Please guide me into the world of metal

[Malta Soron]

Thanks for the suggestions! Right now I have Dio, Manowar, Saxon and Iced Earth, and there's more to come

[Malta Soron]

Btw, I'm surprised not to see Metallica (being one of the best known heavy metal bands) mentioned anywhere. Is it that overrated?

[Kipi]

Originally Posted by Malta Soron

Btw, I'm surprised not to see Metallica (being one of the best known heavy metal bands) mentioned anywhere. Is it that overrated?

Well, they have few good tracks, but IMO nothing so special...

[Fiberfar]

Originally Posted by Malta Soron

Btw, I'm surprised not to see Metallica (being one of the best known heavy metal bands) mentioned anywhere. Is it that overrated?

Yes

As Kipi says, they got a few good tracks (IMO), but that's all.


Anyways.... Wonder if Motörhead has been mentioned. Not exactly Heavy Metal, but it's too good to be missed. There is a sea of albums to pick between, and I really don't know about all of them, so I'll just suggest Overkill and Kiss of Death.

[SupaCat]

What about Alice In Chains? Not really heavy metal, but in the area of.

[Gilliatt]

Most Metallica songs are very basic. Many people were introduced to the heavy metal world with Metallica and then moved on to something else when they realised Metallica was pretty average. Some bands just seem to be at the right place at the right moment. Anthrax is another band that was popular at the same time and that is very average. In fact, the two biggest Anthrax hits, Antisocial and Got the Time, are covers! If you want to try some Metallica, I suggest Master of Puppets. After that album, they became more commercial.

When I want to listen to something basic, I go for AC/DC (Back in Black) rather then Metallica.

About Motorhead, they have plenty of greatest hits. If you want to try some, take one greatest hits, you will have their "classics" Overkill, Killed by Death and Ace of Spades. Motorhead is also very basic, in fact it is so basic that if you choose an album other than a greatest hits, you will realise most of their songs sounds the same and end up listening to the same two or three songs. (I think the reason why Motorhead and AC/DC ages better then Metallica even if they are very basic is because they are both very unique.) Motorhead's actual drummer, Mikkey Dee (ex-King Diamond drummer), is by far the best they had, so I suggest to get a recent greatest hits with a couple of newer songs also.

[Kipi]

Forget the following album from the suggestions...

Shining Black - Tarot

Very good Finnish Hard Rock / Metal artist. The album is actually collection of their songs from very long time. Gives a good idea of what the band is.

[Malta Soron]

The list is getting really long now Thanks!

[Gilliatt]

I still have plenty of suggestions (and I am sure the others too), but since nobody can love everything I love, I started with classics and personal favorites. I will gladly give more suggestions or opinions if anyone send me more precise questions.

@ Kipi, I knew the band Tarot by name but had never listened to them before. Just got some samples on the Net and loved it. Thanks for the suggestion.

@ Fiberfar, I bought Virgin Steel's House of Atreus Act 1 a couple years ago and was very disappointed. Sounded like a copy of Manowar, and I always prefer the original to the copy. Is this album representative of the band's career?

[Mandalorianx]

was lisening to ''When Eden Burns'' yesterday(the newest album from the band Persuader, a sweden metal band) this band has one of the best metal sing i've heard(Jens Carlson),think you should lisen to some of there songs...

[Kipi]

Originally Posted by Gilliatt

had never listened to them before. Just got some samples on the Net and loved it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, that band is great. And the band is still alive!
Actually, only partially as their singer Marco Hietala is now playing bass and singing in Nightwish as well...

*checks Tarot's website*

They are playing in bup near me in few months

[Fiberfar]

Originally Posted by Gilliatt

@ Fiberfar, I bought Virgin Steel's House of Atreus Act 1 a couple years ago and was very disappointed. Sounded like a copy of Manowar, and I always prefer the original to the copy. Is this album representative of the band's career?

If you listen to the first Virgin Steele albums (Virgin Steele and Guardians of the Flame), you'll hear that the sound get increasingly more heavy from the first to second (and you won't even think that's David DeFeis on vocals. His performance has changed MUCH). After the first guitarist left, the band went for a more Epic sound rather than the heavy one.

I only have 5 Virgin Steele albums, and House of Atreus act 1 isn't the best of them. Some of the songs are very good, and other not so good. I'd say Invictus is a better and far heavier album than HoA act 1, although the theme is somewhat the same.

So I'd say it's hard to find an album being representative of the band's career, since I don't have all of them (I'm working to get a hold of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell part 1 & 2). Try getting hold of songs like Invictus, Sword of the Gods, Defiance and "Veni, Vidi, Vici" from the Invictus album. I think you'll be pleased.

Finally:
Manowar and Virgin Steele's sound is close to eachother, but IMO where Virgin Steele goes for the even more epic sound than Manowar (is that even possible), Manowar goes for a more heavy sound.

[Grimar]

why havent i discovered this thread yet!?

first of all, agree with fiber on mostly everything! i can add some more music to the list

Including some bands already mentioned

lost horizon - think their album is named lost horizon as well. at least the one igot.

children of bodom - follow the reaper. hate crew deathroll. Hatebreeder and something wild. all good albums IMO

if you like iron maiden, then consider bruce dickinson with the album the chemical wedding.

masterplan - the album is named masterplan i think. good band. know fiberfar cant stand them tho ^^

if you like sonata etc, try hammerfall. aint really got any idea of what their albums are named, so someone else have to fill in.

meshugga is worth mentioning. its quite.. strange. more prog. destroy erase improve and contradictions collapse & none are good albums.

Pagans mind. a norwegain band. quite good! celestial entrance and infinity divine are good albums.. check out the song embracing fear! its really good!

and a band i really love, Opeth. all albums are good IMO. check out ghost reveries. blackwater park and deliverance.

if you want some real power, check out rhapsody power of the dragonflame and the emerald sword is the best albums IMO

if you like more prog music, check out dream theater. i like them a lot. the best albums IMO are awake, six degrees of inner tubulence and Scenes from a memory. great band, with the famus guitarist john petrucci.

Oh, and check out the band finntroll

if you want samples from anything, just send me an e-mail, or add me to msn

[Fiberfar]

Originally Posted by Grimar

if you want some real power, check out rhapsody power of the dragonflame and the emerald sword is the best albums IMO

Noooooooo!!!! Rhapsody is like listening to an italian trying to speak norwegian without even having heard about the language...

I mean, "Your body of sh!t will be full" ?

Oh and it's Symphonic Epic Power Metal

[Kipi]

Originally Posted by Grimar

children of bodom - follow the reaper. hate crew deathroll. Hatebreeder and something wild. all good albums IMO

BAH! Why didn't I remember CoB...
Yes, it's very good band, I especially liked the latest "Are You Dead Yet?" ablum.

if you like iron maiden, then consider bruce dickinson with the album the chemical wedding.

Now, I would but them to the same category with Metallica: Few good tracks, but nothing special...

if you like sonata etc, try hammerfall. aint really got any idea of what their albums are named, so someone else have to fill in.

Agreed, even though I listen them so rarely because I don't own any of their albums that it's hard to me to suggest any specific album...

Oh, and check out the band finntroll

Didn't know they were popular in other countries as well
But the bad point on them is that their lyrics are in Swedish, not in English, so most have hard time to actually understand them... (excluding people from Sweden, Finland, and probably most from Norway... )