Albums that have aged well/poorly

[MasterOLightning]

Considering that so much of the music we love is 10, 15, 20, 25 years old, or more, let's discuss albums that have aged well, or aged very poorly. It seems like a mark of a classic when an old album still sounds great after all those years. It also seems to separate the top from the second tier.

Altars of Madness seems to have aged superbly well. It sounds produced better than just about anything released in the last 10 years in the genre. On the other hand, Scream Bloody Gore sounds awful dated.

Out of Norway, the big six bands have achieved timeless status, but the second tier bands have achieved "good" status. They no longer offer anything not available elsewhere to me. This isn't a matter of production as much as a feeling of sameness. If Satyricon and Gorgoroth were not still recording, I'm sure they wouldn't still be in people's minds.

So I guess in this thread we can talk about albums that maybe seemed fresh and generated a lot of hype at the time, but no longer seem so interesting, or albums that have had production jobs that sounded fine at the time, but no longer sound as good. Or the opposite.

 

[Diffidentia]

The Number of The Beast sounds just as amazing to me as it does their recent stuff. I can't say I was around when it came out, but it seems a popular choice amongst metalheads... I dunno. I know everyone has their opinion, but it seems generally. Maybe like, 85% of people. Painkiller has the same effect on me, although I'm not a huge Priest fan, when I hear Painkiller... this album is the same age as me! But it sounds fucking awesome!

Although its not exactly metal, Signify by Porcupine Tree sounds immense every time I listen to it. Although its only... 11 years old, it sounds like a brand new record to me. Its amazing.

One that doesn't sound so good.... Hmm. Angels Cry by Angra. Doesn't sound nice to me anymore. I first heard it about 5 years ago, which doesn't quite justify its age and aging, but it doesn't have the same effect on me when I listen to it anymore.

 

[Belligerent]

^ I could agree with your PT comment completely...Signify was a huge step ahead for them considering The Sky Moves Sideways sounds like Ozric Tentacles at times or total Floyd worship (not a bad thing...but)

there's too many to mention on this topic...

 

[Carl Hungus]

Angel Dust by Faith No More was way ahead of it's time. I may not be the perfect judge for this though, because I only bought it around a year ago.

Obvious pics for longevity would be Metallica's 2nd -4th albums (am I the only person in the world who actually LOVES the production on Justice?).

Albums that haven't aged as well... Invasion of Your Privacy by Ratt - stop laughing dammit, I was in the 5th grade and didn't know any better!!

Soon after I heard songs from an album by some white trash looking guys ("where's the make-up and big hair", I thought) that had little crosses all over the front of it and proceeded to have a Barney from the Simpsons moment when Homer gave him beer for the first time ... "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE"!

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

master of puppets has aged extremely well also reign in blood and painkiller.

kill em all by 'talica has aged poorly however IMO

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

master of puppets has aged extremely well also reign in blood and painkiller.

kill em all by 'talica has aged poorly however IMO

What are you talking about you cockfag.

It still kicks ass.

EDIT: Theres a feeling deep inside that drives you fucking mad...acting like a maniac... WHIPLASH!

 

[ohiogrinder]

master of puppets has aged extremely well also reign in blood and painkiller.

kill em all by 'talica has aged poorly however IMO

god do you have ANY taste at all? or have the steroids given you a lobotomy? or wait, can't think because you lost your magical boobs?

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

god do you have ANY taste at all? or have the steroids given you a lobotomy? or wait, can't think because you lost your magical boobs?

magical boobs god the gyno thing was so long ago, I don't even remember it anymore

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

The truth remains. You don't think Kill em All kicks ass. You must die.

 

[CF87]

Kill Em All is actually the only metallica I spin these days. I think the production is perfect and the songs are the most inspired metallica songs nor drawn out. I would say it's not as serious or dark as following metallica cds and it might seem musically immature to some people regardless if they still enjoy the album.

 

[The Ozzman]

Holy Diver

/thread

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

magical boobs god the gyno thing was so long ago, I don't even remember it anymore

That's funny, cuz I remember it.

Hm...aged well, eh? Well, the first metal band I heard was Soilwork...I still like everything except STD by them. I suppose those have aged well since I've listened to them so fucking much. In terms of actual years...not sure. Wish I'd been around in the early 90's to get a bit more perspective.

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

I can't say anything has aged well or not considering most of the stuff I listen to has been around way longer then I've been listening to metal.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

master of puppets has aged extremely well also reign in blood and painkiller.

kill em all by 'talica has aged poorly however IMO

Actually I have to agree. While I like KEM it is very cheesy.

Anyway let's see...
Aged Well- Don't Break the Oath

Not Well- Pleasure to Kill

 

[The Ozzman]

Holy Diver

/thread

This album has aged well, btw

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

Not Well- Pleasure to Kill

Loonatic.

 

[Scourge of God]

Obviously, almost any true classic, by definition, holds up well over time. However, some 'classics' don't really live up to their billing:

Ozzy-era Black Sabbath - Despite the legendary status of almost all of the first eight Black Sabbath records, only Paranoid, Master of Reality and Vol. 4 stand the test of time as albums. Everything else is woefully inconsistent and mostly not metal anyway.

Halford-era Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny, Stained Class and Killing Machine all hold up remarkably well (the first two particularly), and the lineage of virtually all subsequent metal is on full display. The rest of the band's catalog, however, is stuck in its time and place with tepid arena anthems or already obsolescent nostalgia trips (Painkiller).

Metallica - While Kill 'em All retains a sort of vitality on piss and vinegar alone, most of this band's 'classic' albums are painfully dated, and, in hindsight, were already far behind the cutting edge when they were released. Politics and social commentary may appeal at the moment as 'serious' lyrical fodder, but they lead to instant anachronism. As a result, Slayer will never get old, but Master of Puppets is as much a bygone relic of the 80s as the film career of Michael J. Fox.

 

[DigToChina]

Rust in Peace
Countdown to Extinction

 

[Life Sucks]

Black metal era Bathory has aged well. As has Tormentor - Anno Domini, and Mayhem's early material. I guess I could say that all of the earliest REAL black metal (Mercyful Fate and Venom are not black metal) has aged very well. Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten has aged very well, and sounds like it could have been released this year. In terms of what hasn't aged well, almost all NWOBHM sounds dated as hell to my ears. I can't really get into NWOBHM, to be honest, but I like Iron Maiden.

 

[The Ozzman]

Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus