My Top 10 Albums

Cheers fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

While I was looking though my catalog of posts, and seeing the number of views for each of them, I realized it’s been a long time since I last did a top 10 list. Figuring that I just concluded Power Metal Pandemonium with a list of albums, I thought it would be cool to show all of you what some of my favorite records of all time are. If you’ve met me personally, then some of these won’t be a surprise. I won’t spoil things any further, so here are my top 10 favorite albums. Enjoy!

10) AC/DC - Black Ice (Sample)

Like I said in my Top 10 Singers & Bands list from way back in 2014, I had put AC/DC at my number 10 spot. I cited that while I wasn’t a full-blown fan of the group, none the less I respected them through their sheer musical talent. It was all thanks to their 2008 release Black Ice, that I finally began to show them a little more favor. A heavy dose of their old-school sound can be found on this release, but thanks to more modern production value & equipment, it comes across as more crisp & clean than Stiff Upper Lip from 8 years prior. I may never become a full-fledged fan of AC/DC, but I’ll always tread upon some Black Ice once in a while.

9) Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky (Sample)

In recent years I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the fans of Death & Black Metal, to the point where I kinda understand why people like both subgenres. That being said, I’ve understood the fans of Black Metal far less than those that like Death Metal. I’ve always disliked the Black Metal style of vocals, the lo-fi production, and just how egotistical the Black Metal scene can surprisingly be. That said, upon listening to one of the progenators of the style, I’ve gained at least a sliver of Black Metal’s devilish appeal. It was around early this April that I got my hands on my first ever CD of Norwegian Black Metal, at it was from a legendary band. Granted, I had A Blaze In The Northern Sky download a year or two before, but sitting down & listening to a physical copy of it made for a different experience. If you even have an inkling to try out Black Metal, make this record your first choice. You won’t be disappointed! 

8) Korn - Issues (Sample)

If there was ever a metal subgenre I felt bad for besides Hair Metal, it would have to be Nu Metal. The idea of combining Groove/Rap rhythms & beats with Heavy Metal is an intriguing idea. Problem is, most of the bands that performed this style were either too douchey, or weren’t quite up to the task. Being the progenitors of the subgenre, Korn have been around for over 2 decades at this point (Nearly 2 ½ if you want to be technical), and they seem to be one of the few torch bearers for Nu Metal still around. Though they’ve made some great albums in the 2010s, it was the 90s where they really shined, and Issues was the feather in their cap during the end of that decade. It is a testament to the quality & legacy of the songs on that album, and it’s still being talked about today. Though Nu Metal’s time is long gone in the eyes of many, relics like Issues are proof that the style can work.....provided you have the right kind of master behind it.

7) Sabaton - The Last Stand (Sample)

I’m genuinely shocked by how low on the list I have this album. If you were reading the posts I had up last month, then you’ll know that I praised The Last Stand to the moon & back. I thought the quality of that album was top notch, and if that’s the case, then why is it here? Well, to be perfectly honest, this album is the first time that I physically owned anything from Sabaton. Up until that point, I had a few songs, but nothing that ever gave me a solid identity. Upon grabbing this at F.Y.E. last year & listening to The Last Stand from beginning to end, I knew I had made the right choice. A solid album, and one of my favorites from 2016. Whether normal or the version with the bonus concert DVD, it’s a good record to have.

6) Type-O Negative - October Rust (Sample)

I have a confession to make: I was going to be really lazy here and put all of Type-O Negative’s discography here (Even that awful compilation from 2006), as I truly enjoy everything that the Gothic Metal titans put out. However, objectivity required that I pick 1 album, and October Rust is that album. Released right smack dab in the middle of the 90s, October Rust was a dark & brooding record, filled with gothic imagery & stylish eroticism. There was some agony on October Rust, as Pete Steele’s father died the year before, but somehow the Green Man trudged on through the pain, delivering an album that’s still being talked about by fans in 2017. I have few more words, other than this was proof that metal didn’t “die” in the 90s like many detractors say.

5) Ozzy Osbourne - The Ozzman Cometh (Sample)

Ozzy Osbourne. There are a plethora of iconic singers & frontmen from jolly ole England, but on a personal level, it’s the Blizzard of Ozz himself that comes to my mind when I think of that part of the world. I actually talked about this album back in April when I did Compilation Month, wherein I talked about my nostalgia for The Ozzman Cometh, while simultaneously revealing how dated it is by this point. That said, it’s still a good collection of songs to have, and it’s a great way to gets newcomers to enjoy & like the music......of the prince of darkness.

4) Metallica - The Black Album (Sample)

Now here’s where things begin to get really personal.

Though I could technically include my number 5 in this group, these 4 albums all affected me in some way personally. Starting this group off is the album I first heard when I was really young, all the way back in 1991. Watching the video for Enter Sandman with my Father, when I knew my Mom wouldn’t like it, felt like doing something forbidden. Having nightmares for a week after watching the video was terrifying, but it left an impression on me. Something about the music instilled within me the essence of being a metalhead. Having listened to The Black Album then, I knew that the album was special. Even now, the 4-year old me comes through on occasion when the opening track begins to play. Not many albums from when I was younger had this kind of effect on me, but The Black Album did.

3) Ministry - Rio Grande Blood (Sample)

You’re probably thinking that this album was going to be number 1 on this list, and I wouldn’t blame you. Given how much I opened up about the period of time in which I discovered this record, it’s easy to see why. However, the reason it’s at number 3 and not 1, is because I’ve actually managed to move on. I still feel the pain of my Uncle Randy’s death, but I managed to pick myself up from my bootstraps, and went on from my life. Granted, it wasn’t until 2011 that this actually started, but the politically charged Rio Grande Blood began this process. The second in their trilogy of Bush bashing albums, it’s message rang within me when I was 19, and it still manages to do so today (Maybe more so given who our current president is). Yes, I’ve managed to move on with my life thanks to Rio Grande Blood, and I’ve been happier since. The next album.......not so much.

2) Sodom - Tapping The Vein (Sample)

I was exceedingly close to having Tapping The Vein be my number one album. Literately an inch or two away from the highest spot on the list. When deciding which album was going to go the number 1, I had to make a choice. Should I go for emotion, or do I pick something that expanded my horizons, and ultimately I picked the album that expanded my musical taste. That being said........Sodom’s 1992 Thrash/Death Metal release is a brutal album to listen to. One the one hand, the music is excellent. It is some of the most bloodthirsty metal released in the 90s, and is proof that Thrash Metal didn’t go away in that decade. On the other hand, it often reminds me of my Mother’s time in the hospital back in December of 2015. Everyday she was in there, I listened to this record once to comfort me from the emotional anguish I was experiencing at the time. She’s been doing much better since then, but what she went through will haunt me for a long time. One thing is certain: whenever I listen to Tapping The Vein.....the pain goes away.

Before I talk about my number one album of all time, I wanted to briefly cover some honorable mentions on this list. The 3 following albums are by no means bad in any way, and I gladly would put them in my CD player at anytime, but they each have quirks that prevent them from getting onto the main list. Regardless, they’re fine records in their own right, and deserve at least a few words.

HM1) Motörhead - Bad Magic (Sample)

Right now, I’ve probably committed an incredibly blasphemy against the metal gods. Motörhead are absolutely legends, creating new subgenres of Heavy Metal that are still flourishing to this day! The reasons that their final record gets relegated to the honorable mentions section are twofold: it was the first Motörhead album I actually owned, and I got it for Christmas 2015, 3 days before the great Lemmy Kilmister would pass onto metal heaven. I can listen to a song or two, but trying to go through the whole things is strangely an emotional experience....and I’m not sure why. Regardless, Bad Magic is an incredible way to go out on. Even if it wasn’t necessarily their last record, it’s still a solid piece of metal, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s curious about it.

HM2) Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door (Sample)

Yet another act of blasphemy on my part, though not necessarily towards the metal community. I think it’s a safe bet to say that Led Zeppelin are known the world over, apart from some exceedingly isolated areas. Their music defined part of a generation, and whether they knew it or not, helped lay down the foundation for what Heavy Metal would become. Though I was never really a fan of them for an incredibly long time, in recent years their final record somehow has grown on me. Thanks to an incredibly emotional song, it drew me into the record, and I must say this: while I will never truly be a fan of these legends, I’ll always tip my hat towards them whenever something from this record comes on the radio.

HM3) Devin Townsend - Epicloud (Sample)

Coming in on 5 years since this album has been released, Epicloud from Devin Townsend is one of my favorite metal albums of the current 2010s. It’s weirdness & artistry impressed me upon my initial listening of the record, and upon further spins in the CD player, it gets stronger and better with each turn. The only reason it made it to the “honorable mentions” section of this list, is because of how odd it felt at first. The instrumentation was quite heavy, but there were emotions put in that you rarely if ever heard & felt on other metal records. The end result that is Epicloud is equal parts heartfelt & badass. The weirdness kind of keeps this album off of the main list, but it in no way keeps me away from it.

1) Septicflesh - Titan (Sample)

Yes fellow Otaku & Metalheads, Titan. More than the Black Album. More than Rio Grande Blood. Even more than Tapping The Vein, Septicflesh’s 2014 release is my number 1 album of all time. When the 3 singles came out, I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed them. Curious, I downloaded the album a little after it came out, just to see if I would like it as much as the singles. Upon finishing the final track.......I put the whole album on my MP3 player, and there it stayed until I upgraded to a new player. For some reason, Titan was the album that finally helped me understand Death Metal and help me understand the mindset of it’s fans. I treasured listening to the MP3s until March of last year, when I finally bought a copy of the record. If you want to get a friend into Septicflesh....dare I say it, if you want to get a friend into Death Metal, Titan is the album to do it with.

So these are my top 10 favorite albums. Were there any of them you liked? Which ones interested you? Tune in next week, when I’ll look at a opening episode to a new series I enjoy. See you then!