MikeMangioy's 50 reasons why I'm better than you - v. Numero Uno

[Sacul]

I don't understand a single word of what this CapaRezza guy is singing

Then he's doing it right.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Don't know if "pop metal" is actually a genre, but it sure fits.

Great, great Devin album.

[mikemangioy]

I don't understand a single word of what this CapaRezza guy is singing

Then he's doing it right.

Even I don't understand him sometimes, and I'm a native speaker 

[mikemangioy]

At number 15 we have once again the british gods:

QUEEN

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
*genre*, 1975

Aaah, this album. That's right, Queen's finest album is also their most experimental, in my opinion. They did all kinds of strange things while recording this record: they had to run a tape  all over a studio
in order to record some vocal parts, they used a tin can to do a megaphone effect, they used an air conditioner for the wind effects, Brian May  used some strange instruments, like a koto or a banjolele. Ah, fuck it, what really makes this album this great is the songwriting. This album is all killer no filler for sure, and each song stands for itself and is high above average. There's even that worldwide recognized masterpiece of Bohemian Rhapsody, what more could you want?

The answer to that question is easily The Prophet's Song. Wow. The most underrated of all underrated tracks! Maybe that's an exaggeration but, hey, it's quite an underrated piece of music. The structure is similar to Bohemian Rhapsody's but everything is just more.. dramatic and epic-sounding. And the middle-section  - Perfect track.

Even the silly tracks (Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon and Seaside Rendez-vous) are totally worthy of this ranking. Great stuff. Another great song is Sweet Lady, which is really a groovy and rock tune. The whole album though is amazing, and you should really check it out if you didn't.


TRACKLIST:

Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To....
Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon
I'm In Love With My Car
You're My Best Friend
'39
Sweet Lady
Seaside Rendez-vous
The Prophet's Song
Love Of My Life
Good Company
Bohemian Rhapsody
God Save The Queen

(Favorites: EVERY SINGLE SECOND)

--Performed by Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano) Brian May (guitar, banjolele , vocals on GC and '39, toy koto, harp) Roger Taylor (drums, vocals on IILWMC) John Deacon (bass, electric piano)--

[Sacul]

That's a great album, definitely. Bohemian Rapsody is even a bit proggy .

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Queen is one of those bands that I only know their biggest hits and love them, but have never listened to a full album of theirs. Might as well start out with this one then.

[mikemangioy]

Queen is one of those bands that I only know their biggest hits and love them, but have never listened to a full album of theirs. Might as well start out with this one then.

You really should! 

[sneakyblueberry]

I came to the realisation the other day that, although I love a few songs from their catalogue, Queen is a band that I just don't really dig.  I don't know what it is about them, like I know the music and musicianship is great, but they've never really clicked for me - like 'god I feel like listening to some Queen'.  Nah. 

[TAC]

A Night At The Opera is The Lovely Mrs TAC's favorite rock album.

[mikemangioy]

Behold! My favorite straight rock record!

Yes indeed, at number 14 there is

FOO FIGHTERS

WASTING LIGHT
Rock, 2011

Oh yes. Let's start out by saying that Dave Grohl might be my favorite person on the planet. His love, his dedication, his creativity, his playing, his honesty, his funny personality make him truly a person to admire and to be inspired from. And that's what I do.
Foo Fighters are amazing, but they never really put out a consistent album, one album which is godlike from the bottom to the top. Until this very record came out in april 2011.
I fell in love with it when I was watching Back And Forth, the documentary about the Foos. The making of the album is documented in there and in 12 minutes you realize:

- It's recorded on tape
- It's recorded in Dave's garage
- It has Butch Vig as a producer, and a solo spot by Krist Novoselic (sound familiar?)
- Pat Smear is back in the band after 12 years

wow. Even if I didn't hear this record, judgin only by these facts I know it would be perfect. And when you actually get to listen to the album, every expectation is fulfilled.

Great rock music: heavy, dynamic, melodic and catchy. Amazing lyrics, riffs, bass lines and drum parts. The vocals, the hooks. Man, I could go on and on, but this is just nearly perfect. Good job Foos. Bridge Burning, Rope and White Limo are excellent heavy and fun songs, Arlandria, These Days and Dear Rosemary are very melodic and catchy. The ballad, I Should Have Known, is truly shiver inducing and it almost brings me to tears, knowing what it's about. And then Walk, the final song, wow. Just great rock music.

I can't wait for Sonic Highways. Judging by the two songs that came out, it could potentially be as awesome or even top this one. Let's see what they have for us. Bring it on, Dave 

Tracklist:
Bridge Burning
Rope
Dear Rosemary
White Limo
Arlandria
These Days
Back & Forth
A Matter Of Time
Miss The Misery
I Should Have Known
Walk

(Favorites: sorry to say, but also everything. I'm at the point where every album is very consistent in the list.)

--Performed by Dave Grohl (vocals, guitar) Taylor Hawkins (drums) Pat Smear (guitar) Chris Shiflett (guitar) Nate Mendel (bass) / with Rami Jaffee (keyboards) and special guests Krist Novoselic and Bob Mould--

[Anguyen92]

Wasting Light is such a tremendous album.  Bridge Burning was really a great statement that showed they are ready to go when that intro hits with the three guitars slowly coming together and then the bass and drums kicked those to another gear.

At first, I'll be honest, I almost wrote these guys off after hearing These Days (probably my 1st exposure to them other than a random youtube video that played My Hero) on the radio in 2012, but then I feel in love with them when I heard Walk, especially that bridge with Dave going all the way when saying "I never wanna die."  When watching that live video of them playing it in their studio, you could really see his face turn pink during that bridge.  Anywho, once I saw the music video that showed a great amount of Foo Fighters humor which sealed the deal for me as a fan.

The rest of the album is great.  Back & Forth is probably my favorite non-single of the album with lyrics I could very relate to.

[Evermind]

Heard this one and, surprise, not my thing. 

That Queen record is fine though.

[mikemangioy]

Heard this one and, surprise, not my thing. 

That Queen record is fine though.

 I will miss your daily disagreements once this is all over 

[Sacul]

Another one I have to check  .

[mikemangioy]

I love it, I need it, I've always been around it.
Yes, at number 13 there's that effervescent extravaganza of

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT

EPICLOUD
Musical-Gospel-Rock/Metal, 2012

After a series of four nearly flawless records, Devin gives this to us in 2012. Epicloud has helped me a lot to get into his music because it's so enjoyable. Like, really. Addicted was still enjoyable, but more dark in a way. This one is just complete joy and GRAAAAAAAAAAACEfulness and love... it just has taught me to live life under another perspective. Between this positive message and the Retinal Circus' message (which by the way, might be my favorite concert on film ever, just saying) life felt suddently happi-er. You know, you never realize how fortunate you are until someone makes you notice, and that's what happened with me, and now whenever someone's sad, I do that to them. Man, if the case is really serious, I directly lend them Epicloud. So yeah, I wouldn't say that this album "saved my life" because there really is nothing to be saved (everything's good), but it changed my perspective on a lot of things.

And know let's actually talk about the music 
As I've already said, this record is glorious, joyful, epic and loud! There are gospel influences united with hard rock and metal riffs, and musical-esque atmospheres, it sounds quite unique, actually. Lucky Animals, Liberation and More are quite fun and liberatory indeed, the ballads paint a beautiful picture of a crowd singing while everyone is hugging each other and rocking from left to right, Where We Belong especially. And then.. two songs that have the power to stop war: Kingdom (which was originally on Physicist, but 10 times better on this release) and Grace. I won't say anything about those two because there's nothing that I need to say.
Now, I know that Epicloud is not the most well-viewed Devy record, but it means a lot to me, and of course, I just love the music and the vibes of it, and that's why it's at spot 13.


Tracklist:

Effervescent!
True North
Lucky Animals
Liberation
Where We Belong
Save Our Now
Kingdom
Divine
Grace
More!
Lessons
Hold On
Angel

(Favorites: yet again, everything.)

--Performed by Devin Townsend (guitar, vocals, keyboards) Dave Young (guitar, add. keyboards), Ryan Van Poederooyen (drums), Brian Waddell (bass)/with Anneke Van Giersbergen (vocals), various other singers in the choir--

[Sacul]

That's a great album indeed .

[Evermind]

I think the only album I like from Devin is Ki, but I've never checked Epicloud. What does it sound like compared to his other records? (except Casualties, Sky Blue and Z2, because I've never checked them either)

[mikemangioy]

I think the only album I like from Devin is Ki, but I've never checked Epicloud. What does it sound like compared to his other records? (except Casualties, Sky Blue and Z2, because I've never checked them either)

It's like Addicted but 10x happier and more choir-based.

[Scorpion]

Epicloud is amazing. It needed a while to grow on me, but I love it now. Angel and Hold On are two of my favourite Devy tunes of all time.

[Elite]

This album hasn't aged well with me at all. The only tracks I still like from it and listen to occasionally are Kingdom (which already was one of my favourite Devin tunes, but the version on Epicloud is awesome), Save Our Now and True North.

[mikemangioy]

Number twelve was a huge, HUGE surprise for me.

ALTER BRIDGE

FORTRESS
Heavy Metal with little progs here and there, 2013

When I say surprise, I mean that I bought this record completely randomly. Of course, I knew about Alter Bridge, and I knew some songs (Metalingus, Blackbird, Ties That Bind etcetc) but the moment when I finished listening to Fortress, I was between heaven and earth. Pure metal, melodic and catchy, brutal riffs, neat time signatures changes, stunning solos... wow.

So yeah, Fortress is really stunning. Another all killer no filler album for sure, it has all the potential to be considered a metal classic here in the '10s as Master Of Puppets and Reign In Blood did back in the eighties.
The opening and closing songs (Cry Of Achilles and Fortress) are two relatively long tracks, that kinda take you on a journey, either because it has different feels in it, or because the sound of the song is actually epic and anthemic. That's the case with COA, and its amazing beautiful acoustic intro that directly pushes you in a 

Addicted To Pain, the single, features one of the most massive riffs ever, it sounds like the end of the world, literally. I love Bleed It Dry's structure and riffs, and that solo, dear god, Mark Tremonti is the man! Lover has one of the most beautiful and dark choruses in the album, but Peace Is Broken is a complete masterpiece. From one of the heaviest riffs that I've heard (not coming from Gojira or Pantera) we go to a melodic and anthemic chorus, that I always have stuck in my head, infact THE PEACE IS BROOOOOOOOOOOOOKEN, YOU DID IT ALL YOURSELF WITH YOU AND NO ONE ELSE TOOOOOOOO BLAME. Sorry about that, it just had to be done.
The Uninvited is another favorite of mine, it kinda sounds like Tool, and I love the middle breakdown. Another riff worth mentioning is the one in Farther Than The Sun. Good god, that's heavy! It's really nasty and full of hate and reckless... just  - And yeah, along with these fine metal pieces there's All Ends Well, which has a really motivating chorus. And positive too. Not "NEVER FEAR LOOOVE" levels of positivity, but it's almost there.

So yeah, I think you got what I wanted to say: Fortress is a near-perfect heavy metal album that unites melody with brutality, and with some technicality to create a perfect combination, thus the high spot.


Tracklist:

Cry Of Achilles
Addicted To Pain
Bleed It Dry
Lover
The Uninvited
Peace Is Broken
Calm The Fire
Waters Rising
Farther Than The Sun
Cry A River
All Ends Well
Fortress

--Performed by Myles Kennedy (vocals, guitar), Mark Tremonti (vocals, guitar), Scott Phillips (drums), Brian Marshall (bass)--

How I've discovered Alter Bridge

Ties That Bind on Guitar Hero Warriors Of Rock was my first song. Then I heard Before Tomorrow Comes on the radio and I was blown away, and I became a casual fan.

[Evermind]

Alter Bridge is alright band, I prefer Blackbird though.

[Sacul]

Still have to give this band a proper listen.

[mikemangioy]

SOAD closes the 20-11 tier! At number eleven there's...

SYSTEM OF A DOWN

HYPNOTIZE
Not so strange anymore, but still pretty metal, 2005

The double album thing of Mezmerize/Hypnotize is awesome as a whole. But when it comes to single albums, the two are the complete opposites for me in terms of preference: Mezmerize is my least favorite SOAD record, but Hypnotize, on the other hand, is my favorite by them.

With Hypnotize, System tried to squeeze into one album every aspect of their sound, or almost. While they went more melodic on these last two albums of theirs, this one has elements from the band's past, which is also what I've said about Steal This Album, so yeah, the reason that really makes me rank it this high is that it's a real joy to listen to.

It's pretty short, and it flows really well - and each song is awesome. Another cool reason is that the melodies and the riffs are all quite peculiar in this one. I don't know how to describe it, but there's something really special about this album for me, the songs are truly top notch, in every aspect of them: lyrics, riffs, melodies. Amazing.

So, while there are pretty standard songs, like the opener, Attack, you have also some cool and catchy but frenetic pieces, like U-Fig. Tentative, with its lyrics and atmosphere, is one of the best pieces on the album, along with the title track, which evokes some kind of oriental feels through it. Dreaming and Stealing Society are other two pretty cool pieces, but the best ones I have to say, are Holy Mountains (yet another song about the Armenian Genocide) and Soldier Side (Of which we had a preview in the intro of Mezmerize). Those two are absolutely  .
And yes, there are also two meh pieces: Lonely Day and Kill Rock 'N Roll. But the rest of the album is so so so amazing that it makes you forget those two pieces. Oh, also, do we wanna talk about that masterpiece of Vicinity Of Obscenity? I'd never thought that I'd like a song about bananas. Love the funky chorus.

So yeah, Hypnotize is basically all that you want from System Of A Down: catchy but heavy, experimental riffs and melodies, oriental atmospheres and overall, just great music.

Tracklist:

Attack
Dreaming
Kill Rock 'N Roll
Hypnotize
Stealing Society
Tentative
U-Fig
Holy Mountains
Vicinity Of Obscenity
She's Like Heroin
Lonely Day
Soldier Side

(Favorites: basically every song, apart from Kill Rock 'N Roll, Lonely Day, Attack and She's Like Heroin.)

--Performed by Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboards) Daron Malakian (vocals, guitar, keyboards) Shavo Odadjian (bass, BV) John Dolmayan (drums)--


NEXT TIME
Honorable mentions part 1: Albums that should've totally been on the top 50, but aren't because I already have a lot from the same artist.

[Evermind]

And yes, there are also two meh pieces: Lonely Day and Kill Rock 'N Roll. But the rest of the album is so so so amazing that it makes you forget those two pieces. Oh, also, do we wanna talk about that masterpiece of Vicinity Of Obscenity? I'd never thought that I'd like a song about bananas. Love the funky chorus.

I actually have this totally backwards, I like Lonely Day (though "the most loneliest day" irks me a bit) and I nearly despise Vicinity, it's too annoying. No surprises here I guess. 

[mikemangioy]

And yes, there are also two meh pieces: Lonely Day and Kill Rock 'N Roll. But the rest of the album is so so so amazing that it makes you forget those two pieces. Oh, also, do we wanna talk about that masterpiece of Vicinity Of Obscenity? I'd never thought that I'd like a song about bananas. Love the funky chorus.

I actually have this totally backwards, I like Lonely Day (though "the most loneliest day" irks me a bit) and I nearly despise Vicinity, it's too annoying. No surprises here I guess. 

Well of course 

[mikemangioy]

Before the top ten, here's something else.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Episode 1: Those who weren't on the list because there were other albums by the same artist.

Yes, as the subtitle says, these are all albums that totally deserve to be on this list, but they aren't because their "brothers" felt more represative to me, and because of the lack of space. I mean, I can't have 5 Metallica albums in a Top 50 list. Well, of course there are exceptions to this rule (Rammstein is a good exemple of that), but yes, these are five albums that totally deserve to be in the top 50.

DREAM THEATER - TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Now, this album is special. Not only it's DT's heaviest work, but it's also one of the most conistent albums ever. I really can't tell one song that I can get rid of. Nope. All the seven tracks are perfect. As I Am has good riffs and lyrics, and one of my favorite guitar solos, This Dying Soul is a crashing tune, I like the fact that it slowly transforms in a sweep-picking delirium. Endless Sacrifice is a nice ballad, I love the soft part as much as the heavy part, and it features some of the best riffs in the whole DT discography. Honor Thy Father contains the best Portnoy performance in a long time, and whelp, what can I say about Vacant and Stream Of Consciousness? Beautiful. BUT if there's one thing that makes me appreciate the album even more, that's In The Name Of God. One of my all time favorites by DT, a perfect song, in my opinion.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN - TOXICITY[/b]

Toxicity is easily the most popular SOAD record. I mean, with hits like Chop Suey and the title-track, what can you expect? Each song on here is nearly flawless, and it's a nice mix of melody and craziness. More towards craziness, but you get what I mean. Some really heavy stuff on here, too (Needles and Deer Dance come to mind). I really reccomend this album. I consider it a metal classic along with mammoths such as Master Of Puppets or Powerslave.

METALLICA - DEATH MAGNETIC


Death Magnetic was certainly a relief for a lot of 'Tallica fans, back in 2008. After being heavy, then hard rock with blues influences, then kinda lame metal, the band went back to their thrash roots. This album really feels like a modern of version of And Justice For All with a touch of Master Of Puppets, but with bass this time. I really love all the tracks, and they're really fun to play and to listen to.

MUSE - BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS

This is an extremely important album for me, as it features some of the earliest songs that I really liked, songs such as Starlight (even though it's not that awesome of a song) and Supermassive Black Hole (which still holds its awesomness for me after 9 years of hearing it almost every day.) This an album where each Muse genre influence (symphonic, progressive, electronic, alternative and hard rock) is equal and every song showcases at least one of those. It's also pretty catchy, and it features one of the best Muse songs, Knights Of Cydonia. Lord knows what happens to the crowd when Chris starts playing that harmonica.

---So yep.
Next time we'll have number ten! Until then, see ya.

[Evermind]

Yes, as the subtitle says, these are all albums that totally deserve to be on this list, but they aren't because their "brothers" felt more represative to me, and because of the lack of space. I mean, I can't have 5 Metallica albums in a Top 50 list. Well, of course there are exceptions to this rule (Rammstein is a good exemple of that), but yes, these are five albums that totally deserve to be in the top 50.

Eh, it's your list, so you're free to do whatever you want; personally I would welcome five Metallica albums in your list instead of Rammstein ones.  Not Death Magnetic though, it's probably not even my Top 200, I dunno.

Train of Thought is my Top 3 DT album, and maybe it would be even higher if TDS and HTF were trimmed a bit. Endless Sacrifice, SoC and ITNOG are all my Top 10 DT songs. 

[Sacul]

Train of Thought . Glorious metal record, each song is nuts, specially the closer. And the guitar tone is... sexy. Truly DT's last great album.

[mikemangioy]

Eh, it's your list, so you're free to do whatever you want;

And that's the reason why I did it, I would've otherwise felt that the list lacked too many good albums 

[sneakyblueberry]

I always thought DM was like the missing link between AJFA and TBA, sonically.

[mikemangioy]

Ladies and djents, welcome to

THE GLORIOUS TEN
And at number ten I give you..

PORCUPINE TREE

FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET
Progressive Rock/Metal, 2007

Now, if there's an album that has a perfect connection between lyrics and music, it has to be this one. Yes, FOABP is a concept album about teenagers with some serious problems, like Attention Decifit Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and it's also about how a deathly mixture of lifeless technology and "pills" can make the bad, worse.
So yeah, this album's mood is exactly like the concept: dark and very sad. But bipolar also, given how many times the dark and dense atmospheres abruptly transition into some of the heaviest work that PT has ever done.

Anyways, the lyrics are good, sometimes they're pretty cheesy (I'm looking at you, title-track), but what makes this album one of my top ten favorites is the way it's structured. The tracklist is perfect, the length is perfect and of course,

EACH SONG IS PERFECT (kinda)

From the opening groovy title track, all the way to the meanest depths of Sleep Together, FOABP flows in an incredible way.
The album features one of my favorite songs of all time, Anesthetize. That's one heck of a song. I have no words. And Gavin.
GAVIN HARRISON SHINES IN THIS RECORD - Even the most simple groove is top notch. His work is so creative and his groove is sssoooo GROOVY, Gavin is truly a phenomenal drummer.
Also props to the rest of the band, especially to Richard, who helps the dark atmosphere to be darker with his textures.
But Steven, as always, is the shining star of this album.

Apart from Way Out Of Here (which is lovely, by the way), he wrote the entirety of this album
A
LONE

How.

What the heck, this is an album so great, that even its b-sides and unused material is godlike! That's right, Nil Recurring is like an expansion of FOABP, and those are four amazing songs, and they further complete the FOABP experience.

What can I say... I hope that the news are true, I would love to see PT live and maybe even a new album. Maybe. Fingers crossed 

[Sacul]

I don't think it's lyrics are any cheesy. In fact, I find them quite ironic yet thoughtful. Great album anyways .

[mikemangioy]

I don't think it's lyrics are any cheesy. In fact, I find them quite ironic yet thoughtful. Great album anyways .

Yes, I can see the irony in them, but still, pretty cheesy. Maybe it's done on purpose, who knows 

[Sacul]

Maybe it's done on purpose, who knows 

I think they wouldn't work if they weren't cheesy.