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

[Evermind]

Yeah, good album here. Anesthetize is amazing and it's not even in my Top 3 PT songs, that shows the quality of this band's material.

Also I feel that four days were a bit too much of a wait for the update. 

[mikemangioy]

Yeah, good album here. Anesthetize is amazing and it's not even in my Top 3 PT songs, that shows the quality of this band's material.

Also I feel that four days were a bit too much of a wait for the update. 

well, this time I waited a bit more since it's the beginning of something important as the top ten, and also, I wasn't here for like three evenings in a row 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

FOABP is amazing.

Wilson's song-writing is as amazing as ever and Gavin, man.

[mikemangioy]

THE GLORIOUS TEN
At number nine, we have a familiar album for everyone here. One that this year is especially special.

DREAM THEATER

AWAKE
K-Pop, 1994

What can I say about this record? I really love it.
Awake was like if Images And Words and Train Of Thought had sex. The album has still those kinds of I&W influences, but everything is darker, heavier and, dare I say it?, BETTER.

Indeed, Awake is my most listened album too by the band. I remember when I bought it two years ago, I must've listened to it at least 10/15 times. At least. The whole thing is just magical, and it translates really well live. As we've seen by Breaking The Fourth Wall, and as I've seen live in Rome, in January. It was great.

I had no clue that they were playing all those Awake songs, so I came back from the bathroom after the intermission, I sat down and when I heard weeeeeeeeeee DUN DUN DUN - DUN DUN DUN - DUN DUN DUN - my mind was completely blown.

Awake is tasty prog perfection. Every song is top notch: we start out with the energic 6:00 and its signature drum riff. Yeah that's a riff. The song really flows greatly, and I love the wah section. Then there's Caught In A Web, which is the first DT song featuring a 7-string. Though it's not the best experiment in the album with that. Oh god not at all.
Innocence Faded is a short song, very melodic and, interestingly, pretty complex in time signatures. That outro still gives me problems.
And then Erotomania starts. From Erotomania until Scarred, Awake is glorious. Every song starting from this one, is truly godlike.
Erotomania is a fun instrumental, as all DT instrumentals, I like all the moods in it, from the crazy mood, to the happy, to the metal, to the Mozart, back to the crazy and everything transitions into that beast of a song. Yes. Voices is the best one out of this album. The amount of pathos and atmosphere that this song is able to create is incredibly high, and listening to it is truly an experience.
The Silent Man is catchy, I like to sing-along to it, and I loved the Luna Park performance of that one.

And then...


Silence.

But in the distance we hear a distinct sound.

That sound, my friends, is the sound of metal. The sound of evil. The sound of heavy stuff. The sound of The Mirror's opening riff.
A few riffs have the power to be so simple but so incredibly heavy, and so groovy too. So yeah, The Mirror is quite a song. I love the vocal lines, and the overall atmosphere and also the fact that it's attached to the other metal beast in the record, Lie.
Lie is a more straight forward metal tune, and that's why it was the single, but dammit, what a piece. The chorus is pretty anthemic, and I love all the build ups in it. And the last riff before The Mirror reprise? 

After those two, the band decides to feed us with some U2 influenced work, Lifting Shadows Off A Dream. Now, as much as I love track 4 through 11, this track doesn't quite stand out for me. It's Ok, but not that great, although I love the vocals.
Scarred is neat. Like, really neat. The vocal melody is kinda repetitive, but I love the riffs and the 6/8 and 4/4 shifts in it. Also, that outro. And those lyrics too.

The album closes with Space Dye Vest, which I didn't quite get until I listened to it live. Once again, I didn't know about the octave thing, and so I was so so so surprised by it, I didn't know what to really think about in that moment. I was so carried by the song, it's hard to describe.

So, Awake. In five words: Great song after great song. Incredible.

[Evermind]

Awake is alright, but I don't think it's in my Top 5 DT records. I love the second part, the one they've played on this tour starting from The Mirror, I really love it, but 6:00 -> CIAW -> IF really does nothing for me, and Voices is just alright but nothing more.

[Sacul]

...but 6:00 -> CIAW -> IF really does nothing for me, and Voices is just alright but nothing more.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

K-Pop, 1994

 

Awake is a fantastic record. Top 5 DT album for me.

[sneakyblueberry]

My favourite DT.  Good pick dog, good pick.

[mikemangioy]

Ok, after almost a week of absence, I'm sorry. I think you people deserve a two-days-in-a-row update. So, both today and 24 hours from now.

With that said

THE GLORIOUS TEN

At number eight, the best product of the Wilson makes its appereance.

PORCUPINE TREE

DEADWING
Progressive Rock/Metal, 2005

So, Deadwing is my favorite PT record. Even if it's from the 'third phase' of the band (the dark and heavy one), this is easily the lighter of the four records out of this phase. And with that I mean that Deadwing is PT's purest representation.

This album explores and further develops each and every aspect that Porcupine Tree has had over the years, first starting as a psychedelic rock project, developing in a more alternative and pop rock idea and finally sailing on the metal seas.

Deadwing opens with its title-track, which is 9 minutes long. The song has a cool vibe and groove, although it can get quite repetitive. But it does a nice job introducing the concept and the atmosphere of the record. BTW, this album is losely based on a script that SW wrote for a movie. And it's about ghosts. Shallow is one of my all time favorites short PT songs, the chorus just kicks major ass, and I really love Gavin's work here. Lazarus was one of my first PT songs ever, and while it's not certainly their best ballad, it's a quite nice addition to the record. Halo's groove is stellar. Props to Colin Edwin and Gavin. Jesus, that's groovy. The chorus is also pretty nice, and the bridge section is in a time signature that I'll never get, sadly. Steven's vocals are also pretty great in this one.
Arriving Somewhere is definitely my favorite PT song of all time. It's the perfect representation of what the band is capable to do: bring atmospheres, make you think/kinda melanchonic, rock out and being blown away. Perfect piece of music. The next songs are all absolutely gorgeous: from the Mellotron Scratch's outro, to The Start Of Something Beautiful's chorus and Open Car's main riff, this is truly a great three-song run. The album closes with Glass Arm Shattering, which is a salute to the psychedelic days of the band.

Deadwing is a true piece of art. I think you may enjoy it, no matter what you like about music. It's one of those records.
 

[Evermind]

Yeah, I nearly forgot about this thread. 

Deadwing is definitely a masterpiece. Arriving Somewhere is my Top 3 PT song and Open Car is also very nice.

[Sacul]

Deadwing is definitely a masterpiece.

Totally. It's amazing how Wilson and co. made such an album so late on their musical careers. Astonishing.

[Elite]

I disagree with it being Wilson's best album. There's at least 3, if not more, that top it, but Deadwing is still very good indeed.

[mikemangioy]

I promised it, so here is the second update in a row!

THE GLORIOUS TEN

At number seven, this is what I call the new "Dark Side Of The Moon" or maybe the new "Images And Words"... more like a mash up of those two.

HAKEN

THE MOUNTAIN
Progressive Prog, 2013

Now, the next two albums on my list have both something in common. I've discovered both of them this summer, and they come from a not-so-good first impression of the artist. I've already told my story with Haken in Vision's writeup, and this is what pretty much changed everything.

This record is both a breath of fresh air and a salute to the past masters. Haken, in The Mountain, take every element that we like in progressive music, and further develops it in a deligthful way. One of the best records of these last years. And it's also a statement: this is a masterpiece, appearing in the year 2013. An album that I feel will become a classic in prog's history, even if Haken aren't as famous as DT or Pink Floyd.

The album is shaped like a mountain: the first 4 and a half songs are the uphill part, and they're all full of hope, and pretty happy and shiny, the second part is the downhill part, which contains sadder types of songs, and more melanchonic compositions. Also, I should mention, that this album has an incredible flow. It's 1 hour long, and it really doesn't feel like that. It grabs your attention and it doesn't let go. Anyways, off with the track by track section!

The Mountains opens up with its recurring theme: The Path. A beautiful piano intro with gorgeous vocals by Ross Jennings. Then Atlas Stone begins, and it really feels like you've started a journey with this one, it's a strongly cinematic track, with various moods in it, and a main mood: glory. That chorus screams "GREATNESS".
Cockroach King is a nod to Haken's """"""old"""""" days, when they used to make funny, quirky and wacky music. The song strongly reminds me of Yes and Gentle Giant, but it also has that Dream Theater and Meshuggah element (I'm not kidding, this song has an 8-string guitar riffs, one of the few that made me legitimately go Jens Kidman) that twists the song vibe and makes it even more interesting.
In Memoriam is one of my favorites, it's a short, straight-to-the-point and groovy modern prog song, with an anthemic chorus and a mad instrumental section.
Because It's There starts with an a cappella rendition of The Path followed by a bass solo, and then the song itself begins. And it's beautiful. It's basically an expansion of The Path.

And then Falling Back To Earth begins. And that's my favorite one. A song that includes everything that progressive music can bring to the table: the heavy riffs, crazy instrumental section, catchiness and anthemic singing but also ethereal atmospheres, pure emotion, goosebumps. I swear, it's a near perfect piece of music, that does its work really well.

After this masterpiece, the downhill part starts with As Death Embraces, a sad piano ballad. Reminds me of Collapse The Light Into Earth by Porcupine Tree. And it's a nice prelude to that beast under the name of Pareidolia - that song can get quite repetitive and I think that it drags on a bit, but Jesus, I really feel the oriental vibes in it and DAT breakdown. 
The last track, Somebody, starts with this quiet atmosphere, and it builds and builds, until after the last chorus, the song transforms into an ominous and dramatic track, closing the record in the best of ways. I really love the use of overlaying vocals here. Nice time signature use there.

So yeah, The Mountain, it's like the Hitchiker's Guide To Prog. Definitely an instant classic.

[Evermind]

I enjoy some Haken and The Mountain is surely a strong work. Cockroach King is a hell of a grower.

[Elite]

So yeah, The Mountain. Definitely an instant classic.

I really dislike when people say this. Call me a snob or anything, but even a year after its release, it can't probably be considered a 'classic' at all. For some reason, people rate The Mountain ridiculously high everywhere, which is fine I guess, but for me it's not even their best album.

I knew the band before they were 'big'. Am I a hipster now?

[mikemangioy]

So yeah, The Mountain. Definitely an instant classic.

I really dislike when people say this. Call me a snob or anything, but even a year after its release, it can't probably be considered a 'classic' at all. For some reason, people rate The Mountain ridiculously high everywhere, which is fine I guess, but for me it's not even their best album.

I knew the band before they were 'big'. Am I a hipster now?

It's ok for you to think this. I really do not care about certain "time" things, and as of now, I feel that this is a classic. But yeah, your opinion is your opinion

[Sacul]

For some reason, people rate The Mountain ridiculously high everywhere, which is fine I guess, but for me it's not even their best album.

I guess somebody wants to get a 4 on my roulette . Now seriously. The Mountan is such a titanic effort, and didn't expect the band to release such an album. It's glorious, yeah. And it might be a classic in a few years. But it's just that it's too soon to tell.

[Evermind]

For some reason, people rate The Mountain ridiculously high everywhere, which is fine I guess, but for me it's not even their best album.

I guess somebody wants to get a 4 on my roulette . Now seriously. The Mountan is such a titanic effort, and didn't expect the band to release such an album. It's glorious, yeah. And it might be a classic in a few years. But it's just that

If I praise The Mountain high enough, will I get additional points then?

Well, I kind of agree on the point that it's too early to tell it's a classic; then again, I like it but don't love it, so I might be a little biased against calling it a classic (oh damn, here goes my hope for a high score)

But it's actually great to see some discussion about it, because those lists can get a bit dull when everyone is just praising the albums.

[Elite]

Don't get me wrong, I still really like the album and I can enjoy it a lot, but for me their first two albums were better.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Here and there, I'm seeing The Mountain being more and more recognized in the prog sphere. I think it's totally possible that it'll be regarded as a prog metal classic in the future, but it's still too early to really gauge that.

As for the album itself, it's fantastic. Great breathe of fresh air for the scene. It's definitely their strongest release yet (though Visions does come close) and one of my favorites of 2013. I feel like I may be one of the few who genuinely enjoyed Cockroach King on first listen. So many memorable moments on that song, it baffled me to find that so many people hated it.

[mikemangioy]

I also did enjoy cockroach king on the first listen, it was the first one that blew my mind in the track order, actually

[mikemangioy]

New update coming 24 hours by now! One hell of a complex album.

[Evermind]

Yeah man, since I'm on the waiting list too and this is running for like two months and a half, I think the new update would be really welcome. 

[mikemangioy]

Yeah man, since I'm on the waiting list too and this is running for like two months and a half, I think the new update would be really welcome. 

I can't wait to disagree on YOUR list, so I'll hurry the fuck up

[mikemangioy]

BEHOLD

ONE OF THE MOST BOMBASTIC, OVERWHELMING, CONFUSING AND MENTAL ALBUMS EVER MADE

THE GLORIOUS TEN
Yes indeed, at number 6, there's that beast under the name of

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT

DECONSTRUCTION
Extremely overwhelming metal, 2011

Now, what the hell is this album. No, seriously, what the hell is it?
Is it trying to make a statement, or is it just messing with us? Do we have to take it seriously, or just have a good laugh at it?

But these are not the questions. The real questions are:
What are we? Where are we from? What's the meaning of life? Is it possible to overcome certain powerful feelings?

All those answers, my good friends, are contained in this... this.. this THING called Deconstruction.
After a poppy metal record, Devin, in pure Devy fashion, decides to give us the complete opposite of metal music, and he delivered in 2011 this sound assault, this mind-blowing, this headache-inducing masterpiece.
One could say that listening to Deconstruction for the first time is like losing your virginity, you feel that you like it, but it's also pretty painful, but once you do it, you'll always come back to it. That's how it went with me.
The first Devy song I've ever listened was the title-track of this album, and fuck, I hated it to death. It was too much. Then Ultimetalhead decides to do the discography thread, and once I got to this album, I was very arfraid, but I listened to it. These are my thoughts throughout the various sessions:

First time: WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS I DON'T EVEN BOOM NOPE NEVER AGAIN
Second time: THAT'S A REALLY COOL MELODY BUT STILL DAFUQ
Third time: wow these lyrics are mindblowing, and the music is  starting to make sense
Fourth time: SMOKE THAT FUCKING WEEEEEEDBOY DRINKTHAWINE

So yep. Decon is truly a grower.

As I've already said, this album is extremely complex in terms of music: the structures of the songs are pure stream of consciousness, there aren't any 'choruses' or 'verses' (well, except two tracks) - there are just little pieces.
The heaviness collaborates really well with the choir and the orchestra, and everything creates this atmosphere of chaos and confusion.

Lyrically, Deconstruction deals with Devin trying to defeat his Strapping counter-part, and it's told with a story of a guy who starts doing drugs and alcohol, and also pursuits the meaning of life, which as most of us know is SPOILER ALERT

a cheeseburger. Holy shit, Devin. Yes: the message is "there is no message". Truly a great climax. And also: this is one hell of quotable album. There are plenty of deservful lyrics that need to be quoted. No wonder, look at my user message 


Decon starts quietly with Praise The Lowered, which is a pretty calm song, I really love the vocal melodies. In this song the character is pride of his sobriety but suddently realizes that he wants to lose EVERYTHING THAT'S POLICING US and so he starts to do drugs and becomes an alcoholic. This is one of my favorites Devy tracks, in terms of vocal performance, and that's because here in this song, Dev uses both his angelic voice, operatic voice and scream really well. The song of course grows and grows and it explodes at the end, only to segue into a very dynamic track called Stand. Stand is one of my favorites, and it strongly reminds me of Ki. The song is like a rollercoaster, at times it's reeeeally low, at times it's super heavy, and it features Mikeal Akerfeldt vocals. Yeah, a thing that makes Decon so special is the guests spots: there's one in every song and they're all stellar. Lyrically, this song is about the first of many internal conflicts that our character has throughout the album, and also how he begins to search "the truth" (I interpret this pursuit as a distraction to him). Juular, the third track, is also really cool and contains beastly drumming by Dirk Verbeuren. This is the most "classicly-written" song in the album, it has verses and choruses and Devin screams like a motherfucker in this one. The whole song is in this halloween-ish vibe, and it's really cool. This feautres Ihsahn  on vocals, he sings the chorus, and man is that one hell of a chorus. The lyrics in the song are about another internal conlfict in the character's mind.
Then track four begins and oh God is that heavy. Planet Of The Apes is my favorite piece from this album, and it's easily one of my top 10 songs of all time. It's really hard to describe this song, as it's 12 minutes long and it has a lot of moods and atmospheres but I can say one thing: HEAVY RIFFS, BEASTLY DRUMMING, GREAT VOCAL MELODIES AND CHOIR. Tommy from Between The Buried And Me sings on this track, and even if they're not my cup of tea, I enjoy the hell out of this voice. This song is about our protagonist's life in terms of job  and family relationship. He's presumably a musician and he doesn't want to sell out, as he STAYS HEAVY FOR HIS GOD. Words cannot describe the grandiosity of POTA.
The album goes on with Sumeria which is another favorite of mine, I really enjoy both the riffs and the vocal melodies, but especially the riffs. Very Gojira-like song. And infact, Joe Duplantier sings in it!  I love how the guy's voice is both extremely furious but so melodic. In this song our character realizes that if he keeps behaving this way, he will be hated forever. But he doesn't care and he carries on.

Ok. Now. The most ridicolous of tracks is next. A 16 minute journey that goes from dramatic slow operatic vibes, to triplets galore, to house/dance stuff, straight metal and FUCKING PARADE MUSIC.
The Mighty Masturbator, ladies and gentlemen. Listen to this song, be blown away. With lyrics dealing with the creative process of the protagonist, and possibly one of his concerts, our main character starts to realize what he has done with himself, but his bad-self takes over him and everything goes completely nuts.
Pandemic is a short and brutal track, featuring Floor Jansen on soprano vocals, and Dirk playing blast beats all over the place. Jesus Christ, that guy is a beast. In Pandemic the guy has another internal conflict, and he falls deeper into the hole of drugs and alcohol. At this point he's completely obsessed about finding the true nature of mankind, and he goes to hell. Deconstruction, the title-track, the climax of the record, is a mess. There's not a single stable rythm, everything changes and moves in question of seconds. And the cheesburger bit? What can I say. Godly track. So yeah, our main guy goes to the devil and he ORDERS him (arrogance) to show him the meaning of life: a cheesburger. Meaning that there's no meaning. He realizes what he's done, and how everything was vane, and in a beautiful climax, he apologizes to everybody.
The final song, Poltergeist, is as close to Strapping Young Lad as we can get with Devin's solo stuff. The song is mean, catchy in a way, furious and thrasy. This is about the protagonist finally getting rid of his bad-self.

Now, I've had the pleasure to listen to this album during a thunderstorm, and it made the experience A WHOLE LOT BETTER. It was like the most perfect combo. It blew my mind. But anyways, I rambled on too much. Deconstruction is a glorious album if you take it slowly and take the time to listen to it multiple times. Ridicolous.

[mike099]

Yeah man, since I'm on the waiting list too and this is running for like two months and a half, I think the new update would be really welcome. 

I can't wait to disagree on YOUR list, so I'll hurry the fuck up

 .   Awake not my favorite DT album, but sounds great on the live cd.   Love the mountain, especially the vocals

[Evermind]

Yeah man, since I'm on the waiting list too and this is running for like two months and a half, I think the new update would be really welcome. 

I can't wait to disagree on YOUR list, so I'll hurry the fuck up

Well said.

Well, what can I say? It's Devin again, I'm not a fan of him except Ki and maybe Ghost and clearly this is nothing like it, so I'll pass.

[Sacul]

Oh boy, I have a kind of love/hate relationship with this. By one side, it's Devin with all his great genius and crazyness. And on the other hand, I get so overwhelmed that I delete it from my MP3 player whenever I listen to it . But having listened to Planet of Apes on the Retinal Circus makes want to give this another spin.

[mikemangioy]

Classic time!

THE GLORIOUS TEN

Rush has a lot of records. 19 to be precise. But one of 'em is especially special.

RUSH

MOVING PICTURES
Classic prog, 1981

Moving Pictures. May I?


After being an hard rock number, Rush transitioned with Caress Of Steel into their prog era: album after album that era is truly one of the best succession of albums that ever existed. And it all culminated into Moving Pictures.

After Hemispheres the band decided to take a step back in terms of complexity (One song on that album took more time to record than the band's entire second album), and wrote the majestic epicness of Permanent Waves. It was easier to get into, but the songs were still complex. After that album, this came out, and I feel that the complexity is kinda back. Not in Hemispheres levels, but it's easily harder and more technical than Permanent Waves, but the two have very similar vibes.

This album is up here for a reason.

Track one: classic
Track two: classic
Track three: classic
Track four: classic
Track five: classic
Track six: awesome song
Track seven: ok song

FIVE OUT OF SEVEN songs are absolute Rush classics. It's insane, it's like a greatest hits compilation on its own.

The album opens up with possibly the most known Rush song, Tom Sawyer. The song has one of the best drum tracks I've ever heard, combining groove and power to technicality and attention to detail. The vocal lines are incredible and do we even wanna talk about the 7/8 synth riff? I don't think so.
Red Barchetta (I'm italian and I'll tell you this: YOU READ IT BARKETTA not barchetta, like if it's spanish. That bothers me  ) is next. The track is really dynamic, and that works really well with the lyrics, given that it's about a guy who drives a car in a car-banned future, and he's being chased by the police. It really creates a lot of images in my head, and it's really easy to dive into the story with those historic riffs and basslines. Then there's one of my biggest obsessions: YYZ. -_-- -_-- --__   This song. THIS song. I feel like this song and The Dance Of Eternity are two songs that  recurr in my life at least once a day. I'll always think about this song when I hear the word "drums" or the word "bass", 'cause that's what it is. An incredible instrumental piece, capable to bring you into various moods in 4 minutes. I still prefer La Villa Strangiato over this, but damn, are they close.
Limelight is the catchy tune of the album. Splendid lyrics (that really resonate with me) with uplifting music and great vocals. Also, dat solo.
The Camera Eye is the longest song (11 minutes), and it contains some of my favorite guitar work by Alex in Rush's entire carreer. The riffs in this song, man, the riffs. Pretty interesting concept though: the song is split in two equal parts, one is about New York and one is about London. I like that.
The album closes with two cool pieces, Witch Hunt and Vital Signs and though they're extremely cool songs, they don't live up to the rest of the record. But still, they are great.

All in all, nearly flawless record. I listened to this one A LOT and it made me feel better each time, no matter what mood I was in. My only minor complaint is that the track order could've been better if they did something like this:

1. Limelight
2. Tom Sawyer
3. Red Barchetta
4. YYZ
5. The Camera Eye
6. Witch Hunt
7. Vital Signs

but whatever. It's a classic, and it's untouchable 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I've thought it over, and really regret not having this one at least in my honorable mentions list. It might be my second favorite Rush record overall at this point. Fantastic all the way through.

[Evermind]

Yeah, now we're talking. Splendid album all the way through, always an enjoyable listen.

Now, bring on THE.

[mikemangioy]

 

[sneakyblueberry]

You've lost me with this top ten, sans-Awake.  Still watching from the bushes tho. 

[Sacul]

Thn only rush album I've liked so far . It is nice, but Geddy Lee's voice starts to annoy me a few songs in. YYZ is superb though .

[mikemangioy]

You've lost me with this top ten, sans-Awake.  Still watching from the bushes tho.

Glad to know you're still around