|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 22:57:00 GMT -5
#21"While it's certainly debatable which Black Sabbath record is the best, I think it's safe to say that this is the most important. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone that is new to, or at least has some interest in heavy metal. Not just for it's importance, it is just a quality record filled with memorable songs. Pick this one up right away!" ~ResidentSilentHillEvil (Metal Archives) "For an album this influential to also be so great to listen to is an absolutely amazing feat. Sabbath gave the people what they wanted (dark, heavy evil) but left the door open for thousands and thousands of bands to walk in their footsteps and go even further. Metal would change as time went on, but Black Sabbath's bass heavy, Satan obsessed, doom inspired and shredding filled debut lives on as one of the most astounding musical accomplishments of the 20th century." ~Liontime (Metal Archives) "It's no surprise why thirty-seven years after it's entrance in music it is regarded by fans and critics(now anyways) as a legendary release. Sure it's important because it started all that we know as metal but because while almost all have tried, no one has ever come close to making a release this important and successful at the same time." ~Luvers666 (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 22:58:44 GMT -5
#20"Lemmy, I gotta tell ya. I get it. I understand why this album's acclaim annoys you. I get your annoyance at the fact that everyone wishes you guys broke up after Ace of Spades; how nobody wants to pay attention to your far more interesting 90s/00s discography. I get it as a fan and as an aspiring artist. But here's the problem: as an album? Ace of Spades really is that good." ~TrooperEd (Metal Archives) "This my friends, is the very embodiment of what we stand for. Rebellion, not giving a damn, turning it up to 11 all day every day, living fast and dying old. Maybe this isn't the most technically accomplished album ever, but really. This shit is fucking awesome, one of the most aggressive, focused, driven and cool albums of its day. And it still holds up over 35 years later." ~NapalmSatan (Metal Archives) "Ace of Spades is a great album that any fan of metal ought to get." ~Iron Wizard (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:00:36 GMT -5
#19"Of all the major albums in Gothenburg, this one probably has the most influence on many bands today. I can distinctly hear the sounds of bands like Heaven Shall Burn, Black Dahlia Earmurder, and countless others being pilfered from this album. The songwriting seems to be copied almost wholesale by dozens of crapstain groups, hammering out these tired grooves and melodic ideas that At the Gates simply did better. Therein lies the biggest problem with melodic death metal today - overpopulation and stagnation. I know the genre could be exhilarating when someone puts a little gusto into it (fuck the haters, Amon Amarth does this style very well) but when you just copy a band wholesale with no real character of your own stagnation and fans deserting the genre is bound to happen. As for "Slaughter of the Soul," it was the blueprint for thousands of shitty metalcore/melodeath bands, but its a good record. I prefer many more to this one, but I won't jump on the bandwagon of hating it simply because of what terrible waves of copycats it spawned." ~Moonside (RateYourMusic) "A melodeath slaughter worthy of being placed alongside Dark Traquillity's The Gallery and In Flames' The Jester Race. Every song is memorable and classic. Fucking killer death metal here." ~Raceudown (RateYourMusic) "Slaughter of the Soul is a fantastic and important Melodic Death Metal album that should be a part of any metal fan's collection." ~MetalCrypt
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:01:40 GMT -5
#18"Emperor laid the groundwork for many contemporary black metal bands, and cemented them as leaders of their blackened craft with In the Nightside Eclipse. A sizable debt is owed to Ihsahn and company for their contributions to the black arts. If you want to know where it all started, In the Nightside Eclipse is your cosmic key." ~AngryMetalGuy "The influence In the Nightside Eclipse left on black metal is remarkably important. Following symphonic acts (Dimmu Borgir and Marduk for exmaples) took direct inspiration from this album. The haunting atmospheric elements and patient song structures drip all over DSBM artists like Xasthur and Leviathan. This album was major game-changer. If someone asked me, "What is black metal?" I would immediately hand them a copy of In the Nightside Eclipse." ~grimwinter13 (Metal Archives) "Emperor's ''In the Nightside Eclipse'' is such a majestic album. The atmosphere, much accompanied by the brilliant synth, is otherworldly, and it's no wonder why it's considered a classic." ~LarsStian (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:03:00 GMT -5
#17"Any album that kicks off a movement must be at least half-decent, and this sits at the top of the pile, excelling in everything it attempts. If every band has one great album in them, then Carcass can't just be any band, with half of their studio albums being exercises in musical brilliance. Yeah, it's damn good." ~Deathdoom1992 (Metal Archives) "Heartwork did (and still does) make me think that metal can be beautiful." ~televiper11 (Metal Archives) "Heartwork is a truly unique album. Even if you got the opinion that this album led to a sell out for Carcass this album clarified the bands legacy as legends. Pioneering grindcore and melodic death metal, now that is an achievement." ~TheLegacyReviews (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:04:00 GMT -5
#16"Ride The Lightning actually does stand the test of time. Better than any other Metallica album, and better than most metal albums period. To paraphrase a Sam Cooke slogan, โRide The Lightning is yours, itโll never grow old.โ" ~TrooperEd (Metal Archives) "Ride the Lightning is a landmark piece that's still extreme even when compared to modern thrashers. With its signature songs and newfound darkened seriousness, this album upped the intensity and made one hell of a statement for early thrash metal." ~psychoticnicholai (Metal Archives) "Once upon a time, Metallica were a premier band in the thrash metal scene. Regardless of later efforts, Metallica left a mark on the metal world that is still felt today. The bandโs debut stands the test of time as an album of raw energy and creative youth; however, Ride the Lightning is the next logical step in the bandโs evolution. To this day, I cannot name another band that progressed as far between debut and sophomore releases." ~tidalforce79
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:05:08 GMT -5
#15""Screaming for Vengeance" manages to accomplish what it sets out to do in spades. Highly recommended for anyone that hasn't already gotten into Judas Priest, this is perhaps the best place to start to get acquainted with the band's brand of heavy metal music." ~Superchard (Metal Archives) "There's probably 4 or 5 albums in existence that I can honestly say are perfect, and Screaming for Vengeance is one of them." ~soul_schizm (Metal Archives) "Screaming For Vengeance is a must own for anyone calling themselves a fan of rock & roll, full stop. It is the gold standard of artistic integrity and accessibility than many bands try and fail to match. If you don't own this, run to buy it yesterday." ~TrooperEd (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:06:52 GMT -5
#14"This album was a landmark in the legacy of Iron Maiden, and it is an album that is both appealing to people wanting something accessible, along with those who want something innovative. It is a very important record, due to its influence, and it is a god damned masterpiece. Bar one song and you'll find one of the greatest albums in metal. While it isn't the perfect record that it is often made out to be (Hell, it's not even the best Iron Maiden album, even when you ignore "Gangland"), but it's a masterpiece nonetheless, as well as an album that should be owned by a fan of this band, or the genre of heavy metal in general." ~Caleb9000 "The Number of The Beast is the greatest metal album of all time. It forever stands the test of time of how this genre should always be approached from a songwriting perspective." ~TrooperEd (Metal Archives) "โThe Number Of The Beastโ is without a word of exaggeration one of the greatest heavy metal records of all time โ one that continues to enthral now and will no doubt do so for decades to come, so it is crucial to metalโs entire development and growth. This, fellow metalheads, is one of the records that no collection is truly complete without." ~Crank_It_Up_To_666! (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:08:53 GMT -5
#13"If you don't own this Slayer album, do yourself a favor: pick it up as soon as possible! Talk about aggression here, hate, and just an overall chilling experience to listen to. Not knowing what to expect here is key, but once you've heard the album a couple or more times, the more it will make sense to you. Slayer totally captivates thrash metal and plays it with vigor. All of the guitars, vocals and drums are an especially violent revolution. Own it now!" ~Orbitball (Metal Archives) "Although it wasn't the sort of genre-defining or landscape-changing work that 1986's Reign In Blood was, Slayer's fifth LP, 1990's Seasons in the Abyss, might actually be the most focused start-to-finish album the band has made to date. Seasons seamlessly blended the thrashy aggression of their early work with the doomy swagger of 1988's South of Heaven. Themes of violence, death and gore permeated the lyrics of tracks like "War Ensemble," "Expendable Youth," "Hallowed Point" and especially "Dead Skin Mask" โ the Ed Geinโinspired meditation that remains Slayer's quintessential serial-killer song โ while bassist Tom Araya, drummer Dave Lombardo, and the peerless guitar tandem of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman matched that intensity in songs that ranged from the frenzied ("Born of Fire") and eerily atmospheric (the title track, for which the band would issue an evocative video, set at the foot of the Sphinx). "I just think we just wanted to keep being Slayer," King once said. "There were a lot of bands that had built careers by copying what we had done and we wanted to show everyone we could still do it better."" ~Rolling Stone
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:10:17 GMT -5
#12"So first of all: this is one of my desert island albums. Secondly: I don't like death metal! So now you think how this can be, a guy that don't likes death metal declares an Opeth album to one of his all time favorites...a contradiction in terms? No, by no means at al. Yes, Opeth features a lot of death metal growls and yes, normally I don't like them BUT it's totally different with Opeth. I got this record and was in doubt about it but loved it from it's first track, in an instant. But what are the elements that makes Opeth so different from "normal" death metal acts? It's for sure the mixture of totally aggressive and fragile mellow parts, the antagonism of the death metal growls and Mikaels clear vocals, the polarity of heavy riffing and beautiful acoustic parts and all within one song. But for sure there are these awesome melodic guitar solos that cause a ineffable feeling. Maybe it is important to mention that Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree as you know) produced this album. Steven and Mikael are good friends (Steven even played Piano on Mikael's Wedding as they entered the church) and will work together on "Damnation" and "Deliverance" as well. For sure some influences are identifiable. So if you want to get into the world of Opeth this is the key, no doubt. It got me and I'm sure it will get you as well. Don't mind the growls, just try it and I'm sure they woun't bother you." ~diddy (Prog Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:11:44 GMT -5
#11"Given the long decline of Queensrรฟche in recent years, it would almost be tempting to engage in revisionist history, and find some pretext for rejecting their early works. But there is no arguing with this album, and trying will just make you look stupid. Fans exclusively interested in the more extreme metal styles may not care for this, but even they would be forced to admit that for what this is, no one has ever done it better, nor is anyone likely to. For musical brilliance, ace songwriting, power, emotion and intelligence, "Operation: Mindcrime" stands alone. Nothing, not even the band themselves, will ever tarnish the shine of this metal milestone. Mandatory. Classic. Unequalled." ~MetalCrypt "It takes a lot of musical muscle, ambition, and a certain degree of narcissistic musicianship to be able to pull an album like this off. Both in form and function, however, Operation: Mindcrime succeeds with a resounding success." ~jontayl (Metal Archives) "It all ends in circular fashion. "I remember now." And if you're like me, that means you're going back to track 1. Again." ~RedRedSuit (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:12:57 GMT -5
#10"I am not a huge fan of Death Metal, in general, but if I were allowed to own only three CD's in the entire world, this would have to one of them. I first heard this in the winter of 1990, and to this day it still dominates my CD player. Bottom line: Listening to this album is not so much a musical experience as it is a purification by fire, and for those who have not had the pleasure of hearing this release, all I can say is, what are you reading this for, you could have bought it by now!" ~MetalReviews "They are fast when they want to be and not when they donโt. They stayed true to what they wanted to do. They also added depth to the songs by putting in horror atmosphere and lyrics. The soloing wasnโt all about technical speed, but had an originality to it. I think anyone that is into modern extreme metal should give it a chance. Not only is it an important album historically, but it is also really good." ~MetalForMusicMajors "If Morbid Angelโs Altars of Madness can be summed up in one word it would be; brutal. In almost every way." ~DemonZone "Every song on the album is fucking crazy and excellent. I recommend this album to anyone who wants to be death metal. You won't ever be death metal until you listen to this album." ~ExodusAttack666 (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:14:16 GMT -5
#9"I am saying this right now, if you consider yourself a heavy metal fan and donโt like Mercyful Fateโฆ you will be found, and when I doโฆ I will kill you. Donโt Break The Oath is an uncredited genre defining classic. It is powerful, ridiculously catchy and sinister to the bone. Even better if you can find a copy of the original black vinyl." ~DemonZone "Mercyful Fate are one of those bands you keep rediscovering. You'll put the albums away, get into other stuff, and their awesomeness will kind of pale in your memory. And then one day you break out "Don't Break The Oath" and you're like oh holy shit I forgot! And you're owned all over again. This album is just essential, bitches, no way around it. COME COME TO THE MOTHERFUCKING SABBATH!" ~MetalCrypt "I remember the first time I was introduced to Mercyful Fate. I was watching some biased Christian documentary about how evil heavy metal and other music is, and they played The Oath by Mercyful Fate. Funny how they were trying to turn people away from metal and all it did was make me go out and buy Dont Break The Oath right when I heard it." ~Vic Rattlehead (Metal Archives) "One of my favorite bands, musically." ~Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:16:11 GMT -5
#8"Vulgar Display of Power is an adrenaline rush from the start that demonstrates both the band's technical skill and aggressive style. Vulgar Display of Power is a perfect example of a band being innovative and opening a gateway to many sub genres in a particular genre. Pantera proved with Vulgar Display of Power that they were the best thing in metal in 1992. Overall, it is one of my favorite albums of all time." ~The Odyssey "Do you think you've got intensity in your record collection? Do you think youโve got heavy groove in your record collection? If you asked this from me, you could own the most brutal grindcore from the darkest jungles of Brazil and the coldest black metal from the darkest fjords of Norway, but if you donโt have Panteras Vulgar Display Of Power, you aint got shit!" ~MetalReviews "From the antagonistic thrust of opener "Mouth for War" to the galloping power-thrash of "Fucking Hostile," the creepy murder balladry of "This Love" to the hulking, two-note stomp of "Walk" (later covered by everyone from Avenged Sevenfold to Disturbed), Vulgar boasts a shockingly high number of tracks that have become more or less standards of the genre. Re-spect!" ~Rolling Stone
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:17:23 GMT -5
#7""Painkiller" is a classic Judas Priest album and a very important point in the history of heavy metal music. It still sounds refreshing and not dated a decade later. "Painkiller" received mitigated response from the fans in 1990 and I think this is partly due to their two weaker albums released previously and the huge step between "Ram It Down" and this album. I think everyone can see today the huge impact this album has had on the metal community. Sadly, Rob Halford left the band after this awesome album and Judas Priest took seven years off before releasing the awful "Jugulator". In conclusion, "Painkiller" is a must-have." ~MetalCrypt "This is over-the-top metal, shiny and mean. Halfordโs screaming higher and harder than any time before, almost to the point of caricature, but not quite. This chrome plated beast blew away all reasonable expectations. Tipton and Downing still thought they were interesting enough guitar players to do lead break credits on every album, but itโs a touch I like. Tipton is the more experimental one and Downing the fast and reckless one. As a combo it works; the solos are interesting, adrenaline packed and suitable to the songs." ~mikeladano.com "Faster, harder, heavier, Priestier...the band had taken the ultimate, indomitable leap to super-stardom. After a few more commercial orientated releases like Turbo and Rami It Down - and both career's lowest points - Priest returns with high-on-crazy-rhythms heavy metal music, this time around written in capitals. Basically, they bolstered everything about their sound." ~Razzle_Dazzle (AOTY) "Painkiller is easily one of the all time great metal albums." ~Face_your_fear_79 (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:19:00 GMT -5
#6"Released the same year as their self titled debut album in 1970 after seven months of writing and tours, Black Sabbath's Paranoid would instantly become the irrefutable icon of their entire discography, and one of the most important albums for the early foundations of heavy metal in general. Virtually every classic rock radio hit from Ozzy Osbourne era Sabbath is here including Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid. All of which have been overplayed to the point of actually depreciating their worth. Even still I can acknowledge that Paranoid is a strong collection of material which has spawned many imitators to this day, but no one has ever managed to replicate this raw unbridled stoner rock doom and gloom." ~Superchard (Metal Archives) "While non-metal press tends to dismiss every Sabbath album BUT Paranoid, it isn't fair either to compensate for this by dismissing its standout stature, claiming it's one of many similarly great albums. Paranoid is Sabbath at its peak, by far. Hell, War Pigs would've been enough to make it so!" ~RedRedSuit (Metal Archives) "If your a metal-head and you don't own this absolutely essential album, then your fucking up big time." ~drummingnerd99 (Metal Archives) "Paranoid is brilliant. Paranoid is brilliant." ~Face_your_fear_79 (Metal Archives)
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:20:32 GMT -5
#5"If heavy metal was a college course, "Symbolic" would be on the reading list on day fucking one." ~Blabbermouth "Symbolic sees the band fully realizing their newfound technical prowess, delivering an opus that is at times much more about technical progressive metal than death metal. Featuring Chuck on guitar & vocals, the MAN on drums, Mr. Gene Hoglan, bassist Kelly Conlon, and guitarist Bobby Koelble, Symbolic is filled with nine classic cuts, bursting with heavy riffs, technical arrangements, plenty of groove, and most important of all, memorable melodies, something you don't always get on your everyday extreme metal album." ~SeaOfTranquility "This is a truly flawless death metal masterpiece as well as the main reason why I consider Death to be the greatest death metal band of all-time." ~LegendsWillNeverDie "Symbolic is the pinnacle of Chuck's career." ~MetalCrypt
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:23:34 GMT -5
#4Humanity Still Producing New Art As Though Megadethโs โRust In Peaceโ Doesnโt Already Exist 8/03/15 8:47am SEE MORE: ENTERTAINMENT WASHINGTONโSaying that any further endeavors of technical skill and imagination were pointless, experts at the Smithsonian Institution reportedly questioned Monday why new art was still being produced after the pinnacle of aesthetic and creative potential was reached in 1990 with Megadethโs fourth studio album, Rust In Peace. โAs the unquestioned apex of the entire history of the creative arts, Rust In Peace is the finest and last necessary piece of human expressionโbut itโs almost as though current so-called artists are completely oblivious to Dave Mustaineโs blistering, transcendent guitar work on โHangar 18,โโ said Smithsonian curator of contemporary art Joanna Marsh, gesturing dismissively in the direction of a massive self-portrait by photorealist Chuck Close, completed in 2000. โItโs not just incredibly disrespectful to keep making art; in many ways, itโs actually quite sad. The deluded people churning out this worthless garbage just canโt seem to reconcile themselves to the fact that their pathetic little sculptures and films and novels and whatnot will always pale in comparison to the brilliantly inspired, heart-stopping tempo shift halfway through โHoly Warsโฆ The Punishment Due.โโ At press time, a spokesperson from the Centre Pompidou in Paris confirmed the museumโs plans to throw out the contents of an entire wing and leave a massive, pure white space where the track โLucretiaโ will be played on loop at full volume. entertainment.theonion.com/humanity-still-producing-new-art-as-though-megadeth-s-1819578062
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:25:04 GMT -5
#3"It's not that great." ~Mailman__ (Metal Archives) "Proceed with caution." ~TrooperEd (Metal Archives) "Sure, itโs heavy, and you can bang your head all day to it, but โbeing pretty heavyโ wasnโt good enough by 1986, not with bands like Kreator, Bathory, Sepultura, and Possessed running around. It was mediocre. Metallica were mediocre. A mediocre rock band for a mediocre rock audience, convinced that nothing outside their suburban bubble mattered at all." ~Woolie_Wool (Metal Archives) "Itโs either hailed as the greatest thing in existence, or the most overrated piece of crap ever made. Iโm supporting the latter." ~simonitro (Metal Archives) "Best not to listen, kids. If you have any decency, any individuality, any self-respect. THIS is why I gave the album a zero, because it is the album that will slowly draw you in and destroy you too. Let this be your warning." ~UltraBoris (Metal Archives) "This album is a masterpiece." ~every metal site ever :3
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 15, 2018 23:26:47 GMT -5
#2"I will never, ever get tired of this album." ~TrooperEd (Metal Archives) "Here is the perfect metal album that anyone will find ever. No orchestras, no backing choirs, no sudden interludes, or anything that seem to garner much praise nowadays, and which prevent Iron Maiden unleashing upon the world something truly godly. Anyway, this is a 100% classic metal album, with brilliant riffs, solos, songwriting, etc. One of the best albums of all time and mandatory in any collection; Black Sabbath have become the inventors of heavy metal, with their heaviness and their riffs, but Maiden's Powerslave has the other elements: wildness, rawness, virtuosity, which are also important in heavy metal." ~Strike_Master (Metal Archives) "Is Powerslave overrated? Hell yes. But it is also one of the best albums the band ever created, and almost perfect from start to finish. That might seem like a bizarre statement, and technically speaking it is: the very term overrated implies a sense of hype, of making something up, that the true contents are not as awesome as the pretty wrapper. But this album somehow manages to be beloved by all - hardcore fans, casual fans, non-fans who simply like Maiden, and even ordinary rockers alike, and yet still remains utterly outstanding in every way. Very few albums are like that, and that's another part of this record's charm." ~MetalSupremacy (Metal Archives) "As timeless as the pharaohs' graves." ~autothrall (Metal Archives)
|
|