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Must Have Albums
from the UT Collection. |
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Ever been asked the rather stupid question, “If you were stuck on a desert island, which of your CDs would you miss the most?” Well, neither have I, but if someone did, I have managed to reduce my answer from a rather extensive list of discs to the following 25. These are presented below in alphabetical order, according to the band or artist, to save me the headache of trying to rank them: 1. Anthrax, Sound of White Noise. A truly awesome album from the band that gets 50% of the credit for first mixing metal and rap (along with Public Enemy) back in the 80s. But there are no traces of rap here – just thrash metal at its best. 2. Black Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. This was rather difficult to decide, as the first six Sabbath albums with Ozzy are all nothing less than legendary. But in the end, Sabbath itself’s vote as this being their best album convinced me. 3. Nativity in Black, A Tribute to Black Sabbath, Vol. I. If you don’t know this, you have missed out on some of the best metal you will ever hear: Bands like White Zombie, Megadeth, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Type O Negative, Sepultura, and Faith No More doing Sabbath songs. Any questions? 4. Cradle of Filth, Dusk and Her Embrace. My favourite album from the English Black Metal Masters. Evil as sin and absolutely awesome – lyrically, musically, and artistically. 5. Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction. If I need to explain, you have been stuck way too long on a desert island already! 6. Iced Earth, Something Wicked This Way Comes. Pure (melodic) thrash metal. The best album brought forward by the Tampa Florida act thus far – this one practically lives in my CD-player. If the master riffing from Jon Schaffer doesn’t get you, the almost incomparable vocals of Matthew Barlow will. And that’s a guarantee. 7. Iron Maiden, Best of the Beast. Eddie would go. The best of Maiden with Dickinson up until “Fear of the Dark”. 8. Judas Priest, Metal Works. An awesome compilation that spans Priest’s entire career with Rob Halford. I first wanted to put down only “Painkiller” – my favourite Priest album – but that would not do justice to some of their earlier masterpieces. 9. L.A. Guns, Vicious Circle. My favourite album from one of my Top-Five bands. Pure L.A. rock at its best – great rock songs, and even greater ballads. 10. Machine Head, Burn My Eyes. If you think you have heard angry music, I have news for you. Test your strength of will by listening to this whilst being stuck in traffic... 11. Megadeth, Rust in Peace. Megadeth’s best album. This showed Maiden and Priest that Americans metal bands can also play double guitar solos. 12. Ministry, The mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste. My favourite Ministry album: pure industrial with real drums and real guitars. You can’t ask for much more. 13. Mötley Crüe, Decade of Decadence. The title sums up the Crüe’s career, and the album does nothing less than rock. This is what 80s rock was all about. 14. Nefilim, Zoon. There is not enough space here to explain the awesome and deadly power of this album (*mental note: do a column!*). 15. Ozzy Osbourne, Live & Loud. A double-live, post- “No More Tears” album from the early 90s. If Zakk and Randy Castillo are on fire here, then Ozzy is burning up. A true work of art, and thus a must have. 16. Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power. Pure Texan against-the-grain metal. And the title is very accurate. Enough said. 17. Pink Floyd, The Wall. I don’t think I need to say anything here. Really. 18. Rob Zombie, The Sinister Urge. Zombie’s second solo album and indeed a splendid effort. Track five features, and wait for it, Ozzy, Tommy Lee, Kerry King, and DJ Lethal. And this isn’t even the best track on the album! 19. Skid Row, Slave to the Grind. On this album, Sebastian Bach – one of the best voices in rock - and his boys showed just exactly how loud L.A. rock can be, while at the same time churning out three great ballads. 20. Slayer, Seasons in the Abyss. My favourite album from the people who, together with Venom, brought you the roots of all things truly evil. This album has depth, pace, melody, and grind – a combination some later albums lost. 21. Twisted Sister, Stay Hungry. Remember “We’re Not Gonna Take It” sowing the seeds of rebellion in the 80s? (I saw the documentary). Tipper Gore and the Parental Music Resource Centre (PMRC) hated this almost as much as they hated W.A.S.P, which makes it a have to have on my list. 22. Type O Negative, October Rust. This is regarded as (the giant) Pete Steele and his boys’ most commercial album, but I adore it. Solid Black Sabbath gothic roots, great songs. 23. W.A.S.P., First Blood Last Cuts. If I can’t take my complete W.A.S.P discography, I have to take a good compilation. This one spans their career from the beginning to “The Crimson Idol” (which I am sneaking in too but don’t tell anyone). I will go nowhere without Blackie Lawless. 24. White Zombie, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1. Before Rob Zombie started experimenting with sampling and other industrial-type sounds, him and three other nuts like him gave birth to a true piece of art of the New York metal-genre. Not only is this album awesome, but it has a great pic of Sean Yseult, which to me is the, uhm, most attractive, uhm, lady in (overseas) metal, ever (did I cover all the bases?). I used the little money I had for a Deep Purple ticket in 1994 to buy this album – and I am yet to regret it. 25. Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, Sonic Brew. I could truly not choose between this album, “Stronger than Death”, and “1919 Eternal”. Not to mention that the new one is on its way to me via airmail. So I chose with my eyes closed, and Ta Da! This album, BLS’s first, is absolute pure “alcohol-fueled brewtality”. And apart from having a vicious voice, my favourite axeman proves again and again why he has the one of the most coveted portfolios in metal. I admit, a rather extensive list, but even so, there are quite a few more that I would absolutely dread to lose. Nevertheless, if you are an aspiring metalhead/hard rock fan, this list may just put you well on your way. Having said that, I would like to conclude with a DISCLAIMER: Neither I, nor the S.A.B.P.C. accepts any responsibility, accountability, or liability for any or all ear damage, complaints from neighbours, neck injuries, brain damage, psychological trauma, internal bleeding, and/or arrests that may logically ensue from playing the above at the required volume. |
