1. Anvil - "Metal on Metal" Heard this album when I was 10 and after that I have always been a metal fan. 2. Helloween - "Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2" The first album I ever bought 3. Slipknot - "Iowa" Bought this album when I was 14 thinking it would be good but I was wrong so I destroyed it and from that day on I never liked nu metal. 4. Rainbow - "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" This album showed me one of the greatest men of all time Ronnie James Dio. 5. Immortal - "At the Heart of Winter" This album got me into black metal.
i can't say i have an album on my own then x_x my father has bought me most of them XD but the first he ever bought just for mee was Pink - Mizundastood
1.. NOLA - Down - Simply a classic. Sort of gives a birds eye view of the wonderful city of New Orleans and the south in genral and why despite what the city and region has been through, there are some of us who wouldn't for one second consider ever leaving.
2. Metallica - Metallica - First album I ever bought period. Hearing Enter Sandman blasted in the Superdome, I guest you could say that it became my first favorite song and Metallica was the first band I got attached to. Obviously it led to the world of heavy metal. I was probably 8 when I bought this album.
3. Core - STP - The debut of my favorite band to come out of the 90s. I've probably listened to this album more then other I've ever owned. Defiantly one of my all-time favorite albums. Grunge is one of my favorite genres and STP is the reason for that. STP led me to such great band such as AIC, Melvins, Pearl Jam, etc.
4. Antichrist Superstar - Manson - The majority of the album was recorded in New Orleans at Trent Reznor's studio at the time. This is right before Manson's career took off. I remember he did a bunch of interviews on local television about the album and what not. So this led me to becoming a huge fan of the Industrial scene which led to NIN, Rammstein, Zombie, etc.
5. Waiting for the Sun - The Doors - This being the era that my parents grew up in, it was also the music I was raised on. Wether it be in a vehicle, in the house or wherever. There was always a band or musician from this era being played. Mostly, The Doors: Waiting for the Sun. So I was exposed to alot of these fantastic bands and artist at a very young age. The Stones, Zeppelin, Van Morrison, and T- Rex just to name a few. "Waiting for the Sun" started it all though.
1. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - This is the album that really got me into metal. When I was around 12 I was looking through my parent's cd's and saw this and just had to listen to it. When the title track came on I knew this was the music for me. Without hearing this album I could very likely be listening to shit.
2. The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal - I didn't hear it when it first came out but I picked it up right before Mayhem Fest 2009. This is the album that got me into the underground of extreme music. It got me into bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, At The Gates, Death. I had never heard something so fucking awesome like this album. To this day it is one of my all time favorite albums.
3. Slayer - Season's In The Abyss - This album got me into extreme music. Before listening to this album I was listening to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc. After hearing this album it opened me up to bands such as Venom, Exodus, and Kreator. It to this day one of my favorite albums to listen to.
4. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast - Another album I found looking through my parent's cd's. When I saw the artwork for this I just had to listen to it. I must have listened to this album for about 6 months straight and I never got tired of it. If someone came up to me and asked me which metal album they should start with I would very strongly recommend this album.
5. Lamb Of God - Ashes Of The Wake - I must have first hear this album in about 2007 at my friends house where we listened to his brother's copy of this. The harsh vocals on it just think "what the fuck is this". I couldn't get enough of it. Though it took me another couple of years to investigate more into the underground and even more extreme bands. I would always make sure I has Ashes Of The Wake near me.
#4: Cynic - Traced In Air An absolute masterpiece by all means. It's the one time where Music TRULY took me to another place, it was like being on some kind of drug. It was just so beautiful and I still listen to it like crazy. The first time I listened to the album is the one at home Music experience, where I think about it and go "Damn, I wish I could re-experience it for the first time all over again.".
Well that won't happen for me. But....cool, I guess.
LOL Goddamnit I was fucking bitchmade.
I still love that album BTW, not really Traced In Air, but the EP, Re-Traced, that's still my fucking shit, I love atmospheric, chill, beautiful Music like that, reminds me of XO.
First metal album I ever listened to. Pretty much the first time I ever heard heavy music. Kick-started my real interest in music.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
This album got me interested in playing bass. Flea's infectious playing and badass tone really caught my attention and I wanted to replicate that.
3. Mastodon - Leviathan
My favorite album of all time. This album is what got me start exploring more underground music and to start using the internet to discover music as opposed to the radio and friends. Also, this album just encompasses what a great metal record should be.
4. Between the Buried and Me - Colors_Live
The only reason it's Colors_Live is because it was between the live CD/DVD and the traditional album and Colors_Live was just another dollar so I thought I got more bang for my buck. This album is what jump started my interest in progressive music as whole. Not just progressive metal, but all from of prog, (so prog rock too...).
5. Sleep's Holy Mountain
Defined my definition of what heavy really is. Not stupid drop A chugga-chugga breakdowns, but badass, slow riffs that groove and seep into your brain.
Not the most lavish and detailed summations, but there you go.
1. As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security The album that saved my life. Fuck yeah for living!
2. Kyuss - Welcome To Sky Valley If there's one album that makes me proud to be from the southwest, it's this. Beautifully done. It captures the desert image so well (as does Yawning Man) and puts it into perfect musical form. Catchy as fuck and has Space Cadet, which is one of the greatest songs ever. This album is just hit after hit for me.
3. Tool - 10,000 Days This album is absolutely perfect in every way. Every. Single. Way. When I first heard Vicarious when the album was released, I was blown away by the song. It became one of my favorite songs of all time, and still remains. But it took me years to get into this album, and even when I did, I still had trouble getting into Jambi, The Pot, and Intension. Years later and I finally appreciate everything it has to offer... which is everything.
4. System of a Down - System of a Down As I've said many times, this is the album that got me into metal in the first place. Bought this shit way back in 98 when I was in first grade because I liked how the album seemed to be reaching out TO me in the store.
5. Alice In Chains - Dirt I just fucking love this album. Listened to it all the way through countless times and reminds me of hanging out with my cousins who live here in AZ. I lost track of AiC for years until they released their 09 album, which re-opened the doorway of awesome. Their music is top fucking notch.
Honorable mentions: 6. Nachtmystium - Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. 2 7. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals 8. The Haunted - The Dead Eye 9. Tool - Lateralus 10. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Lamb of God "Ashes Of the Wake" - it got me into "that screaming shit" Between The Buried and Me "Colors" prob the greatest prog album ever made The Offspring "Americana" it got me through high school Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory" also got me through high school Slayer "Reign In Blood" still the fastest and most relenting album ever
1; Sgt. Peppers - I learned to read before kindergarten from the cover. my older sisters told me, "you know what the words sound like. that's what they look like. figure it out."
2. Blizzard of Ozz - the first time I heard I Don't Know the hair stood up on the back of my head. it opened me up to the whole world of Sabbath, etc.
3. The White Album - watching the whole mystique of the Manson Family trials on TV ( and I was 5 years old around then), I listened to that album in a whole new light. I wanted to be a Manson girl.
4. Holland - LIttle Monsters - a local Chicago bar band you've never heard of. they were fucking awesome. guitarist was Michael Angelo Batio who played a four necked guitar.
5. Black Sabbath - Reunion - we stood 5 hours in line waiting for autographs. it was the first time we ever saw all four original members of Sabbath at the same time in the same place. it was surreal. 2 discs of live Sabbath, picking it up right where they left off. (dreams)
Slap I used to date a girl who would buy random cds with her best friend like twice a month. They said it got them into new music, but in reality they always HATED their choices. She always used to just give them to me, and one time I happened to get Colors Live. That was my introduction to BTBAM and I was blown away.
WakeOfAshesPosts: 21,665destroyer of motherfuckers
Pink Floyd - The Wall - Started my journey into classic rock and finding chill music. Lot of good pot smoking memories surround this album. PF is my favorite band, so this album is pretty important in that respect
Metallica - Ride the Lightning - Was honestly the first metal album I ever heard and also the first metal band I ever saw. It also got me in trouble when I wrote the lyrics to Fade to Black on the back of my 7th grade earth science test.
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power - Was the album that get me into Pantera and saved me from the grunge era. Pantera is about the greatest band I ever saw live, and I am forever grateful I found this album.
Tool - Undertow - dont really have a good reason for this other then I listened to it a lot and smoked a lot of pot to it, and it really just hit a cord with me.
Death - Individual Thought Patterns - The album that really got me into death metal.
These aren't my top 5 albums, but the top 5 albums that have affected my tastes in music
Mastodon - Crack the Skye: I first listened to this album on a 5 hour car trip to New Hampshire in the summer of 2010. It was when I was trying to expose myself to more "underground" metal and the only song I had heard by Mastodon previously was Blood and Thunder, so I was expecting music along the lines of that. What I ended up hearing blew me away. Although it sounds pretty normal to me now, the song Oblivion was like nothing I had ever heard before. I still remember my first listening of this album as one of my favorite musical experiences ever, and it opened the door for me to other progressive music.
Metallica - Master of Puppets: I'm sure there are people who don't believe this is Metallica's greatest album, and I'm not even sure if it's my favorite anymore, but this is the album that introduced me to METAL. In 8th grade I became OBSESSED with this album, and it was pretty much all I listened to. Definitely introduced me to faster/darker music. It still holds my all time favorite Metallica song, Disposable Heroes.
Tool - 10,000 Days: Same as MOP, I don't consider this album Tool's greatest or even my favorite anymore. But this album took me places. I don't usually smoke weed and listen to music, which some people seem to act like you have to do with Tool, but I wholeheartedly disagree.
Machine Head - The Blackening: Although most of the cock-worship of this album has subsided over the past couple years, I listened to it religiously for awhile. At the time it was pretty much the heaviest, fastest stuff I listened to, so it definitely introduced me to even heavier and faster music. Seeing Halo from the rail is still one of my favorite concert experiences of all time.
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast: HALLLLLOWEEEED BEEEE THYYYYY NAAAAAAME that's all that can be said
Honorable Mentions Nickelback - Silver Side Up (Seriously, first album I ever bought at the age of 7, one of the albums that got me into rock music) As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us Avenged Sevenfold - Waking the Fallen Between the Buried and Me - Colors Chevelle - Sci-Fi Crimes Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
#4: Cynic - Traced In Air An absolute masterpiece by all means. It's the one time where Music TRULY took me to another place, it was like being on some kind of drug. It was just so beautiful and I still listen to it like crazy. The first time I listened to the album is the one at home Music experience, where I think about it and go "Damn, I wish I could re-experience it for the first time all over again.".
Well that won't happen for me. But....cool, I guess.
LOL Goddamnit I was fucking bitchmade.
I still love that album BTW, not really Traced In Air, but the EP, Re-Traced, that's still my fucking shit, I love atmospheric, chill, beautiful Music like that, reminds me of XO.
Traced is about as chill as it gets 75% of the time.
These aren't in any order but 5 that changed my life are...
Avenged sevenfold city of evil. This album got me into heavier guitar riffs and blistering solos as well as longer song structures because before this I was still listening to rap, pop punk and much simpler music structure. It got me ready for things like older Metallica and maiden.
All that remains the fall of ideals. Made a bridge from the rougher Draiman and shadows like vocals to full on screaming, death growls (weak willed) etc. Overall a nice bridge to heavier, more underground bands
Metallica kill'em all. How I discovered the roots of underground metal. Influenced me like it influenced heavy metal back in the day. Got me into the mindset that a metal band should have.
As I lay dying an ocean between us. Showed me that a brutal record doesn't have to be about blood and guts and demonic. A record can be catchy heavy as hell and fast all at the same time. Similar to the fall of ideals but heavier.
Nirvana nevermind. Self explainable. Just a perfect collection of songs. Showed that the biggest rock star in the world could legitamently not care about the fame. Exposed to the world that the system could be played and that its not hard to manipulate people into believing you care and really spoke to his audience. Idk how to explain it. It was just hypnotic
this is hard since most of them came out around the same time, but...
nirvana - nevermind
regardless of how i feel about it, this was the most life-changing album of my life...and it's not even close. context is always important when dealing with 'nevermind'. not only was cock rock the in thing when it came to rock music, but it was at that bloated point where you had these cheesy bands like motley crue and guns n' roses trying to make these expansive epics and acoustic ballads. and failing miserably. other radio rock was all boring desmond child compositions funneled through crusty arena rockers like aerosmith and kiss. on the other end of the spectrum, there was silly rap shit like mc hammer and vanilla ice and sir mix-a-lot that were big. michael jackson was at the end of his pop reign. new kids on the block were still around. debbie gibson, etc. a bunch of novelty music. everything was really, really boring. 'nevermind' reinvigorated people under 25. i don't care who you were or even if you liked the album, because the door that they opened let 1,000 other weirdos in. bands like the chili peppers and tool and flaming lips and primus and rage against the machine and white zombie made their careers and bands like faith no more and sonic youth and jane's addiction saw their stock go through the roof in the wake of 'nevermind'. nirvana made it cool to be diverse. i'm really happy to have grown up in the era that i did because the music environment was so much healthier than it is now. i know a lot of metal fans shun the period because it created a cultural shift away from metal, but i found it necessary to trim a lot of the fat. by the time '94-'95 rolled around, you were pretty out there if you still liked extreme metal. now everything is all corporate and boring again.
pantera - vulgar display of power
oh. my. fucking. god.
you just didn't see bands like this before 'vulgar display'. pantera were the first band to really harness the solidarity/strength message of hardcore with the heaviness of metal. the thrash bands took the speed and fury of punk, but still had a lot of demons and sorcery in the lyrics. the crossover bands like d.r.i. weren't all that heavy, but had some of the metal structures and guitar solos. imo, pantera was a sea change for both genres. nowadays, every hardcore band shouts and roars while a legion of metal bands tuned down and bought randall amps. it's because pantera got it so, so right on this album. sacred reich, corrosion of conformity, sepultura and helmet immediately gained tons of relevancy in the wake of 'vulgar'. they pretty much birthed the ozzfest generation.
Comments
2. Helloween - "Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2" The first album I ever bought
3. Slipknot - "Iowa" Bought this album when I was 14 thinking it would be good but I was wrong so I destroyed it and from that day on I never liked nu metal.
4. Rainbow - "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" This album showed me one of the greatest men of all time Ronnie James Dio.
5. Immortal - "At the Heart of Winter" This album got me into black metal.
my father has bought me most of them XD
but the first he ever bought just for mee was Pink - Mizundastood
2. Metallica - Metallica - First album I ever bought period. Hearing Enter Sandman blasted in the Superdome, I guest you could say that it became my first favorite song and Metallica was the first band I got attached to. Obviously it led to the world of heavy metal. I was probably 8 when I bought this album.
3. Core - STP - The debut of my favorite band to come out of the 90s. I've probably listened to this album more then other I've ever owned. Defiantly one of my all-time favorite albums. Grunge is one of my favorite genres and STP is the reason for that. STP led me to such great band such as AIC, Melvins, Pearl Jam, etc.
4. Antichrist Superstar - Manson - The majority of the album was recorded in New Orleans at Trent Reznor's studio at the time. This is right before Manson's career took off. I remember he did a bunch of interviews on local television about the album and what not. So this led me to becoming a huge fan of the Industrial scene which led to NIN, Rammstein, Zombie, etc.
5. Waiting for the Sun - The Doors - This being the era that my parents grew up in, it was also the music I was raised on. Wether it be in a vehicle, in the house or wherever. There was always a band or musician from this era being played. Mostly, The Doors: Waiting for the Sun. So I was exposed to alot of these fantastic bands and artist at a very young age. The Stones, Zeppelin, Van Morrison, and T- Rex just to name a few. "Waiting for the Sun" started it all though.
1. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - This is the album that really got me into metal. When I was around 12 I was looking through my parent's cd's and saw this and just had to listen to it. When the title track came on I knew this was the music for me. Without hearing this album I could very likely be listening to shit.
2. The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal - I didn't hear it when it first came out but I picked it up right before Mayhem Fest 2009. This is the album that got me into the underground of extreme music. It got me into bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, At The Gates, Death. I had never heard something so fucking awesome like this album. To this day it is one of my all time favorite albums.
3. Slayer - Season's In The Abyss - This album got me into extreme music. Before listening to this album I was listening to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc. After hearing this album it opened me up to bands such as Venom, Exodus, and Kreator. It to this day one of my favorite albums to listen to.
4. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast - Another album I found looking through my parent's cd's. When I saw the artwork for this I just had to listen to it. I must have listened to this album for about 6 months straight and I never got tired of it. If someone came up to me and asked me which metal album they should start with I would very strongly recommend this album.
5. Lamb Of God - Ashes Of The Wake - I must have first hear this album in about 2007 at my friends house where we listened to his brother's copy of this. The harsh vocals on it just think "what the fuck is this". I couldn't get enough of it. Though it took me another couple of years to investigate more into the underground and even more extreme bands. I would always make sure I has Ashes Of The Wake near me.
I still love that album BTW, not really Traced In Air, but the EP, Re-Traced, that's still my fucking shit, I love atmospheric, chill, beautiful Music like that, reminds me of XO.
First metal album I ever listened to. Pretty much the first time I ever heard heavy music. Kick-started my real interest in music.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
This album got me interested in playing bass. Flea's infectious playing and badass tone really caught my attention and I wanted to replicate that.
3. Mastodon - Leviathan
My favorite album of all time. This album is what got me start exploring more underground music and to start using the internet to discover music as opposed to the radio and friends. Also, this album just encompasses what a great metal record should be.
4. Between the Buried and Me - Colors_Live
The only reason it's Colors_Live is because it was between the live CD/DVD and the traditional album and Colors_Live was just another dollar so I thought I got more bang for my buck. This album is what jump started my interest in progressive music as whole. Not just progressive metal, but all from of prog, (so prog rock too...).
5. Sleep's Holy Mountain
Defined my definition of what heavy really is. Not stupid drop A chugga-chugga breakdowns, but badass, slow riffs that groove and seep into your brain.
Not the most lavish and detailed summations, but there you go.
The album that saved my life. Fuck yeah for living!
2. Kyuss - Welcome To Sky Valley
If there's one album that makes me proud to be from the southwest, it's this. Beautifully done. It captures the desert image so well (as does Yawning Man) and puts it into perfect musical form. Catchy as fuck and has Space Cadet, which is one of the greatest songs ever. This album is just hit after hit for me.
3. Tool - 10,000 Days
This album is absolutely perfect in every way. Every. Single. Way. When I first heard Vicarious when the album was released, I was blown away by the song. It became one of my favorite songs of all time, and still remains. But it took me years to get into this album, and even when I did, I still had trouble getting into Jambi, The Pot, and Intension. Years later and I finally appreciate everything it has to offer... which is everything.
4. System of a Down - System of a Down
As I've said many times, this is the album that got me into metal in the first place. Bought this shit way back in 98 when I was in first grade because I liked how the album seemed to be reaching out TO me in the store.
5. Alice In Chains - Dirt
I just fucking love this album. Listened to it all the way through countless times and reminds me of hanging out with my cousins who live here in AZ. I lost track of AiC for years until they released their 09 album, which re-opened the doorway of awesome. Their music is top fucking notch.
Honorable mentions:
6. Nachtmystium - Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. 2
7. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals
8. The Haunted - The Dead Eye
9. Tool - Lateralus
10. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Between The Buried and Me "Colors" prob the greatest prog album ever made
The Offspring "Americana" it got me through high school
Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory" also got me through high school
Slayer "Reign In Blood" still the fastest and most relenting album ever
2. Blizzard of Ozz - the first time I heard I Don't Know the hair stood up on the back of my head. it opened me up to the whole world of Sabbath, etc.
3. The White Album - watching the whole mystique of the Manson Family trials on TV ( and I was 5 years old around then), I listened to that album in a whole new light. I wanted to be a Manson girl.
4. Holland - LIttle Monsters - a local Chicago bar band you've never heard of. they were fucking awesome. guitarist was Michael Angelo Batio who played a four necked guitar.
5. Black Sabbath - Reunion - we stood 5 hours in line waiting for autographs. it was the first time we ever saw all four original members of Sabbath at the same time in the same place. it was surreal. 2 discs of live Sabbath, picking it up right where they left off. (dreams)
Metallica - Ride the Lightning - Was honestly the first metal album I ever heard and also the first metal band I ever saw. It also got me in trouble when I wrote the lyrics to Fade to Black on the back of my 7th grade earth science test.
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power - Was the album that get me into Pantera and saved me from the grunge era. Pantera is about the greatest band I ever saw live, and I am forever grateful I found this album.
Tool - Undertow - dont really have a good reason for this other then I listened to it a lot and smoked a lot of pot to it, and it really just hit a cord with me.
Death - Individual Thought Patterns - The album that really got me into death metal.
Mastodon - Crack the Skye: I first listened to this album on a 5 hour car trip to New Hampshire in the summer of 2010. It was when I was trying to expose myself to more "underground" metal and the only song I had heard by Mastodon previously was Blood and Thunder, so I was expecting music along the lines of that. What I ended up hearing blew me away. Although it sounds pretty normal to me now, the song Oblivion was like nothing I had ever heard before. I still remember my first listening of this album as one of my favorite musical experiences ever, and it opened the door for me to other progressive music.
Metallica - Master of Puppets: I'm sure there are people who don't believe this is Metallica's greatest album, and I'm not even sure if it's my favorite anymore, but this is the album that introduced me to METAL. In 8th grade I became OBSESSED with this album, and it was pretty much all I listened to. Definitely introduced me to faster/darker music. It still holds my all time favorite Metallica song, Disposable Heroes.
Tool - 10,000 Days: Same as MOP, I don't consider this album Tool's greatest or even my favorite anymore. But this album took me places. I don't usually smoke weed and listen to music, which some people seem to act like you have to do with Tool, but I wholeheartedly disagree.
Machine Head - The Blackening: Although most of the cock-worship of this album has subsided over the past couple years, I listened to it religiously for awhile. At the time it was pretty much the heaviest, fastest stuff I listened to, so it definitely introduced me to even heavier and faster music. Seeing Halo from the rail is still one of my favorite concert experiences of all time.
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast: HALLLLLOWEEEED BEEEE THYYYYY NAAAAAAME
that's all that can be said
Honorable Mentions
Nickelback - Silver Side Up (Seriously, first album I ever bought at the age of 7, one of the albums that got me into rock music)
As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us
Avenged Sevenfold - Waking the Fallen
Between the Buried and Me - Colors
Chevelle - Sci-Fi Crimes
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Avenged sevenfold city of evil. This album got me into heavier guitar riffs and blistering solos as well as longer song structures because before this I was still listening to rap, pop punk and much simpler music structure. It got me ready for things like older Metallica and maiden.
All that remains the fall of ideals. Made a bridge from the rougher Draiman and shadows like vocals to full on screaming, death growls (weak willed) etc. Overall a nice bridge to heavier, more underground bands
Metallica kill'em all. How I discovered the roots of underground metal. Influenced me like it influenced heavy metal back in the day. Got me into the mindset that a metal band should have.
As I lay dying an ocean between us. Showed me that a brutal record doesn't have to be about blood and guts and demonic. A record can be catchy heavy as hell and fast all at the same time. Similar to the fall of ideals but heavier.
Nirvana nevermind. Self explainable. Just a perfect collection of songs. Showed that the biggest rock star in the world could legitamently not care about the fame. Exposed to the world that the system could be played and that its not hard to manipulate people into believing you care and really spoke to his audience. Idk how to explain it. It was just hypnotic
Tool - lateralus
Lamb of god - ashes of the wake
The black Dahlia murder - ritual
Slipknot - Slipknot
nirvana - nevermind
regardless of how i feel about it, this was the most life-changing album of my life...and it's not even close. context is always important when dealing with 'nevermind'. not only was cock rock the in thing when it came to rock music, but it was at that bloated point where you had these cheesy bands like motley crue and guns n' roses trying to make these expansive epics and acoustic ballads. and failing miserably. other radio rock was all boring desmond child compositions funneled through crusty arena rockers like aerosmith and kiss. on the other end of the spectrum, there was silly rap shit like mc hammer and vanilla ice and sir mix-a-lot that were big. michael jackson was at the end of his pop reign. new kids on the block were still around. debbie gibson, etc. a bunch of novelty music. everything was really, really boring. 'nevermind' reinvigorated people under 25. i don't care who you were or even if you liked the album, because the door that they opened let 1,000 other weirdos in. bands like the chili peppers and tool and flaming lips and primus and rage against the machine and white zombie made their careers and bands like faith no more and sonic youth and jane's addiction saw their stock go through the roof in the wake of 'nevermind'. nirvana made it cool to be diverse. i'm really happy to have grown up in the era that i did because the music environment was so much healthier than it is now. i know a lot of metal fans shun the period because it created a cultural shift away from metal, but i found it necessary to trim a lot of the fat. by the time '94-'95 rolled around, you were pretty out there if you still liked extreme metal. now everything is all corporate and boring again.
pantera - vulgar display of power
oh. my. fucking. god.
you just didn't see bands like this before 'vulgar display'. pantera were the first band to really harness the solidarity/strength message of hardcore with the heaviness of metal. the thrash bands took the speed and fury of punk, but still had a lot of demons and sorcery in the lyrics. the crossover bands like d.r.i. weren't all that heavy, but had some of the metal structures and guitar solos. imo, pantera was a sea change for both genres. nowadays, every hardcore band shouts and roars while a legion of metal bands tuned down and bought randall amps. it's because pantera got it so, so right on this album. sacred reich, corrosion of conformity, sepultura and helmet immediately gained tons of relevancy in the wake of 'vulgar'. they pretty much birthed the ozzfest generation.
more later...