Non-Metal Music

I was JUST listening to Ropes to Infinity out of the blue yesterday.

Hvile I Kaos - Lower Order Manifestations (2025)

The cello is my favourite classical instrument.  Capable of creating such slow, haunitng and melancholic sounds as well urgent and oppressive timbres as well, I find a versatile and always pleasing instrument.  Hvile I Kaos deploy the cello alongside guitar, frame drum and bass to create 'dark chamber music'. This has been on a few nights as I have laid in bed with the lights out ready to get into a peaceful slumber.  Full of mystique and dark terrors, the descripton from the Bandcamp page sums it up perfectly:

Quoted Vinny

Nice tip Vinny. I have listened to this a couple of times. I'm not sure I would find it conducive to a peaceful slumber - but it's great stuff. I gave it a 4/5 as well, probably just over 4, not quite reaching 4.5 status (maybe on more listenings)

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Alessandro Stefano - "Alessandro "Asso" Stefana" (2024)

One of my favourites and probably most played from last year. Ambient Americana from Italian multi-instrumentalist that repurposes the voice of Appalachian folk musician, Roscoe Holcomb. Produced by PJ Harvey and on Mike Patton's Ipecac imprint. The first 5 tracks are laid back, soothing americana invoking images of the desert and lonesome highways, then Holcomb's haunting voice from the past come in for 3 tracks before ending with the longest and most ambient tracks on the album. It's when Holcomb's vice comes in from nowhere on track 6 that really make this album for me, and is a surprise on each listen.

4.5/5

Tubeway Army - "Replicas" (1979)

The debut album from a London act fronted by the legendary Gary Numan who would release his first solo album later the same year. I would describe the sound of "Replicas" as new wave-infused synthpop with Numan dominating through a charismatic performance behind the microphone. The influences of David Bowie, Kraftwerk & the "Blade Runner" soundtrack are all obvious. The highlights are absolutely sublime (see "Are 'Friends' Electric?" & "Down in the Park" in particular) but the tracklisting is very inconsistent & fades noticeably at the end. Despite that, I do feel that the best material is strong enough to carry this record.

For fans of Gary Numan, Ultravox & The Human League.

3.5/5

That made it to the bottom half of my top 100 when I first heard it.  Might still be there.

Soft Machine - "Third" (1970)

After quite liking 1968's "The Soft Machine" debut album from this Canterbury scene icon recently, I thought I'd better check out their most highly regarded release in 1970's "Third". It sees them fully embracing their jazz side in a double album format that includes four lengthy full-side pieces, each breaching the eighteen-minute mark. Of the four tracks, I'd suggest that only one (the disappointing "Moon in June") is actually prog rock based with the other three all sitting far more comfortably under a jazz fusion tag. The musicianship is astounding, as is the scope of the compositional work for the time, although there has been a lot of splicing between different performances which makes the producer seem like another band member with a release like this one. Surprisingly, I think I prefer the psychedelic rock sound of the debut over "Third" but there's not a lot between them & I've experienced a similar level of enjoyment with their third full-length.

For fans of Gong, Caravan & Henry Cow.

3.5/5

Lustmørd - "Lustmørd" (1981)

The first album from the Welsh dark ambient legend is more of a combination of his industrial roots with his earliest dark ambient ideas. It's generally not well regarded & you can see why because the tracklisting is extremely inconsistent although there are a couple of real gems here, especially the wonderful early dark ambient classic "Slabstone" which I've always loved. I wouldn't suggest that this is a release to hunt down though as Brian has done so much better over the years.

For fans of Nurse With Wound, Big City Orchestra & Psychic TV.

3/5

Ultramagnetic MC's - "Critical Beatdown" (1988)

The debut album from Ultramagentic MC's is a fairly enjoyable affair that perhaps suffers a little from being released in the same year as classic records from Public Enemy & Eric B. & Rakim as it's difficult not to draw comparisons with "Critical Beatdown" sitting on a slightly lower rung. The main reason for that is that the tracklisting doesn't really get going until track seven with all of the best material coming towards the back end of the album. Kool Keith is clearly the better of the MC's with producer Ced Gee being noticeably (& perhaps unsurprisingly) less cool. This is not a bad listen overall however, unlike the two classics I mentioned earlier, I can't see myself feeling like returning to it all that regularly. I'm much more likely to include the best material (like the brilliant "When I Burn") in my custom Spotify playlists.

For fans of Kool Keith, Boogie Down Productions & EPMD.

3.5/5

Ulver - "Kveldssanger" (1996)

The second album from Norwegian atmospheric/pagan black metallers Ulver saw them taking the metal world by surprise by releasing a record that was entirely made up of traditional Norwegian folk music. It was certainly enjoyable enough stuff but it wasn't necessarily what the band's existing fanbase were looking for. Despite quite enjoying them, I have to admit that I've never been as big a fan of Ulver's metal albums as most metalheads seem to be so I wasn't all that fussed & managed to enjoy "Kveldssanger" for what it is. It would go on to become the driver for the entire dark folk movement really with artists like Tenhi, Empyrium & Vàli using this release as the catlyst for their own music. Ulver's next record "Nattens madrigal: Aatte hymne til ulven i manden" is my Ulver record of choice these days (at least of those that I've heard) & "Kveldssanger" is probably the weaker of their first three but it's still definitely worth a listen for the open-minded extreme metallers out there.

For fans of Vàli, Wardruna & Sylvaine.

3.5/5

Oval - "94 Diskont" (1995)

These Germans were pretty much responsible for putting the niche electronic subgenre of glitch on the global music map with this, their third full-length album. I have to admit that, despite enjoying other glitch releases over the years, I've struggled with "94 Diskont" this week & it's been more about the format of this music than the quality that the record contains. You see, all five tracks included are well produced but they sound very much like the subgenre title in that they could well be a computer glitch that's been allowed to play out for an extended period & I simply can't find enough conventional melodic or structural reference points to find actual enjoyment in it.

For fans of Fennesz, Tim Hecker & Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto.

3/5

Fripp & Eno - "Evening Star" (1975)

The second collaboration album from King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp & ambient music godfather Brian Eno is arguably their finest, just managing to top 1973's excellent "(No Pussyfooting)" debut off the back of the wonderful ambient post-rock title track which is likely the best thing the duo ever recorded. There's a little more variety to be found this time with ambient & drone once again holding equal footing. The short tape music piece "Evensong" is a bit of a fail but the rest of the record is a very rewarding & highly creative listen.

For fans of Cluster, Jon Hassell & Harold Budd.

4/5

Autechre - "Incunabula" (1993)

The debut full-length from this Manchester duo was a huge influence on the early IDM/ambient techno scene & made a lasting impact on me when I first discovered Autechre in the late 1990's. "Incunabula" may not be their best album overall but it certainly set the tone for a wonderful career that's seen them sitting amongst the absolute elite electronic music artists on the planet for nearly four decades now.

For fans of Aphex Twin, Squarepusher & Clark.

4.5/5

I'm a country guy. I was born and raised on a farm on the Kansas-Nebraska Border. This is the music of my people and I love it almost as much as my metal. 

I find this to be an excellent piece of music:


A blend of contemporary country with a lot of bluegrass. Great song writing. 

Selected listening: "Gin, Smoke, and Lies", "Before the Devil Knows We're Dead", "Good Lord Lorie", and "Wrecked"

Orbital - "Orbital 2" (1993)

The second full-length from these highly celebrated Kent brothers would become the first album release to truly break the underground techno phenomenon on both a critical & commercial scale with Paul & Phil Hartnoll creating a record that was full of class & depth. It's not wall-to-wall wins as far as I'm concerned but the highlights are devastating & played a strong role in my electronic music journey. There are a number of tracks included that received air play from me as a DJ throughout the 2000's with the brilliant "Planet of the Shapes" making for an outstanding early set builder & peak time acid techno number "Remind" really tweaking people's cerebellums later in the evening. I played those two on multiple occasions while I believe I also dropped "Walk Now... " once too.  This all still sounds as fresh as it did the first time I heard it & it's impossible to deny the power of classic ambient trance number "Halcyon + On + On" to lift one's spirits & take you into the stratosphere. I could probably have done without the dull intro & outro pieces, as well as the slightly cheesy attempt to emulate Detroit techno classic "Strings of Life" that is "Monday", but "Orbital 2" should be essential listening for all EDM disciples.

For fans of The Orb, Underworld & Chemical Brothers.

4/5

Andrés Segovia - "The Segovia Collection, Vol. 3: My Favorite Works" (1988)

A compilation CD I purchased back in the 1990's when I was absolutely obsessed with guitar technique & wanted to hear the best the world had to offer. Segovia certainly delivers in terms of Spanish classical guitar too with all ten tracks on offer showcasing his incredible abilities in solo performances that sound to the average listener as if there are multiple instrumentalists contributing, given his unparallelled skill in managing disparate basslines & melodies simultaneously. I enjoy this as relaxing background music more than anything these days.

For fans of Julian Bream, Narciso Yepes & David Russell.

3.5/5

John Lee Hooker - "The Healer" (1989)

A heavily underrated electric blues album that's centered around collaborations with a number of other high-profile artists such as Carlos Santana, Bonnie Rait, Los Lobos & George Thoroughgood. Perhaps it makes for a more commercially accessible listen than most diehard blues fans would like but I really enjoy it nonetheless, particularly the really stripped back stuff like wonderful album highlight "My Dream".

For fans of Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters.

4/5

Fishmans - "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" (1997)

The seventh full-length from this Tokyo outfit & a bloody good listen it is too. It's often referred to as dream pop, ambient pop & neo-psychedelia but the reality is that the downtempo tag is all that's required here with the relaxed, soothing atmospheres presented having a noticeably calming effect on even the most battle-hardened extreme metalhead. Perhaps I'm a little more open to this sort of stuff than most but the lushness of some of these soundscapes can't be achieved without a deep understanding of the craft. "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" is classy release that's deserving of the hype around it.

For fans of Slowdive, Spiritualized & Stereolab.

4/5

Elliott Smith - "Either/Or" (1997)

I don't mind this American indie folk singer/songwriter although I do have to admit that I can't see why he's quite as revered as he is. I don't think he has enough depth to his music for that but I can still appreciate the appeal of these short-&-sweet folk songs.

For fans of Bright Eyes, Daniel Johnston & Sufjan Stevens.

3.5/5

Thrust - "Mindless" (1990)

The sole full-length from this melodic hardcore/skate punk outfit from my adopted stomping ground of the Gold Coast. It's very well produced & executed & has a bit of a heavy metal edge to it at times too.

For fans of The Ramones, Bad Religion & Motorhead.

King Tubby - "Herb Dub-Collie Dub" (1976)

A collection of instrumental dub remixes of tracks by The Skatalites. I quite like it too, particularly the more minimal, stripped back material which is druggy as fuck.

For fans of Augustus Pablo, Scientist & Prince Jammy.

3.5/5

Bobby Bland - "Two Steps from the Blues" (1961)

The highly regarded debut album from this soulful Texan rhythm & blues singer that I find to be a little too inconsistent & (perhap unsurprisingly) bland for my liking.

For fans of Syl Johnson, Freddie King & Little Milton.

3/5

Cocteau Twins - "Head Over Heals" (1983)

I've returned to this excellent sophomore album from Scottish ethereal wave/ gothic rock outfit a couple of times over the last year as I've had a real soft spot for it since the mid-1990's when I used to frequent goth clubs every weekend with the rest of the Sydney extreme metal scene. Each time I hear it I'm reminded of just how similar Elizabeth Frazer's vocals are to my all-time favourite metal front woman in The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen, so much so that I can't help but feel that she was a total worshipper of records like this one. The dark opening track "When Mama Was Moth" is quite frankly one of the best pieces of music ever written while the rest of the ten-song tracklisting includes a string of very strong efforts, none of them living up to the thrill of the opener but still flexing their creative muscles nicely nonetheless. There are a couple of flat moments here though in the disappointing "Glass Candle Grenades" & "Multifoiled" but the wins easily outweigh the losses to make for a highly compelling listen & one that would put the new darkwave genre on the map.

For fans of Lowlife, Slowdive & early Dead Can Dance.

4/5

8. Frank Zappa
Genres: Exp. Rock, Jazz-Rock, Jazz Fusion, Comedy Rock

When I was first getting into albums, Freak Out was my first venture into experimental rock, and I loved every effed-up second of it. That raw level of boldness in Zappa's music is justified by his absurd personality. The guy knows how to write what's potentially the worst music on Earth, and make it more fun than a drunken night out on the town. And why? Why did we need Zappa? Simple. Sometimes, we just need to let loose.

Freak Out!: 100
Hot Rats: 100
Apostrophe: 100
Over-Nite-Sensation: 99
Joe's Garage, Act I: 97

Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

Didn't you say that you were separating Frank Zappa's solo work from the Mothers of Invention releases Rex? "Freak Out!" was the debut album from the Mothers & I'm pretty sure that "Over-Nite Sensation" is also considered to be a Mothers release.

There's the "Rule of Names."

Before I post this, I must note that there has been an update to the rules that I forgot to mention. Because certain bands like say "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" are also counted as part of an artist's main career, there will be a "namesake rule" that states that a solo act can count their time with a band as part of their major career, especially since some bands continue without their frontman, and can still be two separate entries, such as the difference between The Mothers of Invention and Frank Zappa. Thus, the band and the frontman can have two separate entries. This does not count for duets like Simon and Garfunkel, but for a frontman and a named band sharing album title credits.

The Mothers of Invention are also known all over the internet as "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention."  This rule is based on the notion that the band itself is just as relevant to the solo artist's career under his name.  This means that Zappa can count his time with The Mothers under his slot, and Tom petty can do so as well.  But this is only true if extra credit to the frontman is established by name in the fanbase or the album releases.  Nobody really refers to Petty's band as just, "The Heartbreakers."  Alice Cooper could do the same thing had he made it, and "The Alice Cooper Band" would have a separate entry as well.  RYM does this, too, and it was pretty obvious why.

Cool list, Rex! Though if I make my own list in this thread, it would all just be metal, and I wouldn't have to write my top 20 when it's already in the "top 20 releases" feature.

Personally, I'd be down to play there knowing what I know now, but my vocalist is a much less forgiving about these kinds of things. We are going to compare notes at practice, explain points of view and make a team decision.

Cool tune and I like Album cover too. Delightfully goofy! Quiet Riot 2 Was only released in Japan, so I always associated "Slick Black Cadillac" with Metal Health Album-they re-recorded it for that. 

So I went back to investigate, and yes the Quiet Riot II version is balls. It's not worlds different but it's weaker than the Metal Health version by a significant amount.

I've going to opt to replace Plasmatics' "The Damned" as I've never had much time for it & are going to nominate Randy Holden's "Fruit & Iceburgs" from the former Blue Cheer & The Other Half guitarist's debut solo album "Population II". It was one mean motherfucker of a psychedelic doom metal monster for 1970 in my opinion.

1. Three Dog Night "Momma Told me Not to Come"

2. Pentagram "Be Forewarned

3. Alice Cooper "Desperado"

4. Randy Holden - "Fruit & Iceburgs"

5. Holy Moses "Satans Angel"

6. Savage Master "Queen Satan"

7. Satyricon "Black Crow on a Tombstone"

8. Venom "Witching Hour"

Hi, Ben. Thanks for adding those Blue Stahli albums I've requested. Now for one more thing... It seems you've overlooked my earlier request to add Celldweller's non-metal album Offworld to bridge the gap in their discography. Could you please add that soon? Thanks again!

Totally respect that. Crunkcore is among my least favorite genres of all time, but I'd be totally open to hearing an album in the genre that is actually enjoyable. Maybe I'll give it a shot just for fun.

I actually love it when one of my least favorite genres features an album I find amazing.  Nadja helped me explore some more of my least favorite metal genre: drone.

Just finished up a Cult Member marathon in my outsider house ventures.  This guy understands the balance between atmosphere and complex beats.  Not quite on par with Cross by Justice, but it maintains a consistent sound through various influences and surprises with plenty of complexity. There are acid techno songs which fit perfectly in this ambient / outsider house sound.

Vinnie Moore - "Meltdown" (1991)

I picked up Vinnie Moore's third album on CD shortly after it was released given that I was a big fan of his 1986 debut album "Mind's Eye". "Meltdown" saw Vinnie changing direction a bit with a record that's a lot more hard rock than it is metal but it still made quite an impact on this young shredder as there's little doubt that Moore understood the art of song-writing as well as any in his craft i.e. instrumental guitar shred. Time hasn't been as kind to "Meltdown" as I'd hoped though & I see it as a step down from "Mind's Eye" these days but it's definitely still worth a listen if you're into this sort of thing.

3.5/5

I'm sure the genre is not for all metalheads, but I'm certainly attracted to it, if only as background music. Thanks for the recommendations, as I haven't delved into it as much as I probably should have. Just listening to Old Sorcery now.

Lemme know what you think when/if you feel like you've got a good amount of them down.

Kensuke Ushio - "Ping Pong" The Animation Soundtrack (2014) 2 x CD bonus disc edition

Over two hours of music taken from a Japanese animated television show. It spans a huge wealth of electronic subgenres including techno, trance, progressive house, drum 'n' bass, IDM, downtempo, ambient, etc. There are a few really great tracks included, particularly the techno & ambient material which is most closely aligned to my taste however there's simply far too much filler here & I find the cheesy trance & quirky IDM stuff to be pretty hard going.

If any of you are thinking of bands that started as gothic death-doom but slowly (d)evolved into alt-prog rock, here are a couple of them; Anathema and The Gathering. While both of these bands disappoint heavier fans by not having their darker metal sound anymore, you know who might like their lighter rock sound? MY MOM!! Seriously, my mom's never really a fan of metal, but she's OK with softer rock sounds.

Unlike Daniel, I stopped really enjoying Anathema's work quite some time ago. I've always had time for The Gathering though, at least I did while Anneke was still part of the band. I think I listen to their non-metal albums more than the metal ones, simply because they can be played while the family is around.