The Red Circle

46. The Haunted – The Haunted Made Me Do It (2000)
After the demise of melodic death metal pioneers At The Gates, three of the members reformed as The Haunted. While their output has varied wildly in both style and quality, their 2000 album The Haunted Made Me Do It is among the best metal records of the last ten years. From the opening riff of instrumental intro “Dark Intentions,” the album is an unrelenting whirlwind of technically proficient guitar work, dense rhythm and memorably constructed passages. Marco Aro allow the guitars to do most of the melodic heavy lifting but his gurgles, growls and screams give The Haunted an intensity rivaled by few metal vocalists. The unlikely special ingredient to The Haunted’s formula here is a certain accessibility that most of their competition lacks. Though this certainly played a part in their later downfall, On The Haunted Made Me Do It, the group channels some of hard rock and metal’s biggest names (Motörhead, Pantera, Slayer, Danzig, etc.) with universal success. The Haunted’s varied and exquisite songwriting and skilled performances make this the a record that appeals to diehard metal fanatics and neophytes alike as track after track become permanently lodged in the listener’s brain like unstoppable sonic buzzsaws.

45. Kanye West – The College Dropout (2004)
It’s sometimes hard to remember that just five years ago, Kanye West was an unknown as a rapper and had only established himself as one of hip-hop’s elite producers a few years earlier. His debut album The College Dropout was years in the making and West had fought hard for his chance as a performer against repeated rejection. In fact, it wasn’t until the surprise club success of album cut “Jesus Walks” that most of the mainstream even began to take notice of the man that has since become a household name. The funny, self-effacing Kanye of The College Dropout might seem to contradict the obnoxious public persona that West has established in the five years since but it can also be seen as an unparalleled look at the nature of celebrity and the effects of fame in the Internet age. The album is filled to the brim with clever turns of phrase, metaphors and concepts that served as a blueprint for West’s career and (in many ways) the five years of hip-hop that followed its release. West’s sincere desire for upward mobility means more backed by the hard work and artistic talent that so many rappers try to pass off to producers or labels. If his current omnipresence has become tiresome, The College Dropout is a perfect reminder of what exactly Mr. West did to earn his place among the pop pantheon.

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