10 Favourite albums with best opener and best closer!

[Charger]

Island of Domination has never been among my favourites but honestly I haven't listened to it a whole lot either...

I don't have that IE album as I wasn't overly happy with Stu's vocals...to me he always came out as trying to be too much like Barlow and lacked identity of his own...but those two songs are very good indeed especially Clear The Way...man how good that would sound with Tim on the vocals!



I'm gonna go with the "other" Deep Purple album now...

IN ROCK

Starts with Speed King, probably the first speed metal song. The explosive intro that falls into that little lul just before the song kicks in is just pure brilliance!

And Closing with Hard Lovin' Man which again might be the very first song with a galloping riff! Such a monster of a song in every goddamn way!

[Zzzptm]

I'm spoiled for choice with Deep Purple albums, they're kings of openers and closers. But I'll stick to one per band. Thank you, Charger, for bringing more Purple into the discussion.

My next up:

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

Blasting away with "Day of the Eagle", closes with fast, bluesy, jammin' "Little Bit of Sympathy". There's plenty of beef between those two end slices, but those sure do have the tasty bark on them that is a sign of great BBQ.

Maybe I shouldn't write these when I'm hungry...

[Vyn]

Next up: Metal Church's XI.

Mike Howe proved that Metal Church without Mike Howe was good, but with Mike Howe is great.

Reset kicks it off with a solid kick, not only a fitting opener for the album (well, double album on vinyl), but an awesome re-introduction to Mr. Howe's vocal ministrations within the upbeat electro-thunder of the rest of the band.

I'm not counting the bonus track on my copy as the last song, so Suffer Fools wraps it up like Mount Vesuvius blowing its top. Great song.

[Charger]

^^
Great choice! I had forgotten that one from my considerations so thank you sir for bringing it up! Reset is one of the best ever album openers for sure!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I don't have that IE album as I wasn't overly happy with Stu's vocals...to me he always came out as trying to be too much like Barlow and lacked identity of his own...but those two songs are very good indeed especially Clear The Way...man how good that would sound with Tim on the vocals!

I wasn't happy with Stu's vocals on Plagues of Babylon and Dystopia either, the odd song worked, but that was all. His vocals on Incorruptible are very different, more like a traditional hard rock singer. While the album isn't perfect, the 3 or 4 I don't like are not down to his singing. It's the best album since Framing Armageddon... and then JS acts like an idiot and we won't see anything more from them again! 

[Vyn]

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

Blasting away with "Day of the Eagle", closes with fast, bluesy, jammin' "Little Bit of Sympathy". There's plenty of beef between those two end slices, but those sure do have the tasty bark on them that is a sign of great BBQ.

Maybe I shouldn't write these when I'm hungry...

Bridge of Sighs is a fantastic album, and I like BBQ as well. So...good pairing

[Charger]

I don't have that IE album as I wasn't overly happy with Stu's vocals...to me he always came out as trying to be too much like Barlow and lacked identity of his own...but those two songs are very good indeed especially Clear The Way...man how good that would sound with Tim on the vocals!

I wasn't happy with Stu's vocals on Plagues of Babylon and Dystopia either, the odd song worked, but that was all. His vocals on Incorruptible are very different, more like a traditional hard rock singer. While the album isn't perfect, the 3 or 4 I don't like are not down to his singing. It's the best album since Framing Armageddon... and then JS acts like an idiot and we won't see anything more from them again! 

Yeah I was bit surprised how different his vocals sounded on those tracks... I think I might want to try this album out.
It's a real shame that Jon went bit crazy...always liked the band and Jon was a musical genius in his finest hours.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My 4th choice...

Therapy? - Troublegum

First song is the short and punky "Knives"

The last track is the short and punky "Brainsaw"

The album is fantastic...

[Charger]

My fifth choice is

MOTÖRIZER

Kicks things off with a monster of track that is Runaround Man. That is fast and furious and the shotgun style vocals are breathtaking. No wonder they never played that one live!

Ends with a live favourite and thumping rocker The Thousand Names Of God which surely is among their best ever tracks!


There were other Moröhead albums that could have easily been here. Overkill, Orgasmatron, Inferno just to name a few...but for some reason this combo to me hits the most!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^
I still don't have that album!



My 5th choice...

Ozzy - Diary of a Madman

Generally I think the writing is much tighter on this album

The first Track is Over the Mountain and one of the great Ozzy songs regardless of the position it appears on the album.

The last track is Diary of a Madman, easily my favourite song from solo Ozzy.

[Charger]

^^^
Another great choice! I was gonna include that but now I can choose something else! And I agree 100% with what you said.

Motörizer is something you should get! It's just a lovely album!

[Vyn]

My 4th choice...

Therapy? - Troublegum

That's the first I've heard of those guys. HOLY SHIT, that's excellent! Thanks for giving me a new rabbit hole to explore

Next up is Budgie's self-titled debut, opening with Guts and closing with Homicidal Suicide. Oddly, I have never liked the lyric delivery on Guts, but the damn groove is so infectious that it more than makes up for the singing. Which does start to pick up a bit. Anyway, Homicidal Suicide - woooo, guitar-o-rama. Closes the record out with another tight groove just like the opener.

Edited to add: I came here to post about Guts and Homicidal Suicide, then I stopped for a moment and listened to Therapy?. I should have waited until after I shared my thoughts about Budgie, because as good as Budgie is, they sound like a fart in the wind compared to Therapy?. Damn, lol.

[Charger]

Therapy made a cover of Iron Man with Ozzy on the Nativity In Black tribute album but besides that I knew nothing about them.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I've got 3 Therapy? albums, as well as Troublegum (1994) I have Infernal Love (1995) and Semi-Detached (1998). I found they went off the boil a bit and stopped buying their stuff and I've not heard any of their later releases. They released stuff before 1994 the best of which I believe is Nurse (1992)

Having a quick look I see they released a new album last year.

[Zzzptm]

My next offering is...



Opens up with the rousing "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" and ends with the heartfelt "Call on Me" that has a tenderness without being sappy or wimpy. I think the album itself is Bad Co's finest and it certainly showcases Paul Rogers' excellent vocals.