UPDATE TIME!
Next three, two better known ones and one album I expect nobody to have heard.
47. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005)
We're getting in some probably familiar territory here with the band Nevermore. Known mainly for their guitarist Jeff Loomis, who is pretty widely considered as one of the best modern metal guitarists out their nowadays, This Godless Endeavor was the band's penultimate album before they unfortunately went into an indefinite hiatus in 2011. Nevermore (the name comes from the famous poem by Edgar Allen Poe) draw heavily on elements from progressive metal and thrash metal and blend them into some of the heaviest modern thrash metal, but still containing progressive elements. Although their album 'Dead Heart in a Dead World' is usually considered the band's best, it is my personal opinion that they completely upped their game on this particular album, be it through better production, more concise songwriting and an overall product that feels more cohesive and consistent throughout. Like I said, this album is pretty heavy and remains heavy throughout, but where some of their earlier albums eventually became a chore to sit through, due to the constant onslaught of heaviness and speed, on This Godless Endeavor the band actually takes a step back on some of the songs, so that the overall album is relatively easy to sit through. Nevertheless, this is not an album I'll listen to regularly. In fact, it might have been a couple of years since I last heard this album in full. Nevermore used to be a band I listened to very regularly, but they grew old when I discovered new stuff. I did however want to include them here, because they served as a gateway into music I listen to now and they used to be a big part of my music listening. Some highlights here include the album opener, 'Born', a very heavy track based on some non-linear songwriting and the album closer, the title track, which is a mini-epic in its own right. As you would expect from an album containing one of the best metal guitarists out there, the guitar work is absolutely phenomenal and it truly stands out. If you want some good and heavy progressive metal, I would still recommend this band to anyone interested.
Favourite song: Born
Other songs worth checking out: This Godless Endeavor, Sentient 6, Sell My Heart for Stones
46. Oceansize - Effloresce (2003)
After Zantera sent me the song 'Massive Bereavement' in my roulette, I went on to check out Oceansize's other stuff, having wanted to have done that a long time before. I am by no means an expert on the band, so for more information on them, please go to Zantera, but this band blends stuff from post-rock and art-rock into something which I find very hard to categorise into a certain genre. Effloresce is their first album, but it doesn't show any signs of the band not knowing what they're doing. They have a very distinct style, whatever it is, and from listening to this album, compared to their other releases, you can't really tell that this is a debut album. In fact, from what I've heard, this is my favourite Oceansize album. The biggest complaint you could have here is that's it's long, clocking in at over 70 minutes and if you're not a fan of longer songs, this album also isn't for you, with the majority of the tracks running at above-average lengths. The track sent in my roulette, 'Massive Bereavement' still remains my favourite, for its epic buildup and momentum, but the album also conatins some other gems like the heavy 'Catalyst' or the relatively soft, more post-rockish album closer 'Long Forgotten'. Oceansize is by all means a very interest band to check out if you want to broaden your horizon or if you just want to hear something different and Effloresce would be a great place to start. Great album.
Favourite song: Massive Bereavement
Other songs worth checking out: Saturday Morning Breakfast Show, Long Forgotten, Catalyst
45. Boudewijn de Groot - Voor de Overlevenden (1966)
And here's an album I suppose nobody (except *maybe* some of the Dutchies) has heard. Boudewijn de Groot is a Dutch musician who has frequently been compared to Bob Dylan (and even hailed as *the* Dutch Bob Dylan), most notably for his sarcastic song directed towards president Johnson, titled 'Welterusten, mijnheer de President' (Goodnight mister President), a protest song, in which de Groot speaks heavily against the Vietnam War. The song featured on his first, self-titled album. 'Voor de Overlevenden' (For the Survivors) is his second album and I think that being (half-) Dutch myself, I should at least acknowledge some of my homeland's music (granted, I had Ayreon's The Human Equation at #13 on my previous list) and there's no other album sung in Dutch that can take the cake of the best Dutch album, in my opinion. I realise fully that this is an unconventional and maybe even controversial choice, but I can't help but find this album very good and I can relate to pretty much everything de Groot says on here. The lyrics are written by lifelong friend Lennaert Nijgh, but the music is all de Groot's. Boudewijn de Groot was a student himself when he wrote the music on this album and the lyrics do not speak of any protest whatsoever, but deal with growing up, living in an ever-changing world and finding yourself in a non-existent ideal world. They speak of subjects integral to student life in the Netherlands, even nowadays, almost 50 years after its initial release. And that's something to be proud of! Yet, this album is being ignored largely nowadays. In fact, I don't think a lot of Dutch people will have even heard of this album, save maybe some of the better known songs. What makes this album good primarily are the lyrics and the way the music carries them, so in a sense this write-up is completely useless to the majority of people here. Of special notice is my favourite Boudewijn de Groot song, 'Testament', in which he speaks of writing down his will. But instead of leaving actual physical objects, he leaves everybody who has been important in his life an ability he has learned or his memories. There's not really a way to describe it, so here's a translation of the lyrics. I hope that helps:
BOUDEWIJN DE GROOT - TESTAMENT (Translation)
After twenty-two years in this life
I write the testament of my youth
Not that I have money or valuables to present
I never succeeded in being a smart guy
But I still have some great ideals
well done, old fashioned though.
Who wants them may go and get them
Especially young people still like them.
To my little brother that who wants to study
I'm happy to leave the address of my pub,
where I drank too much to impress a woman
followed by the punches I asked for
and then I have a few girlfriends
well educated and very clever
therefore you can't start anything with them
but perhaps someone may get them down
For my nephew are my unfulfilled dreams
a little childish, but oh so deep.
I was always one of those people
missing out on luck
To my friends I wish to leave
the talent to fall in love with a lady's smile.
Unfortunately they cheated once too often on me
but it's allowed for anybody to try
My girlfriend I leave to you all the nights
I shed tears for your lack of faithfullness
But remember I will wait in patience
till I laugh because they'll betray you too.
And the teacher who predicted
'boy, things will end badly with you'
can be satisfied and doesn't need to get lost anymore,
which means he was right after all
For my parents is the album with the pictures
that falsely show a happy youth.
But they don't show the same empty phrases
raising a child in virtue and honor
On top of this I return the foolish stuff
they taught me too much in those days.
After all they can't force me
to grow up with no remorse nor regret.
And then I have some good friends
but they received enough from me.
So I don't envy what they deserved,
All the drinks they stole from me.
Nothing else, there are just some things
to keep because no one wants them,
The beautiful memories when I was young,
you carry with you all life long.
And that translation pretty much sucks, but yeah. That's my favourite Dutch song right here. I suppose I can't get anyone to listen to this album, but just remember this (and that's the beauty of language); some things just can't be translated or told. This album just speaks to me in a very profound way, one that nobody else but me could understand and I'll just leave it at that.
(Translations of song titles in parentheses)
Favourite song: Testament ('Will' or 'Testament')
Other songs worth checking out: Verdronken Vlinder ('Drowned Butterfly'), Lied Voor Een Kind Dat Bang Is In Het Donker ('Song For a Child Who's Afraid of the Dark'), Het Land Van Maas en Waal ('Land of Maas and Waal' (two major rivers flowing through the Netherlands))
Topic: Elite's top 50 albums! v2: The Big Finish (Top 3!) (Read 24750 times)
