Blind Loyalty

[Honkers97]

Been on my mind a while. There are so many bands I was into when I was younger and could not get enough of them. I hoovered up everything they released. I was always so excited when a new release was announced and bought it immediately. So many times I was disappointed. The obvious culprits are Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer. However, after Draconian Times, I was constantly disappointed. Still I bought the albums. After Imasges and Words, disappointed again. Still I bought the albums, hoping a return to the style which attracted me to the band in the first place. Entombed and Queensryche too. Anyone else go through this? And, at what point to you just give up on these bands that once you thought were so fantastic?

[John Kimble]

Yep, guilty of this on many occasions. I pretty much own everything released by Mastodon even though I can't remember the last time I really enjoyed one of their albums. Stuck with Katatonia for far too long. Same with Opeth. I think I'm just holding out that most of these bands still have one more great album in them.

[Anton Arcane]

I think it's OK as long as your critical faculties stay intact. Nothing worse than lads making excuses for bands or using the "well they're not as bad a so and so" type arguments. I got in to metal around 92ish so I've made my peace with the fact that some of favourite bands haven't released a great album in the entire time I've been listening to them. Metallica and Iron Maiden being two obvious examples. That being said I'll always pick up a new Fear Factory, Megadeth or Paradise Lost etc album. I'm not expecting to have my mind blown but some times it does hit the spot, much in the same way as a Super Macs does after a feed of pints: You know it's shite and probably bad for you but there's something comforting and familiar about it.

[Sworntothecans]

I've definitely stopped doing that in recent years because records are fucking expensive, but we're all guilty of it. It's all part of the deal😂

[Eoin McLove]

As a kid I didn't get a new album too often so I'd seldom have picked up more than one or two albums per band. I would develop the notion or bias that if I loved a particular album by a band, it must have been the best one and the rest would only disappoint  In a way I wasn't wrong, in the sense that I would know a particular album inside out and after two listens to a different one it would still be strange to me and that only confirmed my bias! When I started working and had money to buy records more regularly I became a bit of a fiend for completing my collection. These days I'm back to buying fuck all due to good old COST OF LIVING ERMERGERRRRD! I have become very selective about what I buy for that reason but if I stumble across a band that blows my mind I'll be inclined to try to track down the albums. I also buy the odd new demo or reissue of old bands' demos, but I'm not a maniac for completism.

[Ducky]

Nah, skipped over this at a pretty young age. Had Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning, was then informed "ReLoad" is their best album", marched out to buy it (with my limited teenaged cash reserves) and had a hard "dafuq is this about" moment.

Had similar when picking up Killers as my fifth Maiden album - I fucking hate the first two Maiden records.

Like say Rush are close to my favourite band ever, I've physical copies of all their studio albums (even have a few multiples) bar Test For Echo. I think the only time I'll feel compelled to buy it is if I find it in a charity shop for less than a quid.

[Carnage]

Was guilty of this for years, excused it as completism (bullshit as I wasn't buying singles/various formats) but am slowly pulling out of it. That said, I bought the last Maiden and Mastodon albums on release but still haven't gotten farther than 2 songs into either.

[Pagan Saviour]

If it's a core favourite I still do it. Lord knows why, I guess there's always the hope that one of the bands might pull it off. Priest would be an example of that actually happening but more often than not you end up disappointed and the album sits on the shelf.


The critical faculties point is spot on. It's alarmingly absent - blind loyalty indeed. You see it in regard to releases on here - angles will be found where there are none.

Metallica Death Magnetic "Their Best since Justice"
Metallica Hardwired " Their Best since Justice"
Metallica 72 Seasons "Their Best Since Justice"


Sure there's even lads trying to excuse the new PL record

[Anvil]

Guilty as charged. See a band I have liked previous releases for and just blindly order anything new, though I have gotten better at being more selective recently. I'd still buy a new Maiden or Saxon album, and I have put the new Helloween into the wishlist for when it is released but a few bands I have given up on... Paradise Lost or Katatonia being recent examples.

[Bürggermeister]

The early 90's were a hard-learned lesson. I'll never forget taking the inlay out, to check the lyrics matched the shite my ears were hearing off the tape, when Load came out. I had, just once, bought a tape where the music on it was a different band to what was on printed on the case. Sadly, it was not to be, this time. It was money I would never see again and a tape I would not feel the urge to listen to again, outside of curious bemusement. Mercifully, a cousin had bought Youthanasia before I had the money to do the same, and hearing it's desperate and relentlessly mid-tempo-yearning to be a commercial success saved me a tenner, but my heart was broken. I still wanted to buy it but I knew it was simply too shite to justify buying back in tighter times. I so wanted to be wrong, though.

There are some bands where it still applies, however: Cynic, Living Colour, Atheist and Watchtower, for example, anything by Chris Poland, too. Just take the money, I need to hear what's coming next.

I'm from the 70's, though, so taking a chance was how I grew up and some of my favourite bands were found by taking a chance without ever having heard a note beforehand. There's always a part of me which wants to give my old favourite bands a chance but, thankfully, I can generally control it outside the less financially damaging environment of charity shops.

What's got two thumbs and owns Lulu on CD? 😉

[Pagan Saviour]

I got Lulu - don't recall being able to make it through the whole thing. But it's on the shelf, that's the important bit.

[Eoin McLove]

I couldn't even make it all the way through one song. I must try the full thing out of morbid curiosity.

[Bürggermeister]

It's unlistenable. Genuinely, wholly unlistenable 😂

[jobrok1]

Like say Rush are close to my favourite band ever, I've physical copies of all their studio albums (even have a few multiples) bar Test For Echo. I think the only time I'll feel compelled to buy it is if I find it in a charity shop for less than a quid.

I might have that on CD.
If I can dig it out, you're welcome to it.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Only bands I ever did the completionist thing with, despite dipping quality, was Zeppelin. Had all their albums on CD. And now I'm doing it again, since I'll soon have all their albums on vinyl, incl the subpar ones! Definitely a few stings buying an album blind on the strength of previous ones and being very disappointed though. Typically, I've been fairly "once bitten" when that happens.