Alive Or just Breathing vs the Blackening??

[JeffTD]

I'm literally failing to see how Blackening is winning this poll? How is it in any way, shape, or form more classic/essential than AoJB? The damn thing's barely been out 2 years!

 

[JoeJackson]

I'm totally into Machine Head, but "the Blackening" never really did it for me, so I chose KsE.
If it would have been AOJB vs. Through the Ashes of Empires, I would have chosen MH (and of course Burn My Eyes)

 

[joelplagues]

The Blackening is the better album but I beleive you actually want to know which is THE CLASSIC metal album?

The Blackening blows me away and I beleive that in time it will become a "bonafide classic album" but seens it was only released a few years ago give it sometime.

 

[CatharsisStudios]

you can't fuck with alive or just breathing.

 

[Joematthews]

AOJB, but I love both albums.

Joe

 

[dan weapon]

This was meant to be as Objective as possible - I wasn't wanting to know simply which of those two albums you prefer. For example, some people would rather listen to All that Remains latest album over Master Of Puppets, but that doesn't mean it's a more 'classic' album.

Just so you know the point of this, my friend and I were discussing the fact that there hasn't been many classic metal albums from the late 90s onwards. He says to me "Argue the case that there HASN'T been a more bona fide classic METAL album released in the last ten years than Machine Head's "the blackening". After discussing a few other albums, AOJB was brought up and I said it was a bigger landmark metal album than the blackening (which I still think is a decent enough album, although not as consistent, and certainly not as bold a release as AOJB in terms of the musical climate when both albums were released)

Regardless of what you think of KSE, I'd still say AOJB is a classic as it was completely fresh at the time, is crammed with great consistent material, and for good or bad it basically forged the shape of metal to come (like Korn did when they started nu-metal).

On another note, what albums that have been released in the last ten years would you say fall in the bracket of "classic/landmark" metal albums? Don't just say your favourites - try and be as objective as possible. I guess factors to bear in mind would be importance, influence, lack-of-filler, popularity, originality, metal-ness....

How about?

Mastadon - Leviathan (I'm not even that much of a mastadon fan)
Opeth - Ghost Reveries (I personally prefer Blackwater park)
Tool - Lataralus (maybe not 'metal enough)
Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos (probably not a big enough impact on the metal world)

 

[cobhc]

I voted AOJB. Never really listened to it much, but I don't class The Blackening as a Classic, hence why I didn't vote for it.

 

[dan weapon]

metalcore or not - it defined a whole new genre of music. of course other bands were involved, but KSE are pretty much the biggest and most recognised. for me that album was executed really well - well written songs that were kept to the point.

i'm sure almost all new bands coming through these days must have had some influence from killswitch, metalcore or not, and whether they like them, or not. even if they don't like them, their influence will rub off onto other bands etc.

I learnt a ton about song writing purely by listening to kse - my band doesn't sound particularly like them or 'metalcore' but id definitely say they influenced me a lot.

Yes to all of this. I'd be interested to know how many of the people think KSE are terrible only really heard them once metalcore became popular over the last 3-5 years.

I remember first hearing AOJB when it came out in 2002 and it was fucking incredible; like a mixture of Pantera-style grooves, death metal and detuned thrash riffs... and then all of a sudden this huge melodic chorus! It's easier to say they suck in hindsight due to some of the lame bands they spawned.

 

[cobhc]

And I think there isn't many classic albums released in the past 10 years. I think Exodus' and Testaments' latest efforts show that the old school Thrash bands are still going as strong as they always were, and in some cases getting heavier along the way. Opeth have put out some good albums this decade as you already mentioned, I'm a huge Opeth fan, but I wouldn't call those albums life changing like some of the albums in the 80's were for a lot of people. I think we'll have to wait a little longer for some classic albums as Metal is slowly getting a bigger gathering.

 

[Djabthrash]

Burn My Eyes > Alive or just breathing >>>> The Blackening

p.s: >>>> = pawns

 

[Chryst Krispies]

AOJB is like the only album I can think of in the past 10 years that actually CHANGED the heavier side of metal music a bit

Necrophagist's Epitaph might also be mentioned because they spawned all those JFAC/FACELESS/MYSPACETECHBANDs

Other than that I can't think of any of real significance.

 

[slashvanyoung]

AOJB really is KSE's "Burn My Eyes"... genre-defining as BME was for neo-thrash.

Other than that I can't spot much in this fading decade, too. I'd definitely call out on Opeth and Katatonia for influencing many bands, then there is Dillinger Escape Plan who had a big influence on the whole mathcore business. Modern day Meshuggah has laid the blue print for nowadays djent... Maybe throwing Amon Amarth's "Versus The World" in here to.

And though I hate em like AIDS, COB spawned some sound-alikes that are even worse (if that's possible) like Norther n shit. Nightwish's success also had a gigaton of opera chick metal bands at its tail.... and so on.

Edit: And In Flames went on in this decade to show people that fading quality could easily be replaced with more pyros....

 

[Skinny Viking]

aside from the idea of which has been out longer, if I could only choose one of those as a representation of all that is best about metal I would say "The Blackening" hands down so yeah, I'm going with MH

 

[Sickan]

In Flames went on in this decade to show people that fading quality could easily be replaced with more pyros....

Hahaha I couldn't have put it better myself (note that I love everything pre R2R)

 

[aramism]

AoJB. I find The Blackening (and most Machine Head, regardless of how good the production is) to be really boring and contrived. AoJB is a masterpiece!

+1

 

[Metaltastic]

Regardless of what you think of KSE, I'd still say AOJB is a classic as it was completely fresh at the time, is crammed with great consistent material, and for good or bad it basically forged the shape of metal to come (like Korn did when they started nu-metal).

Yes to all of this. I'd be interested to know how many of the people think KSE are terrible only really heard them once metalcore became popular over the last 3-5 years.

I remember first hearing AOJB when it came out in 2002 and it was fucking incredible; like a mixture of Pantera-style grooves, death metal and detuned thrash riffs... and then all of a sudden this huge melodic chorus! It's easier to say they suck in hindsight due to some of the lame bands they spawned.

Fair enough, but I still can't get into it And I'd have to nominate "Clayman" as a HUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEE fucking seminal album, cuz listening to some of those AoJB riffs last night (especially "Self-Revolution"), that's where the influence really comes from (as well as all the other Metalcore bands, AFAIC they're mostly just In Flames ripoffs with generally less interesting/creative riffs, sung choruses, and the occasional breakdown)

 

[GarethSE]

I voted for The Blackening because I believe whole heartedly that it'll become a classic in years to come.
AOJB is too muich of an image of a certain time and place for me (mainly because of all the near-identical metalcore acts that album spawned) and The Blackening is this perfect mix of old-school thrash and more modern elements, which ended up sounding a whole lot more timeless to me.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

AFAIC they're mostly just In Flames ripoffs with generally less interesting/creative riffs, sung choruses, and the occasional breakdown)

Breakdowns + Jesse Leach + Massachusetts flavour > Clayman.

Yeah I said it. Shoot me.:Smokin:

Clayman's a killer album though.

 

[Metaltastic]

Breakdowns + Jesse Leach + Massachusetts flavour > Clayman.

Yeah I said it. Shoot me.:Smokin:

Hold please, chambering a round now...

 

[dan weapon]

Fair enough, but I still can't get into it And I'd have to nominate "Clayman" as a HUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEE fucking seminal album

TOTALLY agree.

Thinking about it, In Flames are pretty much as responsible for metalcore as KSE...

Maiden riffs in C = in flames

Maiden riffs in C...+ Breakdowns = metalcore