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Rexorcist

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Posts posted by Rexorcist

  1. 55 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

    How could you know which albums you'll think are the best or worst in a given genre before you've even heard them? I tend to go the other way, I pay more attention to new bands and bands I've never heard before. Unless one of my favorite bands releases a new album of course. But I have almost no band loyalty at all. One shitty subpar album and I'm done with you, unless someone specifically tells me the new so-and-so album is really good then I might give a band another chance.

    Well when I say best and worst, I mean in context.  I check RYM for the ratings and check them out.  Of course there's no obligation to agree.  Example: The Satanist was RYM's top black metal album for a while, but my favorite of 2014 is Roads to the North.  And RYM worships Burzum in that context and it gets on my fucking nerves.  My favorite bm band is easily Immortal, the first bm band I ever tried.

    But this doesn't change the fact that I'm always trying to look for the best and the worst music, in regards to how I view it.  Basically, I start with what other people say about the best and worst, and then I check to see what I would say, and if I agreed.

    So for future reference, if you see me say I'm checking for the best, just assume it's in internet context.  If you see me say I believe something is their best, it's always considering high quality as opposed to popularity.

  2. 11 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

    You've gotta develop a vetting system though, a reliable way to weed out the majority of stuff you know you won't like, so you won't have to sift through all 1,000 black metal albums, maybe only 250 or something more manageable like that. 

    I agree.  I usually only go for the best or the worst albums of a genre, and maybe put together a top 20 for the year, if I'm that active in the genre.  And I'll usually stick with bands I've already heard unless the bands release something extremely notable on that year, then I check out more of their stuff regardless of the rating so that my log isn't riddled with one-time acts.

  3. Since I'm trying to make a 2023 chart of much more than just metal, I'm getting through discographies by non-metal artists so I don't look like I don't know what I'm talking about when I expose myself to new music.  Today I'm getting through this small-time post-rock group called MOLLY and some of the shitty-ass trap artist Trippie Redd.

  4. On 2/20/2023 at 7:58 AM, Taisiya_or_Tasya said:

    Difficult question. I like Black Veil Brides, Omnium Gatherum, Disturbed, Ghost, Static-X, System Of A Down, Avenged Sevenfold, Starkill, Carach Angren, Belzebubs, Skillet, Slipknot, My Chemical Romance, Avantasia, Twisted Sisters, etc. I also like Jon Bon Jovi 

    What about you?

    Thanks:)

    Happy to be here

    I know a few metal websites that could use some more alternative and metalcore fans.  Just from yout first three guesses, I knew you were an Avenged Sevenfold fan.

  5. I'm hoping to get through a bunch of Anti-Flag albums today.  I've never checked them out before.  I just checked my list and found that I've heard exactly 80 skate punk albums, so I might as well work on a top 100 and listen to quite a few more over the next couple weeks.

  6. On 11/4/2022 at 2:49 PM, GoatmasterGeneral said:

    Well obviously, because if we all heard and thought about things the same way there wouldn't be any need to discuss this stuff. But doesn't it go without saying that nearly everything about music is subjective? I know in the past I've been accused of stating things "as facts" but is the "imo" disclaimer really necessary on every post? Isn't it already implied that pretty much everything any of us might type here is just our own personal opinions?

    Yep.  Even if you use the words "best " or "greatest," it's all still one guy in the end.  The critical mindsets and personal mindsets each have their own criteria, but whether you consider something best by criteria, like I do with LZ4, the criteria itself is also subjective, so me saying the best album I've ever heard based on my own criteria for quality is LZ4 would hardly be any different from saying my favorite album to listen to in general is Graceland.

  7. Listening to "Iconoclast" by Symphony X, I read a few reviews and found that this is an album that took more than one try for the fans to get, especially since it practically threw away the neoclassical elements in favor of power metal.  Me, I love power metal and have no complaints about a band stretching their influence (I was kinda hoping they'd do a full-on power metal album).  But I get the vibe that as a result this album's less about the art of music and more about saying, "Look what I can do."  It's still a good album, being about 75-80 / 100 on the technical scale, but it's not really living up to the legend.  Maybe I'm wrong.

    Anyway, there have been quite a few albums that took me like six tries to grasp.  The most relevant to this theme is the Ramones debut, which I used to really hate.  Even as a punk fan I needed more creativity about it, which is why my favorites are The Clash and NoMeansNo.  And an infamous one aamong the music masses is Radiohead's Kid A, which took me roughly five tries as well.

  8. #1...

    Metallica - Ride the Lightning

    Genres: Thrash / Heavy

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    OK, I'm really happy with this choice because this is after maturing myself in the world of metal for ten years. In my younger days, like many other young peeps, my knowledge of Metallica was practically limited to The Black Album and a couple of singles from the earlier days like “Master of Puppets” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” I wasn't fully in tune with thrash. Well as I got more in-tune with thrash I had Master of Puppets ranked as the number 1 metal album of all time. But I didn't put in in my top 20 despite how much I love metal because I always considered it a little bit bloated. Well after a lot of personal growth and re-evaluation of my life, I also re-evaluated how I rate some music, especially metal.

    At first I was NOT willing to give Ride the Lightning a spot above Master of Puppets (I even had And Justice for All ranked above it). Why? Simple. Puppets' production is much cleaner, the rhythms are more developed and progressive, and Metallica's style fully matured. After re-assessing myself, I realized that the big question was not “What's the best Metallica album,” but “what's the best METAL album?” If my metalcore phase taught me anything, it's that any type of production is acceptable depending on the situation. Let's be honest. Ride the Lightning's production but not be as clear as that of Puppet's, but it really is way more metallic. They obviously came a long way in that short one-year time when the were one of the best up-and-coming metal acts playing typical early thrash, and became the very band that defined thrash.

    Believe it or not, my first encounter with Metallica's “Fight Fire with Fire” was not a pleasant one. Before I was used to the idea of thrash metal (or even heard of it for that matter), I would originally type the name in to look for a Kansas song. I wouldn't hear the actual album until four years later when I first started exploring music forums and charts. It would take a few years more for me to grow fully accustomed to the harshest side of metal, and that included death metal and black metal. I have Symbolic by Death to thank for that. It was the first death metal album I had ever heard and I gave it a 100/100 right then and there. The whole point of making this the opener is to give you an idea of how much power your exposing yourself to. By the time you're done with the album, you'll already be glowing blue. Da ba dee. I mean, after that soothing guitar solo at the beginning, you're dealing with BOOM BOOM BOOM! They don't call it “Ride the Lightning” for nothing! The way that atmosphere in the production works just makes it more metallic! Sure, the intro to the opener isn't as good as the one from Puppets, but it's overall a better song than “Battery.”

    I have this crazy ability to instantly visualize any word I hear on a second nature level. I even visually freakin' “the.” It's pretty cool. So you can imagine the crazy imagery I got from “Ride the Lightning.” The varying visual interpretations of death range from hands made of lightning to the reaper with a sleek blue scythe (Sleek Blue Scythe should be my speed metal band name). And some of those solos are just mindblowing. The title track has the perfect balance between energy, melody and flat-out craziness.

    I admit, I'm not so well emotionally connected to “For Whom the Bell Tolls” as many other Metallica fans are, but I'm not denying that it's one of the high points of an album loaded with high points. Taking a literally dramatic shift from the thrashing thunder of the gods, the early stages of the poetry that would be seen on Master of Puppets drives this song as much as the heavy metal melody. “Take a look to the sky just before you die, It is the last time you will. Blackened roar massive roar fills the crumbling sky, shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry.” Edgar Allen Poe's getting owned here. Screw the talking raven (OK, that's my screamo band name). Much of Metallica's best "guitartistry" is boasted on “For whom the Bell Tolls,” each player doing their part to add their unique vibe to the aura and all work as well as any harmonized group while still being very creative.

    Now we get to the crown jewel of Metallica's songs: “Fade to Black.” This was Metallica's first ballad, and it was recorded at a time when James Hetfield not only had some obsession with death, but had to deal with much of the band's equipment being STOLEN, including his favorite Marshall amp! Damn. As you can imagine, that helps set the mood for one of Metallica's most iconic songs. The poetry of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” continues as one of the most beautiful and emotional moods in all of power ballad history ends side B of this album. There's no need for crazy solos when you can feel the sadness touching you. How human can a song get? It does get heavier towards the end, but that's a Metallica staple right there. That doesn't stop Hetfield from delivering some of his most heartfelt vocals in his career.

    Alright, the first half of side B is considered the weak point of Ride the Lightning, but what album doesn't have a weakness? I admit, I'm not in love with the intro to “Trapped Under Ice.” It slowly gets better until WEEDLY-WEEDLY-WEEDLY comes along, returning to the raw thunder of the first two songs! Even though it's more like one of the basic thrash songs like on Kill 'Em All, the Ride the Lightning energy is still there, never damaging the album's flow or consistency. I mean, come on. Is speed metal not the perfect subgenre to feature on a thrash album? Besides, for a song about literally being trapped under ice, the lyrics are really freakin' good. The song almost feels crossover-thrash-esque the way it rides on energy and quick reactions.

    “Escape” is considered the worst song on the album, but I like the intro more than I like the intro of “Trapped Under Ice.” It's more rhythmic and true to the Metallica style. I think the problem here is that it's written more like a song from your average hard rock / heavy metal album instead of one of the first thrash albums. Maybe that actually works, considering that the roots of thrash come from acts like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Hell, I wouldn't mind a good Scorps cover. Besides, the song still rules overall. The solos are still great and the lyrics are still human and relatable.

    “Creeping Death” is one that I find particularly interesting because of its lyrical content. As opposed to the satanism often showing in albums at that time, Metallica decided to write a song about the Angel of Death from the book of Exodus! Well, you gotta keep the concept strong somehow. Although the song is more formulaic to the thrash stereotype, the badassery is at its peak. “Creeping Death” is balanced out between Metallica's energy, sense of rhythm, and lyrical drive. Unlike every other song on the album, it doesn't rely on solos to make its mark because of its balance.

    “The Call of Ktulu” is the closer, and the only instrumental on the album. This nearly nine-minute epic pretty much covers everything that was going on throughout the album but with a deeper sense of mystery than every other song. Starting out with that slightly creepy solo was the perfect way to go. Like other prog-infused epics of its time, it slowly gets heavier and relies on a clever collection of combined solos to make its mark on the album. I don't know about you, but I think that's a perfectly epic way to end such an incredible album.

    It's so utterly weird when you finally catch on to why an album is so great, because a whole new world opens afterwards. Ride the Lightning opened up a whole new level of understanding in the world of thrash (and maybe metal) for me, and I plan on making the most of it. In my opinion, it's the single greatest example of metal in the world. It's atmosphere is flawless, the energy of the album is rivaled only by a select few like Pleasure to Kill by Kreator, and the theme and concept never suffer. In fact, Ride the Lightning is much better at delivering its concept (of death and humanity) than most albums are at delivering their own concepts. It goes without saying that Ride the Lightning is an indisputable essential for any metal collection, and I'm glad I love the album as much as I do now.

    Metallica Count: 3

     

    Well, hope you enjoyed the Movieforums-style reveal of my top 100 metal albums.  Even though it didn't garner a lot of conversation, I'm glad I was able to get this out there.  I'm gonna be exploring a lot of other genres for the time being, but I'll still be active on this site.

    Keep your souls safe and secure.

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    Yes, that says "Rexorcist."

  9. #4. Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side

    Genres: Melodic Power

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    Imaginations is probably the heaviest, most melodic, and most serious power metal album in the world. Nightfall might be the easiest to listen to, but Imaginations built on all of the strengths of Somewhere Far Beyond and acts as a perfect transition from the speed metal days to the symphonic era. Fantasy metal wouldn't exist the way it does without Blind Guardian and Symphony X, but this uses that kind of influence at a minimal pace that way the worlds it creates are explored through the metal rather than through heavy instrumentation, and with Kursch at his loudest and most powerful, this album reaches heights that have not been achieved by power metal again so far, at least not to the best of my knowledge of 250 power metal albums excluding the US variant

    Blind Guardian Count: 4

    #3. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

    Genres: Heavy / Hard Rock

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    I've always thought this album was the picture of perfection, even back when I first started listening to music albums on a regular basis almost ten years ago.  But I don't just judge this album by the metal standard, but by HARD ROCK standards, and it handles both genres well, especially for its time period.  Some of the earliest hard rock out there, Paranoid defined various forms of metal for a reason: not only was each song brilliant, but each song had its own identity. It ranged from heavy metal energy to slow, doomy psychedelia, and incorporated other forms of rock to create something truly unpredictable. It's this high up because other metal albums show the bands sticking with a couple or a few sounds and keep relying on those sounds. That gets tedious. Paranoid doesn't do that. It shifts into new territory consistently, and never lowers in quality.

    Black Sabbath Count: 3

    #2. Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite

    Genres: Prog / Neoclassical

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    OK, lotsa people will look at thing and go, “What the eff, above Paranoid? Is this guy high?” Hear me out: not to say that it's a superior genre: symphonic power metal may have a huge following, but it also has a lot of haters for being too cheesy. Well, that's where Symphony X come in. Symphony X needed some time to perfect their technique, and Divine Wings of Tragedy showed that they had found their calling and the balance lacking in their self-titled debut. On top of that, they had mastered the balance between prog, power, neoclassical and symphonic like it was nothing, and it was all the emulators that ended up being bigger cheesefests, thus adding to the proof that Symphony X has a perfectly restrained and balanced level of diversity that makes their music worth all the emulators. . The flawless balance between the neoclassical and the progressive bridges the gap between the two distinct eras of the band, and you never know what beautiful melody or headbanger riffs will throw you down to the ground next.

    Symphony X Count: 3

     

    The final album will be revealed tomorrow in its own review.

  10. #7. Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings

    Genres: US Power / Power / Thrash

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    I know, I know, Iced Earth is cool to hate these days. But I'm not gonna deny that this is the only Iced Earth album that flat-out amazed me. Even though a couple songs need to be a little heavier, the album seamlessly blows through a plethora of metal genres including thrash, death, symphonic, prog and doom while still remaining a US power metal album at heart.  The singer gives it his all and never once falters, and he has one of the darkest and most effortlessly powerful voices in metal.  This was both a creepy and an inspiring example of metal creativity.

    Iced Earth Count: 1

    #6. My Dying Bride - The Dreadful Hours

    Genres: Death Doom / Gothic

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    This is THE saddest metal album I've ever heard, darkness and depression in pure musical captivity, desperate to break free from itself. My Dying Bride seems to know that feeling better than anyone, and that feeling is the driving force of what could have been a monotonous album but instead was a raw emotional experience.  Every song takes the emotion it covers as far as it can without going too long, and the variety proves just how far desperation and depression can go.

    My Dying Bride Count: 1

    #5. Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood

    Genres: Atmo-Sludge / Sludge / Post

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    There's not another album out there that can reproduce the anger of society and the slow burn into eventual outrage like Through Silver in Blood. There are several instances where the music is almost tribal and experimental, and so the music is less about the sludge factor and more about the music.  In other words, this is the most creative album out of the six-album--running hot streak of brilliance that overtook the sludge scene in a variety of ways.  Neurosis is at most of their strongest points here, with atmosphere only being topped by The Eye of Every Storm, which, despite probably being the worst of the hot streak, is still brilliant.

    Neurosis Count: 3

  11. I'm going to spend three days doing only three albums, and on the fourth day IU'll post my number 1!

    #10. Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

    Genres: Heavy Metal / Metal Opera

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    This was one of my very first metal albums, and a part of the reason I love rock operas so much. My stepfather is heavily into 80's rock, and he considers this a serious contender for the greatest album ever written. I am by no means a big Queensryche fan and I don't even think of this album as prog metal. But still, I can't deny that this is one of the coolest albums I've ever heard, and a surprise piece of art from a band who could've otherwise only had a couple hits on the radio. This is Queensryche's only five-star album as far as I'm concerned, every song or segment brings something new to the table, even when it goes on its only real prog song, the ten minute epic “Suite Sister Mary,” which blows me away every time I put the album on. The psychological prowess of the album rings of other rock operas like The Wall, but the dystopian story is what makes it just as engaging without ripping off Floyd's album. And up to the grand finale, we have some of their best lyrics, an amazing level of variety going from hard rock to speed metal, and something most metal albums can't capture: real human drama, and somehow that includes romance.

    Queensryche Count: 1

    #Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

    Genres: Heavy / Hard Rock

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    Picking up where Paranoid stopped (and with a stronger emphasis on the metal sound that they invented), this drugged-up rock album is completely otherworldly and pulls stunts unheard and unheard of at the time of release. Not only does it jam like no tomorrow, but the doom and psytchedelic influences are what make this album sound like it comes from various parts of the universe.  Its level of diversity and track-by-track identity is exactly the same as Paranoid, even if it doesn't have that special factor of every song being a five-star one. However, one can forgive a couple 4.5 stars, right?

    #8. Immortal - At the Heart of Winter

    Genres: Traditional Black

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    This is what happened when black metal was perfected.  Even though it was released more than a decade after the formation of Mayhem, this album blew Mayhem, Darkthrone and Bathory out of the water.  Its level of guitar technicality and incredible melodies recreate the epic adventure vibe and evil presence flawlessly.  This was the first black metal album I had ever heard. I was a complete noob to the sound, and while I liked it at first, I wasn't USED TO IT. After having heard a couple hundred black metal albums, I find myself coming back to this one for its perfect balance of 10/10 heaviness, careful but catchy melodies and its dark presence.

    Immortal Count: 2

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