I’ve used my money in many ways during my adult life. Some things were a waste of money. Others were worth the money. This article is not about those things. This article is about the things I bought that were worth much more than what I paid for them. Some things you buy just overdeliver in every aspect. You can’t help but rave about them to anyone who will listen. This is a running list of my favorite purchases since 2012, and I’ve just updated it for 2021.
Music
Music is very subjective. Personally, I enjoy metal, folk music, and female vocals. If I find a band with all three of these elements together, all the better. If you have similar tastes in music, I think you would really enjoy the albums I recommend below.
This is my favorite album so far this year. It’s an Italian blend of metal and 90’s pop music—a refreshingly modern take on metal. The lead vocals are a unique combination of haunting and shrill. I’m finding myself listening to the songs over and over again because they have an energizing quality to them.
The band ANKOR hails from Spain and categorizes themselves as “alternative metal.” However, that’s a bit misleading because they have a varied and versatile sound drawing influences from heavy metal, punk rock, rap, pop, and Latin music. I love this band because the female lead vocalist does everything: she sings, screams, growls, raps, curses, and chants, yet I think she has a great singing voice. If you want to check them out, ANKOR is very active on Youtube.
Eight hundred years after the Genghis Khan conquered most of Eurasia, the Mongols are on the move again. The HU is taking their unique brand of metal around the world and building a new empire. They incorporate traditional Mongolian instruments, throat singing, war cries, and poetry into their music. The HU is also very active on Youtube.
This is a highly controversial Swedish band with a rabid fan base. It’s controversial because of their Satanic and anti-Christian themes, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s well-laid out hard rock with catchy tunes and a retro vibe. Ghost is also highly theatrical, as you can appreciate from their Youtube channel.
If you’re a fan of Metallica, I think you’d love Incorruptible. It’s heavy, it’s catchy, and the punchy guitar riffs will have your head banging.
I’m not afraid to admit that I was a huge fan of Ace of Base when I was in high school. It was the first music CD I ever bought. If Ace of Base became a metal band, I think it would sound a lot like Amaranthe. They are a Swedish metal band featuring three vocalists, each singing in a different style: one with female clean vocals, one with male clean vocals, and one with male death growls.
Liv Kristine was the lead singer for Leaves’ Eyes until 2016 when a divorce shook up the band. I’ve been a fan of Liv Kristine for almost 25 years now, since her days with the band Theatre of Tragedy.
It’s easy to like music from Within Temptation. It’s symphonic rock with a metal edge, but also bordering on pop music. Their album Hydra features guest vocals from metalcore singer Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage), rapper Xzibit, symphonic metal vocalist Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish), and alternative rock singer Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum). There are also bonus covers of Imagine Dragons, Lana Del Rey, Passenger, and Enrique Iglesias.
Týr is viking metal the way it should be. The band is from the Faroe Islands and sing many of the songs in Faroese. I recently took a look at lead singer Hari Joensen’s Youtube channel, and I’m in awe at the amount of work and research he puts into his music.
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band. Their album Imaginaerum is one of those few albums where almost every song could be a hit single. Robust with a wide range of different styles of songs, I’ve been listening to this album for years and it still hasn’t gotten old.
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