Tasteful Metal

drew0

I'm trying to get into metal, but I can't find any tasteful metal that I like. It's hard to say what I'm looking for, but I've been listening to a lot of Deftones and Metallica lately, and want more heavy stuff. I've tried Pantera, like some of the stuff - some of their work I find to not be as good, though. I love Five Minutes Alone, and just about anything I've heard by the Deftones (mainly their bigger hits and all of White Pony), and anything by Metallica from Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, and Justice For All. What are some other songs / bands that would be appealing to fans of that type of metal? I tried Mastodon, and the only song I liked was Blood & Thunder.

Echoes

"Tasteful" is an intersting word - are you using it as in music you like, because that is a very hard definition for someone else to fill. You should try some Opeth - it seems really heavy at first, but it is so melodic and they break in so many acoustic interludes it is actually a really easy listen. Given the bands you like, maybe you would also like older Iron Maiden or Megadeth?

intodeep

drew0 wrote:

I tried Mastodon, and the only song I liked was Blood & Thunder.

Well you should listen to Mastodon more until they click for you

Echoes had some good suggestons. Maiden and Megadeath are pretty easy to get into.

What about Slayer? I think Seasons in the Abyss is their most accesable album.

Maybe Sepultura Chaos AD is again a rockin album and easy for non metal fans to enjoy.

I'm a big fan of High on Fire. I think Blessed Black Wings is my favorite album.

Maybe Anthrax? I love the Sound of White Noise album. THat is the only one by them i ever got into.

sponger

I'm no metal connoisseur, but here are some of my fav songs:

Anything by megadeth prior to the youthanasia album. A few good songs to check out are:

Holy Wars
Hangar 18
502
Lucretia
Peace Sells

The only Slayer album I can get into is Seasons in the Abyss. The "Decade of Aggression" live album is worth listening to if you haven't already done so.

Judas Priest's "Sad Wings of Destiny" album is classic metal, IMO. "Victim of Changes" is a great song from that album. They also did a remake of Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust", which is also considered a JP classic.

Here's "Victim of Changes" live in '05. It's split up into two parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDVp7hn1zKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNO8f5Y3ZBA

AxlUlrich

i'd recommend Slayer and Mercyful Fate
also maybe give Pantera another shot...i can't find a flaw in any of their metal albums really.

darthvedder88

Dude, check out Danzig, that band ROCKS!!!

But as everyone else has said, Slayer is awesome. Personally, I'd recommend "Reign in Blood." That album is classic.

bubbamackdaddy69

Yeah like darthvedder said..Danzig rocks..As well check out some Monster Magnet..their earlier stuff is good..especially first 3 albums..

reachdown12

hmm..

Celtic Frost, Immortal, definitely give Opeth a shot, i'd say start out with Blackwater Park, one of their best, possibly Napalm Death, Sacred Reich, a low key one: Souls At Zero, At the Gates, Mastodon(i'mloving blood mountain) or Lamb of God, etc. There's a lot out there.

UpSideDown

opeth......ghost reveries is beautiful

dirt

Isis -- I think they create their own lane for sure -- they are taking metal to new places. You will like them if you've ever liked stuff by Slint or Tar from years back. They have a stark sound like the aforementioned, but a lot more ambient.

Just about all from Opeth and the first four Iron Maiden albums too. I just got a new CD player on Friday (Rega Apollo) and Blackwater Park (the song) was one of the first things I played -- I love that band -- only a few more weeks 'til the expanded Ghost Reveries is released.

Echoes

Isis is really really cool

lucylespian

The Metallica albums Load and Reload, are generally despised by teh diehard fans, but are very melodic and contain much more intricate arrangements than teh earlier, more highly regarded stuff like KIll 'Em All etc. The guitar playing is less reckless and fast, and more throughful, wihtout losing anything at all. Load is my favourite album.
Also the covers album, GArage Inc is brilliant, covers of Turn the PAge, Whisky in the Jar, Astronomy, the Mercyful Fate thingy, DAmage Case etc, very tasteful.

Echoes

Garage Inc is a great album, but you'd be hard pressed to find a good album's worth of material after AJFA other than that album.

Bleakest Harvest

Opeth - Still Life is the way to go. All of their releases are incredibly good, but this one mixes up the heaviness and the melodic progginess very nicely, and would serve as a nice introduction to the band.

Isis is also a good way to go, check out Panopticon by them. Brilliant album.

Jennytree

Black Label Society and Nevermore! Not too heavy when you're starting to get into metal!

Bleakest Harvest

Oh yeah, and 'tasteful metal' is something of an oxymoron no?

lucylespian

Echoes wrote:

Garage Inc is a great album, but you'd be hard pressed to find a good album's worth of material after AJFA other than that album.

See, I told you the diehards despise their later, stuff, but for no good reason. Their musiciasnship improves with each album, and it is OK to mellow a little as you age, trying to make an angry young man's album when you are are contentd older one just isn't likely to produce good results.

tybird

Another vote for both Megadeath and Iron Maiden.........try a band with a long history and pick up a greatest hits disc. Use it like a sampler. I would also second the earlier mention of Judas Priest.

The first two albums by Ozzy Osbourne are to die for.......Randy Rhoads on lead, wow. ("Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of A Madman".....the "Tribute" album is some decent live recordings of Randy in action.)

I also enjoy his third album, the live one featuring Black Sabbath songs. That has Brad Gillis (of Night Ranger infamy) on lead guitar. Good Stuff.

Echoes

lucylespian wrote:

See, I told you the diehards despise their later, stuff, but for no good reason. Their musiciasnship improves with each album, and it is OK to mellow a little as you age, trying to make an angry young man's album when you are are contentd older one just isn't likely to produce good results.

No, they are just shitty albums. That sounds like a REALLY good reason to dislike it, They have a smattering of good songs among them, but that's about it.

If you want to typecast me, though, here's some more background info
Kill Em All - got some good songs
Ride The Lightning - Don't really care for outside "Creeping Death"
Master Of Puppets - fabulous
AJFA - not bad, I like the direction they had here
Black album - pure shit. Only one song I can halfways stand
Load - better than the black album, but I haven't listened since I was 18 so maybe my views on it are different. Loved "Outlaw Torn" though
Reload - a few decent fast tunes, but shitty lyricism and boring songs ruin the day again.
St Anger - lol. boring songs and poorly produced. I'm all for repetition in song, but they didn't do it very well.
Garage Inc - favourite after Puppets. probably not a view shared by man people.

In any case, you'd be really hard pressed to classify Load or Reload as "metal" in any circle. It is pretty much just alt. rock that ranges from pretty decent to outright shitty.

cc10106

I've been getting into Mastodon over the last couple of weeks. Damn, these guys kill. I don't know if true metalheads consider this one 'real metal, but DOWN's first album, NOLA, is classic southern style sludge. I like it better than about any Pantera cd.

lucylespian

Echoes wrote:

No, they are just shitty albums. That sounds like a REALLY good reason to dislike it, They have a smattering of good songs among them, but that's about it.

If you want to typecast me, though, here's some more background info
Kill Em All - got some good songs
Ride The Lightning - Don't really care for outside "Creeping Death"
Master Of Puppets - fabulous
AJFA - not bad, I like the direction they had here
Black album - pure shit. Only one song I can halfways stand
Load - better than the black album, but I haven't listened since I was 18 so maybe my views on it are different. Loved "Outlaw Torn" though
Reload - a few decent fast tunes, but shitty lyricism and boring songs ruin the day again.
St Anger - lol. boring songs and poorly produced. I'm all for repetition in song, but they didn't do it very well.
Garage Inc - favourite after Puppets. probably not a view shared by man people.

In any case, you'd be really hard pressed to classify Load or Reload as "metal" in any circle. It is pretty much just alt. rock that ranges from pretty decent to outright shitty.

Yaeh, but this guy is looking for more accessible stuff, rather than for example AJFA, which I owned for years before I could listen to it. NOt many people would be so dismissive of songs like FAde to BLack, Wherever We MAy Roam, Bleeding Me, The Unforgiven etc.
St Anger is an example of the angry young man's album by contented old blokes, and was disappointing for it's lack of melody.
It doesn't have to be cacophanous to be metal. This guy is after "tasteful" remember, and that's what I like too !! And there's nothing wrong with Evolution, baby !!