Metal Album Survivor [1st Wave Black Metal Division]

**Frownland** · 03-06-2015, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Done. Crack the Skye sounds like a boring album anyway. Leviathan and Blood Mountain were clearly Mastodon's peak.

But you can't think of any other bands I'm missing? I added Tool largely because of their reputation. I don't particularly like them, but I just feel like I'm obligated to add them. Would drop them in a second if I had a substitute that was more than just some death metal band with awkward jazz fusion moments (****ing Atheist).

Not the biggest fan of them, but I think that Symphony X could go on. The only one that I've heard by them is V: The New Mythology Suite, and that one seemed decent enough.

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I know very little about judging an album's progginess. I don't have the ear to judge technicality, and wouldn't know whether, say, a death metal album was either progressive or just technical. I saw some guy argue that Death wasn't a technical death metal band because they didn't use inventive "techniques" when playing (I believe he referenced things like odd picking styles), but were instead progressive because they had progressive rock influences. All Greek to me however. I'm of the camp that says that "progressive" should basically be an interchangeable term with "experimental" or "avant garde", otherwise it's just a mindless genre that restricts creativity rather than encouraging it.

There's some hope for you yet, I'm in the same camp as you.

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It's another thing that bugs me about Opeth. Again, Cynic and Edge of Sanity pretty much already did what Opeth are doing and with more creativity and diversity to boot, so all Opeth have going for them is a tired gimmick that only deviates from its formula by the amount of time they concentrate on death metal vs prog rock. A two-trick pony band as far as I'm concerned who are only progressive in a shallow sense.

I like the progressive elements in Watershed, and their most recent one is like a heavier Blue Oyster Cult but I wasn't a fan of that one. I can understand your opinion on Opeth, but their first 6 (I think?) albums are good in my book though, one trick pony or not. Sometimes they do a cool trick.

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Oh yeah, Queensryche. **** if I know it they're prog metal. But they're categorized as such, and it's too late to add them to trad metal. It'd just feel wrong to leave out one of the most acclaimed metal albums of all time when I don't have to. It's why I added Symbolic. I'm not entirely sure it qualifies as prog metal, but it feels close enough while being too far from death metal to compare it to Cryptopsy or Morbid Angel.

I'm fine with it on being on the list since it has such a reputation as a prog rock/metal album, I was just wondering if anyone could fill me in on why they have that status because I really don't see it. I think that Death fits fine in the prog metal category as well. You can be progressive without inventing every technique that you use.

The Batlord · 03-07-2015, 04:35 AM

There was a tie, but since they had more past votes you can put a pillow over their face, cause Suffocation are done. Next round...

5. Obituary - Cause of Death
4. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
3. Cryptopsy - None So Vile
2. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
1. Death - Human

Vote 2 off. Polls end on March 8.

And since we're now officially halfway through the death metal battle, I thought I'd announce that after this we'll move onto sludge/stoner. Got the Youtube album vids all there in the spoiler so you don't even need to track them down yourself.

Spoiler for Sludge/Stoner Metal Battle Youtube Vids:

The Batlord · 03-07-2015, 04:35 AM

Cryptopsy
Death

**Frownland** · 03-07-2015, 04:38 AM

Morbid Angel
Cryptopsy

Wpnfire · 03-07-2015, 09:25 AM

Morbid Angel
Obituary

The Batlord · 03-07-2015, 12:49 PM

^^^

****ers! Quit voting for Morbid Angel. I can already tell they won't beat Death, but if they can take third spot after Nile and Death I'll at least be happy. I'm assuming it'll come down to Nile vs Death at least, with Death coming out on top. ****ers.

And if I was gonna use an Enslaved album in my prog metal battle, which one? Vertebrae might be the proggiest, but is it worth choosing over Isa or Below the Lights just on quality? Also coming to the conclusion that Amorphis deserve a spot somewhere: Elegy and Skyforger are ****ing sick. There's so much legitimately kickass prog metal that gets ignored for boring, or at least less awesome bands that are overblown nonsense (i.e. Dream Theater and Ayreon). I guess prog metal fans are just unimaginative prog rock fans who just want Yes and Genesis with vaguely heavier riffs.

Unknown Soldier · 03-07-2015, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

You know, I'd never listened to Dream Theater's Images and Words album before. I don't like Dream Theater, but I was assured even by people who also don't like them that at the very least, Images and Words is a good album, so I added it to the prog metal list.

Most of the Dream Theater albums from that period are great imo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Does anyone have an opinion on my prog metal list? I generally don't listen to or care about prog metal, so I've used RYM as a guide even more than I normally would, which is like doing a research paper using Wikipedia as your only source. I even had an easier time with avant garde metal, since I actually like plenty of experimental metal, whereas I had to stop myself from chucking albums that probably deserved to be on this list that I just didn't give a **** about (I'm lookin' at you, Tool and Opeth.)

1. Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
2. Death - Symbolic
3. Cynic - Focus
4. Voivod - Nothingface
5. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech
6. Opeth - Blackwater Park
7. Tool - Lateralus
8. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
9. Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian
10. Gojira - From Sirius to Mars

List looks ok but Dream Theater should be on there, so the haters can vote them off in the first round

As for the two off the list:

Cryptopsy
Nile

The Batlord · 03-07-2015, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

Most of the Dream Theater albums from that period are great imo.

List looks ok but Dream Theater should be on there, so the haters can vote them off in the first round

I might give it another go, but my first impression is that it was trash made by a band without any actual instinct for songwriting. I mean, is there, or is there not Kenny G saxophone in "Another Day"? That kind of sums up their cluelessness right there. They're not coming anywhere near my thread.

Unknown Soldier · 03-07-2015, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I might give it another go, but my first impression is that it was trash made by a band without any actual instinct for songwriting. I mean, is there, or is there not Kenny G saxophone in "Another Day"? That kind of sums up their cluelessness right there. They're not coming anywhere near my thread.

Ever since I've been a member of this forum I've constantly stated that Dream Theater are a metal band for AOR fans, in fact much of their material based on the albums I've heard which is about 75% are AOR with a metal dressing. That dish is probably not going to appeal to a burger lover like you, but I'll take that hot dog anytime

Primeval Scum · 03-07-2015, 04:07 PM

Cryptopsy and Nile

03-07-2015, 04:38 AM	#484 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	Morbid Angel Cryptopsy __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

03-07-2015, 09:25 AM	#485 (permalink)
Wpnfire Dragon Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Kansas, United States Posts: 2,744	Morbid Angel Obituary __________________ Last.FM My RYM Ratings *My Glitchwave Beta Profile*

03-07-2015, 04:07 PM	#490 (permalink)
Primeval Scum Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 146	Cryptopsy and Nile __________________ Last.fm RateYourMusic Don't grieve for me, I'm not there. I am the gentle autumn rain. Hold up my lamp to light your way. Farewell to thee...