#2: LAMB OF GOD – AS THE PALACES BURN
Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 5:00pm by Axl Rosenberg
We recently polled a wide array of musicians, managers, publicists, label reps, and writers from within the world of metal to find out what they thought the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far have been. Eligible albums were released between January 1, 2000 and April 1, 2009. Each panelist turned in a ballot, with their #1 album worth 21 points, their #2 album worth 20 points, and so on and so forth. The ballots are now in and we’ll be counting down one album a day until we reach #1. Today we present the #2 album, coming in with a total of 247 points…
Lamb of God, As the Palaces Burn (Prosthetic, 2003)
Randy Blythe – Vocals/Guitars
Mark Morton – Guitars
Willie Adler – Guitars
John Campbell – Bass
Chris Adler – Drums
Produced by Devin Townsend and Lamb of God
I want to talk about what is arguably Lamb of God’s finest hour as a piece of this entire list. Because I could tell you “Oh it’s so brutal and it rocks so hard and it raped my sister and killed my dog,” but whatever. The bottom line is, if you don’t own this album, you really should.
No, I’m much more interested in what As the Palaces Burn represents.
The list is really the result of a poll, and the poll results were relatively populist (I say “relatively” because it’s metal. There is a ceiling to how populist it can ever really be.). I don’t know why this should surprise anyone. So let’s try to understand for a moment why bands like Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Mastodon became so popular in the first place.
Ten years ago, there were not a lot of bands that were a) heavy, b) actually knew how to play their instruments, c) had any sense of song craft, and d) connected with more than about fifteen people. And roughly around the time that Metallica released Load, I just kind of stopped buying new metal releases. Sure, every few years you were lucky and Slayer or Pantera or Tool (who are definitely fucking metal) would put something out, but otherwise, those were good times to familiarize yourself with anything old that you’d missed. And because nu-metal fans were less inclined to become new metal fans, any chance of actually making a living in extreme music kind of dried up, and the undergound became buried so far underground that you had to be Indiana fucking Jones to find it.
Around 2002-2003ish, though, there was just something in the air. At that point, Lamb of God and their peers were not headlining rooms of thousands of people. Gold records and Rolling Stone articles and spots on Return of the Rock or whatever the fuck MTV was playing and sets at Donnington were not really in the cards for these dudes. Not a lot of people were anticipating As the Palaces Burn.
As the Palaces Burn was a perfect amalgamations of metal’s history up to that point. Lamb of God had the evil riffs of Slayer, the precision attack of Metallica, the groove of Pantera. Chris Adler’s drums might have owed a lot to Dave Lombardo, but they probably owed a lot to death metal, too – as did Randy Blythe’s vocals. Maybe Lamb of God weren’t the tr00est band that ever lived, but they were the truest melting pot of American metal at its finest. Speaking personally, I never gave up on metal, never lost my love of metal or taste for metal – but I had stopped caring about the scene and given up hope that it might ever give birth to something new that I might actually give a shit about.
The top five albums on this list, and the eventual popularity of those albums, were all instrumental (no pun intended) in restoring my faith that there were other people that cared about good metal in the world. It’s interesting to note how at least three of those albums all came out around the same time, and were all the second or third release by the bands in question – because those albums were when the buzz turned into the explosion. It’s when As the Palaces Burn suddenly became populist – and I guarantee you it bolstered the record sales of Cannibal Corpse, Pig Destroyer, and a hundred other bands that deserve the attention, too. Because a portion of those scenester fucks we all find so annoying will become actual, honest to Satan metalheads, and metal will continue to thrive as a result.
I fucking love this record. It is, to my ears, the definitive release from one of the very best American metal bands of the past decade. Devin Townsend’s production is much rawer than anything the band has produced since, but it still sounds massive and somehow inviting. The riffs to “Ruin” and “11th Hour” and especially “Vigil” get my dick hard every time. As the Palaces Burn is brutal, and it rocks so hard, and it raped my sister and killed my dog.
-AR
THE LIST SO FAR:
#4 – Killswitch Engage, Alive or Just Breathing
#6 – Killswitch Engage, The End of Heartache
#7 – Lamb of God, Ashes of the Wake
#9 – Gojira, From Mars to Sirius
#13 – Mastodon, Blood Mountain
#14 – System of a Down, Toxicity
#15 – Nachtmystium, Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1
#16 – Machine Head, The Blackening
#18 – Lamb of God, New American Gospel
#20 – Shadows Fall, The War Within
#21 – Slipknot, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
THE PANEL OF VOTERS
Chris Adler, Lamb of God
Dan And, Bison B.C.
Ben Apatoff, Apatoff for Destruction/Metal Injection
Jason Bittner, Shadows Fall
Tim Brennan, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
Freddy Cai, Painkiller Magazine
Ian Christe, Bazillion Points
Reverend David J. Ciancio, Yeah! Management
Betsey Cichoracki, Relapse Records
Paul Conroy, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
J. Costa, Thy Will Be Done
Dallas Coyle, ex-God Forbid/Coyle Media
Doc Coyle, God Forbid
CT, Rwake
Anso DF, MetalSucks/Hipsters Out of Metal!
Vince Edwards, Metal Blade Records
Charles Elliott, Abysmal Dawn/Nuclear Blast Records
Brian Fair, Shadows Fall
Leo Ferrante, Warner Music Group
D.X. Ferris, author 33 1/3: Reign in Blood/Freelance Journalist
Mike Gitter, Roadrunner Records
Nick Green, Decibel
Matt Grenier, August Burns Red
Anthony Guzzardo, Earache Records
Kevin Hufnagel, Dysrhythmia
Mark Hunter, Chimaira
Steve Joh, Century Media
EJ Johantgen, Prosthetic Records
Kim Kelly, Metal Injection/Hails & Horns/Freelance Journalist
Josh “The J” Key, Psychostick
Jason Lekberg, Epic Records
Eyal Levi, Daath
Bob Lugowe, Relapse Records
Matt McChesney, The Autumn Offering
Jake McReynolds, Psychostick
Marc Meltzer, The Syndicate
Josh Middleton, Sylosis
Matt Moore, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder
Vince Neilstein, MetalSucks
Sammy O’Hagar, MetalSucks
Anton OyVey, MetalSucks/Bacon Jew
Rob Pasbani, Metal Injection
Alex Preiss, Psychostick
Carlos Ramirez, NoiseCreep/Universal Music Group
Brian Rocha, Fresno Media USA
Jeremy Rosen, Roadrunner Records
Axl Rosenberg, MetalSucks
Satan Rosenbloom, MetalSucks/Cerebral Metalhead
David Bee Roth, MetalSucks
Jason Rudolph, Heavy Hitter, Inc.
Amy Sciarretto, Roadrunner Records/NoiseCreep
Carl Severson, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
Gary Suarez, MetalSucks/No Yoko No/Brainwashed
Geoff Summers, The End Records/Crustcake
Bram Teitelman, The Syndicate/Metal Insider
Alisha Turull, Heavy Hitter, Inc.
Christopher R. Weingarten, 1000TimesYes/Freelance Journalist
lolz Mastodon wins!
Not really, CtS and Leviathan can’t both make the list, only one, and that sucks
AGAIN, this list was compiled before CtS was even released.
Quote: “Eligible albums were released between January 1, 2000 and April 1, 2009″
CtS falls within that time frame
I doubt that anyone had listened to CTS enough at that point to determine if it was one of their favorites of the decade though.
I debated over putting CtS on my list. It had only been out a few weeks by the time submissions were due. Ultimately, since it had been all I’d been listening to for the past month or so, it made my list. At the end of next year, when the inevitable ‘best metal albums of the decade’ lists come out (and they will, trust me), CtS will be on most, if not all of them. I don’t know whether it or Leviathan will be #1 (spoiler alert: i actually do), so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
While CtS hasn’t had to withstand ‘the test of time’, since we’re talking about this current decade, I think that’s kind of the point with this list in general. So if it fits the time criteria, I don’t see why you couldn’t put it on there.
Blackwater Park.
Done already
Now wait a minute… Once agin they could stick a Killswitch record up our asses…
#1’s gonna be the KSE demo tape from when they were broke starving nobodies.
stop crying.
Who’s cryin?
So, Leviathan will be number one. No need to come back tomorrow!
definitely, unless you are looking for amusement from other peoples comments
So Levithian is #1, excellent! That or Waking the Cadaver.
wigger slam ftw!!!
SHREDDED WHEAT
SHREDDED AND SHREDDED AND SHREDDED
I love Leviathan as much as the next guy, but I am pretty bummed that Colors got no love, or Traced in Air.
Oh well, overall decent list, some major WTFs here though, like The Blackening being so low.
Agreed. Boo for the lack of Colors.
agreed
I do love Leviathan
but Color and Traced in Air are fucking boss
colors*
like crack the skye, discussed above, the blackening hasnt totally sunk in yet. even though its 2 years old, it has been buzzing slowly, machinehead is still touring it, and i personally still havent fully comprehended its scope– though i know which songs i like and which i dont (slanderous). along with crack the skye, i think its going to show up higher on end-of-decade lists than it showed here.
what a suprise…. no variation in artists on this list
Look at how the list was made. It wasn’t 1 persons creation… Also, as much as i’d like to see the br00tal shit that nobody has ever heard of on here to, that is not what the list represents.
Yeah douche. What he said.
I have no idea what to expect for #1. The fact that two Killswitch albums made it above Ashes makes me wonder if Shadows are Security will make it on here
i’ll throw in another St. Anger joke here as well
How about a Hollywood Undead one too?
Top it off with brokencyde
At least there is only one more album left for these dumb-asses to use this stupid fucking repetitive joke
I’ve read ten million references to “Brokencyde” and I still have no idea what the fuck it is.
consider yourself lucky
Just another “shitty band” to insert into this lame joke that has been used no less than 50 times on this list.
OK; enough.
Who da fuck are Brokencunt anyway?
They’ve been mentioned at least 100 times in this whole list total.
Maybe more, if you include the Funny Caption Photo thingy…
If this list was being monitored by their Publisher they would have gotten paid a royalty for every time they were mentioned: IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?
they wouldnt get any royalties…. man, what a stupid comment
quit crying. shadows are security is a good album, just not worthy of this list.
I certainly rocked to this many more times than Leviathan, but they’re both fantastic and well-deserving of all accolades.
bookmark deleted.
we care
i lol’d
could have been better, could have been much worse. not much to say about this pick IMO.
dude attack attack is way better than lamb of god
You sir were completely intoxicated when you wrote that !
Yo, crabcore for the win!!!!!!
http://i44.tinypic.com/9jpymu.gif
That made me snort water out of my nose. Thanks for that.
ikilledthepromqueen?
Haha I had no idea what crabcore meant until now. Thats funny shit
no i think its from first to last?
Ahhh;
I was hoping it was a pic of the Crabpeople from South Park.
I wouldn’t go that far!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
Ha ha! actually the best LOG, but still for fucks sake.
nice s/n
I still like Ashes and even Sacrament much better than this.
yeah i pull out Palaces when I’m in the mood…but ashes never leaves slot 1 in my cd changer…
Ashes just sounds stale and unoriginal compared to Palaces. And Sacrament? You have to be joking.
The musicianship, songwriting, and production on Sacrament are all miles ahead than that of ATPB.
Not only are Ashes and Sacrament ahead of Palaces in those regards IMO, but they also did far more for the band’s career in terms of tours, being more accessible in terms of where to find their albums, and just furthering their cause to becoming the biggest American metal band not named Metallica, Slayer, or Megadeth. Yeah, being on a major label helps compared to being on Prosthetic.
Now I know Palaces was also instrumental in their popularity becoming more widespread, which is why I can see it being chosen, but I just can’t see it being higher than Ashes in any regard.
idk man…. palaces has to be one of my alltime favorites……between vigil and ruin and the 11th hour ……. im gonna go listen to LOG
WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone remember the lyrics to the LOG song from Ren&Stimpy?
Log , Log , its big its heavy its wood!
Log, Log, its bette than bad, its good !
It rolls down stairs, alone or in pairs
It rolls over your neighbors dog
…Its LOG LOG LOG !!!!
I think thats all of it…there might be more, but Im not going to cheat and google it.
From BLAMO !!!
YouDaMan!
That’s the tune going through my head as I read all this LOG rants…
Fuck yes. This is Lamb of God’s best album, and it’s worthy of #2 on this list. Axl, you really hit the nail on the head with this one. Back when this album came out I was listening to shit like Avenged Sevenfold, Soulfly, and Static-X. I heard ‘11th Hour’ via a free download from ThePRP and it scared the hell out of me. At that point, it was the most evil and awesome thing I had ever heard, and I had to have more.
The production is crap on this album, and that’s kind of a pity, because the songs are killer, front to back. The only other album that could beat this out on this list is Blackwater Park (the rightful number one).
I bought this album the day it came out. Liked their first one, and when I heard Devy was producing this one, I was beyond excited at the potential. The production has grown on me a bit, although yeah, it’s not as good as their newer albums. But this one has some of their best songs on it, and it’s still my favorite of theirs. I can’t speak to how it has influenced all of these other wigger slam and mallcore records, but I’m sure it has to some degree. :)
But on MY list? Blackwater Park would be number one.
Let’s hope that the voters agreed on Blackwater Park as well…
Although the fact that Cynic’s Traced In Air didn’t make this list is a travesty. Along with… well, there’s quite a few albums I would put higher on this list.
Uhhhh …. you do realize that BWP was already #3, right? So it’s all but a lock now that Mastodon’s ‘Leviathan’ will take the top slot. Also, their weakest album in my opinion, but hey, different strokes for different folks.
Fuck me. It’s been a long weekend. I completely forgot.
Maybe Cynic will be number one… (I’m not holding my breath).
Cynic’s absences from this list is just the last bit of proof needed to deem these voters mentally retarded.
That should be Cynic’s next album title. “If You Don’t Like Us, You’ve Got Down Syndrome.” Traced In Air definitely deserves #1 spot. It’ll probably end up being Coal Chamber though.
Retarded? No.
Lacking in appreciation for anything that isn’t sold at Hot Topic? Yes.
Also, Traced in Air was my favorite album of last year, hands down.
DEVIL DRIVER!!!!
go away
nothing from 2008 or 2009 made the list because its too soon to be able to say “traced in air spawned all these other bands and really made an impact on how metal developed over the next few years etc”
this album is cool except for the mix. im glad devin stopped using shaun thingvold for all his mixes.
DEVIL DRIVER IS SUM SERIOUS SPEED METAL!!!!!!!!
dez fafara sounds like the name of a cambodian tuk-tuk driver
im going to call them tuk-tuk driver from now on
Actually releases from 2008 made it, Nachtmystism (I don’t care if I misspelled it). As most of us can see, most of the release are near the beginning of the decade.
ha ha ha… so LoG or KSE helped metal develop in the last years? I don’t know why, I never noticed that. And it is a BEST albums list and not most influential.
how fucking long have you people been listening to metal? 2 years, tops? This mallcore shit is a blight on society. I bet at least 75% of the people that own this album also own a Disturbed album, and probably a Linkin Park album.
Ooo wah ah ah ah ah ah ah !!! Jump da fuck up !!!
The man has a point…
Everyone fucking listen to this man.
Seriously people, be honest now. How many of you that own this album (or any Lamb of God album) also own a Disturbed and/or Linkin Park album?
Lets see your answers.
remember….be honest, because if you have a Lamb of God album, you really don’t have much metal credibility remaining anyway.
I do.
Do I listen to them? Not any more. Do I listen to Palaces? You bet your ass.
Disturbed or Linkin Park or….gasp….both?
Im trying to keep a tally here at work.
Im about 100% sure that my 75% projection will be right, if not slightely low.
I won’t lie… when they first came out, I was just out of high school, found myself with disposable income, and didn’t have access to a high-speed internet connection. I usually discovered bands by the radio or by who was playing on Ozzfest. And I enjoyed them at the time.
Needless to say, all of that has changed, along with my taste in music. I haven’t voluntarily listened to Linkin Park in years (except that time I downloaded their last album just to see how it sounded… that was a fucking mistake), and while I usually check out Disturbed when they release a new album, I generally only listen once or twice because, let’s face it, there’s a lot of better shit out there.
Biff you think you are proving some crazy point here. I liken my introduction to heavy music to violence on TV/Movies. When I was 11 years old and received Metallica’s Reload for a present I thought it was great, the heaviest thing ever (my parents are not big on rock music so I was not raised on it, therefor had to fend for myself in that department). A friend introduced me to Korn…heaviest thing my ears had heard at the time, and Linkin Park was my first concert when I was 14, and yes I liked Disturbed and still do to a degree. As the years went on I became increasingly desensitized to heavy music and searched for heavier music. Just like violence on TV, when I was a little kid, I couldn’t watch all this R rated shit. Now I can watch someone get their head cut off without batting an eye. Do I realize now that these bands are not all that good? Of course I do, but I still appreciate them as a stepping stone to better music.
You come off as jealous of people’s youth who did grow up on radio and happened to buy a CD of a band who had a catchy song. I don’t really give a fuck what you say because I have a better life than you, aka I am in college, party all the time and can still fuck 18 year old girls without feeling guilty.
Go beat off in your basement to an old Slayer record, I will be listening to Palaces and whatever else I want to, and getting fucked up and later fucked (by a chick), without giving a fuck what your old ass says. Enjoy banging your old ugly wife.
This CD fucking kicks ass!!!
Douchebag10 – Not liking this trendy, mainstream mall music does not mean that Im an old crusty bitter asshole.I listen to the 70’s and 80’s metal classics, but I also listen to newer stuff just as much. Thats one of my biggest joys in life, discovering great new music and promising young bands. Im only 27, not that old yet. I understand that Korn or whatever was a gateway for you into heavier music, and thats cool….but as you get older, Im pretty sure that you will realize that this stuff really isn’t ‘metal’. Its pre packaged product sold to young kids just getting into music, like you. Im not saying thats your faault, but you will one day have an epiphany where you will say “this isn’t really metal”. After listening to this wonderful, varied genre for many years, you will develop an ear for what is metal, and what is product. Its impossible to describe, but any of the older (reletively) guys and gals on here will tell you the same thing. They just ‘know’ if its metal or not. I know that I sound like a fucking moron argueing, what metal is, but its true and you’ll see that for yourself if you continue going down the metal road. There is SOOOOOOO much more shit out there than this ‘list’ and so much more than what Hot Topic, Ozzfest, or Best Buy tries to sell you. Once you discover that stuff, you will toss away your LOG albums like a three day old diaper.
Not necessarily… I have branched out greatly, much as you describe, Biff, and I still consider LoG to be an excellent metal band in its own merit. And I started listening to them before Ashes Of The Wake, before Guitar Hero, before they were extremely popular.
And, with the exception of Sacrament, they haven’t made any sacrifices with their sound or intensity. They haven’t changed to make themselves more palatable to mass media. (Sacrament just seemed a little flat, but even then, it didn’t seem like an attempt to “sell out”.)
Everything is subjective, of course, but Lamb of God have made heavy music and still become famous in an era where it’s better to sound like Nickelback if you want to sell albums. And I don’t see myself tossing away their albums any time soon. That would be like putting a screen door on a battleship.
You are underestimating how far I have come in the metal genre. If you read more carefully, I do recognize that Korn is not metal. My music taste’s are eclectic to say the least, although metal is where I eventually come back to at the end of the day. I search out new metal everyday and sometimes I get lucky. But my advantage is recognizing something for what it is, regardless of where it came from, what festivals they play at, and who or how many people listen to them. To say Lamb of God is not metal is ignorant. Granted there was a time in high school when yeah Hot Topic was the place to discover some heavy bands. And then came the internet…I will never squash anyone’s taste’s without giving them a good listen first. Of course there is tons more music out there, and not enough hours in the day to find and listen to it all. But do not assume that I sit here in a As I Lay Dying shirt surfing lambgoat all day for the next great, lets see who is on there today…ahh Job For a Cowboy. Actually some pretty solid death metal regardless of what website they are on. Everyone needs to give up on caring about ANYTHING but the music. Good music is good music, if its sold at hot topic, walmart, or on some Norwegian website I have never heard of.
So to answer your question…I have already found bands that I enjoy more than LOG, but I am not about to “toss” a great CD. But you already talked me out of doing that because I don’t want to become a 27 year old who misses out on some great tunes because of my ego.
oh and Linkin Park does still have a solid song every once in awhile, there I said it. I don’t give a shit. Enya has some good tunes. LOG have some good tunes. Eminem has some good tunes. Emperer has some good tunes. Cynic has some good tunes. At least I wont be missing out on any of them because I am too high and mighty to give them a chance. I dont even want to bother re-reading all of that to see if it makes sense, fuck it.
I don’t own any of those albums….but I do own Barry Manilow’s Greatest Hits. I love “Mandy”.
Obviously, you’re older than most of these Artards if you know who BM is?
As someone who has had connections to the music industry for over a decade, and receives a lot of free promos, I can say that I have never received or purchased an album from either Disturbed or Linkin Park. My ‘connections’ know better than to pass that shit off on me.
Palaces? yes. Disturbed, Linkin park? no thank you.
I’ll vouch for your hypothesis. I don’t own any of those bands. And I own a lot of music.
Lamb of god is not a stupid mallcore band
you’re right about the disturbed(crapy music) coment but their popularity is because they are the decades greatest metal band
“but their popularity is because they are the decades greatest metal band”
I get, you work for The Onion, right?
what does linkin park have to do with it?
anyways, come on! lamb of god is some of the best shit out there; Mark Morton easily kicks Kerry king of the throne, Chris Adler hs shown that he’s more than blasting and blues-beats, and as a difference from Chris Barnes, Randy Blythe actually does sound like satan on lsd and jack d. You can’t put something down for being new.
(and I don’t care if i fail)
Chris Barnes is a fucking tool anyways, not hard to surpass him, regardless of the arena.
??? Then you probably don’t listen to much shit.
Dont own any LoG albums but Ive got the DVDs – never seen Adler do 1 blast beat. Any tracks Im missing cuz his high-thock snare sound could produce sick blasts.
& on topic, dont own any shit american metal albums like disturbed etc. I got into Metal the mans way, by watching Ace Ventura 1 & going “Holy fuck whats that band, they’re awesome”. Cannibal Corpse baby, never looked back.
Hey B.u.f.f.y. i have to say, I own all of LOG’s albums. I’ve been listening to metal since 1988. I’ve never owned a Disturbed or Linkin Park album. And so you know, when i say Buffy i mean Big Ugly Fat Fuckin Yo-Yo.
Lamb of God DESTROYS Mastodon.
At writing essentially the same album over and over maybe.
They all sound different to me.
That’s because you have shit taste in music.
Why do I have shit taste in music? Because you don’t like it?
I have to agree… all their stuff sounds the same, wen u hear 1 LOG song… u’ve pretty much heard them all… that dont mean they suck… cos that 1 song will be wkd, it just means that they arent as good as some other stuff out there
I do not think they all sound the same. Vigil sounds vastly different than Laid to Rest. Black Label sounds nothing like Redneck and so on and so and so on.
It’s funny… his screen name implies that he likes Dream Theater, but he types like a Brokencyde fan.
Primus also suck
I STILL think Slipknot’s Iowa is #1
Yup.
THANK YOU! This is definitely my favorite Lamb of God cd EVER
i love this album so much.
Shouldn’t this list be called The top 21 Mastodon, Lamb of God, and Killswitch engage records? Cause I’m not seeing much variety here.
This is not metal.
Hi Ziltoid
Hello.
But you are a moron !
HA! I am just fucking around; wondering if this would get a reaction. This album is awesome. Best LOG album in my opinion.
“And roughly around the time that Metallica released Load, I just kind of stopped buying new metal releases” “and the undergound became buried so far underground that you had to be Indiana fucking Jones to find it.”
Those statements are both retarted. The first one is opinion, I understand that, but if your implying that Load was your most anticipated release at that time, you have very shallow metal taste. The second statement is just pure ignorance, or laziness. Probably both.
There was a fucking avalanche of GREAT metal albums released in the mid to late 90’s. The quality of metal in that decade was immense. Where were you looking, Best Buy? Walmart? it sure seems like it.
damnit, I spelled retarded wrong. Let the flames begin.
Once again, I fully agree with you.
the sad part is that people on here probably think that we are the same person, replying to our own posts…..they just can’t fathom that there are two non-knuckle draggers on this board.
People were calling me Ziltiod too. Like it’s really that hard to believe that there is more than one person posting on this site that doesn’t listen to complete shit.
yup, I feel your pain ! Im suprised we haven’t been banned. I don’t even know why the hell I come here anymore to be honest. I found this site a year or so ago when they posted that ‘retarded’ version of Danzig’s “Mother”….. then I started checking back because once and a while there would be something funny. Now its like a fucking car crash….I can’t look away, despite how sick it makes me feel
I completely agree. I came here for the funny pieces (and anything this site posts about Fred Durst or “wigger slam” still makes me laugh), but pretty much all of the music they promote on here is awful, EXCEPT for a random instrumental doom band called BATILLUS. They have their EP up for download (three 10 minute songs), and MS posted it earlier this year. That’s probably one of my favorite releases of 09 (in an admittedly weak year IMO). Otherwise, it is just like a car wreck here.
ANd just look… in a few weeks you’re famous around here.
Ziltoid I checked out a few bands that I had never heard of on your top 21 list. It made me laugh.
Everyone go check out Kamelot (one of Ziltoid’s favorite bands) and then go listen to Palaces.
I mean besides that Palaces is much better I guess the biggest difference is that Lamb of God do not pretend they are in King Arthur’s court as they write their music.
I also checked out most of the stuff in Ziltoid’s top 21, in the interest of expanding my horizons, and most of them weren’t bad… but it’s a lot of power metal, which is inherently pretty cheesy.
Still, I think by now we’ve all learned that Ziltoid is opinionated to a fault. Zilty, old chap, you’d do well to not try so hard to impose your opinions upon everyone else. You remind me of the people I went to church with (this is, of course, back when I was young, before I had a choice).
@IsntaTOTALdouchebag10
Kamelot plays power metal. Yes, that is an inherently cheesy genre, but the music is infinitely better than crap like Lamb of God. Roy Khan’s vocals are simply godly. Youngblood’s guitarwork is both very tasteful, yet technical and heavy enough for a metal band (both the solos and riffs are very well crafted). Ok, the bass does nothing much, but that’s true with 9/10 metal bands, especially in power metal. The drums keep time well, and occasionally do a few interesting things. Yes, they adhere to a formula, as do most bands, but Kamelot is excellent at writing songs. They add brilliant subtlties to their music that Lamb of God could never do, because they write such basic, bro-magnon, Pantera-derivative, metalcore.
@grover
There was certainly some power metal, but my list was very well balanced. For those who don’t remember:
Kamelot – The Black Halo
Arcturus – The Sham Mirrors
Impaled – Mondo Medicale
Meshuggah – Nothing
Symphony X – The Odyssey
Devin Townsend – Accelerated Evolution
Tyr – Eric the Red
Mercenary – 11 Dreams
Strapping Young Lad – Alien
Mercenary – The Hours that Remain
Cynic – Traced in Air
Theocracy – Mirror of Souls
Anubis Gate – Andromeda Unchained
Vortech – Posthumanism
Primordial – To The Nameless Dead
Amon Amarth – With Oden on Our Side
Dark Tranquillity – Fiction
Suidakra – Emprise to Avalon
Windir – 1184
Augury – Concealed
Ne Obliviscaris – The Aurora Veil
Power metal is certainly present, but not at all a majority of my list, or even a lot of my list.
Good point… let me amend my statement by saying that most of the stuff I checked out from your list was power metal because most of the non-power metal stuff I either already had or have listened to previously.
Power metal is great. If you want more “manly” than Lamb of God pm, listen to Jag Panzer. And if power metal sucks to you because it’s not as heavy and br00tal than LoG, then I URGE you to listen to Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Behemoth, Benediction, Brutal Truth, Entombed, God Macabre, Gorement or any dm and tell me sincerely that LoG KICKS ass. Then I’ll laugh and turn my back.
Funny you mention Bolt Thrower, as I’m listening to Those Once Loyal at this very moment.
Lamb Of God does kick ass to me… but I also listen to some power metal. (Generally in smallish doses, to keep the cheese factor from overwhelming me.) Falconer is personally my favorite power metal band, mainly because their vocalist has a different style than other power metal vocalists.
Ziltoid: You are absolutely right about a few things. With using clean vocals, programming, keyboard, and strings you had better fucking be able to add subtleties to your songs. Obviously that is not what Lamb of God is going for here. His vocals? I mean…I know this is Sir Lancelot’s favorite band to rock to while slaying dragons but the vocals sound like he has listened to far too much Dream Theatre. The fact that you described them as godly makes me think you God hasn’t treated you so well.
H20: I have and do listen to all of the bands you mentioned minus Benediction and Gorment. Some of it does “kick ass” but even that is relative as is this entire list. But please do turn your back and laugh so I don’t have to talk to your dumb ass anymore.
@Ziltoid – After going through your list, especially on the power metal topic, are very good choices that aren’t really as cheesy as they could be. Look at some of the mentioned power metal bands previous works, especially Kamelot you;d notice that they’ve in particular have gotten much less cheesy over the years. Symphony X has always been good in my opinion. Good choice on the Primordial pick. Overall very good choices, few I’d change but hey what the hell’s the point of having an opinion if yours isn’t any different than those around you.
I’d definitely say some of the articles on here definitely make me laugh a lot more during the work day.
Power Metal is one of those things you like or don’t, its all a matter of finding one that you can stand to listen to.
haha kamelot has a guitarist named youngblood? ironic, because DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER has a son named youngblood.
Fuckin’ A. The ’90s were a wellspring of awesome metal. If you honestly couldn’t find anything you liked, then you were probably too busy spinning your New Kids on the Block albums. There were so many amazing albums being released….like Nespithe. Not to mention, Indiana Jones isn’t quite such a douche as the guy writing this review.
the 90s were a wellspring of awesome metal…outside of usa. apart from the florida death metal scene (including cynic) and the arizona stoner rock scene (including tool), what american albums were good AND influential between the black album and ATPB? dillinger?
i was a teen then and i was a korn fan. im so glad i discovered sweden.
The US typically sucks for metal. It’s got some really good bands surrounded by a lot of shit. That’s as true today as it was 15 years ago. If, in the 90s, you were limiting your musical taste to what was available in the US, then you weren’t going to find much. That’s why it’s always a good idea to broaden your horizons, and not just look in one country for music.
dude, sepultura, pantera, skinlab, machine head fear factory, TOOL HELMET the NY death metal scene, acid bath, brujeria, etc. plenty of great 90s metal that is not from Sweden…
Word…
Indeed, I mean it’s easier to buy “underground” shit: relapse.com metaldisc.com cmdistro.com or real underground shit: nwnprod.com irontyrant.net iron-pegasus.com
The principle here, is to browse through the artists, (if there is on you don’t know, just type the name on youtube or search their myspaces, metal-archives.com is also useful) chose and album which you add to the cart and pay. And all you have to do is wait for your things. A couple of clics and no need to go outside to a Hot Topic. It’s that simple really.
“now this is Sir Lancelot’s favorite band to rock to while slaying dragons” made me lol
Nuclear War Now! productions…now that is a GREAT label. Hells Headbangers also has a great selection of all types of metal, you’ll find the more mainstream bands (not nu-metal or mallcore of course) and also tons of underground stuff and very,very reasonable prices.
I don’t do much ordering because I have a great metal store 1 mile from me in Chicago (Metal Haven) So I usually go there and have a bunch of beers and buy shit from the local guy.
Disgusting.
Have you people forgotten about The Art of Balance?! That album put Shadows Fall on the map and has some of the best songwriting for a metal album. And the album did come out in 2001 so that’s my bet for what Number 1 is. And btw, Palaces is, and always will be, the best Lamb of God album.
shadows fall sucks and they always have
they were 2nd rate metalcore before people knew what metalcore was
Haha you wish G, Shadows Fall can shred like a mother fucker and wrote some great songs, especially on that CD (before a ton of other shitty metal-core came out). I really wouldn’t even call them metal-core, not many breakdowns, and lots of solo’s. That is a great CD, I would not put it close to number one, but probably in place of their other CD on this list.
I believe Art of Balance should have made the list between 15-21. They totally shred and were one of the original “metal core” bands. There amazing musicians, but I really don’t follow them anymore. As soon as they started releasing their slow songs as singles I was over it. I am soooo hungover today.
I’m surprised that there are any negative coments toward this album
Leviathan will be number one but I think Leviathan is more deserving of a spot around 5-3
I agree with groverXIII that blackwater park is the true number 1
So of all the great metal to be released this century, KSE and LoG have a combined 5 of the best 21 albums (almost 25%)? Fuck no.
Then again, I’m not surprised that this site (and it’s “voters”) have picked yet another awful album. Hell, I’ll even criticize Devy’s production here–just an awful job on his part. Nowhere near on par with other stuf he’s done, including his great work on his own material. This is just a genuinely boring and shitty album. The bottom line is, if you don’t own this album, you have good taste.
And I haven’t really attacked the reviews much here (regardless of the quality or metal-ness of the album, they’ve been ok for the most part), but this is a genuinely awfully written piece of turd that sounds like it was written by a 14 year old kid desperately trying to defend his favorite band for a school newspaper. It spends more time talking about how the writer “gave up on the scene” and whatnot, and doesn’t even really talk about the actual music until the last paragraph.
But wait, that’s right, you’re cool for saying that “whoa that band is only known by 15 people!” Every few years, you were not lucky for a Slayer or Pantera album (ugh, post-80s Slayer and any Pantera are terrible), and Tool are not and have never been metal. The underground was never “buried” really deep. All it takes is a bit of an open mind to find it. The “lulz only 15 people know of it” argument is not only old as time itself, but also beyond idiotic.
But as nu-metal was slowly dying out, a new trend needed to be found, and that was metalcore. By a stroke of luck (and a major label backing), Lamb of God has happened to become one of the most poplular metalcore bands out there (not that they’re any more original or “better” than the other countless At the Gates rip-offs out there).
“As the Palaces Burn was a perfect amalgamations of metal’s history up to that point.”
That is absolutely incorrect. There is nothing but a lame Pantera influence, and shitty -core stylings. It barely even touches on “metal’s history.”
This is a pathetic album by a pathetic band that unfortunately helped set the stage for a decade of awful metalcore music.
Another shit pick, but that’s to be expected now.
No Iron Maiden.
No Immortal.
No Decapitated.
No Nevermore.
No Amon Amarth.
No Iced Earth.
No Nile.
No Testament.
No Emperor.
Agreed, where the hell is Formation of Damnation??
Notballs, I agree with you 100%, this list is obviously made up to piss metalheads off and get all the metalcore homo’s to cross swords with each other over finding some validity in a rather dull and irrelivant sub genre.
Mastodon and Gojira not withstanding….
And it worked.
No Cannibal Corpse
With the exception of Decapitated, Iced Earth, and Nile, all of those bands you listed have made Top 21 albums in the last nine years (in my opinion).
what exactly is wrong with iced earth?
that one riff they never stop reusing.
Someone on youtube made a hilarious parody of it. In 6 minutes, it shows the unoriginality schaffer has used throughout his whole career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88jlseWPs_o&fmt=18
true the gallop rift is over played but ive never not ben able to listne to an iced earth song i didnt like
I agree with most of your picks listed here that probably should be on here, Maiden definitely should have but there stuff from when Bruce returned is easily eclipsed by there material in their prime. Nevermore, Amon Amarth, Emperor, and Immortal are all tragedies suffered as a part of this list and the commercialism present in it. I’m slightly curious though, what Iced Earth album would you have chosen? I enjoyed all of them from 2000 on but i don’t know if I’d say they were top 21 material
Well, the majority of the post re-union Maiden stuff is not as good as the ‘prime’ period in the 80’s. But newer songs like “Pachendale” is one of the best songs they’ve ever written, definitly the best since the 7th son album. “Ghost of the Navigator” “Brighter Than A Thousand Suns” “Lord of Light” LThe LOngest Day” are also all top tier Maiden songs. Maiden are still putting out solid, if slightly inferior music compared to their ‘classic’ era, but occasionally they drop a great fucking song, like Pachendale.
Quite indeed, my opinion might not mean much but I’d easily put any of the 21 century Maiden albums on my top 21 list. My point is when you think of Maiden what instantly pops into mind is their material from the 80’s and not always the later material. I do think they should be remembered for the work they did in the 80’s because lets face it, its hands down some of the best metal out there. But to completely ignore their work from their ‘reunion’ on like Brave New World, I’ll admit I had to look up the year was released, is a tragedy because like you said they’ve made some kick ass stuff. I was expecting to see Brave New World somewhere on this list, possibly Dance of Death but they never came
FORMATION OF DAMNATION is one tasty nugget!
Iron Maiden! – tee hee! notballs, you give me jokes.
God would you just SHUT UP!!
I’m sorry
shut the FUCK up
I kept quiet for over a week. This is my triumphant return!
Haha I appreciate Ziltoid (the devils advocate except he believes what he is saying) being on here, he is well spoken and occasionally funny.
But ziltoid…up there you said it requires an open mind? That might be one of the most hypocritical things you have said.
I am very open-minded in terms of what genres to listen to, I just happen to hate bad music (regardless of genre). I give things a listen before casting my mighty judgment, but I stand by what I say.
Yes, but you assume that your opinion of bad music is everyone’s opinion of bad music, and it’s not.
It’s not everyone’s opinion of bad music, and I fully know that…but it should be =P
Haha fair enough. But dude…a lot of your top 21 was just plain…lame? I have pretty eclectic taste when it comes to music. Some of it was great…but giving your almighty opinion, some of it was surprisingly awful.
Agree to disagree huh?
CRY MORE
If you have an issue with a dissenting opinion just don’t read it, retard.
I agree mostly. While I am a metalcore fan, I don’t like lamb of god at all, can’t get into it. The list gets boring when artists show up more than once, especially if it’s 3 times like LOG and Mastodon (probably).
While I don’t agree with everything you said, I don’t take particular exception to any of it either. I own this album, and I like it, but I also recognize the Pantera and At The Gates … uh, well, we’ll just call it ‘influence’. The production is weak compared to other Devy albums, true. And your comment about the tone of the review was pretty much spot-on. It felt to me like part explanation, and part apology.
Well said. If “Load” made the reviewer lose faith in metal for the mid to late 90’s, that is a pretty damning account of thier limp wristed metal fandom. Although I usually always agree with you, I do -kinda- consider Tool to be metal…… they do have a pretty dark atmosphere, and a decent amount of their material is interesting to me and appeals to my metal brain waves. Im not a huge fan, only owning their first album and having heard bits and pieces ever since.
Lamb of God isn’t metalcore. No breakdowns, no gang vocals, no clean vocals… And they don’t sound anything like At The Gates.
Just because they became popular around the same time that metalcore did does not make them metalcore.
No breakdowns? Are you fucking retarded?
Hmmm… I guess upon further thought there are a couple of breakdowns that I can think of… I never really thought of them as breakdowns, so it never really detracted from the music for me. I still don’t consider them metalcore.
Their breakdowns are few and far between and for the most part somewhat creative, at least for when this album came out.
Dude theres at least 1 breakdown per song. That At the Gates guitar riff is not only all through LoG, but all metal since that album came out – its the gallop riff of the 21st century. I agree that they aren’t exactly metalcore cuz even Pantera had breakdowns & Dime ain’t no sucka. LoG = good live, bland on tape.
No, Lamb of God write riffs that are unmatched by ANY band.
hahahahahahaha
Ziltoid you suck. I was even in a good mood today and removed the I Hate Ziltoid infront of Nacho Cheese Doritos. You can’t say people have good taste for not owning this album. Your back to being a know it all. Can you take another vacation from this site? Maybe for the rest of your life?
I would agree. If you own this album, your taste in music sucks.
Your attitude sucks.
seconded.
Can you go back on hiatus?
As much as I don’t want to be sucked-in to this “Your taste sucks if you own it’ debacle, this is NOT one of LOG’s better albums. Personally, I find Ashes to be the best one. I don’t mind Sacrament and Wrath is OK. Yeah; there’s some clever git riffs on these albums, and the drumming is above-par… but this band is not anything spectacular. They just happen to be the lucky ones as far as building a large fanbase, and selling lots of units.
Speaking from the experience of playing in bands most of my life; getting popular IS luck
(and maybe your blowjob skills)
@Ziltoid;
Man; there is more to the world of Metal than YOUR opinion. Yeah, I own 3 albums from your list(and they’re not THAT great), but the rest of your list is average mundane crap. I think that if you cast judgment on other people’s taste, you should be able to take the hits for your own… and your taste sucks, Buddy.
So based on three albums (which ones, by the way?), you can make a judgment on the other 18? I doubt you’ve even heard half of them (Vortech? Ne Obliviscaris? You have definitely not heard those, and don’t try to fake it.). I’ve had my list out in the open, free to be criticized, for awhile now. However, if you want to tell me that my taste is so bad, let’s see your list. Let’s see you great and mighty taste. I bet you have the new Chimaira album on your list and stuff like that…
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Vortech, but the rest of your list was pretty good. I’m a big fan of Mercenary. I hadn’t heard of Ne Obliviscaris, but found their music to be pretty damned good.
No Chimaira suck.
Why should I post a list?
So you can rip on it with your narrowed-vision, right?
whatever.
I’m not falling for that shit. I just think you should tone-down your Elitism concerning other people’s tastes. You seem to think that only YOUR taste is Supreme while ripping on others who do not share your views.
Ne Obliviscaris are amazing and I’m glad someone else here likes them. They put on an awesome show live.
Wow…..dude….you are definately entitled to your opinions but calling LoG=Metalcore and ATPB=shit….you must be tripping homie……check into rehab…..FASTTTT !
Peace !
I’ve owned this album for a few years and have probably listened to it a total of three times.With the exception of 11th Hour I find it incredibly boring.
Can’t argue with this. Can’t argue for the inevitable number one pick of Leviathan tomorrow either.
So I found out the other day that I will be seeing Lamb of God open for Metallica in the fall. That’s awesome!
I can’t even feign excitement for that. You have a great time though.
Metallica hasn’t received a penny from me since ‘Load’.
against my better judgement, I saw them with Down in New Orleans. It was actually a pretty good show, so I was glad that I didn’t listen to my “inner hater”
I’m sure they still put on a decent show, and god knows they can do huge amounts of pyro (as long as James isn’t standing next to one when it goes off, LOL). It’s just that they are so far removed from the band that I grew up with, that it’s a tiny bit depressing. Say what you want about Slayer’s recent albums, but they still stayed true to themselves, and for that, I continue to support them with dollars.
At least you’re getting Lamb of God and not Linkin Park or Disturbed.
They had a laser show that would make Roger Waters envious…and I had never seen Down live, so seeing them play to the hometown crowd was pretty cool.
Good for you. I agree that Metallica isn’t the same band, but I always have fun slamming some beers to loud ass music!
#1 will be either Death Magnetic or St. Anger; and NOT because they are good.
Like some guy said: the lack of variety is the main problem of this list. Just to make an example: where are Dark Tranquillity? Slipknot, SOAD and LOG made this list… I can’ t believe not even one of the 21th century albums of DT (Haven, Damage Done, Character and Fiction) was good enough to join the club. And I’m not even starting to talk about Ensiferum (god, they made that little self-titled album on the 21th century…) or Wintersun or Equilibrium or Scar Symmetry… Not even one of those?? Seriously??
Look at who’s making the list, dude.
good album everyone know DROP DEAD GORGEOUS will be number one or ATTACK ATTACK
As Daylight Dies will be #1.
I remember when 11th Hour came up on my Nu Metal Launch playlist (back when Launch.yahoo.com actually had enough artists on there that it was a site worth visiting) and it was the heaviest shit that I’d heard up until that point. Granted, all of the “clean chorus” stuff like KSE and SF made me lost interest in metal for a while but this album and The Oncoming Storm made me regain some faith that in the metal scene even though i only really liked those two bands.
Then I hit college, discovered the virtues of piracy and youtube and became a born again metalhead, this time free from all the trendy crap out there when I needed to outblast a Slipknot-loving floormate at 2:00 AM with something unbelievably heavy and I discovered Anal Cunt which is still one of the heaviest bands out there. Then guitar Hero hit and the memories of when I first heard Napalm Death’s Twist the Knife from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack at a bowling alley finally returned to me.
This album kicks ass. Lamb of God rules (except for Sacrament) and soon enough there will be a defining moment that will get every deathcore-lover to look the underground. It just takes an exceptional band to first convince somebody in that state that there may still be new good metal out there once a new trend replaces deathcore. Then you reach out to the dejected former deathcore fan and bring them the gift of REAL metal so that this philistine may rejoice in the glory of Faith No More, Slayer, Morbid Angel, Marduk and other sweet metal bands.
This album was necessary to my musical development and anyone who doesn’t like it is way too elitist for their own good, similar to the people who hated Morbid Angel once they signed to Earache. Don’t listen to the haters, this is some good shit.
who the fuck hated Morbid Angel because they signed to Earache?? get the fuck out of here !
All of their classics are on earache. Alters of Madness. Blessed are the Sick.Covenant.Domination.
You will not find one metal fan that has heard those albums and doesn’t like them. You fail at metal buddy.
Go play LOG again, and leave the real shit to the adults.
ALTARS OF MADNESS
I don’t care what year it was released in, that better be #1. I haven’t found any death metal fan who doesn’t like Morbid Angel.
Altars of Madness is indeed amazing.
I do love me some altars…its actually the first underground metal album I purchased, way back when…probably 94′ or something. I found it in a used cd store and saw the inverted crosses and pentegrams in the logo and I never looked back !!!!
I do prefer Blessed….. and Covenant though. I tend to skip around a lot on Altars….a lot of the songs sound the same (all awesome)…so I usually get sick of it and skip to Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.
As long as you don’t skip Chapel of Ghouls…
GHOULS
ATTACK THE CHURCH
CRUSH
THE HOLY PRIEST
TURNING
THE CROSS TOWARDS HELL
WRITHE
IN SATAN’S FLAME
Absolutely amazing song.
I’m going to be quite honest… those are the type of lyrics a 16-year-old would write on his notebook.
Satanism tends to be pretty cheesy.
They lyrics are awful, but very funny at the same time. Also, the song itself has lots of great music. Good tempo changes and such. Highly enjoyable.
Any “satanism” in metal is really cheesy, though.
I can’t argue that.
It’s not a bad thing, necessarily, that you can’t understand a lot of the vocalists in a lot of metal bands with harsh vocals. (Randy Blythe, however, is actually pretty easy to understand, which is fairly impressive.)
ATTACK, WITH HATE !!!!
SATAAAN, IN THE FIRES OF HELL, AWAITS.
yup, forgot about that track.. probably my fav song on the album. Blasphemies is towards the end, so thats why I skip between chapel of ghouls and it !
Morbid Angel are another band that plays great stuff but their albums are recorded like shit. It doesn’t take big money to make a good sounding album.
Man; this frustrates me:
There are so many bands/albums out there that fall into this category. If it sounds like crap, most people who know nothing about music, or how it’s executed will think the music is crap.
And who cares what fucking label you’re signed to?
So, I have to agree with the Biffinator.
“I’m going to be quite honest… those are what a 16 year old would write on his notebook”
Your exactly right. They were about 16 when they wrote those lyrics. The vocal melody is AWESOME during that part of the song. If you’ve never heard it, it does seem real cheesy. But in the song, it works. Check it out if you’ve never heard it, I bet you’ll be singing along with it in a matter of minutes.
I actually know a guy who hates anything that isn’t local and any band who signs with a label and only likes the most extreme grind. He also hates the third and fourth Bathory albums because they were too long and feels that Anal Cunt became worthless when they started making actual songs on Top 40 Hits, not to mention hating anything Gorgoroth put out after their second album.
People who are that elitist actually exist outside of ridiculous internet personas and are pretty much the only reason why I don’t give Ziltoid crap.
Oh, and since everyone here misread my post: I DO NOT HATE MORBID ANGEL! Blessed Are the Sick is one of the greatest 90s metal albums ever. I fucking love MA and I’m really anticipating their new album with Dave back in the band.
I know a few people like that. Every band they say they like always has an (old) in front of it.
That’s not necessarily the same as being elitist (although it helps). There are a lot of bands that change their sound over the years, and it is perfectly okay to prefer the one over the other.
the third bathory album is too long? “Under the Sign of The Black Mark” is only 35 minutes !
Do you (or he) mean the 4th and 5th albums? I could understand “Hammerheart” being criticized for it’s length, but “Blood Fire Death” is not very long either.
(All the kiddies on here are scratching their heads now….’ who’s Bathory’ ? )
Tell me your life story dude. Actually I read it & you get major points for mentioning the mortal kombat soundtrack which was & is fucking killer (Minus about half the tracks on it lol).
The LoG/Mastodon argument is the same one as Priest/Maiden probably were to our parents. Like Priest, LoG figured out a kick ass forumla, and cranking out kick ass albums. Mastodon, like Iron Maiden; are expanding and evolving their sound with every album, creating kick ass albums.
Moral of the story? They both kick mega ass.
Except that Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are actually, you know, good and not just trendy garbage.
hi, why are you here? fuck off
because you keep crying.
I side with Lamb of God and Maiden (greatest band in history)
Maiden – Good, LoG – shit
Hey; if you like it Great!
But for me:
Maiden – boring (I didn’t mind them when they started; but I was what? 14?)
Priest – have always sucked (not a slag on Halford)
You guys forget(or weren’t born yet) that Maiden and Priest WERE mainstream trendy garbage in the 80’s.
Uhh….ok Grandpa !
Yup; that’s right.
You 20yo punks who have listened to Metal for 2 years and think you’re Metal-Einsteins make me feel like a Grandpa.
Go get your jammies on, cause it’s bedtime…
Heh. Come on. Lamb of God is fun music and all, but #2 album of the whole decade? Give me a break. It seems Americans are so eager to have a classic contemporary metal band that they’re gonna overhype everything. Think the newest God Forbid. It got 10/10 on B-mouth and got praises here, yet not so many people seem to dig it that much.
Anyway, in what respect is that album better than, say, Blackwater Park which really made a difference in metal world. It’s standard groove/thrash metal. Fun, but not overly original.
Don’t worry, not all Americans are morons. The real metal fans over hear hate this garbage. Only the kids like this stuff.
The new God Forbid was good, for them. I listened to it 3 times, probably wont again for a long time.
The order here is weird, Blackwater Park is an amazing CD, just listened to it on the way home from class. I think it is hard to compare them to each other though. 2 CD’s for 2 different moods. Both great
This list has been an epic failure – totally predictable and boring. I’d rather see what each of the individuals surveyed selected to come up with this piece of turd, maybe they mentioned some stuff that might be interesting but didn’t get enough votes.
this would be nice
Well, considering there were about forty voters, if each had the same # 1, then it would have 840 points, and #2 800 points. That’s if they were unanamious. now this album received 247 points. Obviously the lists were very varied considering that a complete agreement for a #11 pick woul get about 240 points. Basically, this album could have been the eleventh pick on everyone’s list and it still made #2
math is crazy like that
you sound like a meshuggah fan
32/4, 16/8, 4/8!!
Finally an intelligent post about the mechanics of the list
As a statistician by hobby, I applaud your post very much you have said something that I’ve wanted to for a while. I was going to give a somewhat full analysis of the list tomorrow when the final album was announced.
SOMEONE THROW ME A FLOATY, I’M DROWNING IN OPINIONS
hahahahaha.
I can’t wait for tomorrow!…. When this list will finally be OVER!
But then it’s time for the 21 Worst Metal Albums of the 21st Century featuring Iron Maiden, Nile, Emperor, Immortal, etc. Because those all sound the same and appeal to mallcore kids shopping at Hot Topic.
Don’t give them any ideas!
the Iron Maiden of the 21st century is good
its the iron maiden of the 90s that was bad, but in the 90s you also had stuff like limp biscut
Oooh man.. the X Factor kicks ANY metalcore ass!!!
It has been 14 years and dickinson is back… take a listen to that album now, without all the hate of those days and tell me again is a bad album…
I have yet to find any Maiden album bad. I enjoy each and every one of them on their own merits. Then again, I’m a huge Maiden fanboy.
I posted this on the Alive or Just Breathing announcement… right at the end so it got a bit lost…
It has to be said, I really don’t agree with the list at all. Just going through my own music collection these albums are far more deserving.
Neurosis ‘Given To The Rising’
Baroness’ ‘Red Album’,
BTBAM’ ‘Colors’,
DEP ‘Ire Works’,
The End ‘Elementary’,
Celtic Frost ‘Monotheist’,
Meshuggah ‘Nothing’,
Starkweather ‘Croaton’
Strapping Young Lad ‘Alien’,
Behemoth ‘Demigod’,
Decapitated ‘Organic Halucinosis’,
Emperor ‘Prometheous’,
Pig Destroyer ‘Terrifyer’,
Burnt By The Sun ‘The Perfect Is The Enemy of The Good’,
Cursed ‘One’,
Today Is The Day ‘Sadness Will Prevail’,
Fantomas ‘The Director’s Cut’,
Isis ‘Celestial’,
Old Man Gloom ‘Seminar II’,
Will Haven ‘Carpe Diem’,
Botch ‘We Are The Romans’,
Cephalic Carnage ‘Exploiting Dysfunction’,
Discordance Axis ‘The Inalienable Dreamless’,
Drowning Man ‘Rock N Roll Killing Machine’,
Nasum ‘Human 2.0′,
Nile ‘Black Seeds Of Vengeance’, …
Are you really telling me that Hatebreed’s ‘Perserverance’ is a more important metal album than any of those ? Actually, just reading my list makes me realise just how off the mark these chumps are. It should be renamed ‘the most run of the mill metal albums of the 21st century’. Where’s the innovation ? The bands really pushing metal forward. There are four records in there I agree with, Mastodon Gojira, Converge and Machine Head… the rest… couldn’t be anymore ‘mehtal’ if they tried.
Just a whole load of wrong.
The people compiling the list are a bunch of trendy idiots who only searched through the Billboard Charts since 2000 to find albums and vote for them. “Monotheist” decimates everything on this shit list.
Just listened to Monotheist and laughed my fucking ass off at how unbelievably unoriginal and boring they were.
Same guy who said all Lamb of God is unique and sounds different.
Learn to troll.
I think you and I have pretty similar tastes …at least 50% of the time.
Terrifyer over Prowler? No way man. Prowler all the fucking way.
Otherwise, some good shit on that list.
Word. Towering flesh kills most prowler tracks tho, best PxDx track ever.
Agreed. Towering Flesh is amazing, as is Thumbsucker (that riff is godlike). But overall? Prowler, by far.
can’t agree with celestial being better than panopticon or oceanic
Panopticon was much better than celestial I thought. Some pretty good stuff on there, Old Man Gloom though? It was just decent I thought. And I didnt get into Monotheist at all, thought it was kind of boring.
Add me to the list of those who would vote for ‘Oceanic’ over ‘Celestial’. As a debut, it’s strong, but ‘Oceanic’ destroys it in so many ways.
The End’s Elementary was terrible. Maybe I should go re listen to it…
Best list I’ve seen on here in a while. Look at that – you even give Carpe Diem a look in. Top album that.
No complaints with anything on there at all. All of it – great picks.
Axl, I’m guessing we’re about the same age and/or have a similar metal fan pedigree, because you described exactly where my head was at regarding metal and the metal scene at that time. Well done.
OK….so this list doesn’t exactly capture what most here would dub the “best metal albums”…that much is obvious. What about the great non-metal albums of 2000-2009?
I’ll go first…
Big Business-here come the waterworks
Dax Riggs-we sing of only blood or love
Jesu-silver
Planes Mistaken for Stars- Mercy
Ulver-Shadows of the sun
Ulver–Blood Inside
One of the most amazing albums I’ve ever heard. SotS was good, but disappointing in comparison.
This may be the one and only time I ever agree with you, but blood inside was indeed an incredible album
battles – mirrored
boards of canada – music has the right to children
the octopus project – one ten hundred thousand million
om – variations on a theme & conference of the birds
deltron 3030 – deltron 3030
deltron…ha! yes…better throw in some dr octagon too
I keep meaning to check out his Deltron 3030 stuff… I occasionally listen to some of his Del Tha Funkee Homosapien albums.
I love all ulver…except Metamorphosis…I can tolerate it, but don’t ‘love’ it.
Blood Inside is my favorite of the decade, with Perdition City/ William Black being my faves.
The Neurosis/Jarboe collab was pretty awesome too…
Jesu-Silver was technically an EP, but I sure do love it all the same.
Good point….then Conqueror it is….that is actually what I meant anyway.
If we’re going non-metal, I’m going to go with:
Everything Clutch has released this decade
QOTSA – Songs For The Deaf
Primus – Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People
Johnny Cash – American III
Dog Fashion Disco – Adultery
Bad Religion – New Maps Of Hell
HORSE The Band – The Mechanical Hand
Saul Williams – S/T
Pitchshifter – PSI
The Living End – State Of Emergency
Optimus Rhyme – School The Indie Rockers
Five Horse Johnson – No. 6 Dance
Celldweller – S/T
Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta!
Jesse Dangerously – Verba Volante
Among others.
How could I have forgotten “songs for the deaf”? Shame on me.
and ASG-win us over!!!
Against my better judgment, I’ll join in on the non-metal love:
VAST — Music For People (or Nude)
Devin Townsend Band — Accelerated Evolution
Silversun Pickups — Swoon
The Gathering — if_then_else (Souvenirs has grown on me though too)
Muse — Absolution (and Origin of Symmetry)
Ween — White Pepper
Thievery Corporation — The Mirror Conspiracy
Clutch — From Beale Street to Oblivion
dredg — El Cielo
As Tall As Lions — Lafcadio
Handsome Boy Modeling School — White People
Mars Volta — Deloused in the Comatorium
Massive Attack — 100th Window
Tomahawk — Mit Gas
Beck — Sea Change
Silverchair — Diorama
Buddy Guy — Sweet Tea
Devin Townsend — Infinity
Zero 7 — Simple Things
The Cure — Bloodflowers
On — Shifting Skin
Sunny Day Real Estate — The Rising Tide
When I want something other than metal, these are usually what I reach for (of the recent stuff).
There’s nothing wrong with listening to music that isn’t metal… too many metalheads tend to be narrow-minded.
Personally, on your list, the only ones I listen to are Clutch, Devin Townsend, and Ween, plus the occasional Muse song, but variety is the spice of life!
I love Muse, in spite of my original opinion of them when I first heard ‘Showbiz’ …. ‘Total fucking Radiohead wannabes!’ They’ve now become a Radiohead / Queen cross, and live, they completely own. Arena rock is back! :)
Most of what I listed is stuff I got promos of, and I’ll give almost anything an honest spin (as long as it’s not boy-bands, Toby Keith, or bling-bling rap). If I don’t like it, it goes back (or gets passed on to someone else). However, I pay for Devy, every time. He deserves the money.
Variety is a great thing indeed. Man CAN subsist on metal alone, but most metal can be appreciated more when you’ve cleansed the palate, so to speak. Plus,any of these albums are a hell of a lot better than having to listen to the killers when I’m in the car with my girlfriend.
‘Cleansed the palate’ … I like that.
My girlfriend only listens to NPR, which I can only take talk radio in small doses, so I try to drive as much as possible. I typically don’t ‘torture’ her with metal, although she’s now said she’s tired of Jeff Buckley, so I’m at a loss. :)
Urk… The Killers make me want to shoot myself. They’re a big part of the reason that I don’t listen to the radio if I can at all help it (along with the myriad Nickelback clones that seem to keep sprouting up everywhere).
BTW, she’s going to continue to be tortured by metal, as Rock Band has some great DLC coming this week (Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, BDM, etc.). She always plays the drums, so she’s gonna HATE me for downloading those, LOL
Bling you have some great pics on there for sure.
alexisonfire – Watch Out!
Some Mars Volta
Mattafix – Signs of a Struggle
Porcupine Tree – in absentia
Kings of Leon – only by the night
Open Hand – You and Me
People in Planes – Beyond the horizon
Thrice – Vheissu
Just a few I would throw in off the top of my head
Clutch – any/all
Devin Townsend – Terria, Infinity, Accelerated Evolution, Synchestra, Ki
Zappa Plays Zappa – Live box set thingy
Ian Moore – And All the Colors, Luminaria, To Be Loved
Fleet Foxes – ST
Mike Keneally & Beer for Dolphins – Live in Japan
Motherfucking WEEN!!! – Live in Chicago, La Cucaracha
David Cross – Shut Up You Fucking Baby!, It’s Not Funny
Patton Oswalt – Werewolves & Lollipops
Amon Tobin
Muse – Absolution
Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
Toadies – Hell Below Stars Above
Anyone – ST
At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command
Melvins – Senile Animal
QOTSA – Songs…
Hellacopters – By the Grace of God
Jellyfish – Fan Club Box Set
Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won
Medeski Martin and Wood – End of the World Party
Porcupine Tree – any/all
Prince – The Rainbow Children
Sound of Urchin – The Diamond
These Arms Are Snakes – Tail Swallower & Dove
Frank Zappa – Wazoo!, Buffalo, Imaginary Diseases
George Carlin – Complaints & Grievances
Bill Hicks – Flying Saucer Tour
My Morning Jacket – Okonokos
Primus – Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People
Public Property – Movement
The Roots – Phrenology
Great list Bucket. Are you enjoying the new Coalesce?
Hasn’t arrived yet. Supposed to be good though.
yeah…it’s really good. Everything you’d want from a band that hasn’t recorded in 10 yrs.
I intentionally left comedy CDs off my list, but if I would’ve included them, David Cross and Bill Hicks would’ve been right there. Good call. Also, the muthafuckin TOADIES!
Heh… if I was including comedy albums, George Carlin and Mitch Hedberg would’ve been on the list.
Not Metal, but genius all the same:
B.Lustmord & Robert Rich/ Stalker
Lustmord/ Rising 06.06.06
Fantomas/ Suspended Animation
Allan Holdsworth/ All Night Wrong
Billy Cobham/ Spectrum 2001RM re-issue
Bozzio Levin Stevens/ Situation Dangerous
JSBX/ Jukebox Explosion
Shellac/1000 Hurts
Bohren und Der Club Of Gore/ Delores
Now there’s a fucked-up selection for ya.
Some that didn’t quite make the 2000 mark, but too good to ignore:
Jonas Hellborg, Buckethead and Micheal Shrieve/ Octave Of The Holy Innocents
Trans Am/ st 1st album
Nomeansno/ One Down And Two To Go
Suspended Animation & Amenaza al mundo are metal as fuck.
These non-metal lists lack Prodigy.
I agree, but the Elitecore Cvlt don’t/won’t think Fantomas is Metal. It’s too ‘out there’ for them. The funny thing is that John Zorn has been doing the Fantomas style ADD thing for years.
The 3 Ambient and 4 JazzFusion picks are deliberate, as I think more Metaloids would appreciate how dark & brooding the Ambient stuff is, and the Jazzoid stuff is way above the technicality of most Metal players.
Everyone should check out the Octave Of The Holy Innocents album; it shreds BIG TIME.
Nomeansno are a old-school Punk-Metal hybrid. As can be expected; the older stuff is more punishing. The album Wrong is their peak, and will get you evicted from your apartment for sure.
I fucking loved Dax Riggs in Acid Bath.
I see that no one has yet mentioned Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus would rank in the top 10 of my favorite releases since 2000.
Yes.. Nick Cave or Tom Waits? That is a real tough one!
Tom Waits kicks some serious ass.
Big Business did rule; WTF happened with the new album w/Toshi?
I can’t stand it…
not my fav, but I still spin it.
Whoop de doo
“I just kind of stopped buying new metal releases. Sure, every few years you were lucky and Slayer or Pantera or Tool (who are definitely fucking metal) would put something out, but otherwise, those were good times to familiarize yourself with anything old that you’d missed.”
What the fuck are you talking about?
Seriously? During the 90’s, POPULAR metal was absolute shit, like Korn, etc., but there were LOADS of great bands in the ‘underground’, Children of Bodom, In Flames? They were at the time releasing the records of their careers, how the fuck can you say there was nothing worth getting? Cryptopsy, Cannibal Corpse, Cradle of Filth? I mean, by no means do I like all of those bands, specially the last three I’ve mentioned, but there are thousands of others who do and who believe they released the best records of their careers during this decade. I suppose the fact that the people who made this list are industry ‘insiders’, it makes sense that you wouldn’t pay any attention whatsoever to anything other than what the mainstream record labels push out, but seriously, FUCK this list.
I propose that after having royally fucked up what could have been a great list, Metalsucks should do a new series after this one, and let the Metalsucks READERS decide on what they think the best album of this decade so far have been. Listen to what the PEOPLE like, not what the industry insiders think people like.
For fuck’s sake.
Yes!!
I want to vote
I’ve listened to metal since 92 or so, and there was not one period of my life where I wasn’t buying at least five records a month. There was so much good stuff in the mid 90s.
Strapping Young Lad, Carcass, Entombed, Fear Factory, Crowbar, Paradise Lost, Misery Loves Co, Pitchshifter, my favourite Napalm Death period, Cathedral, Face Down, Godflesh, Ministry…. the list goes on.
HOLY SHIT. Someone else actually listened to Pitchshifter in the 90’s. I seriously thought I was the only one.
I fucking love Pitchshifter. I personally like their later stuff more than their earlier stuff, but I think Infotainment? bridges the gap very nicely.
The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste is brilliant.
I pumped the shit out of that Ministry album, back when it came out. That and Einsturzende Neubauten.
The article say’s it all.I agree 100%.Would have been my #1.This album took it all to the next level.
Really? 3 LoG albums in this list?
whether you like them or not, your fav. modern metal band would possibly be non-existent if not for these guys
ALL HAIL THE LAMB!!!
…of God
Fucking bravo. Glad you reminded all the fucktards out there that it isnt a list picked by 5 people, its a poll, and the top of the list had to be high enough on enough DIFFERENT peoples ballets to make it on the top of the list. i fully agree this is Lamb of God’s best release to date, and that they blend the metal lines to form a more across-the-board metal sound. Great album, great pick, and cant wait for the final pick…or the shitstorm after.
Thank you Axl for the explanation… people just want their deathcore to shine on this countdown and they neglect to think how deathcore was born…. Lamb of God, KSE, and ya even though i HATE them, Converge BELONG on this countdown because they formed what is today. I was also VERY happy with the voters when it came to Tool. Oh and by the way…. i would laugh my ass off if number 1 came out to be All That Remains “The Fall of Ideals” because i would probably be happy with that even though im not a fan of metalcore that much and just to read comments from guys like Biff who have to find something on the internet that makes them so angry that they rant about it for hours
a rational well thought-out post? what the fuck is this?
Awesome name.
Ya i know I actually thought about what to post before i just say uuuggghhh people who like this shit are stoopid deeerrr gay douchebag cumguzzling fanny bandit deeeerrr.. but seriously, dont get me wrong… i like some deathcore.. but people got to stop being mad that iwrestledabearonce isnt on here (sarcasm). and thanks Jesse!
Ok…. so connecting to Facebook was a bad idea…. but ya…. any predictions for #1???
Id really like to see Reinventing the Steel come out of nowhere (came out in 2000)
no one ever agrees with me on this, but….. Death Cult Armageddon by Dimmu Borgir is the best album ever. it’s fucking EPIC!
lol Demon Burger
A friend of mine calls them ‘Dummy Burger’.
this
i call them dumb moose burger…. even though i love them.
Haha Dummy Burger, thats funny. I fell asleep on the lawn at Ozzfest during their set, boring……..
I used their set time for a much needed beer piss!
Damn it I want a burger now
I dont think best EVER… but deff on my top!
THey’re not exactly kvlt, but I kinda liked Death Cult Armageddon.
i never got that band
mmmmmm……Demon Burger
mmmmm… pre-chewed goo
I whole-heartedly fucking agree! Amazing album.
My only hope is that #1 goes to Arsis – A Celebration of Guilt. I’m not sure its popular enough but it sure as hell rocked the metal scene when it was released.
That would be amazing. But won’t happen sadly.
ashes of the wake > as the palaces burn
it would be pretty funny if Death Magnetic were #1. this place would go apeshit.
I love Palaces and I think LOG are definitely one of the best bands of the decade.
As for thw whole list it is gonna leave out a lot of great metal albums for the likes of Tool and the Deftones and that is just disgusting.
I still think Ashes of the Wake was much more influential (and also a better “album” overall) than As the Palaces Burn. That being said, I’ll never forget popping this thing in my car for the first time and almost killing everyone on the road because it was so damn brutal.
this list is full of such complete and utter wank, i dont like a single band on this list.
Guys take this list with a grain of salt considering who voted, fuck this list though. Most of these bands are boring and make no impact on me at all.
The Black Dahlia Murder – Nocturnal, eats this album and spits it out.
LOG can suck it.
most of this list can suck it.
Arsis FTW
Celebration of Guilt should have been in this top 4
In my personal opinion I wouldn’t mind this list so much if it was about the top metalcore/mainstream metal of the 21st century but seriously, this list has has only some worthwhile albums on it. For Lamb Of God, I don’t mind that they chose those albums, but two in the top ten is ridiculous, personally I like Wrath the best, but that’s beside the point. Here is my list in no particular order of some of my absolute favorite releases from the 21st Century.
After Forever-After Forever: My favorite Symphonic metal act, their last album was phenomenal for symphonic metal
Amon Amarth-Twilight Of The Thunder God: Do I really need to comment, The Hero, Title Track, Guardians Of Asgaard, Live For The Kill, Embrace The Endless Ocean, heck the entire album is amazing.
Arch Enemy-Rise Of The Tyrant: Debatable, but I like it.
Behemoth-Demigod/The Apostasy: One or the other or both, the face remains that those two albums demolish everything put on the list, some argue that those albums only have a few good songs, but I like them as a whole, Slaves Shall Serve, Evangelion 2009, going to be epic out of proportions.
The Black Dahlia Murder-Nocturnal: need I say more
Cannibal Corpse-The Wretched Spawn/Kill: So good they can’t be comprehended
Celtic Frost-Monotheist: One of my all time favorites, experimental, heavy, and absolutely amazing
Children Of Bodom-Hate Crew Deathroll/Follow The Reaper: Arguably the two best Bodom CDs
Cryptopsy-Once Was Not: Again Debatable, but I loved
Cynic-Traced In Air: One word Cynic
Dark Tranquillity-Fiction: One of the best albums ever made, some people don’t like it, but it ruled.
Decapitated-Really anything They did :)
Dethklok-The Dethalbum: Die For Dethklok
Devourment-Butcher The Weak/Unleash The Carnivore: br00tal beyond belief, makes other death metal look tame in comparison
Dimmu Borgir-Deathcult/In Sorte-Innovative and Epic
Cradle Of Filth-Godspeed On The Devil’s Thunder-Really their best album since Dusk
Dream Theater-Octavarium: The Title Track Alone makes this album on the list. but as a whole it’s fantastic
Dying Fetus-Destroy The Opposition/War Of Attrition: Amazing
Emperor-Prometheus: it’s emperor
Eluveitie-Slania: My favorite folk album
Enslaved-Below The Lights: Viking/Black metal at its finest
Evoken-Antithesis Of Light: it slowly melts your brain until you get owned
Gorgoroth-Twilight/Incipit/ Ad Majorem: Fantastic Black
Iced Earth-Horror Show: An album that slayed others
Immortal-Sons Of Northern Darkness: One By One
Mayhem-Chimera/Ordo Ad Chao-The two best by the band De Mysteriis is overrated, although it would be the best of all time if Dead lived long enough to record on it
Meshuggah-Obzen/Nothing (re-release)/Catch 33, owns everything on the list
Necrophagist-Epitaph: STABWOUND
Nevermore-Enemies Of Reality (Remix)/This Godless Endeavor-Progressive Amazement
Nile-Darkest Shrines/Annihilation/Ithyphallic-Can’t decide but at least one on the list
Origin-Antithesis/Echoes/Informis-One a debate, but definitely Antithesis
Scar Symmetry-Holographic Universe: Amazing the entire way through
Sigh-Imaginary Sonicscape/Hangman’s Hymn-So great they bend your mind into submission
Strapping Young Lad-Alien/The New Black
Soilwork-Natural Born Chaos
Suffocation-Suffocation/Blood Oath-Awesome Records
Summoning-Oath Bound: Land Of Dead, and everything else
Symphony X-Paradise Lost-pure progressive power
Vital Remains-Icons Of Evil: Listen to the titled track, get completely decapitated, then listen to the rest of the album and pick up your brain off the floor from headbanging so much
So those are picks for the best albums of the 21st century, If anyone agrees follow up on this post,
Metal For Life
Devastator
As a note, I left out some albums that are already on the list, I wholeheartedly agree with
Gojira
Opeth
Machine Head (The Blackening #16 WTF)
Mastodon-Really Crack The Skye is their best, the other albums are great but compared with the other albums of the 21st century, their other albums fall in the niche of great but not fantastic.
I agree with quite a few of these… Amon Amarth, Cynic, Dream Theater, Eluveitie, Necrophagist, Scar Symmetry, and Strapping Young Lad, mainly. A few years back I probably would’ve agreed with Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom as well.
Also, for Enslaved I’d either go with Isa or Vertebrae. Still you’ve got some good stuff on here.
I agree with about half your list, which is a WHOLE lot more than the MS list, considering the only pick I like on the list would be Converge.
I have to admit I like some the albums more than others, and some albums I felt were really strong records from the band, not best in the 21st century, if you like what’s on the list I would like to hear which ones you liked or disliked, I won’t mind the one’s you dislike, it’s just good to get feedback, hit me back.
fuck origin
fuck you.
I agree with most of this stuff, however I have a few debates:
Cynic and Necrophagist are amazing, but I wouldn’t put them on this list. There’s just too much other stuff, and “Traced in Air” was actually a weak return from Focus, IMO. Symphony X is good, but I’d put Octavarium over it since we’re going for prog metal. I also would not put COF on here, but I agree with the majority.
Here’s my list:
Meshuggah – Nothing
Killswitch Engage – the End of Heartache
Opeth – Blackwater Park
The Ocean – Precambrian
Between the Buried and Me – Colors
Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked
Behemoth – Demigod
Animals as Leaders – Self Titled
Cannibal Corpse – Kill
Dream Theater – Octavarium
In Flames – Clayman
Cephalic Carnage – Anomalies
Cattle Decapitation – The Harvest Floor
Sigh – Imaginary Sonicscape
Animosity – Shut it Down
All Shall Perish – The Price of Existence
The Faceless – Planetary Duality
Decapitated – NIhility
Machine Head – the Blackening
Dark Tranquillity – Fiction
Strapping Young Lad – Alien
Pretty good list man, it appears your taste is better and more varied than everyone of these voters. Although, I have to disagree with you pick of Mayhem’s “Chimera” that is the ONLY Mayhem I do not love. It is the only album where they ceased to innovate. They put out a run of the mill, polished, by the numbers black metal album. I do not think De Mysteries is overrated….when I first heard it 14 years ago, I did, but man oh man does that album grow on you. Seriously, but on some head phones, turn of your phone/tv/computer and crank it up. Let it absorb you. The atmosphere on it is incredible. You don’t like Attila’s vox on it? Really? I think they are great. Seeing them in Chicago last month play the entire album (except ‘funeral fog’ wtf?) was a dream come true.
Have you heard Deathspell Omega’s “Si Monumentum Requires Circumspice” ? I bet you would absolutely love it, given your taste in black metal. Also, Cobalt’s “Gin” is a masterpiece and only came out a few months ago. They are an amazing duo out of Colorado. Check it out, you get get it from Profound Lore’s website for only $11, shipping included. Its great, you’ll love it.
Deathspell Omega is some good stuff. My favorite Mayhem album will always be “Live In Leipzig” though. It’s just so damned awesome. De Mysteriis is a great album too.
this list needs more Opeth
and Blackwater Park should have been #1 its defiantly better than any lamb of god
and pretty much any other album ever
You got that right.
Entombed – Serpent Saints
Testament – The Formation Of Damnation
Celtic Frost – Monotheist
Death Breath – Stinking Up The Night
Kreator – Enemy Of God
Satyricon – Now, Diabolical
Darkthrone – F.O.A.D
These are far more greater metal records released around the same time, and some should def be on this list. But hey, what do I know? I’m just an old metalhead from Sweden… Now, let’s enjoy som “real metal” from Disturbed.
OOOOH WA AH AH AH!!!!
Sweet, I got me a Ziltoid-comment…
Congrats, that’ll be worth $100 on ebay someday.
Make sure you keep that one in mint condition!
Oh, I wouldn’t go that far…$1 are more likely.
No DHG or Watain?
I’m to old school for that…
Watain ? On this site? Where have you been?
Quite possibly the best metal album I own, PERIOD.
LOG is the only band to appear more than once on this list. Think about that. Out of the thousands and thousands of metal bands to release music over the last decade, Lamb of God appears on this list THREE times.
I would be interested to see a Metalsucks posters list like this. It’d be a pain in the ass to put together, but it’d be worth it.
KSE appears twice. So does Mastodon.
You fail at math. Then again, your “best album” is by Panjtera ripoffs Lamb of God, so that’s not really a surprise
Except Lamb of God is better than Pantera…by a fucking mile.
Umm…no.
They’re both equally awful pieces of musical shit.
Says who?
And to think I thought you had good insight some time… damn….. you trash on Pantera?? shit dude not cool
Not a chance. Pantera live shows were fucking intense!!!! I love me some LoG, but the circle pits during the Far Beyond Driven tour were amazing. I can still picture them perfectly. Show was in Indianapolis at the Pepsi Colesium (sp?). Good times, but that was a cold ass night.
I’m not trying to trash Pantera, they’re one of my favorite bands. I’m just saying I like Log more, probably due to the fact that I got into them before Pantera.
“LOG is the only band to appear more than once on this list.”
Um… look again.
Wow, I guess I’m not as metal as I thought I was.
When did Randy Blythe start playing guitar in the band??
I have had about enough of all these elitists.
I only listen to shit that has never been popular or cool, therefore my taste is better than yours because I’m a loner who doesn’t like new or even remotely catchy stuff because I don’t play by society or popular opinion’s rules. I’m just oh so out there…By not listening to anything that has been on the radio or that is not ungodly repetitive and low quality, I’m soooo much better than you and your trendy mallcore bs (aka everything that has come out in the past ten years that doesn’t adhere to a strict death metal formual).If you’re younger, you have no taste in music because you didn’t start out listening to Slayer and shit and therefore cannot call yourself a metalhead. I’m pretending that I have a valid point but really I’m just old and setting my ways. I’m gonna judge everything by genre, instead of quality or cultural impact, because if its not tr00 then why waste all my precious kvlt time on it.
Give me a break you fucking tools, you’re pathetic.
Hahahaha!!! Awesome comment. You nailed it!
You understand nothing. There are TONS of more… “underground” bands that are catchy, well produced and all. “Strict death metal formula”? They are quite hate because they do not try something original. Your post is but pure ignorance. And hell, while I wouldn’t agree with Ziltoid’s list as I don’t really like all the bands he likes, there was like NO death metal and some cheesy power metal. Elitist metal is more original and NOT following the same formula than any -core or groove metal. “Society or popular opinion”, you understand that’s a completely stupid comment? No? With such a argument, you can’t dislike Britney Spears because it’s popular therefore it must be good. “quality or cultural impact”, you understand we say shit about LoG because we think it sucks therefore we talk about its quality or lack of? And are saying LoG had a cultural impact? Beside spawning tons of shitty bands, I fail to see what it brought on beside lifeless, sterile and uninspired metal. Groove metal is barely half-assed thrash. -core metal barely have any hardcore influences. Deathcore is just being “br00tal” for the sake of it, and metalcore just some “holy shit that’s good (when the clean vocals or breakdowns get in)” for the easily impressed.
“Elitist metallers” are faaaar more creative than any of those mainstream bands copycating themselves. Sure there were and will be always bands trying to play like the good ‘ol ones, or the strict formula, but there’s just so many bands trying something, merging several genres and making fantastic albums. From the perspective of someone who is heavily drawn into any good metal, who has heard hundreds and hundreds of different, special, [insert any adjective describing how good and creative the album is] albums, it is hard to understand why such straightforward “metaaaawl” is so revered popular by people who have the power to broaden their horizons (they go on the internet of all places). Sure I listen to tons of more straightforward and “metaalw” albums or bands, but that’s because the riffs are good, they create a certain mood and/or have THAT energy and attitude that just makes you want to bang the shit out of your neck or just drink. Those bands just put too much emphasis on their lacklustre songwriting in their production and all to be remotely enjoyable,
my old list which I modified:
1. Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal (death metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsbJXpnaW0&feature=related
2. Drudkh – Forgotten Legend (atmospheric black metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVK3il62Fxg
3. Ensiferum – s/t or Iron (viking/folk metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4-SXOnDzxg
4. Hypocrisy – Virus (death metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e1UBsanpPQ&feature=related
5. Kreator – Enemy of God (thrash metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64K00Uamjn0
6. Metalucifer – Heavy Metal Bulldozer or Heavy Metal Chainsaw (heavy metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syMpnsu-Tbc
7. Moonsorrow – V: Havitetty (folk/viking/black metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arAkTYsfbTs
8. Obscura – Cosmogenesis (technical death metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLX-0TAqOdQ&feature=related
9. Quo Vadis – Defiant Imagination (technical death metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep_9S9WH8TI
10. Reverend Bizarre – In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend (doom metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CibxhxngDzs&feature=related (not from the album)
11. Sabbat (Jpn) – Karmagmassacre or Satanasword (thrash) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muWkwj1xUmw
12. Sigh – Imaginary Sonicscape (?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgCfWKblFHE&feature=related
13. Sodom – s/t or M16 (thrash) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa6cINHLqRc
14. Toxic Holocaust – An Overdose of Death (thrash/punk) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jzd4JujfSU
15. Absu – s/t (black/thrash) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b_3a2fn0aQ
16. Holy Moses – Agony of Death (modern thrash) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkcRKh6TmI
17. Dark Tranquillity – Damage Done (melodic dm) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cx0WMH24J0&feature=related
18. Coffins – Mortuary in Darkness (doom/death) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuRd_Q43TT8
19. Destroyer 666 – Phoenix Rising (death/black) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax7cdHiZ010
20. Magane – Mortes Saltantes (japanese back/folk) http://www.myspace.com/maganeyomimetal (Tsavulafi)
21. Hellveto – Zmierzch (orchestral pagan metal) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3XLZiuZ5H0
Good shit. Those Once Loyal raped my face when I first heard it.
H20 – Great post as usual. Have you heard the new Destroyer666 yet??? I’ll be swinging by the record shop to pick up my copy today, I can’t wait !!!! I’ve heard great things about it…..sounds like they haven’t changed one bit !!!
Its been 7 loooonnng years!
No, though they played a new track at MDF, will probably get it some day. I think I took out the Napalm Death album and one I can’t remember for Holy Moses and Hellveto. I just recently got into Hellveto… Damn it’s good. What I can’t wait, is Sodom’s next album and Sabbat (Jpn) first album in 7 years which is supposed to be out early 2010.
I hate how all those guys here think that anything beside mainstream metal is so underground and all that almost nobody listen to them. That’s why there’s metal festivals all over the world and Wacken attracts 60-70 thousands metalheads. That’s why tons of these bands live with their music, because nobody knows them, they’re not popular and don’t sell. I’ve been to Hellfest last year, and Morbid Angel are so unpopular they made everyone sing during Chapel of Ghouls. Carcass were so unpopular that after 12 or 13 years of being split up, they have no problem doing tons of successful tours and getting everyone crazy on the front row.
Defiance is coming out today?!?! Hell, I’m going to have to hit the record store on the way home tonight.
Word.
Metalsucks should post a collaborated MS user poll.
After Opeth was posted at number three and everyone was commenting on how it’s between Leviathan and Crack The Skye and As The Palaces Burn. I thought there’s no way that those albums were going to make it on the remaining two. I’m finding it hard to believe that they were genuinely voted there and not just posted there to placate the majority.
When this list was started I kind of presumed it would only permit the highest voted release of a band to be admitted, I mean with this being of the decade surely each of the placings were way too precious for multiple entries by a band.
A user poll would be great… maybe a bit difficult to pull off, but it would probably make people happier.
It’d be nice to see some of the individual lists, too… if nothing else, at least the lists from the guys who run the site.
From reading these comments etc. a compiled reader’s list will suck too.
Why don’t you just post your list right now, and get insulted that not everyone agrees with it, and you’ll be bummed that there are so many fucking idiots out there and go fly a plane into a building in protest. You see?
I am interested in an MS site blogger’s list, however.
A user poll wouldn’t make people happier. Opeth would probably finish at # 3 on ours too, and then we’d be even more pissed off …. ‘what’s wrong with you people?!?’
LOL
It would be more like what’s wrong with us people?
Now that this shit is basically over, I think it’s pretty weak that the following artists weren’t represented, all of which I consider to be at the forefront of the American heavy metal at the moment:
Chimaira
God Forbid
Unearth
The Red Chord ( “Jane Doe” is 5 and “Clients” isn’t on the list?! That album was on plenty of people’s top lists the year it came out..even in the top 3 or 5)
Basically, regardless of how good they are (and some of them are basically classics in my eyes), some albums aren’t “metal” and shouldn’t have really been included: “White Pony,” “Lateralus,” and “Toxicity;”
Nachtmystium’s album is good but not worthy of this list, Killswitch doesn’t need to be on here twice, and if “Leviathan” is one, Mastodon being on here THREE F’N TIMES is at least one too many as well…
With those adjustments, we would have 5-6 new free spots, and think we could have got those artists I mentioned above on there…
That’s how I would change the list, but I’m not going to bash it either..these things never make everyone happy.
Those are all awful suggestions. Whoop-dee-doo. Just what this shitty list needs–more metalcore!
whos the red chord to youtube!
You have some uber-obscure suggestions that are much cooler?
Isn’t the term metalcore dead yet? Yes, they are metal bands that include breakdowns in their songs, whoop-dee-doo,…it works.
Nevermind, I don’t know why I am commenting. I went back and looked at your posts and see that you are “that guy” that hates everything and everyone. Enjoy your trolling.
Is a Dark Tranquillity album to much to ask fo