Rexorcist's Forum Replies

Marillion - Seasons End (1989)

Genres: Neo-Prog, Prog Rock

This was exactly what I needed for my 1989 chart.

There are many of us music reviewers who can't stand it when a band betrays their classic sound or when a major player in a band leaves, and then there are those of us who will accept the change if it's necessary. In this instance, it was the departure of England's most obvious Peter Gabriel wannabe, Fish. With the new AOR-oriented vocals of Steve Hogarth in play, it was time for Marillion to try something new. And is this a good thing? Well, for most neo- prog fans, Marillion is practically the go-to band for the rawest quality and for an introduction. But I treat all genres equally. I have favorites, but I never judge them unfairly towards other genres. And in this case, all Marillion is to me is a very catchy pop group that kept rewriting the same damn pop songs every album during the whole Fish era.

Seasons End might take slack for the chance in sound, but after four albums of the exact same thing which drew me away from neo-prog in the first place (after 12 years I haven't even gotten to 30 neo albums yet), I welcome it with arms more open than the range. Right from the glorious intro, The King of Sunset Town, I was taken in by the more progressive instrumental behavior and its raw beauty. Throughout the whole eight minutes, I was thinking to myself, "It's about time Marillion started acting like a prog band." This proves that Fish's whole vision for the band was, "What would Genesis sound like today is Gabriel didn't leave?" But of course, there's some room for hard- hitting AOR with songs like The Uninvited Guest and Holloway Girl. This gives us a stronger taste of what we had before, the poppier melodies but with a stylistic choice of bands such as Magnum. And as a man who believes On a Storyteller's Night almost rivals the Boston debut, I am not complaining about this. The album will also take time to soak in its atmospheres with the beautiful but potentially overlong titular track. And I even get a little jazziness in Berlin, and jazziness is something neo-prog needs. Do the smooth jazz aspects right, and it's perfect for the subgenre.

This is the Marillion album I wanted: a multi-faceted one. With a more serious and less obvious style, Marillion have finally distanced themselves from the Genesis sound and took some time to expand. I suppose the legal issues that caused Fish's departure were just what the band needed to finally expand their horizons. Seasons End is the more intriguing album of the classic era, and it gives me hope for the albums after this one, even going as far as to potentially ignore the negative reviews.

97/100

Paco de Lucia - Almoraima (1976)

Genre: Flamenco

Returning to this to see if I still consider it a perfect album.  It's extraordinarily rare for me to consider an album where every song is practically the same genre a perfect one these days, but this is getting really, really close to it after five tracks.  Three to go.

Premiata Forneria Marconi - L'Isola Di Niente (1974)

Genres: Symphonic Prog Rock

So there are only about 50 prog albums in my 80-100 section on my log.  Fixing that.  It's about time I got around to these guys again.

Not listed as crossover on RYM, but this is 100% crossover.

Garlic Boys - Smegmania (1990)

Genres: Street Punk, Crossover Thrash

The genre-tagging on RYM's a bit on the screwy side.  There's a seriously metallic side to this album that rules almost the whole 36 minute runtime.  Having recently re-evaluated some Ratos de Porao and Wehrmacht just a couple days ago, I'm fully convinced this is crossover.  Having said that, I don't really need to put this on Metal Academy, and why?  Because it's just an alright album.  It has some of the melodic tendencies of the previous more punk-rooted album, and the production's clear enough to grasp everything.  There's also the fact that the metallic edge was a total and somewhat pleasant surprise.  But since the major focus seems to be the crossover sound, there's a little less of that weird variety present in the previous album.  Consider that the previous was only 24 minutes and this was 36, we have yet another Master of Puppets scenario with a noticeable drop in quality.

61/100

Dark Angel - Leave Scars (1989)

Genres: Thrash Metal

Ironic that the first post on this thread is a Dark Angel review.  This is a return to the album after having it in my thrash chart for a couple of years.  But a return to Darkness Descends a while back and a lowered rating  made it necessary to return to this and see if it still belongs in my top 100 of thrash or my top 100 of 1989.  It seems pretty obvious from the first track that the primary focus of this album is simply to thrash and be heavy, so that's not necessarily a good sign despite appealing to the metalhead in me with its raw power, especially where Hoglan is concerned.  This guy's prowess goes far beyond the standard thrash that these guys play.  But in this raw power is also some subpar mixing.  Things are a little fuzzier than I like, and combined with the ambiance of the vocals, I can barely make out what Rinehart's saying.  So the production alone has a big pro and a big con.  On top of that, the guitarists' solos aren't really doing anything for me anymore.  Thankfully, there are some instances of real compositional skill.  The seven-minute song No One Answers gets better as it goes along, for example.  But the mixing can also really screw things up.  The instrumental Cauterization's maxing is constantly getting in the way of the guitars, almost making it sound more like a harsh noise album than a metal album.  I get it, they have power.  Now can that power be molded with SONGWRITING?  You know, like Butcher the Weak, Ride the Lightning, any Emperor album, PAINKILLER?

I'm not sure why I ever gave this album a 9/10.  Did the heaviness really hypnotize me that much when I first heard it?  Damn. That actually hurts.  They didn't even manage to do justice to that Zeppelin cover.  Was I even paying attention to the album?  It really is a brutal album.  This is the kind of brutality that slam death metal bands wish they could achieve, and thankfully the band makes it look easy.  Unfortunately, everything is album the album is just OK.  Having said this, even though I'm disappointed in myself for betraying my long-time standards for heaviness back then, I'm happy about this major correction.

65 / 100

Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl (1989)

Genres: Pop Rock

My first venture into Roy Orbison, still working on my 1989 chart.

Astor Piazzolla - Libertango (1974)

Genre: Tango Nuevo

Heard two of his albums a couple days ago and was utterly wowed, and this is said to be better than the two I heard.  I made some decent progress on my 1989 chart today with a couple of other albums, and need to keep up with that, but I still need to check out some other genres, so thankfully I found the tango master to help with that.

I'm gonna blow through all four Lounge Lizards albums today while I polish off The Drawing of the Three.  This first one is brilliant so far.  Extremely catchy, highly intriguing.  There's only one flaw: a couple of these brilliant jazz-rock songs are WAY too short.  Two minutes?  Really?  With a little more length in these tracks, this would be a perfect album.  I'm on the second to last track, Epistrophe, which is the longest track at 4:15, and this is looking a lot like this album's getting a 96/100.  Really can't wait to get through the rest.

The book's also very well done as well.  I'm about to see Odetta getting drawn.

Peter Gabriel - Passion (Music for The Last Temptation of Christ)

Genre: New Age

This is extraordinarily difficult for me to find.  The only band of this example with more four albums that I can think of is Boston, and they aren't even metal.  Yes, each one did get gradually worse, and they only have six.

Klaus Schulze is a big part of the reason why 70's Germany was so incredible and revolutionary.  With Tangerine Dream, these two bands redefined atmosphere.  Irrlicht is a wonderful debut and one of his best.

Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day (1997)

Metheny's just perfect for introducing jazz to newbies.  He's the perfect mish-mash of jazz's more traditional wild nature and accessibility.  So far, these first three tracks are much more spiritual than his usual output.  Nice to know I have another jazz favorite.

Dream Theater: Parasomnia (2025)

Genres: Prog Metal

I've been avoiding to many potential "sure-fire" metal albums to get my yearly top 100's more diversified, but this is a new year, and there are some bands I will make that exception for.  Dream Theater was the band that got me into prog metal, and although they're not my favorite anymore, if they've got an album the fans like then I will check it out on the day of its release.  And this is an event to look forward to for fans everywhere, and why?  Simple...

Portnoy's back.

Since Dream Theater mastered the standard style early in their career, we must already deal with some sense of familiarity.  So all that's left is how far they drive it.  And they're driving it all the way from NY to CA.  Some of these bits here are straight-up thrash metal with a strong edge backed up by some of their most clever riffs since Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, and especially Portnoy's drumming.  This is the album where he blew the mercury out of the meter.  He outperforms everybody here without even thinking.  Anything familiar or maybe even only decent about the songwriting is empowered by him.  This is easily some of the best metal drumming I've ever heard, IMO.

As for the rest of it, the short story is that this is yet another "cool" entry into their catalog.  Instead of choosing more meta concepts like the "octave," or telling another rock opera, they went right into a more conventional type of concept.  Much like Metallica's Ride the Lightning covered various forms and themes concerning death, this album's all in the title.  This is probably the perfect theme for Dream Theater of all people to tackle.  I mean, if the band name didn't say it all, albums like Scenes from a Memory should tell you.  Lyrically, they're doing everything they can to bring out the fear factor in each song, almost like we're hearing horror stories but we're supposed to pity the subjects rather than be scared for them.  Instrumentally, even though their riffs aren't always the most original, they're effortlessly heavy and easier to get behind.  Although, once again, Portnoy's masterful performance helps.

Parasomnia seems like a creative splurge for the band, but it doesn't get in the way of the style they developed for a single second.  In fact, I could even say it makes the same mistake as Paramainomeni in the sense that all tracks are following the same goal, but every song shows them doing everything they can at that point to recall the classic era with something a little new.  They never really stopped being relevant, but this feels kind of like a comeback album in a sense.  Dream Theater, ever since Metropolis Pt. 2, has been the kind of prog metal band you need to immerse yourself in, much like a good old ambient album.  And this is the album where they got that back.  No overdoing metal themes like Octavarium, no 2112 knockoffs, just Dream Theater being dreamy and heavy.

90 / 100

Oh, yeah.  I've heard all 12 Slayer albums.

1. South of Heaven

2. Seasons in the Abyss

3. Reign in Blood

4. Decade of Aggression

5. Hell Awaits

6. Show No Mercy

7. Divine Intervention

8. Undisputed Attitude

9. Christ Illusion

10. God Hates Us All

11. Diabolus in Musica

12. World Painted Blood

13. Repentless

I was thinking about checking that one out today, but I decided to focus on artists I've already experienced, so to satisfy my electronic mood I headed to quite the brilliant little obscurity: Susumu Hirasawa's Ice-9.  Highly recommended for anyone into atmospheric electronic music.

The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies

Genres: Country Rock, Pop Rock, Roots Rock

Gotta say, when I first checked out the Kinks years ago, I had zero interest in them as a country rock band.  But I'm 31 and I'm tired of putting off this shit.  So far, I'm really loving it, but Acute Schizophrenia's tempo and vibe, as great as they are, only make me wanna sing "I'M JUST A SWEET TRAAANS-VES-TIIIIIGHT-AH!"  Did my coworker really have to play THAT today?

Darkthrone

1. A Blaze in the Northern Sky

2. Transilvanian Gunher

3. Under a Funeral Moon

4. Panzerfaust

5. Soulside Journey

6. Ravishing Grimness

7. Arctic Thunder

8. Total Death

9. Eternal Hails

10. Goatlord (Demo)

11. Land of Frost (Demo)

12. Oldstar

Alright, jumpin' on the Crazy Train.

1. Paranoid

2. Master of Reality

3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

4. Black Sabbath

5. Heaven and Hell

6. Sabotage

7. Mob Rules

8. Vol. 4

9. Past Lives

10. Technical Ecstasy

11. Born Again

12. The Eternal Idol

13. Never Say Die

14. The Seventh Star

Blind Guardian

1. Imaginations from the Other Side

2. The God Machine

3. Nightfall in Middle-Earth

4. Live

5. Somewhere Far Beyond

6. A Night at the Opera

7. At the Edge of Time

8. Tales From the Twilight World

9. A Twist in the Myth

10. Beyond the Red Mirror

11. Follow the Blind

12. Batallions of Fear

Helloween (I'll do this one in reverse, because no. 1 might surprise you, as the ads say.

19. Rabbit Don't Come Easy

18. Chameleon

17. Pink Bubbles Go Ape

16. My God-Given Right

15. Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy

14. Straight Out of Hell

13. Master of the Rings

12. 7 Sinners

11. Gambling with the Devil

10. The Dark Ride

9. Helloween EP

8. Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy World Tour

7. Live in the UK

6. Time of the Oath

5. Walls of Jericho

4. Kepper Pt. 1

3. Keeper Pt. 2

2. Better Than Raw

1. Helloween (2021)

Exodus: Bonded By Blood

In the eyes of many metalheads, heaviness canbe a more defining factor than writing ability. This is why some more simplistic albums, like Kreator's Pleasure to Kill, are more well-received than many of their more creative efforts later on. So since this is Exodus' debut, it's not much of a surprise that a few of the songs have the same tempo and vibe. This album helped to push the limits of what was generally accepted in metal at the time. You can tell from the structures of the songs that these guys listened to a fair bit of that old-fashioned NWOBHM stuff like Iron Maiden, which explains the thankful focus on melody and riffs being handled and treated like equals. That's a difficult thing to do for a lot of thrash bands. Unfortunately for me, I'm a Metallica guy, and I'm that way because their golden age is diversified, exceptionally poetic and has a vocalist who doesn't need all those effects to maintain a form of power. I'm certain this singer here's done that without effects on other albums, but it was a faint distraction for me.

Now if I wanna pump myself up, I might choose a couple of songs from this album for the sake of that. The fact that each song goes for the same vibe, core and genre does in fact mean it's not a very creative effort in that vein, but the balance of melody and riffs is quite impressive, ensuring that Bonded By Blood is a consistently great effort and a good example of how to do thrash right, even if it's technically just one way.

90/100

Never could get into Mechina.  A lot of their songs are overlong and sound the same.

It's not a perfect process, but then there really isn't one. It's the one that I enjoy using and feel happiest with the results.

That's the only thing that matters.

I take all of those things into account in my individual track ratings Rex. That's one of the reasons that I'm so meticulous about listening to releases from start to finish & in their entirety as a complete piece of art.

Another place where I find that the methodology Ben & I use isn't perfect is when you've got a lengthy single-track release like Meshuggah's "I" E.P. for example. You end up with a flat score for the release that doesn't differentiate it with smaller percentages. It's not a major problem but it's worth noting nonetheless. It's better when those lengthy tracks are broken up so that you can score the individual parts (see the Spotify version of Edge of Sanity's "Crimson" for example).

Something that long is typically a chance to see how long the thrill of the ride lasts, to put it basically.  It's kind of like the one-hour piece I just heard by Pat Metheny, for whatever reason separated into four tracks: The Way Up.  It's really one long piece dividing the audio clip, but for a hour of Metheny-style jazz fusion it was absolutely wonderful.  The thing is, if it's one piece, I'd rather treat it as one piece instead of judging individual parts, so if the ride keep all its thrills throughout, even if a couple parts are a little weaker, it's still an incredible achievement because it's so rare to get something like that right.  In the end, it still gets a numerical score to compare with all the others, so even though we must remain analytical, the end result will be the same.

It's an average track rating Rexorcist (that also takes into account the length of each track).

As for Daniel's comment that it's extremely difficult for a release to achieve a 5 star rating using our technique, that's very true. It's for this reason that I tinkered with mine a bit. For me, any release that scores a 4.60 or higher gets 5 stars (I've also made it easier to get 3 stars and less). When I wasn't doing that, I found that about 90% of releases I was checking out were getting between 3.5 and 4.5, which wasn't a particularly good use of the 5 star rating spectrum. I now have a wider spectrum of ratings, but it results in Daniel and I not agreeing on what albums are rated, despite us pretty much giving them the same decimal score (I think I rated one of Sepultura's releases 5 stars and he gave it 4.5, but when we were comparing notes we found we had exactly the same track ratings).

I likely don't have to tell anyone who's been in this field longer than I have this, but looking at the album as a whole is just as important as the track-by-track basis, and in my opinion can make up for less-than-ideal averages.  For example, I'm willing to forgive a 7/10 track on a collective of nine songs, ex. The Lady in My Life.  The album is only 40 minutes, anyway.  A different example would be an hour-long album like Hysteria, where Love and Affection is just a nerfed version of previous tracks, while The Lady in My Life has its own identity which is similar to Human Nature at the very most.  So that's one song I won't forgive.  It could've been left off easily, thus Thriller gets a 100 and Hysteria gets a 98.

Now I won't forgive a song I don't like.  No 100's there.  The first example that comes to my mind is Rape Me on in utero.  It's just a recycled and more noisy Smells Like Teen Spirit with overly repetitive lyrics that are somehow praised by "What If" haters.  If not for that one song, in utero would be my IDEAL grunge album.  It's actually extraordinarily rare that I get an album with more than six tracks and all of them are five-stars.  The idea of raw perfection throughout is nearly impossible in that vein.  Closest I can think of is Paranoid, which has a 95/100 minimum for all eight in my opinion.

This is where I take into account other things.  The flow of the album is extremely important in that vein and can potentially forgive any imprefect yet enjoyable song, and I'll allow for some experimentation as long as the emotional boundaries feel consistent, such as the occasional dark humor on Bloody Kisses or the point of variety made early on in Planet Hemp's A invasão do sagaz homem fumaça.  Sticking within the same genre is a good idea on paper, but unless you can work within all the constraints of that one genre like Slayer showed in South of Heaven, chances are you could end up overlong or monotonous very quickly, like any Trapt album.

One example of flow being totally fucked with is an album everyone loves: In the Court of the Crimson King.  21st Century Schizoid Man is a flawless, hyperactive, jazz-rock gemstone, and I'll forgive the immediately shift into folksy rock on the second song.  I encourage that.  But the other three songs follow in the vein of the second and not in the first, making the best song feel out of place.  This is why I favor Red: none of it feels out of place.

Of course, taking into account the length isn't something I ever thought of.  I typically only do that when it comes to determining genres in the event that many songs of a genre are too short or long.

Daniel's correct. I use the exact same technique. It has been extremely helpful in my latest attempt to finally put together a list of my top 50 metal albums of all time, as it allows me to rank them quite precisely. As Daniel mentioned, things can be massaged when I'm not entirely comfortable where a release sits, but for the most part it works pretty well. I still have another 250 releases to thoroughly listen to and rank before I'll have covered all the releases I know will be around the 4.5 to 5.0 rating, along with a stack of releases I've never heard before but that I feel have a possibility to achieving such a rating.

I plan to unveil my top 50 at some point, so won't display any of that just yet (no spoilers!), but to give you an idea, here are the releases currently ranking 100 to 120 on my list. It's all completely subjective of course.

And to think I was afraid of rating something 99.4.  I might actually start using more in-depth decimals.  Or is that an average track rating?

I have a ranked list of nearly 15000 albums.  I've been working on it ever since it was at a measly 35 that were off the top of my head, and I decided to exclude comps.  That was 12 years ago, and I'm extremely happy with the top 100 I have.  It really helped me shape my ideals as to what I consider great music, and it's interesting to go back and see both the typical and the unconventional choices.  Example: I have a new #2 punk album that I put in my top 100 just yesterday (not counting post-punk), and I didn't really expect it: Sex Made by NoMeansNo.  And keeping this list has also helped me balance out which genres I need to explore more.  One great example is how there's plenty of spiritual jazz in my top 100 jazz albums and very few "bop" albums.

But it's cool to look through other lists just to get an idea of what they like.  The idea of a list also helps the creator keep their opinions consistent when they aren't entirely sure of an opinion.  The more you work on them, the more sure you are.  But even then, you can still become certain of something new with the addition of one more album, because your standards can always change, even slightly.

Pat Metheny - The Way Up (2005)

Genres: Jazz Fusion

Really surprised at how easily Pat makes holding a half-hour song feel.  The group kept that first part extraordinarily fresh throughout, making it look easy to do, especially since it also remains accessible the whole time.  I mean, Pat Metheny was always good at accessible jazz fusion, but I didn't think he had this kind of power in him.

Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah

Genres: Psych Rock, Folk Rock, Jazz-Rock

Bro, I don't even know if I'm gonna finish it tonight.  I had to help out with a pregnant goat and cleaning a bunch of stuff up, and now I'm worn out.  I can't even finish that Black Dresses album because I need something more chill right now.

Nice review, Rex, though I consider The Land of Rape and Honey an industrial metal album, therefore a Sphere album, with the same level of industrial metal as in Killing Joke's Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions.

The latter seems heavier to me, switching evenly between rock, metal and post-punk.

Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey

Genres: Electro-Industrial, Industrial Rock

I swear I've heard this album before, but it's not on my log for some reason.  That Kind of annoys me, so I'm fixing that right now.  I know I did at some point, because I remember thinking to myself, "this album is certainly not metal enough to be industrial metal."  I didn't get that with the other Ministry albums; I all tagged the properly.  And after listening to it, I still feel that way.  I can't really vote on that, though, so forget the hall for now.

So the album seems to almost be more punk than metal, and its repetition is both aesthetically appealing to a punk fan like me, but also a bit disappointing concerning the other electro-industrial bands at the time who focused more on composition, like Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly.  I was pretty happy when the more psychedelic route was taken on Golden Dawn, but I felt the twist came a little late.  But I can really get behind that proud independent power.  Instead of focusing on dancing, it's basically pumping you up to the max.  And while melody can sometimes DRASTICALLY suffer for this, the shouted vocals and raw abrasion can still satisfy.  I gotta say, I love that mutant army vocal effect on You Know What You Are.

I like my industrial music with a little more melody, but this certainly sufficed otherwise.  Hardcore punk attitude, great vocal effects and some good noisy production make this an improvement over Twitch.

82

All That Remains - Antifragile

Genres: Melodic Metalcore

Well, it's Friday again, and I've got an ass-ton of albums to check out.  My first new release for the day was last week's Mogwai, and now I'm on the new All That Remains.  Never really was a fan of this type of music, but I explored some of it due to my sister and he ex-husband's interest in it.  I've heard their first five albums, and all of albums are between 62 and 68 save one 52, and I don't think it really matters if I tell you which is which at this point.  Lemme just tell you what I got: almost exactly what I expected.  They obviously focused on melody and vibe here, so they belted out some pretty decent stuff here.  But this doesn't change the fact that, partially due to them, I've heard this album 50,000 times before.  Tempos, moods, instrumentation styles, they're all the same, and it does in fact get a bit tiring halfway through.  In other words, this album is strictly for the fans. However, I found that the ratings on some places are a bit better that all the albums I haven't bothered with yet, so this might actually be their best album in a while.  I have very little interest in confirming that, but I enjoyed this album well enough for its type.

58

Train - Train Does Led Zeppelin II

Genres: Hard Rock, Blues Rock

I listened to all previous Train albums in preparation for this one.  Now as I mentioned in my top 100 thread recently, Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, but I give EVERYTHING a fair chance.  If it works, it works.  if it doesn't, it doesn't.  I even gave Train a multitude of chances, only knowing one song that they did (Hey, Soul Sister) and not even being aware that they wrote other songs I've heard.  Cute and catchy, but not much else.  That describes every album before this one.

Apparently, these guys were once a Zep cover band before doing their own thing.  What the fuck happened?  No one was prepared for this.  To the majority of the world, this was as questionable as Gus Van Sant's almost duplicated Psycho remake, and almost as questionable as the next year's Tom and Jerry Wonka crossover.  But you know, if they really love Zep so much, the least they could've done is mingle a few hard reock singles in their long-running career.  it's not like it would've actually hurt their career.  They were pretty much ruling modern, ahem, "rock's" say on radio once people started saying "rock is dead."  But the irony here is that singer Patr Monahan claims Led Zeppelin is his favorite band, and throughout the band's album career, they did absolutely nothing to replicate that since 1998.  So now that it was 18 years into their career, how do they "honor" Zep?  A full-on cover album, almost note-for-note, ripping them off.

Ironically, this is the style they coulda/shoulda gone with, and it might've provided a more interesting alternative to the tenth-assed chord progressions that may or may not be played on a different string instrument just to pretend their being more diverse than they were on their debut album.  But as far as practical copies as opposed to covers go, Train is missing two things.

A: The spirit is only partially there.  They obviously love Zep, but seeing them try to replicate that sound only comes off as part of the way there.  Hell, it was more impressive when I saw Joe Satriani almost nailing but still visibly struggling to capture Eddie's guitar style when I saw him play with Sammy Hagar.  Part of it is that this just isn't heavy enough.  The edge is slightly watered down.

B: Subconsciously, I can't help but keep comparing Patty Mayonnaihan's voice to Robert Plant's, and it just gets in the way.  Pat's trying to adjust his voice to the Robert Plant style, but it comes off as worse than his usual singing voice on all of Train's singles.  The cruel irony.

However, considering that the music is very similar, it's kind of impossible for me not to enjoy the music anyway.  Ironically, although the existence of the previous album erases all necessity to listen to this album even once, the enjoyment factor isn't necessarily cancelled out.  It's nice to know that they were at least able to partially replicate a better band, which is a major step forward from the simple pop tripe they've been putting out since after For Me It's You, from Save Me San Francisco onward.

Okay, so what's my consensus?  The irony of this is simple: it's still a better album that practically everything else they've done before.  It does have a couple of serious distractions, but at least Train tried to mix it up, and I'm not going to hate on the album just because they didn't get it perfect.  There was only the slimmest chance of them doing that.  Hell, I spent the entire album thinking about how I would've done the album in a personal style I decided on myself, and even found myself proud of the mental decisions I made (I might not be a musician, but I have life-long practice with trying to mix things up).  Basically, this is a pointless album which is still basically enjoyable, but the cruel irony is that there is no reason to ever listen to it again for either Train or Zeppelin fans.

67/100

Ornette Coleman - Dancing in Your Head

Genres: Jazz Fusion, Avant-Garde Jazz

Not really a Coleman guy.  I mean, I "get" his talent, but I don't "get" HIM.  Good, if not great, but a bit overrated IMO.  I'm hoping the fusion and funk of this album will make it a standout for me.

Abigail Williams - In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns

Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

This debut album is basically what would happen if a bunch of metalheads discovered real extremities for the first time, decided that Born of Osiris was just as good as Emperor, and then thought they would be the coolest thing on Earth if they decided to mash the two.  Well, they didn't end up the coolest thing on Earth, but it's not that bad of a debut.

The most important thing to keep in mind are the veterans these guys got to help with the album, notable a couple of metal veterans: Emperor drummer Tryn, and metal producer James Murphy.  High grade celebs.  The worst thing to keep in mind is the constant deathcore-infusion, which the symphonics can't quite drown out.  The writing itself is pretty good, going into a lot of complex and unpredictable parts while maintaining a constant vibe.  But with the album always switching between another blast beat, violins and the bare essentials that symphonic black metal needs, it pretty much becomes 46 minutes of the same thing; it's variations of the same song that gradually get less original and slightly worse overtime.  Now this doesn't mean the album eventually sucks.  In fact, the first two songs: The World Beyond and Acolytes, are actually very good.  Acolytes is almost incredible in a way, largely due to a keen awareness of what extreme metal needs to sound like.  Obviously, we have our two veterans to thank for that.  But eventually, the album bears the same originality as any Fleshgod Apocalypse album.  Thankfully, there's one shining example of great writing on side B: Empyrean.  That song really carries some of the Emperor spirit and is one of the heavier tracks.  I might even say it's my favorite song on that album.

So, starts of great, finishes decent, has instances of brilliance.  Stays brutally heavy throughout, and beautifully produced.

82/100

Sixteen Horsepower - "Sackcloth 'n' Ashes" (1996)

I discovered the debut album from this Los Angeles artist a couple of years ago & have thoroughly enjoyed my first revisit this week. In fact, they may well make the best country music I've ever heard, albeit with a strong gothic element to it. This is some bad ass shit featuring a front man with serious charisma as well as artistic talent. Great stuff!

For fans of Jay Munley, Tarantella & Me and That Man.

4/5

Same here.  This has been in my top 100 for a long time.  All of their albums are great, though.  Too bad they broke up after only four.  Haw, For Heavens Sake and especially Black Soul Choir are among my favorite country songs.  The only country album I rank higher than this album is At Folsom Prison.

Nice choice Rex. I've always been a big Mahavishnu fan & bought "Between Nothingness & Eternity" on CD around three decades ago. I might pull it out for a revisit shortly.

I've played a couple other albums of theirs today, the last one was The Lost Trident Sessions, which currently stands as my favorite of their works.  For my last album of the day, I'm going with Travels by Pat Metheny.

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Between Nothingness & Eternity

Genres: Jazz-Rock, Jazz Fusion

Orange Goblin - Time Travelling Blues

Genres: Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock

Orange Goblin was one of the first stoner metal bands I checked out, and I used to love their works, but now I just think it's great but certainly not masterful.  This album's made of all of the typical ingredients a real stoner album needs: the metal side, the rock side, the drugs, the motorcycles, the psychedelia, the obsession with Motorhead, etc.  Honestly, there's really nothing unique about this album.  It's mostly a standout because of its attitude.  Everything about it is well-delivered enough to keep things fun.  Honestly, personality is their strongest trait, and it manages to shine through what might've been simply standard without it.

For this relisten, I still think it's a good grade for its type, but I'm lowering it.  it was once a 9.5 between Tango in the Night and Song for My Father, but now it's more of a 9 between They Might be Giants and La sanie des siècles.

10. Jay-Z
Genres: East Coast Hip Hop

Hip Hop was a long and difficult road for me to get into, and favorites were rare for me. Then came along Jay-Z, who gave me everything I could ever want in a hip hop album on multiple occasions. Scattered among his lower-grade and underdeveloped sellout albums are also works of pure hip hop genius. The hip hop attitude that everyone loves is pretty much his entire personality. If anyone deserved to be called the "hip hop god," then I'd say Jay-Z's self-proclaimed title isn't far off.

The Blueprint: 100
Reasonable Doubt: 100
Black Album: 100
Unplugged: 98.5
American Gangster: 97

Score: 99.1 / 5
Staying Score: 100

9. Tim Buckley
Genres: Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Psych Folk, Avant-Folk

A lot of Bandcamp.com jokers try the whole "surreal folk" thing like that suddenly makes them arteests, but none of them even came close to Tim Buckley, let alone Nico. But no matter how weird Buckley's music gets, he stays true to the form of personal, emotional and soulful folk music that everyone loves. Buckley's music is folk beauty in all of its forms.

Dream Letter: Live in London 1968: 100
Starsailor: 100
Happy Sad: 100
Blue Afternoon: 99
Goodbye and Hello: 97

Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

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

7. John Williams
Genres: Cinematic Classical, Symphony, Romanticism

Williams' music has practically defined the histories of moviegoers worldwide. Tell me. When you read that name, did the Star Wars theme NOT blast in your head? Or was it the Indiana Jones theme? Jurassic Park maybe? Or maybe it's just... baaaa-DUM. Baaa-DUM. Baaa-DUM da DUM da DUM. And on an artistic note, even his lesser known pieces for movie soundtracks drive entire albums with incredible cinematic flair, transitioning both ends perfectly.

Star Wars: 100
Return of the Jedi: 100
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: 100
The Empire Strikes Back: 98
Raiders of the Lost Ark: 98

Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

6. The Beatles
Genres: Pop Rock, Psych Pop, Psych Rock, Merseybeat

Even though you've got enough great songs between the debut and Help to put together a damn good best of comp, The Beatles kept getting better as they went along. They're exactly my kind of pop rock band: the type that's willing to try and create dozens of different types of pop not just for the fun of it, but because they have that serious passion. Now, the Beatles themselves considered their band to be overrated, and I'd say that's only slightly true.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 100
Abbey Road: 100
Revolver: 100
The White Album: 99
Magical Mystery Tour: 97

Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

5. Beach Boys
Genres: Baroque Pop, Pop Rock, Surf Rock, Sunshine Pop

The Beach Boys are at the top of pop for me. No "pop" acts beyond radio bands will appear anymore. They're basically the American equivalent to the Beatles IMO. While the Beatles were rocking merseybeat before their heyday, Beach Boys were in charge of the surf scene. And then they became ARTISTS, and they could flow easily within various kinds of pop by just being themselves.

Pet Sounds: 100
Smile Sessions: 100
Surf's Up: 100
Today: 99
Smiley Smile: 97

Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

4. Vangelis
Genres: Electronic, Prog Electronic, Ambient, New Age

Vangelis is a very rare breed here. While I typically list genres that this artists are merely good at, very few of them remain at the "top" of each genre save the one I list first. But Vangelis is different. He is my choice for the best electronic artist, ambient artist and new age artist period. All three of these are essential components to his mastery of music. This is why I put Oceanic in with his other albums, because it's a perfect album to showcase what he's capable of.

Blade Runner: 100
1492: 100
Oceanic: 100
Albedo 0.39: 100
Voices: 97

Score: 99.4 / 5
Staying Score: 100

3. Pink Floyd
Genres: Art Rock, Prog Rock, Psych Rock

An awe-inspiring debut and several classic 70's works gave them five perfect albums to put up here. Floyd is just as easy to enjoy at the workplace for sing-along songs or bangers by bands like Deep Purple and as they are the kind of musical act that you just have to absorb, like Coil. While all the other prog bands in Britain and Germany were messing around with pianos and time signatures, Floyd separated themselves from them with a fixation on astral atmospheres, and kept enough melody intact to become overplayed radio staples.

The Dark Side of the Moon: 100
Wish You Were Here: 100
Pulse: 100
The Wall: 100
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: 100

Score: 100 / 5

2. Miles Davis
Genres: Cool Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Modal Jazz

I know, I know, Miles is a pretty typical choice for a number one jazz act. But let's be real here: this guy put all of the effort he could into perfect every jazz genre he touched. And even though some stand out much more than others, his large body of works makes it difficult to pick favorites. There are even many these days that say Kind of Blue is no more than an excellent introduction into jazz rather than the jazz standard itself. Me, my ideal choice for the jazz standard is In a Silent Way, an album that reinvented jazz with ambient, classical and rock influences in the same way After the Rain did with blues.

In a Silent Way: 100
Kind of Blue: 100
'Round About Midnight: 100
Dark Magus: 100
Sketches of Spain: 100

Score: 100 / 5

And now, we're finally at my number one.

1. Led Zeppelin
Genres: Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Folk Rock

Led Zeppelin had a five-album run of total brilliance, even though the early stuff was unofficial remakes in the same illegal manner of A Fistful of Dollars. But damn, did everything they touched turn to gold. They reinvented blues rock by introducing heavy metal to the mix with Dazed and Confused, took a further step into playing with genres a la Beatles with number 2, created a folk rock AND hard rock staple with 3, and with IV they created what I've considered the greatest album ever made for the last 12 years. And finally, they just went wild with Houses of the Holy (I even like The Crunge) where they had a reggae song and a Floydian knockoff, both of which were INCREDIBLE. The only blemish on this amazing five-album run is Moby Dick, and that blemish is easily healed with the inclusion of my favorite live album of theirs, BBC Sessions.

Led Zeppelin IV: 100
Led Zeppelin: 100
Houses of the Holy: 100
BBC Sessions: 100
Led Zeppelin III: 100

Score: 100 / 5

Thank you everyone, for following along with my top 100.

20. Herbert Von Karajan
Genres: Western Classical, Symphony, Choral

Karajan was the first classical conductor I hit when I started getting into classical, and to this day he remains my choice for the best to bring the classics of the past to the modern world. His eye for the emotional depth of old-time classical is unparalleled, especially when it comes to the more dramatic works like New World Symphony or Requiem.

Requiem (1987): 100
Symphonie No. 9 / Moldau (1985): 100
Le nozze di Figaro: 100
New World Symphony / The Moldau (1959): 97
Symphonie Nr. 5: 95.5

Score: 98.5 / 5
Staying Score: 100

19. Nina Simone
Genres: Vocal Jazz, Soul, Soul Blues

Right from the start, Nina was one of the best voices in jazz, soul and blues. Her range in the recording department is extraordinarily ambitious, and she flows through all of these genres and make it look like the easiest thing on Earth. Nina's everything a proper soul artist needs to be, and my favorite vocal jazz artist as well.

Pastel Blues: 100
Wild Is the Wind: 100
I Put a Spell on You: 100
Little Girl Blue: 98
Nina Simone Sings the Blues: 95

Score: 98.6 / 5
Staying Score: 100

18. Johnny Cash
Genres: Country, Americana

Just as Nina is perfect for soul, Johnny Cash is perfect for country. He pretty much perfected everything country was about at the time, and was always able to release a good single or two every so often to keep both the genre and his career a little fresh. He was already the biggest name in country before his fantastic American Recordings series came out, redefining his career yet again.

At Folsom Prison: 100
American IV: 100
At San Quentin: 100
VH1 Storytellers: 97
American III: 96

Score: 98.6 / 5
Staying Score: 100

17. King Crimson
Genres: Prog Rock, Art Rock

Although the studio albums are often unrealistically good, I still prefer them live. Throughout their career, King Crimson kept trying to find new ways to redefining the genre Fripp himself coined and grew to hate the term for, steering into hyperactive jazz, beautiful folk, hard-hitting metal and funky fresh new wave, all being just as essential to their live albums as they were toward their more limited but still highly creative studio works. In fact, Live in Chicago is my number 1 prog album.

Live in Chicago: 100
Red: 100
Absent Lovers: 100
Discipline: 97
In the Court of the Crimson King: 96

16. Swans
Genres: Post-Rock, Exp. Rock, Post-Punk

Swans is darkness enhanced. They are the darkness that overtook Egypt, being so thick that you could feel it. Once they got out of the no wave scene, they were able to tackle darkness in all of its forms at the time, invent a few new ones, and helped change rock for the better with Soundtracks for the Blind. Thankfully reuniting, their post-rock era is easily their best thus far. The song Apostate will pretty much tell you everything that Swans is about.

The Seer: 100
Children of God: 100
Soundtracks for the Blind: 100
To Be Kind: 97
The Great Annihilator: 96

Score: 98.6 / 5
Staying Score: 100

15. Metallica
Genres: Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal

Here we go, my number one metal band of all time! Sorry, but no metal in the top 10 so far. Metallica's Ride the Lightning is basically my ideal choice for a metal album. Even though their general style wasn't polished yet, its lo-fi production and sound paired together for a perfectly acidic sound that has never been replicated. And although they couldn't quite hack it as a hard rock band, their first five albums are one of my favorite runs in all of music.

Ride the Lightning: 100
Live Shit: 100
And Justice for All: 100
Master of Puppets: 97
Metallica: 96

Score: 98.6 / 5
Staying Score: 100

14. Coil
Genres: Electronic, Experimental, Industrial

There are absolutely no limits to Coil. Their ability to create surreal atmospheres and constantly find new ways to do so is just poetic, even better than anything David Lynch was capable of. They are certainly not for the faint of heart, but I really believe you should check their stuff out first chance you get. My introduction to them was The Ape of Naples, and it only made me much more interested in genres like darkwave, industrial, ambient, etc.

The Ape of Naples: 100
Music to Play in the Dark: 100
And the Ambulance Died in His Arms: 100
Live - Copenhagen 2002: 98
Horse Rotorvator: 97

Score: 99 / 5
Staying Score: 100

13. Pharoah Sanders
Genres: Spiritual Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz

Pharoah Sanders is my favorite for the spiritual side of jazz. Although he's a very diversified artist (which proved to be problematic sometimes), the man never let any of his versatility distract from the heavenly atmospheres of his music. I sometimes find myself just stopping everything so I can just relax to his music. I DO NOT DO THIS ON A REGULAR BASIS. IT'S SUPER RARE.

Karma: 100
Tauhid: 100
Pharoah: 100
Black Unity: 98
Village of the Pharoahs: 97

Score: 99 / 5
Staying Score: 100

12. Simon and Garfunkel
Genres: Folk Pop, Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Simon and Garfunkel already had a good thing going on for their lesser-known debut album, but it's the next four albums that build on their greatness, as well as the live recording of their concert in Central Park, the one concert I would choose to go back in time to see. Simon's lyrical genius and Garfunkel's angelic voice were just what the folk world needed, going far beyond that of a person with a guitar and a record deal. They weren't just artists: they were their own museum.

Bridge Over Troubled Water: 100
Bookends: 100
The Concert in Central Park: 100
Sounds of Silence: 98
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme: 97

Score: 99 / 5
Staying Score: 100

11. Stevie Wonder
Genres: Soul, Prog Soul, Pop Soul

This child, blind since near-birth, was writing his own music ever since he was twelve, and over the years he kept getting better and better until he was as big of a name in soul as Nina Simone. Stevie is one with the very concept of love for humanity, and there isn't a single artist or act in this or any list I can think of who is even more in tune with that concept. It drives all of his best and most classic albums. I'm also of an unconventional opinion that his most advanced, and the best testament to his abilities, is Fulfillingness' First Finale. Very poppy, very experimental, not bloated. In fact, it's my number 2 of all time.

Fulfillingness' First Finale: 100
Innervisions: 100
Songs in the Key of Life: 100
Talking Book: 100
Music of My Mind: 95

Score: 99 / 5

TOP TEN SOON.

We're back on track now.

30. Blind Guardian
Genres: Power Metal, Symphonic Power Metal, Speed Metal

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows my taste that power metal is one of my favorite metal genres, and Blind Guardian are the ultimate testimony to it. Blind Guardian's music, notably the album Imaginations from the Other Side, had a huge say in the vibes of my debut novel. They helped redefine power metal as a symphonic kind of genre, paving the way for bands like Rhapsody, Twilight Force and Nightwish to take that call.

Imaginations from the Other Side: 100
The God Machine: 100
Nightfall in Middle-Earth: 99
Somewhere Far Beyond: 98
ANATO: 96

Score: 98.6 / 5

29. Gato Barbieri
Genres: Spiritual Jazz, Latin Jazz

Spiritual jazz is one of my two favorite jazz genres, and Gato Barbieri is a very personal choice for his clever inclusion of Latin jazz. Although there will be other spiritual jazz artists up here, Gato's the king of Latin Jazz. He captures all of the musical beauty of his heritage like it's the easiest thing on Earth. Every time I listen to him I envision traveling through Latin America, like I'm going on a world tour or a journey of self-discovery.

Chapter One: Latin America: 100
Chapter Four: 100
Chapter Two: Hasta siempre: 99
Chapter Three: 97
The Third World: 97

Score: 98.6 / 3

28. Kamasi Washington
Genres: Spiritual Jazz, Jazz Fusion

Kamasi Washington is the only musical artist on this list with only three albums. I chose to leave him this high this time because I wanted others to pay attention to him if possible. Kamasi Washington is the best thing to happen to jazz since the 60's, IMO. His albums The Epic and Fearless Movement proved one thing: Kamasi Washington understands everything that makes the African-American community relevant in America. Fearless Movement to me is the definition of "cool," as it perfectly blends African culture with the vibes of modern African-American culture on a deeply spiritual level.

Fearless Movement: 100
Harmony of Difference: 100
The Epic: 97

Score: 99 / 3

27. Yes
Genres: Symphonic Prog, Prog Rock, Prog Pop

At the height of symphonic prog is one of the 70's scenes most melodic bands. Yes were poets both lyrically and instrumentally. There's a rare kind of magic that goes into their compositions that many symphonic bands try to recapture but tend to fail at. Even greatest like Genesis can only scratch the surface.

Close to the Edge: 100
Live at the Apollo: 100
Fragile: 98.5
Relayer: 98.5
Yessongs: 98

Score: 99

26. John Coltrane
Genres: Avant-Garde Jazz, Spiritual Jazz, Free Jazz, Modal Jazz

I told you I loved spiritual jazz... though maybe a little too much. But John Coltrane was the biggest reason for the genre during his lifetime, and I've grown a strong appreciation of the genre largely through replaying his albums. I agree that he deserves to be a jazz icon as he pushed the acceptable levels of what listenable jazz entailed, and rewrote avant-garde jazz as a whole. Even now I don't feel like I've grasped the full Coltrane. Funny. usually I find his albums to be just slightly too long, but otherwise he's flawless.

Sun Ship: 100
Ascension (Edition I): 100
Ole Coltrane: 99
My Favorite Things: 99
A Love Supreme: 99

Score: 99.4 / 5

VIP'S

This section is exclusively for those who've achieved three perfect albums. From this point onward, their average scores will only be used against other VIP's while they keep a score of 100 for that rare and valuable achievement.

25. Arcade Fire
Genres: Indie Rock, Chamber Pop

Arcade Fire's Funeral is the album that rewrote the whole way I look at music. I was under a false and biased assumption that classic rock was the superior genre due to my limited exposure to great music, largely relying on the radio for info. Arcade Fire introduced me to the world beyond the radio with some of the most incredible songs I've ever heard. Their first three albums all greatly succeed at what the band strove for, and Funeral remains my #4 album to this day.

Funeral: 100
The Suburbs: 100
Neon Bible: 100
WE: 86
Reflektor: 84.5

Score: 94.1
Staying Score: 100

24. Symphony X
Genres: Prog Metal, Neoclassical Metal

Symphony X represents everything a good classical-infused metal album should be about. Even though they needed some practice for the first two albums, their third one showed an absolute mastery of riffage to largely make up for the sameyness. And even then, they fixed that problem on Twilight in Olympus, perfected their craft with V, and was able to perfect the art while leaving behind the neoclassical sound with Paradise Lost. I'll be eagerly awaiting the day that they even DECIDE what direction to go with for their next album.

V: 100
Twilight in Olympus: 100
Paradise Lost: 100
The Divine Wings of Tragedy: 98
The Odyssey: 89

Score: 97.4 / 5
Staying Score: 100

23. The Clash
Genres: Punk, New Wave

Now The Clash were real artists. Unlike some bands like Ramones and The Sex Pistols, who had to basically keep rewriting the same song, The Clash were able to write an unbelievable multitude of various kinds of hits ranging from punk to new wave to pop rock to reggae rock to oldschool rock. These talents came into play as early as their incredible debut.

London Calling: 100
The Clash: 100
From Here to Eternity: 100
Live at Shea Stadium: 96
Black Market Clash: 93

Score: 97.8 / 5
Staying Score: 100

22. Joe Hisaishi
Genres: Cinematic Classical, New Age, Neoclassical New Age

Hisaishi is the leading figure in Ghibli soundtracks, and right from the Nausicaa soundtrack and its many variants, he proved that he is a genius with manipulating genres for the best possible results. I went on a HUGE Hisaishi binge a couple months ago before putting this list together, and it was one of the best musical marathons I ever went on. Actually, I like his soundtrack for Sonatine much more than I do the whole movie.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: 100
Sonatine: 100
Spirited Away: 100
Nausicaa Symphony: 96
My Neighbor Totoro Image Song Collection: 95

Score: 98.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

21. Muddy Waters
Genres: Electric Blues, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, Blues Rock

Muddy Waters has THE perfect blues voice. It's deep, soulful and raspy enough to scratch the throats of whoever listens to him. And thankfully, he had the artistic knowhow to deliver the instrumentation necessary for such a grand voice. Even though he faced backlash with his incredible album After the Rain, the man reinvented blues a couple of times. Even Mannish Boy can get away with its glaring repetition just because of Muddy Waters' powerful presence.

After the Rain: 100
Hard Again: 100
Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live: 100
Muddy Waters at Newport 1960: 99
Folk Singer: 94

Score: 98.4 / 5
Staying Score: 100

MAJOR DAMMIT.  Every kind of dammit.  I made a huge mistake.  I incorrectly assumed Apostrophe was a Mothers album when it was solo Zappa, and now I have to chuck that album out and replace it with The Grand Wazoo, score at 92 instead of 100, meaning I have to chuck an average of 1.6 of off the Mothers entry and redo the previous posts.  I am really mad about that.  I'll be fixing them right now, and then I'll post the next ten.

EDIT: The Mothers has left the top 100 and at the bottom enters Gentle Giant.

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.

40. Helloween
Genres: Power Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal

For the longest time, Helloween was THE band to beat once power metal found its way from Germany to other European countries, America and even Japan. Right from their debut EP and debut album, they had a proper insight on the writing quality necessary to match raw ferocity. They are likely the biggest reason for power metal's existence. They even managed to have some amazing works after their heyday.

Helloween (2021): 100
Better Than Raw: 100
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II: 98
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I: 96
Walls of Jericho: 96

Score: 98 / 5

39. Leonard Bernstein
Genres: Western Classical, Romanticism, Symphony

Classical music needs the right conductor to capture the full essence of the original composer's vision, and Bernstein is one of the best at this. He was one of the first conductors I checked out in early explorations of classical and I've checked him out on and off. Especially when you put him with Stravinsky, Bernstein understands the composers of the past and what they set out to achieve.

Le sacre du printemps: 100
Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris: 100
Requiem: 97
Symphonie fantastique: 97
Symphonie No. 9 »Aus der neuen Welt«; 3 slawische Tänze: 96

Score: 98 / 5

38. Jimi Hendrix
Genres: Psych Rock, Blues Rock, Acid Rock

The Experience and Hendrix's careers will be counted separately, but for multiple reasons, notably the "namesake rule" and any comments about the relevance to his body of work, I'm going to do things the RYM way and count both the Experience and solo works in his entry. Jimi Hendrix is the definition of "guitar-driven rock." He was one of the great geniuses in the world of riffs, and I'm thankful that we have so many demos and other recordings coming out after his death.

Electric Ladyland: 100
:Blues: 100
Are You Experienced: 99
Axis: Bold as Love: 96
Jimi Plays Monterey: 95

Score: 98 / 5

37. Susumu Hirasawa
Genres: Art Pop, Prog Pop, Electronic

Hirasawa was a discovery I made last year after checking out some Japanese synthpop and new wave. Hirasawa's solo works stood out from his days with P-Model, as his works were much more focused, varied and consistent. Many of his solo albums have driven me into states of utter shock. His balance between atmosphere and melody is heavenly. His soundtracks for Satoshi Kon films might be a bit challenging at first, but his Millennium Actress soundtrack is to die for.

Millennium Actress: 100
Byakkoya: 100
Technique of Relief: 97
Switched-On Lotus: 97
Paprika: 97

Score: 98.2 / 5

36. Type O Negative
Genres: Goth Metal, Doom Metal

I had been familiar with the works of Type O Negative before, but I never grew ti love them until after I got more serious about goth metal. Now I'm so much of a fan that I would go as far as to say that Bloody Kisses is the second greatest metal album I've ever heard, being one of the few to overtake my original number two: Paranoid. Many of their albums test the boundaries of the metal genres they're largely known for, and their switches between serious and dorky all depend on what's called for. Honestly, I admire their gusto, and Peter Steele as a whole is the kind of person I'd base characters off of for my stories.

Bloody Kisses: 100
The Least Worst Of: 100
World Coming Down: 98
October Rust: 97
The Origin of Feces: 96

Score: 98.2 / 5

35. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Genres: Post-Punk, Goth Rock, Alt-Rock, Art Rock

When you have a forty-year career of nearly 20 albums, and your worst is Nocturama, you're doing a lot right. Nick Cave's albums often share the same themes of love, loss and even death, but he always has fresh new ways of delivering these themes because he knows how to work with practically every genre he touches from the wacky world of punk blues to slow and somber ambient. Not only is Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus the perfect collective of his sounds up to 2004, but I consider it top five of all time.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus: 100
Let Love In: 100
The Good Son: 98
Henry's Dream: 97
Tender Prey: 96.5

Score: 98.3 / 5

34. Bob Marley and the Wailers
Genres: Roots Reggae

I was inspired to go through all of the classic Bob Marley albums again after seeing One Love with my brother, and that revisit was long overdo. After a hundred or so reggae albums, I can easily say that The Wailers are the most consistent. Their love of the human condition, God, and all that make reggae good helped reggae to rise above an obscure worldly genre and become an influential staple in music worldwide. We have reggae rock bands taking after The Clash's love of Jamaican music, and of course, Japanese band Fishmans started out as a dub group. Although other reggae groups helped with that, Exodus was the perfect album to bring reggae to the rest of the world.

Exodus: 100
Wailin': 100
Natty Dread: 98
Catch a Fire: 97
Live: 97

Score: 98.4 / 5

33. Dead Can Dance
Genres: Neoclassical Darkwave

Darkwave is something I rarely ever explore, partially because Dead Can Dance already perfected it to its prime. So many bands can't get the gothic ambient sound of darkwave right at all, but Dead Can Dance makes it look easy on a regular basis. They understand the emotion that goes with the atmosphere, and have each album is just different enough to reintroduce it in new ways.

Toward the Within: 100
Within the Realm of a Dying Sun: 100
The Serpent's Egg: 99
Spleen and Ideal: 97
Aion: 96

Score: 98.4 / 5

32. Charles Mingus
Genres: Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop

Everyone loves Mingus to the point where The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is seen as a better jazz standard than Kind of Blue, and although it's not my number one like it is on RYM, I agree that it's a perfect testament to Mingus' abilities. Mingus was an innovator who constantly broke the constraints of "genre" without going too far, greatly earning my respect for his ability to balance out a world of influence.

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady: 100
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus: 100
Mingus Ah Um: 98
Let My Children Hear Music: 97.5
Money Jungle: 97

Score: 98.5 / 5

31. David Bowie
Genres: Glam Rock, Art Rock, Pop Rock, Exp. Rock

I find myself whisper-singing David Bowie to myself on a regular basis, mostly Changes, Aladdin Sane, Life on Mars, Starman, Magic Dance and sometimes even Blackstar. Bowie stands at the top of the glam rock chain as far as I'm concerned, and he's got a good say in experimental rock as well. I chose Aladdin Sane as his number one for a good reason: although Ziggy and Hunky are both fantastic, Ziggy's a little too rock and not glam enough, and Hunky's too glam and not rock enough. Not only is Aladdin Sane perfectly balanced between the two, but introduced the experimental side.

Aladdin Sane: 100
Blackstar: 100
Cracked Actor: 98
Ziggy Stardust: 98
Hunky Dory: 97

Score: 98.6 / 5

A few comments on today's post:

 90% of guitarists never learn how to read music so Eddie's not really anything unusual in that regard. It's not really necessary unless you're a jazz or classical guitarist. In saying that, Eddie was my absolute idol growing up & I worshipped the ground that he walked on.

And it was likely people like Eddie who influenced them.  It They flonly formed in the mid-70's after all.

Well the big bosses said no, so it ain't gonna happen, but I was thinking it would be a good idea specifically because of the polarizing opinions. It would give the fans of that stuff a place to go, and it would also filter that stuff away from the more pure traditional stuff.

Going outside the chosen clans should suffice for those who'd like to break tradition.

50. The Moody Blues
Genres: Prog Pop, Prog Rock, Psych Pop

This might be a ranked list based on scores, but as far as atmosphere goes, I am head-over-hells for The Moody Blues. The Moody Blues practically invented prog with their 1967 album Days of Future Passed, a major prog staple that predates In the Court of the Crimson King. The Moody Blues understood symphonics, psychedelics and knew everything about combining these dense atmospheres and melodies with some of the most beautiful lyrics you could ever find.

Days of Future Passed: 100
In Search of the Lost Chord: 100
To Our Children's Children's Children: 98.5
On the Threshold of a Dream: 95
A Question of Balance: 95

Score: 97.7 / 5

49. Sufjan Stevens
Genres: Indie Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Chamber Pop

Sufjan is one of the softest and most beautiful folk artists in the world, but he's also extraordinarily ambitious. Illinois alone is all you need to grasp both sides of the careful artistry that defines his catalogue. And the best part is that he really doesn't need a heyday. He makes more albums than he should, but every few albums he produces something brilliant. Honestly, Javelin is one of the greatest folk albums of the modern age, and even 20 years into his career I get impatient for his next album.

Illinois: 100
Carrie & Lowell: 100
Javelin: 98.5
Carrie & Lowell Live: 98
Michigan: 92

Score: 97.7 / 5

48. Tangerine Dream
Genres: Berlin School, Prog Electronic, Space Ambient

There are artists who keep putting out five albums a year in the hopes that something good will come out of it and it never does (lookin' at you, Plastic Neesound), and there are artists who can get away with it because they've proven themselves. Tangerine Dream is one of the best bands of a scene I greatly admire, the 70's German electronic scene. During the 70's they put out several amazing live and studio albums that are difficult to match.

Phaedra: 100
Ricochet (Live): 98
Poland (Live): 98
Force Majeure: 97
Rubycon: 96

Score: 97.8 / 5

47. Jerry Goldsmith
Genres: Cinematic Classical

Yes, I listen to cinematic classical. Any wide-ranging "albumist" worth his salt should. Jerry Golsmith has a deep understanding of cinematic moods, and has created many of the most iconic pieces of soundtrack music you'll ever heard, including one of my personal favorites: the Star Trek Motion Picture theme, later used as the theme to TNG.

Alien: 100
Star Trek: The Motion Picture: 99
Planet of the Apes: 97
The Omen: 97
Under Fire: 96

Score: 97.8 / 5

46. Judas Priest
Genres: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Back when I was exploring rock radio, I really couldn't get into them. And then when I started logging albums, my debut into their catalog was Painkiller, which changed my whole perspective of them. I'd explore them on and off until one day last year I just decided to check out a bunch of their albums at once. Now I can safely say that their singles don't do them justice. Their greatness shows a wider range of incredible songs that goes beyond "Living After Midnight" and "Breakin' the Law." Sin After Sin was an excellent bridge from the fantasy worlds of Sad Wings of Destiny to their iconic sound that they perfected on Stained Class.

Painkiller: 100
Sin After Sin: 100
Unleashed in the East: 97
Stained Class: 97
Screaming for Vengeance: 95

Score: 97.8 / 5

45. The Allman Bros. Band
Genres: Southern Rock, Blues Rock, Jam Band

The Allman Bros. Band is the only band that beats Lynyrd Skynyrd in the southern rock department. Although the "jam band" is frowned upon by a lot of albumists for whatever dumb reason, Allman Bros. were one of the absolute best jammers in the scene. They carry the full spirit of the South in spades. Simply, they are the PERFECT southern rock band to me, although Skynyrd came close. Allman are much more... homely.

At Fillmore East: 100
Eat a Peach: 100
The Allman Bros. Band: 98
Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: 96
Brothers and Sisters: 95

Score: 97.8 / 5

44. Black Sabbath
Genres: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Here we are, the band responsible for cementing metal as metal. Now I have to agree with the DM of the Metal Academy Dungeon, Daniel, when he says the debut isn't metal enough. But Paranoid is one of those few albums that cemented my ideals of what a five-star should be: diversified, consistent, perfectly flowing and completely spirited. Master of Reality does this as well with a doomier sound. And even after Ozzy left, Dio certainly provided an excellent side to their catalog.

Paranoid: 100
Master of Reality: 100
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: 98
Black Sabbath: 96
Heaven and Hell: 95

Score: 97.8 / 5

43. Emperor
Genres: Symphonic Black Metal, Traditional Black Metal

OK, don't kill me. Seriously, I've got a Remington. Emperor is one of the very, very few bands that created an album that overtook Paranoid: Prometheus. Again, Remington. Emperor redefined black metal by committing a taboo worse than human transmutation: synthesizers in metal. And they NAAAAAILED IT 2017 Dewey Duck style. Even though their debut was a little samey by the end, it was still an incredible feet in metal. And they kept expanding their sound for four albums until they perfected it with Prometheus.

Prometheus: 100
Emperial Live Ceremony: 100
Anthems: 98
In the Nightside Eclipse: 96
IX Equilibrium: 95

Score: 97.8 / 5

42. Herbie Hancock
Genres: Jazz-Funk, Jazz-Fusion, Modal Jazz

Herbie Hancock is one of jazz's freshest and most innovative artists. He and Miles Davis were the real innovators of jazz-funk, but of the two, Herbie was better at the funky stuff. And even before that, he was rocking the bop scene with some extra-beautiful works, like Empyrean Isles. Honestly, I am 50 kinds of happy that this man is still alive. It just feels so cool that one of the golden age's classic innovators is still alive when so many of them died young.

Head Hunters: 100
Flood: 98
Empyrean Isles: 98
Sextant: 97
Death Wish: 96

Score: 97.8 / 5

41. The Rolling Stones
Genres: Blues Rock, Rock

These guys deserve to be one of the most played bands in rock radio. They released an azaming amount of hit singles back in the days when the art of the album mattered as much as the art of the single. They're hot streak ran all the way from Aftermath to Exile on Main Street; a five-album streak of magnificence. And even then, they'd have a few essential hits from albums like Some Girls and Tattoo You later on.

Exile on Main St.: 100
Let it Bleed: 99
Sticky Fingers: 98
Beggars Banquet: 97
Out of Our Heads: 95.5

Score: 97.9 / 5

In the only wise words of French Stewart as Inspector Gadget: NO.  NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.

The only reason it's called "metal" is because of the production style.  The riffs aren't heavy enough to reach basic metal, and only a few key bands were metal enough to count.  The day we put Poison up here is the day I blow up a nursing home.

610. Iron Maiden
Genres: Heavy Metal

Iron Maiden is one of those verty few bands responsible for giving us the metal that we know and love today. Much heavier than other influences in the scene, including Priest, Sabbath and (to an extent) Van Halen, Maiden was the leading figure in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal for the best possible reason: they kept the songs incredible and spirited while managing to blast out heavier than anyone had ever done at that time.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son: 100
Somewhere in Time: 98
Powerslave: 97.5
Live After Death: 96
The Number of the Beast: 95

Score: 97.3 / 5

59. Sade
Genres: Smooth Soul, Sophisti-Pop

Sade stands at the top of the ladder for both genres detailed. Honestly, Sade's voice is one of my favorites in the world of soul. This group understands sexuality and mood. Sade is either perfect coffee shop music for helping you to wake up, or perfect night music for that kind of mood. I seriously suggest that you check out Lovers Live. It improves on almost every song featured.

Lovers Live: 100
Diamond Life: 98.5
Love Deluxe: 98
Promise: 95
In Concert 348: 95

Score: 97.3 / 5

58. Septicflesh
Genres: Symphonic Death Metal, Death Metal

Most believe that the symphonic side of classical is quite cheesy. Me, I say if you can nail it, you're more talented than other bands who fail to make it appropriately metal. Septicflesh do this on a consistent basis while mainting unholy levels of extremities. On top of that, they made a point of being a highly diversified band since their fantastic debut, Mystic Places of Dawn, going into gothic and even psychedelic territory.

The Great Mass: 100
Communion: 100
Mystic Places of Dawn: 98.5
Codex Omega: 96
Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX: 92

Score: 97.3 / 5

57. Therion
Genres: Symphonic Metal

How appropriate that Therion should appear immediately after I get done bragging about how great the symphonics of Septicflesh are. Therion needed some practice before reaching these heights, but they have a perfect sense of the deeper and darker worlds throughout world mythology and have a perfect idea of how to translate that aura through music. Therion's music can send you to Heaven, damn you to hell, take you through Atlantis or bury you in a tomb.

Celebrators of Becoming: 100
Theli: 98
Live Gothic: 97
Secret of the Runes: 96
Vovin: 96

Score: 97.4 / 5

56. Van Halen
Genres: Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Pop Metal

Here we go! Arena rock's ultimate rockers! Van Halen is extra special due to their lead guitarist never having learned to read music! He just picked up a guitar, played with it, made some melodies and the band became the ultimate rock staple, achieving what Zeppelin and Black Sabbath did in the past: redefining rock everywhere with incredible single after incredible single.

1984: 100
Van Halen: 100
Van Halen II: 96
5150: 96
Fair Warning: 95

Score: 97.4 / 5

55. Hawkwind
Genres: Space Rock, Psych Rock

My first Hawkwind album was their beloved live album Space Ritual, which sent me on an astral psychedelic journey no band had done for me before. Many of their heyday albums are beautifully written magnum opi to what psychedelia can do for the soul, and even if their later albums aren't reaching the same heights, I'm still really happy that they're trying. Hell, their atmospheres in this world hadn't been topped until Spiritualized came around.

Space Ritual: 100
Warrior on the Edge of Time: 99
Doremi Fasol Latido: 97
Hall of the Mountain Grill: 96
The '1999' Party: Live at The Chicago Auditorium: 95.5

Score: 97.5 / 5

54. Joy Division / New Order
Genres: Post-Punk, New Wave, Synthpop, Alt-Dance

What, you didn't know? When Joy Division formed, they made a pact to change their name if a member should leave. Their singer died, and they became New Order. But whether this changed their style or not, I'm happy that they did. They might've become a leading name in post-punk due to their two incredible albums as Joy Division, but when trhe synth era came around, they stayed relevant by expanding their horizons and even making it to the forefront of the alt-dance scene in the 90's! That's just unbelievable.

Substance: 100
Unknown Pleasures: 97
Power, Corruption & Lies: 97
The Peel Sessions (1987): 97
Closer: 95

Score: 97.6 / 5

53. Elvis Presley
Genres: Rock 'N' Roll, Pop Rock, Rockabilly, Country Soul

Do I even have to write a paragraph for this guy at this point? I mean, we all grew up with Elvis to an extent, whether your parents bought a best of compilation or you just got introduced to him through Lilo & Stitch. Elvis Preseley is synonymous with charisma, and the guy knew how to write songs for 100 different genres, and he could pull it off because his could sing either very hard and heavy unlike anything people had ever heard before, or incredible soft and soulful. This dorky rocker was a genius through and through.

Elvis: TV Special: 100
Elvis' Golden Records: 100
Elvis Presley: 98
From Elvis in Memphis: 96
Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old): 94

Score: 97.6 / 5

52. Neurosis
Genres: Atmo-Sludge Metal, Post-Metal

Neurosis wasn't cutting it as a punk band, but when they became a sludge band their incredible talents immediately shown through. From Souls at Zero to The Eye of Every Storm, Neurosis had a major hot streak of six powerful albums that each added their own two cents in reinventing the sludge genre that Melvin invented back in the 80's. And thanks to these differences, they, much like The Beatles, have a six-run stream that gets the fans arguing about the best album constantly, even though Through Silver in Blood and Times of Grace still tend to bleed through the arguments as the best of them.

Through Silver in Blood: 100
Souls at Zero: 98
A Sun That Never Sets: 97
Enemy of the Sun: 97
The Eye of Every Storm: 96

Score: 97.6 / 5

51. Fleetwood Mac
Genres: Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Blues Rock

Now these guys were already good as a blues band, but Peter Green's leaving might've been the best thing for them. Turning into a pop rock band didn't work out at first, but with the inclusion of Buckingham and Nicks, they quickly became the biggest thing in pop rock. From 1975 to 1987, Fleetwood mac was responsible for a large number of wonderful pop tunes that get stuck in your head really easily, and are still much better than all the other bands that get stuck in your head. I know they had a larger say in nostalgia for me than most bands, if not all of them.

Rumours: 100
The Dance: 100
Fleetwood Mac 1975: 97
Live at the Boston Tea Party: Part One: 96
Tango in the Night: 95

Score: 97.6 / 5

The Future Sound of London - From the Archives, Vol. 9 (2018)

Genres: Ambient Techno, IBM, Chillout

This is a bit like a combination of what we got during the early era and some influence from Klaus Schulze, getting better as it goes along.  if they keep this up, they'll become my new favorite EDM act.

Howdy.  We definitely need more metalheads here.

Welcome, David! I would recommend the Iced Earth album The Dark Saga. It's a thrashy heavy/power metal concept album based on Spawn.

And I second this.