100 Best Real Metal CDs

[KJS]

Life is too short to listen to bad metal. Forget getting tips from Headbanger's Ball, Ozzfest and other purveyors of crappy mainstream "metal" music. Check out any of the below for the real thing. List is in order:

Cannibal Corpse-- The Bleeding
Slayer-- Reign in Blood
Pig Destroyer-- Prowler in the Yard
Caliban / Heaven Shall Burn -- Heaven Shall Burn vs. Caliban - The Split Program
Darkest Hour-- So Sedated, So Secure
Botch-- American Nervoso
Dew-Scented-- Impact
Resurrection-- Embalmed Existence
Goatwhore-- Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun
Bolt Thrower-- Mercenary
Sinister-- Hate
Heaven Shall Burn-- Asunder
Electric Wizard-- Dope Throne
Aborted-- The Purity of Perversion
Blood Bath-- Resurrection Through Carnage
Genocide SS-- We Are Born of Hate
Bolt Thrower-- The IVth Crusade
Cannibal Corpse-- Vile
Ritual Carnage-- The Highest Law
Entombed-- Clandestine
Monstrosity-- In Dark Purity
Destruction-- Infernal Overkill
Opprobrium-- Discerning Forces
Misery Index / Commit Suicide-- Split
ISOR-- Post Mortem Peep Show
Commit Suicide-- Human Larvae
Martyr AD-- On Earth As It Is In Hell
Heaven Shall Burn-- In Battle There is No Law
Canvas-- Canvas
Monstrosity-- Rise to Power
Malevolent Creation-- The Ten Commandments
Disembodied-- Diablerie
God Forbid-- Out of Misery
Slayer-- Haunting the Chapel
NunSlaughter-- Goat
Blessing the Hogs-- The Poisoning
Internal Bleeding-- Onward To Mecca
Pig Destroyer-- Terrifyer
Antipathy --Imminent Peril
Dillinger Escape Plan-- Miss Machine
Sinister-- Aggressive Measures
Houwitser-- Embrace Damnation
The Haunted-- The Haunted
Deicide-- Legion
Deceased-- The Blueprints of Madness
Benediction-- Organised Chaos
Lamb of God-- New American Gospel
Catastrophic-- The Cleansing
Arsis-- A Celebration of Guilt
Old Man Gloom-- Christmas
Six Feet Under-- Maximum Violence
Burn It Down-- Eat Sleep Mate Defend
Drowning Age-- Old Nemesis
Electric Wizard-- Come My Fanatics…
Watch Them Die-- Watch Them Die
Deceased-- Behind the Mourner's Veil
Houwitser--Death but not Buried
Dew-Scented-- Inwards
Suffocation-- Pierced From Within
Deceased-- The 13 Frightended Souls
Atrocity-- Longing For Death
Obituary-- Cause of Death
Converge-- Jane Doe
Sepultura --Chaos A.D.
Pig Destroyer-- Painter of Dead Girls
Deadguy-- Screamin' with the Deadguy Quartet
Usurper-- Cryptobeast
Phobia-- Serentiy Through Pain
Mastodon-- Leviathan
Bolt Thrower-- …For Victory
Deteriorate-- Rotting in Hell
Cannibal Corpse-- Butchered at Birth
Immolation-- Dawn of Possession
Engorged-- Engorged
Dillinger Escape Plan / NORA
Mortuary-- Eradicate
Six Feet Under-- Warpath
Cream Abdul Babar / Kylesa-- split
Dim Mak-- Intercepting Fist
Keelhaul-- II
Putrilage --Devouring the Gutted
Structure of Lies / Misery Index-- split
Malevolent Creation-- Retribution
Aborted-- Goremageddon
The Haunted-- One Kill Wonder
Kylesa-- Kylesa
Pig Destroyer-- 38 Counts of Battery
Walls of Jericho-- All Hail the Dead
Slayer-- Diabolus in Musica
Deicide-- Deicide
Obituary-- World Demise
Kataklysm-- The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation
Zao-- Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest
The Locust-- Plague Soundscapes
Disembodied-- Heretic
Knut-- Knut
Dismember-- Hate Campaign
Sadus-- Chemical Exposure
The Crown -- Possessed 13
Misery Index-- Retaliate

I can give you more info (State/Country for band, year of release and label) if desired. Also available in Excel.

KJS

[zaxx19]

Boy, thats alot of crap. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[KungFuSandwich]

You forgot Jovi's Slippery When Wet

[PhatTBoll]

Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, and Sepultura aren't mainstream metal?

[the alex]

You're a retard. You have 3 Slayer albums up there. "Reign in Blood" is awesome, but Diablous? That is by far the worst Slayer album. "Hell Awaits" is their best and the only one that comes close is "Reign in Blood."

The, there's Sepultura. "Chaos A.D." was the beginning of the end for them. "Beneath the Remains" and "Arise" are above and beyond anything they've done.

In regards to Dillinger Escape Plan, no "Calculating Infinity?" You wanna talk about grindcore, look to Napalm Death.

And where's the black metal. No Emperor? No Dimmu Borgir? No Immortal? No Cradle of Filth? No Old Man's Child?

Grow up a little more and make this list again in about 5-6 years, kid.

[KJS]

They most certainly are now, but note that the high-ranking albums on this list came before any mainstream influence on the genre and they received almost zero radio play. A far cry from stuff like Slipnot and Mudvayne being on the cover of Rolling Stone and all over "alternative" radio.

KJS

[KJS]

Woulda been more but Japan's Bathtub Sh**ter just missed the cut-off.

KJS

[KJS]

The list is subjective so disagreement is inevitable. If we all liked the same CDs there would be no need for it. I like Chaos AD more than Arise, you don't. You like Napalm Death, I don't. C'est la vie.

Black Metal sounds like Debbie Gibson to me. Keyboards and falsetto singing with your "metal". Uh, no. So it didn't make the cut. The only thing that came close was Behemoth. I can't stand any of the ones you mentioned.

And I'm 35, kid.

KJS

[jlpadge21]

Pig Destroyer is terrible.
Your list is not 'real' metal, per se. It is a mix of death metal and [censored] metal, with a few decent ones thrown in.

For example, you missed out on a wide variety of some of the best metal:

Mastadon - Leviathon
In Flames - Colony
In Flames - Clayman
Iced Earth
Black Label Society - Stronger than Death
Crowbar - Obedience Through Suffering
Nevermore - Enemies of Reality
Mushroomhead - XX
Down - Nola
Kalmah - Swampsong
All That Remains - This Darkened Heart

to name a few.

Metal != Death Metal. Get over it.

[bernie]

Your idea of metal and mine are a little different.

One thing about alot of these albums, you take the singer out, sometimes interchange them, along with interchanging the typical guitar solos found, and they all tend to sound the same.

b

[IndieMatty]

Good to see Botch in there.

[KJS]

More debate is great. I never said this was a list of "all metal that all people will like". I think the first song on Leviathan is totally killer but the rest of it does not do it for me. I am not a fan of Scandanavia melodic stuff, so In Flames and Iced Earth are not for me. As much as I want to like Mushroomhead because we are both from Cleveland, I count them as the all-time worst band I have ever seen live, only because they opened for somebody good, I think Lamb of God on their first tour.

I don't know any songs by the other ones but I recognize the names as being in the MTV/stadium tour/mainstream radio camp, which means they probably aren't my style, which you correctly pointed out is more towards Death Metal. As for Metal ! = Death Metal, I don't know what that means.

And Pig Destroyer totally rules.

KJS

[jlpadge21]

[ QUOTE ]

I don't know any songs by the other ones but I recognize the names as being in the MTV/stadium tour/mainstream radio camp

[/ QUOTE ]

Black Label Society had maybe 1 or 2 songs, but thats because Zakk Wylde was Ozzy's guitarist. None of the others are on MTV in any way shape or form. I use this "mainstream" putdown alot myself, and so I know where you're coming from. But you're wrong on this one. If you don't know who Down is, you simply have no respect for good music. That CD may be one of the best of all time across any genre.

[ QUOTE ]
As for Metal ! = Death Metal, I don't know what that means.

[/ QUOTE ]

!= is Not Equals. I was just pointing out that the title of your thread was far from the truth.

[KJS]

OK I looked up Down. Let me put it this way, I will never go for music by rich, professional musicians more than hungry young kids who are in it for their love of the art form. Therefore, albums by supergroups like Down will never be on my radar and I will always be looking out for the pissed off 22 year old metalheads from Milwaukee or some sh**. Same reason I'll wander Chinatown all night looking for good noodles instead of going to McDonalds. Most mass produced sh** just blows.

As for Metal does not equal Death Metal, fine. But to me, metal equals distorted guitar and growly, practically inaudible singing only (unless you are Slayer). No harmonic singing, no keyboards, no falsetto, no pretty guitar harmonies. Loud, aggressive, caustic, evil music. If I want to hear nice harmonies and pretty sounds I'll listen to my Miles Davis, Dirty Three or New Pornographers CDs.

KJS

[KJS]

A truly awesome CD, if you ask me. Great live band too.

KJS

[IndieMatty]

two of them are in that band minus the bear that I pimp on here. not metal.

I saw them live with coalesce and deadguy.

(coalesce should be on there)

[KJS]

Looks like MTV loves Down to me:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453044/20020325/story.jhtml

KJS

[bugstud]

[ QUOTE ]
Looks like MTV loves Down to me:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453044/20020325/story.jhtml

KJS

[/ QUOTE ]

listen to the songs yet?

[jlpadge21]

Hey, I got no problem with angst-driven, crazy, loud, beat the sh** out of people bands with talent. But I don't call noise talent. I also don't call speed talent. If I can't tell the difference in a band after I blow a speaker, then that band probably doesn't have much talent. Metal is a huge [censored] genre, to pinpoint it exactly as you did is close minded. Inaudible singing gets [censored] old to me, real [censored] quick.

[Paluka]

Dear lord in heaven where is the Neurosis????

[bernie]

I don't listen to any of these. No biggie. Not my taste. However,

[ QUOTE ]
Let me put it this way, I will never go for music by rich, professional musicians more than hungry young kids who are in it for their love of the art form.

[/ QUOTE ]

This may or may not be relevant to you, but I think it's relevant in the thread. What does it matter as long as it's a good song? Even if it's mainstream, if it's good, it's good. Being mainstream doesn't taint it. It shouldn't. If one of these bands all of a sudden make it to mainstream does that make them instantly suck along with their whole catalog? I know people who think this way, especially here in seattle in the early/mid 90s. It was rampant and it boggles my mind to think of judging music based on the liner notes or air play and completely disregard the song itself. That's not what I listen to music for. I could care less who makes it. In my judgement of a tune, being mainstream doesn't even enter the equation other than I may have heard it somewhere.


[ QUOTE ]
Same reason I'll wander Chinatown all night looking for good noodles instead of going to McDonalds.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree here...

[ QUOTE ]
Most mass produced sh** just blows

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this because it's mass produced or because you really don't like the taste of it? Minus the health issue if if pertaining to food.

b

[nothumb]

Umm, ever heard of Black Sabbath?

NT

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
Umm, ever heard of Black Sabbath?

[/ QUOTE ]

shhhhh

Too mainstream!

b

[morello]

I don't know if they're mainstream, or even considered metal by most, but I like Blind Guardian.

Slayer is good, but I'm not really a fan of the Cannibal Corpse type.

[thirddan]

damn, i haven't listened to bolt thrower in a long time...

malevolent creation - in cold blood - real good

diabolus in musica is meh

roots > chaos AD in my opinion...

a nice list, some old some new, good to see...

[thirddan]

mushroomhead is kinda interesting, kinda different, a nice thing to change pace once in a while, but nowhere near top 100 bands...

some pig destroyer is ok (maplethorpe grey is good song), but grindcore isn't my thing...

lamb of god is awesome...

[Joe826]

sweet list. this is going to keep my busy. can you guys suggest stuff that i'd like if i really like the darkest hour/caliban/at the gates type? i don't actually know what the genre or sub-genre is technically called.

also i just bought that botch today and i love it.

[Joe826]

also, do you think scratch the surface is the best sick of it all? i'm going to buy one of theirs but i can't decide which.

[MarkL444]

ive heard of almost none of these

[Ass Master]

You forgot "Scream Bloody Gore" by Death.

[eric5148]

Good list, although we have different tastes. My list would definitely have Meshuggah, Glass Casket, Pantera, and Fear Factory.

I really like the first four tracks on Diabolos, but the rest is weak.

[johnnybeef]

no mention of 80's metallica, this list is moot imo.

[KJS]

bernie,

I am not saying that all mainstream music sucks. I have CDs by Weezer, Blink 182 and other of the biggest bands in history.

I will say this: In aggressive music having a message is important and comes across in all aspects of the song. The song will reflect the fact that these people are really pissed off at the world, or are truly sociopathic guys making crazy music. Put some guy like the guy from Down/Pantera in a million dollar Elektra records studio with all his comfort in life that comes from being a huge rock star and you are not gonna get the energy or emotion that I want in my metal. You are gonna get polished, watered down sh** that record company execs want to sell sell sell, created by talented musicians who are out of touch with the struggle that informs the kind of underground art I am interested in.

Play me a song that I know nothing about and I will tell you my opinion of it. If I find out it is on a major label, I will be disappointed perhaps because I would rather buy an indie record, but I will not discount it out of hand. But I bet you any money I will be able to tell if it has a big bankroll behind it just by how it sounds. That is why I shy away from a lot of bands as they climb up the ladder, because their records just sound too polished and often accentuate things that I don't like, such as poppy, radio friendly riffs. That and bands sell a bunch of records at K-Mart and think that gives them license to sell 7,000 tickets at $35 a piece the next time they come to town.

As for your last question, I think in general money corrupts art. So people making music with business types leaning over their shoulder with an ear to what is gonna do well in the marketplace are not for me, for the most part.

KJS

[KJS]

Not my thing. Seen 'em, bought some of their stuff, but it is too psychedelic for me.

Check out Kylesa if you like them. Saw them the other day and it reminded me of earlier Neurosis.

KJS

[KJS]

I love Sabbath. I left off traditional heavy metal. It is just too hard for me to compare new crazy off the charts aggressive music with stuff like Sabbath and Maiden.

Sabbath would be represented in my Best 100 CDs of All Time list.

KJS

[KJS]

You guys have definitely made me revisit the placement of Diabolus. Very probably over-rated on my list.

KJS

[KJS]

Start with Heaven Shall Burn. Then maybe Jane Doe by Converge. Look for other stuff on the list that isn't so death/gore sounding and find some samples online.

I hate the silly genre names but I would have to say metalcore is what you are looking for.

KJS

[thirddan]

"In aggressive music having a message is important and comes across in all aspects of the song. The song will reflect the fact that these people are really pissed off at the world, or are truly sociopathic guys making crazy music."

not sure if others are like me, but i really don't care much for what the message of a song is...i don't really care what the lyrics are for the most part...i listen to music for the mood, energy and sound...for the most part i listen to metal but i also like bands such as nightwish and some opera because i love the sounds and think they are beautiful, same with my feelings towards metal, i think the sounds are beautiful (in their own way)...if i cared too much about the lyrics and message i wouldn't be able to listen to foreign/non english songs with foreign lyrics...

[ravballz]

Most of this is dung.

Put on some old Helloween, Masterplan, Falconer, Pink Cream 69, Symphony X, Last Tribe, Sonata Arctica, Shadow Gallery, Royal Hunt, Manowar, Kamelot, Lost Horizon, Edguy, Avantasia, Axel Rudi Pell, Blind Guardian, Anthrax... I could go on forever.

That's what metal is supposed to sound like, at least these guys know how to sing.

[thirddan]

none of this matters, everyone knows taht gwar is the best metal band ever...ever...

[KJS]

To me, the vocals in much of my favorite metal is more like a percussion instrument than singing in any traditional sense. And that is fine with me. Most of the what the bands say is awful, hateful sh**, or so over the top violent that it is just plain stupid.

That said, I do have problems with rich rock stars singing about how hard life is, or how society is messed up or the like. Go back to your LA mansion and have a good cry.

But good, thought provoking lyrics can be a plus.

KJS

[KJS]

If you live in Seattle, Kreator and Vader are playing on April 19th. I'll be there and it sounds like it would be up your alley too. But I prefer a band that growls over one that sings like you describe.

KJS

[jlpadge21]

Why do you detest Phil Anselmo so much? Hell, you'd probably even like Superjoint Ritual. His range and versatility are pretty astonishing. Pantera is probably the most influential thrash band that's ever been. Those Down records were 5 [censored] dudes that went to a house, got really really fvcked up, jammed, and made a CD's worth of music. If you're into it for the art, it doesn't even get much better than that. Endless grind riffs and double blast beats with some grunting layered over it just isn't that interesting.

[jlpadge21]

[ QUOTE ]
sweet list. this is going to keep my busy. can you guys suggest stuff that i'd like if i really like the darkest hour/caliban/at the gates type?

[/ QUOTE ]

I actually haven't heard those three bands. I'd suggest Himsa, Shadows Fall, Unearth.

[jlpadge21]

[ QUOTE ]
not sure if others are like me, but i really don't care much for what the message of a song is...i don't really care what the lyrics are for the most part...i listen to music for the mood, energy and sound...for the most part i listen to metal but i also like bands such as nightwish and some opera because i love the sounds and think they are beautiful, same with my feelings towards metal, i think the sounds are beautiful (in their own way)...if i cared too much about the lyrics and message i wouldn't be able to listen to foreign/non english songs with foreign lyrics...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is pretty much my exact take on music. In almost those exact words. Although, can't say I dig the opera.

[KJS]

A) Pantera doesn't touch Slayer in any way. That includes talent and influence.

B) I got nothing against Phil Anselmo; don't even know the guy. I have Pantera CDs. I just don't like his music that much. And I just have a chip on my shoulder for any band that plays in stadiums. More people = less intimate = less good for the audience, IMO. Throw in the fact that bigger shows = more money to produce = higher prices for fans and the whole thing just gets too annoying for words.

C) I looked for Down on Soulseek but searching on "Down" was a mess. If someone send me a link to a free MP3, I'll check it out.

KJS

[KJS]

Try Dirty Three. No vocals but truly beautiful music made by guitar, violin and drums. Start with Horse Stories.

KJS

[jlpadge21]

PM me if you want me to send a song over AIM.

[nothumb]

[ QUOTE ]
I love Sabbath. I left off traditional heavy metal. It is just too hard for me to compare new crazy off the charts aggressive music with stuff like Sabbath and Maiden.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not that hard for me.

Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, Motorhead >>>>>>>>>>>>> anything else on this list.

Glad to see The Crown snuck in there, those guys are super-evil. Bands with a limited command of English are always more entertaining.

No old Metallica? Come on dude. I know they suck now, but Master of Puppets pwns.

NT

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
That and bands sell a bunch of records at K-Mart and think that gives them license to sell 7,000 tickets at $35 a piece the next time they come to town

[/ QUOTE ]

The band themselves usually aren't the one setting the price of the tickets. Btw...As long as there are people willing to buy tickets at that price and fill the room, does it matter? You blame the band for having a demand which, in effect, is a commodity?

Strike while the iron is hot. Here today, gone later today.

[ QUOTE ]
I think in general money corrupts art

[/ QUOTE ]

For the most part, I agree here. Generally.

The NEA being a great example or any time the Gov. gives a grant for art. The latest being the NY art in Central Park. Though it did get people talking. The EMP sure looks like a big piece of crap.

[ QUOTE ]
So people making music with business types leaning over their shoulder with an ear to what is gonna do well in the marketplace are not for me,

[/ QUOTE ]

Which is one reason why it was so great when Nirvana broke. The music business never saw it coming. Not on that scale anyway.

oh well, it's been fun.

See ya at a table sometime?

b

[zephed56]

[ QUOTE ]
Life is too short to listen to bad metal. Forget getting tips from Headbanger's Ball, Ozzfest and other purveyors of crappy mainstream "metal" music. Check out any of the below for the real thing. List is in order:

Cannibal Corpse-- The Bleeding
Slayer-- Reign in Blood
Pig Destroyer-- Prowler in the Yard
Caliban / Heaven Shall Burn -- Heaven Shall Burn vs. Caliban - The Split Program
Darkest Hour-- So Sedated, So Secure
Botch-- American Nervoso
Dew-Scented-- Impact
Resurrection-- Embalmed Existence
Goatwhore-- Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun
Bolt Thrower-- Mercenary
Sinister-- Hate
Heaven Shall Burn-- Asunder
Electric Wizard-- Dope Throne
Jethro Tull-- Aqualung
Aborted-- The Purity of Perversion
Blood Bath-- Resurrection Through Carnage
Genocide SS-- We Are Born of Hate
Bolt Thrower-- The IVth Crusade
Cannibal Corpse-- Vile
Ritual Carnage-- The Highest Law
Entombed-- Clandestine
Monstrosity-- In Dark Purity
Destruction-- Infernal Overkill
Opprobrium-- Discerning Forces
Misery Index / Commit Suicide-- Split
ISOR-- Post Mortem Peep Show
Commit Suicide-- Human Larvae
Martyr AD-- On Earth As It Is In Hell
Heaven Shall Burn-- In Battle There is No Law
Canvas-- Canvas
Monstrosity-- Rise to Power
Malevolent Creation-- The Ten Commandments
Disembodied-- Diablerie
God Forbid-- Out of Misery
Slayer-- Haunting the Chapel
NunSlaughter-- Goat
Blessing the Hogs-- The Poisoning
Internal Bleeding-- Onward To Mecca
Pig Destroyer-- Terrifyer
Antipathy --Imminent Peril
Dillinger Escape Plan-- Miss Machine
Sinister-- Aggressive Measures
Houwitser-- Embrace Damnation
The Haunted-- The Haunted
Deicide-- Legion
Deceased-- The Blueprints of Madness
Benediction-- Organised Chaos
Lamb of God-- New American Gospel
Catastrophic-- The Cleansing
Arsis-- A Celebration of Guilt
Old Man Gloom-- Christmas
Six Feet Under-- Maximum Violence
Burn It Down-- Eat Sleep Mate Defend
Drowning Age-- Old Nemesis
Electric Wizard-- Come My Fanatics…
Watch Them Die-- Watch Them Die
Deceased-- Behind the Mourner's Veil
Houwitser--Death but not Buried
Dew-Scented-- Inwards
Suffocation-- Pierced From Within
Deceased-- The 13 Frightended Souls
Atrocity-- Longing For Death
Obituary-- Cause of Death
Converge-- Jane Doe
Sepultura --Chaos A.D.
Pig Destroyer-- Painter of Dead Girls
Deadguy-- Screamin' with the Deadguy Quartet
Usurper-- Cryptobeast
Phobia-- Serentiy Through Pain
Mastodon-- Leviathan
Bolt Thrower-- …For Victory
Deteriorate-- Rotting in Hell
Cannibal Corpse-- Butchered at Birth
Immolation-- Dawn of Possession
Engorged-- Engorged
Dillinger Escape Plan / NORA
Mortuary-- Eradicate
Six Feet Under-- Warpath
Cream Abdul Babar / Kylesa-- split
Dim Mak-- Intercepting Fist
Keelhaul-- II
Putrilage --Devouring the Gutted
Structure of Lies / Misery Index-- split
Malevolent Creation-- Retribution
Aborted-- Goremageddon
The Haunted-- One Kill Wonder
Kylesa-- Kylesa
Pig Destroyer-- 38 Counts of Battery
Walls of Jericho-- All Hail the Dead
Slayer-- Diabolus in Musica
Deicide-- Deicide
Obituary-- World Demise
Kataklysm-- The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation
Zao-- Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest
The Locust-- Plague Soundscapes
Disembodied-- Heretic
Knut-- Knut
Dismember-- Hate Campaign
Sadus-- Chemical Exposure
The Crown -- Possessed 13
Misery Index-- Retaliate

I can give you more info (State/Country for band, year of release and label) if desired. Also available in Excel.

KJS

[/ QUOTE ]
wtf?

[daveymck]

Dont like much on your list basically cos I never ever got into Florida Death Metal and its ilk.

Pig Destroyer suck I cant beleive you have them in twice, The Haunted One Kill wonder should be nowhere near a top 100 list (they are a decent live band) but I give you The Haunted.

I agree with a previous Op Beneath The Remains and Arise were Seputura's best ever stuff from Chaos AD onwards they sucked (even with its New Model Army cover), the latest Souldfly album is the first time to me that the older Sepultura has been touched.

Best up and coming band around at the moment for me are Trivium but old style metal is coming back into fashion with bands like Bullet for My Valentine, caliban as mentioned and a few others, thankfully NU metal is being put to bed although there were some great albums in the NuMetal era.

My list would have a lot more of the Maiden, Helloween stuff but also a lot of the swedish Gothenberg Metal a list withou any Dark Tranquility or In Flames is incomplete, there is also so much Goth and Black metal that is so good, and a list without Paradise Lost, or Anaethema/My Dying Bride and some more unknown stuff like Tiamat, Moonspell and The Gathering is missing somthing too. Also no Katatonia or Opeth.

I really love the classical/operatic metal going round at the moment After Forever and Epica (who have a really hot singer imho) and also Nightwish and November Doom are pretty good too.

How with your taste you have no Napalm Death is also beyond me.

I do find your list really narrow which is a shame cos at the moment if you look away from the States there is such a good variatey of fantastic bands around at the moment you are really limiting your listening.

Get to the Kreator show if you can their new album is absolutley fantastic I always hated them in the older days but they have really pulled somthing out of the bag.

[IndieMatty]

Scratch the Surface is their most complete hardcore album. Built to Last is pretty upbeat positive hardcore like H20.

By the way this thread kicks ass. KJS is a wealth of metal knowledge.

[KJS]

Modest Mouse played 4 nights at the Showbox. They coulda sold out Key Arena for a one night show. More stuff like that is better from the fans viewpoint.

Hope to see you at a table again bud. Any chance of you making it to the North End some night? Mucks is too far for the Seattle peeps and I am car-less at the moment.

KJS

[KJS]

We certainly have very different taste.

I dislike all the melodic stuff you listed, except for Slaughter of the Soul. Goth and Black metal hold no appeal for me, nor do bands like Trivium that ruin what could be an OK sound with what I consider horrible vocals. Operatic metal? No comment.

I have the new Kreator. I don't love the vocals on that either, but the riffs are killer. The first 30 seconds of Suicide Terrorist totally rip. I will surely be at their show. Their brand of thrash is my favorite metal to see live.

Pig Destroyer is certainly a love 'em or hate 'em band. I love 'em.

KJS

[TheManimal]

Dude, this is a really great list. I would have to add (but it is probably to melodic for you):

1. In Flames - Clayman
2. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
3. Himsa - Courting Tragedy and Disaster
4. Beyond the Embrace - Against the Elements
5. Refused - The Shape of Punk to come
6. Thrice - The Illusion of Safety
7. The Blood Brothers - Burn Piano Island Burn

[Benal]

[ QUOTE ]
A far cry from stuff like Slipnot and Mudvayne being on the cover of Rolling Stone and all over "alternative" radio

[/ QUOTE ]

95% of people out there would say "who?" when asked if they know Mudvayne. They are far from mainstream.

Plus all those bands on your list would give their left nut to be played on the radio or even be mentioned in a mag, let alone on the cover. Would you suddenly dislike your beloved Slayer if they were all over radio, on the cover of mags, and basically mainstream?

[JaBlue]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
A far cry from stuff like Slipnot and Mudvayne being on the cover of Rolling Stone and all over "alternative" radio

[/ QUOTE ]

95% of people out there would say "who?" when asked if they know Mudvayne. They are far from mainstream.


[/ QUOTE ]

completely wrong

[Benal]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
A far cry from stuff like Slipnot and Mudvayne being on the cover of Rolling Stone and all over "alternative" radio

[/ QUOTE ]

95% of people out there would say "who?" when asked if they know Mudvayne. They are far from mainstream.


[/ QUOTE ]

completely wrong

[/ QUOTE ]

Doubt it.

[KJS]

Keep pretending they are not Top 40. I bet I could find thousands of 10 year old kids who love them.

KJS

[touchfaith]

http://www.exodusattack.com/disc/BondedBy.jpg

I win.

[KJS]

Slayer got much worse the more famous they got. Thankfully they never denegrated to acoustic guitar breaks and vocals like the girl in Mudvayne.

KJS

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]

Jethro Tull-- Aqualung

wtf?

[/ QUOTE ]

They did that win that Grammy, dude.

Metal or no, Aqualung is a pretty awesome album.

[bernie]

Isn't modest mouse from here? Aren't they from the eastside? I think that kind of thing, even in LA is more common with bands that started or are presently there.

[ QUOTE ]
Hope to see you at a table again bud. Any chance of you making it to the North End some night? Mucks is too far for the Seattle peeps and I am car-less at the moment

[/ QUOTE ]

That'd be cool. I haven't played live too much this month. (only 2, times if you can imagine that) One great night, followed by a sh*tty night. Figures.

I think next week are the big drawings at mucks so that week is out. Maybe on the weekend?

I haven't been to any of the 'newer' northend rooms yet.

It's been forever since I've seen any of you guys out and playing. Other than Naz. I see him about once a month it seems. I keep asking him if he's trying to become a regular. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

b

[hellajoey]

Holy God, the Aqualung guy almost tipped me over laughing.

Good conversation (I guess). You'll be seeing now what I see when I try to share my list even with people I expect would appreciate it: You call it your top 100 list of extreme metal and they find one band that they think should be on there and isn't and argue that the whole list is thus worthless. It's like saying: "Here's a list of my top 10 favorite words." "What the [censored], dude? 'Serendipity' isn't on the list so the entire list is stupid". They do have a point that you're jumping out of your britches a bit calling it your top 100 albums of "real metal" though. I mean it's true but maybe a more diplomatic approach would be "In my opinion, the best metal is extreme death and thrash metal and it's derivatives and here's my top 100 albums in that category". That way, people getting ramped up to discover some new sissy-ass nugget won't even have to bother.

Hell Awaits? Diabolus probably is overrated but Hell Awaits their best album? Everyone has a right to their opinion (that's the point) but it's funny when someone starts spouting stuff as though somehow they're the expert and you're the infant. I had a conversation with a guy once who thought my list was suspect because Reign In Blood was above South of Heaven (not on the list) not only because he thought South of Heaven was better but because everyone else did too and I must not even really know the albums. Slayer themselves refer to Reign In Blood as their best album. I read an interview just yesterday where Chris Barnes (incorrectly) referred to their latest album as their "Reign In Blood" and it did not need to be explained what that meant. It's okay if the guy likes Hell Awaits better (The album is actually good for the first 30 seconds, the rest should've been left on the cutting room floor but it was what it was for the day. Back then, Show No Mercy was bad-ass but try to stack it up 20 years later and its ridiculous. Unfortunately, Hell Awaits sucked even as it came out.) but why be so uppity about it? Probably the same guy that called you "kid". *He's* the adult and *you're* the child. Reminds me of when I was at a home game with a bunch of people I didn't know and I guy was getting all up in my face because I announced my bet and then pulled some chips into the table and took some back. Everyone's got a right to be wrong but he was like, "Every casino in the world has a rule that the amount of chips you pull out is your bet no matter what. See they have this line..." I was just like, "You've only ever seen poker on television haven't you? Say, you're a betting man. Let's bet $10,000 that the first 5 out of 5 casinos we call disagree with you."

There's been a running article in Terrorizer the past 3 months (just got the latest yesterday) on Black Metal. I've mostly just been scanning the silly pictures and reading blurbs but it starts with Venom and Mercyful Fate in the first issue (Back in the early 80's Black Metal wasn't a synonym for "suck". Bands like Destruction and Celtic Frost who were really the thrash and death metal bands of the day were also called Black Metal. One can never "really" verify where a term originates from but I'm pretty sure "Black Metal" was first coined by Venom. Venom thoroughly sucked (They were even my favorite band back then and I knew they sucked even at the time. They were just so fun to listen to.) but they were aligned with all the heaviest bands (and they deserved it just for being so over the top with their attitude). At the time, Death Metal wasn't a term and Black Metal really meant "as bad (good) as bad (good) can be. not just 'heavy' but 'BLACK LIKE HELL, HEAVY'". It was really Quorthon from Bathory (who ruled for a short spell before getting all new-agey) that took it and started branding his "run-around-in-the-forest-with-swords" music as Black Metal. This all happened while I was strictly listening to Hardcore so I didn't know what was going on when I got back into metal (via Bolt Thrower, Entombed and Deicide). I expected Black Metal bands to be the tough guys until listening to a few and realizing "Oh, it's a write-your-name-illegibly-and-try-to-totally-suck contest".) and continues on through the evolution of Black Metal in the succeeding issues. I expected the second story which has bands like Cradle of Filth to be the final one but this new one goes even farther and has some truly ridiculous looking [censored] in it. Like I said, I've only been scanning the piece but Black Metal dudes are fascinating and this thread has inspired me to go back and read the whole thing thoroughly. I'll pass it on if you like. I bet you'd appreciate the historical perspective.

[zephed56]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Jethro Tull-- Aqualung

wtf?

[/ QUOTE ]

They did that win that Grammy, dude.

Metal or no, Aqualung is a pretty awesome album.

[/ QUOTE ]
Heh, nevermind. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Paluka]

Reign in Blood is the best Slayer. South of Heaven is pretty damn good though, and there are some good tunes on Seasons in the Abyss, but also a couple terrible ones. The first 30 seconds or so on Hell Awaits is awesome.
The complaints about Neurosis being psychadelic means that people haven't listened to enough older stuff. The Word as Law, Souls at Zero, Enemy of the Sun, and Through Silver in Blood are insane.
This thread is great though, if anyone wants to swap music sometime I'm up for it.

[KJS]

Don't how I missed this earlier, but Mastadon's Leviathan comes in about #70.

KJS

[daveymck]

The mastadon album I have just not got, I feel the same about Dilklenger as well.

I think with Slayer and many bands what you feel about the albums depends where you came in, for example Slayer the first album I got of theirs was South of Heaven, I really like Reign but South will always be my fave and the albums since have never lived up to that initial hit.

I think the intersting thing about Black Metal is you have almost two camps one that says it should stick to its roots and pay very one dimensional burn down the chrches type stuff then you have the bands that have developed and pushed back the boundries, say a Band like Opeth or others like Rotting Christ who have developed from that and made almost their own Brand of music, there is a lot of variaety in my opnion in the Black Metal type genre, a lot of it good.

Mudvaynes new album sucks a lot as well.

There does seem a lot of snobery in extreme metal, some people think if a band sell any records or god forbid joins a known record label that they have sold out and betrayed their roots and wont listen to them anymore, at the end of the day guys have to eat unfortunatley love of the music doesnt give you an income. But that sort of attitude pisses me off.

[KJS]

[ QUOTE ]
There does seem a lot of snobery in extreme metal, some people think if a band sell any records or god forbid joins a known record label that they have sold out and betrayed their roots and wont listen to them anymore, at the end of the day guys have to eat unfortunatley love of the music doesnt give you an income. But that sort of attitude pisses me off.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's a hangover from punk rock in my case. And I agree it can be taken to extremes. But I am yet to see a convincing list of bands that put out progressively better albums the more famous they got. Punk or metal. God Forbid is a great example. I think Out of Misery rules and their newer albums are much much worse.

As for them needing to eat, I don't care. Get a job like the rest of us. There is no inalienable right to be a rock star. Plenty of killer bands work in the real world too.

KJS

[hellajoey]

The Word As Law and Souls At Zero ARE awesome. I even used to dig Pain of Mind but it's a little too low-fi for me now.