“If you were trapped on a desert island and could bring only one album with you, which would it be?” This is the question the metal columnists of Alternative Nation have asked several very famous musician, cult favorites, and local acts. With answers ranging from the obvious choices to some far more surprising favourites, here is a compilation of answers from our interviews in 2016.
Craig Goldy(ex-Dio guitarist): Deep Purple Burn and Rainbow Rising. I never go anywhere without those.
Sean Yseult (ex-White Zombie/Star and Dagger bassist): Diamond Dogs by David Bowie, I just can’t live without.
Gene Hoglan (Testament/Dark Angel/ex-Dethkok/ex-Death/ex-Strapping Young Lad drummer): Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, such a fantastic record.
Max Cavalera ( ex – Sepultura/Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy, ex-Nailbomb vocalist/guitarist, Killer Be Killed guitarist): Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality
Bobby Blitz (Overkill vocalist): Rainbow Rising
Terrence Hobbs (Suffocation guitarist): Not sure which it would be since I listen to a lot of different types of music. I will say it will NOT be Breeding the Spawn.
Greg Puciato (Dillinger Escape Plan/ Killer Be Killed vocalist): This might sound cliche, but I will go with And Justice For All.
Trevor Phillips (Unearth vocalist): It’s a tough one, but I’d have to go with NOLA from Down. I feel like I’ve listened to that record more than any other record in my life. Because it’s heavy when you want heavy, but it also has mellow parts when you want mellow. All of the songs are just so well-written that I can listen to it over and over again and not get sick of it. It’s a timeless record for me. I can’t even say it’s my favorite record, it’s just if I had to listen to a record forever it’d be that one.
Jaime Saint Merat (Ulcerate drummer): An album with nothing but absolute silence or a rain storm loop – fuck listening to the same hour of music in perpetuity!
Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility/ex-In Flames vocalist): I’ve been going back and forth on that kind of question among friends. But I think, Close to the Edge by Yes. It’s one of my all time favorite albums. And I still find new things that I love about it every time I listen to it. I remember walking into a record store where Anders works now. Been around forever, like the first record store I went to when I was a kid. And I saw the inlay thing of the gatefold LP of Close To The Edge and was like “Woah that is the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen. I need to buy that album and I don’t even know what it is”. And I’ve been a huge Yes fan ever since. So that would be it.
Sascha Konietzo (KMFDM vocalist): Something by Lord of the Lost for sure.
Tim Sult (Clutch guitarist): Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys. Good album to show someone who thinks all hip hop sucks.
Gary Mader (Eyehategod bassist): I’ll go with Black Flag’s First Four Years. I’ve listened to it everyday of my life since I first heard it.
Stephen Taylor (Superjoint bassist):Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, it’s think and heavy and the only thing that could get me through being stuck on an island.
Kevin Hufnagel(Gorguts/Krallice guitarist): Longmont Potion Castle – 5. Laugh till death.
Mike Odd (Mac Sabbath manager): I think it would be Master of Reality and a cheeseburger. That’s what I say to people who get on me about making a Mac Sabbath studio album. Closet thing to a Mac Sabbath experience at home.
Yossi Sassi (ex Orphaned Land guitarist): It would be one of my top 10 or top 20 albums, including Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Joe Satriani’s The Extremist, Dead Can Dance’s Into The Labyrinth, Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable– It depends on the mood I’m at when my ship gets wrecked!
Brian Talter ( Diamond Head guitarist) : My favorite album is Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti so I guess I would take that. So many great songs like “Kashmir”, “In the Light”, “Custard Pie”, “The Rover”, “In My Time of Dying”, “Houses of the Holy”, “Trampled Underfoot”, “Ten Years Gone”, “The Wanton Song”, “Sick Again” etc… Their best album IMO.
Aleksi Munter (Swallow the Sun keyboardist): Queen’s Greatest Hits… Part 2.
Jason Landrian (Black Cobra): Damn, that’s such a tough one. I’m gonna pass.
Markus Vanhala ( Omnium Gatherium guitarist) : Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son by Iron Maiden. Because it’s the best. It’s been the best since I was five years old. Still is.
Killjoy ( Necrophagia/ex Wardurluk/Ex Viking Crown vocalist): Slayer’s Hell Awaits cause it’s one of my introductions to extremity.
Død ( Blood Red Throne guitarist): Human by Death. My absolute fave band and album through all times. Chuck was way ahead of his time and it’s simply the best death metal ever written!
Gost (electronic artist): Type O Negative – Bloody Kisses. It’s a perfectly written album in my opinion and one that just doesn’t get old for me. Plus I’d be fucking depressed on said island and would want light fires and sulk all night lol…
Tyla Campell ( Phil Campell and the Bastard Son guitarist/vocalist): Hotel California by the Eagles, but i’d skip the title track because it’s the last song you want to hear while trapped on an island.
T-Roy (Sourvein vocalist): Dopesmoker by Sleep
Mike Dreher( Lich King bassist/Condition Critical vocalist/bassist): This is incredibly tough, but I’d probably choose Powerslave by Maiden. It’s just an all around fantastic record, and I just get down with it very often. Between the bass lines and the riffs, I just would need it with me
Patrick Ranieri (Hellwitch vocalist/guitarist): I don’t know it’s a pretty hard question… Hell Awaits.
Brian Wilson (Hellwitch drummer): Rust in Peace
Julian David Guillen (Hellwitch/Sapraemia bassist,Munchausen guitarist):Damn that’s hard. I’d have to go with Blut Aus Nord’s “777-Sect(s).” Some of the nastiest, most experimental black metal out there. I love that band. Very varied and dark. The art is amazing too.
Abam Albright (ex-Skinlab/Dopesick vocalist): Bad Brain’s self titled. That album is my shit.
Chris Butera (Nuclear Hatred guitarist/vocalist):That’s a tough one.Either Wu Tang Clan’s Enter the 36 Chambers, Rigor Mortis’ self-titled debut or NWA’s Straight Outta Compton. The two rap albums are just the best two rap albums ever and Rigor Mortis’ first album is as pure of an album as you can get. The raw power and impact that those three records made are unparalleled to this day.
Shyann Rodriguez (Munchausen vocalist): For me it would be Alice in Chains self titled album. Alice in Chains is my favorite band of all time. People find it weird when I say that because I’m known for listening to all this ambient black metal. They’re pretty much what got me into I guess you could say heavy music. That album in particular has gotten me through hard times. So if I was trapped on a desert island and somehow had a CD player, that would be the album I’d hope would somehow be there.
Interviews with Aleksi Munter, Markus Vanhala, Mikael Stanne,Trevor Phillips, Brian Talter, Yossi Sassi and Dod by Birdman Dan. All other interviews by Anthony Carioscia.
