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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: nick_z on September 10, 2023, 09:05:34 AM
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I suspect something like this has been done more than once over the years, but I thought what the heck, it's a rainy Sunday morning...saw this same question recently on Classic Rock magazine FB page or something:
What are some of your favorite back-to-back albums in pop/rock/metal or whatever else?
I'll start with the house band:
Dream Theater - "Images and Words" and "Awake"
Then a few "classics":
Rush - "Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures"
Metallica - "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets"
Iron Maiden - "The Number of the Beast" and "Piece of Mind"
...and a few more:
Queensryche - "Rage for Order" and "Operation: Mindcrime"
Paradise Lost - "Icon" and "Draconian Times"
Fates Warning - "Parallels" and "Inside Out"
Marillion - "Clutching at Straws" and "Seasons End" (a case could be made for "Misplaced Childhood" and "Clutching...")
Ozzy Osbourne - "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman"
dredg - "El Cielo" and "Catch Without Arms"
Amorphis - "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" and "Elegy"
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DT - SDOIT // TOT // 8VM (trio but still)
Neal Morse - One // ? (really from Testimony through Sola Scriptura)
Thrice - The Alchemy Index // Beggars
dredg - Catch Without Arms // The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Cloudkicker - Beacons // Let Yourself Be Huge
The Warning - Queen of the Murder Scene // ERROR
System of a Down - Toxicity // Steal This Album!
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication // By the Way
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory // Meteora
Rush - Permanent Waves // Moving Pictures
Devin Townsend Project - Ghost // Epicloud
Frost* - Milliontown // Experiments in Mass Appeal
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DT - SDOIT // TOT // 8VM (trio but still)
Neal Morse - One // ? (really from Testimony through Sola Scriptura)
Thrice - The Alchemy Index // Beggars
dredg - Catch Without Arms // The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Cloudkicker - Beacons // Let Yourself Be Huge
The Warning - Queen of the Murder Scene // ERROR
System of a Down - Toxicity // Steal This Album!
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication // By the Way
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory // Meteora
Rush - Permanent Waves // Moving Pictures
Devin Townsend Project - Ghost // Epicloud
Frost* - Milliontown // Experiments in Mass Appeal
Good stuff...for SOAD, I would go more for S/T // Toxicity myself. Thrice have some good ones too...probably Artist//Vheissu for me. Good call on Linkin Park too...those two records were very much "of their time" when they came out, but they hold up incredibly well after all these years.
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DT - SDOIT // TOT // 8VM (trio but still)
Neal Morse - One // ? (really from Testimony through Sola Scriptura)
Thrice - The Alchemy Index // Beggars
dredg - Catch Without Arms // The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Cloudkicker - Beacons // Let Yourself Be Huge
The Warning - Queen of the Murder Scene // ERROR
System of a Down - Toxicity // Steal This Album!
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication // By the Way
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory // Meteora
Rush - Permanent Waves // Moving Pictures
Devin Townsend Project - Ghost // Epicloud
Frost* - Milliontown // Experiments in Mass Appeal
To me the dredg back to back albums would be El Cielo and Catch Without Arms. Completly agree on Cloudkicker and RHCP.
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I'll definitely echo Rush with PEW/MP, but also AFTK/HEMI as well. That whole group of four albums are pretty great IMO.
As for DT, I'd probably pick SFAM/SDOIT over IAW/Awake, but both are great. And I'd probably also throw in DOT/AVFTTOTW.
As for other bands, I'll offer up:
Big Big Train - English Electric Part One, English Electric Part Two
Spock's Beard - V, Snow
Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever, The Whirlwind
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, Deadwing
Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE, LTE 2 (is this cheating? :lol)
Kansas - Leftoverture, Point Of Know Return
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here
Queen - Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack
Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail, Wind And Wuthering
Yes - Fragile, Close To The Edge
I'm sure there's dozens more I could put but these were just some off the top of my head.
-Marc.
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To me the dredg back to back albums would be El Cielo and Catch Without Arms. Completly agree on Cloudkicker and RHCP.
Yep, I'm with you on that one (see above :))
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Most of mine have already been mentioned.
But I would add Savatage DWD/TWOM to the list. I know that this is where things started to go TSO, but I think both of these albums are better than any and all the actual TSO albums.
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I'll definitely echo Rush with PEW/MP, but also AFTK/HEMI as well. That whole group of four albums are pretty great IMO.
As for DT, I'd probably pick SFAM/SDOIT over IAW/Awake, but both are great. And I'd probably also throw in DOT/AVFTTOTW.
As for other bands, I'll offer up:
Big Big Train - English Electric Part One, English Electric Part Two
Spock's Beard - V, Snow
Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever, The Whirlwind
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, Deadwing
Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE, LTE 2 (is this cheating? :lol)
Kansas - Leftoverture, Point Of Know Return
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here
Queen - Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack
Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail, Wind And Wuthering
Yes - Fragile, Close To The Edge
I'm sure there's dozens more I could put but these were just some off the top of my head.
-Marc.
Good calls on Kansas and Porcupine Tree.
Pink Floyd and Yes too, obviously. Those are classics that I'd expect to see here (not a gigantic fan of either band, so I didn't mention them first...)
Most of mine have already been mentioned.
But I would add Savatage DWD/TWOM to the list. I know that this is where things started to go TSO, but I think both of these albums are better than any and all the actual TSO albums.
I'd go for Streets/Edge of Thorns, or Gutter Ballet/Streets, but those two you mention are good ones.
I'd have expected a Haken mention from you ;) I could go for a "The Mountain"//"Affinity" combo
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Wow. I totally missed that Haken hadn’t been mentioned.
I’d even go so far as to nominate BOTH Aquarius/Visions and The Mountain/Affinity. Their opening four albums are the best I can think of in progressive rock history. PoS might be a close second.
In fact, looking back again, I’m a bit surprised The Perfect Element/Remedy Lane hasn’t been brought up yet, so I will throw that in as well.
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I’m sure I’ll think of loads, but what comes to mind first is either In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 -> Good Apollo 1, or Good Apollo 1 -> Good Apollo 2. Either way, Coheed are the greatest band on the planet!
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Here's two pairs:
Train Of Thought / Octavarium
Addicted / Deconstruction
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Here's two pairs:
Train Of Thought / Octavarium
Addicted / Deconstruction
I’m kinda inclined to agree about Devy, but I can’t agree on Dream Theater. I’d say Octavarium/Systematic Chaos is a better choice.
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Here's two pairs:
Train Of Thought / Octavarium
Addicted / Deconstruction
I’m kinda inclined to agree about Devy, but I can’t agree on Dream Theater. I’d say Octavarium/Systematic Chaos is a better choice.
Wow. That’s a hot take. I think that exact album sequence (8V-SC) got my vote in another thread for biggest drop in quality between successive albums.
If I had to take any 2 album run of DTs, it would be IAW-Awake.
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To me the dredg back to back albums would be El Cielo and Catch Without Arms. Completly agree on Cloudkicker and RHCP.
I really should give El Cielo a proper listen when my roulette is over. I will say though, TPTPTD is a very important album from a time in my life where I was at a low point. El Cielo would have to really be a 10/10 album to make me switch that.
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Wow. I totally missed that Haken hadn’t been mentioned.
I’d even go so far as to nominate BOTH Aquarius/Visions and The Mountain/Affinity. Their opening four albums are the best I can think of in progressive rock history. PoS might be a close second.
In fact, looking back again, I’m a bit surprised The Perfect Element/Remedy Lane hasn’t been brought up yet, so I will throw that in as well.
Absolutely yes to TPE/RL...that's something I was going to mention later on.
I’m kinda inclined to agree about Devy, but I can’t agree on Dream Theater. I’d say Octavarium/Systematic Chaos is a better choice.
Wow. That’s a hot take. I think that exact album sequence (8V-SC) got my vote in another thread for biggest drop in quality between successive albums.
If I had to take any 2 album run of DTs, it would be IAW-Awake.
Hot take indeed, Luke :biggrin: I do actually enjoy SC - it is a fun album - but it does sit pretty low in my DT ranking.
I really should give El Cielo a proper listen when my roulette is over. I will say though, TPTPTD is a very important album from a time in my life where I was at a low point. El Cielo would have to really be a 10/10 album to make me switch that.
I love The Pariah too, but El Cielo is indeed fantastic - it blew me away when it came out. I am not sure I am into dredg as much as I used to (it doesn't help that they haven't done anything in ages), but that's a great streak of albums.
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Opeth - Still Life / Blackwater Park
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With 2 different singers on each album.
AC/DC
Back in Black
For Those About to Rock
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With 2 different singers on each album.
AC/DC
Back in Black
For Those About to Rock
If we’re talking AC/DC, Let There Be Rock/Powerage would be my sublime 1-2 punch. :metal
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Train of Thought is just one of my lowest ranked DT albums, it does nothing for me. It’s not that I necessarily LOVE SC either, it was just an example of two back to backs (that included Octavarium) that I prefer. My actual favourite back to back DT are probably I&W -> Awake followed closely by Scenes -> 6 Degrees. If SC didn’t exist then it’d be Octavarium -> Bc&SL (as I love that album).
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Marillion - Brave and Afraid of Sunlight. Don’t think it gets better than those two back to back.
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Ok.
DT: Dramatic Turn/DT12 (and hopefully View/DT16)
Muse: The Resistance/The 2nd Law
Yes: Fragile/CTTE and Drama/90125
Genesis: Nursery Cryme up until The Lamb and ATTWT/Duke
Gentle Giant: TP/TG / Free Hand
Hiromi: Place To Be/Voice
these are all I can think of right now
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While I like your 2 picks fir Muse. Mine 2 would be
Absolution & Black Holes and Revelations.
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some of my favorite back to back classics
warren zevon - warren zevon & excitable boy
father john misty - fear fun & i love you, honeybear
steely dan - aja & gaucho
caroline polachek - pang & desire, i want to turn into you
swans - the seer & to be kind
david bowie - low & heroes
king gizzard and the lizard wizard - ice, death, planets, lungs, mushrooms, and lava & laminated denim
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king gizzard and the lizard wizard - ice, death, planets, lungs, mushrooms, and lava & laminated denim
This, but also…
Paper Mache Dream Balloon -> Nonagon Infinity
Omnium Gatherum -> Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
Laminated Denim -> Changes
Changes -> PetroDragonic Apocalypse
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On top of those already mentioned:
Rage - Black in Mind and End of All Days
One day I'll have to make a topic to convert you all to one of the best german metal bands :metal :biggrin:
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king gizzard and the lizard wizard - ice, death, planets, lungs, mushrooms, and lava & laminated denim
This, but also…
Paper Mache Dream Balloon -> Nonagon Infinity
Omnium Gatherum -> Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
Laminated Denim -> Changes
Changes -> PetroDragonic Apocalypse
:angel: :angel: :angel:
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Draconian - Sovran & Under a Godless Veil
Dream Theater - SFAM & 6DOIT
Cult of Luna - Mariner & A Dawn To Fear
Haken - Virus & Fauna
U2 - War & The Unforgettable Fire
Redemption - The Origins of Ruin & Snowfall on Judgement Day
Evergrey - The Storm Within & The Atlantic
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U2 had a great 3 album run there.
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To me the dredg back to back albums would be El Cielo and Catch Without Arms. Completly agree on Cloudkicker and RHCP.
I really should give El Cielo a proper listen when my roulette is over. I will say though, TPTPTD is a very important album from a time in my life where I was at a low point. El Cielo would have to really be a 10/10 album to make me switch that.
Check it out when you can, I'd love to hear your take. Funny enough TPTPTD was also during a really low time in my life and back then I probably would've gone CWA -> Pariah but that opinion has changed over time.
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On top of those already mentioned:
Rage - Black in Mind and End of All Days
One day I'll have to make a topic to convert you all to one of the best german metal bands :metal :biggrin:
You wouldn't need to convert me :) I LOVE Rage. Indeed one of the best of that scene. Maybe you should run a discography thread ;)
If I were to pick another great back-to-back from them (my favorite), I'd go with The Missing Link//Black in Mind. TML is my favorite Rage album.
While I like your 2 picks fir Muse. Mine 2 would be
Absolution & Black Holes and Revelations.
My Muse back-to-back would be Origins of Symmetry // Absolution
I'm going to add another big favorite of mine that I haven't seen mentioned:
Nevermore - "Dreaming Neon Black" and "Dead Heart in a Dead World"
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With 2 different singers on each album.
AC/DC
Back in Black
For Those About to Rock
If we’re talking AC/DC, Let There Be Rock/Powerage would be my sublime 1-2 punch. :metal
Mine would be Powerage/Highway to Hell. My two favorites AC/DC albums.
Marillion - Brave and Afraid of Sunlight. Don’t think it gets better than those two back to back.
This is certainly a good one. Afraid of Sunlight is just a bit below the albums in the run preceding it for me, so I gave precedence to others.
Opeth - Still Life / Blackwater Park
Yep, another tasty one
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Draconian - Sovran & Under a Godless Veil
This is definitely one of my top candidates, though A Rose For the Apocalypse is essentially tied with it in the other direction.
I'm going to add another big favorite of mine that I haven't seen mentioned:
Nevermore - "Dreaming Neon Black" and "Dead Heart in a Dead World"
I'd have picked DHIADW with Enemies of Reality or that one with This Godless Endeavor, but there are no bad choices there.
Also:
All Ends - s/t and A Road To Depression (their only two)
Autumn - My New Time and Altitude
Chelsea Wolfe - either combination of Pain Is Beauty, Abyss and Hiss Spun
Kingfisher Sky - Hallway of Dreams and Skin of the Earth
Mercenary - 11 Dreams and The Hours That Remain
Nightingale - either combination of Alive Again, Invisible and Nightfall Overture
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress and Holographic Universe
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Marillion was mentioned, but mine would be Misplaced Childhood/Clutching at Straws
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Revolver - Sgt Peppers.
Highway 61 - Blonde on Blonde.
Sticky Fingers - Exile on Main Street.
Out of Time - Automatic for the People.
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I'm going to add another big favorite of mine that I haven't seen mentioned:
Nevermore - "Dreaming Neon Black" and "Dead Heart in a Dead World"
I'd have picked some sequence of DHIADW with Enemies of Reality or that one with This Godless Endeavor, but there are no bad choices there.
This was an easy one for me, as I absolutely love Dreaming Neon Black (on certain days it's my favorite Nevermore) and, while I think it's still pretty great, I consider Enemies a bit lower in this run (even with the remix). But, yes, as you said it's a pretty impressive run of albums.
Also:
All Ends - s/t and A Road To Depression (their only two)
Autumn - My New Time and Altitude
Chelsea Wolfe - either combination of Pain Is Beauty, Abyss and Hiss Spun
Kingfisher Sky - Hallway of Dreams and Skin of the Earth
Mercenary - 11 Dreams and The Hours That Remain
Nightingale - either combination of Alive Again, Invisible and Nightfall Overture
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress and Holographic Universe
Plenty of good stuff. Still have to give All Ends a proper shot (I don't think their debut is available on streaming platforms)
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Marillion was mentioned, but mine would be Misplaced Childhood/Clutching at Straws
Yep, that was my runner-up back to back :)
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Marillion was mentioned, but mine would be Misplaced Childhood/Clutching at Straws
The only Marillion album I like is Script For A Jester's Tear..
AC/DC
Back in Black
For Those About to Rock
If we’re talking AC/DC, Let There Be Rock/Powerage would be my sublime 1-2 punch. :metal
Let There Be Rock is my favorite AC/DC album, so I would be on board with this.
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I consider Enemies a bit lower in this run (even with the remix). But, yes, as you said it's a pretty impressive run of albums.
My only issue with it is that it's so short compared to their others. Song for song it matches them for me.
Still have to give All Ends a proper shot (I don't think their debut is available on streaming platforms)
Yeah, it's not. All the songs are on Youtube, but you might have to hunt for them individually, and some of the best songs are bonus tracks that are annoyingly hard to find for some reason. If you're really interested I can send you links or even MP3s.
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Helloween-Keepers Pts 1 & 2
Accept-Balls To The Wall & Metal Heart
Armored Saint-Raising Fear & Symbol Of Salvation
Flotsam & Jetsam-No Place For Disgrace & When The Storm Comes Down
UFO-Force It & No Heavy Petting
Thin Lizzy-Renegade & Thunder And Lightning
Black Sabbath-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath & Sabotage
Dream Theater - "Images and Words" and "Awake"
Rush - "Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures"
Iron Maiden - "The Number of the Beast" and "Piece of Mind"
Fates Warning - "Parallels" and "Inside Out"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman"
Excellent picks.
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Oooooooo Fates Warning!!
Awaken the Guardian/No Exit AND APSOG/Disconnected
Steven Wilson - Raven/HCE
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Tim love your Black Sabbath picks.
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Helloween-Keepers Pts 1 & 2
Accept-Balls To The Wall & Metal Heart
Armored Saint-Raising Fear & Symbol Of Salvation
Flotsam & Jetsam-No Place For Disgrace & When The Storm Comes Down
UFO-Force It & No Heavy Petting
Thin Lizzy-Renegade & Thunder And Lightning
Black Sabbath-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath & Sabotage
No Restless and Wild for Accept, huh? It's my favorite album of theirs. And more recently I rediscovered how great Breaker is...maybe not quite as "developed" as other, later records, but I love it. So much so that I could go for Breaker & Restless and Wild.
As for Sabbath - my favorite is probably Paranoid, but SBS & Sabotage is a good pick as a back-to-back.
Flotsam & Jetsam - I don't have a super-deep knowledge of their discography, but no debut? I thought that's widely considered a classic?
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No Restless and Wild for Accept, huh? It's my favorite album of theirs. And more recently I rediscovered how great Breaker is...maybe not quite as "developed" as other, later records, but I love it. So much so that I could go for Breaker & Restless and Wild.
Breaker is sneaky excellent. Any Accept pairing will have Metal Heart. It's not only my favorite album of theirs, but it's one of my all time favorite albums by anyone. So it comes down to Balls and Russian Roulette. I love both of them, but Balls wins by a hair. Er.. :lol
Flotsam & Jetsam - I don't have a super-deep knowledge of their discography, but no debut? I thought that's widely considered a classic?
I freaking love Flotsam & Jetsam, and those 2 are easily my two favorite albums by them. I'd probably rank the debut right behind them. It's a great album, but maybe a tad overrated by the Jason Newsted factor.
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U2 had a great 3 album run there.
For U2, I'd go with The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby (not considering Rattle and Hum an album proper) but yeah, that's a good run for sure...
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U2 had a great 3 album run there.
Wrong thread fool.
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U2 had a great 3 album run there.
Wrong thread fool.
Metalhead concussion.
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We’d be remiss not to add The Dear Hunter - Act IV -> Act V
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We’d be remiss not to add The Dear Hunter - Act IV -> Act V
Excellent call
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literally cannot answer anything other than Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element I/Remedy Lane 'cause those are both nigh-flawless albums i love dearly to this day :lol
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I'm sure most of these have been mentioned already:
Black Sabbath - Heaven and hell and Mob Rules
Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry and Pyromania
Dio - Holy Diver and Last in Line
Dream Theater - I&W and Awake and SFAM and SDOIT
Fates Warning - Pick any two of Perfect Symmetry, Parallels, Inside Out and A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Helloween - Keeper 1 & 2
Iron Maiden - Any two of The Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Powerslave
Journey - Escape and Frontiers
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith
Kansas - Leftoverture and Point of Know Return
Metallica - Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets
Ozzy - Blizzard and Diary
Pat Benatar - Crimes of Passion and Precious Time
Queensryche - Any two of The Warning, Rage for Order and Operation: Mindcrime
Rainbow - Rising and Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Rush - Any two from 2112 through Signals
Scorpions - Taken by Force and Lovedrive or Blackout and Love at First Sting
Styx - The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight
Triumph - Any two of Allied Forces, Never Surrender and Thunder Seven
Yes - Any two from The Yes Album through Going for the One
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Black Sabbath - Heaven and hell and Mob Rules
Dio - Holy Diver and Last in Line
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith
Pat Benatar - Crimes of Passion and Precious Time
Scorpions - Taken by Force and Lovedrive or Blackout and Love at First Sting
I considered both Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.
I forgot to list Dio. I meant to.
Good call on Pat Benatar, but my pairing definitely included In The Heat Of The Night.
Excellent choices for the Scorps!
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One popped to mind was WASP - Headless Children and Crimson Idol.
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Iced Earth - Something Wicked/Horror Show
Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper
In Flames - Jester Race/Whoracle or Colony/Clayman
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Iced Earth - Something Wicked/Horror Show
In Flames - Jester Race/Whoracle or Colony/Clayman
There we go.
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Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper
In Flames - Colony/Clayman
Just came here to post the two Bodom albums. Couldn’t agree more about the second two In Flames as well. Honesty though, Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper are two of my top 25 all time metal records, and there isn’t a bad song on either album.
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I considered both Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.
I forgot to list Dio. I meant to.
Good call on Pat Benatar, but my pairing definitely included In The Heat Of The Night.
Excellent choices for the Scorps!
The problem with In the Heat of the Night is that it was mostly an album of cover songs (6 of the 10 songs). If not for Animal Magnetism (which I think has a few big duds), Scorps had a run from TBF through Sting that was incredible.
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Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper
In Flames - Colony/Clayman
Just came here to post the two Bodom albums. Couldn’t agree more about the second two In Flames as well. Honesty though, Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper are two of my top 25 all time metal records, and there isn’t a bad song on either album.
I was really surprised COB hadn't been posted yet.
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Alice Cooper- Killer & School's Out
2 of the best albums these ears have ever heard.
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Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper
In Flames - Colony/Clayman
Just came here to post the two Bodom albums. Couldn’t agree more about the second two In Flames as well. Honesty though, Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper are two of my top 25 all time metal records, and there isn’t a bad song on either album.
In Flames is The Jester Race and Whoracle for me (Colony and Clayman is a great back-to-back too, just not as iconic as the previous one for me).
As for CoB - not a huge fan, but my go-to is the one-two punch of Something Wild/Hatebreeder
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Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper
In Flames - Colony/Clayman
Just came here to post the two Bodom albums. Couldn’t agree more about the second two In Flames as well. Honesty though, Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper are two of my top 25 all time metal records, and there isn’t a bad song on either album.
In Flames is The Jester Race and Whoracle for me (Colony and Clayman is a great back-to-back too, just not as iconic as the previous one for me).
As for CoB - not a huge fan, but my go-to is the one-two punch of Something Wild/Hatebreeder
Something Wild is an amazing debut but never took to it like the four albums that came after it.
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Follow the Reaper and Hate Crew Deathroll are a good one-two punch. They were important early on to me, but just didn't have the staying power that a lot of other bands did. Something about Alexi's voice bugged me, even more than Anders Friden.
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How are we on page 2 and no one has mentioned Death?
What’s more…what 2 albums do you pick? I was surprised to learn that Spiritual Healing is considered by most to be a low point because that’s one of favorites. But even so, the top 2 would probably have to be Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic. But you could almost take anything between Leprosy and The Sound of Perseverance and you wouldn’t get an argument from me. (Scream Bloody Gore is OK, but seems a little immature in retrospect. Like a bunch of 18 years olds putting “18 tons of greasy, grimy, gopher guts” to music.)
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Death is a good choice. Years ago I would have said Symbolic and TSoP, but Human has grown a lot over the years. It's not consecutive with either of those though.
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I heartily support the Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic combo :)
My two favorite Death albums, so that’s easy
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Iced Earth - Something Wicked/Horror Show
Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper
In Flames - Jester Race/Whoracle or Colony/Clayman
Man, that's a incredibly solid tow-hour stretch of Iced Earth :metal
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Journey – Escape
Journey – Frontiers
That's up there for me...especially with Escape being a top-5 album for me.
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There are some albums that, for whatever reason, I think of as "pairs" even though they were released separately.
Blizzard/Diary
Back In Black/FTATR
Heaven And Hell/Mob Rules
Misplaced Childhood/Clutching At Straws
Black Sabbath/Paranoid
Images And Words/Awake
Going For The One/Tormato
Duke/Abacab
A Trick Of The Tail/Wind And Withering
They are all good; I'm not sure I could pick "one" as the best. Maybe Ozzy.
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Lots of great ones mentioned already. Here are a few others that came to me:
Between the Buried and Me, Colors - The Great Misdirect
Hypocrisy, Abducted - The Final Chapter
Intronaut, Prehistoricisms - Valley Of Smoke
Mastodon, Blood Mountain - Crack the Skye
Sepultura, Beneath The Remains - Arise
Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream - Mellon Collie
NIN, Downward Spiral - The Fragile
Live, Throwing Copper - Secret Samadhi
The Jayhawks, Hollywood Town Hall - Tomorrow the Green Grass
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There are some albums that, for whatever reason, I think of as "pairs" even though they were released separately.
Blizzard/Diary
Back In Black/FTATR
Heaven And Hell/Mob Rules
Misplaced Childhood/Clutching At Straws
Black Sabbath/Paranoid
Images And Words/Awake
Going For The One/Tormato
Duke/Abacab
A Trick Of The Tail/Wind And Withering
Except for the one on your list that I don't know, I agree. I'd add the two Maiden albums with Di'Anno, The Number of the Beast/Piece of Mind, and Screaming for Vengeance/Defenders of the Faith to the list as well.
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There are some albums that, for whatever reason, I think of as "pairs" even though they were released separately.
Blizzard/Diary
Back In Black/FTATR
Heaven And Hell/Mob Rules
Misplaced Childhood/Clutching At Straws
Black Sabbath/Paranoid
Images And Words/Awake
Going For The One/Tormato
Duke/Abacab
A Trick Of The Tail/Wind And Withering
Except for the one on your list that I don't know, I agree. I'd add the two Maiden albums with Di'Anno, The Number of the Beast/Piece of Mind, and Screaming for Vengeance/Defenders of the Faith to the list as well.
YES!!! Three good calls, there.
And there are plenty more:
Rising/Long Live Rock and Roll
Straight Between The Eyes/Bent Out Of Shape
Burn/Stormbringer
Rubber Soul/Revolver
Nothing Shicking/Ritual de lo Habitual
Toys In The Attic/Rocks
Creatures Of The Night/Lick It Up
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I heartily support the Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic combo :)
My two favorite Death albums, so that’s easy
Was coming in to post these two. Andy LaRocque's solo work on ITP is great, he complimented Chuck's writing so perfectly on that album.
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City Boy - Book Early / The Day The Earth Caught Fire
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First that came to mind were the Queensryche Maidens and whatnot, of course Heaven And Hell / Mob Rules but pg1067 beat me to them ;D
Lots good choices here so am going for a few less obvious ones...
HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS
Sports / Fore
BRUCE DICKINSON
Accident Of Birth / Chemical Wedding
SOUNDGARDEN
Badmotorfinger/ Superunknown
SENTENCED
Crimson / Cold White Light
SEVENDUST
Home / Animosity
SPREAD EAGLE
Spread Eagle / Open To The Public
CIRCLE II CIRCLE
Burden Of Truth / Delusions Of Grandeur
CHARON
Downhearted / The Dying Daylights
FREAK OF NATURE
FON / Gathering Of Freaks
THE ANGELS
Two Minute Warning / Howling
NOISEWORKS
Noiseworks / Touch
THE SCREAMING JETS
All For One / Tear Of Thought
GUN Gallus / Swagger
And the more I think the more come to mind so will leave it at that for now but huge props to OP for listing PARADISE LOST Icon / Draconian Times :metal
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Good call with Bruce and Soundgarden (though keeping with my pairs post, I would have picked Superunknown and Down On The Upside; they sound more alike. Badmotorfinger is the better album but it sort of stands alone in their catalogue).
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Appreciate that and I very nearly went Superunknown / Down On The Upside certainly have as much love it as any Soundgarden, and tbh is probably the Soundgarden album I reach for most these days.
But either choice would suffice, they're both stellar \m/
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Yeah, not sure how we all missed the Bruce ones. They are up there with anything else posted.
How good are Noiseworks too! :metal
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Completely agree on the Sevendust albums.
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Lots of great ones mentioned already. Here are a few others that came to me:
Hypocrisy, Abducted - The Final Chapter
Mastodon, Blood Mountain - Crack the Skye
Sepultura, Beneath The Remains - Arise
Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream - Mellon Collie
NIN, Downward Spiral - The Fragile
Some GREAT ones here. Sepultura and Mastodon were definitely on my list, as the thread progressed...
And there are plenty more:
Rising/Long Live Rock and Roll
Burn/Stormbringer
Toys In The Attic/Rocks
Classic stuff, for sure. I like those two Purple records a lot. If I were to pick my favorite back to back from them, it would probably be In Rock and Fireball, but Hughes and Coverdale are great on Burn and Stormbringer.
And, man, that one-two from Aerosmith...
I heartily support the Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic combo :)
My two favorite Death albums, so that’s easy
Was coming in to post these two. Andy LaRocque's solo work on ITP is great, he complimented Chuck's writing so perfectly on that album.
I always debate which of the two is my favorite Death record...some days I lean towards ITP, if only because of the lineup. The best they've had, imo. LaRocque is fantastic on it.
BRUCE DICKINSON
Accident Of Birth / Chemical Wedding
SOUNDGARDEN
Badmotorfinger/ Superunknown
SENTENCED
Crimson / Cold White Light
SEVENDUST
Home / Animosity
Some more great ones here. Yep, as Wolfking said, the Bruce albums are amazing. What a comeback. I love those two Sentenced records, but I'd probably go for a Amok/Down combo, if I had to choose.
And the more I think the more come to mind so will leave it at that for now but huge props to OP for listing PARADISE LOST Icon / Draconian Times :metal
:tup I knew I could count on you
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The Police - Any combination of their records
Men at Work - ‘Business as Usual’ and ‘Cargo’
Jellyfish - ‘Bellybutton’ and ‘Spilt Milk’
Marillion - ‘Brave’ and ‘Afraid of Sunlight’
Dave Matthews Band - ‘Under the Table and Dreaming’ and ‘Crash’
Spock’s Beard - ‘V’ and ‘Snow’
Transatlantic - Any combination or their records
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My personal back-to-back regarding Iron Maiden would be Somewhere In Time / Seventh Son, but you can't really go wrong with any of their stuff from that decade.
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My personal back-to-back regarding Iron Maiden would be Somewhere In Time / Seventh Son, but you can't really go wrong with any of their stuff from that decade.
+1
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My personal back-to-back regarding Iron Maiden would be Somewhere In Time / Seventh Son, but you can't really go wrong with any of their stuff from that decade.
Same for me as well!
Also:
The Mars Volta: De-loused and Frances
Meshuggah: Destroy Erase Improve and Chaosphere, The Violent Sleep of Reason and Immutable
The Ocean: Phanerozoic I and II
Persefone: Spiritual Migration and Aathma
BTBAM: The Parallax II and Coma Ecliptic
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Scorpions - Virgin Killer/Taken By Force
Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a madman
King Diamond - Abigail/THEM
Black Sabbath - SBS/Sabotage, H&H/Mob Rules, Headless Cross/TYR
Metallica - Ride the Lightning/Master of Puppets
Opeth - Still Life/Blackwater park
Death - Symbolic/The Sound of Perseverance
Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth/The Chemical Wedding
Blaze Bayley - Silicon Messiah/Tenth Dimension/Blood & Belief. I have to group the Andy Sneap trilogy together.
Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black/Dead Heart in a Dead World
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My personal back-to-back regarding Iron Maiden would be Somewhere In Time / Seventh Son, but you can't really go wrong with any of their stuff from that decade.
Yes. Out of stuff people have actually heard of, I'd go:
Ride the Lightning - Master of Puppets
Rubber Soul - Revolver
Sin after Sin - Stained Class
Screaming for Vengeance - Defenders of the Faith
Fragile - Close to the Edge
Moving Pictures - Signals
Off the Wall - Thriller
Scenes - Six Degrees
A Dramatic Turn of Events - Dream Theater (flame shield on)
Operation Mindcrime - Empire
Any Scorpions combo from 1975-1984
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My personal back-to-back regarding Iron Maiden would be Somewhere In Time / Seventh Son, but you can't really go wrong with any of their stuff from that decade.
Yes. Out of stuff people have actually heard of, I'd go:
Ride the Lightning - Master of Puppets
Rubber Soul - Revolver
Sin after Sin - Stained Class
Screaming for Vengeance - Defenders of the Faith
Fragile - Close to the Edge
Moving Pictures - Signals
Off the Wall - Thriller
Scenes - Six Degrees
A Dramatic Turn of Events - Dream Theater (flame shield on)
Operation Mindcrime - Empire
Any Scorpions combo from 1975-1984
Couple good references here.
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Forgot Blind Guardian: Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations from the Other Side.
Even though you can pick any album around that era for BG...
Other stuff not mentioned:
Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell I (1994) and II (1995)
Angra - Angels Cry and Holy Land
Elvenking - Reader of the Runes - Divination (2019) and Reader of the Runes - Rapture (2023)
Royal Hunt - Moving Target and Paradox
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town
Taylor Swift - folklore and evermore
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Dream Theater: IAW/Awake
Porcupine Tree: Lightbulb Sun/In Absentia
Metallica: Ride the Lightning/Master of Puppets
Shpongle: Tales of the Inexpressible/Nothing Lasts... But Nothing Is Lost
Pink Floyd: Animals/The Wall
Opeth: Still Life/Blackwater Park
Pain of Salvation: The Perfect Element/Remedy Lane
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My Opeth pick will always be Ghost Reveries -> Watershed
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Shpongle: Tales of the Inexpressible/Nothing Lasts... But Nothing Is Lost
Man, I haven't listened to these in forever, but I remember enjoying them a lot.
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Shpongle: Tales of the Inexpressible/Nothing Lasts... But Nothing Is Lost
When I first quickly glanced at this, I read it as "Tales of the Inexpensive." :lol
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They like their "ine" words though, the next one is Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland.
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For Pink Floyd I have to say the best back to back was DSOTM -> WYWH
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Dave Matthews Band - ‘Under the Table and Dreaming’ and ‘Crash’
Another EXCELLENT one
Forgot Blind Guardian: Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations from the Other Side.
Even though you can pick any album around that era for BG...
Other stuff not mentioned:
Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell I (1994) and II (1995)
Angra - Angels Cry and Holy Land
Royal Hunt - Moving Target and Paradox
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town
Taylor Swift - folklore and evermore
Some excellent picks here (don't really know Elvenking, so I can't comment on that). The Marriage albums are fantastic (what is going on with DeFeis, btw?? What exactly is he thinking these days? ;)). Can't say I'm huge Royal Hunt fan, but I'm very fond of these two...they bring back good memories from the time they came out. Angra - well, I've recently revisited the early albums and they are as good as ever.
And for Springsteen and Swift - can definitely get on board with those.
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Scorpions - Virgin Killer/Taken By Force
Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a madman
King Diamond - Abigail/THEM
Black Sabbath - SBS/Sabotage, H&H/Mob Rules, Headless Cross/TYR
Metallica - Ride the Lightning/Master of Puppets
Opeth - Still Life/Blackwater park
Death - Symbolic/The Sound of Perseverance
Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth/The Chemical Wedding
Blaze Bayley - Silicon Messiah/Tenth Dimension/Blood & Belief. I have to group the Andy Sneap trilogy together.
Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black/Dead Heart in a Dead World
Considered Blaze myself and had to drag out my copy of Blood & Belief to be sure LOL but as much as I dug it, did feel Blood was too much a drop to consider all three regardless some classic songs such as Soundtrack Of My Life. But certainly should've included Silicon and Tenth Dimension though two great back to back albums! :metal
Thinking about it I'd also be inclined to also include The Man Who Would Not Die and Promise And Terror too, which were both excellent.
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For Pink Floyd I have to say the best back to back was DSOTM -> WYWH
Yep