Non-Metal Music

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Axis: Bold as Love" (1967)

As a guitarist myself, I've always held Jimi Hendrix up as the rarified gem of the rock music world that he was. But that doesn't mean that I simply froth over everything associated with him though as I think people have a tendency to be misled by his iconic stature at times. Jimi's 1967 sophomore album is a pretty good example of that as it's generally regarded as a timeless classic yet the song-writing is a little inconsistent if you examine it in closer detail. There aren't any weak numbers included as such, but there are a number of obviously less significant filler tracks scattered across the release which have a big enough impact on the overall package to see me only finding the strength to award "Axis: Bold as Love" a middling score overall. Sure, "Castles Made of Sand" is an absolute masterpiece & sits amongst my very favourite Jimi pieces while "Little Wing", "If 6 Were 9", "One Rainy Wish" & the title track are all very solid examples of the early psychedelic rock sound. But it would be remiss of me to simply ignore the handful of short, poppy & fairly inconsequential (if still fairly catchy) tunes that fill the space between these more successful creative endeavours & it's for this reason that "Axis: Bold as Love" is the Jimi Hendrix Experience record that I rarely reach for with 1968's "Electric Ladyland" & 1967's "Are You Experienced" (in that order) both being on semi-regular rotation for most of my life.

For fans of Cream, Robin Trower & Funkadelic.

3.5/5

Cecil Taylor - The Cecil Taylor Unit (1978)

Genres: Free Jazz

Next up on my free jazz binge is the self-titled The Cecil Taylor Unit, an hour of more classical-infused surrealism hand delivered on a gold platter with a side plate of sample cheeses and wine.  This album was the first of Cecil's attempts at bringing classicism to free jazz, and the most obvious effort in that vein.  But this kind of sophistication isn't built on Mozart melodies and Beethoven drama.  This is free jazz, and Cecil's band sets everything on FIRE.

Idut, track 1, is basically a shark's feeding frenzy of cheese and wine, proud and bombastic to whatever extreme they can achieve without breaking the surrealism.  Track 2, Serdab, starts out much more quietly, but soon uses erratic violins and piano to create some very chilling atmospheres.  But in these chills also comes a sense of wonder, one that looses none of the bombast of the previous track but rather sacrifices the loud tone for something more mellow.  Even when the brass comes in, the build up tricks you out and loosens four minutes in.  It goes into several places, recycling old sounds with new combinations, until we get to a gorgeous yet bizarre piano solo by Cecil himself.  I'd say that this track was miles ahead of the Idut (no Miles David biopic ref intended).  Now track 3 is the one that worried me.  Holiday En Masque is a whopping 30 minutes long, so I was quite concerned with possible meandering.  But the surprise is: it didn't meander as much as I thought, not until the last ten minutes or so.  This was easily the most interesting of the three tracks.  This was everywhere around whatever music spectrum the band could provide, and every step forward into another territory was built entyirely on natural progression and pacing.  Maybe they stayed in a couple locations for just a little longer than necessary, but overall it was mysterious in all of its fury.  It's probably even the best Cecil track I've heard so far.

SO even though the first track managed to be fun and interesting, each track upped the antes and delivered even more goods each time.  This was exactly the kind of chaos one wants to experience with free jazz.  Currently, this is the best Cecil Taylor album I've heard.

96

BTS - Wake Up (2014)

Genres: K-Pop, Pop Rap, Boy Band

I'm tired of avoiding this band and not knowing what the hype is.  These guys are apparently big record-breakers, which isn't surprising considering that this is the first choice for a K-pop band that Americans will literally watch concert films for.  Not a K-pop guy myself, usually just using the bands of said scene for chart filler, but whatever.  Anyway, I went into this expecting more k-pop crap, especially since its genre tagging n RYM included "boy band" as a genre choice and not just a piece of a scene.  So if RYM's acknowledging that, then that likely means this specific album took writing cues from 90's pop bands like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.  Initially, a bad sign.  But nope.  This one actually makes a strict point of slapping.  Hard.  Whatever tropes exist in this album are heavily backed up by the band's energy and some surprisingly tight instrumentation for a bunch of boy band songs.  It suffered from a soggy middle syndomer, but I would even go as far as to say that this album shows more class than any Backstreet album.  The first half is the superior half, but there's still fun to be had in the second.  Anyway, even a non-K-pop fan can see that this delivers a good deal of goods, more so than a lot of average pop, and personality and independence drive it the whole way through.

75

Dear GOD the last reply to this was in 2023! 

That's because I started a generic Rock thread since then & have been posting all rock-related posts there.

https://metal.academy/forum/25/thread/2568

I know about that thread, but still, I figured Elder belonged elsewhere.

Album released today... excitement levels beyond imaginable... pressing play... it can't possibly live up to my expectations can it?

If it doesn't, I sure as hell wouldn't know why.

Alice Coltrane - "Turiya Sings" (1982)

I discovered this lovely, meditative release many years ago now & have returned to it semi-regularly in the time since. "Turiya Sings" sees the iconic jazz artist & former wife of the legendary John Coltrane taking a dramatic stylistic departure from her jazz roots by composing nine deep new age pieces that utilize her own mantra-style vocals in praise of the Lord. It's quite a transcendental experience with the better inclusions relaxing & soothing me in a way that few others can.

For fans of Nala Sinephro, Sofie Birch & Mary Lattimore.

4/5

Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch - "Twin Peaks: Season Two Music & More" (2007)

This is third Twin Peaks soundtrack release I've checked out over the years & I'd also suggest that it's also the weakest of the three. 1990's "Soundtrack From Twin Peaks" (i.e. the soundtrack from the original TV series) is comfortably the best of them & I return to it semi-regularly. 1992's "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" (i.e. the score from the film) is a little hit & miss but is generally enjoyable while this release offers a similarly wide array of wins & losses, coming out on top overall though thanks to some remarkable highlight pieces that usually come from the deeper, darker side of Badalamenti's creative mind. I don't really think you need all three of these releases if you've already got the first one as it provides all of the Twin Peaks you really need in my opinion. I'll be taking some nice playlist inclusions from this one though.

For fans of Dean Hurley, Bohren & der Club of Gore & Johnny Jewel.

3.5/5

JPEGMAFIA - Experimental Rap (2026)

Genres: Hardcore Hip Hop

This one goes for some extra-edgy influences I never expected from him: brostep, industrial metal, 2000's stuff.  Gonna repeat what I said on Movieforums: The fans are hating on it since it's such a farcry, but I don't really hate it. The production is quite skillful, the samples work, the attitude is effective. The vocals take a big backstep, but it's not bad. Of course, I consider JPEGMAFIA a hip hop giant just as the rest of the world does, but this is more in acknowledgement of his talent rather than a deep emotional devotion, and I promote the idea of expanding horizons anyway. If JPEGMAFIA hasn't earned that yet, who has?  I wouldn't mind more albums that sound like this, if he does more with his vocals.

73/100

I've also been thinking that I should check out more electro-industrial as I generally enjoy that combination given my history with electronic music.

Me as well, including EMB / industrial dance.  I'm thinking about continuing with Hirasawa's Kaku P-Model series.  I like the overall aesthetic, but you know me: it's gotta be inventive.  And hearing these electronic albums write eight songs that sound the same, tempo, vibe and everything, gets on my nerves.  Thankfully, Implode by Front Line Assembly was able to avoid a good deal of that, and stands as my current #1.  But checking my charts, I only have 10 EI albums ranked 8/10 or higher, so I've been slacking on it.  After catching up on the year's releases and exploring Jane Remover, I'll probably head to that.

Nine Inch Nails - "Pretty Hate Machine" (1989)

I introduced Ben to NIN off the back of the bangin' industrial metal tunes on 1992's "Broken" E.P. which saw him becoming a little bit obsessed with them during the early 1990's. He soon picked up their debut full-length "Pretty Hate Machine" on CD & found that it was much less metal than the much heavier E.P. he'd grown to love so much. From memory, I ended up stealing his CD & playing it day & night in my bedroom with my first real girlfriend who was heavily into the grunge scene & alternative rock. In fact, I think I may have lost my virginity to this album (I'm sure Ben will immediately throw his CD out now if he still has it). While it's certainly not as strong as NIN's next couple of releases, "Pretty Hate Machine" is devoid of any real blemishes & still has some great stuff on it, particularly when Trent Reznor strips things back & goes for more of an introspective sound (see the brilliant "Sanctified" & "Ringfinger" or spectacular album highlight "Something I Can Never Have"). If you're into NIN in any capacity then you really should devour their debut at some point as it's a high-quality industrial rock/electro-industrial record in its own right.

For fans of Filter, Gary Numan & "Sins of the Flesh"-era Sister Machine Gun.

4/5

Empyrium - "Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays" (1999)

This German act began life as a folk metal outfit before deciding to drop the metal altogether in favour of a purely organic dark folk sound with their third full-length "Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays" which is essentially the product of multi-instrumentalist Markus Stock (Noekk/Sun of the Sleepless/The Vision Bleak/Autumnblaze/Deinonychus) & his flutist wife Nadine Mölter with Empyrium & Noekk band mate Thomas Helm providing some guest vocals here & there. It's obviously been inspired by Ulver's "Kveldssanger" sophomore album & certainly has its moments (see wonderful album highlight "Dying Brokenhearted" or the excellent "The Sad Song of the Wind" for example) but it fails to reach those peaks regularly enough to see this becoming one of my go-to dark folk releases. I do think the duo have managed to achieve a similar level of quality to the Ulver record that inspired it though. In fact, I think I might slightly favour "Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays" to tell you the truth but I won't be placing Empyrium on the same shelf as artists like Tenhi or Vàli just yet.

For fans of Uaral, Vàli & "Kveldssanger"-era Ulver.

3.5/5

Henry Flynt - "You Are My Everlovin/Celestial Power" (1986)

I couldn't get into this debut album from North Carolina minimalism exponent Flynt when I first encountered it many years ago & have had a very similar experience this week. It contains two lengthy tracks, the first being a pretty decent 43-minute drone piece that I quite enjoy. Unfortunately though, the second piece (i.e. the 45-minute free folk tape music excursion "Celestial Power") is completely random & doesn't make any sort of musical sense & this ruins the overall release for me. This is a playlist record for me as I only place any value on the first half.

For fans of Natural Snow Buildings, Pelt & The Wooden Cupboard.

2.5/5

Terror - "Still Suffer" (2026)

My introduction to Terror and probably hardcore in general given how much airtime this one has had over thepast fortnight.  The vinyl arrived today (a whole week early and coloured vinyl which was not expected) such is my love of this, I had to get a physical copy.  I am far too immature in my listening of hardcore to write a review, but needless to say this is a great record.

After a very eventful day, zoo trip, Ihop, surprise goat births at home, I'm just gonna relax with some 2026 albums.  Today I heard he new American Football, which is good, definitely better than LP2, but not amazing save some more creative choices in the second half.  Having said that, Desdemona is a work of post-rock genius.  8/10.  Second is the new Kacey Musgraves, Middle of Nowhere.  God, can she get anymore basic?  The only thing worthwhile about this standard country album is the lyrics.  5.5/10.

The Future Sound of London - "Lifeforms" (1994)

This double sophomore album from Manchester duo The Future Sound of London has been a really big release for me over the years, particularly during the 2000's when it would regularly guide my best mate & I through all-day comedown sessions after druggy nights on dark nightclub dancefloors. It's a beautifully laid-back mix of IDM, ambient & ambient techno that was heavily influential on the scene at the time, spawning truckloads of copycats who tried to emulate its unique connection with nature & fantasies of a simpler & more tribal world. I know that Rex shares my feeling that "Lifeforms" is one of the most premium examples of its type & it should definitely be essential listening for electronic music afficionados.

For fans of Global Communication, The Orb & The KLF's "Chillout".

4.5/5

Awww yeah.  Underworld is some peak techno.  The only thing these geniuses ever did better than Dubno is their live album, Everything Everything.

Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots - "Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots" (2004)

I didn't mind Denver gothic country artist Jay Munly's 2002 "Jimmy Carter Syndrome" album so I thought I'd also check out his popular self-titled record with the Lee Lewis Harlots & it's also worth a listen, if not being something I can see myself coming back to. If pushed, I'd suggest that I enjoy this one slightly more than "Jimmy Carter Syndrome" but it is pretty long at an hour & seventeen minutes.

For fans of Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Wovenhand & 16 Horsepower.

3.5/5

This is one I had in my top 100 years ago.  My family is a bunch of big Clapton fans.

Harold Budd & Brian Eno - "Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror" (1980)

The second installment in Eno's Ambient series is based around Budd's stripped-back, minimalist piano musings & it works beautifully too, much better than Budd's own "The Pavilion of Dreams" sophomore album from a couple of years earlier in fact. I'm not one of those that profess to "Ambient 2" being superior to its predecessor though as I comfortably prefer the more drawn-out & repetitive sounds of Eno's classic "Ambient 1: Music for Airports" record. Still... you can't really go wrong with "Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror" if you're looking for a soothing accompaniment for a good book or a night of winding down in solitude.

For fans of Satoshi Ashikawa, Hiroshi Yoshimura & Virginia Astley.

4/5

Rhythm & Sound - "The Versions" (2003)

This is a remixes collection of material taken from the above-mentioned "w/ the Artists" album & it's just as incredible too, even if it requires a little more patience again due to its repetitive nature & minimal construction. If pushed, I'd probably suggest that I slightly favour the original album as the vocals are incredible & "The Versions" is mostly instrumental but there's very little in it & both should be regarded as being essential dub releases from the important Berlin scene.

For fans of Deepchord, Deadbeat & Paul St. Hilaire.

4.5/5

Chelsea Wolfe - "Birth of Violence" (2019)

I've intended on exploring some of Wolfe's solo material in more detail for a long time now (ever since falling in love with her collaboration with Converge "Bloodmoon: I" back in 2020 actually) but haven't gotten around to it until now, although I have skipped through her 2015 "Abyss" record on occasion. "Birth of Violence" is Chelsea's ninth full-length & sees her combining gothic country & dark folk to brilliant effect. Her voice is incredibly powerful yet super-sweet at the same time & I have to admit that I've somewhat fallen in love with her talents over the past week. This record is dark & introspective yet still devastatingly emotive & dynamic & I can't help but feel that it's been heavily underrated as I consider it to be nothing short of classic.

For fans of Emma Ruth Rundle, Jay Jayle & Darkher.

4.5/5

I like to think so... or alternatively, we could both be decidedly uncool? Perhaps it's a bit of both. :)

My stepdad says I'm no longer a metalhead if I like Paul Simon.  I say, "screw all that."  A real metalhead isn't afraid of what he likes.  And I'll be honest, if we've got opera-style vocals like Tarja Turenen being so popular in the metal community, I don't think any real metalhead should complain about another metalhead liking Sade.  Hell, I've been playing Sade to help set up moods for a new novel of mine.  I've even got Lovers Live in my top 100 just like you've got Love Deluxe.

Bro, my stepdad doesn't even know Candlemass or Morbid Angel.  He's a thrash and hair guy.

Dead Can Dance - "Garden of the Arcane Delights" E.P. (1984)

This four-song E.P. was recorded during the same sessions as Dead Can Dance's self-titled debut album from earlier in 1984 &, thankfully, the quality is just as good as the full-length although the E.P. represents somewhat of a transition release between the Melbournites' early gothic rock sound & their later darkwave one with two songs from each category included. "In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated" is an all-time favourite of mine & may be the peak for the entire goth rock genre actually. I used to play & sing it at parties back when I first met my wife. Closer "Flowers of the Sea" is a stunning example of Lisa Gerrard's otherworldly talents too. I can't tell you how much I adore this artist but, if pushed, I slightly favour "Dead Can Dance" over the E.P. which isn't the general consensus these days.

For fans of Lycia, Drab Majesty & Trance to the Sun.

4.5/5

Here's the 2026 edition.  Five albums got kicked off, a couple got rearranged, and I'm surprised I have such an obscurity like that Solaris album down there.

Raphael-Weinroth Brown - Lifeblood (2025)

Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne first showed up on my radar in 2015 as one half of the canadian neoclassical darkwave duo The Visit, alongside vocallist Heather Sita Black when their album "Through Darkness Into Light" attained the distinction of being one of a very exclusive club of non-metal albums to receive AOTY status from me. Despite this, I must admit that I haven't kept up with his solo work much since. He has tended to focus on releasing single tracks on Bandcamp, with 2020s World Within being his only other full-length prior to "Lifeblood".

The album is wholly instrumental and solely features Raphael's acoustic cello playing with the aid of amplifiers and effects pedals, apart from on a couple of tracks, "Pyre" and "Nethereal" which also feature a bass drum. He says in the Bandcamp blurb that this is his most personal album, with the theme of his relationship to his music and growth as an artist. The result of all this is a classical piece that has great crossover potential and, I believe, may well appeal to many a more open-minded metalhead. I mean, look at that cover, is that metal or what? There is a wide range of emotional scope presented within the albums runtime. As well as sweeping broad strokes that breathe air and life into things, there are moments of quiet reflectiveness and spells of fervent and rabid aggressiveness that complement and contrast each other effectively and are redolent with passion and feeling.

This passion and feeling are the two most apparent emotions I take away from "Lifeblood" and the album as a whole stands as a great testament to the compositional and technical virtuosity of a musician who, in this world of overhyped crap, by the sheer weight of his talent and passion, deserves to be heard by a much wider audience.

4/5

We’re talking about two different things Rex. You’re talking about music production. I’m talking about clubs & DJing. It’s certainly common for EDM producers to make 10+ minute tracks. It’s not as common as you think for DJs to play those tracks in clubs to their full length as they’re looking to fully showcase their taste palate & also give the audience plenty of variety. Those tunes take up a large chunk of your set when the majority of DJs are playing 1-2 hour sets. They also leave you standing there looking like you’re doing very little for a long period which isn’t what clubbers come to see. They create more risk for the DJ too as if the crowd isn’t digging it you have to try to bale out mid-track. At least that’s my experience from having spent a good decade DJing in clubs. I will say that I used to drop long tracks if I needed to take a toilet break mid-set though.

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.

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.

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.