Best Thrash Release of 1988

[IntoPhagist]

He wasn't I know for Sure. Here's another Opinion On Metallica sure load through St Anger are terrible But I enjoy Black Album/Death Magnetic.

 

[mutantllama]

I like The Black Album because it's special, and it was my first metal album.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

He wasn't I know for Sure. Here's another Opinion On Metallica sure load through St Anger are terrible But I enjoy Black Album/Death Magnetic.

I like The Black Album because it's special, and it was my first metal album.

I like the Black Album to tell you the truth but not as a Metallica album... just a metal band whomever album...

Death Magnetic i even haven't heard because i got disllusioned with them and their last few albums...

 

[Satanstoenail]

About the only thing I agreed with them on that album was using the same producer but I think they listened to him very little in the making of that album compared to the previous two albums. And they switching to Bob Rock on the next one confirmed that.

Maybe it confirmed that their relationship with Flemming Rasmussen was souring (although it's documented that Lars was over the moon with the production of AJFA at the time), but it's certainly not like they were going for a Bob Rock style production on AJFA.

Darker? I think the previous two albums were darker with Death being the theme of RTL mostly and Drugs being the theme of MOP imo.

I'm not talking about lyrics (although the lyrical themes on Justice aren't any lighter than the previous two albums imo, nuclear war, insanity, casualties of war etc.), I'm talking about overall feel. As mentioned by others, Justice has a real bleakness to it, and I don't understand your harping on about how you could hear its "more accessible" qualities than the previous two.

I really really don't consider it a lesser listener friendly production.

Care to explain why? The most bassy thing in the production is the over-distorted woofing of the guitar chugs, the bass guitar is non-existent and the drums sound like a bunch of trebly clicking. It's hardly a big commercial rock production.

As for power ballads.. well One was more commercially viable then any ballad and such from the previous two. To me Fade to Black was alot darker then One.

If you're going to give these absolute opinions about stuff, you need to explain your reasons behind them. How was One more commercially viable than Fade To Black? Both have extremely dark themes and both are constructed similarly. The only difference I can see is that One had a video made for it. And if that's the reason you think it (and the rest of the album) was more commercially viable, you should just say so instead of going around and around and on and on with this argument.

As for the almighty dollar, it just was at the point where they were moving away from thrash which at the time wasn't a mainstream genre. It was still thrash influenced but very less so and the next album proved that was the direction they were heading. I honestly knew at the time (1988) they were heading in that direction once I bought and heard AJFA.They became just a metal band but less heavier then their past. I told my friends at the time and all said nahhh they would never do that.. next year or so the Black album came out.. end of story...

Thrash was never a mainstream genre, but its popularity peaked between 86-88, so I'm not sure what point your trying to make there. That's really great that you picked that they were headed for commercial mediocrity, you can give yourself a giant pat on the back and everything, but the only giveaway I can see is that they made a video and played the Grammies, two things that they said they'd never do.

 

[The Butt]

You AJFA haters are immense faggots just letting you know

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Maybe it confirmed that their relationship with Flemming Rasmussen was souring (although it's documented that Lars was over the moon with the production of AJFA at the time), but it's certainly not like they were going for a Bob Rock style production on AJFA.

It probably was souring due to differences in opinion about the production. Letting him go was the worst mistake of their career imo in terms of quality. It's like the Beatles giving up George Martin imo.

I'm not talking about lyrics (although the lyrical themes on Justice aren't any lighter than the previous two albums imo, nuclear war, insanity, casualties of war etc.), I'm talking about overall feel. As mentioned by others, Justice has a real bleakness to it, and I don't understand your harping on about how you could hear its "more accessible" qualities than the previous two.

why not the lyrics? they are an important part of any song and it's feel... anyways as for overall feel and bleakness... i just don't feel it... i just feel commerciality... it didn't tickle my metal heart for some reason and usually it's because it feels commercial to me.. that is my "feeling".. to each his own bud...

Care to explain why? The most bassy thing in the production is the over-distorted woofing of the guitar chugs, the bass guitar is non-existent and the drums sound like a bunch of trebly clicking. It's hardly a big commercial rock production.

Does it have to sound crisp and clear to be considered a big commercial rock production? That album broke them through the mainstream for a reason... yes One had alot to do with it but it only got them through the door... the rest of the songs kept them there... the mainstream loved this album while the diehards didn't... at the time which i witnessed myself and didn't read about it like others do (not meaning you)...

If you're going to give these absolute opinions about stuff, you need to explain your reasons behind them. How was One more commercially viable than Fade To Black? Both have extremely dark themes and both are constructed similarly. The only difference I can see is that One had a video made for it. And if that's the reason you think it (and the rest of the album) was more commercially viable, you should just say so instead of going around and around and on and on with this argument.

Not absolute, just an opinion. And no, not because of the video though that is one reason. Read my above post to your quote.

Thrash was never a mainstream genre, but its popularity peaked between 86-88, so I'm not sure what point your trying to make there.

I think Megadeth and Slayer would beg to differ and to a certain extent Anthrax whom i hate.

That's really great that you picked that they were headed for commercial mediocrity, you can give yourself a giant pat on the back and everything, but the only giveaway I can see is that they made a video and played the Grammies, two things that they said they'd never do.

Indeed and I think a third was they wouldn't cut their hair. I'm not kidding when I read them say such a thing once in an interview back then. But that doesn't matter really but back then that was radical for a metalhead to cut their hair. But anyways those two things are part of it but not all of it. Like I said to me my "feel" for that music is different then yours. To each his own bud like I said.

You AJFA haters are immense faggots just letting you know

This coming from a Butt man who has a fascination with cock and balls

 

[Harry Hughes]

SFSGSW.
Although Testament and Voivod were close contenders for me for top spot.

 

[Harry Hughes]

On the topic of AJFA, honestly I can barely listen to that album anymore, because of the production really.
I was listening to Ride The Lightning again recently and I was just thinking "Why the fuck didn't Metallica just use this guitar tone or something similar again?" because the guitars just sounded so much warmer and nicer and didn't sound like the guitar amps tone were dialed in by someone with severe hearing problems (since after all, people with hearing damage need to boost highs and lows to hear it better effectively causing things to sound mid scooped).
RTL will always remain my favorite from Metallica, especially song writing wise.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

So people voted for Metallica so what, Metallica was a beast in the 80's. So what if they didn't follow the thrash rules, fuck rules, rules are made to be broken and that's what Metallica did they broke the barrier.

 

[Avigrus]

the mainstream loved this album while the diehards didn't...

That's a pretty big generalisation.

I just don't see it. I know plenty of die hards, myself included, that love AJFA.

 

[sevag00]

...and Unfaithfully Metalhead enters in my ignore list.

 

[Satanstoenail]

It probably was souring due to differences in opinion about the production. Letting him go was the worst mistake of their career imo in terms of quality. It's like the Beatles giving up George Martin imo.

I agree, but you didn't address my point. My point was that even if the relationship was souring, it's not like Metallica went for a big Bob Rock style production with AJFA. If anything it was quite the opposite.

why not the lyrics? they are an important part of any song and it's feel...

Because the lyrics aren't what I was referring to.

anyways as for overall feel and bleakness... i just don't feel it... i just feel commerciality... it didn't tickle my metal heart for some reason and usually it's because it feels commercial to me.. that is my "feeling".. to each his own bud...

Oh, so it's all about heart tickling. Of course.

Does it have to sound crisp and clear to be considered a big commercial rock production?

Well pretty much, yeah.

That album broke them through the mainstream for a reason... yes One had alot to do with it but it only got them through the door... the rest of the songs kept them there...

So Harvester of Sorrow and Eye of the Beholder kept them in the Billboard Top 100? Strange considering they didn't even get there as singles...

the mainstream loved this album while the diehards didn't... at the time which i witnessed myself and didn't read about it like others do (not meaning you)...

Weird, I saw diehards loving AJFA everywhere when it came out. There was a frenzy of diehard metalheads there when they toured for the album.

Not absolute, just an opinion. And no, not because of the video though that is one reason. Read my above post to your quote.

Your post didn't tell me anything about how One is a more commercial song than Fade To Black besides the video/MTV aspect.

I think Megadeth and Slayer would beg to differ and to a certain extent Anthrax whom i hate.

Ok for the sake of argument lets say that thrash was a mainstream genre (I mean fair enough Metallica did reach the charts, although I don't think I could say the same for Slayer or Megadeth, though I could be wrong), how was it then "not mainstream" in 88?

Indeed and I think a third was they wouldn't cut their hair. I'm not kidding when I read them say such a thing once in an interview back then. But that doesn't matter really but back then that was radical for a metalhead to cut their hair.

I believe you, but that's irrelevant to this discussion.

But anyways those two things are part of it but not all of it.

So why didn't you mention them?

Like I said to me my "feel" for that music is different then yours. To each his own bud like I said.

So what you've been essentially saying all this time is that your feeling about AJFA being a "more accessible", "more commercial" affair where you could tell that Metallica were "moving away from their thrash roots" all comes down to not rational analysis of the musical aspects of the album, but to the 'tickling of your metal heart'. Awesome.

 

[The Butt]

This coming from a Butt man who has a fascination with cock and balls

In the most "no homo" way possible of course.

 

[Personified Hatred]

Slayer - South Of Heaven

 

[The Ozzman]

Megadeth reached the Billboard charts with a thrash album, but it wasn't necessarily in 1988

 

[Ross]

How the fuck is AJFA more simple than the 3 before it? It has longer more complex songs that are angry and heavy, One single on an album can change ones opinion on an album?

AJFA is Incredible.

Blackened and Holy Wars are pretty even...Both Fantastic songs.

He wasn't I know for Sure. Here's another Opinion On Metallica sure load through St Anger are terrible But I enjoy Black Album/Death Magnetic.

SHUT THE FUCK UP OR LERN2ENGLISH

 

[Krow]

One of the rare cases in which the ignore function should be used, imo...

 

[no country for old wainds]

interesting thought:

I think people make the understandable mistake of thinking of it as a thrash album. It's really a doom album by a thrash band, and that's the level on which I think it works so well. Quite unlike the moralistic CNN-metal tripe of their previous album, the whole thing harkens back thematically right to classic Black Sabbath, in that in each case the song's protagonist is someone completely at the mercy of totally overwhelming forces. If it weren't thrash riffs and if the drumming were slower I bet it would be easier to see how the repetitions with slight dynamic variations fit almost perfectly into a doom metal context.

 

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

Wait, what album?

 

[skeptik]

Vic is so fucking annoying.