Metal Reviews

What are some albums (metal or not) that you didn't really think much of when you first listened to them, but gradually found yourself liking more and more as time went on?

Four for me are:

Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying - I was still more or less in the infant stages of my metal fandom when I bought it, so I found the album rather boring (mostly because I wasn't used to that kind of complexity in metal music). But as time went on, I grew to appreciate it more and more. And now I consider it one of the best metal albums of the 80's.

Slayer - Divine Intervention - See the old DI Hit or Miss thread for details.

Ozzy Osbourne - Down To Earth - Ozzy really hasn't done anything too terribly new or innovative with his music since 1991's No More Tears. So, logically, this album sounded too much like Ozzy-by-numbers when I first heard it. Listening to it more, however, I found myself gradually liking it better. And while it's flawed, there are quite a few good songs on it. Facing Hell, No Easy Way Out, That I Never Had, Black Illusion. I even like Dreamer.

Demons And Wizards - Touched By The Crimson King - I'm actually listening to this album right now as I type this message. For a power metal album, it's not very heavy. And it's basically Iced Earth with a different singer and slightly slower tempos. Once you get used to it, though, you see that this is actually a great album. I wish Spatial Architects was on every version of it, because that's actually one of its best songs IMO. My favorite, however, is Beneath The Waves.

Lots of albums...

Blut Aus Nord-The Work Which Transforms God
Neurosis-A Sun That Never Sets
Electric Wizard-Dopethrone
Suffocation-Pierced from Within
Isis-In The Absence of Truth
etc..

Symphony X - V


Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence


Ayreon - The Dream Sequencer

tons. the most recent is the new Protest the Hero, at first Bloodmeat was the only song that lived up to Kezia but then parts that ounded random or janky started to make sense and now i think the whole thing is totally awesome.

tons of it, but the worst thing is if you listen to album several time and still sucks (like most of the destructions work; except the antichrist and beastial aggresion .

Everything by at the drive-in

Most of dream theater took a while to grow on me.

Opeth's Blackwater Park. I thought it was the blandest thing ever for almost a year and a half. Then it suddenly clicked.

Besides that, all albums take time to grow on me. Especially death metal ones.

BTW doom metal albums are probably the hardest for me to digest, in the past i didnt take the time to actually listen to it, i was too impatient. I am pretty sure it's going to become one of my favorite genres in some time.

I get that with 90% of music I listen to, I have to give it a chance first, for example I'm still digesting the new Testament and Carcass-Necroticism. I'm still unsure on both of them yet, but after more listens I should know.

Yes, most albums I need to listen at least twice to understand.

Opeth--Ghost Reveries has been a grower...I thought it was okay for a year and a half, and it suddenly clicked a month or so ago and now I think it's pretty badass.

Iron Maiden : A Matter Of Life & Death

Kamelot : Ghost Opera

Dream Theater : Systematic Chaos

Nightwish : Dark Passion Play

Cradle of Filth : Thornography

Therion : Gothic Kabbalah

Stratovarius : Elements-Part 2

Queensryche : Tribe and Q2K

Twice, haha. I was thinking more along the lines of 5+, but sometimes I know right away if I'm not gonna like something.

Albums that give themselves away on first listen tend to have a very limited replay value. If I can decipher an album from the first listen it is usually a dissapointment for me, as it removes the journey of 'getting to know' the album. Of course I don't judge all my music by that standard, but if I want more than a good thrashing or rocking record, it has to demand a little from me.

Yeah, of course you need to listen to an album atleast twice to appreciate it. Most great albums take me like 5-6 spins to "get". Then there are some albums, usually amazing albums, that can take forever to understand. The Dream Sequencer is a good example, I'm sure some people learned to like it faster than me though.

Zad was being ironic ofcourse in case it flew over.

As for me, my best case of an album that took a looooot of time to click and become properly appreciated is with Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side. Other usual suspects that took their time to be liked and come to my mind right now would be the latest Dream Theater albums, some Moonspell albums as well and hhmm some more I just forgot (damn it! Will edit as soon as I remember them).

Moonsorrow's latest album took a while to click with me. In fact, pretty much every album does.

That's apart from any symphonic prog rock. Yes, Flower Kings, The Tangent and all that. If it's good I instantly have a smile on my face.

Two of the biggest growers on me has been Gojira - From Mars to Sirius and Between the Buried and Me - Colors.
Colors even became one of my most favourite albums ever, but I disliked it strongly in the beginning.

Also The Beatles - Abbey Road. I still think they are overrated, but it's a good album.

Neurosis- their whole discography except for A Sun That Never Sets and The Eye of Every Storm....

I find Blind Guardian quite hard to get into, but once you're in ...