#39 - System Of A Down

A very local band, and one of the most popular and well-known on this list, System of a Down hails from Glendale, California.  In fact, principal composer, guitarist and secondary vocalist Daron Malakian went to middle school at the same school my kids will likely attend.  Daron is the only member of the band who was born in the United States.  Singer Serj Tankian and drummer John Dolmayan were born in Lebanon and bassist Shavo Odadjian was born in Armenia, but all three immigrated to California as young children.  The band's lyrics tend to be politically charged, often focusing on American foreign and drug policies and social justice.  The songs "P.L.U.C.K.", from their 1998 debut and "Holy Mountains" from 2005 both decry and call on the Turkish government to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.  Musically, SOAD plays a quirky brand of alternative/nu metal.  The foundational style is one that generally doesn't appeal much to me, but their slant on it is so imaginative, experimental, angular and unexpected, that it's hard not to like.

SOAD's first two albums are wall-to-wall great songs, featuring more death metal grunts and growls than their later, more alternative rock offerings.  On the whole though, their sound has been pretty consistent over the past 17 or so years.  I remember hearing them live in Atlanta in 1999 and having a hard time getting a grasp on them, feeling ambivalent about both the lyrics and the music.  It took some time, but they definitely brought me around.  The turning point was probably when I heard their 2000 cover of Black Sabbath's "Snowblind", which remains one of my two favorite Sabbath covers of all time (along with Type O Negative's "Black Sabbath").  I was going to include an original, "Prison Song" from their second and breakthrough album Toxicity, which is a good example of their unique work, but I hate to pass up the opportunity to share the gem that is "Snowblind".  What the heck?  Here are both, "Prison Song" first, and then their original take on a classic.

#40 - The Gathering

There are not enough great metal bands fronted by women, but Dutch band The Gathering brings me to the first of my four favorite female metal vocalists.  There are some singers that are so compelling that they can singlehandedly push a good band into great territory.  We've heard from a few men who fit that bill in Midnight of Crimson Glory, Kenn Nardi of Anacrusis, King Diamond of Mercyful Fate, Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, John Arch of Fates Warning, and of course the inimitable Ronnie James Dio of Rainbow and Black Sabbath.  I don't mean to imply that these bands were not terrific apart from their impressive vocalists; just that these singers play possibly a larger than usual role in what makes them special.  The Gathering's vocalist from 1995 to 2007, Anneke van Giersbergen, certainly fits that bill.  Her deep, beautiful and powerful mezzo-soprano along with her joyful performance style make her a true pleasure to listen to.  The rest of the band are no slouches either, producing interesting and thickly textured music as they piled influences on top of their atmospheric doom metal origins, notably alternative and prog rock as well as post rock and shoegaze over the height of their output between 1995's Mandylion and 2000's If Then Else.  They've always reminded me a bit of Pink Floyd, thanks to a blend of progressive, psychedelic and hard rock influences, frequently slow and trance-like grooves and smooth vocals.

I'm torn on what song to share with you, as I generally like the precision and effects of studio recordings.  But The Gathering is really a special live band.  If you'll indulge me, I'm going to share two.  The first is a recording of their first hit "Strange Machines" from Mandylion performed at the Pinkpop Festival in their native Netherlands in 1996.  The song is a good one, although early in their development, and the performance is so enthusiastic, it's a real treat to listen to.

The second is one of their more straight ahead rockers, this time in studio.  Again the sound is fat and the performance just so heartfelt and joyful.  Enjoy "Shot To Pieces" from 2000's If Then Else.

#41 - Spastic Ink

Spastic Ink was an aptly named brainchild of guitarist extraordinaire and WatchTower alum Ron Jarzombek in the late 90's and early 2000's.  Their music and performance goes beyond impressive.  Some adjectives that leap to mind: angular, frenetic, ironic, complex, jarring... spastic.  It's truly unique music, simultaneously heavy and light.  That any human, let alone an ensemble, could play it is mind boggling, and the musicians enlisted to record it leave little doubt of their proficiency.  A brilliant example, not included below but highly recommended, is Wild Hare, an amazing adaptation of the movie Bambi, with even dialogue recreated instrumentally.

The first album, Ink Complete, was essentially a release of nearly-raw demos which, while imperfectly engineered, maybe makes it all the more impressive.  The second album, though, Ink Compatible, is a thing of beauty (if, like me, you find art like that of Georges Braque beautiful).  The list of contributing musicians includes some greats, but it may be even more impressive that they were able to play this stuff than that Ron was able to secure them for the album: vocalist Daniel Gildenlöw of Pain of Salvation, guitarist Marty Friedman of Megadeth and Cacophony, bassists Sean Malone of Cynic and Michael Manring of Attention Deficit, and keyboardist Jens Johansson of Yngwie Malmsteen and Stratovarius fame, as well as old WatchTower bandmate Jason McMaster and brother Bobby Jarzombek.  Ron is clearly a bit of a techno geek, and all of the songs on Ink Compatible are themed around wordplay on computer programming terms and topics.  Give a listen to "Aquanet", the album's opener, for a taste of this fantastic band's style and a reminiscence on the golden age of dialup internet.  And imagine trying to sing or play any of the instruments on this.  For those who make it to the end, you'll be treated to a funny bit where the automated intercept operator repeats her message "If you'd like to make a call..." over and over again in an increasingly annoyed tone.

#42 - Atrocity

Germany's Atrocity have been all over the metal map over their nearly thirty years of existence, starting out as a death metal band before moving into a more gothic sound in the early 90's, followed by a foray into industrial metal in the late 90's, a hiatus in the early 2000's and finally a return to death metal (this time tinged with gothic and black metal) with their latest release, 2013's Okkult.  It seems to me their winding and unconventional career arc has been largely influenced by vocalist/founder's relationship with and marriage to Norwegian soprano vocalist Liv Kristine, with whom all Atrocity members have a symphonic/gothic metal band called Leaves' Eyes since 2003, as evidenced by the increased use of soprano vocals and introduction of gothic and black metal elements into the band's sound (Liv was at one time involved in popular and influential black metal band Cradle of Filth).  Two things though that have remained consistent over the multiple years of style and personnel changes have been creative and detail-oriented musical composition and precise technical execution of it, and Atrocity excels at all of various styles they've tackled.

I enjoy all of Atrocity's work, and there are so many different looks at them I could offer you here.  I'm going to go with my favorite industrial song of theirs, which is not characteristic of much of what I listen to, but they do it so well, particular the angular phrasing, dynamic contrast and sound layering.  I do however have to call out their 1997 release, Werk 80, which compiles an odd assortment of covers of 80's pop tunes as something particularly worth listening to.  Tanz Der Teufel, below, comes from their subsequent release, 2000's Gemini.  Check it out for a catchy and subtly creative piece of fun.

#43 - Twisted Into Form

At number 43 comes our fifth Norwegian band, the incredibly adventurous Twisted Into Form.  I don't think this was ever anything more than a one-off, but wow what a one-off it is.  According to the band, they started working on writing the album around the year 2000 and six years later produced an album that clearly required every minute of the interim to prepare.

"Instinct Solitaire", the song I've chosen to share with you, comes charging right out of the gate; up-tempo and twisty as all get out.  The introduction foreshadows some of the song's thematic material, but is mostly all over the place rhythmically and melodically, setting the listener up for the kind of relentless technical playing and shifting time that's in store.  The vocals enter at 0:31 over an only slightly more consistent feel.  The chorus at 0:57 is a bit more melodic still, but don't expect "Rainbow Connection".  There's a brief guitar at 1:26, which leads into an instrumental section which builds quickly from a quiet jazzy arpeggiated lead at 1:37 to a recap of the head at 2:05 followed by a coda from 3:03 to the end.  Prepare to have your mind blown.

#44 - Dio

One of the most influential vocalists in the history of metal, Ronnie James Dio set out on his own in 1982 after three successful albums with Rainbow and two more with Black Sabbath to lead his own band, Dio.  Known for their theatrical, high fantasy lyrical content, stage sets, costuming and album art, as well as the grandiose stage presence and vocal performance of their diminutive leader, Dio released 10 studio albums and numerous live albums over about 20 years.  Sadly, Ronnie died of stomach cancer in 2010.  His legacy can be heard in countless bands, both his vocal influence and his writing which championed the weak and the suffering, promising hope of redemption, and he's been covered by a host of top notch metal bands: Metallica, Anthrax, Yngwie Malmsteen, Motörhead, Fates Warning, Tenacious D, Scorpions, Blind Guardian, Stryper, Doro, Jag Panzer, Stratovarius, Killswitch Engage, Gamma Ray, Dan Swanö, Adrenaline Mob, Halestorm, Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Rob Halford of Judas Priest to name a few.

Dio (both the band and the man) had a number of terrific albums, but the solo debut Holy Diver stands apart as a classic and is widely regarded as one of the best metal albums of all time.  Featuring a rhythm section from his past (drummer Vinny Appice of Black Sabbath and bassist Jimmy Bain from Rainbow) and up-and-coming Irish guitar shredder Vivian Campbell, the playing is as strong as the writing from beginning to end.  While "Rainbow in the Dark" was the album's biggest hit, I was always partial to the head-bob-inducing title track, included below.  Enjoy, especially Ronnie's captivating vocal performance.

#45 - Derek Sherinian

Fellow Burbank resident, Derek Sherinian joins Jens Johansson as one of two great solo metal keyboardists on my top 100.  "Metal keyboardists?" you ask.  "Is that a real thing?"  Listen below, friend, and you will hear that it is very real indeed.  I first encountered Derek's playing as the keyboardist for Dream Theater, which he was for one and a half studio albums in the mid-nineties, the half being one of my two favorite of their releases.  Prior to his stint in Dream Theater, he had attended Berklee College of Music and served as keyboardist for Alice Cooper.  After Dream Theater, he essentially became a solo and session artist, performing with a veritable who's who of brilliant musicians over the last 15-20 years.

Derek's first solo effort became a multi album collaboration called Planet X, and featured virtuosi Tony MacAlpine on guitar and Virgil Donati on drums.  Their music strikes me as jazz metal fusion... like Chick Corea meets Metallica.  They're a terrific listen in their own right and highly recommended.  His next six albums feature an amazing array of guitarists: Steve Lukather, Zakk Wylde, Ynwie Malmsteen, Al Di Meola, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Stevens, John Sykes, John Petrucci, Brad Gillis, Slash, Rusty Cooley, Tony MacAlpine, Doug Aldrich and Joe Bonamassa.  They also boast a rhythm section mainly consisting of Tony Franklin on bass and Simon Phillips on drums.

Derek's entire body of work (at least the third or so of it with which I'm familiar) is impressive and well worth multiple listens.  He favors distorted sounds, aggressive technique, a lot of pitch bending and generally phrases a lot like a shredding guitarist but on keys.  I'm including "Axis of Evil" from the 2003 release Black Utopia because I find the concept (and execution) of dueling guitars done by Zakk Wylde and Yngwie Malmsteen completely irresistible.  Derek pitches in with some soloing too, and you can get a bit of a taste of his unique and enjoyable style.