Lonestar's Top 50 Album Thread v 2.0 - #1!!!!!!!!!!

[jingle.boy]

I think I got 3 more that would fall in the power metal blast radius, but Gloryhammer is definitely the purest of the batch.

Jingle is well familiar with all 3...

hhhhmmm... I'm pretty sure I can guess two of them off the top of my head.  Those Italians make some great power metal.  Now, what might the third be ?? ??

[twosuitsluke]

Just finishing up the Aeternam. This was alright. Nothing particularly groundbreaking but I'll save it on a playlist to revist. I can totally see them supporting Orphaned Land, that makes perfect sense. I don't fully hear Amorphis in their sound, but kinda see where you are coming from. I fully agree about the album artwork, this has a really cool cover.

[TAC]

I actually Saved the Aeternam in my Spotify library when it came out. It's quite tasty.

Gloryhammer? Did The Walrus rejoin DTF??

[twosuitsluke]

I actually Saved the Aeternam in my Spotify library when it came out. It's quite tasty.

Gloryhammer? Did The Walrus rejoin DTF??

We can only wish! Most of my more recent power metal sampling was due to his top 50. If I could bring back anyone to this forum...

[lonestar]

I think I got 3 more that would fall in the power metal blast radius, but Gloryhammer is definitely the purest of the batch.

Jingle is well familiar with all 3...

hhhhmmm... I'm pretty sure I can guess two of them off the top of my head.  Those Italians make some great power metal.  Now, what might the third be ?? ??

You probably nailed the two, the third is more international in flavor

Just finishing up the Aeternam. This was alright. Nothing particularly groundbreaking but I'll save it on a playlist to revist. I can totally see them supporting Orphaned Land, that makes perfect sense. I don't fully hear Amorphis in their sound, but kinda see where you are coming from. I fully agree about the album artwork, this has a really cool cover.

All their artwork is that cool. I may break down and just order a shirt online to have it.

[twosuitsluke]

Gloryhammer...



This is certainly some power metal

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I'm kind of digging "Magic Dragon".  Some old 90s Stratovarius vibes, sort of "Black Diamond"-esque. 

Edit:  Hah, and pausing it briefly to cue that up next for nostalgia, I managed to stop it in a spot where it does that thing where it sounds like the beat is reversed, with the snare on the downbeat.  Fun for a moment, and then the instrument pause for the vocals to bring in the final chorus switched it back around in my ears. 

[senecadawg2]

1/2 so far for me. It's been a while since I listened to Gloryhammer, but I had this album on repeat a lot back when I first discovered them. Really fun stuff.

[lonestar]

#48 Kaipa- Vittjar (2012)





This one I got as a submission for review, one of many situations where I went into the album completely blind, the only name connected with it that I recognized was Per Nilsson. Kaipa is full on prog rock, as proggy as they come. The album is a buffet of instrumental noodling, pretentiously deep lyrics, and all the other trappings that we nerds love about prog that normal society ridicules us for. It's all there, and done very, very well. I think the difference between Kaipa and other prog bands is that there's a certain playfullness about what they do, they're having so much fun creating their music, and it shows so well in the final product. Per's guitar work is by far the highlight of this album, it's loaded with brilliance beginning to end. The other highlight is Aleena Gibson's vocals, she brings that playful element to the album, and really makes the work stand out. For anyone heavy into prog, it's worth checking out, unfortunately, this specific album only has the opening track available on Youtube. Their subequent album Sattyg is on Spotify, but it just didn't shine as brightly as Vittjar.

Favorite tracks- Our Silent Ballroom Band, Treasure House, Light Blue and Green

Here's the opening track, it shows some of what I'm talking about, and displays a bit of Per's playing as well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFiG-pv-8s&ab_channel=thehillcefis

[wolfking]

Such an incredible guitar player.  What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.

[jingle.boy]

I'm pretty sure you pimped Our Silent Ballroom Band on me in a roulette (just checked .. yup, and it ranked #2 in the round you gave it to me).  Great track.  I probably never checked them further if they weren't on Spotify - while a great tune, I wasn't wow'd enough to make it an instant purchase.  They've got more than a few albums on Spotify, but as you said, not this one 

[lonestar]

Such an incredible guitar player.  What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.

He truly is amazing. Definitely is a niche band though. I got some offerings way more up your alley coming up bud, #45 in particular should make you pretty happy me thinks.

[lonestar]

#47 Karnya- Coverin' Thoughts (2013)





Ok Kade, this should be more your flavor me thinks....My first offering from a wave of Italian prog/power metal bands that took over a good deal of my listening time in the early parts of the last decade, this album was another blind submission for review to the webzine. Upon receiving, I think this one held me rapt for a good 3 months, and still gets revisited from time to time, though I don't feel it has the strength it once did, it's still quite excellent. The strength is the relentless riffage, deep and hard, but still holding a proggy edge to it. Vocals are powerful, though they do have that Italian power metal band accent to them. Overall, an outstanding album, and a shame the band never followed through with anything else. This one is also not on Spotify, but a few tracks are on YouTube, and it is on Apple Music, though I have no fucking clue how that works 

Favorite tracks- this one is pretty strong beginning to end, but these stand out...Flooding Blood, Where the Silence Remains, A Paraphreniac Menticide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F94VD2mzXhA&ab_channel=karnyaband

[ReaperKK]

So far nothing I've heard before but I'm going to start chipping away at these albums tomorrow.

[lonestar]

So far nothing I've heard before but I'm going to start chipping away at these albums tomorrow.

I think because I'm not using any bands from my first list, and actually going with bands I discovered after 2010ish, nothing pre-that era will be on the list. This is more focusing on what I've learned lately as opposed to what I grew up with. Granted, some DTF heavyweights will be showing up, but there's a few of one and done bands like Karnya, and bands that were blind submission or purchases that really kicked my ass.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I'm not familiar with Karnya, so I'll have to investigate them. 

Such an incredible guitar player.  What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.

He truly is amazing. Definitely is a niche band though.

He has an argument for my favorite guitarist.  Incredible that the same guy can play in both Kaipa and in Meshuggah.  It's astonishing that he can balance the Holdsworth soloing style perfectly between technicality and catchiness, with immaculate phrasing.  And Kaipa is one of my favorite prog rock bands, both their new and old material.  He really elevates the albums in the past decade and a half. 

[Puppies_On_Acid]

I'm not familiar with Karnya, so I'll have to investigate them. 

Such an incredible guitar player.  What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.

He truly is amazing. Definitely is a niche band though.

He has an argument for my favorite guitarist.  Incredible that the same guy can play in both Kaipa and in Meshuggah.  It's astonishing that he can balance the Holdsworth soloing style perfectly between technicality and catchiness, with immaculate phrasing.  And Kaipa is one of my favorite prog rock bands, both their new and old material.  He really elevates the albums in the past decade and a half.

I was about to say Per Nilsson isn't in Meshuggah, but I forgot that he played live with them for a while. He is also amazing in Scar Symmetry. 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots).  Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work.  But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic.  Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though.  Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery. 

[lonestar]

I never knew he did time with Meshuggah, I'll have to dig into that.

[TAC]

That Karnya album is outstanding!

[twosuitsluke]

Listening to Vittjar now. Bloody hell, you're not wasting any time with this thread are you!

[lonestar]

Listening to Vittjar now. Bloody hell, you're not wasting any time with this thread are you!

I got tons of spare time right now... Looking to do 2 a day while on vacation

[twosuitsluke]

Listening to Vittjar now. Bloody hell, you're not wasting any time with this thread are you!

I got tons of spare time right now... Looking to do 2 a day while on vacation

Well I'm trying to keep up with all the albums, and post my opinions. If you could post some I already know, that'd be great! 

[HOF]

The only band I've heard so far is Kaipa, and that only the 70s stuff with Roine (Solo is a really good album).

[twosuitsluke]

The only band I've heard so far is Kaipa, and that only the 70s stuff with Roine (Solo is a really good album).

I thought I'd heard Kaipa, turns out I was thinking of Kauan 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

That's almost as bad as confusing Opeth and Otep. 

[lonestar]

 

[wolfking]

Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight.  Never heard these guys before.

[wolfking]

Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots).  Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work.  But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic.  Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though.  Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.

HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time.  Just incredible.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots).  Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work.  But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic.  Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though.  Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.

HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time.  Just incredible.

Agreed 

[twosuitsluke]

Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots).  Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work.  But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic.  Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though.  Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.

HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time.  Just incredible.

Agreed 

It's the only Scar Symmetry album I know, but hot damn it's great.

It's bookended by the two best tracks, Deus Ex Machina being the best. It's a thing of beauty.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

My favorites from it have kind of leveled out over time, and at this point  over half the tracks on it have arguments as my favorite.  The title track is nuts, easily the proggiest thing they'd done to that point. 

[twosuitsluke]

My favorites from it have kind of leveled out over time, and at this point  over half the tracks on it have arguments as my favorite.  The title track is nuts, easily the proggiest thing they'd done to that point.

Guess I'll be listening to the album tomorrow!

For those participating in my roulette, and are looking to send songs with great solos (which can really sell a song to me) the solo in Deus Ex Machina, that starts at like 3:53, is a great example! It starts all slow and melodic and builds to a shred fest    Kade, you tried sending that song I think, so I know you know what you're about...

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I mean, I sent you a song with Per soloing on it, but you weren't blown away.  And it's the same guy.    Maybe I picked too restrained a track. 

[twosuitsluke]

I mean, I sent you a song with Per soloing on it, but you weren't blown away.  And it's the same guy.    Maybe I picked too restrained a track.

You've probably picked up on this dude, but my problem is really my inability to fully explain why I like something    it makes it harder for you guys, I know.

I can say whether I like or don't like something but know I am terrible at explaining why. It's easily the thing I find hardest about roulettes. Making time to listen, and scoring is easy, it's making sense of that in a damn write up.