Mister Gold's Top 50 Albums - "Here at the End of All Things"

[bl5150]

Awaken The Guardian?

I must admit I've only listened to APSOG a couple of times..............liked it ,didn't love it , certainly didn't dislike it.  It's one of the few albums where I just gave up on rating the individual tracks and just did an album rating (around 75- 80% which for me is very good).   

Funny you should mention Zonder.  I'm not normally a big one for finding that drummers really "speak"  to me during the listening experience but the one thing that stands out for me now is how impressed I was with Zonder's creative drumming on this disc. 

[jingle.boy]

Dayum... how was I not following this Top 50?  Some great albums fired off, some I never got into, and some that are kinda 'meh' in my books (Arch-Matheos), but no time to read through 5 pages of comments.  Nice to see the Rush love for CA... that's a Top 5 Rush album, which is impressive given it's like their 400th album.  I too prefer Mercy Falls, and JJ... go listen to some Seventh Wonder ffs!

Scrop, you're dead to me for not smileing all over Rush.

[Mister Gold]

Dayum... how was I not following this Top 50?  Some great albums fired off, some I never got into, and some that are kinda 'meh' in my books (Arch-Matheos), but no time to read through 5 pages of comments.  Nice to see the Rush love for CA... that's a Top 5 Rush album, which is impressive given it's like their 400th album.  I too prefer Mercy Falls, and JJ... go listen to some Seventh Wonder ffs!

Scrop, you're dead to me for not smileing all over Rush.

Glad to see you here, jingle!

Awaken The Guardian?

Perhaps. Perhaps not. It could be any of the three John Arch-era FW albums, after all. They all have their strengths!

I must admit I've only listened to APSOG a couple of times..............liked it ,didn't love it , certainly didn't dislike it.  It's one of the few albums where I just gave up on rating the individual tracks and just did an album rating (around 75- 80% which for me is very good).   

Funny you should mention Zonder.  I'm not normally a big one for finding that drummers really "speak"  to me during the listening experience but the one thing that stands out for me now is how impressed I was with Zonder's creative drumming on this disc. 

Keep listening to it! It's a grower if there ever was one!

[jjrock88]

Awesome Fates Warning pick!!

[Lowdz]

Never really got into FW - I got an album of their's free when I joined a legit downloading site many years ago (the one with the yellow tinged cover with a gas mask wearing bloke on the front ) I thought it was awful at the time. Admittedly it was years ago and my taste has altered a little over that time. Will give it another go.
I have listened to and enjoyed Parallels though.

[Mister Gold]

Never really got into FW - I got an album of their's free when I joined a legit downloading site many years ago (the one with the yellow tinged cover with a gas mask wearing bloke on the front ) I thought it was awful at the time. Admittedly it was years ago and my taste has altered a little over that time. Will give it another go.
I have listened to and enjoyed Parallels though.

Disconnected. A great album, imo. But yeah, I'd definitely give FW another go. However if you dig Parallels, check that and Perfect Symmetry out first.

[Lowdz]

Never really got into FW - I got an album of their's free when I joined a legit downloading site many years ago (the one with the yellow tinged cover with a gas mask wearing bloke on the front ) I thought it was awful at the time. Admittedly it was years ago and my taste has altered a little over that time. Will give it another go.
I have listened to and enjoyed Parallels though.

Disconnected. A great album, imo. But yeah, I'd definitely give FW another go. However if you dig Parallels, check that and Perfect Symmetry out first.

When I saw the edited thread title I thuoght it was going to be the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack. My kids have brainwashed me with it!
"Hey Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today".

[TAC]

Never really got into FW - I got an album of their's free when I joined a legit downloading site many years ago (the one with the yellow tinged cover with a gas mask wearing bloke on the front ) I thought it was awful at the time. Admittedly it was years ago and my taste has altered a little over that time. Will give it another go.
I have listened to and enjoyed Parallels though.

Disconnected. A great album, imo. But yeah, I'd definitely give FW another go. However if you dig Parallels, check that and Perfect Symmetry out first.

Perfect Symmetry is more progressive. I'd direct Lowdz from Parallels right into Inside Out. It's much easier on the ears and way more accessible.

[Mister Gold]

Never really got into FW - I got an album of their's free when I joined a legit downloading site many years ago (the one with the yellow tinged cover with a gas mask wearing bloke on the front ) I thought it was awful at the time. Admittedly it was years ago and my taste has altered a little over that time. Will give it another go.
I have listened to and enjoyed Parallels though.

Disconnected. A great album, imo. But yeah, I'd definitely give FW another go. However if you dig Parallels, check that and Perfect Symmetry out first.

Perfect Symmetry is more progressive. I'd direct Lowdz from Parallels right into Inside Out. It's much easier on the ears and way more accessible.

I dunno. Inside Out is more melodic, but it's also pretty moody imo. P.S. is like a precursor to Images and Words imo, so I think the more progressive aspects of that album wouldn't be very jarring.

[TAC]

I don't know if I'd characterize Inside Out as moody. APSOG is MOODY.

I think the one two punch of Parallels and Inside Out was FW's sweet spot.

[Mister Gold]

I don't know if I'd characterize Inside Out as moody. APSOG is MOODY.

I think the one two punch of Parallels and Inside Out was FW's sweet spot.

APSoG is definitely moody.

See, that's where I have to disagree. I like Parallels fine enough, but I never really got the hype behind that album. Quite a few FW albums I like better personally.

[wolfking]

Love both those updates.

[TAC]

I don't know if I'd characterize Inside Out as moody. APSOG is MOODY.

I think the one two punch of Parallels and Inside Out was FW's sweet spot.

APSoG is definitely moody.

See, that's where I have to disagree. I like Parallels fine enough, but I never really got the hype behind that album. Quite a few FW albums I like better personally.

For me, I have always found FW maddeningly inconsistent. I mean, they are all over the place musically. Some actually see it as their strength, which is probably how you view it. I just find Parallels a very focused and complete album. I feel like FW have stumbled their way through most of their albums, but with Parallels, it fires on all cylinders.

[wolfking]

Parallels is by far their best album.

[Mister Gold]

10. Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (2006)

Here it is, folks. My favorite Iron Maiden album. While Seventh Son of a Seventh Son isn't far behind, I have always had a deep love for this album. It's dark, it's complex, it's loud and it's raw. This album is one of the few times I actually really liked the production that Kevin Shirley provided for an Iron Maiden album. There are so many songs on this album that I love; Different Worlds, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, For the Greater Good of God, Lord of Light and The Legacy all rank as some of my absolute favorite Maiden songs.

But more importantly though, I think what gives AMoLaD an edge is the memories I hold with this album. I have always had a passion and desire for writing. I like to tell stories and I like to picture them in my head too. The most productive point in my life thus far as a writer was the summer of 2009, when my family and I did a massive cross-country trip from Kansas to South Dakota and back, and then from Kansas to Indiana to North Carolina, before finally returning back to Kansas. I picked up this album right during the middle of this extensive trip and listened to it over and over again as I wrote my stories and gazed at the passing scenery I saw.

The album ended up being the perfect soundtrack to accompany me on that journey and definitely acted as the mental soundtrack to the scenes I pictured in my head.

[TAC]

AMOLAD is a masterpiece. Cool story too, bro.

As a lifelong Maiden fan, I am still amazed at how incredible this album is.

[wolfking]

It is indeed a masetrpiece, and probably the Maiden album that took the longest to grow on me.

[jingle.boy]

Excellent album.  Not a bad track in the entire listing.

[Mister Gold]

It is indeed a masetrpiece, and probably the Maiden album that took the longest to grow on me.

Funnily enough, that album clicked with me pretty easily. Yet it took me five years to really understand and appreciate The X Factor. Kinda ironic, considering how similar they are to each other.

[TAC]

It is indeed a masetrpiece, and probably the Maiden album that took the longest to grow on me.

Funnily enough, that album clicked with me pretty easily. Yet it took me five years to really understand and appreciate The X Factor. Kinda ironic, considering how similar they are to each other.

OK..you just opened a can of worms.

The X Factor is obviously the most polarizing Maiden album. You either love it or you hate it. I have my views which fall in the middle I guess, but your post really gave it some clarity for me.
I have always maintained that the X Factor had the impetus of being an absolute monster of an an album. But I find it has a Demo quality, not just the sound, but in the writing. Awkward transitions, unseasoned verses and choruses.

But after reading your post, it sums up what I've been trying to say about The X Factor, and it is this; AMOLAD is what The X Factor could have been.

[wolfking]

It is indeed a masetrpiece, and probably the Maiden album that took the longest to grow on me.

Funnily enough, that album clicked with me pretty easily. Yet it took me five years to really understand and appreciate The X Factor. Kinda ironic, considering how similar they are to each other.

And yet I liked TXF from the start. 

[bl5150]

Parallels is by far their best album.

My fave too but it's the one I grew up with which tends to add a lot of bias.  I do need to give some of their other stuff a lot more time.  FW are a band that I have struggled to place (in or out) of my top 50 as they are great in many ways but , even on great discs like Parallels I feel there's something missing.  It's all a bit sterile/mechanical.......hard to describe.  Anyway - the fact that they are even considered for my Top 50 says enough - I certainly rate them.

Maiden have never connected to me to anywhere near the extent of most here - I'll give this album a shot though.

[Mister Gold]

It is indeed a masetrpiece, and probably the Maiden album that took the longest to grow on me.

Funnily enough, that album clicked with me pretty easily. Yet it took me five years to really understand and appreciate The X Factor. Kinda ironic, considering how similar they are to each other.

And yet I liked TXF from the start. 

I think this only adds further evidence to TAC's hypothesis!

OK..you just opened a can of worms.

The X Factor is obviously the most polarizing Maiden album. You either love it or you hate it. I have my views which fall in the middle I guess, but your post really gave it some clarity for me.
I have always maintained that the X Factor had the impetus of being an absolute monster of an an album. But I find it has a Demo quality, not just the sound, but in the writing. Awkward transitions, unseasoned verses and choruses.

But after reading your post, it sums up what I've been trying to say about The X Factor, and it is this; AMOLAD is what The X Factor could have been.

I can definitely see your point there! However I do like TXF a lot too, as we all already know. I find it to be a flawed masterpiece.

[jjrock88]

For me, its a toss up betweeen AMOLAD and BNW for my favorite reunion Maiden disc.  Fantastic album.

[?]

A little late but: APSOG

[Lowdz]

AMOLAD is the only Maiden album since SSoaSS that I ever go back to. The rest were just... boring.
I never got into XF - mainly due to BB being an awful singer. *ducks and hides* I actually prefer VXI to it.

Anyway, AMOLAD is a great album though the production leaves alot to be desired - though that's often the case with Maiden and there's really no justification for that other than SH writes a great tune but must be stone deaf.

[Mister Gold]

AMOLAD is the only Maiden album since SSoaSS that I ever go back to. The rest were just... boring.
I never got into XF - mainly due to BB being an awful singer. *ducks and hides* I actually prefer VXI to it.

Anyway, AMOLAD is a great album though the production leaves alot to be desired - though that's often the case with Maiden and there's really no justification for that other than SH writes a great tune but must be stone deaf.

Blaze certainly isn't a great singer in technical terms, but by god, he was soulful. His dark voice really complimented the dark music on TXF, imo.

Yeah, Harris really should step away from being so heavily involved in the production of Maiden albums. The production on The Final Frontier really takes away from that album, imo. However, I think that the production on AMoLaD works really well for the album.

[Mister Gold]

9. Conception - In Your Multitude (1995)

Here it is, folks: Roy Khan's masterpiece. I only recently got into Conception, but I can't seem to really stop coming back to their albums. This band is just so addictive! That statement is especially true for In Your Multitude. Not only is Roy Khan at a peak vocally and lyrically on this album, but the band around him is incredible.

Especially guitarist Tore Ostby. This guy is a stunner if I've ever heard one: Imagine a heavier, slightly more complex Chris DeGarmo. Now imagine him with a heavy Latin and Jazz influence. That should give you an idea of how mindblowingly awesome Ostby is a guitarist. His work in his latter band (Ark) is also phenomenal and I hope to hear more from this guy at some point in the near future. The metal world is a much better place with him around.

The rhythm work on this album is also terrific; I love how the bass slithers and coils around the rest of the band on songs like "Solar Serpent" or "Carnal Comprehension" and the drum work on the whole album is great too!

As I said before, I personally feel that this is Khan's lyrical peak. While this album doesn't tell any singular story, like his Epica and Black Halo albums with Kamelot, I feel that Khan's work in Conception reveals a very interesting aspect about him; his lyrics in each of his albums appear to act as a medium to where exactly he was in his spiritual life. This carries over into Kamelot too; the story of Ariel really seems to come off more as Khan's personal search for God and an understanding of divinity. This is Roy at a darker point in his life, a younger man. I guess I like this set of lyrics the best because I think it's probably the closest to where I am in my own struggle right now.

In many ways, I think Roy Khan was the man that many prog metal fans always pictured Geoff Tate to be. A true artist. Sure, Tate certainly influenced Khan as a vocalist, but I've heard so many times about how fans from Queensryche's hey-day always saw Tate as a class act and an absolute genius. Maybe I had to have been there to get that, as my vision of the man is incredibly tainted by the man we all know him as today. On the other hand, Khan was always a man chronicling his personal journey and left the metal scene once he'd come to the end of that journey.

While it's heartbreaking for me and other fans of him, if this means that Roy Khan is in a better and happier place in his life now than when he wrote these terrific albums, then I wish him nothing but the best.

[bl5150]

You know how highly I  rate this one       Ostby also does some nice playing on the old solo album from D C Cooper - one track in particular which unfortunately isn't on Youtube.

[Mister Gold]

You know how highly I  rate this one       Ostby also does some nice playing on the old solo album from D C Cooper - one track in particular which unfortunately isn't on Youtube.

I would not be surprised at all if this album ends up even higher on the next list I do. I just love it more and more with each repeated listen!

I'll need to check out his work with DC Cooper then!

[Dream Team]

I just don't get AMOLAD - the worst guitar solos of any of their albums, and songs like TLD and FTGGOG have choruses and pre-choruses that repeat way too much - even for Maiden. Certainly some good stuff, but not a classic for me. No offense.

[nicmos]

another conception album for me to listen to.  good!

[Mister Gold]

another conception album for me to listen to.  good!

It's a terrific album! Be sure to also check out Parallel Minds too!

[wolfking]

Fuck, another Conception!

[Scorpion]

Goddammit am I behind on this. That Arch/Matheos release is great, I love love love APSOG and AMOLAD, and that Conception album will be checked out, mainly because the description of the guitarist instantly gave me a boner.