# The Essential Music Library: Metal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596 "2005-12-21T06:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/21 "2005-12-21T22:36:32Z")
Oh, and a second vote for Nashville Pussy. That band will rock your brain straight out of your skull and leave you begging for more. Hey, that reminds me, does Heart count as metal? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/22 "2005-12-22T02:13:46Z")
Quiet Riot, Cum On Feel The Noize. It’s cheezy, but both it and the album cover was what Metal was. Note: Beatles, Helter Skelter is sometimes thought to be the first heavy metal song. I favor that interpretation, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/23 "2005-12-22T02:54:10Z")
How about some Blue Oyster Cult? At least “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/24 "2005-12-22T03:07:00Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Quiet Riot, Cum On Feel The Noize. It’s cheezy, but both it and the album cover was what Metal was. Considering that Randy Rhoads was in the original lineup, I’d say it’s entirely appropriate. Even if I do love to bag on the singer…“So you say I got a bad toupee, it makes me money!” ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/25 "2005-12-22T07:56:15Z")
**Gwar**. I recommend _Scumdogs of the Universe_ and _Ragnarok_. I’d go as far as to say that Oderus Urungus is one of the best metal vocalists performing. Go see them in concert. It’s two parts Troma, one part Grand Guignol, with just a pinch of _Pink Flamingos_ for flavor. Don’t wear clothes you care about. If you wear a white T-shirt, it’ll turn out with a nice tie-dye effect. ---
**Author:** ![n0disguise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@n0disguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/n0disguise)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/26 "2005-12-22T09:14:46Z")
Here are some albums from metal subgenres, which haven’t been mentioned, and which I think might go unmentioned if I don’t: Opeth – Still life Opeth – Orchid Cradle of Filth – Midian Cradle of Filth – the Principle of Evil Made Flesh Children of Bodom – Hatebreeder Dream Theater – The Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory Dream Theater – A Change of Seasons Dream Theater – Awake In Flames – Colony Death – Leprosy Pestilence – Consuming Impulse Deftones – Adrenaline Arch Enemy – Anthems of Rebellion Candlemass – Nightfall Nightwish – Nightfall in Middle Earth Helloween – The Keeper of the Seven Keys Nevermore – Dreaming Neon Black Deicide – Legion Mercyful Fate – Melissa Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break the Oath Venom – Welcome to Hell There are also some bands I either don’t like, or am not familiar enough with them to recommend an album, but whose influences are seen everywhere: They should be given their dues. Sorry I can’t recommend specific albums. Maybe someone else can? Mayhem, Napalm Death, Fear Factory, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Dimmu Borgir, Meshuggah, Amon Amarath. And no, these aren’t just albums I like. They are important albums by some of biggest/most influential bands in their subgenres. ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/27 "2005-12-22T14:32:16Z")
OK, confession time: Yes, I had a series of Mead denim-covered binders in school that were always covered with hand-drawn logos of all the popular metal/hair metal bands. That being said, for Hair Metal I would include the following: \*\* Motley Crue\*\*: _Shout at the Devil_ - they were still pretty young and raw on this album much like on _Too Fast for Love_, but the production values are much better than their debut - there are parts of TFfL that are just unlistenable to me. After SatD, they started getting progressively more hard and less metal, IMHO. **Ratt** : _Out of the Cellar_ - I’m sorry, any metal video with **Milton** \*freakin’ \ ***Berle** in it canNOT be left out 🙂 **Dokken** : _Breaking the Chains_ **W.A.S.P.** : _W.A.S.P._ - who could forget Blackie Lawless with those saw blade armbands? - I think they would be the closest synthesis of true metal and hair metal of the 80s - most of the rest of the hair bands have reached a level of radio acceptability that wasn’t present in the 80s. **Def Leppard** : _Pyromania_ **Scorpion** : _Love at First Sting_ I’d throw something by Poison, but I never really liked anything they put out. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/28 "2005-12-22T18:20:19Z")
> [@n0disguise](#): > > Nightwish – Nightfall in Middle Earth Were you thinking Blind Guardian? > [@](#): > > Mayhem, Napalm Death, Fear Factory, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Dimmu Borgir, Meshuggah, Amon Amarath. Respectively: De Mysteriis dom Sathanas, Noise for Music’s Sake (Scum if you want an actual album), Demanufacture, Blood Fire Death, To Mega Therion, Spiritual Black Dimensions, Destroy Erase Improve, and Once Sent from the Golden Hall. Rather than try for a narrative here, let me just throw out a list of stuff since 1985 or so: Alice in Chains, Dirt Arcturus, La Masquerade Infernale Arcturus, The Sham Mirrors As I Lay Dying, Shadows are Security At the Gates, Slaughter of the Soul Atheist, the complete catalog Bathory, Blood Fire Death, Hammerheart, and Twilight of the Gods Bolt Thrower, anything–they’re all the same Borknagar, Quintessence Brutal Truth, Need to Control Burzum, Aske Carcass, Heartwork Clutch, Pure Rock Fury Coal Chamber, Chamber Music Converge, Jane Doe Corrosion of Conformity, Deliverance Danzig, I-III Dark Tranquility, The Gallery Darkthrone, Under a Funeral Moon Death, Individual Thought Patterns and Sound of Perseverance Dillinger Escape Plan, Calculating Infinity and Irony is a Dead Scene (with Mike Patton on vocals–you _must_ hear this) Dream Theater, Images and Words Electric Wizard, Dopethrone Emperor, In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk Enslaved, Vikingligr Veldi Faith No More, Angel Dust Godflesh, Streetcleaner Helloween, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I In Flames, The Jester Race Isis, Oceanic Korn, s/t and Life is Peachy Kyuss, Blues for the Red Sun Machine Head, Burn My Eyes Marilyn Manson, Antichrist Superstar Mastodon, Leviathan Ministry, Psalm 69 Morbid Angel, Covenant My Dying Bride, Turn Loose the Swans Nightwish, Oceanborn Nile, In Their Darkened Shrines Nine Inch Nails, Broken and The Downward Spiral Opeth, Blackwater Park, Morningrise and Damnation Rage Against the Machine, s/t Rhapsody, Power of the Dragonflame and Symphony of Enchanted Lands Part 2 Satyricon, Nemesis Divina Shadows Fall, The Art of Balance Solefald, In Harmonia Universali SUNN 0))), Flight of the Behemoth Therion, Vovin and Theli Tiamat, Wildhoney and Clouds Ulver, Bergtatt, Kveldssanger, Nattens Madrigal, Perdition City, Blood Inside Within Temptation, Mother Earth There are a couple non-metal albums on the list, but they’re high-quality enough that it shouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![AndyPolley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AndyPolley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyPolley)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/29 "2005-12-22T18:43:19Z")
Man…this thread is getting me in the mood to rock. Among the quality choices here, I’d like to add **Queensryche** : _Operation Mindcrime._ It was a great point for hair metal & theatrical metal wrapped up in one. Quality songs wrapped in a concept album, all while being rather influential on the entire scene. How about **Spinal Tap**? I know they’re a joke, but it was a very good joke. You’re not a Metal-head unless you can quote a few lines from the movie. Others I’d want to mention have already been mentioned. Great job everybody. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/30 "2005-12-22T21:17:47Z")
Well, most of the bands I would mention have already been covered. Here is my list of bands that I haven’t seen on the list yet. Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian , No Exit, Perfect Symetry, Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray are my favorites. Fates is an interesting band in that they have changed a lot since their first release. Savatage- Hall of the Mountain King. Annoying singer (at times). Hell of a guitarist. Sanctuary- Refuge Denied. The singer is now in Nevermore, I think a couple of the other band members from Sanctuary are in Nevermore as well. Dave Mustaine produced this album and solos on the cover of Jefferson Airplanes ‘White Rabbit’. A note about Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabath is my favorite album and I highly reccomend it. Not quite as heavy as their other stuff (Fluff) but it has some great tracks on it. I’ll post as I hink of more. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Stillborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Stillborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillborn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/31 "2005-12-22T21:25:27Z")
Pretty much everything I’d say is mentioned already besides Black Label Society. I’d recommend the CD Mafia. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/32 "2005-12-22T21:55:34Z")
I’m surprised there has been no love for Iron Butterfly : In a gada d vida ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/33 "2005-12-23T00:19:45Z")
Another vote for Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime. A great album. Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida was definitely a heavy album when it came out and Steppenwolf had some crunch for it’s time. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/34 "2005-12-23T00:33:59Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > How about some Blue Oyster Cult? > > At least “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. Can I be cheeky and request that this isn’t the BÖC contribution? It was indeed a successful pop hit, but as a “metal” song I think it’s pretty weak. I, and several other fans of the group, rate _Secret Treaties_ as one of the greatest metal albums ever. Why it’s so often overlooked in these kind of ‘greatest’ lists I have no idea. Every track on the album is superlative, and the whole is a work of genius. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/35 "2005-12-23T00:37:58Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Can I be cheeky and request that this isn’t the BÖC contribution? It was indeed a successful pop hit, but as a “metal” song I think it’s pretty weak. It’s more metal than Quiet Riot, IMHO. Besides, you might as well go back to Slade, the group QR stole their hits from. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/36 "2005-12-23T01:02:25Z")
**System of a Down**. Although their fans tend to pride themselves on not fitting in in any specific music genre, to call them metal is pretty fair. They simply rock, from their self titled album to this year’s **Hypnotize**. Serj’s voice has so much character and variance, and the drums are amazing. Not to mention they’re probably the only metal band that regularly infuses Middle Eastern (Armenian) melodies into their songs. The lyrics tend to be pretty vague, but come across as very meaningful. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/37 "2005-12-23T01:32:21Z")
> [@PetW](#): > > Not to mention they’re probably the only metal band that regularly infuses Middle Eastern (Armenian) melodies into their songs. They’re not the only ones, but it’s still not a common practice. Orphaned Land and Melechesh are easy picks because they’re from Israel, but Therion’s done it a bit, and I want to say that Megadeth has even played around with it. > [@River Hippie](#): > > Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida was definitely a heavy album when it came out and Steppenwolf had some crunch for it’s time. The problem with Inna etc. is that it really hasn’t aged well, and the first half of the album seems weak to start with. Steppenwolf’s songs are holding up better, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/38 "2005-12-23T07:36:24Z")
A bit of a hijack: **Ultrafilter** , and anyone else: If you like _Pure Rock Fury_ check out _Blast Tyrant_. It’s [Clutch’s](http://www.pro-rock.com/) best album, IMO, and it’s been my default album for months now. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/39 "2005-12-23T10:38:01Z")
Tool: Aenima Deftones: White Pony Nebula: Atomic Ritual The Melvins: Stoner Witch Kyuss: Blues for the Red Sun Nine Inch Nails: Broken Helmet: Meantime Alice in Chains: Dirt Soundgarden: Badmotorfinger Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction Def Leppard: Pyromania Black Sabbath: Paranoid ---
**Author:** ![n0disguise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@n0disguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/n0disguise)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596/40 "2005-12-23T10:38:31Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Were you thinking Blind Guardian? Good catch – I always get them confused. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-metal/336596.md?page=3)