Favorite Albums of All Time

This and the other Metallica releases (Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets) sit atop Mount Metal. Probably the greatest three album run in all of music history.

I discovered this album on cassette tape and listened via my yellow Sony Walkman. I often listened to it on bus rides back and forth to Sydney, NS to see my father on the weekends.

My mother was a huge ABBA fan. If you watch our home movie VHS from Christmas 1987, you’ll see many clips with ABBA playing in the background. This music is deeply ingrained in me. I was stoked to visit the ABBA music when I visited Stockholm in 2015.

When I first heard King Diamond, I thought, “Ew, how can anyone like this singing?” Well, I was wrong. This is one of my favourite front-to-back albums ever made. What an awesome story, with the best accompanying soundtrack possible.

U2's experiment in the early 90s, and it works oh so well. I think I prefer this over the Joshua Tree. "One" is one of the best songs ever put to tape.

This early Coldplay was so unique, dense, and layered. Now, they just pump out shallow Pop/EDM radio songs. I remember “Yellow” being such a huge song, and this was my first “new” Coldplay album. I listened to this album heavily in my second year of university, which was a bit of a dark and unknown time for me. The songs on this album were definitely the soundtrack.

I don’t even remember how I was introduced to Meatloaf, but it was one of the other first albums I ever had (after Barenaked Ladies’ Gordon). This album definitely made me appreciate operatic rock music and more complex compositions than standard pop fare.

Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back. Goddamn right.

Objects in the Rearview Mirror is such an emotional track for me.

Standout Tracks: Objects in the Rearview Mirror, Rock N Roll Dreams Come True

I love this compilation - for me it is the best run of VH songs out there. I love the two 'new' songs with David Lee Roth as well. Humans Being is an awesome track!

This is the whackiest metal album I have ever heard. I vividly remember listening to this during Christmas of '97. I believe I got the CD as a gift. All these songs are heavy as hell, weird, and so catchy. I will always love this album.

Standout Tracks: Unspeakable Elvis, Area Code 51

Of all the Nirvana albums, this is the one I want to listen to the most. I remember asking my guitar teacher to show me how to play “Negative Creep.” He laughed and said, “You just slide up and down on the low E string.” I thought it sounded so heavy! That was a pivotal moment in my heavy music journey.

One of my favourite albums from a female performer. Every song is sexy and dark, a stark contrast to many female pop singers who are “sugary sweet.” Lana on this record is dishing up poison and I am ready to drink.

Standout Tracks: Born To Die, Summertime Sadness, Off To The Races

One of the heaviest metal debuts ever? I can’t believe was released in ’94. It still sounds so fresh to me. This album definitely turned my love for heavy music on its head.

Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast!

Pantera will always be my favourite metal band. Even though Cowboys From Hell wasn’t as heavy as their later efforts, I still can’t deny the influence of this album on me. Dimebag’s playing here was so sharp. I likely wore out this cassette tape.

Pantera was just the heaviest. No other band had the same attitude, swagger, skills, and aggression.

On paper, Mastodon could be my favorite band...

Prog? ✅ Heavy? ✅ Long tracks? ✅ Sick guitar tones? ✅

The climax riff in the Last Baron is in my top 5 metal moments I have ever heard.

This pivotal album was a key part of my journey into discovering the various metal genres. It led me down the more extreme path, and I was amazed by how tight, fast, and crushing bands could be. Industrial metal is a genre I love because of this album.

Up there with Mellon Collie as the best of the 90s. What an incredibly fun album. Guitar wise, the distortion of Billie's guitar is incredible. No wonder it has its own pedal.

Another album closely connected to being young and falling in love with a particular person. Crush was actually our favourite DMB song, but this album came out at the same time as our relationship.

Standout Tracks: Fool To Think, So Right, Sleep To Dream Her

In 1995, I was a newcomer to guitar and rock music. The death of Kurt Cobain had left me deeply affected, and I was obsessed with Nirvana. Suddenly, Dave Grohl emerged with a new band that seemed to come out of nowhere. The songs were quirky, rocking, strange, and unique—everything I had been craving at that time.

This is a fun album. Just pure energy. Catchy as hell. I love the guitar tones. I could listen to this album forever. Makes me feel like I am living in San Diego and spending most of my days skating around the place.

Standout Tracks: Underwater Boi, Blackout

Angelic, sensual, and heavy—Jeff Buckley’s voice is unlike any other male rock singer I’ve ever heard. During my university days, I was deeply in love with my first ‘true love,’ and Last Goodbye still hits me like a ton of bricks. Every song on the album is 10/10. It’s too bad we lost Jeff so soon, but his untimely demise only adds to the album’s mysterious allure.

Standout Tracks: Mojo Pin, So Real, Last Goodbye

I’m not a country music fan, but Kacey Musgraves’ album speaks to me immensely. The music is soft, sexy, nurturing, and emotionally resonant.

The first Compact Disc I ever owned was a gift from my dear mother in 1992. She could barely afford it, but she got it for me anyway. This album is probably the most played one of the 90s for me. Later that year, she took me to the Barenaked Ladies concert at the C200 arena in Sydney, Nova Scotia. I truly believe this is one of the best Canadian albums ever made.

Standout Tracks: Wrap Your Arms Around Me, What a Good Boy, Blame It On Me

A recent discovery for me (2025). I am not a country music fan, but these songs are absolutely phenomenal. White Horse, The Bottom, are standouts for me. This is a very high contender for 'one of the albums I would want to have on a desert island'.

Standout Tracks: White Horse, The Bottom, The Fire

Another pillar of my Nu-Metal journey. I always thought Sevendust was so much more raw and heavier than many of the other bands. The production seemed so 'real' compared to many of the other acts like Coal Chamber, or Korn.

Standout Tracks: Home, Rumble Fish, Licking Creme

I was a huge fan of this album when it dropped. I think back to the summer of 2004, when I was playing in a gigging cover band around Cape Breton. This album was on repeat at that time. Some albums come into your life during darker times, but this one is associated with a brighter, happier, and more exciting time. It was summer, my band was active and having a great time playing music. I had lost some weight, and everything was good.

Devastating heaviness. Of all the Meshuggah albums, I connect with this the most. Metal masterpiece IMO. The solo in The Abysmal Eye slaps so hard- that undulating rhythm is incredible.

Standout Tracks: The Abysmal Eye, Phantoms, Light The Shortening Fuse

After discovering Steven Wilson, I dove into the Porcupine Tree catalog. “Absentia” and “Deadwing” are my favourites, but I still have so much more of their music to explore.

Standout Tracks: Trains, Lips of Ashes, The Sound of Muzak

Radiohead's best album IMO. I was spinning this heavily at the time my first son was born. It was an exciting and scary time in my life.

Another one of those 'best debut album' contenders. We never heard anything like it when it dropped. Korn are the obvious kings of Nu-Metal. What a dark album! The album cover is icing on the cake.

I distinctly remember listening to this album hard in the summer of 2001. I was home from my first year of university and still felt free, unburdened by the confines of work and life pressures. I remember the Guitar World magazine that featured Adam Jones on its cover. It’s definitely one of the albums that led me down my “prog” path.

I call this electric metal. So many catchy hooks - the intro track "Leather Teeth" slaps so much. Instant fan of this artist.

I knew of this album but didn’t know any of the music. I got heavily into it after watching Lost in Translation. “Sometimes” is such a gigantic song—so sad and dripping with longing. The rest of the album is unlike anything I’ve ever heard.

Gojira is my favourite modern metal band. Magma was the band that sealed the deal for me. I was able to see them live around the Magma album cycle at Bonnaroo, and later in Montreal (2022).

This and the other Metallica releases (Ride the Lightning, ...And Justice For All) sit atop Mount Metal. Probably the greatest three album run in all of music history.

One of the greatest rock/metal albums ever made. I discovered this album on a plane, flying to Sweden of all places (Ghost is from Sweden). It created my obsession with the band at that time, in 2015. I saw this album cycle live in 2016, one of the last shows of the original lineup before Tobias fired the whole band.

The greatest album of the 90s, it was hailed as an ambitious project at the time. It’s an incredible mix of music, probably one of the greatest musical explorations in the rock world.

The summer of 2000, heading into university, I saw APC live at the Summersault Festival in Halifax (Citadel Hill). I wore this album out completely. I listened to the Hollow so many times that my roommate wanted to fight me. It drove him crazy.

Standout Tracks: The Hollow, Orestes, Sleeping Beauty, Judith

A university friend showed me this album after smoking hot knives in his apartment. He then showed me the live VHS tape of the album performance. I remember being so high, trying to understand the concept of the story (Nicolas, Victoria, multiple lives). At some point, it just clicked. This is the greatest progressive rock album ever recorded.

What can I say? Rush is, and always will be, my favourite band. Their magnum opus, Moving Pictures, is incredible, even though I’m more partial to “Signals.” Every song is 10/10. There will never be another Rush.

My first Nirvana CD. I would have worn it out if I could have. My mother bought me many RIP Kurt Cobain-themed t-shirts from Zellers in Canada. After listening to this album, my rock musical journey truly began.

I believe Mutemath is the greatest band that never achieved mainstream success. While they were successful during their album run, they didn’t receive the critical acclaim they truly deserved. I discovered this album around the time of my first son’s birth, and it holds a very special place in my heart. I love all Mutemath albums, but this one is my favourite.

I was on a trip to Halifax, NS, when I met a friend in a hotel room. He showed me the CD and exclaimed, “You gotta check this out, dude!" Nevermind is a life-changing album for me, and countless others. Kurt Cobain is the sole reason I wanted to play guitar.

One of the chillest albums I’ve ever heard! I’m not a huge fan of this band, but this album caught my attention big time.

Standout Tracks: Firework, Keep Me Close

I discovered this album very late in the game (2024). I always 'heard' of it, being heralded in the rock world, but I never gave it a chance. I am glad I did. I get it - what an incredible listening experience from front to back. I suppose my love for this cinematic/operatic music comes from my early exposure to the likes of ABBA and Meatloaf.

Standout Tracks: Speak, Revolution Calling

If I could ‘wear out’ a CD, this one would have been it. I listened to it so much during my university days that it’s my favourite album from that period—a mix of alt rock and grunge, if you will. Every song is incredibly catchy, concise and just full of ear worms.

I didn’t discover Killing Joke until late in the game, but when I heard “Eighties,” I couldn’t help but scream, “That’s Come as You Are, but way cooler!” Later Killing Joke is so heavy, hypnotic, and chaotic. These tracks are so catchy and industrial. I play this album with the volume turned up to max.

Standout Tracks: New Cold War, Euphoria

What an incredible debut! I can’t believe it came out in 1992. Every single track is pure energy and catchy as hell. It’s a rock masterpiece.

Playing guitar in my friend Matt’s basement in ’97 or ’98 will always be a memorable experience. We were huge Slayer fans and were trying to learn all of their parts together (like Jeff and Kerry). The tricky spider riff in “Angel of Death” was so cool. I remember getting the “Guitar” magazine with the tab to try and figure it out.

This and the other Metallica releases (Master of Puppets, ...And Justice For All) sit atop Mount Metal. Probably the greatest three album run in all of music history.

I discovered this album on cassette tape and listened via my yellow Sony Walkman. I have vivid memories of listening to this album while watering my neighbours grass while they were on vacation (1995?)

No Such Thing was such a cool and refreshing/upbeat song to listen to when it first dropped. It still sounds that way 24 years later. Also, Neon.

Standout Tracks: Neon, No Such Thing, City Love

I often wonder if this is really the greatest thrash metal album ever done? It probably is. I would rather listen to this than any Metallica output, any day of the week.

Standout Tracks: Five Magics, Take No Prisoners

I first fell in love with Canadian rock/metal band Mother Earth during my junior high school era. Dig was a bit more “metal” (if you can even call it that), but then S&F came out with such huge hits in the Canadian market. I was able to see them live a few times around the late 90s and 2000s, which further reinforced my love for the band. I love both Brian and Edwin eras!

Signals is the most interesting Rush album for me. Subdivisions, Digital Man, and Analog Kid—this album is like if Moving Pictures could be even more cinematic. I love the contrast of tracks, like Chemistry compared to Losing It. Losing It is so melancholic; it speaks to me so loudly. The way Neil was able to convey growing old and feeling sadness and longing for the past–just perfection. Every track is 10/10. To think they released this after Moving Pictures is incredible.

My first 'new' Dream Theater album since becoming a fan. The double disc was an incredible experience to dive into. While Disc 1 is my favourite, the entire album showcases DT at their peak, with amazing production and creativity.

Standout Tracks: Blind Faith, Goodnight Kiss, Solitary Shell

I vividly remember watching the “Shout” music video on Much Music around 1985 or 1986. The album has so many amazing songs that I’ve come to adore. Some of these songs are the soundtrack of my life. I’m glad I was able to see them live in Montreal!

I discovered this album through Columbia House Records back in 1995 (or maybe 1996). To this day, I consider it the best deal metal album of all time. While a lot of death metal can be pretty vapid and shallow, Death produced thought provoking tracks with intriguing lyrics, backed up with crushing guitar parts. Gene Hoglan's drumming just takes it over the top. Thinking Man's Metal.

Standout Tracks: Crystal Mountain, Symbolic, Zero Tolerance

This album, released in ’97, was released during my first year of high school. I remember being deeply infatuated with a classmate and dreaming of being with her (cheesy, I know). So many songs on the album deal with love, heartbreak, and they just hit me perfectly at that time. The incredible musicianship across the live performance is truly amazing. “Big Love” always blew my mind.

Another life-changing album. DSTOM reminds me of my first year in university. Every night, listening to it at 2 AM while under the influence of everything possible. I also remember watching the DSTOM/Wizard of Oz time-synced movie. Is it the greatest album art of all time? It’s just an immense record.

My childhood friend gifted me this CD for Christmas back in 1995. I believe my love for classic guitar tones, particularly Les Pauls and Marshall amplifiers, is rooted in listening to Tea Party.

I always thought the Bazaar was one of the best guitar riffs ever. Tea Party introduced me to a more eclectic world of instrumentation. I saw them live in Montreal in 2022, and I cried listening to them perform Sister Awake. It was awesome.

This is the most beautiful acoustic guitar playing ever.

Standout Tracks: A Sphere, 7-14

Another big album of my Nu-Metal days. I absolutely loved this album and spun it just as much as Mer Des Noms by A Perfect Circle.

What can I say? This is just another monumental and gargantuan album. I see it similar to Rush’s Moving Pictures—an album so large and impactful that every track is a 10/10. I have a vivid memory of seeing a news clip on TV where a news host was talking about “U2 taking over America" at my mother's workplace. I would have been 5 years old.

Live changing. This album fundamentally changed me, my thoughts and perspectives - along with countless others. Masterpiece.

I have come to absolutely adore Steven Wilson. He is just the greatest. An incredible songwriter and performance, in both his solo endeavour and with Porcupine Tree. As a ‘prog fan’, Steven Wilson resonates with me. Heavy, sad, proggy, weird, complex, and deep. To The Bone is my favourite of his - the songs are shorter and more concise and focused, yet still maintain those prog elements.

Standout Tracks: The Same Asylum As Before, Nowhere Now, To The Bone

I discovered this album at the exact same time as Weezer's Blue Album. My best friend's older brother had all his CD's laid out on a pool table and was talking to us about them. He introduced me to so much alternative stuff in the 90s. Thanks Iain!

I still vividly remember that moment. I was taking guitar lessons from Bernie Eagles in Glace Bay. At the time, I was just discovering Metallica’s records and learning the guitar parts to songs like “Master of Puppets.” Bernie then said, “You like Metallica, bud? Well, listen to this…” He popped the VDOP tape into his player, and “Mouth for War” came on. In that moment, I realized I was a full-blown metalhead-a pivotal moment for sure!

I discovered this album at the exact same time as Pearl Jam's Vitalogy. My best friend's older brother had all his CD's laid out on a pool table and was talking to us about them. He introduced me to so much alternative stuff in the 90s. Thanks Iain!

I absolutely loved this album when it was released. I listened to it a lot during my early days at St. FX University. I love every track! This is my Nu-Metal magnum opus. So many bands during this time spit out pretty shallow music. Deftones were always so much more to me - almost like a metal Cure.

Heavy, dancey, catchy, stupid.

I was gifted this CD at my grade 12 graduation, alongside a brand new super mega CD player ghetto blaster type thing that was hot during those days.