My Top 25 Favorite Albums of All Time (As of 2018)

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Here's how the final list was made:
1.    It is composed of albums I can listen to for hours.  All albums I am very likely to NEVER get sick of.
2.    The albums can be of any genre.  There is some grunge on this list, some progressive rock, some thrash metal, etc.
3.    I intended it to be only one album from each artist.  However, there is ONE exception on this list and I have a very detailed reason why.  Read to find out.

Click on the album covers and they'll take you to a YouTube video

25. Tenacious D by Tenacious D (2001)

Favorite song: "Wonderboy"

I know it's a corny album.  Despite the lyrics, and the fact that Jack Black fronts this band (he is awesome no matter what you think and that is a fact), Tenacious D is actually made up of serious musicians.  For example, Kyle Gass is a virtuoso guitarist.  Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters plays the drums on all of Tenacious D's studio recordings.  This album helped me out of a depression I went through back in ninth grade.  It lifts my spirits every time every time I listen to it.  Hence, it made my Top 25.
A lot of the songs, however, are definitely not safe for work (especially Track 4), so I won't be mentioning some of them by name.  "Tribute," "Dio," "Explosivo," and "City Hall" are all great songs that can make anyone either headbang, laugh, or both.  At the end of the day, Tenacious D's music is about having a good time.

24. Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Favorite song: "Freedom"
I have been a fan of Rage Against the Machine ever since I was a kid.  There are one of the most influential bands to emerge during the 1990's and are beloved, yet are considered controversial for the content of their lyrics, which are extremely powerful.  They are a politically infused rap metal band:  their music is not only heavy, but it also has a hip hop vibe to it that makes it a very fun album to listen to.  Tom Morello is one of my favorite guitarists of all time and he is criminally underrated.  The riffs on this record are unbelievable.  Not only are the lyrics aggressive, but there are some of the most powerful bass lines I have ever heard on this album, performed by Tim Cummerford:  "Take the Power Back" and "Bullet In The Head" are personal favorites of mine.  There is also the extremely popular "Killing In The Name," as well as "Township Rebellion," "Bombtrack," and "Wake Up." 
Again, many songs are definitely not safe for work.  Even the album cover presented below shows only a fraction of the original photograph that was used.



23. Painkiller by Judas Priest (1990)
Favorite song:  "Battle Hymn/One Shot At Glory"
Judas Priest is considered one of the first heavy metal bands.  They started out more like a blues rock band and then went into heavy material around the late seventies and early eighties.  When Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax were taking off, they were busy experimenting with this hit-or-miss synth pop around 1984 to 1988.  This record, however, sounded like nothing they have ever done before and, to this day, it still sounds incredible.  They started the 1990's out with a bang. Rob Halford is my favorite heavy metal singer of all time.  This was arguably the most intense work he has ever done in his life at the time, as it is loaded with deafening screams and powerful searing vocals, especially the title track.  "Painkiller" is arguably the ultimate facemelter, but I personally love "One Shot At Glory" the most.  There is also "Hell Patrol," "Between the Hammer and the Anvil," "A Touch of Evil," and "Metal Meltdown."  The title track and my favorite song are both featured in the video game Brutal Legend ("Painkiller" plays during the final boss battle). 



22. Far Beyond Driven by Pantera (1994)
Favorite song: "Slaughtered"
Some of the angriest music on the planet.  While Metallica was doing ballads in the early to mid-1990's (which were either hit-or-miss to me, they did a better job doing ballads in the 1980's) Pantera was still keeping it heavy.  There is a mellow song on the album, which is their cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan," which closes out the record.  But before you get to that, you got some serious bangers like "Slaughtered," as well as "5 Minutes Alone, "I'm Broken, "Strength Beyond Strength," "Becoming," and "Shedding Skin." This album is chock-full of headbanging material.  Dimebag Darrell was an amazing shredder and it's a shame he is no longer with us, for he helped strengthen metal, as well as spark the groove metal movement, in the 1990's.
  If you don't know who Pantera is, their music was featured on a SpongeBob episode back in 2001.  You may recall if you click the link.  The song in the episode ("Death Rattle") was not from this album, but was from their final record released in 2000 known as Reinventing The Steel.  As you can tell, NSFW, but that song happened to be an instrumental version.



21. Mezmerize by System of a Down (2005)
Favorite song: "B.Y.O.B."
While they came out at the end of the 1990's, their career really sparked in the early to mid-2000's:  a legendary alternative metal band.  I remember listening to this for the first time when I was about 7 or 8 and thinking it was really weird.  It was not only aggressive, but I thought the lyrics were strange, yet politically infused and fascinating.  Years later, I went back to it and now it is one of my favorite records of all time.  "B.Y.O.B." is an anti-war song written mainly about the US government in the mid-2000's, but there are also songs such as "Cigaro," "Radio/Video," "Revenga" and "Question" that are thought-provoking yet quirky - but no matter what, heavy duty metal.  I love their Toxicity record but this album was really my gateway into System of a Down's discography, so I prefer this album.  Technically, however, this album is only half of a double album they released.  The other half is Hypnotize (also released in 2005) but I believe this is half is far superior.  There are good songs on both.  As you can tell, both of these albums, and their entire discography, is NSFW.



20. Close to the Edge by Yes (1972)
Favorite song: "Siberian Khatru"

I remember listening to a lot of Yes in middle school.  I am a huge fan of their Fragile record, but I personally love Close to the Edge more.  The album consists of only three songs (there is a Simon and Garfunkel cover on the remaster - the original only has three), but the shortest one ("Siberian Khatru") is 8 minutes and 55 seconds.  The longest (the title track) is 18 minutes and 41 seconds.  I saw Yes in 2014 at Westbury perform this album in its entirety.  The band was so accurate playing the songs off this album that I used Soundhound during the show and it immediately picked up the song and lyrics.  This album is full of calm, yet extremely technical music. It is some of the hardest music to ever perfect.  I recommend listening to it with the biggest pair of headphones you own.  "Siberian Khatru" is one of those rare songs where everything comes together perfectly.  The entire album feels like that.
Steve Howe's playing on this record is phenomenal, there are some complicated yet powerful bass lines performed by Chris Squire (who was with them when I saw them back in 2014, this was before he died in 2015).  Jon Anderson is a seriously underrated singer in rock and roll.  Rick Wakeman is also an incredible keyboardist.  I can't really express how excellent Yes's music is.  It is pathetic that it took them until last year to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for they influenced many bands, including my favorite band:  Rush. 

20. The Doors by The Doors (1967)
Favorite song: "The End"

For a while, The Doors were my favorite band.  I've gotten a more diverse taste in music over time, but I still love this record.  I am also a big fan of Morrison Hotel from 1970, but this to me is a flawless record and a hell of a debut.  Jim Morrison will remain one of my favorite frontmen in rock and roll. Ray Manzerek is one of the greatest keyboardists to ever live.  Just like a lot of the albums released in the 1960's, this album gives me a strange vibe but it's some of the best music I have ever listened to.  The album starts out with an iconic Doors song "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" and then goes into others like "Soul Kitchen," "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" and "Light My Fire."  "Light My Fire" has one of the greatest keyboard solos in music history.  A lot of the songs come together perfectly for me.  The last song off the album, "The End," which was made popular by the film Apocalypse Now, is one of the most eerie songs to exist, but it is completely badass.  The Doors were ahead of their time and it's a shame they were never able to continue making music. Their music will definitely live on. 

19. Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones (1969)
Favorite song: "Monkey Man"
I always loved The Rolling Stones, but I never appreciated this record until I got it on vinyl as a birthday present (it was on white, clear vinyl - you could literally see through it).  This was about four or five years ago.  It's a great album front to back and I always enjoy listening to it.  A lot of the songs between "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" are seriously underrated like the title track, "Monkey Man," and "You Got The Silver."  "Midnight Rambler" is also a favorite of mine because it starts out fairly simple yet picks up speed halfway through the song.  The entire album is quintessential rock and roll.  Despite having an old-fashioned feel to the record, as it will have existed for 50 years in 2019, I still feel it holds up and it should continue being passed down from generation to generation.  Everyone jokes that Keith Richard must be immortal, as no matter what addictions he had when he was younger, he is still alive-and-kicking.  But seriously, a lot of the great rock artists of the 1960's and even early 1970's are coming to an end and it is important that younger people are exposed to older music - as well as embracing the music of today.

17. Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath (198)
Favorite song:  "Heaven and Hell"

NOTE:  Black Sabbath will be on this list TWICE because one era was with Ozzy Osbourne (see #3) and one (this album) was with Ronnie James Dio.   

This album sound significantly different from the Ozzy era Black Sabbath.  Despite the same kick ass guitar licks from Tony Iommi, it feels significantly different from Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970), and Master of Reality (1980).  It has a more whimsical feel - some songs are dark, but it is arguably not dark as the Ozzy Osbourne era.  Regardless, it is a heavy metal masterpiece.  To be honest, I had no idea Dio fronted Sabbath until I played Grand Theft Auto IV and found "Heaven and Hell" on the Liberty Rock Radio station.  I checked out the entire album.  To me, this is a mind-blowing, life-changing record.  It was an album that I religiously listened to in ninth grade, which was when I discovered many bands like Judas Priest and Megadeth. Pandora and Rhapsody/Napster helped me expand my knowledge of Ronnie James Dio's entire discography - which ranges from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, to Black Sabbath, to his own solo band, which was the most successful.  It still makes me sad that we no longer have Ronnie James Dio with us, but I think his music and his legacy definitely lives on.  He was considered the politest man in heavy metal and he is still beloved by many.  He is definitely one of my heroes.  I would include Holy Diver from 1983 on this list, which was by Dio's solo band, but to me, quintessential Dio is this record.  That is why Black Sabbath is listed twice. 

My other favorites are "Neon Knights," "Children of the Sea," "Die Young," and "Lonely is the Word."

16. Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne (1981)
Favorite song: "Diary of a Madman"
I loved Ozzy Osbourne ever since I was a little kid.  Ronnie James Dio is a superior singer to me, and Rob Halford is my all-time favorite vocalist - but Ozzy Osbourne to me is the ultimate heavy metal frontman.  After all, he is considered "The Godfather of Heavy Metal" for a reason.  This was also the last record the legendary Randy Rhoads ever played on.  It contains some of the best guitar work I've ever heard.  Randy Rhoads is my favorite guitarist of all time and this record to me proves it.  In fact, my favorite guitar solo of all time (as of 2018, I'll probably change my mind sometime in the future) is the one off of "Believer."  "Diary of a Madman" is the most perfect song to me off his album because it somehow sounds both pretty and heavy.  The bridge is something out of classical music. You can hear classical guitar influence in the title track and "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll."  There are also the singles "Over the Mountain" and "Flying High Again," which are both bangers.  I love Ozzy Osbourne's debut album as a soloist Blizzard of Ozz but I always liked Diary of a Madman more. 




15. Among the Living by Anthrax (1987)
Favorite song:  "Among the Living"
My mom actually introduced me to Anthrax when I was in eighth grade.  This is some heavy thrash metal with songs about Stephen King books and Judge Dredd comics.  They are definitely the nerds of the Big Four of Thrash Metal (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax), but this album kicks my ass every time.  They are the only band out of the four to be from New York and not Los Angeles.  Many people cite Slayer's Reign in Blood (which would be on my Top 50 if I had it) as the ultimate thrash metal record, but Anthrax's Among the Living to me is a thrash metal masterpiece.  My mom played me the album in its entirety and I consider it a life-changing album.  The first three songs off the album - the title track, "Caught in a Mosh" and "I Am The Law" - are some definitive 1980's thrash metal tunes.  The riff of "Among the Living" is personally my favorite.  There are also other favorites of mine off this album like "Indians" (which sounds better lives as the bridge causes massive mosh pits to break out; when they performed this in Chile, people were literally starting fires), "One World," and "Efinikufesin (N.F.L.)."  The last song, spell it back words:  it was actually dedicated to John Belushi, who died in the early 1980's.  This album is definitely NSFW.



14. Superunknown by Soundgarden (1994)
Favorite song:  "Spoonman"
I saw Soundgarden in 2011 and the only song I knew at the time was "Black Hole Sun." I love that song, but still to me it was a tame song compared to other music I was listening to at the time.  But when they started doing songs like "Spoonman" and "Fell on Black Days," I realized that they were really a heavier band than I had previously thought. It was one of those life-changing shows for me.  I use the term "life-changing" a lot because that to me was a major factor in deciding which records will belong on the list and which will not.  I began extensively listening to Soundgarden's music after that show and it all started with a CD in my parents' basement - Superunknown.  Off this record, there are "My Wave,' and "The Day I Tried To Live," which are two of my favorite Soundgarden songs, as well as more obscure ones like the title track, "Head Down" and "Fresh Tendrils." I'm glad I was able to see Chris Cornell before he died last year because he to me is one of the best front men ever to walk the planet.  One of the best voices rock and roll ever had and it kills me that he took his own life.  I was supposed to see them perform a second time, as an opening act for Nine Inch Nails, but unfortunately I had strep throat.  Either way, the first time was still enough for me to remember how amazing Chris was live. 



13. Sailing the Seas of Cheese by Primus (1991)
Favorite song:  "Tommy the Cat"
Primus is a strange band, but they are one of my personal favorites.  I didn't really get into them until around 9th grade.  Les Claypool is one of my favorite bassists.  In fact, he's the reason I decided to go out and buy a bass.  I even  met him last year at a VIP event.  He was quiet, but really cool.  This album has a weird vibe to it but the musicianship is incredible.  Even their song names are strange.  For example, "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers," "Here Come the Bastards," and "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver."  The bass work on this album is some of the finest I have ever heard. It's aggressive yet somehow also melodic. "Tommy the Cat," my favorite song off the album and out of their entire discography, features Tom Waits on vocals and has a bass line that can get anyone grooving.  I like Frizzle Fry (their first album) a lot, but Sailing the Seas of Cheese has more of my favorites and it's really quintessential alternative/funk/experimental rock/whatever Primus is.  Here's a fun fact you may have already heard, but Primus wrote the theme song to South Park.  They are actually friends with the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.  The guy with the top hat, suspenders, and the bird on his hat during the intro is a caricature of Les Claypool.  If you look closely, he's playing a bass guitar.  Les also went on without Primus to write the Robot Chicken theme.



12. Dirt by Alice in Chains (1992)
Favorite song:  "Rain When I Die"
I have a been a huge Alice in Chains fan for a long time.  It's a shame I've never been able to see Layne Staley perform live.  Compared to Kurt Cobain, he is really underappreciated as a frontman and a songwriter.  I always thought they were the darkest grunge band to come out of Seattle and this album shows it.  Jerry Cantrell is also an amazing guitar player and it's great he is still making music with William Duvall.  Despite my love for Soundgarden, I always thought Alice in Chains was the best band out of the Big Four of Grunge (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana - there are a lot of big fours) as they were not only grunge, but in a way, heavy alternative metal.  Ozzy made a list of his Top 10 Favorite Metal Albums and an Alice in Chains record was actually on the list.  They also toured with bands like Slayer, Anthrax, and Suicidal Tendencies around the 1990's (the crowd, which were very thrash oriented, didn't like them - some of them picked fights with Layne Staley, who would in turn, kick their asses). "Would?" "Rooster," and "Them Bones" (which they opened with when I saw them in 2013) are excellent songs, there's also the tile track, "Angry Chair," "Damn the River," 'Down In A Hole," and "Junkhead."  I like their debut album Facelift but I feel Dirt is more memorable and is really what Alice in Chains is all about.




11. Aenima by Tool (1996)
Favorite song:  "Stinkfist"
A band that hasn't released an album since 2006 and is never in town.  However, I love their music and their weird time signatures ("Forty-Six And Two" is written in 7/4 which is an unorthodox time signature many progressive bands love using).   I remember my mom giving me this CD from out of a box she found in our basement and I didn't really know what to think until after the album stopped playing.  I was really impressed with the complex musicianship off this album, I had to listen to it again.  Danny Carey is one of my favorite drummers and Justin Chancellor is a hell of a bassist.  Adam is an underrated guitar player and Maynard James Keenan, despite his other commitments like A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, has a great voice that suits the kind of music they play.  There are some very strange, avant-garde songs on this album, such as "Third Eye" and "Pushit."  There are also some extremely angry songs like the title track.  It is an angry yet angsty song about Los Angeles being "flushed away" by an apocalyptic flood of mass proportions, hence the title of the album.  All of these songs are favorites of mine.  Unfortunately, you can't get this on iTunes so I recommend buying it on Amazon (or better yet, go to an actual record store; the CD insert is holographic).  



10. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (1973)
Favorite song: "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"
An album I never got to appreciate until recent years.  I discovered it in 12th grade as I had several out periods and I decided to dedicate some extra time in the day to do work while listening to some new music.  This is another CD that I found in my parents' basement and I downloaded the songs to my phone so I can listen to them wirelessly.  This is an album I can listen to nonstop.  I would definitely go see Elton John if the tickets weren't $300 each!  Many of the insanely popular Elton John songs are on this album like the title track, "Bennie and the Jets," "Candle in the Wind," and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting."  An overwhelming majority of my favorites are on this album, including other songs like "This Song Has No Title," "All The Girls Love Alice," and the closer "Harmony." Each song gives me a different vibe.  For example, "Funeral for a Friend," my favorite song on that album, has an intro that feels like kind of like a opera, yet goes into a fast paced tune called "Love Lies Bleeding."  "Candle in the Wind" is a song dedicated to Marilyn Monroe so it is more like a ballad.  "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" is definitely a hard rock song.  The entire album is eclectic.  There's a song on the album that is even reminiscent of reggae.



9. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie (1972)
Favorite song: "Moonage Daydream"(if I had to pick, the whole record is fantastic)
I got into Bowie fairly late, like around 2014, and I was upset to hear about his death in 2016.  This album will always remain one of my favorites.  It's not a long album, but every minute of it is great.  I have many favorites off of this one.  The first Bowie song I ever heard was "Ziggy Stardust," so I listened to the whole album and found even more songs I like.  I love every song off of this album and it's very hard for me to pick a favorite.  From "Five Years" to "Rock n' Roll Suicide."  I had to perform "Moonage Daydream" with a band I was in at the time, so I have a nostalgia for that song (that and it was also in Guardians of the Galaxy and on the soundtrack).  I am also a huge fan of "Starman" (which I can consider an emotional tearjerker) and "Suffragette City," the latter of whom has a lot of hard rock influence in it.  Each song off the album gives me a different vibe (just like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) which is a major reason why it's one of my favorites and is in my Top 10.
I am also a huge fan of concept albums and rock operas and this album tells a story about a space alien (obviously David Bowie's flamboyant alter ego, Ziggy Stardust) who comes to the Earth and saves it from the looming apocalypse through his music.  His music serves as a channel between humans and the extraterrestrial beings, "The Starmen," whom he speaks for.  His music promotes world peace in the form of rock and roll, which ultimately mends the world.  However, as he becomes extremely famous, he succumbs to the sins that many rock stars of the early 1970's (i.e. drug addictions, obsessions with fame and wealth) had.  It's a powerful concept album with great science-fiction themes and strong morals regarding rock and roll stardom. 



8. Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin (1969)
Favorite song: "Ramble On"
I couldn't make a list without including Led Zeppelin.  Unfortunately, I didn't include The Beatles, but this record to me is a perfect hard rock album ... and it came out in 1969.  This was revolutionary for its time.  Hard rock already existed in the form of Jimi Hendrix and The Who, but it was really enhanced by Led Zeppelin with their first two albums that came out the last decade of the legendary, musically proficient 1960's.  The first Led Zeppelin record is fantastic, but this is the album that I believe really  sparked their career.  You have "Whole Lotta Love," "The Lemon Song," "Heartbreaker," and "Bring It On Home," some of the best riffs in rock and roll history.  You also have "Moby Dick" which helped establish John Bonham as many argue the greatest drummer to ever live.  I performed "Bring It On Home" with a band for a charity event that raised money for a children's hospital.  Many people believe that the untitled album, known as Led Zeppelin IV is the greatest record, which it is a strong album considering the popular songs like "Black Dog," "Stairway to Heaven," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "When The Levee Breaks" are on it.  I believe the most influential hard rock, however, comes out of Led Zeppelin II. 



7. Van Halen by Van Halen (1978)
Favorite song: "Atomic Punk"
I can't really think of many bands who have had perfect debut albums.  It usually takes bands years to come up with something this flawless.  Every song is great, the solos are incredible, and it's overall face melting.  It's hard to believe that this album was recorded in the 1970's because it sounds unusually heavy for its time.  It opens up with a badass guitar solo "Eruption" then goes into a cover of "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, which was considered very heavy at the time the original was released, but the Van Halen cover goes even further.  There's also "Ain't Talking Bout Love" and "Running with the Devil," which are considered the more popular tunes.  Some songs off the album are even heavier like "On Fire" and "I'm The One" (which, for some reason, has a doo-wop portion of the song). "Atomic Punk" was the first song I heard by Van Halen that wasn't one of the mainstream ones and it was an extremely influential song to me that to this day is my favorite.  Even the name suits the energy the song conveys.  I have seen Van Halen three times and they always put on an incredible show. 
This album has been around for four decades, which amazes me.



6. Back in Black by AC/DC (1980)
Favorite song: 'Hells Bells"
I had the chance to see AC/DC in 2015 when Brian Johnson was still in the band and wasn't replaced with Axl Rose.  It was hard for me to pick between Highway to Hell and Back in Black but to me, this is an excellent album.  Besides the popular songs like the title track and "You Shook Me All Night Long," there are a lot of seriously underrated AC/DC songs on this album like "Let Me Put My Love Into You" and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution."  AC/DC was always one of my favorite bands growing up and it was a miracle I was able to see them at MetLife Stadium.  When they did "Hells Bells," they had a gigantic steel bell come from the top of the stage and sway back and forth as Angus Young played the main riff.  It's an amazing song dedicated to their original singer, Bon Scott, who unfortunately died in 1980, before this album was produced.  Him and the singer who has been with AC/DC until 2016, Brian Johnson, who was in a different band at the time, were friends and they made a pact that if Bon ever died, Brian would take over - and he did.  He is metaphorically "coming for Satan when he arrives in Hell."  The song has a powerful message.  Just like when Ronnie James Dio fronted Black Sabbath, they came out with an extremely solid first album, but with a different singer.  If this was the Top 50, the last AC/DC record with Bon Scott, Highway to Hell from 1978, would be on it.



5. Ride the Lightning by Metallica (1984)
Favorite song: "Creeping Death"
I love Metallica to death, they were the second band I've ever seen live.  I saw them at The Garden back in 2009 when I was only 11 years old.  Some of their work is sloppy or inferior to other albums they have produced, but the first three albums to me are timeless.  This was their second album and a majority of my favorites ("Fade to Black," "Creeping Death," "Fight Fire with Fire," and "The Call of Ktulu") are all on it.
 "The Call of Ktulu" (a 9 minute instrumental with beautiful, yet, at the same time oddly enough, creepy guitar and bass work) to me is a song, if you break it into sheet music, could have easily been composed by Mozart.  "Fight Fire with Fire" is one of the most aggressive Metallica songs to ever be released.  "Fade to Black" is an essential Metallica song and one of the first power ballads ever written.  There's also "For Whom the Bells Toll," which is famously known for its catchy bass line, performed by the legendary Cliff Burton.  Just like the album before it, Ride the Lightning has some of Cliff's greatest recordings on it.  Shame his brilliance only lasted for three albums. Finally, there is "Trapped Under Ice," which is a rarity that Metallica did at the 2009 show I saw.  I immediately knew the song from the opening riff.  I have to say though, "Creeping Death" is my all time favorite Metallica song.  An angry, thrashy tune with lyrics about the biblical plagues of Egypt, as the titular "Creeping Death" refers to the final plague:  the death of every first born son.  The riff even has an Egyptian vibe to it, especially at the end.  The bridge is also a high point of the song and the crowd goes wild during it every time, screaming and yelling "die."
 Based on the titles of "For Whom The Bells Toll" and "The Call of Ktulu," Metallica is definitely an eloquent, well-read band.  
 Most people believe Master of Puppets is the ultimate Metallica record, but I really believe this is it.  Master of Puppets is a close second. 



4. The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden (1982)
Favorite song: "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
It was hard picking between this album and Powerslave, but this was the first record with Bruce Dickinson, who was a better singer than former frontman Paul D'Anno.  The songwriting even got better.  It usually takes a band a long time to get over firing their lead singer, but this, like many other albums on this list, was clearly an exception.  The first two songs I have ever listened to by Iron Maiden were the title track and "Run To The Hills," which I personally love.  When I saw them for the first time in 2012, they had their mascot, Eddie The Head, come onto the stage dressed as a general from the American Revolution, angrily waving a sword as the crowd went completely nuts.  In 2016, they had a giant devil puppet come onto the stage during "The Number of the Beast."  They are one of the many bands I have seen who have put on a hell of a stage show.  They are not just bells and whistles, as the band still sounds great musically.  They kick ass whenever they play.  My personal favorite off this album is "Hallowed Be Thy Name," which is an epic song to conclude an amazing album: it is about a man being sentenced to death via the gallows (hence Bruce wearing a prisoner outfit with a noose around his neck whenever they play this).  Unfortunately, there is a band who sued Iron Maiden for stealing the original riff in the 1980's.  For a while, they were unable to play this song due to legal disputes.  They pulled it off the second leg of their Book of Souls tour in 2017.  Now that they paid a proper compensation, hopefully we can hear it down the road. 
There are also some other badass songs like "Children of the Damned" (another personal favorite) and "22 Acacia Avenue."  I get goosebumps every time I listen to this album.  Even the album art is enough to give me them.  I mean, look at it for yourself.



3. Master of Reality by Black Sabbath (1971)
Favorite song:  "Embryo/Children of the Grave"

Black Sabbath was the original heavy metal and they are one of my favorite bands in existence.  I love the first two records.  Black Sabbath from 1970 is the first heavy metal record in existence and listening to it is creepy as hell and gives me more goosebumps than The Number of the Beast ever did.  Paranoid, which came out the same year, has some of the more popular songs like "Iron Man" and "War Pigs," as well as some obscure bangers.  The third one, however, is my favorite. This album was a precursor to doom metal, like the other two, as the lyrics are very dark and eerie.  This was recorded around the time Vietnam was still going on, so there's a lot of that atmosphere in the lyrics.  "Children of the Grave" is my favorite and it is a gloom yet heavy anthem for the generation of the 1960's and 1970's, whose lives would be lost by nuclear war.  It promotes the never-ending fight for peace.  
Tony Iommi is an excellent guitar player and his riffs on this album to me are the nastiest he's ever done.  The album opens up with a song about marijuana called "Sweet Leaf," preceded by "After Forever," which discusses the corruption of the church.  The whole album succeeds in bringing the doom and gloom, besides "Children of the Grave."  "Lord of This World" is a cynical song about the politicians and rulers of the world who will reduce everything to an apocalyptic wasteland.  This is the opposite of the intro to that song, "Orchid," which is a pretty yet short guitar piece Tony Iommi places.  "Into The Void," another personal favorite of mine, is about humanity fleeing the Earth on a rocket ship, hence "leaving the Earth to Satan and his slaves," so that people can find a place to stay that will be free from war. 

2. 2112 by Rush (1976)
Favorite song: "2112"
Out of all of the Rush albums in their entire discography, my favorite has to be 2112.  I love the entire first half and can listen to it for hours on a loop.  There are many great songs off the second side of the album, which are "A Passage to Bangkok," "Lessons," "Something From Nothing," "Tears" and "The Twilight Zone."  If I could pick two albums in this exact same spot, it would be 2112 and Moving Pictures.  Moving Pictures would be in front of #3.  However, because I promised to only include one album from each artist, I decided to stay true to that.  Only exception to the rule can exist.  I went with 2112 because the entire concept album to me is a masterpiece.  The first side of 2112 is a 20 minute epic which is one of my favorite compositions of music in history. 
There is also a story to it.  It is about a futuristic yet dystopian society in the year 2112 run by the priests who reside in the Temple of Syrinx.  They have become part of the "Solar Federation," whom ensure that creativity is squashed throughout the galaxy.  They have outlawed music, as well as all various forms of creativity, in this future world and have chased away a group of people known as "The Elder Race of Man" who originally introduced music to the people.  One of the disciples of the priests discovers an "ancient" guitar and learns how to play it.  He, however, is rejected from the priests and therefore the society.  The nameless protagonist falls into a depression.  He briefly dreams of the state of the world before the rise of the priests and the Solar Federation:  a world full of music and light. However, at the climax, the Elder Race returns with a spaceship armada, threatening to destroy the corrupt governments and usher in a new era of peace.  Hence, the lyrics that conclude the first side of the album are "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation ... we have assumed control."
The video I found is 2112 in its entirety - with imagery that looks like it's out of a comic book.  It is the song in its entirety: all 20 minutes.



1. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (1973)
Favorite song: "Brain Damage/Eclipse"
It's an amazing album from beginning to end.  To truly appreciate it, you have to listen to it in one sitting.
I love every song off of this album.  From "Speak To Me/Breathe" to "Brain Damage/Eclipse."  The first Pink Floyd song I ever heard was "Brain Damage" and it was a strange experience hearing it for the first time because it sounded odd.  The whole song has a dreamlike atmosphere to it and there is a guy laughing manically in the background.  I had a Dark Side of the Moon shirt as a kid, but I never actually heard a Pink Floyd song until around fourth grade and it was "Brain Damage."  However, I kept listening to it and it quickly grew on me.
"Time" for a while was my favorite song off of the record, but really the song that introduced me to Pink Floyd, "Brain Damage," is my ultimate favorite off the album AND by Pink Floyd.  I would even go as far to say that may be my favorite song ever written.  There are many beautiful compositions on this album like "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Us and Them."  There are also some avant-garde pieces like "On The Run," which is basically a synthesizer solo, and "Any Colour You Like" which is a psychedelic jam.  "Money" has one of the greatest bass lines off all time. 
The entire record is pretty much a concept album about humanity, which is the part I love about it the most.  It dissects basic human concepts like greed ("Money"), freewill ("Any Colour You Like"), war and conflict ("Us and Them"), how we live life ("Speak To Me/Breathe"), the time we are constantly transfixed on ("Time"), anxiety ("On The Run"), insanity ("Brain Damage"), and death ("The Great Gig in the Sky").  "Eclipse" is a quick song that pretty much wraps up the album as it talks about what it means to be human.  All of the good things and all of the bad (the bad is referred to as "The Dark Side of the Moon"). It is a perfect end to the record.  The album begins with a heartbeat and ends with a heartbeat, hence this cycle is cyclical in a way.  The album never truly ends. There are many ways to interpret the album, it's kind of like a book or a movie.
Yes, it DOES sync up with The Wizard of Oz.  I don't know how, but it just does. 




Honorable Mentions: