From the opening track “War Ensemble”, it’s clear that Slayer has one purpose in mind on this record and that’s pummeling the listener into oblivion. And they do just an absolutely excellent job of that.
Tag: Metal
Spreading the Disease (1985) by Anthrax
I have both come to Anthrax backwards – having heard a later record before this one – and come to Anthrax last among the Big 4. That makes it harder to appreciate them. But worse, I’ve been listening to Seven Churches, a way more brutal, way more innovative metal record, released the same month as …
Seven Churches (1985) by Possessed
One of the conventional narratives about the invention of death metal is that it is so named because of the band Death, who supposedly pioneered the genre. Now, there were other bands in other places that also either claim credit or have been retroactively given credit, but Death’s claim is pretty good simply because they …
Lightning to the Nations [The White Album] (1980) by Diamond Head
There are a couple NWOBHM bands that sound a little closer to the thrash metal they would inspire and, from their debut album, Diamond Head appears to be one of them. Nowhere near as dirty and punk as Motorhead, they’re still (at times) grittier and heavier than some of their contemporaries.
New American Gospel (2000) by Lamb of God
I thought I had read this was a big deal when it came out and then I came to Rate Your Music and saw it had a pretty mediocre rating. Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered?
Blizzard of Ozz (1980) by Ozzy Osbourne
Metal was evolving in 1980, maybe not as much as it would in, say, 1983-1984, but still it was evolving. But, like his former band, Ozzy doesn’t seem to want to evolve in the way the younger performers were. Rather, on his debut, he’s chosen a different kind of evolution, the kind that I would …
Persistence of Time (1990) by Anthrax
I have heard so much about Anthrax but somehow never heard them until today. I still remember reading about their debut in my Billboard book when I was a kid (or a tween), about how it was the fastest metal album ever (supposedly…according to Billboard) and not even knowing what metal was, just sort of …
Facelift (1990) by Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains are, to me, the least immediately appealing of the big Seattle grunge bands. I think that’s because they have the least catchy songs – though Cantrell is a good songwriter he is not necessarily a writer of particularly catchy songs. Though I do wonder how much of my experience of this band …
Cowboys From Hell (1990) by Pantera
I know the legend of Pantera but I don’t know their early music. Regardless, it’s hard to believe this band was once a glam metal band. I guess you can hear touches of it here and there if you’re really, really paying attention but, if you listened to this first, and then were told their …
Lights…Camera…Revolution (1990) by Suicidal Tendencies
Back in 2012 I heard Prime Cuts and I was pretty damn impressed. I’d never heard the band before and I was thinking “Where has this been all my life”? But it took me a really long time to hear some more of their music and I must say that I might have grown out …
Sabotage (1975) by Black Sabbath
For the most part, I must say I find the attempts at musical evolution on this record more successful than those on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Though I’m still wondering about what kind of band they want to be, it’s a little clearer to me here.
Deicide (1990)
This thing is just relentless. I have no idea if it really is one of the best selling death metal albums of all time, but it’s certainly one of the most over-the-top, at least that I’ve ever heard. (That’s a good thing.)
Left Hand Path (1990) by Entombed
The early history and evolution of death metal is controversial. Like many genres of music, it’s possible that it was invented in two different places around the same time. (Or, rather, the sounds that came to be called death metal appeared in two different countries around the same time.) I’ve always found this evolution nebulous …
Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good (1985) by Megadeth
The Bach-inspired opening of this record gave me high hopes that I would be listening to something in the real of Celtic Frost in terms of its willingness to break from the conventions of thrash. Alas, it is the only sign that Mustaine has music ambitions beyond what I think of as Megadeth’s sound. (I …
Hammerheart (1990) by Bathory
I have read that this is perhaps the second “viking metal” album ever. I really can’t confirm that because, well, I’ve never heard of viking metal before. I didn’t know it was a thing. What I do know is that black metal was definitely not this varied in its early years but I don’t know …
Bonded by Blood (1985) by Exodus
This album is supposed to be a great what-if of metal: what if Exodus’ debut album had been released right after it was recorded, just a little bit after Ride the Lightning. Would everyone remember this band differently? As a pioneer, as one of the Big 4 thrash metal bands, rather than a follower?
Symbolic (1995) by Death
Hell Awaits (1985) by Slayer
So I’ve never heard their debut, only later records, so I don’t know how this compares to that record, but I read that it is significantly better (more ambitious, louder, more professional), etc. Even without hearing the debut, those descriptions make sense, because this is a crazy pummeling record, especially given that it’s 1985.
The Chainheart Machine (2000) by Soilwork
When you start getting into all the niche metal genres that have sprung up since thrash, it can get really hard to tell what is “good” or even “classic” for that given genre, simply because us music fans who are not obsessed with particular sub-genres of metal don’t have enough context. Case in point: I …
Spiritual Healing (1990) by Death
Apparently this is the bad Death album. I didn’t know that based on the reviews I glanced at and, funnily enough, I didn’t notice while listening to it either.
Black Sabbath (1970)
There are people who will tell you this is the first heavy metal album of all time. And I understand why they say that, especially with the benefit of hindsight. I respectfully disagree with that particular claim and I think I have pretty valid reasons for doing so, but that doesn’t take away from both …
Fear Inoculum (2019) by Tool
Tool goes Rush (circa late ’70s/early ’80s)!
Scumdogs of the Universe (1990) by GWAR
I was aware of GWAR for years before I ever heard a record. I probably heard a song or two, but it was much more snippets of them on late night music television. Something about them appealed to me.
Consuming Impulse (1989) by Pestilence
This is some excellent death metal. If you are looking for death metal, may I suggest this album.
Gutter Ballet (1989) by Savatage
I find myself stuck with a lot of progressive metal, especially ’90s progressive metal. I often find that it’s either too metal for the description – not a bad thing in and of itself – or too proggy and not metal enough. Apparently I’m nitpicky about this but I believe there is a happy medium …
Morbid Tales (1984) by Celtic Frost
This, Celtic Frost’s debut, is one of those “EPs in name only”, only that’s true of the US release, not the European release. In Europe it was in indeed an EP. In the US it was a short LP. Why bother mentioning this? Well, it’s classified everywhere as an EP, and these records usually get …
Still Life (1999) by Opeth
Guys, I think I don’t like Opeth.
War and Pain (1984) by Voivod
I had heard the name Voivod a bunch before I listened to this record. And I think I had always heard them mentioned as a thrash metal band. But somehow, right before I listened to this, I read they were a speed metal band. And though I think I knew that was wrong, that primed …
Powerslave (1984) by Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are a little like the AC/DC of NWOBHM. At least they are to my ears. Once they dispatched their original lead singer, their sound really settled into place. And the listener is left with a lot of animals that, on the surface, sound very similar to each other. The distinguishing feature from album …
Times of Grace (1999) by Neurosis
I gave very high marks to Through Silver in Blood not necessarily because I liked it but because it felt, to me, like the beginning of post metal, and like the kind of thing metal bands make now (or at least recently) rather than the kind of thing bands were making in the mid ’90s. …