News:

DreamTheaterForums is a place for people who just don't have the time for music anymore. 

Main Menu

Scorpion's Top 50 Albums, the 2nd v. All Going Away Now

Started by Scorpion, October 05, 2013, 02:00:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Scorpion

Alright, everyone, and welcome to my second Top 50 list. I know there's some people in front of me on the list, but Big Hath's given me the okay to go, since there doesn't appear to be a lot happening on that front, so here we are! I hope that you, faithful reader, will stumble across music both known and unknown and that you will walk away from this list with feeling of having gained something by reading this. That would make my day, ladies and gentlemen.

My first list was primarily metal oriented, but in the past year or so, my tastes have broadened considerably. There's still quite a lot of metal here - probably still more than any other genre - but I wouldn't say that it completely dominates this list, like it did on the first, and there'll be quite a few surprises thrown in as well.

What should be noted is that this list doesn't really adequately represent my Top 50, nor does it represent my Top 51-100, so the title is probably a little misleading. What happened is that my tastes have changed quite a lot, but obviously, some of the albums on the first list would still make my list now, be it at similar or at different positions. However, since I don't want to double any write-ups, this is what I would consider my Top 50 now, if the albums of my first Top 50 didn't exist. To still have an accurate representation of my tastes in the DTF database, I'll post a revised REAL Top 50 list at the end, containing both albums from here and from my other list. That way, every album on that list will have a write-up and this one won't feature any repeats. Sound good?

And... off we go!

50. Insomnium – Above the Weeping World (2006)



Just making the list, we have Insomnium's masterpiece. For those that don't know, Insomnium are a melodic death metal band, hailing (like most of their peers) from Finland. However, while the music centres on the beautiful and haunting melodies that one knows from other bands of this genre, Insomnium, unlike other melodic death metal bands, don't use clean vocals. The closest that you come here are spoken words, which have just as much of a bone-chilling quality as the guttural, sorrowful growls of vocalist Niilo Sevänen. If I had to sum up Above the Weeping World with one word, it'd be “sorrowful”. Every melody, ever growl, every spoken word of this record has an incredible mournfulness, and yet, at the same time, an incredible beauty to it. Highly recommended if you like dark and depressing music and aren't averse to growls.

Favourite tracks: The Gale/Mortal Share, At the Gates of Sleep, Devoid of Caring, In the Groves of Death

49. Riverside – Anno Domini High Definition (2009)



Coming in at #49, we have my favourite Riverside album, barely edging out Second Life Syndrome, which made the honourable mentions of my first list. Why is this my favourite? Well, for starters, it's completely devoid of filler. Yeah, we only have five songs, but each and every one of them is completely awesome, whereas each of the other Riverside albums has one or two songs that I'm not too keen on. The other aspect that puts this ahead of other Riverside albums is that it has somewhat of a harder edge, making it sit firmly between progressive rock and metal, while still retaining that certain, unique Riverside element that is so hard to describe and yet so unmistakeable. The third and final aspect that makes this my favourite Riverside album is the sheer amounts of groove and atmosphere that this album has, more so than any other of their albums – just listen to Egoist Hedonist and tell me that it doesn't groove and I'll call you a liar. Highly recommended for everyone that likes... well, progressive rock, metal, atmospheric stuff, groove... you know, Riverside.

Favourite tracks: Egoist Hedonist, Left Out, Hybrid Times

?

ADHD is great :tup I tried Across the Dark by Insomnium last summer, but I've realized that Finnish melodeath isn't my thing anymore.

adace

You're off to a fantastic start, love both those albums. :metal

Onno

Following. That Insomium album has some great cover art. Dark and depressing? I need to listen I guess.

ColdFireYYZ

ADHD is my favorite Riverside album, so great choice! Haven't heard of the other one, but it does sound interesting, even though I don't know if I'd enjoy an entire album without any clean singing.

Lolzeez


wolfking

Never heard of Insomnium, but sounds like it is right up my alley.

Ruba

Riverside is on my bands-to-check-out-list. Or there is no concrete list, but you get my point.

But Jesus, had they any idea of what the abbreviation of the album would be?  :lol

?

Quote from: Ruba on October 06, 2013, 10:43:51 AM
But Jesus, had they any idea of what the abbreviation of the album would be?  :lol
Look at the title of the new album and how it's abbreviated :D

Scorpion

48. Billy Talent – Billy Talent III (2009)



Well, this is probably going to be an unpopular choice of artist, and even those that approve, artist-wise, will probably disagree with the album selection, but eh. This album is, to me, what Billy Talent are about: catchy, moody rockers with a grungy edge. Yes, this is pretty mainstream, but that doesn't mean that it's bad – on the contrary, this album is amazing, and soooo much fun every single time I listen to it. None of the songs are overly complex or anything, but they don't need to be. On the lyrical front, we have lyrics that are pretty dark and moody and which fit the tone of the music incredibly well. Yeah, there's some political overtones, but they're not really as in your face as it could be, and I don't really care anyway, because the songs groove and rock, just like they should. I don't think that many people here will like this, but if this description caught your interest, then you should definitely give this a try.

Favourite tracks: Rusted from the Rain, Saint Veronika, Tears Into Wine, White Sparrows, The Dead Can't Testify, Sudden Movement

47. Unexpect – Fables of the Sleepless Empire (2011)



Unexpect's third album is, to me, the pinnacle of their career. You have the whackiness of In a Flesh Aquarium, without doubt, but it's presented in a more concise and straightforward way – even though the word "straightforward" is woefully inadequate at describing Unexpect. It's also Unexpect's most accessible album, though it is, again, anything but. Most of the songs show incredible technical proficiency, but it never gets into the way of songwriting, though it might seem like it does on the first few listens. Noteworthy as well are the amazing vocals – both male and female – which boast a range that few other bands can match – from operatic vocals to terrifying death growls, everything's here, and everything's used well. Highly recommended for just about anyone that likes weird and unpredictable, avant-garde music.

Favourite tracks: Words, Mechanical Phoenix, The Quantum Symphony, In the Mind of the Last Whale, Until Yet a Few More Deaths Do Us Part (the last three tracks)

Ruba

Quote from: ? on October 06, 2013, 10:57:17 AM
Quote from: Ruba on October 06, 2013, 10:43:51 AM
But Jesus, had they any idea of what the abbreviation of the album would be?  :lol
Look at the title of the new album and how it's abbreviated :D

Clever.

I might or might not like Billy Talent. I know a handful of songs by them (Red Flag is awesome), but I don't care about their singer that much.

Onno

I should really check out Unexpect again, last time I listened to them was more than a year ago I think.


Lolzeez

One of my friends really enjoys that Unexpect album. Maybe I should give it a try...

Scorpion

#14
Not much discussion on Billy Talent, but I didn't expect there to be, so that's okay. Great to see some love for Unexpect. :heart

46. Gamma Ray – No World Order (2001)



After some of the weirdest stuff that you'll find on this list, here we have some of the most straightforward stuff, but that's not always a bad thing. This is, at it's core, power metal, but you have some forays into speed metal (The Heart of the Unicorn) or some mid-tempo, groovy metal (Damn the Machine). What puts this ahead of the majority of Gamma Ray's discography – because, let's face it, if you substitute the song titles, that description could be applied to pretty much every Gamma Ray record ever – is the sheer consistency of this record. Every song on this record has great riffing, blazing solos and a chorus that will be stuck in your head for days. Even the one song that I'm not too crazy about, Solid, is still very solid (lol) and by no means a bad song. While this isn't quite as good as Land of the Free II (which made my first list), mainly due to this album lacking true stand-out songs like Empress or Insurrection, this is my second favourite Gamma Ray album, and deservedly so.

Favourite tracks: Dethrone Tyranny, Heaven or Hell, Damn the Machine, Fire Below, Follow Me, Lake of Tears

45. Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony (2013)



As some people may know, I've had quite a boner for Kalmah during the last few months, and I pretty much love all their albums – their discography is incredibly consistent. While there is one album that stands out above the others that we'll get to later (spoilers!) – though that just might be because I heard it first – it was really hard to decide on my second favourite of theirs, but after much deliberation, I have settled on their most recent release, Seventh Swamphony. Yeah, the title is pretty goofy, but don't let that fool you – this album is an incredible tour-de-force from beginning to end, from the furious opening riff of the title track to the last, epic seconds of The Trapper, this album starts off high and never lets up, featuring blazing riffs, face-melting solos and great vocals all the way through. My favourite track here is the longest track Hollo, clocking at 7:20, which is one of Kalmah's most unconventional tracks, featuring a section with clean vocals (which is a rarity for the band) and a blistering guitar solo, but really, every track here is great.

Favourite tracks: Seventh Swamphony, Hollo, Wolves on the Throne, The Trapper

Lolzeez


Scorpion

Quote from: Lolzeez on October 06, 2013, 08:32:20 PM
Okay now I gotta check out this Kalmah thing.
To elaborate a tad more, they are basically some of the best melodic death metal around, but with no clean vox at all, and not really any focus on the keys either. People sometimes compare them to CoB, but in my opinion, that comparison is actually pretty rubbish. They're far more serious (which is inherently neither good nor bad) about what they do as well.

senecadawg2


adace

That Kalmah album is great.

Don't think I've heard that Gamma Ray album yet.

wolfking

I think that Gamma Ray album was in the twenties in my list, it's fucking incredible.  Glad to see some more appreciation for it.

That Kalmah album is great too.  I only got it a couple of weeks ago and I need to check it out more, but it's a great listen, great band.

Scorpion

#20
44. Accept – Stalingrad (2012)



With 2009's Blood of the Nations, Accept made a furious return to the scene of international heavy metal and showed everyone that they were still a force to be reckoned with, even without long-time vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, and the new vocalist Mark Tornillo showed everyone that he was Dirkschneider's equal in every aspect. Therefore, Accept's sophomore release with Tornillo, had high expectations to live up to and I must admit that I was sceptical whether Accept would be able to reach the heights of Blood of the Nations again. I needn't have worried, however, because Stalingrad not only reached the lofty heights of its predecessor, but exceeded them in almost every aspect. The songwriting is tighter, the riffs rock more than ever, axeman Wolf Hoffman shreds his way through some of his best solos ever and Tornillo belts out ever line with a passion that rivals Dirkschneider in his prime. If there is one thing that this album could be criticised for, it's that its best songs are packed at the beginning and the last few songs aren't quite as good as the beginning of the album, but considering the high quality of all the songs in general and the amazing closer The Galley, which rivals Shadow Soldiers as my favourite track on the album, it's hardly a big complaint.

Favourite tracks: Hung, Drawn and Quartered, Stalingrad, Hellfire, Shadow Soldiers, The Galley

43. Mastodon – The Hunter (2011)



Mastodon's most recent is, at the same time, my favourite album of theirs. What you have on The Hunter is basically the scope and epicness of Crack the Skye, compressed into shorter, more straightforward songs, which rock and groove just the same. The riffs groove, the drums drive the songs along and the vocals fit the mood perfectly. My favourite track is the closing track, which shows some surprising Floydian influences. I know that some people prefer Mastodon's earlier stuff like Remissions or Leviathan, but to me – maybe because it's the first Mastodon album that I heard – The Hunter is what the band is all about.

Favourite tracks: Black Tongue, Stargasm, All the Heavy Lifting, The Hunter, Dry Bone Valley, The Sparrow

wolfking



Elite

The Hunter is already two years old? Wow, time flies!
Quote from: Lolzeez on November 18, 2013, 01:23:32 PMHey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Quote from: home on May 09, 2017, 04:05:10 PMSqu
scRa are the resultaten of sound nog bring propey

TAC

Quote from: wkiml on June 08, 2012, 09:06:35 AMwould have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Quote from: DTwwbwMP on October 10, 2024, 11:26:46 AMDISAPPOINTED.. I hoped for something more along the lines of ADTOE.

Obfuscation

Yay, another top 50 album to follow to check out more music. Have liked this list so far and though I still prefer Crack the Skye, The Hunter just has a lot of groovy songs.

Onno


aprilethereal


Riitasointi

Nice picks!

I personally prefer Blood of the Nations to Stalingrad by a large margin, but I gotta admit, the title track might be their best song ever to me. As for The Hunter, it's a good and certainly very interesting album but cannot compete against Crack The Skye. Not many albums can. I'll follow your list!  :smiley:

wolfking

Yeah, I think I'd still rank Blood of the Nations higher also.

Scorpion

#30
42. Devin Townsend Project – Addicted (2009)



Devin Townsend's second release under the DTP moniker is what I'd consider to be the best fusion of pop melodies and metal aggressiveness. Most of the album is amazingly simple, but catchy like nothing else. Devin's varied voice, be it his soothing singing or his screams are complimented perfectly by Anneke van Giersbergen's soaring voice – especially notable is the remake of Hyperdrive, now titled Hyperdrive!, on which she performs lead vocals. My favourite song here is probably Awake!!, because of the great riff and the way that it contrasts Anneke's great voice, Devin's singing and his screaming with maximum effectiveness, but every song here is amazing. Yes, the album isn't very varied in it's tone and mood, but for what it is, Addicted is perfect.

Favourite tracks: Addicted!, Bend It Like Bender!, Supercrush!, Numbered!, Awake!!

41. Opeth – Blackwater Park (2001)



Blackwater Park was my introduction into the world of Opeth, and what an introduction it was. Blackwater Park, in my opinion, is the perfect introductory album for Opeth novices, and it sucked me right in. More like any other band, Opeth manage to perfectly contrast soothing, calm passages with the ferocious brutality of death metal, and for this reason, they are also a perfect introduction to death metal and harsh vocals in general. While some of the songs on this album aren't really all that popular among Opeth's fanbase, in my opinion this album is chock-full of great songs. Be it the more well-known songs like The Leper Affinity, The Drapery Falls or Bleak, or the hidden gems like Harvest or The Funeral Portrait, every song here is an amazing experience.

Favourite tracks: The Leper Affinity, Bleak, Harvest, The Drapery Falls, The Funeral Portrait

Onno



WindMaster


senecadawg2

Saw the change in thread title and Blackwater Park immediately came to mind.  :tup :tup