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General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: BanksD on August 02, 2012, 10:15:10 AM
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Well hello everyone, and welcome to my top 50. I'm pretty sure a lot of you here may not be the most familiar with who I am, but I'm hoping that making this may change that a little.
Let me start off by giving a few details about this list
-No Repeats
-This list will be mostly metal (of all kinds, melodeath, power, black, thrash, you name it, it's probably on this list)
-there is one album on this list that was released this year
-I'll try to update this daily, and if I have to take a break of any for a few or more day's I'll make sure to post in here about it.
-3 albums at a time since i tend to write a lot about them when I get to it.
So without and further wait...let's begin!
I decided to start off this list at #5 with the first metal album I ever heard.
#50. Persuader - Evolution Purgatory (2004)
(https://i.imgur.com/yPL1b.jpg)
It's September 2010, and I'm sitting at my computer bored as all get out, talking to one of my friends who I've known online for little over a year at this point. Up to this point I had only really listened to a few bands (Dave Matthews Band, 3 Doors Down, a few 80's pop bands, and some generic radio country), but I was getting tired of the things I was listening to, and this friend was the only real friend I had who listened to any kind of music I wasn't familiar with (That being Metal obviously.) So I decide that day to actually ask for a recommendation or two, and so after a minute or two he comes back with a small list of stuff (mostly nu metal, melodeath, and power metal stuff). One of the songs on this list is the song To The End by a Power Metal band called Persuader, and even though a lot of the other songs on the list was good, and one band on this list would go on to be one of my favorites (more on that later) this song was the one that really grabbed me, and was the first time I had ever heard a metal song and thought "wow...I've gotta listen to this album." So I did after a couple of days...and what I heard changed the way I listened to music forever.
The album itself is a blend of power metal of the like of Blind guardian, but with a bit more of an aggressive, almost thrashy approach (Think Iced Earth meets Blind Guardian). The songs are catchy, but at the same time aggressive and relentless. If there was ever an album I'd use to get someone into power metal, it would most certainly be this one, seeing as how this isn't your typical cheesy power metal album, but at the same time this album is also one I could recommend to pretty much anyone who's a fan of Power/Traditional heavy metal, and yes even though the vocals of Jens Carlsson are very similar to that of Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian, his voice (much like this band's music) is a lot more aggressive and really compliments the style of the band.
Definitely recommended to fans of: Power Metal/Traditional Heavy Metal
Stand out Tracks: To The End, Sanity Soiled, Strike Down
#49. Saxon - Linoheart (2004)
(https://i.imgur.com/OULx3.jpg)
Saxon is a band that's actually been around quite a while, having come out of the same wave as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, however unlike their contemporaries, they never quite received the same recognitionas they did. Between 1976 and 2012 they have released 20 studio albums, and this one I'm reviewing today is their 2004 album Lionheart.
Much unlike many other well known metal bands that came out of their time, I feel that they've managed to not only remain true to their original sound, but actually make better and better albums as time went on, coming up at this album, which i feel is their best. This album manages to sound like a classic 80's heavy metal album, without sounding too dated, and for a band to have been around this long and manage to still stay relevant like that I've definitely gotta give them a lot of credit for that.
This album is one that is full of great songs, from the intense shredder Witchfinder General, to the cassical vibes of English Man o'War, to the epic war ballad Lionheart, and is definitely one that fans of classic metal and modern metal alike can enjoy.
Highly Recommended to: fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, or any tradiontal heavy metal
Stand out tracks: Lionheart, Witchfinder General, To Live By The Sword, English Man O'War
#48. Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)
(https://i.imgur.com/CdZ6Q.jpg)
I almost don't really need to write up anything for this album, so I'll keep things brief.
This album is another that was quite important to my growth as a music fan, as it allowed me to get into prog-rock which eventually led to me getting into prog-metal bands like Symphony X, Dream Theater, Opeth, and so on.
An all around classic that I feel everyone who's a fan of rock, or hell music in in general, should listen to at least once, and is one that even in times I've burnt the hell out on Rush, I can still go back and enjoy just as I did when I was 13 and had just started listening to them.
Recommended to: Everyone
Stand out tracks: all of them pretty much, I can't really bring myself to choose.
That's all for my first update (I might post another one later today if any one is interested, since I have to go out of town tomorrow). I hope at least someone might be turned on to something new by this list.
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Okay, nice start!
What do you mean with 'No repeats' though?
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Oh, by that I mean one album per band.
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So we're already out of Rush? :(
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Yes unfortunately. I wanted to put one or two other albums by them on here, but since I have so much I listen to and I had to condense it down to 50 albums, I had to limit myself to only picking one album per band so I didn't leave anything off.
And even then I probably still left an album or two off.
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So we're already out of Rush? :(
This. Great album and should be a lot higher.
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Wow,a great start.I will be following. Persuader sounds very interesting. I will check them out.I'm a huge Saxon fan so it's great to see Lionheart. It's a fantastic album, and is the one that basically got me excited about the band again. It was the first new Saxon release that I had made in about 15 years.
And Moving Pictures, of course, is perfect!
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Hey banksd, could i ask you to include each album's release year when you post them? It makes it much easier to update my database.
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Hey banksd, could i ask you to include each album's release year when you post them? It makes it much easier to update my database.
Alright no problem.
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You're off to a great start. The Rush album is one of the two Rush albums that I really enjoy (the other being A Farewell to Kings), and Saxon is really good. I really have to check out Persuader, I hope they are on Spotify...
Anyway, great start and carry on! I think that I will be liking this list.
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Hey banksd, could i ask you to include each album's release year when you post them? It makes it much easier to update my database.
Alright no problem.
thanks
I'm going to have to check out Persuader. Moving Pictures will definitely be in my top 50.
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wow. sounds like youve acquired quite the wealth of metal/music knowledge in the past 23 months!!
shall be following. :corn
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MP is top 10.
Saxon... on the check it out list already
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Alright, since I just found out I won't be taking my computer to where I'm going on Saturday...I decided it'd be best to do an extra update today.
#47. Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor (2005)
(https://i.imgur.com/rG0el.jpg)
I love Thrash metal…and I also love prog-metal…and you know what happens when you combine them? You get godliness like Nevermore.
Nevermore’s formula of Thrashy Prog-metal worked well on previous albums, but somehow this album managed to capture a level of emotion and quality songwriting that had never been seen by them before, and a long with Warrel Dane’s unique vocal style the band managed to create their best, album, and sadly their last outstanding album.
The songs on this album have an odd character to them, one could say they were a culmination of all the things Nevermore had done previously into one nice “dish” so to speak
Anyone who’s a fan of metal and hasn’t heard this album should really give this one a listen, as it is widely regarded by many to be one of the best metal albums of all time, and definitely is worthy of such stature in my eyes.
Recommended to: people who like prog-metal, and really anyone who likes metal in general, though Dane’s vocals may turn some people off
Stand out songs: Sentient #6, Born, This Godless Endeavor, Final Product
#46. Artillery – By Inheritance (1990)
(https://i.imgur.com/TXTCt.jpg)
Coming in at #48 here is one of my favorite thrash metal albums, and quite possibly one of the most underrated thrash albums in my opinion. Meanwhile around this time while bands like Megadeth and Metallica were starting to soften up, Artillery decided to come out and remind the world what thrash metal was about.
Sadly though not many heard, and to this day, despite the fact that this album has been listed by many metalheads as one of the best thrash albums of all time, this album as still not quite received much recognition.
The music on this album blends badass thrash riffs with middle eastern-esque melodies, and along with the high ranged vocals of Flemming Ronsdorf, makes this album a truly unique and memorable experience, and definitely one of my favorite thrash metal albums.
Recommended to: Fans of 80’s thrash metal
Stand Out Tracks: Beneath The Clay, Khriomaniac, By Inheritance
#45. Neaera – Armmamentarium (2007)
(https://i.imgur.com/e91BZ.jpg)
A lot of people don’t think metalcore can be legitimately badass…a lot of people haven’t heard this album.
On this album…our band of merry Germans Neaera decided to go all out with all aspects of their music; the songwriting, the riffs, the melodies, the production, everything was amped up tenfold from their previous works, however what sticks out to me as the high point of this album are the vocals. Benjamin Hilleke manages not to come off as “just screaming for the sake of screaming” but as a man with a message to get out. The vocals on this album are some of the most angry and abrasive I’ve ever heard, and in some songs also manage to come off with a heightened sense of desperation (such as track 6 In Loss)
This album may not be for most, but anyone who’s heard metalcore and passed it up for being “To generic” or “trendy shit” really needs to give this album a try, and see if your mind isn’t changed.
Recommended to: anyone who likes there music extreme, but still really melodic
Stand out tracks: In Loss, Spearheading The Spawn, The Orphaning, Armamentarium
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Yay for Nevermore!
Don't know the other two.
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I'm going to be the Nevermore arsehole. In my book, Dead Heart in a Dead World ranks higher than The Obsidian COnspiracy, though the latter definitely comes in second. Nice inclusion, and
Don't know the other two.
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Never really checked out Artillary. Will do!
I have not been able to get into Nevermore.I have 2 or 3 of their CD's including This Godless Endeavor.
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great choices with Saxon, Rush and Nevermore.
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Saxon and Rush :tup
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A lot of new stuff to check out, the only thing I've heard is Rush.
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You got the right Nevermore album, however I vehemently disagree with it being higher than Moving Pictures.
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well since im an idiot i forgot to post today's update before i left this morming, so there won't be another update until Sunday unfortunately :(
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tl;dr
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tl;dr
too long; dick reduction?
Sounds like a good problem to have.
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Alright time for the next update!
#44. Nocturnal Rites – The 8th Sin (2007)
(https://i.imgur.com/O17dd.jpg)
Sometimes you gotta stop and wonder, “why do they call Power Metal, Power Metal” Is it because the music evokes a sense of empowerment, is it because the music is powerful in nature? Well yeah stupid stop asking dumb questions.
But no seriously, if there ever was a “Power” metal album, this was it. The music, lyrics, and vocals on this album are all so emotionally driven that it really manages to move the listener, in a way I don’t feel a lot of power metal albums manage to do, but Nocturnal Rites went into the studio and managed to make power metal that was not only catchy, but at the same time very moving, without becoming cheesy.
Now while some may argue that older albums like Shadowland, and New world Messiah are better musically and more true to the power metal sound, and while those people do have a point, this album is one I have a really bias towards, as it’s one that’s helped me get through a lot, and has really been my go to album when I’ve got a case of “the feels”
Recommended to: Power/Heavy metal fans
Stand out tracks: Not The Only, Call Out To The World, Not Like you, Till I Come Alive
#43. Chthonic – Takasago Army (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/MwQxB.jpg)
Hailing from Taiwan, Cthonic is a Melodic Folk/Black Metal band, and when I say black metal I don’t mean stupid kvlt Mayhem, Gorgoroth, buried under 10 tons of shitty productions black metal, I mean the Enslaved, Moonsorrow, really epic and moving black metal.
What was I talking about, oh yeah, Chthonic. These guys (and girl) have been making since their 1999 debut album, and I’ll be honest when I say it hasn’t been the greatest ride up to this album, sure their album Mirror of Retribution is pretty awesome, but this album is really when they’ve finally managed to get their style penned down.
The album is a themed album about World War II, and this album perfectly manages to capture the feeling of being at war, almost as if you could close your eyes and imagine yourself on the battlefield.
The vocals on this album may get a bit shrill at times to some, but like I said in my Armmamentarium write up, this is another case where you can look at the harsh vocals as an expression of emotion, instead of just “Harsh vocals for the sake of harsh vocals”
Reccomended to: Melodic Death metal fans, extreme metal fans
Stand out songs: Takao, Legacy of The Seediq, Broken Jade, Southern Cross
#42. Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/p6puU.jpg)
More Black Metal…
This time, this band is a prog/black band. If I had to think of a comparison they’re basically Black Metal’s equivalent of Opeth, mixing extreme black metal sections with quieter clean sections, and they do it quite well I might add.
If there ever were an album that perfectly encapsulated the feeling of a harsh winter, this was one of them, hell even the album art looks like a head frozen in Ice.
Anyway this album is another case of “For a band to have been around this long and still be making their best work album after album” seeing as how Enslaved have been around since the early 90’s
tl;dr, this album is really good and if you don’t get annoyed by harsh vocals you should listen to it
Recommended to: people looking to get into black metal but not the bad kind, people who like Opeth
Stand out tracks: Ethica Odini, Waruun, Lightening
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Nothing that I know, but I'll check out Nocturnal Rites. :tup
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Enslaved :metal
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Nothing that I know, but I'll check out Nocturnal Rites. :tup
Nocturnal Rits are a big fave of mine. One of the better power metal bands out there although the name put me off cos I thought they were a Death Metal band.
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Nothing that I know, but I'll check out Nocturnal Rites. :tup
Nocturnal Rits are a big fave of mine. One of the better power metal bands out there although the name put me off cos I thought they were a Death Metal band.
It's actually funny you should mention that (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke4Acs9Cr9k)
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I've heard Nocturnal Rites; pretty good! Not familiar with the other two.
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Amazing choice for Nocturnal Rites, probably my fav album from them, I never understood why it got so many bad review.
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#41. Heloween – The Keeper of The Seven Keys albums (1987/1988)
(https://i.imgur.com/VybLy.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/iGG2t.jpg)
Okay so this is the one exception to my rule of “one album per band” but if you know these albums…it shouldn’t be hard to see why I’m including them as one.
However for those not familiar with Heloween, they were one of the first power metal bands, and these two albums, highly regarded as their crowning moments, are two of the first power albums ever made, and it certainly shows as these albums sound a lot less “refined” than a lot of modern power metal.
Michael kiske’s voice is certainly one of the most memorable metal voices, and Kai Hansen’s guitar work is outstanding, managing to perfectly blend elements of traditional metal and speed metal to form what is now known as power metal
A must have for any self-respecting metal fan
Recommended to: Any fan of metal
Stand out tracks (keeper I): I’m Alive, Halloween, A Little Time, Twilight of The Gods
Stand out tracks (Keeper II): Eagle Fly Free, I Want Out, Rise and Fall, Dr. Stein
#40. Death – Symbolic (1995)
(https://i.imgur.com/kz8bK.jpg)
By the time 1995 rolled around, Death had released 5 albums, and already made their mark on metal history, and by this point, most ordinaly bands would have faded into obscurity, broken up, or started releasing utter garbage…but Chuck Schuldiner and another idea in mind.
Instead, death decided to take it to the next level, compare the first song on this album (the title track Symbolic) to the first song off of the album Leprosy (released almost 10 years before) sure it’s still death metal and still essentially the same style, but Symbolic takes the level of technicality and intensity to an entirely new level
Usually on a Death album, the main musician you focus on is Chuck, however on this album, almost everyone deserves props for their work, especially then-future SYL drummer Gene Hoglan, who turns in one of, if not the best performances of this career.
The music is raw, intense, aggressive, and unapologetic, yet at the same time mature, technical, and progressive. Another must have for any fan of metal, even if you can’t stand harsh vocals I urge you to give this album a try, and this is an album that truly deserves your time and respect
Recommended to: any self-respecting metal head
Stand out tracks: Crystal Mountain, Symbolic, Zero Tolerance, Without Judgement
#39. The Devin Townsend Project – Addicted (2009)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ei5AG.jpg)
My personal favorite out of all the DTP albums, and honestly of Devin Townsend’s work outside of SYL (but more on them later ;) )
This album is about one thing and one thing only: fun
It doesn’t need to be heavy, it doesn’t need to be technical, it’s just a fun and upbeat experience that almost anyone can enjoy, even those who aren’t fans of metal!
There isn’t much more I can really say about this album other than, if you want something upbeat and happy, that doesn’t take a lot of thought or patience to get into, I highly recommend giving it a listen.
Recommended to: prog fans, people looking for simple music to get into
Stand out tracks: Numbered!, Hyperdrive!, Resolve!, Awake!, Supercrush!
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Symbolic makes most other bands and albums labeled as death metal look like low-grade dog food.
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Keeper is a great album. Addicted! made my top 10 so it's way too low in this list. :)
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I think it's probably too late to note this, but pretty much everything outside of the top 10 or 15 went through a lot of rotation when I was making the list, so it's basically all interchangeable
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Halloween is great, though I prefer Keeper I. Death is pretty cool too - some of the only death metal that I like, actually.
However, I never got into Devin Townsend. I've tried almost every album, and nothing ever did anything for me. *shrugs*
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The Keeeper albums :metal
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Like Banks, I will be pairing up the Keepers albums in my Top 50, and the will be in the Top 10 for sure. Part 1 was game changing for me. Part II is probably the greatest vocal performance I have ever heard.
I will say that my favorite track is We Got The Right. Kiske just slays on it. To think of how young he was when he recorded those albums, before he turned 20!.
Nice picks!!
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41-39 are all awesome :metal
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#38. Esoteric – The Maniacal Vale (2008)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ki4rS.jpg)
Some albums are heavy because of how fast and aggressive the music is…and some are heavy because of how brutally slow and crushing they are…and then some albums are Esoteric albums.
Let’s get a little explanation out of the way, Esoteric plays funeral doom metal…and if you’re not familiar with funeral doom metal, well it’s basically what you get if you take standard doom metal and slowed it WAAAAAAAAAY the fuck down. FDM is usually very atmospheric and very emotional (depressed) music, and is certainly a genre that is not for everyone (more so than almost any other genre of metal)
Now Esoteric is a FDM band, but this album goes a little bit beyond your typical funeral style, and almost feels like an album that’s hard to pin down, as I’ve seen many different tags for this (Extreme Funeral Doom, Psychedelic Doom, Progressive Funeral Doom, you name it). The album really sells itself on it’s dark atmosphere, and build up in the song structure.
Take the 20 minute opening track Circle, the song starts out with a simple guitar intro, but as more and more instruments start to join in you start to feel the song build and build, and as the song progresses on your treated to what can only be described as a descent into insanity, it’s very powerful stuff imo.
To keep this relatively short (I could do a long drawn out review of this album, but I won’t for the sake of this top 50) this album will probably crush your very soul, with it’s brutally slow tempos, and dark desperate atmosphere. It’s definitely only one for the extremely open minded, and one that will likely take many a listen to truly appreciate (for me it took about 4 or 5)
Recommended to: Crazy masochistic people like me with a tolerance for almost anything metal
Stand out tracks: I won’t list any since this album really lends itself to the full experience.
#37. Porcupine Tree – Deadwing (2005)
(https://i.imgur.com/iUAgQ.jpg)
Now for the other side of the coin.
Most everyone here is familiar with this album so I’ll keep it short.
Being the music fan I am, and preferring metal over prog 9 times out of ten, this album is my favorite Porcupine Tree album, sure other works like In Absentia and Fear of a Dead Planet have individual songs I like more, on an overall level, this album is the one that just sticks with me most.
The album manages to blend Prog-rock with metal in a way that few other albums I’ve heard have, and is definitely one that any fan of either genre could get into.
Recommended to: prog rock fans, and metal fans
Stand out tracks: Arriving Somewhere, Deadwing, Lazarus, Shallow
#36. Undead Corporation - 一撃 (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/KYl6G.jpg)
Okay…so a lot of you may be wondering what the fuck you’re looking at here.
Well Undead Corporation is another melodic death band, who plays metal in the vein of bands like In Flames and Soilwork…but unlike those bands this band writes all of their songs based around songs from the semi-famous Japanese PC game-made-by-one-lonely-guy-in-his-basement called “Touhou”
I won’t talk much about the games because I’m almost 95% sure no one would care, but they’re basically shoot ‘em up game except you play as a magical girl, oh and the games are insanely hard even on easier settings. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uKwky_noPw)
But what draws a lot of people to the games is the soundtrack, and this band (and many other bands) took it upon themselves to make metal remixes of various songs from the game.
This band takes it to the next level though, by actually including vocal arrangements (which isn’t all to uncommon in this here “scene” but still commendable.
Also, for those who aren’t fans of harsh vocals, you’re in luck, since the album actually comes with instrumental versions of all the tracks.
Recommended to: Fans of In Flames, Soilwork, and other melodeath bands
Stand out tracks: The Silent World, Put a Curse on You, Magus Night Fever, World No Hope Remains.
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Not familiar with any of those picks.
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Deadwing is one of the few PT albums that I like, so that's cool. Don't know the other two.
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Nice writeup for Esoteric, I'll check it out cause of that. Props for Deadwing too!
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Deadwing. :metal
Don't know the other two.
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Deadwing. :metal
Don't know the other two.
This.
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Eh... Addicted! has never done too much for me.
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These are all pretty half-assed since I've had a long day and I'm tired as hell right now.
#35. Testament – The Gathering (1999)
(https://i.imgur.com/tArif.jpg)
Most people would pick The Legacy as their favorite Testament album, then again I’m not most people.
As great as The Legacy is, this album just delivers more of a punch to me. You see while bands like Metallica and Megadeth started to soften up, Testament just got more and more aggressive as they progressed, all culminating in this album.
This album is just downright badass, the vocals are done perfectly, not too light, but at the same time not too aggressive, the music is the same way, blending melodic sections with in your face thrash riffs.
Definitely one worthy of any thrash metal fan’s collection.
Recommended to: Thrash metal fans
Stand out tracks: Eyes of Wrath, Down For Life, Careful What You Wish For, DNR
#34. Obituary – Cause of Death (1990)
(https://i.imgur.com/Kb0jc.jpg)
Quite possibly one of the most underrated classic death metal albums ever. Sure many people know of albums such as Alters of Madness, Leprosy, Toumb Of The Mutilated, Effigy of The Forgotten, etc. But even though Obituary is fairly well respected, it’s not much often I see this album get the attention I feel it deserves.
This album is just straight up punishing, from the tortured vocals, to the gutars, to the drums, this album is a 41 minute battering ram to the face.
Sure it may not be as technical as other classic death metal albums, but when it comes right down to this album, it’s just straight up fun, something anyone into death metal can enjoy.
Recommended to: fans of classic death metal
Stand out tracks: Infected, Chopped In Half, Dying, Cause of Death
#33. Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time (1986)
(https://i.imgur.com/sHA6J.jpg)
Really, do I need to say anything about this album? This is my favorite Maiden album, though to be honest chosing between this album and Seventh Son was pretty hard…but then again…7th Son has” Can I Play With Madness?” which is a song I really don’t care for…so because of that, this one just edges it out because of that.
This album was a natural progression from Powerslave, where Maiden started to take a more progressive approach, and it definitely does show here.
I’ll be honest though this album took a couple listens to get into, but once I got into it I fell I love.
Recommended to: anyone who hasn’t already heard it and is a metal fan pretty much
Stand out tracks: Wasted Years, Caught Somewhere In Time, Stranger In a Strange Land, Alexander The Great
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Wow... more SiT. Now I am getting surprised at the frequency it's popping up. Great album, but didn't know it would make this many peoples' Top 50.
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I'm never surprised with any Maiden at any time.
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Somewhere in time :metal. Not my favorite Maiden album but a really good one
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hey BanksD, you went 36, 35, back to 36, then 34.
I think Obituary should be 34 and Maiden would be 33.
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:facepalm: damn it
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Wow... more SiT. Now I am getting surprised at the frequency it's popping up. Great album, but didn't know it would make this many peoples' Top 50.
I agree. I think I mentioned that in Zook's thread, or Wolfking's.
You will not see it in my Top 50.
The Gathering's vocals kill it for me. Doesn't Dave Lombardo play on this album?
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God not another deluded person who thinks SIT is a great album. Have you people not listened to Killers or Powerslave, or Piece Of Mind?
Just joking, but it's not a great Maiden album for me. It was the beginning of the end for me. Some good tracks but at least half the album was boring and poor. Loneliness, Sea Of Madness, Stranger In A Strange Land, not good. Guitar sound was weak and Bruce was phoning it in. Just my view, other opinions seem to differ!
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God not another deluded person who thinks SIT is a great album. Have you people not listened to Killers or Powerslave, or Piece Of Mind?
Just joking, but it's not a great Maiden album for me. It was the beginning of the end for me. Some good tracks but at least half the album was boring and poor. Loneliness, Sea Of Madness, Stranger In A Strange Land, not good. Guitar sound was weak and Bruce was phoning it in. Just my view, other opinions seem to differ!
I hear you. I remember when it came out, I loved it. I felt it was very original, as I thought Powerslave was anything but. SiT just hasn't aged well to me though.
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I just find it difficult not liking anything Maiden related. No matter what they release, I always find something positive about it.
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I just find it difficult not liking anything Maiden related. No matter what they release, I always find something positive about it.
Oh, absolutely.
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Sorry for the lack of an update yesterday, it was my first day of school and i was exhausted when i got home.
#32. Nightfall – Candlemass (1987)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ge5Xv.jpg)
Doom metal, quite possibly the most underappreciated style of metal (along with black metal) and probably the subgenre with the most diversity it it…there’s traditional doom, death doom, sludge doom, blackened doom, stoner doom, funeral doom, prog doom, extreme doom, you name it, no one listens to it.
I’ve already talked about a funeral doom album…so let’s talk about a traditional doom album shall we?
Candlemass has already released their first album in the year before, but for this release there would be a small lineup change, but in this case, said small lineup change would go a hell of a long way.
For this album, vocalist Messiah Marcolin would be added to the mix, and boy did it make for a massive improvement
yeah while Epicus Doomicus Metalicus was good album…it wasn’t Nightfall good, and Marcolin’s vocals, and the new take on the sound did a hell of a lot to make this album one of the best of it’s kind.
The songs blended mid tempo headbang worthy riffs with slow crushing doom riffs, all with messiah’s evil yet emotional vocals made for the album that let the metal world know that doom was a force to be reckoned with.
Sure doom was seemingly swallowed up by death and Black metal in the 1990’s, it’s still going strong today in the forms of [insert the ridiculous amount of doom subgenre’s I listed]
Recommended to: anyone who’s curious as to what Doom metal sounds like
Stand out tracks: Well of Souls, Dark Are The Veils of Death, Samaritan, At The Gallows End
#31. Temple of Shadows – Angra (2004)
(https://i.imgur.com/j7Z4v.jpg)
This album is just straight up fun, probably one of the most fun prog/power albums I’ve ever heard. The first half of this album it’s probably some of the best power metal ever recorded, and while the second half seems to focus more on prog-metal elements, it’s still enjoyable, hell even amazing at times.
If you can get past the heavy accent in the vocals, you’ll probably love this album if you’re a fan of either prog metal or power metal. Plus being produced by Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray AND featuring him doing guest vocals on the track Temple of Hate, has got to be a bonus of any fan of Gamma Ray and/or power metal in general
Recommended to: People who like a little bit of prog in their power metal
Stand Out Tracks: Spread Your Fire, Angles and Demons, The Wishing Well, The Shadow Hunter
#30. Sodom – In War and Pieces (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/fT3a1.jpg)
I LOVE Sodom , ever since the mid 80’s these guys have been making some of the most badass thrash (even though the 90’s was so-so for me) and as awesome as classics like Agent Orange, and Better off Dead are, I personally think they’ve been getting progressively better since 1999’s Code Red.
This album is their most recent, and one of the more melodic of their recent albums, but probably the most consistent and focused album of their career. The songs may not have the chaotic nature of classics like Agent Orange, it’s this album’s ability to keep with the same structure for most of the song without becoming boring is what makes it their best work.
Tom “Angelripper” Such’s vocals are the best they’ve been yet, simultaneously sounding evil and aggressive, and all though they may be a turn off to most, anyone who enjoys thrash metal of any kind should give this album a go, as this one is not to be passed up
Recommended to: Fans of modern and classic thrash alike
Stand out tracks: In War and Pieces, The Art Of Killing Poetry, Nothing Counts More Than Blood, Knarrenheinz
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Cool pick with Nightfall! Havent't heard the others.
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Both Angra and Sodom are pretty good. I don't know Candlemass, but I'm no fan of doom metal, so... yeah.
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Candlemass is actually fairly easy to get into for a doom band, plus the vocals are all sung so the vocals probably wont be an instant turn off
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Some really good albums in here, and also a load that I've never heard. :lol
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Deadwing is one of the greatest albums ever :heart
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temple of shadows = my favorite angra album. so fucking good. :metal
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#29. Freedom Call –Eternity (2002)
(https://i.imgur.com/VSWnh.jpg)
This is probably the happiest and most upbeat album I’ve heard, Freedom Call is another power metal band, which features Dan Zimmerman of Gamma Ray on drums (at least I know he was on this album, I don’t know if he’s still in the band now)
The music on this album is cheesy as fuck, I mean, I’ve had pizzas that didn’t have this much cheese on them, but at the same time I think it’s what helps give the music its care free charm.
One example of cheese on this album is the ballad track “Bleeding heart” which made me laugh so hard at first when I heard it that I thought I was gonna cry. That may seem like a bad thing, but you see, I like when I can laugh at an album, be it good or bad…but…I’ll get to that more later on
anyway, this album is one for anyone looking for something that’s catchy and easy to get into, or something that’s fun to sing along to with friends, or hell, just anything fun.
Recommended to: I already told you and I don’t feel like typing again :P
Stand out tracks: Flying High, Warrior, Eyes of The World, Metal Invasion
#28. In Flames – The Jester Race (1995)
(https://i.imgur.com/87WMr.jpg)
One of the first and most important albums in the melodic death metal scene, and one that will always be a classic for me.
It may not have been the easiest album by them for me to get into (in fact I hated it the first time I listened to it), but over time I listened to it more and my mind was soon opened to this wonderful album.
The guitars are perfectly melodic and majestic, while at the same time shredding and intense. This album is definitely a must hear for any meodeath fan…hell if you’re a fan of melodeath and you HAVEN’T heard it yet, shame on you!
Recommended to: I’m tired of putting things here so im not gonna after this one
Stand out tracks: Artifacts of the Black Rain, Lord Hypnos, Moonsheild, December Flower
#27. Gamma Ray – Majestic (2005)
(https://i.imgur.com/cPJ1D.jpg)
Most Gamma Ray fans look at this as the worst of the Kai Hansen era albums…well I’m not most Gamma Ray fans (wait did I say something like that already?)
This album may be a lot more stripped down compared to classics like Land of The Free, Power Plant, and hell, even No World Order, but honestly that’s what I like about this album most, it makes listening to it a lot easier, and it goes by a lot shorter than those albums, but at the same time it’s not too short.
The songs are a lot more straightforward, but no less fun than previous albums, and sure Kai’s vocals aren’t what they were on previous works, but it doesn’t matter to me.
basically I’m trying to say that I love this album the most out of their work, and even though I don’t know why, it seems to stick with me more than most of their other stuff (though I pretty much love all of the albums outside of the first 3 without Kai doing vocals and To The Metal)
Stand out tracks: Revelation, Majesty, My Temple, Strange World
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Nightfall :metal :metal :metal
The Jester Race is pretty good, too.
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Majestic is a brilliant album, my second favorite from Gamma ray. :metal
And I've heard some of those song from Eternity like Land of the light, it's a very sweet band, I really enjoy them. I saw them live two years ago, it was good, but Zimmerman wasn't playing with them. Then Gamma ray followed and kicked some serious ass. :hefdaddy
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Majestic and The Jester Race :metal :metal :metal :metal
Chad recently turned me onto earlier Freedom Call and they are damn good.
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Majestic and The Jester Race are :letam: :2metal: :metal
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Well, I'm gonna be different than everyone else. I don't know IF or GR at all, but will give a :2metal: to Eternity. Last album with Sascha Gerstner before departing for Helloween. I personally prefer Crystal Empire to this one, but it's a close 2nd.
Happy metal ftw!
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#26. Raunchy – A Discord Electric (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/1aCOU.jpg)
This melodeath album may be really “poppy” in nature…but damn I can always count on it to cheer me up when I’m down. An album certainly one to turn on and enjoy with friends at a party, and one that draws a lot of nostalgia for me as I listened to this almost non-stop last summer, it may not be an album I listen to often but everytime I listen to it it puts a smile on my face.
If you don’t can stand harsh vocals in small doses, or just really like uber melodic and catchy music, this album is certainly for you
Recommended Tracks: Shake Your Grave, Street Emperor, Rumors of Worship, Big Truth
#25. Symphony X – Paradise Lost (2007)
(https://i.imgur.com/VoOB6.jpg)
Forget the haters, I love this album. I love power metal, but I love it most when it’s hard hitting and aggressive, and that’s exactly what this album is. A lot of folks here don’t seem to like Russel Allen’s voice a lot on this album, but I personally think that he actually improved in a way. You see I feel the harshness of his vocals on this album really add a layer of anger and passion that really fits the narrative of this album at times, same goes for the music on this album.
The guitar work and drum work I also feel are the best SX has done to date, balancing both technicality, melody, and intensity, which are three things I love to hear in an album, and imo this album pulls it off perfectly
This album is great and haters gonna hate.
Favorite tracks: Serpents Kiss, Paradise Lost, Eve of Seduction, Set The World On Fire.
#24. Iron Savior – The Landing (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/Voi9O.jpg)
Probably one of the most sadly overlooked bands in metal today, which is a fuckin shame. Iron Savior, a band that plays a badass mixture of Heavy/power metal with a scifi twist. In a scene that’s become mostly stagnant, these guys come back to remind us what power metal is about. The riffs are fast, the melodies are catchy as hell, the vocals are ballsy, and all in all this is how this type of metal should be done.
Really, if you like any classic heavy metal or power metal, you’ll love this album, plain and simple
(note: I could have picked all but one of this bands other albums and this write up would’ve been the same, they’re quite possibly the single most consistent band in the history of metal imo)
Favorite tracks: everyone of them except Heavy Metal Never Dies
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I dont know how anyone could hate Paradise Lost, I love it. Russell's voice is awesome no matter what. Great pick in Symphony X
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PL is a great album, but certainly not their best.
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Paradise Lost! :metal
That album really hits hard. And the ballads are great too, I love the title track.
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Damn, I do not like Paradise lost. I mean, it's not bad, but it's pretty much the beginning of the end for Symphony X for me. Less prog, less keyboards, less melodies, less clean vocals... What's left to like? Yeah, there are some riffs and catchy choruses, but that's not enough for me. :-\
I do adore the title track and Eve of seduction, though...
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I have to listen to that Iron Savior record. The only one I know is Megatropolis and I like it.
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Paradise Lost is my favourite Symphony X record. I don't know why, but it has 'always' been since I first heard it. That said, I loathe Iconoclast.
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I love Paradise Lost, probably my fav from SX.
Love the Iron Savior pick, killer band. But, IMO, Heavy Metal Never Dies is one of my favs on the album.
Paradise Lost is my favourite Symphony X record. I don't know why, but it has 'always' been since I first heard it. That said, I loathe Iconoclast.
Megatropolis is incredible.
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You know which Sy X albums I would rather listen to over PL?
ALL OF THEM. Yes, even their debut. PL is my least favorite Sy X album, pretty much for the reasons Mladen stated.
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For some reason PL is one of the last SymX I will reach for, however once I do start listening to it I always wonder why because I really like it.
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#36. Undead Corporation - 一撃 (2011)
I'm not familiar with this band, but have you heard of Demetori? Similarly they do metal versions of Touhou songs, but all instrumental. I'd definitely check out their versions of Necrofantasia, Higan Retour, Cosmic Mind, Nuclear Fusion, and Faith is for the Transient People.
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#36. Undead Corporation - 一撃 (2011)
I'm not familiar with this band, but have you heard of Demetori? Similarly they do metal versions of Touhou songs, but all instrumental. I'd definitely check out their versions of Necrofantasia, Higan Retour, Cosmic Mind, Nuclear Fusion, and Faith is for the Transient People.
Ah yes, I quite enjoy Demetori. Glad to know of at least some one who's familiar with touhou metal :tup
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I actually like Paradise Lost. And yes, Iron Savior is criminally overlooked.
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Thanks for the heads up on Iron Savior. checked them out on YT and loving it.
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Symphony X has never done a thing for me, which is strange given their popularity around here.
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Symphony X has never done a thing for me, which is strange given their popularity around here.
I can definitely see them as a band that someone could completely not get into or that they might love.
What have you tried?
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Symphony X has never done a thing for me, which is strange given their popularity around here.
The Accolade and Pharaoh :heart :metal!
I'm not really into them too, but those two songs are just fantastic.
I have Paradise Lost from library, I'll listen to it soon.
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Iconoclast is better than Paradise Lost is that is what you are looking for. V is still their best though.
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#23. Solution .45 – For Aeons Past (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/4zufY.jpg)
This album is another one that will always have a special place in my heart, as it was also one of the first metal albums I ever heard, and at first I thought it was too much for me
I loved vocalist Christian Alvestam’s clean vocals on this album (after listening to his work with ANOTHER band previously, but more on that later), but the growls almost felt like too much for me. Something about them felt too abrasive, so I stuck to only listening to the ballad track “Lehtean Tears” and the lead single “Gravitational Lensing” for a while, since LT had no growls, and GL had a vibe similar to that one other band I keep hinting at.
But then one day on my way home from school I discover the epic length closing track Clandestinty Now, and since at this time (being the height of my prog obsession, when I thought anything over 10 minutes was an instant classic), I hadn’t made it to this track when I first listened to the album, but as I’m listening to this…I suddenly become captivated by this song. “It’s like a cross between Dream Theater and –that other band- THIS IS AWESOME”
Suddenly I started to enjoy the harsh vocals, feeling that they added a level of emotional impact that I hadn’t noticed before, that coupled with Christian’s heavenly clean vocals, allowed me to warm up to this album and appreciate metal with growls more.
Definitely one worth checking out for fans of melodeath like In Flames and Soilwork, and prog-death like Opeth.
Recommended Tracks: Clandestinty Now, Though Knight-Kingdomed gates, Gravitational Lensing, Lethean Thears
#22. Masterplan – Masterplan (2003)
(https://i.imgur.com/mnMri.jpg)
This album is another one of those Power Metal albums that really emphasizes the “power” aspect of the music.
Much like I mentioned in my Nocturnal Rites write up, when I discovered this album during some bad times, it really helped me get my spirits up when I was down.
Right from my first listen songs like Sail On, Spirit Never Dies, Soulburn, and Whel Love Comes Close really stuck me, and made me feel this sense of self-empowerment that I hadn’t felt before when listening to music. Especially with Jorn Lande’s vocals, man was I stunned when I heard his voice. Sure I had heard voices like his before, but none of them struck me in the same way his did.
The music is also a very unique style of power metal, that almost borders on hard rock at times, but not too much.
Anyway, great album, if you like power stuff you’ll love it blah blah blah etc.
Recommended Tracks: all the ones I mentioned plus Into The Light and Heroes
#21. Omnium Gatherum – New World Shadows (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/Q5UAy.jpg)
I’m sitting here about to pass out from having some dental work done today...so I’ll just leave you with a brief thing
If you like melodeath, but really wanna hear something that’s blissful and atmospheric, you should totally listen to this album, because even thought the vocals are a bit rough, the music is super melodic and clean. Definitely one for those who are into Scar Symmetry, and Mygrain.
Recommended tracks: it’s a nine track album and picking wouldn’t do any of these amazingly beautiful tracks justice
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Not familiar with number 21, but both Masterplan and Solution .45 are absolutely incredible albums. I contemplated both of those albums when doing my list, and both would sit between 60 - 70.
For Aeons Past is simply one of the greatest melodic death metal records ever.
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Wolf is right, the debut from Masterplan is incredible. Don't know the other two.
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Anytime a Jorn project makes a Top 50 pleases me.
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Wolf is right, the debut from Masterplan is incredible. Don't know the other two.
The Masterplan is OK. I just don't connect to Jorn I guess.
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Wolf is right, the debut from Masterplan is incredible. Don't know the other two.
The Masterplan is OK. I just don't connect to Jorn I guess.
:o Fair enough mate, but IMO he is the greatest voice rock has ever seen for a long time.
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Wolf is right, the debut from Masterplan is incredible. Don't know the other two.
The Masterplan is OK. I just don't connect to Jorn I guess.
:o Fair enough mate, but IMO he is the greatest voice rock has ever seen for a long time.
Agreed. I'd ass-rape his voice if I could. Wait ... never mind.
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The Masterplan debut is excellent :tup
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From what I've heard I don't think Masterplan ever matched their debut. Has anyone followed them and listened extensively to their other records?
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Wolf is right, the debut from Masterplan is incredible. Don't know the other two.
The Masterplan is OK. I just don't connect to Jorn I guess.
:o Fair enough mate, but IMO he is the greatest voice rock has ever seen for a long time.
Oh the guy is a sensational vocalist. That is obvious. But connecting to a vocalist is always a tricky thing.
I love Udo and even I cannot understand why! :D
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From what I've heard I don't think Masterplan ever matched their debut. Has anyone followed them and listened extensively to their other records?
Time to Be King comes pretty damn close if you ask me
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From what I've heard I don't think Masterplan ever matched their debut. Has anyone followed them and listened extensively to their other records?
I've got all four, but I wouldn't say I've listened to them extensively. Like them all pretty equally. It's hard to say, because I just got in to Jorn in the last 10 months, so jumped into everything of his all at once.
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I will warn though that one album by them doesn't have Jorn on it
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From what I've heard I don't think Masterplan ever matched their debut. Has anyone followed them and listened extensively to their other records?
Time to Be King comes pretty damn close if you ask me
IMO, Time to Be King is by far their weakest record.
Aeronautics is a very very close second to the debut and MK2 isn't too far behind. Mike did an amazing job on that and it has a ton of great songs. Time To Be King was just weak IMO.
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Alright moving into the top 20
#20. Queensryche – The Warning (1984)
(https://i.imgur.com/xAwsg.jpg)
I can hear it already “YOU PICKED THE WARNING OVER OPERATION MINDCRIME? THAT’S BLASPHEMY!”
Well yeah, I did, not without reason however.
Yes while Mindcrime was the album that originally got me into Queensryche, but as I went through their discography and listened to them more and more, this album eventually became the one what stuck with me, and since then I’ve always felt it was their best.
The music screams classic 80’s Maiden with a progressive twist, and I love it for that, plus Geoff Tate’s vocals were the best they probably ever were on this album, with amazing performances like Deliverance, Take Hold of The Flame, and Roads To Madness. Plus Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton’s guitar work need no introduction, with amazing riffs and leads in songs like En Force and Child of Fire.
Overall a perfect classic heavy album with prog elements, and will forever be my favorite Queensryche album.
Recommended Tracks: En Force, Deliverance, Roads to Madness, Child of Fire
#19. Annihilator – Never Neverland (1990)
(https://i.imgur.com/SHYfx.jpg)
The single most underrated album in thrash metal history, if not metal history in general, and why this album never got any wider recognition until long after it came out is beyond me, because damn this album is great.
The album may not have the bite of other classic thrashers but where this album succeeds is in the guitar solos, melodies, and overall fun nature of the album.
Jeff Waters’ guitar work on this album is probably the highlight, managing to play smooth melodies and fast riffs interchangeably, and even pulling off some impressive solos
The vocals may be pretty goofy at times, but like I said, another highlight of this album is the overall fun nature of it (seen in songs like The Fun Palace and Kraf Dinner)
Basically, any of those who haven’t heard this album really should, it’s a metal classic that was sadly lost to time.
Recommended tracks: The Fun Palace, Sixes and Sevens, Phantasmagoria, Never Neverland
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Two absolute classics there. Great to see appreciation for The Warning, and also for Never over the usually appreciation of Alice.
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Big fan of Warning- great choice. Only a casual fan of Annihilator, but like what I've heard.
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Big fan of Warning- great choice. Only a casual fan of Annihilator, but like what I've heard.
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Big fan of The Warning here. Annihilator not so much.
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The Warning is pretty darn good. :tup
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Big fan of Warning- great choice. Only a casual fan of Annihilator, but like what I've heard.
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#18. Anubis Gate – The Detatched(2009)
(https://i.imgur.com/EbWOk.jpg)
Anubis Gate is a prog power band from Denmark who’s been making music for the past few years starting with their albums Purification and A Perfect Forever, and while most people who know of this band (all 70 of them) hold up APF as their best album, this album will always be tops for me.
The concept on this album is basically a story about “The Detatched” a race of intergalactic humans who can live forever, dethatched from time basically. If you want to read along with the concept while listening (which I highly recommend) the band were nice enough to put the story up on their website.
The music is a perfect blend of Prog Metal and power metal (think Angra, Circus Maximums, Symphony X, etc.), and the vocals are amazing, Jacob Hansen (who also produced this album) has an amazing voice, and from hearing him on this album he instantly became one of my favorite vocalists.
If you enjoy any kind of prog metal this album is a must have…though it is a bit hard to find a physical copy of…which is unfortunate because this album is absolutely amazing.
Recommended tracks: Yri, Bloodoath, A Lifetime To Share, Lost In Myself
#17. Nile – Annihilation of The Wicked (2005)
(https://i.imgur.com/FCx98.jpg)
This album is fucking punishing, the riffs go between fast and blistering death metal riffs, to slow and pummeling doom inspired riffs, all combined with Karl Sander’s guitar work and Guttural vocals make for literally one of the most literally “brutal” albums in existence.
The album explodes open with its first song “Cast Down The Heretic” and never lets up. The album’s Egyptian atmosphere also really conjures up a sense of being stuck in ancient Egypt, dying under the blazing sun, slowly de-hydrating.
The album culminates with the final track “Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten” which is a brutally slow and almost painful (in a good way), and truly one of my favorite death metal songs of all time, and my favorite Nile song.
Any death metal fan should give this album a try, as it’s probably my favorite death metal album of all time…I say probably because…well you’ll see ;D.
Recommended tracks: Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten, User Mat-re, Lashed to The Slave Stick, Cast Down The Heretic.
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Nile are really good. I need to get more of their albums.
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Love that Nile album :metal Haven't heard the other one though.
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Nile are really good. I need to get more of their albums.
Might I recommend Those Whom The Gods Detest, In Their Darkened Shrines, and Black Seeds of Vengeance
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The Detached is a great choice. I love how the theme they start the album with comes back with a fury right at the end. Pyramids is a monster track, surprised you didn't recommend that. And the last minute of Options - Going Nowhere is out of this world good. This album is definitely in my top 20.
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Nile is amazing! Probably my fave death metal band. Great pick!
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I'm a big fan (one of the 70?) of Anubis Gate. Great album.
Nile are not my thing.
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#16. Warbringer –Worlds Torn Asunder (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/a2yDm.jpg)
This album is quite possibly my favorite thrash metal album at this time. It’s got everything a thrash album needs, Aggressive pissed off vocals, blistering riffs and solos, fast and machine gun like drums, and a general “fuck you get out of my way” attitude.
Once it gets going this album never lets up, it’s one of, if not the most insane and unrelenting thrash album(s) I’ve ever heard. Song after song is just packed full of badass riffs, shredding solos, pissed off and unapologetic vocals and drumming that’ll rattle you into a coma.
Thrash fans should get their hands on it if at all possible, as this is one not to be missed
Recommended tracks: Living Weapon, Wake Up Destroy, Savagery, Shattered Like Glass, all of them, yeah, it’s one of those albums
#15. Disarmonia Mundi – The Isolation Game (2009)
(https://i.imgur.com/zgUrg.jpg)
February 2011, I’m still really new to metal, only listening to Slipknot, Dream Theater, Scar Symmetry, and Persuader. I’m talking to a friend of mine on skype and he shows me a song by this (melodeath) band…That song is the Japanese bonus track from this album called “The Shape Of Things To Come” and even though im used to this kind of metal…this one strikes me as being different than the rest…the chugging riff in the verses and alternated tempos in the pre-chorus grabs me, and thrashes me around, and long with the pissed off snarls in the verses, I’d never heard something that was this badass!
But it doesn’t end there, then the chorus comes in and my jaw drops to the floor, the way they managed to transition from that aggressive verse section to this beautiful chorus was something new to me, sure bands like Scar Symmetry and Slipknot did it (and SS a little better imo but more on that later) but this was the first time when a song had really caused me to actually have some sort of emotional response to it on the first listen.
Basically you get the jist of the music from this summary. Most of the songs pretty much follow that formula and for all (or most) of the 14 songs on this album pull it off tremendously.
If you like any metalcore or melodeath you’re sure to love this one
Recommended tracks: The Shape of Things To Come, Perdition Haze, The Isolation Game, Ties That Bind, Losing Ground
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I've always been meaning to check out that Mundi album, I sure will now. Fragments was absolutely killer.
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Listening to that Disarmonia Mundi album now, it's pretty cool so far. :metal
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Sorry for the lack of updates lately, school and marching band have been taking up so much time from me...but I'll have the next 4 or 5 albums all on Sunday to make up for lost time and speed things up.
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Alright next update, this week we'll start in on the top 10!
#14. Iced Earth – Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998)
(https://i.imgur.com/d16Xt.jpg)
I was torn between this album, Horror Show, and Burnt Offerings, but I settled on this album for two reasons, one that this album is the perfect blend of the more power metal style of Horror Show and the thrashier, heavy metal oriented Offerings. The other reason is this being another album with a lot of nostalgia for me. The closing track The Coming Curse was another one of the first metal songs I ever heard, and at first it did absolutely nothing for me and I soon forgot it…then come February of 2011 I decide to check out this album, and damn, was I blown away.
The riffs were some of the most badass I had ever heard…and the vocals, oh my god, Matt Barlow instantly became one of my favorite vocalists by listening to this album. His range was godlike, unlike anything I had ever heard, with haunting lows and demonic highs.
I see most say that this album has a lot of filler, but I disagree, practically every song on this album I love, even weaker ones like Stand Alone can manage to get me to headbang along furiously.
And of course the last three tracks , the so called “Something Wicked Trilogy” are mind blowing in their own right, and one of my favorite ending runs in any album ever.
Amazing album, and staple of metal for anyone who listens to the genre
Recommended Tracks: The Coming Curse, Consequences, Disciples of the Lie, Birth Of The Wicked
#13. Rotting Christ – AEALO (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/yadJE.jpg)
This album is really weird, It’s a mixture of melodic black metal and greek folk music. Like I said weird…but at the same time manage to be stunning.
None of the songs are particularly fast paced (the title track is probably the fastest things get on this album) but man the guitar parts are nothing short of amazing. Like the solo in Demonon Vrosis, or the melodies in Noctis Era, the guitar melodies and mid tempo, “war march” type feel of this album makes it absolutely stunning and powerful in places.
However my favorite song on this album may seem a bit odd a pick to some. It’s the final track on the album “Orders from the dead” which isn’t a song so much as a reading of a poem set to music. The poem is the poem of the same name by Diamanda Galas, and damn is it grim, with the haunting voice of its author reading it set to Rotting Christ’s music (the same mid tempo march style with amazing guitar melodies), and as the content of the poem gets darker and darker, the music grows heavier and heavier.
It’s beautiful in a way really.
If nothing else check out that one track just for the sake of hearing it once.
Recommended tracks: Orders From The Dead, Noctis Era, Demonon Vrosis, Thou Art Lord, Fire Death and Fear.
#12. Pendulum – Immersion (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/PoWOf.jpg)
Probably the most out of place thing on my list, but I’ll keep it short…
The music on this album is just fun, and as someone who finds most electronic music (especially a lot of Drum & Bass stuff) unappealing, this album is just fucking awesome. The songs are catchy, fun to sing along with, and it even includes guest appearances by In Flames and Steven Wilson.
I love all three of Pendulum’s albums almost equally, but this is another album that I pick out of nostalgia, since I listened to it almost non-stop throughout my entire freshman year of high school, and for better or worse I’ll always associate it with that.
If you like catchy fun music this’ll be for you, even if you don’t like electronic stuff, this is worth a listen.
Recommended tracks: The Fountain, Crush, Witchcraft, Watercolour, Under The Waves, The Island
#11. Mercenary – 11 Dreams (2004)
(https://i.imgur.com/dBKhH.jpg)
This album just barely got cut from being in my top 10, I wanted it to be in there, but there were a couple albums that I just had to put in over this one.
That being said, this album is just plain amazing.
On this album Mercenary played a very proggy-melodeath style that went from vicious and abrasive songs like World Hate Center, to beautiful ballads like Sharpen The Edges, to the epic Firesoul. Firesoul not only being my favorite off of this album, but one of my favorite songs ever, and being the perfect cross section of this album, with the shrieking opening section, and soaring chorus parts that defy all imagnination.
The vocals on this album are just too damn good, Mikkel Sandager’s performance on this album is probably one of the greatest in metal, and probably one of the most criminally overlooked ever.
The same can pretty much be said for this album, and it’s a shame that after this album Mercenary never managed to make anything that ever came close to being as good as this album (imo, though Hours That Remain was really good, and Architect of Lies having a few really good songs on it), with their latest being one of the most disappointingly generic melodeath albums I’ve ever heard.
Recommended tracks: Firesoul, World Hate Center, Sharpen The Edges, 11 Dreams
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Something Wicked could possibly be my favourite IE album :metal
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Something Wicked is :metal
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Why isn't Melancholy among your recommended tracks?
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Guess I just didn't think to put it
great song though :tup
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So called Something Wicked Trilogy? Is says so right on the CD :lol
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Shhhh I don't own the album yet don't tell anyone.
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:police:
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Something Wicked is :metal
I love Reaping Stone!
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Reaping Stone is good, but sounds a little too much like Black Sabbath. The middle section James MacDonough wrote is bad ass though.
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I enjoy reading your write-ups! Kudos for the 11 Dreams by Mercenary inclusion. They were (Are?) indeed a great band!
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Glad to see you're liking it ;D
And yeah Mercenary were a great band on 11 Dreams and Hours That Remain, and still managed to make a good album in Architect of Lies, but on Metamorphosis i feel like they kidna mailed it in. Plus considering how many lineup changes have taken place since 11 Dreams it's not even the same band anymore.
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That Mercenary album sounds like something I'd enjoy. I will have to check it out.
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Glad to see you're liking it ;D
And yeah Mercenary were a great band on 11 Dreams and Hours That Remain, and still managed to make a good album in Architect of Lies, but on Metamorphosis i feel like they kidna mailed it in. Plus considering how many lineup changes have taken place since 11 Dreams it's not even the same band anymore.
I also really enjoyed Everblack, their second album and my first listen of Mercenary. If memory serves me, that album was a bit heavier on the Death side of Melodic Death.
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*double post*
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Since we're moving into the top 10 now I'm only going to be doing one album at a time.
#10. Strapping Young Lad – Alien (2005)
(https://i.imgur.com/22GAr.jpg)
This album is a fucking madhouse, a rollercoaster ride on meth, a hurricane of rage and anger, you name your synonym for “Shitstorm” and you’ve got this album. This album was the pinnacle of not only SYL’s career but of Devin Townsend’s entire career imo, an album that perfectly summed him up at the time, able to make not only some of the most pissed off and hateful songs ever, but make you want to cry like a bitch with beautiful melodies.
For me, the emo 8th grader I was at the time of discovering this album, this album was like nothing I had ever heard done in music before, or have ever heard since, and probably will ever hear again. The first time I listened to this album all the way through I seriously was in tears when it was over, as this album was almost too fucking much for me to handle.
From the riff heavy Skekisis, to the mental breakdown that is Shitstorm, to the groovy as fuck Love?, to the almost 180 degree turn around in outlook that is the closing track Zen, this album is just perfection, it would be my favorite album ever, and dammit it comes close (like every other thing in this top 10), but there just had to be 10 albums I liked more ;D
but whatever, this album is just perfection. Devin Townsend is a fucking genius for making this and, dare I say, a god among men.
Recommended Tracks: Love, We Ride, Possession, Zen, Shitstorm
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I just. Any get into Devin. Too intense, the vocals hurt my ears- I did watch a YouTube video of him talking and messing about on guitar and I loved that- just not his albums.
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Dont know alot about him, but do know that he did a killer cover of Natural Science by Rush.
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I'm with LOWDZ on this one Devin has never really done anything for me I have tried his solo stuff ,DTB , Strapping and none of it clicks for me. Just recently picked up the SYL greatest hits album (if you want to call it that) and it just came across as a wall of noise, I heard no melodies in it at all. There needs to something to hold my interest and their gimic seems to be lets play fast hard and angry.
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Dont know alot about him, but do know that he did a killer cover of Natural Science by Rush.
yes, I really like that cover as well
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#9. Benighted – Asylum Cave (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/Iyy2q.jpg)
Have you ever listened to a song and literally wanted to vomit because what you were hearing was just so god awful? Well that’s how I felt when I first heard this band, like seriously; this band had good music but good god these vocals made me seriously want to throw up. They were too guttural, too ugly, to…ugh.
But the music I was hearing was just…man, never had I heard such groove laden goodness, mixed with blistering, machine gun death metal riffs, mixed with melodic interludes you could almost sing along with, I was torn, I wanted to love it, I seriously did, but the vocals were just too much. But since I’m a masochistic fuck, I decided to subject myself to various songs on the album, until I found that one day…you know…these vocals aren’t all too bad.
I started to justify it by saying that the vocals just add to the level of craziness and fun of this album, just like another instrument basically.
If you’re a fan of death metal or classic death/grind, this album will be worth your time, as it’s some of the most fun death metal I’ve ever heard, and outright my favorite death metal album of all time
Recommended tracks: all of them lolololol
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scary cover lol
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I always thought of it as "laughably bad cover" :lol
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anaal nathrakh made me feel like puking the first time i heard it. and maybe all subsequent times. not that thats necessarily a bad thing.
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Cool inclusion of the Pendulum album, really dig that one!
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I always thought of it as "laughably bad cover" :lol
I actually think it's quite incredible for some reason. Never heard the band, but your description is interesting, might check it out.
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#8. Falconer – Falconer (2001)
(https://i.imgur.com/7gVaw.jpg)
Alright #8 on this list just so happens to be my favorite power metal album of all time, and there’s actually a funny story about that.
I was watching a friend of mine’s livestream (which he used to use to showcase his art and stuff), and as I logged on that night he was playing one of the songs off of this album, and instantly I knew that I needed to hear this album right then and there. So after a little while of waiting he began playing the album…and by the time we got to track 5 I had already ordered a copy of this album off of Amazon
I was seriously flabbergasted by this album, I had listened to plenty of power metal by this point (Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, Edguy, Masterplan, etc.) but I’d never heard an album like this, an album so majestic, so emotional, so fun, in power metal beforehand.
The music of the band is your typical power metal riffing, however the vocal style on this album is something quite unique, you see as opposed to normal power bands who utilize vocalists with high vocal ranges, however vocalist Mathias Blad, is clam, reserved, almost angelic in a sense, and barely breaks an octave on the album, however is just as emotional and pleasing to the ears as any of my other favorite power vocalists.
It’s a shame, however, that Falconer never managed to come close to making an album as good as this, sure Chapters From A Vale Forlorn was good, but it wasn’t THIS good.
Recommended Tracks: Substitutional World, Royal Galley, Under The Grave of Guilt, Lord of The Blacksmiths
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Falconer are good. I own a couple of their albums but not this one.
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hhhmmm... sounds intriguing. Added to 'the list'.
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hhhmmm... sounds intriguing. Added to 'the list'.
:lol I can't image how big that list is at the moment!!
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hhhmmm... sounds intriguing. Added to 'the list'.
:lol I can't image how big that list is at the moment!!
I was just thinking the same thing. How many pages is this list and how big of a loan do you have to take out to complete it lol
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hhhmmm... sounds intriguing. Added to 'the list'.
:lol I can't image how big that list is at the moment!!
I was just thinking the same thing. How many pages is this list and how big of a loan do you have to take out to complete it lol
Let's take a count shall we (and I'm sure that many of these albums will lead into more deeper exploration of the band's discography)
16 just from the recent Top 50 lists.
12 in my "check it out" folder in Spotify
15 in my "re-glam" folder in Spotify... checking out the post 90s releases from my favorite 80s glam artists.
4 still from the suggestion list after my Roulette
Oh, and 'the list' also includes a shit-ton that I've only listened to once or twice and I still want to get more ... "intimate" with. There's easily 60-70 albums there alone ... Helfuelled, Last Tribe, Vanishing Point, Evergrey, Eden's Curse, Pride of Lions, House of Lords, Winger, ARP, Silent Force, Sunstorm, Burning Point, Seventh Wonder, Sieges Even, Pendragon, Within Temptation....
Too. Much. Awesome. Music.
Spotify and Grooveshark are my friends!
Sorry to derail your thread Banks... back to the regularly scheduled programming now.
One thing's for sure, your choices certainly have awesome artwork!
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ha! sounds a lot like my list. After the first ten or so top 50 lists I looked through, I had compiled a list of approx 80 albums to check out - it has since spiraled out of control. And since I joined DTF earlier this year, I've purchased no less than 70 albums.
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#7. Kalmah - 12 Gauge (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/OjcJG.jpg)
Anyone familiar with Children of Bodom? Well this band is basically (in my eyes at least) their sister band, their much bigger, more masculine sister, who also makes better music. You see, unlike COB, instead of going down the road of mediocrity after a few albums, this band only got better and better with each album they made, all culminating in this, their 6th album 12 gauge released in 2010.
So this album musically basically is the extreme power/melodic death style of bands like CoB and Norther, but adds a level of balls that the other two bands never had, you see instead of using raspy high pitched shrieks like those two bands, Kalmah's vocals on this album are more of a low chesty growl. The music also has a lot more of a "crunch" so to speak, while still keeping some really heartbreaking melodies.
The solo work on this album is also top notch, practically every song on this album as a fucking awesome solo, especially Rust Never Sleeps, One Of Fail, and Swampwar.
I can't think of anything more to say about this album, because I think it's perfection speaks for itself when you hear it.
Recommended Tracks: Rust Never Sleeps, Swampwar, Sacramentum, One Of Fail
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#7. Kalmah - 12 Gauge (2010)
I actually know one Kalmah song (They Will Return), but I don't know that album. Still, the cover alone has me intrigued.
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#7. Kalmah - 12 Gauge (2010)
Anyone familiar with Children of Bodom? Well this band is basically (in my eyes at least) their sister band, their much bigger, more masculine sister, who also makes better music.
Fucking yes.
I've only heard Swamplord, They Will Return, Swampsong and The Black Waltz (albums) in my Melodic Death period, so not this one yet, but they're good. I used to listen to melodeath big time a couple of years ago, but I barely do nowadays. Looking at your list, if there's more of the genre to come, I might have some clues as to what they could be.
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#7. Kalmah - 12 Gauge (2010)
Anyone familiar with Children of Bodom? Well this band is basically (in my eyes at least) their sister band, their much bigger, more masculine sister, who also makes better music.
Fucking yes.
I've only heard Swamplord, They Will Return, Swampsong and The Black Waltz (albums) in my Melodic Death period, so not this one yet, but they're good. I used to listen to melodeath big time a couple of years ago, but I barely do nowadays. Looking at your list, if there's more of the genre to come, I might have some clues as to what they could be.
There are about 2 or 3 if you choose to count one of them as melodeath
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Can you give a summary of all the albums up to this point?
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Can you give a summary of all the albums up to this point?
Sure thing! I had planned to do this anyway
7. Kalmah - 12 Gauge
8. Falconer - Falconer
9. Benighted - Asylum Cave
10. Strapping Young Lad - Ailen
11. Mercenary - 11 Dreams
12. Pendulum - Immersion
13. Rotting Christ - AEALO
14. Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes
15. Disarmonia Munid - The Isolation Game
16. Warbringer - Worlds torn Asunder
17. Nile - Annihilation of The Wicked
18. Anubis Gate - The Detatched
19. Annihilator - Never Neverland
20. Queensryche - The Warning
21. Omnium Gatherum - New World Shaodws
22. Masterplan - Masterplan
23. Solution. 45 - For Aeons Past
24. Iron Savior - The Landing
25. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
26. Raunchy - A Discord Electric
27. Gamma Ray - Majesty
28. In Flames - The Jester Race
29. Freedom Call - Eternity
30. Sodom - In War And Pieces
31. Angra - Temple of Shadows
32. Candlemass - Nightfall
33. Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time
34. Obituary - Cause of Death
35. Testament - The Gathering
36. Undead Corperation - That one album with the japanese character i didn't feel like copy pasting
37. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
38. Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale
39. The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted
40. Death - Symbolic
41. Helloween - The Keeper albums
42. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
43. Chthonic - Takasago Army
44. Nocturnal Rites - The 8th Sin
45. Neaera - Armamentarium
46. Artillery - By Inheritence
47. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
48. Rush - Moving Pictures
49. Saxon - Lionheart
50. Persuader - Evolution Purgatory
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Love that Falconer album, but didn't like any of their others. The bonus track sung in Finnish (?) is my favourite track.
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hhhmmm... sounds intriguing. Added to 'the list'.
:lol I can't image how big that list is at the moment!!
I was just thinking the same thing. How many pages is this list and how big of a loan do you have to take out to complete it lol
Let's take a count shall we (and I'm sure that many of these albums will lead into more deeper exploration of the band's discography)
16 just from the recent Top 50 lists.
12 in my "check it out" folder in Spotify
15 in my "re-glam" folder in Spotify... checking out the post 90s releases from my favorite 80s glam artists.
4 still from the suggestion list after my Roulette
Oh, and 'the list' also includes a shit-ton that I've only listened to once or twice and I still want to get more ... "intimate" with. There's easily 60-70 albums there alone ... Helfuelled, Last Tribe, Vanishing Point, Evergrey, Eden's Curse, Pride of Lions, House of Lords, Winger, ARP, Silent Force, Sunstorm, Burning Point, Seventh Wonder, Sieges Even, Pendragon, Within Temptation....
Too. Much. Awesome. Music.
Spotify and Grooveshark are my friends!
Sorry to derail your thread Banks... back to the regularly scheduled programming now.
One thing's for sure, your choices certainly have awesome artwork!
Damn! That seriously is an amazing list of bands to check, you definitely won't be disappointed.
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I have one Kalmah album but never really gave it much of a chance, might pull it out and listen again.
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I really like your list so far - we have a similar taste in melodeath and recent heavy/power metal :)
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I really like your list so far - we have a similar taste in melodeath and recent heavy/power metal :)
Glad to see some other people who have similar tastes as mine. I honestly wasn't expecting some of the things on this list to get recognized.
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alright you guys...my next album is a really obscure one...
like....
i'm actually worried about the hate i'll get for posting this one
But here goes...
#6. Dream Theater - Images and Words (1992)
(https://i.imgur.com/q0orQ.jpg)
Lol fooled you guys
but yeah, this is my favorite Dream Theater album, It wasn't the first I ever heard (that was SFAM), and I didn't even like it all that much, but the first time I actually sat down and listened to it, I was blown away, it opened my eyes to a sound in music I never had heard before, and all that jazz.
Yeah I'm sure there isn't a lot I really need to say about this album so I'll just list my favorite tracks
Favorites: Learning To Live, Surrounded, Take The Time, Under a Glass Moon, Pull Me Under, Wait For Sleep, Another Day, Metropolis Part. 1
Oh wait that's all of them
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Still on my list of albums to check out at some point.
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I've heard it's decent.
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Yeah it's okay
Just okay
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Not indie enough, I'll pass.
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Bunch of amateurs. They'll never make it in the prog metal world.
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It's not the worst album I've ever heard.... :neverusethis:
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Right DT album, but too low.
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Haven't listened to this one (in about a month ... I should spin it again sometime)
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Let's take a count shall we (and I'm sure that many of these albums will lead into more deeper exploration of the band's discography)
16 just from the recent Top 50 lists.
12 in my "check it out" folder in Spotify
15 in my "re-glam" folder in Spotify... checking out the post 90s releases from my favorite 80s glam artists.
4 still from the suggestion list after my Roulette
Oh, and 'the list' also includes a shit-ton that I've only listened to once or twice and I still want to get more ... "intimate" with. There's easily 60-70 albums there alone ... Helfuelled, Last Tribe, Vanishing Point, Evergrey, Eden's Curse, Pride of Lions, House of Lords, Winger, ARP, Silent Force, Sunstorm, Burning Point, Seventh Wonder, Sieges Even, Pendragon, Within Temptation....
Just saved you a few minutes! :D
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Go I&W!!!!
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Alright moving into the top 5
no turning back now
#5. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)
(https://i.imgur.com/fQbnS.jpg)
I'm sure a lot here already know this album, so for the sake of things I'm gonna focus a little more on why this album is so good to me instead of the music first.
I discovered Opeth in late 2010 with Ghost Reveries, and until about March of 2011 I only listened to that album...until a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of Blackwater Park, and on my first listen I was mostly of the opinion "Eh, Ghost Reveries was better cuz it had more clean sections" (yeah I was an idiot back then) but I kept listening to this album, and eventually it grew to become my favorite Opeth album (at that time I had eventually completed most of the discog, and Heritage wasn't out yet). However I didn't exactly know why I liked the album so much, I wasn't really focusing on the music so intently, which, as I would later see, was a gigantic mistake on my part.
Anywho along comes Heritage that September and...well it was a huuuuuuuge let down for me. (I won't share my opinion on that album too much since this write up is about BWP) I was so disappointed that I actually had quite a falling out with Opeth for a few months. It wasn't until earlier this yeah, when I was randomly possessed to listen to the album again, and damn, It was almost like listening to an album I'd never heard before for the first time.
I started to notice a lot more things I liked about the music, the riffs, the dynamic shifts in the songs, and especially the atmosphere, the atmosphere just makes you feel like you're aimlessly wading through a foggy swamp in waist deep swamp water, it's just so dark and oppressive, so overwhelming, almost breath-taking, never have I heard an album that's so Immersible in my life, it was all here before and I'd just never heard it.
The songs also felt more emotive to me, the growls more powerful in contrast to the soft clean vocals, the blistering death metal sections heavier and the slower proggier sections more beautiful.
Just an amazing album, one that I will always hold near to my heart as one of my favorite albums of all time, just a work of art really.
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:metal :tup :hefdaddy
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Not my favorite Opeth album. In fact, it may not even be in my top 4 (Ghost Reveries, Watershed, Still Life, Damnation). However, it is still a GREAT album, and a worthy top 5 pick.
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Great pick. Even though I know most Opeth albums, this is the only one that I own.
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My personal #3, so no complaints at all from me.
THE SUN SETS FOREVER OVER BLACKWATER PARK
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Nice pick.
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Alright guys sorry for the wait but here's the next entry on my list, and be warned it's gonna get a little long...
#4. Varjoina Kuljemme Kouleiden Masssa (English: As Shadows We Walk In The Land of The Dead) (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/3zgsC.png)
Moonsorrow is a Folk Metal band that's been around since 1995 (first album was released in 2001 however), and since then they've been making some of the most beautiful and atmospheric music on the planet. When you think folk metal you generally may think of stuff like Ensiferum or Eluviete, who are generally more fast paced and energetic, however Moonsorrow is a little different. They've always made more slow paced music that had more of a march oriented mentality to it.
So after releasing a slew of great albums (only hiccup being 2005's Verisakeet which was only just okay) it was noticeable that their music was becoming a lot darker, and less focused lyrically on classic folk mythology to other things, well for this album they decided to make this album about their own little story, it's not big, and it's not anything particularly original per-say, but it's really well executed.
The album is a journey, through the frozen finnish wasteland, we fallow a group of weary travelers fighting against the relentless winter. The album is 7 tracks long, with 4 true songs and 3 interludes. All of the tracks flow together perfectly to immerse the listener in the music and the journey of the characters. You almost begin to feel the cold around you, almost as if you yourself are being caught in a blizzard in the merciless Finnish winter.
Though all songs on this album can be considered equal, as this album is almost impossible to enjoy fully without listening to it in it's duration, the song on this album that has the most impact on me, and as of right now is my single favorite song of all time is track 5 entitled Huuto (English: The Scream).
This 16 minute song is just absolute perfection, and if I were to pick out the song on the album that perfectly sums up the album in one song it's this one. The song isn't fast by any means, but it's intensity comes from it's pure emotion, the vocals of this band may be hard to swallow for some but to me they are absolutely perfect for this band, and this album in particular, as they are a desperate battle cry, befitting of this album's concept.
Also I might as well mention that all the lyrics here are in Finnish, and some would probably be turned off by that, but really, they don't need to be English for the impact of this album and the concept in it to come across with the same level of emotional investment. This band can perfectly convey what the want to with purely the music alone, and that is what about this album that really just blows me away. The music is fairly simplistic, which works in it's favor, it doesn't need to be all over the place and in your face with itself to get it's point across, it simply comes out with nothing fancy and blows the walls down.
Truly an album that resonates with me and one I cannot pick out a single flaw with, and one that i urge you to listen to, as it is one that you will not want to miss on
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Great band, great album :metal
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? No idea lol
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? No idea lol
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I've heard of the band, but never took the time to listen to their stuff. An interesting pick for sure.
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Love Moonsorrow to pieces, one of my favorite bands. This one was a bit of a grower for me compared to their earlier albums, but once it clicked I loved it. Kivenkantaja is one of my favorite metal albums ever. :metal
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Great band, great album :metal
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#3. Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets (1998)
(https://i.imgur.com/5aGgD.jpg)
So this here may be a bit of a surprise to see so high up on my list, but I'll have you know that this band was actually the first band I ever called "my favorite band" so, and with today being the release date of their newest album release, I think it's appropriate to post this next write up.
I discovered this band with Crash, Under The Table and Dreaming, and oddly enough Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King back in spring 2009, and as soon as I heard the opening chords of the song The Best of Whats Around on Under The Table I was hooked, and I knew that I had made a connection with this band like I'd never made with any band, or any music in general before.
So after jamming to nothing but those albums, I eventually checked out everything esle they had to offer, Busted Stuff/Lillywhite Sessions, Everyday, even that god awful piece of shit Stand Up, I downloaded tons of shows, listened to live albums, bought everything i could...except this album, I mean I'd listened to plenty of live songs off of this album (mostly Rapunzel, Don't Drunk the Water, and The Last Stop), and I had the album on my computer...but I never really listened to the whole thing...until one day...
On that day (some time in early December, 2009) I put the album on my mp3 player for a family trip...and well...wow...It was an experience I don't think I could ever forget.
The music was a lot different than anything I'd really heard from them, the album was just this one big stirring pot of songs that all fall into a different emotional state, be it joy like Stay (Wasting Time), despair (The Dreaming Tree), or just pure hate (Halloween) this song is really an emotional album, a very human album.
It was a lot for me to take in at the young age of 13, and i never really made these connections until much later, but even then the music resonated with me and caused me to feel something, unlike anything I'd ever heard had.
Probably always gonna be one of my all time favorite album, and one I'm proud to own a copy of.
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shocking but solid entry in this list. I love this album. Crush is a definite favorite song of mine.
I remember getting BTCS when it was released and it took me through some pretty special times that summer of 1998. Lots of beach trips that Spring/Summer with college friends at the end of my Junior year. This album was in constant rotation.
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I am not in to the DMB, but certainly a band worthy of much respect.
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Damn, that's a weird entry in this list! I've only heard a handful of songs from them, so I can't really comment on the album.
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one of these things, it aint like the others,
one of these things just isnt the same...
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#2. Insmonium - Above The Weeping World (2006)
(https://i.imgur.com/PFLCW.jpg)
If you took the dark atmosphere and hard hitting death metal riffs of Opeth, and combined it with the speedy gothenburg era style In Flames, and then sprinkled in some really rough and raw production on top, this album is what you'd get.
I must admit I haven't been listening to this album for long (only since real early this year), but in the many time's since then I've listened to this album it's made an impression on me, and really struck a chord with me emotionally. The lyrics are sorrowful and poetic, while the music is somber and melodic, and the vocals are very harsh and emotional, and above all the instrumental work is tight.
The album opens up with the rain sound effects and soft piano of The Gale, which launches in to a riff that builds and builds until the song comes to a semi-abrupt in. The song is then followed by the one two punch of Mortal Stare, and Drawn To Black. Mortal Stare is pretty typical for this band's style (which is not a bad thing) however Drawn To Black is an emotive journey that really serves as a perfect cross-section of the the things I love about this band, and just so happens to be my favorite song off of this album and the one I'd recommend most, I'd also like to point out how the lyrics of this song are absolutely stunning (even if the chorus is borrowed from a poem)
Change of Heart and At The Gates of Sleep come along and relive a bit of energy after the opening 3 songs, followed by The Killjoy which features a really catchy main melody, one that will definitely become fun to hum along to.
The next track is another favorite of mine, entitled Last Statement, is a bit of a longer song (7 and 1/2 minutes to be exact) but is definitely one for the prog heads, as it goes through a lot of really nice key changes and mood shifts throughout, starting as a nice mid-tempo headbanger with some quieter sections here, transitioning in to a quieter solo section (with an amazing solo btw) before closing with a very powerful ending. Once again the lyrics in this one are very powerful and add a lot to the song
The next song (Devoid of Caring) is another straightforward melodeath bit, which is pretty coexistent with he band and the album's sound, and the last song is the 10 minute "epic" In The Groves of Death, which is almost too beautiful to put into words.
Really an album worth hearing, one for any fan of prog metal who isn't adverse to harsher vocals, and an album I can listen to over and over and over and over again without getting tired
Almost to the #1 folks
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Sounds interesting, ill check it out.
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#1. hrrmm. i'll take Leprous in the pool.
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#1: Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe.
Calling it now (unless it has already been named, I'm too lazy to read the whole thread again :lol)
EDIT: Just listened to the album twice and I quite like it. Good call! :tup
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Insomnium are pretty great even if they sound a bit samey at times. But that's just my opinion of course.
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Yesomnium! :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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Holy shit. I don't know a lot of the stuff in your top 50..
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#1. Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (2008)
(https://i.imgur.com/me6Ny.jpg)
Well Scorpion you were right, this album, this work of amazingness, this thing that defies my own comprehension of the concept of Subjectivity, is my favorite album of all time. (congratulations you win nothing ;D)
Scar Symmetrty had released two prior albums to this one, the raw and unique debut album Symmetric In Design, and the raw and polished Pitch Black Progress, both albums amazing in their own right however neither of them had really seen the band hit their high mark as that was to come on this album
Believe it or not this list is bookended by the very first metal album I ever listened to (#50. Persuader - Evolution Purgatory) and this album, which was only the second metal album I ever listened to. At first It did nothing much for me, the growls turned me off but Christian Alvestam's cleans were just too beautiful, and the music just too melodic yet brutal for me to pass up just because of one minor other thing I disliked about it. So I stuck to the one song from the album that really got me at the time, which is track 3 Quantumleaper. The song had just such a catchy chorus that I couldn't resist, and some really just phenomenal guitar soloing and riffing.
But after a while I began to listen to the album more and more and I eventually began to see the bigger picture, what about it was so amazing, what would eventually make it to be my favorite album, the melodic yet brutal aspect of the music/vocals all combined with the spacey, sci-fi, floating in deep space surrounded by a beautiful gallery of nebulae without a thought in your mind atmosphere that really came together to form this perfect overall product in this album.
Since September I've listened to this album 500 times at the very least, as it Is one that I've always been able to enjoy whenever I put it on, and in some cases even moved to tears by it.
If this write up seems to be a little rambling and crazy, well that's simply because I love this album so much it's really hard for me to put into words why it amazes me so much.
But anyway, a great album, that anyone and everyone should at least give a try once in your life.
Stay tuned for some honorable mentions in the coming days
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:victorydance: I won nothing! :victorydance:
Seriously, though, great list. Very metal, but that's pretty much what I like, so I had a great time following this list. Thanks for Insomnium, by the way - that album absolutely slays. :metal
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Scorp, how the hell did you know? I'll check this out and there's a lot more in this list I should check out as well. Thanks for the entire top 50! When you do the honourable mentions, can you post the full list as well? :)
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I have psychic powers.
He mentioned it somewhere else that it's his favourite album of all time.
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Fucking great number 1, such a fantastic album.
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Wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll post it here. Here's a song from Christians new solo EP, pretty killer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drUvkXodHAw
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Saw that today
Fucking amazing :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Good job on the list; lots of metal :metal. You lost me abit with the top 10 though.
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Fucking great number 1, such a fantastic album.
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I'm glad everyone enjoyed my top 50, and it was good to see that I turned a few people on to some new music with this list.
Now onto some albums I wanted to put on this list but didn't for one reason or another
Be'Lakor - Of Breath And Bone (2012)
(https://i.imgur.com/04hBX.jpg)
I didn't put this one on the list because It only just came out this year, but I will say up front that this album is just plain phenominal, and will probably be in my top 50 when/if i make a new list. Basically this album is a lot like Above The Weeping World, but a lot proggier, and with cleaner production.
Wowaka - Unhappy Refrain (2011)
(https://i.imgur.com/sjqCv.jpg)
Outlandishly fun j-rock music, with all the vocals done in the voice AI program Vocaloid (also known as weaboo fodder)
After The Burial - In Dreams (2010)
(https://i.imgur.com/p4BWE.png)
A nice smoothy of metalcore-djent with some melodeath elements thrown in, all with a really relaxing and dream like atmosphere to boot. If you ever doubted metalcore it's time to give this album a listen.