Joachim discovers "classic" and "important" hardrock and metal albums

[joachimt]

Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? + Countdown to Extinction

Not an unknown band to me, but something I didn't listen to a lot so far. I have a copy of Rust in Peace which I hardly ever play.
By the looks of it you expect quite aggressive music: the name, the logo, the artwork. This is called thrash metal, but it's certainly not as heavy as Slayer or even Metallica in the old days. A lot of songs feel more like hardrock ('n roll) to me, especially Countdown to Extinction, which is of course a lot more recent. Peace Sells is clearly more interesting and has the most 'metal' on it. Some good riffs here and there, but most of it is pretty straightforward. Or maybe my mild opinion is caused by the vocals that sound more like AC/DC than most metal.
Still fun enough to listen to now and then, so I'm keeping the albums in my Apple Music library. But nothing mindblowing to me.

[joachimt]

Melvins - Bullhead

Cool stuff! Takes its time to build up, but keeps things interesting all the way. Will certainly listen to this again.

[flavo5000]

Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? + Countdown to Extinction

Not an unknown band to me, but something I didn't listen to a lot so far. I have a copy of Rust in Peace which I hardly ever play.
By the looks of it you expect quite aggressive music: the name, the logo, the artwork. This is called thrash metal, but it's certainly not as heavy as Slayer or even Metallica in the old days. A lot of songs feel more like hardrock ('n roll) to me, especially Countdown to Extinction, which is of course a lot more recent. Peace Sells is clearly more interesting and has the most 'metal' on it. Some good riffs here and there, but most of it is pretty straightforward. Or maybe my mild opinion is caused by the vocals that sound more like AC/DC than most metal.
Still fun enough to listen to now and then, so I'm keeping the albums in my Apple Music library. But nothing mindblowing to me.

Well, Countdown to Extinction was definitely a conscious effort on the part of Dave Mustaine to make a more commercial album, much like Metallica did around the same time with the Black Album.

[joachimt]

Mercyful Fate - Melissa and Don't Break the Oath

One of those "why haven't I listened to this before?" bands. Musically, it's up my alley. I already knew King Diamond, I love Abygail. So it's a very small step to MF. Melissa is a great album. Very good songwriting with hardly any seconds wasted, even in the epic Satan's Fall. Give me those varied long metal songs any day!



Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve

Okay, of course not an unknown band to me. I started listening to Meshuggah from the EP I (2004), which really blew my mind and Catch Thirtythree (2005) and also bought two earlier albums at discount (Chaosphere and Nothing). Always followed their releases since. Never went further back than Chaosphere and didn't know Destroy Erase Improve was the genre defining album for them. So that error has been rectified now. Interesting to hear now. It's not as heavy as I know Meshuggah. Of course, the majority of the album has the well known riffs and brutal rhythms. But there's also room for a little bit lighter, more melodic, sounds intertwined. In later albums I always felt the lighter stuff was only there to give the audience a break to take a deep breath before the storm rages on again. On Destroy... it seems like it's still a bit more a part of the music. Not a complaint though, I like both ways.

[joachimt]

Metal Church - Metal Church (1984)

This was a lot better than expected. I thought it would sound like simplistic humpa-humpa-metal, like Anvil or something like that. There appeared to be a lot more variation though. Some songs are straightforward early trash metal, but a lot of times it's a good mix of trash with more classic heavy metal with riffs like Judas Priest, but the next moment it leans more to the songwriting of Iron Maiden. After three tracks of heavy riffs and screams, I was really surprised when Gods of Wrath started. Huh, a ballad? Oh, wait, there's more to this song than the intro. Didn't expect such a song from a band with such a silly band name.

[joachimt]

That's great, because you can clear Panzer Division Marduk while you're already at M

Not sure why Marduk wasn't on my list yet. I just added Panzer to the playlist. I have listened to that one in the past, though I hardly remember is. It was once when it just came out.

Just listened to this (again). Have to admit this is fun. Can't say I can easily tell one song from another though.

[joachimt]

I'm putting this project on hold again for a while. I just added a lot of new stuff to my need-to-listen-to-playlist. That list now contains 656 songs from albums of 2022, with a total runtime of two days. So that'll keep me busy for a while.

[Torgo]

I'm a big metal fan (in addition to a ton of other kinds of music). Some I haven't seen mentioned:
Neurosis (for albums I'd go with Times of Grace and maybe The Sun That Sets) - huge influence on bands like Mastodon, Gojira and Baroness

Why yes of course ..

Third time wearing a bandshirt this year - doesn't happen as often for me anymore without going to concerts due to the overall situation, or, just going anywhere, at all

Well fuck, that was that.
https://consequence.net/2022/08/neurosi ... aves-band/

Safe to say Neurosis are over and done after this.
The musical legacy will stay ..

[Pretentious Hipster]

The new Imperial Triumphant album is really something special. Combines death metal with avant-garde jazz elements.



And yes... this song has Kenny G (a former member of the band was his son)

[Torgo]

I wouldn't say that it covers dramatically new grounds compared to the previous album or the one before, although they tend to become even less accessible by now.
Luckily, I can confirm from their concert last month that they play a little bit of every big release to let all their hits shine. It was just as good as their 2019-tour.

(Does this still count as a humblebrag)

[Pretentious Hipster]

I wouldn't say that it covers dramatically new grounds compared to the previous album or the one before, although they tend to become even less accessible by now.
Luckily, I can confirm from their concert last month that they play a little bit of every big release to let all their hits shine. It was just as good as their 2019-tour.

(Does this still count as a humblebrag)

I was tempted to see them but Zeal and Ardour were headlining and they made what is probably the worst album I've heard this year. Not worth the 2 hour travel time for that.

[Torgo]

It was a 15-minute-walk for me, no support, no bullshit, just 1 hour of the pure unfiltered Triumphantness, so I was rather lucky haha

[Pretentious Hipster]

Summoning's Stronghold is just phenomenal. Lo-fi atmospheric black metal that evokes a very different atmospheric. It's actually quite chill. The member of the group Protector is quickly becoming one of my favourite musicians, as his side project Ice Ages is industrial that is up there with Coil. His album Buried Silence is seriously some of the best industrial of all time, also quite chill despite sometimes using abrasive synths and screaming vocals. Looking at RYM pretty much every Summoning album is essential.

[Torgo]

Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve

Okay, of course not an unknown band to me.

And apparently not to Oscar folks, either!:

[Knaldskalle]

Damn, Oscars went mainstream.

[joachimt]

I'm putting this project on hold again for a while. I just added a lot of new stuff to my need-to-listen-to-playlist. That list now contains 656 songs from albums of 2022, with a total runtime of two days. So that'll keep me busy for a while.

So 4.5 months later I'm ready to continue with this. I'll add some of the list to my Apple Music listen-list, so expect some reviews again.

I noticed a post a page back when I just started with Apple Music. It actually took me 14 months to be completely happy with my library and all the playlists I've got. Still slowly adding stuff now and then, but most of it is done. Just went through this thread as well to add some albums to playlists of favorite albums of the decade or songs to a playlist with favorite metal tracks.

[joachimt]

Montrose. Which album(s)?

[flavo5000]

Montrose. Which album(s)?

Montrose, the classic rock band from the '70s? Their first album is generally the most well-regarded.

[joachimt]

This is probably my favourite metal album, which I would call a classic

Listened to this three times in the past two weeks. It's good, but nowhere near my favorites.


Kvelertak - Meir

Not a classic at all, too new for that, but something I missed ten years ago and got on my path now. Was included in some best of or important metal list. I really dig this. I was surprised about the sound. Judging by the artwork I expected something more retro. It was actually a lot more aggressive than I expected, but with lots of variation. The most obvious reference is Mastodon, but it has a lot more aggressive vocals. Hard to pin a clear genre to this, which is often a good sign to me.




Moonspell - Wolfheart and Irreligious

I already knew Moonspell. I started listening to them with Sin/Pecado, their most poppy or electronic album I guess. I liked The Antidote and Memorial a lot more later. After that I always tried their new albums, but never really got that warm feeling The Antidote gave me. I love his voice though.
Going back to their first two albums was very interesting. With Wolfheart they were clearly still searching for their sound. It's Moonspell without a doubt, but the album didn't feel coherent enough at first try. I liked Irreligious a lot better. Powerful songs, great sound and that beautiful voice. I'll give both albums a few more listens before continuing to the next band. Irreligious has the potential to get into my list of favorite albums of the decade. Wolfheart probably has more for me to offer at subsequent attempts.

[joachimt]

Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love and Shout at the Devil

Not surprisingly this wasn't my thing. It kinda sounded like I expected it would. I don't mind listening to this, but I don't get warm feelings for this at all.

Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride

This wasn't exactly what I was asking for in this topic, because I wouldn't call this hardrock. It's classic rock with a very clear 70's sound. That's not a complaint though. I really like this stuff. What I like most about this album is the variety between the songs, but still the whole album feels like a complete work. Each song has it's own identity with recognizable melodies or lyrics, without sounding predictable. Nice pick.



That was the M. Next up...... Napalm Death - Scum. I actually used to have it on CD many years ago, but I sold it. Let's see what I think of it now......

[Torgo]

That was the M. Next up...... Napalm Death - Scum. I actually used to have it on CD many years ago, but I sold it. Let's see what I think of it now......

Good timing, you can see them play live in 2 weeks! (In Utrecht)

I missed the show this Saturday, they play mostly material off the newest album, but also some old hits and a few of 'Scum' and 'From Enslavement to Obliteration' as well. .. Yep, also "Dead" AND "You Suffer"!

[flavo5000]

That was the M. Next up...... Napalm Death - Scum. I actually used to have it on CD many years ago, but I sold it. Let's see what I think of it now......

Good timing, you can see them play live in 2 weeks! (In Utrecht)

I missed the show this Saturday, they play mostly material off the newest album, but also some old hits and a few of 'Scum' and 'From Enslavement to Obliteration' as well. .. Yep, also "Dead" AND "You Suffer"!

I saw Napalm Death open for Anthrax, Testament, Lamb of God and Slayer a few years ago. That was a really good show in general

[Torgo]

Hehe, so many classics. We also have a package upcoming with Testament, Exodus and Voivod.
Last time I've seen Napalm probably was at a metal & punk festival in .. 2005. It would've been about 2 AM at night with a band like Dark Funeral or 1349 following afterwards.
I did this shit without drinking any form of caffeine back in the day. I would get tired listening their setlists back to back even at home by now.

[joachimt]

I don't think I can take that stuff live. I'm not the mosh pit type. Let me go to prog instead.
Last week I went to Leprous. Before they started we got Monuments. According to Discogs they are "progressive metalcore/djent". I would simply say "metalcore". I was standing in the middle in front of the stage, about three/four meters away from it. At the second song he asked for a mosh pit. I had to get away quickly...... Luckily I had a very tall friend with me, who was standing between me and the pit. The musicians were really good though, so I tried to enjoy their playing my way. After 30 minutes or so it really was enough for me.

Don't get me wrong. I really like Slayer, Lamb of God, Exodus, and a lot of Testament and Anthrax as well. I just want to be able to control the volume buttons.

Leprous was amazing of course.

[Knaldskalle]

I saw Napalm Death at Roskilde in '95. I can appreciate what they did for death metal, grindcore etc, but they've never really done it for me.
I want to say they were "warm up" for Testament, but I could be misremembering that. I do, however, vividly remember that after Testament came... Whale.

[joachimt]

Seriously? Testament as supporting act of Whale?!

[Knaldskalle]

Seriously? Testament as supporting act of Whale?!

Festival scheduling can be really "interesting" at times. Another year I saw Willie Nelson followed by Machine Head. That was fun.

[flavo5000]

I don't think I can take that stuff live. I'm not the mosh pit type. Let me go to prog instead.
Last week I went to Leprous. Before they started we got Monuments. According to Discogs they are "progressive metalcore/djent". I would simply say "metalcore". I was standing in the middle in front of the stage, about three/four meters away from it. At the second song he asked for a mosh pit. I had to get away quickly...... Luckily I had a very tall friend with me, who was standing between me and the pit. The musicians were really good though, so I tried to enjoy their playing my way. After 30 minutes or so it really was enough for me.

Don't get me wrong. I really like Slayer, Lamb of God, Exodus, and a lot of Testament and Anthrax as well. I just want to be able to control the volume buttons.

Leprous was amazing of course.

Oh I stay the hell away from mosh pits. I was about halfway back in the crowd at the metal show I mentioned earlier. When I saw GWAR I stayed as far away from the front as possible... So many gross fluids...

[joachimt]

That was the M. Next up...... Napalm Death - Scum. I actually used to have it on CD many years ago, but I sold it. Let's see what I think of it now......

I listened to this two days after I posted this, but I forgot to reply. I listened to both Scum and From Enslavement to Obliteration. This stuff really isn't for me. Those 25 seconds songs seem more like a joke to me than music. I couldn't tell one songs from another, because a lot of lyrics were the same rhythm every time: "whawhawha - whawhawha - whawhawha -whaaaa".

After Napalm Death I went to Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood. That was a lot different from what I expected. I thought it would be some hyperactive shit like Dillinger Escape Plan. But even though it's slower and groovier than I expected, there is a lot going on. Didn't grab me on the first listen, but I felt there was a lot more to discover than my first reaction. Listened to it three times now and I'm really starting to like it. I'll give it some more spins later. I've got Times of Grace lined up as well. Will get to that after.



But before I go there, I need to take the next few weeks to fully get to know the new Haken-album. Going to their gig in a few weeks and I prefer to know the songs well if I go to a concert. Yesterday I went to Devin Townsend. I hadn't listened to his new album enough, so it was a bit hard to go along with the new tracks he played. Luckily it was a very mixed show with songs from lots of different periods. Had a very nice time, as expected, because I simply love Devin and he's such fun to see on stage.

Speaking of the concert:
The second support act was Klone. Never heard of them before. Or maybe I have, because their logo rings a bell but I simply forgot. Apparently they've been playing for 20 years. It didn't grab me at all. Pretty dull songs. At the end of their gig, they played one song that woke the audience up. People around me agreed that was by far the best song of their gig. I was the only one from the people around me who noticed it wasn't a song of their own. It was Army of Me by Björk. They made it into a metal song which worked really well. But typical that the best song on a gig is not something of their own. Won't be listening any further to them.

[joachimt]

Neurosis - Times of Grace

I got into this a lot easier than "Through Silver in Blood", probably because I knew now what to expect. Not my favorite type of metal, but interesting. It doesn't really sound like they are doing something special, but it still sounds unique. Or maybe it's because I don't listen to similar stuff. Anyway, I'll hold on to these in my music library. Won't be listening to it a lot probably, because there's just too much to listen to.

Nevermore - The Politics of Ecstasy

Yup, this is for me. But I already knew that. I didn't pick up Nevermore in the 90's. I started listening to them in this century, starting with Enemies of Reality. I guess I should listen to "Dreaming Neon Black" and "Dead Heart in a Dead world" too.
Warrel Dane's vocals are very recognizable which makes The Politics of Ecstasy very familiar. Doesn't sound that different from later work. Maybe a few better songs. Some stick at first listen.

Montrose - Montrose (1973)

No minute wasted. 32 minutes of fun classic rock. Not very original in my ears, but nothing wrong with it. I don't feel like I missed out by not knowing this band before, but I'll hold onto this one.

[joachimt]

Obituary - Slowly We Rot
I expected this to be more extreme actually. Fun to hear there is a lot of punk-influence in this. Vocals remind me mostly of Death, but not as good and musically Death is more interesting.
I listened to this album twice and couldn't pick any favorites, so this one ends up like "yeah, I kinda enjoyed it, but there's a lot much better better stuff out there".

[joachimt]

Overkill - The Years of Decay
Judging by the artwork and logo I expected quite straightforward unoriginal metal, Anvil-style or something like that. I was wrong! There's a lot of variety here. Some songs are pretty straightforward, but well executed with great riffs, like Elimination. Other songs are more epic, with NWOBHM-influences. So the album goes from Megadeth, via Judas Priest to Iron Maiden. Fun!

[joachimt]

Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman

Some good songs, but also some really boring ones. Listen to the first few tracks of Blizzard for example. Crazy Train is fun. It has a very catchy riff and lyrics that stick in your head. Then right after that comes Goodbye To Romance. Such a lame song! His vocals are not made for such songs.

I'll stick to Black Sabbath.

[joachimt]

Paradise Lost - Gothic

I listened to this four times about two months ago, but forgot to post about it. I expected more of this. I heard a lot of nice ideas, but overall I thought the execution was weak. Sounded like the pieces still didn't fit well enough together.

[Torgo]

Icon + Draconian Times is where PL got sweet

[joachimt]

Pestilence - Consuming Impulse

This is a pretty great album. I already knew Spheres and their comeback album Resurrection Macabre, which is much more brutal than their earlier work, more pure death metal. Consuming Impulse is not completely in line with Spheres, which you could call progressive death metal, so more up my alley. Consuming Impulse is not as progressive as Spheres, but with lots of layers there was a lot of interesting stuff going on. It was very consistent. No song stood out for me after three listens, but no boring moments as well.

[joachimt]

Icon + Draconian Times is where PL got sweet

I think I've listened to Draconian Times before. I'll put those two on my list to listen to later.

[Knaldskalle]

Icon + Draconian Times is where PL got sweet

I think I've listened to Draconian Times before. I'll put those two on my list to listen to later.

Torgo is right. You can skip Shades of God it has one decent song on it, that's it. Icon and Draconian Times are great doom metal albums. One Second is really good too, but they're changing their style to be much more accessible and then went all Depeche Mode with Host, which really did not work for them (that's one CD I should've sold back when they still fetched more than $1). They righted the ship a bit with Believe in Nothing and Symbol of Life, but they're both kinda meh to be honest. And that's when I stopped listening to them, so I don't know what their latest... 7(?) albums are like.