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Most influential metal albums?

salmonellapancake

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salmonellapancake

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     What do you think the most influential metal albums are? Whether you want to name just one or multiple, I'm interested to hear what everyone thinks. Myself, I would list mine as follows:

Black Sabbath- "Paranoid"

Judas Priest- "Hell Bent For Leather"

Iron Maiden- "Iron Maiden"

Venom- "Black Metal"

Mercyful Fate- "Don't Break The Oath"

Metallica- "Kill 'em All"

Bathory- "Bathory"

Possessed- "Seven Churches"

Slayer- "Reign in Blood"

Death- "Scream Bloody Gore"

Napalm Death- "Scum"

Morbid Angel- "Altars of Madness"

Autopsy- "Severed Survival"

Suffocation- "Effigy of the Forgotten"

Carcass- "Heartwork"

Mayhem- "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

Gorguts- "Obscura"

Necrophagist- "Onset of Putrefaction"

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salmonellapancake

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3 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Is this not the same thread as this?

 

     I am aware that it's similar, but my aim was to list albums that impacted and influenced metal musicians, rather than albums that simply are important to listen to. I know many albums that I'm fond of and would recommend to others as a must-listen but are, at the same time, rather uninspired and not influential. Of course these overlap, but I find the aim of each of these to be different.

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8 hours ago, salmonellapancake said:

     I am aware that it's similar, but my aim was to list albums that impacted and influenced metal musicians, rather than albums that simply are important to listen to. I know many albums that I'm fond of and would recommend to others as a must-listen but are, at the same time, rather uninspired and not influential. Of course these overlap, but I find the aim of each of these to be different.

Okay, that makes sense, but I still think the existing thread boxes it off nicely still and it supports an actual narrative as to why these albums are so important.  Now don't get me wrong if there's anyone on here who loves a good list it is me (call me Listy McListy from the village of Listy Willow in the vale of Listyville on the island of Listopolis). However, I spent a lot of time yesterday viewing dead forums and blogs that just wrote lists!  Far more interesting (and perhaps more importantly - active) blogs/forums actually pack some rationale behind their choices.  I admit that I am hardly feeding the board with a mass of opinion and material in the "1001" thread but I feel it is still by far a thread with real potential if we just use it.  If you have a selection of albums that have inspired you as an artist/musician then surely all the more reason to but them in the "1001" thread.  Danger is of course when JBaker returns again and posts a System of a Down record in there!

Anyway, just my thoughts/musings and I am not trying to become the forums very own "Thread Policeman", just putting things out there.

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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

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I'm ambivalent, but we can keep this one going for a minute and see if it gains traction. We had this non-starter of a thread last year (which I've linked below) trying to discuss the same things; in spirit at least, it's a closer match than the 1001 thread, which I see as a great spot for personal favorites and obscure gems.

(And I agree that JBaker's contributions to that thread must be actively moderated. :D )

(I'll add that the above thread probably didn't take off because dude was more interested in promoting his blog than actually talking with us here...)

"Most influential" is a different question from "first" or "best" or "favorite". I think "Melissa" had more influence (on first-wave BM) than "Don't Break The Oath", which is awesome but is really a heavy metal album (and since we're talking about influence, check out "The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown"). While we're on BM, don't forget Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost, which also had an impact on thrash, and Sarcofago's "INRI", which is at the crossroads of BM, DM, and thrash. Burzum has obviously had a huge influence as well, but it's hard for me to pin down one album above any other from the early period.

Gotta mention Paradise Lost, especially "Gothic", for their impact on the melodic death/doom genre.

Atheist's "Piece Of Time" and Cynic's "Focus" had a big impact on the progressive end of DM, and Death's "Human" raised the bar for drummers in particular, as did Cryptopsy's "None So Vile". Nihilist served as a template for early Swedish DM. Early At The Gates had an influence on the rest of the Gothenburg bands, but it was (unfortunately IMO) "Slaughter Of The Soul" that had the most long-lasting and international impact. "Heartwork" is a good call for melodic DM; "Reek Of Putrefaction" and "Symphonies Of Sickness" may have had an even bigger impact on goregrind and death/grind.

Early Swans (from '82-'85) had a big influence on grind, industrial (via Godflesh), and arguably doom.

Plenty more to add, but I must get on with the day, will revisit later.

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salmonellapancake

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1 hour ago, FatherAlabaster said:

I'm ambivalent, but we can keep this one going for a minute and see if it gains traction. We had this non-starter of a thread last year (which I've linked below) trying to discuss the same things; in spirit at least, it's a closer match than the 1001 thread, which I see as a great spot for personal favorites and obscure gems.

(And I agree that JBaker's contributions to that thread must be actively moderated. :D )

(I'll add that the above thread probably didn't take off because dude was more interested in promoting his blog than actually talking with us here...)

"Most influential" is a different question from "first" or "best" or "favorite". I think "Melissa" had more influence (on first-wave BM) than "Don't Break The Oath", which is awesome but is really a heavy metal album (and since we're talking about influence, check out "The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown"). While we're on BM, don't forget Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost, which also had an impact on thrash, and Sarcofago's "INRI", which is at the crossroads of BM, DM, and thrash. Burzum has obviously had a huge influence as well, but it's hard for me to pin down one album above any other from the early period.

Gotta mention Paradise Lost, especially "Gothic", for their impact on the melodic death/doom genre.

Atheist's "Piece Of Time" and Cynic's "Focus" had a big impact on the progressive end of DM, and Death's "Human" raised the bar for drummers in particular, as did Cryptopsy's "None So Vile". Nihilist served as a template for early Swedish DM. Early At The Gates had an influence on the rest of the Gothenburg bands, but it was (unfortunately IMO) "Slaughter Of The Soul" that had the most long-lasting and international impact. "Heartwork" is a good call for melodic DM; "Reek Of Putrefaction" and "Symphonies Of Sickness" may have had an even bigger impact on goregrind and death/grind.

Early Swans (from '82-'85) had a big influence on grind, industrial (via Godflesh), and arguably doom.

Plenty more to add, but I must get on with the day, will revisit later.

Couldn't have said it any better myself. You sure do know your stuff.

7 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Okay, that makes sense, but I still think the existing thread boxes it off nicely still and it supports an actual narrative as to why these albums are so important.  Now don't get me wrong if there's anyone on here who loves a good list it is me (call me Listy McListy from the village of Listy Willow in the vale of Listyville on the island of Listopolis). However, I spent a lot of time yesterday viewing dead forums and blogs that just wrote lists!  Far more interesting (and perhaps more importantly - active) blogs/forums actually pack some rationale behind their choices.  I admit that I am hardly feeding the board with a mass of opinion and material in the "1001" thread but I feel it is still by far a thread with real potential if we just use it.  If you have a selection of albums that have inspired you as an artist/musician then surely all the more reason to but them in the "1001" thread.  Danger is of course when JBaker returns again and posts a System of a Down record in there!

Anyway, just my thoughts/musings and I am not trying to become the forums very own "Thread Policeman", just putting things out there.

Yeah I totally see where you're coming from. 

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