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FUN INC

Metallica - Master of Puppets

38 years old just the other day, and without a shadow of doubt, MOP is king here.

From the calming acoustic guitar, and quad acoustic high harmonies of Battery, to the first chugging guitar of the intro, to the first descending riff of Battery, Master of Puppets sees Metallica out with a point to prove.

A middle finger to conformity, a swansong for a misunderstood youth that felt their voice was not being heard in a world that often fails, Master of Puppets is about control, abuse of power and powerlessness, songs about anti-war, drug abuse, mental and personal turmoil - this isn't an album it is a classical demonstration of some of the most compelling heavy metal music ever written.

Go listen to Master of Puppets - from start to end - it is a 10/10 album. The worst thing about this album is that it ends. 100% masterpiece.

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason

Cover-to-cover, these are the best albums per genre I can think of, with very few to no misses.

https://youtu.be/2UnWZMsTwHA?si=3eWWL9TLBh0h7dgR

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory - best nu metal

For a debut album, few are as good as Hybrid Theory. Starting with Papercut right through to Pushing Me Away, I loved every second of angst, rap, and decks. It certainly defined my childhood. Part of me prefers Meteora since it was basically the same but more refined. The two albums back-to-back are some of the best songs in nu metal history. Korn, Deftones, and Limp Bizkit fans might disagree...

https://youtu.be/rg9wICDu42g?list=PL-P_Cl6T1BC7h9TRxvbi3mBMVdh4XQGOL

Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal - best metalcore

From the memes of Sandpit Turtle in the Metal Gear Solid-named song Shadow Moses to the chart-topping Can You Feel My Heart, Sempiternal brought metalcore to the masses. The blend of vocal fry screams with more mature rock instrumentals behind them showed the band had truly grown up. This was the moment I fell in love with the group, and very few songs after this miss.

https://youtu.be/wQjPuUqj7_g?si=xDnT7udTWaA2OpYV

Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony - best post-grunge

Some might argue Phobia by the same band, and they wouldn't be wrong. I just think Dear Agony has a greater percentage of songs that hit. Without You closes it out in a fantastically energetic fashion that I'm not used to.

https://youtu.be/keMBtyjYUPQ?list=PLzLnsw-yVvLhEX0VIpNj8qCVrJ4JM5Kno

Starset - Divisions - best electronic rock

A band that calls itself Science Rock, every song delves into how technology can either enhance or destroy us. The whole of Divisions is wonderful, but I've highlighted Perfect Machine because, in my eyes, it's from the perspective of a corporation and its relationship with customers. It's even framed as though it's from an AI's perspective with its sound.

"Lay your heart into my perfect machine I will show you what you wanted to see Just a mirror 'til I get what I need The reverie was not of me You never saw nothing Never saw nothing"

To the usual person, this represents a generic toxic relationship. To me, this chorus shows how advertisements fool you into clicking, selling you a lie until you buy. The level of depth in each song is truly wonderful.

https://youtu.be/vpGaal1BS_8?si=RafddY2mw9LYXOFn

Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood - best concept album

Metalcore for the most part, but also chucking some general rock and showtunes in there for good measure, Welcome to Horrorwood stands out because of its underlying concept. Much like the first one, each song is directly inspired by a horror movie. While the original takes from more iconic series like A Nightmare on Elm Street, this one simply has a better flow to most of its songs.

They can get pretty heavy and screamy at times, but I've chosen the lightest and most enjoyable song in the video above. Bonus points if you can guess the inspiration without looking at the comments. It's part of a playlist if anyone wants to run through the whole album, though.

Lanah Tyra's avatar
Lanah Tyra

Queen - A Kind of Magic

For me a great album is where I don't want to skip songs , where I can just listen to it from first track to the last, as it has been put together by the artist.

There are many great Queen albums with a couple or more songs on them which are my favourites, but I think this album really stands out for me as almost every song is on my Best of Queen list.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0pEfDPZko6TnNOgrZMe5nn?highlight=spotify:track:5RYLa5P4qweEAKq5U1gdcK

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

"White Pony" by Deftones

My selection for one of the greatest albums in rock history is "White Pony" by Deftones. This album is a pivotal point in the evolution of the nu-metal genre. It's widely regarded as the album that transcended the boundaries of nu metal, introducing a more sophisticated, experimental sound that was ahead of its time.

"White Pony" showcases the Deftones' unique ability to blend aggressive metal with atmospheric, dreamlike melodies. This combination creates a sound that's both visceral and ethereal, capturing a wide range of emotions. The albumā€™s lyrical depth, exploring themes of love, pain, and introspection, offers a more mature perspective compared to much of the nu-metal at the time.

"White Pony" also received critical acclaim for its artistic vision and is often cited as one of the best albums of the 2000s.

The album's innovative approach influenced countless bands and helped to reshape the landscape of heavy music in the early 2000s. Tracks like"Digital Bath" are not only fan favorites but also exemplify the band's distinctive sound ā€“ a fusion of heavy riffs, atmospheric textures, and Chino Moreno's dynamic vocal range.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tmPBuSpmfA

Roo's avatar
Roo
Sturmer

I adore White Pony. The beat on Digital Bath is iconic. I remember taking it to my drum tutor when I was 15 and him rolling his eyes at the prospect of having to teach me such a complex beat šŸ˜‚

All that said, a lot of the lyrics don't stand up to today's standards. Digital Bath and Knife Party in particular are awfully mysogynistic. Strong contenders for inclusion in this book:

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/35887498

mar1gold 's avatar
mar1gold
Sturmer

i LOVE white pony

mar1gold 's avatar
mar1gold

I'd have to say Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the moon

I wouldn't listen to this album as background music - some tracks are a bit intense for that. I love to sit down and fully listen to this album. It's fun because each time I feel I notice something new that was smartly done with the composition.

I feel like it's a bit of a cliche to like this album so much, but i really love it and think it definitely deserves all the hype it gets.

My favourite songs are time and great gig in the sky (they lead on from one another and I never listen to these songs just by themselves). They're both just epic (for lack of a better word hehehe)

Roo's avatar
Roo
mar1gold

Great Gig in the Sky is my favourite track too šŸ™

Have you ever heard the Easy Star All Stars cover album of Dark Side? It sounds awful on paper (the whole album covered in a reggae style) but the cover of Great Gig in the Sky is amazing!

https://youtu.be/jBL_Kte-KpE?feature=shared

mar1gold 's avatar
mar1gold
Roo

oooo no i'll check it out!

Jenna 's avatar
Jenna

Id have to say Foo Fighters- The Colour and the Shape. My mom had this album when I was younger and every time we go for a drive sheā€™d play it. She had more, but this one I really remember. I remember absolutely loving the song ā€œEverlongā€. Id have to say this is what started my obsession with rock music and what made me want more. This kind of music was so peaceful to listen to, if thatā€™s makes sense. Foo Fighters will always have a special place in my heart honestly. Iā€™ll never forget the days me and mom would just be out driving anywhere, blasting her favorite songs.

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar
FirestormGamingTeam

Simple Answer For Me!

Blink-182 ā€“ Enema of the State - College was hard for me, I'm from the UK and most kids start college at 16, I took my GCSE's a year early and started at 15, I was the odd kid out, and couldn't legally smoke, was never invited to parties because of my age and had to have an adult with me from the second I got off the bus to the second I got back on it.

Blink 182, Mini Disk Player, was my music to block out all the stares and whispers. Really helped me get through my first year of college.

Retro Stu's avatar
Retro Stu

For me there are fewer albums that show the guts, the passion and the vision to deliver something out of their comfort zone and outside of the stereotypical norms for the time than Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins.

Let me get this out of the way now - I know Billy Corgan's vocals are like nails on a chalkboard for some, but the man knew how to write a hook. Live versions of songs like Zero or An Ode to No One are delivered with an angst and ferocity that still give me goosebumps today. The album starts with an instrumental piano track before launching into the extravagant strings of Tonight, Tonight. When I first borrowed this album from my sister, I barely got to the end of track 2 before rewinding the tape to start over again.

This album was a gateway for me, the band inspiring my band at the age of 16, so much so we did 3 covers from this album at our first ever live show.

In the mid 90s, alt rock bands weren't expected to deliver such grand albums as this. The album consisting of 2 cassettes, or 2 CDs or 3 LPs depending on your medium of choice, had 28 songs but over 50 were written for it. There's a wide range of instrumentation and skill on show. From the angrier, distorted tracks to the more dreamy and prog rock influenced numbers.

For a band to go above and beyond what was expected of them at this time could be considered pretentious and tantamount to career suicide if received poorly. For me though, I think pretentious is the wrong term. It's subjective and when I was in a band I'd listen to my songs all the time, not because of any misplaced sense of inflated ego but because I loved what I was making. If you can't love and enjoy what you create then why bother? So pretentious? No. Indulgent? Most definitely. The longer more avant garde tracks may not be my favourites but they combine to bring together an absolute labour of love from a band at the peak of their powers who decided to buck the trends and make something huge.

Billy Corgan may not have aged particularly well with questionable views on things, but as a snapshot in time, this album is testament to the skill and passion he and the rest of the band once had.

mar1gold 's avatar
mar1gold
Retro Stu

i LOVE this album <3

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