Their new album came out 2 weeks ago after 5 years of waiting (remember that their goal is never money or jumping upon bandwagons) and some of the key/sample work is refreshingly old school as some of the album was recorded in NY with renowned producer Scott Harding. The band could have jumped upon the Nu Metal bandwagon as they were arguably a guiding force in the genre (knowingly or not) but they have stayed true to their economical roots.

Great thread JH. Never really listened to much metal but I'm sure by the end of this thread I'll have plenty. I checked out some Green Carnation, I really liked the riff you posted but some of their other stuff was a bit mellow. Electric Wizard I'd say is my favorite so far, followed by Akercocke.

As far as what I didn't like, Obituary kind of bored me. In their defense I only listened to that one song. I didn't give Senser much of a chance, and DFD feels like something I wouldn't come back to after the first spin. In any case, I've already gotten a few good names to d/l and am excited to see what you throw out next.

I'm really looking forward to this being finished. =)

It's OK not to like some stuff! I think a lot of my later choices will have people scratching their heads as to their average sound but it's just as much about time and place as it is originality or cult for cult's sake.

Question:

Is rational tolerance metal?

Jackhammer... I need more head banging :( I'm too lazy to go find more metal on my own, this thread was kicking ass so far. Please continue!!!

haha funeropolis is such an awesome song

Ha I love this album one of my all time favorite's!

More please Jack. =)
Seriously. This is one of a kind, this not only should be finished but in editors pick.

Could I possibly get a PM for the Electric Wizard album?

This:) Great thread so far. Can't wait to see the top ten. You should think about doing a "jackhammer 100" sort of thing, I for one would be really interested in seeing it.

I have tried and failed at a top 100 albums. I get hopelessly clouded by nostalgia :(

Isn't that a good thing? Top 100 lists are more interesting when the people making actually have a sort of emotional/nostalgic connection. I think Bulldog and Urban both based their #1's on how they connected emotionally to the album a lot more than the musical skill demonstrated. Also, it makes your list unique.

It is unfortunate that one of the greatest things about this album is the track 'To Walk Among Them'. It is a stupendous track spanning 17 minutes that encompasses brutal riffs, technical musical passages and more invention that many metal bands unfortunately cannot manage in their entire careers whilst still remaining relatively original, cliche free and utterly listenable. It's downfall? It is the first track on the album and any band that takes this approach is setting itself up for a fall. The surrounding tracks are equally as good but using this track as an album opener will always set yourself up for even more scrutiny than ever.

However, Hacride with only a couple of albums under their belt are blowing away many bands with a technical, progressive sound that never sacrifices their own sound for commercial gain. In fact the whole album is barely a step away from the heaviest sounds of Porcupine Tree, a band that they share many similarities.

Hacride are as heavy and intense as many bands around yet they are quite comfortable to give us harmonious vocal lines and catchy riffs without resorting to cliche Metal.

It's a prog album without losing it's identity. It's a heavy album without losing it's own sound. They are one of the few bands that I could recognise in the oversaturated cliched Metal market of today.

As they are French we probably won't be able to see them on tour too much or see their name plastered over Metal Mags which is genuinely a shame as the Metal fraternity is generally as close minded as the mainstream these days.

I have posted this beauty many times but already it has gained it's own identity into an oversaturated market of banality.

Could I get a PM for Hacride and Electric Wizard?

This is a great thread mate, I look forward to seeing more of these as you count down your favourites. I already have a Green Carnation album (A Blessing In Disguise) that I'm still getting into so I won't be checking out that but I will give Hacride a try they seem very interesting.

Well, it happened for Gojira, didn't it? This is the first I've heard Hacride - and I like.

Really? I must be missing something about Porcupine Tree. To me they sound absolutely awful. Although I hate their vocals most of all and I don't like prog (old or new) but maybe I haven't heard enough. PT seriously sounds like this band?

No it's more so in the structure of their music that reminds me of PT. If you are not a fan of Prog then you won't dig PT anyhow, although their earliest stuff (early 90's) was very ambient and at times psychedelic.

I should really get moving with this thread :(

The Ultra Violence not only goes down as one of the best Thrash Metal albums recorded it is also one of the finest debuts too. Their infamous demo tape Kill As One produced by a certain Kirk Hammet was one of the most sought after tapes and this lead to a record deal with the album not only recorded in 2 days flat but also featured a 14 year old drummer and the rest of the band (who were cousins) clocking in at under 19 years old.

Despite their tender years the band had been together for 5 years previously so they were already tight musically and refreshingly clear of their direction. Listening back to the album (which I constantly do) it obviously has some flaws with some terrible lyrics and certain tracks lacking focus but this is minor griping considering what they produced.

The album is very raw in parts but contains some classic riffs, solid guitar solos and fairly complex composition with the brilliant title track an undeniable classic.

These were the days when young kids got together to perform in garages and still got picked up by labels and supported well, a trait that has all but disappeared these days and it's a shame that we never really got to hear the band for longer despite making great strides with their following two albums before they split in 1991. This was mainly due to a serious automobile accident the band suffered meaning that they couldn't take part in the infamous Clash Of The Titans series of gigs which could have seen the band enter the mainstream.

Thrash Metal even in 1987 had it's fair share of copy cat bands but Death Angel were head and shoulders above many of them and if you love Thrash Metal then this should be in your collection. Required listening for sure.

This album will certainly divide opinions mainly due to the vocals. For those who don't know, King Diamond was the vocalist for cult Metal band Mercyful Fate who were a big influence on Metallica and he continued his unique vocal style for his solo work.

Alternating between classic Metal, slightly guttural stylings and a ridiculous falsetto, King Diamonds albums are an acquired choice which is understandable but if you can appreciate them, then you have access to some of the best classic Metal albums and Abigail is probably his pinnacle.

Abigail is a concept piece about rebirth and ghosts yet it actually doesn't detract from the music and is a decent Horror tale in it's own right but who want's to know about that when it's the music that is more important at this time.

Abigail is unashamedly classic Metal with meaty riffs, tempo changes and gorgeous solos that are so indicative of the genre. If anyone was to ask me what a classic Metal sound was in the 80's then this album is the answer.

When the accent wasn't on speed or aggression it's a brave move to make an old fashioned album that took it's shape from early Priest and Maiden. It was retro in 1987 so it sounds even more so now but it's an honest album that celebrates the classic two guitar harmonies of Metal.

This is not a genre busting album by any means but it is a great example of what traditional Metal should sound like without resorting to tubthumping cliche's.

If you can handle the vocals then you will love this album.


The very few cool points I have left will be lost with this post but fuck it eh?!

Good to see this back up and running, was wondering for a minute there. You'd be screwed if it wasn't stickied.

Actually those seem kind of prog-like to me... I mean how many tempo changes were there in those songs? It's kind of like a really cheesy epic, and King Diamond's voice reminds me of years ago when I listened to Nightwish hahahahaha. No distress though, of course I like it- what's not to like? Gives me a craving for some Bongzilla. Oh, and btw the way, you should write up a review for Sigh, even though Anteater already has I'd like to see your take on it.

I've kinda taken to KD's voice which has a sad melancholy quality when he's up in the high range. This album's right up there with the first two MF albums.

I shamefully don't have any Mercyful Fate. That needs to be rectified.

0.o

Get a roadrunner "2 from the vault" for Mercyful Fate if you get the chance. You can snatch up their 1st album + a collection of early odds and ends for a reasonable price, reasonable considering it's from Roadrunner.

King Diamond is a bad ass mother****er. It's a real shame kid aren't giving the King proper respect.

You and my brother would be best friends jackhammer, haha. He has a large number of the albums on your list already. Sadly, I don't think I got the love-for-metal trait that my brother has. Not that I don't respect it, I just can't find myself enjoying the majority of it. :(

Great list Jackhammer, can't wait for the next one.

Keen for the next entry, some awesome picks so far!

So after joining and posting my newb "hello" this post was the first I came too and it made the site seem 100 times more exciting. I now have a list of bands I can't wait to dl.

Thanks!!

Anthrax were always a band that didn't quite fit into the equation regarding Thrash metal's 'Big 4'. Their first album 'Fistful of Metal' was a fairly average album that lacked focus. A change in lead singer with Joey Belladonna gave the band a much wider range in sound with his melodious vocals at odds with the more raw vocals of Metallica and Testament etc but the crunchy guitar sound of Scott Ian that was influenced more by Hardcore Punk than Metal gave the band a much more original dynamic than many bands around at the time.

Their second album Spreading The Disease arguably has better songs than Among The Living but the tone swayed from Speed Metal to straight up Heavy Metal and it took the album Among the Living to really give the band their own identity.

An album that generally focused more on speed bursts and guitar riffs that borrowed from the economy of Punk more than the sometimes convoluted traditional metal sound gives us an album with a much more clearer, unfussy sound along with shout out choruses and lyrics that step away from the usual trappings of metal. Judge Dredd and comics were more what the band wanted to sing about instead of the usual metal cliches.

Listening back to this album has also enforced my opinion that they were (unwittingly) influential in introducing the infamous 'breakdowns' that many Metal bands in the 90' and 00's readily adopted, even though those bands didn't understand the Hardcore punk homages that Anthrax were alluding to and instead adopted them as part and parcel of a new Metal sound that seemed to disregard the roots of Thrash Metal.

Of the 'Big 4' bands and albums that shaped metal for years to come in 86/87, Among The Living (despite the vocals) is an album that pays homage to alternate roots and because of this, still sounds fresh and original.


The obligatory breakdown that is widespread now was a revelation in 1987. 3.28 is where it's at for one of the finest breakdowns ever.

On another thread I also mentioned how ahead of their time Anthrax were despite never ever being a big fan of their music. Without doubt "Among the Living" was their best work and certainly worthy of a top 50 entry into any best of metal lists. They were certainly original in their style of dress and comic book themes of which drummer Charlie Benante was a hige fan. I always thought and still think that Joey Belladonna was such and odd choice of lead singer for the group. He has a great clean, melodic and powerful voice far more akin to say a rock band than to a metal band. Its all these combos that made Anthrax a very unique band in metal circles.

I loved quite a few of the entries on here, after spending NO TIME to look any other stuff up. the highlights for me were:
Slowly We Rot
Dopethrone
The Ultra-Violence
Abigail
Among The Living
it was great to see those last three all in a row. I've been listening to all of newer metal, and that breakdown in Indians definitely changed my view on breakdowns. I had always loved that song/album/band, but I had never really payed much attention to that breakdown. I love this mix so far.

I only recently started listening to these guys and have only heard Adultery (and some other non-DFD albums), so this was my first time hearing this track. The Mr. Bungle influence here isn't quite as apparent as in the stuff I have heard, however, I do hear a good bit of Portrait of An American Family-era Marilyn Manson. And being that that album holds a special place in my musical history and is MM's best album, that's alright by me. I had planned to check out other DFD albums so I might as well go for this one next.

I've never actually listened to this band but I just want to say that aside from the stereotypical metal band logo, the album artwork is nice and has aged very well. I think it would be just as current if it were released today. Underground hip-hop, maybe. I think it's great.