Metal Reviews

The following doesn't exclusively apply to this thread, it's just my 2 cents about the whole Classic debate.

One thing I think that cements an album's classic status is the undeniable lasting impact it's had on the metal community. Love it or hate it, Burn My Eyes has been around and in prominence since it's release. For example, you cannot spend a night in a metal club here where I live without hearing a cut from it and it never fails to fill the floor. Each person has their own ideas of what constitutes a Classic as every album has had a different impact on different people. I don't see it as necessarily as a question of influence alone as a lot of bands influenced by prominent artists I feel tend to warp the original idea and in many cases give the original band a bad name. Influence is important but not the be all and end all.

Personally this had an enormous impact on me and those around me of a similar age (I'm 23) and provided a gateway to many other things for myself and those people. Aside from that I think it just plain rocks. There are many albums I deem better than this but at the end of the day their impact on the wider community has been negligible therefore they don't constitute classic status in my eyes. I'm sure we'd all like to see our 'pet' bands displayed on this page, but think about it objectively.

Don't get me wrong, I like people disaggreing with an album's classic status. It's what the forums are for and provides healthy debate.

My favorite of 1994 was Prong - Cleansing. Same dancefloor thing with 'Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck'.

Also, I think Machine Head was not important everywhere in the world - I personally cannot remember experiencing a buzz about them where I lived (Calgary). What are people's memories from other parts of the world?

I live in Engalnd and they've always been massive here. Think they know it as well as they recorded TTAOE in some random vilage out in the countryside.

Burn My Eyes set the metal world ablaze when it came out here in the US. That's why I bought it. EVERYONE was talking about it.

I would give that title to 'Helmet - Meantime'. It was a revelation.

Burn my Eyes is more of a revival, a saviour. Burn My Eyes is just too derivative to be considered the metal 'Nevermind'. What genre was it destroying? What genre was it creating?

I can think of many albums deserving of the Classics treatment, and this is not one of them. Also, if you consider Korn's first album a classic, stop by my place after I eat Mexican food and I'll show you a toilet bowl full of similar "Classics".

Oh no baby, an album which caused a wave of complete shit bands that dirtied the name of metal is not a fucking classic. No fucking way. A classic's supposed to be something good.

Pardon my ignorance but shouldnt a classic be 'all killer no filler'. Now the review stating that there is one 'filler'esq track that distorts the flow of the album, doesnt that kind of ruin the classic status?

i used to really like this album, not any more though...

it only has 2 totally kick-ass songs, Davidian and Blood For Blood, both of which unfortunately suffer from rediculously long useless intros (something that plagues most MH songs).

It's very short and doesn't detract enough to be a major negative point as I said in the review. I'm hard pressed to think of an album of this length that doesn't have at least one sub par track on it so one two minute one I feel is forgiveable.

It was the beginning of a genre that was sideswiped by grunge and nu-metal. It's life was cut short.

And Meantime had very little impact, though it was a great album. In Korea my band, Run DMZ, covered "Unsung" and once in a while I'd sing the Obituary version! I can do an excellent John Tardy! Hahaha.

And Korn's debut was VERY good. It was twisted, dark and heavy...a different kind of heavy! The reactions among METAL fans was VERY positive when that album came out. Unfortunately they shat out Life Is Peachy about two weeks after the debut blew up (about 2 years after it was released) and that album was horrid, then they went and started incorporating hip-hop and shit in the music. They redeemed themselves with Issues, but subsequently went back to extreme suckage after that.

Their debut is a damn good album, and a classic. NOTHING ever sounded like that album. There have since been copycat bands and even still none pull it off quite as well. Their subsequent albums are all clearly subjective works, but the debut is something altogether different.

Classic indeed.

I actually quite like "Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies." It's a nice little instrumental piece that sort of brings together all the lyrical themes on the album. It's definitely not a detractor.

I think most of the music world would disagree with you on that one...

I don't know, ask most people to name two Helmet songs and they'll be able to name "Unsung." Helmet are awesome, I love the band, shit...I thought the latest CD was excellent, but I just don't think Meantime had much impact besides one hit song. Unfortunate, of course, but I just don't think it made much of a lasting impression.

Burn My Ears.

Good idea. Let me know how it goes.

Ken, do a review for Korn's s/t then, if you think you're man enough! I've never heard it, and didn't buy it when I saw it for £3:00 yesterday. Tell me, why should I give those bastards any of my money?

Nooooooooo! Don't tempt him. That will take up valuable reviewing space and will be nothing but flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame after flame. It would also be extremely laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!!!!