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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: WildRanger on May 01, 2021, 03:47:09 PM
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Which one for you?
RTL for me.
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Where is St. Anger?
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Justice.
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
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I don’t like Metallica, so I voted Death Magnetic. :P
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Yeah I noticed lol.
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I don’t like Metallica, so I voted Death Magnetic. :P
Wait, is it St. Anger that everyone hates? I was thinking Death Magnetic was the one that was brick walled to death.
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Justice.
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Load
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AJFA
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Ride the Lightning
...And Justice for All
Master of Puppets
How are there no votes for MoP yet?
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By the way I'm guessing most Metallica fans know this but the intro to Blackened was reversed in the studio. Here you can hear what it originally sounded like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ1vCidA53c
Justice has been my favourite Metallica album for as long as I've been an adult but I only recently came across this.
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Honestly I find picking a favourite hard, basically there's 3 favourites for me that I like for diffrent reasons.
Kill em all (I love the thrashy early sound of Metallica, it just clicks with me and the debut is superb)
Ride the lightning (First album I bought so it holds a special place for me)
Black Album (Sometimes I feel like i'm the only one truly appreciating the heaviness and sonic quality of that album, I honestly love that album so much)
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How are there no votes for MoP yet?
Like, seriously :lol
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I’m assuming mine is the first of many.
I don’t like Metallica, so I voted Death Magnetic. :P
Wait, is it St. Anger that everyone hates? I was thinking Death Magnetic was the one that was brick walled to death.
Death Magnetic is brickwalled to death, but the songs range from mediocre to decent with All Nightmare Long being the one great song. St. Anger also isn’t produced well but more importantly than that, the songs range from bad to also bad, with The Unnamed Feeling being ok.
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Justice. Puppets is a very close second.
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Puppets! It's pretty much a perfect album.
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By the way I'm guessing most Metallica fans know this but the intro to Blackened was reversed in the studio. Here you can hear what it originally sounded like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ1vCidA53c
Justice has been my favourite Metallica album for as long as I've been an adult but I only recently came across this.
I'd never heard that. It would have been cool forwards too.
I voted for MOP, but it's almost a coin flip with RTL.
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MOP is where they were nearing the climax in their musicality and of course the last album with Cliff :metal
...and everyone like to climax
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Ride the Lightning with fade to black being my personal favorite metallica song.
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Ride The Lightning
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My opinion has shifted around a bit over the years. For a long time I would have said Ride the Lightning, and there are days where I still think that's the one I'd say. The Call of Ktulu is one of their finest songs, and there really isn't a weak track on the album (count me among those who enjoy Escape; sorry Mr. Hetfield!). There are also probably times when I would have said ...And Justice for All. I love the ambition on this one, and To Live is To Die and One are superb, but I think some of the other songs overstay their welcome a bit, and the production on this album really does have issues.
Ultimately, I think I have to go with The Black Album. The songwriting is just so well-honed on this one. It's one great song after another. It might not have a single track in my top five or even my top 10 (The Unforgiven would be close), but as a continuous listen I think it's the best one they have.
(Many of my favorite Metallica songs are on two albums that unfortunately aren't consistent enough to be among my favorites: Load and Reload. The strongest 80 minutes of music from those sessions would be my favorite Metallica album, but for better or for worse we have two mixed, mid-tier albums instead of one great one.)
Edit: I'm surprised that I'm the first vote for The Black Album. I know that among serious music fans the three albums before it are more popular choices, but I thought there were some enthusiastic TBA fans around here.
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Master
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Black
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Puppets, forever and always.
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Puppets, forever and always.
:tup
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I’m actually pleased with the lack of votes for TBA.
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
You know you can avoid the threads started by WildRanger, right?
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
It's because it's not a BELOVED album on DTF
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
You know you can avoid the threads started by WildRanger, right?
They drag me in, I can't help it.
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
You know you can avoid the threads started by WildRanger, right?
They drag me in, I can't help it.
:lol :lol :lol
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I love all of the classic 3 but for me Master of Puppets is the easy choice. Lightning still suffers slightly from the sound IMO and it has a few filler songs, Justice has bigger ambitions but the bass being mixed so low is a slight dent in it for me.
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
It's because it's not a BELOVED album on DTF
And everywhere!
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
I did not! Can you show me a source for this?
And seriously though, whether or not people would vote for it is not up to you to decide. The fact that you don't even give the option shows you're biased in advance. Then again, based on the ridiculous elitist statements you've made elsewhere on these forums, I shouldn't be too surprised. But let's turn this around; say I were to make a poll asking people for their favourite food and the only options would be pizza, hamburgers, a steak and oven-baked salmon. See how ridiculous that is? This is the same thing, but in a smaller scale. The poll is void if you don't give all options. You ruling out stuff beforehand is bullshit and you've done it before and you'll probably keep on doing it no matter what, so this message likely has as little point as this entire thread.
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I like the one with the wah-soaked pentatonic-based guitar solos :P
I voted for "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" because I like albums that make my ears bleed :P
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I have no doubt that somewhere out there, there are people who think St Anger is Metallica's greatest album. It'll likely be the people whose first introduction to the band was that album.
It's like Star Wars. Do I think Attack of the Clones is an abomination and just a terrible Star Wars film? Yes. Am I aware that there are a generation of kids who grew up on the prequel trilogy and LOVE it? Also yes. I find it baffling that people could prefer anything in the prequel trilogy over the OG trilogy, but I understand they do, because that may have been their gateway into the Star Wars universe.
It's all about your own experiences and point of view. We can never relate to others experiences and preferences as we didn't live them. That's the basis of it WildRanger. Some people love St Anger, that is fact, sorry.
I voted Ride, as my all time fave album, but currently my fave that I am most likely to spin is Justice.
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
If you go to one of the album's songs on Youtube and scroll down the comments you will find people saying that St Anger is their favourite Metallica album. Sometimes they'll say why, and their reasons can be interesting and even moving to read. Maybe they connect with its very raw, manic vibe, maybe it has some kind of meaningful personal history to them. There's a Pink Floyd poll on here in which 4 people have selected Ummagumma as one of their top 3 Floyd albums, even though it tends to finish dead last of most Floyd fans' ranking. There are all kinds of reasons for why an album means something to someone, and sharing those reasons is what it's all about in my opinion. I like your threads WR but try to rein in how often you make assumptions about what people will or won't like. I for one would have been interested to see how many votes St Anger got (I have no doubt it would have received some over time).
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
With comments like these, I'd do it out of spite :P
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I could see someone coming from maybe a nu metal background having St. Anger as their favorite, maybe someone who doesn't like the old classic stuff or whatever else. That's the thing with something like St. Anger, or Lulu for that matter, when something is so drastically different to what the band has done before or since, chances are there's someone out there who really likes that 1 album but doesn't care for the rest. I mean if Death Magnetic is an option why isn't St. Anger?
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Exactly, there are plenty of people who aren't Metallica or thrash metal fans but who connect with St Anger for whatever reason. I think the fallacy being made in this thread and others like it is that it's aimed at 'Metallica fans' rather than just anybody.
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I love St Anger. Being serious, if I go for a Metallica album, it's this one. I'm known for having odd favourites and this is up there. Love the vibe, rawness, honesty and just downright confusing admission from a band in chaos.
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RTL
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
That's a reason to not include it? Madness.
Please don't do one of these polls for Priest or Maiden and leave off Jugulator and The X-factor as I won't be happy.
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
I did not! Can you show me a source for this?
https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/metallica
That is one (it is their lowest ranked by a significant margin, when looking at that list and focusing on Metallica proper studio albums). Of course he should have included in the poll here, but the OP likes to troll the forum a bit here, which is common knowledge, just like it is common knowledge that St. Anger is Metallica's most disliked album. If you dig it, great, but you are in the massive minority.
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Hardwired.
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I've added St Anger to the poll. Also, if anyone wanted to vote for it but voted for something else as it wasn't an option, you are able to change your vote if you so wish.
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I don’t like Metallica, so I voted Death Magnetic. :P
Wait, is it St. Anger that everyone hates? I was thinking Death Magnetic was the one that was brick walled to death.
It is, but there are versions with better mastering. It also has some great songs IMO.
My ranking:
Master of Puppets
Ride the Lightning
And Justice For All
Death Magnetic
The Black Album
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
Kill 'em All
Reload
Load
St. Anger
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
I did not! Can you show me a source for this?
https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/metallica
That is one (it is their lowest ranked by a significant margin, when looking at that list and focusing on Metallica proper studio albums). Of course he should have included in the poll here, but the OP likes to troll the forum a bit here, which is common knowledge, just like it is common knowledge that St. Anger is Metallica's most disliked album. If you dig it, great, but you are in the massive minority.
Well, of course I know that St. Anger is often considered Metallica's worst or weakest album, and I checked RateYourMusic myself this morning to see what the score there would be. Doesn't surprise me at all. What bothered me with that statement is again the inherent bias in the question he posed; "who in the right mind [...]?" (this is unnecessary). "Do you know" (what, you're here to tell me something I don't? Stop patronising, it's pointless) "it's one of the" (this implies that there's a list of some sort somewhere) "most hated albums" (uh, what? How do you even measure that?). I kind of wanted WildRanger to show me a source himself, because I've seen time and time again that he pulls all of his statistics and public opinions out of his ass. This is no different.
Furthermore, and this ties into the last point, I often think that the 'hate' or 'dislike' for St. Anger comes mostly from people who are biased beforehand that they should dislike the album, because it's the 'cool' or even 'correct' thing to do. This is EXACTLY the kind of rubbish bias WildRanger has in a lot of his threads. And not just with him, or with this album, but in general; is it sincere to dislike something because you're told you should dislike it? Have you even given something a chance if you're told from the get-go it's rubbish?
St. Anger has many flaws (and all Metallica albums have flaws, like seriously), but in some ways it's maybe the most creative or even the heaviest Metallica album. That last sentence will likely get ripped out of context, because it's the easiest thing to reply to out of this entire comment, but I'm kind of getting used to that.
Oh, and I voted for Ride the Lightning.
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I think when I saw Some Kind of Monster I gained some more respect for St. Anger. Now don't get me wrong, I still don't like it and it's the same album it was before I watched the documentary, but having seen the turmoil in the band, it's almost amazing they managed to make an album at all.
It's a fascinating album though. Metallica were coming out of the 90s experimenting with other genres on Load/Reload/Garage Inc and whether intentional or not on St. Anger, they weren't really competing with the same kind of bands that they were in the 90s. All of a sudden you had bands like Linkin Park, Korn, System of a Down, Deftones and St. Anger kinda feels like their attempt at targeting that sort of audience. So I can see someone being into that style of metal really digging St. Anger, but being 'meh' on the rest.
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I think when I saw Some Kind of Monster I gained some more respect for St. Anger. Now don't get me wrong, I still don't like it and it's the same album it was before I watched the documentary, but having seen the turmoil in the band, it's almost amazing they managed to make an album at all.
It's a fascinating album though. Metallica were coming out of the 90s experimenting with other genres on Load/Reload/Garage Inc and whether intentional or not on St. Anger, they weren't really competing with the same kind of bands that they were in the 90s. All of a sudden you had bands like Linkin Park, Korn, System of a Down, Deftones and St. Anger kinda feels like their attempt at targeting that sort of audience. So I can see someone being into that style of metal really digging St. Anger, but being 'meh' on the rest.
I totally agree. It came out at a time when Metallica were no longer the cutting edge of metal. They'd had a difficult few years and they hadn't been able to follow up on the success of The Black Album. Nu Metal was the trend and all the bands you mentioned were huge in the mainstream. I think the other band worth mentioning is Slipknot. They are arguably the best band to come out of the Nu Metal era, and they were (at that time) raw, aggressive and dominating mainstream Metal. Metallica were pissed off and I feel this was their attempt to also try to stay relevant to what was going on in Metal at that time.
It may not have paid off in the way they had hoped but, as we all know, it was an important album that they needed to write, to continue functioning as a band. Is it my favourite? No. Do I appreciate it more than I did when it came out? Hell yes. Do I love it more than Hardwired? 100% yes.
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Pretty tough decision.
It comes down to the first 4 albums.
Kill em All is great but they just topped that one multiple times.
I like Master of Puppets as much as the next person, but Leper Messiah was never a song I liked, and it always brought the album down for me.
Ride The Lightning was my favorite for a long time, but I don't need Escape in my life ever again.
Justice obviously has bass issues, but every song is just one all time slugger after another. It's their angriest album, (but not angst driven) heaviest, lyrically one of their best, and for the first time, Lars sounds like a competent drummer.
Justice for me, but only by a hair. RTL and MoP are more legendary, but each has one of those weak tracks that Justice doesn't have IMO.
Black Album is good, but half the album is radio hits that have been WAY overplayed in the last 30 years. The other stuff is solid, and once in a blue moon, I enjoy a sit through of this album, if only for the surprises of "oh I forgot about this part/riff" during the non-singles tunes.
Since then I like some stuff but I cherry pick at this point.
AJFA
RTL
MoP
KEA
s/t
HTSD
DM
L/R
any Metallica interview
St. Anger
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
It's sad to see such dismissive thinking. Just because [insert name] doesn't like something doesn't mean someone else can't. If there were only a certain amount of choices you were allowed to insert into the poll, I'd understand leaving that one out. But, I don't know why it was so hard to include St. Anger. And, I know it has since been added.
As for The Black Album, I remember grabbing it the week before heading off to my freshman year of college. This was the first Metallica album I grabbed on release day. Definitely a more streamlined Metallica with every song coming in under 7 minutes. It had my least favorite Metallica song, "Don't Tread On Me", until Load and Reload were released. This album also marked the first time I got to see them live, 3 times actually. Not my favorite album. But, all in all, a pretty solid release. I can't wait for them to announce its 30th anniversary vinyl box set release. I'm dying to see what they include.
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
It's sad to see such dismissive thinking. Just because [insert name] doesn't like something doesn't mean someone else can't. If there were only a certain amount of choices you were allowed to insert into the poll, I'd understand leaving that one out. But, I don't know why it was so hard to include St. Anger. And, I know it has since been added.
As for The Black Album, I remember grabbing it the week before heading off to my freshman year of college. This was the first Metallica album I grabbed on release day. Definitely a more streamlined Metallica with every song coming in under 7 minutes. It had my least favorite Metallica song, "Don't Tread On Me", until Load and Reload were released. This album also marked the first time I got to see them live, 3 times actually. Not my favorite album. But, all in all, a pretty solid release. I can't wait for them to announce its 30th anniversary vinyl box set release. I'm dying to see what they include.
I think it is fair to say that St. Anger is objectively bad, especially if you know how the album was conceived, which most of us do just based on the Some Kind of Monster documentary alone. You can't say that about most music even if you don't like the music or the style of music. I can say I get slight enjoyment out of the first 4 songs on the album on very rare occasions, but I'll never admit that it's a good album. It's OK to like bad music sometimes. I like bad music sort of like how I like bad movies. Bad music doesn't necessarily mean "not listenable". It's mostly humorous for me, I like satire, and St Anger is Metallica self-satire, with all the Hetfield o0o0o0o's and Oscar The Grouch on drums. But I won't ever criticize someone if they like it and think it's good, I just won't agree with them, but it shouldn't be taken as an attack on someone or their taste in music. Everyone has different tastes.
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Slight edge to Justice over DM for me.
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Well, of course I know that St. Anger is often considered Metallica's worst or weakest album, and I checked RateYourMusic myself this morning to see what the score there would be. Doesn't surprise me at all. What bothered me with that statement is again the inherent bias in the question he posed; "who in the right mind [...]?" (this is unnecessary). "Do you know" (what, you're here to tell me something I don't? Stop patronising, it's pointless) "it's one of the" (this implies that there's a list of some sort somewhere) "most hated albums" (uh, what? How do you even measure that?). I kind of wanted WildRanger to show me a source himself, because I've seen time and time again that he pulls all of his statistics and public opinions out of his ass. This is no different.
Furthermore, and this ties into the last point, I often think that the 'hate' or 'dislike' for St. Anger comes mostly from people who are biased beforehand that they should dislike the album, because it's the 'cool' or even 'correct' thing to do. This is EXACTLY the kind of rubbish bias WildRanger has in a lot of his threads. And not just with him, or with this album, but in general; is it sincere to dislike something because you're told you should dislike it? Have you even given something a chance if you're told from the get-go it's rubbish?
St. Anger has many flaws (and all Metallica albums have flaws, like seriously), but in some ways it's maybe the most creative or even the heaviest Metallica album. That last sentence will likely get ripped out of context, because it's the easiest thing to reply to out of this entire comment, but I'm kind of getting used to that.
Oh, and I voted for Ride the Lightning.
I don't think it is fair to assume that St. Anger critics are hating it for this reason. St. Anger has earned its putrid reputation.
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St Anger's release is the only time I witnessed someone throw out a new CD within hours of purchasing it.
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Personally, I’ve always really liked that album. It’s only the snare drum that prevents me from revisiting it more often. I’ve been meaning to try and get a rip of the audio from the live in studio DVD, which IIRC sounded far better than the CD itself.
I certainly think it’s a better album than either of the Loads.
Best album? I would have a very difficult time with anyone claiming it was their best album.
Even though I personally like it better than the Load albums, I can certainly understand that it was a far more abrasive and alienating album than the Load albums were. So I could still understand someone thinking Load was (by opinion) their best album... but no. Not St. Anger
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St Anger is exactly what it needed to be; abrasive, visceral, hateful. It's an essential part of Metallica's catalogue whether people like that or not, or enjoy it or not.
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St Anger is exactly what it needed to be; abrasive, visceral, hateful. It's an essential part of Metallica's catalogue whether people like that or not, or enjoy it or not.
St Anger is a BAD album.
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St Anger is a BADASS album.
FTFY :metal
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St Anger is exactly what it needed to be; abrasive, visceral, hateful. It's an essential part of Metallica's catalogue whether people like that or not, or enjoy it or not.
St Anger is a BAD album.
:lol :lol :lol
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Personally, I’ve always really liked that album. It’s only the snare drum that prevents me from revisiting it more often. I’ve been meaning to try and get a rip of the audio from the live in studio DVD, which IIRC sounded far better than the CD itself.
I certainly think it’s a better album than either of the Loads.
Best album? I would have a very difficult time with anyone claiming it was their best album.
Even though I personally like it better than the Load albums, I can certainly understand that it was a far more abrasive and alienating album than the Load albums were. So I could still understand someone thinking Load was (by opinion) their best album... but no. Not St. Anger
Yes, great bonus DVD that one. Sounds much better than the cd.
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St Anger is exactly what it needed to be; abrasive, visceral, hateful. It's an essential part of Metallica's catalogue whether people like that or not, or enjoy it or not.
St Anger is a BAD album.
I probably wouldn't call it my fav album. I'm not sure what would be though, however, I voted for it just to piss you off.
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Respect to people who like St. Anger. I love pretty much everything Metallica have done (haven't attempted Lulu and don't plan to) and since its release in 2003, I don't think I've managed to make it through the entire thing in full once. It's unlistenable in every possible way to me.
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Respect to people who like St. Anger. I love pretty much everything Metallica have done (haven't attempted Lulu and don't plan to) and since its release in 2003, I don't think I've managed to make it through the entire thing in full once. It's unlistenable in every possible way to me.
Indeed, it took WildRanger's attitude to create an outpouring of sympathy for St. Anger ;D, but gosh that album sucks bombs and balls and I've heard it literally twice before giving up and never ever wanting to hear it again. This of course doesn't invalid the opinion of the 9 people worldwide who enjoy the album and, as it's been said before, it's cool that music reasonates differently with everyone and it's cool that at least some people find some entertainment in such a musical atrocity.
And hearing St. Anger live was actually cool, that song is ok.
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St. Anger got 3 votes and Reload zero? Death Magnetic only one? I'm really surprised.
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
I did not! Can you show me a source for this?
https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/metallica
That is one (it is their lowest ranked by a significant margin, when looking at that list and focusing on Metallica proper studio albums). Of course he should have included in the poll here, but the OP likes to troll the forum a bit here, which is common knowledge, just like it is common knowledge that St. Anger is Metallica's most disliked album. If you dig it, great, but you are in the massive minority.
Even Limp Bizkit's "Significant Other" has a much higher average score than St. Anger (2.54). Just saying.
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Damn this is harder than I thought. I went with the Black album because it's the one I've listened to the most and the one that got me into Metallica.
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One thing that can be said about St. Anger is that it is probably Metallica's most "dated" album. They were totally being influenced by the metal of the times. No guitar solos, super abrasive production. It's amazing that Kirk went along with everything while making the album. I don't know if that's a testament to just how powerful James and Lars were in the band or how passive Kirk was. For him to not say "C'mon, guys! Throw me a bone! Let me have one guitar solo. PLEEEEEZE!". It totally amazes me.
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I wouldn't be surprised if Kirk was just along for the ride.... the two band leaders were in a weird place, they came up with this album and probably Kirk thought "eh, let's get out of this one and stay alive during these times, better days will come".
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Kirk argued for guitar solos but ultimately lost out. But he did argue against leaving them out.
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Even Limp Bizkit's "Significant Other" has a much higher average score than St. Anger (2.54). Just saying.
RateYourMusic.com is not a measurement for how 'good' music is. Just saying.
How about for once you respond to actual critiques of your posting, instead of throwing random nonsense back into the thread? Of course there's albums rated higher than St. Anger. What's the point in naming that?
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Kirk argued for guitar solos but ultimately lost out. But he did argue against leaving them out.
It's funny reading interviews with him from the time saying he's totally proud of the album and when they tried to put in solos, it just sounded "like an afterthought." Crazy!
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Even Limp Bizkit's "Significant Other" has a much higher average score than St. Anger (2.54). Just saying.
On the internet, you can find info to back up any narrative you want to make. This website has St. Anger listed as the 2nd best Metal album of 2003 behind Evanescence. Just sayin'
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/genre/40-metal/2003/ (https://www.albumoftheyear.org/genre/40-metal/2003/)
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Not sure I have ever listened to the whole studio version of St. Anger. The trashcan snare ruins it.
Right from the start I ripped the DVD performance because it was way better. Plus, it has Rob on bass. It's the only way I listen to the album.
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Not sure I have ever listened to the whole studio version of St. Anger. The trashcan snare ruins it.
Right from the start I ripped the DVD performance because it was way better. Plus, it has Rob on bass. It's the only way I listen to the album.
I was going to mention this if you didn't. It's worth listening to if your main problem with the official release is the production. This is a way to hear the songs without that as a distraction.
Now, I think the songwriting itself is pretty mediocre. I do like some songs: Frantic, the title track, Some Kind of Monster and All Within My Hands are all songs I put on occasionally. The rest of the album has its moments but has a lot of mediocre tracks that tend to meander.
Even as someone fairly experienced in ranging wildly, I am surprised that OP is this adamant about not including St. Anger in the poll. I'm tempted to switch my vote to it now just as a statement, and I probably would if I voted for one of the more popular choices, but I want to give TBA some representation.
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Using RYM as some sort of bible for objective truth is quite bizarre to me because even though it has a decent amount of users, you're still talking about a fairly small hivemind in the bigger picture. Truth is a huge majority of people who like and consume music don't feel that need to catalog it and rate it, they just listen to it.
As for Metallica's discography, I'm definitely not a fan of St. Anger but I'd take a weird attempt at doing something different that ended up being a frankenstein's monster of an album (St. Anger) than a soulless attempt to recapture the glory from 20 years earlier and to get the fans back (Death Magnetic). Even something like Lulu is different enough where you'll get maybe 1 person out of 20 who genuinely likes the album and rates it high, even if the other 19 dislike it.
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One thing that can be said about St. Anger is that it is probably Metallica's most "dated" album. They were totally being influenced by the metal of the times. No guitar solos, super abrasive production. It's amazing that Kirk went along with everything while making the album. I don't know if that's a testament to just how powerful James and Lars were in the band or how passive Kirk was. For him to not say "C'mon, guys! Throw me a bone! Let me have one guitar solo. PLEEEEEZE!". It totally amazes me.
Lars is ass. Kirk is impersonal.
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One thing that can be said about St. Anger is that it is probably Metallica's most "dated" album. They were totally being influenced by the metal of the times. No guitar solos, super abrasive production. It's amazing that Kirk went along with everything while making the album. I don't know if that's a testament to just how powerful James and Lars were in the band or how passive Kirk was. For him to not say "C'mon, guys! Throw me a bone! Let me have one guitar solo. PLEEEEEZE!". It totally amazes me.
Lars is ass. Kirk is impersonal.
What?
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I want to vote for St. Anger, but I can’t do that in this poll, so this poll will never ever give a valid representation if that’s no possibility. Bullshit thread.
You know you can avoid the threads started by WildRanger, right?
They drag me in, I can't help it.
Elite, I'm with you. I knew full well what I was getting into, but seeing a three-page Wild Ranger thread that started while I was away from the board, and it was like sitting in the car driving by a highway accident that closed down four lanes on the other side of the divider and STILL slowing down to rubber neck. :)
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
You do know that you can - GASP! - have opinions that deviate from the conventional, right? What the group says impacts what I like not even a LITTLE bit. MOP is going to crush this poll, and it doesn't make my top five Metallica albums.
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
I did not! Can you show me a source for this?
And seriously though, whether or not people would vote for it is not up to you to decide. The fact that you don't even give the option shows you're biased in advance. Then again, based on the ridiculous elitist statements you've made elsewhere on these forums, I shouldn't be too surprised. But let's turn this around; say I were to make a poll asking people for their favourite food and the only options would be pizza, hamburgers, a steak and oven-baked salmon. See how ridiculous that is? This is the same thing, but in a smaller scale. The poll is void if you don't give all options. You ruling out stuff beforehand is bullshit and you've done it before and you'll probably keep on doing it no matter what, so this message likely has as little point as this entire thread.
Steak.
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Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
It's sad to see such dismissive thinking. Just because [insert name] doesn't like something doesn't mean someone else can't. If there were only a certain amount of choices you were allowed to insert into the poll, I'd understand leaving that one out. But, I don't know why it was so hard to include St. Anger. And, I know it has since been added.
As for The Black Album, I remember grabbing it the week before heading off to my freshman year of college. This was the first Metallica album I grabbed on release day. Definitely a more streamlined Metallica with every song coming in under 7 minutes. It had my least favorite Metallica song, "Don't Tread On Me", until Load and Reload were released. This album also marked the first time I got to see them live, 3 times actually. Not my favorite album. But, all in all, a pretty solid release. I can't wait for them to announce its 30th anniversary vinyl box set release. I'm dying to see what they include.
I think it is fair to say that St. Anger is objectively bad, especially if you know how the album was conceived, which most of us do just based on the Some Kind of Monster documentary alone. You can't say that about most music even if you don't like the music or the style of music. I can say I get slight enjoyment out of the first 4 songs on the album on very rare occasions, but I'll never admit that it's a good album. It's OK to like bad music sometimes. I like bad music sort of like how I like bad movies. Bad music doesn't necessarily mean "not listenable". It's mostly humorous for me, I like satire, and St Anger is Metallica self-satire, with all the Hetfield o0o0o0o's and Oscar The Grouch on drums. But I won't ever criticize someone if they like it and think it's good, I just won't agree with them, but it shouldn't be taken as an attack on someone or their taste in music. Everyone has different tastes.
Wait, what? I'm not being contrarian here at all; I really believe this: I've watched Some Kind Of Monster about five times now (I'm fascinated by it, frankly) and knowing how the album was conceived, it makes it BETTER for me. I don't listen to it much (and when I do it's the live in the studio DVD version) but that is a raw fucking piece of art. Kiss - my favorite band at any given time - couldn't have put out something as naked and raw as that album. James Hetfield is one of my musical idols and in large part it's his candor and vulnerability through that period of the bands career. St. Anger is, literally, a soul screaming. It ought to be number one on this list for that reason alone.
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I've never heard a single note from St. Anger :lol
And by the way, as far as reviews go it's got:
69%................5 Star
19%................4 Star
9%..................3 Star
2%..................2 Star
2%..................1 Star
On Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/st-anger-METALLICA/dp/B00009UVQ5/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=St.+Anger&qid=1620064080&sr=8-2)
I might have to check it out at some point.
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Wait, what? I'm not being contrarian here at all; I really believe this: I've watched Some Kind Of Monster about five times now (I'm fascinated by it, frankly) and knowing how the album was conceived, it makes it BETTER for me. I don't listen to it much (and when I do it's the live in the studio DVD version) but that is a raw fucking piece of art. Kiss - my favorite band at any given time - couldn't have put out something as naked and raw as that album. James Hetfield is one of my musical idols and in large part it's his candor and vulnerability through that period of the bands career. St. Anger is, literally, a soul screaming. It ought to be number one on this list for that reason alone.
Ummm...what?
It ought to be #1 on this list (i.e., it should be the favorite album of more people than any other album) because of your characterization of it as "a soul screaming"?
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Well, I too think St. Anger might very well be their most 'sincere' album and it almost certainly is their most creative one.
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And as Zantera said, I'd rather see them do something brave and try something new, than put out an album trying to recapture their first 5 albums.
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Wait, what? I'm not being contrarian here at all; I really believe this: I've watched Some Kind Of Monster about five times now (I'm fascinated by it, frankly) and knowing how the album was conceived, it makes it BETTER for me. I don't listen to it much (and when I do it's the live in the studio DVD version) but that is a raw fucking piece of art. Kiss - my favorite band at any given time - couldn't have put out something as naked and raw as that album. James Hetfield is one of my musical idols and in large part it's his candor and vulnerability through that period of the bands career. St. Anger is, literally, a soul screaming. It ought to be number one on this list for that reason alone.
Ummm...what?
It ought to be #1 on this list (i.e., it should be the favorite album of more people than any other album) because of your characterization of it as "a soul screaming"?
Well, kind of, yes, but when you put it that way... it sounds more and more ridiculous. :) :)
I was more responding to the characterization that it was "objectively bad". I don't really care about whether anyone lists it as "number one", but I very much do believe that is metaphorically a "soul screaming" - I can feel Hetfield's pain all over that record (remember the therapy and rehab that James was involved in around that time). If that's not what you look for in a record, so be it. I'm not suggesting that anyone ought to adopt my standards. And that doesn't mean that I listen to it a lot; it's a lot like Alice In Chains' "Dirt"; that's the sound of a soul succumbing to desperation and addiction, and it's an honest, brutal record. Doesn't make it "fun" to listen to.
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Where is St. Anger?
In WildRanger's polls, you don't get to vote for an album he doesn't like.
Who in their right mind would vote for St. Anger? Do you know it's one of the most hated albums?
I voted for St. Anger, deal with it
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Of the bands/artists' albums that I'm interested in, I think St. Anger is the only one that I dislike 100% of everything that is there.
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I like how, in trying to exclude St. Anger from the conversation, WildRanger inadvertently created a thread about St. Anger.
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:lol
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Respect to people who like St. Anger. I love pretty much everything Metallica have done (haven't attempted Lulu and don't plan to) and since its release in 2003, I don't think I've managed to make it through the entire thing in full once. It's unlistenable in every possible way to me.
Indeed, it took WildRanger's attitude to create an outpouring of sympathy for St. Anger ;D, but gosh that album sucks bombs and balls and I've heard it literally twice before giving up and never ever wanting to hear it again. This of course doesn't invalid the opinion of the 9 people worldwide who enjoy the album and, as it's been said before, it's cool that music reasonates differently with everyone and it's cool that at least some people find some entertainment in such a musical atrocity.
And hearing St. Anger live was actually cool, that song is ok.
I'm sure it's been brought up in this thread already, but some band edited and re-recorded the entire thing and put it on youtube and while it's an improvement, it still does next to nothing for me. Glad they got it out of their system and I guess it was a necessary step towards reclaiming their identity, but I just can't get over how uninspired it feels despite me knowing how much passion probably went into it.
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That cover version on YouTube was my another attempt at giving a chance at the album. I thought "well, it's been years now, this version sounds better and they even cut some of the fat and made the songs more concise, let's give it a try".... and it was a big NOPE NOPE ABORT MISSION ABORT MISSION.
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One thing that can be said about St. Anger is that it is probably Metallica's most "dated" album. They were totally being influenced by the metal of the times. No guitar solos, super abrasive production. It's amazing that Kirk went along with everything while making the album. I don't know if that's a testament to just how powerful James and Lars were in the band or how passive Kirk was. For him to not say "C'mon, guys! Throw me a bone! Let me have one guitar solo. PLEEEEEZE!". It totally amazes me.
Idk if you recall, but there's a scene in the Some Kind Of Monster documentary where Kirk puts his foot down, saying something to the effect of "you guys talk about guitar solos being a thing of the past, but if we suddenly stop making them it'll date the album to this exact moment".
For whatever reason, that didn't seem to affect the end product though. :-\
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Seems I'm the lone Kill 'Em All vote..
That will always be my top album from them. The first time I heard Hit The Lights, with that intro, on the radio, I was amazed. Their entire Classic Era is great, but Kill 'Em All still rules for me.
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Somebody takes a shit on a piece of paper and hangs it on a wall. Oh but it was the most SINCERE shit ever taken therefore it is ART.
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Seems I'm the lone Kill 'Em All vote..
That will always be my top album from them. The first time I heard Hit The Lights, with that intro, on the radio, I was amazed. Their entire Classic Era is great, but Kill 'Em All still rules for me.
Yeah talk about raw and 10000% sincere.
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Yup. Still the most badass first 35 seconds of any band's career.
Although Queen Of The Reich's intro is just as great!
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Well, I too think St. Anger might very well be their most 'sincere' album and it almost certainly is their most creative one.
I don't really get St Anger being their most creative - from my recollection most of the album sounded the same. Regardless of your thoughts on Load/Reload the you cannot throw that critism at them!
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I had mentioned this in the other Metallica thread. I think it might be better suited here...
There's a Metallica podcast called Metal Up Your Podcast (great title!), https://metalupyourpodcast.simplecast.com. They have a 2-part interview with Mike Gillies (Bob Rock-s brother-in-law), a sound engineer who worked with Metallica in various capacities from The Black Album through Hardwired. He goes in-depth on both the Load/Reload and St. Anger albums. Some pretty cool minutiae.
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As for Metallica's discography, I'm definitely not a fan of St. Anger but I'd take a weird attempt at doing something different that ended up being a frankenstein's monster of an album (St. Anger) than a soulless attempt to recapture the glory from 20 years earlier and to get the fans back (Death Magnetic). Even something like Lulu is different enough where you'll get maybe 1 person out of 20 who genuinely likes the album and rates it high, even if the other 19 dislike it.
DM and Hardwired sound more like the natural follow ups to The Black Album. Everything in between was an identity crisis.
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Death Magnetic is great, and I have never understood why it catches flack.
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Death Magnetic is great, and I have never understood why it catches flack.
Hot mastering.
I don't disagree that sometimes they sound like what Load would have sounded like if they stayed metal after TBA. But they ain't ever going to sound like any of the first 4 albums. Just ain't happening.
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Death Magnetic is great, and I have never understood why it catches flack.
Hot mastering.
I mean besides that. People mention they're trying to recall the old days on it. I think the songs are great.
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Death Magnetic is great, and I have never understood why it catches flack.
I really like Death Magnetic. There is a sense in which it feels like them making the album they know the fans want instead of the album they want for the first time, but the songwriting just is where it needs to be. And not just All Nightmare Long, which is the one people always mention. The End of the Line is awesome, so is The Day That Never Comes, so is Cyanide... there's really not a weak song on there. What it might lack in raw creative passion, it makes up for in maturity.
Hardwired is the one I haven't gotten into so much, although I do need to give it more of a chance than I have.
If anyone has issues with DM because of the production (understandable), I recommend downloading the "Mastered for iTunes" version, which turns down the compression to tolerable levels.
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Death Magnetic is great, and I have never understood why it catches flack.
Hot mastering.
I mean besides that. People mention they're trying to recall the old days on it. I think the songs are great.
I always thought DM was a great return to form. Hardwired is pretty good as well.
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I actually prefer Hardwired to DM.
I can’t quite quantify why, but like someone said earlier, DM feels like they were *trying* to write what the fans wanted to hear, but it comes across as a bit of a rehash. Sortof “Metallica by the numbers”. And for some reason (to my ears) Hard Wired sounds more organic. Like they just found who they were and just wrote. It just sounds like they’re having more fun on Hard Wired.
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I actually prefer Hardwired to DM.
I can’t quite quantify why, but like someone said earlier, DM feels like they were *trying* to write what the fans wanted to hear, but it comes across as a bit of a rehash. Sortof “Metallica by the numbers”. And for some reason (to my ears) Hard Wired sounds more organic. Like they just found who they were and just wrote. It just sounds like they’re having more fun on Hard Wired.
Yeah, that's pretty much dead on. Plus, SOtB is the best thing they've written in a very long time. That actually does sound like oldschool Metallica.
In any case, I've got to go with Master. It's what I grew up on and it left an indelible mark on me.
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Kirk argued for guitar solos but ultimately lost out. But he did argue against leaving them out.
It's funny reading interviews with him from the time saying he's totally proud of the album and when they tried to put in solos, it just sounded "like an afterthought." Crazy!
There's a live version of Dirty Window (at least I think it's that one) somewhere that contains a guitar solo. If memory serves, it did indeed sound like an afterthought!
I have a soft spot for St Anger. As an album, it sort of reflects some of what was going on in my life at that time. I have to say I think it's probably a more interesting album than Reload, Death Magnetic and Hardwired. Feels genuinely authentic. And I even like James's occasionally dissonant vocals. But would I rate it off the bottom? I don't know.
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Most of Kirk's leads sound like afterthoughts to be fair.
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Most of Kirk's leads sound like afterthoughts to be fair.
Sad but true :D
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The Black Album. Justice, Puppets, and Lightning might be better, but I've always had TBA as my favourite. It was my introduction to the band (I was 10 years old when it was released), and it was the only Metallica album I listened to before I discovered their earlier stuff a few years later. So it may be a lot of nostalgia in my choice, but it also has a lot of great stuff on it. And I don't consider them being a "sell out" with that album at all. They had gone as far as they could with Justice, and now they wanted to streamline their music. Kudos to them for not wanting to do the same album over and over again.
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Somebody takes a shit on a piece of paper and hangs it on a wall. Oh but it was the most SINCERE shit ever taken therefore it is ART.
Yes, actually.
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All kidding aside, Death Magnetic and Hardwired...To Self Destruct are both great as far as I'm concerned.
I've still never heard a single note of St. Anger, but it's in my listening queue now so I'll see what all the fuss is about
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All kidding aside, Death Magnetic and Hardwired...To Self Destruct are both great as far as I'm concerned.
I've still never heard a single note of St. Anger, but it's in my listening queue now so I'll see what all the fuss is about
Agreed with your top line there. I LOVED Death Magnetic when it came out (mastering and all), and even now, ten years later, it sounds incredibly fresh to my ears.
Hardwired has 4 or 5 amazing songs, and a few that are kind of a slog to get through, but it's up there as well.
The potency of the band's late-career output is pretty astounding as far as I'm concerned.
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R T L
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All kidding aside, Death Magnetic and Hardwired...To Self Destruct are both great as far as I'm concerned.
I've still never heard a single note of St. Anger, but it's in my listening queue now so I'll see what all the fuss is about
For what it's worth, I thought the studio album was shit, just like everybody else. The bonus DVD that came along with it was them playing it live in their rehearsal studio, and it actually wasn't bad at all. Less clanging, and a little more jam atmosphere made a big difference.
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Listened to St. Anger this morning just for shits and giggles. As much as I will admit it's far from their best album, it's not that bad. Yes most of the songs could do with trimming and James' lyrics are among the worst he's ever written (partly because he has written some fucking badass lyrics!) but come on.
So many people shit on this album but it's not that frigging bad. I for one have never personally been bothered by the snare. I count myself as lucky as I know some people can't get past that.
Comparing it to their 2000s studio albums, I'd rank Death Magnetic>St. Anger>Hardwired. I really love half of the songs on DM, the other half are quite forgettable. St. Anger has some great moments, amongst all the questionable bits. Hardwired does pretty much nothing for me. I've given it many listens since it was released and just can't get into it. If I had to pick a studio album to never listen to again, Hardwired would be it.
The potency of the band's late-career output is pretty astounding as far as I'm concerned.
I know it's old hat to compare Metallica with Megadeth, but if you compare both bands 2000s output then Metallica's is mediocre at best, whilst Megadeth's is truly astounding to me!
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No, I'm listening now and I can definitely understand why this album generates the reactions it generates. That's got to be easily the worst snare sound I have ever heard on a professionally produced studio recording. What the hell were they thinking? :facepalm:
I feel like this could have been such a better album with cooler mastering, a better snare sound and some fucking guitar solos. I don't really listen to Metallica for thought-provoking lyrics so I don't care much about that end of it. The production is strange, though because it comes in such close proximity to what I believe is their best-sounding album, sonically speaking.
Such a squandered opportunity.
Agree that the songs could use some editing too.
Most of the criticism I've read over the years about this album seems pretty valid after hearing it.
Did they record this live in the studio? Anyone?
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I feel like with St. Anger they went for the nu metal grittiness of a Slipknot, but hey Korn are also quite big and they have a bit of an industrial touch almost, so let's make our album sound like Lars is beating oil drums in a factory, and also guitar solos aren't cool anymore because the current big metal bands aren't really doing them, so let's write 3 minute songs without solos but stretch them out to 7 minutes.
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I feel like with St. Anger they went for the nu metal grittiness of a Slipknot, but hey Korn are also quite big and they have a bit of an industrial touch almost, so let's make our album sound like Lars is beating oil drums in a factory, and also guitar solos aren't cool anymore because the current big metal bands aren't really doing them, so let's write 3 minute songs without solos but stretch them out to 7 minutes.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
This may be over simplifying the snare decision, but the biggest metal band (arguably) at the time, literally had a percussionist who played an oil drum. I feel St Anger was the first studio album they had ever recorded, where they were on the back foot. Load and Reload hadn't been received as well as the Black Album, and there was a new trend in metal that was selling, and they were not at the forefront of it at all. This may have been the first time where they attempted to follow a current trend (that they maybe didn't fully get), which lead to the questionable choices they made. I personally can't help but think those choices were ultimately coming from Lars.
I guess when St Anger bombed they essentially became a band that played it safe abd stuck to what they know works for them. But imagine being a band that went from strength to strength on each subsequent release, culminating in Black Album! They were the biggest metal band on the planet, still are, and they just probably felt they could do no wrong.
To be faced with the fact that you'd lost your edge somewhere along the way, and were not what the kids in the early 00s were listening to, must have been pretty sobering.
I've said for years, all I want from James Hetfield now is a solo album. That would excite me more than anything I think the band could release at this point.
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That's got to be easily the worst snare sound I have ever heard on a professionally produced studio recording.
*snip*
Agree that the songs could use some editing too.
These two issues were fixed by a band that made a cover of the entire album, with a soundalike as singer, streamlining some of the songs and cutting the fat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99nhdNnfm8
If you tolerate the album, I'd say this version is definitively worth checking. At the very least, St. Anger and The Unnamed Feeling.
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I think the sloppiness and raw production is necessary for St. Anger. I think re-recording it much cleaner and much tighter defeats the purpose.
It’s hard to argue against editing it down though.
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I downloaded most of the live versions of the songs they've played from Live Metallica dot com. The songs are much better that way. But the back to back of Reload and St. Anger is really a giant black hole of shit in their discography.
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I've said for years, all I want from James Hetfield now is a solo album. That would excite me more than anything I think the band could release at this point.
I'm with you on that; though I do have preconceived notions about it and my chances of being disappointed are therefore rather high.
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It'll be a country album anyway..
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It'll be a country album anyway..
I can't stand country, yet I'd still be down for it!
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I feel like with St. Anger they went for the nu metal grittiness of a Slipknot, but hey Korn are also quite big and they have a bit of an industrial touch almost, so let's make our album sound like Lars is beating oil drums in a factory, and also guitar solos aren't cool anymore because the current big metal bands aren't really doing them, so let's write 3 minute songs without solos but stretch them out to 7 minutes.
Frantic sounds like a System of a Down song. It's decent, the title track is passable and everything else just plain sucks.
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I downloaded most of the live versions of the songs they've played from Live Metallica dot com. The songs are much better that way. But the back to back to back of Load, Reload and St. Anger is really a giant black hole of shit in their discography.
FTFY
Honestly, I now understand why most people have a negative view of St. Anger. I heard a lot of potential but god the production is just swamp ass.
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Believe me, I rank Load at #8 out of their 10 albums, but I think it has a certain amount of quality to it. It was kind of jarring when it came out, but it seemed to be a logical extension on TBA. Not the extension I was looking for, but I do respect it.
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Yeah, I've got no use for it. "Turn the page-ah" "Whiskey in the Jarrr-oh" :lol Hard pass. Metallica is a good thrash band. As a band that plays whatever it is they were trying to play on Load and Reload, yeah, not so good.
But if you like it, that's cool man. I tried to get into both of those albums but just hated all of it.
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Yeah, I've got no use for it. "Turn the page-ah" "Whiskey in the Jarrr-oh" :lol Hard pass. Metallica is a good thrash band. As a band that plays whatever it is they were trying to play on Load and Reload, yeah, not so good.
But if you like it, that's cool man. I tried to get into both of those albums but just hated all of it.
Funny enough neither Turn the Page or Whiskey in the Jar are on Load ;)
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Yeah, I've got no use for it. "Turn the page-ah" "Whiskey in the Jarrr-oh" :lol Hard pass. Metallica is a good thrash band. As a band that plays whatever it is they were trying to play on Load and Reload, yeah, not so good.
But if you like it, that's cool man. I tried to get into both of those albums but just hated all of it.
Funny enough neither Turn the Page or Whiskey in the Jar are on Load ;)
Yeah, but they're from that era. And I strongly disliked everything they were doing at that point.
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Yeah, I've got no use for it. "Turn the page-ah" "Whiskey in the Jarrr-oh" :lol Hard pass. Metallica is a good thrash band. As a band that plays whatever it is they were trying to play on Load and Reload, yeah, not so good.
But if you like it, that's cool man. I tried to get into both of those albums but just hated all of it.
Funny enough neither Turn the Page or Whiskey in the Jar are on Load ;)
Yeah, but they're from that era. And I strongly disliked everything they were doing at that point.
Those were cover songs on Garage Inc. which is pretty damn different.
I love Load, it's one of my favourite Metallica albums.
Garage Inc... eh, kind of fun I guess but not very interesting.
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Yeah, I've got no use for it. "Turn the page-ah" "Whiskey in the Jarrr-oh" :lol Hard pass. Metallica is a good thrash band. As a band that plays whatever it is they were trying to play on Load and Reload, yeah, not so good.
But if you like it, that's cool man. I tried to get into both of those albums but just hated all of it.
Funny enough neither Turn the Page or Whiskey in the Jar are on Load ;)
Yeah, but they're from that era. And I strongly disliked everything they were doing at that point.
I actually quite like Load (and to a slightly lesser extent Reload) but I'm with you on those two songs. Whiskey in the Jar especially falls under that category of "I cant believe people like this" for me.
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Yeah, I honestly have zero use for anything they released after the black album. So I don't know which songs are on which albums. I just have no use for any of it. Their thrash stuff is great though
The last two albums were a nice return to the style I prefer from Metallica
Some bands should just stay in their lane. To me, Metallica is the quintessential example of a band that's only really good at one style: thrash
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Yeah, I honestly have zero use for anything they released after the black album. So I don't know which songs are on which albums. I just have no use for any of it. Their thrash stuff is great though
The last two albums were a nice return to the style I prefer from Metallica
Some bands should just stay in their lane. To me, Metallica is the quintessential example of a band that's only really good at one style: thrash
Shouldn't Black Album be included in the stuff you have no use for then? There's not much thrash on that at all
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By the way, count me among those who would LOVE to hear a solo album from James Hetfield.
Especially if it featured NO ONE ELSE from Metallica
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Yeah, I honestly have zero use for anything they released after the black album. So I don't know which songs are on which albums. I just have no use for any of it. Their thrash stuff is great though
The last two albums were a nice return to the style I prefer from Metallica
Some bands should just stay in their lane. To me, Metallica is the quintessential example of a band that's only really good at one style: thrash
Shouldn't Black Album be included in the stuff you have no use for then? There's not much thrash on that at all
Well, no, I get that it's not very thrashy, but it's still a fairly good album. I put it at or near the bottom of the pack, though.
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I thought they did a great job with Turn The Page, and especially Whiskey In the Jar. I mean, they're from a cover album, which I suppose is only as good as the songs they cover. But they also covered Mercyful Fate, Rainbpow, Blue Oyster Cult...I forget who else.
And Whiskey In The Jar is freaking awesome, especially when played in Ireland!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MNdOCQYOL8
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Load and Garage are pretty much the only Metallica albums I ever play these days.
(I did do a couple days retrospective after watching Murder In The Front Row recently, tho, but won't be doing again in a hurry)
Sign me up for a Hetfield album
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I thought they did a great job with Turn The Page, and especially Whiskey In the Jar. I mean, they're from a cover album, which I suppose is only as good as the songs they cover. But they also covered Mercyful Fate, Rainbpow, Blue Oyster Cult...I forget who else.
And Whiskey In The Jar is freaking awesome, especially when played in Ireland!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MNdOCQYOL8
Rainbow???
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Wasn't the Ronnie Rising medley on that?
*checks*
Nope..carry on. ;D
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I have already done the mental exercise of imagining what my relationship with Metallica would be like if the band had remained forever as a purely Thrash band.
Considering that there are no exclusively Thrash bands that I really follow closely, it is quite likely that Metallica would be such a band for me.
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I remember listening to a remixed cut of Some Kind of Monster a while back, and it was shortened, but the production reminded me more of their recent albums, and I thought it sounded WAYYY better than Stanger's production, and I think the drums sounded real. I'd check out the whole album if it had the more modern mix.
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Also, poor Reload.
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Also, poor Reload.
Yeah, I bet those that rate it high picked Load in its place. Those 2 could have been a combined option.
AJFA for me, grew up with it and have never heard anything like it since.
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Fact:
The Black Album > ...And Justice for All
:hat :hat
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Fact:
The Black Album > ...And Justice for All
:hat :hat
Don’t Tread on Me would like a word.
What a dumb song. I’d rather listen to a 10hr Lulu marathon.
:angel: :xbones :yarr :metal
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Don't Tread On Me is great! :metal :metal
For me, the magic in the Black Album is really found in the deep cuts. Don't Tread On Me, The God That Failed, Of Wolf and Man and My Friend of Misery are all killer tunes.
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Don't Tread On Me is great! :metal :metal
For me, the magic in the Black Album is really found in the deep cuts. Don't Tread On Me, The God That Failed, Of Wolf and Man and My Friend of Misery are all killer tunes.
Yeah, I agree. And Through The Never! :metal
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And of course The Struggle Within. :metal
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I remember listening to a remixed cut of Some Kind of Monster a while back, and it was shortened, but the production reminded me more of their recent albums, and I thought it sounded WAYYY better than Stanger's production, and I think the drums sounded real. I'd check out the whole album if it had the more modern mix.
This is the Edit version found on the SKOM single from 2004. It's about four minutes and remixed. It's pretty awesome
Yeah, I bet those that rate it high picked Load in its place. Those 2 could have been a combined option.
Not for me. I chose Load because it's my favorite. Slightly bloated toward the end but has more GREAT songs than any other Metallica album. Until it Sleeps, Outlaw, Hero, Bleeding Me, King Nothing are all top tier songs. The lyrics on this album really speak to me. They've become "true" for me over the past few years. I see them in a different light now than when they came out, which make them more powerful for me personally. Absolutely love this album.
Reload, on the other hand, is good for about four songs then takes a huge drop in quality. Fixxxer at the end is great, Low Man is pretty good, and I like Bad Seed (which in no way am I saying it's a great song). Reload is probably dead last for me. Maybe St Anger.
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Garage Inc is one of Metallica's best albums, period! It sounds great, and the songs :heart
I remember having a holiday in Scotland with my first girlfriend, when I first got into the band. I exclusively listened to that album (as I'd just discovered it) for the entire week. I just fell in love. The Mercyful Fate medley is a particular highlight. I said it somewhere before but their 90s output was amazing, but because of Garage Inc and S&M, at least for me.
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I assume it's down to "we know best" but a twenty minute EP of original bangers (no bloat and get someone to mix it who can make it sound like Garage) followed by an EP of new covers would excite me.
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For me, the magic in the Black Album is really found in the deep cuts. Don't Tread On Me, The God That Failed, Of Wolf and Man and My Friend of Misery are all killer tunes.
I disagree. Of all of the band's discography, I think that TBA has the least memorable deep cuts - not necessarily the worst, but the ones I feel least inclined to revesit.
Except MFOM. That song is so good. :metal
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Every single song on The Black Album is a banger, I love all of them.
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For me, the magic in the Black Album is really found in the deep cuts. Don't Tread On Me, The God That Failed, Of Wolf and Man and My Friend of Misery are all killer tunes.
I disagree. Of all of the band's discography, I think that TBA has the least memorable deep cuts - not necessarily the worst, but the ones I feel least inclined to revesit.
Except MFOM. That song is so good. :metal
Well, the deep cuts from TBA was integral in making me a fan, so that is a factor here for me. I think I have told this story before, but here goes again: I never cared for Metallica except for Wherever I May Roam until the mid 90's, shortly before the release of Load. But I kept hearing Enter Sandman at Blues hockey games (at the time, it was often used as songs over the arena during stoppages and commercials), and it kind of hit me finally like, "Okay, that is a good song," which I mentioned to my younger brother who had TBA on CD, and he proceeded to play for me Don't Tread On Me and the last four songs from the record (all five are deep cuts), all of which knocked my socks off and I became a fan that very day.
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It'll be a country album anyway..
That's what I'm hoping for. That's what I meant with "preconceived notions". Lot's of acoustic guitars augmented with electric... sort of a modern day Lynyrd Skynyrd. An album of "Tuesday's Gone"'s and "Simple Man"'s. Seriously.
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It'll be a country album anyway..
That's what I'm hoping for. That's what I meant with "preconceived notions". Lot's of acoustic guitars augmented with electric... sort of a modern day Lynyrd Skynyrd. An album of "Tuesday's Gone"'s and "Simple Man"'s. Seriously.
Stop turning me on!
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"Gay for Hetfield"
Steel Panther's next hit
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None other than Nergal from Behemoth (black metal) did a country album as a side project.
Check how cool this song is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOZe8Ubfa3w
Something like that in Hetfield's style, with his dark lyrics and voice? OH YES.
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By the way, count me among those who would LOVE to hear a solo album from James Hetfield.
Especially if it featured NO ONE ELSE from Metallica
Call me crazy but being that he writes all the music, and plays all the guitars minus (most of) the solos- I bet
Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
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Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
Eh, I can't go nearly that far. Yes, that 4-album run was great, but it was only 4 albums, and plenty of bands have had great 7-year runs and been far more prolific and with just as high a quality. Granted, 4 albums in 7 years IS prolific for Metallica, giving that they have released a whopping 10 studio albums in nearly 40 years (stand back, everyone!! :lol :lol), 11 if you want to count that monstrosity with Lou Reed, but it just doesn't stack up to other runs.
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Iron Maiden 1981-1988 is the greatest seven years in the history of mankind.
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Except that is 8 years, not 7.
And now that I think about it, Ride the Lightning through TBA is 8 years as well (1984-1991), not 7, so the fail is strong here. :lol
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Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
Eh, I can't go nearly that far. Yes, that 4-album run was great, but it was only 4 albums, and plenty of bands have had great 7-year runs and been far more prolific and with just as high a quality.
I agree 4 albums in 7 years isn’t exactly prolific from an output standpoint, but who matches that run when you combine influence, sales, quality of music, growth, etc. If you include their literal non-stop touring in that time it ups their status even more.
So, I guess, sure there are bands who put out more “hits” in that amount of time, but when you look at that run as a whole package, you’re getting into rare territory...Beatles, Michael Jackson, maybe Zep, maybe Floyd (although both of those last two are debatable).
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So, I guess, sure there are bands who put out more “hits” in that amount of time, but when you look at that run as a whole package, you’re getting into rare territory...Beatles, Michael Jackson, maybe Zep, maybe Floyd (although both of those last two are debatable).
What's crazy is Michael Jackson didn't even tour for Thriller. He played one show in 1983, spent over 2.5 years recording Bad and didn't do another concert until 1987. Now, look at Metallica. Puppets comes out in 1986. They support the album with almost 150 shows in the next 2 years. And, that's with taking time off due to Cliff's death. Justice comes out in 1988 and they perform about 250 shows over the next 2 years. They take off most of 1990 for some much-needed rest. Then, they put out Metallica and proceed to tour it over the next 3 years with about 350 shows. That's insane.
Sure, MJ had the hysteria of a Beatles or whatever boy band there's been in the past 40 years and obviously had the album sales. His is also a much more accessible type of music. Metallica write and record all their own material (MJ didn't even write 1/2 of the songs on Thriller), didn't have a music video for the first 5-6 years of their existence and tour like fucking lunatics in sold-out arenas worldwide. James breaks his arm during one tour and gets set on fire during another tour. They reschedule a bit, slap a cast on James and get John Marshall to play rhythm guitar. Like 'em or not, for what they've put out and what goes on in their world, Metallica has got to be one of the most, if not THE, most prolific hard-rock/metal band of all-time.
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I might be incorrect but I only think of prolific in terms of putting out albums.
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Yep, prolific is not a word I would ever use to describe Metallica. 10 studio albums in nearly 40 years is prolific? Not really. Sure, if you want to throw in the covers, the Lulu debacle and S&M thing, we can fudge the numbers a little to make their case not so egregious, but there are tons of hard rock and metal bands who, while not as successful in the mainstream, have been far more prolific. Hard-working? Given all of the touring they have done over the years, for sure, but just not a prolific band when it comes to the amount of new music they have written and recorded as a band on their own.
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They were prolific up until the Black Album, and the five years gap with Load is forgiven by three years of touring. From Garage Inc onwards, the pace with studio album has been so slooooow.
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What's crazy is Michael Jackson didn't even tour for Thriller. He played one show in 1983, spent over 2.5 years recording Bad and didn't do another concert until 1987. Now, look at Metallica. Puppets comes out in 1986. They support the album with almost 150 shows in the next 2 years. And, that's with taking time off due to Cliff's death. Justice comes out in 1988 and they perform about 250 shows over the next 2 years. They take off most of 1990 for some much-needed rest. Then, they put out Metallica and proceed to tour it over the next 3 years with about 350 shows. That's insane.
AJFA went 8 Platinum in the USA. It was a huge seller. I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets (6 Platinum) since it has only one HIT - One.
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By the way, count me among those who would LOVE to hear a solo album from James Hetfield.
Especially if it featured NO ONE ELSE from Metallica
Call me crazy but being that he writes all the music, and plays all the guitars minus (most of) the solos- I bet
Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
I don't think I'm being contrarian when I say I can name about ten bands that who have beef with that statement.
- Pink Floyd (1972-1979)
- Led Zeppelin (1969-1976, basically all their studio out put save "In Through The Out Door")
- Black Sabbath (1970-1977)
- Queen (1973-1980)
- Maiden (1981-1988)
- Kiss (1974-1981)
- Rush (1975-1982)
- Van Halen (1978-1985)
- Aerosmith (1973-1980)
If you want to get out of rock/metal:
- U2 (1984-1991)
- REM (1983-1990, or 1985-1992, depending)
- Elton John (1970-1977)
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Iron Maiden 1981-1988 is the greatest seven years in the history of mankind.
- Maiden (1981-1988)
1980?
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We're talking about 7 years, and Seventh Son must be included, so it's 1981-88 rather than 1980-87 :D
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We're talking about 7 years, and Seventh Son must be includes, so it's 1981-88 rather than 1980-87 :D
OK.
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Except that 1981-1988 is eight years. :lol :P
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My favorite is the Black album.
If AJFA was mixed worth a fuck, that might be it.
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Except that 1981-1988 is eight years. :lol :P
If someone is born in 1981, in 1988 he'll say he's seven. 1981+7 equals 1988. I know that that initial year counts, but generally speaking, one can be forgiven for considering that timeframe seven years :D
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
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Look, smart alecks, I banged that out in about 3 minutes. I took the first year and added seven. TECHNICALLY that is, in fact, eight years. For some of the acts that matters, for others it doesn't. If it bothers you, minus one year from the front or back. If it doesn't take the larger point that even though the Metallica run IS good, it's one of many.
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
Now it’s famous. But then? Was it all over the radio? Did it chart well as a single?
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Ride the Lightning
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
It was a single that never charted. Not a hit.
Pretty simple, really.
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
Define "hit."
While I wait for you to do that, I'll point out that "One" was Metallica's first top 40 hit single, reaching #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and it was #1 in Finland and in the top 10 in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden (and was #9 on the Eurochart Hot 100)). Three separate single versions have been certified Gold by the RIAA, and the longform video 2 of One was certified Platinum.
By contrast, "Master of Puppets," while earning a Gold certification a quarter century after its release, never charted anywhere.
Of course, your original point was that you were surprised AJFA outsold MOP "since it has only one HIT." Even if one were to accept "Master" as a "hit," then that album would also have "only one HIT." Right?
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If someone is born in 1981, in 1988 he'll say he's seven. 1981+7 equals 1988. I know that that initial year counts, but generally speaking, one can be forgiven for considering that timeframe seven years :D
:biggrin:
Look, smart alecks, I banged that out in about 3 minutes. I took the first year and added seven. TECHNICALLY that is, in fact, eight years. For some of the acts that matters, for others it doesn't. If it bothers you, minus one year from the front or back. If it doesn't take the larger point that even though the Metallica run IS good, it's one of many.
For me, being a smart aleck is a genetic thing, apologies. :hat
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pg1067: puts up valid argument and waits for WildRanger to respond...
WildRanger: Starts new thread/poll titled - 'Are Van Halen overrated?'
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If someone is born in 1981, in 1988 he'll say he's seven. 1981+7 equals 1988. I know that that initial year counts, but generally speaking, one can be forgiven for considering that timeframe seven years :D
:biggrin:
Look, smart alecks, I banged that out in about 3 minutes. I took the first year and added seven. TECHNICALLY that is, in fact, eight years. For some of the acts that matters, for others it doesn't. If it bothers you, minus one year from the front or back. If it doesn't take the larger point that even though the Metallica run IS good, it's one of many.
For me, being a smart aleck is a genetic thing, apologies. :hat
Oh, it's fine. I should have put a string of smileys on the end. It's all good; we're talking about music we love. :)
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Oh, it's fine. I should have put a string of smileys on the end. It's all good; we're talking about music we love. :)
Haha, exactly. :tup :tup
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
It was a single that never charted. Not a hit.
Pretty simple, really.
It was not a HIT chart-wise, but it's arguably their most popular 80's song.
And Guns n'Roses' "Knocking on the Heaven's Door" didn't chart in the US, but it's a super popular song regardless of that. Same applies to Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love".
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
It was not a HIT chart-wise.
There you go.
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
It was a single that never charted. Not a hit.
Pretty simple, really.
It was not a HIT chart-wise, but it's arguably their most popular 80's song.
So...????
Let's get back to your original statement: You expressed surprise that AJFA has outsold MOP because AJFA had "only one HIT - One." So what does AJFA having "only one HIT" -- as compared to MOP, which had zero hits -- have to do with the relative sales of the two albums?
When I initially pointed out that MOP had zero "hits," you asked, "How is the title track not a hit?" In the music world, the term "hit" has a relatively well-understood meaning. However, you didn't define what you meant by "hit" (and you still haven't done so).
Now that I and others have explained how "Master of Puppets" is not a "hit," you seem to be changing your focus to "Master of Puppets'" status as a "popular 80's [sic] song."
But now I have no idea what point you're trying to make. Are you expressing surprise that AJFA has outsold MOP based on "Master of Puppets" being "arguably their most popular 80's [sic] song"? Are you abandoning your premise that was based on "One's" status as the only "hit" on AJFA? Do you even have a point?
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Do you even have a point?
He never has had one. It's all bullshit. :tup
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I'm surprised it has outsold Master of Puppets . . . since it has only one HIT - One.
As opposed to Master, which had zero hits.
How is the title track not a hit?
It was a single that never charted. Not a hit.
Pretty simple, really.
It was not a HIT chart-wise, but it's arguably their most popular 80's song.
Do you even have a point?
Not really, no :lol
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By the way, count me among those who would LOVE to hear a solo album from James Hetfield.
Especially if it featured NO ONE ELSE from Metallica
Call me crazy but being that he writes all the music, and plays all the guitars minus (most of) the solos- I bet
Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
I don't think I'm being contrarian when I say I can name about ten bands that who have beef with that statement.
- Pink Floyd (1972-1979)
- Led Zeppelin (1969-1976, basically all their studio out put save "In Through The Out Door")
- Black Sabbath (1970-1977)
- Queen (1973-1980)
- Maiden (1981-1988)
- Kiss (1974-1981)
- Rush (1975-1982)
- Van Halen (1978-1985)
- Aerosmith (1973-1980)
If you want to get out of rock/metal:
- U2 (1984-1991)
- REM (1983-1990, or 1985-1992, depending)
- Elton John (1970-1977)
So, I guess if you're strictly speaking in contemporary success DURING those years a lot of those bands come out ahead.
But because I'm also talking about influence, artistic growth, I'm viewing this through 2021 eyes (and ears) I include commercial success. Black Album, as far as I'm aware, is the highest selling album of the last 30 years. Their output during that time still averages 6-8 million sales in the US alone, and STILL charting. That alone knocks out about half of the bands you listed right away. Once you start talking influence (like leading, defining, and bringing an entire genre to the mainstream), that knocks out quite a few of the U2/REM type bands.
You're also being prrrretty generous with those dates. Was Joe Perry even in Aerosmith by 1979?? Love Sabbath, but they peaked early and were on the artistic/commercial downslide after Vol 4. Not even Gene Simmons liked KISS in '79-81. Metallica on the other hand (whether you like the direction they took or not) had increasingly higher charting albums culminating with the #1 Black Album (and have easily secured #1 albums on every release since).
-
By the way, count me among those who would LOVE to hear a solo album from James Hetfield.
Especially if it featured NO ONE ELSE from Metallica
Call me crazy but being that he writes all the music, and plays all the guitars minus (most of) the solos- I bet
Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
I don't think I'm being contrarian when I say I can name about ten bands that who have beef with that statement.
- Pink Floyd (1972-1979)
- Led Zeppelin (1969-1976, basically all their studio out put save "In Through The Out Door")
- Black Sabbath (1970-1977)
- Queen (1973-1980)
- Maiden (1981-1988)
- Kiss (1974-1981)
- Rush (1975-1982)
- Van Halen (1978-1985)
- Aerosmith (1973-1980)
If you want to get out of rock/metal:
- U2 (1984-1991)
- REM (1983-1990, or 1985-1992, depending)
- Elton John (1970-1977)
So, I guess if you're strictly speaking in contemporary success DURING those years a lot of those bands come out ahead.
But because I'm also talking about influence, artistic growth, I'm viewing this through 2021 eyes (and ears) I include commercial success. Black Album, as far as I'm aware, is the highest selling album of the last 30 years. Their output during that time still averages 6-8 million sales in the US alone, and STILL charting. That alone knocks out about half of the bands you listed right away. Once you start talking influence (like leading, defining, and bringing an entire genre to the mainstream), that knocks out quite a few of the U2/REM type bands.
You're also being prrrretty generous with those dates. Was Joe Perry even in Aerosmith by 1979?? Love Sabbath, but they peaked early and were on the artistic/commercial downslide after Vol 4. Not even Gene Simmons liked KISS in '79-81. Metallica on the other hand (whether you like the direction they took or not) had increasingly higher charting albums culminating with the #1 Black Album (and have easily secured #1 albums on every release since).
Well, if we're talking about "sales of The Black Album", well, it cuts my list down, but adds others; Def Leppard had two diamond records in a row (Pyromania and Hysteria). Float in High 'n' Dry and you've got your competition right there. Joe Perry played on about three quarters of Night In The Ruts, in '79. You're short changing Sabbath, leaving out Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (arguably their best, if not most iconic, record) and Sabotage. You're right about Kiss in '81, but from '76-ish to late '79 they were the biggest band in the world, bar none.
No argument about the influence of REM; that's one of my knocks on the band; for all their success and fame at the time, they didn't spawn a ton of copy-cats, like most of the other bands I listed. Oh, and as for direction, I LOVED the direction Metallica took; my beef isn't with that, it's where they started. RTL and MOP are great GENRE records, but they aren't great CROSS-GENRE records, if that makes sense.
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By the way, count me among those who would LOVE to hear a solo album from James Hetfield.
Especially if it featured NO ONE ELSE from Metallica
Call me crazy but being that he writes all the music, and plays all the guitars minus (most of) the solos- I bet
Anyways, this is really hard- Ride the Lightning through the Black Album is probably the greatest 7 year run of any band this side of the Beatles. They’ve truly earned every penny they have. I would choose any of those albums as my favorite, just depends on the day.
I don't think I'm being contrarian when I say I can name about ten bands that who have beef with that statement.
- Pink Floyd (1972-1979)
- Led Zeppelin (1969-1976, basically all their studio out put save "In Through The Out Door")
- Black Sabbath (1970-1977)
- Queen (1973-1980)
- Maiden (1981-1988)
- Kiss (1974-1981)
- Rush (1975-1982)
- Van Halen (1978-1985)
- Aerosmith (1973-1980)
If you want to get out of rock/metal:
- U2 (1984-1991)
- REM (1983-1990, or 1985-1992, depending)
- Elton John (1970-1977)
So, I guess if you're strictly speaking in contemporary success DURING those years a lot of those bands come out ahead.
But because I'm also talking about influence, artistic growth, I'm viewing this through 2021 eyes (and ears) I include commercial success. Black Album, as far as I'm aware, is the highest selling album of the last 30 years. Their output during that time still averages 6-8 million sales in the US alone, and STILL charting. That alone knocks out about half of the bands you listed right away. Once you start talking influence (like leading, defining, and bringing an entire genre to the mainstream), that knocks out quite a few of the U2/REM type bands.
You're also being prrrretty generous with those dates. Was Joe Perry even in Aerosmith by 1979?? Love Sabbath, but they peaked early and were on the artistic/commercial downslide after Vol 4. Not even Gene Simmons liked KISS in '79-81. Metallica on the other hand (whether you like the direction they took or not) had increasingly higher charting albums culminating with the #1 Black Album (and have easily secured #1 albums on every release since).
Well, if we're talking about "sales of The Black Album", well, it cuts my list down, but adds others; Def Leppard had two diamond records in a row (Pyromania and Hysteria). Float in High 'n' Dry and you've got your competition right there. Joe Perry played on about three quarters of Night In The Ruts, in '79. You're short changing Sabbath, leaving out Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (arguably their best, if not most iconic, record) and Sabotage. You're right about Kiss in '81, but from '76-ish to late '79 they were the biggest band in the world, bar none.
No argument about the influence of REM; that's one of my knocks on the band; for all their success and fame at the time, they didn't spawn a ton of copy-cats, like most of the other bands I listed. Oh, and as for direction, I LOVED the direction Metallica took; my beef isn't with that, it's where they started. RTL and MOP are great GENRE records, but they aren't great CROSS-GENRE records, if that makes sense.
Yes I’d include “sales of the Black Album” but you also gotta look at the total package. Yes, Def Leppard had two massive albums back to back but then you run into the issue of influence. As far as Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, a fine album indeed but I wouldn’t call it their most “iconic”. Cracks were definitely showing in Sabotage and I don’t think that record ever went platinum in the 70s.
I’d argue RTL and MOP are important, less because they are cross genre albums but because they elevated “hardcore” Metal to a commercially relevant, viable genre in it’s own right. Songs like “Fade to Black” and “Welcome Home” are known and even appreciated by Metal and non metal fans alike. You could argue hair metal and the NWOBHM bands already cracked the door open, but Metallica kicked the whole door down.
I don’t know what my main point is here- I certainly don’t need to defend Metallica’s success. Basically, what I’m trying to get at is that when you consider everything as a whole (sales, influence, touring, artistic growth), be it 7 years or even their entire career Metallica is in that “ultra elite” category where only a handful of musical artists have ever reached and they definitely deserve to be in the same conversation as people like Dylan, Zeppelin, Floyd etc
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I had to stop for a while to think about which one to vote for here, since in my book the first four albums are all masterpieces. Kill 'em All is fascinating, because it pretty much is the start of thrash metal and arguably also in that sense of extreme metal in general (yes, you could and probably should give Venom some credit in this regard as well, but Venom did not have those TIGHT riffs that Hetfield wrote). Ride the Lightning, then, is a huge leap forward in production and quality. Master of Puppets has some filler but the good songs are godly. Ended up voting for And Justice this time, because lately I've been drawn to it's ultra dry production and pretty weird songs. Could probably change my vote tomorrow though to some of the other ones, it depends on the day.
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Thread inspired me to go through the band's albums, and despite what I've recently wrote about St Anger, I have gained a *very small* new appreciation for the album. I still don't care for Load. Only a few songs I like. Hardwired kicks ass, though. Their best album since TBA. What else can you expect from these guys?