Perfect Albums

[noble savage]

Whoa! Didn't expect them to be known outside of Germany. I recently saw them live in front of like 30 people. (The album title is "Starke Stücke" by the way, which means something like "Strong Pieces", but is also a figure of speech in German.)

Imagine that, it's one of my favorite albums and I can't even spell it right!

Anyway, I heard about them through DPRP.net and then wrote a review for their latest album. It's simply one of the best albums ever released in the Jazz/Fusion/Metal genre.

 

[The Stormbringer]

When I try to think of albums where I would not even change a single note, only one springs to mind immediately:

Queen - A Night At The Opera

 

[J-Dubya 777]

When I try to think of albums where I would not even change a single note, only one springs to mind immediately:

Queen - A Night At The Opera

I wouldn't argue with that one bit. Good call on Aja as well, but I've always held Countdown to Ecstacy as my favorite Steely Dan release.

 

[Altitudes]

Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy

 

[Lucius Octavion]

Darnit! I forgot to mention Agalloch well at least someone else did

Noble Savage which song was it? And also I recommend you listen to the song midnight mushrumps if you like Red Queen which IMO is their best work

 

[noble savage]

It was Lament.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll give it a listen!

 

[DoomsdayZach]

There's not many for me that are classified as "perfect". Off the top of my head...

Mercyful Fate - Melissa
Swallow the Sun - The Morning Never Came
King Diamond - House of God, Puppet Master, Abigail (not in that order, and though the first two may be questioned, they both have special places for me and fit my "perfect" definition and are just as good as any of the others on my list)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads, The Boatman's Call
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen

There are a few others that i hold in high regard mostly because of their influence on me to get into the metal genre, but not a lot else that reaches that level. Some honorable mentions though:

Evergrey - ISoT
Kamelot - Karma
Symphony X - V (though i agree with whoever said about evolution... though for me it's more that I'm sick of the song rather than don't like it)
Moonsorrow - Havitetty and Verisakeet (sp?)

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Oooh this is tough...

Symphony X - s/t
Dream Theater - Octavarium
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Megadeth - Risk
Metallica - St. Anger
Iron Maiden - The X Factor, Virtual XI
Rush - Test For Echo
Joe Satriani - Engines of Creation

There's more, but they escape me right now.

 

[The Stormbringer]

Symphony X - s/t
Dream Theater - Octavarium
Metallica - St. Anger
Rush - Test For Echo

Congrats on making some highly unconventional choices. While I think TFE is far from perfect, it's their most underrated record in my opinion (with "Hemispheres" being the most overrated one).
"Vapor Trails" - one of my very favourites as I have stated numerous times - at least is the subject of some lively discussion, whereas most people just seem to be very indifferent about TFE.

 

[SyXified]

There are countless albums that are very strong, and many that I like every single song, but there are only 2 perfect albums IMO...

Symphony X: V
Dream Theater: Images and Words

That is all... gotta be somewhat reserved with the word 'perfect'.

 

[Burnout]

I can't believe I forgot Still Life.

 

[Lucius Octavion]

It was Lament.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll give it a listen!

Lament is amazing. Probably my fav song by them ever Red Queen is so cool even though its too short

Oh dam I forgot Moonsorrow too...

 

[razoredge]

I like Test for Echo, great piece of work.

When I thought of perfect, I thought of albums that just hit the spot, in many cases hard and had a lasting impact. Not the kind of thing you pick apart because you didnt like the production or didnt understand why a band did something the way they did it, or a particular song had a groove that didnt suit my taste. Just stuff that on a whole had me trippin.

Satriani - Surfin with the Alien
Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow
Al DiMeola - Casino
SRV - Couldnt Stand the Weather
Rite of Strings - Clark, Ponty, DiMeola

 

[Wander]

Oooh this is tough...

Symphony X - s/t
Dream Theater - Octavarium
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Megadeth - Risk
Metallica - St. Anger
Iron Maiden - The X Factor, Virtual XI
Rush - Test For Echo
Joe Satriani - Engines of Creation

There's more, but they escape me right now.

These and!

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Ayreon - 01011001
Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Queen - Flash Gordon
Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy (Yeah, I can already say this, cause I love it so much)

 

[EyeballKid]

^

I'm glad someone else caught on to Beauregard's sarcasm.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Okay okay, now for a serious list.

Symphony X - PL, V, Odyssey, Twilight, Divine Wings (not kissing ass, dead serious)
DT - Images, Train of Thought
Adagio - Underworld
Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation
Bruce Dickinson - Chemical Wedding
Fates Warning - Pleasant Shade...
Iced Earth - Horror Show
Iron Maiden - Brave New World
Circus Maximus - Isolate
Opeth - Still Life, Damnation
Megadeth - Rust
Metallica - Justice, Puppets
Rush - Moving Pics
Joe Satriani - Strange Beautiful Music
Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (for the most part)

 

[Kenneth R.]

absolutely perfect in every way? Can't think of any.

a short list of maybe 5-10 or so, mostly non-metal, come close.

 

[HackerX]

I really struggle to think of a "perfect" album. There's a lot of albums that come so close, but just have one or two songs that don't quite fit (that for me includes a lot of the albums already mentioned).

The only albums that i think are absolutely complete are:
Agalloch - Pale Folklore
Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain


I like the idea of honourable mentions though:
Alcest - Souvenirs d'un autre Monde
Anathema - Eternity
Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along The Highway
Drudkh - Blood in our Wells
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Katatonia - Dance of December Souls
Raventale - "On A Crystal Swing"
Symphony X - Divine Wings of Tragedy
Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters

 

[Ascension]

Albums that are perfection to me:

Led Zeppelin - IV
KISS - Destroyer
Mother's Finest - Another Mother Further
Blackfoot - Strikes
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs
Rush - Farewell to Kings
Journey - Departure
Van Halen - s/t
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
Queensryche - O:M I
Fates Warning - Parallels
Scorpions - Blackout
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance
Blue Murder - s/t
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
Savatage - Streets, a Rock Opera
Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator
Meshuggah - Destroy,Erase,Improve
Dream Theater - Images & Words
Ark - Burn the Sun
Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Seventhsign - Perpetualdestiny
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
Vanden Plas - Beyond Daylight or Far Off Grace (I flip flop on those 2 monthly)
Zero Hour - The Towers of Avarice
Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance
Outworld - s/t

 

[EyeballKid]

Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (for the most part)

This is discounted purely for the HORRENDOUS voice-acting all over the segues and intros. Sorry, it's a killer CD, but that stuff is God-awful.

absolutely perfect in every way? Can't think of any.

a short list of maybe 5-10 or so, mostly non-metal, come close.

Got to agree here. There aren't many METAL albums that I would consider perfect, as most albums have at least one average or lame-ass song on them. The majority of mine would be non-metal, but I won't list them.

Let me see if I can get more than 5 "metal" releases...

Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien
Kamelot - The Black Halo
Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation
Symphony X - V

Nope. Can't do it.