And now it's time for my Top 10 List of Best Albums I've Heard! This is hard to determine since there are so many factors to consider. Some of these are favored above others only by a fraction if anything. It's hard to say overall since they each offer differing content. Oh well, lists are fun so...To the list!

Number one! Just kidding, that's not how these work.
#10 - All's Well That End's Well By Chiodos

It took me a while to get used to Craig Owens exceptionally high voice and funny scream, but their music is just good. I don't even know how to explain it, it's not really catchy or anything. It's just really darn good! If somebody came up to me and said, "Hey Fatso, why do you like Chiodos' music so much?" I wouldn't even know what to say. After calling them something meaner than fatso, I would probably just imitate the apple jacks commercials from the 90's and say, "I just...do!"

#9 Absolution by Muse

This album is incredible, it really is. The reason it's not ranked better on the list is because it's not entirely in the style(s) I most enjoy, and it's loaded with choruses that will get stuck in your head. Is that a bad thing? Nope. But for me it often means the album grows old faster. As for style, well that's just a personal preference, some of the slower quieter songs just aren't my favorite. But Muse definitely knows how to make music and I would wager they're better musicians than most of the bands on this list. ...or at least Matthew Bellamy is. =D

#8 Silence by Blindside

I really like this album. I think it takes some getting used to at first, just like any Blindside album, because their music is a little more all over the place rather than just following the melody or playing four chords repeatedly. But that's one of the things that keeps it fresh. (Bethany, you can have "keeps it fresh") It's also quite admirable because not only do they have to come up with vocal melodies but they also have to come up with complimentary instrument melodies as well. That's tough. Anyway, once you're used to it, this is an excellent hardcore album.

#7 Brother, Sister by mewithoutYou

Not only is this album really good but it's also unique. There isn't another like it, not even amongst mewithoutYou's other works, really. Brilliant poetic lyrics, talented instrumental work to back Aaron's well-known reciting style vocals, and this album more than their preceding two has more singing. Though Aaron isn't the greatest singer (I like that about him) he really pulls it off in this album using his own style. It's great. (It even features a melodica!)

#6 The Anti-Mother by Norma Jean

I'm right at home with music like this. It's very angry and very heavy. But since I'm an artist as well (I guess, heh) I don't want a bland album filled with nothing but pounding guitars and a constant monotone scream, I do enjoy some variety in my angry music, lol. So while Cory Brandan screams his brains out (eww brains) the album also features some turbo singing (including guest singers from The Deftones, Helmet, and Saosin), and some delightful guitar melodies. If you're an angry music hoser that grows weary of straight monotone screaming like As I Lay Dying (sorry Charlie), then stop scaling the high horse and go fight The Anti-Mother!

#5 Drawing Black Lines by Project 86

My beloved Project 86, probably my favorite band overall. Each album of theirs is unique even from each other, and this one isn't an exception. It's my favorite amongst their stuff because I've enjoyed it the most. Even if I get tired of it, I've found I can go back later and it's fresh as a daisy!* It's also a nice change of scenery from other music because the bass is outstanding. I don't know who did the editing but they brought out the bass lines and I'm glad they did. The album doesn't offer much in the way of vocal melodies, but that means it won't get tiresome, at least not for a long while. That's one of the reasons I think I can come back to it again and again. Beauty.**
* (omg strange brew reference!)
** (omg another strange brew reference!)

#4 Lost In The Sound of Separation / Define The Great Line by UnderØATH

I can't decide which album is better. UnderØATH has undergone so many changes and up to this point I'm not that enthusiastic about them. But upon reaching these albums, they easily hit my list of favorite bands. Both albums are very solid and they each have a very solemn and sober mood amidst the chaos and screaming. And although there is indeed chaos and screaming both in guitar and vocals, there is also some delightful singing throughout it all. Both albums go out with an epic ending, which leaves me every time thinking, "Whoa. That was intense."

#3 The Great Depression by Blindside

Blindside again. This album never ceases to astound me. As titled, it is seriously depressing but at the same time it's beautiful. It took quite a few listens to get used to but after learning the songs, it captivated me. For one thing I'm quite impressed at its depressing mood. (its depressing is impressing, ha!) I reviewed it here once before and I believe I said it was kind of a journey listening to it, and rightly so as Blindside took a trip to Africa beforehand, which inspired their music for the album. It wades you through all this beautifully written poetry of doom and gloom, and then ends with the song When I Remember, which might be the most beautiful song I've ever heard. It's had me in tears more than once because after all the depression there's hope and joy. I think this album is Blindside greatest moment. But perhaps they'll outdo themselves in the future?

#2 No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical by Showbread

Showbread is weird, man. This album took me about five full listens before I even liked it, but heavens did it pay off in the end! Andrew liked it instantly but I was slow. One of the reasons it takes a bit of work is because the album follows no patterns or familiar roads. It's unique and it's all over the place. One moment they'll be screaming, the next they'll be singing with music so simple it could be directed towards children. Yet, the more I learned the songs and what to expect, the more I realized just how much fun this album can be to hear. For one thing, because of its constant twists and turns (seriously I think everyone in the band has ADD) the album never gets old! I've heard it a hundred times and I'm still not tired of it! If one of their melodies gets stuck in your head, you needn't worry because that melody only plays for 15-30 seconds in one song, then they move on to something else, heh. If that's not enough, it also has a BEAUTIFUL song "Matthias Replaces Judas" featuring Reese Roper (from Five Iron Frenzy) and it also has a song about Evil Dead, so there you go.

#1 Fury of The Doorknobs by Decaying Lawn!

Just Kidding. The REAL number one iiiisss....

#1 Vheissu by Thrice!

My word #1 was hard to choose, especially between these top three (Decaying Lawn excluded.) Vheissu is yet another one that I didn't like at first. Everybody kept talking about how good Thrice was, so I forced myself to listen. At last, one of the songs caught on. It was Moths To Flame. After that I got ahold of the album itself and that's when everything exploded. It was like I gained new wisdom to realize just how fantastic the album is! The first song is a little punkish, almost like their old style, but after that it's new grounds all the way, a complete change of style for Thrice. My favorite thing about this album is the passion. At one moment there will be a swirl of piano, guitars, and perhaps background synths as Dustin Kensrue sings along, and then after it all builds up to the end, he lets loose and starts shouting as the instruments back him up with the most epic melodies. And Dustin doesn't have a shrieking or wailing scream, he just shouts it out and he does extremely well. He is all that is man. =D The album ends with Red Sky, which seems to be liked by most people even if they haven't gotten into the rest of the album. It's an all around great song. Lastly, I'd like to point out that the guys in Thrice are super talented musicians, making use of creative timing and difficult instrumental work. If I were to put anybody on this list in a talent show against Muse up there, it would probably be Thrice. They know their stuff.



THE END!