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Rolling Stone's Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time

T

theepicoftyler

Member
Andrew Korenchkin said:
I think this is definitely true and what kind of makes these lists difficult at times. A lot of important Metal albums are not as good as albums that are....simply better albums musically.
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It makes sense though. The better albums musically and artistically are usually refinements of the 'new' thing that made the first album so important.

Calculating Infinity is the more important Dillinger Escape Plan, but you couldn't argue with me that it's better than Miss Machine or One Of Us Is The Killer. Both of those albums are on an entirely different level in execution and scope while building on the foundation they built with Calculating Infinity.
 
Andrew Korenchkin

Andrew Korenchkin

Member
Username1198 said:
Did bloodbath make the list?

And are they metal?

My friend wants to know
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They are Metal, but don't belong on any Top 100 list. Not when they basically are imitations of Old School Swedish Death Metal. They're OK, but nothing more than a decent Metal band.

theepicoftyler said:
It makes sense though. The better albums musically and artistically are usually refinements of the 'new' thing that made the first album so important.

Calculating Infinity is the more important Dillinger Escape Plan, but you couldn't argue with me that it's better than Miss Machine or One Of Us Is The Killer. Both of those albums are on an entirely different level in execution and scope while building on the foundation they built with Calculating Infinity.
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Calculating Infinity>Every other DEP album.

:p
 
U

Username1198

Member
Andrew Korenchkin said:
They are Metal, but don't belong on any Top 100 list. Not when they basically are imitations of Old School Swedish Death Metal. They're OK, but nothing more than a decent Metal band.



Calculating Infinity>Every other DEP album.

:p
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Dang fathomless mastery is awesome imo.

Man I gotta step up my metal game. I'm still making my way thru the list you guys recommended in the other thread. I can't stop listening to At the gates
 
Andrew Korenchkin

Andrew Korenchkin

Member
Username1198 said:
Dang fathomless mastery is awesome imo.

Man I gotta step up my metal game. I'm still making my way thru the list you guys recommended in the other thread. I can't stop listening to At the gates
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Be sure to listen to Left Hand Path and Like an Everflowing Stream if you like Bloodbath. That's the style Bloodbath basically copped.
 
A

Artdayne

Member
blackflag said:
AJFA > RL > MOP
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No Cliff Burton in AJFA though, he was a big influence on the band. He was also a brilliant bassist. Jason Newsted's bass parts were mixed out of AJFA by Lars to haze him. I just don't get how people can prefer AJFA with that in mind. Now, if you're listening to And Justice for Jason, then there's a stronger argument at least.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
AJfA has so much damn filler. Almost every song is double the length they should be and the middle part (that is, everything between One and Dyers Eve, those not included) is beyond boring. The good tracks are really, really good, though. Blackened is one of their best songs ever.

But the first two are just way more consistent in quality. Nothing can touch KEA.
 
Gloggins

Gloggins

Member
I agree on AJFA bloat.

Nothing by Enslaved, Anaal Nathrakh, Mithras, Vektor, Immolation, Fucking Vader, etc and virtually any doom metal band is a shame but not a surprise.
 
Bry0

Bry0

Member
Gloggins said:
I agree on AJFA bloat.

Nothing by Enslaved, Anaal Nathrakh, Mithras, Vektor, Immolation, Fucking Vader, etc and virtually any doom metal band is a shame but not a surprise.
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I am happy to see mayhem, emporer, dark throne, Bathory and venom on there. I honestly didn't expect to see so much black metal in this list. I also think korn and deftones deserve to be on there too, and I'm glad they are. the only thing I feel is missing is some folk metal like some finntroll or windir, but still, I expected this list to be much worse.
 
A

Artdayne

Member
Accoun said:
Because it's just THAT good of an album? :>
Easily their second best (after RtL) to me.
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I just listen to something like Orion on MoP and then switch over to AJFU and I feel like the heart was ripped out. I initially liked AJFA more but it wasn't too long before I couldn't get over the massive hole that was left from Burton's absence.
 
Master Of Illusion

Master Of Illusion

Member
Morrigan Stark said:
AJfA has so much damn filler. Almost every song is double the length they should be and the middle part (that is, everything between One and Dyers Eve, those not included) is beyond boring. The good tracks are really, really good, though. Blackened is one of their best songs ever.

But the first two are just way more consistent in quality. Nothing can touch KEA.
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The thing about ...And Justice For All is that it's the closest Metallica ever got to full blown progressive metal; which is incredible for progheads like me but I see how it could be a turn off / a bit pretentious for thrash purists.

Speaking of sating that primal urge, Ride The Lightning's a close 2nd for me (Kill 'Em All / MOP tied for 3rd).
 
D

Dinokill

Member
Glad Iowa made list! Slipknot's selftitle should be there too, thoug.

The list is missing
Machine Head The Blackening
Mudvayne L.D 5.0
Meshuggah Koloss
 
H

Higgy

Member
I would think Killswitch Engage's End of Heartache or Alive or Just Breathing could have cracked the top 100. They were one of the more important NWOAM bands to emerge in the 2000's.
 
N

neurosisxeno

Member
Higgy said:
I would think Killswitch Engage's End of Heartache or Alive or Just Breathing could have cracked the top 100. They were one of the more important NWOAM bands to emerge in the 2000's.
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It's apparent the author hates Metalcore bands since they cut out bands like KSE, Protest the Hero, Trivium, and several others who put out some amazing albums in the past 10-15 years. They also put City of Evil rather than Waking the Fallen by A7X, when they went from Metalcore to almost straight Heavy Metal album.
 
S

Skiptastic

Member
Stinkles said:
I assume the Darkness didn't make it. I unironically think they have the best lyrics in all of Metal.
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The Darkness is blatantly rock and roll, not metal. One Way Ticket has too many songs that are clearly not metal. (I should clarify, I love PtL and OWTtH. They are so goddamn good.)

Switch Peace Sells with Rust in Peace and this list becomes much better.

Also, I listened to the first half of Mercyful Fate's Melissa this morning. I've heard Metallica cover most of it on Garage Inc. but DAMN that album is so fucking good so far.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Skiptastic said:
Also, I listened to the first half of Mercyful Fate's Melissa this morning. I've heard Metallica cover most of it on Garage Inc. but DAMN that album is so fucking good so far.
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You're in for a treat. The Metallica versions are butcheries, honestly. But the originals are top-tier. Don't Breath the Oath is quite possibly in my top 3 albums of the forever!
 
S

Spectral Glider

Member
Morrigan Stark said:
Agreed, British Steel is actually one of the weakest Priest albums. I'd be OK with Pantera being on the list if it's Power Metal. ;)
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I must comment having been a Priest stalwart for 30+ years. Sad Wings deserves recognition, no doubt. For me, that's their best 70s record, over even Stained. The problem with Stained for me is the thin production on the guitars. It hurts the album that much for me. Unfortunately for Sad Wings, it arrived with a whimper. It did nothing for the band in the UK, let alone the States. It's greatness was only found years later, and with that, I understand its usual exclusion from lists like these.

But I must throw a good word about Steel too. Yes, the over played pop hits of Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight now weaken the overall punch, there is still great shit there. Rapid Fire, Steeler, and The Rage are all underrated and amazing. The Rage especially, what a friggen gem of a song.

Though that's me. I am constantly irked by the legions that profess Painkiller as the be all end all. The lyrics of 80% of that album are lazy and borderline mindless. And the obsession with showcasing the double bass drums means the majority of the songs just all blend together. Thankfully it closes stronger with One Shot at Glory.

For me, Priest's top 5, in no particular order, are Sad Wings, Hell Bent for Leather, British Steel, Screaming and Defenders.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Spectral Glider said:
I must comment having been a Priest stalwart for 30+ years. Sad Wings deserves recognition, no doubt. For me, that's their best 70s record, over even Stained. The problem with Stained for me is the thin production on the guitars. It hurts the album that much for me. Unfortunately for Sad Wings, it arrived with a whimper. It did nothing for the band in the UK, let alone the States. It's greatness was only found years later, and with that, I understand its usual exclusion from lists like these.

But I must throw a good word about Steel too. Yes, the over played pop hits of Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight now weaken the overall punch, there is still great shit there. Rapid Fire, Steeler, and The Rage are all underrated and amazing. The Rage especially, what a friggen gem of a song.

Though that's me. I am constantly irked by the legions that profess Painkiller as the be all end all. The lyrics of 80% of that album are lazy and borderline mindless. And the obsession with showcasing the double bass drums means the majority of the songs just all blend together. Thankfully it closes stronger with One Shot at Glory.

For me, Priest's top 5, in no particular order, are Sad Wings, Hell Bent for Leather, British Steel, Screaming and Defenders.
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Can't agree with any of that. I mean sure about the decent songs on British Steel but it also has a lot of filler, and Hell Bent for Leather is possibly even weaker than British Steel. I can't defend choosing those over Painkiller, Stained Class, and Sin After Sin. And yes the lyrics on Painkiller are silly, but so what, who listens to Priest for the lyrics anyway?
 
KaoteK

KaoteK

Member
That top 25 is pretty terrible, way too much Metallica for a start, and completely ignoring seminal works that started whole new genres of extreme metal. Meh.
 
M

malfcn

Member
PillarEN said:
Was it? I always thought Vol. 3 was the ultimate response to the previous records. Right from the first track which was very different for Slipknot to open up that way. Corey deciding to not lean on swearing. Something like Vermillion pt.2. I mean I'm not someone who is a Slipknot historian, but that 3rd record seemed like it was a departure from the first two which seemed like they were more closely related.
(I know there was an album before the self titled one, but that's a much different Slipknot)
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Volume was definitely a departure. The first was just fire with some melody. They blew up so fast and got so much attention to "sell out" - they went opposite. Drugs, no space to themselves, outside meddling caused a heavy expression and revolt.

I enjoy all the records for different reasons. And it's nice that they sound different, with a little continuity.

*Disclosure: I'm a big fan.
 
Blueingreen

Blueingreen

Member
no Electric Wizard whatsoever, but edgelord bands like Korn and Slipknot? Also Kill em all is a ducking trash album very mediocre for its era with some truly awful production.

I find it hilarious when Rolling Stones makes a top 10 list on genres they either derided in their infancy or historically and continue to avoid to this day.
 
D

DieNgamers

Member
With metal you'd really need to make lists for some of the subgenres...I don't even like labeling music like that but the tastes vary so much. How can you compare something like Dopesmoker to Master of Puppets and rank them in the same list in terms of quality? Doesn't make any sense when you think about it.

It's still a good list with some nice recommendations. Don't be irritated by the order, people!
 
K

karmaforgotme

Member
Merkunt said:
RTL is a way better album than Mop, and even then I wouldn't put it in the Top 20.
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Paranoid is not Black Sabbath's best album, but that doesn't change that it should be number 1. Reign in Blood is not Slayer's best album (I think Seasons is), but I would put it higher than any other Slayer album. MoP I have no doubt should be in the top 5 of all time. As a 8th grader in 1986 the album blew my mind and every metalhead I knew at the time. It is why we started to listening to groups like Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Anthrax, Megadeth, Metal Church, and so on. Do some of those have better albums? Probably so, but those didn't have the impact that MoP did on the average metal fan at the time (Reign in Blood is close). Hell I would even put Kill'em All over RtL despite the fact I think RtL is a better album, because I think it had a bigger impact at the time.
 
Ristifer

Ristifer

Member
For me, MOP eats RTL for breakfast. It's a much better album in almost every way. Plus, it doesn't have Escape, which is one of Metallica's worst 80's songs by far.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Ristifer said:
For me, MOP eats RTL for breakfast. It's a much better album in almost every way. Plus, it doesn't have Escape, which is one of Metallica's worst 80's songs by far.
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Escape > Orion

Orion is pure, boring filler. And some of the other songs, while good, are way too long. There's no reason for MoP or Disposable Heroes to run 8+ min, or The Thing That Should Not Be and Welcome Home to run over 6m. They aren't epic like Call of Ktulu or Creeping Death.

Of course it only got worse on Justice. Metallica forgot about pacing and just started to meander on MoP and on AJfA they took that up to 11.
 
Z

Zelenogorsk

Banned
British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance being in the top 25 instead of Sad Wings of Tragedy, Sin after Sin, or Stained Class is a fucking crime. Stained Class wipes the goddamn floor with British Steel. Defenders of the Faith is also better than Screaming for Vengeance.

Also Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son are all better than Number of the Beast.

If you ask me the top five should be:
5. Metallica - Metallica
4. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
3. Judas Priest - Stained Class
2. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
1. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

actually fuck that noise I got your real top 5 right here:
5. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
4. Helloween - Walls of Jericho
3. Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked
2. Carcass - Symphonies of Sickness
1. Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten

Morrigan Stark said:
Escape > Orion
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This opinion should be illegal.
 
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