Classic Debuts Pt.1: Dark Tranquillity

SKYDANCER (1993)

This was an album that helped kick off the entire Gothenburg melodeath genre.  Dark Tranquillity came out of nowhere with a release that is still highly regarded and hugely influential to this day.  It is true that the sound was eventually bastardized into hundreds of imitators and eventually led to the maligned metalcore sound that dominated American metal in the early 2000's.  But at the time of its release, there was really not much else like it.

Skydancer sounds like a gothic horror movie put to music.  It has an incredibly dark and creepy atmosphere and the strained, growled vocals and tremolo guitar picking add to that atmosphere.  The vocals here are primarily handled by future In Flames frontman Anders Fridén.  DT main man Michael Stanne is present on this album, playing guitar and handling some of the clean vocals.  In a weird twist, Stanne actually is the primary vocalist on the In Flames debut Lunar Strain.  The vocals, while not technically impressive and nowhere near as good as Fridén later proved to be capable of, still match the music quite well.

It is the tremolo guitar picking and lead guitar lines that really make this album.  The leads are quite high in the mix, so the listener cannot help but hear them as they whirl and circle around the vocal lines and rhythm section.  This is an element often found in black metal during this time period, but DT uses it to great effect throughout this album. 

I have likely discussed this album on this blog a number of times, but it absolutely bears repeating how great this album is.  Unfortunately it really does not bear much resemblance to anything else DT would ever do, with the exception of the follow-up EP Of Chaos and Eternal Night.  The band would eventually smooth out the rough edges of the sound, beef up the bottom end and sound like a completely different band by the time the next full-length The Gallery came out.  But it is those rough edges and rawness that make this album so great.  This is still on the short list of my favorite melodeath albums of all time. 

Dark Tranquillity in Sioux Falls, SD: September 21, 2017

Well, I am really not sure about going to Sioux Falls for a concert more than once every few months or so.  Particularly if it is on a weeknight.  Not to say the experience was bad, but getting home at 3:00 a.m. and having to get right back up in a few hours is definitely tough on me.  I'm getting old.  Anyway, last night Swedish melodeath pioneers Dark Tranquillity appeared at The Icon Lounge along with Warbringer and Striker, and a couple local bands.  It was a long concert, but it was still a lot of fun.

First on stage was the unfortunately-named local band Tons of 'Em.  They were playing when we walked in and played only two songs that we saw.  The sound was interesting enough, somewhat technical, and a little doomy.  The most interesting aspect of the band was that the two guitarists and bassist were all in their 20's, while the drummer appeared to be in his 60's.  I made the joke to my wife that it was nice of the band members' dad to play drums for them.  Apparently that is partially correct.  He is only one of the members' dad.

The next band was Traverscion, a prog-death metal band from Sioux Falls, led by a Sheldon Cooper-lookalike and a Thor lookalike, which thrilled my wife by the way.  This band I really enjoyed.  Their sound had kind of a Lovecraftian murkiness to it and the three vocalists complemented each other quite well.  The times when they would play more melodic sections were the definite highlight.  I will be keeping an eye on this group.

Side story: I made a comment at the Kreator show to my wife that there would probably be some scary-looking guys there.  She responded that they are probably more scared of her than she is of them.  The ratio of men to women at most of these concerts probably bears this out.

And we are back.  Canada has become quite the fertile ground for traditional metal bands over the last decade or so.  And Striker is just one example of this.  I have heard one of their albums and quite enjoyed it, so I had a decent idea of what to expect, but for some reason I thought they were thrashier than they actually are.  They played a blistering 20 minute set with some of the catchiest songs of the night.  They definitely looked like throwbacks to 1980's metal too.  I will have to check out more of their material.  I wish they had had a t-shirt with their Armed to the Teeth album cover on it.  I would have grabbed it quickly.

Where was this t-shirt, Striker?

Hell, my wife would have bought one!

Next up was Warbringer.  I saw them about five years ago when they were an up-and-coming band in support of Overkill.  They played their entire new album Woe to the Vanquished.  A little unexpected, but that is a monster of a modern thrash album, so it was damn good.  Of particular note is the absolutely infectious neck-breaker "Remain Violent".  They looked like they were having a blast too, which was true of each of the five bands of the night.

And finally, Dark Tranquillity took the stage.  I have been a big fan of the band since I was in college, though I preferred their heavier material prior to their more gothic metal-influenced melodeath (my favorite of their albums is still the Of Chaos and Eternal Night EP).  That being said, they have some damn great songs and they played a lot of that material last night.  Mikael Stanne was a very charismatic presence and explained some of the stories behind some of the songs.    My wife stated that Santa Claus has a lot more tattoos than she remembered, referring to bassist Anders Iwers, who does bear a resemblance to a badass metal Santa.  The best song was "ThereIn" from the Projector album, which surprised me at its inclusion.  The band played in front of a projected screen that played music videos the band did, which also surprised me.  They were in top form last night and sounded just as potent as they do on their albums.

I was definitely glad I went, though my wife was not nearly as pleased.  It was a damn late night, but seeing Dark Tranquillity for the first time was well worth it.

The Debut Albums of Melodeath Leaders

It's kind of amazing how different the debut albums from the big three melodeath bands are from their most well-known material. We are talking about completely different styles, to the point that it is sometimes unrecognizable. At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames have each changed their sound a great deal since their debuts. It is kind of shocking just how much.

AT THE GATES: THE RED IN THE SKY IS OURS
At The Gates is most often associated with their Slaughter of the Soul album, frequently considered the landmark melodeath album. That album was simple and straightforward death metal with melodies that was all about speed and brutality. The At The Gates on this album is a different animal. Some of the elements that would later bring them notoriety are present here, but the sound is much more raw. Several tracks feature melodic interludes performed by a violin, which adds a nice touch. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg's style is much more unrestrained, resembling more of a shriek than his later style. The songs are alos longer and have more of a progressive structure.

DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER
For some weird coincidence, In Flames's longtime vocalist Anders Friden serves as the vocalist on this release. Stanne is there, but he is simply playing the guitars this time around. He took over on the next EP. The atmosphere is significantly different than the band's later material and there are no electronic effects and keyboard parts. This is simply tremolo riff-based melodic death metal. The music has a much more chilling atmosphere than their later works. The band also experiments more with female vocals and more progressive song structures. This is one of my favorite Dark Tranquillity albums and the first one I ever heard.

IN FLAMES: LUNAR STRAIN
Let us begin with the obvious: Mikael Stanne is the singer. That's right, the longtime Dark Tranquillity growler is handling vocal duties for In Flames on this release. So the vocals are a little bit more extreme this time around and a little less melodic. Stanne only really has two volumes on his roar: loud and louder. But more than that, the music features frequent melodic interludes which are occasionally acoustic. There are string sections that border on folk metal here that are completely absent from their later material. It is a major change from their later stuff, but this is a terrific album.

My First Melodeath Experiences

As I mentioned yesterday, melodeath was a bit of a gateway for me into international metal. I became aware of it through an issue of Metal Hammer that had reviews of Dark Tranquillity and other bands, which ultimately lead me to start listening to some of the groups therein. Melodeath is a gateway to a lot of people, and many of them abandon the genre some time later. I never really did, although I am not as into it as I was.

DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER/OF CHAOS AND ETERNAL NIGHT
I mentioned yesterday that this was my first melodeath album. I found it oddly in the University Bookstore, and it was the combined album and EP. Unfortunately, this is the only Dark Tranquillity album that really sounds like this. All the rest of their material has taken on a fuller sound, with little of the tremolo riffing that I enjoyed so much from this release. Initially when I picked up my next Dark Tranquillity album, the change in sound disappointed me quite a bit, though I grew to appreciate it over time. The different vocalists kind of surprised me, but I found myself enjoying the different styles each singer used. This is still one of my favorite albums from the genre.

SOILWORK: FIGURE NUMBER FIVE
This was the album that started the real downward turn in Soilwork's career. Although I really had no idea because I had never really heard the band before. Being somewhat into nu-metal and other mainstream styles of metal at the time I heard this, I thought the mix of alternative metal and melodic death metal was rather impressive. The songs are definitely infectious on this release. At this time, the more mainstream sound worked and Soilwork actually crafted a decent album. Although they would falter later. Soilwork was never a band I cared much for beyond this album. I do have one of their other albums, but did not get that until melodeath was not as big of a deal to me. I would have probably liked it quite a bit more otherwise.

IN FLAMES: REROUTE TO REMAIN
I picked this one up the day before I went on a family vacation to Colorado, the summer before I went to law school. I always used to like to buy a couple of albums before vacations and listen to them in the car for the first time. I remember being quite impressed with In Flames on this album, even though this is a much-hated album in their discography. Like the Soilwork release, I was rather impressed with the blend of melodic death metal and alternative metal. Also, like the Soilwork album, I had nothing to compare it to. I had no other albums by In Flames and, at the time, I was not aware of their connection to Dark Tranquillity.

Discography: Dark Tranquillity

Dark Tranquillity was the first melodeath band I discovered. My initial discovery of the band was due to a review of Projector I found in an issue of Metal Hammer. I was intrigued by what I had read and eventually found an album by the band in the same place I found the magazine, oddly enough the University Bookstore. That album was Skydancer, and I was hooked.

SKYDANCER:
Dark Tranquillity's debut album finds the band in a much different sound than their later material. The sound is a little more open, less dense, and more ethereal. The band relied a lot on tremolo riffs at the time, which were played quickly and formed the major melodies of the band. The other obvious difference was that Anders Friden was the singer on this material. His higher pitched vocals form a stark contrast to the later works with Mikael Stanne.

OF CHAOS AND ETERNAL NIGHT:
Yes it's an EP, but it is still very important in Dark Tranquillity's discography. For one, it is the first recording with Mikael Stanne on vocals. For a second reason, it is often included along with the Skydancer album. The music was much the same as on the prior album, but it was darker. DT even re-recorded "Alone" for the album.

THE GALLERY:
Dark Tranquillity's landmark album and one of the greatest melodeath albums ever. This was the album on which Dark Tranquillity really discovered their sound, a more distorted and darker version of their earlier material. Dark Tranquillity was also able to fully realize their ability to write tighter and punchier songs that were still just as infectious as that of their earlier stuff.

THE MIND'S I:
I will be honest. I have not heard this one, so I cannot really comment on it.

PROJECTOR:
This album found the band experimenting a little bit more than their much more straightforward earlier material. Dark Tranquillity began using some more electronic elements and keyboard work. Mikael Stanne also started experimenting with some haunting clean vocals. His work was quite impressive, particularly on the slower tracks. This is the most diverse Dark Tranquillity album in my opinion.

HAVEN:
On this release, Stanne for the most part abandoned the clean vocal style. A little bit disappointing in my view personally, but the music remained basically the same. Experimentation with keyboards and electronic elements continued and would be a major part of the band's sound from this point on. This was actually the second album I heard from the band, and despite my initial disappointment due to the differences from their debut, I eventually grew to love it just as much.

DAMAGE DONE:
For the most part, the band's 2002 album was virtually identical to their prior album. Dark Tranquillity had settled on a new sound that was characterized less by tremolo riffing style and more by an atmospheric and heavy version of the style of riffing the band once made popular. Keyboards were heavily prevalent and Stanne's vocal style was for the most part a deep guttural roar.

CHARACTER:
Another landmark album for the band and often considered their greatest album of their newer sound. The songs were catchy and aggressive and retained the sound that Dark Tranquillity had been working to perfect for the last several albums. This version of Dark Tranquillity bears little resemblance to that of The Gallery other than Stanne's vocals, but was great in its own way.

FICTION:
This is the first Dark Tranquillity album that I remember not being blown away by or eventually learning to love. The sound is basically the same as their prior album, but it does not add anything new or different and it does not improve at all on anything from earlier. It is just sort of there. Dark Tranquillity was spinning their wheels on this one unfortunately.

WE ARE THE VOID:
And unfortunately, the band did not improve on this release either. The band sounds tired and none of the songs really stand out. It's time for something new for the band or they will continue to go down the same route as countrymen and fellow melodeath bands Soilwork and In Flames. I hope they figure it out soon.

My Favorite Metal Band from Sweden

This was perhaps the toughest decision I have made in this series. Not even the U.K. or U.S.A. were as difficult as picking my favorite Swedish band. Sweden of course played a major part in my branching out into the international metal scene. I got into In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Opeth, and Dissection early on in my experimentation. It really is no surprise then that one of those three bands made it as my favorite. But which one became a difficult choice.

Ultimately I chose Dark Tranquillity because they are still around and they have never let me down with any of their albums. I love the first two full-length Dissection albums, probably more than any one DT album, but that is pretty much it for them. I liked In Flames's material up until their last album and am seriously considering skipping their new album if the first track is any indication. DT has remained constant throughout their career. Their early stuff is spectacular melodic death and their later stuff, while losing a little bit, still remains impressive. DT is the flag-bearer of the melodic death scene, a scene that I discovered early in my exploration of extreme metal.

NOTABLE SCENES: Of course Gothenburg-style melodeath and Stockholm-style death. Also an impressive black metal and thrash metal scene.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Amon Amarth
Arch Enemy
At The Gates
Bathory
Bloodbath
Candlemass
Dark Funeral
Dismember
Dissection
Draconian
Edge of Sanity
Enforcer
Entombed
Grand Magus
Grave
Hammerfall
Hypocrisy
In Flames
Lost Horizon
Marduk
Meshuggah
Naglfar
Nifelheim
Opeth
Scar Symmetry
Seance
Tad Morose
The Crown
Unleashed
Vomitory
Watain
Witchery

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 27: Dark Tranquillity

Dark Tranquillity was the first Swedish melodeath band I ever got into. They still rank as one of my favorites. Dark Tranquillity simply has a gift for writing catchy melodeath masterpieces. Every single album they have produced has been good. And while the band has changed their sound over the years, it has not been in the same slap-in-the-face decline in quality as some of their peers in Soilwork and In Flames. They have evolved into a different band without abandoning their roots. Their core sound can still be heard even in their most recent material. The driving force behind the band has been vocalist/guitarist Mikael Stanne, who still possesses a powerful death growl that he uses to great effect.

FAVORITE ALBUM: THE GALLERY

Year in Metal: 1995

As I mentioned earlier, for the next few weeks, posts will be less frequent. Please bear with me. I have a major trial coming up soon that I am spending the majority of my time preparing for.

AT THE GATES: SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL
Who's honestly surprised to see this one here? This was a massively imfluential album for the melodeath genre and is the album most people think of when they think of that style. Oddly At the Gates streamlined their sound quite a bit. Their earlier material sounds little like this one. The album is hard-hitting, aggressive, and fast. For good reason, it is an absolute classic. Unfortunately, At the Gates broke up afterwards.

BLIND GUARDIAN: IMAGINATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE
This is probably my favorite Blind Guardian album. It is still reasonably aggressive, for Blind Guardian anyway, with an excellent sense of melody. The German power metal has never sounded as good as they do on this release. It is a darker sound than some of their earlier albums, which adds to the mystique of this release. Blind Guardian would become overly complicated on later releases, this was the last album where they were wholly concentrated on putting out quality songs.

DARK TRANQUILLITY: THE GALLERY
I am a huge Dark Tranquillity fan, and this is their finest album. This was before the band became too reliant on electronic elements and their last that was pure Swedish melodic death metal, plain and simple. Along with the above At the Gates album, this is one of the hallmarks of the Gothenburg style of melodic death, with dual leads and gruff vocals driving the music. The reissue is a must as it has the band covering tracks from Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kreator, Mercyful Fate, and Sacred Reich.

DEATH: SYMBOLIC
This is probably my favorite album by Death, as it combines the band's earlier death metal sound with the more progressive sound exhibited by the band's final album. Chuck Schuldiner's vocals are different, higher and more melodic, than they were on the band's earlier material. The razor-sharp riffs remain and Schuldiner's keen sense of songwriting is definitely still present. Some of these songs, such as "Crystal Mountain" are absolute classics.

PARADISE LOST: DRACONIAN TIMES
I had a hard time between this album and My Dying Bride's 1995 release, but I ultimately chose Paradise Lost because it was an early favorite album. This was one of my formative albums. Paradise Lost's sound was in a state of flux at this point, they were not really playing doom metal or gothic metal, but more of a traditional metal with gothic and doom influences. I have loved this album ever since I first heard it. The dynamics are incredible and the riffs are amazing. The vocals are incredibly powerful as well. This is just a great album, and an overlooked classic.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Alice in Chains: Alice in Chains, Cathedral: The Carnival Bizarre, Faith No More: King for a Day...Fool for a Lifetime, Fear Factory: Demanufacture, Immortal: Battles in the North, King Diamond: The Spider's Lullabye, Moonspell: Wolfheart, My Dying Bride: The Angel and the Dark River, Opeth: Orchid, Trouble: Plastic Green Head, White Zombie: Astro Creep: 2000.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 1995: Borknagar, Ensiferum, Shadows Fall, Xasthur.

5 Important Bands, 1 Genre Pt. 3: Death Metal

I have not done one of these in a very long time. To refresh memories or, for new readers, to explain this, these are five bands that have helped me become interested in this genre. Not all of these bands are technically death metal, or still death metal, whatever the case may be. But these bands have influenced me enough into looking more deeply into death metal.

CANNIBAL CORPSE
The first death metal band I was ever aware of was Cannibal Corpse. As many of you know, Cannibal Corpse had a cameo in the first Ace Ventura movie. They played "Hammer Smashed Face" in that clip. I was in seventh grade when I saw that and I had no fucking clue what the hell they were (it was also my first date). I was in awe of the vocal style. It was the heaviest thing I had ever heard. At that point, I still had not really started listening to metal so I didn't think much more of them. Later, they appeared on a tribute album to Black Sabbath that I got and one of my friends loaned me his Ace Ventura soundtrack, which I still have because he died in a car accident before I had a chance to give it back to him.

Cannibal Corpse was probably the first real death metal band I ever listened to, but it would be quite awhile before I started picking up their albums. I liked them when I heard them on various artist compilations and the rare times I heard them on TV or radio, but never really bought any albums until after law school. I have no idea why that is to this day. Cannibal Corpse was the first death metal band I ever heard and was the impetus for me looking into the actual genre.

SEPULTURA
Although Cannibal Corpse was the first real death metal band I started looking into, Sepultura's Morbid Visions was the first album in my collection that could be reasonably considered a death metal album. Sepultura is much more of a thrash metal band, but in their early days, they were heavier than virtually everything else out there. All of the requirements for death metal were present on Morbid Visions, heavy riffs, deep and harsh vocals, and an evil atmosphere. This album helped pave the way for both death metal and black metal. This album was initially disappointing to me as I was originally into their later stuff with Max in ninth grade. Now, it's one of my favorite Sepultura albums.

FEAR FACTORY
Fear Factory is a band who used to be more of a death metal band. Prior to their industrial groove metal, Fear Factory played more of an industrial-sounding death metal. They also are one of first bands to experiment with both clean and harsh vocals on their albums. Fear Factory was an early extreme metal band that I got into at around the same time that I was getting into Sepultura. The harsh death growls on their albums helped serve as a gateway into listening to more and more bands who utilized similar vocal tricks. Demanufacture is still a favorite album.

CELTIC FROST
Celtic Frost was a major influence on pretty much all genres of extreme metal over the years. I first heard Celtic Frost on a various artists compilation and then owned a tribute album. On that tribute album were bands from many different metal genres including death metal bands Sadistic Intent, Grave, Slaughter, and more. Their bass-heavy slower thrash riffs had a major influence on death metal. Many death metal bands have covered tracks by Celtic Frost.

DARK TRANQUILLITY
The melodic death metal band that rises above almost all others was a major gateway into the death metal style without being overly harsh or gory. I started picking up albums from this band early in college. From that point on, my interest in death metal exploded. The band utilized harsh vocals, but accompanied that with melody.

That takes us into my college years. It still wasn't until after law school that I started picking up a lot of death metal albums. As a poor college and law school student, I did not have the money. However, after getting my first job as a lawyer, my CD collection boomed and I started getting albums from Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Dismember, and more. The five bands I listed formed the core of my death metal listening habits. I filled in the gaps as soon as I could.

Initial Impressions: Dark Tranquillity: We are the Void

Let's see, it's been three years, yep, it's time for a new Dark Tranquillity album. The band is like clockwork. Also, they have their own distinct sound that has been developed over the years to the point when you know damn well when you're listening to a Dark Tranquillity album.

If you've ever heard any of DT's recent albums, you know exactly what to expect here. Iron Maiden-esque riffs, downtuned, and played very fast and Mikael Stanne's trademark death growls. They play fast and heavy melodic death metal with an emphasis on the melodies. There are keyboard flourishes occasionally, but they do not overwhelm the music.

If anything, this album is a bit of a return to form to some of their heavier stuff. It's more aggressive and powerful than some of their recent output. It's not as laidback and calm. There's a sense of urgency to the album that has been missing for a little while.

The band is a leader in their genre for very good reason: they are quite simply amazing songwriters. I never tire of Dark Tranquillity. They are one of my favorite bands and have been since I discovered their music on my own back in college. This album re-emphasizes that feeling for their music.

Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal

In the early 1990's a metal scene started to develop in Gothenburg, Sweden. This would later come to be known as melodic death metal. The early years were pretty decent for bands from the city. There was originality to the music. Three bands became synonymous with the scene: At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames. Now however, the scene is viewed with scorn. The three innovators began to soften or simplify their sound and the music was further bastardized and glutted with copycats. Even in the U.S., the metalcore scene of the early 2000's borrowed heavily from Gothenburg. This was a style of metal that I liked very early on. Some of the albums are still favorites of mine, but there is a decrease in quality. Let's look at the three major bands and their early releases followed by their latest:

AT THE GATES

The first full length album from At the Gates was The Red in the Sky is Ours. This album featured some folk elements, such as the use of a violin. The music was essentially death metal with folk elements and a little extra melody. An essential album for many death metal heads, not just those than want melody.

Slaughter of the Soul was the final album by the band and is often considered the quintessential Gothenburg album. This is the album that has been copied and bastardized over the years. Not a bad album by any means, but the folk elements are completely gone and the music has been simplified to an insane degree. Fast and fun to listen to, but mostly devoid of any real meaning. At the Gates broke up after this album in 1995. The members are still active in groups like The Haunted and Disfear.

DARK TRANQUILLITY

Dark Tranquillity's first album Skydancer was similar to At the Gates first album in the heavy atmosphere of the music. Dark Tranquillity's first album is a masterpiece, one of my all time favorite albums. The only thing that would make it better is if Mikael Stanne, their main singer through the years, was the vocalist on this release. The music is haunting and intense.

Dark Tranquillity later began heavy usage of keyboards. The music changed, but remained good. No longer really resembling death metal at all, the keyboards give a strong sense of melody to the rest of the music. The only thing close to resembling death metal is the voice of Stanne. Dark Tranquillity is still a quality band, but the epic feel of the first album is long since gone.

IN FLAMES

This is the band that is most often associated with both the good and the bad of the Gothenburg scene. Oddly enough, singer Anders Friden was the vocalist on Dark Tranquillity's first album while Mikael Stanne was In Flames's first singer.

The Lunar Strain was In Flames's first album. Once again, there was a heavy folk influence to the music with acoustic guitar interludes and the occasional string section. The rest of the music was typically Iron Maiden-esque riffs sped up and down-tuned with Stanne's death metal growls.

After Friden became the singer, the band released a few more quality albums.

Then came Reroute to Remain. While this album is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, this was definitely when the band started to turn. There are some nu-metal elements to the music and most of the death metal elements are gone. There would be two more albums in this style.

Which brings us to A Sense of Purpose. I can't get into this album much at all. There are a couple of catchy tracks, but it is painfully obvious that In Flames's top priority is popularity at this point.

Other bands exhibiting the Gothenburg sound include Arch Enemy (mostly known for their female singer Angela Gossow and her strong death growls), Soilwork, and Gardenian. In recent years, there has been a new movement of melodic death bands from Finland such as Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, and Mors Principium Est. These bands take many cues from the Gothenburg scene but add their own flavors to it.

Top 100 Albums-Outdated a Little

For my first blog I figured I would post my Top 100 Metal Albums that I worked out last Spring. This is an outdated list as I have picked up several classic albums and some underrated gems that would probably make my list. That's okay for now. At some point I will update it.

I managed to find this. This is an old post from Myspace. This was in ten parts. I will only reproduce the actual albums analyses:

100. AHAB: THE CALL OF THE WRETCHED SEA: This is a concept album about Moby Dick from these German funeral doom merchants. Agonizingly slow and monolithically heavy, this album will suck you in and have you imagining that you are on board the Pequod with the sea air blowing through your hair.

99. EDGE OF SANITY: CRIMSON: One song, 40 minutes long. Swedish death metal stalwart Dan Swano brings his vision of a bleak future to the listener in this avant-garde metal opus.

98. DARK FUNERAL: THE SECRETS OF THE BLACK ARTS: Swedish black metal at its best with crushing blast beats and shrieking vocals. All songs are about Satan or evil, but if you know Dark Funeral that's certainly not a surprise.

97. SKELETONWITCH: BEYOND THE PERMAFROST: One of the newest bands to make my list, this album captured my attention right away with its retro-thrash attack and blackened shrieks. One of my personal favorites of the thrash metal revival, they should have a bright future.

96. DEMILICH: NESPITHE: Totally bizarre death metal from Finland. This band only released this one studio album, but it is a legendary release. Incredibly deep croaking vocals and technical riffs make up the sound. It's too bad they didn't stick around.

95. BURZUM: DET SOM ENGANG VAR: Norwegian black metal legend Varg Vikernes's one-man band. More infamous, than famous, Vikernes is well-known for his time in Mayhem which ended when he stabbed guitarist Euronymous to death in his apartment. This is my favorite of Burzum's material with equal parts screeching black metal and soothing ambience.

94. EXHORDER: SLAUGHTER IN THE VATICAN: Pantera fanboys take note, because this album is where that band got its well-known sound. Exhorder was groove metal before Pantera became popular.

93. THORNAFIRE: EXACERBATED GNOSTIC MANIFESTATION: Another newer band, Thornafire hails from Chile which is kind of a unique place to find a metal band. Thornafire plays old-school U.S. death metal in the vein of Morbid Angel and Incantation. Another band with a bright future.

92. BOLT THROWER: REALM OF CHAOS: One of the first death/grind bands along with English countrymen Carcass and Napalm Death. This album will crush your skull under its weight.

91. FAITH NO MORE: THE REAL THING: Well-known album from the late 1980's featuring hits Epic, Falling to Pieces, and From Out of Nowhere. It's tough to categorize FNM because their sound was constantly evolving. Terrific vocals and musicianship make this an unforgettable album.

90. MELECHESH: EMISSARIES: One of the more unique albums in my collection, this is a black/death metal band from Israel. They incorporate a lot of Middle Eastern instrumentation and rhythms into their music and their lyrics mostly deal with Sumerian/Mesopotamian mythology. Very interesting stuff.

89. WINTERSUN: WINTERSUN: It's difficult to tell whether this Finnish group is a melodic death metal band or an extreme power metal band. They seem to have elements of both. Harsh vocals but epic in both the sound and the length. They have a new album coming this Spring, I'm looking forward to it.

88. IRON MAIDEN: PIECE OF MIND: Ah yes Iron Maiden, one of my all time favorite bands and one of the icons of heavy metal. This was their second release with Bruce Dickinson fronting the band and features the classics "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus." An underrated album compared to what came before and since. This won't be the last time you see Iron Maiden in my list, I promise.

87. CANNIBAL CORPSE: EATEN BACK TO LIFE: One of the most well known death metal bands, Cannibal Corpse provide many of the extremes that have come to be expected from the genre. Bloody artwork and gory lyrics along with Chris Barnes's trademark roar make this debut album a landmark in the death metal scene.

86. GORGOROTH: PENTAGRAM: Norwegian black metal at its most hateful and abrasive. Fast riffs, howling vocals, and blast beats provide the sound for one of the most frightening black metal bands around. Not for the weak of heart.

85. NAGLFAR: PARIAH: A black metal band from Sweden that focuses more on melody than groups like Gorgoroth, Naglfar still uses raspy vocals but the lyrics deal more with personal issues than Antichristianity, at least on this album.

84. DARK ANGEL: DARKNESS DESCENDS: One of the lesser-known thrash metal bands from the mid-1980's, at least as far as the mainstream is concerned. Dark Angel is a more technical band than their peers. Amazing riffs and blazing speed. Many thrash fans consider this the best thrash album ever. I won't go that far, but a great album nonetheless.

83. DIO: HOLY DIVER: One of the all time great voices in heavy metal, this was Ronnie James Dio's best solo album and featured the hits "Holy Diver" (recently horrendously covered by Killswitch Engage) and "Rainbow in the Dark." It was very difficult to leave this so far down on the list but many of the songs are less than memorable. The good ones certainly make up for it though.

82. ANTHRAX: AMONG THE LIVING: Of the Big Four of American thrash, Anthrax is the weakest. That doesn't mean that they don't have their moments though. This album caught them at their best when Joey Belladonna was still the singer. John Bush later replaced him and the band went downhill. Anthrax was much more fun and light-hearted with Belladonna.

81. DANZIG III: HOW THE GODS KILL: Cover art by H.R. Giger, a dark gothic atmosphere, and Glenn Danzig's trademark Elvis-meets-Jim Morrison crooning make this Danzig's best album. A lot more metallic than other albums, this features the classic "Dirty Black Summer." Not to be listened to in the dark.

80. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: DELIVERANCE: Southern-style sludge metal at its greatest. C.O.C. combine hardcore attitude and traditional doom metal to produce a mindfuck of an album. Several short acoustic interludes break up the heavy bass-driven riffs. "Clean My Wounds" is a classic.

79. INSOMNIUM: ABOVE THE WEEPING WORLD: This melodeath band from Finland combines sweeping guitar riffs and melancholic atmosphere to produce a sound that is aggressive but sorrowful at the same time. The band has a lot of doom influences to their music.

78. QUEENSRYCHE: OPERATION: MINDCRIME: One of the better bands at writing concept albums, this Seattle-based progressive metal band is full of talented musicians and an even more talented singer. Geoff Tate has a highly distinctive tenor while Chris DeGarmo provides the guitar riffs and some fantastic solos.

77. SATYRICON: DARK MEDIEVAL TIMES: One of the well-known bands in the second wave of black metal from Norway, the name of the album describes the sound. Satyricon combine their black metal with the occasional medieval interlude sounding as if it came right out of the nearest Renaissance festival. After this album, Satyricon would start to go in a more standard black metal direction, cutting out most of the folk influences.

76. KAMELOT: THE BLACK HALO: Very good American power metal. Layers of intricate sound and stunning musicianship make up this powerful album. Kamelot is on the verge of making it very big.

75. ROTTING CHRIST: THEOGONIA: RC is a gothic black metal band from Greece. They incorporate folk elements from their home country, including rhythms, instrumentation, and even chanting, providing a powerful atmosphere backing up Sakis's raspy vocals.

74. SYMPHONY X: THE ODYSSEY: A concept album based on Homer's epic poem, epic being the operative word. Symphony X is a progressive metal band from the United States with highly technical, yet memorable riffs and the operatic voice of singer Russell Allan.

73. SEPULTURA: MORBID VISIONS: The debut album from these Brazilian thrash legends is a little sloppy in the drumming and bass (but that is part of its charm), but with an evil atmosphere that has never been equalized by the band. This album helped shape death metal.

72. ATHEIST: UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE: Death metal with jazz influences? Seems totally crazy but this band made it work, paving the way for several bands that would try to emulate them, but never match them. Criminally underrated in their time, Atheist is now getting the attention they always deserved.

71. BLACK SABBATH: VOL. 4: The original heavy metal band, responsible for the entire genre, in their classic lineup (Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward). This is one of their more psychedelic releases but features some of their most memorable riffs as well. "Supernaut" makes this worth the money by itself. Expect to see them on this list again.

70. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM: DOOMSDAY FOR THE DECEIVER: Arizona power/thrash metal band on its first full length release. This band is well-known for being the band Jason Newsted was in prior to joining Metallica, this being the only release he contributed to. The band is extremely energetic on this release with the throbbing bass, powerful guitar riffs and banshee shrieks of vocalist Erik Knutson.

69. TYPE O NEGATIVE: BLOODY KISSES: From the high energy of Flotsam and Jetsam to the lethargic gothic doom of Type O Negative. Vocalist Peter Steele has a very deep voice and combined with the dark humor and overall spooky atmosphere of the band provides an unforgettable and unnerving listening experience.

68. CANDLEMASS: EPICUS DOOMICUS METALLICUS: Traditional doom metal from this pioneering Swedish outfit. Poweful vocals and melancholic music merge to create what is universally regarded as one of the greatest doom metal records. "Solitude" is a masterpiece.

67. OBITUARY: CAUSE OF DEATH: One of the earliest death metal bands, the typical lyrical topics are covered by tracks like "Chopped in Half" and "Infected." Obituary stands out from the rest of their peers on account of their sludgy riffs, rotting-sounding vocals, and surprisingly technical guitar solos.

66. BATHORY: BLOOD FIRE DEATH: Bathory mastermind Quorthon (who would eventually take over playing all instruments on their future albums) almost single-handedly created both black metal and viking metal. This was the first album to take the black metal Bathory previously created and mix it with elements of what would eventually become viking metal.

65. IN FLAMES: COLONY: In my opinion, this was the highest point for this elite Gothenburg melodeath metal band. The band was at its most creative mixing Iron Maiden-styled riffs, manic harsh vocals and even began providing clean vocals in some chorus spots.

64. DARKTHRONE: A BLAZE IN THE NORTHERN SKY: Norwegian black metal landmark album which combined the simple death metal riffs the band previously utilized with the atmosphere and raspy vocals that the black metal scene would later become synonymous with. Darkthrone were one of the originators of the sound and many bands still try to capture the feel of this record and fail.

63. MERCYFUL FATE: DON'T BREAK THE OATH: Mercyful Fate was extremely influential on the black metal scene because of the dark atmospherics of their sound. King Diamond's falsetto vocals and the band's dual guitar attack make up the sound of one of metal's true iconic bands.

62. INCANTATION: ONWARD TO GOLGOTHA: One of the early death metal bands from the east coast. Incantation combines brutal guttural vocals and extremely heavy doom-laden riffs into a sound and image that is extremely vile and frightening. Not a good album for someone new to the genre.

61. PARADISE LOST: GOTHIC: These English death/doom metal pioneers put out their best album in Gothic. This album is a testament to the sound the band helped create, as they later drifted into gothic metal/rock territory on following releases.

60. CENOTAPH: SAGA BELICA: Excellent Mexican death metal band featuring raw aggressive riffs, manic screaming vocals, and wailing guitar solos. An extremely energetic album that will get your heart pounding.

59. BEHEMOTH: ZOS KIA CULTUS: Polish black/death metal band. This was one their best album in their new sound adding death metal elements to their usual black metal sound. The band features extremely Satanic lyrics and crushingly brutal music.

58. AMON AMARTH: THE CRUSHER: It's tough to pick just one album from this Swedish melodic death metal Viking horde. Partly because they all sound basically the same and partly because they are all excellent. Gruff, roaring vocals, melodic guitar leads, pounding drums, and lyrics about warfare and Viking glory.

57. CARCASS: HEARTWORK: The kings of English grindcore starting going in a melodic death metal direction on the album prior to this one. This one perfected the sound and was a very early and influential album on the Swedish melodeath scene.

56. DISSECTION: THE SOMBERLAIN: One of my favorite bands, Dissection was a melodic black metal band from Sweden with death metal influences. The music is extremely chilling and includes some insanely technical drumming. Menacing vocals and tremolo guitar riffing completes the effect.

55. SWALLOW THE SUN: THE MORNING NEVER CAME: This Finnish death/doom metal band is one of the better doom bands around lately. At times extremely melancholic, at others frighteningly intense. Don't listen to this when you're in a good mood, it has a tendency to crush hopes and dreams.

54. OZZY OSBOURNE: BLIZZARD OF OZZ: One of the godfathers of the heavy metal genre, Ozzy has released a number of classic albums. This was his first and probably his most well-known, featuring his signature song "Crazy Train." Randy Rhoads provided the fantastic guitar work: riffs and solos, and Ozzy contributed his trademark vocals.

53. JUDAS PRIEST: BRITISH STEEL: Another of the great early metal bands, Judas Priest had a great deal of influence on the thrash metal scene with their fast bluesy guitar riffs. "Breaking the Law" is an all time classic.

52. METALLICA: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: The third metal icon in a row here, this is Metallica's most technical album. Fast, intense, and epic, this is where the band garnered mainstream attention. Not their best album, but it's tough to decide between their first four.

51. WHITE ZOMBIE: LA SEXORCISTO: Dirty guitar riffs, bass-heavy sound, B-movie dialogue samples, and Rob Zombie's insane mumbling growls. This is White Zombie.

50. EXODUS: BONDED BY BLOOD: Exodus was one of the early thrash metal bands and are considered to be in the second hierarchy of thrash bands along with Testament, Dark Angel, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Overkill. Exodus has an aggressive, energetic sound that is missing from some of the other bands on this album. The music is loud, fast, and fun, they don't make them like this anymore.

49. IMMOLATION: SHADOWS IN THE LIGHT: Released just last year, this is the quite possibly the New York death metal band's finest release as it blends the band's trademark brutality, deep growled vocals, and dirty guitar riffs with a technicality that was missing from their previous albums. One of the best albums from 2007.

48. OVERKILL: HORRORSCOPE: See Exodus: Bonded by Blood. Overkill may have been the first thrash metal band as they were recording demos even before Metallica. A bit more refined than Exodus, but still a lot of fun.

47. OPETH: STILL LIFE: Progressive extreme metal band on their finest release. This album blends death metal and acoustic interludes to produce an album that is at times brutal, and at others beautiful. Michael Akerfeldt has an amazing clean singing voice and also some truly great death metal growls.

46. BLIND GUARDIAN: IMAGINATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE: German power metal legends Blind Guardian combine bombastic music, lightning-fast riffs, and Hansi Kursch's amazing vocals. This album is a stepping stone from their traditional speed/power metal to a more progressive sound.

45. TESTAMENT: THE RITUAL: Similar to Amon Amarth in that it is extremely difficult to determine which album is their best. Testament was a thrash metal band from the Bay Area in the mid-1980's. This is probably my favorite as it is a more mature sound for the band and it includes the amazing "Return to Serenity", my all-time favorite song. Testament would shift to a groove/death metal sound after this album.

44. APOPHIS: HELIOPOLIS: Extremely underrated German melodic death metal band. Apophis takes U.S. death metal like Morbid Angel, and combines it with the Swedish melodic death metal sound of At the Gates. An incredible album that has gone unnoticed by many people, a shame.

43. AMORPHIS: TALES FROM THE THOUSAND LAKES: It's tough to categorize this Finnish band for more than an album or two because they frequently change their sound. On this album, Amorphis is closer to a death/doom style with some folk metal elements. Their cover of "Light My Fire" can't be missed.

42. POSSESSED: SEVEN CHURCHES: One of the major influences on death metal, Possessed is an early thrash metal band from the Bay Area. The subject matter, guitar riffs, and screaming vocals had a huge impact on the later death metal scene.

41. KING DIAMOND: ABIGAIL: King Diamond's debut album after splitting from Mercyful Fate (both bands are currently going with KD singing for both), this album features amazing guitar riffs and solos and KD's inhuman falsetto singing voice. The album tells the tale of the ghost of Abigail who possessed the body of a woman in order to be born again. One of the best concept albums in metal history.

40. DEATH: THE SOUND OF PERSEVERENCE: One of the original death metal bands, as you might have guessed from the fact that the genre and band names sound suspiciously similar. This was the last album by Death, as singer/guitarist/founder Chuck Schuldiner died of brain stem cancer in 2001. This album is incredible, the band had long ago moved away from their raw death/thrash attack and moved in a progressive direction. The songs are emotional, the riffs are amazing, and Chuck produced some terrific solos. The cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" is exceptional, I had no idea Chuck could scream like that.

39. SLAYER: SEASONS IN THE ABYSS: You can't have a metal top 100 list without one or two Slayer albums, sure they're overrated but they put out a couple of damn fine thrash metal gems, this being one of them. The title track is probably my favorite Slayer song because it is a lot more progressive than their normal full-on thrashers. The rest of the stuff is typical 1980's-era Slayer.

38. DEICIDE: LEGION: Short, fast, and raw as Hell. Deicide put the death metal scene on notice with this album. Unrelenting in its speed and its intensity, this is the band's best album. Although their latest was nothing to be ashamed of, this is the sound that made them who they are.

37. METALLICA: KILL 'EM ALL: Metallica's debut album was possibly the very first thrash full length album. What a way to start a movement. Fast, raw, and a ton of fun, this is an instant classic. "The Four Horsemen" has one of thrash metal's all-time great riffs.

36. BLACK SABBATH: SABBATH, BLOODY SABBATH: Black Sabbath began incorporating elements of progressive rock on this album and produced one of their all-time greatest albums. Iommi's riffs were still amazing, and Ozzy's vocals were a force to be reckoned with. "A National Acrobat" is unfortunately overlooked quite a bit, I think it is one of the band's greatest songs.

35. MERCYFUL FATE: MELISSA: The album that started King Diamond's career. KD's trademark falsetto and the dual guitar attack were new and unique at the time the album released. An all-time classic album.

34. BLACK SABBATH: HEAVEN AND HELL: The only Black Sabbath album on my list without Ozzy as vocalist, this version of the band was fronted by Ronnie James Dio. It's difficult to decide which vocalist was better, Dio is probably the more talented of the two, although Ozzy's vocals matched the band's sound perfectly. This would be a pointless debate if the songs on this album were anything but the classics that they are. Dio re-energized the band.

33. IRON MAIDEN: SOMEWHERE IN TIME: On this album, Iron Maiden began to incorporate some keyboard parts. It did not detract at all from their music and this album has some great songs. Bruce Dickinson's vocals were perhaps at their strongest here.

32. MEGADETH: PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING?: Megadeth's second album proved that Dave Mustaine knew how to write thrash riffs. One of the major creative forces in Metallica's early days, Mustaine honed his craft with his follow-up band. Mustaine also has a very unique and noticeable voice.

31. CELTIC FROST: TO MEGA THERION: A major influence on both the black and death metal scenes, this Swiss trio combined gothic atmosphere, thrashy riffs, death-style grunts, and other unusual elements into a fresh sound that has never truly been duplicated. Unfortunately, Celtic Frost would never duplicate it either as their music declined in quality sharply after this one until their comeback album Monotheist in 2006.

30. DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER: One of the great bands from the Gothenburg, Sweden melodic death metal scene, Dark Tranquillity has a much rawer sound on this release. Melodic lead guitar lines and tremolo picking coupled with future In Flames singer Anders Frieden's tortured shrieks give this a cold, gothic atmosphere.

29. FEAR FACTORY: DEMANUFACTURE: Industrial death metal pioneers on their second album. This one is volatile and has a fuller sound to it than their debut. The band also turned this into a concept album of sorts. Burton Bell has one of the more interesting voices in metal between his hardcore screaming and his more melodic clean singing voice.

28. DOWN: NOLA: Supergroup made up of members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod. Down brings a Southern rock edge to good old stoner/sludge doom. One of the few bands able to modernize Black Sabbath-style riffs. This is a killer.

27. AT THE GATES: SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL: The landmark album in the Gothenburg style. Every metalcore band owes a major debt to this album. The sound is still better when you hear the real thing.

26. MAYHEM: DE MYSTERIIS DOM. SATANAS: The most famous album from the Norwegian black metal scene. This album came after singer Dead committed suicide, but before bassist Varg Vikernes murdered guitarist Euronymous. A cold, terrifying atmosphere.

25. SEPULTURA: BENEATH THE REMAINS: Brazilian thrash metal band on their best album. The band had left their rawer Slayer/Sodom sound behind on this one in favor of a more refined thrash. Still a amazing album, but the band would go downhill into groove metal soon after.

24. DESTROYER 666: COLD STEEL...FOR AN IRON AGE: Fairly unknown band out of Australia. D666 combine thrash metal and black metal into an aggressive and raw sound, featuring lyrics about war. The sound would come to be known as War Metal and this is one of its elite bands.

23. ROTTING CHRIST: NON SERVIAM: Atmospheric black metal band from Greece. This is the album that the band put everything together and managed to incorporate some Greek folk music elements as well.

22. OZZY OSBOURNE: DIARY OF A MADMAN: In my opinion, this is Ozzy's best. The songs are not as well-known but they are better written and stronger. Guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads's last album before he died in a plane crash.

21. DESTROYER 666: UNCHAIN THE WOLVES: Slightly less thrashy than the other D666 album and a lot more black metal. This is the band's debut album and a very impressive debut at that.

20. ENTOMBED: LEFT HAND PATH: Swedish death metal pioneers on their debut album. One of the all time classic death metal albums, with a dirty rock and roll vibe to it with gruff vocals. Some truly evil sounding metal. Unfortunately the band would later take a very strange direction.

19. DARK TRANQUILLITY: THE GALLERY: One of the pioneering bands of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound on their greatest album. Standard harsh vocals mixed with rolling guitar leads over heavy bass riffs. An amazing album, and even better if you can find the version with the bonus tracks. Their version of Metallica's "My Friend of Misery" is quite possibly better than the original.

18. JUDAS PRIEST: DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH: One of the all time great bands in heavy metal and a big reason for the continuing scene today. Priest took the Black Sabbath sound and added speed and power. This is, in my opinion, their greatest album. It has the energy of their 70's material and the heaviness of their 80's material in the best overall package.

17. IRON MAIDEN: POWERSLAVE: This was the first album that Maiden started experimenting with a more epic feel. Their previous albums were a little too punk for my tastes, though I do enjoy them. This album dropped the punk vibe in favor of a straightforward metal assault.

16. PANTERA: COWBOYS FROM HELL: The only Pantera album I truly enjoy all the way through and it is amazing. This is before the "trademarked Pantera" sound which they ripped off of Exhorder. This album is more of a power/thrash hybrid. Phil Anselmo's wailing shrieks are incredible and the album is fast and energetic.

15. ICED EARTH: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: This band is quite possibly the Iron Maiden of its generation. Melodic and powerful, backed by Jon Schaeffer's characteristic galloping guitar riffs and Matt Barlow's impressive vocals.

14. DEATH: SYMBOLIC: Death further delves into the progressive death style they had begun experimenting with from a couple albums previous. Chuck Schuldiner is one of my favorite figures in metal as he was incredibly influential on the technical death metal scene. His guitar playing is extraordinary and his tortured screams are extremely powerful. R.I.P. Chuck.

13. EMPEROR: IN THE NIGHTSIDE ECLIPSE: My favorite black metal album and the first black metal band I ever purchased. Emperor combines the raspy vocals and raw aggressive riffs of other Norwegian black metal bands with orchestral synthesizers and cold atmosphere.

12. MORBID ANGEL: COVENANT: One of the first death metal bands, this album is pure unadulterated aggression and power. Only "God of Emptiness" slows things down and that is one of the most frighteningly evil songs I've ever heard. The video is on my profile page.

11. BLACK SABBATH: PARANOID: The band that started it all. This is their second album and they have perfected the sound they experimented with on their first album. This album contains the all time classics "Iron Man", "Paranoid", and "War Pigs." It also contains the highly underrated "Electric Funeral."

10. SLAYER: REIGN IN BLOOD: Brutal, fast, and intense. This album was a huge turning point in heavy metal. Slayer added an extreme aggression missing from the likes of Metallica in the thrash metal scene. This album also helped to spawn the death metal genre. A little tame by today’s standards, but a total mindfuck when it was released.

9. SODOM: AGENT ORANGE: In my opinion, the best of the Big Three of German thrash metal bands. Sodom, like Slayer also had major influences on another genre of metal besides thrash. In Sodom’s case, they heavily influence black metal and their first EP is widely considered one of the first black metal recordings. This album was when Sodom perfected their war-influenced thrash attack.

8. KREATOR: PLEASURE TO KILL: The German version of Slayer, Kreator’s riffs are fast and brutal and Mille Petrozza’s shrieks are incredibly powerful. One of the most aggressive-sounding vocalists of all time in front of some killer thrash riffs. The best album to come out of the German thrash scene. This one will pummel the listener from start to finish.

7. MORBID ANGEL: ALTARS OF MADNESS: One of the first death metal albums. Extremely raw and intense combining David Vincent’s powerful growls, some insane drumming, and Trey Azagthoth’s impressive guitar riffing style into something uncompromising in its aggression. Many bands have tried and failed to sound like Morbid Angel, one of the true masters of the genre.

6. BLACK SABBATH: MASTER OF REALITY: Speaking of masters of the genre, this is THE album by Black Sabbath. This is when they were in full-on doom metal mode. Highly underrated album for some reason, but it features the absolutely killer song Children of the Grave.

5. METALLICA: MASTER OF PUPPETS: Widely considered the top metal album of all time by a bunch of people who really don’t know much about metal. Don’t get me wrong, this is an absolute classic, but it’s not even the best album by Metallica. Some great songs but Metallica was starting to become a little pretentious on this one, just look at the absurd song lengths on here. Still an amazing album.

4. DISSECTION: STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE: This album gives me chills. Dissection is truly terrifying and they present an extremely cold, grim atmosphere. Tremolo guitar riffs, insanely technical drumming, and the inhuman shrieking of Jon Nodtveidt make up most of the sound, but the album also features some haunting acoustic guitar interludes to keep the listener on his toes before steamrolling into more powerful black metal.

3. MEGADETH: RUST IN PEACE: Megadeth’s finest hour. Dave Mustaine teamed up with guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman and the two shredders absolutely had a blast with this one. Searing guitar solos perpetuate this album. Tornado of Souls is one of the greatest thrash songs of all time.

2. IRON MAIDEN: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON: Somewhat of a theme album from Iron Maiden this time around, many of the songs focus on psychic abilities. The high point of Maiden’s career finds them putting together epic songs backed by amazing guitar riffs and solos and Bruce Dickinson’s soaring operatic vocals. Amazing stuff.

1. METALLICA: RIDE THE LIGHTNING: As I alluded to earlier, this is Metallica’s greatest album and my personal favorite album of all time. I am partial to this because it was my first metal album. But it is also the best combination of the better styles of Metallica. Forget the shit they have put out since AJFA, this album combines their almost-progressive thrash sound of MOP and AJFA with the raw aggressive thrash of KEA. Great, powerful songs like Fade to Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls make this album completely unforgettable.

Also, here is a post that I did for Halloween:

Well here we are on Halloween. This is definitely one of my favorites holidays, if not my favorite. One of the things I like to do on Halloween is listen to music that quite clearly has a Halloween vibe to it. I tortured myself for about half an hour last night picking out 10 albums to listen to today. Most people know I am a little obsessive compulsive about my listening habits. Nowhere is this more evident than last night in preparing this. So without further ado and in alphabetical order, I present my Halloween playlist.
1. Cradle of Filth: Dusk...And Her Embrace: Cradle of Filth is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I enjoy the creepy atmospherics and surprisingly Dani Filth's voice. This is definitely a good band to listen to on Halloween because of the over-the-top image and subject matter. In my opinion Dani Filth is an excellent lyricist, although that is sometimes missed due to his psychotic shrieking. This is Cradle of Filth at their gothic and symphonic best before they were more concerned with selling albums.
2. Death: Scream Bloody Gore: How can you pass up an album with song titles like Zombie Ritual, Regurgitated Guts, Baptized in Blood, Evil Dead, and Beyond the Unholy Grave? Death's first full-length is an extremely raw, stripped-down, fun listen. One of the earliest death metal albums and still one of the best.
3. Denial Fiend: They Rise: Former lead singer of Death Kam Lee started a new band devoted to the same feeling as his early band. Again, a lot of fun, with most songs dealing with horror movies. The gang vocals give the impression that the band had as much fun making the album as I do hearing it.
4. Dimmu Borgir: In Sorte Diaboli: Similar to Cradle of Filth in that they are extremely over-the-top. I ultimately chose this album just because of the symphonic parts which I felt gave it a Halloween feel. Not my favorite Dimmu Borgir album, but not terrible.
5. Iced Earth: Horror Show: Each song on this album deals with a different horror movie monster with Dracula, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Phantom of the Opera, Damien, and Frankenstein all represented. Ultimately a disposable album from this band, and was done to fulfill a contract, but it's a good listen this time of year.
6. King Diamond: "Them": The master horror storyteller in one of his greatest concept albums. "Them" is the story of Grandma returning from an asylum, some bloody tea, and ghosts trying to reclaim their home. A hell of a lot of fun although you really need to be in the mood because of King's falsetto. The music is fantastic traditional metal.
7. Luna Ad Noctum: Dimness' Profound: An underrated symphonic black metal gem. This is the sound Dimmu Borgir strives for. Thrashy riffs, creepy vocals, and keyboard flourishes abound in this. The cover is fantastic as well.
8. Merciless Death: Evil in the Night: The impression is that these thrash metal revivalists are trying to channel early Death. Another one heavy on the zombies and murderous rampages. One of the best acts of the new thrash revival.
9. Mercyful Fate: Don't Break the Oath: King Diamond's prior band. They laid a lot of groundwork for black metal bands. Surprisingly not a concept album although it gives off an overall eerie vibe. Definitely not one to listen to in the dark alone.
10. Possessed: Seven Churches: I love this album and try to get it in whenever I can. That said, the reason for its inclusion here is the opening track The Exorcist, complete with the theme from Tubular Bells. One of the early Satanic bands and helped usher in death metal. The rest of the songs are fast and thrashy as hell. This is not an all-encompassing list. It's just what I chose for today, so if there are any arguments, I don't really care.