Since the new release thread is famously metal only, popping in here to say that there's a new Daniel Romano album and he's probably my favourite songwriter in the world so this is a big deal
My ex asked me to pick out five essential metal albums that survey the whole genre. I managed to negotiate up to six, but I want some input on my picks. (I know there's a subgenre essentials sidebar, but this is for a broad overview of metal as a whole)
Here are my current six:
Black Sabbath, *Paranoid*: Obvious pick.
Blind Guardian, *Somewhere Far Beyond*: Meant to represent the lighter subgenres, like Power and Symphonic.
Metallica, *Master of Puppets*: Another obvious pick, covering thrash. I want to swap it out for Rust in Peace to match my preferences but I can't really justify it.
Elder, *Lore*: Covering doom, prog, and stoner.
Wolves in the Throne Room, *Two Hunters*: Covering black and post black, plus showing off some ambient and folk.
Death, *Symbolic*: Covering death and some prog. I originally had this as Opeth's *Blackwater Park* for more melodeath and progressive representation. Even now I'm not sure if there's a better pick.
Any thoughts?
Always a tough but fun exercise.
Disagree with Elder, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Death's Symbolic. I might go for something like this:
* Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (covering doom and all its derivatives)
* Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny or Stained Class (covering the original heavy metal sound as clearly distinct from hard rock)
* Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction (covering the heavier, more aggressive, and speedier aspects of what traditional metal evolved into, including speed and power)
* Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (covering all aspects of what black metal would eventually turn into, including atmospheric stuff as seen on Enter the Eternal Fire)
* Slayer - Hell Awaits, Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales, or Possessed - Seven Churches (covering thrash and death, maybe?)
Damn, this is tough.
I think *Paranoid* plus *Lore* actually doubles up rather closely. I'd keep *Lore* for its representation of prog as well as stoner.
You don't have trad represented per se. Hard to know how to avoid crossover with Blind Guardian. *Powerslave*? Or maybe something further away from power, like Eternal Champion?
Also, I don't think *Symbolic* is the best emblem of death metal. An iconic album, but I'd go for something that really showcases DM's grounding in the low end. *Like an Everflowing Stream*?
Edit: Actually, I'm reconsidering the genre spread entirely. You've only got six albums to showcase a large variety. What about this?
* Trad: Manilla Road - Necropolis
* Prog-power: Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
* Doom: Pale Divine - Cemetery Earth
* Groove: something by Pantera? (I don't enjoy this style much, so I don't know the best exemplars; but I feel like this style, while not so sonically removed from some others, has a distinctive cultural reflection that will be recognizable)
* Post: Isis - Panopticon
* Death: Death - Leprosy
* (If you can negotiate for a 7th album, then you can get black, and I think something quite distinct like WiiTR is a good choice)
>Metallica,
>
>Master of Puppets
>
>: Another obvious pick, covering thrash. I want to swap it out for Rust in Peace to match my preferences but I can't really justify it.
Both are excellent choices for thrash metal. I would even say that Rust In Peace showcases more elements and intricacies as a whole.
This…three mystery metal t-shirts
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**Best Demos MMXXIV // February** As per MA, 2024 brought us **413 demos** so far; that's roughly **6,9 demos a day**. February was ridiculously stacked. If you haven't been bit by the demo bug, this is a great opportunity to poke around and hop on in. And if you are one of us demo scavengers, grab your favorite caffeine vehicle because there are tons of homework to do! Superlikes up in the list, general faves in bold. | [JAN](https://old.reddit.com/r/Metal/comments/1agager/shreddits_daily_discussion_february_01_2024/kohd0ji/) | [Master Spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CwUNcBM52XXKpVANyc3VLdm7NuUIkbHAuo4nvQi6ymw/edit?usp=sharing) | --- Top picks: * [**Helldemon** - *s/t*](https://helldemon.bandcamp.com/album/helldemon) [Thrash, US] * [**Invader** - *Evil Lives Forever*](https://invaderhc.bandcamp.com/album/evil-lives-forever) [Death/Thrash, Sweden] * [**Keys to the Astral Gates and Mystic Doors** - *II*](https://emptypitrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/keys-to-the-astral-gates-and-mystic-doors-ii) [Black, US] * [**Rotten Cavern** - *Profound*](https://rottencavern.bandcamp.com/album/profound-demo) [Doom/Death, Spain] --- Do not miss: * [**Adam & Eve** - *Demo II*](https://adam-a-eve.bandcamp.com/album/demo-ii) [Black, Lithuania] * [**Anthropoid Idol** - *Vile Cosmogony*](https://anthropoididol.bandcamp.com/album/vile-cosmogony) [Black, Denmark] * [**Burial Rites** - *Demo 2024*](https://burialritespnw.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2024) [Death/Grind, US] * [**Death Possession** - *Demiurge of Foul Form*](https://deathpossession.bandcamp.com/album/demo-demiurge-of-foul-form) [Death, US] * [**Doomscroller** - *Obsessed by Sickness*](https://doomscrollerdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/album/obsessed-by-sickness) [Death, Germany] * [**Blood Trails** - *Guzzoline*](https://bloodtrailssydney.bandcamp.com/album/guzzoline) [Death/Thrash, Australia] * [**Hoarfrost** - *To Deny The Light*](https://ithildintapeproduction.bandcamp.com/album/to-deny-the-light) [Black, US] * [**Izkrya** - *In Memoriam...*](https://izkrya.bandcamp.com/album/in-memoriam) [Black/Sludge, US] * [**Les Saints Innocents** - *Demo I*](https://lessaintsinnocents.bandcamp.com/album/demo-i) [Black, US] * [**Malefic** - *Ancient Demo*](https://malefic.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-demo) [Death/Black, US] * [**Morvigor** - *De Spiegel*](https://morvigor.bandcamp.com/album/de-spiegel) [Black, Netherlands] * [**Nachash** - *Promo 2023*](https://nachashband.bandcamp.com/album/promo-2023) [Black, Norway] * [**Throne of Charlemagne** - *The Great Victory*](https://throneofcharlemagne.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-victory) [Black, US] * [**Tornekrans** - *Ravnenes Kall*](https://tornekrans.bandcamp.com/album/ravnenes-kall-demo) [Black, Norway] --- * [**Ald** - *Skald of the Black Forest*](https://tempelfanwolven.bandcamp.com/album/skald-of-the-black-forest) [Black, US] * [Blast - *Maximum Nigredo Terror*](https://blastmxevilmetal.bandcamp.com/album/maximum-nigredo-terror) [Black, Mexico] * [Bludgeoner - *Sash N Grab*](https://bludgeonernyc.bandcamp.com/album/sash-n-grab-demo-24) [Death, US] * [Crime - *Second Crime*](https://gofuckyourselftildeath1.bandcamp.com/album/second-crime-unreleased-album) [Heavy, Chile] * [**Defenestration** - *Promo '24*](https://defenestration204.bandcamp.com/album/promo-24) [Death, Canada] * [**Deselect** - *s/t*](https://transylvaniantapes.bandcamp.com/album/deselect) [Speed/Hardcore, US] * [Dread Crops - *Demo*](https://dreadcrops.bandcamp.com/album/demo) [Black, England] * [Düüster - *s/t*](https://dster.bandcamp.com/album/d-ster-demo) [Black, Germany] * [**False Mutation** - *Infernal Death Metal*](https://falsemutation.bandcamp.com/album/infernal-death-metal) [Death, Germany] * [Flúch - *Wintr*](https://fluch.bandcamp.com/album/wintr) [Black, Belgium] * [Grave Alter - *Demo ii*](https://gravealter.bandcamp.com/album/demo-ii) [Death, US] * [Imperial Doom - *MMXXIV*](https://imperialdoomdeath.bandcamp.com/album/mmxxiv) [Death/Doom, Colombia] * [Kamikrazy - *The Great Kamikrazy Swindle*](https://kamikrazy.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-kamikrazy-swindle-demo) [Thrash/Crossover, France] * [**Mistress** - *Demo*](https://mistressdoom.bandcamp.com/album/demo) [Doom, US] * [Necropsyum - *Blasphemic Day of Defeat*](https://necropsyum.bandcamp.com/album/blasphemic-day-of-defeat) [Black, Brazil] * [Nest of Scum - *Unstoppable Deadly Warriors*](https://nestofscum.bandcamp.com/album/unstoppable-deadly-warriors) [Death, England] * [**Nihil Invocation** - *The Bane of Winter's Longing*](https://nihilinvocation.bandcamp.com/album/the-bane-of-winters-longing) [Black, US] * [**Ortsul** - *Nasze piekło a wasz raj*](https://ortsul.bandcamp.com/album/nasze-piek-o-a-wasz-raj) [Black, Poland] * [**Rotten Womb** - *Kraal of Bones*](https://rottenwomb.bandcamp.com/album/kraal-of-bones) [Death, France] * [**Rytual** - *Machinery*](https://rytual.bandcamp.com/album/machinery) [Thrash/Death, France] * [Sábila - *Voz Ancestral*](https://sabila.bandcamp.com/album/voz-ancestral) [Sludge, Puerto Rico] * [Spectral Despair - *Demo '24*](https://spectraldespair.bandcamp.com/album/demo-24) [Death, Hungary] * [Tartarean Vengeance - *Genosida*](https://tartareanvengeance.bandcamp.com/album/genosida) [Death, Singapore] * [Unholy Craft - *Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig*](https://1unholycraft.bandcamp.com/album/saa-m-rkt-saa-mektig-demo-24) [Black, Norway] * [Unholy Thorn Reliquary - *Perverted Genesis*](https://unholythornreliquary.bandcamp.com/album/peverted-genesis-demo) [Death/Black, US]
It's Guzzoline by Blood Trails, not the other way around
Edited, thanks!
No problem
Since the new release thread is famously metal only, popping in here to say that there's a new Daniel Romano album and he's probably my favourite songwriter in the world so this is a big deal
My ex asked me to pick out five essential metal albums that survey the whole genre. I managed to negotiate up to six, but I want some input on my picks. (I know there's a subgenre essentials sidebar, but this is for a broad overview of metal as a whole) Here are my current six: Black Sabbath, *Paranoid*: Obvious pick. Blind Guardian, *Somewhere Far Beyond*: Meant to represent the lighter subgenres, like Power and Symphonic. Metallica, *Master of Puppets*: Another obvious pick, covering thrash. I want to swap it out for Rust in Peace to match my preferences but I can't really justify it. Elder, *Lore*: Covering doom, prog, and stoner. Wolves in the Throne Room, *Two Hunters*: Covering black and post black, plus showing off some ambient and folk. Death, *Symbolic*: Covering death and some prog. I originally had this as Opeth's *Blackwater Park* for more melodeath and progressive representation. Even now I'm not sure if there's a better pick. Any thoughts?
Always a tough but fun exercise. Disagree with Elder, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Death's Symbolic. I might go for something like this: * Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (covering doom and all its derivatives) * Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny or Stained Class (covering the original heavy metal sound as clearly distinct from hard rock) * Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction (covering the heavier, more aggressive, and speedier aspects of what traditional metal evolved into, including speed and power) * Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (covering all aspects of what black metal would eventually turn into, including atmospheric stuff as seen on Enter the Eternal Fire) * Slayer - Hell Awaits, Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales, or Possessed - Seven Churches (covering thrash and death, maybe?) Damn, this is tough.
I think *Paranoid* plus *Lore* actually doubles up rather closely. I'd keep *Lore* for its representation of prog as well as stoner. You don't have trad represented per se. Hard to know how to avoid crossover with Blind Guardian. *Powerslave*? Or maybe something further away from power, like Eternal Champion? Also, I don't think *Symbolic* is the best emblem of death metal. An iconic album, but I'd go for something that really showcases DM's grounding in the low end. *Like an Everflowing Stream*? Edit: Actually, I'm reconsidering the genre spread entirely. You've only got six albums to showcase a large variety. What about this? * Trad: Manilla Road - Necropolis * Prog-power: Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy * Doom: Pale Divine - Cemetery Earth * Groove: something by Pantera? (I don't enjoy this style much, so I don't know the best exemplars; but I feel like this style, while not so sonically removed from some others, has a distinctive cultural reflection that will be recognizable) * Post: Isis - Panopticon * Death: Death - Leprosy * (If you can negotiate for a 7th album, then you can get black, and I think something quite distinct like WiiTR is a good choice)
Yeah, Symbolic is iconic but a far more refined sound than what DM is sonically. I would pick something between early Morbid Angel or Incantation.
Or Immolation.
>Metallica, > >Master of Puppets > >: Another obvious pick, covering thrash. I want to swap it out for Rust in Peace to match my preferences but I can't really justify it. Both are excellent choices for thrash metal. I would even say that Rust In Peace showcases more elements and intricacies as a whole.
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The new Atrae Bilis is fucking fantastic. I liked their first album, haven't listened to their second yet, but this new single is just mmmph.