13. Genghis Tron "Board Up The House" (2008)

What it is: Spazzy electro-metalcore shizz
Favorite Track: Board Up The House

When approaching this album one of the biggest mistakes you can make is expecting a brutal, thrashed-up electronic grindcore album. Because it's not, but knowing this may make your listening experiance more enjoyable and less dissapointing. Genghis Tron's 2008 release sounds like a Converge album as played by Robots on crystal meth.

The album kicks off with the eerie opening of the title track, and from there it's history. From the opening screams, you're grabbed by the throat and taken along on a magical musical journey through the deepest depths of the human imagination. Every change in tempo, every hair-raising keyboard note, every mechanical guitar riff is a hairpin turn. This all sounds overly pretentious, but that's what it sounds like.

Genghis Tron are unlike anything I've ever heard. They definitely borrow from bands like Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan, but their sound is unique, and even more intense. What I like about this music is it's almost frightening. The band consists of two keyboardists, one of which who does vocals and a guitarist. No drummer here, that's all in the programming!

While most of their vocals are screamed, Genghis Tron incorporates many layers of murky clean vocals, which are often crucial in achieving the high level of intensity in their music. In the epic I Won't Come Back Alive they're even catchy.

Whoever writes the lyrics for Genghis Tron (I believe it's vocalist Mookie Singerman) certainly impresses me, particularly on the title track with the almost horror movie-like lyrics.

Well, it gave me the creeps, and the atmosphere of their music didn't help the situation either.

Genghis Tron have it all, all the elements I love in music. Screaming vocals, experimental tendencies, progressiveness, complexity, intensity, and an overall sound that would drive my parents up the wall.

If you are able to stomach this kind of music, I would highly recommend this album. Many people like Dead Mountain Mouth better, but I think they achieved more with Board Up The House. If you should decide to give it a listen, all I can tell you is be prepared for forty three and a half minutes of MADNESS.

12. Underoath "Define The Great Line" (2006)

What it is: Too debatable
Favorite Track: A Moment Suspended In Time

After thinking about it for about ten minutes, I can't do it.

11. Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" (1975)

What it is: Dark Pink Floyd
Favorite Track: Welcome To The Machine

Wish You Were Here was the album that began my wonderful relationship with the poster boys of Prog. I couldn't have picked a better album by them to start off with. It's accessible, but one of their overall stronger and thicker albums, not to mention that the production is way ahead of its time.

After such a massive success with Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd had a lot to live up to. They didn't surpass DSOTM, but they certainly didn't disappoint. Pink Floyd's five track 1975 masterpiece clocks at almost forty-five minutes. It is made up of a very lengthy two-part song called Shine On You Crazy Diamond which surrounds the three middle tracks. The layout is excellent and definitely adds to the listening experiance.

The sound of Wish You Were Here is very thick, and the production is very clean. The album could have been made in 2008, and it wouldn't sound dated at all. The thing that makes this album so special is the songs themselves, and not so much each part of the album working together. There are only five songs, but all of them are lengthy, and all of them are spectacular. Welcome To The Machine was the first song that stood out to me. If dark music scares you, do not listen to this song! The vague, but easily interpreted lyrics are about the corrupt music indsutry. You tell 'em boys!

If it is at all possible for Pink Floyd to be heavy, then that's what they did with WYWH. It's not heavy in the hard rock/metal sense, but it's heavy in their own psychadelic way. As I've said before, it's thick. The instrumental bits are superb, especially Richard Wright. If you want to get a taste of how important he was to Pink Floyd, here it is.

So if you're just getting into the wonderful world of Pink Floyd, take my advice and get this album first.

It be my music and film collection.