My Top 10 Singers & Bands

Hey fellow Otaku & metal heads!

I wanted to take a break from my reviews, and give you all a little glimpse into my mind. What my favorite things in life are, so to speak. Since I want to get a little closer to you all in terms of friendship, I wanted to show you who my top 10 singers & bands are. There’s plenty of metal to be found here, but there’s other genres as well. With that said, here are my top 10 singers & bands. Enjoy!

10) AC/DC (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Growing up, I was never really big fan of AC/DC. It’s not that I didn’t like any of their songs (Big Gun, Big Balls, Money Talks, and depending on the day either Thunderstruck or Who Made Who), but it was because of my parents playing them a lot of the time. If we were in the car, and suddenly AC/DC came on the radio, they would turn up the volume. Because of this, I never really got into the band, and I always thought they were incredibly annoying. When 2008 came around, and the band put out their Black Ice album, something in my head clicked for me. I’m not exactly sure what clicked in my head, but I know something did. Despite this, I’m still not the biggest fan of the band, but I don’t hate them anywhere near as much as I once did. So consider this my “Don’t Like, But Respect” spot on the list.

9) Faith No More (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

It’s such a shame that this band never got farther than they did. It’s not that they weren’t popular, cause they definitely managed to get noticed (Because of the song Epic, along with the album that the song came off of, The Real Thing). I guess that they were just a little odd for music lovers of the 90s, which is ironic given how strange some singers & bands were during that time. But that’s what made Faith No More such a good band.......their weirdness!

These guys never followed what was popular. Mixing Alternative & Funk Metal, along with some Experimental Rock, and bits & pieces of Nu Metal, Faith No More created songs that had their own groove & feel, many of which still sound great today. Even with their last album back in 1997 (Ironically called Album of the Year), they were still following the beat of their own funky drum. With their somewhat recent reunion, there’s been hope that the band will create new material, and in 2015, we’ll finally get our wish! Long live Faith No More!

8) Weird Al Yankovic (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

I may listen to plenty of metal & bleak music during my darkest times, but if that doesn’t work, then I always have my accordion-playing friend Weird Al as backup. A man who has remained consistently funny throughout his career, Weird Al Yankovic has always stayed on top of pop culture. His ability to make fun of just about anything is nothing short of incredible. Downloading music, he’s made fun of that. The Amish, he’s made fun of them. Losing on Jeopardy, he’s slammed that. Hell, he even used music from the iconic Michael Jackson as a base for a song where he sings about fat people! Anybody that can do that, and get people to laugh for as long as he has, deserves respect!

7) Paradise Lost (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

I’m under the belief that out of all the sub-genres of Metal, Gothic Metal is the hardest to perform. I say that, because bands that specialize in this sub-genre have to walk a very thin tightrope. If the band falls to the left side of the rope, then it’ll look like they’re trying too hard, and listeners will think they’re sellouts. If they happen to fall over the right side of the rope, listeners will think they’re not trying hard enough, and that they’re posers. If there was one band that’s ever gotten Gothic Metal right, it would be Paradise Lost. Although there was a small period from 1997 to 2001 where they were more Electronic than Gothic, the band has remained one of the founders of the Gothic Metal genre. Their albums are some of the most iconic around (Draconian Times is still a powerhouse to this day), and their live shows can be a force to be reckoned with. If you want to feel the rain come down, then Paradise Lost is your band. 

6) Type-O Negative (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

If Paradise Lost represents the more serious side of Gothic Metal, then this band represents the dark & dry humor side of the genre.

Due to the tragic death of frontman Peter Steele back in April of 2010, and the subsequent breakup of the band in November of 2010, the band known as Type-O Negative sadly no longer exists. However, the band left a trail of some of the most brutal albums around, not to mention a swathe of gloom & doom that you still might see hovering in the sky. From the punk-flavored Slow Deep and Hard, to the darkened funeral dirge of World Coming Down, and to the renewed bleakness that is Dead Again, this band was appreciated by it’s fans the world over. If you find that Paradise Lost was too serious, then Type-O Negative is a good alternative.

5) Ozzy Osbourne (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Much like AC/DC, I was never a big fan of Ozzy Osbourne. Unlike AC/DC, there was never any songs of Ozzy I liked, and I got into Mr. Osbourne about 7-something years before I got in with the Aussies.

I was 14 years old, when I heard Ozzy’s song “It’s Gets Me Through You”. Now I had a little exposure to Heavy Metal, but what I listened to mostly at that time was 80s Pop (Long story). It was all so sickeningly cheesy & manufactured, hearing Ozzy in a new mindset was a breath of fresh air. A year later on my 15th birthday, I got The Ozzman Cometh compilation album, and that’s when I finally got it. I got it to the point where Ozzy Osbourne took the number 5 spot on this list. Ozzy’s voice is one of the most iconic of voices within the Heavy Metal community. His ability to go from soft & mournful, to loud & titanic, is nothing short of impressive. Since the 70s, Ozzy has crafted some great music, whether it was/it’s his time in Black Sabbath, or during his equally incredible solo career. Even those who aren’t fans of metal, have at least heard of Ozzy Osbourne. It is this legacy, and not to mention his charm, that has garnered Ozzy the number 5 spot on my list.

4) Devin Townsend (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

It’s really kind of hard to classify what Devin Townsend does, considering that he’s bounced all over the radar. Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal (What Devin is especially known for), and Ambient are just a couple of the styles that Mr. Townsend has performed. Hell, he put out a Country/Ambient Rock album earlier this year under the title Casualties of Cool. His chaotic musical style really makes it hard to pin Devin down into a specific area, and yet that’s why I like him.

Much like Faith No More, Devin Townsend listens to the beat of his own drum. However, while FNM listens to the beat, Devin Townsend listens to the beat if the dial was turned past 11. The man’s imagination is nothing short of mind-shattering: one album he’s throwing his voice into the blackest pit, and the next he creates ambient songs that make you feel like you’ve obtained your Zen enlightenment. Devin has even created albums that reflect his bipolar mind, as evident in the album Infinity (Along with the Infinity EP). Sometimes, the notes of music can be found in the most chaotic & brilliant of minds. Devin Townsend is proof of this.

3) Rammstein (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Okay kids, it’s story time again!

I was 15 years old, and back when I was 15 walkman tape players were still kinda popular (Although CD players & Mp3 players were definitely taking over). I was listening to my walkman’s radio while I was letting my at-the-time dog Charlie take care of business, when I song came over the headphones. I was nothing I had ever heard of before! I knew that it was clearly metal, but it was a kind of metal that I’d never heard of before. There was definitely drums & guitars that metal was known for, but there were these electronic noises & beats sewn into the instruments that I hadn’t listen to before, not to mention German being used in the vocals. After a couple weeks, I learned who sung the song, and the name of said song (Ich Will, if you were curious). When it was closer to the end of 2002, I picked up their album Mutter, and the rest is history.

Some would say that Rammstein is overrated, and to a certain degree I agree. They’re popular. Very Popular. I would be hard-pressed to find a place, much less a person, that’s listened to Rammstein. At the same time, I still think they’re a blast to listen to. Their earlier work laid their foundation, while their later/current material is refined but still heavy. Although Rammstein isn’t the first group you should listen to when you’re going into Industrial, they’re definitely a group to listen to a little down the line.

2) Eisbrecher (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Now this one was tough. I’m say that, because I’m pitting a band that’s pretty popular & pretty well known, up against a band that’s known almost the world over. In fact, I think it’s pretty hard to find a person or place that hasn’t heard of Rammstein. Making this more difficult is that these two bands are both very, very similar. They both are known for Industrial Metal/Neue Deutsche Härte/Tanz Metall, they both have great instrumentation, and they both have great vocals (Although I give Eisbrecher a little more credit in this regard). Ultimately, I decided that Eisbrecher would get the number 2 spot, and Rammstein would get number 3, so hear are the reasons why.

For starters, Eisbrecher is a newer band. While some of the members have been in the music business before hand, Eisbrecher as a band has only been around since 2003, while Rammstein has been around since 1993. Secondly, there’s more energy in Eisbrecher. Their live concerts are very intense, the band is highly energetic, and the fans really get into the music. While Rammstein is pretty much the same, they don’t seem to have as much oomph as they once did. Finally, Eisbrecher is number 2 on my list because of their attitude. They’re very cheerful, happy, and have a more positive attitude on life & the music industry (Ironic, given how brutal some of their songs are). With Rammstein, not so much. They look very worn out, very angry & bitter, and they seem like they really don’t want to do music anymore, but are still playing because they don’t want to be forgotten. Sorry Rammstein, for while you are still kickass, someone just edged past you.

Before we get to my number 1 singer/band, I wanted to give you some of my Honorable Mentions in this category. Bands that, while very enjoyable, just didn’t make the cut. Maybe it’s because of the sound quality, controversy, or whatever other reason comes to mind. With that said, here they are:

HM1) Judas Priest (Sample “Link”)
- Like AC/DC & Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest is yet another band that my parents played a lot when I was younger, and thus was a group that I didn’t like for a long time. Judas Priest does happen to share one thing with Ozzy Osbourne, and the common factor is that there weren’t any songs of Priest that I liked. Fast forward to 2012, and I am gladly enjoying their music. So much so, that Defenders of the Faith and Turbo are two of my favorite albums from the band, although most of their 80s material isn’t too bad either. Yes, I’m now a fan of Judas Priest, but because I discovered them far more recently, I didn’t feel it was right to put them on the list.

HM2) Moonspell (Sample “Link”)
- A fantastic band from a country that many people wouldn’t expect metal to come from (Portugal), Moonspell is a fantastic Gothic Metal group. I would have put this band up on the list, but then I would have had 3 Gothic Metal bands up (Ironic, given who my number 3, 2, and 1 are). I wanted to show of a wider variety of metal/non-metal music, so I reluctantly left Moonspell off, which is a tragic shame. The band has created some beautiful songs, filled with dark & brooding imagery. While Moonspell isn’t up on the main list, it’s quality puts it right up there with the likes of Paradise Lost & Type-O Negative, and is a force to be reckoned with in it’s own right!

HM3) Metallica (Sample “Link”) & Megadeth (Sample “Link”)
- Although these two bands have fallen off of the bandwagon for a while now, and landed deep into the pit of “Music Sellout”(Much more so in Metallica’s case), there was a time when Metallica & Megadeth were titans of Thrash Metal. In the case of Metallica, they created some of the most iconic Thrash Metal albums. Even today, releases like Kill Em All & Ride The Lightning, all the way up to the infamous Black Album, are still talked about today. Megadeth is essentially in the same boat: despite Dave Mustaine essentially becoming the thing he hated the most (A right-wing, religious nutjob), the band has continued to produce some great music throughout their entire career. Countdown To Extinction celebrated it’s 20th anniversary back in 2012, and is still widely considered to be one of their best CDs they’ve ever released. Sure these two bands are somewhat pathetic, but if you look through the smoke, then you’ll find a couple gems.

1) Ministry (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

August 27, 2006. I was 19 at the time. I woke up to my parent’s 23rd anniversary, not to mention that it was the day before my Fall 2006 semester at Hudson Valley Community College (A good college. Great college. If you live in the Albany/Troy area, and you’re looking for a place to go, you won’t find anything better). So because of this, I was in a exceptionally good mood. I got dressed, and went downstairs to meet my folks. However, the sight I saw was not at all what I expected. I saw my Father packing a suitcase really fast, and when I asked what was going on, my Mother came over with tears coming down her face, hugged me, and told me what happened.

It turned out that my uncle Randy was on a flight back from Kentucky (From what I remember, he was down there to help a friend). The plane took off, then shortly there after, it crashed, killing everybody that was on the flight died (Except for the Co-Pilot, ironically enough). Further adding to this tragedy, my Dad & I went up to Watertown NY for a reunion on his side of the family, and my Uncle was there. This propelled me into a state a depression that not only caused me to fail most of my classes in the Fall (Ironically, the only class I didn’t fail was my General Sociology course, and I got a B), but it was such a dismal state that it took years to recover from.

You’re now probably wondering what this has to do with Ministry. Well, about a month or two prior to my Uncle’s death, I was flipping through the TV channels, and came across MTV (When they were still kinda-sorta playing music videos). When I got to the channel, the video for LiesLiesLies had just started (I must have missed maybe one or two seconds). I watched it, enjoyed it, but didn’t think much of it. I heard the song again in my head a couple days later, and still didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until a couple days after my Uncle had did when fate rolled me onto a strange path.
                       
My Uncle’s death was a little bit past the midpoint for George W. Bush’s second term, and if you remember your political history, shit was going downhill for the guy at the time. So in a “effort” to fix his career, Bush had gone down to the crash site, in an attempt to clean things up & offer his condolances. It failed in spectacular fashion (As just about anything he did), and reinforced my hate of Republicans/Conservatives, as well as politics in general. So, when I was at the mall with my girlfriend at the time, I immediately made a beeline for the FYE store, found the album that LiesLiesLies came from, bought said album, listened to it, and for the first time during that period, there was peace.

I am under the firm belief that if I didn’t pick up Rio Grande Blood, chances are my depression would have gotten too serious, and I would have put a gun to my head & pulled the trigger. As brutal, bleak, and pessimistic the album, somehow it saved my life, and I am eternally grateful. Al Jourgenson, if you ever manage to find this, I just have two words to say to you. Thank You.

So this was one of my trips into my mind. I hoped you enjoyed it. I’ll be putting up lists like these further down the road, showing off more things about myself. See you soon!