Jingle.boy's Top 50v2 - Stick a fork in this .... It's done!

[wolfking]

Love both those albums.  And of course, Threshold is magic.  Still need to check Roswell Six.

[jingle.boy]

Guess there really was no demand for this to be restarted.  Oh well... on with the show.

18) Blessed By A Broken Heart – Feel The Power (2012)


Tracks to try ... Shut Up and Rock, Scream it Like You Mean It, Rockin All Night
Much thanks to my fellow Canuck for dropping this bomb on me in round 1 of my roulette last spring.  Whoever wrote the wiki page for these guys describes them as “metalcore”... seemingly violating my introductory rule of no music from a genre requiring the words “post” or “core” to describe it.  Maybe I’ve misjudged what metal “core” is?  *goes and investigates*.  Nope.  Looking at some of the bands that are classified as “metalcore” (Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Dillinger Escape Plan), it’s definitely not my cup of tea.  Perhaps earlier releases by the band were in the ‘core’ category, but in my opinion, this album is glam metal on some kind of performance enhancing substance.  I had no idea bands still made this kind of music.  I don’t think there’s anything even remotely close to it on this list.  Cheesy, shallow and superficial lyrics (just look at the names of the tracks I suggest); fast, catchy, and heavy guitar riffs; grunts and growls in moderation that I can tolerate; a pounding – if unspectacular – rhythm section that doesn’t know the meaning of single-bass-kick, and background keys that add that touch of flavour like a splash of cayenne in your favorite dinner dish. There’s also a boat load of speed solos, and wildly flashy guitar licks and filler runs all over the place, darting in and out like a kitten chasing a laser pen.   Shit, there’s even the obligatory power ballad in I’ve Got You.  12 tracks packed into 49 minutes of what is for me a glam metal orgy.

17) Threshold – March of Progress (2012)


Tracks to try ... The Hours, Ashes, Staring at the Sun
I used to think that Extinct Instinct was the best Threshold album with Damian Wilson, that was up until August 28th of last year when March of Progress was released.  This is the most recently released album on my list, and man almost worth the 5 year wait the band made us endure (I say almost, because really... who wants to wait 5 years for anything).  I did a full review at LadyObscure.com (https://www.ladyobscure.com/albums/threshold-march-of-progress/), and will plagiarize from myself.  March of Progress is (to me) the most ‘progressive’ of Threshold’s albums, with the constant changes (time, pace, key, style) between, and within, the 10 tracks (11 on the limited edition). This is an album that is as diverse as it is heavy (seems to be a recurring theme on this list, eh?). Looking for a ballad? You’re not going to find one here. Closest thing you’ll get is the slower paced That’s Why We Came. Hardcore guitar riffs, powerful rhythms, along with the sweet keyboards filling out the sound… that’s what you’re going to find from start to finish.  Ashes - The staccato nature of the main riff grabs a hold of you, forcing you to take notice of their return. The first 45 seconds or so is like a slap in the face that says “PAY ATTENTION!”.　 As good as that is though, I love, love, LOVE the chorus.  To me, it feels like it just wraps itself around you and gives you a nice long overdue and passionate embrace -- like two friends that have been separated for 5 years … As if the band is saying “sorry I was gone for so long. It’s nice to be back. I missed you so much”.  Colophon - what a killer bass intro and recurring melody!  Wilson’s vocals carry an echoing, almost haunting effect throughout the song.  The Hours - it feels like the melody has me slowing stepping down a stairwell, like a passage to something cool, dark, foreboding, yet thrilling … almost exhilarating. However, the lyrics tell a more desperate, desolate and isolating tale.  Regardless, this tune keeps calling to me. 
Instrumentally, the 5-piece band demonstrates some impressive skills and proficiency, but there is also a level of musical maturity to the compositions that can (and should) be expected by a 20 year-old band.  They’re not just blatantly showing off like I’ve heard many prog/prog-metal bands do these days (sometimes, being overly technical just because you can doesn’t mean it sounds good). The drum work throughout is stellar. Never stealing the spotlight, but doing a helluva lot more than just keeping the beat -- just what you’d expect from the guy that is a four-time “Best Drummer” from the Classic Rock Society. Powerful guitar riffage is always present -- something Threshold has always delivered throughout their discography. Most songs carry an in-your-face riff, with a second more subtle guitar element (dropping a lick here, or a run there) which perfectly complements the main guitar melody.  March of Progress cements Threshold as one of the -- if not THE -- best European progressive METAL acts in the world today.

Related Honorable Mention: Extinct Instinct.  See comments above.  This one was on the list, but got bumped in favor of MoP

[adace]

March of Progress

[lonestar]

Agreed, March of Progress is a fucking kick ass album.


I was spinning it in the kitchen, and had a few of the normie music folks raise an eyebrow and go "who the hell is that?" in an appreciating manner, that shit has universal appeal in my eyes.

[Orthogonal]

MoP will get lots of love and deservedly so. One of the gems of 2012. Better late than never, but I'm sad I didn't find out about these guys sooner.

[wolfking]

Feel the Power was THE best album of 2012.  Everyone should check it out.

MOP is awesome too. 

[jingle.boy]

Feel the Power was THE best album of 2012.  Everyone should check it out.

MOP is awesome too. 

Not quite.  Top 5, but there's still a couple more from 2012 to come.  2012 was a fantastic year for music, and 2013 is shaping up to be even better!

[Lowdz]

Two great albums there.

Glad I took a chance on the BBABH album after a non-committal review on Melodicrock.com, was worth it.

[jingle.boy]

This would be appropriate for the controversial thread, but it's my list, so I'm gonna say it...

Threshold MoP > Metallica MoP

:dealwithit:

[wolfking]

Two great albums there.

Glad I took a chance on the BBABH album after a non-committal review on Melodicrock.com, was worth it.

Yeah, thanks again for recommeding them in the aor thread.  Didn't like their image at first but once I heard what they are capable of, I was hooked.

[Lowdz]

Two great albums there.

Glad I took a chance on the BBABH album after a non-committal review on Melodicrock.com, was worth it.

Yeah, thanks again for recommeding them in the aor thread.  Didn't like their image at first but once I heard what they are capable of, I was hooked.

The guitar solos 

[wolfking]

One of the most exciting parts, and the length of them too, which is hard to find these days.  The amount of soloing in Innocent Blood and Sleepless Nights just makes my mouth water, and it's never overdone.

[jingle.boy]

16) Symphony X – The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1997)


Tracks to try ... The Accolade, Of Sins and Shadows, The Divine Wings of Tragedy
This album reminds me a lot of Seinfeld.  WTF you say?  Well, Season 1 of Seinfeld was mediocre at best, and bland at worst.  It’s amazing they got renewed.  Parallel that to Symphony X’s self-titled debut.  Season 2 of Seinfeld was an improvement, but still nothing terribly special.  Ditto for Damnation Game.  Then along comes Season 3/The Divine Wings of Tragedy.  Brilliance achieved.  They definitely take it up a notch on the metal side of things here, and Russell’s voice just fits like a glove this time around, and he comes into his own as a lyricist.  There are amazing duelling solos and unisons (between Pinella/Keys and Romeo/Guitar).  They drop two massive bombs on us with this album, starting with the nearly 10 minute “The Accolade”.  In and of itself, this track would put the band in the prog-metal heavyweight division.  Then comes along the 7-part title track is their first foray into truly “epic” territory, and they nailed it.  While it was impossible to know what trajectory the band would take after just their third album, knowing what we know now, this was the album that put them on the path to becoming giants in the world of prog-metal.  Still an amazing shame that they aren’t more successful (financially) to sustain themselves with just Symphony X... but then I suppose we wouldn’t get their brilliant contributions to numerous side projects (more on that still to come).  My only beef with this is the final track, Candlelight Fantasia.  There’s nothing noticeably wrong with it, but after the sheer awesomeness that is the title track, they should’ve left us on that high.  It’s like an awesome marathon lay, and then all she wants to do is talk-talk-talk, blah-blah-blah.  Just let me doze off already!  (only somewhat serious)

15) Redemption – The Fullness of Time (2005)


Tracks to try ... Threads, Parker’s Eyes, Rage
I’d listened to their self-titled debut a number of years ago, and thought it was 10 pounds of ‘meh’ in a 5 pound bag (Rick Mythiasin’s vocals are painful).  So when they were part of the opening acts on the Chaos in Motion Tour, I really wasn’t paying much attention to them - even with Adler as the vocalist, as I wasn’t really a fan of Fates Warning.  I forget how I came to grab The Fullness of Time, but on a plane ride home from Phoenix last year, I for some (thankful) goddamn reason decided to play this one, and it (along with Redemption as a whole) finally clicked with me.  I’m still not a huge fan of Adler’s voice, but it’s good enough, and at least no longer a deterrent from enjoying them (I think my issue is that he doesn’t have a huge range, and it sometimes sounds like he doesn’t know whether he’s singing or talking).  Right into the first minute of the opening track (Threads), this was scratching me right where I itched.  On to Parker’s Eyes, an incredibly moving and emotional – yet still metal – story of Nick’s daughter’s condition.  This is also the album that brought in Chris Quirarte on drums – and is the third distinct entry on this list featuring him (Prymary and Roswell Six) -  and he does not disappoint.  Sure, Portnoy and Johanne James (Threshold) can be lavished with award after award, but this guy slays on the skins. 

Related Honorable Mention: The Origins of Ruin.  I had bit of a tough time deciding which one was going to actually make the list, but in the end, TFoT suite and Threads tipped the scales.

[Scorpion]

Two awesome albums, though neither are my favourites from their respective bands.

Although, Damnation Game is amazing. I don't know what you're smoking.

[Perpetual Change]

Yeah, I've never really enjoyed Candlelight Fantasia much.

[Zydar]

Although, Damnation Game is amazing. I don't know what you're smoking.

This.

The Damnation Game and The Divine Wings Of Tragedy are their two best albums IMHO.

[jjrock88]

Huge fan of Damnation Game; that was my first SX disc.  But major kudos for using a Seinfeld analogy regardless

[Lowdz]

Great SX album.
I only have one Redemption album (This Mortal Coil) and I couldn't tell you much about it... will have to have another listen.

[wolfking]

Two absolute monster bands right there.  I prefer Origins though.

[Orthogonal]

DWOT is way too low on this list, but I'm glad it's here. Easily my favorite Sym X album and even on of my favorite of all time.

Fullness of Time has been a grower for me. Thought it was just ok at first, but now think it's good, but not great. Much prefer Snowfall.

[Ruba]

Divine Wings is good, though not exactly my cup of tea.

[aprilethereal]

I just listened to the New Mythology Suite once again. I should probably get DWOT as well.

[jingle.boy]

14) Transatlantic – Bridge Across Forever (2001)


Tracks to try ... Duel with the Devil
How do you know you’re prog?  When you have an album with four songs.... and one of them is 5½ minutes.  This album was the first DT side project I ever checked out (not sure why this one over SMPTe), blissfully unaware that the members were more than just DT.  I guess when you have that much talent oozing out of you, there has to be more than one outlet.  Stolt, Morse, Portnoy and Trewevas seem like a hodge-podge of a combination, but as history has shown, they make musical magic.  I definitely hear the Morse/Spock’s Beard influence in the music, but not being a massive fan of Marillion or The Flower Kings, I couldn’t tell you if the sounds from those bands come thru or not.  Duel With the Devil is 26+ minutes of awesome, and goes by without even realizing that almost half an hour has passed... and it’s a fantastic way to spend 26 minutes of your life.  Suite Charlotte Pike has some of the more jazzy and funky passages on the album, countered by the beautiful piano-only ballad, Bridge Across Forever.  Wrap it up with another half-hour long beast that provides the heavier parts of the album before mellowing the fuck out, and badda-bing badda-boom... instant recipe for a prog-rock classic.  I’ll give the edge to Duel, because of the 90 second gap leading to 2 minutes of jamming/Big Ben at the end of Stranger, that contributes nothing.

13) Spock’s Beard – Snow (2002)


Tracks to try ... Devil’s Got My Throat, Ladies And Gentlemen Mister Ryo Okumoto On The Keyboards, Carie
Nick, go away.  You’re opinion at this moment is irrelevant (and you’re probably raging especially hard since I have this ahead of BAF!).  Go.  Shoo.  Now that he’s gone, what’s better than a great concept album?  Well, a blowjob obviously, but failing that... A great double disc concept album!  I’m not really sure why there’s hate for the 2nd disc, but for me, this one start-to-finish is about as good a prog (non metal) concept as there is.  Sadly, this was Neal’s swan song with SB, but fortunately, both have continued on with very positive results.  Hopefully the same can be said for the Ted Leonard voiced edition of SB (edit... I wrote this initially quite a few months ago... clearly the same can be said!).
Snow is about a 17-year old albino with unnatural, mighty powers - able to “heal” people - and other unexplained powers of a more mystical and spiritual nature. On the first disc, he goes to New York, befriends the Harlem Knight, starts an organization called “The Touch That Heals”,  and starts converting/healing the dregs of society. Everything seems to be perfect as he becomes famous, but on the second disc he falls in love with a girl who hates him, and who’s rejection causes him to fall in a deep depression.  He is eventually “saved” by his friends (all the junkies and hookers that he had previously saved), and struts off into the sunset.
Neal really plays up the keys on this album, letting Ryo loose, and I love all of those Hammond and moog moments.  Neal’s religious tendencies shine through here, but not in the obvious in-your-face way his solo stuff is.  Given the road he was about to put himself on musically, it didn’t jive with the direction of the band, hence the understandable departure.  Is there filler here?  Sure, but in my opinion, it all serves a purpose.  The range of musical styling’s runs the gambit here... instrumentals, heavy pounding rhythms, ballads, blues, jazz, poppy, melodic.  Nothing (that I enjoy) is missed.  No growlies, and that’s a plus!

[Pols Voice]

BAF is my favorite album of all time, and Snow is also amazing.

[Elite]

Yes, Bridge Across Forever is brilliant!
Snow, while very good, is one of my lesser favourite Spock's Beard albums.

[Dr. DTVT]

BAF is an absolute classic, but like fake Rich I too put Snow in the lower tiers of SB.  Too much filler; a tighter package might have allowed Snow to be a top 5 SB album.

[Orthogonal]

Snow happens to be my only SB album. Enjoying it so far, probably going to begin picking up the rest of their catalog. Needs some more spins before I can give it a fair shake.

[jingle.boy]

12) Toby Hitchcock – Mercury’s Down (2011)

 
Tracks to try ... This is the Moment, Mercury’s Down, Summer Nights in Cabo
It all started with a new thread started by a very trusted and respected member, who’s depth in musical tastes and diversity is virtually unparalleled here at DTF – hell, RJ even fapped to his CD collection once.  A little over a year ago, our resident Melodic/AOR ‘master’, wolfking (although Lowdz, jj, and/or TAC might stake a claim as well) started the thread on that genre, leading off with this album.  Here’s a clear example where it’s a bad idea to judge the proverbial book by its cover; or in this case, the album by the name of the artist. Initially, I foolishly dismissed it because “Toby Hitchcock” just didn’t jump out at me the way things like “Symphony-X”, or “Avantasia” did. When I finally did listen to this album, I couldn’t stop listening to it. What a fantastic melodic rock album Hitchcock has put together here. If I had to pick one word to describe Hitchcock’s voice, it would have to be PURE. He’s got incredible range and control, grabbing your listening attention, and never letting go. Combining Hitchcock’s vocal prowess with Swedish songwriter and producer Erik Martensson (W.E.T, Eclipse) has given the melodic genre an absolute gem. The lead track – This is the Moment – starts with a little acoustic intro before Hitchcock rips out a scream worthy of such legendary screams from Brad Delp or Steve Perry. The album then continues to move back and forth from a soft and calm feel, to an upbeat pace that just gets your adrenaline flowing. The lead track is an inspiring song that leaves this listener feeling like anything is possible, and now is the time to do that ‘anything’.  This discovery in late 2011 reinvigorated my love of what we used to call “glam” or “hair” metal, and set me off on an incredible journey of discovery, finding a shit-load of new bands (many already mentioned, and more to be named momentarily).
 
11) Affector – Harmagedon (2012)

 
Tracks to try ... Harmagedon, New Jerusalem
I’ll start this one off by saying what I said all throughout 2012... this is the best album of 2012 featuring Neal Morse and a former Dream Theater member.  Yes folks, this one is better than Flying Colors.  It’s my list, so go make your own list should you disagree (but I know I’ll hear it anyway).  Affector is a progressive rock/metal band founded by German guitar player Daniel Fries and Dutch drummer Collin Leijenaar (Neal Morse/Dilemma). Bass player Mike LePond (Symphony X) and vocalist Ted Leonard (Spock's Beard/Enchant/Thought Chamber) joined when they started working on this, the debut CD (and man-oh-man I hope there’s more to come). The best part of this album is the four special guests on keyboards: Alex Argento, Neal Morse, Jordan Rudess, and Derek Sherinian. 
Harmagedon is a concept album and fuses dark apocalyptic scenery with themes of hope and light and features heavy riffs and fast solos, but also has lighter and more fragile moments where the soulful singing of Ted Leonard opens a wide spectrum of vocal harmonies. The lyrical concept is about the Biblical Apocalypse, or end of times (ironic with the 2012 release ..oooohhh nuggetz). Harmagedon consists mainly out of parts of Biblical text put to music.  The biblical theme’s in the lyrics are not overly prominent, but undeniable recognizable.  It’s by no means a religious album, just based on those stories in the bible around the end of the world – so don’t get all ornery when you hear the lyrics of “salvation”, “God”, “glory” and “halleluiah”. The album starts with a great 2-part opening instrumental overture, then runs through the next 6 tracks catering mainly to the progressive tastes of this listener, stepping on the edge of metal, but never fully diving into full head-bang mode for too long.  Lots of musical themes and melodies get reused, and some may find it repetitive, but for me they are so damn good it doesn’t matter how often they are used. 

[Big Hath]

Harmagedon is spectacular

[wolfking]

Thanks for the mention Chad, that album truly is one of the greatest melodic rock albums of all time and is THE album of 2011.  I still love it just as much today as I did when it was released.

Harmagedon was great but the biblical references were a little too strong for me.

[jingle.boy]

Yeah, I hear ya there on Harmagedon Kade. For me, the music was too damned good, and looking at it from the perspective that every song was abut the end of the world first, and biblical references second, helped me get past it.

[wolfking]

Yeah, the music is incredible, I still really enjoyed it.

I must say Chad, I feel proud that I am somewhat responsible for a bit of an AOR rebirth in you.  That album is something special.

[jingle.boy]

Yeah, the music is incredible, I still really enjoyed it.

I must say Chad, I feel proud that I am somewhat responsible for a bit of an AOR rebirth in you.  That album is something special.

Dude, you only know the tip of the iceberg

[wolfking]

 

[Lowdz]

Thanks for the mention Chad, that album truly is one of the greatest melodic rock albums of all time and is THE album of 2011.  I still love it just as much today as I did when it was released.

Harmagedon was great but the biblical references were a little too strong for me.

You're not a Stryper fan then Wolfie? 

I've not heard that album so will give it a listen when I have the time.

Still not really given the TH album much of a go either.

Edit- Listened to Affector on Spotify- I like it. I often like the prog metal bands but very few have staying power. We'll see how they do.