Great Sounding Heavy Metal?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys, inspired by this thread, I decided to start a separate thread for people to post their favorite, great sounding heavy metal albums. I know the genre isn't typically used in HiFi demos and the genre can be a little undefined. Let's throw caution to the wind, ignore the HiFi intelligentsia, and have some fun with this one. 

 

Question: What are your favorite, great sounding heavy metal albums?

[sphinxsix]

Actually my standard listening test set includes this one (I often use the track no 10):

 

 

If the gear sounds good with this material (and it's supposed to!) and I'm in the \m/ood  I sometimes play some more extremely sounding stuff, like:

 

 

or:

 

 

I don't test with this one but it's also a charming album 

 

 

[ASRMichael]

Pantera - Cowboys from hell

Metallica - All

 

[Confused]

Considering the question in chronological order, I shall start here.....

 

 

Some of this is not really heavy metal, but for me the title track Paranoid is one of the finest metal tracks ever to be released to this very day...

[DuckToller]

 

 

[DuckToller]

 

Best sounding metal album last year  - to my ears ....

[ShawnC]

My all time favorite Metal album.

 

[RickyV]

Mmm not sure if it’s metal but anyway,

 

 

[fas42]

5 hours ago, Confused said:

Considering the question in chronological order, I shall start here.....

 

 

Some of this is not really heavy metal, but for me the title track Paranoid is one of the finest metal tracks ever to be released to this very day...

 

Was never into Black Sabbath, but audio friend up the road in a couple of recent visits played a track or two from this album, to check the state of play - effectively completely unknown music, for me. Quite brilliant for pointing out when the rig was in shape - when sub-par, this sounds like sludge; when in the zone, quite remarkable to listen to.

[Confused]

9 hours ago, fas42 said:

 

Was never into Black Sabbath, but audio friend up the road in a couple of recent visits played a track or two from this album, to check the state of play - effectively completely unknown music, for me. Quite brilliant for pointing out when the rig was in shape - when sub-par, this sounds like sludge; when in the zone, quite remarkable to listen to.

 

Be careful not to play it backwards Frank, otherwise you will be sucked into darkness and never post again .....

[Confused]

I have always been fond of Motorhead's Overkill, both the track and the album.   

 

When asked if Motorhead are a Heavy Metal band, Motorhead's Lemmy would typically reply that they play "Rock and Roll".   For me, I always think of Overkill as being some kind of proto-thrash metal.  (it was released in '79) You can all make your own mind up with respect to that thought.

 

For those that worry about DR rating on recordings, I have heard the track played live.  (with a later line-up)  Based on the live performance I can advise that the track does not have much dynamic range, it is just kind of loud to louder, constantly.

 

 

Later line up, live, DR=0.5 ....

 

 

[Jsmith]

Here are some suggestions that I think might be ok for non extremists:

• Metallica: ….and just for all – Lars double bass!
• Gojira: Magma – Blast beats for days.
• Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth – Trent, do I need to say more?
• Devin Townsend Project: Epicloud – Devin has great vocal range and Anneke van Giersbergen adds beauty to it
• Ghost: Meliora – It’s like Black Sabbath meets ABBA
• Volbeat: Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies – Western Metal from Copenhagen 

[Jsmith]

On 9/28/2020 at 10:34 AM, sphinxsix said:

I don't test with this one but it's also a charming album 

 

 

 

Adios is by far my favorite Rammstein song.

 

[ShawnC]

1 hour ago, Jsmith said:

Volbeat: Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies – Western Metal from Copenhagen 

I love Volbeat, except that last album release.  I always had a hard time describing their music genre to someone.  Western Metal from Copenhagen, Love it.  Although I might have say Country Western Metal or else my friends might think it's West Coast metal like the old East Coast/West Coast Rap wars of the 90s.

[Jsmith]

34 minutes ago, ShawnC said:

I love Volbeat, except that last album release.  I always had a hard time describing their music genre to someone.  Western Metal from Copenhagen, Love it.  Although I might have say Country Western Metal or else my friends might think it's West Coast metal like the old East Coast/West Coast Rap wars of the 90s.

Agree their last was not their best. Their album covers are pretty sweet as well. 

[fas42]

Just checked out Volbeat  - impressed!! Real songs ... who wouda thunkit - I thought the the point of much of current metal is just to be noise ... correct? 😄

[Confused]

9 hours ago, fas42 said:

Just checked out Volbeat  - impressed!! Real songs ... who wouda thunkit - I thought the the point of much of current metal is just to be noise ... correct? 😄

 

Current metal:

 

 

 

Old fashioned metal

 

 

[sphinxsix]

4 hours ago, Confused said:

Current metal:

 

 

 

Wow, sounds like a good album, didn't know it's been issued, thanks!

 

[Iving]

Noticing that Albums are suggested rather than Tracks, here are a couple of suggestions that could be considered borderline for the genre even if to my ears they qualify as Heavy Metal. What about “Raw Power” (Iggy Pop, 1973) and “Incesticide” (Nirvana, recordings 1988-1991). If I had to go strict – I’d choose Rammstein's ”Rosenrot” and “Völkerball”. The DVDs “sound” even better!

 

Raw Power – Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell

 

Raw Power – Shake Appeal

 

Raw Power – Death Trip

 

Incesticide – Stain

 

Incesticide – Beeswax

 

Incesticide – Aero Zeppelin

 

[christopher3393]

On 9/28/2020 at 9:25 AM, The Computer Audiophile said:

Question: What are your favorite, great sounding heavy metal albums?

 

hmmm... tough. don't know what any of those terms mean. I know, not being difficult, just ballpark it. Sometimes "great sounding" just cuts out too much "favorite"...and "favorite" is  impermanent. It should mean what you really like and return to, I guess. You "favor" it. But that could vary depending on conditions. When I heard "Roadhouse Blues" come on the sound system at a biker bar in San Diego in the summer of '86 I think, when the band was on break, and saw and heard the patrons just go nuts for it and sing along with it?  That was favorite in that moment. Is it heavy metal? When I think of heavy metal, I think of Led Zeppelin and smile. A lot of subgenres of metal sound like totally bankrupt crap to me.

 

So, a recent charmer for me that may or may not fit the Op's bill:

 

 

 

( I know, should be on motorcycle thread)

 

Sampler:

 

 

 

Live!

 

 

 

...and this:

 

 

[fas42]

12 hours ago, Confused said:

 

Current metal:

 

 

 

Old fashioned metal

 

 

 

Both are wacky, for different reasons - the second is just silly, like a Monty Python sketch; but the irony of the first having a 'message', about a way of life, using sound like a weapon, which is as far as one can possibly go from the ideals of that way of life, leaves me shaking my head ... 🙂

[sphinxsix]

4 minutes ago, fas42 said:

leaves me shaking my head ...

That's exactly what metal is about! 

[fas42]

If you want heavy, ya gotta have the look ...

 

 

 

[Confused]

@Iving was brave enough to mention the arguably off topic Nirvana, which gives me an excellent excuse to post about a personal favorite of mine, which is the album Nirvana  MTV unplugged in New York.  Not exactly metal, in fact it pretty much genre defying, but it is a great sounding album, surprising good in fact.

 

Here are a couple of snippets:

(For those that might be interested, the entire album is available on YouTube)

 

 

 

[Confused]

8 hours ago, fas42 said:

If you want heavy, ya gotta have the look ...

Indeed ....