Your Top 5 Albums

[TitanFifty]

We've got a top 5 songs thread, so why not a top 5 albums. Descriptions please

Mine are in reverse order

5)

The Shape of Punk to Come - Refused (1998)

It's likely few of you will have heard of this. Yet the few who have heard of it, have come away gobsmacked. Hardcore was getting stale, so Refused took the age-old formula of breakdowns, screamed vocals and lightning-fast drumbeats, and added in political speeches, jazz, and anything else that they thought of. And what came out was an album with one of the most relevant titles ever.

4)

In Utero - Nirvana (1993)

SURPRISE! IT'S BETTER THAN NEVERMIND!

Yes, you've all heard the tragic story of (Sir) Kurt Cobain. And this album highlights just how fucked he was. Nevermind was a surprise success. They were everywhere. Kurt became the spokesman of Generation X. And Kurt hated every second of it. Nevermind was too "clean" for a grunge record, so he ditched all the production values, and made In Utero. You can't get a bigger "fuck you" to the mainstream. This record is harsh, raw, emotional and painful to listen to.

3)

Origin of Symmetry - Myse (2001)

Fuck Starlight and Supermassive Black Hole. Those two songs are an absolute disgrace and are basically pissing on the legacy Muse made with this album. This album is just insane. There are killer riffs, enchanting pianos, soaring vocals, anything you like. From the dark, apocalyptic rock opera of Space Dementia, to the balls out aggro-rock of Hyper Music, to the falsetto-driven and damn heavy Micro Cuts, this album is absolutely massive. Amazingly influential. Album of the 21st Century.

2)

OK Computer - Radiohead (1997)

Radiohead are clearly the antisocial types. Not exactly a concept album as sorts, this album paints a dystopian view of a world where technology has gone too far. 1994's The Bends set Radiohead up as Britain's Pixies, offering a more adult variation of the alternative rock that ran the mainstream. Then Radiohead released this. It's alternative rock at its core, but there's far more to offer. Featuring soaring melodies, fragile vocals, and general headfuckery, this album plays with your senses and doesn't let go. Check out the mindblowing solo at the end of Paranoid Android, or the genuinely terrifying Climing Up The Walls.

1)

The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994)

This album changed me. Like Prince, only a tad more depressed (a tad mind), this album is the work of one man. (Sir) Trent Reznor, aka, Nine Inch Nails. This album was recorded at the home where Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson family, and it shows. The album is a concept album, and tells the story of a single man's downward spiral in life. And boy, it isn't pretty.

The album opens with roughly 15 seconds to the sound of a man being beaten by a prison officer. Then it rushes into the first song, Mr Self-Destruct, featuring claustrophobic beats and Reznor's amazing vocals. Then it gets heavy. And loud. REALLY loud. The continous wall of sound challenges you to listen on. And then it breaks into Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now), one of the most quiet tracks on the album. It does that. Gut-bursting wall of sound into eery quiet.

This album is emotional, disturbing, paranoid, claustrophobic, beautiful, tragic. March of the Pigs encourages violence, riots. Closer encourages perverseness. A Warm Place (which is entirely instrumental and ambient) encourages tears. And Hurt (famously covered by a certain Johnny Cash) encourages death. Your own. This is the most depressing thing I have ever heard. It actually sounds as if Reznor is writing his own suicide note. The album ends with a sudden, bowel-droppingly heavy guitar riff, signalling the gunshot that ends the "protagonist's" life, the end of the albu, and the point where your view on life changes forever.

Yeah, I like depressing shit

[Covskin]

Ah, this is much more suited to me. I can't even narrow down my five favourite songs by each artist, so just in general...silliness.

Note, this purposefully excludes any live albums or compilations I may have, because I don't want to get distracted by Red White & Crue or S & M.

In no order!

Rust In Peace - Megadeth

Megadeth's only consistent album, and by hell its a corker. Incredible opening thanks to Holy Wars, and the rest of the album continues that energy/ The guitar duels in Hangar 18 have become infamous, Tornado Of Souls also features lots of technical guitar work. Some great vocal exchanges also come in Take No Prisoners and Five Magics.

Painkiller - Judas Priest

Speaking of vocals...holy shit. Rob Halford just let's it all go on this album, from the title track opener all the way to end with One Shot Of Glory. Dual-guitars abound, and A Touch Of Evil is surprisngly haunting at times.

Master of Puppets - Metallica

I had to mention this one, didn't I? I got to see them perform the whole thing live 3 years ago and it was quite possibly the best gig I've been to. The power of Battery, the anger in Dispoable Heroes, that title track.

A Hangover You Don't Deserve - Bowling For Soup

This gets in as its by far the happiest and insanely catchy album I own. Doesn't matter which track I listen to, I get a great huge smile on my face. Yeah, its simple, there are a few needless pop-culture lyrics, but when the end result is just so damn enjoyable I don't care.

Cistm K0nfliqt - Mad Capsule Markets

This album has a crap start. Really. A pointless intro track and then a bunch of noise called Retalk for the first song. But the album recovers magnificently, as the band's great variation comes to the front. Happy Ride is...well, self explanatory, the title track is furious, She Loves It is surprisingly sweet. Let It Rip is focused on a great beat, and stuff like Sunny Beach Rd. and S. C. A. R. Y. is great pop with just enough rock behind it.

Honourable mentions (because I really coulda doubled this list...or trebled) go to Babylon (Skindred), Battle Metal (Turisas), Somewhere In Time (Iron Maiden), My Arms Your Hearse (Opeth) and 15 (Buckcherry).

[SABRINA]

whooooo this is a tough one. down to 5 albums? okay:

DOKKEN- Tooth and Nail

It starts out by greeting you with this 1:43 intro song "without warning"

to get you fired up. By then it has a hold of your balls and it dont let go till

"Turn on the action" the awesome last song.

Here's without warning CLICK HERE

DOKKEN again- Back For the Attack

This one carries their biggest hit "Dream Warriors" from Nightmare on elm street 3.

Listen to it here

Van Halen-Van halen

They're first album in 1978 was just intense. Every song on there became a classic

AINT talkin bout love

Lion-Dangerous attraction

An underated band. nuff said. their guitarist was doug aldrich who is now in whitesnake.

These guys wrote the Theme song for Transformers the movie in 86

and they also did their own stuff which kicked ass.

The Transformers theme

finally

Judas Priest- Defenders of the faith

Undoubtedly their best album ever. they're are so many classics on here that I cant fit em all.

heavy duty

Rock hard ride free

I think I should also mention "lightning to the nations" by diamond head, Powerage by ACDC, and

Once Bitten by Great White.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Stuart twentythree