Top 10 Epic Albums

Albums are very important. They are more than just a collection of songs, they can tell a story through one way or another. It might not be a formulaic story, but it contains teamwork of individuals and are stories of their life as well as a musical journey.

When making this list, I've thought of albums that I've considered to be epic. It was very hard to warp it down to ten.This is an eclectic mix of some various genres, but in my opinion, they are epic because they have a wonderful atmosphere and have taken me into another world. The only rule I've made with this list is one album per artist.

This list is in no particular order.

Klaus Nomi - 'Klaus Nomi' (1981)

Klaus Nomi was an unusual countertenor who was born in Germany, but worked in New York. His self-titled debut is just a sheer delight for people like me who are into a variety of music. When I first listened to this album, I was amazed by the mixture of opera, new wave, rock and pop in the album. I also loved his vocal range and how unpredictable the song is. His covers of "You Don't Own Me" and "Lightning Strikes" sound so original and full of character, that I forgot that they were covers. Listening to his version of "The Cold Song" is also a haunting experience.

Queen - 'Queen II' (1974)

Queen's second album has proven to stand the edge of time and become one of the greatest albums of their career. Second only to their perfectly crafted album, A Night At The Opera. The album includes the classic hit, "The Seven Seas Of Rhye" and some of the band's finest, but underrated songs such as "March Of The Black Queen," "White Queen (As It Began)" and "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke." In my opinion, this album contains some of the best melodies, lyrics and harmonies from any album in their discography.

Depeche Mode - 'Songs Of Faith And Devotion' (1993)

Depeche Mode is my favourite band. Not only for their thought-provoking lyrics, but also for their beautiful melodies and constantly evolving sound. I think all of their albums are wonderful, but if I had to choose my favourite it would be between Violator, Black Celebration and Songs Of Faith And Devotion. In the end, I went for this album purely for its deliciously dark atmosphere. It was the last album to feature Alan Wilder, and he left after producing one of their best albums. The album contains a heavier and darker side to Depeche Mode including the rock anthem "I Feel You" and the wonderfully raw ballads like "One Caress" and "Condemnation."

Björk - 'Vespertine' (2001)

I could pretty much put any of Björk's albums here. Her entire discography is a sign of her artistic genius. The imagery in Vespertine is simply superb. "Hidden Place" is a gem of a song, along with "Pagan Poetry" and "Cocoon." One of my favourite songs of the album is the music box instrumental called "Frosti." Really puts me in the mood for something creative.

Siobhan Donaghy - 'Ghosts' (2007)

Siobhan Donaghy is an incredible artist with a small discography. As one-third of the original line-up of the Sugababes and currently involved in the group Mutya Keisha Siobhan of the same lineup. Between leaving the Sugababes and reuniting with her former bandmates as MKS, Siobhan released two solo albums: Revolution In Me and Ghosts. Both albums, in my opinion, are criminally underrated and show Siobhan's vocals in a more flattering light. Ghosts in particular is a very special release. The inspiration of Kate Bush and Björk are clear, but she also puts her own unique light into the songs. All the songs on this album are wonderful to listen to. The title track is a particular song that makes more sense played backwards than it does when played forward.

Nightwish - 'Imaginaerum' (2011)

Imaginearum was the band's seventh album and the second and last with the singer Anette Olson. This album was extremely popular and well received by their home country selling 50,000 in Finland on the first day of its release. It's one of their most ambitious and fun albums of their career. Along with the album, a film of the same name was also released with the band featuring in cameos. The album tells the story of an old man laying on his deathbed thinking about his youth and time as a composer. "Scaretale" and "Ghost River" are my favourite tracks on the album and I also like the instrumental "Arabesque." They also do something different from this album with the jazz track, "Slow, Love, Slow."

Babymetal - 'Metal Resistance' (2016)

The queens of Kawaii Metal graced the world again after their explosive self-titled debut album in 2014. People already expected great things from Babymetal after the success of Karate and hearing the infectious "Awadama Fever" and the epic anthems "Road Of Resistance" and "The One." Just like their debut, Metal Resistance tells a story of revolution and female empowerment using a variety of genres along with those outside their fusion of J-Pop and Heavy Metal. And I'm loving it. I had the pleasure to see them live at Wembley last year: and it was an epic experience.

Kate Bush - 'The Kick Inside' (1978)

Kate Bush had written some of the songs from this album when she was 13 and was 19 when the album was finally released. Her first single, 'Wuthering Heights' was an instant hit for her soaring vocals and cinematic production. 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes' is also a timeless and beautiful ballad. It's hard to believe that this record was released nearly forty years ago. It's a wonderful album that I think can be motivating and empowering for young people.

Within Temptation - 'Mother Earth' (2000)

Before the dawn of a new millennium, Within Temptation were an unknown band from the Netherlands, but in 2000 this changed when they released their album, Mother Earth. 'Ice Queen' was their first major hit and they became busy touring around the country and with their hard work they became one of the most famous bands in Europe. This album is a very mature and confident sound and I love the Celtic influences. I consider this album my workout album as it's one I listen to a lot when I'm at the gym.

Placebo - 'Without You I'm Nothing' (1998)

Placebo's second album is raw and beautiful. 'Pure Morning' and 'Every You Every Me' were my rock jams. And I remember having 'My Sweet Prince' on repeat so many times after listening to it. I haven't heard those tracks in a while but I can still hear its melodies tingle in my head sometimes. Also, this band is so fucking awesome live!