Albums You Think Are Absolutely Perfect

The following, for those of you who don�t read titles, is a List of what I�d consider to be �Perfect Albums.� What I mean by this is that the albums don�t contain any bad songs and nothing about them whatsoever annoys me.

This is different from stating a list of my favourite albums, because many of my favourite albums have some absolutely amazing highlights but unfortunately feature some filler, or one really annoying interlude, or bad lyrics� or some other key flaw that means that while they may still be one of the best albums around, they aren�t a perfect album.

Some of my favourite bands never made a perfect album despite me thinking of them more highly in general than some of the bands who have.

Anyway; In my opinion, the following are all Perfect Albums:

1. Dozer � Through The Eyes Of Heathens : Though I�ve only owned it for a relatively short period of time, there isn�t one riff, vocal line or drum fill on this that I don�t love, it all fits together well with an excellent flow and it is a really difficult album to stop listening to once you have started.

2. Rishloo � Eidolon: I think it may be both a perfect album and their best album as well, although Feathergun is still amazing too. The songs are so well written, memorable and the performance is just great, same goes for the lyrics and production. This album has no flaws.

3. Anthrax � Among The Living : One of the band�s more popular releases and for good reason, though I may slightly prefer �Disease or �Time for their highlights, they aren�t perfect albums like this is. No filler, classic songs, great musicianship.

4. Chimaira � The Infection: The best album in there career, and yet everyone seemed to either dislike it or allow it to pass them by unnoticed. Dispite this bizarre case of mass fan exodus; The Infection is a flawless album from start to finish, consisting of all the best bits of Chimaira�s sound for a full album� so many memorable moments, so many great riffs, so little filler.

5. Arctic Monekys � Whatever People Say I Am That�s What I�m Not: What single second of this album isn�t good ? None !

6. Five Finger Death Punch � Their Heaviest album, the one with the best/least worst lyrics, the least cheesy choruses and the only one not over polished in the studio. All three of their albums are good, but this one is the only one that is perfect. Another album that is difficult not to just listen to all of, once you�ve started.

7. Hatebreed � Hatebreed : Like The Infection, the perfect encapsulation of everything the band do, distilled perfectly into a creative and engaging album on which every track is great, the sequence is perfect, the production is flawless and it still brings something new to the band�s sound even with all that going on.

8. Mastodon � Blood Mountain and Crack The Skye: Leviathan just missed out because I sometimes go through moods of Disliking �Island,� but it is very close to inclusion too. I don�t really need to describe the following two releases at all to anyone reading this blog.

9. Pearl Jam � Backspacer : I can�t think of a single problem with this album right now, it is such a great piece of work and possibly their best to date.

10. Green Day � Insomniac : Doesn�t have the biggest hit singles or the most ideas, but it doesn�t have any flaws or any filler either, just a succinct and enjoyable collection of good songs.

11. Lamb Of God � Wrath, Sacrament and Ashes� : Lamb Of God are one of the very few bands to ever make more than one perfect album in my eyes. Listening to all three of these records there just isn�t anything wrong with them.

12. Judas Priest � This isn�t actually my favourite Judas Priest album, despite it principally being one of the main reasons that I tried the band out. I like other albums better based on the highlights sure, but no other Priest album is so focused, precise and �perfect.

13. Down � Over The Under: There just isn�t anything wrong with this record at all, I can�t really go into it any further than that without repeating myself.

14. Pantera � Reinventing The Steel: See my review for further information.

15. Jetplane Landing � Once Like A Spark: There was one year, back when I was still at school when I listened to this at least once every day for a whole term.

There were a few records that came close to inclusion, but may have been a bit overlong, a bit too short, had weak production or even one really stupid lyric that spoiled the inclusion, one album (GG-TPATG) even lost out due to it running order, which had it been the same songs in a different sequence would be a perfect album. The biggest problem I had was not including Kyuss�s Welcome To Sky Valley, which I felt like it�d be hypocritical to allow in with the exception that I hate the hidden album closer �Lick Do.�

Runner�s up included Architect�s The Here And Now, Dio�s Holy Diver, Led Zeppelin 4, Gentle Giant�s The Power And The Glory, Fear Factory�s Demanufacture, Kiss�s Sonic Boom, Marilyn Manson�s Holywood and Napalm Death�s Harmony Corruption.

One observation I have made when compiling this, is that not a lot of albums from the 1970s ever managed to come out free from either filler or at least one song that I dislike. Some really great classic rock and prog albums always have one flaw or another that denies them perfect status.
Pink Floyd�s Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and Animals all seem like they should be on here too, but for some unknowable reason I can�t seem to add them, so they must have some flaw somewhere I perceive� even though I can�t seem to perceive it� as stupid as that sounds.

Comments, Observations and your own lists are welcome.