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My Top 50 Favorite Albums of all Time #15-11.

Well i'm still a bit hung over from the late game night I had last night, so sorry but no update today. Like you all really care about that anyway. :P


#15- An Ocean Between Us by As I Lay Dying

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QTJG2FQIu2I/RykVpW4QFBI/AAAAAAAAALA/WKSooPfQCPo/s320/As+I+Lay+Dying+-+An+Ocean+Between+Us.jpg

One of the best and most solid Metalcore albums i've ever listened to! As I Lay Dying always has good albums, but this one put them on a whole other level for me. I love every single song on it and the best part is there isn't a single filler song on the whole album unlike most Metalcore albums. Its just great!

For Fans of: Heavy Metalcore With Melodic Breakdowns, Cool Cover Art, Nothing but Great Songs.

Best Song: The Sound of Truth

My Score- 9/10.


#14- The Sickness by Disturbed

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LTOs-F9BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I love Disturbed! But The Sickness alone is just on of the best Hard Rock/Nu-Metal ever made! Ever song sounds angry and by the time you get to Down With the Sickness you just wanna start breaking stuff. :P I could just listen to this album all day long if I could, its that good.

For Fans of: Disturbed's Nu-Metal Sound, Getting Down With the Sickness, Listening to One of the Best Albums Ever!

Best Song: Down With the Sickness

My Score- 9/10.


#13- For Lack of a Better Name by DeadMau5

http://img.noiset.com/images/album/deadmau5-for-lack-of-a-better-name-cover-art-28008.jpeg

DeadMau5 makes some of the coolest music out there right now. He does a really nice mix of electronic and dubstep songs that once you start listening its just impossible to stop listening. Its really a cool combination that makes for an energetic and absorbing album. Listen and love it.

For Fans of: Dubstep, Electronic, A Combo of the Two, Dead Mice, High Energy Albums.

Best Song: Moar Ghost n' Stuff

My Score- 9/10.


#12- Recovery by Eminem

http://www.uncrate.com/men/images/2010/06/recovery-eminem.jpg

A lot of people will disagree with this choice since their of the opinion that "TheSlimShadylp" is the best album from Eminem, but in my opinion Recovery is. I've never given a 5 star rating on more songs on an album in my itunes than this one! (11 of 17 songs) The only thing that holds it back from top 10 fame is the God awful Lil' Wayne song, I just hated it. Besides that though this album didn't disappoint me at all and ended u being one of my most listened to albums ever.

For Fans of: Good Rap, Eminem Bashing Everyone, Recovering from The Crap that Was Relapse.

Best Song: Cold Wind Blows

My Score- 9.5/10.


#11- Discovering the Waterfront by Silverstein

http://images.victoryrecords.com/albums/VR257.jpg

Now this album is just straight up amazing! Its a cool mix of Metalcore and Rock music with screamed vocals and nice melodic singing to back it up. I love every song on it and it easily has one of the best opening songs on any album ever! I'd recommend this one to anybody. Yes, its that awesome. :P

For Fans of: Melodic Metalcore, Amazing Album Cover Art, Incredible Songs.

Best Song: Your Sword Versus My Dagger

My Score- 9.5/10.

Well that's it for me. I'm gonna go pass out on the couch now. :P Thanks for reading and listen to those songs!! :x :P

~Mike 8)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All Time #20-16.

Well I don't really have much of an update for you guys tonight, just glad that its almost Friday!! Thanks God. :P Tonight I will be breaking into the, best of the best as far as albums are concerned, for my list! Anyway lets get on with it, before I fall asleep on my keyboard. :P


#20- Hypnotize By System of a Down

http://www.thefunkstore.com/CurrentCDs/March2006/CD-SystemDownHypnotizeD22006.jpg

SOAD have always had kind of so-so albums for me. I mean I love some of their music, then some of it just sounds like utter ****. With Hypnotize though I had finally found an album that I loved almost every track on! Its just a great album that i've listened to for years now.

For Fans of: SOAD's Unique Sound, Lyrics with a Meaning, A Solid SOAD Album, Lonely Days.

Best Song: Lonely Day

My Score- 9/10.


#19- The Oracle By Godsmack

http://www.mp3crank.com/cover-album/Godsmack-The-Oracle-300x300.jpg

My Album of 2010 finally makes an appearance on my list! This album and Godsmack in general are just to amazing to put into words! That's why I decided to put two of their albums in the list. I love every song on this album and have listened to it at least 50 times! I just love it to death. :P

For Fans of: Godsmack, Sully Erna, Godsmack, Sully, Erna, Love, Hate, Sex, and Pain.

Best Song: Love-Hate-Sex-Pain (2010 Song of the Year) :P

My Score- 9.5/10.


#18- As The Daylight Dies By Killswitch Engage

http://img.noiset.com/images/album/killswitch-engage-as-daylight-dies-2-cover-art-29329.jpeg

The very first Metalcore group I ever listened to! This album is by far KSE's best and most melodic album and that's what made it so awesome for me. My Curse is one of the single greatest songs ever created and after that the album is still jam packed with some of the best songs in the genre. Just an amazing album from beginning to end.

For Fans of: Screaming, Curses, Cool As **** Album Covers, Amazing Vocal Work.

Best Song: My Curse

My Score- 9/10.


#17- Tri-Polar By Sick Puppies

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/300x300/30652411.jpg

One of the best and coolest sounding bands I've ever listened to and I have good friend grunt1096 to thanks for getting them onto my Itunes. God grunt I swear i've mentioned your name like 15 times so far with this set of blogs. :P Anyway This album is just amazing and i've probably listened to it 30 or 40 times since Christmas alone! Its just a feel good album for me.

For Fans of: Emma, Hot Bassists, Amazing Music, Amazing Albums, Unique Sounding Bands.

Best Song: So What I Lied

My Score- 9.5/10


#16- Deliver Us By Darkest Hour

http://images.victoryrecords.com/albums/VR347.jpg

No I just started listening to these guys, but I already love them. Their supposed to be Melodic Death Metal, but they sound more like a Metalcore band to me. Whatever they are I just can't get enough of this album! The songs are all fantastic, with great guitar work and awesome vocals. It all just melds so well in this album I can't find hardly anything to complain about.

For Fans of: Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore, Amazing Guitars and Vocals, No Bad Songs.

Best Song: Demon[s]

My Score- 9/10.


Well everyone that's all for tonight. Listen to those songs and thanks for reading! :)

~Mike 8)

P.S. Ryan listen to that Darkest Hour album, you'll like it. ;)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All time #25-21.

Hey guys! Hope you all are doing well on this fine Tuesday night. Well soon to be Wednesday morning for me. :P Anyway I'm doing pretty good, just got Battlefield Bad Company 2.....again today and played some Black OPS with @Wolfman_chopper in which we were just owning everyone in. All in all its just been a good night for me. :) But enough about my night, lets get on with some more of my favorite albums. Yes its all about me now. :P


#25- Tron Legacy OST by Daft Punk

http://www.tkshare.com/pic/20101206/20101206021533983.jpeg

I saw Tron Legacy a few days ago and decided to pick up the Soundtrack for it. Man was I blown away! There's over 20 songs on it and almost all of them are fantastic! Daft Punk really did a great job on this soundtrack and in my opinion made the best movie soundtrack in a long time.

For Fans of: The Daft Boys, Feeling Trippy, Tron, Crazy Techno.

Best Song: Tron Legacy (End Credits)

My Score- 9/10.


#24- Octavarium by Dream Theater

http://dt.spatang.com/albums/octavarium.jpg

Dream Theater are an interesting band. Their guitars and sound are consistent with most metal bands, but the vocals are that of Hard Rock bands. All I have to say is that its confusing, but at the same time amazing to listen to! I listened to this whole album and for once in a long while I did nothing else while I listened. It was that engrossing (I guess that's the right word) to listen to. Every song was great and overall I would recommend the album to any fan of progressive metal.

For Fans of: Mike Portnoy's Amazing Drumming, Nice Mix of Vocals and Guitars, No Bad songs at All!

Best Song: Panic Attack

My Score- 9/10.


#23- Blackbird by Alter Bridge

http://www.thedwarf.com.au/var/plain/storage/images/submissions/contrib_content/blackbird_alter_bridge/3269350-2-eng-GB/blackbird_alter_bridge_album.jpg

Formed by former members of Creed, Alter Bridge never really caught my eye before, but last year I gave this album a chance and just fell in love with it. There isn't a bad song on the entire album and I have to say they sound so much better than Creed. God I really hated Creed. :P Anyway this album is fantastic and if you like good rock music you owe it to yourselves to buy it!!

For Fans of: Bands Not Named Creed, Former Creed Members Making a Better Band, Not Creed.

Best Song: Come To Life

My Score- 9/10.


#22- Appeal To Reason by Rise Against

http://www.punkrocktoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/rise-against-appeal-to-reason.jpg

Rise Against has always been one of my favorite bands and Appeal To Reason is by far their best release to date! It has a ton of memorable songs on it, the lyrics are meaningfull, and I just can never get tired of Tim Mcllrath's voice. Not to mention this album contains probably one of my favorite songs of all time, "Hero of War". The song alone is enough for the album to get on my list and I think that if you watch the vid and listen to the song you'll be hard pressed to disagree.

For Fans of: Amazing Singers, Amazing Songs, Wierd and Crazy Cover Art, Anti-War Songs.

Best Song: Hero of War

My Score- 9/10.


#21- The Poison by Bullet for My Valentine

http://musicrocksoursocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bullet-For-My-Valentine-The-Poison.jpg

What can I say about BFMV. Well they're last album Fever was a huge dissapointment, but at least there's still this album to fall back on. And what an album it is! I just finished it all the way through today and it was one of the best Metalcore albums i've listened to. Almost every song was great and they were all nice and long. Its just a damn good album, that's all I can say.

For Fans of: Metalcore at iits Finest, Damn Good Albums, Wierd Chicks on Album Covers.

Best Song: Tears Don't Fall

My Score- 9/10.


So that's all for tonight guys! Thanks for reading and remember to listen to those songs!! :P

~Mike 8)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All Time #30-26

Well i'm sorry I didn't get this blog up last night, but after playing Black OPS for most of the night I was a little tired. :P But i'm here today to continue. So um lets get to it then. :P


#30- Brand New Eyes by Paramore

http://images.wikia.com/paramore/images/7/7d/Brand_New_Eyes_cover.jpg

Now as probably all of you know by now, Hayley Williams is one of my favorite women alive. I only use her as my avy 80% of the time and as my profile banner for a good 6 months now. But some may be surprised to know that I also love the music of Paramore. Brand New Eyes was a fantastic album that slowed things down a little bit for the band after the energetic Riot!. Riot! is still a better album, but I love almost every song on this one and have listened to it close to 40 times already.

For Fans of: Hayley, Energetic and Slower Songs, Ripping Wings off Butterflies.

Best Song: Careful

My score- 9/10


#29- Back in Black by AC/DC

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/ACDC_Back_in_Black.png

Easily the best AC/DC album ever. This album didn't have a single bad song on it, the guitar work was just incredible, and energy was just as high as ever. AC/DC is a great band, but even i'll admit a few of their album were just meh for me, this album is one I can still listen to and love every time though.

For Fans of: Amazing Guitar Work, Cla$$ic Rock, High Energy Songs, All Black Album Covers.

Best Song: Shoot to Thrill

My Score- 9/10.


#28- Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin

http://www.hotzoneonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/dear-agony.jpg

Breaking benjamin has been one of my favorite bands for a while now and this album is by far my favorite from them. Ben Burley has such a unique voice that really gives their music a different feel to it then most current Rock music out there. The guitar work has a sort of moody and eerie kind of feel to it that really lends to the music and lyrics. OVerall its a great rock album that any fan should pick up.

For Fans of: Clean Vocals with Ocassional Screaming, Errie Guitar Work, Nothing but Good Songs, Odd Album Art.

Best Song: Crawl

My Score- 9/10.


#27- Congregation of the Damned by Atreyu

http://nerdiest-kids.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/AtreyuCONGREGATION-300x300.jpg

Another fantastic album recommened to me by my good friend grunt1096. I listened to it once and knew I loved it! Each song has a unique mix of Metalcore and clean vocals that makes it immediately pleasing to the ears. Some people prefer the old Atreyu, but I personally like their newer styl* that's displayed on this album. Its just a fantastic Metalcore/Rock album.

For Fans of: Newer Atreyu, Amazing Songs, Metalcore/Rock mixture.

Best Song: Bleeding is a Luxury

My Score- 9/10.


#26- Constellations by August Burns Red

http://img.noiset.com/images/album/august-burns-red-constellations-1-cover-30567.jpeg

Some people love "Messengers" and some people love "Constellations" I personally love both, but overall I think Constellations is a better album. The guitar work is amazing, the vocals are fierce and fantastic, and every song is great! Not to mention its got some of the coolest looking album art i've ever seen.

For Fans of: Amazing Guitars, Fierce Vocals, Amazing Album Art, Guys Flying Kites.

Best Song: Indonesia

My Score- 9/10.


So that's all for today guys. Like always please rember to listen to those songs before you comment. :) Thanks for reading. :)

~Mike 8)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All Time #35-31.

*Yawn* Well I didn't sleep much at all last night, as a matter of fact it was only for about 4 hours. :P Screw sleep I got games to play! Yep, its Friday night again so that means its game night for Mike! :D So its going to be another night with no sleeping for me lol. :P But right now, lets check out some more of my favorite music. :)


#35- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Soundtrack by Various Artists

http://radioexile.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/pilgrim__-300x300.jpg

I loved Scott Pilgrim after the first time I saw it, but the soundtrack is just as good! Its a great mix of the funny and awesome songs from the movie along with a cool 8-bit track, and a really nice song by Beck in acoustic and original versions. Its a great soundtrack and you'll really love it if your a fan of the movie.

For Fans of: Quirky Songs, Sex Bob-Omb, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World the Movie, Garbage Trucks.

Best Song: Garbage Truck

My Score- 8.5/10.


#34- The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2010/08/02/arcade%20fire%20the%20suburbs.jpg?1280760687

After this album got such high praise and I had been hearing about it from friends for the last few months I finally decided to listen to it and I was impressed. Arcade Fire really have a sound all their own. Its a hard sound to explain, but if you like them you'll be hooked for good. All in all I really like this album for its uniqueness and great songs.

For Fans of: Unique Bands, Beautiful Instrumental Work, Suburbs.

Best Song: The Suburbs

My Score- 8.5/10.


#33- The Powerless Rise by As I Lay Dying

http://www.mp3crank.com/cover-album/As-I-Lay-Dying-The-Powerless-Rise-300x300.jpg

As I Lay Dying have recently become one of my favorite bands. There lyrics are a bit more harsh and heavy than most metalcore, but The Powerless Rise showed more of a melodic side to them and that why it appealed so much to me. Its is full of fantastic songs and no filler in between. Just one good song after another, so if your a fan of metalcore your going to like it.

For Fans of: Banging Your Head to Epic Songs, Incredible Guitar Work, An Album With Limitless Replay Value.

Best Song: Parallels

My Score- 9/10.


#32- The Adventures of Bobby Ray by B.o.B.

http://www.mp3crank.com/cover-album/B.o.B-B.o.B-Presents-The-Adventures-Of-Bobby-Ray-Deluxe-Edition-300x300.jpg

B.o.B. came out of nowhere last year and blew me away with this album! Its easily one of the best rap albums i've listened to in a while. A lot of the songs on the album are full of energy and have kind of a poppy vibe to them, but then there are the more serious songs like "Ghost in the Machine" my personal favorite. This album is just great all the way around and I loved it.

For Fans of: Great New Rappers, Rappers That Can Sing, Pop/Rap, Hayley Williams Collab. :D

Best Song: Ghost in the Machine

My Score- 9/10.


#31- Three Days Grace by Three Days Grace

http://www.mp3crank.com/cover-album/Three-Days-Grace-Three-Days-Grace-300x300.jpg

Now as many of you know Three Days Grace is and has been my favorite band for a long time now. This album was my favorite album ever for a long time, but its since faded a little. Its still one of my favorites and is just filled with amazing songs! Of course my opinion is biased since I love this band, but this album is just fantastic and any fan of Rock music should have it in their collection.

For Fans of: Adam Gontier, The Best Breakup Song Ever, Home, Anything and Everything Three Days Grace.

Best Song: Home

My Score- 9/10.


So that's it for now guys. Like always please listen to the songs before you comment. And thanks for reading. :) Now i've gotta go get some chores done before game night starts. :P

~Mike. 8)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All Time #40-36

Hi, guys! I hope you all had a good day today, like I did. I guess days off from work just make me a happy kind of guy. :P Anyway its onto the list! Enjoy! :)


#40- Diamond Eyes by Deftones

http://www.mycitybuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/diamond-eyes.jpg

The Deftones are a unique kind of band. They mix typical rock music with with metal in such a way that you would never guess they're actually a metal band. One minute your hearing the lead singer's soft voice singing "Diamond eyes" then the next you hear the song "Cmnd/Cntrl" and the screaming begins! the whole album is just great and if your willing to give them a try you'll be rewarded with something totally unique and a nice change of pace from the usual rock or metal.

For Fans of: Metal and Alt Rock Fused Together, Amazing Vocal Work, Uniqueness, Pretty White Owls.

Best Song: Diamond Eyes

My Score- 8/10.


#39- Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace by Foo Fighters

http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2007/09/11/echoes_silence_patience_and_grace_300x300.jpg?1214849652

Foo Fighters have always been one of my favorite groups, but in my opinion they had fallen off a bit since previous albums. Well this one put them right back on track! Its filled with lots of good songs and then a couple of amazing ones, such as "The Pretender" which in my opinion may be on of the greatest opening tracks on any album ever! If you love rock and love Foo fighters than you'll love this album like I do.

For Fans of: Pretending, Bomb Shaped Lightbulbs, Echoes, Patience, Silence, Grace. :P

Best Song: The Pretender

My Score- 8/10.


#38- Swan Songs by Hollywood Undead

http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/3/9/8/5/hollywoodundeadresize.jpg

This album wastes no time getting right in your face and melting it with amazing lyrics and great guitar work. There are very few Rap/Rock bands out there anymore and Hollywood Undead tops all of them at this point and this album is the reason why. Every song on the album is ferocioous and has a message. Whether that's just about drinking and hooking up or songs bashing politics in America there's a bit of everything here. The album pulls no punches and gets up in your face constantly and that's why I love it!

For Fans of: What Linkin Park Used To Sound Like, Party Music, Brilliant Mix of Rock and Rap Genres, Scary Masks.

Best Song: The Diary (Not for the Faint of Heart)

My Score- 8.5/10.


#37- Collisions and Castaways by 36 Crazyfists

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UWVxCGfnxRI/TEWyknt7cBI/AAAAAAAAEug/1cfVircBrNY/s320/36+Crazyfists-Collisions+And+Castaways-Front.jpg

Now we move onto one of the most underrated Metalcore bands around now. Crazyfists are just fantastic and one of the few bands that got more than one album on my list. Still this album is fantastic and every song on it is good or great, which is rare for most albums out today. I was reluctant to give these guys a try at first, but i'm so glad I did and found this album in the process. Its amazing if your a fan of good Metalcore.

For Fans of: Awesome Band Names, Buried Treasure, 36, Underrated Bands, Albums With No Bad Songs.

Best Song: Caving in Spirals

My Score- 8.5/10.


#36- Meteora by Linkin Park

http://www.mp3boo.com/cover-album/Linkin_Park-Meteora.jpg

Believe it or not Linkin Park used to be one of my favorite bands ever. Unfortunately their last two albums have been complete s***. Anyway Meteora was their last great album, and man what an album it is! It was packed with amazing song after amazing song, and I listened to it everyday for years! Hell I still play it every now and again! The Rap/Rock combo was just amazing and still holds up today. If you've never heard this album then please slap yourself in the face, get in your car, drive to your nearest music retailer, and buy this album!!

For Fans of: The Old Linkin Park, Good Times, Lying From You, Spraying Paint.

Best Song: Lying From You

My Score- 9/10.


So that's all for tonight everyone. Remember to please listen to the songs before you comment, unless you've heard them before. Then please give yourself a pat on the back for me. :P Thanks for reading. :)

~Mike 8)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All Time #45-41.

Hello everyone! I hope that so far your week's have been going well, I know mine has been pretty good. Anyway enough with the talking, its time for more music! :D


#45- Them vs. You vs. Me by Finger Eleven

http://1.music.bigpond-images.com/images/AlbumCoverArt/307/XXL/Them-Vs-You-Vs-Me.jpg

Now Finger Eleven wasn't a band I even knew about before this album, but it was great! What I remember most about it was that I would hear the song Paralyzer constantly on the radio and when I figured out what band played that song I just had to have the cd. To my surprise Paralyzer wasn't the only great song on the album! Its packed full of great songs and lyrics.

For Fans of: Paralyzer, Rock, Solid Rock Albums.

Best Song: Paralyzer

My Score- 8/10


#44- Graduation by Kanye West

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LT-fH3sG_ic/R4el4FSppQI/AAAAAAAAAj0/a9h9jsI2vQs/s320/kanye.jpg

I won't lie, I find Kanye West to be an arrogant, self-indulgent ass, but he sure does make some good music. I used to listen to this album all the time and after a few years, its one of those albums that I can pick right up and play again. I know a lot of fantastic things have been said about his new album and most of them are true, but I still feel like this was his best album and definitely my favorite from him.

For Fans of: Crazy Album Art, Good Rap, Wierd Glasses, Kanye Being an A-Hole by Hating on A-Holes.

Best Song: Flashing Lights

My Score- 8/10


#43- What Seperates Me From You by A Day to Remember

http://images.victoryrecords.com/albums/VR603.jpg

I asked for this album for Christmas last year based on a recommendation by my good friend @grunt1096 and as usual I fell in love with it. I love jsut about every song on it, and have listened to them a ton already! Plus the combination of pop/rock and metalcore vocals is just amazing! I never expected much, but they combine it in a way that just makes it sound so awesome.

For Fans of: Pop Rock/Metalcore Songs, Albums With No Bad Songs, Giving the Finger to People You Hate.

Best Song: This is the House Doubt Built

My Score- 8.5/10


#42- Deep Blue by Parkway Drive

http://www.rocksound.tv/images/uploads/deepblue300.jpg

Not only is it one of the most album covers I have ever seen, but the music is damn good to! Parkway was one of the first Metalcore bands I ever listened to and I just immediately fell in love with this album! They do sound a little harder than other bands and are a little less melodic, but that's what makes them more unique than most Metalcore bands. This album is just great from beginning to end.

For Fans of: Harder Than Usual Metalcore, Epic Songs, Head Banging for 45 Minutes Straight.

Best Song: Sleepwalker

My Score- 8/10


#41- Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pg_iC2TNvr8/SgHLK89v4wI/AAAAAAAAACw/p24QggmCRHk/s320/Infinity-On-High.jpg

Okay I stopped listening to these guys a long time ago, but I can't deny that this album was just fantastic! It was at a time my favorite album ever, and for good reason. All the songs on it were great and I listened to them so many times I can't even count. I may not care for them anymore, but this album will always stick with me, because of how great it was and still is.

For Fans of: Guyliner, Lead Singers Who Suck Live, An Album Amazing Songs, Pete Wentz Jumping Around On Stage.

Best Song: Thnks Fr Th Mrms

My Score- 8.5/10


So that's all for tonight guys. I hope you all enjoyed it, and please give all the songs a chance before you comment. :) Thanks for reading. :D

~Mike 8)

My Top 50 Favorite Albums of All Time! #50-46

Well I decided to start this list because I'm crazy about my music right now and my good buddy @envomtonix's blogs have inspired me somewhat. Same basic layout as all my other blogs, 5 a night until we reach the end. I tried to keep it to one album per band, but if I get 2 albums in there from one band please forgive me, it just means I love that band. :P Also I just need to throw in the fact that these are just my opinions on these albums, so i'm sorry if your not a fan, but please no extremely nasty comments about something on this blog. :) So lets get started! :D


#50- Monument by Miss May I

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OVhg1-9Uua8/TMrM2yPcmiI/AAAAAAAAAI4/tHhFCpT-JYc/s1600/Miss-May-I-Monument-2010.jpg

I was never a big fan of Miss May I before this album, because they seemed to be a Death Metal band. Turns out its just got a little bit of death growling in it, which I can live with. :P All the songs on the album are good, but only a few are worth listening to more than a few times. Overall its a great album and I enjoy it a lot.

For Fans of: Deathcore, Metalcore, Chaos at Every Turn, Banging Your Head, Growling.

Best Song: Gears

My Score- 7.5/10


#49- Vena Sera by Chevelle

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3S9MIGeO-yM/TUuj9WIQcaI/AAAAAAAAAmg/9EzercNSPMY/s1600/Chevelle_-_Vena_Sera.jpg

I'm kind of a newer Chevelle listener, but I can tell by this album that I'll be listening to them for a long time. They have a unique sound that can go from soft to hard in an instant. Its really not hard to like these guys or this album if your any kind of Rock music fan.

For Fans of: Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Meaningful Songs.

Best Song: Antisaint

My Score- 7.5/10


#48- 7th. Symphony by Apocalyptica

http://www.metal-rules.com/metalnews/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/APOCALYPTICAS-NEW-ALBUM-7TH-SYMPHONY.jpg

Not only is that album art just epic, but it has the music to back it up with. Apocalyptica is an instrumental band, but with guest appearances from the likes of: Gavin Rossdale, Brent Smith, and Joseph Duplantier it gives the album a uniqueness I haven't seen in many albums. Some songs are purely intstrumental and others have amazing guest appearances, but in the end its just a fantastic album that I just love to death.

For Fans of: Instrumental, Metal, Hard Rock, Fantastic Guest Singers.

Best Song: Not Strong Enough

My Score- 8/10


#47- The Blueprint 3 by Jay Z

http://www.culturebully.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/jay-z-blueprint-3-three.jpg

Jay Z has always come out with good rap, but to me this is his finest work. From the brilliant collaborations with Kanye West, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys to the sick beats that flow out of this album there isn't anything to not like about it. There are some songs that disappointed me a bit, but not every album can be perfect, right?

For Fans of: Rap, Hip-Hop, Crazy Beats, Fantastic Collabs.

Best Song: Empire State of Mind

My Score- 8/10


#46- O.M.G.! by Rusko

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/300x300/48553179.jpg

The undeniable king of Dubstep himself, Rusko's O.M.G.! was easily one of my favorite albums of last year. Of course i'm more of a recent dubhead, but nonetheless this album was just fantastic! Rusko's usualy crazy beats are here and better than ever, then mix that with some great collaborations and you have a great album! If your a dubhead or an aspiring dubhead then you owe it to yourself to give this a listen.

For Fans of: Dubstep, Rusko, Insane Beats, Nasty Dub.

Best Song: Woo Boost

My Score: 8/10


So that's all for tonight guys! I really encourage you to at least listen to some of those song if you haven't heard them. Maybe there's something you'll like. ;) Thanks for reading and have a great start to your week's. :)

~Mike 8)

Old games to most become new to me.

So just a quick blog tonight guys, since tonight is my weekly game night with buddies, @Wolfman_chopper, @theslimdavylp, and @envomtonix. Anyway as you may guess from the title I picked up a few older games just yesterday. These games are.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61KPFN43GSL.jpg

and

http://www.ioffer.com/img/item/153/314/225/final-fantasy-8-ps1-69f04.jpg

Now I am a complete n00b when it comes to JRPG's and turn based combat, but I felt like changing it up a bit. I've never played a FF game except for XII and that game didn't really have turn based combat, so i'm not to sure it really counts. :P Anyway, I downloaded both straight to my PS3 after I bought them off of marketplace. (God its nice to have that 160 GB's of space) :P So now I just have to find the time to play both of them lol.

I had also planned to buy either Resonance of Fate or Valkyria Chronicles, but my Gamestop was sold out of both. :( Oh well I really didn't need to spend the money anyway.

I also got this.

http://images.victoryrecords.com/albums/VR347.jpg

Now Death Metal isn't my thing, but these guys are more on the Metalcore side of things and this album is just fantastic! Expect a short mini review on it and a few of my recent favorites in the next few days. :)

That's all for tonight. Thanks for reading, but I have to go get ready for my game night! Let us kick much ass in Black OPS tonight. :P

Song of the Day- Demon[s] by Darkest Hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb5t4w0K1Ds

~Mike 8)

Heavy Rain Completed: My Thoughts.

So as all of you now know I have completed Heavy Rain. If memory serves its my 4th beaten game of the year. Others include Dead Space 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Black OPS (3rd. Time). But this is the first time in a while, that I felt truly compelled to share my thoughts on a game. Really you can just treat this as a mini review, as i'm sure i'll be writing a full review in the days to come. So please enjoy my thoughts and opinions of Heavy Rain. :)


Mini Review: Heavy Rain (PS3)

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Part 1: Characters.

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Heavy Rain is a game that relies heavily on its story and characters. There are 4 main protagonists. Ethan Mars the father of the latest child abducted by the Oragami Killer, Scott Shelby a retired police officer turned P.I. hired by the families of the victims of the Oragami Killer, Norman Jayden an FBI profiler sent to assist the local police force in the apprehension of the Oragami Killer, and finally Madison Page a journalist with cronic insomnia investigating the disapearance of Ethan Mars' son. Every main character has their own story to play through, and all of them are fantastic. There are also a number of smaller characters littered throughout the game, one you may even recognize from the 2006 "Casting" tech demo that Quantic Dream released after E3 2006. Althought these smaller characters aren't as interesting as the main protaganists, they still offer a nice variety and help flesh the story out even further.


Part 2: Story.

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The story in Heavy Rain revolves around all 4 of the main characters seraching for a serial killer known as the Oragami Killer, but its also about asking the person playing the game how far they are willing to go to save someone they love. After the opening of the game Ethan Mars' son goes missing, without going to far or divulging to much of the story, Ethan is asked to complete 4 trials (The Bear Trial, The Butterfly Trial, The Lizard Trail, and the Rat Trial) to save his son. While the other characters are also searching for the "Oragami Killer" their stories feellike they take a back seat to Ethan's struggles to save his son. This would usually annoy me, but the way that Quantic Dream wrote the story for the game its really the only way it could be done. Every mission, encounter, or trial is as memorable as the next and I never got tred of doing one thing for to long. Although frying eggs and changing diapers is just tedious uneeded filler in my opinion. Play Choice also plays a huge part in the game, so be careful because one bad move could change the course of the entire game and its conclusion. Speaking of the conclusion there are 4 different ending, but it won't take you very long to reach any one of them. My first playthrough clocked in at a good 9 1/2 hours, but don't fear, you'll want to play this one again the minute the credits stop rolling. All in all Heavy Rain has one of the most engrossing and amazing stories in all of gaming, its not to be missed.


Part 3: Graphics.

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On the graphics sid eof things Heavy Rain is somewhat of a mixed bag. At times its one of the best looking games created, with character and facials animation that border on liflike most of the time. Then there are the ocassional jaggies, wonky character motions, and muddy textures. If the game didn't look so amazing most of the time, it would be easier to forget about these small blemishes, but since it looks so good they stand out more than I would like. They don't make the game look bad by any stretch, it just seems like a little bit more polish could have been used to make things perfect. All in all though, Heavy Rain is one of the best looking games around, and you'll be hard pressed to find better character animations anywhere.


Part 4: Gameplay

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Now we come to the last, but most important part of my mini review and that is the gameplay. Now Heavy Rain focuses more on cinematic gameplay controlled by quick time sequences. The good news is that the controls are just perfect. I never once had a problem unless I was the one causing it or was just hitting the wrong buttons. Now one thing that I couldn't shake was the feeling that Heavy Rain relied to much on quick time events throughout the game, but in reality that's the only way the gameplay really works and its really quite intuitive. The clever controls that Quatic Dream applied to these quick time events actually make the player feel like they are doing the action that's happening in the game. This is a feeling i've never felt in a game and for that I applaude Quantic Dream. All you need to know is that the gameplay is unique, the controls work perfectly, and it gives a sense of interaction not seen in any other game.


Final Verdict:

In my time with Heavy Rain I learned that story is the most important part of a game. Without a good story Heavy Rain would not be the same game, but luckily the story is one of the best in video games if not "The" best. The twists and turns, the emotions i felt, and the choices I made all combined with the gameplay made for one game I will never forget. And while its not perfect Heavy Rain is a must play for anyone who wants to experience the best that gaming has to offer.

Scoring Breakdown:

Story: 10.0/10.0.

Gameplay: 9.8/10.0.

Graphics: 9.4/10.0.

Sound: 9.7/10.0.

Characters: 10.0/10.0.

Value: 9.0/10.0.

Overall Score: 9.7/10.0.

Thanks for reading everyone and please feel free to leave your own opinions about Heavy Rain in your comment. :)

~Mike :)