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ferrumaeternum(As of now because there are plenty of great albums I still haven’t got around to listening to and more being created as I type.) In honor of my twentieth birthday coming up, I decided it would be fun to post my twenty favorite albums at the moment out of everything I’ve listened to so far, since music is the most influential constant in my life. These albums were chosen for consisting of nothing but well constructed songs: no filler. Also, compilations were not counted.
01. The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
It’s not anything new that I’m a die-hard Morrissey fan, but there must be a reason this album lands somewhere in every other music magazine’s top 20 albums of all time list. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride from the fury of the title track opener to the heart wrenching “I Know it’s Over” and “Never Had No One Ever” to the light-hearted “Cemetry Gates” and “Vicar in a Tutu”, filled with Morrissey’s rich, crooning vocals and Johnny Marr’s exquisite guitar rhythms and major and minor open chords in key signatures you wouldn’t expect in rock ‘n’ roll. This is true ‘80s indie alternative music at its finest and is quite frankly how I wish the genre still sounded these days: dark and uncertain yet undoubtedly lovely. This album ends with two of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard: “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” and “Some Girls are Bigger than Others”.
02. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Produced by Andy Warhol, it’s not surprising this is not only an art rock staple, but a classic and one of the most influential rock ‘n’ roll albums. There is something positively primal about this album from Lou Reed’s vocal attack and ostrich guitar to John Cale’s viola and plenty of tambourine-shaking in between. “I’m Waiting for the Man”, “Run, Run, Run”, and “There She Goes Again” perfectly capture the essence of rock music. Nico’s deep, haunting voice in “Femme Fatale”, and “I’ll Be Your Mirror” creates instant ‘60s pop hits. Songs like “Venus in Furs”, “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, and “Heroin” give a trance-like psychedelic glimpse into what it may have been like to live in excess as a Warhol Factory Superstar.
03. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Do I really need to say anything about this one? If you haven’t heard it, take care of that. Now. In a nutshell: space-themed glam rock concept album about a Martian who comes to save the world, lives a life of stardom and excess, and is ultimately destroyed by his lifestyle as well as his own fans. Some of this album’s gems include “Moonage Daydream”, “Starman”, “Lady Stardust”, “Suffragette City”, and of course “Ziggy Stardust”, all with the combination of acoustic and electric guitar. Classic ‘70s glam rock best listened to on 78 rpm vinyl while dancing around your bedroom.
04. Depeche Mode – Violator
Blending new wave, synthpop, and alternative rock, Violator had a unique sound all of its own. Dave Gahan’s dark and seductive vocals filled with emotion have a clarity so intense it seems unnatural. …Which fits in perfectly with an album with music made mainly by machines. The only songs that have any parts that focus on guitar are “Personal Jesus” and “Policy of Truth”. Otherwise, the traditional rock ‘n’ roll instrument takes a backseat to Martin Gore’s mastery of the synth and keyboard. As cliché as it is, the only two words I can think of to describe this album are dark and beautiful, which certainly is an understatement! If you haven’t listened to Violator, please remedy that as soon as possible.
05. Morrissey – Your Arsenal
This is the fourth album from the Mozzer after the Smiths disbanded in ’87 and he began his successful solo career. Morrissey trades in his usual pop sound for more driving alternative rock tunes with a couple of rockabilly-influenced ones in the mix as well (“You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side”, “Certain People I Know”). Although this album goes in a bit of a different direction, there are still songs that could be mistaken for something done by The Smiths, such as “Seasick, Yet Still Docked”. Morrissey also still kept his old-fashioned Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin, anti-rock ‘n’ roll croon, his quiff, and brought about more political and social awareness followed by quite a bit of controversy.
06. Howard Shore – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: The Lord of the Rings
Fan bias aside, Shore gives John Williams a swift roundhouse kick to the face. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about (or so I like to think). I played several of these songs in a medley on flute for band while I was in high school. However, my town has the highest-rated band in our age range in the country, so we actually did it justice. As someone who studied classical music for years, I have a deep appreciation of his work. Howard Shore’s score perfectly captures the beauty of Tolkien’s written word as well as the ethereal cinematography in Peter Jackson’s film. Every song is lush and gorgeous without being cheesy or too repetitive. Some of my favorites include "Lothlórien" featuring the entrancing and exotic vocals of the ever-amazing Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, "The Great River", "Amon Hen", "The Breaking of the Fellowship", "The Steward of Gondor", "Twilight and Shadow", "Anduril", "The Return of the King", "The Grey Havens", "Farewell to Lórien", "Foundations of Stone", "The Riders of Rohan", "The King of the Golden Hall", "Evenstar", "Breath of Life", "The Hornburg", and "Forth Eorlingas". If it isn't painfully obvious by now that I love all things Elven, especially the Lórien realm, I should mention that Annie Lennox from Eurythmics contributes her dynamic voice to "Into the West", which is about the journey to the Undying Lands.
07. Ensiferum – Ensiferum
Pagan folk metal from Finland with several songs based off the Kalevala. Their first full-length album from back when Jari Mäenpää, one of modern metal’s most talented composers, was in the band. What’s not to love about this guy? Positively feral growling and contrasting rich, deep, clean vocals with insane rhythmic fretwork on electric (“Guardians of Fate”, “Windrider”, “Treacherous Gods”, “Battle Song”, “Goblins’ Dance”), lovely acoustic folk tunes (“Abandoned”, “Eternal Wait”), and equal combinations of both (“Hero in a Dream”, “Token of Time”, “Old Man”, “Little Dreamer”), and lyrics so descriptive and poetic one would never guess English wasn’t his first language.
08. Týr – Eric the Red
More pagan folk metal, this time from the Faroe Islands and with all clean vocals. This band is a bit more technically interesting with uncommon time signatures, time changes, and overall song structure. The lyrics for this album include English, Faroese, and Danish. And it’s got a killer cover of the classic Scottish drinking song “The Wild Rover”, and the remastered edition includes “Hail to the Hammer”, their tribute to Thor and possibly their most famous song that will make any heathen metalhead raise their fist and sing along.
09. Turisas – Battle Metal
Back to Finland with even more pagan folk metal, but with more symphonic, power metal, and viking elements, violin, and accordion. The band itself is quite a sight: chain mail, furs, leather, black and red war paint, and swords. Like the previous two albums, this one is no less epic from its intro complete with symphony and chorus of Latin vocals to songs fit for a Viking army before battle to ballads to tunes for feasting and drinking, and a heroic finish. Every song is strong enough to stand on its own, and together makes for one damn impressive album. Although not as intimidating as Jari’s growl, Warlord Nygård uses a combination of harsh, clean, and spoken vocals that bring a sense of foreboding and mystery to the album.
10. Blind Guardian – Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Queen fan? Check. Tolkien fanatic? Check. The Lord of the Rings nerdiness continues with this power metal concept album based off The Simarillion. I know I said good, solid albums don’t have filler tracks, but every other song is part of the novel being read and/or sound effects and short tunes that are an important part of the concept and give the listener a feel for the story, despite being so short. Regardless, the epic glory of the longer songs are enough to make up for any “fillers”. Complex, clean, layered guitars, clear, powerful, overdubbed vocals with a range to rival Freddie Mercury’s and plenty of synth make this album appealing to both glam rockers, metalheads, and those of us who know what the Kinslaying was all about.
The next ten will be coming up shortly, which feature ethereal shoegaze, pounding post-punk, political punk rock, brooding dark folk rock, and naturally more alternative and metal from Europe.
01. The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
It’s not anything new that I’m a die-hard Morrissey fan, but there must be a reason this album lands somewhere in every other music magazine’s top 20 albums of all time list. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride from the fury of the title track opener to the heart wrenching “I Know it’s Over” and “Never Had No One Ever” to the light-hearted “Cemetry Gates” and “Vicar in a Tutu”, filled with Morrissey’s rich, crooning vocals and Johnny Marr’s exquisite guitar rhythms and major and minor open chords in key signatures you wouldn’t expect in rock ‘n’ roll. This is true ‘80s indie alternative music at its finest and is quite frankly how I wish the genre still sounded these days: dark and uncertain yet undoubtedly lovely. This album ends with two of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard: “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” and “Some Girls are Bigger than Others”.
02. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Produced by Andy Warhol, it’s not surprising this is not only an art rock staple, but a classic and one of the most influential rock ‘n’ roll albums. There is something positively primal about this album from Lou Reed’s vocal attack and ostrich guitar to John Cale’s viola and plenty of tambourine-shaking in between. “I’m Waiting for the Man”, “Run, Run, Run”, and “There She Goes Again” perfectly capture the essence of rock music. Nico’s deep, haunting voice in “Femme Fatale”, and “I’ll Be Your Mirror” creates instant ‘60s pop hits. Songs like “Venus in Furs”, “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, and “Heroin” give a trance-like psychedelic glimpse into what it may have been like to live in excess as a Warhol Factory Superstar.
03. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Do I really need to say anything about this one? If you haven’t heard it, take care of that. Now. In a nutshell: space-themed glam rock concept album about a Martian who comes to save the world, lives a life of stardom and excess, and is ultimately destroyed by his lifestyle as well as his own fans. Some of this album’s gems include “Moonage Daydream”, “Starman”, “Lady Stardust”, “Suffragette City”, and of course “Ziggy Stardust”, all with the combination of acoustic and electric guitar. Classic ‘70s glam rock best listened to on 78 rpm vinyl while dancing around your bedroom.
04. Depeche Mode – Violator
Blending new wave, synthpop, and alternative rock, Violator had a unique sound all of its own. Dave Gahan’s dark and seductive vocals filled with emotion have a clarity so intense it seems unnatural. …Which fits in perfectly with an album with music made mainly by machines. The only songs that have any parts that focus on guitar are “Personal Jesus” and “Policy of Truth”. Otherwise, the traditional rock ‘n’ roll instrument takes a backseat to Martin Gore’s mastery of the synth and keyboard. As cliché as it is, the only two words I can think of to describe this album are dark and beautiful, which certainly is an understatement! If you haven’t listened to Violator, please remedy that as soon as possible.
05. Morrissey – Your Arsenal
This is the fourth album from the Mozzer after the Smiths disbanded in ’87 and he began his successful solo career. Morrissey trades in his usual pop sound for more driving alternative rock tunes with a couple of rockabilly-influenced ones in the mix as well (“You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side”, “Certain People I Know”). Although this album goes in a bit of a different direction, there are still songs that could be mistaken for something done by The Smiths, such as “Seasick, Yet Still Docked”. Morrissey also still kept his old-fashioned Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin, anti-rock ‘n’ roll croon, his quiff, and brought about more political and social awareness followed by quite a bit of controversy.
06. Howard Shore – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: The Lord of the Rings
Fan bias aside, Shore gives John Williams a swift roundhouse kick to the face. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about (or so I like to think). I played several of these songs in a medley on flute for band while I was in high school. However, my town has the highest-rated band in our age range in the country, so we actually did it justice. As someone who studied classical music for years, I have a deep appreciation of his work. Howard Shore’s score perfectly captures the beauty of Tolkien’s written word as well as the ethereal cinematography in Peter Jackson’s film. Every song is lush and gorgeous without being cheesy or too repetitive. Some of my favorites include "Lothlórien" featuring the entrancing and exotic vocals of the ever-amazing Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, "The Great River", "Amon Hen", "The Breaking of the Fellowship", "The Steward of Gondor", "Twilight and Shadow", "Anduril", "The Return of the King", "The Grey Havens", "Farewell to Lórien", "Foundations of Stone", "The Riders of Rohan", "The King of the Golden Hall", "Evenstar", "Breath of Life", "The Hornburg", and "Forth Eorlingas". If it isn't painfully obvious by now that I love all things Elven, especially the Lórien realm, I should mention that Annie Lennox from Eurythmics contributes her dynamic voice to "Into the West", which is about the journey to the Undying Lands.
07. Ensiferum – Ensiferum
Pagan folk metal from Finland with several songs based off the Kalevala. Their first full-length album from back when Jari Mäenpää, one of modern metal’s most talented composers, was in the band. What’s not to love about this guy? Positively feral growling and contrasting rich, deep, clean vocals with insane rhythmic fretwork on electric (“Guardians of Fate”, “Windrider”, “Treacherous Gods”, “Battle Song”, “Goblins’ Dance”), lovely acoustic folk tunes (“Abandoned”, “Eternal Wait”), and equal combinations of both (“Hero in a Dream”, “Token of Time”, “Old Man”, “Little Dreamer”), and lyrics so descriptive and poetic one would never guess English wasn’t his first language.
08. Týr – Eric the Red
More pagan folk metal, this time from the Faroe Islands and with all clean vocals. This band is a bit more technically interesting with uncommon time signatures, time changes, and overall song structure. The lyrics for this album include English, Faroese, and Danish. And it’s got a killer cover of the classic Scottish drinking song “The Wild Rover”, and the remastered edition includes “Hail to the Hammer”, their tribute to Thor and possibly their most famous song that will make any heathen metalhead raise their fist and sing along.
09. Turisas – Battle Metal
Back to Finland with even more pagan folk metal, but with more symphonic, power metal, and viking elements, violin, and accordion. The band itself is quite a sight: chain mail, furs, leather, black and red war paint, and swords. Like the previous two albums, this one is no less epic from its intro complete with symphony and chorus of Latin vocals to songs fit for a Viking army before battle to ballads to tunes for feasting and drinking, and a heroic finish. Every song is strong enough to stand on its own, and together makes for one damn impressive album. Although not as intimidating as Jari’s growl, Warlord Nygård uses a combination of harsh, clean, and spoken vocals that bring a sense of foreboding and mystery to the album.
10. Blind Guardian – Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Queen fan? Check. Tolkien fanatic? Check. The Lord of the Rings nerdiness continues with this power metal concept album based off The Simarillion. I know I said good, solid albums don’t have filler tracks, but every other song is part of the novel being read and/or sound effects and short tunes that are an important part of the concept and give the listener a feel for the story, despite being so short. Regardless, the epic glory of the longer songs are enough to make up for any “fillers”. Complex, clean, layered guitars, clear, powerful, overdubbed vocals with a range to rival Freddie Mercury’s and plenty of synth make this album appealing to both glam rockers, metalheads, and those of us who know what the Kinslaying was all about.
The next ten will be coming up shortly, which feature ethereal shoegaze, pounding post-punk, political punk rock, brooding dark folk rock, and naturally more alternative and metal from Europe.
