Tool - Ænema (1996)

I was in junior high when Tool’s Ænima hit both the airwaves and stores in September of 1996.  Up to that point I was still trying to find my musical identity.  I knew it wasn’t as a fan of pop and hip hop styled music.  I had always gravitated towards rock with some of my early interests being Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses.  I was also getting into punk rock and was enjoying the likes of Operation Ivy and NOFX.  Tool was different.

I had heard some songs and seen a few videos for Tool before Ænima.  “Sober” and “Prison Sex” were uncommon plays on local rock stations and the band had established a following.  Interestingly, it seems like both of those songs would become more popular with the success of Tool’s third album (though second full-length) Ænima.

My first experience with Ænima was the title track.  It was a modest hit across the airwaves even in its butchered, censored form.  From its opening not quite grunge but not quite metal guitar riff to the tribal drum beats and Maynard’s grunts, it’s a song almost designed to incite a riot.  Mid-way through the tempo changes up and the script the song appeared to be following is abandoned.  This is not a typical radio song.  Maynard lists off the things he despises about the LA culture as the song builds towards its climax.  And just when it builds the listener to a froth it abruptly ends.  I can remember feeling out of breath the first few times I heard the song.  It was like a drug.  And much to my delight, the song Ænima provided just a taste of what was included on the LP.

My best friend would get the album before me and we would listen to it on repeat.

Pretentious, brilliant, and yet unafraid to inject humor into the mix. That's Tool.

We’d laugh as the humorous moments and rock out to the head-banging tracks.  It was not long before I was able to scrounge up enough cash to get my own copy.  Since it’s become a favorite of mine.  I own everything Tool has put out and I don’t think the band has ever come close to matching the perfection of Ænima.  Opitate was a good introduction for the band and Undertow let the world know that this was a band that could not be dismissed.  Ænima cemented Tool’s reputation as one of the top acts in its genre, be that hard rock or metal.  Since then, Tool has gone in a different direction.  This isn’t surprising as none of Tool’s albums sound the same, though the most recent two, Lateralus and 10,000 Days, are the most alike.

At any rate, Ænima combines the best elements of Tool to create a perfect album.  There are dirty, crunchy riffs along with clean melodious moments.  Frontman Maynard James Keenan’s vocals are as dynamic as they come.  Subtle and cryptic, soaring and beautiful, distorted and angry, aggressive and direct.  This duality serves the band well and adds a layer of mystique and danger to everything  the band does.  None of the topics seem safe.  The title track yearns for armageddon, “Eulogy” crucifies a martyr with not-so subtle jabs at Scientology, “Pushit” describes a relationship seemingly destined to end in a murder-suicide, and even a simple filler track, “Die Eier von Satan,” tricks the audience into thinking it’s listening to a Nazi rally.  This, of course, is the band’s brand of humor taking center stage as in reality it’s a Hitler sound-a-like (Marko Fox) reading off a recipe for cookies.

One never knows what Maynard will look like when attending a live show.

The subject matter of the songs is really a post all its own.  The rhythms provided by drummer Danny Carey are complex and off-time leading to the album’s sense of unease.  Guitarist Adam Jones’ work on the album is vital to its success.  Sometimes credited along with Maynard as the creative force behind Tool, he weaves a tapestry of taste and aggression.  The guitar finds the right tone, the right mood, in every song and either works in sync with the drumming and bass or in contrast to create something unique all its own.  Jones avoids flash without being understated.  Tool proves with Ænima that it’s a fully functioning band with no one component drowning out the other.

When it all comes down to it, Ænima is a hard album to pick a top track from.  Everything on this album is designed to work with one another.  From the simplest segue to the abum’s bloated close, “Third Eye.”  It’s an album designed to be listened to from track one through fifteen.  It’s a colossal, roller-coaster of an album, and if I am to simply exclude personal taste and affection, it’s the top album from the 1990’s.

Top Tracks

• Eulogy
• H.
• Ænima

Children of Bodom: Hatebreeder (1999)

Children of Bodom burst onto the extreme metal scene in 1997.  After getting onto the bill as a support act for Dimmu Borgir, Bodom was able to draw major label interest from Nuclear Blast who would soon agree to distribute their demo LP, Something Wild.  The album would prove to be a modest success but the seed had been planted and by the release of their second album, Hatebreeder, Children of Bodom was a popular name in heavy metal circles.

Hatebreeder was released in 1999 and was met with great success in their native Finalnd, as well as in other parts of Europe.  Children of Bodom have released four full-length albums since, with a fifth due out in March, to critical acclaim and increased popularity but have not come close to eclipsing their sophomore effort.

Bodom, as it was constructed during the "Hatebreeder" years.

Hatebreeder represents a technical fury of speed and melody.  The actual sub-genre that Bodom fits into has never been clearly defined.  Metal is of course noteworthy for having numerous and excessive amounts of sub-genres and Bodom has been labeled as melodic, neo-classical, death, black, and probably others I’m forgetting.  Their exact genre is not important, most fans of heavy metal can get into this record.

The main selling point for Bodom is the guitar playing of frontman Alexi Laiho and the keyboards of Janne Wirman.  Laiho combines the best aspects of Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen to create his signature sound.  Complicated leads and blistering solos are not uncommon, but he also knows when to focus on melody over speed lending a bit of taste to the guitars on the record.  Wirman is the perfect complement to Laiho as his keys contain the same technical bliss as the guitars.  Some of the album’s best moments involve Laiho and Wirman trading off leads or playing in sync with one another.

The rest of the band proves functional and gets the job done.  The only drawback for some on the album are the lyrics and vocals.  The lyrics, from what is decipherable, are mostly metal cheese and Laiho’s vocals are the growling kind associated with extreme metal.  His vocals are even lower on this album as opposed to later releases where his grunts became more of a rasp.  The lyrics are a bit less campy here than some of the stuff that would follow.

This live album, recorded during the "Hatebreeder" tour, cemented Bodom's reputation as one of the most technically impressive bands around as they reproduced their studio sound live without the addition of overdubs.

Some of the highlights of Hatebreeder include the first track, “Warhearts,” as it sets the tone for the rest of the record.  The title track contains one of the better choruses and one of the album’s signature moments when Laiho and Wirman duel during the song’s outro.  “Towards Dead End” is a popular track amongst fans and live crowds, but the absolute best track may be reserved for the album’s closer and lone single, “Downfall.”  From it’s epic intro to big solo, the song packs the thunder and energy that best defines the Children of Bodom sound making this the band’s signature track.

It remains to be seen if Children of Bodom will become a band known for peaking too early.  While the albums that followed have varied in terms of quality, I personally think none have come close to matching the quality found on Hatebreeder.  Despite the fact that the band has been around for over a decade, the band members are still very young so anything is possible.  Even if they never make another album as good as Hatebreeder it won’t change the fact that we already have some great material.  There are many bands that wish they could say they had released an album of Hatebreeder’s quality.  Bodom could put their instruments away today and leave the metal community feeling pretty good about the music they left behind.

Top Tracks

• Bed of Razors
• Hatebreeder
• Downfall

Edguy's "Mandrake" was the band's final studio album release for their original label AFM Records.

When I first conceived of this list I gave some though to splitting up the two albums featuring vocalist Tobias Sammet but figured that would defeat the purpose.  If Avantasia comes in at #8 and Edguy at #7 then so be it.

Edguy is, of course, Tobias Sammet’s principal band.  He along with Jens Ludwig, Dirk Sauer, Tobias Exxel, and Felix Bohnke have been putting out albums since 1997.  In its infancy, Edguy was a pretty by the numbers power metal outfit coming out of Germany, a hot bed for that kind of music during the time.  With obvious influences being drawn from the likes of Iron Maiden, The Scorpions, and Helloween, Edguy was carving a name for itself in the metal community.  Coming off their best album to date, Theater of Salvation, Edguy took a little break for Sammet to explore musically and record the first two Avantasia records.  During this time, they re-recorded their initial demo, The Savage Poetry, for a major label release and got some much needed R&R.  When they re-grouped sometime in early 2001 they began crafting their best album to date, Mandrake.

Mandrake was released later in 2001 and represents the pinnacle of Edguy’s power

Edguy - not to be taken seriously.

metal roots.  The album contains everything a power metal fan would dream about, combining speed and melody for a pulse-pounding sixty minutes.  There are breaks here and there where the band slows things down and each of those tracks is woven flawlessly into the tapestry of melodic metal.  “Wash Away the Poison” represents the best of Edguy’s ballads up to this point as it manages to dodge the cheesy hooks and lyrics of their previous ones.  Instead of feeling like the token ballad of the album, it works well with the other songs and earns its place.  Other songs such as “Painting on the Wall” settle for mid-tempos and the bonus track that appears on almost every release, “The Devil and the Savant,” finds a way to make use of those Europe influenced synthesizers without ruining the track.

The boys in Edguy very much enjoy having fun on stage.

Where the album shines brightest though is on the opener “Tears of a Mandrake.”  It’s a bombastic mid-tempo epic that has become a staple in the live show.  It is one of those songs where the chorus leaves a lasting impression.  Not to be outdone, is the album’s big number, “The Pharaoh,” which comes in at a running time of  10 and half minutes that never feels that long.  A lot of epics end up being long just for the sake of being long, but “The Pharaoh” is wonderfully crafted with multiple time changes and new hooks as it twists and turns its way towards a satisfying conclusion.  Sammet’s high-flying vocals work well with this song, and the twin guitar attack adds a spice to the mix.

The album also knows when to bring the noise, so to speak, with the head-banging “Nailed to the Wheel” providing some nice, crunchy, riffs.  And an Edguy album wouldn’t be an Edguy album without a little bit of that quirky humor the band is known for.  “All the Clowns” is a light, catchy song that only Edguy could get away with on a metal release.  “Save Us Now” contains the most ridiculous of Sammet’s lyrics as he refers to drummer Felix Bohnke as a high speed alien drum bunny.

Perhaps the band realized it could never make another power metal album as good as Mandrake and that is why it has never tried to since.  After the release of Mandrake, Edguy would go on to sign with major label Nuclear Blast where it has released three albums since.  Each successive album has contained more rock elements with the old power metal sound slowly fading away.  That’s not a criticism as each of the following albums has been good in its own right.  Mandrake though does represent an end of an era for the band and that era went out on one gloriously high note.

Top Tracks

• Tears of a Mandrake
• The Pharaoh
• All the Clowns

Tobias Sammet's Avantasia - The Scarecrow

Ranking my favorite albums has reminded me just how much I love them.  Avantasia’s The Scarecrow is no exception as it’s an album I simply cannot get enough of.

For those unfamiliar with the Avantasia name, it’s the side project of Edguy frontman Tobias Sammet.  Avantasia was initially conceived as a metal opera that borrowed heavily from the speed metal genre and incorporated multiple vocalists and guest musicians.  Two albums were released early last decade under the heading The Metal Opera and were well received by fans and critics alike.

The Scarecrow was never intended to be the third Avantasia record.  Sammet had felt he had done all he could with speed metal but there was still a desire to create music outside of his main band Edguy.  He joined forces with famed rock/metal producer Sascha Paeth to begin construction on his third solo effort.  At some point during the writing process, Sammet decided to release his latest effort under the Avantasia banner.

Avantasia boasts a large cast of musicians.

The Scarecrow is not a metal opera but it does share many similarities with its predecessors.  The album makes use of multiple vocalists though this time around their roles are not as clearly defined.  With the first two albums, each vocalist played a character where as here they represent different emotions with the only exceptions being Jorn Lande’s Mephistopheles type character and Alice Cooper’s Toy Master.  In addition to Lande and Cooper there are vocal performances by Avantasia vets Bob Catley and Michael Kiske as well as new comers Roy Khan and Amanda Somerville.  Sammet is the only vocalist to be featured on every song.

While Sammet has moved away from speed metal, there are still a couple of tracks familiar to Avantasia fans.  “Shelter From the Rain” is very much a song in the same style as old Helloween tracks (hence why ex-Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske is featured) and there aren’t many Avantasia tracks faster than “Another Angel Down.”  “The Devil in the Belfry” also brings some speed towards the end of the album but represents the last of such tracks.  The majority of the album falls into a mid-tempo groove.  Some songs come across as almost pop rock such as the singles “Lost in Space” and “Carry Me Over.”

Avantasia is the creation of german heavy metal vocalist and song writer Tobias Sammet, who also handles bass duties on the album.

The title track is the album’s biggest number coming in at over 11 minutes.  It starts off slow and works its way towards a big outro.  Perhaps it isn’t as central a piece as Sammet intended but it does work, though it takes a few listens for its impact to be felt.  “The Toy Master” features Alice Cooper on lead vocals and is a really atmospheric track drizzled in personality.  Cooper does a great job bringing life to the character and the song features some of Sammet’s more imaginative lyrics.  “I Don’t Believe In Your Love” is another song that comes across as more rock than metal but is punctuated by excellent pacing.

The only track that comes across as a dud for me, and the reason why this album isn’t higher on my list, is Sammet’s duet with Amanda Somerville, “What Kind of Love?”  It’s the signature ballad of the record and while I have no issues with ballads, this one falls flat.  It comes across as cheesy and overdone.  Some of Sammet’s vocals are a bit over the top and Somerville’s lack subtlety.  It’s not awful, but is worth skipping over when listening to the album as a whole.

One song doesn’t hold this album down though or keep it from being the best Avantasia record to date, which is saying something.  The first two Metal Opera albums had some excellent material though each one contained more filler than The Scarecrow.  The Scarecrow had two follow-up albums released in 2010, and of the two, The Wicked Symphony comes in as a close second to The Scarecrow.

With Avantasia, Tobias Sammet runs the risk of outdoing his main band Edguy.  With five albums under his belt it’s debatable which band has the better discography at this point.  I would probably still take Edguy’s catalogue over Avantasia but it’s not an easy decision.  Hopefully Sammet has the energy and the desire to keep on supporting both bands as I don’t think Avantasia has come close to running its course just yet.  Sammet has found a nice niche for himself in straddling the line between rock and metal and there’s more room to explore.  The Scarecrow is an easy recommendation for music fans of many tastes.

Top Tracks

• Another Angel Down
• The Toy Master
• Devil in the Belfry

Kamelot - Karma (2001)

Kamelot is a relatively new obsession for me.  I had the pleasure of doing college radio years ago (when appropriately enough, I was attending college) which was an excellent experience and a great way to hear new music.  For anyone embarking on that part of their life, I whole-heartedly recommend it.  That is assuming all college radio stations are as good as WKNH in Keene, NH.  WKNH had a great selection of music including an expansive library of my preferred genre; metal.  I was also fortunate to be allowed to play whatever I wanted so long as I met the station’s quota of five new cuts an hour.  During my time there I was able to find several new bands that would become among my favorites, one of them was Kamelot.

Kamelot is actually an American band from Florida, though their frontman as of their third disc is Norwegian born Roy Khan.  Despite being from the US, Kamelot is far more popular in other parts of the world than here.  That’s primarily due to the fact that the only metal that gets any attention over here is Metallica and latest flavor of the month.  I don’t mean to sound like an elitist snob but the metal scene in the US is awful, uninspired, and banal.  Kamelot blends multiple sub-genres of metal to create a unique experience.  The band started off as a fairly standard power metal group but evolved into a quasi-prog outfit, only without the pretentiousness.

While I was exposed to Kamelot during my college years, I didn’t become a card

Kamelot has been around since 1991, but it didn't truly take off until the addition of vocalist Roy Khan in 1997.

carrying member of the Kamelot fan-base until recently.  Most would probably say their best album is The Black Halo, and it’s hard to deny otherwise, but for my money I’m going with Karma.

Karma is the band’s fifth full-length album.  Released in 2001, it could best be described as symphonic metal.  There’s a certain theatrical flair to a lot of the music present on the disc.  It’s the perfect run-time for a full length at just under an hour and it contains a diverse section of music.

The opening number, “Forever,” is a soaring piece of catchy power metal tastefully done.  Power metal and taste do not often go together but Kamelot has made a career out of doing so.  Songs often contain a catchy chorus not over-exposed.  It’s easy for a band to ride a chorus, often having it repeat itself two, three, or more times at the song’s outro.  Kamelot almost never indulges in such a practice, almost to the detriment of some songs.  There are times where I wish they’d drive a chorus into the ground, because they’re just so good.  Particularly on the song “The Light I Shine on You,” but in the end I know their approach is for the best.  It just means I have to listen to the track again.

Kamelot throws in a couple of ballads to keep things in perspective, “Don’t You Cry” being the stronger of the two.  It’s a song guitarist Thomas Youngblood wrote about his father, whom apparently passed away when Thomas was very young, and as a result, has little or no recollection of.  The album has a big closing number, the three part “Elizabeth” which centers around the part true and part myth story of Elizabeth Bathory.  It’s a cool number but one I don’t think quite meets the band’s expectations.  It definitely works best as one long song, even though it’s divided into three tracks.  The title track is one of the band’s absolute bests.  It combines imaginative story-telling with great pacing and a typical Kamelot chorus, a staple of the band’s live set to this day.

I don’t feel like I have completely captured how great I think this album is, and that’s probably because at it’s heart it’s a pretty simple and straight-forward album.  For me, it just hits all of the right notes and walks that fine line between sophistication and bombast.  Kamelot is a really tight band and vocalist Roy Khan is among the genre’s most talented.  Not only is Karma perhaps the band’s best release, it’s also a great jump-in point for people new to the band.  The albums that follow are even more diverse and complex.  Khan is currently sorting out some personal problems that’s preventing him from touring in support of the more recently released album Poetry for the Poisoned.  Hopefully he can get things straightened out and rejoin the band as there’s still a lot of great music left in this outfit.

Top Tracks:

• Forever
• Karma
• The Light I Shine on You

Black Gives Way to Blue was Alice in Chains' first album in fourteen years and the first with new singer William DuVall.

As part of my lead in for my top 10 favorite albums I touched upon the omissions and surprises.  I was particularly surpised that three of my favorite artists didn’t have an album I included as one of my top 10 favorites.  Right behind that though, was my selection for number 10.

Alice in Chains was one of the top bands of the early 90’s.  Their debut Facelift was a stand-out amongst the similar sounding bands out of Seattle and distinguished itself amongst the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.  AiC was the grunge band with the most obvious metal edge.  Really, calling them grunge was a cop out.  Their sophomore album Dirt was their biggest hit and is cited by many as their best album.  Sadly, front man Layne Staley’s own personal demons limited the band to just three full length albums in the 90’s, as well as a couple of EP’s and a live album (Unplugged).

Dirt is a great album and I have no issue with someone proclaiming it the group’s best as that’s what I’ve always believed.  Then a funny thing happened, as I was making out my list I realized it was no longer my favorite Alice in Chains album.

That distinction now belongs to 2009’s Black Gives Way To Blue, the band’s comeback effort following the death of singer Layne Staley in 2002.    No one really could have expected the band to continue on, and for awhile it seemed like it would not.  Only after doing a one off show for charity did the guys realize they had the desire to make more music together.

William DuVall was added to complete the band and handle the majority of Staley’s vocals while on tour, but for the album guitarist and principal song writer Jerry Cantrell handles most of the vocal duties.  DuVall is most used in harmony with Cantrell or on backing vocals, with the exception of the song he penned, “Last of My Kind.”

William DuVall has proven to be a great addition to the band.

Most people are familiar with the singles “Check my Brain” and “Your Decision,” both very good songs but if that’s all you’ve heard of the album you’re missing out.  “Acid Bubble” is one of the band’s most diverse compositions and perhaps the best song Cantrell has ever written.  “Private Hell” finds a nice somber melody for the verse and the explodes at the chorus.  It’s one of those songs that knows it has a great chorus, so it doesn’t over-do it.  The end result being you want to hear the song again immediately following it’s conclusion.  The album’s closer, a ballad dedicated to the late Staley, is the perfect way to wrap things up.  It’s sweet and to the point and features piano work by Sir Elton John.

So why do I consider this to be the band’s ultimate album?  Perhaps it’s the freshness as Dirt has certainly been over exposed throughout the years (I remember being so sick of “Rooster” when it came out, radio nearly ruined that song for me) to the point that maybe I’m now underestimating it.  I choose to think it’s because BGWB is the more complete album.  Start to finish, it doesn’t let up.  Yes there are a couple of tracks deserving of the label “filler” but the filler here would be stand-out on lesser releases.

This entry isn’t intended a slight against Dirt or the memory of Layne Staley but more to shine light on just how great this album is.  I’m happy Alice in Chains is back to making music again.  Replacing a lead vocalist is a daunting task for any band which is why it took so long, especially when something tragic creates the need to do so.  I look forward to more great things out of this group and if you have the chance to see them live don’t pass it up.

Top Tracks

• Acid Bubble
• Private Hell
• Black Gives Way to Blue