KirksNoseHair's Top 50 v. And the #1 album is........

[Scorpion]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

[johnnysuperfan]

Anabasis is going to be #1, lol 

[Scorpion]

Anabasis is going to be #1, lol 

Called it way before you, dude.

[jingle.boy]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

I'll lay a virtual c-note on it.

[johnnysuperfan]

Anabasis is going to be #1, lol 

Called it way before you, dude.

props to you, Dude 

[lonestar]

I am pretty sure that at least one of my top 3 picks will be at least somewhat surprising to some of you.  Maybe not to Lonestar or Obscure, though 

If it's what I'm thinking, it made my top ten too.


Edit:ninja hoser

[jingle.boy]

I am pretty sure that at least one of my top 3 picks will be at least somewhat surprising to some of you.  Maybe not to Lonestar or Obscure, though 

If it's what I'm thinking, it made my top ten too.


Edit:ninja hoser

Take of eh! 

Love the new sig!   

[senecadawg2]

Operation Mindcrime is wonderful.

[pain of occupation]

i consider myself a Fates Warning fan, but ive yet to delve into No Exit. i did buy it last year, however, so i'll have to spin it some time.

lots of other strong picks, too. enjoying the list. 

[ronnibran]

This list has taken a huge awesomness turn!  Diggin the Spocks, the Transatlantic, the Fates, the Queensryche. 

If I had to guess I'd say Scenes From a Memory is still coming up.  Sorry if someone has already guessed that...  My off the wall guess that is more of a joke than a guess will be Damn Yankees s/t.  Damn good album!

[Dr. DTVT]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

Uh...Barry is the one who started that thread and got everyone else on board either directly or indirectly.  If it is left off it's probably because it really is hard to put an album in proper perspective after only 6 months.

[Scorpion]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

Uh...Barry is the one who started that thread and got everyone else on board either directly or indirectly.  If it is left off it's probably because it really is hard to put an album in proper perspective after only 6 months.

Oh - I didn't know that. Sorry.

[wolfking]

I'll say it again, this list is incredible.

[Mladen]

Somewhere in time is my favorite Maiden album, Mindcrime is my favorite Queensryche album and V is really good as well. 

[TAC]

Around 1989 or so I was asking a friend of mine if he knew any bands that had music in a similar style to Iron Maiden and he started rattling off some band names and Fates Warning was one of them.  He said it was metal, it was progressive, heavy guitars, etc.  So on a whim I went on down to the record store (remember those?

I had a similar experience, asking a friend. This was during the Arch days, I just couldn't connect with his voice. I started with No Exit as well when I heard they had a new singer. I remember Kerranngg! had a floppy 45 of Anarchy Divine on one of their mag covers.


When Somewhere In Time came out, I loved it. I loved the new direction, as at the time, I really didn't care for Powerslave. Oddly, Powerslave has aged great, but SiT, not so much. Still the title track is my #3 Maiden song.

[kirksnosehair]

03. Beyond The Bridge - "The Old Man & The Spirit"





Tracklist:


01 - The Call
02 - The Apparition
03 - Triumph of Irreality
04 - The Spring of It All
05 - World of Wonders
06 - The Primal Demand
07 - Doorway To Salvation
08 - The Struggle
09 - The Difference is Human
10 - Where The Earth and Sky Meet
11 - All A Man Can Do


This album took seven years to make and is the debut album from this group.  Beyond The Bridge is the brainchild of guitarist Peter Degenfeld-Schonburg and keyboardist Christopher Tarnow.  Vocalists Herbie Langhans and Dilenya Mar convey a mesmerizing story with incredible passion, power and emotion.  In the conceptual piece, the male voice sings the part of The Old Man, who has experienced the full depth of human sensations in his lifetime and Mar plays The Spirit, the embodiment of wisdom unknowable by man.  Mar's character lacks the ability to feel and Langhans's character lacks the ability to rise above human sensations.  A deal is offered by the spirit for an exchange and an incredible journey into the full scope of human emotion -and beyond- ensues.  The vocal performances here are absolutely breathtaking in their execution.  Every eomtion is conveyed with tremendous acuity.  The instrumentation is nothing short of spectacular and the songs flow seamlessly together while somehow managing to stand as individual tracks as well.  Yes, this is a masterpiece.  A rare 5 star album.  This album moved me deeply and in a way that very few albums can.

[Zydar]

Nice, I'll have to check it out. Never heard of it.

[Scorpion]

Well, as DTVT has predicted, I was wrong. 

Fucking great album though, make sure to check it out Zydar. Especially the way that male and female vocals are used is nothing short of amazing.

[TAC]

I still have not checked out Beyond The Bridge.

[kirksnosehair]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

Uh...Barry is the one who started that thread and got everyone else on board either directly or indirectly.  If it is left off it's probably because it really is hard to put an album in proper perspective after only 6 months.

The only reason it's not #1 on my list is because I need more time with it. 

[senecadawg2]

I only just recently heard it for the first time. Great pick! 

[Big Hath]

it's an awesome album

[jingle.boy]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

I'll lay a virtual c-note on it.

DTVT???

Fantastic album. It will be making my next top 50 list fo sho!

[Scorpion]

Can't remember if Old Man has made it yet.  Don't think so.

Are you sure that that'll make an appearance? Barry doesn't seem to be that big on the recent prog stuff.

I'll lay a virtual c-note on it.

DTVT???

He pointed out that Barry had started the thread and gotten everyone into them.

You're correct as well, jingle, of course. As always. 

[kirksnosehair]

02. Kamelot - "The Black Halo"





Tracklist:


01 - March of Mephisto
02 - When the Lights are Down
03 - The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)
04 - Soul Society
05 - Interlude I: Dei Gratia
06 - Abandoned
07 - This Pain
08 - Moonlight
09 - Interlude II: Un Assassinio Molto Silenzioso
10 - The Black Halo
11 - Nothing Ever Dies
12 - Memento Mori
13 - Interlude III: Midnight - Twelve Tolls for a New Day
14 - Serenade


In 2004 I came across Kamelot when a friend of mine sent me a mix CD of selected tracks from a few various bands that he thought I might enjoy.  He sent me "Center of The Universe" from their 2003 album "Epica" which is actually part one of two wiht the second part being "The Black Halo."  Of course, at the time, no one knew this.  So, on the strength of that track I went out and purchased "Epica" and quickly devoured that one and Kamelot's entire back catalog.  If you back through their earlier discs, it is actually quite remarkable how much this band improved with each successive release, peaking, in my opinion, with "The Black Halo" which is stunning.  This was the pinnacle of Roy Khan's career as a vocalist and his decline was precipitous and quite noticable on the band's most recent release, "Poetry for The Poisoned"  Anyway, "The Black Halo" is an extremely well-executed slice of Symphonic Power Metal and is a concept album loosely based on Goethe's Faust.  My favorite tracks are "March of Mephisto" "The Haunting" "Abandoned" "Moonlight" and "Momento Mori"  This band should be a no-brainer for fans of the power metal genre, very few come close to this quality with the exception, perhaps, of Serenity.

[lonestar]

Old Man is a brilliant album. I am constantly floored by it's many layers in the story, how the spirit may come across as benevolent but is actually a trapped soul, looking to decieve the old man for her own freedom.(keep listening, it's there)I have yet to listen to it and not discover another layer to it.

[jingle.boy]

I just listened to this yesterday (at the extreme persistence of obscure).  Very nice album.  I'll be coming back to it.

[kirksnosehair]

I just listened to this yesterday (at the extreme persistence of obscure).  Very nice album.  I'll be coming back to it.

Do you mean Kamelot or Beyond The Bridge?

[jingle.boy]

I just listened to this yesterday (at the extreme persistence of obscure).  Very nice album.  I'll be coming back to it.

Do you mean Kamelot or Beyond The Bridge?

Kamelot. 

[kirksnosehair]

If you like "The Black Halo," then "Epica" should be on your short list since they are related albums and very close to the same quality.


Earlier albums are decent but don't quite rise to this level.

[kirksnosehair]

I also HIGHLY recommend the band "Serenity" if you dig Kamelot

[Lowdz]

Beyond The Bridge is very good. A bit too new for me to be a classic yet. It's quality though.

Kamelot. I loved Siege Perilous and Karma but the later albums seemed a bit too "serious" for me, and a bit samey. Not sure what the problem has been tbh, I just haven't connected with them in the same way as SP and Karma. The live dvd though was stunning.

[TAC]

I have still not been able to latch onto Kamelot. A surprising pick here for sure.

I have Serenity's Fallen Sanctuary and it is a great album. Don't have anything else by them though.

[Elite]

The Beyond the Bridge album is amazing, nice pick! One of my latest good discoveries (thanks to all the people hyping it on these forums, you know who you are! )

I still haven't heard The Black Halo (or anything by Kamelot for that matter), but references to Epica and Serenity make me happy. I guess I should check it out soon.

[kirksnosehair]

So, anyway, before I reveal the #1 album, here are some honorable mentions, in alphabetical order:




A.C.T - "Last Epic"
I always loved this band, but never really latched on to any of their other releases besides this one, which I consider to be their best.


Andromeda - "II=I"
One of the most underrated progmetal outfits out there. 


Crossroad - "Apple Pie"
Kind of a Spock's Beard clone that, as far as I know, has never made another album.  This one suffers from slightly weak production values and extremely heavily accented vocals, but it's still got some great prog on it.


Astra - "From Within"
There are a couple of bands out there with the name Astra.  This is the progmetal version and they're pretty killer, but as far as I know they only have this one release.


Ayreon - "Into The Electric Castle"
Alright, yeah, it's incredibly cheesy, but the music is worth the heavy dose of Gouda


Avantasia - "The Metal Opera I and II"
More cheesy goodness here.  The melodies and songs are what work best here, but also the variety of vocalists in the rock opera style is pretty cool as well.


Benedictum - "Uncreation"
A female fronted metal band with a vocalist who sounds more like Ronnie James Dio than Ronnie James Dio does.  Avoid the new album, it sounds like a 75lb bag of wombat ass, but this one is absolutely killer.


Twilight - "Section X"
Great progmetal for fans of.....progmetal 


Circus Maximus - "Isolate"
Still their best album, although I do enjoy all three of their efforts very much.  "Isolate" stands above the others, though.


DeeExpus - "King of Number 33"
Some pretty cool progmetal here, big on melody, not overly crazy on the chops but definitely very, very good players.


Din Within - "Awaken The Man"
Trust me on this one.  For fans of symphonic prog with great melodies and songwriting.


Dream Theater - (Tie) Images & Words / Metropolis Part II: Scenes From a Memory
Both brilliant albums that needed to be added to this honorable mention list.


Effloresce - "Coma Ghosts"
Kick-ass female fronted metal in the style of bands like Opeth.  Don't let the "female fronted" dissuade you, this band deserves your attention.


Flaming Row - "Elinoire"
The only thing holding this one back is the convoluted concept.  Otherwise, it's very, very similar to Beyond The Bridge, and that's a good thing!


Hourglass - "Oblivious To The Obvious"
Excellent and very eclectic progmetal for fans of Dream Theater style music. 


Kaipa - "Keyholder"
You like prog?  You like melody?  You like classic keyboards?  Male and female vocals?  Epic songs?


Karmakanic - "Wheel of Life"
Great progressive rock from Jonas Reingold's (bassist for The Flower Kings) band.  Smoking keyboard playing here and the songs are great.


Liquid Tension Experiment - "II"
The first album is pretty damned good too


Magic Pie - "The Suffering Joy"
You really need this album from this group of veteran Norwegian proggers.  High-quality progrock here.


Myrath - "Hope"
Young prog-metal group from Tunisia, this is their debut and still their best album, IMO


Presto Ballet - "The Lost Art of Time Travel"
They've got a bunch of albums that are all excellent.  Pick one.  I like this one, but they're all great.  Keyboard-driven symphonic prog, featuring a former member of Metal Church


Pyramid Theorem - S/T
Keep your eyes on these guys.  Killer, killer chops for days.  Dream Theater fans should gobble this right up.


Section A - "The Seventh Sign"
Excellent progmetal with a really, really outstanding vocalist.



Serenity - "Death and Legacy"
Really, really well-crafted symphonic power metal in a similar style/sound to Kamelot and certainly worthy of investigation.

Shadow Gallery - "Room V"
Their finest album, I think - for fans of Dream Theater


Silent Memorial - "Retrospective"
Another really good progmetal band, featuring the vocalist from Cloudscape.


Silent Voices - "Building Up The Apathy"
Not particularly crazy about the vocals with this band, but the music is stunning - progmetal leaning in a bit of a heavier/darker direction


Tomorrow's Eve - "Tales From Serpentia"
Dark, heavy, melodic progressive metal with clean vocals


Vanden Plas - "Seraphic Clockwork"
Their most mature work to date. 








#1 album coming next