Metal Reviews

There are some bands that have excelled far beyond their peers, who have released albums whose quality has endured and cemented their legacy in their respective subgenre. What are some of your favorite metal creative streaks and albums, and if you choose and in depth post, how do they stack up against their peers

DsO SMRC and beyond ignoring Fas, Death's technical progressive streak pre-Perseverance, Death's creation of death metal, Pig Destroyer's and DEP's career, Akercocke post-Rape.

Opeth did an impressive streak with Morningrise, My Arms Your Hearse, Still Life and topping it off with Blackwater Park. I'd say their entire career is a creative streak but I'm a fanboy. That's the first thing that come to mind.
Also:
Katatonia's first three and last three albums are pretty amazing
Agalloch's creative streak is still going
Tool since Aenima
Moonsorrow's entire career
Porcupine Tree (Stupid Dream until Fear of a Blank Planet)
My Dying Bride until the early 2000's

Emperor
In The Nightside Eclipse is not only groundbreaking, it is the end result of top notch musicians that firmly believed in their cause. Absolutely withstands the test of time, itself being timeless.
Many many would-be imitators have tried and failed to replicate this Wagnerian materpiece.

Mercyful Fate
Melissa, Black Masses (b-side), Don't Break The Oath, Into the Shadows, Time...
'nuff said.

Death
The name Chuck Schuldiner speaks for itself.

Arcturus (early material)
Aspera Hiems Symfonia and even La Masquerade Infernale are absolutely brilliant and the talent on display is nothing short of extraordinary. Nothing sounds quite like it. Symphonic without the pretentious cheesery of their contemperaries *cough* Dimmu *cough*, cosmic in proportion and possessing the unearthly ability of taking the listeners mind to another place.

Limbonic Art
Moon in the Scorpio and In Abhorrence Dementia pick up where Emperor left off, but with an emphasis on symphonics. Wagner meets Faust meets Lovecraft.

Ulver
Nattens Madrigal.
That is all.

Venom
Up until Welcome To Hell, there was simply nothing approaching this level of blasphemy (tongue in cheek as it is), nor was there any band with that aura of mystique surrounding them.
The self proclaimed black metal gods brazenly gave metal an injection of fuck you attitude that was sorely missing.
They were the first, and their first two albums are absolute metal classics.

Some great choices, guys. A few additions.

Negura Bunget since 2000's Maiastru Sfetnic

Enslaved from their debut full-length Vikingligr Veldi through 2004's Isa

Drudkh from Forgotten Legends debut through 2006 Blood in Our Wells

Nokturnal Mortum is on some sort of winning streak currently, as is October Tide.

Darkestrah since 2007's Epos


While mainly agreeing, a few differences with Milan:

Katatonia from the beginning through the Sounds of Decay EP

I have My Dying Bride with two separate streaks: As the Flower Withers through Angel and the Dark River and later with Light at the End of the World through Songs of Darkness, Words of Light

Stream of Consciousness and The Perfect Machine eclipsed every metal band period. Those are my no. 2 and 3 albums ever. You could say the same thing about Return To Heaven Denied, but I put it at like #7, right behind a few rush albums and Metroplis Pt. 2, which is another great one that is the epitome of Prog. Metal.

Not everyone will agree with me but I honestly think that
Kamelot has a streak starting from The Fourth Legacy up to Poetry for the poisoned. Most people would agree to up to Black Halo, but even though ghost opera and Poetry for the poisoned may seem not as strong, they are still great albums on their own.

Oh I agree

Glad to see someone mention Time. I never heard people speak of that album. I love it more than In The Shadows which is also good. Back to the topic.

1) Iron Maiden : 80-88 - The streak is legendary.

2) Megadeth - 85-97 : Not all albums were classic, but they were definitely consistent right from their debut to Cryptic Writings. If it wasn't for Risk, I think Megadeth would have had a perfect streak. Death is the only band I can think of that never faltered. It's been top notch quality from the beginning to the end.

3) Metallica - 84-91 : Never liked KEA, but after that, it's been pretty consistent.

4) Immolation : Their debut - They retire : This band has never released an album that's less than awesome, leave alone releasing an average one and I don't expect them to disappoint till their done.

Other bands that I thought about have already been mentioned.

Dark Tranquillity is another that comes to mind
From The Gallery to We are the Void.

Really? Disregarding the awful production, I thought Skydancer was the best thing they ever did.

In Flames were melodic death trendsetters from early 90s to mid 00s. Can't really comment beyond that because stopped following the genre.

The Gallery, Haven and Character are their best albums IMO.

Immolation, all albums excluding Failures for Gods which was merely good instead of impossibly brilliant. Death and Immolation showcase the best song writing to ever grace Death Metal, yeah I said it. I would also add At The Gates' entire discography minus Slaughter of the Soul. Its a good album but I don't think it stands up to all their others.

Blind Guardian - Tales from the Twilight World through A Night at the Opera. You could argue it started at Follow the Blind, but I feel Tales is really their first great album.

Dream Theater- Metropolis Pt 2 through Train of Thought

Black Sabbath - S/T through Sabotage

Avantasia - everything so far

Burzum - S/T thru Filosofem

Darkthrone - Blaze thru Panzerfaust

Satyricon - D.M.T - Nemesis Divina

I'd also throw Bergtatt in with Nattens and Anthems in with In the Nightside Eclipse as being fucking brilliant.

Immolation, Solitude Aeturnus, Reverend Bizarre, Death: The discography

First 6 Bathory albums.
First 5 BG albums.
First 5 Kreator albums.
First 5 Overkill albums.
First 5 Slayer albums.
First 5 Candlemass albums.
5 Virgin Steele albums from TMOH&H: Part I to THOA: Act II
5 Accept albums from Breaker to Russian Roulette
First 4 Queensryche albums.
First 4 Metallica albums.

Voivod up to and including The Outer Limits.

Darkthrone: ABITNS - Panzerfaust and also FOAD - Circle the Wagons. I know the last bit might be a bit controversial since their last few aren't often seen as all that special or good by many, but I do think they've managed to create something fairly unique here. Yeah, the meeting of black metal and punk is not something new, there are quite a few old school black/thrash bands out there and also old school black/heavy metal bands out there. But I think that part of the lasting impression of Darkthrone's bm era and the last three albums has been that they consistantly make music that is entirely unmistakable as their own. Not only are they incredible riff masters, those riffs manage to always carry spine-tingling atmosphere no matter if they're cold, tremelo-laden bm riffs or the black/thrashier stuff of late. No matter what or who their influences are, without even hearing the vocals, you know the band...fuck it, you know that riff is Darkthrone. There aren't many bands out there that can patent riffs like Darkthrone.

Burzum: Burzum - Belus (haven't heard all of the new one yet). Yeah, some more controversy here. Daudi Baldrs and Hlidskjalf are like the bastard children of Varg to some Burzum fans. I think they display just as much creativity as his old albums did. Does that mean I think either synth album is as amazing as his previous albums? No. Hell, I don't even think Filosofem can touch the first three, and yet I can't deny that Filosofem is not a great album, nor that it isn't pioneering something new within the Burzum sound. I actually kind of feel the same way with Belus, which was both hailed and criticised and yawned at. When I heard that album it sounded unlike his older stuff, and yet carried the same trademark Burzum atmosphere. Like Fenriz and Nocturno, Varg has managed to create an atmosphere completely his own and doesn't manage to skip a beat in maintaining it and developing it.

Emperor: Wrath of the Tyrant/Emperor (I know these aren't albums, but I think they're an important part of Emperor's early sound) - ITNSE and actually, even though I think ITNSE completely surpasses it, I think I'll even add in Anthems.

Bathory: Bathory - Blood Fire Death/maybe Twilight of the Gods

Bolt Thrower: Everything.

Running Wild: Two great eras: Gates to Purgatory - Branded and Exiled and Under Jolly Roger - Black Hand Inn.

Hellhammer/Celtic Frost: Hellhammer - Celtic Frost's Morbid Tales - To Mega Therion

Sodom: In the Sign of Evil - Tapping the Vein.

Kreator: Endless Pain - Extreme Aggression

Destruction: Sentence of Death - Cracked Brain

Nocturnus: The Key

Possessed: Seven Churches

Immortal: Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism - Blizzard Beasts

Morbid Angel: Altars of Madness - Covenant

Mekong Delta: Mekong Delta - Dances of Death...though after that they've still managed to continue this creativity in some later albums. Seriously, despite that certain of their vocalists make me cringe a little these guys are another band like Nocturnus that really do "progressivity" the right way. I usually run screaming from anything labeled "progressive metal," but unlike most bands labeled that way, these guys actually do something interesting and unique while remaining within the confines of what I love about metal. The Music of Erich Zann is especially a masterpiece.

Dissection: The Somberlain - Storm of the Light's Bane

Motorhead.