Altmer's Ratings | Sputnikmusic

Altmer
Jorn van Schaïk

User

Reviews 171
Approval 90%

Soundoffs 55
News Articles 13
Band Edits 9
Album Edits 24

Album Ratings 695
Objectivity 76%

Last Active 12-16-09 6:09 pm
Joined 08-22-06

Forum Posts 862
Review Comments 5,649

Average Rating: 3.53
Rating Variance: 0.66
Objectivity Score: 76%
(Well Balanced)

Chart.

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2012
Of Monsters and Men My Head is an Animal	4.0
Eluveitie Helvetios	3.5

2011
Nightwish Imaginaerum	3.0
Steven Wilson Grace for Drowning	3.5
I like the sound but what I don't like is that many of the parts just seem to go on forever. Just why is this a double album again?
Opeth Heritage	4.0
Dream Theater A Dramatic Turn of Events	3.0
In Flames Sounds of a Playground Fading	3.5
The Devin Townsend Project Deconstruction	4.0
Morbid Angel Illud Divinum Insanus	1.5
Amorphis The Beginning of Times	3.0
Arch Enemy Khaos Legions	3.5
Frank Turner England Keep My Bones	4.5
Autopsy Macabre Eternal	2.0
Unexpect Fables of the Sleepless Empire	4.0
Hate Eternal Phoenix Amongst The Ashes	2.5
Black Label Society The Song Remains Not The Same	2.5
Leaves' Eyes Meredead	2.5
Samael Lux Mundi	2.5
Primordial Redemption At The Puritan's Hand	3.5
Vomitory Opus Mortis VIII	3.5
Blackfield Welcome To My DNA	3.5
Septic Flesh The Great Mass	4.0
Scar Symmetry The Unseen Empire	3.5
Whitesnake Forevermore	1.0
Obscura Omnivium	3.0
Amon Amarth Surtur Rising	3.5
Within Temptation The Unforgiving	1.0
The Haunted Unseen	3.0
Rise Against Endgame	4.0
Deicide To Hell With God	1.5
Battlelore Doombound	2.0
Theatres Des Vampires Moonlight Waltz	1.0

2010
Agalloch Marrow Of The Spirit	3.0
God Dethroned Under the Sign of the Iron Cross	2.5
He Is We My Forever	4.0
Melechesh The Epigenesis	4.0
Enslaved Axioma Ethica Odini	3.5
Therion Sitra Ahra	2.0
The Birthday Massacre Pins and Needles	4.0
Kamelot Poetry for the Poisoned	3.0
Apocalyptica 7th Symphony	3.5
Blind Guardian At the Edge of Time	3.0
Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare	1.5
Hans Zimmer Inception	4.0
Nevermore The Obsidian Conspiracy	4.0
Anathema We're Here Because We're Here	4.5
Porcupine Tree Anesthetize	4.5
Orphaned Land The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR	3.5

2009
30 Seconds to Mars This Is War	3.0
The Devin Townsend Project Addicted	4.0
Dark Tranquillity Where Death is Most Alive (DVD)	4.5
Sybreed The Pulse of Awakening	2.5
it's like Fear Factory meets Samael, only with terrible clean vocals
Hypocrisy A Taste Of Extreme Divinity	3.5
Slayer World Painted Blood	2.0
Nile Those Whom the Gods Detest	3.0
Instant Suppression Domain.Nation	4.0
Katatonia Night Is the New Day	4.5
Scar Symmetry Dark Matter Dimensions	3.0
Epica Design Your Universe	3.0
Rammstein Liebe Ist Für Alle Da	4.0
Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue	4.0
Well fuck me sideways with a ten ton dildo. This is actually amazing, and I'd expected way less from a band out of the loop for years, affected by the death of their drugged frontman. I don't know how the fuck they ended up doing this because this is actually a comeback album that is almost as good as anything else they've done. Yes, that includes Dirt. Kudos to this band. Relevant still in 2009, as they were in 1992. Yowzer. I wanna grow old..
Paradise Lost Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us	4.0
Sonata Arctica The Days of Grays	2.5
Brand New Daisy	3.0
Porcupine Tree The Incident	3.5
This sounds like Porcupine Tree - the modern metal edition. Bits and pieces (Circle of Manias) could have been taken from Meshuggah records, there are lots of juddering metal grooves, as if NIN were playing and suddenly they are asked to do a duet with Opeth. The album's centrepiece, Time Flies, however, is a disappointing exercise in self-indulgence, and the quieter, mellow moments seem to work the best (particularly Kneel and Disconnect is a fantastic track). The band-collaborated second disc is more conventional PT material, like Lightbulb sun material with an updated guitar tone. Make no mistake: audio-wise it's complete ear candy, the performances are flawless and it's all done like a love of labour. But something's missing here that's on other albums. It seems to lack the uber-tracks that most other PT albums have; "Kneel and Disconnect" is just too short to claim the crown, and heavy thunkers like Octane Twisted seem to meander a tad too often for them to become truly memorable. As far as prog rock/metal goes, Porcupine Tree are undoubtedly on top of their game, but the absence of any truly instantly hitting material, which was always present on previous albums in one way or another, is a disappointment, given SW's ability to pen instantly memorable moments on every album. And that's why this Porcupine Tree record, although great in its own right, can't be rightfully included with the top picks of their extensive discography, metal era or not.
Muse The Resistance	3.0
Ensiferum From Afar	2.0
Tries really hard to be epic, but sounds like power metal with harsh vocals. For the uninitiated, that means speedy metal with epic (read: lame) keyboards, dumb screaming and folksy acoustic guitars. They lost it after Iron, when Jari left, and this album doesn't do anything to change the fact that Jari took the songwriting skill with him. And when you take the seasoning from a stew, you get something drab and boring. That is this record.
Frank Turner Poetry of the Deed	3.5
Behemoth Evangelion	3.5
This sounds like a Behemoth album. In case you didn't know what that sounds like, it has blasts, there are growls, it's heavy and fast, and they sing about Satan. Also they spell "of" as "ov" and they don't like Christians. And in case you also didn't know, this album sounding like a Behemoth album is a good thing, because this is pretty much ace as far as songwriting goes.
Mower Make it a Double	1.5
The Project Hate MCMXCIX The Lustrate Process	4.0
Dream Theater Black Clouds & Silver Linings	4.0
Dream Theater have an obsession with being m34tl now, as the first song features blastbeats and semi-growls from Mike Portnoy. Fortunately for them, they don't completely suck at it (some of the instrumental passages are long, but most of them work in context). Overall this is a pretty good return to form, as the instrumental part of this album is sick, amazing, and over-the-top wicked. James also sounds better than ever. The only downside, apart from some of the overlong solos, are that the lyrics are getting banal and annoying. Also massive props for the cool Trial of Tears section in the Count of Tuscany.
Amorphis Skyforger	3.0
Derelict Unspoken Words	2.0
Isis Wavering Radiant	3.0
Neurosis-lite. This is metal for people who are too old too deal with that snotty melodic post-rocky moody stuff, or just not sad enough; but too much of a weaksauce to flesh the deep riffs and go for some real crunchy sounds. Instead, it falls somewhere in between, and therefore sounds decent and appealing enough; but if you take into account this band once got it right on Oceanic, that is a very disappointing state for an album to be in.
Mastodon Crack the Skye	4.0
My Dying Bride For Lies I Sire	4.0
It sounds like Swans/Angel era MDB. Finally. Because they were getting dull. This was pretty much the best thing they could put out at this point in time. Recommended.
Misguided Aggression Hatchala	3.5
Cobalt Gin	3.5
Pure Reason Revolution Amor Vincit Omnia	3.5
Samael Above	2.5
HammerFall No Sacrifice, No Victory	2.0
Lamb of God Wrath	3.0
Kreator Hordes Of Chaos	3.0
(hed) p.e. New World Orphans	1.0
This is like sticking your dick in a cheese grater. Over and over. The sound that that makes is better than this record.

2008
Steven Wilson Insurgentes	4.5
Edguy Tinnitus Sanctus	2.5
Glasgow Grin Saints of the Greatest Sin	3.5
God Is An Astronaut God Is an Astronaut	3.0
Pain Cynic Paradise	3.5
Snow Patrol A Hundred Million Suns	2.5
Enslaved Vertebrae	4.0
Cynic Traced in Air	4.5
Gojira The Way of All Flesh	3.5
Funeral for a Friend Memory and Humanity	3.5
Bloodbath The Fathomless Mastery	4.0
Trivium Shogun	3.5
Amon Amarth Twilight Of The Thunder God	4.0
This album has balls. Probably more balls than you will ever have. This album will make you drop them to the ground and bang your head with the Vikings on stage. Aggressive, melodic and catchy, it's safe to say that these Swedes have perfected their death metal style, and it's also safe to say they have never sounded better than this. Fans of the band should run to pick this up.
Evergrey Torn	3.0
semi-prog, semi-interesting, semi-catchy, semi-good vocals, semi-well written songs, semi-boring, semi-everything kinda
Burst Lazarus Bird	4.0
Metallica Death Magnetic	2.0
After the infinite suckfest of the 90s and early 2000s, Metallica needed to progress. Well, they have progressed notably: they have gone from extreme suckdom to being mediocre and boring. Now that's a great step forward for you! This album is far too long, far too monotonous, and far too grating musically for sustained interest. Hetfield's vocal work is at an all-time low as his monotonous drawl pervades every song. It's time to hang up your studio boots and keep touring off past efforts because even when you try to go back to thrash like Master of Puppets stuff, you end up plodding like the black album. Whatever they tried on here, it's not working, and the lyrical content makes it look like a real joke. I haven't waited five years for them to put out this piece of snoredom.
Iced Earth The Crucible Of Man	3.0
Into Eternity The Incurable Tragedy	1.5
Falconer Among Beggars And Thieves	3.5
DragonForce Ultra Beatdown	2.0
Power metal: now with +50 dragonslaying, + 50 guitar masturbation, -50 songwriting, and +1010101010101101001100 homosexuality. Enjoy DRAGON FORCE
Anathema Hindsight	4.5
This is even more the culmination of Anathema's sound, perhaps even softer than they went on the previous records... mostly because this is an unplugged acoustic record, and the songs sound like they were always meant to sound. The production is intimate, the "mournful cello" does a great job of conveying atmosphere, and it really sounds like 10 new tracks even though 9 of them appear on previous discs. It's a remarkable achievement that a compilation album might actually be the best record in the band's catalog, and in many cases it would be miserable; but this record just transforms a batch of already amazing songs and gives them a completely fresh and new face. Highly recommended for any fan.
Sigur Ros med sud i eyrum vio spilum endalaust	2.5
Scar Symmetry Holographic Universe	3.5
Katy Perry One of the Boys	3.0
Opeth Watershed	3.5
Sabaton The Art of War	4.0
Tiamat Amanethes	3.5
Demians Building An Empire	3.5
Moonspell Night Eternal	4.0
Synastry Blind Eyes Bleed	2.5
Nine Inch Nails The Slip	3.0
Portishead Third	3.0
Warrel Dane Praises to the War Machine	4.0
Children of Bodom Blooddrunk	1.5
Cradle to Grave Texas Medicine	3.5
Mostly Autumn Glass Shadows	3.0
It's pretty much the same MA we're used to, except slower and dreamier. This also means, that despite some great guitar work from Josh, and Heather's better-than-ever vocal histrionics, they've also become more boring. The main influences here are Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and friends; unlike the last album, which marked a return to more progressive waters, even adding that dish of folk back, now they're plodding along in more classic rock territory; and I don't know if I like that as much as I like the oldschool MA with the folk and prog touches. This band needs to keep its Floydy roots. I still like the album, but I can't help wishing for something altogether more... interesting. Oh, and Tearing at the Faerytale is just the most emotional song the band ever wrote. Check that out.
Dream Theater Greatest Hit (... and 21 Other...)	3.0
In Flames A Sense of Purpose	3.0
Joy Division The Best of Joy Division	4.0
Odium (CAN) At the Bottom	2.5
Crystal Castles Crystal Castles	3.5
Mercenary Architect of Lies	3.0
Meshuggah obZen	4.0
Thee Silver Mount Zion 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons	3.0
Bloodbath Unblessing the Purity	4.5
Draconian Turning Season Within	4.0
To-Mera Delusions	3.0
Porcupine Tree Nil Recurring	4.0
Eluveitie Slania	3.5
The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath	3.0
It's The Mars Volta playing The Mars Volta Songs the way The Mars Volta typically play songs. This means they are technically complex, too long, and there is a lot of random wank and bullshit. This album has less ambient filler than previous records, which makes it a bit more energetic, but it's still a chore to sit through the whole thing. If they would just learn the ins and outs of songwriting...
Ayreon 01011001	3.5
Protest the Hero Fortress	4.0
Avantasia The Scarecrow	3.0

2007
Amy Macdonald This Is The Life	3.5
Primordial To The Nameless Dead	3.5
Pagan's Mind God's Equation	3.0
this is kinda good, especially the david bowie cover but my god that singer is one screeching fucktard. he's worse than James LaBrie and he overdoes it so much. He can sing but he needs to tone it down. the musicians are all competent. they also probably wank to queensryche, dream theater and iron maiden and all those sorts of bands. which is cool, but it's been done before. gets a 3 on the merit of good musicianship and some ok songwriting.
The Ocean Precambrian	4.5
Serj Tankian Elect the Dead	2.5
Coheed and Cambria No World for Tomorrow	3.5
Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II	3.5
Radiohead In Rainbows	3.5
Oceansize Frames	3.0
Apocalyptica Worlds Collide	3.5
Nightwish Dark Passion Play	3.5
Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace	3.0
Arch Enemy Rise of the Tyrant	3.5
Between the Buried and Me Colors	2.0
too long, too boring, too complex, too pretentious, the vocals are fucking awful, all in all: too much
Iced Earth Framing Armageddon	2.0
Amorphis Silent Waters	4.0
Epica The Divine Conspiracy	3.0
Turisas The Varangian Way	3.5
Antimatter Leaving Eden	4.0
Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago	3.5
Behemoth The Apostasy	3.0
Symphony X Paradise Lost	4.5
Paramore Riot!	3.5
this album basically revolves around the premise of: here are a pair of tits for you to oogle at (o) (o)
Pelican City of Echoes	3.0
Kamelot Ghost Opera	3.5
Dream Theater Systematic Chaos	3.5
Samael Solar Soul	3.0
Sonata Arctica Unia	4.0
The Dear Hunter Act II: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading	3.0
Neurosis Given to the Rising	3.5
Devin Townsend Ziltoid the Omniscient	4.0
Megadeth United Abominations	2.5
Paradise Lost In Requiem	3.0
Funeral for a Friend Tales Don't Tell Themselves	4.0
The rawness of their earlier recordings has been replaced with a more polished sheen. Gone are the screams and growls and in come exclusively clean vocals. Purists may not like the more mellowed out sound on this record, as they went from posthardcore to sounding more like regular alternative rock a la lostprophets, but the tunes are better and meatier. Apparently these guys have found their songwriting groove, because songs like lead single "Into Oblivion (Reunion)" are exactly what I want to hear from this band at this point. If they keep it up, I can't wait to see where their next one will lead us.
Maximo Park Our Earthly Pleasures	4.0
Pain Psalms of Extinction	3.5
Tori Amos American Doll Posse	3.0
Rush Snakes & Arrows	3.5
Dimmu Borgir In Sorte Diaboli	2.5
After Forever After Forever	3.5
Nine Inch Nails Year Zero	3.0
Moonsorrow V: Havitetty	4.0
Dark Tranquillity Fiction	4.5
God Is An Astronaut Far from Refuge	3.0
Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet	5.0
Pure perfection released as an album. From the musically intricate soundscapes to the frighteningly depressing lyrical imagery, everything works, fits, and flows as if the album were a 51-minute dream of music. The band ranges from moody trippy sections that recall Portishead's glory, to metal riffs that bring Opeth and Meshuggah to mind, to the technically complex work made famous by 70s progsters a la Rush, and even some pop sentiments on songs like Sentimental. It's a packaged overview of everything that is good about music: emotional value, technical accomplishment, lyrical relevancy, and interesting compositions. A pure tour de force that SW and co. may never be able to top again. Highly recommended buy.
Chevelle Vena Sera	3.5
Machine Head The Blackening	3.5
Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank	4.0
Within Temptation The Heart of Everything	1.5
Dark Moor Tarot	3.5
The first half of this disc is superb symphonic power metal deluxe. The second part doesn't stand up to the first half, which is sad, but it's still good in parts. Recommended for fans of the style.
Explosions in the Sky All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone	3.5
Blackfield Blackfield II	4.5
Mostly Autumn Heart Full of Sky	4.5
Swallow The Sun Hope	4.0
Therion Gothic Kabbalah	2.0
Fall Out Boy Infinity On High	2.5
it's got some kinda neat tracks but this is the pop version of a band who i liked better when they stuck to their punk roots on the first two albums. thnks fr th mmrs is a golden song though, and there is some scattered interesting stuff on the rest of the record. but all in all the killer to filler ratio is a bit lower than what I have come to expect of these guys.
Yndi Halda Enjoy Eternal Bliss	3.0
Tristania Illumination	3.5
Loren Battle Words Begin Wars	2.0
I had a review which got lost and cannot be arsed to re-post it, but let me just say that this generic cookie-cutter metalcore by scene kids that jumped on the bandwagon three years later is not of interest to anyone, and can safely be skipped.
Circus Maximus Isolate	3.5

2006
3 Mile Scream A Prelude to Our Demise	3.0
Brand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me	4.5
Kamelot One Cold Winter's Night	4.0
Trivium The Crusade	1.0
Into Eternity The Scattering of Ashes	2.0
Evanescence The Open Door	2.0
Amon Amarth With Oden On Our Side	4.0
Cry of the Black Birds might just be the most epic melodeath song ever recorded. The rest of the album is not as good as that song, but it's pretty damn epic nonetheless. Most of this album is pure gold, and when it's not gold, it's silver anyways. This is one of the stronger Amon Amarth albums, and a shoe-in for any fan, and a recommended buy for fans of the genre.
Rhapsody of Fire Triumph or Agony	2.0
Mastodon Blood Mountain	4.0
Blind Guardian A Twist in the Myth	4.5
Dream Theater Score	4.5
Iron Maiden A Matter of Life and Death	3.0
Unexpect In a Flesh Aquarium	4.0
Lamb of God Sacrament	4.0
Breaking Benjamin Phobia	2.0
Slayer Christ Illusion	3.0
Agalloch Ashes Against The Grain	4.0
Stone Sour Come What(ever) May	3.5
Firewind Allegiance	3.5
Muse Black Holes and Revelations	4.0
Pink Floyd Pulse [DVD]	5.0
The Ocean Aeolian	4.0
This Will Destroy You Young Mountain	4.0
Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium	2.5
Scar Symmetry Pitch Black Progress	3.0
Tool 10,000 Days	3.5
Eternal Tears of Sorrow Before the Bleeding Sun	3.5
Lacuna Coil Karmacode	3.0
Snow Patrol Eyes Open	4.5
Summoning Oath Bound	4.0
Amorphis Eclipse	3.0
Machinae Supremacy Redeemer (Underground Edition)	4.0
Katatonia The Great Cold Distance	4.5
Darkthrone The Cult Is Alive	4.0
Wolves in the Throne Room Diadem of 12 Stars	4.0
In Flames Come Clarity	3.0
¡T.O.O.H.! Rad a Trest	3.5
Mirrorthrone Carriers of Dust	3.5
Pain Of Salvation Scarsick	4.5
Angry Daniel Gildenlow gives a fuck you to America and commercialism. In the meanwhile, The Bee Gees, 50 Cent, Al Pacino, bros, hoes, homies, strippers, God, commercials, and kids with flowers in their hands all appear, each doing their part. It's a bleak version of the future. The prog year of 2007 would turn bleaker after the release of this record, with Porcupine Tree releasing their seminal mindfuck of "Fear of a Blank Planet", but lovers of doom and gloom anti-commercialism lyrics flavoured with experimentalism and musicianship beyond the limits of the Earth need to pick this up and have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the best thing of all is: the band don't want you to pay for it.
DragonForce Inhuman Rampage	2.5

2005
System of a Down Hypnotize	3.5
Alanis Morissette The Collection	3.5
Riverside Second Life Syndrome	4.0
Rammstein Rosenrot	4.5
Bullet For My Valentine The Poison	1.5
Panic! At the Disco A Fever You Can't Sweat Out	2.0
Cartel Chroma	3.0
Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness	4.0
Arcturus Sideshow Symphonies	3.0
Hypocrisy Virus	4.0
Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet?	2.5
Sigur Ros Takk...	4.0
Scar Symmetry Symmetric In Design	3.5
30 Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie	4.0
Opeth Ghost Reveries	4.5
Arch Enemy Doomsday Machine	3.0
Nevermore This Godless Endeavor	4.5
Funeral for a Friend Hours	3.0
Coldplay X & Y	2.0
Dream Theater Octavarium	3.0
Pelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon...	3.5
Meshuggah Catch Thirtythree	4.0
System of a Down Mezmerize	3.5
Mostly Autumn Storms Over Still water	3.0
Fall Out Boy From Under The Cork Tree	3.0
Nine Inch Nails With Teeth	4.0
Porcupine Tree Deadwing	4.0
The Receiving End of Sirens Between the Heart and the Synapse	4.0
Mudvayne Lost and Found	2.5
Epica Consign To Oblivion	2.0
Nile Annihilation of the Wicked	4.0
Kamelot The Black Halo	5.0
3 Doors Down Seventeen Days	2.0
Green Carnation The Quiet Offspring	3.5
Blackfield Blackfield	4.0
The Mars Volta Frances the Mute	4.0
Pain Dancing with the Dead	4.5
Anberlin Never Take Friendship Personal	3.5
Tristania Ashes	4.0
God Is An Astronaut All Is Violent, All Is Bright	4.5
Dark Tranquillity Character	4.5
RA RA RA CHUG CHUG CHUG wtf is this solos and keyboards? blasphemy! not tr00 deth metuhl!! it's better than anything else in the scene though so check it out
Apocalyptica Apocalyptica	5.0
Kreator Enemy of God	4.0
Gojira From Mars To Sirius	3.0

2004
Jay-Z and Linkin Park Collision Course	1.5
U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb	2.0
Cartel The Ransom EP	3.0
Within Temptation The Silent Force	2.0
Rammstein Reise, Reise	4.0
Relient K mmhmm	3.5
Pain Of Salvation Be	5.0
Sonata Arctica Reckoning Night	4.5
Nightwish Once	4.0
Wintersun Wintersun	3.5
Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake	3.5
Age of Silence Acceleration	4.0
Amon Amarth Fate of Norns	3.5
Mastodon Leviathan	3.5
Regina Spektor Soviet Kitsch	4.0
Necrophagist Epitaph	3.0
Taking Back Sunday Where You Want To Be	2.5
Meshuggah I	4.5
Slipknot Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)	3.0
Dream Theater Live at Budokan	4.5
Ensiferum Iron	3.5
In Flames Soundtrack to Your Escape	2.5
Void Of Silence Human Antithesis	3.5
Snow Patrol Final Straw	3.0
My Dying Bride Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light	3.0
Damageplan New Found Power	4.0
Enslaved Isa	3.5
Tiamat Prey	3.0
Iced Earth The Glorious Burden	3.0
Barlow, where art thou? Owens is a good singer, but he's just not in Barlow's league, and his presence is what is really missed here: he keeps the songs and Jon's songwriting in check. Most of the songs on here are pretty predictable power metal fare, and though Declaration Day, Attila and the Gettysburg trilogy keep up a part of the quality level, most of this is subpar compared to other Iced Earth works. If you want to get into the band, go for a Barlow-era album first (Burnt Offerings/Horror Show), and then get this.
Machinae Supremacy Deus Ex Machinae	4.0

2003
Coldplay Live 2003	1.5
Howard Shore The Return of the King	4.5
blink-182 blink-182	1.0
Dream Theater Train of Thought	4.0
Explosions in the Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place	4.0
Anathema A Natural Disaster	4.5
Funeral for a Friend Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation	3.5
Static-X Shadow Zone	3.0
Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3	4.0
Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism	4.0
Blind Guardian Live	4.0
Dido Life For Rent	1.5
Muse Absolution	4.5
Children of Bodom Hate Crew Deathroll	3.0
Thursday War All the Time	4.0
A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step	4.5
Iron Maiden Dance Of Death	4.0
Arch Enemy Anthems of Rebellion	4.0
Nevermore Enemies Of Reality	3.0
The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium	3.5
Brand New Deja Entendu	4.0
Mogwai Happy Songs for Happy People	4.0
Radiohead Hail to the Thief	3.5
Metallica St. Anger	1.5
Epica The Phantom Agony	2.0
Mostly Autumn Passengers	3.5
Moonsorrow Kivenkantaja	4.5
Fall Out Boy Take This To Your Grave	4.5
Soilwork Figure Number Five	3.0
Opeth Damnation	4.5
Katatonia Viva Emptiness	4.5
Bathory Nordland II	3.0
Linkin Park Meteora	1.5
This album did not stand the test of time for me. Whereas Hybrid Theory had a formula that deservedly made it a commercial success (regardless of whether you liked it or not), this is just Hybrid Theory 2 with too little Chester, a lot of repetition, quite angsty lyrics, ridiculously simple verse/chorus affairs, and more of that. This is the best band to come out of the nu-metal scene, and this album has let me down very much. Don't get this, it's cool once but it has absolutely zero replay value and is just boring generic nu-metal.
Evergrey Recreation Day	3.0
This is sort of like the little brother to Symphony X. It has furious guitar leads and monstrous chug riffs, but they aren't as good as Symphony X's. Tom Englund's vocals have a similar range to Allen's, but Russ just sings better. And they like to up the tempo to similar levels, but Evergrey's tempos just aren't as interesting. In the end, they are a competent band with some standout tunes "Blinded", but this is still a band that should always be playing second fiddle to some of the real prog stalwarts.
Sonata Arctica Winterheart's Guild	3.5
Kamelot Epica	4.0
Apocalyptica Reflections	4.0
More bands should play like these guys. Cello metal? That's exactly what this is, and there are few that can match these guys in pure musical skill. But the songwriting is top-notch too, and these guys aren't wankers. The compositions are terrific, being melodic yet heavy, and the occasional appearance of Dave Lombardo on some tracks just makes the whole thing a tad more exquisite. This is some really fine music, the sound of a band really starting to get into the groove, and they went on to perfect it on their next record.
DragonForce Valley Of The Damned	4.0
Amon Amarth Versus the World	3.5
The Rasmus Dead Letters	1.0
Sarah McLachlan Afterglow	3.0
Evanescence Fallen	2.0

2002
Sum 41 Does This Look Infected	3.5
System of a Down Steal This Album!	4.0
Bathory Nordland I	3.0
3 Doors Down Away From The Sun	3.0
Opeth Deliverance	3.5
Paradise Lost Symbol Of Life	4.0
Symphony X The Odyssey	3.5
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Yanqui U.X.O	4.0
Lacuna Coil Comalies	3.5
Sigur Ros ( )	4.0
This album is lush. Very lush. It's like watching the snow fall on a mountain cold breezy winter day. It's like watching that same snow melt as the rivers run wild in spring. It's like watching the sun dry up rivers in the summer. It's like the leaves falling on the banks in the autumn. And when the snow comes back to fall, the circle is perfect; but this album never completes the circle. It's stuck in that winter vibe, but it's so lush, it never leaves its little comfort spot in front of the hearth. But that's right when you want to play it, and you do.
Pain Nothing Remains the Same	3.5
Porcupine Tree In Absentia	5.0
Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head	2.5
Dark Tranquillity Damage Done	4.0
Meshuggah Nothing	4.0
In Flames Reroute to Remain	3.0
Dream Theater Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence	4.5
Avril Lavigne Let Go	1.5
Sentenced The Cold White Light	4.0
Taking Back Sunday Tell All Your Friends	4.0
Megadeth Rude Awakening	3.5
dredg El Cielo	4.5
Alanis Morissette Under Rug Swept	3.0
Pain Of Salvation Remedy Lane	4.5
Good Charlotte The Young And The Hopeless	1.5
Nile In Their Darkened Shrines	3.0
Nightwish Century Child	3.5
Agalloch The Mantle	3.5
Hans Zimmer Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (Soundtrack)	3.5
Isis Oceanic	4.0
Arcturus The Sham Mirrors	4.5
Blind Guardian A Night at the Opera	4.0

2001
My Dying Bride The Dreadful Hours	3.5
Anathema A Fine Day To Exit	4.5
Dream Theater Live Scenes From New York	4.0
Aesop Rock Labor Days	4.0
P.O.D. Satellite	3.5
Gamma Ray No World Order	4.0
Converge Jane Doe	4.0
Sonata Arctica Silence	4.0
System of a Down Toxicity	4.5
Radiohead Amnesiac	3.5
In Flames The Tokyo Showdown	3.5
Muse Origin of Symmetry	3.5
Kamelot Karma	4.0
Iced Earth Horror Show	4.5
Nightwish Over The Hills And Far Away	4.0
blink-182 Take Off Your Pants and Jacket	3.0
Sum 41 All Killer No Filler	1.5
Tool Lateralus	4.0
Rammstein Mutter	4.5
Arch Enemy Wages of Sin	3.5
Nightwish From Wishes To Eternity	4.0
Darkane Insanity	4.0
Opeth Blackwater Park	5.0
This is probably one of the best Opeth albums, though when every album they've released is such high quality, that doesn't say much. It pretty much runs smoothly throughout and it's got a more modern edge than the previous albums. The Drapery Falls features a colossal riff and the vocal interplay on Bleak absolutely rules. It doesn't really have many uneven moments, just ones that are less orgasmic than the absolute highlights. This is a great album any prog metal fan should have, and it's a perfect introduction to Opeth's remarkable oeuvre.
Ensiferum Ensiferum	4.0
Nightwish Wishmaster	4.5
Katatonia Last Fair Deal Gone Down	4.5
Mostly Autumn The Last Bright Light	4.5
After Forever Decipher	4.0

2000
Within Temptation Mother Earth	3.5
U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind	3.0
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas...	4.5
Linkin Park Hybrid Theory	2.0
Symphony X V: The New Mythology Suite	4.0
Radiohead Kid A	4.0
Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet Requiem for a Dream	4.5
Apocalyptica Cult	3.5
In Flames Clayman	4.0
Dark Tranquillity Haven	4.5
Coldplay Parachutes	2.0
Iron Maiden Brave New World	4.0
A Perfect Circle Mer de Noms	4.0
Pink Floyd Is There Anybody Out There?	4.5
Kamelot The Fourth Legacy	3.0
Children of Bodom Follow the Reaper	4.0
HammerFall Renegade	1.5
This album suffers a lot from being a power metal album. This means it's burdened with men singing like women, lyrics about dungeons, dragons, and the almighty conquest of evil (and brave metal warriors), and derivative riffs stolen from Maiden and Priest. Well, bad news, because if you hate that style, this is probably your worst nightmare. The vocalist does sound like a woman. The lyrics are cringeworthy. And, every song sounds like it came from an Iron Maiden B-side collection. It's any sane music fan's worst nightmare. Stay far, far away from this. If you want good power metal, pick up Kamelot or Sonata Arctica instead.
Dark Moor The Hall of the Olden Dreams	3.0
Thee Silver Mount Zion He Has Left Us Alone...	3.5
Ayreon The Universal Migrator, Pts 1-2	3.5
Nevermore Dead Heart In A Dead World	4.0
Porcupine Tree Lightbulb Sun	4.0
Pain Of Salvation The Perfect Element, Part 1	4.0

1999
Metallica S&M	3.5
The Dismemberment Plan Emergency & I	4.0
Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory	4.5
Pain Of Salvation One Hour by the Concrete Lake	3.5
Opeth Still Life	5.0
Blackwater Park may be the most critically acclaimed, but this album is certainly a close second, if not the best album in Opeth's oeuvre. A majestic concept album based around love, heresy, occultism, rejection, and religion, its tragic tale unfolds as the music shows an emotional depth almost unbefitting of any metal band. Opeth aren't just a technically accomplished band (though this is one of their most complex outings, and the band don't play so many songs off this live), but they are also lyrically, aesthetically, and compositionally leaps and bounds ahead of the metal scene. It's rare to come across an album that combines its pompous intents with its musical style so well that it becomes a ride for life. And it's not just heavy: some of the most exquisite parts are acoustic jazzy interludes that serve not only as a breather from the more extreme metal onslaught, but make the album a big exercise in dynamics as well. This album is highly recommended for any open-minded music fan, as it shows one of cheesiest genres at its very best. It shatters any notion of music you may have had. And for that, it may just even beat out Blackwater Park as their most historical record.
Darkane Rusted Angel	4.0
Nine Inch Nails The Fragile	3.5
Tiamat Skeleton Skeletron	3.0
Iced Earth Alive In Athens	4.5
Katatonia Tonight's Decision	4.5
Sigur Ros Ágætis Byrjun	3.0
In Flames Colony	4.0
Anathema Judgement	5.0
This album embodies pure and bitter pain. After the death of their mother, the Cavanagh brothers must have experienced one hell of an emotional ride, because this album was released in its aftermath, and it is nothing but breathtakingly haunting. Anathema's sorrow does not manifest itself in the form of brute force anymore, but the incredibly powerful riffs and melodies combine with keyboard atmospheres to create dark, moody soundscapes that gather over the album like black clouds. Almost every song screams in bitterness, and the lyrics deal with a seemingly endless depression. It may one of the bleakest albums ever released, but despite its gloom and doom, it is also superbly beautiful, and essential listening for anyone with only the slightest hint of interest in the dark side. A completely stupendously amazing release.
Muse Showbiz	3.5
Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication	4.0
Testament The Gathering	4.0
Dido No Angel	3.0
blink-182 Enema of the State	3.5
Arch Enemy Burning Bridges	3.0
Children of Bodom Hatebreeder	3.5
Children of Bodom play an interesting blend of power, black and death metal that would be refined and honed further on later releases, most notably Follow The Reaper. As it is, this is a step up the ladder, but the band was not quite there yet even though the guitar/keyboard flurries are already extremely plentiful here. The main detractor are Laiho's vocals, which are too grating and shrieky and would be better refined on later efforts. Nevertheless it's a quality metal album worth your time.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada	4.5
This would be a 5 if it was 20 minutes longer. It's still amazing, but it needs more music.
Marduk Panzer Division Marduk	3.0
Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects Sol Niger Within	4.0
Nevermore Dreaming Neon Black	4.0
Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time	1.0
Dark Tranquillity Projector	3.0
Pain Rebirth	3.0
Lacrimosa Elodia	4.0
Sonata Arctica Ecliptica	4.5
Agalloch Pale Folklore	4.5
Mostly Autumn For All We Shared	4.5
Porcupine Tree Stupid Dream	5.0
3 Doors Down The Better Life	3.5

1998
Meshuggah Chaosphere	3.5
Damnation A.D. Kingdom of Lost Souls	4.0
Death The Sound of Perseverance	3.5
Opeth My Arms, Your Hearse	3.5
Iced Earth Something Wicked This Way Comes	4.5
System of a Down System of a Down	4.0
Anathema Alternative 4	4.0
Massive Attack Mezzanine	4.5
Blind Guardian Nightfall in Middle-Earth	4.5
Symphony X Twilight in Olympus	3.0
Liquid Tension Experiment Liquid Tension Experiment	3.5
Amon Amarth Once Sent from the Golden Hall	4.0
Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea	4.5
sometimes i wander through the streets of amsterdam and i see the people walking around. then i take out my guitar and i play some chords and i try to sing. people throw me a dime because they like it.
Stratovarius Destiny	2.0
Nightwish Oceanborn	5.0
Katatonia Discouraged Ones	3.0
Apocalyptica Inquisition Symphony	3.5
Rammstein Sehnsucht	4.0
Godspeed You! Black Emperor F#A# (Infinity)	4.0

1997
Metallica ReLoad	2.5
In Flames Whoracle	3.5
Dream Theater Falling into Infinity	3.5
Paradise Lost One Second	3.0
Tiamat A Deeper Kind of Slumber	3.5
Pain Of Salvation Entropia	3.5
Devin Townsend Ocean Machine: Biomech	3.0
Sarah McLachlan Surfacing	3.5
Radiohead OK Computer	5.0
This album is a classic of the 90s, for the simple reason that every song on here is amazing. The album revels in a sense of claustrophobia and angst, and even the interlude of Fitter Happier is a testament to the alienation present on the record. It personifies this, no doubt inspiring many that felt the same to pick up a guitar and write tunes. Radiohead would go gaga after this, experimenting with electronica, jazz, and other madness, but this stands as their most "tuneful" album, and where they got the mix between oddball synth influences, plain old guitar rock and bleak thematicism completely right. This isn't heralded as the best album of the 90s for nothing.
Faith No More Album of the Year	4.0
Dimmu Borgir Enthrone Darkness Triumphant	4.0
Stratovarius Visions	3.0
Children of Bodom Something Wild	2.0
Within Temptation Enter	4.0
Built To Spill Perfect From Now On	3.0
Rhapsody of Fire Legendary Tales	2.5
Metal for Mighty Warriors in Enchanted Lands trying to save the Fair Maidens with their Fantasy Swords / Other Magical Items and Superb Wizardry Skill. This is the kind of power metal album that you want to hear only once. Unless you are a D&D fanatic, I don't see how anything but the LOOK I AM MALMSTEEN neoclassical fretwank could possibly do anything but irritate the listener. This is so over-the-top hilarious power metal posturing it's overbearing and annoying. Probably the worst thing of all is that these guys take it so seriously. Well, the next time I slay a dragon in the forests, I guess I have a soundtrack.
Dark Tranquillity The Mind's I	3.0
Arcturus La Masquerade Infernale	3.5
Nightwish Angels Fall First	4.0
Mogwai Young Team	4.0
Emperor Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk	4.5
Symphony X The Divine Wings of Tragedy	4.5

1996
Anathema Eternity	3.0
Tool Aenima	3.0
Therion Theli	3.5
Opeth Morningrise	4.5
Metallica Load	2.5
Pantera The Great Southern Trendkill	2.5
Iced Earth The Dark Saga	3.5
Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos	3.5
Neurosis Through Silver in Blood	4.0
Porcupine Tree Signify	4.0
Burzum Filosofem	4.0
Nevermore The Politics of Ecstasy	4.5
Katatonia Brave Murder Day	3.5

1995
In Flames The Jester Race	4.0
Dark Tranquillity The Gallery	4.0
Enya The Memory of Trees	4.0
Anathema The Silent Enigma	2.5
Meshuggah Destroy Erase Improve	4.0
Natalie Merchant Tigerlily	3.5
Dream Theater A Change of Seasons	3.5
Gamma Ray Land of the Free	4.5
Opeth Orchid	3.0
Paradise Lost Draconian Times	4.5
Iced Earth Burnt Offerings	5.0
Hum You'd Prefer An Astronaut	3.0
Blind Guardian Imaginations from the Other Side	5.0
Radiohead The Bends	5.0
At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul	3.0
Rammstein Herzeleid	4.0
Porcupine Tree The Sky Moves Sideways	4.0
This album tries very hard to be Wish You Were Here. The band has even bookended the title track just like PF did with Shine on You Crazy Diamond. The songs are all pretty much in a similar format, with The Moon Touches Your Shoulder being something of a Welcome to the Machine and Wish You Were Here hybrid. There are also many Gilmour-influenced spacy guitar solos. Luckily, the darker atmospheres and the ambient/techno influences save this album from being Pink Floyd, part II. Porcupine Tree would later use this prog-rock blueprint to mix it with other styles, effectively broadening their musical range. This just shows their prog-side at its best.
Bad Religion All Ages	4.5
Dissection Storm of the Light's Bane	4.5

1994
In Flames Subterranean	2.5
Megadeth Youthanasia	3.0
Joni Mitchell Turbulent Indigo	3.5
Tiamat Wildhoney	4.5
The Cranberries No Need to Argue	4.0
Dream Theater Awake	4.5
Jeff Buckley Grace	4.0
Portishead Dummy	4.5
Machine Head Burn My Eyes	4.0
Emperor In the Nightside Eclipse	4.5
Nas Illmatic	3.5
Pink Floyd The Division Bell	3.0
Pantera Far Beyond Driven	2.5
Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral	5.0
Tori Amos Under The Pink	4.0
Vangelis Blade Runner Soundtrack	3.0
In Flames Lunar Strain	3.0
Blind Guardian Tokyo Tales	3.5
The Third and the Mortal Tears Laid In Earth	3.5
Ulver Bergtatt	4.5

1993
Metallica Live Shit: Binge And Purge	4.5
Iron Maiden Live at Donington	4.0
Nirvana In Utero	3.5
Tool Undertow	3.0
My Dying Bride Turn Loose the Swans	4.5
Katatonia Dance of December Souls	2.5
Carcass Heartwork	4.0
Suicidal Tendencies Still Cyco After All These Years	4.0
This is a remake of the 1983 self-titled album apparently, but with updated members and sound (Mike Muir, the band's frontman and leader, is the only remaining member from the old lineup.) It sure won't serve as good enough for people who have the original, but since it ran out of print, the band re-recorded it, and the sound is tight and thrashy. If you don't have the original or the reissue, or if you just think "I Saw Your Mommy" is the most obnoxious (and best) song ever, this is for you.
Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstasy	4.0
Sarah McLachlan may be Canada's most overplayed singer-songwriter. It's good she doesn't make those kind of airwaves in Europe, because let's face it: there's only so long you can rely on singles. But she's got some really good tunes on this one, just like female singer-songwriter's ought to, and nobody can argue with choice cuts such as Possession or Fear. And in light of those songs, in hindsight maybe it's not such a bad thing she gets all the airplay she does.
Cynic Focus	4.5

1992
Vangelis 1492: Conquest of Paradise	4.5
This is one of the most epic scores ever composed. It's powerful, haunting and moving, and it fits the theme of the accompanying movie quite well. Conquest of Paradise is a tune for the ages.
Alice in Chains Dirt	4.5
As sinister as the title sounds, this is an album that really is all about feeling low, down to earth and like dirt. Staley's drug escapades are the focus here, and it turns these songs into brutal monsters: like demons swarming him. Cantrell's off kilter, dark riffs, and the monotone vocal drawls just give everything a completely bleak feel; like the album art, drowning in a desert. I think the world will be hard pressed to find a better depiction of the aftermath of drug use than this record; I don't think the world needs to find one, because this is just the perfect soundtrack.
Nine Inch Nails Broken	4.0
Darkthrone A Blaze in the Northern Sky	3.5
Megadeth Countdown to Extinction	3.5
Blind Guardian Somewhere Far Beyond	4.5
Faith No More Angel Dust	4.5
Iron Maiden Fear of the Dark	3.0
Iced Earth Night of the Stormrider	4.0
Dream Theater Images and Words	5.0
Paradise Lost Shades Of God	3.0
Tool Opiate	2.5
Pantera Vulgar Display Of Power	3.5
R.E.M. Automatic For the People	4.0
Tori Amos Little Earthquakes	4.5
Have you heard that one piano song with a woman singing lately? Well, if you have, it all harks back to this little gem in the end. Tori Amos did it not the first (Kate Bush says hi), but she did it the best. Winter is the best song ever spawned in female singer-songwriter land and Silent All These Years's chorus is an absolute winner. And who else could make an a cappella song about rape work without sounding whiny? Only Tori. If you want a good, emotional ride through a young woman's brain, get this. If you want a record chock full of good, catchy tunes, get this. Hell, if you don't know what you want to get at the store and you don't own this record, get this. It is one of those albums that will keep the lovers drooling and even the haters admire the quality and talent she possesses. Amazing.

1991
Death Human	4.5
Nirvana Nevermind	3.5
Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik	3.5
Atheist Unquestionable Presence	3.5
Metallica Metallica	3.0
Grave Into the Grave	3.5
Sepultura Arise	4.0
R.E.M. Out Of Time	2.5

1990
Bad Religion Against the Grain	4.5
Slayer Seasons in the Abyss	4.0
Iron Maiden No Prayer for the Dying	2.5
Megadeth Rust in Peace	4.5
Judas Priest Painkiller	4.5
Pantera Cowboys from Hell	3.5
Blind Guardian Tales from the Twilight World	3.0

1989
Blind Guardian Follow the Blind	4.0
Faith No More The Real Thing	4.0
Morbid Angel Altars of Madness	4.5
The Cure Disintegration	3.5
Dream Theater When Dream and Day Unite	3.0
Suicidal Tendencies Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Deja Vu	3.5

1988
Metallica ...And Justice for All	4.0
Danzig Danzig	4.0
Slayer South of Heaven	4.5
Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime	5.0
Iron Maiden Seventh Son of a Seventh Son	3.5
Pixies Surfer Rosa	4.5
Helloween Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II	4.0
Blind Guardian Battalions of Fear	4.0
Dead Can Dance The Serpent's Egg	4.0

1987
Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason	3.0
U2 The Joshua Tree	4.5
Helloween Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I	2.0
Dead Kennedys Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death	3.5
King Diamond Abigail	4.0
Anthrax Among The Living	4.5

1986
Megadeth Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?	3.0
Slayer Reign in Blood	5.0
This album eats babies, slays the christians, and is so brutal in every possible way it's more brutal than most death metal. Tom Araya's vicious snarls are almost tuneless, and his shrieks are blood-curdling; as iffy as this all sounds, it's one of the most enduring and extreme pieces of metal. Who can forget the godly riffs of Raining Blood, or Angel of Death's fanatic opening shriek, or the race-to-the-finish tempo of Jesus Saves? It's all good, and with Dave Lombardo's vital drum performance to boot, this is simply one of the most essential metal records you can find. No metalhead should be without this one, and probably no non-metalhead either. Classic.
Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time	4.0
The Smiths The Queen Is Dead	4.0
Candlemass Epicus Doomicus Metallicus	4.5
Metallica Master of Puppets	4.0
Kreator Pleasure to Kill	2.0
Fates Warning Awaken The Guardian	4.0

1985
Celtic Frost To Mega Therion	4.0
Faith No More We Care A Lot	4.0

1984
Iron Maiden Powerslave	3.5
Metallica Ride the Lightning	3.5
Bruce Springsteen Born In The USA	3.0

1983
Metallica Kill 'Em All	3.0
Iron Maiden Piece of Mind	4.0
Pink Floyd The Final Cut	3.0
D.R.I. Dirty Rotten LP	3.0
Dio Holy Diver	2.5

1982
Judas Priest Screaming for Vengeance	4.0
Bruce Springsteen Nebraska	3.5
Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast	4.5

1981
Rush Moving Pictures	4.0
This is quite a solid effort from one of the innovators of the progressive movement. Has all the flaws the genre is famous for, but nevertheless is concise enough to hold up very well as an album. Trails off a little towards the end, but the first four tracks are all hammers, and The Camera Eye is no slouch either. If you like prog, you'll like this album.
Iron Maiden Killers	3.0
Queen Greatest Hits One	5.0

1980
Bruce Springsteen The River	3.5
Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard Of Ozz	3.5
AC/DC Back In Black	2.5
Judas Priest British Steel	2.0
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden	3.5

1979
Pink Floyd The Wall	5.0
One of the big musical triumphs of Pink Floyd (the other two being Wish you were Here and Dark Side of the Moon), this is a classic album for the ages. Its incredibly bleak lyrical concept makes the music harrowing instead of flat. Gilmour's best solo (and probably one of the best guitar solos ever) appears here on the song Comfortably Numb, but it's a work that stands as a whole. It may seem rather dull at first because almost none of the initial tracks feel right as standalone songs, but once you piece the whole thing together and look at it in helicopter view, you will see that this is possibly, probably, one of the best albums ever. It's such a shame that Pink Floyd have Wish You Were Here in their back catalog, because otherwise this would be their best easily. However, this album is their glorious last stand with the classic line-up, and is highly recommended to anyone.
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures	4.0

1978
Bruce Springsteen Darkness On The Edge Of Town	2.5

1977
Pink Floyd Animals	4.0

1976
Rush 2112	3.5
THE TEMPLES OF SYYYYRIINX no geddy shut the fuck up you're not a banshee. this album is full of sexcellent technical wank though. it's just that geddy lee sings about two octaves too high all the time. oh well. at least he rules on bass.

1975
Queen A Night at the Opera	4.5
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here	5.0
The most riddling album I have ever experienced, its emotional and sentimental value almost eclipses the benchmark set by its musical genius. This isn't an album, this is 45 minutes of pure genius, describing insanity, society, and humanity with the most meticulous of lyrics. Musically, it is one big waterfall, with each song segueing so easily into the next, it might as well have been recorded as one track. However, the highlight is Welcome to the Machine, not only notable for Gilmour's ascending backing vocals, but also for its excruciatingly sardonic lyrics. Is it the best album of all time? Hard to say, but it's as close as any album will ever come, and that is saying something.
Camel The Snow Goose	4.5

1974
Queen Sheer Heart Attack	4.0

1973
Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon	4.5

1972
Deep Purple Made In Japan	4.5
Yes Close to the Edge	4.0

1971
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV	4.0
Pink Floyd Meddle	4.0
Black Sabbath Master of Reality	3.5

1970
Black Sabbath Paranoid	4.5
Sabbath were never as satanistic as the opinion of their era would want the general populace to believe. But their inventive use of Diabolus in Musica (also known as the tritone) created this muddy, evil sound every other metal band has wanted to replicate, and many have ripped the band off in the process. However, Sabbath did it first, and best, as the songwriting is ace and Ozzy doesn't sound nearly as annoying as he would on other Sabbath/solo records. And for that, this will stand as the album that changed the face of heavy metal into what it became.
Simon and Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water	4.5
Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother	4.0

1969
Pink Floyd Ummagumma	4.0
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King	4.5

1968
Simon and Garfunkel Bookends	3.5

1967
Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn	4.5

1966
Simon and Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme	3.5
Simon and Garfunkel Sounds of Silence	3.5

1964
Simon and Garfunkel Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	4.0

Unknown
Dog Fashion Disco Beating a Dead Horse to Death...Again	3.0
Mostly Autumn The Spirit of Autumn Past	3.5

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