Puff’s Playlist: 5 Albums That Changed My Life

My obsession with music started when I was a kid. When I was 5, I would listen to the radio non-stop for hours on end. I listened to everything from the oldies station to Top 40 to rap and everything in between. Then I heard Motley Crue for the first time and it absolutely changed my life. That day, I instantly became a metal head. So, below, is a list of the most influential albums of my life. Be sure to share yours in the comment section. 

1. Motley Crue - 'Shout at the Devil'

This album CHANGED MY LIFE. I heard Motley Crue on the radio, I went straight to Sam Goodes and bought this record. I swear I must have listened to it for a week or more non-stop. I never heard anything like it before. Songs like 'Shout at the Devil' and 'Bastard' just blew me away. And from that record, I became a metal head.

2. Type O Negative - 'Bloody Kisses'

After buying 'Shout at the Devil', I returned to Sam Goodes to buy more Crue albums. But, the dude that was working behind the register told me, 'Don't waste your time on this pansy crap. I got something real for ya'. He threw 'Dr. Feelgood' in a bin and handed me a copy of 'Bloody Kisses' by Type O Negative. Holy CRAP! At first I thought the Crue was intense, but this was something else entirely. I had no idea that people made music like this.

3. Pantera - 'Far Beyond Driven'

I know it seems like I'm just rattling off a list of great Metal albums, but that's the era I grew up in. The Crue got me into rock music, which led me to Type O, which led me to the hardest band to ever walk the face of the planet, Pantera. This music was rage embodied. It was its own living, breathing entity. It was just amazing.

4. SOiL - 'Scars'

So far, this list has consisted solely of heavy hitters in the rock world. But in the early 2000s, there was this little band called SOiL that just blew me away. Ryan McCombs voice combined with a hardcore melody. It was like pop-metal that didn't suck. It was edgy, it was ballsy, but it wasn't just loud to be loud. It had melody and heart, and contained some amazingly raw lyrics. It showed just how dynamic and different rock could be.

5. Tool - 'Undertow'

Look, I don't think you could live through the 90s and 00s and not have been influenced by Tool. Maynard is a lyrical genius and the band has created some of the most complex and killer tunes in rock history. They are my generation's Pink Floyd. They are just that important and brilliant. And 'Undertow' is the album that brought them to the mainstream and provided the soundtrack to my rage. I don't think there is a more honest or raw album in the rock/metal universe.