Author Topic: Elite's Top 50 Albums v. 'Elitism'; The first arrives.  (Read 36593 times)

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Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A transoceanic update.
« Reply #70 on: April 09, 2012, 05:23:56 PM »
I guess that means you like Carved in Stone the least apart from their self-titled?

You understand my inferences well.
     

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A transoceanic update.
« Reply #71 on: April 09, 2012, 05:39:23 PM »
Not that that was too hard though, their self-titled is easily the worst. The production doesn't help either though, because some of the songs on that record are actually quite cool. Think of 'Questions at Hand' for instance, or 'The Queen of the City of Ice'.

But, does it also mean you don't like Carved in Stone?
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Offline pain of occupation

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A transoceanic update.
« Reply #72 on: April 09, 2012, 07:02:54 PM »
deadly update; i love all three bands.

though i must say i find the first two shadow gallery albums inferior to everything they did after them.
and as for their popularity on this forum, i think you mighta found a bit more love and awareness for them on the old dt.net forum.

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A transoceanic update.
« Reply #73 on: April 10, 2012, 03:35:52 AM »
I need to check out more Shadow Gallery.  I only own Digital Ghosts, which is great.
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Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A transoceanic update.
« Reply #74 on: April 10, 2012, 04:06:35 AM »
Cool. check their other stuff out man, it's good!

With regards to their other album, yeah I can see why people would find Carved in Stone inferior to their other albums, but Carved in Stone is in a way special to me, because I was brought up with it, more so than with most of their other stuff. And for that reason, I guess I like it better than others.

Anyway, here's the list so far:

50. Opeth – Still Life
49. Toxik – Think This
48. Myrath – Desert Call
47. Firewind – The Premonition
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King
43. Sublime – Sublime
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE”
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction
36. Pink Floyd – Animals
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone

Another update most likely following tonight (my time)
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Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A transoceanic update.
« Reply #75 on: April 10, 2012, 09:57:31 AM »
Not that that was too hard though, their self-titled is easily the worst. The production doesn't help either though, because some of the songs on that record are actually quite cool. Think of 'Questions at Hand' for instance, or 'The Queen of the City of Ice'.

But, does it also mean you don't like Carved in Stone?

No, I like them all, I just would rank them something like this:

Tyranny
Room V
Digital Ghosts
Legacy
-
Carved in Stone
-
-
s/t

The first four are nearly interchangable, CiS is a definate notch below those, and s/t below CiS.
     

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #76 on: April 10, 2012, 02:00:12 PM »
Well, we might get into some surprises regarding Shadow Gallery, but first! the next three.
I bring to you, three very different albums from three different countries.

30. dredg – Catch Without Arms (2005)


Ha, remember that writeup for that Dandy Warhols album? I said that was alternative rock at its finest. Well, I was lying, because here it really is. This is alternative rock at its finest. Probably one of the most straightforward albums on this list, but it’s not here without reason. Simply put, the music is awesome. It’s some great alternative rock with beautiful melodies and great songs. The first time I listened to dredg I was captivated by how awesome such ‘simple’ music could be. Though not exactly a huge album, running at just 55 minutes, it is chock full of good songs, my favourites being the one listed down here. Sang Real is awesome and one of dredg’s best songs. Well there’s not a lot to say really about this album. It is simplicity in its purest and best form.

Favourite song: Sang Real
Other songs worth checking out: Catch Without Arms, Bug Eyes, Matroshka (The Ornament)

29. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element, Part I (2000)


Pain of Salvation’s third album has often been acclaimed as their best. Yes, this album is very good, consisting of a lot of Pain of Salvation’s live staple songs. The music Pain of Salvation (or should I say Daniel Gildenlöw?) creates here is of the highest quality, with astonishingly great songwriting and technicality. Though I don’t always understand the concept behind Pain of Salvation’s albums (as I don’t with this), the music is of course what makes this album great, as all the tracks on the album rock, hard, but.. There’s one thing that really, really drags this album down. I know this might make some people angry, but I really hate the song King of Loss. I don’t know what it is, but that song absolutely does nothing for me and annoys me to no end. Just the way too dragged out buildup to, well, nothing (but a completely out of place of the great Used) is more than enough to skip the track. I can’t help it, but the song is the length of almost a seventh of the entire album and that’s why in all its brilliance, this album is not higher up on my list, which it certainly would have been if not for King of Loss. Well, the good thing of this album is obviously very good, as all the songs are awesome examples of great progressive metal. Among the really outstanding tracks are the opener, Used, Ashes and the title-track. Really, just let yourself be immersed by this great album, and try not to hate too much on King of Loss, it can really ruin your experience of this otherwise almost flawless album.

Favourite song: The Perfect Element
Other songs worth checking out: Ashes, Used, Idioglossia

28. Circus Maximus – Isolate (2007)


I have a friend who will probably until the end of time argue which me which of Circus Maximus’s first two albums is the better. Yes, The 1st Chapter is very good, but I think Isolate is just slightly better. The songwriting is better, the production is better and the overall musicianship has improved in the 2 years between the albums. A Darkened Mind, the album’s opener is a great example of Circus Maximus’s music, great riffs, awesome vocal lines and choruses you can sing along to. It is a formula they manage to employ on every single track on this album and it works, everywhere. The tracks are very good and manage to speak a certain own style. Not to mention the great musicianship of all the instrumentalists, but what really stands out on this record are the vocals. The vocalist is very, very good and he shows it throughout the whole record, delivering fantastic line after line. The song Abyss is a perfect example of this, as are the two epics Ultimate Sacrifice and Mouth of Madness. This is some very good progressive metal from Norway, I recommend you try it out.

Favourite song: Abyss
Other songs worth checking out: Wither, Ultimate Sacrifice, Mouth of Madness
« Last Edit: April 11, 2012, 02:56:14 PM by Elite »
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Offline Ravenheart

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #77 on: April 10, 2012, 02:04:06 PM »
 :tup :tup to both Catch Without Arms and The Perfect Element, though I actually really like King of Loss.

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #78 on: April 10, 2012, 02:14:36 PM »
Nice to see Catch on another list. And the other two albums are both really great as well, awesome update.
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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #79 on: April 10, 2012, 02:41:56 PM »
Not a fan of PoS but great to see dredg on the list :tup

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #80 on: April 10, 2012, 09:06:55 PM »
:tup :tup to both Catch Without Arms and The Perfect Element, though I actually really like King of Loss.

It's one of my more controversial aspect. Glad you like 'em though!

Nice to see Catch on another list. And the other two albums are both really great as well, awesome update.

Yeah, Catch is awesome! As are the other two :)

Not a fan of PoS but great to see dredg on the list :tup

Try them, they are great! dredg are very good too, this won't be the only one you see from them on my list ;)
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Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #81 on: April 10, 2012, 09:14:35 PM »
I've always been lukewarm on dredg.  While I really like some songs, usually 2 or 3 on each album, there are entire sections of the two albums I own (this one and Parrot) where I subconsciously tune it out because it doesn't hold my attention - enough so that I was never inclined to buy the new album, and as most of you know I buy a LOT of music, so that's a pretty damning statement on my part.

TPE would be somewhere in my top 50 as well, probably in the same range you have it  :tup

For whatever reason, I always reach for the first Circus Maximus album when I want to listen to them, I guess because I recognize those songs much more whereas Isolate never grabbed my attention when I've listened to it.
     

Offline Heretic

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #82 on: April 10, 2012, 09:21:40 PM »
CWA is my favorite dredg album. :tup Circus Maximus are pretty cool. Never been able to get into PoS unfortunately.

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #83 on: April 11, 2012, 12:24:01 AM »
PoS took me a while too tbh.. never found them heavy enough to satisfy my early needs... but I was wrong... they have been unfolding and unfolding generously before me when I gave a them a fair chance... now I feel sorry for the time I spent without them....  :-\  I'm digging them a lot now... bought their entire catalogue.. in fact they are pretty much the only thing I listen to when I'm driving as of late... (along with Mastodon)

Circus Maximus  :heart

Dredg .. yeah I'll give them another chance but I don't expect much  :-\

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; 1972: half way there.
« Reply #84 on: April 11, 2012, 02:11:04 PM »
CWA is my favorite dredg album. :tup Circus Maximus are pretty cool. Never been able to get into PoS unfortunately.

Cool! I love Catch Without Arms as well :) You should really check out PoS, I think The Perfect Element is a great starting point :)

Dredg .. yeah I'll give them another chance but I don't expect much  :-\

Please do :)

And you too DTVT! I can understand why one would like The 1st Chapter more than Isolate, but the latter just edges it for me.

----

Well, on to the next two. It will be just these two today and then I'll do three tomorrow and two the day after tomorrow, so I get down to the last 20. On Saturday I'm going on holiday for a week, so I won't be able to post any update, but I'll get to that when I get back the week after. From then it's a straight race to the finish, with only 20 albums left to go. The next two take us back, to 1972.

27. Wishbone Ash – Argus (1972)


A couple of months back, Sigz opened an ‘Album of the Week club’* thread, in which members got a turn at spreading music. A great initiative, I though, shame that stopped. The album I chose there was this one, Argus by the band Wishbone Ash. This one holds a special place in my heart, because it is one of the favourite albums of my stepfather (if I remember correctly) and the first band I really got to see live. According to the myth, this is the band that invented the dual-lead guitars, found in so much music nowadays. It is also said the guitarists of this band were the first 'big' band to use Gibson Flying V guitars to accentuate their dual-lead style. The music is predominantly hard rock, with elements of prog implemented. Expect very good guitar work, interesting vocal melodies and great overall flow. Argus retains its value even through the onslaught of music that gets thrown around our heads these days. This album is a safe resort to go to at any times and remains a strong listen even after having heard it lots of times. Every track is solid, from the opening arpeggios of Time Was to the closing fadeout on Throw Down the Sword.I recommend you that you don't just listen to those tracks I listed, but to the entire album. You won't regret it. It´s a great 45 minutes spent. Now, listen!

* / P.S.: Yes, for those who remember that thread, I did indeed copy parts of the write-up I did for the album there.

Favourite song: Warrior
Other songs worth checking out: Throw Down The Sword, Sometime World, Time Was

26. Yes – Close To The Edge (1972)


Another progressive rock staple marks its entry at the 26th spot in my top 50; the last of the first half of my list. Actually, this album really should go without description, especially on a prog-forum. It’s funny how sometimes a consensus around a particular album takes hold and though it doesn’t happen that often, there is no real denying that this, overall, is viewed as Yes' best album. It is for that very reason that I have it here in my list of favourite/best albums ever and rightfully it should belong in such a list, by anyone. This is an album that is loved in many different circles and it goes without saying that the three songs on this disc are all Yes classics. Really, this shouldn't even need an introduction.

Favourite song: Close To The Edge
Other songs worth checking out: The other two

AND WE'RE HALFWAY!!
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Offline TAC

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; 1972: half way there.
« Reply #85 on: April 11, 2012, 05:08:33 PM »
Wow, Wishbone Ash's Argus! I was just listening to it last week. This band had a huge influence on Iron Maiden.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; 1972: half way there.
« Reply #86 on: April 12, 2012, 03:28:08 AM »
Oh? Awesome, I didn't know that, but now that you say it, it actually does make some sense.

It's a shame Ash isn't really known nowadays, because stuff like Argus is awesome.
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Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; 1972: half way there.
« Reply #87 on: April 12, 2012, 05:37:24 AM »
Not much into PoS, the TPE is a good album.  Definitely prefer Circus Maximus's debut over Isolate, but Isolate is still a great disc. Yes ... Quintessential classic prog. A must for everyone.

Good choices there  :tup
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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A tale of three countries.
« Reply #88 on: April 12, 2012, 05:42:10 AM »
:tup :tup to both Catch Without Arms and The Perfect Element, though I actually really like King of Loss.

This.

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #89 on: April 12, 2012, 01:21:14 PM »
Thanks for the replies :)

On to the next three!

25. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (2003)


The first, and unfortunately for fans of the genre, also the last post-rock album on my list. Also the only instrumental album on my entire list. Well, what can I say? This thing is good, really good, else I wouldn’t have put it on here. Quite simply put, this music takes me to another place and that makes it brilliant straight away, especially considering it is an instrumental album. This is one of those albums that you can put on and just feel good to, at least that’s what it does to me. Also, this is one of those few albums of which I never listen to single tracks, only the thing in full. Hell, I can’t even name the tracks on this album, which I pretty much can do with most of the the albums on this list. While I’d occasionally make playlists with different stuff and – hence – single tracks, this is one of those albums that never gets touched. It has to be enjoyed and admired in its entirety. This is, to me, the best post-rock album ever made and, even though I’ve yet to hear lots more post-rock, for now, this is the only post-rock album I’ll need.

Favourite song: All of it

24. Porcupine Tree – Signify (1996)


Signify is the first album Steven Wilson recorded under the name Porcupine Tree with a full band, rather than solo with additional musicians. Also, it was the fourth album to be released under the name Porcupine Tree and the last album that I deem to be in the less-accessible phase of Porcupine Tree’s career. Let’s just say, every album after Signify, from Stupid Dream onwards is a lot more accessible than Signify and the albums before that. Therefore, if for some reason you haven’t yet gotten into Porcupine Tree, I do not recommend you listen to this album first, because I suspect you will be put off. Anyway, the music on Signify is very unconventional. Starting with two instrumentals, the first track with vocals is the great Sleep of no Dreaming, a slow moving, almost nihilistic track. Waiting follows afterwards, split into a first half and an instrumental second half, consisting of mostly a guitar solo. Sever follows, probably one of the more haunting tracks (the ‘Lalalalala’ is quite frightening in a way) and Idiot Prayer is an amazing instrumental. Following is Every Home is Wired, with some of the most amazing vocal harmony ‘waterfalls’ I’ve ever heard. On follow two more instrumentals, the incredibly wacky Intermediate Jesus and the track I can’t get a grasp on, "Light Mass Prayers". The latter is the single weirdest thing on the entire album, in all its simplicity. But then, where it all happens is with the last track, Dark Matter. I can not express how much I love this track. Dark Matter is probably one of the top 10 songs ever created for me and it is definitely Porcupine Tree’s best song. Starting out with a simple bass ostinato, the song gradually builds through verses and choruses into the most amazing instrumental part on the entire album and probably in Wilson’s entire discography. Although I really do think Signify is great, Dark Matter propels the weirdness and wackiness of the previous stuff to a higher level and instantly shoots this album multiple spots higher in my top 50. This is without a doubt one of Porcupine Tree’s weirder and less-accessible albums, but when you do find yourself liking it, you’ll probably get sucked in by the sheer brilliance that flows from this disc.

Favourite song: Dark Matter
Other songs worth checking out: Sleep of no Dreaming, Every Home is Wired, Idiot Prayer

23. Jeff Buckley – So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley (released in 2007, but songs as far back as 1994)


I think I’m breaking some unwritten rules here, because this is indeed not an album. It is a compilation disc of my favourite singer-songwriter (although he has a whole backing band on some tracks). I have always wondered whether Jeff Buckley would have been as well known had he not drowned in that unfortunate accident, but that’s mainly because I wasn’t around at the time. So if anyone knows the answer to that, please tell me :) . Well, why did I choose So Real and not Grace, the only ‘real’ album he released? Well, while Grace is very good and without a doubt my favourite album from any singer-songwriter, this compilation has a bit more going on, more diversity, alternate takes on tracks and a couple of live recordings. This album pretty much spans across all the different things Jeff Buckley has done, from the wonderfully soft Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin, to the harsh, almost grungy Eternal Life (Road Version). Along come many of the songs initially released on Grace and it makes for a great mix of some very good music. What always bugs me about Jeff Buckley is that the only thing people know of his is the great cover he did of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. While it is indeed very good, he had a lot of other great stuff going on and I can only encourage people to try it all out. This compilation is a good start. It was mine and I love it.

Favourite song: Vancouver
Other songs worth checking out: Hallelujah, Eternal Life (Road Version), The Sky Is A Landfill
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Online wolfking

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #90 on: April 12, 2012, 03:54:24 PM »
I'm listening to Signify right now.  :tup
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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #91 on: April 12, 2012, 04:07:04 PM »
I can't even listen to Porcupine Tree's "accesable" music! What am I going to go with the non accessable? :D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #92 on: April 12, 2012, 04:11:52 PM »
hmm, How about try it out? :P
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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #93 on: April 12, 2012, 04:35:03 PM »
Signify is amazing. The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place is great, one of the few EitS albums I can listen to throughout without feeling bored. (don't get me wrong, individually their songs are often great, but they lack the diversity that many other post-rock bands have IMO) Also, Jeff Buckley is great though I only know Grace.

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #94 on: April 12, 2012, 04:49:17 PM »
Well, technically 'So Real' is about 50% of Grace, with some later songs, different versions and a couple of live songs added. I prefer it over Grace, as I said, as it just gives those little extras. Nevertheless, Grace is very good as well, but it would be weird have both of them in the top 50, so I stuck with this one :)
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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; DTF is not a cold dead place.
« Reply #95 on: April 12, 2012, 07:40:24 PM »
Great to see Buckley.

Offline Elite

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And we get to the next two for while. Rounding this up at the top 20, the next is coming after this week. Two albums, with a total length of album titles of just 5 letters. 1974 and 2009, here's #22 and #21:

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22. King Crimson – Red (1974)


Recently, on this board in the King Crimson survivor, Starless was named the greatest King Crimson song of all time. I couldn’t agree more with that choice, because it just is such a fantastic song. Coincidentally, Red was named the third best King Crimson song, a choice that well reflects my feelings on the album with the same name. Red is the best album King Crimson have made and one of my favourite albums ever. There’s people out there who will argue whether this is the first progressive metal album ever, since it does go in a darker and heavier direction than King Crimson’s previous stuff. A most interesting thought, to be sure, and one I can acknowledge easily, simply because I can’t think of any other record to fit that bill. Musically, this album is great. The first track, the instrumental title track Red opens with the well known, awesome riff. Fallen Angel and One More Red Nightmare follow, two very solid progressive rock tracks and then we get to Providence. For some reason, King Crimson 'always' knows how to screw up the fourth song on a 5-song record. As with ITCOTCK’s Moonchild, this track is weird and feels completely out of place. It isn’t as bad as Moonchild on that record though and Starless.. Starless makes up for that by a long shot. One of the best songs ever written and very much deserving the title of 'best King Crimson song'. Truly, this must have been progressive rock at its finest in the 70’s. Red is a great album.

Favourite song: Starless
Other songs worth checking out: Red, Fallen Angel, One More Red Nightmare

21. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki (2009)


As far as 'overlooking' goes with Devin Townsend fans, I think out of all the Devin Townsend Projects, this one has gotten the least attention. You had 'Addicted!' with the 'Devin making pop metal with female vocals', 'Deconstruction' with the 'most intense and wacky shit he's ever done' and 'Ghost' with 'Devin going ambient, doing something totally different' and then you had 'Ki'. Quite funny how it's also the shortest name he has ever given to an album, or a track for that matter. Ki is actually far more than all those other DTP albums and it is because of this; while all one would expect from Devin is over-the-top intensity, the listener here is treated to a far different approach. Instead of throwing the most wacky stuff at you, this album is very calm and is a constant motion of growing intensity and when you don't expect it, a massive cave-in. It takes three tracks before Devin reaches the first bit of intensity on the awesome Disruptr and after that, it truly gets insane only by the end of the title track, the eleventh on the album which is my favourite Devin Townsend song and arguably one of the best buildups ever put to recording. Technically, this whole album is one giant buildup, finding only a true release in Disruptr and Ki, with all the tracks in between teasing you for a moment of release. Although this sounds very little like Devin’s music, the music really does sound like him and once again, this is a perfect example of why he is at the forefront of experimental stuff (at least for me). Once again Devin proved that with his signature style he can create more than just mindless extreme metal. Devin created a beautiful record here with Ki and one that will be loved by me for years to come.

Favourite song: Ki
Other songs worth checking out: Disruptr, Terminal, Coast

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Well, that's it for the time being. I'm off on my holiday tomorrow for the next week. I will be returning next Saturday and I will try to get this thing started again as soon as possible. It's just the top 20 left, so I hope you guys won't mind. Just for the hell of it, here's something extra;

Three awesome honourable mentions:
Once in a while when you discover music you find something that really stands out. Something which you know will one day be included in your personal list of favourite albums ever. In my constant discovery of new music sometimes I find stuff that I'm sure will make it into my top albums ever. During the three months of writing process of this album top 50 there were three albums I discovered that really stood out and will be included someday. However, the list was finished by then and I can't really justify putting an album in I've only known for 1 or 2 months. Anyway, the following albums are awesome and would have been in it, if only for time:

- Neal Morse - ?
Awesome progressive rock, one epic song, separated into 12 tracks.
Favourite songs: All of it, but in particular; The Temple of the Living God, 12, Outside Looking In
- Royal Hunt – Paradox
Very, very good Danish progressive metal, fronted by the great voice of DC Cooper. Credits go to Nick, thank you!
Favourite songs: Tearing Down The World, Time Will Tell, Silent Scream
- Seventh Wonder – Mercy Falls
Delicious Swedish progressive metal concept album. Very, very good tracks and a well thought out story.
Favourite songs: So many strong songs, I can’t choose
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Offline Elite

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Oh, yes. Here is the score so far:

Honourable Mentions:
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
- Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes form a Memory
- Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
- maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map
- Mastodon – Blood Mountain
- Neal Morse - ?
- Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
- Pink Floyd – Meddle
- Porcupine Tree – The Sky Moves Sideways
- Royal Hunt - Paradox
- Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls
- Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
- Symphony X – Paradise Lost

50. Opeth – Still Life
49. Toxik – Think This
48. Myrath – Desert Call
47. Firewind – The Premonition
46. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
45. Leprous – Tall Poppy Syndrome
44. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King
43. Sublime – Sublime
42. Pain of Salvation – “BE”
41. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
40. David Bowie – Hunky Dory
39. Avantasia – The Scarecrow
38. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
37. The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction
36. Pink Floyd – Animals
35. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
34. The Beatles – Abbey Road
33. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
32. Karnivool – Sound Awake
31. Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone
30. dredg – Catch Without Arms
29. Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element Pt. 1
28. Circus Maximus - Isolate
27. Wishbone Ash - Argus
26. Yes – Close to the Edge
25. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
24. Porcupine Tree – Signify
23. Jeff Buckley – So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley
22. King Crimson – Red
21. The Devin Townsend Project – Ki
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Online Zantera

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Ki.  :heart

Offline Dr. DTVT

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6DoIT and Paradox are top 20 albums for me.  I understand you didn't have Paradox at the time.  Can't belive I've had it for almost 14 years.
     

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; 2 Albums, 5 Letters / Time-Out
« Reply #100 on: April 13, 2012, 09:13:17 PM »
From your last update, I liked your Honorable Mentions (Neal Morse and Royal Hunt) better than the actual choices.  That's just me though.
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; 2 Albums, 5 Letters / Time-Out
« Reply #101 on: April 13, 2012, 09:51:20 PM »
Argus  :heart
Animals  :heart :heart
Red  :heart :heart :heart
Signify  :heart :heart :heart :heart

Lots of good picks so far.

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A return from the East.
« Reply #102 on: April 21, 2012, 12:31:18 PM »
A return from my awesome holidays in Hungary is paired with the first update in over a week. Since now it is only the top 20, I will gradually post less albums every time, but for now, I give you 3 more albums.

20. Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)


Yeah I got it, Still Life is the favourite Opeth album here on DTF. Well, it’s not mine, because here we have the second Opeth installment in my list, with the album preceding Still Life. This album is one that will always stay with me as one of the best things I have ever heard. Given to me by my sister at my seventeenth (I think) birthday, this CD is one I cherish within my CDrack. Well, the fact that it’s a gift isn’t everything, it’s just that this whole album is very, very good. Even before the brilliant Still Life, Opeth made this album. An album that would define their style for years to come, an album that would give them their signature sound after their first two release. This is where Opeth really took off, where they really developed a style of their own and it is this album that truly showcases that signature style. Demon of the Fall is an Opeth song that will probably forever stay a fan favourite, as are April Ethereal and When, to name just the songs that come off the top of my mind. In my view, this is absolute brilliance and Opeth here is at the top of their game, this is where it really all took off for this band and this is the start of a great career. It's kind of funny that when a band takes off into a certain direction, the first couple of things they do can never be surpassed. It is for that reason both this album and Still Life have had their placements in my top 50. Simply put, ‘My Arms, Your Hearse’ to me, is Opeth at its core, with haunting, epic progressive death metal, arranged with soothing acoustic passages. If you aren’t yet into Opeth, I honestly think this is the best album to start it with.

Favourite song: Demon of the Fall
Other songs worth checking out: April Ethereal, When, Karma

19. dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (2009)


I guess I am one of the few on this board who knows dredg and places TPTPTD above Catch Without Arms. Hell, I might even be in the minority of the entire dredg fanbase. Let’s just put it this way; both albums are absolutely fantastic, but this is just slightly better. The main reason for the placement of this album above Catch Without Arms is the flow of this album. Yes, Catch is beautiful and contains some of dredg’s signature songs and fan favourites, but.. To me, and this is all opinion, the songs on TPTPTD are just a little better. Just that little for their higher placement. Stylistically, this album draws more to dredg’s previous effort ‘El Cielo’ than to Catch, which was more focused on writing short songs. On this album they took an essay from Salman Rushdie and based the music on it, something that is clearly visible in the lyrics on this album. Starting off with the great Pariah and Ireland the listener gets the idea thrown to his head that everything was given to God, something that will be disproved in all the succeeding songs, with Quotes being the pinnacle and best song on the album, with lyrics stating almost the complete opposite. The beautiful closer Horizon ends the album with a simple ballad and a recapitulation of all the most important lyrics of the album. regarding the music, it is a mixture of beautiful alternative rock with progressive elements in it. based on chordal structures and great melodies, the band also throws some wackier and heavier stuff at you at some points. The complete picture results in an amazingly well thought out album with great music. Excuse me very much if I’m wrong here, but this really feels like a whole and laying the lyrics next to each other makes it ever more apparent that this band did their utmost best to create something, a concept and music beyond the music itself. They succeeded, because ‘The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion’ is, in my opinion, one of the best albums ever recorded.

Favourite Song: Quotes
Other songs worth checking out: Gathering Pebbles, Cartoon Showroom, Pariah

18. maudlin of the Well – Bath (2001)


‘Bath’ or both that and 'Leaving Your Body Map'? It was but one of the questions I kept asking myself whilst making this top 50. To me, those two are one whole piece, they even have each other's album art. Really, I can't be the only one who sees that. To narrow it down though, I figured had to choose one over the other and Bath wins this. While 'Leaving..' is an awesome album (Gleam in Ranks is one of my favourite motW songs), Bath completely slays it in terms of overall quality, consistency and hell, even level of strangeness, weirdness, avant-gardeness and awesomeness. This music really can't be described. Though it isn't as weird as some stuff you might hear, it is impossible to place this album under a banner and be confident about it. Though it is a staple in the extremer metal genres, even then it can not be pinpointed to one style. 'Avant-garde' seems to suffice, and it will have to do. Try it, of you dare. I bet you won't like it on first listen; I didn't. The fact that it is so high in my top ever albums says enough about the way I think of this album now.Now being the very proud owner of both Bath and Leaving Your Body Map on vinyl proves that point even more. This is like a fine wine, I guess. Not something you’ll listen to often, but when you do, you’ll make damn sure you listen to it thoroughly.

Favourite song: They Aren’t All Beautiful
Other songs worth checking out: Birth Pains of Astral Projections, Girl With A Watering Can, Geography
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Ravenheart

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A return from the East.
« Reply #103 on: April 21, 2012, 01:19:03 PM »
My Arms, Your Hearse is a close runner-up for my favorite Opeth album, and Pariah is a close runner-up for my favorite Dredg album. Orgasmic update.

Offline Elite

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Re: Elite's Top 50 Albums EVER! v. 'Elitism'; A colo(u)rful update
« Reply #104 on: April 22, 2012, 02:10:25 PM »
Glad you like them, Ravenheart! On to the next three. We're heading into the very, very awesome territory right now with #17 to #15!

17. Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here (2010)


Anathema’s magic album lands in at the 17th spot in my list of favourite 50 albums ever. Yes, this is the only Anathema album in my list and that is not without reason. WHBWH completely overshadows everything Anathema has ever done. The first time I listened to WHBWH I was blown away by the awesomeness that this album had to offer. I suppose it didn't really help that this was the first Anathema album I ever listened to, because everything that I listened to afterward, their earlier stuff (because, hey, I had to check it out, if they could make something this awesome, their history must be interesting) I found mediocre at best in comparison. Of course, now I think about that differently and I can appreciate the earlier stuff, but this album is the best they did for me. For those who haven't heard it; this is beautiful atmospheric progressive rock, mixed with mesmerizing instrumental passages, awesome female vocals and elements of pop music (the right ones). The album starts with one of the best songs on the record and takes about two thirds to reach its highest moment for me. The song A Simple Mistake is to me one of the best songs ever written and I was kind of bummed the band didn't play it when I saw them live. They put on a fantastic show at the Loreley amphitheater though and it was one of the best live concerts I have ever seen. Well, if you want to hear something slightly different, slightly ‘magical’ in a way, I really recommend this fantastic record, my top #2 of 2010 and 17th favourite album overall.

Favourite song: A Simple Mistake
Other songs worth checking out: Thin Air, Hindsight, Dreaming Light

16. Between the Buried and Me – Colors (2007)


I almost forgot this album in my initial list-making of albums I should include. I didn't include this album until after the whole list was made and done. The main reason behind this error was the simple fact that I haven't heard this album since probably the beginning of 2010, that's 2 years ago! Well, to be fair, I kind of grew out of this music, discovering new stuff. For the purpose of this top 50 I obviously listened to it again and loved it, as I did years before. It was this album that made me appreciate stuff I'd enjoy later (think of Devin Townsend for example) and it is probably this album that's the most ear-tiring or demanding to listen to. For those who don't know, this is some heavy progressive metalcore, and some brilliant stuff at that. Metalcore, you say? Yes, that genre with the crappy vocals. /generalizing. Well, to be honest I can clearly imagine why this band's vocals would put you off, but if you give it try you will like it some time, because quite simply, the music is amazing. From front to back, this album feels like only one song, due to the flow and the overall sense of completion on this album. There's not a single thing on this album that I would change, every little bit of weirdness or beat displacement feels natural in the truest sense of the word. All the genres and styles the band incorporates into this grand masterpiece (country, folk, death metal, progressive rock, great vocal melodies and harmonies) blend together into one of the best albums I have ever heard.

Favourite song: Prequel To The Sequel
Other songs worth checking out: Ants of the Sky, Sun of Nothing, The Decade of Statues

15. Haken – Aquarius (2010)


Haken could not have had a better start to their career than with this album. In my preparation for the ProgPower Europe 2010 festival, I got albums from a couple of the bands that would be playing, Haken’s Aquarius being one of them. At the time I didn't really pay much attention to what I was listening to, with it being about half a year before the actual festival and that was probably for the better. I remember the gig. The full gig. Haken played on the Saturday morning, around half past 11 in the morning, if memory serves me right. It was their first international gig ever and they completely ripped the audience. It was overwhelming and awesome. I was there with a friend and we got to meet the band afterward, who were very pleased by the great reaction they got there. We talked to them a lot and my friend bought the CD and got it signed. Something I didn’t do at the time and still kind of regret. The band was really cool, great dudes and we had some good chat. At the end of the night the whole lot of us walked out from the venue to a pizza tent which said ‘Pizzadag’ (Pizza Day), which apparently became a running gag within the band, as half the band was half-drunk screaming ‘Pizzadag’. Funnily, the next time we saw them live they recognised us from the first time. Anyway; on to the music. Stylistically, this stuff is about as prog as it gets. Hell, an album with 3 tracks over 10 minutes and one track over 15 minutes with the rest leaning close is definitely a prog record. These guys (or should I say THIS guy, everything is composed by the single genius that is Richard Henshall) have drawn their inspiration from Dream Theater and the likes, that much is clear. This is some very good progressive metal, with weird lyrics about a mermaid and a fisherman, or something like that. The only reason really why this awesome disc is not in my top 10 is because of the flow. It seems that at some points (for instance the instrumental part in The Point of no Return) the music has been made ‘prog’ for the sake of being prog and that, to me, greatly disrupts the flow. Aside from that, the most frequently heard criticism about this album has been the inclusion of growls on the first two tracks. While they might seem misplaced, I'll give the haters that, to me they add another texture to the music. The songs Drowning in the Flood is a very good example of the heavy and more progressive side this band has to offer (THAT RIFF) and Celestial Elixir is still the best song the band has made yet. Oh, by now they also have a new album out, called ‘Visions’, which is also very good. However, this is the way to get into them for me, because ‘Aquarius’ really is that good.

Favourite song: Celestial Elixir
Other songs worth checking out: Drowning in the Flood, Eternal Rain, Aquarium
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
scRa are the resultaten of sound nog bring propey