is one the best album covers ever. If you like prog, this is a must. So really, if you’re on a forum dedicated to Dream Theater, which almost certainly means you like other progressive stuff, this is definitive material. And it is very good.
Favourite song: Epitaph
Other songs worth checking out: In The Court of The Crimson King, 21st Century Schizoid Man
43. Sublime – Sublime (1996)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HzG-B6aJL._SS500_.jpg)
Well, if Firewind was one, then this truly is the oddball of my entire list. Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if a lot of people on this forum haven’t really heard of this band. We move away from prog a little here. This is ska punk and this album is fantastic. As a sort of little fun fact, my CD rack is ordered chronologically and this CD is the first in the rack, meaning this was the first CD I ever got. It was given to me as a present from an acquaintance of my mother’s and at the time I didn’t really think much of it, but as time went on I really started to appreciate this ‘shit’. Oh, by the way, to those know this album, the picture above is not the original cover, but it's the one I've got, a double disc edition. While this is definitely not the norm of the other stuff you will find on my list - in fact this is one of only 3 ska punk bands I even know and the only full album I’ve ever heard - I consider this to be very good. It was one of those CDs I used to put on in my metal phase when I didn’t want to listen to heavy ear-tiring stuff and it worked wonders. I think this is one of the albums on my entire list that I have listened to the most (in total). This album just works wonders in relaxing of just when you want to listen to some music that isn’t that difficult to put on. This album mostly consists of ska punk songs, mixed with some random heavier punk stuff (check out Seed for some great punk nonsense). The best known song of this album is probably Santeria, which is a great little tune. If you want to try out a completely different genre, I wouldn’t be the one to direct you further into ska-punk territory, but as far as I’m concerned, this is a great starting point.
Favourite song: The whole thing, but if I have to choose, it would be What I Got or Same Thing in the End
Songs worth checking out in particular: Seed, Wrong Way, Under My Voodoo
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE” (2004)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YU9OXW1bL._SS500_.jpg)
This albums brings back memories to a holiday in Spain. I was checking out lots of different stuff and Pain of Salvation was one of them. The first time I listened to “BE” was with my shitty earphones in a bus through the winding hills and mountains of Andalucìa and I actually couldn’t really hear the music. The fact that this album has weird breaks of (almost) silent tracks in between the actual songs didn’t help. I dismissed the thing, but would resume listening on my bed at the foster home where I stayed. It took many listens to grasp the concept and the whole album but when it clicked, boy was I amazed. I can imagine people greatly disliking this album and also people loving it very much. To me, this is just one of those solid records that you’ll always remember as one of the better ones. It’s always good when an album click, but with this one, it was really good. Oh, and did I mention Iter Impius is my favourite Pain of Salvation track ever? Yeah, it is phenomenal. Listen to it and allow yourself to be immersed.
Favourite song: Iter Impius
Other songs worth checking out: Imago (Homines Partus), Martius/Nauticus II, Dea Pecuniae
-
BE is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard.
-
Elite- you are not the only Sublime fan on this board my friend. I was born & raised in Long Beach, CA- Sublime was the soundtrack of my youth! Very cool to see someone else on the board giving them some props! Is the self-titled the only album of their's you have?
-
Sublime was very popular in the US in the 90s, so maybe the younglings haven't heard it, but anyone my age probably remembers the saturation "Santeria" got.
That said, the other two are excellent albums.
-
@WindMaster: Indeed, BE is excellent!
@Ryzee: Awesome! Well, I'm not from there, nor from the same time, so I haven't experienced their fame. yeah, the self-titled is the only album of theirs I have and also the only one I've ever listened to. Do you recommend another? :)
@DTVT: I take it you don't like Sublime then? :P
-
@WindMaster: Indeed, BE is excellent!
@Ryzee: Awesome! Well, I'm not from there, nor from the same time, so I haven't experienced their fame. yeah, the self-titled is the only album of theirs I have and also the only one I've ever listened to. Do you recommend another? :)
@DTVT: I take it you don't like Sublime then? :P
Why yes, yes I do.
They only have two other albums, and I recommend checking out both. Start with their debut album, 40oz. To Freedom. It's a classic. Their second album is called Robbin The Hood. It's one of those albums that takes a while to get in to- it's pretty weird and experimental and it showcases a lot more of their dub and hip-hop influences, but still has plenty of the reggae/ska/punk style they're known for. It's awesome. They also put out a compilation album shortly after Bradley died called Second Hand Smoke. It's a collection of rare and early tracks, b-sides, demo versions, alternate takes and remixes. It's actually what I go to these days more than any of the others when I feel like getting my Sublime on, so I recommend checking that out as well.
-
Really nice to see The Premonition in here.
This, such a fantastic album. Can't wait for the new one in May.
Following. Not much to comment on so far. Not really an Opeth fan. Don't know any of the others on the list (although I like your honorable mentions). Will be checking out some of the others (Firewind in particular) at some point in the near future.
Check out The Premonition man, killer cd.
Yes, Premonition is excellent! So many classic hard rock/metal influences.
-
BE is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard.
-
The KC and POS albums are really amazing! Don't know the other one.
-
Nice start Elite... :tup your first a few albums tricked me into thinking that I've started my own top 50 :laugh:
-
Cool! The next couple will be slightly different though ;)
-
In The Court of the Crimson King :heart
-
@Ryzee; thanks for the recommendations, I will surely check them out!
And then; Update time!
We move away from prog for the next three albums and this may thus very well be one the weirder updates from my list. On we go with the next three:
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51luYS-1N0L._SS400_.jpg)
You know how useless the term ‘alternative’ is in combination with music? Whenever something doesn’t really fit any bill it gets labeled ‘alternative’ for lack of a better description, as with this album. Well, this is alternative rock at its finest. Like with that Sublime album, this is some great stuff to put on when you don’t want to have a lot going on. This band is known mostly for their song Bohemian Like You. At least over here it was huge, because it was featured in multiple television ads. Conveniently, that song is on this disc, but it’s far from the reason why this album is good. In fact, I think it’s one of the lesser songs on this album. Actually, though it might sound more pretentious than it really is, this album really feels like it gives you more than just a couple of songs. The songs flow into each other in a way that some other bands can learn a thing or two about. The whole album has a chart of flow as well, with the placement of the songs playing a very important role in the overall feel this album gives. Starting of slow and easy with Godless, we segue into Mohammed, arguably one of the better songs on the album. After Nietzsche we get into a more up-tempo feel with Country Leaver and it gradually gets heavier with Solid, the first ‘true’ alternative rock song, whatever that means, and Horse Pills. Get Off then is one of the better known songs, followed by the very mellow Sleep. Without zooming in too much on the tracks, it really feels the band knew what they were doing, in composition of the songs as well as in their placements on the album. While this is technically not really progressive or interesting at all, it does make for some very good music.
Favourite song: Mohammed
Other songs worth checking out: Country Leaver, Nietzsche, Solid
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory (1971)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WW3UaMCvL._SS400_.jpg)
It´s sort of funny how much influence your parents can have on your choice of music. This album might come as a surprise to some, but to me, this is a very logical inclusion in my top 50 albums ever. My mother would listen to David Bowie often, and, as we will see further down the line in my top 50, my mother has had a lot of influence on the music that I currently listen to. Without going too much in depth, Life on Mars? was one David Bowie’s songs my mother loves and still does and for some reason, I took that from her, finding the same brilliance that song has to offer as she did, years before. I even got as far as offering it to a radio show (to all the Dutchies, that was the radio 2 top 2000) as one of my favourite 15 songs. It was included in the top 2000 and the story I wrote about it, thanking my mother for showing me so much music was broadcast throughout the whole Netherlands. Unfortunately, I never heard it live, but my father did and notified me of it. Luckily, I could hear it back through recordings. Anyway; David Bowie was an enigma, somebody who couldn’t be understood by any normal means and who constantly changed not only his appearance but the way he would be perceived. He reflected this through his music and while most Bowie fans would say ‘Ziggy Stardust’ (see the Honourable Mentions ;) ) was his best album, this is where it really happened for me. Life on Mars? is one of the best songs ever written and I doubt I would have ever listened to this record if that songs wouldn’t have been on here. In that way, I owe the record something, even though my story was broadcast live throughout the Netherlands. Well, this was the first of probably a couple of emotional (and therefore shitty) write-ups, but I couldn’t make this list without including this album. Thank you, David Bowie and thank you, mother, for this great music.
Favourite song: Life on Mars?
Other songs worth checking out: Quicksand, Song for Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow (2007)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xu%2B26xd%2BL._SS400_.jpg)
Let’s see how many people still remember Aniland. I do, for sure, and it was through him I got to know this album. He had his list of favourite albums on rateyourmusic and considering the amount of stuff I recognised and knew in his list, I was put off by something he had very high in his list. I think this was his #3 album ever and by the time I read that list (hell, I didn’t even know the guy, but I love other people’s opinions on music) I had never heard of Avantasia, or even Tobias Sammet for that matter. Because our music tastes had quite a lot in common I bought this album, blindly, without having heard anything off it and I was blown away. The music is.. well I don’t know. It’s power metal-ish here and there, folk metal at other parts and just straight forward heavy metal in some songs and the album draws a lot of influence from symphonic metal, but the main focus here is on the vocals. Tobias Sammet has a good array of guest vocalists (most notably Jørn Lande) on this album and he himself rips as well. The songs have been composed very well and supposedly tell a story that spreads out over even two more albums. To be honest, I couldn’t really be bothered with that and this is, to this day even, the only Avantasia album I have heard yet. Frankly, I don’t need more, because this provides enough good music of this sort to keep me happy.
Favourite song: The Scarecrow
Other songs worth checking out: Another Angel Down, Twisted Mind, Devil in the Belfry
-
Love, LOVE, LOVE Avantasia. Scard suggested to me that I check them out back in October, but I didn't get around to it for a couple of months until after Nick played Toy Master on WPaPU. My first thought was ... wow, these guys sound like Alice Cooper, but really progressive and heavy (:lol, oh the irony!) Shortly after that, I went on my Jørn binge ... buying up everything he's touched (although, Beyond Twilight is still outstanding). This is a brilliant album.
-
I would say that Sublime no longer fits my musical interests, to put it diplomatically. ;)
Not familiar with Dandy Warhols or individual Bowie albums, but Avantasia is awesome, liked them since the first album. Scarecrow might edge out the two new ones, but you should check those out too (Angel of Babylon and The Wicked Symphony). While I really like Avantasia, I'm fairly indifferent to Tobias's main band, Edguy.
-
Any album that has Michael Kiske AND Alice Cooper on it wins in my book!
-
It's really a shame Alice was just on the one track.
-
Awesome Bowie album! :tup
-
Avantasia :hat
-
Cool to see some Bowie in here. He definitely always did things his way. What I tend to enjoy most about Bowie's music is not any one part but the composition. "Life On Mars?" is a good example of that. Very cool addition :)
-
I am not into David Bowie's music by any stretch, but as a huge Alice Cooper fan, I definitely respect Bowie to the max!
-
Bowie. :tup
And Avantasia has always been a band I've loved. I first got into them when The Metal Opera Part 1 came out back in 2001, and I have been following them since. Check The Metal Opera Parts 1 and 2, for power metal heaven.
-
Still Life is a really good album! :tup
-
David Bowie is fucking awesome. Good choice.
-
Great to see more people liking Bowie! I really do love Hunky Dory and a lot of his other stuff from around that same era too.
And for all those Avantasia fans; yeah I suppose I must someday check out some of the other albums. I dig Alice Cooper as well, a great deal. I used to be into his music a lot when I was much younger, but the track he did on The Scarecrow didn't really convince me. Not that it's not good, but one of the less interesting tracks on the album imho.
-
I agree, I never understood the love for The Toy Master also, I thought it was one of the weaker songs on the album.
-
It's not a great song by any stretch. One of my favorite guest appearances of his was GnR's The Garden.
-
Quite funny, I must have been around 12 when I really loved the stuff he did. Now I'm kind of indifferent about his music.
-
Frankly, I never was much of a fan of Cooper's stuff, but I really liked Toy Master.
-
Quite funny, I must have been around 12 when I really loved the stuff he did. Now I'm kind of indifferent about his music.
His output over the last twenty years has not been great. His last really good album was The Last Temptation ('94), although I did like The Eyes Of Alice Cooper (early '00s), but like I said, his last few albums have been some of his worst.
Frankly, I never was much of a fan of Cooper's stuff, but I really liked Toy Master.
It's hard to pin him down, as all of his albums are different, but for you, I'd recommend 1991's Hey Stoopid. It's the best album he's done since his 1986 "comeback".
Also have you heard School's Out or Killer all the way through? Killer contains the original Progressive metal song Halo Of Flies.
-
I agree, The Last Temptation was his last complete album. Still puts on a great show though.
-
Oh, yes. Halo of Flies is amazing!
-
Well, time for another update! Only two this time, because my #36 wouldn't make any sense with the thread title ;)
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius (2005)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QS4YQSP8L._SS500_.jpg)
This could very well be the heaviest album on my entire list. This album is a beast, from front to back and not something for the meek. I heard someone say once that ‘Gojira is the biggest musical sledgehammer to your ears, ever’ or at least something along those lines and he was not far off. A lot of stuff that perceives itself as being heavy, really isn’t that heavy at all, but merely silly, in my opinion. Gojira, on the other hand, take the word heavy, insert it in their instruments and create some of the coolest stuff I’ve ever heard, as is evident in for instance the aptly titled The Heaviest Matter in the Universe. This album is a concept album with a weird story. In short; earth has been flooded and the protagonist wants to find a different planet (Sirius). To get there he has to learn how to fly from the whales, or something like that. While the story doesn’t make a lot of sense, it still has a hint of truth in it as the band is known for their concerns of the environment. Hell, the album cover even looks like the Sea Shepherd logo. Anyway, on this album, Gojira manages to mix very delicate melodies with some of the heaviest shit you will ever hear. Though it may sound atonal or unmelodic at the first listen, the more you will hear this album, the more different and subtle stuff you will hear. Some of the album’s highlights include the opener Ocean Planet, To Sirius, of which a (very weird) videoclip was made and Global Warming, which arguable has the best vocal lines and lyrics of the whole album. ’We will see our children growing!’ gets me everytime. When beautiful meets heavy, you know you’re in for something good.
Favourite song: Flying Whales
Other songs worth checking out: To Sirius, Global Warming, Ocean Planet
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction (2011)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ldyzW9dOL._SS500_.jpg)
So straight after a heavy album, we get another one, this time one by mister Townsend. My top favourite track from this album might actually invoke more rage than the placement of the album itself. Yes, Poltergeist is my favourite track on this album and I even think that if Poltergeist and a couple of other tracks weren’t on here, Deconstruction might not even have made it into my top 50. Poltergeist, and basically the whole album for that matter, is one of the most chaotic things I have ever heard while still remaining gloriously listenable. While this isn’t Devin’s best, Deconstruction does a very good job at maintaining Devin’s signature style, albeit in a very different way than on his earlier albums. One of the things I can really admire from this man is that he can take lots of different styles of music, yet still keep them or form them into his own style. Whether that’s because of his theatrical, sometimes over-the-top operatic vocals or lyrics or a combination of both and the music, I’m not sure, but he surely does a good job at maintaining his style. Deconstruction is, apart from Strapping Young Lad stuff and probably Physicist, arguably his heaviest and wackiest album. The whole thing, from front to back, takes you on an immense trip, one that you definitely won’t soon forget. This album is overkill, that as well and is definitely not something to put on while relaxing. It is heavy, it is chaos, it is singable, but most of all, this is Devin Townsend and it’s beautiful.
Favourite song: Poltergeist
Other songs worth checking out: The Mighty Masturbator, Deconstruction, Stand
-
I've been meaning to check out Gojira and this just confirms that I should.
-
Yes, do it! Try their other albums too, especially 'The Way Of All Flesh', which is very good as well.
-
I've never been able to get into Gojira and I don't really know why. Just everything I've heard has always struck as quite bland.
Devy is amazing though and that's a great album!
-
Well, that didn't really go down as well as I hoped it would. Anyway, the next three are, again, quite different from what has preceded it. We move back to 1977 and beyond with the next three.
36. Pink Floyd – Animals (1977)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71qLIaylXeL.jpg)
Animals, the album that had to be brilliant to follow up Wish You Were Here actually got a lot of criticism at the time of its release. People didn’t like it, found it pretentious and the album wasn’t accessible at all. While I will give them the latter, I mean, two songs over ten minutes and one 17 minutes long, flanked by two sort 1,5 minute songs doesn’t really invite you, the other criticisms I can’t live with. I wasn’t born in the late 50’s, so I can’t say whether this really was a disappointment, I can only listen to those old albums through modern eyes and I think that this surpasses WYWH by a lot. For some reason, the songs on this album just do so much more to me than Shine On You Crazy Diamond and the other great stuff on WYWH. Dogs, Pigs and Sheep are simply brilliant songs to my ears, even though I can’t relate to the politically laden lyrics those songs have. As a guitarist I could always appreciate David Gilmour’s work on this album, especially on Dogs and Sheep, which is probably the main reason why I like this album so much. I can definitely understand why people would dislike this album, especially after both Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here this is a great change in style, but in my opinion, that was all for the better. Animals is the second best thing Pink Floyd has ever done, and there I’ve spoilt something yet to come ;)
Favourite song: Dogs
Other songs worth checking out: The rest
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning (2011)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wDDKVblZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Out of all the albums in this entire top 50, this is the album I’m least certain of of its placement and that’s probably because this is also the album I have listened to the least on the whole list. Stylistically, this album is very much Steven Wilson, for those who know his work, but very unlike Porcupine Tree. It’s very experimental, almost drone-like in some songs, but then again also very different from his first true solo album, ‘Insurgentes’. Well, I don’t really have a lot to say about this album, other than that I think it’s really good and even though I haven’t listened to this as much as some of the other stuff on my list, I’m pretty sure this will stay up here.
Favourite song: Deform To Form A Star
Other songs worth checking out: Sectarian, Raider II, Postcard
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516d1jud2FL._SS500_.jpg)
The oldest album on my entire list is Abbey Road by The Beatles. Well, this really should have to go without an introduction, because this is a classic, but we’ll talk about it anyway. The Beatles were a four piece pop/rock band and are seen as the fathers of modern popular music and are usually viewed as the quintessential band in the history of rock. Well, this is their best release, in my opinion, though there is and will always be much debate over which one is best. Abbey Road is good for its music. Divide into two sides, the first side contains Beatles classics like Come Together, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and Octopus’s Garden, the second disc is where it really happens. Here Comes The Sun is awell thought out track, Because is highly underrated and the thing that comes after that is plain awesome. Often dubbed the ‘Abbey Road medley', the remainder of the second side flows flawlessly into each other, keeping stuff very interesting. Though the entire ‘medley’ is only 16 minutes long, it consists of 8 songs and keep it very interesting due to lots of changes but also a couple of short reprises. Well, tons of stuff has been written about The Beatles and this album in particular. I won’t bother even mentioning conspiracy theories, multiple theories about the lyrics etc. This is just in any way a classic record and a great one at that. The Beatles are an obligatory band for everybody remotely interested in music and Abbey Road was their crowning achievement.
Favourite song: You Never Give Me Your Money through to The End
Other songs worth checking out: The other half of the album
-
Meh. Never really got into the Beatles. But Animals is a great album, although I have to say I like WYWH better.
-
Awesome update!
-
I liked your previous update more than the current one, but that's more because I don't care for Steven Wilson's solo work, The Beatles generally don't interest me, and I've never gotten around to sinking money into the PF back catalog.
-
Great few updates!
-
:metal Deconstruction :metal is really good. I love PF's Animals. That's a nice Beatles album although I'm not a huge fan of them.
I haven't gotten to digging so far into Porcupine Tree stuff that I've checked out any SW solo work although I'm sure it sounds good.
-
Abbey Road is awesome.
-
Meh. Never really got into the Beatles. But Animals is a great album, although I have to say I like WYWH better.
It's a close call between those, like I said, but I think Animals is just awesome.
Awesome update!
:D :tup
I liked your previous update more than the current one, but that's more because I don't care for Steven Wilson's solo work, The Beatles generally don't interest me, and I've never gotten around to sinking money into the PF back catalog.
To be honest, most of the Beatles' stuff doesn't really interest me either, but it's stuff like Abbey Road, Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour that I can definitely appreciate. Steven Wilson's solo work is very different from the stuff he does in Porcupine Tree, but that keeps it 'fresh', although it might drag here and there and Pink Floyd is an awesome band ;)
Great few updates!
Thank you! Glad you like it.
:metal Deconstruction :metal is really good.
yeah, it is :letam:
Abbey Road is awesome.
Yes, yes it is.
-
I don't consider myself a Pink Floyd fan, but I love Animals.
-
So, on to the next three, and then we've had the first 20 albums on my list! Moving back into prog territory with these, I give you:
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind (2009)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61kW9XBMBrL._SS500_.jpg)
The single longest song in my whole top 50. That’s right, I consider The Whirlwind to be one song. One great, large song consisting of multiple equally great parts. As with many bands I got into Transatlantic pretty late into their career, shortly after they had released this album. Transatlantic is a progressive rock supergroup consisting of Neal Morse, RoineStolt, Mike Portnoy and Pete Trewavas. This band always makes me think of Yes for some reason, and somewhere that seems entirely logical, but on the other hand they are stylistically quite different from each other. Anyway, on the music. With The Whirlwind, Transatlantic created one HUGE epic, spread out over 12 different tracks, each with their own themes, both lyrically and musically. Though it might sound boring in a writeup, this isn’t really that much of a special album in the sense that it doesn’t bring a lot of interesting or new things, it’s just that this is some very good progressive, symphonic rock in every sense of the word(s) and musically it’s very good and as an album, this is about as coherent as stuff can get.
Favourite song: The Wind Blew Them All Away
Other songs worth checking out: Dancing With Eternal Glory, Out of the Night, Evermore
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake (2009)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7FX3wEAeNKo/S76rbTrDfMI/AAAAAAAAHlE/u3NlUL2dCHQ/s1600/karnivool+cover.jpg)
Karnivool are probably one of the lesser known bands on my list. They are a progressive/alternative rock/metal band from Perth, Australia and have released two albums so far. The music on this album however is not the same progressive metal as you hear from other bands. Karnivool has been compared to the likes of Tool and their styles are not too far apart. There’s a heavy focus on rhythm and rhythmic changes and great drumming, accentuated by heavy, downtuned guitar sounds and beautiful vocal melodies. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, the first song on the album, Simple Boy is a great song to start off with, as it showcases all those elements very well. Though not exactly a fast record by any means, the band does get quite intense in other ways, as for example in the song Set Fire to The Hive, a heavy riff-driven song. Well, this is not your standard prog, but even though this stuff is ‘different’ in some ways (I don’t really have something to compared it to I’m afraid) it is for the better of the music. If you’re looking for something interesting, try this out.
Favourite song: New Day
Other songs worth checking out: Umbra, Set Fire To The Hive, Deadman
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone (1995)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_b5SgaEFvPBQ/TNNlNEkVgbI/AAAAAAAAAVM/fD2lk0nIVtE/s1600/cover.jpg)
Shadow Gallery are a band that have been greatly underestimated for some reason and I never really understood why. Knowing this is somewhat of an obscure band, I thought I would find more people into them at the time I joined DTF. That didn’t really turn out to be the case, but that certainly didn’t stop me from liking them. Carved in Stone is Shadow Gallery’s second album, after their self-titled record with a drum machine. Lucky for them, and for us, the production on Carved in Stone is a lot better and they have found a proper drummer for this album. Shadow Gallery are a six-piece progressive metal band from the States and on this album they really shine. Although all the tracks flow into each other through untitled instrumental ‘bridges’, this is not a concept album as far as I know. Fun fact for those who own the CD; the untitled tracks aren’t listed on the back, skipping a number between the tracks on the back cover. With the first song Cliffhanger the band sets off on a journey through some very powerful and good progressive metal music. With a mixture of ballads like Don’t Ever Cry, Just Remember and Alaska, and heavier stuff like Crystalline Dream and Deeper Than Life the band arrives at the epic of the album, the song Ghostship, split into 7 parts, including a brilliant solo piano piece as the sixth movement, titled Enchantment. Singer Mike Baker was at the top of his game when he recorded the few words he sings in this song, and the rest of the band is on fire as well. This whole album is a great mixture of progressive rock/metal and ballads, great vocal harmonies, good riffs and excellent songwriting.
Favourite song: Crystalline Dream
Other songs worth checking out: Cliffhanger, Ghostship, Deeper Than Life
-
Like I said earlier in the Karnivool thread, I've tried hard to get into them but it's never been successful so far, which really disappoints me, as I want to like them. Transatlantic is awesome, never listened to Shadow Gallery though. I'm sure it's good!
-
For some reason, I never did grab Whirlwind ... need to rectify that.
Don't know Karnivool
Shadow Gallery ... AWESOME to have another appreciator. They (for some reason) are kinda polarizing here at DTF. I got into their entire discography all at once a few years ago (before Digital Ghosts), so it's hard to pick my favorite album. Don't think this would be it, but I love everything by them.
-
The Shadow Gallery and Transatlantic please me.
-
I hope this means that there are 4 more Shadow Gallery albums. I debated having Shadow Gallery on my list of underappriciated bands, but I came to realize that most people here know them, but it is a love/hate dichotomy and I figured giving a true unknown some pub was better than opening a can of worms. I'd have The Whirlwind ahead of those albums though.
-
I guess that means you like Carved in Stone the least apart from their self-titled? I am a huge Shadow Gallery fan, have been for quite some years and saw them live twice, but I don't have 4 more of theirs on this list. I can say though, that Carved in Stone isn't the only one, but they were very hard for me to rank as well.
-
It's inspired me to give it a spin ... which I'm doing right now. Good album, but (for me) not my fave by them.
-
The only Shadow Gallery album I've heard is Legacy. It's p cool.
-
Awesome, enjoy! :)
Legacy is also very good and I suppose if you like that, you'll like the other stuff as well. I recommend all the rest basically.
-
The Whirlwind is amazing!
-
I guess that means you like Carved in Stone the least apart from their self-titled?
You understand my inferences well.
-
Not that that was too hard though, their self-titled is easily the worst. The production doesn't help either though, because some of the songs on that record are actually quite cool. Think of 'Questions at Hand' for instance, or 'The Queen of the City of Ice'.
But, does it also mean you don't like Carved in Stone?
-
deadly update; i love all three bands.
though i must say i find the first two shadow gallery albums inferior to everything they did after them.
and as for their popularity on this forum, i think you mighta found a bit more love and awareness for them on the old dt.net forum.
-
I need to check out more Shadow Gallery. I only own Digital Ghosts, which is great.
-
Cool. check their other stuff out man, it's good!
With regards to their other album, yeah I can see why people would find Carved in Stone inferior to their other albums, but Carved in Stone is in a way special to me, because I was brought up with it, more so than with most of their other stuff. And for that reason, I guess I like it better than others.
Anyway, here's the list so far:
50. Opeth – Still Life
49. Toxik – Think This
48. Myrath – Desert Call
47. Firewind – The Premonition
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King
43. Sublime – Sublime
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE”
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction
36. Pink Floyd – Animals
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone
Another update most likely following tonight (my time)
-
Not that that was too hard though, their self-titled is easily the worst. The production doesn't help either though, because some of the songs on that record are actually quite cool. Think of 'Questions at Hand' for instance, or 'The Queen of the City of Ice'.
But, does it also mean you don't like Carved in Stone?
No, I like them all, I just would rank them something like this:
Tyranny
Room V
Digital Ghosts
Legacy
-
Carved in Stone
-
-
s/t
The first four are nearly interchangable, CiS is a definate notch below those, and s/t below CiS.
-
Well, we might get into some surprises regarding Shadow Gallery, but first! the next three.
I bring to you, three very different albums from three different countries.
30. dredg – Catch Without Arms (2005)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418aOjHaRyL._SS500_.jpg)
Ha, remember that writeup for that Dandy Warhols album? I said that was alternative rock at its finest. Well, I was lying, because here it really is. This is alternative rock at its finest. Probably one of the most straightforward albums on this list, but it’s not here without reason. Simply put, the music is awesome. It’s some great alternative rock with beautiful melodies and great songs. The first time I listened to dredg I was captivated by how awesome such ‘simple’ music could be. Though not exactly a huge album, running at just 55 minutes, it is chock full of good songs, my favourites being the one listed down here. Sang Real is awesome and one of dredg’s best songs. Well there’s not a lot to say really about this album. It is simplicity in its purest and best form.
Favourite song: Sang Real
Other songs worth checking out: Catch Without Arms, Bug Eyes, Matroshka (The Ornament)
29. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element, Part I (2000)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oe21CofqL._SS500_.jpg)
Pain of Salvation’s third album has often been acclaimed as their best. Yes, this album is very good, consisting of a lot of Pain of Salvation’s live staple songs. The music Pain of Salvation (or should I say Daniel Gildenlöw?) creates here is of the highest quality, with astonishingly great songwriting and technicality. Though I don’t always understand the concept behind Pain of Salvation’s albums (as I don’t with this), the music is of course what makes this album great, as all the tracks on the album rock, hard, but.. There’s one thing that really, really drags this album down. I know this might make some people angry, but I really hate the song King of Loss. I don’t know what it is, but that song absolutely does nothing for me and annoys me to no end. Just the way too dragged out buildup to, well, nothing (but a completely out of place of the great Used) is more than enough to skip the track. I can’t help it, but the song is the length of almost a seventh of the entire album and that’s why in all its brilliance, this album is not higher up on my list, which it certainly would have been if not for King of Loss. Well, the good thing of this album is obviously very good, as all the songs are awesome examples of great progressive metal. Among the really outstanding tracks are the opener, Used, Ashes and the title-track. Really, just let yourself be immersed by this great album, and try not to hate too much on King of Loss, it can really ruin your experience of this otherwise almost flawless album.
Favourite song: The Perfect Element
Other songs worth checking out: Ashes, Used, Idioglossia
28. Circus Maximus – Isolate (2007)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61iNDb6w9oL._SS500_.jpg)
I have a friend who will probably until the end of time argue which me which of Circus Maximus’s first two albums is the better. Yes, The 1st Chapter is very good, but I think Isolate is just slightly better. The songwriting is better, the production is better and the overall musicianship has improved in the 2 years between the albums. A Darkened Mind, the album’s opener is a great example of Circus Maximus’s music, great riffs, awesome vocal lines and choruses you can sing along to. It is a formula they manage to employ on every single track on this album and it works, everywhere. The tracks are very good and manage to speak a certain own style. Not to mention the great musicianship of all the instrumentalists, but what really stands out on this record are the vocals. The vocalist is very, very good and he shows it throughout the whole record, delivering fantastic line after line. The song Abyss is a perfect example of this, as are the two epics Ultimate Sacrifice and Mouth of Madness. This is some very good progressive metal from Norway, I recommend you try it out.
Favourite song: Abyss
Other songs worth checking out: Wither, Ultimate Sacrifice, Mouth of Madness
-
:tup :tup to both Catch Without Arms and The Perfect Element, though I actually really like King of Loss.
-
Nice to see Catch on another list. And the other two albums are both really great as well, awesome update.
-
Not a fan of PoS but great to see dredg on the list :tup
-
:tup :tup to both Catch Without Arms and The Perfect Element, though I actually really like King of Loss.
It's one of my more controversial aspect. Glad you like 'em though!
Nice to see Catch on another list. And the other two albums are both really great as well, awesome update.
Yeah, Catch is awesome! As are the other two :)
Not a fan of PoS but great to see dredg on the list :tup
Try them, they are great! dredg are very good too, this won't be the only one you see from them on my list ;)
-
I've always been lukewarm on dredg. While I really like some songs, usually 2 or 3 on each album, there are entire sections of the two albums I own (this one and Parrot) where I subconsciously tune it out because it doesn't hold my attention - enough so that I was never inclined to buy the new album, and as most of you know I buy a LOT of music, so that's a pretty damning statement on my part.
TPE would be somewhere in my top 50 as well, probably in the same range you have it :tup
For whatever reason, I always reach for the first Circus Maximus album when I want to listen to them, I guess because I recognize those songs much more whereas Isolate never grabbed my attention when I've listened to it.
-
CWA is my favorite dredg album. :tup Circus Maximus are pretty cool. Never been able to get into PoS unfortunately.
-
PoS took me a while too tbh.. never found them heavy enough to satisfy my early needs... but I was wrong... they have been unfolding and unfolding generously before me when I gave a them a fair chance... now I feel sorry for the time I spent without them.... :-\ I'm digging them a lot now... bought their entire catalogue.. in fact they are pretty much the only thing I listen to when I'm driving as of late... (along with Mastodon)
Circus Maximus :heart
Dredg .. yeah I'll give them another chance but I don't expect much :-\
-
CWA is my favorite dredg album. :tup Circus Maximus are pretty cool. Never been able to get into PoS unfortunately.
Cool! I love Catch Without Arms as well :) You should really check out PoS, I think The Perfect Element is a great starting point :)
Dredg .. yeah I'll give them another chance but I don't expect much :-\
Please do :)
And you too DTVT! I can understand why one would like The 1st Chapter more than Isolate, but the latter just edges it for me.
----
Well, on to the next two. It will be just these two today and then I'll do three tomorrow and two the day after tomorrow, so I get down to the last 20. On Saturday I'm going on holiday for a week, so I won't be able to post any update, but I'll get to that when I get back the week after. From then it's a straight race to the finish, with only 20 albums left to go. The next two take us back, to 1972.
27. Wishbone Ash – Argus (1972)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qxQCFapnL._SS500_.jpg)
A couple of months back, Sigz opened an ‘Album of the Week club’* thread, in which members got a turn at spreading music. A great initiative, I though, shame that stopped. The album I chose there was this one, Argus by the band Wishbone Ash. This one holds a special place in my heart, because it is one of the favourite albums of my stepfather (if I remember correctly) and the first band I really got to see live. According to the myth, this is the band that invented the dual-lead guitars, found in so much music nowadays. It is also said the guitarists of this band were the first 'big' band to use Gibson Flying V guitars to accentuate their dual-lead style. The music is predominantly hard rock, with elements of prog implemented. Expect very good guitar work, interesting vocal melodies and great overall flow. Argus retains its value even through the onslaught of music that gets thrown around our heads these days. This album is a safe resort to go to at any times and remains a strong listen even after having heard it lots of times. Every track is solid, from the opening arpeggios of Time Was to the closing fadeout on Throw Down the Sword.I recommend you that you don't just listen to those tracks I listed, but to the entire album. You won't regret it. It´s a great 45 minutes spent. Now, listen!
* / P.S.: Yes, for those who remember that thread, I did indeed copy parts of the write-up I did for the album there.
Favourite song: Warrior
Other songs worth checking out: Throw Down The Sword, Sometime World, Time Was
26. Yes – Close To The Edge (1972)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Him9wKOUL._SS500_.jpg)
Another progressive rock staple marks its entry at the 26th spot in my top 50; the last of the first half of my list. Actually, this album really should go without description, especially on a prog-forum. It’s funny how sometimes a consensus around a particular album takes hold and though it doesn’t happen that often, there is no real denying that this, overall, is viewed as Yes' best album. It is for that very reason that I have it here in my list of favourite/best albums ever and rightfully it should belong in such a list, by anyone. This is an album that is loved in many different circles and it goes without saying that the three songs on this disc are all Yes classics. Really, this shouldn't even need an introduction.
Favourite song: Close To The Edge
Other songs worth checking out: The other two
AND WE'RE HALFWAY!!
-
Wow, Wishbone Ash's Argus! I was just listening to it last week. This band had a huge influence on Iron Maiden.
-
Oh? Awesome, I didn't know that, but now that you say it, it actually does make some sense.
It's a shame Ash isn't really known nowadays, because stuff like Argus is awesome.
-
Not much into PoS, the TPE is a good album. Definitely prefer Circus Maximus's debut over Isolate, but Isolate is still a great disc. Yes ... Quintessential classic prog. A must for everyone.
Good choices there :tup
-
:tup :tup to both Catch Without Arms and The Perfect Element, though I actually really like King of Loss.
This.
-
Thanks for the replies :)
On to the next three!
25. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (2003)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61eDtnLWh8L._SS500_.jpg)
The first, and unfortunately for fans of the genre, also the last post-rock album on my list. Also the only instrumental album on my entire list. Well, what can I say? This thing is good, really good, else I wouldn’t have put it on here. Quite simply put, this music takes me to another place and that makes it brilliant straight away, especially considering it is an instrumental album. This is one of those albums that you can put on and just feel good to, at least that’s what it does to me. Also, this is one of those few albums of which I never listen to single tracks, only the thing in full. Hell, I can’t even name the tracks on this album, which I pretty much can do with most of the the albums on this list. While I’d occasionally make playlists with different stuff and – hence – single tracks, this is one of those albums that never gets touched. It has to be enjoyed and admired in its entirety. This is, to me, the best post-rock album ever made and, even though I’ve yet to hear lots more post-rock, for now, this is the only post-rock album I’ll need.
Favourite song: All of it
24. Porcupine Tree – Signify (1996)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uNbuKQ-3L._SS500_.jpg)
Signify is the first album Steven Wilson recorded under the name Porcupine Tree with a full band, rather than solo with additional musicians. Also, it was the fourth album to be released under the name Porcupine Tree and the last album that I deem to be in the less-accessible phase of Porcupine Tree’s career. Let’s just say, every album after Signify, from Stupid Dream onwards is a lot more accessible than Signify and the albums before that. Therefore, if for some reason you haven’t yet gotten into Porcupine Tree, I do not recommend you listen to this album first, because I suspect you will be put off. Anyway, the music on Signify is very unconventional. Starting with two instrumentals, the first track with vocals is the great Sleep of no Dreaming, a slow moving, almost nihilistic track. Waiting follows afterwards, split into a first half and an instrumental second half, consisting of mostly a guitar solo. Sever follows, probably one of the more haunting tracks (the ‘Lalalalala’ is quite frightening in a way) and Idiot Prayer is an amazing instrumental. Following is Every Home is Wired, with some of the most amazing vocal harmony ‘waterfalls’ I’ve ever heard. On follow two more instrumentals, the incredibly wacky Intermediate Jesus and the track I can’t get a grasp on, "Light Mass Prayers". The latter is the single weirdest thing on the entire album, in all its simplicity. But then, where it all happens is with the last track, Dark Matter. I can not express how much I love this track. Dark Matter is probably one of the top 10 songs ever created for me and it is definitely Porcupine Tree’s best song. Starting out with a simple bass ostinato, the song gradually builds through verses and choruses into the most amazing instrumental part on the entire album and probably in Wilson’s entire discography. Although I really do think Signify is great, Dark Matter propels the weirdness and wackiness of the previous stuff to a higher level and instantly shoots this album multiple spots higher in my top 50. This is without a doubt one of Porcupine Tree’s weirder and less-accessible albums, but when you do find yourself liking it, you’ll probably get sucked in by the sheer brilliance that flows from this disc.
Favourite song: Dark Matter
Other songs worth checking out: Sleep of no Dreaming, Every Home is Wired, Idiot Prayer
23. Jeff Buckley – So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley (released in 2007, but songs as far back as 1994)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hkBpzB5eL._SS500_.jpg)
I think I’m breaking some unwritten rules here, because this is indeed not an album. It is a compilation disc of my favourite singer-songwriter (although he has a whole backing band on some tracks). I have always wondered whether Jeff Buckley would have been as well known had he not drowned in that unfortunate accident, but that’s mainly because I wasn’t around at the time. So if anyone knows the answer to that, please tell me :) . Well, why did I choose So Real and not Grace, the only ‘real’ album he released? Well, while Grace is very good and without a doubt my favourite album from any singer-songwriter, this compilation has a bit more going on, more diversity, alternate takes on tracks and a couple of live recordings. This album pretty much spans across all the different things Jeff Buckley has done, from the wonderfully soft Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin, to the harsh, almost grungy Eternal Life (Road Version). Along come many of the songs initially released on Grace and it makes for a great mix of some very good music. What always bugs me about Jeff Buckley is that the only thing people know of his is the great cover he did of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. While it is indeed very good, he had a lot of other great stuff going on and I can only encourage people to try it all out. This compilation is a good start. It was mine and I love it.
Favourite song: Vancouver
Other songs worth checking out: Hallelujah, Eternal Life (Road Version), The Sky Is A Landfill
-
I'm listening to Signify right now. :tup
-
I can't even listen to Porcupine Tree's "accesable" music! What am I going to go with the non accessable? :D
-
hmm, How about try it out? :P
-
Signify is amazing. The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place is great, one of the few EitS albums I can listen to throughout without feeling bored. (don't get me wrong, individually their songs are often great, but they lack the diversity that many other post-rock bands have IMO) Also, Jeff Buckley is great though I only know Grace.
-
Well, technically 'So Real' is about 50% of Grace, with some later songs, different versions and a couple of live songs added. I prefer it over Grace, as I said, as it just gives those little extras. Nevertheless, Grace is very good as well, but it would be weird have both of them in the top 50, so I stuck with this one :)
-
Great to see Buckley.
-
And we get to the next two for while. Rounding this up at the top 20, the next is coming after this week. Two albums, with a total length of album titles of just 5 letters. 1974 and 2009, here's #22 and #21:
-----
22. King Crimson – Red (1974)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-00GY04EL._SS500_.jpg)
Recently, on this board in the King Crimson survivor, Starless was named the greatest King Crimson song of all time. I couldn’t agree more with that choice, because it just is such a fantastic song. Coincidentally, Red was named the third best King Crimson song, a choice that well reflects my feelings on the album with the same name. Red is the best album King Crimson have made and one of my favourite albums ever. There’s people out there who will argue whether this is the first progressive metal album ever, since it does go in a darker and heavier direction than King Crimson’s previous stuff. A most interesting thought, to be sure, and one I can acknowledge easily, simply because I can’t think of any other record to fit that bill. Musically, this album is great. The first track, the instrumental title track Red opens with the well known, awesome riff. Fallen Angel and One More Red Nightmare follow, two very solid progressive rock tracks and then we get to Providence. For some reason, King Crimson 'always' knows how to screw up the fourth song on a 5-song record. As with ITCOTCK’s Moonchild, this track is weird and feels completely out of place. It isn’t as bad as Moonchild on that record though and Starless.. Starless makes up for that by a long shot. One of the best songs ever written and very much deserving the title of 'best King Crimson song'. Truly, this must have been progressive rock at its finest in the 70’s. Red is a great album.
Favourite song: Starless
Other songs worth checking out: Red, Fallen Angel, One More Red Nightmare
21. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki (2009)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5121b1DHWLL._SS500_.jpg)
As far as 'overlooking' goes with Devin Townsend fans, I think out of all the Devin Townsend Projects, this one has gotten the least attention. You had 'Addicted!' with the 'Devin making pop metal with female vocals', 'Deconstruction' with the 'most intense and wacky shit he's ever done' and 'Ghost' with 'Devin going ambient, doing something totally different' and then you had 'Ki'. Quite funny how it's also the shortest name he has ever given to an album, or a track for that matter. Ki is actually far more than all those other DTP albums and it is because of this; while all one would expect from Devin is over-the-top intensity, the listener here is treated to a far different approach. Instead of throwing the most wacky stuff at you, this album is very calm and is a constant motion of growing intensity and when you don't expect it, a massive cave-in. It takes three tracks before Devin reaches the first bit of intensity on the awesome Disruptr and after that, it truly gets insane only by the end of the title track, the eleventh on the album which is my favourite Devin Townsend song and arguably one of the best buildups ever put to recording. Technically, this whole album is one giant buildup, finding only a true release in Disruptr and Ki, with all the tracks in between teasing you for a moment of release. Although this sounds very little like Devin’s music, the music really does sound like him and once again, this is a perfect example of why he is at the forefront of experimental stuff (at least for me). Once again Devin proved that with his signature style he can create more than just mindless extreme metal. Devin created a beautiful record here with Ki and one that will be loved by me for years to come.
Favourite song: Ki
Other songs worth checking out: Disruptr, Terminal, Coast
------------------------
Well, that's it for the time being. I'm off on my holiday tomorrow for the next week. I will be returning next Saturday and I will try to get this thing started again as soon as possible. It's just the top 20 left, so I hope you guys won't mind. Just for the hell of it, here's something extra;
Three awesome honourable mentions:
Once in a while when you discover music you find something that really stands out. Something which you know will one day be included in your personal list of favourite albums ever. In my constant discovery of new music sometimes I find stuff that I'm sure will make it into my top albums ever. During the three months of writing process of this album top 50 there were three albums I discovered that really stood out and will be included someday. However, the list was finished by then and I can't really justify putting an album in I've only known for 1 or 2 months. Anyway, the following albums are awesome and would have been in it, if only for time:
- Neal Morse - ?
Awesome progressive rock, one epic song, separated into 12 tracks.
Favourite songs: All of it, but in particular; The Temple of the Living God, 12, Outside Looking In
- Royal Hunt – Paradox
Very, very good Danish progressive metal, fronted by the great voice of DC Cooper. Credits go to Nick, thank you!
Favourite songs: Tearing Down The World, Time Will Tell, Silent Scream
- Seventh Wonder – Mercy Falls
Delicious Swedish progressive metal concept album. Very, very good tracks and a well thought out story.
Favourite songs: So many strong songs, I can’t choose
-
Oh, yes. Here is the score so far:
Honourable Mentions:
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
- Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes form a Memory
- Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
- maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map
- Mastodon – Blood Mountain
- Neal Morse - ?
- Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
- Pink Floyd – Meddle
- Porcupine Tree – The Sky Moves Sideways
- Royal Hunt - Paradox
- Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls
- Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
- Symphony X – Paradise Lost
50. Opeth – Still Life
49. Toxik – Think This
48. Myrath – Desert Call
47. Firewind – The Premonition
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King
43. Sublime – Sublime
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE”
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction
36. Pink Floyd – Animals
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone
30. dredg – Catch Without Arms
29. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element Pt. 1
28. Circus Maximus - Isolate
27. Wishbone Ash - Argus
26. Yes – Close to the Edge
25. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
24. Porcupine Tree – Signify
23. Jeff Buckley – So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley
22. King Crimson – Red
21. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki
-
Ki. :heart
-
6DoIT and Paradox are top 20 albums for me. I understand you didn't have Paradox at the time. Can't belive I've had it for almost 14 years.
-
From your last update, I liked your Honorable Mentions (Neal Morse and Royal Hunt) better than the actual choices. That's just me though.
-
Argus :heart
Animals :heart :heart
Red :heart :heart :heart
Signify :heart :heart :heart :heart
Lots of good picks so far.
-
A return from my awesome holidays in Hungary is paired with the first update in over a week. Since now it is only the top 20, I will gradually post less albums every time, but for now, I give you 3 more albums.
20. Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-vRxtNc8L.jpg)
Yeah I got it, Still Life is the favourite Opeth album here on DTF. Well, it’s not mine, because here we have the second Opeth installment in my list, with the album preceding Still Life. This album is one that will always stay with me as one of the best things I have ever heard. Given to me by my sister at my seventeenth (I think) birthday, this CD is one I cherish within my CDrack. Well, the fact that it’s a gift isn’t everything, it’s just that this whole album is very, very good. Even before the brilliant Still Life, Opeth made this album. An album that would define their style for years to come, an album that would give them their signature sound after their first two release. This is where Opeth really took off, where they really developed a style of their own and it is this album that truly showcases that signature style. Demon of the Fall is an Opeth song that will probably forever stay a fan favourite, as are April Ethereal and When, to name just the songs that come off the top of my mind. In my view, this is absolute brilliance and Opeth here is at the top of their game, this is where it really all took off for this band and this is the start of a great career. It's kind of funny that when a band takes off into a certain direction, the first couple of things they do can never be surpassed. It is for that reason both this album and Still Life have had their placements in my top 50. Simply put, ‘My Arms, Your Hearse’ to me, is Opeth at its core, with haunting, epic progressive death metal, arranged with soothing acoustic passages. If you aren’t yet into Opeth, I honestly think this is the best album to start it with.
Favourite song: Demon of the Fall
Other songs worth checking out: April Ethereal, When, Karma
19. dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (2009)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VC1ULCnwL._SS500_.jpg)
I guess I am one of the few on this board who knows dredg and places TPTPTD above Catch Without Arms. Hell, I might even be in the minority of the entire dredg fanbase. Let’s just put it this way; both albums are absolutely fantastic, but this is just slightly better. The main reason for the placement of this album above Catch Without Arms is the flow of this album. Yes, Catch is beautiful and contains some of dredg’s signature songs and fan favourites, but.. To me, and this is all opinion, the songs on TPTPTD are just a little better. Just that little for their higher placement. Stylistically, this album draws more to dredg’s previous effort ‘El Cielo’ than to Catch, which was more focused on writing short songs. On this album they took an essay from Salman Rushdie (https://www.guardian.co.uk/books/1999/oct/16/salmanrushdie) and based the music on it, something that is clearly visible in the lyrics on this album. Starting off with the great Pariah and Ireland the listener gets the idea thrown to his head that everything was given to God, something that will be disproved in all the succeeding songs, with Quotes being the pinnacle and best song on the album, with lyrics stating almost the complete opposite. The beautiful closer Horizon ends the album with a simple ballad and a recapitulation of all the most important lyrics of the album. regarding the music, it is a mixture of beautiful alternative rock with progressive elements in it. based on chordal structures and great melodies, the band also throws some wackier and heavier stuff at you at some points. The complete picture results in an amazingly well thought out album with great music. Excuse me very much if I’m wrong here, but this really feels like a whole and laying the lyrics next to each other makes it ever more apparent that this band did their utmost best to create something, a concept and music beyond the music itself. They succeeded, because ‘The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion’ is, in my opinion, one of the best albums ever recorded.
Favourite Song: Quotes
Other songs worth checking out: Gathering Pebbles, Cartoon Showroom, Pariah
18. maudlin of the Well – Bath (2001)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41y3U54MM7L._SL500_.jpg)
‘Bath’ or both that and 'Leaving Your Body Map'? It was but one of the questions I kept asking myself whilst making this top 50. To me, those two are one whole piece, they even have each other's album art. Really, I can't be the only one who sees that. To narrow it down though, I figured had to choose one over the other and Bath wins this. While 'Leaving..' is an awesome album (Gleam in Ranks is one of my favourite motW songs), Bath completely slays it in terms of overall quality, consistency and hell, even level of strangeness, weirdness, avant-gardeness and awesomeness. This music really can't be described. Though it isn't as weird as some stuff you might hear, it is impossible to place this album under a banner and be confident about it. Though it is a staple in the extremer metal genres, even then it can not be pinpointed to one style. 'Avant-garde' seems to suffice, and it will have to do. Try it, of you dare. I bet you won't like it on first listen; I didn't. The fact that it is so high in my top ever albums says enough about the way I think of this album now.Now being the very proud owner of both Bath and Leaving Your Body Map on vinyl proves that point even more. This is like a fine wine, I guess. Not something you’ll listen to often, but when you do, you’ll make damn sure you listen to it thoroughly.
Favourite song: They Aren’t All Beautiful
Other songs worth checking out: Birth Pains of Astral Projections, Girl With A Watering Can, Geography
-
My Arms, Your Hearse is a close runner-up for my favorite Opeth album, and Pariah is a close runner-up for my favorite Dredg album. Orgasmic update.
-
Glad you like them, Ravenheart! On to the next three. We're heading into the very, very awesome territory right now with #17 to #15!
17. Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here (2010)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qVASItLpL._SS500_.jpg)
Anathema’s magic album lands in at the 17th spot in my list of favourite 50 albums ever. Yes, this is the only Anathema album in my list and that is not without reason. WHBWH completely overshadows everything Anathema has ever done. The first time I listened to WHBWH I was blown away by the awesomeness that this album had to offer. I suppose it didn't really help that this was the first Anathema album I ever listened to, because everything that I listened to afterward, their earlier stuff (because, hey, I had to check it out, if they could make something this awesome, their history must be interesting) I found mediocre at best in comparison. Of course, now I think about that differently and I can appreciate the earlier stuff, but this album is the best they did for me. For those who haven't heard it; this is beautiful atmospheric progressive rock, mixed with mesmerizing instrumental passages, awesome female vocals and elements of pop music (the right ones). The album starts with one of the best songs on the record and takes about two thirds to reach its highest moment for me. The song A Simple Mistake is to me one of the best songs ever written and I was kind of bummed the band didn't play it when I saw them live. They put on a fantastic show at the Loreley amphitheater though and it was one of the best live concerts I have ever seen. Well, if you want to hear something slightly different, slightly ‘magical’ in a way, I really recommend this fantastic record, my top #2 of 2010 and 17th favourite album overall.
Favourite song: A Simple Mistake
Other songs worth checking out: Thin Air, Hindsight, Dreaming Light
16. Between the Buried and Me – Colors (2007)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QEATMT2OL._SS500_.jpg)
I almost forgot this album in my initial list-making of albums I should include. I didn't include this album until after the whole list was made and done. The main reason behind this error was the simple fact that I haven't heard this album since probably the beginning of 2010, that's 2 years ago! Well, to be fair, I kind of grew out of this music, discovering new stuff. For the purpose of this top 50 I obviously listened to it again and loved it, as I did years before. It was this album that made me appreciate stuff I'd enjoy later (think of Devin Townsend for example) and it is probably this album that's the most ear-tiring or demanding to listen to. For those who don't know, this is some heavy progressive metalcore, and some brilliant stuff at that. Metalcore, you say? Yes, that genre with the crappy vocals. /generalizing. Well, to be honest I can clearly imagine why this band's vocals would put you off, but if you give it try you will like it some time, because quite simply, the music is amazing. From front to back, this album feels like only one song, due to the flow and the overall sense of completion on this album. There's not a single thing on this album that I would change, every little bit of weirdness or beat displacement feels natural in the truest sense of the word. All the genres and styles the band incorporates into this grand masterpiece (country, folk, death metal, progressive rock, great vocal melodies and harmonies) blend together into one of the best albums I have ever heard.
Favourite song: Prequel To The Sequel
Other songs worth checking out: Ants of the Sky, Sun of Nothing, The Decade of Statues
15. Haken – Aquarius (2010)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OR385N0bL._SS500_.jpg)
Haken could not have had a better start to their career than with this album. In my preparation for the ProgPower Europe 2010 festival, I got albums from a couple of the bands that would be playing, Haken’s Aquarius being one of them. At the time I didn't really pay much attention to what I was listening to, with it being about half a year before the actual festival and that was probably for the better. I remember the gig. The full gig. Haken played on the Saturday morning, around half past 11 in the morning, if memory serves me right. It was their first international gig ever and they completely ripped the audience. It was overwhelming and awesome. I was there with a friend and we got to meet the band afterward, who were very pleased by the great reaction they got there. We talked to them a lot and my friend bought the CD and got it signed. Something I didn’t do at the time and still kind of regret. The band was really cool, great dudes and we had some good chat. At the end of the night the whole lot of us walked out from the venue to a pizza tent which said ‘Pizzadag’ (Pizza Day), which apparently became a running gag within the band, as half the band was half-drunk screaming ‘Pizzadag’. Funnily, the next time we saw them live they recognised us from the first time. Anyway; on to the music. Stylistically, this stuff is about as prog as it gets. Hell, an album with 3 tracks over 10 minutes and one track over 15 minutes with the rest leaning close is definitely a prog record. These guys (or should I say THIS guy, everything is composed by the single genius that is Richard Henshall) have drawn their inspiration from Dream Theater and the likes, that much is clear. This is some very good progressive metal, with weird lyrics about a mermaid and a fisherman, or something like that. The only reason really why this awesome disc is not in my top 10 is because of the flow. It seems that at some points (for instance the instrumental part in The Point of no Return) the music has been made ‘prog’ for the sake of being prog and that, to me, greatly disrupts the flow. Aside from that, the most frequently heard criticism about this album has been the inclusion of growls on the first two tracks. While they might seem misplaced, I'll give the haters that, to me they add another texture to the music. The songs Drowning in the Flood is a very good example of the heavy and more progressive side this band has to offer (THAT RIFF) and Celestial Elixir is still the best song the band has made yet. Oh, by now they also have a new album out, called ‘Visions’, which is also very good. However, this is the way to get into them for me, because ‘Aquarius’ really is that good.
Favourite song: Celestial Elixir
Other songs worth checking out: Drowning in the Flood, Eternal Rain, Aquarium
-
Last two updates have been awesome. WHBWH, Colors, Bath, TPTPTD and MAYH... :hefdaddy
-
Wow, you got great taste! Colors, Aquarius, Bath, Red, and Argus are all 5/5 albums for me. :tup Bath being top 5 all time for me probably.
-
Thanks! Now let's hope I won't disappoint everybody with the rest of the list :lol
-
The Anathema and Haken albums are great. :tup
-
I have no qualms with your last four albums.
-
The Anathema, Haken, and Dredg are fantastic, but I've never really understood the love for Red.
-
Absolutely amazing update. You already know what I think about those bands.
-
but I've never really understood the love for Red.
:tdwn
Missed that in the list. Another fantastic album that probably makes my top 10.
-
Colors... :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Also, WHBWH... :tup :tup
-
First of all I want to thank you for all your posts and reactions, awesome! Let's see if we can keep this enthusiasm up with the last 14 albums in my list and let's hope I won't disappoint people with some of my choices, though there WILL be controversy, I can say as much as that. Anyway, I just came home from a very tiring day (it's past midnight over here) so without a lot more to say, I'll just copypaste the next two albums here, to maintain the steady ratio of 1 update a day. Tomorrow I will post two more and then it's one a day for the top 10.
Here are number #14 & #13!
14. The Dear Hunter – Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading (2007)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wu0vDPQ9L._SS500_.jpg)
A little ‘fun fact’; this is the last album I’m doing the write-up for. All the other albums have been done at the time of typing this, including all other albums above this. Not that that was really interesting, but I kind of thought it was funny that it’s the album at the 14th spot that got finished the last, and not at the 1st or something. Anyway; The Dear Hunter are one of the more interesting band I fairly recently discovered, mostly due the enormous hype this band has gotten on these forums. They do a blend of indie rock, with a couple of progressive elements and are quite experimental in the sense that they use some pretty wild and unconventional instrumentation for the style of music, like trumpets, a harp, banjos, violin or cellos. The music however is predominantly focused on the basic rock band setup, with Casey Crescenzo, the group’s leader and primary songwriter taking on both vocal and guitar duties. This album is long, certainly for a band that’s labeled as indie rock. Clocking in at almost 80 minutes, the music is split into 15 tracks. 15 tracks, that all have their own feeling and texture. You’ve got to give this band credit for making an album on which the tracks don’t sound the same at all, but nevertheless form something that flows magically and feels like a complete album. For those unfamiliar with the Dear Hunter, I greatly recommend you start with the song Red Hands, a wonderful and accessible song. It was the first song I ever heard from this band and it prompted me to buy the album immediately. Just give it a go, it’s a lot better than I can explain here. Let me just say this is a fantastic record and that you are a horrible human being should you dislike this.
Favourite song: The Bitter Suite 1 & 2: Meeting Ms. Leading & Through The Dime
Other songs worth checking out: Red Hands, The Lake and the River, Dear Ms. Leading
And actually the rest of the album as well.
13. Ayreon – The Human Equation (2004)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61c-laGXNLL._SS500_.jpg)
This is one of only 5 albums on this entire list that I don’t actually own a physical copy of and considering the high placement, I suppose I should get one soon. I also think this is the longest album on my list and the one with the highest number of different artists playing on it. Well, what is it then? This is Arjen Lucassen’s masterpiece, the brain behind Ayreon. Here he literally took everything and some of the best people the progressive metal scene has to offer and threw it all together in a huge melting pot to create this wonderful album. The music is, obviously, really good and can easily be identified as being ‘Ayreon’, due to the multiple layers and [that] way Arjen records stuff. With some music, you can just hear it instantly. Lucassen took out all his big guns and decided to write one monstrous epic album that revolves around a mysterious incident of a man who gets into a coma by crashing his car in broad daylight. Throughout the album we hear his emotions In his head, portrayed by different singers. Well, on this album we have, amongst others, Dream Theater singer James LaBrie for lead vocals, portraying the comatose man, Opeth singer/grunter Mikael Åkerfeldt as ‘Fear’, ex-Shadow Gallery singer Mike Baker (RIP) as ‘Father’ and Devin Townsend as ‘Rage’. With this rich collage of artists (and yes, there are many more) Arjen Lucassen manages to create an album that is extremely coherent (even visible in the names he gave the tracks) with a compelling story and some very good music. If you have little under 2 hours to spare, this is one of my recommendations.
Favourite song: Day Three: Pain
Other songs worth checking out: Day Fourteen: Pride, Day Eleven: Love, Day Sixteen: Loser, Day Twelve: Trauma
-
THE is amazing.
-
THE <3
Act II is my least favorite TDH record, but still lots of great track.
THE <3
-
Great picks!
-
Two picks I can get behind. Good choices.
-
Act II is my least favorite TDH record
This must be a joke.
THE <3
This, on the other hand, I can completely relate to.
-
THE is great. Pain is my favourite track also.
-
Act II is my least favorite TDH record
This must be a joke.
Act I ftw.
Act II is just too damn long.
-
Yesyesyes The Human Equation :heart
-
Act II is the best of the acts, but III is very very close behind.
-
The Human Equation is very much overrated but I guess it's understandable since this is a DT forum and JLB participates in it. Act II on the other hand is a very good album.
-
So, here we are. Thanks again for all the reactions and I hope you'll like or recognise the rest. We're almost there, with the last two albums before we reach the magical top 10. For some reason that top fifth of the list has something extra, something that makes it more special. It might be because we use a decimal system and it might also be because those last 10 are really special to me in one way or another. However, before we get there, there's two more awesome album I want to outline here first. Two albums, coincidentally, from 1973, and two albums I could never have excluded from my list. Though this isn't the top 10, this stuff is absolutely amazing and to me, they both belong here.
-------------------
12. Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band – The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle (1973)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51X8dY66CsL._SS500_.jpg)
I probably will never forget the first time I listened to New York City Serenade, my favourite track from Bruce Springsteen’s second album. It happened one afternoon during the time when I was moving to college. My mother bought this CD in a shop, because she recognized it from her youth, I suppose. One afternoon she walked into my bedroom and put the CD in my CD player and put New York City Serenade on. I had no clue what to expect, put she told me it was very good, so I thought I’d have a go. For the next almost 10 minutes I was staring blindly out my window and listened in awe to the absolute brilliance of this song, never saying a word to break the sound. I was mind blown and one of the first things I did when I moved to my student home where I live now was go down to a CD shop and buy the CD myself. The rest of the album, which I hadn’t heard so far certainly didn’t disappoint at all, the music is absolutely fantastic. While I never really cared for Bruce Springsteen’s generic-ish rock, this album is totally different from what you’d expect from his music. There’s no Born to Run or Dancing in the Dark on here, just 7 very, very good tracks. The music swings on all sides, with some beautiful guitar and saxophone work on the album. Kitty’s Back and Rosalita (Come out Tonight) are two very good examples of this. You could even call this progressive at some points, with an average track length of almost 7 minutes, though the album opener, the shortest track is very well done as well. From start to finish, Springsteen and his band throw their heartland rock at you and they never disappoint, on the entire album. The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle – and specifically New York City Serenade – holds a special place in my heart and that is the reason it has been included in my list.
Favourite song: New York City Serenade
Other songs worth checking out: Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), Kitty’s Back, The E-Street Shuffle
11. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
(https://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/aa/81/3558024128a080da8fece010.L.jpg)
This might be the most overrated album in all of rock history, but that doesn’t really stop me from loving it. It might just have been overrated because it is that good. Again, I guess not a lot of explanation is needed, since this is one of those albums everybody has heard and can appreciate. The same goes for me. I even chose part of the lyrics from this album for the part I submitted for my yearbook. I thought it summed up my high-school career pretty well. I never listen to the songs on this album separately, only the whole thing in full, as it undoubtedly had been intended by the lords of Pink Floyd, and I always get goose bumps when this albums ends in its wonderful climax. This thing is one of the best ever created, hence its high placement in my ranking of albums.
“And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon”
Favourite song: The whole thing
Songs worth checking out in particular: The whole thing, as it was intended
----------------------------
So, any guesses on the remaining ten?
The first one coming tomorrow..
-
DSOTM is a classic. Haven't listened to much Springsteen.
-
Well, to be honest, neither have I really. I know most of his 'classics' and don't really care for them, but TWTI&TES really is that amazing.
-
This might be the most overrated album in all of rock history
No. The Wall is waaaay more overrated.
-
Well, to be honest, neither have I really. I know most of his 'classics' and don't really care for them, but TWTI&TES really is that amazing.
I don't know about TWTI&TES, but I do know TITTIES are that amazing :lol
-
This might be the most overrated album in all of rock history
No. The Wall is waaaay more overrated.
This.
-
My God, two of my favourite albums ever. Nice to see some E Street Shuffle recognition :tup
-
My God, two of my favourite albums ever. Nice to see some E Street Shuffle recognition :tup
Awesome, someone who knows it :)
-
Not personally into either pick, but I definitely feel that they are respectable.
-
No guesses for the top 10 at all?
#10 coming up in a couple of hours.
-
Adrenaline Mob will be #1-10.
Unfortunately I don't know you quite well enough to make any good top 10 guesses.
-
No, I figured that no-one would :lol, ah well. I'll just go ahead in a bit.
-
A note on the top 10:
Really, this top 10 was killing me. While the albums on the 10th, 9th and 8th spot stayed there consistently, and while I sort-of knew what had to be at the #1 spot, everything shifted around. To me, the next ten albums are all almost equally awesome and I encourage anyone who hasn’t heard any one of the following albums to listen to them now. To me, this is the best of the best.
10. Pain of Salvation – One Hour By The Concrete Lake (1998)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518yn5baHAL._SS500_.jpg)
The first of probably a couple controversial picks in my top 10. Yes, ‘One Hour By The Concrete Lake’ is my favourite Pain of Salvation album. Why? I couldn’t tell you, I just like it more than all of their other stuff. Actually, the first PoS album I ever listened to was ‘Scarsick’ and I really didn’t like that. It was years after until I checked out their other stuff when a friend posted me a live video of Handful of Nothing. It has remained my favourite Pain of Salvation song ever since, followed closely by the brilliant Iter Impius from “BE”, elsewhere in my top 50. This album, front to back, feels complete, feels correct and sounds great. It remains a great listen, even after so many times that I’ve heard it. Simply every song on this album is awesome in its own right and together they form a beautiful example of what a progressive metal album should sound like. It has awesome music, a story to tell through the lyrics (about a man who's tired of working his life as part of a 'machine' in a weapon factory. He soon realises that his work brings terror to the world and eventually he dies standing at the edge of Lake Karachay, the most polluted spot on earth. Apparently, standing there for one hour will kill you due to the excess of nuclear waste radiation, hence the album title). Literally every single track on this record is amazing and consists of Daniel Gildenlöw's finest work he's done with Pain of Salvation. The only thing you could hold against this album is the relatively poor production. I will give you that, but all arguments regarding the music to me, are invalid. With a little better production and sound, this album could have been even higher. This write-up really doesn't do the thing justice, but to me, this is Pain of Salvation's best album and my 10th favourite album overall.
Favourite song: Handful of Nothing
Other songs worth checking out: The rest
-
(https://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/20065i6F045AC638D3C2D4/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&px=-1)
There are at least like... 5 PoS albums that top this one.
-
Not for me there isn't, but I knew this pick would invoke rage :lol
-
I love One Hour. It's not my fav cd from them, but I seriously never understood the dislike for the album, I think it's amazing, good pick.
-
One Hour is pretty underrated, awesome album. It's not in my personal top5 PoS-albums, but it does get way more shit then it deserves, and it has several killer songs. So nice pick. :tup
-
I put One Hour easily above the debut and both RS albums.
-
Well Entropia is one of my three favorite albums by PoS (tied with TPE and BE), but I'd take One Hour over Scarsick and Road Salt One at least.
-
I really enjoy all of their albums but Scarsick. So, Nick, I can never understand why you put that above The Perfect Element in you top 50. Glad there's more people that actually like OHBTCL, though I'm definitely in the majority in regarding it as their best.
-
9. Dream Theater – Awake (1994)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510oHjReyUL._SS500_.jpg)
Welcome to the Dream Theater Forums, where many people rejoice about once having loved Dream Theater, but now don't really care for the band anymore, until they release something new. In the meantime, talk goes about other stuff, other music and random bullshit. So here we are, 42 places into my own top 50 albums ever and the first Dream Theater album makes an appearance. Simply put, Awake is awesome. Back when I was discovering Dream Theater, after having listened to Images & Words and Metropolis, I looked through my mother's CD drawer for more Dream Theater stuff and got this one out, because of the cover. 6:00 blew my mind and the rest of the album following it. Amazing stuff, SO ENERGY, SO POWAH. No wonder those Japanese fans dig this stuff. This album contains some of my favourite Dream Theater songs, with Space-Dye Vest, the best closer Dream Theater has done to any album (yes, come at me, all you LTL-lovers) as the ending of the best triple punch Dream Theater has done, this album doesn't go wrong anywhere. It has helped me through (tough) times (even cycling from home to school) and remains amazing years after having heard it for the first time. Dubbed one of the most diverse Dream Theater albums by me, it is yet very recognisable for its sound. Also, John Petrucci's guitar tone never got as good as the one recorded on Awake. To end this silly write-up; seriously, if you haven't heard this and you're browsing these forums; get off. This stuff is awesome.
Favourite song: The whole thing
Songs worth checking out in particular: Scarred, Space-Dye Vest, Voices, Innocence Faded
-
I'm surprised there is no Muse (yet?) I honestly see them as the Pink Floyd of our time.
-
Not in my top 10 but a great album nonetheless. I like your list dude :tup
-
Your mom sounds hawt.
-
Far and away DT's best album. :tup
-
I can't believe your mom had Awake in her CD drawer. That's awesome.
-
Great album but there are a few others I prefer from DT first.
-
I'm with you on the SDV love. Scarred is my #3 DT song and SDV is my #5.
To me, the album doesn't really kick off until Erotomania.
-
I'm surprised there is no Muse (yet?) I honestly see them as the Pink Floyd of our time.
I don't know what would make you think I put Muse in here, but sorry to spoil you; there's no Muse on my list. I do like them though, in a way, but not enough for me to include them here.
Not in my top 10 but a great album nonetheless. I like your list dude :tup
thanks for following! :biggrin:
Your mom sounds hawt.
Based solely on her CDdrawer? :lol
Far and away DT's best album. :tup
no comment
I can't believe your mom had Awake in her CD drawer. That's awesome.
Yes, yes it is.
Great album but there are a few others I prefer from DT first.
again, no comment ;)
I'm with you on the SDV love. Scarred is my #3 DT song and SDV is my #5.
To me, the album doesn't really kick off until Erotomania.
Awesome, the last three songs are just so good to me, though I really love all of it, the first 3 tracks as well.
-
Wow, it's been three weeks since the last time I checked out this thread. Here are the albums that you listed since then and that I think are at least awesome:
Animals (one of my all time favorites)
Abbey road
Close to the edge
Red
Dark side of the moon
Awake
I hope I won't forget about this thread, the top 10 is gonna be fun. :tup
-
picks 10 and 9 = :metal :hefdaddy
it's probably too hard for me to pick a favorite POS album, but i might be able to go on record as saying one hour has the best flow of any POS album. i'll have to think about it further before i lock in that answer.
I'm surprised there is no Muse (yet?) I honestly see them as the Pink Floyd of our time.
really?! i mean, i like both bands, but i dont see it (the comparison, not the MIA from the list).
-
I don't even care if it's a band I like, but the next pick better be a band's better effort, because the last two have been weaker efforts from great bands.
-
Awake is a weaker effort from DT?? Trippin.
-
It's a great album, but DT has at least a half dozen better ones.
-
Trippin.
-
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_4759_1325630005.jpg)
-
Fair enough.
-
:lol Nick, I think I'll have to disappoint you with the next pick, judging by your own top 50, but I'll go with it anyway. I must say, the next one probably was the most difficult out of my entire list and the write-up I did for it kind of shows a bit why. Also, I'm sorry you don't like One Hour or Awake, you're missing out on two great albums! :biggrin:
Anyway, number 8;
8. Haken – Visions (2011)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cB0jR%2BgXL._SS500_.jpg)
This might be the part where I lose all my credibility (unless that was somewhere before when I didn't really notice). If you’ve been following this, you might not have thought this album would be included after the praise I gave to ‘Aquarius’. To include an album only released a couple of months ago above a Dream Theater album I just praised so much and have known for so long might come off as kind of weird. Also putting it above Haken's debut album 'Aquarius', which is still getting much praise might be shocking to those Haken fans out there. Let me put it this way; Haken could not have hoped for a better second album. Visions does all that Aquarius did well (including the order and types of songs, which they got away with), made it better, matured it and ridded it of its minor annoying anomalies. Simply put; this album is good, very good, and this band really is going to get somewhere, I can definitely feel that. The music has matured, though the lyrics are still somewhat weird and the band is getting into more actual progressive songwriting. Though the 'fun'-bits have lost out a bit on this album (we still get an awesome 8-bit thing in the wonderful Insomnia though), I think this only goes to improve the music. On Aquarius, nice as they were, some of the 'circus' or 'fun' metal parts distracted your attention and hindered the flow of the music. Though the band hasn't recaptured the magic of the song Celestial Elixir, the total product is more consistent in flow and quality. Even with two instrumentals on the album, the flow is fantastic. Although it consists of 8 separate tracks, repeatedly have I made the notion that in fact it can be viewed as 5. Premotion flows flawlessly into Nocturnal Conspiracy and Portals is seamlessly connected to The Mind’s Eye before it and Shapeshifter after it, acting as some sort of instrumental bridge between the songs. Shapeshifter even reprises one of the more important theme from The Mind’s Eye. Oh, and Deathless is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and doubtlessly my favourite of 2011. The album closer and title-track Visions wraps up the whole album in a fantastic reprise of some important themes and the finale is absolutely beautiful, those bells get me every time. This is top-notch stuff. Listen to it, you will not be disappointed. Haken is a band to look out for in the future and this album, as well as ‘Aquarius’, are the reasons why. Do yourself a favour and listen to this awesome stuff.
Favourite song: Deathless
Other songs worth checking out: Visions, Nocturnal Conspiracy, Insomnia
-
I can't really decide which Haken album I prefer. I've had more time with Aquarius so I'm really used to the songs but Visions is, as you said everything the debut had but more.
-
asd,.gal;dkgjdzlfgjkzclgnmaldftj
Good as it is, Aquarius is definitely the better album!!! :lol
-
They are both very good and very close to each other in my rankings.
I love them both, but Visions just edges Aquarius in overall quality for me.
I love how tastes differ :)
-
:clap:
I used to prefer Aquarius but in time Visions grew a lot better. Regardless of the discussion about which one is the better album, both of them are masterpieces.
-
7. Thrice – The Alchemy Index (2007/2008)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y7jge9TUL._SS500_.jpg)(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61AY91dfLAL._SS500_.jpg)
I know. I know. These are two albums and those who don’t actually own the CDs might even think it’s 4 separate EPs. Although both parts were released in two separate years, the thing is, very much a whole. This album contains one of the most interesting concepts I’ve ever heard brought to music. What Thrice did on this is they took the four principal elements (Fire, Water, Air and Earth, in that order) and made 6 songs based both lyrically and musically on that specific element. To wrap it all up, the last song on each separate disc (yeah, the CDs are printed with a CD for each element) has the lyrics written in a Shakespearian sonnet, specifically about the particular element, of which the last two lines of each sonnet share the exact same melody, albeit in different keys. Of course, if you’re planning to make a concept such as this work, you must make sure the music is vastly different and it is. Fire is very frantic, heavy and jumpy, exactly as one would experience fire. Water is lush, with lots of keyboards and ambient, even ‘watery’ sounds. Air is very thin, with basic songs with the occasional outburst and Earth is very stripped-down to the basics, with almost all acoustic songs. Every single disc of this massive project truly delivers and it is wonderful how such a concept can be vocalized and turned to music. Certainly, Thrice have done a perfect job creating one of the most unique sounding and diverse albums I have ever heard.
Favourite song: Daedalus (off of Air)
Other songs worth checking out: on Fire: Firebreather, The Flame Deluge; on Water: Open Water, Night Diving; on Air: Song for Milly Michaelson, Silver Wings; on Earth: Digging My Own Grave, Come All You Weary
But really, just all of it.
-
Great pick!!
-
9. Dream Theater – Awake (1994)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510oHjReyUL._SS500_.jpg)
Welcome to the Dream Theater Forums, where many people rejoice about once having loved Dream Theater, but now don't really care for the band anymore, until they release something new. In the meantime, talk goes about other stuff, other music and random bullshit. So here we are, 42 places into my own top 50 albums ever and the first Dream Theater album makes an appearance. Simply put, Awake is awesome. Back when I was discovering Dream Theater, after having listened to Images & Words and Metropolis, I looked through my mother's CD drawer for more Dream Theater stuff and got this one out, because of the cover. 6:00 blew my mind and the rest of the album following it. Amazing stuff, SO ENERGY, SO POWAH. No wonder those Japanese fans dig this stuff. This album contains some of my favourite Dream Theater songs, with Space-Dye Vest, the best closer Dream Theater has done to any album (yes, come at me, all you LTL-lovers) as the ending of the best triple punch Dream Theater has done, this album doesn't go wrong anywhere. It has helped me through (tough) times (even cycling from home to school) and remains amazing years after having heard it for the first time. Dubbed one of the most diverse Dream Theater albums by me, it is yet very recognisable for its sound. Also, John Petrucci's guitar tone never got as good as the one recorded on Awake. To end this silly write-up; seriously, if you haven't heard this and you're browsing these forums; get off. This stuff is awesome.
Favourite song: The whole thing
Songs worth checking out in particular: Scarred, Space-Dye Vest, Voices, Innocence Faded
Such an awesome album.. it's been a while since I've listened to it... just cued it up and yesssss :hat
-
All of the past albums are absolutely exceptional. Listening to Visions as we speak!
-
Funny, I actually almost bought that Thrice album today. I was in FYE and found it and another album I was kinda interested in used, and needed a third for an extra 30% off. Then my girlfriend came and collected me and I decided it was a sign to stop browsing and save the money.
-
A shame, for they are great albums. Did you get anything else in the end?
-
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen would like to have a long discussion with you.
-
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen would like to have a long discussion with you.
:lol
-
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen would like to have a long discussion with you.
What about the rest then?
-
They aren't principal elements. :biggrin:
-
Theres really no definition of a pricincipal element :p
-
But there is a Perfect Element (the first part of one, at least)
-
6. Devin Townsend – Terria (2001)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PVG5KFCVL._SS500_.jpg)
After half of the DTP albums, I bring to you, Devin’s best work ever. Terria is not overrated, as some might say, it just isn’t for everybody. To be honest, the first time I heard it, it didn’t click at all. In fact, I really disliked it. Devin Townsend was one of those artists I discovered late into their careers. I think the first album I heard was ‘Addicted!’, shortly after its release. I remember the first time I listened to it, but that’s another story. Thing is; I liked it, but didn’t realise that until months after. I started downloading more Townsend and started with Terria, because that got the most favourable reviews. Having just gotten used to ‘Addicted!’, Terria was a huge shock to me in the sense that it is so much different than the only other album I knew of his and naturally I recoiled and didn’t like it. However, as with different stuff on this list as well, as was in a sense attracted to the unique music this album possessed. I never really back down from hearing something the first time and listened to it more and more. This is just one of those album you can’t love at first listen. It will take you many before you will like this and so it did with me. The weird opener Olives definitely sets you off on the wrong track, as the astonishingly HUGE Mountain will prove right at its opening. Earth Day then is one of the greatest things Devin has ever done. Such huge, brilliant music gets watered down then with the beautiful, melancholic Deep Peace, one of his most soothing songs. Canada then is my personal favourite of the album (that riff is monstrous!) and the second half of the album is just as good with the easily accessible The Fluke, the ballad Nobody’s Here, Tiny Tears, which is probably the most difficult song to get into on the entire album and, last but certainly not least, the closer Stagnant, another song that’s easily accessible. Really, the music is brilliant. If you want to check out Devin Townsend, I really recommend you start with Terria first, as it offers a lot of his later albums in one coherent record, but please. Do not give up on the first try. This is an album that demands multiple listens and the payoff is great.
Favourite song: The whole thing
Songs worth checking out in particular: Canada, Earth Day, Deep Peace, Mountain
-
IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!
-
IT'S ON EARTH DAY!
-
RECYCLE!
-
IT'S A WAY, IT'S A WAY, IT'S A WAY, IT'S A WAY, IT'S A WAY, IT'S A WAY
EARTH DAY EARTH DAY EARTH DAY EARTH DAYYYY
-
Oh, and your top 3 are exactly correct on that.
-
Have I found a fellow Canada lover?
-
Theres really no definition of a pricincipal element :p
I just assumed that was science talk for 'most common.' :)
Also:
Terria is an awesome album. Took me a while to get into every song except Earth Day and Deep Peace, but it sits comfortably at my number 2 best Devin album.
-
That whole album is genius, so yes, I'm another Canada lover.
Despite having a collection that is now pushing 900 albums, this is still a top 10 album for me.
-
Yeeeeeeees :metal
-
Partly the reason why I was listening to Earth Day yesterday.
Now, eat your beets!
-
Have I found a fellow Canada lover?
I'm another Canada lover.
Aw shucks :blush I feel so special! :lol
-
5. Porcupine Tree – In Absentia (2002)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51N5xokVKiL._SS400_.jpg)
It’s mister Wilson, again! Coming in for the 3rd album on this list that he has cooperated on. Well, that’s even without taking into account the mixing he’s done on Anathema’s ‘We’re here Because We’re Here’ and excuse me if I’m missing out on some other stuff he participated on. Anyway, the second and last installment of Porcupine Tree on my list. I’ve never understood the different opinions regarding Porcupine Tree’s best album. While Stupid Dream, Deadwing, Lightbulb Sun and all the rest are all very good, to me In Absentia has always stood out as the best out of them and there’s not really a reason why. I like them all, but it comes down to taste and there In Absentia wins. From front to back, this album is a whole. I’ve always perceived Porcupine Tree albums to be in a certain ‘style’; though they all sound like Porcupine Tree, there is a distinct sound on each single album and that is perhaps the closest I can get to explaining why I like this over their other stuff. Apart from that, In Absentia just has some of Porcupine Tree’s best songs (and no, I’m not mentioning that one song), like The Creator Has A Mastertape , Blackest Eyes, Strip The Soul and one of the best album closers ever. There are speculations on this being a concept album, but I could never grasp what it would be about. Frankly, I don’t really care what the lyrics are about, they just contribute to the total picture of awesomeness that is In Absentia.
Favourite song: The whole thing
Songs worth checking out in particular: Collapse The Light Into Earth, The Creator Has A Mastertape, Blackest Eyes, Strip The Soul
-
You and I share some tastes in music :)
-
Fantastic choice!
-
Fantastic choice!
-
Fantastic choice!
-
Fantastic choice!
-
Well, thank you! :)
-
Fantastic choice!
-
In Absentia :tup
-
Terria is incredible, "Down And Under" is one of my all time favorite songs, IA is also one of my favorite albums.
Good update sir!
-
Lol, I only just started reading this. Great to see Anathema and Haken :metal
-
Let's see if we can keep that quote pyramid going with number 4!
4. Opeth – Blackwater Park (2001)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qn8cFGSsL._SS500_.jpg)
Going through my whole top 50, I realized that Opeth has had a brilliant run of albums, with My Arms, Your Hearse first, followed by Still Life and then this masterpiece. As with many albums in my top 10, this was the first album I listened to by Opeth. Discovering new music, I came upon The Drapery Falls and was amazed by the sheer beauty of the song. Having never ventured into death metal territory, at first I was put off by the harsh vocals in the middle section and turned it off, disgusted by the way they ruined such a beautiful song. That didn’t really matter though, because the day after, I returned to the song and it took me a couple of weeks to fully appreciate it. That single song jumped all the way to being my favourite song and I bought the CD. ‘Blown away’ would be the right thing to say, as with many albums on this list. This album, from front to back is absolutely awesome, and even though it was my first, none of Opeth’s other albums ever got close to being so influential to my music tastes. Literally every single song on this disc I have played countless times and there’s not a single moment on this album that I dislike. All the songs are live staples and often this is regarded as Opeth’s best work. I wholeheartedly agree on that and not only is it their best work, it also is one of the best albums ever written. Though I actually rarely play it in full, every time I do, it takes me to another place, especially with headphones on. That is the power of music, the power of this album. I love it to death.
Favourite song: The Drapery Falls
Other songs worth checking out: The rest
-
Blackwater Park was my first metal album ever and still one of my all-time favorites. :metal
-
Looking forward to seeing in in your top 50 then ;)
-
The only Opeth album I've heard is Heritage. I've been told that there are growls on the rest of the albums which are not my cup of tea but I can deal with them if it's just a little.
-
Well, Blackwater park is completely different from Heritage. Not only are there growls on it, they are monstrously huge and I guess there's about as much growling as there is 'normal' singing, maybe slightly less. I would just recommend you try it out though. I used to really dislike growls prior to hearing this album and this album made me appreciate them, though I still won't listen to everything with growls.
-
4. Opeth – Blackwater Park (2001)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qn8cFGSsL._SS500_.jpg)
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_304_1316389857.gif)
-
Yeah, you know it's awesome.
I suppose you're going to dislike my top 3 :lol
-
I probably won't! The list has maintained a complete level of awesomeness.
-
Don't worry about Nick. We trained him to hate awesome music, as a joke.
-
Woohoo, Blackwater Park is my favorite Opeth album as well :metal
-
Don't worry about Nick. We trained him to hate awesome music, as a joke.
:lol
-
Well, Blackwater park is completely different from Heritage. Not only are there growls on it, they are monstrously huge and I guess there's about as much growling as there is 'normal' singing, maybe slightly less. I would just recommend you try it out though. I used to really dislike growls prior to hearing this album and this album made me appreciate them, though I still won't listen to everything with growls.
I gave it a try yesterday. I thought that if the music was good enough I could handle the growls like it happens with Devy, but it seems Opeth is not for me.
-
>Insinuating Opeth isn't good music.
No, I get it that some music just isn't for anyone, which is good, because it gives us different tastes :)
-
And due to insanely popular demand, I bring to you now, the number 3.
3. dredg – El Cielo (2002)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UaKEfVI4L._SS500_.jpg)
Well, here we have it. The third and final dredg album to make my list. El Cielo, from front to back is one of the most coherent records I’ve ever heard, even though it might not seem like that at first listen. Every single song is awesome, apart from maybe the opening track, which is basically just some noise and a fitting introduction. From the moment the album starts though, with the great driving bass of Same Ol’ Road, you’re taken on a journey that won’t end until you hear the fantastic angelic choirs at the end of The Canyon Behind Her. The latter is the perfect closer to this album and to me, at the moment, the best and my favourite song ever written. Utter and complete perfection, with a beautiful musical journey through various genres and style on you road towards the end. dredg is my favourite non-prog/metal band and this album is the main reason why. A short write-up, but I have not a whole lot more to say. This album is gold and pure art. The only way you can experience it the same way is to just listen to it and to allow yourself to be amazed by the beautiful music this album has to offer.
Favourite song: The Canyon Behind Her
Other songs worth checking out: The rest, but particularly Triangle, Of The Room and Same ol’ Road
-
I have seen this in at least 3 peoples' top 5's. I should probably listen. I really like CWA :metal
-
El Cielo is magnificent.
-
Not Only my 3rd favorite Dredg album, but still fantastic!
-
Ahh, this is one of those bands that a lot of people here like but I haven't listened to yet.
-
Ahh, this is one of those bands that a lot of people here like but I haven't listened to yet.
Same.
-
I recommend to start with Catch Without Arms, because that's more easily accessible. Please note that it's also very different from El Cielo and the other album I have mentioned in this top 50, 'The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion'. Needless to say, I think all three of those are very good, so I definitely recommend them to anyone.
-
Great album!
-
I really like Catch Without Arms, I will check out El Cielo.
-
Bloody hell Elite, this ranking has been epically good recently. So great to see Visions so high, it's an amazing album, and Nick basically proved that it's Haken's best by expressing a preference for Aquarius. So much failure, that boy.
Although I'm going to do something similar and express my disinterest in El Cielo. I love Dredg, but I've heard that album a few times and while I like it, I just think it's not that great. Probably my least favourite of their albums.
-
Thanks!
Time to screw some things up then! I can already feel the distaste for the next album, but then again.. I don't really care, for this next one is one of my favourites ever and there's no album in the world I can see sitting at the #2 spot right now.
Let's hear it for:
2. Shadow Gallery – Legacy (2001)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41k3sQBrbRL._SS500_.jpg)
This album goes back to my childhood again. I think I must have been around 12 the first time I casually heard this album from my mother’s stereo system or in her car. Considering the hate Shadow Gallery apparently gets, I must be mad to place an album of theirs so high, shouldn’t I? The correct answer is obviously ‘no’ to anyone who has heard this magnificent piece of music and could appreciate it as much as I did. I could never understand why anybody who likes progressive metal would dismiss Shadow Gallery easily, because to me, they are one of the better progressive metal bands around, hence their ultra-high placement in this top 50. Legacy is their crowning achievement for me, from the awesome beginning of Cliffhanger 2 to the glorious ending of the epic First Light. This album, consisting of only 6 songs rocks from front to end. Having seen Shadow Gallery live twice and having talked to the guys made me appreciate the stuff even more. Shadow Gallery is a very good progressive metal band, with a close focus on strong songs and great vocal harmonies. The band is mainly a studio band, as their abstinence from touring has proved. Consisting of a duo of guitarists, a keyboard player, bassist, drummer and singer, the band has a wide array of sounds and shares vocal duties, as is audible in their harmonies. They even have a flute playing in Destination Unknown, my favourite track off the album, by bassist Carl-Cadden James. The song Colors is a great ballad and Society of the Mind is another cool track, but probably the weakest on an album full of strong tracks. The title track Legacy is the most ‘metal’ it gets on this album, with the heavy down tuned guitar sounds (only to D though, for the musicians) into a very good modern sounding progressive rock song. First Light is the epic of Shadow Gallery songs, the longest they have done (running at 23 minutes, followed by a couple of minutes of silence, before the return to a finale) and a great closer to a great album. I really can’t put to words why I like this album so much that I put it in the #2 spot on my top favourite albums ever. The only thing I can suggest is you listen to it, see for yourself and appreciate the craft, the musicianship and the overall completeness that is this album. While this isn’t as flashy as some stuff on here, while it isn’t as technically daunting or heavy, to me, this is one of the best albums ever created.
Thank you, Shadow Gallery, for giving me, and us, your awesome music and rest in peace, Mike Baker.
Favourite song: Destination Unknown
Other songs worth checking out: The rest
-
Nice dude! I never see this album talked about around here. This is actually the only Shadow Gallery album I own and the only one I've ever even heard. I bought it on a whim years ago because they were compared to Dream Theater (whom I was obsessed with at the time) and I've always really enjoyed it.
-
Very good album, not a HUGE Shadow Gallery fan, but that's probably my favourite from them. Very solid album!
-
Nice write up. Nick is the biggest SG fanboi around, wih The Doc and I following closely behind. Love everything Gary touches. Great band. great album. first Lght is an epic masterpiece.
-
Bloody hell Elite, this ranking has been epically good recently. So great to see Visions so high, it's an amazing album, and Nick basically proved that it's Haken's best by expressing a preference for Aquarius. So much failure, that boy.
Thanks! :lol Visions is awesome indeed, can't wait to see the guys live again. I love Haken :)
@Ryzee: That's probably because people on DTF don't really like Shadow Gallery for some reason. Like I tried to express in that write-up, I don't get where the dislike comes from at all. I think they're a brilliant band and especially Legacy is an awesome album in my eyes.
Nice write up. Nick is the biggest SG fanboi around, wih The Doc and I following closely behind. Love everything Gary touches. Great band. great album. first Lght is an epic masterpiece.
Alright then, can I join your ranks? :P Gary Wehrkamp is an amazing musician, and versatile as hell. When I saw them live he handled the keyboards and guitars and vocal duties and even played the drums on one song. Glad there's more people who like Legacy. First Light is indeed an amazing song. I'll take it over quite a lot of prog epics every day.
-
I <3 El Cielo!
-
Nick is the biggest SG fanboi around, wih The Doc and I following closely behind.
Fuck dat. I claim this crown. Just because Nick lives near them doesn't make him the biggest fan. I've been a fan twice as long as him - since 1998, and went to great lengths to see their only live show in the United States.
Legacy is a great album, but I like Tyranny and Room V just a bit more. I'm not going to complain about any SG album here though. Fuck the haters.
-
Aaallllll riight ... quit gettin your panties in a bunch. But you can only claim top fanboi once. You want Pauly, or SG? Quit hogging. :D
Can't wait for your #1 pick.
-
I want to be the biggest SG fanboy too :lol Given my age, it's probably quite a feat I've 'known' them, however much unconsciously, for a good part of my life. Tyranny and Room V are both very awesome as well, but I feel Room V drags a bit with the sort tracks in the middle. And Tyranny has New World Order, which is great. I really hope the guys will take to the stage once more, because I would very much like to see them again. Also considering they're an American band, I found it very weird they only did one show there and a whole tour in Europe.. Also:
Fuck the haters.
And the number 1 is a bit slow at the moment and couldn't make the forums tonight, so y'all have to wait a little..
Any thoughts on what it could be?
-
El Cielo is awesome. What makes it even greater is that even the interludes (brushstrokes) are amazing and not just filler transition songs. Elephant on the Delta Waves and Walk in the Park are some of my favorite tracks on the record.
-
my guess:
1st: Faith No More - Angel Dust
-
Shadow Gallery..it is now safe for me to re-enter the thread.
-
Where's number 1?
-
In my CD-rack, chilling with my other CDs. It will come down to the computer shortly.
-
Nick is the biggest SG fanboi around, wih The Doc and I following closely behind.
Fuck dat. I claim this crown. Just because Nick lives near them doesn't make him the biggest fan. I've been a fan twice as long as him - since 1998, and went to great lengths to see their only live show in the United States.
Legacy is a great album, but I like Tyranny and Room V just a bit more. I'm not going to complain about any SG album here though. Fuck the haters.
Your claim is rejected, sorry. :p
Your failure to see that Room V is the best them just shows that your fandom is not in proper order.
And while there are several albums I'd put over this one, it's quite fantastic and I'm very happy to see SG on any list.
-
tell us the 1st!!!!
-
tell us the 1st!!!!
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_7048_1335556619.gif)
-
^ lol
-
It's coming very, very soon. I'm just shaping up the final write-up.
-
I've found out what #1 is...
(https://www.nickeh.com/images/faith.jpg)
-
Thank you Nick for that post, for that gave me just enough posts in this thread so this one could be at the top of a new page! :)
Behold the #1:
-----
1. Dream Theater – Images & Words (1992)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61rzm599SJL._SS400_.jpg)
People that know me and who have been following this list probably saw this one coming. I know for sure that a couple did and I knew the moment I started selecting the albums for my top 50 that this album would top it. One of the main reasons this album is at the top is because this thing jumpstarted me into liking all the music that I like now. Making this list was a very hard thing to do and although I always knew Images & Words should sit at the top, it’s not really an original pick for a Dream Theater forum. I really couldn’t care less though, because this is the only album in the world I can imagine sitting at the top of my own top 50 albums list.
When I was young I used to sit in my mother’s car and one of two artists would be playing. Either Shadow Gallery (Carved in Stone or Legacy mostly) or Dream Theater (Scenes and this album). I liked it, I guess, but never really knew what it was. I can remember being young and always guessing which CD was on. I would guess either Dream Theater or Shadow Gallery and somehow more often get them wrong than right. At that time I wasn’t interested in music at all yet, so I didn’t discover them any further, but that did happen later, obviously.
Years later, when I was discovering new music I found Under a Glass Moon and recognised it. It prompted me to buy the album and re-listening to it at that time blew my mind. This was the album that led me into progressive metal and everything that followed afterwards. At the time I was really just discovering metal and listened to the ‘usual’ stuff like Metallica and Iron Maiden. This album opened a complete new world to me, a world that took the best things out of metal and made it in into something larger, something more complete.
Images & Words opened up the world of progressive (metal) to me, soon to be followed by Awake and then by other bands, like Shadow Gallery, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Symphony X and most, if not all the stuff I’ve shown on this list of my favourite albums. It was a no-brainer for me really and not just because of the influence it had on my whole life of listening to music, but because of the music itself as well.
Images & Words is awesome, it is amazing and it is without question my favourite album ever created and basically the single reason why I have kept Dream Theater so close to me at all times. They are one of my favourite bands and deservedly so. Just every single song on this disc does a lot to me and I always genuinely love listening to this disc of amazing music. To be honest, the album closer Learning to Live took me by far the longest to get in to. The first couple of years of me listening to this album I would even skip it, because I didn’t like it. When it clicked though, it turned out to be an amazing song and it currently is one of my all-time favourites by Dream Theater. Well, really, all of the songs are amazing, but to specifically mention a particular song it would have to be the phenomenal Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper, one of the best songs ever written in my opinion. Simply amazing. This is progressive metal at its finest and this is music at the top of its own game. Oh, yes. How can I write something for this album and not mentioned the horrible triggered snare drum sound? Tell you what; I don’t give a shit about what it sounds like. I’ve never found it annoying and it doesn’t bring down the music at all to me. It has always been on this record without me particularly noticing it and today I still think the sound is phenomenal.
You can just hear the hours of songwriting that went into this record. Every single song is constructed so well and I think any band can learn from the orchestrations, the instrumentation, the partwriting and the overall songwriting on this album. From Pull Me Under, the band’s only hit single to the wonderful ballad Another Day to crazy progressive madness in Metropolis Pt. 1, every song has been put together fantastically. While I like some stuff better than Images & Words on most days, this is always the album I refer to as the music ‘I’ listen to. It is where I started out truly and I hope the beautiful fadeout of Learning to Live will be the last sound I hear before I die. This, to me, is the pinnacle of music. The absolute best of the best and I’m not sure whether anything will ever top this for me.
Favourite song: Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
Other songs worth checking out: The rest
P.S.: To the unfortunate few who are a member of this forum and reading this and haven't heard the album, I implore you to either get off or listen to it now ;)
----------------------
Thanks everybody for reading this and for commenting. It was an awesome journey for me to post my favourite albums and I genuinely hope it was fun to read and keep track of. In a way this thread has taken hold of me for the past month in a good way. Trying to keep up with posting a new update every day and actually listen to the records of that day. If I would make this list now or in a couple of months, it would probably be slightly different, but ah well. Some things are meant to change. What doesn't change though, it what has been put on a record and I hope I could introduce some people here to some new stuff. Here's to you for following this thread and to the music, I thank you!
-
For those stuck in a 35 posts per page world, perhaps. ;)
Nice choice, never going to complain about DT. My 3rd favorite, and a fantastic classic for sure.
-
This album was, and still is, my number 1 album of all time as well.
-
For those stuck in a 35 posts per page world, perhaps. ;)
My first pick and yours share a common story. But I must say that Nick's suggestion would have been a great N°1 pick as well :P
-
My #1 too. About as close to a perfect album as you can get.
Nice top 50. It was fin to follow.
-
Glad that's over...
...so we can discuss how awesome his Top 50 was :biggrin:
-
Stellar #1 choice and nice list overall! :tup
-
Can you post the final list as a summary?
-
hmm... i bought images and words. and i was sooo not blown away by it.
its a good album, but nothing really amazing imo.
BUT
this list introduced me to Maudlin Of The Well.
god, bath is goddamn amazing.
-
:tup
-
Great choice! Fantastic list; so many of these make my top list as well. Also some new bands to check out, as well! Awesome stuff bro.
-
This album was, and still is, my number 1 album of all time as well.
-
hmm... i bought images and words. and i was sooo not blown away by it.
its a good album, but nothing really amazing imo.
BUT
this list introduced me to Maudlin Of The Well.
god, bath is goddamn amazing.
You listen until it blows you away.
-
hmm... i bought images and words. and i was sooo not blown away by it.
its a good album, but nothing really amazing imo.
BUT
this list introduced me to Maudlin Of The Well.
god, bath is goddamn amazing.
You listen until it blows you away.
i listened to it enough times, really.
im not saying its bad... its definately a good album. just not THAT amazing...
-
Yeah, I love it, but it's still like my 5th or 6th favorite DT album.
-
For those stuck in a 35 posts per page world, perhaps. ;)
I guess I never changed it :P
Nick's suggestion would have been a great N°1 pick as well :P
Holy shit, I only just realised what that is :lol
Can you post the final list as a summary?
Absolutely!
Honourable mentions:
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
- Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes form a Memory
- Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
- maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map
- Mastodon – Blood Mountain
- Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
- Pink Floyd – Meddle
- Porcupine Tree – The Sky Moves Sideways
- Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
- Symphony X – Paradise Lost
Awesome honourable mentions:
- Neal Morse - ?
- Royal Hunt - Paradox
- Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls
The actual top 50:
50. Opeth – Still Life
49. Toxik – Think This
48. Myrath – Desert Call
47. Firewind – The Premonition
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King
43. Sublime – Sublime
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE”
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction
36. Pink Floyd – Animals
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone
30. dredg – Catch Without Arms
29. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element Pt. 1
28. Circus Maximus - Isolate
27. Wishbone Ash - Argus
26. Yes – Close to the Edge
25. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
24. Porcupine Tree – Signify
23. Jeff Buckley – So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley
22. King Crimson – Red
21. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki
20. Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse
19. dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
18. maudlin of the Well – Bath
17. Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here
16. Between the Buried and Me – Colors
15. Haken – Aquarius
14. The Dear Hunter – Act Two: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
13. Ayreon – The Human Equation
12. Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle
11. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
10. Pain of Salvation – One Hour By The Concrete Lake
9. Dream Theater – Awake
8. Haken – Visions
7. Thrice – The Alchemy Index
6. Devin Townsend – Terria
5. Porcupine Tree – In Absentia
4. Opeth – Blackwater Park
3. dredg – El Cielo
2. Shadow Gallery – Legacy
1. Dream Theater – Images & Words
And to all the rest, thanks for your reactions once again :)
-
What a great number one :laugh:
-
Very nice number one. :tup
-
Thanks! :tup
-
Images & Words would probably me my #1 as well, nice one :metal
-
Elite, great job on the list. You lost me there for a while :D, but even though I didn't like the albums, I still enjoyed your write ups.
And I'm with you on the #1, too!
-
Some cool picks on here. :tup
-
My #1 DT album, and a Top 5 album overall for me. Amazing album.
-
#'s 1 & 2 = countless spins. Great picks.
Not sure I can choose a favorite DT album, but I always viewed Legacy as my go-to SG album (narrowly edging Tyranny). Though if I reach for a SG album these days, it's almost always Digital Ghosts (also brilliantly crafted).
Great top two, and stellar top 50; enjoyed the list. :tup
edit: you have, like, the coolest mom ever, don't you?!
-
:lol, I guess I do, yes :)
Digital Ghosts is awesome as well, as is Tyranny. the only reason the latter wasn't pn my list is because I prefer the songs on carved in Stone and Legacy. But great to have another Shadow gallery appreciator :)