Last update before #1, which I'm sure you know what it is by now. Eithe rway, I've got a really nice write-up for it, and hopefully you'll all like it. I'll post it tomorrow morning.
4. Dream Theater - Images and Words This is an album that every Dream Theater fan can attest for being a very good album. Some don't like it, or some don't like the 90's sound a lot of the songs have, but it's at least respected by the community as a great sophomore album, and a fantastic debut for LaBrie.
Overall, the album is full of songs that I can say are powerful. Lots of the songs are upbeat and energizing, and you can tell the band had fun making the album. A song like "Take the Time" showcases this perfectly, as it's a long, progressive song that rocks and rolls and grooves as well as slows down for room to breathe; that's what makes it one of my favorite Dream Theater songs.
Then of course, there's the classic Learning to Live, an early epic with fantastic lyrics and a great flow to the song, as well as the wonderful reprisal of the Wait for Sleep melody. Songs like Surrounded and Another Day are both ballad-esque, but still are incredibly progressive and make use of fantastic melodies, riffs, and of course, the awesome vocals. Images and Words is definitely the best DT album, and one of the best of all time.
Favorite songs: Take the Time, Surrounded, Learning to Live, Pull Me Under 3. Fair to Midland - Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True This album is one of those albums where upon first listen, you realize you've stumbled upon something golden. From the first time I listened to Fables, I was incredibly intrigued and continued listening-- until it became one of my favorite albums of all time. An absolute masterpiece.
What really got me about this album was the vocalist; Darroh Sudderth. What an eccentric man with an incredibly powerful set of pipes, seriously. This guy can be roaring at one moment and then hitting incredibly high notes the next. Paired with his excellent cliches and poetry, it makes the songs unique and different from most of the alternative/progressive metal scene. A song like The Wife, the Kids, and the White Picket Fence is the best example of Darroh's range, while Dance of the Manatee is excellent for showing his growls, which are used basically only in that song.
In conclusion, Fables from a Mayfly is definitely a classic album. With one of the best vocalists on the scene, Fair to Midland continues to dominate, and this and Arrows and Anchors really made the band one of my favorite bands of all time. I have a sneaking suspicion this album might become my favorite or 2nd favorite of all time in years to come, only time will tell!
Favorite songs: All of them 2. Between the Buried and Me - Colors It's funny, I remember in 2008 when a friend linked me to "Prequel to the Sequel" after I had shown some of my current music interests and I laughed at the vocals. Close-minded was I, and I shunned the band and its work for a year or more.
However, one day I decided to return to the band's music, after having introduced myself to many metalcore and hardcore acts, and, finally, something clicked. The lush, soft vocals mixed with the brutal raging screams resonated within me, and I listened, and listened, and listened.
Colors became one of those albums I can sit and listen to without a moment of boredom. I can imitate every little section, and whistle and hum to every guitar lick that comes along. The flow is just fantastic, and sometimes you feel like you're just listening to one song, and a fantastic one at that. Moments like the redneck section of Ants of the Sky and the crazy vocal harmonies on Sun of Nothing are what make the album so different from the progressive death metal/metalcore scene. Every moment of off-beat antics is placed perfectly, and helps the album from falling flat. The album is a masterpiece, in literally every sense of the word.
Favorite songs: All of them