A prog heavy update for everybody here!
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41. Symphony X - Paradise Lost (2007)
Here's an album I suppose many people on these forums will have heard, though it rarely shows up as a favourite Symphony X album. It used to be my favourite for a long time though and I included it as an honourable mention in the first incarnation of my top 50 list. This album has been played by me countless times, after an old friend of mine first directed me into the world of Symphony X. This was the first Symphony X album I ever heard, I think I heard it first in 2009, and I fell in love with everything about it. I was in a Dream Theater heavy phase back then and this band struck me as being a heavier alternative to Dream Theater's music, being very technical, fast and powerful, while still delivering an album's worth of awesome songs. Funnily, I always though the shorter tracks were the better ones on here, although the whole thing is pretty damn amazing from start to finish. My personal highlight would be the track 'Seven', for its extreme intensity and the magnificent chorus. Other highlights include the first proper track and the wonderful title track, a great ballad with some amazing vocal work. The guitars and vocals make the album for me, but its the fantastic progressive songwriting that puts everything together and makes it work. Although the band departed from their style on earlier albums and went into a ballsier, more in-your-face direction here, in my opinion it works great here and it makes this album a great listen. For sure a favourite among the progressive metal albums in my collection.
Favourite song: Seven
Other songs worth checking out: Paradise Lost, Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies), Eve of Seduction
40. Enochian Theory - Evolution: Creatio ex Nihilo (2009)
And here for something even more recent. Enochian Theory is a relatively new and pretty unique band, in the sense that they make modern progressive metal, but they only have three members. I have no idea how many people on these boards have heard (of) them, but I think they do have at least some kind of small following around these parts, we'll just see. I got into this band by accidentally stumbling upon the song 'The Fire Around the Lotus' on YouTube and liking that one a lot, I soon got the full album. And it delivered. The band's music could be categorised as atmospheric progressive metal, with some huge layers and walls of sound here and there. The lead singer has an amazingly large range and even growls here and there, but never drowns the music in it. The band employs a digital 'orchestra', called 'The Lost Orchestra', that gives the band an extra dimension. Of course, they could just hire a keyboard player instead, but the band went with programmed tracks, for whatever reason. The album really feels like a whole, as it goes through various mood changes, but never loses its pace. It actually gets gradually better towards the end, reaching its peak in 'The Fire Around the Lotus', a wonderful progressive mini-epic with a brilliant chorus. Other highlights include the three part song 'The Dimensionless Monologue' and the fantastic 'Waves of Ascension'. Fans of progressive metal should check this one out. It's fairly unique for its atmospheric qualities, yet remains pretty heavy and well thought out throughout.
Favourite song: The Fire Around the Lotus
Other songs worth checking out: Waves of Ascension, The Dimensionless Monologue, A Monument to the Death of an Idea
39. Spock's Beard - The Light (1995)
Everyone who has followed my recent activity would know that I have completely immersed myself in the music of Spock's Beard for the past year. This is actually the first of quite some Spock's Beard albums to come and the main reason for including it here lies in the title-track, a song that quickly became my favourite Spock's Beard song (read back through the Spock's Beard Top 30 I did recently to find out why) and a favourite song overall. This album contains only 4 tracks, 2 of which clock in over 10 minutes ('The Light' and 'Go The Way You Go') and one, 'The Water', clocks in at 22 minutes. Definitely a progressive rock record! All four tracks have become favourites in the Spock's Beard fanbase and it's not really difficult to see why; they're just so good! The album starts with the title track, of which I don't think I need to repeat my love for it. The second track, 'Go the Way You Go' is a bit more mellow, yet very proggy at the same time. 'The Water' then is to this day one of the band's longest songs, but it remains interesting throughout and contains one of the band's most spoken of sections (the infamous 'Fuck You'-section) and the album ends with the shortest song, a rocking tune called 'On The Edge', which paves the way for many Spock's Beard short songs to come later in their career. Overall, 'The Light' is a very solid record and one of my favourites from the Beard, not just because it contains my favourite, but because it's so very consistent throughout. A great debut album and a very good way to start of a remarkable career for one of today's best progressive rock bands out there.
Favourite song: The Light
Other songs worth checking out: The other three tracks
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More to come soon, thanks for checking in
Topic: Elite's top 50 albums! v2: The Big Finish (Top 3!) (Read 24785 times)
