Top Ten Album Ranking: Nine Inch Nails

Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel III/Melt (1980) Genre: Experimental Rock and Prog-Rock

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel III/Melt (1980)

Genre: Experimental Rock and Prog-Rock

Here we are at Peter Gabriel’s artistic zenith, this album is incredible. It really pushes the limits of what you can do on a rock album..  

   

Vocals and Lyrics: Intruder is one of the sickest and darkest songs that  I have ever listen to, like most of the lyrics on this album are pretty intriguing, like “Family Snapshot” or the epic political anthem of Biko. 10

Instrumentation:

Guitar: Robert Fripp is on a couple of tracks, but the guitar in general takes second stage.

Bass: Effect heavy bass line of a “I don’t remember” is mind blowing, its actual played on a Chapman Stick by Tony Levin. 

Drums: Intruder and Biko have simple but incredibly effective drum playing on each one of these tracks. 7.8

Melody and/or Structure: A very dark but the songs mostly have a typical pop structure. 10

Sound, Production and Feeling: This album is dark, claustrophobic and innovative.  Songs like “Games without Frontiers” are very ahead of their time. And on the other hand  you have the simple but powerful protest song of Biko. 10  

Songs: Every song on this album is a classic. 10

The Bad: 

Originality: Peter’s brilliance just keeps growing, moving out farther and farther away from a traditional band structure, I can observe the direct influence of this album on artist like Trent Reznor. 10

Overall: 57.8

Marilyn Manson Antichrist Superstar (1996) Genre: Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal

Marilyn Manson

Antichrist Superstar (1996)

Genre: Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal

Man I remember when this album can out, all the uproar around this guy. The parents of my class mates at my school, where freaking when they found out that one of the students in my class had brought the CD to school. Everyone was talking about that this album was Satanic, and there where kinds rumors circling around the figure of Manson (he probably started most of them to boost his carrier). I remember there was rumor that he was going to kill himself in a live show in Santiago Chile, and bunch of numb nuts got ticks to the show just to see him do it, that’s a great marketing campaign.

This album is really good and pretty intriguing as a concept album, but it has a lot of Nine Inch Nails input.  

Vocals and Lyrics: Manson’s lyrics are as every bit intriguing, shocking and just a little too politically incorrect. But as a concept album it’s an interesting concept that Manson is trying to get across. 9

Instrumentation: The band serves the needs of the album and the story, the instrumentation is pretty good especial the drums. But the keys and loops real set the tone to the album. Another thing that almost every member of Nine Inch Nails plays on the album: Trent Reznor, Chris Vrenna, Robin Finck and Danny Lohner.      7.5

Melody and/or Structure: Mood and concept hijack the album.7

Sound, Production and Feeling: Trent Reznor presence looms large in this album you can hear tons of Nine Inch Nails details in the sound and in the production F/X. 10

Songs: It’s a long album but every song is masterpiece. 15

The Bad:

                                                                                                     

Originality: Even though NIN makes their mark on this album, you can hear many of the trade mark things that will establish the course of Marilyn Manson for at least the next three albums. 10

Overall: 58.5