Anguyen's Top 50 Albums v. 5. Six O'Clock on a Christmas Morning

[425]

This is a really good album. It's hard for me to say that an album that came out six months ago would go into the category of my all-time favorites, and I think I still would choose the previous two Maiden albums over this one, but this is still an absolutely stellar effort.

[sneakyblueberry]

Brilliant

[Tomislav95]

Terrific album but I don't think it will get this high on my list.

[Mladen]

Finally an album I know. And what a great choice. 

[mikeyd23]

AB Live in Amsterdam is a great live record. Captured that band at what I still consider their live performance peak as a group.

[Anguyen92]

All right, getting back on it now.

19. Seether - Karma and Effect (2005)



Alternative metal, post-grunge

So getting back to talking about Seether, I'm going to discuss my favorite album from them, Karma and Effect.  I think like most really great albums, Seether took what was good regarding their previous album, Disclaimer II, and just made it better.  Made their songs a tad more angrier, emotional, heavy, catchy, etc.  I think the end result was really good.

The album starts of with Because of Me, and they started off very heavy.  Heck, when I was listening to this song during a high point of me watching wrestling, I imagined people throwing German Suplexes to this song and taking their enemies to Suplex City.  The bridge was built with good suspense before vocalist Shaun Morgan let it out with a big "growl".  Next comes a solid radio single, certainly one that contributed to me getting to known them, Remedy.  It's a post-grunge radio single done well and was successful in the charts.  Nothing more to ask for than that.  The follow-up song is another single called Truth and I guess the best way to describe this song is that if you are getting ready for an official fight (whether it is in UFC, boxing, WWE, NJPW, etc.) or watching a fight, this is a good song to get pumped for.

Eventually, then comes The Gift, a very somber ballad.  Feels like it had a Mexican flair to it in the intro.  Here was a quote I found somewhere that talks about the song meaning.  "The song is about a man who killed a young girl in a car accident. The gift is the forgiveness she gives him."  and how the guy cannot live with the guilty described in this chorus, "I'm so afraid of the gift you give me. I don't belong here and I'm not well. I'm so ashamed of the lie I'm living. Right on the wrong side of it all."  Furthermore, the album just keeps giving and giving with one of my favorites, Burrito, one of the songs that best describes the band's sound well for their time.  It had this Korn influence, I think, in a good way.   It's pretty dark sounding with another great bridge with once again, Morgan letting his vocal powers soar with such angst.

Tongue is another one of my favorites.  Another one of these songs about trying to make it in this world, needing something, someone in their life and survive and not let depression take over them.  Very powerful stuff.  Simplest Mistake had one of those epic feeling vibe to it with its intro and the song was solid in terms of how they progress along.  Diseased is not one of my favorites though from this album.  Sure, like most of the songs in the album, it is a dark-sounding song, but it just did not grab me as well as the other stuff.

Overall, whenever I write off Seether in today's age, I revisit this album and I'm like, man, they struck gold with this one.  So many good songs that fits their vibe well that their later albums, to me, could not capture.  Maybe, it is due to how I'm growing up as a person and how my musical tastes have developed.  That stated, Seether's Karma and Effect album was certainly one of the more nostalgic albums I've heard, but still holds up really well and an album I still really like.

Favorites:  Because of Me, The Gift, Burrito, Tongue, and Simplest Mistake

[Train of Naught]

Burrito might be my favorite Seether song (and one of the only Seether songs I listen to these days, not into them as much anymore) that riff kicks ass, and I love how it switches to that dark mood from time to time.

[Anguyen92]

Indeed, a good song.  One time when I was writing this high school letter to myself in five years, I wrote "Remember Seether's Burrito in case you forget about the band," and it still holds up well.  Moving on though.

18. Big Wreck - Albatross (2012)



Rock

Well, the first time I heard about Big Wreck was at the Alter Bridge Nation forums that I frequent in and around the summer of 2014, I keep hearing great praises about this band called Big Wreck and their recent album, Ghosts.  I took a listen to it, not knowing what to expect, and it was this album that had this atmospheric vibe incorporating all sorts of different sounds (from being broody in a metal Black Sabbath-ish sense, to outright pop-ish in a good sense, to somber, to having a sort of funk-ish vibe) on the guitar with some catchiness to it even though the songs were relatively lengthy. I liked it, and I found that Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy did a song with them called Breakthrough before he joined AB, and that convinced me enough so I went back to hear their other stuff which leads to me talking about the album before Ghosts, Albatross.

Albatross starts off with Head Together with some good layering "Ahhhhh" by vocalist Ian Thornley before kicking into another gear and talks about trying to keep our marbles in our minds intact.  Wolves was solid and I think incorporated a banjo in this one and had good catchiness to it.  One of my favorites from the album is the title track, Albatross, where it had this very light-sounding intro before kicking it to high gear and back to a softer vibe.  Chorus is really good.  "Ah that’s OK, and I’m alright. I guess I’ll be lost again For one more night. Ooh and that’s alright, I’m OK. I'll wear the albatross. For one more day."  I also enjoy what they did after the chorus is sung where it had this certain guitar sound that I cannot describe.  Another one of my favorites from the album is Glass Room where it had this alternative rock vibe like Foo Fighters as oppose to the usual post-grunge radio rock sound I'm accustomed to like Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown.

Another great track, All Is Fair had a certain uplifting vibe.  The album slows things down a bit with Control with a long three minutes outro.  Rest of the World went heavy discussing about the topic of greed.  Do What You Will had fun, having a good time feeling that keeps you jumping for some reason.  The ending of the album closes it off with Time, a song with that started off with some acoustical arrangements talking about all things regarding the concept of time.  About how it is just passing us by, about how if we could go back in time, what can we do differently, about wondering if time moving forward does heal all wounds.  Then, during the 2nd chorus, the tempo of the song shifted into something that had this big sounding climax, that officially made this a very suitable closing song.

Well, based on my write-up, I had a hard time putting the words together on why I dig this album, but I just enjoy how they incorporate all sorts of different tones and styles in their guitar sound where there can be a certain distinction in the song.  Big Wreck was gone for roughly about a decade before releasing Albatross, and I think they came back strong, and it is good that they came back since I got another band to listen to and they have solid stuff.

Favorites: Albatross, Glass Room, All Is Fair, Do What You Will, and Time

[Anguyen92]

Okey doke, onto the last live CD/DVD I will put in this list and it is a great one.

17. Rush - Rush In Rio (2003)



Progressive rock, hard rock

Ok, the second time this list I will talk about Rush and I think this is a good showcase for them.  The story behind this album was that the year was 2002 and Rush was back about drummer Neil Peart decided that it is time to come back after his long journey across North America after mourning the deaths of his wife and daughter.  They released Vapor Trails that year and was met with mixed reactions, mainly due to the sound quality of it.  I thought the remixed version was good and considered putting it in this list, but I feel like this live DVD was a better presentation of that period where they are coming back.  One of the beautiful parts about them coming back was that they were starting to slowly hit new territories outside of the usual US, Canada, Europe, and go into areas like Mexico and Brazil.  For their trip to Brazil, they played in three soccer stadiums and decided to film the last one in Rio de Janeiro for their DVD, Rush in Rio.

From the get-go, you can tell this was going to be a great crowd based on how they reacted to the opener, their biggest hit song, Tom Sawyer, singing along with Geddy Lee on the words and you can tell that they were going to be amped for the long show.  The first set started it off with some relative staple tracks like Distant Early Warning, Roll the Bones, Big Money, Closer to the Heart (that I think they played relatively exclusively in Brazil).  They played one of the songs from Vapor Trails, Earthshine.  Crowd reacted really well to songs from a not that popular era of Rush in the form of Bravado and The Pass which to me was one of the standouts of the set.  However, the crowd exploded really strongly during YYZ when they were singing along to it.  An instrumental and a Brazilian crowd was singing along to it?  That's awesome.  The set closes it off with Natural Science, before Geddy Lee declaring that they were going to take a break for some "brain surgery." I got to admit, it slowly grew on me, but now Natural Science is getting up there in terms of one of my favorite Rush songs.

The second set starts off with some pyro as they were playing their lead single at the time, One Little Victory as this set was going over stuff from their last few albums at the time, playing stuff like Secret Touch, Ghost Rider, Driven, Leave That Thing Alone.  Then Neil had his usual long almost 10 min. drum solo spot, before Geddy and Alex did an acoustic spot playing the song Resist and I think from there you can look at them and how the crowd reacted and think, "Man, from being childhood friends in Middle School to playing in a soccer stadium in Brazil in front of 40,000 hyped Rush fans. That's an awesome feeling those guys have to have."  Then comes their usual big tracks, 2112's Overture/The Temples of Syrinx, Limelight, and The Spirit of Radio (which did not quite get the crowd reaction I thought it was going to get).  Another standout from that set was La Villa Strangiato with the crowd reacting really well to it and Alex had his weird stream of consciousness thought before introducing the band as Milton Banana on the skins, The guy from Ipanema on the bass, and Stan Getz.  Man, that was an interesting thing to say the least on top of that 10 min. instrumental.

The set closes it off with the awesome prologue to Cygnus X-1 and some of the really early tracks like By-Tor & The Snow Dog and Working Man closing off this tremendous show.

Overall, man, if there was a big exclamation point to cement that Rush was back and ready to go again, this would be it in the form of Rush In Rio.  A great setlist, a mixed bag where all albums at the time with the exception of Hold Your Fire and Caress of Steel was represented, and they played great.  On top of a very hot crowd in Brazil, and you get yourself a great live DVD.

Favorites: Tom Sawyer, Bravado, The Pass, Natural Science, and La Villa Strangiato

[mikeyd23]

Pumped to see some Big Wreck on your list! Great band!

[Anguyen92]

All right, it's been awhile.  Trying to get my mind together to get this one just right.

16. The Mayfield Four - Second Skin (2001)



Alternative rock, hard rock

So, for those that know Alter Bridge and Myles Kennedy, a good amount, you might have heard about this band before.  It is the band that Myles and a group of friends from his hometown of Spokane, Washington formed before Myles became more well-known for his work in Alter Bridge and with Slash's solo band.  They released two albums.  Fallout, which had more of a soft and moody-ish, some might say soul, vibe and the album that I am going to talk about, Second Skin, which has a sound that is in my ballpark.

The first time I heard a Mayfield Four song was through a youtube video of a live version of it.  Myles was doing a charity acoustic gig in 2009 while everyone else was doing the Creed reunion and he brought three Mayfield Four songs in the set (Mars Hotel, Eden (Turn the Page), and White Flag) and as usual with Myles on the acoustic guitar, he played it beautifully and had a good reaction, and turns out, after hearing the album, those are my absolute favorites from the album.

Second Skin starts off with a song called Sick and Wrong.  As much as there are songs that I do not like in Slash's solo band, due to its lyrical contents, this song is pretty up there as one of those songs Myles had a role in that did not gravitate with me.  That stated, Loose Cannon came out, bursting with energy before going into a ballad-sounding, Mars Hotel, and I think when I started discovering the Mayfield Four and I heard this song, this song definitely up there where its lyrical content resonates with my life.  Lyla is certainly one of the more interesting songs of the album to me.  A high-pace acoustic-ish intro with Myles talking about this person called Lyla who has experienced a lot of tragic and turmoil in her short age of living, "Lyla in bloom. Her innocence and youth stripped away. Eighteen years old. But she's lived the life of sixty-eight" and wanting to break free from this turmoil.  This is some fine lyrical poetry to fill in just 3 minutes.

Then we move towards another favorite of mine, Eden (Turn the Page).  Another solid ballad from Myles reflecting on not wanting a certain relationship to end, because we are so unsure that the results are going to turn out well.  The more I listen to it, it seems to be a perfect reflection with what I am going through with this person.  Want to be with this person, can't happen for whatever reasons, don't want to be with anyone else because that person makes me feel comfortable the most, but I'm wishing her the best.  Damn, and this song was created 10+ years before I went through that.  Myles just knows how to write some damn good lyrics to get me going.  We move towards Carry On and oddly enough, I think got a Creed-vibe from this particular song for some reason.  Can't describe why.  It seems dramatic in that sense.  We move towards the soft-ish stuff back into something more upbeat like Backslide and a more attitude-ish like Flatley's Clutch.  For those that do not think that Myles is capable of singing something with a bit of attitude to it, Flatley's Clutch is a good example of him doing that.

We move into another one of my favorites from the album, White Flag.  It is a song, I think, is one of those songs to me that really made me appreciate The Mayfield Four.  That bridge verse was a powerful moment to me especially with how Myles sang it and the set-up to it was great as well.  "The grace you give will always fill me up. And I'll savor every bit of that fortune. But if in time this love turns to dust. I pray I don't endure that torture."  The album ends with Summergirl.  Now I stated that White Flag helped made me appreciate these guys.  I think Summergirl was the song that the majority of Myles Kennedy fans really appreciate The Mayfield Four.  They did not need to put too much in this song.  Just a simple soft acoustic first half of a song, then a brief pause, before hitting a crescendo at the end before Myles let it rip with one of the highest sustained notes he had ever hit, ever......

Overall, Second Skin was a great album and knowing how Myles Kennedy's music career turned out in the end, it is a good listen to hear where he came from before being more well-known in the rock community.  The Mayfield Four had a good sound, but just could not get that exposure to keep going, and I think it affected Myles mentally as well, since it seemed that after the band disbanded, he considered quitting the music industry and being in a band and whatnot and decided to go teach guitar.  In fact, rumors were that he turned down an audition for Velvet Revolver in 2002 because he was just too distraught at the time.  That stated, thankfully, Mark Tremonti and Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall found the right singer for their new band and, 12 years later, here we are.  Going into AB album #5.

That stated, it is quite shocking that Mayfield Four are more well-known now, due to the Alter Bridge and Slash association, than they were when they were active.  Maybe they could have been up there with the big radio rock bands with enough support.  Hard to say.  Oh well, it is safe to say that their Second Skin album was really a hidden gem.

Favorites: Mars Hotel, Lyla, Eden (Turn the Page), Carry On, and White Flag

[LordCost]

Personally I prefer Fallout, but both albums are great!
I know that Myles was singing in two other bands (Cosmic Dust and Citizen Swing) before Mayfield Four but I never listened to any of them

[mikeyd23]

Fantastic album. I have literally cried openly to Summer Girl. One of the most emotional vocals I have ever heard.

[Accelerando]

A great album that was completely under the radar in it's time

[Anguyen92]

Time for something that is actually really very different from the overall list.

15. Matt Nathanson - Beneath These Fireworks (2003



Rock, pop, acoustic

So how do I, a guy that listens to a lot of alternative metal/post-grunge bands that stumbled upon this beautiful forum and band in the form of DT, manage to get into a guy like Matt Nathanson, who plays mainly acoustic, adult contemporary stuff?  For those that do not know, Matt Nathanson is a singer-songwriter from San Francisco.  The best way for me to describe his music is this.  Do you know when watching a drama like NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, or a show like How I Met Your Mother, and you would hear a song in the background after a big scene in the episode had happened and it is typically played by some indie band you have no idea who they are and may not stumble into them again?  Matt Nathanson may fit that bill.  Some of his songs appeared in shows like NCIS, One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries, and The Bachelor.  On another note, he is a fan of hard rock himself, mainly being a KISS fan and Van Halen fan.  In fact, he was on an episode of That Metal Show with Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy and they along with the hosts had some decent conversions, mainly regarding which Van Halen album was better (the first or second).

The first time I heard a Matt Nathanson song was during an episode of Scrubs in 2011.  It was during that episode where JD and this woman doctor he got pregnant were contemplating on what they are going to do with the unbirth kid, and then a song was played.  It was I Saw and the softish, calm, acoustic melody really got me attention.  So after watching that episode, through the magic of Google, I found that I Saw was created by a guy called Matt Nathanson.  So I looked at his other songs. One of his biggest hit was Come On, Get Higher which was about a relationship and a person that misses being with that other person.  Another song I heard which sealed the deal for me to get into him was All We Are which reminded me of a church song that I hear frequently.

So, eventually, I heard Beneath These Fireworks which I believe was the first album he released with a major label (he's got other albums prior to that) and there was a vibe that really got to me.  It started off with a short acoustic song called Angel before moving into Suspended which to me was totally a single that could fit well into the Adult Contemporary demographics.  Eventually, we move into Little Victories which was another song I heard through watching Scrubs.  The tempo quickens slightly with the song Pretty the World which talks about how much a person inspires another person and wanting that person to continue to inspire for whatever reasons. 

Then we move into Curve of the Earth and the one thing that stood out to me was this very cheery-vibe in the intro.  Another good favorite to me was Bent and I enjoyed this strings section he incorporated in the middle of the song.  We move into Weight of it All and it is a song that started off slowly and hit a good dramatic point in the song which was about a guy that was going through heartbreak and a relationship that is becoming not mutual.  The album ends on a good cheery poppy mood with Sing Me Sweet.

Overall, sure, Matt Nathanson may not be a technical master or something, but he is really good at creating some emotional-provoking laid-back songs.  Overall, Beneath These Fireworks is a great album to listen to if one likes that acoustic singer-songwriter stuff.

Favorites: I Saw, Pretty The World, Curve of the Earth, Lucky Boy, and Weight of it All

[Anguyen92]

Once again, sorry for the delay, but I hope this write-up is worth it.

14. Alter Bridge – Fortress (2013)



Hard Rock, Alternative Metal

So, what happened to Alter Bridge during the interim between AB III and Fortress?  Well, Myles Kennedy worked with Slash and the Conspirators and released Apocalyptic Love, a decent album, but I did not enjoy it too much though.  On the other side, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips, and Brian Marshall decided to take another shot with Creed and did a tour (I think they did some shows where they were playing My Own Prison and Human Clay in its entirety every other night) and had some writing sessions with Stapp.  In addition, Mark released the surprisingly great All I Was and found that his solo project may have some traction after all.  As usual with all of these other projects, people questioned Alter Bridge’s future and whether they can release another album and play shows again.  Then the Fortress album came and all questions were answered.

With the numerous other projects AB had, the direction, this album could go, seemed a bit unknown.  After all, Creed had the alternative rock/post-grunge front covered, Slash/Myles/Conspirators had the classic hard rock sound covered, and Tremonti had the heavy metal sound covered.  What can AB do? 

This question is actually harder than it sounds since, at times, it is hard for me to quantify the AB sound.  Some people see them as too heavy/too intricate to be a radio rock-sounding band like Black Stone Cherry, Halestorm, and Shinedown.  Some people see them as too radio-sounding to be a heavy metallic/progressive-ish band like other Roadrunner Record bands like Trivium, Opeth, and DT.  I guess the best way to describe their sound is that Alter Bridge sounds like Alter Bridge and I guess the Fortress album seems to be a more amplified version of them, merging all of the elements I’ve just described albeit having a heavier sound than prior albums.

We got the 6:30 minute opening song, Cry of Achilles, which is already their second longest song in their catalog, right off the bat, and I guess the best way to describe this song is that it is probably the epitome of everything Alter Bridge is known for and can do well on.  It starts off with Myles doing an acoustic intro on a nylon-string guitar before a thunderous drum sound from Flip comes in and off they go with all sorts of twist and turns in the first minute or so before the vocals kicked in.  I’ll admit it when I first heard the song, the vocal layering in the 1st verse freaked me out a bit afterwards it settled in well and had a great big sing-a-long chorus that Alter Bridge is known to deliver well.  After the second chorus kicks in, something unexpected happen, Brian Marshall a highlight with a nice bass solo while Myles singing about how it is not too late to save tomorrow before our regret will take us down and how it is not the end before Myles did a guitar solo.  After the final chorus, Mark then ended with a good closing solo, or so it seems, as Myles ended the song about how it is never too late to hope capping off a phenomenal song.

We move into Addicted to Pain, the first single of the album and it served its purpose well.  A great high-energy single to reintroduce the radio rock world to AB once again and it gets people pumped for the live show as they utilized a strings intro before playing this as their opening song.  Then comes Bleed It Dry, probably their heaviest song ever, and playing off with that medieval-like theme that All Hope is Gone had in the last album.  I really liked the soft part in the bridge with Myles singing the bridge verse before Mark lets it rip with a solo that continues to build from it. 

Lover moves into a territory where it is a pretty dark and dramatic ballad.  Usually, AB’s ballads are hopeful and want to see the good of a person or mourning about a deceased person and how much impact that person made on someone.  However, Lover was totally not the case as it was dark and talked about how everything has fallen apart.  Myles’ delivery on the bridge verse was fantastic; “Did you have to throw it all away? Did you have to shove it in my face? Did you have to tear my world apart? Did you have to take so selfishly? No matter how you hurt the ones you need? Did you have to fall so very far?”  Afterwards comes, The Uninvited.  I read that it has a Tool-influence to it.  Regardless, I did not enjoy that song as much as most people though.  Peace is Broken, however, its intro showcased the rhythm section of AB well and had great harmonic vocals in the bridge verse between Mark and Myles.  Calm the Fire displays something a little different from AB.  They decided to incorporate some synthesizer effects and, to some people, had a more Queen and Muse influenced to it.  The song discusses about the wrong in how people treat others negatively and how we should do our best to be better people and treated all with the dignity that they deserve. 

Waters Rising shifted gears a good amount as AB decides to put Mark Tremonti more as a focus singing lead vocals.  He does a good job of it.  Song had a White Knuckles-like vibe, but it does not seem like a carbon-copy and talks about an apocalyptic world and a guy that had it all but lost everything.  Myles, however, once again, does a tremendous vocal delivery in the bridge verse: “Staring down the end of time every fear is realized.  Crying out it's much too late there's nothing we can do to save. For the time has come.”  The ending solo once again was tremendous capping off another favorite song of mine in the album.  We move into Farther Than the Sun and Cry A River.  Farther Than the Sun is ok.  It is standard radio rock track, good bridge section.  Cry A River sounds more attitude-ish than a typical AB track, but this is one of the lesser favorites for me.

All Ends Well is a very heart-warming ballad.  Probably the most positive ballad they have ever had and those that may hear may think “Oh man.  They are going Disney-sounding with this one,” but I like it.  Sometimes in a world full of negativity, we got to see the positives and strive to make it to the light at the end of the tunnel and strive to have that All Ends Well result.

Finally, we move into the final track, and this is probably the best track of the album for me.  The title track of Fortress.  Clocking at 7:30 minutes, this has now become the second longest track AB had released and this is probably one of their best songs ever.  This song talks about how a solid relationship and how it is slowly deteriorating and if this relationship goes more south, everything will fall apart for a person and a metaphorical fortress is coming down.  On top of a great lyrical content that I can heavily relate to, this song has four solos stacked between Mark and Myles, making this probably the most solo-heavy song that Alter Bridge had ever built.

Well, I cannot say in good conscious that they dogged it with this album, but Alter Bridge delivered a tremendous album during these times of doubt and uncertainty for the band’s future.  Everything you expect them to deliver was on.  Vocals, yes!  Lead guitar work, yes!  Solid Rhythm section, yes!  Lyrics, yes!  Drum sound, yes!  A bass highlight, yes!  Solos from both Mark and Myles, yes!  It’s always a good sign when a band got everything well in an album, I just cannot wait to see what they have to offer in AB V.

Favorites: Cry of Achilles, Bleed it Dry, Waters Rising, All Ends Well, and Fortress

[Accelerando]

Fortress is hands down Alter Bridge's best album, and Cry of Achilles is prime A1 sauce 

[mikeyd23]

I've been debating for a while whether Blackbird or Fortress is my favorite AB. I think at this point Fortress is. Simply a fantastic record from start to finish, with each member shining throughout.

I'm pretty sure if someone asked me to recommend a good modern, rock n roll record...This would probably be the record I would recommend.

Here's hoping ABV lives up to it!!

[Sacul]

I don't like this album as much as others here - sure, it's pretty  but I prefer Blackbird by a long shot.

[mikeyd23]

I think the highs of BB (mainly the title track) are a bit better than Fortress's highs. But the lows of BB (Break Me Down, etc...) are lower than any thing on Fortress for me. So its close, but for me I think Fortress has the edge because it consistently track by track has a higher level of quality.

[Crow]

i might check out an alter bridge album at some point dunno

[Big Hath]

really strong album

[Anguyen92]

I'm finally done with school which means that I can finally go back into finishing this list and write-up without stressing too much.  So, here we go.

13. Sevendust - Time Travelers & Bonfires (2014)



Acoustic rock, soft rock, alternative rock, post-grunge

The first time, I heard a Sevendust song was, like many other bands, was through the WWE.  I heard this song called Enemy and I recall enjoying the chorus and noted the contrast of tone between the verses and the chorus.  Where the verses had a nu-metal vibe, the chorus had a very anthemic vibe where vocalist Lajon Witherspoon shined well in that one.  However, it was a few years later where I noted their great musicianship when I heard the song Angel's Son.  It was this beautiful acoustic-ish song that dedicated to a friend of theirs, James Lynn Strait of this band Snot, who died away due to a car accident.  It had this certain sense of urgency and epic vibe and it sounds exactly like a song that would celebrate a loved one's life right to the bitter end.  To me, I think that was their big song.  That key song that would most people would pick that represents a great Sevendust song.  Like Alter Bridge's Blackbird or A7X's The Beast and the Harlot, the song that would define a band.

Anywho, fast-forward to 2013, and I heard they had a new album coming out called Black Out The Sun.  Heard it, I did not like it too much.  I pegged it the least favorite album I've heard that year.  Felt that there was too much nu-metal riffs, too much uncleaned vocals, and that their heavy sound of that album was just too fatiguing for me to enjoy.  That stated, a year later, I heard that they were going to crowdfund their next album through PledgeMusic where fans would donate money and in return, depending on how much they donate, they would get not only the album but other stuff like acoustic guitars, name in the linear notes, cymbals, private concerts, etc.  I think they manage to hit their goal within 3-4 days or so.  Also, they were going to donate some of the proceeds to St. Jude's Hospital as well.  The big kicker with this particular album is that it was going to be more an acoustic-ish album where they would record six new songs and redo six songs that they released over the years but it would have an acoustic flair.  Given how much I really enjoyed Angel's Son, an album done in that arrangement seems very compelling and off I go listening to Time Travelers and Bonfires.

The album kicks off with Come Down and from the get-go, I knew this was going to be a promising album compared to Black Out The Sun.  With the acoustic arrangements, it felt like the band had new life and felt reinvigorated.  There was still some electric elements like the guitar solo in Come Down (I don't know who does the solos, Clint Lowery or John Connolly).  Next came Under It All and hearing Sevendust in a different light, they managed to deliver a big chorus that represents that breathing new life.  For those that thing acoustic albums cannot be heavy and high-paced, out comes Upbeat Sugar.  It is exactly what the title says.  It's pretty darn upbeat.  The first half of the album, which are the new songs, ends well with Bonfire.

The second half of the album starts with Gone, a song that could have different meanings and perspectives.  It could be from a perspective of a soldier's life in the battlezone or a musician's life on the road.  As I mentioned before, I'm not too keen on unclean-ish vocals, but I thought the deliver in the second verse was well-placed and well-timed.  "Another piece of me is dead and I'm afraid of the blind. Leading the blind until the road runs out. No matter where it ends, STOP, where it ends, STOP. Was this all for something that I give for nothin'. Stop with the fake delivery, stuck in the middle, I'm gone."  Next comes Denial.  A very powerful song.  Then came one of the my favorites of the album, Trust and I'm just noting now that Sevendust sure does love having one word titles.  Anywho, Trust is one of very good heartwarming and genuine ballads.  It's about a person that has wronged another person (maybe someone in a relationship) and now is feeling guilty over it.  The album ends with the first song that they released in support of the album, Black, and it's a strong single to give people a taste of the overall theme of the album.

Overall, this album was the change in terms of my perception of Sevendust.  They had the least enjoyable album I've heard in 2013, and yet, Time Travelers & Bonfires was the most enjoyable album I heard in 2014 in a year where Foo Fighters and Slash/Myles/Conspirators had an album out.  Them making the album in a relatively acoustic arrangement was indeed a difference making and was not as fatiguing to hear than their prior album.  I can't say that they should always make albums like this on a regular basis, and they had an all right album the year later with Kill The Flaw.  Nevertheless, I believed Time Travelers & Bonfires reignited the band and they were just spot on with everything.

Favorites: Come Down, Upbeat Sugar, Gone, Denial, Trust.

[Accelerando]

I don't think I checked out this record yet. I didn't realize it was an acoustic album

[Anguyen92]

^^ Yep, it was an acoustic album.

Anywho, here we go, my favorite progressive metal album ever.

12. Ayreon - The Human Equation (2004)



Progressive Metal

Oh boy, where do I want to begin when talking about this album?  Like I would usually do with other albums, how I found out about it.  The simple answer is that I heard about the album....  right here.... on DTF.....    .  All right, back in maybe 2014 or so, I found a thread that stated that JLB will be playing Me in the Theater Equation shows.  There was a youtube video that had a choir rehearsing Passion's lyrics in Day Two: Isolation, "Can't you feel it burn. Deep down inside? Won't you ever learn. Don't try to hide" and I thought that sounded great and this sounded like something that JLB could fit well in.  Then I heard the album, and I was just mesmerize with it.

I won't talk about the majority of the individual songs like I would in the other album write-ups since there are 20 songs in this album and doing this sort of thing could take lots of paragraphs, so I'm just going to note why I just love this album and give praise to certain songs.  First off, the musicianship was just tremendous.  Arjen Lucassen obviously is a tremendous musician and had a great vision for this album and delivered everything well in this from his end.  He was a fine singer in his end and convey good emotion regarding Best Friend feeling guilty, concern, frustrated, etc. when dealing with his best friend.  Obviously, regarding Ayreon albums, there were going to be numerous guest vocalists and James LaBrie was indeed one of the standouts of the album.  Not just because of he was playing the main character of the album, but his vocal delivery in these lyrics conveyed the right amount of emotion and feelings as it calls for it when Me was interacting with his emotions in his mind.

I also enjoyed the plot of the story as well.  It is something that I can connect with hearing about a story of a guy that had a rough childhood, became this businessman that would do what it takes to get to the top and never make any doubt and regrets.  Pretty much became isolated from his best friend (heck, I think he sold out his best friend and got him fired) and his wife, and saw those two together in a tender moment and got into a car accident and going into a coma, dealing with the emotions of his mind, and reliving the majority of the events of his life and realizing what he must to make it all right.

As for the songs, Day Two: Isolation was a strong standout as Me started knowing where he is in his mind and trying to deal with his new surroundings dealing with guys like Fear, Reason, Passion.  I also enjoyed Day Five: Voices' intro when the emotions now realize that there are people near Me and the emotions are trying to figure out what the heck are they talking about.  Day Seven: Hope is another good one as Best Friend talks to Me and reminisce of the good times and wants to those days back and it had a good poppy vibe.  A great standout though was Day Fourteen: Pride where the emotion Pride is telling Me that you are this guy.  This guy filled with confidence and arrogance that knows what he wants and will get what he wants.  One of the heavier songs of the album for me that had a great bridge instrumental with flutes and keyboards before an awesome guitar solo just rips.  One of the songs I despise is Day Sixteen: Loser and it's not because of the musicianship and vocals.  The Dad in the song just seems to hatable to me where I just want to punch that guy so badly although I really liked it when Rage at the end just came wailing with vigor and anger.

The last three songs was a very amazing stretch of songs to close the album though.  Day Eighteen: Realization was an awesome instrumental in the first half and set the tone well where since everything is now revealed, what will Me do?  Give up in the real world, or come out and confront everything.  Day Nineteen: Disclosure had Best Friend and Wife telling Me about what their actual relationship was and Day Twenty: Confrontation was a good definition of an ending song where it ties everything together in the last 100 minutes of the album and a great way to close the album off where Me, Best Friend, and Wife is going to be all right with each other.

Overall, this was just a fantastic album.  Great storyline, great musicianship, an excellent cast of vocals.  I'm really glad that all of the albums Ayreon could have made to recreate in a live setting that they choose The Human Equation.  Now, The Theater Equation awaits and I've already pre-ordered the album, just waiting for it to get shipped and I'm sure I'm going to love it.

Favorites: Day Two: Isolation, Day Five: Voices, Day Fourteen: Pride, Day Eighteen: Realization, Day Nineteen: Disclosure, and Day Twenty: Confrontation

[Crow]

this is legit the first album on this list i have 
i disagree with a lot of those favorite tracks but it's a good album for sure

[Anguyen92]

All right, feeling like I'm on a roll now here we go.

11. Alter Bridge - One Day Remains (2004)



Hard rock, alternative metal, post-grunge

The album that started it all for this band.  The backstory was this.  Back in 2002, Creed, despite Brian Marshall being fired from the band, was on top of the world in terms of commercial success and people making fun of them due to songs like With Arms Wide Open and Higher.  However, there comes a time where Scott Stapp was not at his professional best and Mark Tremonti and Scott Phillips was getting very burnt  and they felt like being in a band was getting to the point where it was not fun anymore, and I think there came a time where they wanted to get out of the music game, but both Mark and Flip realized they still want to make and play music, just not as Creed at the time. 

So they laid down the foundation for a new band in 2003, having some ideas for songs.  They got Brian Marshall back on bass and now they needed a singer.  Apparently, they had auditioned a couple of singers, some Mark felt were really good, but not really the fit he was looking for.  I think, in recent interviews, Mark was looking for a vocalist in the veins of a Chris Cornell style.  Something different from Creed where Stapp had been known to be singing in an Eddie Vedder style.  Then, he found a guy from a band called The Mayfield Four named Myles Kennedy and, in 2004, Alter Bridge has finally been born and, in August 2004, came out with their debut album, One Day Remains.

The album kicks off with Find The Real.  A song that talks about a guy whose been hiding a lot of personal skeletons that has been exposed and wanting to feel free from it all.  One thing to note was an excellent bridge where Myles sang about wanting to be free from all of these demons before Mark lets it ripped with an excellent solo, the first of many many many great solos for Alter Bridge.  Next, came the title track to One Day Remains and it certainly had a really exciting feel-good vibe.  Whereas the latter-day Alter Bridge tracks have gone in a more darker and pessimistic direction, early Alter Bridge was filled with hope and optimism and the title track to One Day Remains reflects that especially in the chorus.  "'Cause I see in you. More than you'll ever know. And I ask you, "Why You question the strength inside?" And you need to know. How it feels to be alive."  Once again, Mark Tremonti lays down another excellent solo that reflects the light and goodness of the song.

The 3rd track was the song, to most people, that started it, Open Your Eyes.  I recall this story many many times here, but I'll say it again.  The first time I heard this track when I was watching a youtube fanmade video of a WWE PPV, Royal Rumble 2004, and the song that was playing was Open Your Eyes.  Probably the first ever song that I felt this sort of connection regarding anything music relating where the song was so easy to relate to.  The chorus is so catchy to sing along and the first song I've ever heard such a very long extensive bridge that was building towards an amazing solo.  That song just cements me being a huge fan of Alter Bridge, no matter what, and the crowds in the live shows probably felt that way as well, singing during the bridge when it was one of the last songs of the night.

Then came the first of many somber songs, Burn It Down.  Fun fact, before Blackbird and Fortress and Cry of Achilles became their longest songs in their catalog, this was the longest song of the album clocking at 6:11.  We move towards probably the song that jumpstarted their popularity among the mainstream and pop culture, Metalingus, due to former WWE wrestler Edge using it as his theme song from late 2004 to the end of his active career and still uses it when making appearances on WWE TV.  To long-time fans, this was another song that got them into Alter Bridge.  Essentially, the first song of the album that was going towards a more heavier and metal-ish direction and certainly a sign that Alter Bridge was going to be different than Creed.  They slowed the tempo down much in Broken Wings with an excellent bluesy-influenced intro and had that big chorus and this was the song where they had their most cinematic music video ever (especially nowadays where they just do performance video and just play the song, no frills, no story.).  Then, we move towards a very sad song, In Loving Memory.  Another excellent intro, and a song that highlights mourning a loved one's passing.  I think the first time I heard this particular song was when I was watching a video highlighting the life of the late WWE Wrestler Eddie Guerrero and this was hitting me hard, even though I never really knew the guy and his career that much at that point, but the song was really powerful.

We move back towards being optimistic with another favorite of mine, Down To My Last.  It is essentially a song that talks about what it says on the title.  A song about a lot of hardships in life and now you got this chance, this last chance, to make it all right.  Another awesome Mark Tremonti solo was a highlight of the song.  Next came another heavy-sounding song, Watch Your Words.  I guess a song that really gets overlooked in terms of how heavy Alter Bridge can get during the One Day Remains era.  The 10th track was Shed My Skin.  People have been claiming that this is the best track of the album, and for some reason, I just do not see it that way.  Felt like it was too much poppy for me, especially at the end where Myles was going "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."  The album ends with The End Is Here and it starts off with this, I don't know how to describe it, very-eastern worldly sounding-ish guitar intro from Mark.  The song had a good amount of big-time feel and was a strong predecessor for AB ending their albums on a really strong note since their last song of the album have been one of the stronger ones of the album (The End is Here, Wayward One, Words Darker Than Their Wings, Fortress).

So, I'd say this was a really strong debut album for Alter Bridge.  Sure, it could have been influenced by ideas that Mark may have had in mind for a future Creed album, but you can also see certain things that this band was going to be onto something in songs like Metalingus and Watch Your Words and that they can go heavy.  This is certainly an album, even though the band really changed their style going heavier and being more darker, that certainly aged really well about 12 years later.  I can still hear it well in full and enjoy it like I did back in 2008.  The album sold pretty good as well.  It went gold and it is their highest-seller album.  Too bad Wind-Up really did not see it that way and felt that it was a failure since it did not do Creed numbers and wanted to pressure Mark and Flip to go back to Creed.  They thought, "Naww." and had to buy out of their contract with AB for a huge sum (a sum that they are slowly chipping off to this day, 10 years later), but, at least, they are still around and got four amazing albums in their belt with a fifth on their way.  However, going back to the debut, One Day Remains was the start of something amazing for Mark Tremonti, Myles Kennedy, Scott Phillips, and Brian Marshall.

Favorites: Find The Real, One Day Remains, Open Your Eyes, In Loving Memory, and Down To My Last.

[mikeyd23]

One Day Remains is one of my favorite debut albums ever.

[Anguyen92]

A long journey, but I finally made it to the top 10.

10. Black Stone Cherry - Folklore and Superstition (2008)



Hard rock, southern rock, post-grunge.

Ok, so the first time I heard of the band Black Stone Cherry was when I heard the news that Alter Bridge was going to headline an arena tour in the UK in 2011 and Black Stone Cherry was going to be main support.  Pretty much, throughout most of the Alter Bridge shows in 2011 in America and Europe, Black Stone Cherry was playing main support for them.  For those that do not know, Black Stone Cherry is a band from Kentucky that even though they are really unknown in the mainstream rock radio, they got a huge UK fanbase, just like Alter Bridge.  So, I decided to hear some of their songs and I enjoyed their blend of modern hard rock with a touch of southern rock.  One album stood out to me though and it was Folklore and Superstition.

The album kicks off with Blind Man, a pretty upbeat track, and when the chorus kicks in, it's hard not to raise your fist in the air.  Next came Please Come In with a Led Zeppelin-ish riff (I know long ago I read a comment that stated that it reminded them of a certain Led Zeppelin song, I just can't recall which one atm.  Probably something from the House of Holy album?  IDK.)  Anywho, it is a pretty ballady song when the chorus kicks in after that very "crunchy" riff.  Then came Reverend Wrinkle, I think this is pretty much the first song that goes well with the overall theme of folklore and superstition talking about this guy that is going to lead people to somewhere they call home.  What I like about this was the bridge, and you hear something drop like glitter or diamonds or something like that. 

Another upbeat track came, this one is Soulcreek.  Another good sing-a-long chorus where you scream "YEAHHHHHH" at the top of your lungs.  Then came the ballad The Things My Father Said.  The song talks about reflecting on all of the words and all of the wisdom that someone's deceased father had said to them.  It's a good ballad, and one of the more popular tracks among BSC fans.  After that heartwarming ballad, came one of the more darker songs in the album, Long Sleeves.  The chorus is pretty dark and moody, "Don't ask why, I've seen children die. Watched men take their lives. I've seen women cry. My momma always said, to wear long sleeves"  They utilized an awesome effect like a talkbox or something.  Another slow and popular song came and one of their more powerful songs in meaning, Peace is Free.  A song that talks about bringing unity and love and peace together in a world so cold. 

Devil's Queen came on and now we got some sweet organ sounds here and talking about all the things that happens in the nightlife in the South.  The best way I can describe this song is this is the high-energy Southern party song.  Eventually, one of my favorites came up You and it talks about how much one person can inspire another person and that one completes the other.  Makes sense in this chorus:  "It takes a village to raise a child. It takes an army to march a mile. It takes true love to stand the test of time. And it takes you babe to make me smile."  The album ends with Ghost of Floyd Collins, a track that talks about this guy that was trapped in a cave and died and his ghost is coming back to haunt everyone.

So, Black Stone Cherry made a really great album with this gem.  Good catchy songs, songs that made you think, good natural heartwarming-ballads.  It is all good right?  Well, for some reason, they somewhat dropped the ball in their next album, Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, after this, and utilized the worst tropes that modern hard rock has.  The album after that, Magic Mountain, was better though the lyrics was just talking about getting high.  Thankfully, the album they just released, this year, Kentucky was a major improvement is among my favorite albums to listen to in 2016.  However, the bar will always remain to be Folklore and Superstition.

Favorites:  Soulcreek, Things My Father Said, Peace is Free, You, and Ghost of Floyd Collins

[mike099]

Thanks for recommendation for Blackstone Cherry.  I live about 90 miles from their hometown, but have never heard of them.  Listened last night and plan to buy the cd.  The great thing about these lists and youtube is you can listen for free and then decide to buy.

[Anguyen92]

^^ Glad you enjoyed it.  From what I hear, they are a solid live band, and good people to be around with.  Moving onward.

9. Switchfoot - Vice Verses (2011)



Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock

Going to talk about Switchfoot, now, which probably has become my most-listened to band in some time now.  They are a band from San Diego, California.  The first time I've heard about them was probably in my youth, actually, when hearing their big songs like Dare You To Move, and Meant to live on radio and they were one of these bands that I keep heard about, but not really listen to for some reason.  Then, one day, back in 2014, I read that they had an album out, "Fading West" and there were some good inspirational songs like When We Come Alive and Love Alone Is Worth The Fight, but the album felt a little too poppy for me at the time.  Later that year, I heard that they were doing a live stream on Yahoo, and I thought, "Cool.  Might as well watch it as a curio," and it turned out to be a good stream as I felt that the band was very welcoming to those that may not know too much about them which is an aura that I can appreciate.  So I heard the albums like Hello Hurricane and their biggest album, The Beautiful Letdown, but one album seemed more gravitating to me and that was Vice Verses.

The Vice Verses album was an album that talked about the polarity of life.  The album starts off with Afterlife and it had this AC/DC-ish galloping riff and it talked about discussing why do we have to wait to die to change ourselves for the better when now is the time to make something out of ourselves.  One verse stood out to me though, "I still believe we could live forever. You and I we begin forever now. Forever now. Forever. I still believe in us together. You and I we're here together now. Forever now. Forever now. Or never now."  Those lyrics come into play later in the album.  The second track of the album is The Original and it had this indie rock vibe to me, I do not know how to describe it.  The War Inside is next and the best way I can describe the sound is that it reminds me of the music that gets played before the start of sport games.  Very slow-placed, and atmospheric, and builds anticipation for something to happen.  Then came Restless and it is a ballad that talks about a journey and a goal and how a person won't stop in the journey to get what they are looking for.

Eventually, the album plays this song called Selling the News and it is a song that had vocalist Jon Foreman do some "rapping" and I think this song talks about the fabrication of news and how news media goes for the most craziest assumptions as oppose to actually doing research and know the facts before making their statements.  They just want to tell the stories, no matter how farfetched it is, that get the highest views and ratings.  The first single of the album, Dark Horses, showed up and it is a good song that can be made for active rock radio.  Very energetic with a good message to not count out the underdogs in any scenario.  Afterwards, came one of my favorite songs of the albun,  Souvenirs, which is a song that reminisce of a time when a person is younger and thinks about the memories and talks about another person in that past where everything was so simple back then.

A feel-good song came next, Rise Above It, and this was a song that, to me, really captured was Switchfoot was about.  It had a very chill vibe in some parts, had a good uplifting chorus, and had the lyrics talk about overcoming obstacles.  I really enjoyed the bridge verse there, "Hear our voices rise. Hear our battle cry. We've been under the curse. With our arms raised high. Hear us sing tonight. Like the last night on earth. We will rise like the tide. Like dead men. Coming back to life. We are rising. Rising."  It was very captivating.  Then came, a primarily acoustic song, the title track, Vice Verses, I did not enjoy this song as much for some reason.  The final track of the album was Where I Belong and it is the longest song of the album clocking at 6:52.  This song had a good build-up to the verses and it talked about how we are mortal, there will come a moment, where our time will come to an end, but the song says how we should make the most of our time in between and head to the place and position in life where we feel like we are at home.  The funny part about this song was that the final words of Where I Belong mirrors a verse in Afterlife, "I still believe we can live forever. You and I we begin forever now. Forever now. Forever. I still believe in us together. You and I we're here together now. Together now. Forever now," causing a solid bookend for the album.

Overall, Switchfoot crafted a very enjoyable album in Vice Verses ranging for the ballads, to the high-energy stuff, to the moody stuff and discusses the nuisances of the things we experience in life.  As I mentioned earlier that they bring a good welcoming vibe in their songs and their personality which makes it really easy for people to get into them and Vice Verses is a good representative of that.

Favorites: Afterlife, Restless, Souvenirs, Rise Above It, and Where I Belong

[Anguyen92]

Getting way too lazy to do these write-ups, especially since with the way I construct my posts as evident in these lengthy album write-ups, but I'm almost at the finish line, so let's get to it.

8. Daughtry - Leave This Town (2009)



Alternative rock, pop rock, post-grunge, hard rock

So you're Chris Daughtry, a finalist in American Idol, and you somehow managed to release a debut album that was a very big hit at the time.  What do you do as a follow up?  Well, some people say that the sophomore album could be the death of a band as the follow-up to a big debut album could not possibly live up to the hype.  Well, for me, I think it is quite the opposite as I found with bands like Alter Bridge and Sixx: A.M., the follow-up album is a great way to find out what made the debut good, what are your band's strengths, and how can we amplify it and release an album that shows that we're not a one-album wonder.  I think the same can be said for Daughtry and it shows in this album, Leave This Town.

The album kicks off with You Don't Belong and I honestly feel that this song felt a little more moodier than most of the songs in the debut album.  Had some good "angst" and emotion in the chorus.  A good way to set the tone and show what this band can be made of outside of this is American Idol finalist, Chris Daughtry's band.  Next came No Surprise, the first single of the album.  It's a song that talks about making a decision that's going to be life-impacting where we know that the result is probably something we're not going to like, but it's one that has to happen, that's expected, that's no surprise.  Oddly enough, I feel like this song talks about Chris Daughtry's time in American Idol, pretty much figuring out which songs he wants to sing, and how he wants to sing them, and he knows that whatever impressions he wants to make, he's only got one chance and that chance could affect the whole trajectory of his musical career.

Then came the upbeat Every time You Turn Around, followed by a heartwarming ballad Life After You, co-written by, yes, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger.....  Life After You is pretty much a relationship song and how one person feels like life is meaningless without their beloved one.  Eventually, came Open Up Your Eyes which goes back to a more somber mood, describing how after getting through an ordeal, we're finally able to see the light and how our life can officially begin after that ordeal in peace.  Hence the chorus, "For the first time you can open your eyes. And see the world without your sorrow Where no one knows the pain you left behind. And all the peace you could never find Is waiting there to hold and keep you. Welcome to the first day of your life. Just open up your eyes, eyes."

It eventually lead to another big single, September.  A song that talks about growing up and remembering certain enjoyable times in life and maybe in the town our childhood was, but there comes a time where we have to "Leave This Town" and make our mark out there.  Following September was Ghost Of Me and this was another well-emotionally vocally delivered track from Daughtry.  Learn My Lesson was another good ballad.  There was one track I was not too keen of and that was Tennessee Line.  Felt like it was too much of a "country ballad" to enjoy it.  The album closes off with Call Your Name and it was acoustic for most of the song, but in the bridge, it had this nice heavy electric moment, making it a good closer.

Overall, Leave This Town was a great album from Daughtry, probably their best album.  I think they certainly show that they are not an one-album wonder and Chris Daughtry shown that he's got the vocal chops to evoke good emotion from being cheery, to frustrated and angry, and in between.

Favorites: You Don't Belong, Life After You, Open Up Your Eyes, September, and Ghost Of Me

[Anguyen92]

Slowly getting to the finish line, one album at a time.

7. Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony (2009)



Alternative metal, post-grunge

So, Dear Agony.  This is the follow-up to I think their biggest selling album, Phobia.  For most fans, they think that Phobia is the best Breaking Benjamin album, but for me, I just did not enjoy that album as I did with Dear Agony, so let's get into the songs.

The album kicks off with Fade Away and if the verses sounds familiar to those that heard it, it sounds awfully familiar to their big track from the previous album, The Diary of Jane, however the chorus, thankfully, gave the song enough distinction where Fade Away does not sound like a direct copy of The Diary of Jane.  Then came their first single of the album, I Will Not Bow and it's a good radio single, and talks about not conforming or giving in when things get tough. 

Eventually comes Give Me A Sign, another single.  Funny thing, I think I may have heard this song when listening on the radio back around 2009-2010, but I had no clue who the band was.  All I knew was the chorus "I can feel you falling away. No longer the lost . No longer the same . And I can see you starting to break," so it was nice surprise back in 2015 hearing this album and hearing that chorus and think "Oh, this is the band that did that chorus," and it's a great song as well.

Other songs like What Lies Beneath, Crawl, Dear Agony, and Lights Out are great representatives of why I just enjoy this band and why I enjoy radio-friendly, post-grunge, and alternative metal music in general and I don't think anyone really did it better in that front than Breaking Benjamin did in terms of good, catchy songs and still find their way at the top of the active rock charts.  Anthem of the Angels brought a more symphonic flair incorporating strings in the mixture and it actually sounds like something you would hear in a Disney film, to be honest, not that it is a bad thing.  I still enjoy it.

I really enjoyed the two closing songs of the album the most, Into the Nothing and Without You and how they close the song with another verse, especially the closing words in Without You.  "Holding the hand that holds me down. I forgive you, forget you, the end. Holding the hand that holds me down. I forgive you, forget you, the end."  I had a great blast singing the karaoke tracks on Youtube of that song.

Overall, Breaking Benjamin created a great album and sound that suits their genre.  Sure, Phobia gets all the craze in terms of that album making Breaking Benjamin a household name in rock, but I find Dear Agony a lot more enjoyable.  Catchy singles, good songs, memorable choruses.  Nothing innovative here, but they represent the alternative metal genre well.  Sadly, this was their last album, before it all went to hell for Breaking Benjamin as Ben Burnley decided to kick out his bandmates for releasing some tracks to their record label that he did not approve, however, he did came back with a new line-up and released Dark Before Dawn, six years later after Dear Agony, and it was a good hit.  Dear Agony still remains to be my favorite Breaking Benjamin album though.

Favorites: Give Me A Sign, Lights Out, Dear Agony, Into The Nothing, and Without You

[Anguyen92]

All right, let's keep going.

6. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011)



I quite like the story and inspiration behind the creation of Wasting Light.  The backstory is this.  So Foo Fighters had finally reached a pinnacle in their careers where they can say they are one of the biggest rock bands in the world around 2007-2008 and they solidify that point by doing two nights in Wembley Stadium in 2008.  After reaching that point, where can they go from there?  After the album tour of Echos, Silence, Patience and Grace, they did try to fiddle around and have song ideas, which the end result turned out to be Wheels and Word Forward that ended up in the Greatest Hits compliation, and some fans were not too enthused about it.  I liked those songs, but I can understand it if it felt like Foo Fighters were just in cruise control rather than giving it their all creatively.  Eventually, Foo Fighters decided to just call it a break as a band and spend 2009-2010 on side projects where the most notable one was obviously Dave Grohl with Them Crooked Vultures.

Anyway, after the side projects ran its course, around September 2010, they decided to get cracking on their 7th album and enlisted the producer that did Nirvana's Nevermind, Butch Vig, do be the producer of Wasting Light.  Another interesting kicker is that if you know Dave Grohl, he really likes music to sound more natural and authentic and captures the human element of music without any computer tinkering and pro-tools and whatnot.  For Wasting Light, he wanted Foo Fighters to record the album primarily on analog tape, and wanted to have a good atmosphere in making the album so they recorded it in Dave Grohl's own house.

The album kicks off with a bang with Bridge Burning and one of the few examples where I can clearly hear three guitars especially with how they start off with the intro.  It started with Grohl, first, I think, then Chris Shiflett joined in, then Pat Smear gave an aggressive tone, before the bass/drums kicks in and Grohl sang these words "These are my famous last words!" and off they go with a solid opening song.  Next came, their lead single Rope.  I say it's a solid lead single that represents what Foo Fighters was trying to go for in terms of direction of the album.  Eventually, came White Limo, and I think it is one of their most aggressive song ever where it really sounded like they made that song in a garage.  I think they won a Grammy for that song, which DT's On the Backs of Angels was a nominee.  Usually, in the live shows, White Limo segue into Arlandria, and the same came be said about in this album.  Arlandria is a solid song, has solid soft sounding lyrics with a powerful chorus. 

Another song that most people overlook, imo, when talking about this album was Back & Forth and it certainly had good punchyness to it and it talked about wanting to responses and answers from a person.  Eventually came one of their deepest songs, I Should Have Known.  The song describes about if a person had known that a person, they known for a long time, would make such a horrifying decision that leads to horrifying results, they may have prevented it somehow.  Some people thinks that this song was about that if Dave Grohl knew that Kurt Cobain did what he did on his last day on Earth, maybe Grohl or Krist Novoselic could have done something about it.  Speaking of Novoselic, he delivered a nice bass solo in the bridge of I Should Have Known.  The album ends with one of my favorites of the album and probably the song that got me into Foo Fighters, Walk.  I felt like it was a really exciting song that makes you feel motivated and makes you want to keep going in what you do best.  That bridge was very excellent where Grohl just kept singing and after I read the bridge lyrics, and sang the lyrics, I was so gassed out.  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Grohl's face turned pink/purple while singing them.  Anyway, Walk was an excellent closer and a great way to end the album on a fantastic note.

If anyone thought Foo Fighters was in a slump around the mid-2000s, they certainly rallied back nicely with Wasting Light, everything they wanted to do was going their way.  They had motivating songs, aggressive-punk like songs, catchy singles, deep-gets you thinking songs, album hit #1 on Billboard 200, and numerous hits.  Sadly, they stumbled a bit and probably took on a bit too much and kinda under-delivered with Sonic Highways, but Wasting Light still remains my favorite Foo Fighters album out of the bunch.

Favorites: Bridge Burning, Rope, Arlandria, Back & Forth, and Walk

[Anguyen92]

Wow, two years ago since I've touched this.  I apologize for the delay, but I think those that read my posts regarding albums probably have a good idea of what my top 5 is anyway, but still I want to finish it and give my fleshed out thoughts about them and why these albums mean so much to me in life.  The reason for me pretty much putting this on hiatus was for many reasons.  One thing, I got a job so that takes up my time.  Another thing, I got back into playing World of Warcraft so that takes up my time as well.  I'm really hoping that I can finish this by next week, but I can't promise anything.  Before I get to my Top Five albums, since music is always ever changing and our tastes are ever evolving, I like to give a shout-out to some albums I have heard within the last two years that I would have definitely put on this list.

Alter Bridge - The Last Hero (2016)



Everyone here that reads my posts know how much a big Alter Bridge fan I am, so I would have definitely put it in this list.  Sadly, I would place it in the lower end of the list, lower than AB III.  The production leaves to be much desire and that Elvis' production of having that wall of noise have reared its ugliness end and it affected this album making this fatiguing to listen to and layering Myles Kennedy's vocals so much in the tracks has made it harder to piece a lot of things in the songs.  Still in light of its flaws, this is still a great album and my favorite album to listen to in 2016.  All of the components to make a great AB album is here (vocals, riffs, solos, creative bridges, and of course the catchy choruses) and in full, very full, force.  I did feel like their playing felt more urgent and chaotic at times given the overall subject matter of the album (trying to contemplate whether there is a hero left in our lives that everyone can look up to with the way our world is ever-changing).

Favorite: Cradle to the Grave, Crows on A Wire, Twilight, Island of Fools, and The Last Hero

Owl City - The Midsummer Station (2012)



Laugh all you want, I would have definitely put an Owl City album in my Top 50.  I won't give you the backstory of how I got into Owl City, I actually mentioned it in another thread, if you want to look at it.  Sure, it's mainly pop and electronic music, but the cool part about it is that most of the instruments played is done by one guy, Adam Young, and that guy actually plays all of the instruments on it (piano, guitar, drums, keyboards, synthesizers, etc.).  You are got your big singles, Shooting Star and Good Time (I hate that song due to it being overplayed so much at the time, but you got admit, it can be a catchy tune).  You got a song that sounds like one of the more "mature" and experimental Blink-182 songs in the form of Dementia (part of the vocals were sang by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus).  You got some good upbeat stuff in Speed Of Love and I'm Coming After You.  I think what I like about Owl City albums is that there's a certain amount of innocence and whimsical that I feel like it's lacking at times in today's music.  So if you like well-crafted pop and electronic music, you can't go wrong with Owl City.  Just be aware of the whimsical puns that Adam Young puts in his music at times.

Favorites: Gold, Dementia featuring Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, I'm Coming After You, Dreams And Disasters, and Take It All Way

Sixx:A.M. - Prayers for the Blessed (2016)



You know when you hear previews for an album and you get excited about it and you think, there is no way this album can live up to its hype?  Somehow for me back in 2016, this Sixx:A.M. album lived up to the hype.  Sixx:A.M. wanted to release two albums in 2016, Prayers for the Damned and Prayers for the Blessed and Prayers for the Blessed to me was the better album.  This album to me represented why I love good post-grunge/alternative metal so much.  Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, and James Michael really knocked it out of the park with good radio rock songs, a song whose bridge kinda resembled something along the veins of Queen (Riot in My Head), and probably the best song for them to end the double album saga on (Helicopters).  This may be the best Sixx:A.M. album I may have ever heard and they have come up with some good stuff.

Favorites: Barbarians (Prayers for the Blessed), We Will Not Go Quietly, Wolf At Your Door, Suffocate, and Helicopters

All right, there's plenty more albums I may want to give a shout-out to, but I've already took too much time writing this.  Maybe if I'm in the mood, I'll do a V2.  In any case, I shall finish rounding off my top five, hopefully by next week, let's see.