Albums

Some of my favorite albums. Everyone likes music but I think many of us don't take the time to properly enjoy it. I think music is best appreciated when listened to when you give it your full attention. This could be laying in the dark listening, or something like a walk or run; anything where you're not actively doing something

• A Sense of Purpose - In Flames

  My favorite album of all time. I just keep coming back to it. The Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman are undeniable CLASSICS of melodeath. But A Sense of Purpose is In Flames at their best for me. The riffs and melodies are amazing (listen to Disconnected for example) but at the same time the vocals work super well with the songs. Anders vocals on this album are extremely melodic but still are screams. These were the first screamed vocals I could sing out loud clean, and have very clear melodies. The catchiness of the vocals, coupled with the intertwined In Flames signature melodic ideas are what make this album.

  

  Recommended First Listen: Disconnected

• Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings - Thrawsunblat

  I remember listening to this album for the first time and thinking 'wow this is the best album I've listen to this year'. I would describe Thrawsunblat as blackened folk melodic death metal. Thrawsunblat's Joel Violette was the guitarist for the last Woods of Ypres album (check it out as well), and David Gold even plays drums for the first Thrawsunblat album. You can definitely hear the inspiration from early Woods Of Ypres. This album, and the first Thrawsunblat album are both amazing. What I feel makes this album are the melodies (like all my favorite metal albums), and the contrast. The contrast from clean folky bits to staticy metal bits are awesome. Best listened to while taking a walk in the woods. The drumming and tones are also supreme. Amazing layering and progression.

  

  Recommended First Listen: Once Fireveined

• Alive or Just Breathing - Killswitch Engage

  Howard has the best cleans, and Jesse has the best screams. Or so they say. Personally I disagree. There's something special in this album. It so perfectly captures pain and rage. You listen to Killswitch Engage for their amazing groove riffs, and their signature mix of screams with beautiful clean choruses. Jesse also packs in over driven shouts with his singing and screaming that drive home the feel he is trying to express.

  

  Recommended First Listen: My Last Serenade

• Opeth - Ghost Reveries (2005)

  Beautiful and Haunting. Some bits are very prog rock, acoustic, and even jazzy. And some are full on death metal. But each song and the entire album tell a story. I love the vocals, clean and distorted. I particularly like the keyboard bits that give the album the vibe of participating in a supernatural ghost seance. The album is also very clean, in terms of some bits are very noisy but there is never more noise than there needs to be.

  

  Recommended First Listen: Ghost of Perdition