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

[Scorpion]

Nobody cares for Grayceon? OK.

18. Helloween – The Dark Ride (2000)



The Dark Ride is a different beast than all other Helloween albums. While it's not really dark per say, it is certainly darker than any of their other albums. Yes, you have the anthemic songs like All Over the Nations or Salvation, which would just as well fit on other albums of the band, as well the Helloween-typical humour, as evidenced in Mr. Torture, but songs like the dark and groovy Mirror Mirror, the unsettling yet catchy The Departed or I Live for Your Pain paint a much darker picture than other Helloween albums, and as some of you might have noticed, darker stuff generally appeals to me a little more. Still, this an album that fans of Helloween will like, and most power metal fans in general, just be aware that it is slightly darker than what you've come to expect from Helloween..

Favourite tracks: Mr. Torture, Mirror Mirror, Salvation, The Departed (Sun Is Going Down), The Dark Ride

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Sorry about my lack of comments. I haven't heard any of Nick Cave, though I plan on checking him out based on several recommendations. I really like Grayceon, but I've only heard one or two songs.

I actually haven't listened to much Helloween. I tried the Keepers albums once, but I didn't really care for them.

[wolfking]

I nodded my head in approval just from reading your updated thread title.  The Dark Ride was my first Helloween album and made me a total fanboy.  Still one of my fav albums of theirs.

[Scorpion]

17. Polkadot Cadaver – Sex Offender (2011)



From the ashes of Dog Fashion Disco rose Polkadot Cadaver, once again fronted by Todd Smith, with Jasan Stepp providing guitar duties once again as well. Unlike Dog Fashion Disco, who mixed metal, insanity and a pretty good horn section, Polkadot Cadaver show prodigious electronic influences, as evidenced by tracks like Bring Me the Head of Andy Warhol or the title track of their debut, Purgatory Dance Party, without missing the vocal acrobatics or the catchy melodies of Dog Fashion Disco. Sex Offender, the band's sophomore release is much in the same vein, but it has perfected the interplay between metal and electronic elements that Purgatory Dance Party had introduced. Every song is amazing here, from the ominous opener Opus Dei to the piano-ballad-with-a-twist Forever and a Day, that closes the album spectacularly. Sex Offender is ten tracks of what Polkadot Cadaver do best: the instruments provide a whacky basis, and Todd Smith shows just why he is one of the best avant-garde vocalists there is. Highly recommended for fans of Dog Fashion Disco and/or general insanity.

Favourite tracks: Bloodsucker, Starlight Requiem, Slaughterhouse Striptease, Cake and Eat It Too, Mongoloid

[jjrock88]

Dark Ride is my favorite release from Helloween.

[Obfuscation]

Just want to share my love for that SikTh album.

[pain of occupation]

Checking out SikTh, sounds interesting so far.

holy fuck, this!
thought i'd checked these guys out before, but apparently not.

[Scorpion]

16. Farin Urlaub – Am Ende der Sonne (2005)



And, once again, we have the album that probably no-one is interested in. Some people might remember from my first list that I absolutely love the German rock band die ärzte, mainly for their humorous yet deep lyrics and their catchy melodies. Farin Urlaub (which, in German, sounds like Fahr in Urlaub, which translates to Go on Vacation, a name that Urlaub chose for himself as an artist name due to his passion for travelling) is the guitarist and main songwriter of die ärzte, and Am Ende der Sonne (which translates to At the Sun's End) is his second solo album. It's a true solo album, with Urlaub playing all the guitars, drums and bass guitars – the only guest contributions here are the brief brass passages over this album. This album is darker than its predecessor, and, indeed, darker than most of what die ärzte have done, but the seriousness works very well, and there's still plenty of humour here, like in the track Dusche (Shower), in which Urlaub sings about how his household items have gone insane and try to murder him, making the shower the only safe place, in the hidden track Noch Einmal (Once Again), in which Urlaub sings from the perspective of masochist speaking to his lover or in the track Wie ich den Marilyn-Manson-Ähnlichkeitswettbewerb verlor (How I Lost the Marilyn-Manson-Similarity-Competition), in which Urlaub excuses himself for not being like Marilyn Manson. This is a very guitar driven album and Urlaub shows that he is a capable guitar player, even though he is no shredder – he writes interesting riffs and melodies, and when he does solo, it's almost always great, like in the semi-title track Sonne (Sun). I doubt that this album will appeal to the majority of those reading, simply because the lyrics are a large reason for how entertaining this album, but still – if you're interested, do check it out.

Favourite tracks: Sonne (Sun), Porzellan (Porcelain), Unter Wasser (Under Water), Apokalypse wann anders (Apocalypse Another Day), Immer noch (Still), Alle dasselbe (All the Same), Noch Einmal (Once Again)

[jingle.boy]

2.  Count 'em ... Two.

Lemme guess, Redemption and Angra

And Bingo was his name, oh!

[Onno]

I've never heard Die Ärzte, let alone Farin Urlaub. I guess I should listen to it sometime though, it sounds really interesting!

[Mladen]

Wait a second, where have I been all this time?

Love that Farin Urlaub album.   

[aprilethereal]

Not a big fan of die Ärzte or Farin Urlaub's solo stuff

[Scorpion]

Wait a second, where have I been all this time?

Love that Farin Urlaub album.   

15. Cynic – Traced in Air (2008)



Would you call this death metal? Well, musically, it's a mixture of death metal and jazz fusion, but it's pretty much devoid of death growls – something which older Cynic fans don't seem to appreciate that much, but what, for me, makes this all the more interesting. Instead of growls, vocalist Paul Masvidal uses clean vocals that have been vocoder-processed, which doesn't sound that cool on paper, but works amazingly well in context of the album, because they give the whole album an airy and almost ethereal quality. The music is amazing as well, with the two guitars and the bass rarely playing the same thing, making this album a hard one to grasp, but also a very rewarding listen, once all the intricacies of the compositions have revealed themselves to the listener. Special props have to go to bassist Sean Malone, who is definitely one of my favourite metal bassists of all time – his basslines are just bursting with creativity, yet never become over-the-top or forced at all, something that not many bassists can do.

Favourite tracks: The Space for This, Evolutionary Sleeper, Integral Birth, The Unknown Guest

[Lowdz]

A couple of awesome albums in these updates.
Helloween- The Dar Ride. Probably my favourite of theirs, but I'm a recent convert. Ignored them as a German wannabe maiden back in the day, which is a shame as the Keeper albums are great. I even like Pink Bubbles. I do prefer my power Metal a bit darker than the usual major key church hymn style.

Cynic. Spotified this a while ago and loved it. Atalented bunch of guys. Just don't know when I would be in the mood to listen to this sort of stuff though. Quality though.

[Onno]

Cynic, another band that I listened to once about 2-3 years ago and that is now going on my to-listen-list again

[pain of occupation]

that cynic's damn good. a top 5 album from 2008 for me.

also deadly: polkadot cadaver. I love how its both avantegarde AND some of the most accessibly catchy music that I can try pushing on the less enlightened. only thing I dislike about the album is buying a physical copy off them at a show, only to open it the next day and find no cd inside.

[Scorpion]

only thing I dislike about the album is buying a physical copy off them at a show, only to open it the next day and find no cd inside.

Ouch. That sucks major balls. Though I'm glad that someone likes that album.

14. Pain of Salvation – Entropia (1997)



I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a better debut album than Entropia – with this album, Pain of Salvation really showed the world that they were to be a force to be reckoned with, and boy did they deliver on the promise that this album made. This is album is decidedly more funky and quirky than any album that came later, making it a little harder to get into, especially compared to their more straightforward progressive metal albums like The Perfect Element and Remedy Lane (though it isn't really correct to call these albums straightforward, but you know what I mean). It took me a few spins to fully grasp this one, but now I love it to bits. Unlike other Pain of Salvation albums, Entropia features quite a few transition tracks, which are quite good in the context of the album, but pretty worthless on their own. Still, the remaining tracks are more than up to scratch, be it the emotional and eclectic Winning a War, the multi-segmented People Passing By, which culminates in one of my favourite guitar solos ever, the groovy Stress, the proggy Nightmist or the melodic Plains of Dawn. Also worth a mention is the incredibly beautiful Japanese bonus track, Never Learn to Fly, which is quite stripped down, with Daniel's voice and the piano taking the stage for once. The whole thing is probably one of the most melancholic tracks Pain of Salvation have ever written, and it works amazingly. Speaking of Daniel's voice, he delivers an absolutely astounding performance here and clearly shows why he is considered to be one of the most versatile and one of the best singers in progressive metal.

Favourite tracks: People Passing By, Stress, To the End, Never Learn to Fly, Nightmist, Plains of Dawn

[wolfking]

2 stunning albums right there.  Entropia is a wonderful and underrated album.

[Lolzeez]

Sucks that I can't get into Entropia...

[Lowdz]

Sucks I can't get into PoS.

[?]

Never Learn to Fly is just a bonus track? Maybe you mentioned that in your PM, but I can't remember... Anyway, that makes me think I should check out the album itself!

[senecadawg2]

I've always felt that Entropia doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. It's my personal favorite PoS album, and it's great to see it so high on your list.

[Scorpion]

Never Learn to Fly is just a bonus track? Maybe you mentioned that in your PM, but I can't remember... Anyway, that makes me think I should check out the album itself!

Yep, you should definitely check it out! The album as a whole is a little more busy than Never Learn to Fly, but never really wanky or anything.

Anyway, next entry.

13. Ihsahn – After (2010)



The way that Ihsahn combines black metal with clean vocals and saxophone is nothing short of magical. Yes, he's a very capable guitar player, but often enough, the guitar takes the back seat behind Munkeby's (of Shining) sax playing, be it the melodic and melancholic playing of On the Shores or the eclectic insanity of A Grave Inversed, the sax never feels like a gimmick, but always like an integral part of the music, and, I think, that is what make this album so unique and at the same time, so amazing. Ihsahn's vocals are amazing as well, of course, both his growls and his cleans, but we all already knew that. In the future, his most recent release, Das Seelenbrechen might occupy a similarly high spot, but since it is quite new, I'm reluctant to place it so high already. For now, this remains my favourite Ihsahn release.

Favourite tracks: The Barren Lands, A Grave Inversed, Undercurrent, Frozen Lakes on Mars, On the Shores

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Aha! An album I've heard! After really is incredible. Undercurrent is probably my favorite track.

[jammindude]

Every time I see the name of this thread, it throws me off.

Because I'm thinking....there is NO WAY The Scorpions have released 50 albums!!   

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

They're getting close, though.

[WindMaster]

I really dig that Ihsahn album.

[adace]

After is great!

[pain of occupation]

Entropia dominates, but then again, I pretty much love his discography, so...

Interestingly, I think Daniel wrote Never Learn to Fly when he was just a weee kiddo. I'm guessing he was 12 or younger.

[Elite]

Not having '! (Foreword)' in your list of favourite tracks from Entropia should be a crime.

[Onno]

Tom, you're filling up my to-listen-list.

[Scorpion]

12. Buckethead – Population Override (2004)



Buckethead is such an amazing shredder that it is often easy to forget that he's damn good in mellow territory as well and doesn't have to rely on shredding to get the deed done. Indeed, his more mellow stuff is some of his favourite music of mine, and Population Override is a perfect example of this. Basically, this album feels like a long blues or jazz jam, with the drums and the bass laying down simple grooves, over which Buckethead improvises, but he always keeps it interesting in a way that the album, despite its very nature, never becomes meandering or boring. What certainly contributes to this is that here, for the first time that I can remember, Buckethead shares the spotlight with keyboards. Of course they're not as up front as the man himself, but they always bring a fresh flavour to the songs and on my first listen, I was indeed surprised with how much they are actually utilised. Mind you, they never feel out of place, but it was a welcome surprise. The track titles seem to follow a loose concept about humans on earth, the damage they do and how that will someday backfire on humanity, and the cover fits with that as well. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes Buckethead's more mellow side, or is just looking for a good chill-out album in general.

Favourite tracks: Too Many Humans, Population Override, A Day Will Come, Earth Heals Herself, Super Human

[Scorpion]

Didn't want to clutter up my update with responses, so here's a double post because why the fuck not.

Entropia dominates, but then again, I pretty much love his discography, so...

Interestingly, I think Daniel wrote Never Learn to Fly when he was just a weee kiddo. I'm guessing he was 12 or younger.

What? That's crazy! For a twelve year old to come up with such depressing stuff, that's insane. And a large part genius, but still. Insane.

Not having '! (Foreword)' in your list of favourite tracks from Entropia should be a crime.

Eh, I could have put down all the real tracks, but I just had to limit myself somewhat. ! (Foreword) is, while very good, not quite on the same level of epic as the tracks mentioned.

Tom, you're filling up my to-listen-list.

Great to hear! What have you listened to already? Anything that stuck out in particular?

[Onno]

Nothing yet, sorry, I'm busy with my exams 

[Elite]

Not having '! (Foreword)' in your list of favourite tracks from Entropia should be a crime.

Eh, I could have put down all the real tracks, but I just had to limit myself somewhat. ! (Foreword) is, while very good, not quite on the same level of epic as the tracks mentioned.

I respectfully disagree. Nightmist is of course the best track there (), but Exclamation Mark is easily second best on the album. Then again, all of Entropia is amazing really. All 'in my opinion' of course ;p