[Music] Thé 10 most important albums to YOU

[Zeuq]

I love these sorts of topics. I'm also going to work from a particular countdown. There's at least a couple dozen other bands and albums I'd be tempted to put on here, but there's only so much room, and so it's difficult to order, particularly the higher ones which could easily change if you asked me next week, but oh well. I'm trying to pick not only my truest favorites, but sticking also to only a single album per band and trying to get as much of my general taste out there rather than whatever mood I'm in today.

10.Into Eternity - Buried in Oblivion I'm really not much of a Thrash fan as I am other types of metal, but this also isn't a typical Thrash album, it really is more of a Progressive approach to thrash in very much the way that Opeth approaches Death Metal. Still, fantastic stuff, and this is definitely the best of their discography. It's a shame more modern Thrash isn't as influenced by these guys as a band like Opeth has influenced their genre.
9. Empyrium - Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays What can I say, I love this sort of folksy sound and no album captures it better than this one. It really is unfortunate that there aren't more bands out there exploring this sound. Truly beautiful and highly accessible.
8. Swallow the Sun - Ghosts of Loss I love a lot of doom bands and a lot of doom albums, but it's difficult to really grab the essensce of what it's supposed to be, and I feel like a lot of them end up being hit and miss. This one, however, seems to best be able to effectively explore that darker side of the human experience and show how truly beautiful it can be. Unfortunately, it's still a bit inconsistent, but it's far more than most.
7. Therion - Gothic Kabbalah I'd love to put this up higher, but these guys are just so consistently and yet lacking that one definitive album that it's really hard to pick the one that encapsulates it. Others have tried this sort of sound, but none have pulled it off as spectacularly or as uniquely as these guys have. And as much as I would have thought it would be an inaccessible sound, I haven't found anyone who doesn't love it, even if they can't stand pretty much everything else I do love. And so, I choose this album because it is among a handful of ones I really love, as opposed to just loving, and by virtue of being a double album, it just has twice the awesome of anything else.
6. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors Strangely enough, not really my typical stuff, but it's just so awesome that it still stands out. Self-described Space Metal, but it's a brilliant combination of Black Metal, Industrial, and Progressive Metal. Garm outdoes himself here where his voice is almost like another instrument rather than a vocalist, and it really does have the other worldly feel to it. The only real weakness in this album for me is that it is so esoteric, so it's range and accssibility is limited.
5. Katatonia - Night is the New Day I've been a fan of this band for a long time, but their latest album really is their best work. Jonas's vocals have truly come to their own at this point. They've continued to refine their sound in the direction that they've been heading for over a decade and I think this is the epitome of what is almost a genre onto itself. There's something here for just about every mood, and as hard as it is to pick a favorite, it's even more difficult to try to find a weak song and, as such, it's even more consistent than most of even my more favorite albums.
4. Opeth - Still Life I love this album for several reasons. Not only do I love concept albums, but I'm particularly fond of this one because I feel like I can relate to it. But beyond that, I feel like this era really encapsulates what Opeth is. Their earlier stuff, while amazing, tended to lack structure and direction, and their newest stuff has a bit of an over-produced feel too it, but this one captures their artistic brilliance in a perfect balance with direction while still having that meandering feel that defines them. And, unlike any other album of theirs, I just love the especially present blues and jazz influences.
3. Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black Not only did this album change my perspective on music being the first underground metal album I'd heard, it is the apex of the careers of what is becoming a legendary band in the scene. The reason I love this album especially, though, is that, even though it doesn't quite match some of their other albums in terms of musicianship, the emotion and passion are bare in their truest form here. I can understand people being turned off by really heavy music and Warrel Dane's vocals (he is an acquired taste), but it's borderline impossible to hear this album, know the story, and not be sold by the commitment and passion portrayed here.
2. Anathema - Judgment I love this album because it is a nearly perfect blend of raw emotion and talent mixed with quality musicianship and just the right amount of production. It is also incredibly accessible because it's much more progressive rock than it is metal, and it has a number of timelessly beautiful tracks. I cannot recommend this album highly enough to pretty much anyone of any preference, it really is that good.
1. Dark Suns - Existence - This is, hands down, the best album ever recorded. It has so many levels of complexity that I honestly didn't like it the first several times I heard it simply because it isn't the sort of album that can be absorbed in a single sitting. The way that the musical themes and concepts are repeated and subtlely altered through the progression tells the story at least as well as the lyrics do, and as amazing as so many tracks on it are, they make something even more wonderful altogether such that when it finally does reach it's climax, it is absolutely musical perfection. If this album suffers from anything, it is only that it is inaccessible that not many people will ever hear it, and even many of those who do, won't be able to truly appreciate it without additional listens.

[Tetriss]

anything by pretty lights. Dubstep ftw

[Tigercat]

In no particular order:


The Wall
Dark Side of the Moon
Street Survivors
God & Guns
Hysteria
Pick a beetles album at random
Crimes of Passion
Rock and Roll Band
Pick a U2 album at random, even if they are misguided at best
Tommy

[Deleted]

No particular order,
except for powerslave, wich will always be number one!

1: Iron Maiden- Powerslave; The first album i listened of maiden, the album that got me into metal, and the album that got me into guitar!
2: Anthrax- Among the Living; This shit is epic, enough said
3: Exodus- Exhibit B: The human condition: one big riff party!
4: Metallica- Ride the Lightning: I just really like this album and just listen to it... alot!
5: Iron Maiden- A matter of life and death: Their greatest album since the return of Bruce and Adrian? Awesome album!
6: Guns 'n Roses- Appetite for Destruction; Their first, their greatest, love it!
7: Megadeth- Peace Sells... but who's buying?; Awesome album by an awesome band!
8: Sonic Syndicate- Only Inhuman; Some powerfull shit right there!
9: System of a Down- Toxicity; The (song) and album that got me into soad.
10: Iron Maiden- Number of the Beast; How can one list 10 metal/hardrock albums and not list number of the beast? I can't

That's my little list.

[Deleted]

1: Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, unquestionably the greatest black metal album ever made
2: Naglfar - Vittra, really atmospheric black metal
3: Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane
4: Pantera - Cowboys From hell(need I say more?)
5: Amon Amarth - The Crusher
6: Pain - Psalms of Extinction
7: Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
8: Dark Funeral - Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus
9: Metallica - Ride The Lightning
10: Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thundergod

not in any particular order or anything

[grimkiller]

No order:

Metallica - Ride the Lightning - First CD I bought with my own money (as opposed to xmas gifts and such)
Nirvana - In Utero - Their best work
Alice In Chains - MTV Unplugged - Arguably the best unplugged, along with...
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York - see above
Pearl Jam - VS - My favorite work from them
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - I count this one because it's awesome
Bad company - Greatest Hits - Because it's all their best in one album, can't go wrong
36 Crazyfists - Bitterness the Star - Raw energy, awesome sauce
Poison the Well - YouCome Before You - Has a great flow

And last but not least: Ours - Distorted Lullabies - This CD is very different from that above, but is amazing in every way.

All of these play in my car at least once a month ( I commute about an hour a day for work).
Quality stuff.

My music taste is all over the map

[Deleted]

Disturbed - Asylum
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier.
Actually various songs across all of Iron Maiden's albums.
System of a Down - Mesmerize/Hypnotize
Disturbed - Indestructible
Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns (haters be hatin)

[milfordrodger]

The 10 most important albums are define as belows:
Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels
Greenday - Dookie
Nivarna - Nevermind
Relapse - Eminem
Infinite - Eminem
Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
Portishead - Live in NYC
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Kamelot - Epica
Nightwish - Oceanborn