Favorite Artists (Descriptive Version)

[Dauragon]

Well, it's been done before in the GFF section as well as the movies section, so I feel, why not have one for the music section? See, rather than listing a whole bunch of bands that we like, why not select a few that we really consider to be our favorites? Quite simple really. Instead of just saying that you love A,B,C,D,E,F,G, etc. List a couple that you truly enjoy, and list a few reasons why.

Some examples of question could include:
-How did you start listening to this artist/band?
-What genre do they fall under?
-What do you like about their music?
-What are some of their songs that you would recommend to others?

I like a lot of bands, but there are only a few that really fit under the category of "favorite". They are as follows:

Pantera
The first time I heard Pantera was most likely due to my interest in wrestling. Back in the days of ECW, Rob Van Dam used "Walk" as his theme song, and I said to myself, "Damn, that's a pretty good song." I asked a friend of mine what band did RVD's theme, and he told me it was Pantera. From there, he recommended a few other songs to me. I'm not entirely sure why Pantera had so much appeal to me, but I think it was mainly due to Dime's incredible guitar playing. His solos were all very unique, and each one was able to reach out and grab you. I never really listened to anything that could be categorized as "heavy" until I listened to Pantera. Although a lot of song distinction disappeared over time, there are a lot of unique ones that can be listened to on occasions when you're not angry. As far as I'm concered, songs that should be listened to include; Walk, Cemetery Gates, Cowboys from Hell, Revolution is my Name, 5 Minutes Alone, and Floods. Good stuff for starters.

Dream Theater
I got into Dream Theater shortly after Pantera. The same friend had heard about them on, believe it or not, a message board. He obtained some of their music, got me to listen to it, and I was hooked. The members of Dream Theater are quite possibly some of the best musicians at their respective instruments, period. Combined with excellent musicianship, comes excellent song writing. Dream Theater fits into the category of Progressive Metal/Rock, and a lot of their songs fall around 8 minutes long. There's the odd epic that goes past 20 minutes, and if you have patience and a love for music, you'll definitely enjoy them. I'm an aspiring keyboardist, and therefore idolize Jordan Rudess, a man with some amazing talent. I'd recommend checking out; The Glass Prison, Metropolis: Part 1, Pull Me Under, Space Dye Vest...hell....get it all!

Iced Earth
I simply love this band. For many years, Iced Earth had one of the best singers of all time fronting the band. That is none other than Matthew Barlow. That's perhaps the main reason I love their music so much. However, all credit goes to Jon Schaffer, the man behind the band. He's an excellent songwriter, and all of the songs are unique and grasping. I love the mellower tracks as well as the smashing tracks. I'd recommend checking out all of their albums, because they simply rock. "Tribute to the Gods" is ****ing amazing. It's a CD full of covers from some of the masters.

Megaherz
Not too many people have heard of Megaherz, mainly because they never really made it to North America. However, if you can get a hold of some of their music, good for you. When people think of "Germans + Electric Guitars", they instantly think of Rammstein. Personally, I think Rammstein pales in comparison to Megaherz in pretty much every category. I really love Megaherz's songs, although sometimes pretty basic, they have a good flavour to them. The band's had two singers, both being pretty good. They can growl and also sing, which is a nice switch when you don't feel like killing stuff. I'd recommend; Gott Sein, Miststuck, Negativ, Dein Herz Schlagt, and Himmelfahrt.

[Dante]

I noticed on your past version of that post, you never mentioned James LaBrie? Why? He's a damn awesome singer.

Anywaym im only going to post one for the moment, I don't have a lot of time.

Winter Rose.
James Labrie's first band before he was asked to join Dream Theater as their vocalist. Inspite that I love James' voice the entire band plays their part, like an 80's rock and roll Dream Theater only focussed more around James rather than the Progressive side of Dream Theater, that focuses on the solo's. Their guiataring alone makes me wanna learn their stuff, and James realy puts any vocalist I know to shame... I Love this band Like any otherthing James Labrie does.

[Crazy Chocobo]

Guns n' Roses - My friend got me listening to this band a couple of years ago now. I had heard a couple of their songs before hand but never actually realised how great they really were.

Well I believe Guns n' Roses fall under the genre of 'Hard Rock'. Some people believe that they are 'Hair Metal' but they're not.

What do I like about their music? Well Axl Rose's screaming vocals make everything sound so awesome. Slash on lead guitar, he is definitely one of my favourite guitarists and it's amazing to hear him play a solo. Their music is just so awesome, I love listening to them all the time.

Appetite For Destruction is my favourite album and all of the songs on there are excellent. Welcome to the Jungle, It's So Easy, Nightrain, Sweet Child O'Mine, Paradise City, Mr. Brownstone, My Michelle and Rocket Queen are my favourites off the album.

Other favourites of mine include November Rain, Estranged, Don't Cry, Civil War, Pretty Tied Up, Locomotive,14 Years, You Could be Mine and many more! I love most of their songs.

I recommend this band to people who enjoy listening to hard rock, I'm sure you will love some of these songs that this band has produced over the years.

Bon Jovi: This band is my second favourite band of all time. I have been a fan of this band for a few years now. I can't really remember how I got into them... I think my brother gave me a CD to borrow and I listened to it and loved it.

I think they are also considered as 'hard rock'. I am not 100% sure about that, but that's what I have been told. If they're not hard rock...then they are probably classified as just simple 'rock'.

Jon Bon Jovi's vocals are amazing. He is such a great lead singer and he is very inspiring as well. Oh and I also think he's a hottie but anyways!

Their music is so catchy and it's fun to listen to. They play great rock songs to lovely ballads. I have a couple of their DVD's and I love watching them live. They are amazing. I have never been able to see them live in real life lol, unfortunately. My cousin was lucky enough to see them a few years ago and she said they were awesome.

I recommend listening to their greatest hits album. It has songs like 'Livin' On A Prayer', 'You Give Love a Bad Name', 'Wanted Dead or Alive' and all of the classics.

That's all I have for now, maybe I'll come back with some more another time.

[Storm]

I know the majority of TFFers are metal fans but i am still going to bring forth my opinions on one of my favorite bands.

Kasabian
I heard of Kasabian in 2004, when they were just beginning to get heard. They combine indie with psychadellic keyboards. Their sound differs from song to song, some having a slight Ian Brown type sound. Oasis are a big influence of the band, and some of that rubbs off in their songs. While some of their songs are very chilled (Running Battle, ID), other songs are more upbeat and lively (Club Foot, Cutt Off). Which is good coming from a band who's hyperactive lead singer Tom Meighan has to be taken to Toys R Us to calm down. The harmonic backing vocals come from guitarist Serge Pizzorno, long time friend of Tom and a lot more mature. The concoction of the vocals, instruments and genres are so well blended that they are a really well known indie band in the UK.

[Taco]

La la la. Time for me to go completely longwinded on yo ass.

They Might Be Giants

My brother first introduced me to this band when I was five, I believe. Ever since then, they have neen a mainstay at the top of my list of favorite bands. They have a unique sound... every album. You can't really fit them into one music genre, except maybe nerd rock. I think my favorite album of theirs to date is Factory Show Room, with such gems as "My Metal Detector," their cover of "New York City," and some others whose names I can't remember right now (one is about not being done talking until their head falls off) it's just bitchin'. I think it's the album of theirs with the most pure rock, kind of. I also really liked everything off of the Early Years. There were two songs I loved off of Misc. One about TV Evangelists, and the other about becoming a space alien's love slave, FOR SCIENCE! ("Let's get those missiles ready to destroy the universe!") One song off of Flood, "Birdhouse in your Soul," was my favorite song for a long time... "Cowtown" off of Lincoln is also fun.

New Order

This band is another one that my brother introduced me to at a young age (I think I was 7, maybe 8) while we were driving to a family reunion in North Dakota. The song "Bizarre Love Triangle" is what I've named as my favorite song, although I don't know if that's still the case or not. Either way, New Order is a kind of electronica band that also impliments guitars and such into their sound. The result is a kind of mellow, yet still upbeat rock/electronica music. They had a dry spell for a while, but then in like 2002, they came out with their first new album in like 8 years, I think. It was fairly good, although it was a little boring after the first few initial tracks. Now, their newest one, "Waiting for the Siren's Call," is pretty cool rock/electronica. I like "Morning Night and Day," "Hey Now What You Doing," and track 4 the best, I think. New Order also wrote the song "Blue Monday" (which Orgy covered) and "Regret" (which The Get Up Kids covered.) I would probably recommend getting their Best Of Album first before you bought any of their other stuff, if you don't know them yet.

Jimmy Eat World

I actually didn't really get into this band until "Bleed America" came out (now their self-titled album.) Lest I forget; Jimmy Eat World is what some would call an emo band. I think they're a little bit above that label, however. Anyhoo, Maybe "In The Middle" got overplayed a little bit (I hated it before it started to get overplayed, however, because I started to associate it with school, and the bad year the OSU football team was having that year...) "Sweetness," "Authority Song," and that second track are all pretty sweet, though. Actually, I'll take back not being into them before Bleed American, because I actually had heard and liked a few songs off of Clarity before that. Once again, thanks to my brother. He put the songs "Lucky Denver Mint" and that one about walking across the united states on a mix CD for me (and the last track, which goes on for 17 minutes... heh.) The spring after I got Bleed American, I finally bought Clarity, and found that I like track 3 the best off that album, as it's a hard, almost punk rock song, except maybe it's too slow. Track 4 is pretty cool, too, and "Secret Crush." Their newest album, however, is probably my favorite of theirs. I can listen to the whole thing, and not really hate a single song on there (except a few are kind of slow and boring...)

Less Than Jake

Now that I've listed two almost emo bands, I should talk about something a bit more peppy and fun, eh? Less Than Jake is a ska-punk band. Once more, my brother introduced them to me, in 1996, with the song "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts" off of Pezcore. I was hit with a melee of other bands that year, however (my brother had just moved back in, and was sharing a room with me; he likes a lot of music.) So they kinda faded out of my view for a little while, until my brother moved out again, and I kind of had to fend for myself as far as music goes. Anyway, I got their album "Hello Rockview," which was what made them popular, probably. Then I got their next album which was very much punkish and a little less ska-ish, and the album after that which was more poppy again. Then I got B is for B-sides, probably my current favorite, although I also like "Losing Streak," too. Anyways, I'm abruptly being cut off, so bye bye...

EDIT: Back to talk more about Less Than Jake. Where did I leave off....? OH yes. Those last two albums I mentioned... I like walking around while listening to them on my CD player. The music reminds me of just everyday life, walking down the street, or something. It also reminds me of my friends, my big brother, punk rock shows, Warped Tour, etc. All the good stuff, too. Anyway, now I'm pretty much done. Maybe.

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Jin]

Originally Posted by Dau

When people think of "Germans + Electric Guitars", they instantly think of Rammstein.

Actually, I think Helloween or Blind Guardian.

Iced Earth
The first album of thiers that I purchased, Something Wicked This Way Comes, absolutely blew me away. I was so impressed at the guitar work and the vocals that I had to have more. The next album I bought was thier greatest hits album. I don't usually buy those kind of albums, but the price was good, so I decided to. After listening to that, I knew that I had to buy thier entire discography. Night of the Stormrider came next, then the Dark Saga and most recently, Burnt Offerings. Yes, I still have more to go, but I remain ever vigilant on my search for them (when I have money of course). My absolute favourite band.

Kamelot
I am a fairly new fan to Kamelot as I only own 2 of thier albums. However, I have been so impressed already, that they deserve recognition as runner up for my favourite band. Khan is simply amazing, I must say. That man has some of the best vocals that I've ever heard. I even like him better than Barlow, believe it or not. This, along with brilliant song writting, has put Kamelot in my number 2 position.

Blind Guardian
There is truley something epic and magical about Blind Guardian. Their multi-layered harmonics give a feel of pure epica. Their fantasy, often Tolkein, based themes are truley a breath of fresh air from the standard love ballads and social comentaries (don't get me wrong, I like these themes as well, but not all the time). Hansai's vocals are also quite a sound to behold. Melodic and majestic, Blind Guardian gets spot number 3.

Iron Maiden
Well, how much needs to be said about Maiden? They are quality, plain and simple. ****enson's vocals, although he lacks the range of some other singers, never fail to dissapoint and the song writing, although sometimes simplistic, always manages to get the message across. Run To The Hills, The Trooper, Wasted Years, Fear Of The Dark, and so many more, all classics. A very well deserved #4.

It's too hard to do any more than that so I'll just give some honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions (upper tier):

• Judas Priest
• Black Sabbath
• Gamma Ray
• Helloween
• Pink Floyd

Honourable Mentions (lower tier):

• Slayer
• Rhapsody
• Metallica
• HammerFall

That's it that's all friends.

[The Waking Child]

Pain of Salvation
When it comes to Progressive metal, I am usually not a fan of it. It just lacks the atmosphere and soul I look for in my music, however there is one band that just totally has soul, and atmosphere, while being original and progressive. Pain of Salvation. The music has never stayed the same through out their five albums, something totally different has been done each time, and I can honestly say, that they have never released a bad album. They have easily the best vocalist on the face of this earth, Daniel Gildenlow, and some of the best lyrics ever.

I have just one word left to say. BE.

[Setzer]

The Who
I started to listen to them 4 years ago. My uncle introduced me to them, since they're his favorite band. They're a classic rock band and I think they're awesome. What I like about there music is that it can really vary, some albums are almost all acoustic, and others are alot harder and more intense. but if I had to recomend other songs than their main hits I'd list these off Real Me, Blue Red and Gray, and A Quick One.

[Crazy Chocobo]

I know I have already written about a couple of the bands I like but I'm here to talk abou another band I love.

The Beatles: Yes, some consider this band one of the greatest in the world. I love the Beatles, they had so many hits and were very talented musicians. I'm not too sure what genre the Beatles fall under, perhaps Rock n' Roll. I started liking the Beatles when I was only young. My mother would play them a fair bit and I used to like listening to them at that age.

What do I like about their music? Well.. they have great tunes, a lot of their songs are very catchy, they have great meaning behind their songs and George Harrison's guitar playing is amazing.

The album I like listening to the most is 'The Beatles - 1967-1970. I always enjoy listening to it. It has some of the best songs on there. My favourite songs by this band would be: Hey Jude, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, With a Little Help From My Friends, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, While my Guitar Gently Weeps and many more.

I would recommend the Beatles to people who enjoy classic 60's music. They are excellent.