Bands that made a career best album very late

[Kotowboy]

I'm talking like Distance Over Time, Songs of Experience, Hardwired...To Self Destruct.

Bands that have been around for ages that put out fantastic albums very late into their career.

I wish I could say Green Day - but - whilst the trilogy was *fine* and Revolution Radio was *fine* and Father of All... Was *fine*

They haven't done an album as good as American idiot since American idiot in 2004. Sixteen years ago now. Still waiting.

[Evermind]

Fates Warning - Theories of Flight

I liked their output but nothing has wowed me as much as this one a few years ago. I'm still spinning it regularly. I had no idea that had that kind of album in them.

IQ - The Road of Bones

I know some folks like their latest, Resistance, more, but for me, the main disc of The Road of Bones is peak IQ. Incredible record.

[The Walrus]

Obligatory mentions:
- Maybe not career best but Stratovarius's latest offerings are stellar especially for a band 36 years into its existence
- Toto's XIV from 2015 was one of their best albums imo
- Chinese Democracy

[Anguyen92]

I'm going to put the obvious ones out there.

Rush - Clockwork Angels.  Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls.  Heck, you can argue the last 5 albums Iron Maiden put out are great stuff (the weakest of the bunch probably be The Final Frontier, in my opinion).

[MirrorMask]

Judas Priest's Painkiller has to win. It's a classic album and the title track went on to become one of the most famous and iconic heavy metal tracks.

[Ben_Jamin]

Fates Warning - Theories of Flight

IQ - Resistance, The Road of Bones

Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death

Kansas - The Absence of Presence

Deep Purple - Whoosh!

[pg1067]

Fates Warning - Theories of Flight Darkness in a Different Light

ftfy

With the possible exception of the Beatles, I can't think of any band that made a "career best album very late" in its career, but Darkness in a Different Light -- nearly 30 years into Fates Warning's career -- probably comes closest.  I know a lot of folks are gaga over Theories of Flight, but I think DIADL was much stronger.

Judas Priest's Painkiller has to win. It's a classic album and the title track went on to become one of the most famous and iconic heavy metal tracks.

While Painkiller was released 16 years into Priest's career (I'm using the 1974 release of Rocka Rolla as the start), that's still the first half of the band's career.  The band consistently released albums for nearly three decades after Painkiller, and they aren't done yet.

[Evermind]

Fates Warning - Theories of Flight Darkness in a Different Light

ftfy

Yeah no, should be ftfm then. DiaDL was alright but didn't do much for me. I own it and I almost never return back to it. Maybe I actually should give it another chance though!

I do remember I didn't really like how Ray sounded on that one. The songs from DiaDL on Live from Europe release are much better than the album versions.

[Stadler]

I'm going to put the obvious ones out there.

Rush - Clockwork Angels.  Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls.  Heck, you can argue the last 5 albums Iron Maiden put out are great stuff (the weakest of the bunch probably be The Final Frontier, in my opinion).

Haha, I read that quick and thought you said the weakest of the bunch is The Final Frontier!  Hah---- wait.   With you 100% on Maiden - I now listen to the reunion era more than the classic era - but TFF is or may be the best of that bunch. 

I'd also offer:
Kiss: I LOVE Sonic Boom and Monster (SB is better, though)
Sammy Hagar:  The Circle's "The Space Between" is pretty damn good.
I think Van Halen did it:  ADKOT is amazing, and may be one of the best "final albums" of any band, ever.
Deep Purple:  the last couple albums, produced by Ezrin, are stellar. 

[Zantera]

Swans - To Be Kind (or The Seer) (even though Soundtracks For the Blind is my personal favorite)
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here
Pain of Salvation - Panther

[Kotowboy]

I forgot CLEAVE by Therapy?

Their 15th album - 30 years into their career and it's fan-tas-tic. It's Troublegum part 2.

[DTA]

Sepultura's Quadra. Released this year and it seriously rivals and (surpasses imo) their most iconic works from the late 80's/early 90's. Their previous few albums are really high quality too after a decade of lackluster output.

[Max Kuehnau]

DT releasing ADTOE and DT12.

[krands85]

The Book of Souls and We're Here Because We're Here have already been mentioned, so here are a few others that come to mind (maybe stretching the idea of the thread a little):

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam. It's 14 years old now and they're still making music, but it's their 8th album and came out 15 years after their debut. Still my favourite PJ album, along with Ten.

Deftones - Koi No Yokan. Their 7th studio album, 17 years after their debut. Up there with White Pony as my favourite from them.

Redemption - The Art of Loss. Only their 6th studio album, but still 13 years after their debut. Probably my favourite Redemption album.

[Kotowboy]

Would Mastodon's Emperor of Sand count ?


It came out 17 years after they formed and is easily one of their best albums. Combining Crack The Skye with Blood Mountain.

[RoeDent]

Rush - Clockwork Angels

[darkshade]

<--------------------- This guy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Me_This

That's as late as you get.

[Stadler]

The Book of Souls and We're Here Because We're Here have already been mentioned, so here are a few others that come to mind (maybe stretching the idea of the thread a little):

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam. It's 14 years old now and they're still making music, but it's their 8th album and came out 15 years after their debut. Still my favourite PJ album, along with Ten.

Deftones - Koi No Yokan. Their 7th studio album, 17 years after their debut. Up there with White Pony as my favourite from them.

Redemption - The Art of Loss. Only their 6th studio album, but still 13 years after their debut. Probably my favourite Redemption album.

Total respect, I'm not arguing with you, but you brought up Pearl Jam.  That's a band that is moving in the other direction.  Ten is far and away my favorite album by them, and except for Yield, every album is just a mix of songs I like and those I skip.   They transitioned around No Code from "Stone and Jeff's band" to "Eddie's band", and I wasn't on board for that.   I'd much rather go back and listen to anything with Jeff's writing on it (I mean his handwriting).   Ten, Temple Of The Dog, Apple, Shine, Green River...

[Lupton]

Voivod - The Wake

[emtee]

Career best and upper tier are different. Rush, Priest, Maiden, and DT would be a few that qualify for upper tier. Kansas also.

Career best is tough. For me, Hardwired and Road Of Bones are career best. I'll put more thought into it.

[TAC]

I can't think of a single band that would qualify.

[The Walrus]

I can't think of a single band that would qualify.

Every band you listen to is 50 years old. Surely there has to be ONE. 

[wolfking]

I can't think of a single band that would qualify.

Every band you listen to is 50 years old. Surely there has to be ONE. 

 

[twosuitsluke]

Ok I'll go...

NOFX - Wolves in Wolves Clothing (23 years)
Carcass - Surgical Steel (17 years)
Bad Religion - The Process of Belief (22 years)
Death - The Sound of Perseverance (14 years)
Enslaved - E (16 years)
Megadeth - Dystopia (23 years)
Rammstein - Rammstein (15 years)

Would Mastodon's Emperor of Sand count ?
It came out 17 years after they formed and is easily one of their best albums. Combining Crack The Skye with Blood Mountain.

I'd agree with you on that, although I'd consider most of their albums to be 'career bests'.

[Kotowboy]

Only Once more Round The Sun i'd consider a letdown and it's not even bad.

[Stadler]

Yeah, I've been using "upper tier" as a standard.  I can't honestly say "career best" of any.   MAYBE Robert Plant if you consider only his solo material; but that's the closest I can come. 

[wolfking]

Yeah, I've been using "upper tier" as a standard.  I can't honestly say "career best" of any.   MAYBE Robert Plant if you consider only his solo material; but that's the closest I can come.

Agree.  I don't think there's many bands that would have an album so late as a career best.  I mean I'd agree with Fates Warning, but there's still albums before it I much prefer.

[El Barto]

I can't think of a single band that would qualify.

Thunder and Lightning. 

[wolfking]

Actually, saying that, these spring to mind;

Amorphis - Queen of Time
Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic

[Adami]

If we're doing "upper tier" then I'd say ...

Panther by PoS
Hardwired by Metallica
Clockwork Angels by Rush
Blackstar by David Bowie
Disclosure by The Gathering

But best of the career? I got nothing.

[pg1067]

I can't think of a single band that would qualify.

Every band you listen to is 50 years old. Surely there has to be ONE. 

Well...it depends on whether you're actually answering the question asked or changing it to a different question -- i.e., stuff that's "really good," as opposed to "career best."

For me:

Rush - Something in the AFTK through MP era.  Nothing they've released in the "very late" part of their career (let's say VT, S&A and CW) comes even remotely close.

Dream Theater - My top 3 are I&W (1992), SFAM (1999) and SDOIT (2002).  If we call "very late" the Mangini-era albums, the best of those (IMO) is no better than their seventh best album.

Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light (2013) is really good, but I still rank it lower than A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997), Perfect Symmetry (1989) and Parallels (1991).

Priest, Maiden and Queensryche released their best albums in the 1980s.  Yes and Genesis released their best albums in the 1970s/early 1980s.

I could keep going, but the common theme is that all of those bands' "career best" albums were released in the first half of their careers.

[MirrorMask]

In my example of Painkiller (which pg1067 disqualified because of a thing called "passing of time"  ) we have an album that had a worldwide critical acclaim, that is one of the most important of their carrer and that gave at least a setlist staple to Priest's concerts ever since. Ok, by now it falls into "first half of their carrer" territory, but how many of the album listed here have permanently changed the balance of what is considered a classic album in a band's catalogue, and how many songs from said albums have become concert staples?

[The Walrus]

I can't think of a single band that would qualify.

Every band you listen to is 50 years old. Surely there has to be ONE. 

Well...it depends on whether you're actually answering the question asked or changing it to a different question -- i.e., stuff that's "really good," as opposed to "career best."

For me:

Rush - Something in the AFTK through MP era.  Nothing they've released in the "very late" part of their career (let's say VT, S&A and CW) comes even remotely close.

Dream Theater - My top 3 are I&W (1992), SFAM (1999) and SDOIT (2002).  If we call "very late" the Mangini-era albums, the best of those (IMO) is no better than their seventh best album.

Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light (2013) is really good, but I still rank it lower than A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997), Perfect Symmetry (1989) and Parallels (1991).

Priest, Maiden and Queensryche released their best albums in the 1980s.  Yes and Genesis released their best albums in the 1970s/early 1980s.

I could keep going, but the common theme is that all of those bands' "career best" albums were released in the first half of their careers.

I'm making a joke about TAC being old.

[SoundscapeMN]

Pepe Deluxé - Queen of the Wave ...this is their last record from 2012, some 17 years after their formation and 13 years after their debut. Unsure if "late in their career" qualifys, but at this point, we may never get another Pepe Deluxe record (although they have worked on the follow-up for many years).

Per my wife's extensive fandom:
The Monkees - Good Times! ....as much as she loves The Monkees music, much to my surprise, she considered this to be their best album. And while I do appreciate much of Head, I can follow why she feels that way about it. It's consistently good.

[Ben_Jamin]

Fates Warning - Theories of Flight Darkness in a Different Light

ftfy

Yeah no, should be ftfm then. DiaDL was alright but didn't do much for me. I own it and I almost never return back to it. Maybe I actually should give it another chance though!

I do remember I didn't really like how Ray sounded on that one. The songs from DiaDL on Live from Europe release are much better than the album versions.

It did have one of my all time favorite songs by them though. Shame it was relegated to Bonus Track....Falling Further.