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Yep, one of those lists. Everyone has one, so I thought I'd make a list of metal albums I really recommend.
This is not an absolute "best-of" list, for a few reasons:
1) I stick to one album per band, unless there's been a drastic style shift (like Katatonia's).
2) I try to cover all major subgenres fairly, so I have something for everyone. It counterbalances the tendency to list all the cool bands in a style I'm into right now (like drone or epic doom).
3) I include past favorites that stand out and deserve a mention, even if I no longer actively listen to them. (This is the case with most of the power metal records.)
4) I don't exactly avoid the underground, but I've mostly kept to (cult) classics that I think send the beginner well on his way into metal. It's hard to evaluate obscure albums objectively.
5) I'm sticking strictly to metal, so not every band gets their best album listed (like Flood, A Natural Disaster or Souvenirs).
In short, these aren't timeless favorites but rather an assortment of really high quality albums I'm comfortable to recommend. The list may grow or be trimmed to a neat number once I'm satisfied with it.
Organized loosely into groups, and into a rough order of preference within group.
Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by IronAngel ]
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 Oaken - 13.09.2012 at 02:19
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| Great stuff in there. I really need to give those atmospheric sludge albums a try (BTW is atmospheric sludge the same as post-metal?). |
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Written by Oaken on 13.09.2012 at 02:19
(BTW is atmospheric sludge the same as post-metal?).
Yes. I think it's a better term, because post-metal is very vague and doesn't actually mean much. It's the new "alternative".
Granted, the atmosludge label doesn't describe Neurosis very well. But since they're clearly pioneers of the genre, I used the tag for the sake of consistency. |
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Written by IronAngel on 13.09.2012 at 12:16
Written by Oaken on 13.09.2012 at 02:19
(BTW is atmospheric sludge the same as post-metal?).
Granted, the atmosludge label doesn't describe Neurosis very well. But since they're clearly pioneers of the genre, I used the tag for the sake of consistency.
I don't understand why you think so.
Neurosis has always been a lot more "sludgy" than many other post-metal bands (and was also completely devoid of post-rock till The Eye Of Every Storm (or maybe A Sun That Never Sets), which is also something unusual as the Isis/Cult of Luna type post-metal has tons of post-rock tremolo picking) so I'd say that term is actually more spot on there. Or maybe not in the description of A Sun That Never Sets but definitely true to Neurosis as a whole.
Nice list anyways, though I am a bit surprised that you chose ASTNS as Neurosis' best work. I like it second best (first is Eye) but many people seem not to think very highly about it as far as Neurosis albums go.
Edit: Also I am not completely sure in this but I think post-metal doesn't have to be too much related to sludge at all and sludge can be made atmospheric without being post-metal. Like for example Pelican on The Fire... doesn't sound very sludgy while it is defo post-metal and I'd say it's borderline to call Ghost Brigade post-metal but the atmosludge tag definitely stands.
However for the majority of the cases the two are kind of the same. |
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Written by Uldreth on 13.09.2012 at 13:33
Edit: Also I am not completely sure in this but I think post-metal doesn't have to be too much related to sludge at all and sludge can be made atmospheric without being post-metal. Like for example Pelican on The Fire... doesn't sound very sludgy while it is defo post-metal and I'd say it's borderline to call Ghost Brigade post-metal but the atmosludge tag definitely stands.
However for the majority of the cases the two are kind of the same.
100% agreed. A lot of post-metal band have nothing to do with sludge, so calling them atmosludge is deginitely wrong. |
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I stand by what I said. Post-metal is not a real genre. It's a vague reference to a variety of styles that came to be in the 90s and onwards. Godflesh and Jesu? The first is industrial and the latter maybe drone metal, but they're often called post-metal too. Or Tool, who're alt/progressive rock/metal of the math-ish variety.
Not everything that's called post-metal is atmospheric sludge. But the bands of the Neurosis-Isis-Cut-of-Luna lineage are. And those that don't fit this definition are something else. I don't know what "plain" post-metal is supposed to be. Certainly not post-rock played a little heavier, like Pelican or Russian Circles. Both of them are pretty unquestionably heavy post-rock.
Wikipedia and Last.fm give really unsatisfactory definitions, basically lumping together different styles (including atmospheric sludge, the main variety) under a broad nominator without much connection to eachother. Rate Your Music doesn't recognize the genre at all.
I'm not saying post-metal can't be a valid descriptor in some cases. It's a way to describe bands that blend different styles and don't really fall into any predefined genre. As I said, it's much like the vague "alternative" label. I personally don't see the need to treat it as an independent genre. Virtually every "post-metal" band can be better described with some other label, so it's generally redundant. |
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Well I have always found post-metal the most redundant and stupid term out there tbh and when it was first included in the MS awards I fought hard against the inclusion of the term precisely because of:
Quote:
Virtually every "post-metal" band can be better described with some other label, so it's generally redundant.
Same more or less applies to Djent where all the bands can also be described with some other label. |
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Oh, then we agree. I notice I was imprecise in my answer to Oaken. He asked if post-metal and atmospheric sludge were one and the same. I should have omitted the "Yes" from my reply and just said I think it's a better term. Or elaborated: yes, I try to use "atmospheric sludge" instead of "post-metal" whenever it's appropriate, and think of other labels for non-sludgy "post-metal" bands. It's not an exact science, I just try to consistently avoid using the label when there's a better one to choose from.
Oh and Uldreth: I can't really put my finger on it, but The Sun is the Neurosis album that just clicks with me best for whatever reason. It sounds warm and organic. The Tide is also a really great opener. |
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| I hionestly can't get how people call Godflesh post-metal. I'm glad to say that I'm yet to meet someone in real life saying that because I would definitely tell them to fuck off. |
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Written by Mr. Doctor on 13.09.2012 at 16:21
I hionestly can't get how people call Godflesh post-metal. I'm glad to say that I'm yet to meet someone in real life saying that because I would definitely tell them to fuck off.
I've never heard anyone call it post-metal from what I recall. |
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Nice. Obviously I am interested in your post/sludge/atmo selections  Also, I prefer Bath to #41 |
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Written by tea[m]ster on 15.09.2012 at 20:26
Also, I prefer Bath to #41
To be honest, I just chose that one pretty randomly. I like them equally, much as the choice between Kyuss and Blues for the Red Sun or When the Kite String Pops and Paegan Terrorism Tactics could turn out different every other day.
My atmosludge picks are incredibly boring and conventional, haha. Well, most of this list is. I like to sample a little bit of everything, but at the end of the day I'm pretty mainstream. >_> |
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