...or life in terms of taste in music anyways.
It doesn't have to be a favorite album, in fact, it doesn't have to be an album you like at all anymore... but rather albums that gave direction to your current music preferences.

I don't really give a shit how much you deviate from the format. If there were only 3 albums or 10, go ahead! If there was only one song or certain artists, bring it on!

So, what opened your eyes? (or should I say ears?)

(If there's already a topic like this here somewhere... sorry. I couldn't find it)

I wont bore you with too much explaination.
These albums I encountered at pivotal points as I was growing up and made me reconsider my appreciation for music respectively.
In no order:

Rush - 'Rush': My dad used to play this and a ton of Pink Floyd on repeat while spending my childhood travelling Europe. Good memories
Devin Townsend - 'Ocean Machine': For simply being what it is.
SYL- 'Alien': A constant in my ever-changing top 3 albums of all time. Never had I previously heard such sumptuous chaos.
Type O Negative - 'October Rust': <3
Fear Factory- 'Demanufacture': The primary soundtrack to my teens.

Those are the only five I can think of at this moment, though there's tons of others it's better to limit it there before I lull you to sleep. Sorreh!

No such thing as too much explanation when ranting about music. All though my list will prove otherwise:

Evanescence - Fallen
- I couldn't even have made this list if it wasn't for this album. We've all (well, many of us anyway) had this one accessible album that lead us into rock/metal. I saw a commercial for this album in 2003 (13 years old) and fell in love. Still think it kicks ass.
VA - The Celtic Circle
- Discovered 6 months after Fallen. Filled with artists like Loreena McKennitt, Clannad, Enya, Vangelis... lot's of new age really. This was how I got into metal and more mellow stuff simultaneously, predicting my excitement for Deconstruction and Ghost.
Within Temptation - Mother Earth
- Not sure why, but it all makes sense when I listen to it. Got me into lots of symphonic metal and such.
Ayreon - The Human Equation
- Made me into music I earlier would have dismissed as "boring". Pretty much made the way for prog metal and eventually Devin.
SYL - Alien
- If I prior to discovering this album was asked to describe what metal I wasn't into, I'd probably give a pretty accurate description of SYL. As I already was a fan of Devin's solo work, I decided to give them a chance, and... woah! I think this album's influence is still having a major impact on me.

Limp Bizkit - Significant Other
Raging Speedhorn - We Will Be Dead Tomorrow
Breed 77 - Cultura
SikTh - The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out...Wait For Something Wild
Strapping Young Lad - Alien

...Kinda my spiralling vortex into obscure metal. Bizkit proper got me into metal (no, my parents didn't raise me on AC/DC, they raised me on Fleetwood Mac.), Speedhorn got me into the UK scene, Breed77 got me into extreme genre combinations (flamenco guitars and growly vocals? Yuz pluz.), SikTh got me into really really fucking weird metal which I guess made me appreciate SYL more when I first heard them. So yeah. BOOM!

When I was nine, my family moved from near London to the midlands. That seemed to be where everything "began" for me musically. I'd liked various songs/artists as a kid, but nothing "deeply".

Me and my sister decided to go for a walk, check out the new area, make some friends... and we came across two older guys who we thought were awesome. One of them handed me his CD player with System of a Down - Toxicity inside it, and while the others were off messing about, I just sat on a rock wall nearby and listened to it. I absolutely loved it.

I'd not had a "metal upbringing" to help bring me into this style of music, it was simply love at first listen.

From there, I got really into Korn and Slipknot. I spent so many hours of my day doing nothing but listen to 'Life is Peachy' and 'Iowa', start to finish, over and over, on my CD player with headphones on. I'd also stay up until 4am, listening to the Kerrang rock show on a Tuesday night (a school night! HARCORE MUTHAFUCKA! ) - recording any metal track that I liked onto a tape with it's holes stuffed with sellotape.

So I think those albums really paved my way towards what I listen to now.

After that phase, I went through my next long phase of being a pretentious typical 'metalhead' who hated virtually every style of music except "proper metal". Thankfully I'm past that now, and am thoroughly enjoying all the wonders of electronic music (DnB, Dubstep, House etc.) - as well as all my old favourites due to the nostalgia (Slipknot, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park etc.) from time to time.

BUT ANYWAY, no one cares. Make a list like everyone else and shut up.

So I guess...

System of a Down - Toxicity
Slipknot - Iowa
Korn - Life is Peachy
[Got me into metal. Loved the 'power' and 'anger'. Loved the weird riffs. Loved the 'shouty' vocals]

Then:
Iron Maiden - Brave New World (+ classics) [Became my favourite band. Started to dislike/disrespect nu-metal, and went off 'shouty' vocals etc.]
HammerFall - Renegade & Chapter V [Became my new favourite band. Began my phase of power/fantasy metal]
Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame [Became my NEXT new favourite band]
Turisas - Battle Metal [Became, yet again, my new favourite band. I've seen this band live more times than any other]

Then:
Prog and 'Modern' Death Metal (Symphony X, Dream Theater, Opeth, Nile, Behemoth etc.)

Then:
Devin Townsend - Entire Discography
[Began to be affected by the lack of feeling/passion/emotion behind all the power/fantasy metal. Began to learn from Dev's amazing open-minded-ness and general awesome-ness. Began to stop being so uptight about music thanks to that]

Now:
Fuckin' all sorts innit.

[Octillus]

Hrm, I'm not going to blather on, because that's the sort of thing I usually do.

Chronologically as to when it reached me:

Judas Priest - Metal Works 1999

In Flames - Clayman 2001

SYL - City 2002

Type O Negative - Life is Killing Me 2003

Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine 2006

My 5, which are all still classics to me even now:

Depeche Mode - Violator. The First album I ever heard and loved. That was years and years ago, and even now, I still think it's a classic. Hard to describe the kind of feelings I get when I listen to it, but it's some of the best 'mainstream' music that's out there. Dark, polished; DM's masterpiece.

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia. Not only PT's best album (IMO), but my favorite album of all time. Period. I first heard it in the car with my Dad; he forced it on me (rightly telling me that it was a masterpiece) and it didn't even take 30 seconds for me to be floored by what I was hearing. I had no experience with anything 'heavy' up until that point (I had just started middle school), so IA served as my gateway to pretty much all the music I listen to now. The album itself is... stunning, not to oversell it. Such a fantastic blend of different styles and genres; the songwriting is extremely tight; every member's contributions are fantastic; the atmosphere is amazing; and, most of all, it's an album - the sum of the music is greater than it's parts. Every emotion is explored; different genres are all showcased and blended seamlessly together... it's linked by (what I think is) a very intriguing concept, serving as a 'thread' to unify all the tracks... Collapse the Light into Earth is a song I can cry to (not even kidding!)... etc. Amazing album; highly recommended for ANYONE who hasn't heard it.

Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse. Absolute classic; the group's magnum opeth (haha, I'm so funny). Once again, music that came into my life during a pretty turbulent time; thus, it emotionally connects with me in a way few other albums do. It was the first true 'metal' album I ever loved, and it's quite possibly my favorite metal album ever, to this day - maybe. Once again, it's another case where no track is worth skipping (they're all great); Mikael's vocals are the best of his career, IMO; Karma is the best song ever, etc, etc. The atmosphere is something to write home about, too... very thick and ghostly; fits the concept (and the brilliant lyrics) perfectly. MAYH impacted me so much because it continued to propel me forward musically; opening new doors, introducing me to new concepts, and so on and so forth. Oh, and did I mention Karma is the best song ever? The outro is an out-of-body experience...

The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute. A little over a year ago, I finally took a leap of faith and bought De-Loused in the Comatorium, hearing so many good things about TMV online. Loved it, predictably; so I took another leap of faith and bought Frances the Mute, once again having heard all the praise for it... and my mind was absolutely blown. This was another case of 'hundreds of doors flying open' upon hearing it for the first time; I didn't even know what to think after it ended. It's a perfect album, as far as I'm concerned; everything and everyone's performance is flawless; every song... just ridiculous. Even the 32 minute Cassandra Gemini (NO THERE'S NO LIIIIII-IIII-IGHT) is just perfect. A lot of people don't care for the (long) ambience in between tracks, but I love it - makes the album feel even more like the conceptual 'suite' it was intended to be... almost like watching a movie. Can't really say much more about it, because I can't do it justice - very dense, very cerebral, very emotional, VERY high quality, engaging, fantastic, flawless album. Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore gets a special mention for it's gorgeous ambient intro, and the heartstring-tugging sections that follow.

Devin Townsend - Addicted. The album that introduced me to Devin, as well as the one that opened the last remaining 'doors' for me, musically. The perfect mix of aggression and poppy euphoria on every single track; the level of quality every song reaches is incredible. Currently my favorite Dev album (not counting Strapping Young Lad) if only because I think it's the strongest set of compositions he's ever put together on one record. As I said, every song is great, but Awake!! just takes it to the next level for me - one of my all time favorite songs ever. Whole album kicks ass; can't say much more about it.

I guess the hardest part through listing and describing all these, for me, is that I can't describe the feelings I get (and have) when it comes to these albums. They're all great to me, and they all mean a hell of a lot to me emotionally, too... it's just hard to describe the 'experience' I've had and have when it comes to hearing them.

So, TL:DR; Depeche Mode's Violator; Porcupine Tree's In Absentia; Opeth's My Arms, Your Hease; The Mars Volta's Frances the Mute; Devin Townsend's Addicted. That's where I currently stand; they're all fantastic.

At San Quentin - Johnny Cash: My mom listened to this a lot when I was little, along with a lot of other country and rock, but this one always struck some chord with me. It awakened my love for music.

Thriller - Michael Jackson: It wasn't just the music, but the effect that the music had on the world at the time. My first true understanding of the power behind music.

Sports - Huey Lewis and the News: The first album I heard start to finish that I absolutely loved. I started playing guitar around this time, so this is the first album I learned to play. Very influential for me. Scary.

Fair Warning - Van Halen: What the fuck was that??? Yeah, I had heard VH before. My older brothers were fans. But when I first heard this one, I could not believe what I was hearing! These are the guys that did "Jump?" No way! My obsession with Eddie Van Halen began.

...And Justice for All - Metallica: Again, what the fuck was that??? I had heard Metallica before, and though they were good. Then I went to the Monsters of Rock concert in San Francisco with Kingdom Come, Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions, and VH. When Metallica hit the stage, the whole stadium exploded. I had never seen a band control an audience like that, It was scary, but awesome! I picked up "...And Justice for All" the next day, and I played that thing constantly. My obsession with Metallica began.

And that is my top 5. What, no Devin??? Well, if we were doing more than 5, the next one would have been:

Sex & Religion - Vai: I had never in my life heard anyone sing like that in my life. It was passionate, fierce, out of control, yet completely in control. It was beautiful, grating, and earth-shattering. Changed my whole perception of the human voice as an instrument.

From then on, I was making my own music, I had become a bit self-absorbed as an artist. I listened to a ton of music over the years, and loved the early Devin and Strapping stuff I heard, but my head was just in a peculiar place. Let's just say that I was "mentally unstable." Around 1997, my brain finally decided that something was seriously wrong, and kind of shut itself down. I went from being full of passion, love, and absolute unbridled rage, to being a socially functional zombie. My band split, my girlfriend of 7 years left, and music stopped being an important part of my life. It just did nothing for me.

I met a woman, had a child, got married, got a real job, and for the next 12 years I was just living the average life. Sometime early last year, my brain went "Ok, I think you are in control of things now, I'm going to open a door over here. You remember music, right? Take a look inside here, and tell me what you think..." Slowly my interest in music came back.

Then one day last March I googled Devin Townsend, to see what I had been missing. I started checking out his music on YouTube, and was floored. The next thing I knew, I was on the HevyDevy site buying all of the CD's and DVD's. The passion was back. The need for music in my life was back, and everything I had ever needed from music was in Devin's work. So now, here I am.

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (1998-1999 ish)
So I would have been 14 or 15 when I found an old copied tape of this of my now brother-in-law's and I fell in love. I remember walking down to uy it on CD so I could hear everything including the couple of songs he'd obviously timed out on when switching sides on the tape and it was the first album I loved that not a single one of my friends were remotely interested in. It was like it was just mine. That album has got me through some good times, and some bad times.

Mudvayne - L.D. 50 (2001)
Completely opened up my mind to different music and got me interested in checking out soooo much more. (plus, in a couple of months it wins me a bet I made with my sister in the summer of 2001 that I wouldn't still be listening to this album in 10 years time, haha!)

Devin Townsend - Terria (2001)
The one that started it all for me. I was blown away from that first listen, it opened up my world to Devin (I could probably put several of Devin's albums in here but I feel I should stick with the one that made the others possible from my perspective. Me and my bf got together at the end of 2000 and this is one of those albums that I will forever remember us discovering together and I kind of feel like our relationship was built on a bunch of albums from that year as we expanded our musical tastes together. This is probably the album against which I compare everything else I hear, and probably always will.

Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe (2001 - just realising how much that year shaped me musically)
Another one that opened up my mind to a whole new world of music and one that still amazes me as the absolute pinnacle of technical music. I cannot begin to estimte how many albums I would never have bothered checking out if I'd never heard this one.

I'm going to go with one album that is here almost entirely for the emotional impact it's had on me, rather than a contribution to my musical world, but last year was the absolute worst year of my life. I was at rock bottom when this came out, and at the time, I was just amazed to feel like I could love something again so Pain of Salvation - Road Salt One gets in here for helping me start the looooong process of attempting to put myself back together

There'lll be something in here I've missed I'm sure, as there are so many albums that have changed my life, but hey, that's what's spring to mind right now.

[EphelDuath666]

Die Krupps - I (that one got me interested in da Metalz)
The Prodigy - Music for the jilted Generation (liked them since Experience, loved them since Music for the jilted Generation)
Fear Factory - Demanufacture (if I had to name one Metal classic it would be this one. Flawless from start to finish)
Tool - Lateralus (got me into the progressive side of music)
Devin Townsend - Terria (and that one basically changed everything for me)

Tangerine Dream: Encore
The Damned: Machine Gun Etiquette
The Clash: London Calling
Metallica: Ride the Lightning
Culture: Two Sevens Clash

[swervedriver]

As a kid, listening to whatever my brothers or parents were listening:
Nirvana - Bleach / Nevermind / In Utero / Incesticide
The Offspring - Smash
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms

When I really got into guitar playing (~12-13 years old):
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory
Queen - Greatest Hits II
Toto - The Seventh One

Later (I could include more, but these are definitely the huge ones that introduced me to a whole new kind of music):
Swervedriver - Mezcal Head
Rush - Vapor Trails
Hammerfall - Crimson Thunder
Nightwish - Century Child
Devin Townsend - Accelerated Evolution

Swervester. 11>5.

[swervedriver]

Swervester. 11>5.

Yep. I win.

[Blazingmonga]

Dev - Infinity (and the rest...)
Ulver - Blood Inside (and Perdition City...)
Meshuggah - Catch33
Opeth - Blackwater Park
The Moody Blues - The Lost Chord
10cc - How Dare You!

Six out of five aint bad?