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

[Scorpion]

11. Devin Townsend Project – Ki (2009)



Devin Townsend has quite a discography, and yet, among all those albums, Ki remains as one of the most unique of them all. The album is very restrained and mellow, but it would be utterly wrong to describe it as tranquil. On the contrary, despite the mellow nature of most of the songs, there is nearly always a certain anger palpable beneath the surface, just waiting to break through, making Ki an album all about tension and release, done in a masterful way. When the anger breaks through, on tracks like Disruptr or Gato, it's great, but the calm and yet threatening vibe of songs like Coast or Ki are even more amazing in my opinion. This album is also very guitar-driven, and Devin shows again that he is an amazing player that doesn't have to shred to make this particular fact known.

Favourite tracks: Coast, Disruptr, Heaven's End, Trainfire, Lady Helen, Ki

[Scorpion]

Also, once more a recap, before we enter the Top 10. Any guesses for what's to come?

50. Insomnium - Above the Weeping World (2006)
49. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition (2009)
48. Billy Talent - Billy Talent III (2009)
47. Unexpect - Fables of the Sleepless Empire (2011)
46. Gamma Ray - No World Order (2001)
45. Kalmah - Seventh Swamphony (2013)
44. Accept - Stalingrad (2012)
43. Mastodon - The Hunter (2011)
42. Devin Townsend Project - Addicted (2009)
41. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)
40. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)
39. Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer (1992)
38. Agalloch - The Mantle (2002)
37. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)
36. Buckethead - Inbred Mountain (2005)
35. Redemption - Snowfall on Judgment Day (2009)
34. Ministry - Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and to Suck Eggs (1992)
33. God Is an Astronaut - God Is an Astronaut (2008)
32. Sentenced - The Cold White Light (2002)
31. Portishead - Dummy (1994)
30. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element, Pt. 1 (2000)
29. The Ocean - Precambrian (2007)
28. Amorphis - Elegy (1996)
27. Fates Warning - Disconnected (2000)
26. Angra - Rebirth (2001)
25. Devin Townsend - Infinity (1998)
24. Sigh - Imaginary Soniscape (2001)
23. Adagio - Archangels in Black (2009)
22. Opeth - Still Life (1999)
21. SikTh - The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild (2003)
20. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away (2013)
19. Grayceon - All We Destroy (2011)
18. Helloween - The Dark Ride (2000)
17. Polkadot Cadaver - Sex Offender (2011)
16. Farin Urlaub - Am Ende der Sonne (2005)
15. Cynic - Traced in Air (2008)
14. Pain of Salvation - Entropia (1997)
13. Ihsahn - After (2010)
12. Buckethead - Population Override (2004)
11. Devin Townsend Project - Ki (2009)

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

YESYESYESYESYESYESYES

Favorite Devy album.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

As far as guesses... I forget, are you a BTBAM fan? If so, I'd expect to see Future Sequence make an appearance.

[Onno]

Ki is absolutely amazing!

[aprilethereal]

As far as guesses... I forget, are you a BTBAM fan? If so, I'd expect to see Future Sequence make an appearance.

I hope so


Ki is the only DTP album I don't like for some reason.

[Lowdz]

Population Override is a favourite of mine too. I prefer Buckethead in mellow (normal) mode rather than the wild and weird stuff.

[Elite]

19/40.

Ki is amazing.

[Lolzeez]

I like Ghost more.

[Scorpion]

10. The Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia (2006)



This album is one record that will probably stick out quite a bit on my list, but I don't really care. The Dresden Dolls are the favourite band of my father, and while our musical interests have drifted apart quite a bit (and have recently come a little closer again, though that's too recent to be reflected on this list), The Dresden Dolls are a band that I have always enjoyed, not quite as much as my dad, but a lot anyway. Yes, Virginia is their second album, and while their first album is very good as well (and features their best known song, "Coin Operated Boy"), this one is an improvement in every aspect – the songs are more memorable, more varied, the piano playing and singing of Amanda Palmer is more creative and expressive than on the debut, and Brian Viglione delivers one of the most tasteful drumming performances that I know on this album. This is probably one of the most sparsely-instrumentated albums that I know, with the only instruments here being drums and piano, plus the very, very rare guitar appearance, but the duo of Palmer and Viglione create such an amazingly full sound that you rarely notice that it's actually only two people. Highly recommended to anyone that likes good female vocals and piano-driven rock.

Favourite tracks: Modern Moonlight, My Alcoholic Friends, Delilah, First Orgasm, Mrs. O., Shores of California, Mandy Goes to Med School, Sing

[Ruba]

Hah, I knew it from the title!

Fucking fine album. And really, Brian Viglione doesn't get a half of the appreciation he'd deserve. An amazing drummer. And Amanda a) plays piano b) sings c) writes lyrics damn well. What more can you ask for?

[kirksnosehair]

A bit late, but just wanted to express my love for "Entropia"   


I wish PoS still made that kind of music 

[pain of occupation]

A bit late, but just wanted to express my love for "Entropia"   


I wish PoS still made that kind of music 

me too. but you could just move on to Shaolin Death Squad - 5 Deadly Venoms, or even Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome.

5DV is what youd get if the follow-up to Entropia was going in a slightly more avantegarde direction, while TPS is what youd get if they had gone in a heavier direction at that point.

[SoundscapeMN]

I do enjoy both proper LPs from the Dolls (about equally), but I'll say what I've said in a few other topics, in that I find Amanda's 2 solo studio records to be more interesting than the Dolls stuff overall.

[Scorpion]

09. The Human Abstract – Digital Veil (2011)



The Human Abstract's third and probably last album is one of the shortest albums that I have, clocking in at about 36 minutes, but every minute is so chock-full of awesomeness that that is by no means a draw-back. The mixture of harsh and clean vocals here is amazing and the guitar playing of A. J. Minette is amazing in that it is some of the most technical stuff that I know, yet never feels out of place even for a second. Most of the songs here are pretty unconventionally structured, with no song following the standard verse-chorus-solo form, with plenty of breakdowns and variations around. The centrepiece of this album is the seven and a half minute epic Antebellum, but really, every song here is amazing. I think that the album would get a little dull if it were longer as the songs are very similar in mood and style, but as it is, it's perfect.

Favourite tracks: Elegiac, Complex Terms, Faust, Antebellum, Horizon to Zenith, Patterns

[Scorpion]

You guys suck.

08. Kalmah – They Will Return (2002)



The title track of this album was one of the first melodic death metal tracks metal ever that I heard and it left a profound impact. How could a genre that was filled with something that I hated (growls) feature such amazing playing and melodies at the same time? As a large part of this list will show, I have gotten over my dislike of harsh vocals, but this album will definitely always have a place in my heart for that. But what does the music sound like? Well, the comparison that I hear the most often is that Kalmah sound like Children of Bodom with less neoclassical keyboards and more focus on the guitars, and while that is true in the essentials, it doesn't adequately describe the band's sound. Firstly, I'd wager to say that Kalmah take their craft much more seriously than Children of Bodom, and it shows. Secondly, Pekka Kokko's vocal style is vastly different to what Alexi Laiho does – Alexi shrieks and grunts, whereas Pekka's vocals are more of a fully-fledged growls. The third difference is that while the keyboards aren't as upfront as with Children of Bodom, they do a lot of atmospheric work, giving Kalmah's sound a certain sound of depth that Children of Bodom rarely possess. Anyway, enough of that. This album simply rocks, there's nothing about it. Notable is the amazing soloing of Antti Kokko, which is some of my favourite in the genre, and the amazing riffing, but really, everything on this album comes together to form an amazing album that is surely one of the best melodic death metal albums ever.

Favourite tracks: Hollow Heart, Principle Hero, They Will Return, Human Fates, The Blind Leader, My Nation

[WindMaster]

I dig that human abstract album.

[wolfking]

I should check that Kalmah album.  I only have For the Revolution and Seventh Swamphony.

[Elite]

Swamplord is my favourite Kalmah album, but that's probably because it was my first. Then again, I don't really listen to melodic death metal as much anymore. I used to do that a lot when I was younger.

[kirksnosehair]

I'm still following, Scorpion, and have checked out all of your submissions that I'm not familiar with.  Some of them are OK, but they lose me a lot on the vocals.

[Scorpion]

I'm still following, Scorpion, and have checked out all of your submissions that I'm not familiar with.  Some of them are OK, but they lose me a lot on the vocals.

Sorry for that. Last year I have discovered quite a lot of harsh vocals for me, and while I love lots of clean stuff as well, that's mostly already represented on my first list. The next entry probably won't appeal to you either.

Anyway, update!

07. Children of Bodom – Hatebreeder (1999)



Funnily enough, just one entry higher than Kalmah's masterpiece, we have what I consider to be the best that Children of Bodom have recorded – Hatebreeder. What makes this album so great for me is the amazing way that the guitar and Janne Wirman's neoclassical keyboards interact to create a very unique sound. Plus, the riffs and solos here are just a little more creative and enjoyable than on the follow-up, which is what prompted me to choose this one, even though the latter has my favourite Children of Bodom song on it (Kissing the Shadows). Alexi Laiho may be an egomaniacal dick, but he sure knew how to deliver the goods in his prime, and Hatebreeder is the perfect example of this.

Favourite tracks: Warheart, Bed of Razors, Black Widow, Children of Bodom, Downfall

[kirksnosehair]

It's all good, bro!  I'm still enjoying your list.  Rock on, my friend 

[?]

That's a pretty high position for that album, but it's your list and 5 years ago I would've agreed with you I have good memories of Hatebreeder, and Something Wild was THE album that got me into metal with harsh vocals, so Bodom still have a special place in my heart, even though I don't listen to them anymore.

[Scorpion]

Keep in mind that this is my second list, so my real Top 50 is kinda an amalgamation of the two, so this would probably sit around 12-15 on the real list. Still high, but not AS high.

[adace]

Those Kalmah and CoB albums are great

Ki is good but it's far from my favorite Devy album.

[Elite]

Best CoB album right there.

[Onno]

I listened occasionally to CoB about 3 years ago. Gotta check this out again.

[wolfking]

Hatebreeder is incredible.  Blew me away when I discovered it.  Probably their best album.

[Dark Castle]

Amazing album Hatebreeder is

[Lolzeez]

sent.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

sent.

Just going to quote this.

[Ruba]

I can't get over Laiho vocals. There are plenty of good melodies on the album, but I just can't. If they had some decent growler, I would probably like them a lot more.

Children of Bodom is a hell of a song though.

[Big Hath]

sent.

Just going to quote this.

heh

[Scorpion]

06. Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious (2009)



Diablo Swing Orchestra are, from what I've observed, one of the more popular avant-garde metal bands out there, and I'd venture to guess that a large part of that reason is the fact that most of the songs here are completely wacky, and yet, insanely catchy. The way that Diablo Swing Orchestra fuse groovy metal riffs, male and female vocals and the danceability of swing into an entity that is so familiar and yet so unique is really what sets them apart from other avant-garde metal bands. The operatic vocals of Annlouice Loeglund are perfectly complimented by the slightly demented-sounding quasi-growls of guitarist Daniel Hakanson, making them one of my favourite vocal duos, especially evident on A Rancid Romance, where they switch on the verses and share chorus duties. Really, if you like swing and don't hate metal, then I can't imagine you disliking this album.

Favourite tracks: A Tap Dancer's Dilemma, A Rancid Romance, Lucy Fears the Morning Star, New World Widows, Vodka Inferno, Stratosphere Serenade

[Onno]

Haha, when I saw the thread title I knew it was DSO! Splendid album!