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5 Metal Albums You'd Take to a Desert Island


Balor

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Taking @Requiem's idea of the "5 bands' catalogs you'd take to a desert island," I thought it would be fun to ask what 5 metal albums you would take in the same scenario.  Remember, you will only have 5 choices, and these albums would be the only metal music that you would be able to listen to for the rest of your life.

I am not sure what I would bring apart from two albums:

-"Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk" by Emperor

-"Filosofem" by Burzum

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I always have such a hard time with this kind of thing. That being said I have a pretty good idea of the albums I would take.

 

'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' by Mayhem

For me this is the ultimate black metal album. It is utterly flawless.

'Bergtatt' by Ulver

A beautiful, cold, masterpiece. Seamlessly blends folk and black metal, melody and savagery, clean and distorted passages. Simply a breathtaking album.

 

'Turn Loose The Swans' by My Dying Bride

Heavy as fuck, melodic, dramatic and memorable this is doom/death at it's finest.

'The Sound Of Perseverance' by Death

Technical, melodic, progressive death metal with a totally unique vibe. The absolute pinnacle of Chuck's vision.

'Stream From The Heavens' by Thergothen

A strange, twisted, unique funeral doom classic. There is nothing before or since which sounds like this. I simply could not bear to be without it.

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15 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

We already have a top five album thread that basically serves this purpose, albeit without the "desert island" hypothetical:

 

I consider the two to be very different actually. The desert island scenario has to account for certain factors like variety, or possibly even album length, and a sense of decisiveness in so far as not being able to change one's mind once it's been decided. Some people can alter their top five albums of all time on a weekly basis... 

 

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4 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

I consider the two to be very different actually. The desert island scenario has to account for certain factors like variety, or possibly even album length, and a sense of decisiveness in so far as not being able to change one's mind once it's been decided. Some people can alter their top five albums of all time on a weekly basis... 

 

Would yours never change? I sincerely hope that I can keep discovering new favorites; it would be pretty sad to think that I'd already experienced the best that metal has to offer (subjectively). And if I'm going to take the hypothetical seriously, I've got to acknowledge that my tastes continue to change, and hopefully broaden, and that my picks from ten, or five, or even two years ago would probably not all be on my list today. For that matter, I don't actually spend a lot of time listening to my all-time favorites for several reasons, not least of which is that I've heard them all so many times that they're basically imprinted on my brain.

Anyway... I'm not convinced the distinction between "favorite albums" and "albums I couldn't live without" merits having yet another "Top X Bands/Albums/Songs" thread, but I suppose there's no harm in seeing where it goes. Post away, if you'd like.

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5 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Would yours never change? I sincerely hope that I can keep discovering new favorites; it would be pretty sad to think that I'd already experienced the best that metal has to offer (subjectively). And if I'm going to take the hypothetical seriously, I've got to acknowledge that my tastes continue to change, and hopefully broaden, and that my picks from ten, or five, or even two years ago would probably not all be on my list today. For that matter, I don't actually spend a lot of time listening to my all-time favorites for several reasons, not least of which is that I've heard them all so many times that they're basically imprinted on my brain.

Anyway... I'm not convinced the distinction between "favorite albums" and "albums I couldn't live without" merits having yet another "Top X Bands/Albums/Songs" thread, but I suppose there's no harm in seeing where it goes. Post away, if you'd like.

My literal top five is unlikely to experience much change once I've decided on a list but it's possible. I'm always striving to find new favourites but even the best new albums I discover still really have to earn their spot and this takes a lot of time before I'm convinced. I don't listen to my favourites that much but it's hard to compete with albums that have years worth of memories and personal significance on top of being a quality album. What I'm currently listening to most doesn't really have much bearing on my all time list. 

But the desert island scenario implores you to make the commitment rather than be allowed to casually refine a list over the course of years and that's part of the fun. Even if my literal top five metal albums were all by Darkthrone, I probably wouldn't want to only bring those to a deserted island. I would go for at least some variety. Five similar sounding albums by different bands might be better than five by one band.  

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Requiem's Top 5 Metal Albums for a Desert Island: 

 

1. Type O Negative - 'October Rust'

Lengthy, atmospheric, romantic. Will remind me of girls I'll never see again. 

2. Satyricon - 'The Shadowthrone'

The black metal inclusion. Songs about woods and hills to complement my time on the island and really commune with the island's spirits. 

3. Black Sabbath - 'Renunion'

Double CD live album of Sabbath classics. Also so I can hear Ozzy to keep me company and crowd sounds to make me feel less lonely. 

4. Nightwish - 'Dark Passion Play'

Not really a favourite, but I want a woman's voice to break up the sausage-fest. This is also long and spiritual, fitting the island vibe (there's even a song called 'The Islander').

5. Katatonia - 'The Fall of Hearts'

Lengthy, progressive in parts to keep me interested, with a stunning emotional journey that I'm going to need. Also songs about leaving things behind. 

 

So two of these five would also be in my Top 5 of All Time (Type O and Satyricon), but the others wouldn't. I think I've got a great set of 5 here though. I'd take these to the island quite happily. 

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Here's what I've got so far.

Obscura- Gorguts

No matter how many times I've listened to this, it feels like I discover something new each time, should help keep me sane.

 

Olm- Hadal Maw

Only found this a few months ago, but it has rocketed its way up my favourites list. Has similar benefits to Obscura.

 

A Real Live Dead One- Iron Maiden 

The first real metal album I ever heard (I had previously only really listened to KISS and Guns N' Roses as far as anything really close) plenty of classic tracks, great performances and the crowd chanting is awesome.

 

Deicide (s/t)

I don't fancy the idea of dying on a desert island without Dead By Dawn or Lunatic Of God's Creation.

 

Peactice What You Preach- Testament.

Good blend of catchiness and menorability with heaviness and interesting writing, interchangeable with a fair few thrash albums.

 

Rust in Peace gets an honerable mention as it might make it to my favourites list, but I think I've well and truely listened to it for enough times that it would bore me, possibly to insanity. I'm not sure if Deicide is the Deicide album I want to take, also I might want to make room for something long and progressive, but couldn't seem to fit it in. Dunno.

Just remembered I'm wearing an Iron Maiden jacket over a Hadal Maw shirt, I wonder if these decisions were influenced.

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13 hours ago, Will said:

Here's what I've got so far.

Obscura- Gorguts

No matter how many times I've listened to this, it feels like I discover something new each time, should help keep me sane.

 

Olm- Hadal Maw

Only found this a few months ago, but it has rocketed its way up my favourites list. Has similar benefits to Obscura.

 

A Real Live Dead One- Iron Maiden 

The first real metal album I ever heard (I had previously only really listened to KISS and Guns N' Roses as far as anything really close) plenty of classic tracks, great performances and the crowd chanting is awesome.

 

Deicide (s/t)

I don't fancy the idea of dying on a desert island without Dead By Dawn or Lunatic Of God's Creation.

 

Peactice What You Preach- Testament.

Good blend of catchiness and menorability with heaviness and interesting writing, interchangeable with a fair few thrash albums.

 

Rust in Peace gets an honerable mention as it might make it to my favourites list, but I think I've well and truely listened to it for enough times that it would bore me, possibly to insanity. I'm not sure if Deicide is the Deicide album I want to take, also I might want to make room for something long and progressive, but couldn't seem to fit it in. Dunno.

Just remembered I'm wearing an Iron Maiden jacket over a Hadal Maw shirt, I wonder if these decisions were influenced.

Interesting choices.

I like the Iron Maiden live choice. I think a long live album is mandatory. I deliberately avoided too much black and doom because I wasn't certain it would leave me in a positive frame of mind to contend with the challenges of island life.

Plus how many times could I really listen to 'The Angel and the Dark River' before I hated every note? Long and varied albums are essential. 

 

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Whereas my list was pretty much all black and doom metal. Just picked the five albums which I've listened to most as they are the ones I couldn't be without.

 

Honorable mentions for me were 'At The Heart Of Winter' by Immortal, 'Cloaked By Ages, Crowned In Earth' by Morgion, 'None So Vile' by Cryptopsy, and 'Stained Class' by Judas Priest.

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  • 1 month later...

Darkness of Blood - A Dream of Vampires in Astral Dementia

Cradle of Filth - Cruelty and the Beast

Cradle of Filth - The Principle of Evil Made Flesh

Theatres des Vampires - Bloody Lunatic Asylum

 

The blood is the life! I'm not sure which album would complete my list but I'll think about it and add it in later; most likely an album from Burzum, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir or My Dying Bride. 

 

 

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Dunno, probably these.

"Paleopneumatic" by Dissona

A prog/power masterpiece and AOTY 2016 in my book. It's the kind of album I was hoping for a long time would be made and thus it was. Bassy vocals, strong atmosphere built on a towering melodic progressive foundation

"Tales from the Sleepless Empire" by Unexpect

It's Unexpect, I rarely get tired of them. If you're playing something different every 20 seconds the songs will stay relatively fresh.

"V" by Voyager

I would need something relentlessly fun so it'd be either this or something from Amaranthe. Voyager is a little better in my book and this is their best work so far.

"Gloria" by Disillusion

Bafflingly clever bit of work despite being superficially off the mark. It's oddly catchy and very energetic. Could just as easily go for "Back to Times of Splendor" though.

"The Great Cold Distance" by Katatonia

My favorite from these guys, a perfect mix of intellect, emotion and damn good hooks to boot.

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Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

It's TON. I'd fill my whole list with TON but that defeats the purpose of making it in the first place.

Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

Their best album imo. A masterful display of what technical death metal is when done right.

Bathory - Hammerheart

It's a desert island and therefore likely to be hot. What better way to fool the mind into thinking the weather is less stifling then this wintry wonderland of an album?

Vektor - Outer Isolation

Toss of a coin for this or Black Future. Outstanding progressive thrash. Melody and savagery in equal measure make this a must to keep spirits high.

Black Harvest - Abject

For when I need something that little bit different. Dig the shit out of this and Ingrate but Abject just edges ahead.

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On 09/10/2017 at 8:46 PM, Vampyrique said:

Darkness of Blood - A Dream of Vampires in Astral Dementia

Cradle of Filth - Cruelty and the Beast

Cradle of Filth - The Principle of Evil Made Flesh

Theatres des Vampires - Bloody Lunatic Asylum

 

The blood is the life! I'm not sure which album would complete my list but I'll think about it and add it in later; most likely an album from Burzum, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir or My Dying Bride. 

 

 

You're going to have the most vampiric island since Dracula had that holiday in Fiji. I can just picture some black swathed vampiric figure sitting on a beach sipping coconut milk through a straw. 

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I whould throw a couple of other albums in there as well

evocation 2 - pantheon  by eluveitie 

the system solice by epica

endless forms of most beautiful  by nightwish 

bloody kisses by type o negative 

wrong one to fuck with by dying fetus 

nice blend of symphonic folk  gothic doom death 

I whould take on my island 

 

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6 hours ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

Quite the haven for creatures of the night indeed. I would assume Count Requiem wants an invite?

Even I might grow a little weary of the excessive vampirism of @Vampyrique's playlist, although I sense some less than serious sentiment in that undead creature's post. 

Day 3,455. Location: Island.

Vampyrique: What do you want to listen to? 

Requiem: Put on some vampire music. 

Vampyrique: Excellent. 

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11 hours ago, Requiem said:

Even I might grow a little weary of the excessive vampirism of @Vampyrique's playlist, although I sense some less than serious sentiment in that undead creature's post. 

Day 3,455. Location: Island.

Vampyrique: What do you want to listen to? 

Requiem: Put on some vampire music. 

Vampyrique: Excellent. 

Haha. If you haven't died or gotten off that island after nearly ten years, you probably deserve a fate of listening to the same five albums for eternity!  

 

 

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On ‎10‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 12:22 PM, deathstorm said:

I whould throw a couple of other albums in there as well

evocation 2 - pantheon  by eluveitie 

the system solice by epica

endless forms of most beautiful  by nightwish 

bloody kisses by type o negative 

wrong one to fuck with by dying fetus 

nice blend of symphonic folk  gothic doom death 

I whould take on my island 

 

I take it that the new Dying Fetus album is really good then.  I liked some of the random songs of theirs that I have heard, but always found them to be a little too techy.  Would you recommend it?

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On 10/12/2017 at 12:03 AM, RelentlessOblivion said:

Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

It's TON. I'd fill my whole list with TON but that defeats the purpose of making it in the first place.

Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

Their best album imo. A masterful display of what technical death metal is when done right.

Bathory - Hammerheart

It's a desert island and therefore likely to be hot. What better way to fool the mind into thinking the weather is less stifling then this wintry wonderland of an album?

Vektor - Outer Isolation

Toss of a coin for this or Black Future. Outstanding progressive thrash. Melody and savagery in equal measure make this a must to keep spirits high.

Black Harvest - Abject

For when I need something that little bit different. Dig the shit out of this and Ingrate but Abject just edges ahead.

Wow, I'm honored to have something included on a desert island list. :)

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