Sigz's Top 20 Musicians/Artists (excluding Opeth/PT/Steven Wilson)

[Sigz]

So relatively recently I've had people ask what my favorite bands are, and my response was always "Well I love Porcupine Tree and Opeth, and... a bunch of other stuff". I no longer had any internal ranking or idea of what my 'favorite' bands were; most of the natural ones I'd go to several years ago I had lost interest in, and besides Opeth and PT I really had no bands that I could instantly think of as being my favorites.

So anyways, the point of this list was mainly for me to try to sort out how I felt about the bands/artists I listen to. Opeth and PT have been excluded because they're pretty much my obvious favorites. I also excluded Steven Wilson in general for the same reason.

The list was compiled in the 'power game' (I think that's what it's called) style - I made up a big unranked list of any bands I felt were belonged, then started moving them up if they were better than the band above, and below if they were worse, and kept going until I felt there were no changes to be made.





******

20. Barenaked Ladies - My first ever 'favorite' band, and one that I still love dearly. Fantastic songwriting that walked the line of real emotion and total tongue-in-cheek humor so, so well.  I lost track of them years back, so I have little experience with the second half of their catalog, but few bands can put out a run of albums like they did with Gordon through Maroon.


19. Pain of Salvation - An incredibly diverse band that's managed to cover a massive range of music and do most of it very well (Scarsick I'm looking at you). Gildenlow gets a ton of attention for being an incredible singer (which he is) but musically the band is stunning as well. The conceptual nature of their albums is also done very well, and really serves to makes them better as a whole. Some of my favorite moments are reprises of pasts themes, like the 'Ashes' reprise in 'Idioglossia' or the 'Heart of Mine' them in 'Undertow'. Not only are they fantastic on their own, but in the context of the album they're mindblowing.


18. Protest the Hero - What an awesome group. Really energetic, heavy, and quite moving music at times, and what's better they don't take themselves seriously at all. Between their two albums you have a massive set of great songs with no real bad songs, which is quite impressive, especially for such a young band. Not much else to say about them.

[Arcaeus]

  Following, always liked your taste in music.

[Gadough]

Following, always liked your taste in music.

^That

You turned me on to Eisley, so I really have no excuse not to follow this.

[Quadrochosis]

Following, always liked your taste in music.

^That

You turned me on to Eisley, so I really have no excuse not to follow this.

All of this.

[faemir]

PTH and PoS already gone? Wow.

[blackngold29]

BnL's new one is excellent, few bands can have every member play an instrument and sing. Steven Page also has a solo album coming next month.

[Gorille85]

I hope that Unexpect made the cut! If not, you're a bad, bad person.

Anyway, will follow with interest!

[faemir]

If Unexpect appear, that means they are about PTH and PoS, which is plain incorrect.

[Gorille85]

Well, I disagree.

[skydivingninja]

Props for mentioning BNL.  I listened to their live greatest hits album endlessly as a kid.

[sneakyblueberry]

Following, always liked your taste in music.

pretty much.

[glaurung]

You've introduced me to some pretty cool bands so I will be following this.

[LeeHarveyKennedy]

Saw BNL on the list. You've got a follower in me.

[Sigz]

Thanks everyone!

Saw BNL on the list. You've got a follower in me.

I hope tomorrow that I wake up in your bed.

[Portrucci]

Following, always liked your taste in music.

this 

[limnides]

*follows*

[TheVoxyn]

*follows*

[ZBomber]

*leads*

[Sigz]

17. Gojira - Joe Duplantier writes what are easily some of the best metal riffs ever. Practically every song is heavy as fuck, but in the driving infectious way that good metal should be - not just drop-tuning chug chug, but carefully constructed riffs that are great on their own and work together to make each other better. Probably the best example of this would be Flying Whales, which has a nice mellow intro that builds into a driving verse/chorus, climaxing at 4:50 with an odd-time riff that would probably be my favorite riff of all time. No matter where I am, no matter what I'm doing, I can't help but headbang when I hear it.



16. Between the Buried and Me - A band that's put out two great albums, two brilliant albums, and one complete fuckfest, I've actually lost a considerable amount of interest in BTBAM since my early obsession with them. Despite that they've still earned a place on this list, which should attest to how much I loved them earlier. Paul Waggoner is probably one of my favorite guitarists ever, his gorgeous lead work and use of jazz styles really setting him apart from other progressive metal guitarists. While Tommy's vocals have grown very stagnant in recent times, his earlier work was exceptionally varied and more enjoyable, and he's still a beast live.

But as for the music, their mix of mindblowingly awesome proggy parts and balls-to-the-wall metal/hardcore has always rung with me in a way that no other band really could. While their metal work has declined since Alaska, their proggy/melodic bits have become fantastic, and I retain hope that they'll be able to go back to their earlier songwriting and metal style while bringing over their newer melodic/prog influences. Regardless, their first four albums are all amazing, and have made them one of my favorite bands.



15. Paramore - Oh Paramore. You started out as a small guilty pleasure, but that was not enough. Soon you were a band a truly enjoyed, and even recommended to others. And now here you are not only one of my favorite bands, but overtaking bands I've been listening to for years. Pop punk is normally a genre I can't get into at all, but Paramore stands out in two major ways for me. Perhaps most obvious would be Hayley's vocals. The 'normal' pop punk style of vocals has always grated me, but Hayley's singing does not normally follow that style, instead opting for a very powerful clearer style. This really shows through on songs like "Let the Flame Being", where her power and slow vibrato would not be out of place in a metal song. The second thing that shines through is the subtle lead guitar work that permeates their music, making things far more interesting after repeat listens than the standard three power chord progression that you can often hear in pop rock.

[Gorille85]

Nice list so far! Gojira is one of my favorite bands also!

and inb4lolparamorethey'repop

[Arcaeus]

Paramore is cool, fuck the haters.

[skydivingninja]

Paramore has no place on a prog metal forum /snobbery.

But seriously, still following.  And I have nothing at all against Paramore.  Misery Business is a great song.

I predict Storm Corrosion will be number one.  Never mind the fact it won't come out for at least another year.

[Gorille85]

I predict Storm Corrosion will be number one.  Never mind the fact it won't come out for at least another year.

And that Sigz excluded everything Opeth/Wilson related 

[MetalManiac666]

That riff in "Flying Whales" is one of my favorites as well.

[Birch Boy]

BnL's new one is excellent, few bands can have every member play an instrument and sing. Steven Page also has a solo album coming next month.

Raisins come from grapes, people come from apes, I come from CAN-ADA.

[Gadough]

Very surprising to see that Paramore overtook PoS, BTBAM, and PTH. Although I certainly can't blame you.

[sneakyblueberry]

brb, going to check out said Gojira riff.

EDIT: Ballsy, bro.  Ballsy.

[glaurung]

Excellent choice with Gojira. 

That whole album is amazing.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Nothing I like so far, but we're only at 15, so there's still hope.

[AwakeFromOctavarium]

Very surprising to see that Paramore overtook PoS, BTBAM, and PTH. Although I certainly can't blame you.

This.

[Sigz]

14. SikTh – What a psychotic band. Though they only put out two albums before disbanding both of them are some of the best and most psychotic prog/tech metal you will ever hear. Their dual vocals and incredible range of vocal styles coupled with the stellar musicianship already put them at the top, but their extremely unique style really sets them apart. Songs like Pussyfoot, Wait for Something Wild, and Bland Street Bloom are masterpieces of prog metal, with an incredible amount of music packed into a very small period of time, and most importantly sounding like they belong there. Many bands that have bizarre off-the-wall styles have a tendancy to become novelty bands, where you listen to them for a while because they’re quirky and interesting, but then quickly lose interest. SikTh avoided that trap easily, and as a result are one of my favorite bands.


13. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Another band I have to see before I die, DEP is simply amazing. Besides their music just being great, one of the things I love about them is how every album has it’s own distinct feel and sound, and yet they’re all fantastic albums with standout songs.I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite out of them, and even if I could my answer would probably be different a week later.  It’s hard not to be a favorite when you can consistently put out interesting, varied, and excellent material.


12. Ellen Allien – For those of you who don’t know, Ellen Allien is a fantastic electronic artist from Germany. Electronic music is a strange genre for me, as much of the material in it holds little interest for me, but the top-notch artists in the genre are amongst my favorites, and Ellen Allien is at the top of those. I’m hard pressed to describe exactly what it is about her music that I love so much. It resonates with me in a way that almost feels natural – like it’s something I’m just coded to enjoy, the same way one would enjoy a walk through the woods or a sunset. The one thing I can point to is her sparing vocal use, which is often perfectly placed and delivered.  Beyond that, I’m at a loss.

[Seventh Son]

Not familiar with #14 or #12, but the other picks I don't particularly find myself fond of (I've had a rather strong dislike for BTBAM and Gojira) but hell, might as well keep watching.

[Sigz]

That's because we disagree on 99% of everything.

[Seventh Son]

That's because we disagree on 99% of everything.

I like Porcupine Tree.

[Gadough]

That's the 1%