It’s April 1st.

This is the day I’m supposed to post an article like “How to Save Money” and tell you to steal your neighbor’s cable, or rob a bank to pay off your debt. Yes, it’s April Fools’ Day, but since I write about things like money, I don’t want to risk posting a joke that actually leads someone to make a bad choice.

So in opposition to playing a joke on you, I’m just going to posting something purely for fun.

Here’s a look into my musical taste for no reason other than fun…and maybe for my personal reference.

I’m a musician, so I take my music very seriously, whether writing or listening. And I listen to all kinds of music.

I’m aware that my musical taste is strangely eclectic. My favorite genres include heavier music such as black metal, hardcore, thrash, metalcore, and punk. However, I also listen to a lot of blues, rock, classical, rap, jazz, electronic, and country. It’s hard to pinpoint any of my favorites when it comes to music, so this is just an attempt.

I try not to make blanket statements like “I don’t like country music” or “I listen to everything,” because I don’t literally listen to everything, but I know that there is good music in every genre I’ve heard, even dubstep…and I do listen to some dubstep.

Everything is in alphabetical order, because I don’t have the mental capacity to rank these lists. It was difficult enough to create them in the first place, and I’m sure I will be updating them as artists and albums that I’ve overlooked come to my mind. If the name is in bold, that means I’ve seen them live. I have a lot of work to do to see the other bands!

My Top 20 Bands

  1. A.F.I.
  2. The Acacia Strain
  3. Aerosmith
  4. Amen
  5. Blue October
  6. Evergreen Terrace
  7. For Today
  8. He is Legend
  9. Katatonia (if I had to pick my favorite band it’s these guys)
  10. Living Sacrifice
  11. Metallica
  12. Once Nothing
  13. Paradise Lost
  14. Parkway Drive
  15. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  16. Say Anything
  17. The Smashing Pumpkins
  18. Strapping Young Lad
  19. System of a Down
  20. Type O Negative

My Top 20 Favorite Albums to Listen to Repeatedly

  1. …Is a Real Boy by Say Anything
  2. Big Ones by Aerosmith
  3. Blue by Weezer
  4. Consent to Treatment by Blue October
  5. Death Before Musick by Amen
  6. Deep Blue by Parkway Drive
  7. Draconian Times by Paradise Lost
  8. First Came the Law by Once Nothing
  9. The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails
  10. I Am Hollywood by He is Legend
  11. It’s Time to Decide by At All Cost
  12. Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
  13. Night is the New Day by Katatonia
  14. Reload by Metallica
  15. Machina – The Machines of God by The Smashing Pumpkins
  16. Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
  17. Ten by Pearl Jam
  18. The End of Heartache by Killswitch Engage
  19. The Price of Existence by All Shall Perish
  20. Toxicity by System of a Down

The Top 20 Albums That Shaped Me Musically

  1. Aerosmith (Every album, but mostly Get Your Wings and Permanent Vacation)
  2. Blood Sugar Sex Magik by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
  3. Collective Soul by Collective Soul
  4. Cowboys from Hell by Pantera
  5. Dookie by Green Day
  6. Green by Days of the New
  7. I Am Hollywood by He is Legend
  8. Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson
  9. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins
  10. Metallica (Every album, but mostly ReLoad and Master of Puppets)
  11. Midian by Cradle of Filth
  12. Nevermind by Nirvana
  13. Razorblade Suitcase by Bush
  14. The Dead Walk by The Acacia Strain
  15. The Hammering Process by Living Sacrifice
  16. The Price of Existence by All Shall Perish
  17. Toxicity by System of a Down
  18. Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest by Zao
  19. White Pony by Deftones
  20. Whitey Ford Sings the Blues by Everlast

My Overall Favorite Top 100 Bands

  1. The Absence
  2. The Acacia Strain
  3. Aerosmith
  4. AFI
  5. The Agony Scene
  6. Alanis Morissette
  7. Alice in Chains
  8. All Shall Perish
  9. Amen
  10. American Me
  11. As I Lay Dying
  12. At All Cost
  13. August Burns Red
  14. Bad Religion
  15. The Black Dahlia Murder
  16. Bleeding Through
  17. Blue October
  18. Bush
  19. Casting Crowns
  20. The Chariot
  21. Chevelle
  22. Collective Soul
  23. Cradle of Filth
  24. The Cranberries
  25. Dave Matthews Band
  26. David Crowder Band
  27. Days of the New
  28. Deftones
  29. The Devin Townsend Project
  30. DMX
  31. Eagles
  32. Eisley
  33. Elvis
  34. Evergreen Terrace
  35. Everlast
  36. Foo Fighters
  37. For Today
  38. Full Devil Jacket
  39. The Ghost Inside
  40. Goo Goo Dolls
  41. Green Day
  42. Gwen Stacy
  43. Haste the Day
  44. He is Legend
  45. HIM
  46. Hootie and the Blowfish
  47. House of Pain
  48. Impending Doom
  49. Iron Maiden
  50. Jewel
  51. Johnny Cash
  52. The Joykiller
  53. Katatonia
  54. Killswitch Engage
  55. Letlive
  56. Live
  57. Living Sacrifice
  58. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  59. Metallica
  60. Misery Signals
  61. Modest Mouse
  62. Motionless in White
  63. Mudvayne
  64. Nine Inch Nails
  65. Nirvana
  66. Norma Jean
  67. The Offspring
  68. Once Nothing
  69. Pantera
  70. Paradise Lost
  71. Parkway Drive
  72. Pearl Jam
  73. A Plea for Purging
  74. The Prodigy
  75. Queen
  76. Rammstein
  77. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  78. Rush
  79. Say Anything
  80. Seven Mary Three
  81. Sleeping Giant
  82. Smashing Pumpkins
  83. Soundgarden
  84. Stone Temple Pilots
  85. Strapping Young Lad
  86. Sublime
  87. System of a Down
  88. Tech N9ne
  89. Texas in July
  90. Third Eye Blind
  91. Tiamat
  92. TobyMac
  93. Type O Negative
  94. U2
  95. Ugly Kid Joe
  96. Underoath
  97. Weezer
  98. Whitechapel
  99. Your Memorial
  100. Zao

List your top 5, 10 or 100 favorite bands and albums below…