Metal Reviews

What are some albums that you recall were discussed infinitely, yet you had originally dismiseed as being nothing by a momentary buzz only to hear them and be shocked? I can recall being skeptical of Overkill and Alcest, only to listen to Escailles de Lune and Feel the fire and adore both albums.

Not necessarily amazed by but definitely enjoy immensely after being initially sceptical:

Lamb of God - especially As The Palace Burns and Sacrament

Mastodon - Leviathan

Slayer - Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood (Slayer lost me post 1994)

Fear Factory - Obsolete

Pentagram - Relentless

All Electric Wizard

I don't think there are any that I can recall. I either like something or I don't. There have been a lot of albums that I thought were throwaways because of people's opinions on them indicated as much and I loved them immensely. Or I had the completely wrong idea of the way a band sounded. Yngwie and post-dio Rainbow comes to mind the most. A lot of people that that stuff is crap, too commercial, but I think that kind of writing is amazing. I thought Yngwie was going to be boring like Satch or just flat out suck like Vai's songwriting. I didn't know Yngwie was so songwriting oriented until I heard the songs. Hammerfall's Chapter V was one of my favorites ever too. I could name a hundred albums like this. But there was really nothing I heard, thought it didn't warrant the praise then later ended up appreciating, if that is what the thread is about.

Interesting idea for a thread. Usually the exact opposite happens. I gotta say Mastodon - Leviathan. I really resisted it for almost a year while everybody was going nuts about it, then I saw the clip for blood and thunder. I was intrigued by the drumming. Then listened to the whole album thinking I'd definitely hate it and it immediately become one of my favorite albums of all time.


Can't think of many others like that though. Everyone tends to approach them with prejudice or expect too much and be let down.

Between The Buried And Me -- Colors

That album was hyped to hell and back, but with good reason.

Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
Still a terrific album.

DsO - SMRC
Converge - Jane Doe
Electric Wizard - Dopethrone

Protest the Hero - Fortress and Kezia
Foxy Shazam - S/T

Further to the silly post in 'Laziest Drumming In Thrash', I'd like to nominate Transilvanian Hunger as mine. My first 'proper' black metal album, knocked my socks off.

Funeral Mist- Salvation

hyped by Misha endlessly on this forum. What a great album.

It was that killer riff in Megalodon which made me a convert.

Kamelot-The Black Halo

On the topic of Mastodon, Cracked the Skye probably lived up to the hype for me once I heard it as Blood Mountain just did nothing for me and put me off them quite a bit.

Certainly Converge - Jane Doe

Yeah. He is the one that got me into FM. He even uploaded some songs and sent them to me. I'm glad he did because it become one of my favorite albums of all time.