Top 10 HEAVIEST Albums - Pt. 1

This is my list of top 10 HEAVIEST albums of all time. This list is of course just based on my own opinion, and being that my music collection is still growing it cannot be completely accurate. In order to be recognized on the list, the albums must feature at least one of two qualities:

1st: Every song must be as good as the last. No "fillers" here.
2nd: The "chill factor" - This is when a song or series of songs is so heavy that it gives you chills at some point while listening to it.

10. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - To their credit, pretty much the first five Sabbath albums could have been used to fill this list, but that would be to discredit the hordes of competent metal bands to be influenced by them and create incredible music of their own. The fifth, and at the time most progressive album yet by the band, features all time classics such as the title track, "A National Acrobat," and "Sabbra Cadabra." Yes, Vol. 4 has just as many, and more awesome tracks, but it also has much more filler making it overall a weaker full album effort.

Chill factor: "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," the albums title track and opening song takes the cake here. Its two main riffs are some of the heaviest Tony Iommi ever produced.
 

Tracklist:
1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

2. A National Acrobat
3. Fluff
4. Sabbra Cadabra
5. Killing Yourself To Live
6. Who Are You? (ugh... yes, this is the sole filler)
7. Looking For Today
8. Spiral Architect
 

9. Judas Priest - Stained Class - Better than the Sab's fifth album, you ask? Yes. This is why; as proliferate early followers of Sabbath, tehy took the heavy riffage of Iommi and induced a mettalic sound into it which would come to be staple with bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and many others. Well, this is the album where they defined that sound. This is the album that "standardized" heavy metal and effectively defined its future as a genre. No, the songs aren't as memorable as some of the bands later offerings, but the album as a whole carries its momentum from each one to another which creates an incredibly exciting listening experience. Indeed, maybe this is why the opening song is titled "Exciter."

Tracklist:
1. Exciter
2. White Heat, Red Hot
3. Better By You, Better Than Me
4. Stained Class
5. Invader
6. Saints In Hell
7. Savage
8. Beyond The Realms of Death
9. Heroe's End

Chill Factor: Well... there really isn't one. I guess I'd have to say the whole album. Halford hits some seriously high notes here, but they are not as upfront and glorified as on Sad Wings of Destiny.



8. High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine - Although they may never receive the credit they are due, High On Fire is by far THE heaviest band to his the metal scene int eh past ten years. In making this statement, however, it brings into the question of what makes a band "Heavy." In my terms, a "heavy" band knows their influences and respects the classics, but not only do they respect the classics, but they somehow incorporate bits of their style into their own to create something which is truly unique, and original, while still showing evidence of being influenced by those who came before. High On Fire does this with flying colors, and nowhere is it more evident than on their latest album, Snakes For The Divine. Here, Sabbath and Maiden are the most obvious influences, but who better? Probably, the two greatest bands in history come together in the form of one band. Why is this better than Sabbaths fifth, and Priest's metallic revolution? Because it is more consistent through out. Unlike the a fore mentioned, Snakes For The Divine has no filler and doesn't give in to influences outside heavy metal to create its heavy sound. It is firmly rooted in the sounds that metal was founded upon, but takes those sounds to new places which are somehow unexpected and refreshing. Not to mention, the mix on this album is heavier than on any other in the list.

Tracklist:*
1. Snakes For The Divine
2. Frost Hammer
3. Bastard Samurai
4. Ghost Neck
5. The Path
6. Fire, Flood & Plague
7. How Dark We Pray
8. Holy Flames of The Fire Spitter

Chill Factor: Right out of the gate, the titIe track features one of the heaviest riffs Matt Pike has written. Coming in right around six minutes in, the chugging progression is reminiscent of the bridge riff from "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," but doesn't quite stick around long enough to induce quite as intense a reaction. The real prize goes to "Bastard Samurai." It is the heaviest song High On Fire have ever written and features the most apocalyptic riff Matt Pike has ever played. The build up form the restrained verses into the repetition of this riff overlapped by Matt's howling scream induces chills every time I hear it. "How Dark We Pray" also induces shills with its long strings of laid back death metal riffing, if such a thing existed.

*I should probably also give this album an award for Heaviest Track Titles.

 

 

7. Iron Maiden - The Number of The Beast -The bands first album with Bruce Dickinson - yes, "THE Bruce Dickinson." SNL satire aside, it is considered by many fans and critics to be the bands best overall effort. From first song "Invaders" to what would become the proto-typical album ending epic, "Hallowed Be Thy Name," this album is absolutely spine crushing. For the first in this list, every song is a classic in its own right. Decently catchy chorus lines blend seamlessly with over the top guitars and a characteristic galloping drum section to define the unique Iron Maiden sound that so many wish they had come up with.  If Priest's Stained Class defined the sound, The Number of The Beast defined the style. Metal would not be the same after this album dropped, but Maiden weren't finished yet redefining the genre...

Tracklist:
1. Invaders
2. Children of The Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of The Beast
6. Run To The Hills
7. Gangland
8. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Chill Factor: There's at least two chill factors on this album. The first is "Children of The Damned." Almost a take on the Sab's "Children of The Grave," and later, "Children of The Sea." This song features an incredible chorus line by Bruce and a classic 80's metal riff beneath which adds to the epic atmosphere. This song, rather than opener, "Invader's," sets the tone for the album: epic, glorious, take no prisoners. The second CF award goes to the all time classic album closer "Hallowed Be Thy Name." A famous magazine has placed this song at the top of their Best Metal Songs of All Time list, and for good reason. The epic sound hinted are earlier in songs such as "Children of The Damned," is brought forth in full glory. The band pulls itself in more directions than on any song previous and succeeds in dropping jaws with their heavy metal prowess. Despite its somewhat experimental and self-indulgent nature, the song is held together by an extremely heavy and classic riff which ties the song into the album and keeps the listener from being turned off.



6. Iron Maiden - Powerslave - Like the previous entry, this album by Iron Maiden features no filler. It is balls to the wall from track one til the end. However, this album see's the band pulling tehmselves apart to find new sounds even  more so. In fact, the previous' epic album closer, "Hallowed Be Thy Name" would probably be more at home amongst these tracks. Vocally, Bruce doesn't really go in any new directions, but Adrianne and Dave's guitar work by this album had improved massively since The Number of The Beast and effectively established them as the torch holders for dueling guitar work.

Tracklist:
1. Aces High
2. Two Minutes To Midnight
3. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)
4. Flash of The Blade
5. The Duellists
6. Back In The Village
7. Powerslave
8. Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

Chill Factor: As a fellow guitar player, I am happy to present this honor to the dual guitar work of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray for their incredible leads on Flash of The Blade and The Duellists, but more specifically on Flash of The Blade. After maybe two verses of Bruce singing, the band goes off on a tangent and leaves any formal structure behind. Instead, the twin guitars are unleashed in a primal fury as dueling serpents trying to tear each other apart. Eventually, drums and bass leave them and three guitar harmonize gracefully, yet with an underlying sense of trying to destroy one another before Bruce's voice returns to sing  a chorus line. To date, this is the most incredible and original "breakdown" I have ever heard.


To be continued...