Here we are again, with the second part of my round up of my top albums of all time. Again, no particular order here, but there are some absolutely cracking albums on this list that I'm sure your gonna love, and should definitely check out if you have the time. I promise its not all Slipknot, even if it is the first one on this list. I love Slipknot man leave me be.
Volume 3 - The Subliminal Verses - Slipknot (2004)
(Vol:3 Album Cover - Slipknot 2004 - Image Credits Kerrang)
Favourite Song - Vermillion
Rating - 8/10
This album is totally iconic, like all of the Knots records, but this is for a few really special reasons. Not only do I love the aesthetic of this album, with the new Corey and Joey masks being really strong additions to the bands overall look, but this is the album where a lot of Slipknot got sober prior to and during the creation. It encapsulates their new sound, especially from Corey Taylor, who apparently had to completely redesign his vocal delivery after going T-Total. Plus, this record has Duality, arguably Slipknot's most well known track. My highlights of this record include The Blister Exists, Vermillion, Pulse of the Maggots and The Nameless. This record also has Vermillion pt.2 - the bands first real step into acoustic tracks. It's a beautifully moving track and really sets up their later exploration in songs like Snuff. Truly a benchmark in Slipknots adaptation and growth, like every album they've ever made come to think of it, but this one is definitely one of my favourites.
Nevermind - Nirvana - (1991)
(Nevermind - Nirvana 1991 - Image Credit Nirvana and the estate of Kurt Cobain)
Favourite Song - Drain You
Rating - 10/10
Do I really have to explain myself here? This record is a trailblazer, an absolutely iconic album that set apart the grunge movement back in the early nineties. Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl created a record full of impact and bile, with tracks like Polly, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Breed and Lithium stand out to me as some of the most powerful anthems on this album. Kurt's signature vocals are really something to awe, it's very notes being universally recognised and for good reason, every word is full of his signature impact and scorn. This year is the 30th anniversary of this record, and even now its relevant in our society. Everyone wants to dress like Kurt, to revel in the angst of the nineties again and the lifestyle of basement gigs and dive bar culture. This album is the benchmark of that feeling, those emotions, a true pioneer in its own right. Nirvana went on to blast through more albums before the loss of Cobain, but never disappointed in terms of their raw talent and willingness to go against the mainstream to make music that meant something to them. That's something that a lot of bands these days should take on as a lesson. Music first, money later.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden - (1988)
(Seventh son of a Seventh son - Iron Maiden 1988)
Favourite Song - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Rating: 9/10
This album has both a lot of cultural and personal significance to me, and ends up being yet another one of the Iron Maiden records making an appearance on my list. Not only does it have some show stopping tracks like Can I Play with Madness and The Clairvoyant, but as a record it represents a lot more than that to me. This record was the first time I ever dipped my toe into rock music as a whole, and helped shape the types of records I listen to today, acting as a gateway to Slipknot. What I love so much about Maiden is their willingness to create a record that tells a narrative, wound between their lyrics and stunning instrumentation, and Seventh Son is no exception. This album is a story that sounds stunning when played in its long form, but it's singles still stand up solidly on their own. This record is a trailblazer of rock and it's versatility, whilst also being more concrete evidence that Maiden itself are a steaming force to be reckoned with.
Hypochondriac - Brakence (2022)
(Hypochondriac - Brakence 2022)
Favourite Song - Stung
Rating: 9.5/10
Woah?! A recent album? Fuck off! It's a complete left turn as far as this entire list is concerned, but I absolutely love this album, front to back. A masterpiece of production and performance, Brakence creates a record that's both vulnerable and brash, sensitive yet violent, and through that duality creates a work of art unwilling to yield under it's own immense force. Songs like Teeth, 5g and Argyle are real standouts here, songs that evolve at their own natural pace, while allowing the narrative to continue in its own self deprecating glory. From the previous success of his singles, this album has cemented Brakence as one to watch in the future, with his signature hyper pop/electro Hip hop beats being created with insane precision leaving him a peg above the rest who make music similar. 100 GECS who? Can't say I've heard of em.
Imperia - Ghost - 2022
(Imperia - Ghost 2022)
Favourite Song - Darkness at the Heart of My Love
Rating: 10/10
When I reviewed this record, I know I gave it a lower score, but fuck this is a perfect album isn't it? Metal Hammer have just named this the number one rock album of 2022, and I can't disagree with them on that one. This record is not only a behemoth of a record, spanning genre and defying Ghost's own projections as just a kooky bunch of Swedish born Satanists, it projected them to headline tour royalty. This record contains some blasting tracks, from Kaisarion to Hunter's Moon the 45 minute runtime is full of perfect instrumentation, brilliant production, and some serious tounge in cheek humour that metal kind of needed. This led to their insane and meteoric rise to fame, with the rediscovery of Mary on a Cross on various social medias, now everyone wants a piece of Ghost and I don't blame them one god-damn bit. Long live Ghost, long live metal.
So that's it for the next five in my top albums list, I'll see you guys on the next one, if I can be bothered to write it at any point this side of 2023...
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