Lonestar's Top 50 Album Thread v 2.0 - #1!!!!!!!!!!

[lonestar]

Senri just keeps getting better and better...the videos of her playing with Guthrie Govan are just insane.



Think I'll sneak an update in here...

#17- Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)





I don't think any discussion of 'bands discovered on DTF' can be had without having a Steven Wilson project in its blast radius. They were the first to flood my eyes when I created my account here, and they were the first I checked out. The stuff was enjoyable, until I got to Arriving Somewhere, and I was floored. Seems to be that way with most of their work, I deeply respect the quality, but only a portion of it really hooks me. Fear of a Blank Planet however, is nails beginning to end. Pretty sure the lines on PT are already drawn for anyone reading this thread, so I won't dig into their style, since I won't be changing any minds. The one-two punch of the opening tracks on this are about as good as anything out there, and Gavin's work on Anesthetize is some of the best drumming ever.

Favorite Tracks- Fear of a Blank Planet, Anesthetize, My Ashes

Anesthetize- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEQZ8reJA4

[LithoJazzoSphere]

IA is probably my favorite album of theirs, but "Anesthetize" is a monster.  Might be my favorite PT song, though "Blackest Eyes" is stiff competition. 

[jingle.boy]

 You’re right … this ain’t gonna change my mind.    I’ve tried. Repeatedly.

[Sacul]

Amazing album. I watched Steven perform Sleep Together live and it was insane. Wished PT had toured in my country, I really wanted to hear them live for once. Oh well.

[Evermind]

Saw Steven play Sentimental solo during the To the Bone tour and obviously Sleep Together too. Caught the show in Hamburg and then in Moscow and got two different set-lists. Makes me smile, those were amazing times.

Good album, although I think I still prefer Deadwing.

[lonestar]

#16- Amorphis- Queen of Time (2018)





2018 is very well represented, and if it wasn't for another massive release, this monster of an album from Amorphis definitely would've taken the title. Amorphis was another "they're playing here and the shows cheap so let's check them out" band..and this was what they were touring. One spin and I knew I was in for a fucking show. This album falls under the 'all killer, no filler' banner, as it delivers a serious ass kicking on all fronts beginning to end. They're aggressive folk metal stylings fall right into my wheelhouse, and made for an absolutely tremendous show. It says a lot that the song with Anneke maybe is #3 or 4 on the album for me, that's how huge this one was. An aggressive, full frontal assault, if you love your metal with serious force, this one's for you.


Favorite Tracks- The Bee, The Golden Elk, We Accursed, Daughter of Hate, Heart of the Giant, Amongst Stars


The Golden Elk- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU4AR_8LLHw

Heart of the Giant- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHrV4HTzkns

[wolfking]

Yes, this album is elite tier.  Probably has become my fav Amorphis album.  It's close to perfect.

[nick_z]

It sure is a great album. It's at times a little too "symphonic metal" for my own taste (I like my Amorphis a tad less bombastic), but the quality here is absolutely undeniable.

And The Bee is such a perfect opener!

[lonestar]

Yes, this album is elite tier.  Probably has become my fav Amorphis album.  It's close to perfect.

Figured out of 50 albums I'd have to get a few in your wheelhouse.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I haven't binged their albums in the past dozen years or so nearly as much as the first few Joutsen ones, but this is one of the best.  "Amongst Stars" for me is perfection, Tomi and Anneke sound resplendent together. 

[lonestar]

Looking at the top 15, and all I can say is holy fuck do I have excellent taste in music, a little something for everyone I think.

[jingle.boy]

2018 is very well represented, and if it wasn't for another massive release, this monster of an album from Amorphis definitely would've taken the title.

Progstock IQ bootleg, amirite??

JK, I know which one it is.

[wolfking]

Yes, this album is elite tier.  Probably has become my fav Amorphis album.  It's close to perfect.

Figured out of 50 albums I'd have to get a few in your wheelhouse.

I was getting worried I must admit haha.

Not a massive PT fan either but Fear is a fabulous album.  Great pick.

[twosuitsluke]

Queen of Time is easily my favourite Amorphis release (not that I'm an avid fan as such). The whole thing is killer, and i think it's a great example of all the elements coming together to deliver a great piece of art. Album cover, song titles, obviously the music and lyrics, just great 

[jingle.boy]

Yes, this album is elite tier.  Probably has become my fav Amorphis album.  It's close to perfect.

Too funny, you sent me Amongst Stars from this album - in the exact same round RJ sent me Orphaned Land / The Cave.  And the two songs tied for 3rd place that round.  When I went back and stack-ranked a top-150 of roulette songs received, these two ended up being 26th and 22nd.

[ReaperKK]

Fear Of A Blank Planet never really did a lot for me. It's a good album but compared to other PT albums it falls somewhere in the middle. I've heard very little of Amorphis but the little I did hear I enjoyed, I'm going to spin that album this morning while working

[lonestar]

#15- Kingcrow- In Crescendo (2013)





This one got sent as a promo to Lady Obscure, it was actually my first physical promo I got sent, and man...am I glad I got it. On one spin, I knew that I had come across a gem of a band in Italian prog metal outfit Kingcrow, and in there subsequent albums they proved me right. Probably one of the best run of albums I can think of in consistency and quality, it amazes me they don't have a bigger following to speak of. These guys fall in the same vein as Porcupine Tree and Riverside, prog with a metal edge, but very, very heartfelt. The album varies from the heavy to the sublime, but always with a distinct purpose. As I'm fond of saying, they don't waste any notes here. Just a wonderful listen beginning to end.


Favorite Tracks- Right Before, The Hatch, Morning Rain, In Crescendo

Right Before- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psx9DpQt5rY&ab_channel=KingcrowOfficial

The Hatch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkb8pazzgnc&ab_channel=Kingcrow-Topic

[jingle.boy]

Love 'em.  They do have a quirkiness about them in that I can't call them prog-metal with a straight face.  But that quirkiness is also what I find so appealing.  They're solid start to finish on all five albums I have of theirs (I don't have the first two), with more than a few 5*, top-shelf, Grade-A absolutely gorgeous songs on every album.  In Crescendo has the most of those A-list songs though.  This Ain't Another Love Song is prolly my fave.

Roger & Ebert ... 

[Lethean]

I haven't been following as much as I intended, but chiming in to say that Headspace - I Am Anonymous, is a great album.

And In Crescendo is my least favorite of the Kingcrow albums I have, but it's still a great album.

[twosuitsluke]

Eidos is the only Kingcrow album that's really hit for me. I'll queue this up and give it a spin though.

[King Postwhore]

Love 'em.  They do have a quirkiness about them in that I can't call them prog-metal with a straight face.  But that quirkiness is also what I find so appealing.  They're solid start to finish on all five albums I have of theirs (I don't have the first two), with more than a few 5*, top-shelf, Grade-A absolutely gorgeous songs on every album.  In Crescendo has the most of those A-list songs though.  This Ain't Another Love Song is prolly my fave.

Roger & Ebert ... 

I agree.  Catch but quirky. 

[nick_z]

In Crescendo is real nice. I can hear a fair amount of Pain of Salvation and Porcupine Tree influence, but with a strong “personal” stamp from the band.

I might have a slight preference for the slightly moodier approach in Eidos and The Persistence, but they are all great albums.

[lonestar]

In Crescendo is real nice. I can hear a fair amount of Pain of Salvation and Porcupine Tree influence, but with a strong “personal” stamp from the band.

I might have a slight preference for the slightly moodier approach in Eidos and The Persistence, but they are all great albums.

Yeah, it's pretty much a pick-em to be honest, they're all such strong albums. As I said, few bands have been that consistent for a four album run like Kingcrow.

[lonestar]

And moving along...

#14- Silent Memorial- Retrospective (2009)





I think I blindly stumbled upon this gem, and can guarantee you I wasn't aware of the 5 track prog metal ass kicking I was about to endure. Four solid 6 minute tracks followed by the most blistering 25 minute epic imaginable. Out of Switzerland, this band had one album in the late 90s, and then took a ten year hiatus, shifted a few members, and added the mighty Mike Andersson of Cloudscape to cover vocal duties, and that was the difference maker. The riffage on this one is fucking relentless, with keyboards dotted in with perfection, and a brutal rhythm section doing the heavy lifting. Mike's vocals are just perfect for this album, and any of you who adore that classic heavy DT feel should absolutely dig this album.

Favorite Tracks- All killer, no filler.


Retrospective (buckle in for safety kids, it's a rough ride...)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrwsSJBzvLQ&ab_channel=MetalMan

[jingle.boy]

Wait, wut?  I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it?  No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire.   Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.

[lonestar]

Wait, wut?  I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it?  No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire.   Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.

That was about power metal though, these guys are definitely not power metal. Maybe we got wires crossed in our conversation



Andersson is an absolute treasure though.

[jingle.boy]

Wait, wut?  I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it?  No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire.   Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.

That was about power metal though, these guys are definitely not power metal. Maybe we got wires crossed in our conversation

Fair enough.

[twosuitsluke]

Sounds good, I'll queue it up 

[wolfking]

I have this album.  Remember it being solid. 

[jingle.boy]

Wait, wut?  I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it?  No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire.   Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.

Ok, if you're not going to do it, I guess I'll have to.  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=52943.msg2496520#msg2496520

[lonestar]

Glorious

[jingle.boy]

Indeed it is.  I miss Indi.

[lonestar]

#13- Ostura- The Room (2018)





There was a preliminary buzz in my circles on FB about this one. Initially from promise of the released single Deathless, then mainly from a friend who had gotten a very early promo of it. I received a not quite as early promo from vocalist Elia Monsef, we'd connected earlier from his work with Viv Lalu, and in one spin I understood what the hype was all about. For me, this was one of those rare moments where the possibilities of what music is capable of is expanded just a bit, in wondrous directions. They describe it as cinematic metal, and it's a quite fitting monniker. A heady concept, a solid power/prog metal band with multiple talented lead singers, all meshed with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. But...it wasn't just the usual orchestra accompaniment, these guys really weaved the two in, making the orchestra an intimate part of the whole, and in the process making the music sound so much grander. Absolutely unique, absolutely wonderful. There upcoming release is one of my most anticipated for sure.

Favorite Tracks- The Room, Let There Be, Deathless, The Surge, Duality

The Room- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2G_8nLgkLI&ab_channel=Ostura-Topic

Let There Be- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Blme2iqre4&list=PLNWsysQ4t2gJHmiG5ptviuWRLPqHhZnBe&index=4&ab_channel=Ostura-Topic

[lonestar]

Barring anything extreme happening, #2 and #1 will be revealed Xmas eve.

[jingle.boy]

I was about to chastise you for rating this too low ... but then I checked how I have it rated in my upcoming list of top concept albums, and I've rated it slightly lower.  So, you nailed it!     I will say this, it was my album of the year for 2018, and Deathless was my song of the year.  Beyond God-tier.  Like, Cosmic Idol-tier.