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A list with mini-reviews. The albums are in no particular order. Lists are fun, eh?
I will be adding more albums to this as time goes by.
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Created by:
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Metren
| 18.08.2016
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1.
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Opeth - Morningrise
1996 Not the most accomplished Opeth album, but the most inspired one, almost overly inspired in a way. "Black Rose Immortal" feels like a long song written for the sake of having a long song, it's crammed with ideas that don't really connect at all, but somehow it works, simply because you absolutely don't know what's coming next (on the first listens anyway). Atmospheric, messy, wonderful, that's Morningrise, that's early Opeth, that's best Opeth. |
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2.
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Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter
1999 Like the previous album on this list, Immortal's magnum opus is also one of the most inspired extreme metal albums of all time, but it's much more focused and balanced than Morningrise and certainly more focused and balanced and thought-out than most black metal albums. The guys must have worked so hard on putting all their awesome musical ideas into songs that flow well, keep your interest and leave you begging on your knees for the darkness and the cold to never end. If this is what The Heart Of Winter Sounds like, let the spring never come. |
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3.
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Spock's Beard - V
2000 "One note/album timeless, came out of nowhere/the brilliant mind of Neal Morse". A perfect blend of commercial, easily-approachable music and technical genius. It's one of those albums, that sounds pretty happy, but might just have you in tears anyway, "The Great Nothing" moves me in ways that bands, who sound melancholy on purpose (Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson) never do. V is Spock's Beard's best album by far and as such, also one of the greatest prog albums of the 2000s. |
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4.
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Enslaved - Isa
2004 This is tougher to describe than a lot of the other albums on this list. What can I say? It has great riffs? Duh. It has a wonderful atmosphere? Obviously. It has a lot of subtle beauty, but also some in-yer-face heavy moments. The result of Enslaved's hard work on this album is their best album and an all-time classic. This album isn't very easy to appreciate on the first, or second... or third listen, but once it grows on you, it never lets go. |
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5.
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Aquilus - Griseus
2011 This is my no. 1 guilty pleasure album. No, there's nothing wrong with loving it, of course not, the musicianship on it is awe-inspiring. It's a guilty pleasure because I generally dislike symphonic metal and all its subgenres. Also, this album is almost a half an hour too long, but... I have an unhealthy obsession with it anyway, mostly, because I have an unhealthy obsession with unusual chord progressions. I'm guessing that the "four chords that made a million" are despised by most metalheads, but because I have a decent understanding of music theory, I get bored with other chord progressions too. This, of course, is total bullshit, any chord progression can be used well, but I can't help it. Griseus is my remedy, whenever I need unconventional chord progressions. |
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6.
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Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny
1976 "If someone were to ask me "what is heavy metal?" this would be one of the first albums I would point them to." - Apothecary in his review of this classic, absolute masterpiece. I'd like to add something, but it would be redundant. |
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7.
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Dan Swanö - Moontower
1999 Dan Swanö is so brilliant and so prolific that he almost makes me want to give up at life. Moontower is musically amazing, loaded with great ideas, including beautiful melodies and cool as shit riffs, but the lyrics are even better and this is the main reason why Moontower is an album that has always inspired me. "I will have to confess The music you listen to now Is pretty damn far from the truth". Who even comes up with something so unique? Dan Swanö, that's who. He is a musical and lyrical genius, who has given me the courage to venture into more interesting territories lyrically and not just only write about sad maidens and dark woods and all that crap. |
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8.
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Lurker Of Chalice - Lurker Of Chalice
2005 This album inspires me to do just one thing: give up. It doesn't matter how much effort I put into writing my music, it just doesn't matter. I will never come close to this masterpiece of emptiness. It is in many ways the most beautiful album I have ever heard, an album that has to be heard to be believed. Perfection. |
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9.
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Agalloch - The Mantle
2002 Probably the best use of acoustic guitar in metal, an endlessly melancholic atmosphere, and strong songwriting make The Mantle Agalloch's best album and as such, also make it one of the greatest albums of all time. Would say something else, but too lazy atm. |
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10.
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Blut Aus Nord - MoRT
2006 Just read JOOE's review. |
Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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