| 5.0 classic |
| A Perfect Circle Mer de Noms |
| AC/DC Powerage |
| Alice in Chains Jar of Flies |
| Without question, one of the greatest music releases ever. A big call, perhaps? Well maybe, but the way this album resonates with me is profound. It had a massive impact on a very weird period of my life. The predominantly acoustic instrumentation only enhances the impact this album has had or could have on someone who has never heard it, but Layne's vocals and lyrics are what make this recording most memorable. Every track is glorious, but it's "Nutshell", clocking in at 4:19, that is this release's crown jewel. An absolute must have. |
| Alice in Chains Dirt |
| Could possibly rank as my favourite album ever, certainly in the top three or four. Grunge has had several incredible releases under its umbrella, but Dirt eats all of them up for breakfast in every way imaginable. From sludgy, dirgy metallic riffs to eerie guitar melodies, a superb rhythm section and Layne Staley's incredible vocal talents, this record is perfect in every way. The lyrics are extremely thought-provoking as well. It's so difficult just picking a stand-out track, because they all are. "Down In A Hole", "Rain When I Die", "Dirt", "Sickman", even "Rooster" and "Would" are two singles you never get sick of hearing. An absolute masterpiece, a genius piece of work. |
| Anathema Judgement |
| My "it's night-time and it's raining outside" band, and this is the album I reach for more than any other. Anathema have a number of outstanding albums, but I, much like many others, feel that Judgement is the band's magnum opus. I'd go as far to say it's one of the best albums of all time. It's always classed under the "depressing albums" title, and that's because it is, and it works in its favour. Albums can be dark and depressing lyrically, but the music fails to accompany it. Judgement however, does that in spades. That's why it works so well, why it's become the soundtrack to depressed people's lives, and why it's so damn brilliant. |
| At the Drive-In Relationship of Command |
| At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul |
| The crown jewel of Melodic Death Metal. One of the most brutal albums I've ever come across but an album that is also surprisingly intricate. "Blinded By Fear", "Cold" and "World Of Lies" are the standout tracks. |
| Atmosphere God Loves Ugly |
| Ben Folds Five Whatever and Ever, Amen |
| Black Sabbath Master of Reality |
| This record belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Heavy Metal. The first two Black Sabbath albums gave birth to what is now known as Heavy Metal. FACT. Master Of Reality however, took it to another level. Iommi's guitar riffs were much heavier, and it layed the foundations for Stoner Rock, Sludge Metal, not to mention Grunge. Geezer and Bill, perhaps the greatest rhythm section in Rock/Metal ever, are at the height of their abilities and power here. This is an album that if isn't in your collection needs to be rectified right away. One of my favourites of all time. It should be one of yours too. ESSENTIAL LISTENING. |
| Botch We Are the Romans |
| Cave In Jupiter |
| Clutch Blast Tyrant |
| Converge Axe to Fall |
| Converge Jane Doe |
| Crimson Glory Transcendence |
| This record was released in the same year as ...And Justice For All, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and Operation: Mindcrime, so it isn't hard to understand why this was vastly overlooked. Transcendence is such a criminally underrated record, it's better than all three and for my money, one of the greatest Metal albums ever recorded. Fantastic musicianship, combining elements of Prog, Power Metal, even a little Glam, with Midnight's freakish vocal abilities. Outstanding work. |
| David Bowie "Heroes" |
| Dead Meadow Dead Meadow |
| Death The Sound of Perseverance |
| When I was 13 and 14 years old, I began to delve more into both Prog and Extreme Metal. I was keen to expand my taste, and having never heard an Extreme Metal album in full, this was the one I tried out first. I regret having done so, as nothing within the genre I've heard since has eclipsed the sheer brilliance and lunacy that you find on The Sound Of Perseverance. The solos are blistering, the riffs are pummelling, Richard Christy's drumming is monumental and, of course, Chuck Schuldiner. Don't ask me to go more in depth with that, because you already know why. Among the top Metal albums ever, without fucking question, technical Metal at its finest. |
| Death Symbolic |
| Not quite as good as The Sound Of Perseverance, but not many things are. Symbolic is still, pound for pound, one of the best albums of the genre, for many of the same reasons TSOP is. Amazing riffs, incredible solos, and Gene Hoglan giving perhaps his finest drumming performance in his career to date. Although more straightforward than what came after it, Symbolic was also the first true Technical Death Metal offering in Death's catalogue. The title track, "Empty Words", "Without Judgement", you cannot go wrong with any track on this thing. An absolute classic. |
| Deftones Around the Fur |
| This was the first album I bought by this band, and still remains my undoubted favourite. Many would disagree, especially the Nu-Metal detractors, as Around The Fur was the last Deftones release to be fully rooted in the Nu-Metal sound. What came afterwards with White Pony and all their future releases was fantastic, but the personal connection really wins on this one. Sounds and feels just as good in darkness as it does in beaming light, and there aren't many albums that are able to cater to both. |
| Depeche Mode Black Celebration |
| Dio Holy Diver |
| The fact that this is a 5/5 album and not even the best album Ronnie James Dio sang on in my opinion is quite breathtaking. It's amazing how a vocalist can climb aboard any band or project and record amazing material, regardless of who the musicians are. This is a true sentiment to Dio. Holy Diver is a genius record and one of the true Metal classics, one that needs to belong in your collection. Just picking a favourite track off of this is a very daunting task, but I have to give it to the title track. |
| Dire Straits Brothers in Arms |
| Capturing beauty at its finest. That is what Dire Straits did best, and nothing proved it more than this absolute gem of a record. Not a single solitary second is wasted, and the length of these tracks only adds more to its allure. The whole band kills it, but of course, you cannot mention Dire Straits in a positive light without mentioning Mr. Mark Knopfler, as this record is the highest showcase of both his vocals and guitar prowess. He shows that you don't have to play at blistering speeds to be an amazing guitar player. It's also about atmosphere, and he has that in spades. The title track is still in my opinion one of the greatest songs ever, ditto with "Your Latest Trick". |
| Dirty Three Ocean Songs |
| DJ Shadow Endtroducing..... |
| Dr. Dre The Chronic |
| Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory |
| If there's any album that HAS to be played in its entirety every time you go and listen to it, than Dream Theater's conceptual masterpiece would be it (along with a handful of other concept albums). What makes it so unique is that not only is the story integrated into the music very intriguing, but when reading/listening to the lyrics, you can actually figure out the premise. Very few albums fit this mould, and man, do these guys deliver in that sense. Also, the musicianship is downright incredible, combining blistering heaviness with a ton of melody and atmospheric passages. Stupendous stuff, and very few have managed better. |
| Edge of Sanity Crimson |
| Is it an album or not? I ask this because the holy masterpiece that is Edge Of Sanity's Crimson consists solely of one track that runs for 40 minutes. Why is it a "holy masterpiece"? Because it's one of the most well executed releases ever, and what's disappointing about that is it doesn't garner the appreciation it deserves. Conceptually, it's amazing and musically, it combines Prog/Melodic Death Metal in a most astounding fashion. Could possibly be the greatest Concept album in Metal, and if you're not convinced, Mikael Akerfeldt sings on this thing. |
| Elliott Smith XO |
| Emperor Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk |
| Exodus Bonded by Blood |
| Faith No More The Real Thing |
| Faith No More King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime |
| Frank Zappa Hot Rats |
| Genesis Selling England by the Pound |
| Iron Maiden Iron Maiden |
| ISIS Oceanic |
| Jeff Buckley Grace |
| Karnivool Themata |
| King Crimson Red |
| Kyuss Welcome to Sky Valley |
| Machine Head Burn My Eyes |
| Mad Season Above |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye |
| Mercyful Fate Melissa |
| Metallica Master of Puppets |
| Metallica Ride the Lightning |
| Metallica ...And Justice for All |
| Miles Davis Kind of Blue |
| Ministry Psalm 69 |
| Modest Mouse This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About |
| No fanfare. No major label. No hit single. Perhaps that?s why Modest Mouse?s debut record was greeted with such little attention, and the reason why 20 years later, it has never really garnered the respect and admiration it truly deserves. To be fair, when listening to this album, it doesn?t exactly scream Top 40 or No.1 on the Billboard charts, probably because Isaac Brock didn?t want to make the kind of music that would be considered accessible for that audience. What Modest Mouse gave us instead was a gut-wrenching portrayal of isolation that one would associate with rural life. The album?s title is a pin-point accurate reflection of the music and lyrics, containing sweeping, beautiful melodies along with tense and abrasive musicianship that can make for an uneasy listen. Some might find the album?s constant theme overwhelming given its vast length, but it is nothing but: This Is A Long Drive is 74 minutes of perfection, from a band that has not put a foot wrong since its inception. Their other records are astounding, but their debut is still their creative peak, one that should be sought after wherever possible. |
| Motorhead Ace of Spades |
| Muse Origin of Symmetry |
| Neil Young Rust Never Sleeps |
| The ultimate Neil Young album, showcasing his beautiful acoustic side for one half, only to then unleashing "Old Black" to massive enjoyment. Music rarely eclipses the brilliance Neil layed down on this tremendous release. |
| Neurosis Souls at Zero |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Let Love In |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds No More Shall We Part |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Ghosteen |
| Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral |
| Opeth Still Life |
| Overkill Horrorscope |
| Pantera The Great Southern Trendkill |
| Patti Smith Horses |
| Pearl Jam Vs. |
| Peter Gabriel Melt |
| Pink Floyd Meddle |
| A dimply breathtaking record. "Echoes" sends shivers up my spine like no other song.. |
| Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here |
| I can barely explain how much this album means to me. One of my favourites of all time from arguably my favourite group. |
| Pixies Surfer Rosa |
| Poison the Well The Opposite of December |
| Porcupine Tree In Absentia |
| Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back |
| Queens of the Stone Age Rated R |
| Radiohead The Bends |
| Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine |
| This is perhaps my favourite album of all time. There's not a damn flaw on this record: absolutely mind-blowing, an prominent, powerful and exciting record that should belong in everyone's music collection. |
| Rainbow Rising |
| Refused The Shape Of Punk To Come |
| Rush Hemispheres |
| Soundgarden Superunknown |
| Steely Dan Aja |
| Strapping Young Lad City |
| Television Marquee Moon |
| Terrorizer World Downfall |
| The Afghan Whigs Gentlemen |
| The Afghan Whigs? Gentlemen certainly isn?t going to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. An album all about the downfalls of relationships isn?t one that most would find intriguing, given that it?s an idea that has been done to death since forever, but two things: 1. it?s far more thought-provoking and personal than you?d imagine, and 2. It doesn?t really matter anyways, because musically, this record excels in all aspects. Alt. Rock is something that can be (and was, at this time) very watered down and inexcusably generic, but whatever was running through frontman Greg Dulli?s mind going into this record made this an amazing beast. Undoubtedly, his love for funk and R&B music helped (listen to ?Debonair?, the band?s only minor hit), not to mention the incorporation of strings and piano, but also that he and the band were always very determined, which is a shame considering they fell under the radar. ?My Curse?, sung phenomenally by Marcy Mays of Scrawl, is the album?s emotional peak, but it?s another emotive track ?When We Two Parted? that is this album?s highlight, a delicate, poignant epic that makes this record one of the most underappreciated and unique records of all time. |
| The Church Starfish |
| The Clash London Calling |
| The Cranberries Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Miss Machine |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland |
| Relocate yourself to England, find the best rhythm section and make great music. Sounds like an ambitious plan that James Marshall Hendrix had when he wanted to form a group, but rather than make just great music, he and his Experience made what many would argue was the most influential and timeless rock music ever made. Whilst Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold As Love are landmark records, they?re relatively straightforward compared to the trio?s third and final album Electric Ladyland. From the straight up rock ?n? roll gems of ?Crosstown Traffic? and the astounding Bob Dylan cover ?All Along The Watchtower?, to the psychedelic freak-out of ?1983? and the extended jam classic ?Voodoo Chile?, Electric Ladyland experiments with different vibes and sounds they hadn?t yet ventured into (thanks to the prominent influence of LSD; go on, google what an ?electric ladyand? is). Its gamete of influences sets it apart drastically from their previous work and any music from that decade. It?s a supremely complete and revolutionary release, making it one of the greatest original double albums as well as the best record of the 1960?s. |
| The Prodigy The Fat of the Land |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Gish |
| The Stooges Fun House |
| Therapy? Infernal Love |
| Tiamat Wildhoney |
| Tom Waits Mule Variations |
| Tom Waits Bone Machine |
| Tool Lateralus |
| Tool Ænima |
| 4.5 superb |
| AC/DC Back In Black |
| I initially had this rated a 3, but I realised I was being stupid. It really is a superb album, but it brings back a great deal of nostalgia. |
| AC/DC Highway To Hell |
| AC/DC Let There Be Rock |
| Agalloch Ashes Against the Grain |
| It's very difficult picking between this and The Mantle as to which is my favourite album from these guys, but I always lean slightly more towards Ashes, partly because overall it's a heavier sounding album but it has more to do with "Limbs" being one of the most astounding Metal songs of the century. |
| Agalloch The Mantle |
| Not as grand in my opinion as Ashes Against The Grain but still an outstanding effort. |
| Alcest Écailles De Lune |
| Alice Cooper Welcome To My Nightmare |
| Alice in Chains Facelift |
| Alice in Chains Alice in Chains |
| Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue |
| Alter Bridge Blackbird |
| Alter Bridge Fortress |
| Anathema A Natural Disaster |
| Although not quite as stunning as Judgement (but pretty damn close), A Natural Disaster is still, from top to bottom, a flawless piece of work. At the time, it was the band's softest sounding record, but what we have here is a collection of beautifully crafted songs, more reliant on keyboards and ambience than guitars, which trust me, isn't a bad thing. It works ever so well. Definitely an album that, along with Judgement, is ideal for being the first piece of music you own from this brilliant band. Depends on where your music taste lies. |
| Anthrax Among the Living |
| Atheist Piece of Time |
| Unquestionable Presence is fantastic, but this is the one that always gets me banging my head. Not as complex and "jazzy" as their future albums, a bit more straightforward, but it makes up for it by being their heaviest release and being technical as hell. Incredible stuff and definitely worth checking out. R.I.P. Roger Patterson, one of Metal's most underrated Bassists. He kills it on this. |
| Atheist Unquestionable Presence |
| Audioslave Audioslave |
| Baroness Red Album |
| Baroness Yellow and Green |
| Baroness Purple |
| Baroness Blue Record |
| Black Flag Damaged |
| Black Sabbath 13 |
| Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell |
| Black Sabbath Sabotage |
| Black Sabbath Black Sabbath |
| Black Sabbath Paranoid |
| Black Sabbath Mob Rules |
| Blind Guardian Imaginations from the Other Side |
| Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks |
| Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home |
| Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde |
| Camel Mirage |
| Candlemass Epicus Doomicus Metallicus |
| Carcass Heartwork |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo's Factory |
| Cynic Focus |
| Darkthrone A Blaze in the Northern Sky |
| David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars |
| David Bowie Hunky Dory |
| Death Leprosy |
| Death Human |
| Death Individual Thought Patterns |
| Deep Purple Deep Purple In Rock |
| Deftones White Pony |
| Devin Townsend Ocean Machine: Biomech |
| Devin Townsend Terria |
| Devin Townsend Project Epicloud |
| Dire Straits Dire Straits |
| Dire Straits Love Over Gold |
| Dismember Like an Ever Flowing Stream |
| Although they are often looked down upon as being a poor man's Entombed (yes, people actually think that), Dismember's first studio effort is in my opinion better than anything Entombed ever released, not only because it's perhaps the best album to come out of the Swedish Death Metal scene, but within the whole scope of Death Metal. Every song on it is killer and the sound is extraordinary. Paved the road down for many bands to come out of the same scene afterwards. |
| Dream Theater Images and Words |
| Dream Theater A Change of Seasons |
| Elliott Smith Either/Or |
| Emperor In the Nightside Eclipse |
| Faith No More Angel Dust |
| Fleetwood Mac Rumours |
| Frank Zappa Joe's Garage |
| Genesis Foxtrot |
| Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast |
| Iron Maiden Piece of Mind |
| Iron Maiden Killers |
| ISIS Panopticon |
| John Coltrane A Love Supreme |
| Joni Mitchell Blue |
| Judas Priest Sad Wings of Destiny |
| Judas Priest Painkiller |
| Katatonia The Great Cold Distance |
| King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King |
| King Crimson Larks' Tongues in Aspic |
| King Crimson Discipline |
| King Diamond Abigail |
| Korn Korn |
| Kreator Extreme Aggression |
| Kreator Pleasure to Kill |
| Ks Choice Paradise in Me |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin |
| Lou Reed Transformer |
| Lou Reed and Metallica Lulu |
| Yes overall, this is a piece of shit. Musically monotonous and uninteresting, with dull vocals and lyrics and awful riffs and licks, and the fact it?s a two disc release that lasts for more than 90 minutes you will never get back, however it didn?t bother me as much as other fans. Some definitely took Lulu too close to heart not realising it?s not the tenth Metallica record, it?s just something on the side I guess, even if it?s not very, well, good. |
| Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd |
| Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame |
| Manic Street Preachers The Holy Bible |
| Massive Attack Mezzanine |
| Mastodon Leviathan |
| Mastodon The Hunter |
| Mastodon Once More 'Round the Sun |
| Megadeth Rust in Peace |
| Melvins Stag |
| Metallica Metallica |
| Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime |
| Misfits Static Age |
| Modest Mouse The Lonesome Crowded West |
| Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle |
| Neil Young After the Gold Rush |
| Neil Young Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere |
| Neurosis Through Silver in Blood |
| Neurosis Times of Grace |
| Nick Drake Pink Moon |
| Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine |
| Nocturnus Thresholds |
| Obituary Slowly We Rot |
| Opeth Damnation |
| Opeth Morningrise |
| Easily ranks as one of Opeth's greatest ever achievements. A must listen for any new fans. |
| Overkill The Years of Decay |
| Pantera Cowboys from Hell |
| Pearl Jam Ten |
| Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon |
| Pink Floyd Pulse |
| Pink Floyd Animals |
| Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet |
| Porcupine Tree Deadwing |
| Porcupine Tree Stupid Dream |
| Porcupine Tree Lightbulb Sun |
| Prince Purple Rain |
| Queen A Night at the Opera |
| Queen Queen II |
| Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf |
| Queens of the Stone Age ...Like Clockwork |
| Rage Against the Machine The Battle of Los Angeles |
| Rainbow Long Live Rock 'n' Roll |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers By the Way |
| Rush Moving Pictures |
| Rush 2112 |
| Rush Clockwork Angels |
| Sepultura Beneath the Remains |
| Slayer Seasons in the Abyss |
| Soundgarden Badmotorfinger |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Flood |
| Stevie Wonder Innervisions |
| Stone Temple Pilots Purple |
| Stone Temple Pilots Core |
| Streetlight Manifesto Everything Goes Numb |
| Testament The Gathering |
| Testament The New Order |
| The Alan Parsons Project Eye in the Sky |
| The Butterfly Effect Begins Here |
| The Contortionist Exoplanet |
| Still can't believe how much I really like this album. One of my favourites from the 2010's thus far. |
| The Cure Disintegration |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Dissociation |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Calculating Infinity |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan One of Us Is the Killer |
| The Doors The Doors |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold as Love |
| The Mars Volta Frances the Mute |
| The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium |
| The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream |
| The Stooges Raw Power |
| The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground & Nico |
| The Velvet Underground White Light/White Heat |
| The Who Who's Next |
| Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous |
| Tom Waits Closing Time |
| Tom Waits Small Change |
| Tom Waits Franks Wild Years |
| Tom Waits Rain Dogs |
| Tom Waits Glitter and Doom Live |
| Tool Fear Inoculum |
| Weezer Weezer |
| Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) |
| X Japan Art of Life |
| 3.0 good |
| Alestorm Black Sails at Midnight |
| Audioslave Revelations |
| Good, but weak in comparison to their first two records. Boasts some good tracks but overall it's rather bland. |
| Dream Theater A Dramatic Turn of Events |
| The only two tracks that are really good are "On The Backs Of Angels" and "Outcry", the remainder being average. |
| Gorguts Obscura |
| King Crimson In the Wake of Poseidon |
| Korn Take a Look in the Mirror |
| Metallica Death Magnetic |
| If the production quality was better, this would be worthy of a 4. Musically, not a bad album however. |
| Opeth Heritage |
| With Heritage, Opeth recorded a very audacious record featuring no death growls and barely any elements of a Progressive Death Metal group. This album combines classic 70's Prog with a touch of Jazz Fusion. Overall it doesn't take your breath away but perhaps in retrospect it will be looked upon more positively. |
| Opeth Deliverance |
| My least favourite of Opeth's discography. Overall it is actually quite decent in most areas but falls below par compared to other releases that the bad had output thus far in their careers. There's definitely more aggression and heaviness, but at times the record feels monotonous and some riffs drag on for a very long time, so there is a mixture of pros and cons. |
| Opeth Orchid |
| A good debut, despite it being rather monotonous and poor sounding. Worth checking out, but Opeth have offered us much better since. |
| Pantera Reinventing the Steel |
| Pantera's last hurrah resulted in a sound that was heavier than ever, combing a mixture of elements and incorporating sounds from all the band's previous outings, which sounds absolutely fantastic, but in reality, it was like drinking coffee and tea at the same time. Well, maybe not that bad but it doesn't capture the skill and amazement of the first two Pantera albums. There is definitely some ferociousness that results in some memorable moments such as "Revolution Is My Name" and "Uplift" but it is let down by inconsistency. Lets put it this way: overall, it's actually good and listen after listen it gradually grows on you but this is my least favourite Pantera release and not the record I would play to introduce people to this Heavy Metal juggernaut. |
| Radiohead OK Computer |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm With You |
| It sounds crisp, almost perfect in a way, but the overall approach isn't spectacular. I was expecting Josh Klinghoffer to show off his guitar playing and prove to everyone why he is a worthy replacement for John Frusciante but instead we were treated to Flea's bass that at times vastly overpowers the guitar. Other than that, Kiedis' vocals are great and the catchiness of the album cannot be ignored. |
| Slayer South of Heaven |
| Slipknot Slipknot |
| The Beatles Abbey Road |
| Weezer Pinkerton |
| Yes Close to the Edge |
