|
User
Reviews 3
Approval 88%
Soundoffs 2
Album Ratings 216
Objectivity 71%
Last Active 01-14-21 2:31 pm
Joined 05-20-17
Review Comments 316
| My Top 10 Albums of All Time
Criteria - Cannot have multiple albums by one artist, replayability must be very high (little to no tracks skipped), and the given album brings back great memories of the era when it was discovered. | | 10 |  | Michael Jackson
Dangerous
Child Era
While Thriller or even Bad might be the better albums, Dangerous takes the spot as my favorite MJ album purely for nostalgic reasons. This one probably has the least replayability out of my top ten because of tracks like Heal the World, Keep the Faith and Gone Too Soon. While the lyrics aren't terrible or anything, they're just huge dips in the album for me and I'll skip them almost every time. I'll even sometimes skip Will You Be There because of that long orchestral intro.
Memories: I'll immediately think of things like warm days on the street I grew up on, watching Nickelodeon, watching the Black or White music video on VH1, and following along with the lyrics in the CD booklet whenever I would jam this in my room as a kid. I also remember my family and I watching the prime time world premiere of the music video for Remember The Time on TV. Truly great memories, which makes it an important entry in my list. | | 9 |  | The Birthday Massacre
Pins and Needles
Adult Era
A solid industrial album from start to finish, and the album that got me hooked on The Birthday Massacre. While some would argue that Walking With Strangers is the better album, one cannot deny that Pins and Needles is a hook machine with awesome production. Personally this is the TBM album that I always pick first and it is definitely the most accessible.
Memories: I remember going to see them live in November 2014 and also buying a VIP package to meet them. They were very humble and sociable, and Chibi (the lead vocalist) and I even had an impromptu singing of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", which coincidentally fits in nicely with my number one pick on this list. I also chose the title track as a song to cover on YouTube, so technically this album also helped me grow as a guitarist. | | 8 |  | Nightwish
Wishmaster
Teen Era
This was the album that got me into Nightwish, and so it kind of makes sense to make it my favorite one. It kind of dips once Two for Tragedy starts playing, but after the intensity of Wanderlust and just before the epic title track, this song kind of serves as a nice break for the listener.
Memories: Unfortunately I wasn't into much music as a teenager but Nightwish really hooked me. I forgot how exactly I discovered them, but I definitely recall the title track as the song that got me interested. This album brings back many memories such as driving home from community college, watching Flash animations on Newgrounds (?), playing video games in my childhood room, and winter in general. | | 7 |  | Billy Talent
Billy Talent II
Adult Era
This one is the newest addition to the list, and it is a monster of an album. Billy Talent have all the traits of what I love in a band, such as minor chord progressions, excellent production, high energy, and dual vocalist harmonies among other things. They've got it all. Extremely high replay value.
Memories: The summer of 2019, including jam session groups, my volleyball league, and my trip to Crater Lake in Oregon. It also reminds me that just when I think I've found all the artists I'll ever like a lot, there are still huge surprises out there. | | 6 |  | System of a Down
Toxicity
Teen Era
An album that just never lets up, and is fun as hell to listen to.
Memories: I actually bought this album from a Wal-Mart in upstate New York while visiting my grandparents in 2001, and so it'll always make me think of jamming this during those long road trips. It also makes me think of summer days on the street I grew up on. | | 5 |  | The Used
The Canyon
Adult Era
A truly personal work that covers themes of both life and death, and it definitely shows in tracks like the legit Upper Falls. A lot of people really like the first two albums by The Used and consider those to be their best work, but I say The Canyon has way more appeal, a more mature sound, and shows how they've progressed as a band.
Memories: This came out during a time when I found a new inner peace with myself and life after a really tough bout of loneliness. Whenever I listen to this I always reflect heavily on many memories, both good and bad, throughout my adult life (as well as the different people that came and went). Also makes me think of crisp autumn days. The album title and cover art match the sound of the album perfectly too: as I listen to it I feel like I'm hiking through a large canyon as the sun is setting, and that each song is a different vignette of images in the canyon. | | 4 |  | Megadeth
Countdown to Extinction
Adult Era
Riff after riff after riff. I cannot deny the superiority of Rust in Peace; an epic album that was an important milestone of thrash metal in general. But if I'm being honest with myself, Countdown to Extinction is the one that I just jam more often. It's fun as hell to listen to without feeling too bloated: Sweating Bullets is the only track that barely makes it past the five minute mark. A perfect, varied showcase of Megadeth that catapulted them into the mainstream.
Memories: It's kind of sad that I really discovered Megadeth so late. Along with AFI and a few other artists, Megadeth was a part of my "musical rediscovery" phase of 2010. They got me through some tough times as an adult. | | 3 |  | AFI
Decemberunderground
Adult Era
I always have a hard time picking this or Sing the Sorrow, but again if I'm being honest with myself, Decemberundergound just has the most replay value for me. It probably has the best set of closing tracks ever. The trifecta of The Killing Lights, 37mm, and Endlessly, She Said is just incredible.
Memories: While I technically discovered AFI after I had graduated college, this album still makes me think of my college experience as a whole. I guess I just subconsciously heard the singles on the radio during that time. Also makes me think of really cold winters and waiting for the train to go to work. | | 2 |  | Blink-182
Enema of the State
Child Era
Once the opening riff of Dumpweed comes on, you'd better clear your schedule: it's pretty impossible to not finish the entire album by that point. Endless hooks! An absolute blast to play and probably blink's most cohesive work. This is the album you jam when you want to instantly feel young again.
Memories: This one will mainly make me think of memories of middle school, and summer days on both my street and the street of a childhood friend. | | 1 |  | Green Day
Nimrod
Child Era
Most prefer the iconic Dookie, but I prefer the variety of Nimrod. It's fun to listen to them go from the swing vibe of Hitchin' A Ride to their unabashed aggression in Platypus (I Hate You) for example. And of course I can't go without mentioning the theme of every high school graduation ever in the early 2000s: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), which is either the least punk or most punk thing they ever did, depending on how you look at it.
Memories: This is it. From the opening riff of Nice Guys Finish Last to the closing notes of Prosthetic Head, this album is nostalgia incarnate. It's also the first album I ever purchased with my own hard earned money way back in 1997 (I was in 6th grade). The record store owner even gave me the Nimrod logo that was hanging up against the storefront glass the day that I bought it. Many different memories from my youth come flashing back to me as the album runs its course of 49 minutes, and too many to name here. | |
Drifter
10.21.19 | Dangerous is incredible nice
1039 >>> | Drifter
10.21.19 | Funny how I just got into Enema as a senior lmao | MebalZahari
10.21.19 | janine looking good on the cover | Advent
10.22.19 | Agreed hard | ItsTheSquirrel
10.22.19 | Refreshing to see a list that isn't just filled with the same albums everyone else has (which to be fair my list would mostly be) | Advent
10.22.19 | Glad you like it! It took a lot of careful consideration to construct | Josh D.
10.22.19 | Michael Jackson
child era
alleged |
|
