Controversial Metal Opinions

[mickO)))]

TGST is one of the best albums ever recorded. It was one of my first proper heavy albums and my first Pantera one. I still listen to it regularly, only had it on last week. Not many albums that I liked when first getting into metal that I can still listen to today. 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

TGST is one of the best albums ever recorded.

For me, it's definitely Pantera's best album. When I first heard it, it led me to completely re-evaluate this band which I had up until then not really thought very much of (based off Vulgar, Cowboys, Far Beyond). Everything else they did can sometimes feel kinda one-dimensional beside it, even though I now enjoy it. TGST is the tortured, confused decadence of a band who were all about excess, somehow perfectly manifest in some killer metal music. As Cosmic was I think trying to get it, they just captured in music what was actually happening to them, and if you click with that, it just resonates in a way none of their other stuff does.

[Thrashssacre]

I think in flames re recording of clayman is actually better then the original, getting an awful amount orf abuse online though so seems im the only one.

[Juggz]

TGST is patchy as fuck. Some killer, mostly filler. Too many songs with parts that don't match shoehorned together and those poxy clicky clicky bass drums. The only great thing about it is the feeling of relief when it ends.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Surely Far Beyond has the clickiest kick of any Pantera album...?

[Ducky]

100% agree with the kicks on FBD. Probably the most egregious example I can think of with any album and it's one of the reasons I think it's the poorest of their (metal) albums.

[Trev]

I think in flames re recording of clayman is actually better then the original, getting an awful amount orf abuse online though so seems im the only one.

Didn't even realise they'd redone it, completely gave up on that band ages ago

[Giggles]

Sabotage is great, but that and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are just below the standard of the first four, with a couple of filler tracks on each.

Where is the filler on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? Ok, Fluff I could do without. It does sound lovely but I could do without it on the album, so I'll give you that. Nothing wrong with the rest of the tracks though:

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - banger
A National Acrobat/Sabbra Cadabra - rifftastic
Killing Yourself to Live - wibbly wobbly wonderful
Who Are You - Synthy and Spacy
Looking for Today/Spiral Architect - ending the album with a feel good feeling

What's the problem!?


Pantera related, I actually love the clicky clicks but Far Beyond Driven is my least favourite album of theirs. Something about the "machine" like sounds on it doesn't agree with me.

[Thrashssacre]

I think in flames re recording of clayman is actually better then the original, getting an awful amount orf abuse online though so seems im the only one.

Didn't even realise they'd redone it, completely gave up on that band ages ago

Can't blame you there they've released some amount of sh1te in recent years.

[Bomberman]

Maiden's Janick Gers is just a prancing clown and not even plugged in live...

Completely untrue. Seen Maiden a lot of times and you can tell when he plays a solo quite easily.

I'm going to stick up for him because 1) he's a very talented guitar player that's fun to watch and 2) his off-kilter style of playing and songwriting gives an extra angle to Maiden's repertoire.

Also he gave the band's live performances a massive boost when he joined. Compare Maiden in 1986-88 with Maiden in 1992, they are clearly a tighter and more intense band by the latter point with tons of energy.

In 1986 Dickinson was singing on about 60% power for the entire tour (seriously, just look on Youtube) because he was still somewhat worn out from the insanely long and intense 84-85 tour.  In 1988 he was on better form, but the Donington show that year was abysmal, possibly one of the worst Maiden performances ever - timing mistakes and wrong notes all over the shop and Dickinson singing some songs an octave out of tune.

Sure, they might switch him on for a solo temporarily, as I wrote earlier...and yes, Gers has written a small few good songs, though I still find it hard to see how one could see him as an improvement in any way...Smith left, okay, so they had to find a new guy, and Bruce happened to know Gers...and what does any of Gers' idiotic antics have to do with how badly Bruce sang years before Gers joined the band btw?

[Carnage]

I think in flames re recording of clayman is actually better then the original, getting an awful amount orf abuse online though so seems im the only one.

Not an In Flames fan so can't comment but in a similar vein:

I'd take Let There Be Blood over Bonded By Blood any day of the week. Baloff's shit vocals render the original completely unlistenable for me.

[Giggles]

He's a shit singer, but he's able to project his raw attitude in his voice which I think is pretty cool, so I wouldn't render him "unlistenable".
I will listen to Let There be Blood maybe once a year, but it's the 80's thrash guitar sound that will have me reaching for Bonded by Blood time and time again.

[Ducky]

I'm in the Paul Baloff is unlistenable camp too, although he's not quite "Sean Killian should be shot into space for his crimes against music" bad.

See also - Don Doty.

[Trev]

I'm in the Paul Baloff is unlistenable camp too, although he's not quite "Sean Killian should be shot into space for his crimes against music" bad.

See also - Don Doty.

Yep, I mean I still love all the albums they were on, but could have been even better with a proper vocalist. Seems a lot of those thrash bands just gave the singing job to whichever of their mates was around at the time

[Ducky]

It really did seem that way, which seems to be be counterproductive to them all learning their instruments and becoming tight units.