11. Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible (Richey Edwards)
Like Nirvana's In Utero, which has become a bit stigmatized and, for lack of a better word, "tainted" by the stains of death, The Holy Bible is an uncompromisingly dark and even depressing album to listen to at times, exacerbated by songwriter Richey Edwards' mysterious disappearance shortly after the release of the album. Though Edwards wasn't officially presumed dead until 2008 and thus, his inclusion as a member of the 27 is a bit tentative, many assumed he'd committed suicide in 1995, and his abrupt disappearance left a dark cloud over his last recorded material. Like his death, The Holy Bible is far from straightforward. Its equal parts provocative and plaintive, as all the best Preachers albums are, but the depths of this one go further under the surface than anything else they'd released before or after it. Most of the songs actively distance their sound from the Brit-pop bands popping up all around them, embracing post-punk aesthetics on "ifwhiteamerica" and "Revol," while dialing up some eerie industrial theatrics on "This Is Yesterday" and "Die in the Summertime." Regardless of the individual track's tone, however, the songs are all united in their cathartic, heart-on-the-sleeve approach.