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My 10 Essentials

Back in the day when I listened to Gob and couldn't even tell bands like The Casualties apart from metal bands, I was given my first dose of heavy music. Though a few of these albums are not thought of very positively by the Sputnik community, they each have tremendous meaning to me and helped open my mind to more music than just punk rock.
1Avenged Sevenfold
Waking The Fallen

This was the first album with a lot of harsh vocals that I could stand. At first, I thought of it as just noise until the beginning of the song; "Chapter Four." From there I realized that the harsh vocals were more than just noise, they were a buildup of emotion that could only be truly expressed by screaming out to the world. The clean vocals on this album seem more sincere than most other metalcore releases today, it sounded like M. Shadows was actually singing from his heart instead of just attempting to make something catchy to encourage crowd participation. It's true, the band has gone downhill since this release but from this album I saw a group of friends willing to pile in an old, broken down van, to get to a small music hall just to play the music they loved and meant something to them. Now they seem more intent on making money than anything. That is why "Waking The Fallen" gets the number one spot for me.
2Deftones
Deftones

I heard this album during a time that I had become accustomed to radio friendly, easy to take in music. Music that took no thinking or interpreting whatsoever. I then heard "Minerva" on NHL 2004(sad I know) and was instantly fascinated by how different it sounded. The singing sounded almost flat to me, but in a way that seemed more spontanious than just by accident. I then of course, had to check out the album in it's entirety. Deftones helped me realize that rock music is more than just music to sing along to, it can be an art that forces the listener to think and find a meaning that fits their current situation.
3Every Time I Die
Gutter Phenomenon

"The New Black" was the first song I ever heard by the band and I was instantly hooked. From the very beginning of it when you hear the crack of a beer, to the very end where you wonder what the fuck just happened. I then proceeded to listen to "Champing at the Bit" and absolutely loved it. The lyrics were smart and poetic and the chorus was loud yet melodic. I couldn't get past how great the vocals were and the southern edge of the music that just makes you want to party. It also satisfied my hunger for a punk-like sound, that I had grown to love in the recent years.
4Protest The Hero
Kezia

4/4 was the only time signature I ever knew until hearing "Divinity Within." The technicality of it just blew my mind, as well as the perfectly executed vocal work by Rody Walker. The songs on Kezia were heavy but melodic enough that I could sing along. The lyrics on the album were brilliant as well, seeing as I was always fascinated by concept albums. The concept on Kezia was very loose but existent none the less. "Turn Soonest to the Sea" I found had one of the greatest intro's I had ever heard, an amazing chorus and yet again, fantastic lyrics. Though the album took some time to get used to, I learned to love it and broaden my music range ever more.
5Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire

Being a fan of punk music, the bands self titled release was exactly what I was looking for, and then some. "Waterwings" was so fast paced and just never let up. In doing this, the song also managed to add in an extremely melodic chorus. The tortured screams and great clean vocals really set this band apart from others(at that time anyway). Now it seems many bands are trying to replicate what was done by Alexisonfire so well, but most come off sounding very generic and boring.
6Moneen
The Red Tree

I saw the band did a split with Alexisonfire so thought, hey why not check them out. Their sound was hard to take in at first. I was thinking "oh no" another pop punk band singing about how much life sucks and in a way, I guess its true. The album isn't the happiest out there nor is it the most original. What sets it apart for me is the emotion put into each song. "The Day No One Needed to Know" is brilliant in that the band shows they can be catchy, have meaningfull lyrics and even try something different. At about 3:30 the song slows down then builds up into such an amazing passage that it just forced me to listen to more. The power and emotion put into each song just made it improssible for me to resist. Though the album may not be very original, it was executed so well and just seemed to be so much more than an attempt at pleasing the mainstream audience.
7Misery Signals
Mirrors

I had never been a fan of bands with no clean vocals before I heard Misery Signals. I had purchased a Take Action compilation just as an attempt to hear some new bands. "The Failsafe" started up and I found myself in a trance where I just couldn't stop listening. Somehow they managed to make something catchy enough for me to stand, yet without the use of clean vocals. The bands skill of creating good breakdowns didn't hurt either.
8New Found Glory
Sticks And Stones

Being the depressed, whinny pre-teen I was, Sticks and Stones was the kick in the ass I needed. The Fun melodies and lyrics I could relate to were just perfect for my situation at the time. The clean poppy-ness of the album mixed with the rocking instrument work, filled my niche for punk music.
9The Riviera Heist
Encircle

A local Calgary band that I found on the site purevolume. I was honestly just searching for decent local bands and ended up finding this band. They had a sound similar to Alexisonfire but so different that it set the two apart quite drastically. The sing/scream combination they used was just addicting.
10In Flames
Clayman

I had learned to call Death Metal, Screamo, from my ignorant peers. That was until I heard the song "Come Clarity" from my Take Action compilation. I liked it and saw it was by a death metal band and thought: "oh no, i'll probably hate all their other songs." I gave it a try anyway and attempted to keep an open mind. I purchased the "Clayman" album and just loved it from start to finish. Not only were there those clean vocals I craved! but there were guitar solo's that I thought had vanished since the 80's. That might explain my love at the time for bands: Iron Maiden and AC/DC. The song "Suburban Me" was just so catchy, I couldn't resist. The album also featured other gems such as "Pinball Map" and "Square Nothing." In Flames taught me that the term: Screamo, is only used by those too ignorant and closed minded to try out music that sings about the weekend and ex-girlfriends. Though the band is very melodic, it taught me to appreciate not only Melodic Death Metal, but straight up Death Metal itself and even opened me up to Grindcore, and mathcore. (Which may be how I learned to love The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Number Twleve Looks Like You).
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