Great, straightforward, listenable metal albums

[asmegin_slayer]

I have to get this out of my chest. I don't know about you guys, but as I get older and older I have been enjoying to easy listening metal mainly because its just a pain on the ass to hear/understand the technical side of the music. As much as I enjoy listening to the technical stuff, its really hard to be impressed nowadays as most bands play for the sake of being technical and not for original/catchiness (sp?).

-Judas Priest - Angels of Retribution album (great example)

 

[USMarine75]

Yeah its almost seems like an inverse relationship... listenability vs technicality.

I love PTH, but I can only listen to 3 songs before I need to take Lithium and chase it with some Johnnie Walker.... I would def never call them 'catchy'!

I actually think there are a few out there that work for me... the Human Abstract keeps me listening even though its a sweep fest lol. Its almost a 'mellow' technical metal... I love Sacred Mother Tongue because Andy James is a ridiculous guitarist, but he knows how to lay back and just groove when he's 'supposed to'...

 

[vampiregenocide]

Fear Factory - Mechanize
Meshuggah - Nothing
Seether - Karma & Effect
Mudvayne - L.D 50
Amogh Symphony - The Quantum Hack Code
Chimp Spanner - At The Dream's Edge

 

[right_to_rage]

Deftones Self Titled is a solid listen without too much ear straining challenge. I guess all of their albums count!

 

[SirMyghin]

Dream Evil's Dragon Slayer is a pretty solid album.

Anything by Arjen..

 

[Cyntex]

Almost everything Pantera did.

Megadeth - Rust in Peace

 

[troyguitar]

This topic: List your favorite albums?

I'll add some stuff that's probably less popular:

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Beethoven's Last Night
Savatage - Edge of Thorns
Iron Maiden - Brave New World (my favorite Maiden CD start to finish, even if my favorite songs are all from other albums)
Lost Horizon - A Flame To The Ground Beneath
Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
Metallica - Ride the Lightning

If I move to 70's and 80's rock stuff there are a LOT more like Whitesnake '87, Holy Diver, Rainbow, Rising Force, Blackout, Appetite, Van Halen I, etc.

 

[Xaios]

An album that's definitely worth mentioning for being "listenable metal" is "Allen/Lande - The Battle." It's a first in a three album series, the second and third of which are titled "The Revenge" and "The Showdown." I haven't heard the other two, but apparently they're quite good as well. It's basically a "dueling vocalist" type concept that features Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Jorn Lande (Masterplan).

 

[Chiba666]

Sepultura - Chaos AD
SYL - City
Just off the top of my head

 

[heineken_fretwalker]

I love PTH, but I can only listen to 3 songs before I need to take Lithium and chase it with some Johnnie Walker.... I would def never call them 'catchy'!

Are we listening to the same band? I started listening to them cause when I was playing NHL07, I couldn't get enough of Divinity Within. When Fortress came out, I literally couldn't get past the first half of the album because all of those songs stuck to me like a stage five clinger. Then, I discovered the rest of the album does too. I haven't given the new album too many spins yet, but I can't get C'est La Vie, Sex Tapes and Hair Trigger out of my skull.

 

[Threex4]

Dream Theater - Awake
Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Not actually a metal album but Daft punk - Discovery

 

[USMarine75]

Are we listening to the same band? I started listening to them cause when I was playing NHL07, I couldn't get enough of Divinity Within. When Fortress came out, I literally couldn't get past the first half of the album because all of those songs stuck to me like a stage five clinger. Then, I discovered the rest of the album does too. I haven't given the new album too many spins yet, but I can't get C'est La Vie, Sex Tapes and Hair Trigger out of my skull.

Not here... I LOVE Sequoia Throne and I can play that over and over, but I can't even leave the album on when I work out... 3 to 4 songs then it's a different album. What you consider easily listenable is def different that what I do! How does eccletic rapid rhythm changes and extreme pushing the envelope dynamics equate to being a "great straightforward listenable metal album"??? Sorry, not feeling it. I'm the most amenable person when it comes to musical taste... I think 90% of the people are closed minded elitist fucks when it comes to bands they like... but nope not on this one I'm raising my own snob / elitist fuck flag on this one. Technical metal, mathcore, and metalcore are hardly easy on the ears... and listenable and good are not the same thing. And even 'good' is subjective...

 

[heineken_fretwalker]

Not here... I LOVE Sequoia Throne and I can play that over and over, but I can't even leave the album on when I work out... 3 to 4 songs then it's a different album. What you consider easily listenable is def different that what I do! How does eccletic rapid rhythm changes and extreme pushing the envelope dynamics equate to being a "great straightforward listenable metal album"??? Sorry, not feeling it. I'm the most amenable person when it comes to musical taste... I think 90% of the people are closed minded elitist fucks when it comes to bands they like... but nope not on this one I'm raising my own snob / elitist fuck flag on this one. Technical metal, mathcore, and metalcore are hardly easy on the ears... and listenable and good are not the same thing. And even 'good' is subjective...

I never once said it was a great straightforward listening album. I was refuting your bs claim that they aren't catchy, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

[Valknut]

Ones in bold are listenable all the way through imo

Megadeth: Rust in peace, Youthenasia, Countdown to extinction
Pantera: Cowboys from hell, The great southern trendkill
Nevermore: This godless endeavor, Dreaming neon black, Dead heart in a dead world
Queensryche: Operation mindcrime
All that remains: The fall of ideals
Children of bodom: Are you dead yet?, Hatecrew fuck troll
The sword: Gods of the earth

-----------------
Less straight forward stuff

Dream theater: Images and turds, Octavarium
Angra: Temple of shadows
Paul gilbert: Get out of my yard
Symphony X: Devine wings of tragedy

 

[FarBeyondMetal]

You know, I've always felt this way but gotten a lot of shit. Its a straight forward, solid metal disc. Thats it - no tricks or gimmicks, just a great example of all the musical textures a metal CD can cover.

My thoughts to a T.
Trivium fuckin rule

 

[Riggy]

As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us
Protest The Hero - Fortress
Periphery - Periphery
All Shall Perish - Awaken The Dreamers
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Sylosis - Conclusion of an Age.

 

[TasmanSam]

Machine head - the Blackening
Killswitch engage - Alive or just breathing/End of Heartache
Devin Townsend - Accelerated Evolution

 

[metalheadblues]

Lamb of God-Ashes of the wake
Gojira-the way of all flesh,from Mars to sirius
Nevermore-This godless endeavour
Meshuggah-Obzen

 

[PostOrganic]

Anthrax - Among the Living
Ensiferum - Ensiferum

 

[CrownofWorms]

Anything by Megadeth and Pantera

The Haunted-The Haunted

Slayer- South of Heaven, Divine Intervention