Saturday, March 10, 2007

Jay Favorite Albums Of ALL Time : Part III

Here it is, the final twelve. I'm sure by know you know what the deal is. And need I remind you? No stupid comments like 'Uh, dood! Where's The Greenday?? They're SUPER HARDXCORE and liek, screw Bush LAWL!!!@!!! or 'You listen to metal? Only gay people listen to metal! You bath[sic] in horse feces and I have down syndrome!' But please, tell me how you feel about my choices in a mature and logical manner, or discuss the music in an otherwise reasonable manner. Thank you.


22) Nirvana- Nevermind
Disturbed as I am about the baby wanker on the cover, this is a good record. They are HEAVILY overrated, but they were a great band and to judge a band based on how others rate them is pure ignorance. These guys were not the best musicians [I could play anything of theirs with my fingers cut off], but technical proficiency is not of the utmost importance. Kurt Cobain was the spokesperson of a generation, and had some very interesting ideology. The grunge movement was a huge breakaway from the hair scene, which was nearly decimated by this refreshing Seattle explosion. The angst and frustration in the grunge scene CRUSHED the hair scene [thank God], and so now we have music with lyrics that mean something, whether blatant or underlying, rather than songs about sex, drugs, and parties. Rap took up that responsibility. I surprised Kurt Cobain hasn't killed himself yet....oh,wait.......


23)DragonForce- Inhuman Rampage
That's right, folks. Dragonfoooooorce! This cheesy and over-the-top power-metal band based in the U.K. struck a chord with me, and it sure felt great! So many haters,but I don't care! There is some serious talent here, our Jr. Yngwies Sam and Herman have definitely made it to the summit of Mt. Shred, and this record is so full of lightning riffing, it's flowing out of the cracks in the CD case. The vocals are clean, not many screams to speak of here, and I think ZP Theart's vocals are huge. I know it sounds cliche, but this album is epic, and the lyrics are so CORNY I read them ALL the time.


24) KillSwitch Engage- Alive Or Just Breathing
Killswitch Engage are a monster of a band, and that is not to say that they are super heavy, but they have done a lot of things no metal band would dare to do. This record is HEAVY, but saturated in melody, too. The riffs are not too complicated, but like I said before, technical proficiency is not everything, the ability to write is just as, if not more, meaningful. These guys are brilliant writers, the riffs are very dense, and sink right into your skull. They are not afraid to break the numerous stereotypes about metal. They are not afraid to be emotional in some parts [My Last Serenade, The Element Of One], and actually write songs about LOVE and HOPE, contrary to the popular beliefs of outsiders. The melody plays just as much of a role as the heaviness. The fact that this album is BRUTAL, especially in the vocal department, but melodic and meaningful as well, really hit close to home with me, because the combination here is ideal.


25)Rancid- Indestructible
Here it is again, my favorite band of all time, with their latest release. The theme of this record is that the human spirit is indestructible, and that with good music, your will can never be broken. Many people say that this record blows, claiming it to be 'emo', but I just don't see it. I think they might be thinking so because of 'Fall Back Down', but they would still be off. Tim Armstrong just got divorced from a 7-year marriage, and so he wrote this song thanking his friends for helping him through it. How can you blame the man? I applaud him for dedicating a song to his crew, as a matter of fact. This record has shifted gears only slightly, but it is still full of raw energetic punk tunes, and I was happy to see that they managed to keep it true while avoiding the same beaten path, like many artists tend to do. The evolution was smooth for Rancid, and they have yet to lose their spirit.



26) Shadows Fall- The War Within
The latest full-length from Shadows Fall [save the Fallout From The War b-sides record], this album is very polished and shows that Shad have found their niche in heavy metal. The shred is amazing, especially the arrpegiated intro to 'The Light That Blinds'. They also show a liking for the melodic stuff, with the song 'Inspiration On Demand', which itself has a rather impressive solo. This record is heavy as all heck, but singing along is unavoidable. I cannot wait until the new record, Threads of Life, hits the shelves.


27)Chimaira- Self Titled
HOLY CRAP, this album kicked me straight to the nads when I heard it for the first time!This is honestly one of the heaviest records in existence, the riffs are indescribably relentless, and the impact of the drums is ineffable. They have some nu-metal roots; their less-than-mediocre debut, Pass Out of Existence, bore a striking resemblance to Korn, slightly heavier. I figure I should let you know, I hate Korn. After that, they put out a pretty good record, The Impossibility of reason, which I like a lot, as it shows them inching their way towards finding out who they are as a band. This record was quite a step-up, but still had a few teaspoons of Korn thrown in the batter.Then, this record came out. Chimaira have found themselves, this record is, as I've said before, a real headbanger. This album has not a trace of nu-metal, it is a complete heavy metal kick to the grill.


28) Rise Against- The Sufferer and the Witness
With the release of Siren Song Of The Counter Culture, Rise Against seemed to have lost their authenticity. It was a great record, and got me into the band, but it seems a little watery compared to their other three, it wasn't as beefy. With their newest release, The Sufferer and the Witness, Rise Against are back on track with their energy, anger, and angst filled political punk tunes, filled to the brim with crunchy riffs and intricate base lines, as well as vocals and lyrics than beckon you to join the cause. Tim calls out to everyone in America and all over the world as if we have been in a deep sleep for ages [which we have], and he is the only one that can wake us up. I only disagree in a few areas, and this record does prove to be quite the wake-up call. And need I say again, Greenday, regardless of how long they've been together, couldn't hold a torch to these guys. If you LOVE Greenday, then excardon me.



29)AFI- Decemberunderground
It's time again to embrace the change, because AFI have done it again with their June 2006 release, Decemberunderground. This album is VERY different from AFI, as well as anything else I've ever heard, and so it is very difficult for me to explain the sound of this record. There are a few rockin' tunes here, but they break away from it to make musical poetry in many of the other tracks. In track like 'Summer Shudder', Davey creates freezing cold yet BEAUTIFUL vocals while Jade's guitar showers the listener in sparks. They also went into some electronic stuff here, breaking away from the raw guitar-singer-bass-drums oriented music they once played.


30) Avenged Sevenfold- City of Evil
Avenged were at one point a gothic/hardcore/Atreyu-esque band , but now, they show their love of the old school with this super heavy record, City of Evil. This record is a monster, almost as huge as the budget they had to make it. A few years ago, vocalist M. Shadows blew out his throat from the harsh vocal technique of previous works, and underwent surgery. When he came out, he underwent voice training to emerge with a new set of pipes, and he really shows them off in the record. They have thrown themselves off the screaming bandwagon, but the vocals are just as powerful as any metal scream or wail. Also, the crap that guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Sinister Gates pull off are amazing ans so tech, no wonder Gates got the best shredder award in 2004. Also, the drummer is break-neck fast, I wish I could play drums like that. While they are no longer a goth outfit, they maintain that sort of darkness in the guitar tones they use, and also in the lyrics, which often sound like they came straight out of the last book of THE book.

I cannot find the cover art for this album, so I will post a picture of this prime rib sandwich:
31)Incubus- Light Grenades
The latest record from Incubus is a welcomed change. Not like anything they've released before, Light Grenades brought some real rockin' jams to the table, but still stands tall alongside Morningview and A Crow Left of the Murder, both of which had a fair percentage of mellow jams. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the more upbeat tunes here, like Anna Molly, Rogues [my personal favorite], A Kiss To Send Us Off, and the title track, Light Grenades. They have energy to blow off this time around, and this record definitely has rubbed that off on me. It also has a couple slower ballad-ish songs, Oil and Water and Dig come to mind. The only downfalls of this album are the track Earth to Bella Part I and Part II. Aside from that, this record sounds as if Incubus died and rose from their own ashes as a new being, with their eyes set hard on a goal.

32)KillSwitch Engage- As Daylight Dies
After the release of Alive of Just Breathing, the departure of their original singer brought about the recruitment of new vocalist Howard Jones [also the manager of August Burns Red]. This was a welcome change, but the first record he performed on, The End of Heartache, was mediocre at best. I like it, but it was ALMOST one of those sophomore slumps. However, Howard has proved himself as a worthy member and valuable asset to the band on this November 2006 Release, As Daylight Dies. Killswitch Engage have really bounced back, doing again what I loved about Alive or Just Breathing, mixing up the perfect batch of brutality meets melody. From the screams of 'OOOOOHHHHH DAYLIGHT DIES!' on the title track to the persistent and hopeful calls 'We Will Not Die This Way/ This is Absolution', this record shows that they had a good time making this record, and obviously did not come up with some trite crap for the sake of pushing out a record to please their label.


33) Rancid- Let's Go!
Sick of seeing Rancid on the list? Well too bad, cuz I'm not. There's really not much to say about this album, and that's just how some albums are. This is yet another raw punk record put out by Rancid and is what many regard as thier best album. I like it a lot, there's really not much I NEED to say. If you want to know how it sounds, just ask me to borrow it or somethin.



Well, this brings about the end of the lists, peoples. Hey, maybe if you petition for it, I'll post a few more records on here, maybe 4 or 5 more. If you want it, of course.

4 comments:

josh said...

1. the band teacher at my school is dudes with the old drummer of chamira (excuse me if there is a spelling error)
2. i ate two bowls of rice crispies
3. you like the word angst while writing music reviews
4. still no norma jeenerz on the listerz

Jay said...

1. The Old drummer is back in the band. And that is awesome.
2. Good man. Thats some good cereal.
3. I use the word angst where it fits.
4. a) Give me your clothes.
b)If you want to see them, petition for a 4-5 album extention, they'll be on there.

Micah said...

to continue on in the list form...
1. i'm so glad that someone finally properly assessed nirvana and that you weren't like "OMG curdt kobain is the geezuass like ozzay ozbornie!" i would've had to delete you from the blog if that had happened.
2. why on earth did you ask for josh's clothing?
3. i liked the senor cardgage reference
4. i can't wait to see how we use that "i ate two bowls of rice crispies" tag.

josh said...

norma jean wouldnt make my top 10 or 15 albums. or your 33. whatever. ill keep my clothes thank you anyways though