Dark Castle's Top 50 V1.5(Return of the Booty Shorts) #19, 11 have NSFW Covers

[Zantera]

I expect Grimes to be on the list. I know I'm not the only one who loves her, and Visions. 

[Dark Castle]

I expect Grimes to be on the list. I know I'm not the only one who loves her, and Visions. 

We'll see 

[Dark Castle]

9. Dream Theater - Images & Words (1992)


The best Progressive Metal album of all time, Dream Theater leave their mark of majesty at 9, and it's a well deserved placing, as not only did Dream Theater open me up to so much more musically but they've stood the test of time with most of their albums and Images & Words is timeless. My first taste of Dream Theater was actually Black Clouds, and I'd go around the hotel grounds that I worked at picking up garbage and jamming BC&SL, enjoying my work. And that's when one of my friends introduced me to a new friend, and he was a pretty large DT fan. Over the months we became a tight knit group of three, transcending into the territory of BFFs and such, and our new friend started showing us more Dream Theater. Pull Me Under started off and we had a collective orgasm following, and the entire album just wowed. Over the months we'd sing along, wailing along to PULLLLL ME UNDER, PULLLLL ME UNDER I'M NOT AFRAID, and HOLD ON, WAIT A MINUTE, JUST LET ME CATCH MY BREATH, and so on. The album not only contains my favorite DT songs, it holds a shit ton of personal memories that not only include driving around town at 2 AM aimlessly, but also 10 hour road trips to Chicago, or 5 hour road trips to Minneapolis/St. Paul and is just amazingly fantastic in every single way. I don't need to go into the music because you all know already how amazing it is.

Favorite Tracks: Pull Me Under, Another Day, Take The Time, Surrounded, Metropolis Pt. 1, Under A Glass Moon, Wait For Sleep, Learning To Live

[nicmos]

But which are your favorite favorite tracks? 

[Dark Castle]

YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHOOSE.

[Ultimetalhead]

I think Tommy's harsh vocals fit BTBAM like a glove. Wouldn't have it any other way.

[Obfuscation]

Great last 2 picks and won't hear anything from praise about them from me.

I think Tommy's harsh vocals fit BTBAM like a glove. Wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm a huge BtBaM fan(obviously)and a huge fan of Tommy's vocals(both clean and harsh), but I feel like in this album that his harsh vocals sometimes were the weakest part of the album even though I wouldn't change them either.

[Dark Castle]

8. Enslaved - Riitiir (2012)


A band that not only consistently release great album after great album, but also continue to improve despite having such a discography, Enslaved stole my heart when I first heard them through 'Axioma Ethica Odini', wowing me with that blend of black metal and progressiveness that's not seen really anywhere else. In Enslaved fashion Riitiir blew open the doors, somehow improving on what was already a masterpiece in my book and then pumping it full of steroids. Enslaved also are ingrained in my mind through their wonderful live performance my friend and I were lucky enough to make it to despite a snow storm rolling in. It was a fantastic night where they played songs from all over their discography, but played many songs from Riitiir, including "Roots Of the Mountain" which would get some serious consideration for Best Song Ever from me. If you like Enslaved, you know what you're getting out of it, but for those who haven't, if you can handle harsh vocals, you'll find this to be one of the best releases in recent years, and I don't say that lightly, knowing full well how great the past few years have been for metal.

Favorite Tracks: Thoughts Like Hammers, Veilburner, Roots Of the Mountain, Storm of Memories

[aprilethereal]

I only have Vertebrae and don't really like it that much, but I'll check out the songs you recommended

[senecadawg2]

I've been meaning to check them out for a while.

[WindMaster]

RIITIIR is really awesome, and anyone who has yet to listen to it needs to check it out!. Great pick.

[Dark Castle]

7. Baroness - Yellow & Green (2012)


Gone are the days of the Red Album, at least in the way of bellowing from John Baizley, but it's okay, because Baroness never required them, it was just a nice little touch, but now we get to hear more of John Baizley's singing voice, which is just as nice of a touch. I waited for this album from the day I pre-ordered it in April, to the day it came out in July, like a little kid staring at the mailbox waiting for his prize from all the cereal he had to eat. This double album is incredibly beautiful, and shows off two sides of Baroness. Yellow was more what you'd expect from Baroness, and even then improved upon their unique sound, whereas Green was more experimental, more majestic, showing off almost a melancholy side of Baroness that was just as stunningly gorgeous. Baroness has always been a band that I turn to when deep in thought about life, although that's most certainly not the only time I listen to them. I've spent many days driving to and from class listening to Green as I drive past fields of amber grain, watching the wind blow through, giving life to the fields, and it just fits together very nicely and put my mind in a better place than where it usually was at that time. And Yellow has accompanied me on many drives to the beach, giving the vast amounts of water and life around me a new sense of being.
So to sum that all up, it's an album that leads me to better avenues of thinking, and is beautiful x2.

Favorite Tracks: Yellow Album: Take My Bones Away, March To The Sea, Twinkler, Back Where I Belong, Sea Lungs, Eula Green Album: Green Theme, Board Up the House, Mtns.(The Crown & Anchor), Psalms Alive, Stretchmarker, If I Forget Thee Lowcountry

[aprilethereal]

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Love Yellow and Green. Really what drew me to Baroness in the first place though is how fantastic Baizley's art is.

[Ruba]

Another NSFW cover (like someone would mind if there are tits )!

[Dark Castle]

Another NSFW cover (like someone would mind if there are tits )!

Ehh, boobs are artistically covered, unlike some of his others,

[Dr. DTVT]

The top 10 have been all been great albums so far.

Also, this is the first time I realized that the Green and Yellow album covers were part of the same piece of art.  To use your term, radular.

[WindMaster]

Incredible album, and yeah the top 10 has been phenomenal so far!

[Orthogonal]

Baroness is on my radar, I really need to check it out. I think Yellow & Green will by my entry point.

[Dark Castle]

6. Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A (2007)


Gary Holt is by far my favorite riffmaker in Thrash Metal, but unfortunately, Exodus never had a vocalist that really fit, or gave the music justice. You first had Paul Baloff, who was alright, but was comical, and then you had Zetro, who got the boot from Testament, and brought his nasal mess over to Exodus. Now I enjoy those earlier albums, you're nuts if you can say The Fabulous Disaster was a bad album, but I just don't care for the vocals. And that's where Rob Dukes comes in. His visceral howls are incredibly intense, and they fit Gary's riffage and Tom Hunting's drumming like a glove, and transformed the band into a Thrash/Death Metal monster. Shovel Headed Killing Machine almost got the nod, due to "Deathamphetamine" being the best song they've ever written and also in the running for best song ever, but overall Exhibit A is the better album, and has multiple songs that come close to the level that "Deathamphetamine" reaches. I discovered these guys after I'd gotten into harsher vocals through Children of Bodom, I'd go through Youtube listening to related videos to what I was listening to, and I eventually found "Children Of A Worthless God" and was absolutely floored. Pretty much immediately after that, I grabbed my keys, and my jacket, went to F.Y.E. and got myself a copy of Exhibit A, went home, popped it in my stereo, and was completely amazed for the next hour. Over time, this album has become one of my friends and I favorite album, and it's well deserved. The riffage is nasty, vile and never lets up, add on Tom Huntings incredible drumming(I think he's one of the most overlooked drummers in metal), the fantastic bass from Jack Gibson, and finally the behemoth howls of Rob Dukes, and you've got a bonafide classic right here.

Favorite Tracks: Riot Act, Funeral Hymn, Children Of A Worthless God, The Atrocity Exhibition, Iconoclasm

[Ultimetalhead]

This is an interesting choice. I personally found Exhibit A to be one of their weaker albums (although Children of a Worthless God is absolutely killer), but they made up with Exhibit B.

[Dark Castle]

The only thing I could possibly say bad about this album is that Gary gets a little lengthy with the solos, but I enjoy them so it doesn't bug me one bit.
That and Children Of A Worthless God isn't even the best track, so I just love this album 

EDIT: That and the banjo version of Bonded By Blood at the end of Bedlam is just amazing 

[adace]

Riitiir is absolutely phenomenal, probably my favorite Enslaved album.

Yellow & Green is very good, but it's my least favorite Baroness record.

I haven't listened to Exhibit A very much, but I remember it being a pretty good album. I'll have to give it some more spins.

[Dark Castle]

5. Dark Castle - Surrender To All Life Beyond Form (2011)


HERE IT IS, MY NAME SAKE, the album that I reviewed when I first got here and you all thought I was just the band putting up a self review  Well I can still say with certainty and a touch of sadness that I am not in fact Stevie Floyd, but I can say that this album is still one of the best things I've ever heard. Raw emotion rolls in like a tidal wave, clashing against the ear's shorelines, guitars weaving between semi-hypnotic patterns and blitzkrieg distorted assault. Rob Schaffer knows exactly what's needed for drumming every single moment on this album and flawlessly transitions. I first saw this album in Decibel Magazine, and absolutely loved the artwork(which Stevie Floyd does herself, along with being a tattoo artist) and so it was, I went down to the local record store, ordered it, and had it at the end of the week. Floored is the only to describe me. It is what it is, and it's an extremely raw psychedelia black metal record, and it ebbs and flows, displaying an amazing range of emotion. I don't play this album as much, and if I do it's either on a stormy day or before bed, but it's an album I cherish, it opened up my mind, with it's raw beauty and colossal sound.

Favorite Tracks: Surrender To All Life Beyond Form, Stare Into Absence, Seeing Through Time, Spirit Ritual, To Hide Is To Die, I Hear Wind, Learning To Unlearn

[Dark Castle]

4. Devin Townsend Project - Epicloud (2012)


Devin Townsend's music has had such a positive impact on my life, there's so many different sounds that he's explored, it's impossible not to find an album for any mood, but there's one album of his that is good for any mood, and it's this album right here. A friend and I got to see Devin Townsend a few days before the album actually came out, and I totally bought a copy at the show, and it was a very magical night. If Baroness wasn't in my stereo on the way to and back from school, this album was, this album was my happy place and sanctuary from all the crap going on in school and personal life. Songs like Save Our Now and Grace broke me down, and just brought the biggest of smiles to my face, and I can't even fully describe what it was like experiencing songs from the album live, it was completely amazing, the entire crowd came together and it was just an unforgettable night.
It was hard picking one Devin Townsend album to choose, as all of the Project albums are incredible, and many of his others are astounding, but Epicloud connects with me the most, brings me to a happier state of mind at any time, and blows me away with each listen.

Favorite Tracks: True North, Lucky Animals, Liberation, Save Our Now, Kingdom, Divine, Grace, More, Angel

Favorite Favorite: Save Our Now

[Onno]

YES! Epicloud! That is truly an amazing album! It is very happy indeed and has cheered me up a lot of times. Great choice!

[Dark Castle]

3. Death - The Sound of Perseverance (1998)


Death, THE Greatest Death Metal band in my book. Chuck Schuldiner lead Death album to album, improving upon an already sound structure, experimenting, and discovering new leaps and bounds for the genre at every twist and turn, and is all around one of my biggest heroes. Many consider Symbolic Death's Opus, but for me it has to be The Sound of Perserverance, there is no other choice. Not only was it my entryway into the band, but it is perfect in every regard, from Chuck's later high harsh vocals, with clear diction and pronunciation that is unrivaled, to the masterful guitar playing, and to the wonderfully progressive bass and drumming, everything about this album was absolutely amazing and stuns me every single damn time. I saw Bite The Pain on Youtube, heard it, and went out and immediately bought this album, and later found out about the cover of Painkiller, which surprised the hell out of me, and it remains my Quintessential version of the song to this day. There's nothing about this album I'd change, and while my friends don't seem to be into Death like I am, or not really all that much, it's one of my albums, one that I'll put on, lay back to, and just soak in. Another thing that amazes me about Death in general, but most so on this album, are Chuck's incredible lyrics.

Favorite Tracks: The whole album, I really can't leave out a track, they're all breathtaking.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Wow, Epicloud at number four. Interesting.

I'm not a huge Death fan, though I've heard several of their albums. I like The Sound Of Perseverance, but I prefer Human.

[adace]

Two more phenomenal albums.

[Dark Castle]

2. Kvelertak - Kvelertak (2010)


If you were to ask me what the greatest metal album ever was, here's my answer. Sure it's only been here for 3 years, and it's possible I'm missing some gem from the 80's or something, but until you show me such an example, which I'm pretty sure wouldn't hold a candle to this, Kvelertak's self  titled is what I regard as the opus of the Metal Genre. Everything about this albums floors me, EVERYTHING. I first read about these guys in Metal Hammer, back in early 2010, and I put them on the "Check out List", and a few weeks later listened to the song Mjod. Throughout the entire song, I had this shit eating grin on my face, and 3 listens later I was singing along. It was just incredible, for such a short song as well. After that I went to the internet to further investigate and to my dismay found out it wasn't out in the US, and it was only out in Norway, with no specific release date for the US(which came nearly a year later). So I sucked it up, and ordered it from Norway, off their webpage which said they did only Norway  If I remember correctly I paid a butt ton for shipping, but 2 weeks later it came, and it NEVER left my car's stereo that summer, it was an album I fell in complete love with. Eventually I converted my friends into Kvelertak friends, and even one who came to love  them at the level that I did, hell for one of my exes who's  now my best friend, I bought her a copy of the cd as a gift and she came to love it. What I love about this album is that even if people don't particularly like the harsh vocals, the music is more than kickass enough for them to get over it.
So what about this album is so radular? It has to be the flawless mixing of Black Metal with a rock'n'roll attitude, amongst nods to other subgenres of metal that I love so much. Each song has it's own distinct personality, and I truly think that the few people who say every song sounds the same are dunces, because they absolutely do not. And to start an album with shouting out your band name, and then starting the outro with shouting your band name, I think is just hilarious but also pretty damn awesome, it shows a confidence and love for the music they crafted, and it definitely carries over, I love love love their music, and they've yet to disappoint me.

Favorite Tracks:Mjod, Fossegrim, Blodtorst, Offernatt, Sultans of Satan, Litorn , Ordsmedar Ov Rang, Utrydd Dei Svake

[Zantera]

Grimes for nr1!

[Orthogonal]

Love Epicloud. Very bold pick for #4 there. Haven't heard Death or Kvelertak much, a bit too extreme for my tastes, but yours seem to be plenty diverse.

[Dark Castle]

I'm thinking I'll put up Number 1 tomorrow, and later in the day I'll put up my honorable mentions, after that whoever's up next can get started up.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone's who's taken the time to read or post in here, it made doing this a lot more fun as opposed to just ripping through these with no responses

[Elite]

Quite a lot of stuff in this top 10 that I haven't heard. I have no idea what #1 could be, though.

[Dark Castle]

I'm chilling to my #1 right now 


EDIT:

Honorable Mentions:

Austra - Feel It Break
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Amos Slade - Hungry Earth
Exemption - Public Cemetery Party
Devil Driver - Pray For Villains
Foo Fighters - Echoes Silence Patience & Grace
Goatwhore - Blood For the Master
Gorillaz - Demon Days
King Crimson - In The Court Of the Crimson King
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Mares of Thrace - The Pilgrimage
Nirvana - Nevermind
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing


Okay, I could go on for awhile, but these are some albums that came really close to making the list, or albums that I discovered while doing my list that I can see making the list some day.