Author Topic: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #1 "Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?"  (Read 47908 times)

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Online TAC

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Not familiar with any Ayreon.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline Evermind

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Not familiar with any Ayreon.

Yeah, I figured as much. I guess the next few updates won't be your thing until #32 probably (or #31, I don't remember the exact order), but I truly appreciate the fact you're following this thing.  :tup

Still have to listen to this, but haven't yet because the pre-THE albums aren't my cup of tea.

Which ones did you listen to? Because TDS is probably the only one I love. ITEC has its moments but I never liked it as much as some people do, and while FotM and TFE are good, they're not good enough for me. TDS has its cheesy moments, but I think you'll enjoy it. Though given my grasp on your tastes, I'm most likely totally wrong.

Anyway. Here's another update, I try to send a song from it in every roulette I'm participating. It's the album of incredible lyrical quality, which every band should take as an example, or, well, something like that. In fact, there are a lot of decent lyrics, so maybe it's not that big sarcasm I'm pulling off there. I've got this subject further covered in the write-up, so here it is:

#34
Privateering
Mark Knopfler
Genre: rock / blues
2012


Oh, this is an odd one. I’ve already written about Dire Straits in this thread, and now it’s time to shed some light on their frontman’s solo work. Some of musicians from DS are regularly putting out their solo albums, for example, their bassist John Illsley had recently released his new record called “Testing the Water” and it’s quite a pleasant listen; but this one, this is loads better. I wrote “rock / blues” in the genre for Privateering, but I’m not entirely sure it can be classified as rock. If I had to describe this album in one sentence, I would say something along the lines of “a spectacular set of heartfelt, touching, melancholic ballads diluted with several playful, driving rockers and blues numbers”.

Mark Knopfler is a famous British guitarist and songwriter born in 1949. He was the founder of Dire Straits, and after the band disbanded in 1995 he went on with his solo career, releasing seven solo albums. Among other things, Mark is famous for his style of playing guitar, he doesn’t use pick neither on acoustic nor on electric guitars. On Privateering Mark worked with a lot of musicians, such as Richard Bennett, Guy Fletcher, Ian Thomas and lots of others. Thus, a lot of different musical instruments were used, such as cittern, accordion, uilleann pipes, mandolin, harp, whistles, clarinet, sax, you name it. Such a wide range of instruments allowed Mark to create something really magical.

One of the odd things about Privateering is that I don’t know for certain why I love it to pieces. Well, I’m sucker for ballads alright, and this record has a lot of excellent ones, and that’s probably one of the reasons, but I can’t satisfyingly put it into words. I guess a certain charm for me is this weird feeling Mark was giving precisely zero fucks about what the audience wants from him and the same amount of fucks about lyrics, all this in a warm, cozy, reassuring way. The readers are probably sitting with “what the hell?” expression on their faces now. :lol I mean, I can totally envision how some friend of Mark came to visit him, they sat, talked, drank a shot or two of whiskey, then the friend left and forgot his hat at Mark’s apartment, and Mark was all like «hey, that could be a great idea for the song! I’ll name it “Don’t Forget Your Hat”». Or let’s have this backwards, Mark is visiting his friend, they sit, talk, and it turns out there’s no whiskey in the house, and Mark is all like «this could be a line in my new song! Here, look, it’ll go like “If you ain’t got whiskey, don’t tell me that you ain’t got gin~”». I’m kidding of course, but that’s what I imagine when I hear those blues tunes on Privateering. The ballads are another story, though. I feel Mark was writing the ballads in some kind of insouciant, light-hearted reverie of inspiration. Be that melancholic Dream of the Drowned Submariner and Kingdom of Gold or unconcerned, uplifting Radio City Serenade and Seattle, they all tug on my heartstrings a little because of sheer brilliance. This gush of acoustic sounds with the rare charming passages on electric guitar leaves me no choice but surrender to the music.

What strikes me in Privateering is that the mix is unlike both Kill to Get Crimson and Get Lucky, previous two Mark’s albums. The record sounds warm and muffled a bit, not crystal clear, and this makes me feel like I’m spinning it on some old turntable or something. It really provides that “retro” feel, and the music is so appropriate for it. This double-album has 20 tracks and is nearly two hours long, but you can’t have too much of a great music, and Mark really nails it on this one. I’ve never lived in the UK, but I daresay this record is British to the bone. I would recommend listening to this in the evening with a cup of tea or maybe something stronger.

Favourite tracks: Redbud Tree, Haul Away, Privateering, Kingdom of Gold, Dream of the Drowned Submariner, Blood and Water

And regarding the lyrics, of course there is this:

It gets dark at night, that's how it goes
It gets cold in winter, don't be surprised if it snows
You wanna play Hold'em with my friend Mr Chan?
If you lose your stack, well, you sure can't blame the man
Hahahahah~
« Last Edit: January 13, 2015, 01:21:49 PM by Evermind »
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline Sacul

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I really liked the song you sent me from him, although that one felt like a lot country instead of blues  :lol

About Ayreon, only listened to ITEC, which was kind of meh to me, and TFE. It was all right, but just gave it one listen and no more, so will check that one soon.

Online wolfking

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That is quite the opposite for Flight of the Migrator, which has a brilliant selection of singers but fails to reach the same quality this album has (although I know some people think otherwise, again looking at you Kade).

You got it mate.  I do really enjoy both of the albums, but yeah, I can't go past Migrator.  Possibly the best cast of metal singers on a single album. 
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Online wolfking

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Again, enjoy Knopfler but don't know this one.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Evermind

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I really liked the song you sent me from him, although that one felt like a lot country instead of blues  :lol

Yeah, there are country influences too, especially on the title track, but there are also a lot of blues tunes on the album. I say check it out, or at least recommended tracks.

Again, enjoy Knopfler but don't know this one.

I think it's the most mature Knopfler's solo record. I realize his solo career doesn't have a lot of hits, but it's just solid laid back stuff all around. My favourites are this one and Kill to Get Crimson, which is great if you get rid of such tracks as Secondary Waltz and The Fizzy And The Still.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline Sacul

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It got an 8 on the roulette, so I'll surely check it. I'm listening to the albums that have songs with that mark or higher :tup.

Offline bl5150

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I've never heard anything from Ayreon that does much for me - Star One appeals more.  Interesting to see Knopfler again , this time solo - being an old DS fan I did buy a couple of them (incl this one I think) but just never got around to listening to them properly.   Must remedy that.................think I'll need to be in the mood though.
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Offline Evermind

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #33 "There's a wound that's always bleeding"
« Reply #148 on: January 14, 2015, 08:01:16 AM »
Interesting to see Knopfler again , this time solo - being an old DS fan I did buy a couple of them (incl this one I think) but just never got around to listening to them properly.   Must remedy that.................think I'll need to be in the mood though.

I think you'll enjoy those "serious numbers" as you put it, bluesy stuff not so much. And yeah, totally need to be in the mood for this album.

Actually, the last sentence applies to the next album too, which Sacul will surely approve of:

#33
Damnation
Opeth
Genre: progressive rock
2003


Here’s another album full of ballads and other serene tracks, but the contrast between Privateering and this is so stark it’s dazzling. That Mark Knopfler record was warm and hopeful, and Damnation is the opposite, cold, hopeless. This is Opeth stripped to its very core, devoid of growls, distorted guitars and all the heavy stuff. Of course it would be bleak, chilly and grim, that’s what you naturally expect from Opeth album, and the music impeccably reflects it. I’ve listened to their every album except the debut, but being quite antagonistic about growls I considered three Opeth albums for this list, two latest and this one. Heritage was enjoyable but had a few unmemorable tunes, Pale Communion still grows on me and so far I’m not sure how I feel about it, and Damnation is just perfect.

Opeth is another band everyone on DTF is aware of, but I’ll continue anyway. It’s a Swedish progressive death metal band founded in 1990, even though now it’s more like progressive rock. The band is famous for incorporating death metal sound with the folk music. Their frontman, singer and main songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt (who also participated in Storm Corrosion) is the driving force of the band, providing his clean vocals and relentless growls on the songs, though admittedly growls became weaker over the years. Other musicians on Damnation are Peter Lindgren on guitar, Martin Mendez on bass and Martin Lopez on drums.

Damnation unites all the things I love in Opeth, and excludes all other things I seriously dislike. It’s like this record has been made for me. :lol You’ll find a lot of captivating, beautiful guitar passages here, Mikael puts his soul in those clean vocals, every band’s member sound relaxed on Damnation. This record is remarkably calm and cohesive, it doesn’t strive for being progressive just for the sake of being progressive, and there are no awkward transitions or anything. Every transition feels natural, not forced, and the whole picture is integral, consistent, not being a mish-mash of underdeveloped sections hastily glued together, unlike a few songs on new Opeth records. And the trademark Opeth sound is totally there, you can say it’s definitely Opeth album with your eyes closed. Almost all songs are memorable, and though the mood doesn’t change much for all the forty minutes, the album doesn’t feel like a one monotonous listen without any noticeable details, each song has a personality instead, a defining factor helping to distinguish one from the other. Windowpane is moving even in this setup, featuring a nice guitar and bassline, In My Time of Need is more hopeless and depressing, Hope Leaves has those sincere, emotional vocals from Mikael, you get it. I can’t say how the middle tracks of Heritage go despite liking them on each spin, and I’ve listened to it like twenty times, but I think I memorized the general structure of Damnation from the second or the third listen.

I’m really grateful Opeth had put out those growlless albums, because otherwise I wouldn’t have had a chance to enjoy the brilliant music they’re writing. I know I’m missing a lot, but trust me, I’ve tried Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, Deliverance, MAYH, Watershed, tried them all and just couldn’t bring myself to tolerate those growls. The calm parts were godlike though; and on Damnation it’s like the band collected all the unused calm parts and created an album based on them, and this is the best thing they could’ve done in my opinion.

Favourite tracks: Windowpane, In My Time of Need, Hope Leaves, To Rid the Disease, Ending Credits

In fact, there is one album with a fair load of growls I love to pieces, and it will appear later in the list. I don’t know how this happened, but that’s it.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline bl5150

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #33 "There's a wound that's always bleeding"
« Reply #149 on: January 14, 2015, 08:25:10 AM »
Damnation is the only Opeth album I've heard that I find consistently listenable  ;D  Not that I'd call that a huge compliment but it's the closest to my taste.

I haven't given the latest much of a listen , so I might be able to add that.  Frederik Akeeson is one of my favourite guitarists too , but it must be a snooze for him after a band like Talisman where he was shredding his ass off throughout.  ;D
« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 08:30:39 AM by bl5150 »
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Offline Sacul

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #33 "There's a wound that's always bleeding"
« Reply #150 on: January 14, 2015, 08:51:39 AM »
My fav Opeth album - it's on my top 15 or so  :heart.

Offline Mladen

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #33 "There's a wound that's always bleeding"
« Reply #151 on: January 14, 2015, 09:07:14 AM »
That's one great Opeth album. As for that Knopfler release, I haven't heard it myself, although I saw him on that tour. You don't need to be familiar with all of his music to enjoy the concert, because the moment he plays one note on the guitar, you're in outer space.

Offline Evermind

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #33 "There's a wound that's always bleeding"
« Reply #152 on: January 14, 2015, 09:55:32 AM »
That's one great Opeth album. As for that Knopfler release, I haven't heard it myself, although I saw him on that tour. You don't need to be familiar with all of his music to enjoy the concert, because the moment he plays one note on the guitar, you're in outer space.

Indeed about Opeth.

Mark cancelled both Russian tour dates in Moscow and St. Petersburg for that tour because of some political things happening in the country, I had to return my tickets for front row I've already bought. That was the most disappointing thing related to music happened to me that year, because I really wanted to see it, I fell in love with the album on my first listen. I know it's entirely Mark's decision and I have no right to blame him for it, but hell, I was so upset.

I don't really expect him to return here for 2015 Tracker tour because of more political things that are happening since March (y'all know what I'm talking about), so I guess I'll just buy the new album and listen the hell out of it.

edit:
Damnation is the only Opeth album I've heard that I find consistently listenable  ;D  Not that I'd call that a huge compliment but it's the closest to my taste.

I haven't given the latest much of a listen , so I might be able to add that.  Frederik Akeeson is one of my favourite guitarists too , but it must be a snooze for him after a band like Talisman where he was shredding his ass off throughout.  ;D

Well, if not for Heritage (which rhymes with average, haha) and their new one, I would say the same thing about Damnation. Pale Communion is actually great, I found I'm spinning it a lot lately. Except for Goblin and River, I like every song. But the songs are a bit more disjointed than on Damnation, so that's a flaw in my opinion.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 10:02:19 AM by Evermind »
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline mikemangioy

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #33 "There's a wound that's always bleeding"
« Reply #153 on: January 14, 2015, 11:38:32 AM »
GNAAH Damnation is truly a great album. I love the atmosphere.
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Offline Evermind

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #154 on: January 14, 2015, 01:00:21 PM »
My fav Opeth album - it's on my top 15 or so  :heart.

GNAAH Damnation is truly a great album. I love the atmosphere.

Knew you guys would approve the Damnation appearance here.

And one more update before I'm off to sleep. Modern hard rock and power metal fans, this famous piece should be (and probably is) right up your alley...

#32
The Scarecrow
Avantasia
Genre: rock / metal
2008


Here’s another concept album, and this one can’t be easily categorized. While the first two Avantasia albums were power metal through and through, The Scarecrow is a whole different story, both in concept and in the genre. There are traces of power metal there, but mostly it’s a blend of various rock and metal styles. This change of direction was received well by some fans and severely criticized by others, but as you already know, my position about it is the musician can write whatever he wants. And in this case “whatever he wants” luckily proved to be bloody good.

Avantasia is a musical project created by Tobias Sammet. While Tobias’ main band was Edguy, he wanted to create a concept album with a bunch of guest musicians on it. Thus, Avantasia was formed, and two parts of The Metal Opera were released in 2001 and 2002. The project was finished then, however in retrospect it turned out to be just a pause, not a complete end of Avantasia, for Tobias decided to release another story under the project’s name, a trilogy this time. The Scarecrow is the first album from so-called The Wicked Trilogy, and other than Sammet, it features such famous vocalists as Jørn Lande, Bob Catley, Michael Kiske, Alice Cooper, Roy Khan, Amanda Somerville and Oliver Hartmann. Guitars on the album were played by Sascha Paeth and Henjo Richter (he’s labeled as “additional lead guitars” in the booklet even though he played like on half of the tracks), and there are also Kai Hansen and Rudolf Schenker guesting on few tracks. Miro plays keyboards and Eric Singer plays drums on this record.

As I’ve already said, The Scarecrow is not a continuation of The Metal Opera in any sense. There are a few power metal tunes, but there are poppy tracks like Carry Me Over or Lost in Space, heavy numbers like The Toy Master and folk elements on the title track and so on. Despite the wide range of styles incorporated in this work, the album flow is alright and the tracks are mostly great. It’s evident that Tobias already had the vocalists he was going to invite in mind when he was writing the material, because it’s obvious how the songs are a perfect fit for everyone’s vocal abilities. Jorn has those aggressive, raspy parts as an evil Mephistopheles-kind-of character (and is a real star of this album); Bob Catley has his elevated, soulful parts, Alice Cooper has this creepy role of the toy factory tycoon, you get it. It allows every singer to shine and boosts the album on a whole other level. Tobias’ voice is matured over the years and it shows too. Henjo Richter’s presence is another highlight, he’s present on nearly all my favourite tracks and his guitar parts are fresh and exciting. Actually, this is something I feel The Wicked Symphony / Angel of Babylon lacks, the strong guitarwork. Not to bash on Sascha, but I would take Henjo’s playing any day.

What’s also interesting, despite the album being concept and despite I said it flows alright, I think the flow could’ve been better. I don’t even think it’s a must-listen-in-full album. There are a few sequences where the flow works amazingly, but sometimes the decisions with the tracklist Tobias made can seem weird; for example, I still don’t think Lost in Space is a decent closer of such an epic record; well, maybe it was intended, because it’s not the end of story, just the end of the first part, but it just doesn’t work for me. Either way, The Scarecrow features some of the best Avantasia material ever, and that’s saying something, because none of the six albums released under this name can be labeled as “bad”.

Favourite tracks: Twisted Mind, The Scarecrow, Shelter from the Rain, Another Angel Down, The Toy Master

It’s interesting how every Avantasia album starts slow: Prelude, calm parts of The Seven Angels and Stargazers, orchestral parts of The Wicked Symphony and Spectres; and how Twisted Mind throws that riff in your face right away. Very fitting, considering the concept.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline Sacul

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #155 on: January 14, 2015, 01:03:43 PM »
You lost me again :lol .

Offline Shadow Ninja 2.0

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #156 on: January 14, 2015, 01:05:32 PM »
Yes. Amazing album. Probably in my top 5 if I ever did such a thing.

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #157 on: January 14, 2015, 01:06:45 PM »
I like The Scarecrow a lot. An album that has both Michael Kiske AND Alice Cooper? All win!

I'm not a huge fan of these multiple vocalists albums, so it took me a while to appreciate Avantasia. I would take Mystery Of Time over this, but enjoy this album very much. I need to go on an Avanatsia tear soon.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline Evermind

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #158 on: January 14, 2015, 01:09:20 PM »
You lost me again :lol .

Yeah, well, I didn't count, but I think that's gonna happen at least fifteen or even twenty more times in this list.  :rollin

Yes. Amazing album. Probably in my top 5 if I ever did such a thing.

Top 5 is pushing it for me, because some songs certainly appeal to me much less than others, but amazing album indeed.

I like The Scarecrow a lot. An album that has both Michael Kiske AND Alice Cooper? All win!

And Kai Hansen on guitar, even though he's only a guest here. Pure win.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline mikemangioy

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #159 on: January 14, 2015, 02:56:18 PM »
I know the title track. It's ok.





















TIIIIIIIME WILL COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME
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Offline Nick

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #160 on: January 14, 2015, 03:02:51 PM »
It's funny, in many of the latest picks, I love the bands, but very much disagree with album choice. PT, Maiden, Nightwish, and Ayreon specifically.

I really don't understand the choice of Imaginerium. There are about 3 tracks that are pretty amazing, and the rest is almost as forgettable as it could possibly be.
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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #161 on: January 14, 2015, 03:09:33 PM »
Knew it would be this one from the title. Amazing album. The title track is basically power metal perfection.
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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #162 on: January 14, 2015, 03:11:24 PM »
I really am happy to see that Scarecrow or the next two albums made the list, as I think cases could be made for any of them to be included. And that title track is indeed glorious.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 10:17:39 PM by Nick »
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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #32 "A withered dreamer standing on the edge"
« Reply #163 on: January 15, 2015, 05:08:47 AM »
Henjo Richter’s presence is another highlight, he’s present on nearly all my favourite tracks and his guitar parts are fresh and exciting. Actually, this is something I feel The Wicked Symphony / Angel of Babylon lacks, the strong guitarwork. Not to bash on Sascha, but I would take Henjo’s playing any day.

Thank you.  I have always said this since TWS and AOB came out.  IMO, the band has suffered since in terms of the lead guitar.  IMO Henjo was a vital part of the bands sound.  I actually am not a big fan of Sascha at all.  HIs guitar work really doesn't add anything to the songs and a lot of it is quite meaningless and uncalled for.  Henjoy always put melody and most of the time, the leads were a song within a song.
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Offline Evermind

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #31 "Swinging blade of a lowering perpendicular"
« Reply #164 on: January 15, 2015, 08:30:07 AM »
I know the title track. It's ok.
<snip>
TIIIIIIIME WILL COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME

 :lol

I really don't understand the choice of Imaginerium. There are about 3 tracks that are pretty amazing, and the rest is almost as forgettable as it could possibly be.

I dunno, I find the whole album except Scaretale - Arabesque sequence pretty amazing. Dark Passion Play, on the other hand, is exactly what you just wrote, in my opinion.

Knew it would be this one from the title. Amazing album. The title track is basically power metal perfection.
I really am happy to see that Scarecrow or the next two albums made the list, as I think cases could be made for any of them to be included. And that title track is indeed glorious.

Yeah, the title track is my favourite Avantasia song.

Thank you.  I have always said this since TWS and AOB came out.  IMO, the band has suffered since in terms of the lead guitar.  IMO Henjo was a vital part of the bands sound.  I actually am not a big fan of Sascha at all.  HIs guitar work really doesn't add anything to the songs and a lot of it is quite meaningless and uncalled for.  Henjoy always put melody and most of the time, the leads were a song within a song.

Damn right for TWS and AOB. I guess that's one of the reasons I don't revisit those albums often.

I would take Mystery Of Time over this

Oddly enough, me too!

#31
The Mystery Of Time
Avantasia
Genre: rock / metal
2013


And here we have the first artist repeat in this list. A few more are coming soon, but this is in fact quite unusual. I really feel I love these two Avantasia albums almost equally, so that’s why we have those two back to back here, but as of November 2014 I have to give a small nod to The Mystery of Time. It’s a new story again, it has nothing to do with The Scarecrow and The Wicked Trilogy as a whole, but stylistically it’s quite similar to its predecessor in the list. It’s a blend of rock and metal again, and this time it’s even more obvious: clearly, metal songs are present here and the cover says “A Rock Epic”. Funny how a few people whose posts I’ve read over some Russian fan sites wrote something along the lines “oh, it’s a rock epic, probably the same boring shit as The Scarecrow, I’m not gonna bother”, so maybe Tobias deliberately placed this line on the artwork to scare them away. :lol

While the album is indeed similar to The Scarecrow in style, it’s different at the same time. First and foremost, the cast of singers and instrumentalists doesn’t look and sound like TS at all. Look, The Mystery of Time has Joe Lynn Turner, Biff Byford, Cloudy Yang, Ronnie Atkins, Eric Martin on vocals, all are Avantasia newcomers; but there are some old voices as well, namely the usual collaborator Michael Kiske and ever-hand-waving Bob Catley. Tobias hired a new drummer for this album, Russell Gilbrook; guest musicians are Bruce Kulick, Oliver Hartmann and Arjen Lucassen on guitars (Arjen sent a solo for The Watchmaker’s Dream), and also Ferdy Doernberg on Hammond on the same song. So you see, the cast was pretty different this time. Second, this time Sammet used the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg, the real orchestra to make all these pompous intro and strings and stuff along the songs, and it paid off hugely, in my opinion. The third clear-cut TMOT distinction from TS is the brilliant pace and flow. On The Scarecrow, the flow was just alright, but this album actually feels like a whole concise story, and I feel this is something Tobi was actively struggling with on the previous three albums. He has the talent of writing great songs alright, but they were so unlike each other the concepts weren’t making much sense. On The Mystery of Time there is no such problem.

So how do I feel about all the changes? I can say I was skeptical about the lineup, because I thought Jorn was outstanding on the previous Avantasia efforts, and I was doubtful anyone could fill his place as a main character along with Tobi, yet I had high hopes for Biff Byford as I was familiar with his albums with Saxon. And these hopes were exceeded multiple times over as I think Biff just owns and slays and kicks all kinds of ass on this record; Ronnie and Eric and Bob do a fine job on their respective songs; Kiske is just, well, Kiske, this man is just unstoppable; and finally JLT is alright (though probably my least favourite vocalist here). The cast turned out to be just fantastic and the writing proved to be impeccable. This album is a huge grower, I felt it was fine on first listen, but then I just kept listening to it over and over until I wanted to make babies with it. It has those bombastic Spectres and Black Orchid (where Biff really shines); it has those power metal tunes like Where Clock Hands Freeze and Dweller in a Dream; there are ballads like Sleepwalking and What’s Left of Me; and of course, there is glorious Savior in the Clockwork.

The funny thing is that the story in The Mystery of Time makes absolutely no sense without a booklet, and when you get a booklet it’s damn hard to read those explanation parts because of the awful medieval pseudo-hand-written font used. And even with those parts it’s really difficult to follow, because Tobi went with the imaginary, thought-provoking lyrics this time, and while I applaud his improvement in English skills, I wish it would be a bit clearer. But hell, otherwise the artwork and the digibook is awesome, and the music is fabulous, so I’m really willing to overlook all the issues with the font. This album is worth its price for Savior in the Clockwork alone, and since it has got another nine brilliant songs, well, it was really a no brainer to buy. I’m eagerly waiting for the second part of the story.

Disclaimer: for the most satisfying experience you should listen to the whole album

Favourite tracks: Spectres, Black Orchid, Where Clock Hands Freeze, Savior in the Clockwork
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Online TAC

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #31 "Swinging blade of a lowering perpendicular"
« Reply #165 on: January 15, 2015, 08:39:08 AM »
Mystery Of Time!!! :metal

This is the album that ultimately cracked the Avantasia code for me.
The vocal performances are incredible. Especially Tobi. I always thought he was such a weak link vocally, but he has really honed his craft. It's on full display here. He did a great job dusting off old Joe Lynn Turner, who fits him in brilliantly here. Same for Biff Byford's performance, which is mind blowing on Savior In The Clockwork, especially on that last chorus. So powerfull, even for Biff.
And Kiske sounds amazing on this. He is used perfectly.

The other star of this album is Russ Gillbrook. The drumming on this is great. So strong.

And Savior In The Clockwork was my Song Of The Year for 2013, and is easily my favorite Avantasia tune.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline Evermind

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Re: Evermind's Top 50 list v. #31 "Swinging blade of a lowering perpendicular"
« Reply #166 on: January 15, 2015, 09:21:20 AM »
The other star of this album is Russ Gillbrook. The drumming on this is great. So strong.

I usually don't pay a lot of attention to the drumming, and if something on the album in drum department attracts my attention, that means the drumming is great. Those drum fills in the beginning of Savior in the Clockwork did just that, on my very first listen.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline Evermind

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And as I don't want to dwell on Avantasia repeat (and neither do you, so it seems), I suggest we move on. So let's enter the Top 30, where playtime's over now. I hope nobody's leaving. Great fun!

(I know, that was awful, but I just had to do it.)

#30
Mercy Falls
Seventh Wonder
Genre: progressive metal
2008


I just realized a lot of albums on my list are the concept ones, and Mercy Falls is no exception. I love when the music tells the story, and I love how the stories are always different, some are happy, some are thought provoking, some are downright sad. This one is the latter, and it might be the saddest concept I’ve ever heard in music, though the music itself varies from heartbreaking ballads to energetic metal tunes. The whole album is full of progressive movements and sections reminiscent of Dream Theater; but it’s clear this is another band, both in writing and performing, vocal parts especially. This album is a perfect example of a trademark sound of Seventh Wonder.

Seventh Wonder is a Swedish progressive metal band founded in 2000. They’ve released four studio albums and currently are working on the fifth one. Mercy Falls is arguably their best release so far, though The Great Escape is a worthy rival for this position. Seventh Wonder was formed by bass player Andreas Blomqvist, guitarist Johan Liefvendahl and drummer Johnny Sandin (who will leave the band later in 2010); all three musicians are playing on Mercy Falls, along with Andreas Söderin on keyboards. The lead vocals are provided by Tommy Karevik, who joined the band in 2005; his wife, Jenny Karevik, does female voice acting and sings some parts too.

Mercy Falls can be a little hard to digest on the first few listens. I think the reason for this is mostly the complexity of vocal passages on nearly all songs; I mean, they are very wordy and really unpredictable, like a rough road with a whole load of turns and twists. The way Tommy changes the notes in verses and choruses in the middle of some words from low to soaring high is impressive, yet really unexpected for an inexperienced listener; I don’t think I could sing any chorus in full after my first listen, only the closing lines like “And lets the shadow break the unbreakable!” or “In the black parade”. Oh, maybe One Last Goodbye chorus, but that’s literally all. It gets a lot better with time though. I think the style of singing is one of the things that make Seventh Wonder so unique on the metal scene now. Of course, this album has a lot more great stuff, not only the vocal passages, but the whole band is on fire with these complex instrumental solos, changing time signatures and such things. And the usage of this recurring theme throughout the album is astounding:

Raise my head and stare
Into broken eyes of another


Obviously, I can’t talk about Mercy Falls and not mention this one awful thing that really sours otherwise perfect canvas created by the band. Every fan surely knows what I’m talking about, and sure enough, it’s *drumroll* awful voice acting. Echoing Big Hath’s post from another Top 50 thread, I really don’t know how these parts made it on the actual record, because the acting is just terrible. So how come Mercy Falls is in this list then, if it has nearly unlistenable parts? I’ve come to tolerate them over time, and by “tolerate” I mean “ignore them, because they are only essential to the story, and I know the story full well”. The music is flawless, and that’s enough for me. There are no tracks I dislike, the flow is utterly fantastic and the production is tight. If you’re interested in this album, be sure to follow the story along the listening, as it really enhances the whole experience, allowing to connect the songs’ mood to the events happening. Overall, I tend to think of Mercy Falls as of one of the modern progressive metal masterpieces, and I envy those who got the chance to see it performed in full at the recent ProgPower festival. Lucky bastards!

Disclaimer: for the most satisfying experience you should listen to the whole album

Favourite tracks: Unbreakable, Tears for a Father, Break the Silence, Hide and Seek, One Last Goodbye

By the way, “Don’t wanna play another day without you” from Tears for a Father sounds remarkably like “I’m sorry that I can’t stop the bleeding” from a certain song on Silverthorn. Also, both Tears for a Father and last chorus in One Last Goodbye (when Tommy and Jenny sing together) are just so emotionally powerful and sad. Not dark or grim, just purely sad. Awww.

And actually, do you know what? Telling your husband that the child they’ve raised is in fact not his while he is fucking driving is the most stupid thing you can ever imagine. Like you couldn’t wait until you get back home, eh? Where did the man find this dumb wife anyway? Oh well.

When every day hurts and tears keep on falling~
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline Shadow Ninja 2.0

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Putting The Mystery Of Time above The Scarecrow is just so completely bizarre to me.

Mercy Falls is great, and yes, the voice acting is horrendous. I prefer The Great Escape, personally.

Offline ThatOneGuy2112

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Mercy Falls is fantastic, and The Great Escape is indeed a worthy rival for it, but I find the former to be more consistent overall.

Online wolfking

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You know, I may put MOT over TS too.

MOT is simply fantastic.  It was actually a real grower for me.  I didn't take to it at first but over time it turned into a well written and crafted album.  The guitar work is much better this and the songs are amazing.  The only thing I will say is that the guest singers weren't utilised as well as previous albums IMO.

Mercy Falls is great, but it's one of those albums that didn't get a whole lot of listens and something I need to revisit.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2015, 02:24:44 PM by wolfking »
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Sacul

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Keep trying :hat .

Offline mikemangioy

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I have a strange relationship with Seventh Wonder. They're totally not my thing with all those soaring melodies and generic progginess, but I still listen to them, I don't know why  :lol

Haven't listened to this particular album yet, but I will soon.
Because Mike is better than Mike

Offline Evermind

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Putting The Mystery Of Time above The Scarecrow is just so completely bizarre to me.

Well, while highlights on TS are slightly stronger than on TMOT for me, I prefer the latter as a whole album. As I said, the way TMOT flows is probably what makes it a bit better in my book.

Keep trying :hat .

Man, with that next update I'm not even trying.  :lol

#29
Holy Diver
Dio
Genre: hard rock / heavy metal
1983


And now it’s time for a classic. I have a lot of albums from 2000 and onward in my list, but it really would be incomplete without some tried and true old school rock and metal records. And when I think about old school metal, Dio is the name first coming to mind. This man was the voice of heavy metal back then, and while it seems he is praised more for his contribution for Sabbath and Rainbow, he recorded a few great solo albums too, and here’s one of them. Holy Diver is a total classic in my book, it’s the album where I feel RJD put all his own ideas into music and the result exceeded all expectations.

Of course, it wasn’t only Ronnie James Dio who's in the band. Dio was a band formed in 1982, and it dissolved in 2010 when Ronnie died of cancer. Along with him delivering his trademark vocal lines and ad libs mostly consisting of “alright!”, “no-no!” and other cliché heavy metal stuff (also, there is a fadeout in like every song!), Holy Diver was recorded with Vivian Campbell on guitar, Jimmy Bain on bass and keys, and Vinny Appice on drums. This lineup will undergo some serious changes later, but as Holy Diver was the first Dio album, this was the founding lineup.

How is Holy Diver different from other metal releases of that time? Well, aside that it has this unforgettable Ronnie’s voice, it also features some of the best songs he has ever written. Holy Diver and Rainbow in the Dark became timeless classics in a heavy metal world for their catchiness and epicness and whatever, but the album has a lot more to offer, like a chameleonish Don’t Talk to Strangers, dark and bass-driven Shame on the Night and some straightforward tunes like Stand Up and Shout. Dio and the whole band really did their best on the record, making all the tunes incredibly memorable and intense. While a lot of albums back then were composed like “two or three songs are killer, the rest are filler”, Holy Diver strikes me as an album with absolutely no filler. Now, it’s only my opinion and you guys are free to disagree, perhaps I’m biased on that matter, but hell, I can’t help. It’s rocking my world every time I spin it, and it’s not likely to change.

It’s always so easy to write things about concept albums or such, and it’s damn difficult to write a lot about a good old metal record without analyzing every piece of it, so I think I’m going to just stop there. Dio rocked and remains one of my favourite singers ever, if you’re into 80s metal, totally check his work out; you may as well start with Holy Diver. Even if you don’t feel like listening to all forty minutes, try some of the tracks listed below.

Favourite tracks: Holy Diver, Don’t Talk to Strangers, Straight Through the Heart, Rainbow in the Dark, Shame on the Night
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline mikemangioy

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I approve of this.
Because Mike is better than Mike