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My Top 100 of past decade, after two weeks of consideration


Written by: Jason W.
Published: 02.01.2010


Okay MSers, I'm nowhere near as organized and quick as some of our other staff and elites here, so that explains the slight delay in getting my top list up. I started with about 250 possible choices, stared at it for a few days and made some notes, and then went back to my collection and started listening to some that I hadn't experienced for a long while to do a final check on my thoughts. My basic ideas were: how much did this album change my ideas towards metal? how much did this album change me? do I love the album from beginning to end, or just most of the songs?

And I went from there. The first five are the ones that hit that emotional core that surely no person ever has touched, and the reason why I listen to music is essentially right there. I think if I did a top list of all time, this would reach ten albums or so, that's it.

I also took a few more days to think over all the growth I've gone through as a listener in the past ten years. In 1999 I was just finished with my degree from the University, and was barely a year into fully embracing the world of metal that the internet had just opened up to me. I was considering organizing my dozens of stacks and boxes of cds (and a few vinyls) based on some contrived emotional continuum, but it's probably better if I just start writing some more reviews on the albums themselves So here goes!


01.Rapture - Songs For The Withering
02.Madder Mortem - Desiderata
03.To-Mera - Delusions
04.Process Of Guilt - Erosion
05.Autumn - My New Time
06.Trail Of Tears - A New Dimension Of Might
07....And Oceans - Allotropic/Metamorphic Genesis Of Dismorphism
08.Dismal Euphony - Python Zero
09.Primordial - To The Nameless Dead
10.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

11.Flowing Tears - Thy Kingdom Gone
12.Katatonia - Viva Emptiness
13.On Thorns I Lay - Egocentric
14.To/Die/For - IV
15.Epica - The Divine Conspiracy
16.Rapture - Silent Stage
17.The Sins Of Thy Beloved - Perpetual Desolation
18.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
19.Nightwish - Wishmaster
20.Lullacry - Crucify My Heart

21.Darzamat - Solfernus' Path
22.Flowing Tears - Serpentine
23.Todesbonden - Sleep Now, Quiet Forest
24.Tristania - Illumination
25.Edenbridge - MyEarthDream
26.Evergrey - In Search Of Truth
27.Theatres Des Vampires - Pleasure And Pain
28.Enslaved - Mardraum-Beyond The Within
29.Deströyer 666 - Cold Steel...For An Iron Age
30.Novembers Doom - The Pale Haunt Departure

31.Darkseed - Diving Into Darkness
32.Amaran - Pristine In Bondage
33.Madder Mortem - Eight Ways
34.Godiva - Destruction
35.Entwine - DiEversity
36.Draconian - Turning Season Within
37.Immortal - Damned In Black
38.God Dethroned - The Toxic Touch
39.Cardamon - The Primrose Path
40.My Dying Bride - Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light

41.After Forever - After Forever
42.Arch Enemy - Wages Of Sin
43.The Foreshadowing - Days Of Nothing
44.Seth - Era-Decay
45.To-Mera - Transcendental
46.Centinex - World Declension
47.Dreamaker - Enclosed
48.Falconer - Falconer
49.Thyrane - Hypnotic
50.Trail Of Tears - Bloodstained Endurance

51.Battlelore - Swords' Song
52.Susperia - Cut From Stone
53.Shadow - Shadow
54.Penumbra - The Last Bewitchment
55.Flowing Tears - Jade
56.Anubis Gate - The Detached
57.Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness
58.Madder Mortem - Deadlands
59.Cadaveria - In Your Blood
60.Luna Field - Diva

61.Opera IX - The Black Opera: Symphoniae Mysteriorum In Laudem Tenebrarum
62.Peccatum - Lost In Reverie
63.Satyricon - Now, Diabolical
64.Ajattara - Itse
65.Old Man's Child - In Defiance Of Existence
66.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper
67.Echoes Of Eternity - As Shadows Burn
68.Septicflesh - Communion
69.Enforcer - Into The Night
70.Scream Silence - Apathology

71.Anthemon - Dystopia
72.Manic Movement - Dark Glitter
73.Sirenia - An Elixir For Existence
74.Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
75.Unexpect - In A Flesh Aquarium
76.Lacuna Coil - Comalies
77.Firewind - Between Heaven And Hell
78.Theatre Of Tragedy - Forever Is The World
79.My Lament - Broken Leaf
80.Epica - Design Your Universe

81.Amon Amarth - Fate Of Norns
82.Eternal Tears Of Sorrow - Chaotic Beauty
83.Enslaved - Below The Lights
84.Iced Earth - Horror Show
85.Darzamat - Transkarpatia
86.Mortal Love - I Have Lost
87.Kamelot - The Black Halo
88.Midnattsol - Nordlys
89.Charon - Downhearted
90.Mar De Grises - Draining The Waterheart

91.Ayreon - 01011001
92.Lunaris - Cyclic
93.Kreator - Enemy Of God
94.Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
95.Naglfar - Pariah
96.Nightmare - The Dominion Gate
97.Siebenbürgen - Delictum
98.Xandria - Salomé - The Seventh Veil
99.Rotting Christ - Theogonia
100.Akphaezya - Anthology II: Links From The Dead Trinity

Feel free to compare with: Bas, BitterCOld, Darkside Momo, Doc Godin, jupitreas, Lucas, Marcel






Written on 02.01.2010 by Music and the written word are two of my passions in life, so I figured, why not combine the two?


Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 176 users
03.01.2010 - 20:07
Darkside Momo
Retired
Nice to see yours finally!
An interesting one too... And there's a bit more black metal than I expected.

And you forgot Lucas in the links... But he doesn't deserve after all since he doesn't count to 100
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My Author's Blog (in French)


"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you"

"I've lost too many years now
I'm stealing back my soul
I am awake"
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04.01.2010 - 00:27
Jason W.
Razorbliss
Hah! Yes, I think I copied the list from Lucas's blog, so that explains why he wasn't there Added now though!

And about black metal, yes there was a year or two where about half of all the new metal I was looking for was of the black metal variety (lots of 90s releases of course too), many of which faded over time and didn't make the list. I had come across a few black metal metalheads back in the first half of this past decade who really helped in the search. I think it was about the time I joined MS that my interest, as well as my friendships with them, faded some, or perhaps the types of releases now just aren't my style as much. But, for me particularly, there really is something to be said about metal and my opinion of it if I can relate a release (or song) to someone, like a friend or an experience.

A lot of the music in the last few years has been motivated by listening to it in solitude or devoid of any connection to it except my own opinion, and I think I search out different things in music because of that.
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"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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17.01.2010 - 19:18
Ag Fox
Angel No More
Glad to see both To-Mera's albums among the list. quite a number of 2009 releases compared to Marcel
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loves 小巫
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18.01.2010 - 06:19
Jason W.
Razorbliss
Written by Ag Fox on 17.01.2010 at 19:18

Glad to see both To-Mera's albums among the list. quite a number of 2009 releases compared to Marcel

Yes, To-Mera is a band that will surely be important to me for a long time to come. I'm absolutely addicted to the lyrics, and seeing them this past year was one of those "must see this band before I die" kind of goals

And you know, I hadn't thought about how many releases were from which year, but I did find 2009 to be a good year for metal, though I noticed that while I did like lots of releases, there was not much middle ground. There were plenty that just bored me to death, even if other MSers or the general metal fans liked them, and a few genres were really thin this year.
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"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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18.01.2010 - 06:25
Jason W.
Razorbliss
Here's a breakdown for the years of my top 100:

2000 -- 9
2001 -- 8
2002 -- 11
2003 -- 8
2004 -- 10

2005 -- 15
2006 -- 5
2007 -- 11
2008 -- 13
2009 -- 10

Not too uneven, just 2006 seems like a lame year for me. So it seems 2005 had the most, which is probably because that was one of the years most filled with turmoil for me during this past decade. And for me at least, that is likely the reason so many albums made an impact on me, as I needed the most emotional voids to be filled. But really I'd consider 2002 and 2008 to be my favorites of the decade
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"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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18.01.2010 - 12:22
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
Written by Jason W. on 18.01.2010 at 06:25

Here's a breakdown for the years of my top 100:

2000 -- 9
2001 -- 8
2002 -- 11
2003 -- 8
2004 -- 10

2005 -- 15
2006 -- 5
2007 -- 11
2008 -- 13
2009 -- 10

Not too uneven, just 2006 seems like a lame year for me. So it seems 2005 had the most, which is probably because that was one of the years most filled with turmoil for me during this past decade. And for me at least, that is likely the reason so many albums made an impact on me, as I needed the most emotional voids to be filled. But really I'd consider 2002 and 2008 to be my favorites of the decade

2008 was unbelievable, Im agree with you.
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18.01.2010 - 20:12
Ag Fox
Angel No More
Written by Jason W. on 18.01.2010 at 06:25

Here's a breakdown for the years of my top 100:

2000 -- 9
2001 -- 8
2002 -- 11
2003 -- 8
2004 -- 10

2005 -- 15
2006 -- 5
2007 -- 11
2008 -- 13
2009 -- 10

Not too uneven, just 2006 seems like a lame year for me. So it seems 2005 had the most, which is probably because that was one of the years most filled with turmoil for me during this past decade. And for me at least, that is likely the reason so many albums made an impact on me, as I needed the most emotional voids to be filled. But really I'd consider 2002 and 2008 to be my favorites of the decade
I still have not listened to enough pre 2007 stuff to make any conclusions
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loves 小巫
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19.01.2010 - 14:30
Mikyz

Glad to see that Rapture takes the number one spot, the album is emotionally overwhelming, definitely among my top 5 this decade. overall pretty interesting list. XD
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Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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01.09.2010 - 16:34
Wishmaster
Account deleted
Interesting list! I love it!
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01.09.2010 - 17:16
Valentin B
Iconoclast
Where's Iron Maiden?
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01.09.2010 - 18:06
Jason W.
Razorbliss
Written by Guest on 01.09.2010 at 16:34

Interesting list! I love it!

Thanks Outside of a few additions, and order adjustments, even 9 months later I feel it's accurate for my tastes of the past decade. It also reminds me that some of these releases are approaching ten years old
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"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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30.06.2011 - 14:26
Vonpire

Really nice list indeed. We share lot of top albuns.
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Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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24.06.2015 - 22:23
Dr. Strawberry

Pretty bad.
Seriously, 2 weeks is not enough for you.
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