8. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
This is far and away Slayer's best album. It's got the fast and furious madness from Reign in Blood, mixed together with the slow, trudging metal from South of Heaven. This is blended together to make metal bliss. The blistering opener, War Ensemble, re-establishes that Slayer are still the best at playing fast music. The next few tracks, including classics Expendable Youth and Dead Skin Mask, are more mid-tempo, but just as heavy, and even a little bit catchy. The lyrics are disturbing and evil enough to make the true metal heads in the room sing along. The real treat of this album is the epic title track. The 6 minute song is easily Slayer's crowning achievement. The chorus actually has a bit of a hook, and the music still has the Slayer name scribbled all over it. This album is better than Reign in Blood because of its variety. Because each song isn't full-on thrash, listeners get a chance to breathe. This of course means the album is more accessible too, and a lot of the elements that Slayer haters (coughidiotscough) are not present. This is the ultimate introduction to Slayer, and comes highly recommended by one of the 2 Slayer authorities of the board.
Recommended tracks: War Ensemble, Expendable Youth, Dead Skin Mask, Skeletons of Society, Seasons in the Abyss
7. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
This album is an underrated gem among the immensely strong Porcupine Tree catalog. The true fans get it, obviously, but a lot of PT fans like to blow their loads all over In Absentia or Lightbulb Sun, but Deadwing is the ultimate Porcupine Tree album, and your life will get better as soon as you admit it. The concept of the album is somewhat of a mystery, but the consensus is that it's a bit of a ghost story. The whole album has a very ghostly and ethereal atmosphere, even during the pleasant lullaby, Lazarus. There's a fair share of heavy moments as well, mainly in the two shorter songs, Shallow and Open Car. The sometimes abrupt transitions give the album its flow. This was the first PT album to have a "centerpiece", and it's a contender for PT's best song ever. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here is what I'd consider a condensed form of the album. The soft, haunting parts duel with the heavy parts and it's fucking tasty. Every song is a winner here though, and you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't explore it further.
Recommended tracks: Deadwing, Lazarus, Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, The Start of Something Beautiful
Topic: Top 50 Albums: The UMH Experience (Read 67215 times)
