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User
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Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 4,169
| My Genre-Defining Albums
Controversial? Obviously. But these are my picks for the albums that perfected a sound that eluded the hordes of bands who tried to copy it. Mind you, these are MY genre-defining albums. Feel free to share your views on it. | | 1 |  | Mastodon
Leviathan
Progressive Metal (Sludgy kind) - 2004 -
Key Song: Seabeast -
Though they've since moved on from the sound on Leviathan, Mastodon were the kings of crushing and unstoppable grooves from around 2002-2006. Leviathan represents their peak in terms of raw power and storytelling through music. | | 2 |  | Opeth
Blackwater Park
Progressive Metal (Death kind) - 2001 -
Key Track: The Drapery Falls -
Masterminded by Mike Akerfeldt, Opeth has written some of the most breathtaking music in metal, with not one, but two albums regarded as among the greatest ever in their field of work. | | 3 |  | Gamma Ray
Land of the Free
Power Metal - 1995 -
Key Track: Rebellion in Dreamland -
Between Land of the Free and Somwhere Out In Space, Kai Hansen and Gamma Ray got their sound absolutely right and took a tiring genre to new heights. Filled with memorable riffs and terrific technical ability, Land of the Free - specifically it's tour de force Rebellion in Dreamland - represents the pinnacle of Power Metal. You just can't do it any better than this. | | 4 |  | Slayer
Reign in Blood
Thrash Metal - 1986 -
Key Track: Angel of Death -
I really don't like Slayer. They keep winning the goddamned Best Metal Performance instead of the bands I want to win. But by God, they've done some great music. | | 5 |  | Deep Purple
Machine Head
Hard Rock - 1972 -
Key Track: Highway Star -
From the chugging attack of Highway Star (boasting one of the greatest soloing duels ever) to by all accounts the most enduring riff in rock history (Smoke on the Water), Deep Purple's Machine Head got everything right while pushing the boundaries of hard rock at the time. The 7-minute jam Lazy is a perfect example of how the dual attack of Jon Lord's organ and Blackmore's guitar could make a classic out of a piece that most bands wouldn't bother even trying. | | 6 |  | Death
Symbolic
Death Metal - 1991 -
Key Track: Suicide Machine -
Come on, the genre is named after them. With Symbolic, Death took a leap forward in musicianship and songwriting, and what they produced is still regarded as a masterpiece of death metal. Introspective, dark and unforgettable, Human is a must-listen if you ever dabble in the genre. | | 7 |  | Judas Priest
Screaming for Vengeance
Heavy Metal - 1982 -
Key Track: Electric Eye -
It was a toss-up between this and Iron Maiden's Powerslave, but Priest did it first so they the nod. From the opening chords of The Hellion, Screaming for Vengeance lives up to its title and blows the listener away with searing riffs and Rob Halford's incredible vocal abilites. You try singing "Riding on the Wind". Now try doing it for 40 years. That's what makes a legend. | | 8 |  | Emperor
In the Nightside Eclipse
Black Metal - 1994 -
Key Track: I Am the Black Wizards -
Everybody tried to copy it. Only Emperor succeeded. | | 9 |  | Cynic
Focus
Fusion Metal - 1993 -
Key Track: Textures -
Paul Masvidal is a genius, and Focus proved it. Combining genres in a way no band bad before (though Atheist was close), Cynic paved the way for Metal's expansion into new territories in every direction with this landmark release. (And as if that wasn't enough, they did it again with 2008's Traced in Air.) | | 10 |  | Converge
Jane Doe
Hardcore Metal - 2001 -
Key Track: Jane Doe -
Brutal, powerful, emotional and unrelenting...Jane Doe is a piece that every band would love to create, but only a select few, such as Converge, have been able to forge into a full album's worth of unforgettable music. | |
Inveigh
03.25.10 | I agree with most of this, but I wouldn't consider Mastodon sludge really. I would've gone with Dopethrone by Electric Wizard for that genre. Also, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are both NWOBHM to me. Would've gone with something like Death or Morbid Angel for death metal (AtG is more melodeath to me). Other than that this seems pretty spot-on. | Poet
03.25.10 | Nothing Gamma Ray has ever done is Genre-Defining. | mmfarva
03.25.10 | Metal is metal to me. I don't even try to understand the differences in subgenres. | Baphomet
03.25.10 | Agreed with invegh in the sludge... mastodon doesn't exactly fit and Dopethrone represents everything sludge is about...
And converge is metalcore with grindcore influence. | Decapod
03.25.10 | Should've picked Death "Human" for death metal.
+1,000 | AnotherBrick1
03.25.10 | black sabbath-black sabbath: metal | pedro70512
03.25.10 | Good call on Human. I've updated the list to include it. | Urinetrouble
03.25.10 | black metal should be darkthrone. they helped pioneer the genre to what it is today. but emperor is awesome as well | Thor
03.25.10 | Jane Doe is a classic but the defining metalcore album is We Are the Romans, js | FeralMemories
03.26.10 | Nice Nice | YouAreMySilence
03.26.10 | Rosetta, space metal. | theartofdoom
05.17.10 | good list but death metal is not named after death, its named after a possessed song | Idnuf
05.17.10 | Shouldn't the genre-defining ones be the first ones there? I know I'm going to sound like a douche here, but power metal was pretty well established before 1995. Also, "Heavy Metal" is really too general to put an album there. Well, that is unless you put a Black Sabbath album there since that basically started the whole shebang but that didn't really define the sound for all of metal, really just what we know now as doom. | qwe3
05.17.10 | 3 should be Nightfall In Middle Earth
and dude 1 is not fucking prog metal | Fuff24
05.17.10 | misleading title much? these are sungenres of metal not individual genres. Seriously, I cam in to this page expecting something of musical worth. at least title it correctly so I can stay away. A good title would be "Defining albums for shitty genres" or "albums that defined a a meaningless subengenre made up by idiots" | qwe3
05.17.10 | oh and i agree with thor that We Are the Romans is more defining, but would argue that Deadguy's Fixation on a Coworker is the defining metalcore album | AngelofDeath
05.17.10 | Seriously Fuff, I don't want to hear anything about "musical worth" coming from someone who rated Californication a 5. | Fuff24
05.17.10 | musical worth to me obviously. I give it a title like "good metal albums"so I can stay away and not be saddened by the fail of taste. and californication is a 5. | FadeToBlack
05.17.10 | Human should be 2, cause Opeth aren't progressive death metal. | AngelofDeath
05.17.10 | Death or Atheist would be a fine choice for 2, but there isn't much else you can call Opeth but progessive death metal. | FadeToBlack
05.17.10 | Opeth are progressive metal.
he could've just merged 1 and 2 and had 'overall' prog metal. and put BWP as the album obviously :P | AngelofDeath
05.17.10 | This is true. |
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