Guaporense top 100 albums

I don't I have the far more relevant Metal Archives account but I never use it. I use Metal Archives to get information regarding music to listen to.

Best albums I listened to recently:

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark


I known this album for over 7 years now but it had been some time since I last listened to it so it felt new listening to it again. A classic of Black Metal, perhaps the defining work of the genre, exemplifying the sound of pure evil better than anything I can think of right now. Swedish black metal at it's finest.

Sarcofago - INRI


Sarcofago's INRI is perhaps the single most influential Brazilian metal album in the genre among bands outside of Brazil: it's importance in influencing the Scandinavian black metal scene is enormous although I wouldn't consider it a Black Metal album but more of a super high powered thrash/speed metal album. Some claim to be the heaviest stuff available by the time of it's release, 1987.

Unisonic - Light of the Dawn


Released in 2014, it's the newest album cited on this thread and for good reason as it is one of the best classical heavy metal/power metal albums I ever listened to from the German musical genius of Kiske and Hansen.

Powerwolf - Bible of the Beast


One of the finest recent power metal albums, great stuff all around from the German band.

Burzum - Filosofem


Nice atmospheric and relaxing mix of black metal and ambient music from the Norwegian neo-nazi murderer and musical genius.

Just for the sake of completeness (even though this probably breaks the forum record for a top 100 with least comments on it), even though it is probably the best top 100 list ever made (in any artform!):

1. Walls of Jericho (the absolute peak of music, powerful, heavy, incorporating bay area thrash influences combined with the melodies of traditional heavy metal makes for the masterpiece of speed metal, the greatest genre of music ever conceived).
2. Sad Wings of Destiny
3. Painkiller
4. Stained Class
5. Terrible Certainty
6. Powerslave
7. Keppers 2nd
8. Seventh son of a Seventh Son
9. The House of Atreus part 1
10. Keppers 1st
11. Unleashed in the East
12. Live after Death
13. Death of Glory
14. Unification
15. Russian Roulette
16. Invictus
17. Hauting the Chapel
18. Battalions of Fear
19, Pleasure to Kill
20. Somewhere out in Space
21. Follow the Blind
22. Extreme Aggression
23. Karma
24. The Number of the Beast

This is the masterpiece, glorious German speed metal

Genres included in this top 100 list:

1. Heavy Metal
2. Speed Metal
3. Thrash Metal
4. Speed Metal
5. Power Metal
6. Progressive Metal
7. Progressive Power Metal
8. Progressive Neoclassical Power Metal
9. Progressive Death Metal
10. Progressive Thrash Metal
11. Black Metal
12. Viking/Black Metal
13. Brutal Thrash Metal
14. Romantic (Beethoven)
15. Minimalist (early Hisaishi)
16. Romantic Minimalist (late Hisaishi)

So about 16 genres.

Some important genres of metal not included in this list: Symphonic Metal, Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Folk Metal, Doom Metal. I think I first need to listen to more Death Metal and Classical composers like Schubert (I am loving his compositions more and more).

Yeah - Sweden is notably absent from your (totally bad ass) list. Not sure where you would want to start with their stuff, but I get the idea you dislike stuff with proggy elements and prefer more straight up riffing etc.,, and that you tend to avoid today's brick-walled, wall-of-sound production. Maybe Check out Dark Tranquility's The Gallery, which is their first record, and isn't brick walled like their later stuff. You posted Death already, so I won't recommend Chuck to you...

Do you like any of Devin Townsend's music (many genres)?

Meanwhile: This list totally kicks ass so far. It makes me sad when people drop into to rag on an entire genre of music they clearly do not understand, even inferring it is unintelligent, when in actuality, metal musicians are usually quite intelligent, with their music being more complex, more difficult to play, and more connected to genres like classical than more conventional/mainstream music.

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There is one Swedish album in this top 100, Blood Fire Death, in the top 50 in fact. I plan to listen to more Bathory and Amon Amarth as well. I am also listening to more black metal these days as I am getting tired of the "flowery" sound of power metal bands like Kamelot.

Metal is basically classical music for young people: a more aggressive form of classical music with testosterone. Bruce Dickinson said metal was the opera of the working class.

I like prog metal, I included several prog metal albums in this top 100 such as Virgin Steele and several of Kamelot's albums are considered prog as well. I dislike Dream Theater, which is probably the most famous prog band, however because I find their music lacking in visceral power even though it's intelligent "pretentious" music. Also, bands like Blind Guardian and Iron Maiden can get quite "proggy" at times.

I like modern production, in fact, I searched for modern covers of 1970's Judas Priest songs with modern wall of sound production, because they sound so awesome with modern production. However, fact is that the old school stuff sound superior to my ears and my favorites among a band's discography always concentrate in the beginning of the band's career with a few exceptions. Early Kreator > Late Kreator, Early Helloween > Late Hellowen, Early Slayer > Late Slayer, etc.

I actually don't know him.

Thanks. I has been some time since somebody complimented me here.

Indeed, in the US people have a very negative perception of metal (in Brazil metal is more mainstream so it's more socially accepted, for instance, most of my friends from my PHD place back in Brazil know many metal bands, including bands like Mayhem and Marduk, here in the US most people never heard of mainstream bands like Helloween). It's similar to anime in that regard that mainstream society appears to be completely ignorant of these extremely rich artistic niches/subcultures besides having some ignorant stereotypical image. I think I am particularly attracted to stuff that's underground/underdog as well as stuff that's abrasive and aggressive.

If there was a contest to identificate a MoFo after a couple of sentences he wrote, Guap's recognition would be something about 99%.

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San Franciscan lesbian dwarves and their tomato orgies.

That's because I am not native English speaker and I have a very particular personality.

I find your comments to be a little abrasive as well. Last time you complimented anything from me was 19 months ago I think.

I think this is my best top 100 list because I have greater knowledge of metal than film and animation and also because there is greater diversity and quantity in music than film and animation.

Honorable mentions: bands that I didn't include into this top 100 but are really great.

Tierra Santa


Spanish traditional heavy metal band. Has the closest sound to Iron Maiden among any other heavy metal bands and also shares the same high level of quality (just not that high in terms of originality though).

Týr


This folk metal band hailing from the faroe islands. Really great atmospheric viking metal.

Franz Schubert


I have been hearing a lot of the stuff made by this composer lately. Really great stuff, dramatic and powerful symphonies specially.

Heavenly


French neoclassical power progressive metal band with heavy Helloween influence. Like Tierra Santa has heavy Iron Maiden influence, Heavenly is the closest sounding band to Helloween I know but incorporating many neoclassical and progressive elements.

Its been nearly 5 years since I updated this thread. So how has my music taste evolved? Well, now I have discovered a lot of different stuff but my own taste is the same, its just that I found other kinds of stuff that also satisfy it.

My top 10 now looks like this:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

What used to be first place is now second. It is most flawed and simplistic album in my top 10 but the emotional identification I have with it is second to none: it represents my teenager sensibilities to the max.

I noticed that while I appreciate the classics of thrash, death, and black metal my favorites tend to incorporate these influences but they are not "pure" thrash, black or death metal albums, instead they are often classified as combinations such as Ensiferum's classification as melodic death metal with folk and power metal influences, or Wintersun's classification as symphonic neoclassical melodic power death black metal. Overall, I like music with some complexity so while I find the more plain metal often great (such as Mercyful Fate's first two albums) the best of the best is reserved for stuff that tends to be a bit more ambitious (which is why there is no Black Sabbath or Bathory is my top 10, as they are great but lack the kind of "timeless uber masterpiece" album in their discography (while Iron Maiden and Judas Priest have their Seventh Son and Sad Wings albums).

Interestingly, all albums hail from Europe:
Three albums are from Finland, one is from Sweden, three from Germany and three from England.

Europe is indeed where the best music is produced: Given the rich musical tradition of the Germanic countries combined with the developments of popular music in the British Islands they are simply playing music at a whole another level.

Wintersun!

Amazing album. I had the please sure of seeing Wintersun live in 2018, and they were excellent.

Overall, your top ten is fantastic. The first Ensiferum album is in the running for the best folk inspired metal album ever. I would have to include Moonsorrow's Verisakeet in that battle as well, though.

Great list, Guap!

2014 top 10:

1. Walls of Jericho
2. Sad Wings of Destiny
3. Painkiller
4. Stained Class
5. Terrible Certainty
6. Powerslave
7. Keppers 2nd
8. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
9. The House of Atreus part 1
10. Keppers 1st

2019 top 10:

1. Wintersun
2. Walls of Jericho
3. Sad Wings of Destiny
4. Iron
5. Storm of the Light's Bane
6. Keepers 2nd
7. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
8. Ensiferum
9. Painkiller
10. Imaginations of the Other Side

So half of the earlier top 10 remains in the new top 10. Over the years I gained an additional appreciation for the more sophisticated ones like Seventh Son of a Seventh Son while the less sophisticated ones like Terrible Certainty fell a bit on my list (still I regard it as a top 50 or so favorite album). I gained a lot of appreciation for Blind Guardian's albums from the 1990s over this period, they were indeed the peak of "melodic" metal, especially given the high technical level of their play and the excellent quality of the songwriting. Although when I watched then live a few years ago they were rather unimpressive in the studio they are kings.

These large changes also shows how I shouldn't claim one album is the absolute peak of music because I might discover something even better in the future. Although I am almost sure to always have metal album in my top 10. I do listen to other genres of music but the emotional intensity of metal makes it rise above the other genres when I decide to make a list of all time favorites.

By the way I was encouraged to make this list today because I actually listened to Storm of the Light's Bane for the first time very recently and it instantly shoot up all the way in my favorites list. The reason is that is manages to combine Black Metal with well executed melodies. While black metal is perhaps the most extreme form of music it often sacrifices melody and harmony and becomes an atonal storm. Dissection managed to turn the traditional atonal storm of bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone into a beautiful symphony with that album.

Just going back over the entire list here. i would be interested in reading your views on why you put W.A.S.P.'s The Headless Children over The Crimson Idol. I tend to think of The Crimson Idol to at least be in the running for best of the classic US metal of that era.

I liked the Headless Children more because it is more riff focused. It's been a long time since I heard both albums though. If I would nominate a favorite US classic heavy metal album w would be among Virgin Steele's Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Crimson Glory' sTranscendence. Although both albums are categorized as power and progressive respectively I find then very close to "classic heavy metal", like Iron Maiden's more sophisticated albums.

I will listen to Moonsorrow a bit more. I haven't had the chance to listen to that album yet. Thanks for the recommendation.

Your list has even more metal than mine would have (though I guess I'd have more extreme albums on my list). Anyways, couple of recommendations for you (I only list one album per band but that doesn't mean only they are worth checking out):

Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King (metal, maybe little progressive)
Opera Magna - El Último Caballero (power metal)
Arkona - Vozrozhdeniye (the best folk metal album; check the original from 2004, not the later re-recording)
Abigor - Fractal Possession (technical black metal)

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If you check out The Crimson Idol again, perhaps grab the newer Reidolized version. I normally frown on bands re-recording records, but Blackie did a bang up job here, and the production is much better this time around. It's the version I reach for these days when listening to the album. If you check it out, please let me know what you think!

This list is from 2014, now it would look a bit different. If you define as "extreme metal" stuff with death and black elements in it. I have listened to more extreme metal since though. Though I prefer stuff with some degree of melody in it, with some exceptions (Darkness Descends).