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Top 15 Favorite Albums
It appears we're coming up on my one year anniversary on Teen Ink. I think we should celebrate with a countdown. This will be subjective to me personally and if we get 100 views of this before my second anniversary on here, I'll do a top 20 list. I do have a couple rules before we start, I do have a few rules: no albums released beyond the year 2010 because they'd be a bit too freash for this list(so as much as I would want to put albums like Nightwish-Imaginarium or Between the Buried and Me-Parallax 2, I can't due to my restrictions) and only one album per band.
15, Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd, you would think that because I have praised this band to the high heavens, twice, I would put this album higher. Well two things, It was either this or Animals and this is my list so if you want, you can post your own mini countdown. Not to say Dark Side isn't great, quite the contrary, The tracks all flow really well into each other and it is a concept album(we all know how much I love those). This is one of those albums you really shouldn't mention one track specifically.
14, Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk-Emperor, going into black metal territory(which I clearly never cover), this album was released in 1997 right after the sucessful In The Nightside Eclipse which is an easy honorable mention. This album feels much like a concept album because it provides an intro and transitions from time to time. See also: Watain, Dissection, Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Darkthrone, Agalloch, and 1349.
13, The Years of Decay-Overkill, some Overkill fans tend to look at this and just throw it out like literal trash. Yeah, it is a big leap for the New Jersey thrash band, but it was a good one. It was less speed and more melodic and groovy all the way through. As if Overkill hasn't released a bad album that I can name. With tracks like E.vil N.ever D.ies, and the 10 minute track Skullcrusher/Playing with Spiders you're in for a heck of ride.
12, Moving Pictures-Rush, released in 1981, this is their most critically acclaimed album and for me, their best. It may not be a concept album like 2112, and it isn't as old as Farewell to Kings or Fly By Night but that doesn't diminish anything. With the opening track of Tom Sawyer and having consisent tracks after that with the epic The Camera Eye(to which I wonder how it got in Rock Band), you will enjoy this album from front to back.
11, Follow The Reaper-Children of Bodom, Out of all the ones I choose this over say Lake Bodom(is that an album?) or Something Wild. Follow The Reaper, Much like Moving Pictures and Dark Side, I have actually reviewed. I feel like, yet again, it has a concept album feel which while Children of Bodom isn't famous for that at all, that would be cool. With tracks like Hate Me, Bodom After Midnight, Follow The Reaper and Children of Decadence you are in for the adventure. Power Metal, er, Melodic Death Metal has never been so epic and so enjoyable to me.
10, Crack The Skye-Mastodon, the album that introduced tracks that exceeded 10 minutes like The Baron and The Czar. It also includes what I would consider to be some of my favorites of Mastodon. Take songs like Oblivion and Divinations into consideration. I also have mangaged to review this album as well so check out that review if you would like, after this.
9, The Mantle-Agalloch, while my buddy coverkillernation puts this in much higher regard, I happen to like this as well. The Mantle is the bands second album and arguably their best(either this or Ashes Against The Grain). With such an atmosphere that if you close your eyes for a couple minutes, you can picture what you think the song is painting. Again, this is another album where you can't really mention on single track. And another album I have already reviewed.
8, One-X-Three Days Grace, to all my Canadian viewers here, I bet you were expecting this to be on the list somewhere. While it isn't very long, considering it's modern rock, the emotions you feel are the same as Adam Gontier and co. Meaning that this is full of despair, loneliness, and emptiness which is what they were going for. Tracks like Time of Dying, Riot, Gone Forever and the ending title track are great examples. Yes, I do plan to review Human.
7, Painkiller-Judas Priest, the heaviest heavy metal album I can think of at the moment, this album was amazing since I heard the title track. It is nothing but you, heavy metal, face melting solos, and 10 awesome tracks that can make 40 minutes feel like 20. While I do like Screaming For Vengence and British Steel, NOTHING compares to this album right here. The epic finale One Shot At Glory wraps up everything and is a great way to end an album. A new drummer is all they needed to rejuvinate themselves, then the Tim Ripper Owens era came....
6, The Black Halo-Kamelot, to my suprise, it's actually a concept album believe it or not. That said, I don't see the story behind it(I will check it later though don't worry) but that really doesn't mean cr.ap when you have tracks like The Haunting, Memento Mori, Moonlight, Abandoned, The Black Halo, March of Mephisto and When The Lights are down.
5, Crimson-Edge of Sanity, featuring Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth is all you need to know to show this a good album. Yet another concept album, this is when a boy saves the world by "melting a witch." Ten years later and Crimson ll is released reversing the story almost. This is actually a single track album that lasts for 40 minutes all the way through and man is it a journey to be held. For those of you however that have short attention spans I do not recommend this at all because you have to fully listen to this in one take.
4, Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory by Dream Theater, the only album i have sheet music to and easily one of the best concept albums of all time, I'm starting to see a pattern here. This has to do with a man who's love of his life died and tries everything he can to get back together with her. So you and the protagonist go through the past present and future to get to Victoria. It can be emotional when it wants, happy when it wants and be anywhere. Tracks like Overture 1928, Fatal Tragedy, The Spirit Carries On, and The Dance of Eternity truely show the album's true colors.
3, Century Child-Nightwish, be honest, who expected Nightwish on here? Exactly what I thought. Century Child has nothing but great tracks and with Tarja's opera voice, it's even better than with Annette or Floor. Tracks like Ever Dream, Beauty and The Beast, Phantom of the Opera and End of All Hope are such good examples.
2, Still Life-Opeth, suprised, so am I. We all know Opeth is my favorite band right now so you knew they were going to be on list and really high as well, Still Life is easily their best album yet because it's a concept album(point) and it evokes so much feeling it's not even funny. Somehow the story hasn't been solved yet but that is just what makes it that much better.
1, Imaginations From The Other Side-Blind Guardian, I love this album. With tracks like Bright Eyes, The Script For My Requiem, Mordred's Song, and a bunch of others this is an epic journey to behold. The story is so beautifally crafted that it's hard to overlook.
Thanks for reading.
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