GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums Of 1988

[Burkhard]

Considering that Perfect Symmetry is better than South of Heaven and that it basically shows an impressive level of evolution once Alder finally got fully integrated into the band, making one of the best albums of that decade, I'd say that it's a far more egregious exclusion than South of Heaven and that complaining about it makes far more sense.

Pardon me for interfering with your discussion, but Perfect Symmetry was released in 1989, so it couldn't be included in the poll for 1988. (Unrelated to this discussion, I can already tell that it will probably make the top 3 in my list for 1989.)

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Like I said in my last post, you can compare any two albums. You could compare a Britney Spears album and a Bach recording if you want.

My initial point was that comparing the two albums in the context of this game was a little useless. They were separated by only a few points and in the context of the game, are relatively disparate from one another. So, doing a direct comp is a little useless, especially at this point when all the voting has been done. Of course, if you want to do a step-by-step compare and contrast, by all means go for it.

I think you're overcomplicating it. We are voting for which albums we think are the best for their respective years. You know, that's why we have numbers next to their names ... to say which one the forum thinks is better than the other. I am saying that i think South of Heaven is a better album than Irae Meloanox. I think it is a much stronger record with much better songs. I dont know why you keep jumping to your "direct comparison" bullshit.

I agree when you're talking about people who have only heard the album one or two times. But that was probably just Zabu. Most people who voted for it have heard it plenty of times and therefore are just as qualified as you are to express their opinion on it.

Nah im pretty sure there are a few people who haeven heard of that album until they started seeing it listed here. But now its miraculously one of their favorites from said year. But im honestly not surprised considering the groupthink mentality that this place has adopted in recent years.

Fair point. How about it's empty because it isn't gonna do shit?

cant say you're wrong here.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

Pardon me for interfering with your discussion, but Perfect Symmetry was released in 1989, so it couldn't be included in the poll for 1988. (Unrelated to this discussion, I can already tell that it will probably make the top 3 in my list for 1989.)

Oh, right. I completely forgot that was a 1989 release. Well, my bad.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

I think you're overcomplicating it. We are voting for which albums we think are the best for their respective years. You know, that's why we have numbers next to their names ... to say which one the forum thinks is better than the other. I am saying that i think South of Heaven is a better album than Irae Meloanox. I think it is a much stronger record with much better songs. I dont know why you keep jumping to your "direct comparison" bullshit.

We're just looking at it in different ways. You're saying it's an offense that SoH is 7 and IM is 4. I'm saying they were separated by a few points and in the grand scheme of things, doesn't really matter, especially since they're quite different albums. Of course, I like both albums, so I don't feel that strongly about their ordering.

Nah im pretty sure there are a few people who haeven heard of that album until they started seeing it listed here. But now its miraculously one of their favorites from said year. But im honestly not surprised considering the groupthink mentality that this place has adopted in recent years.

Maybe, maybe not. Unless there's evidence (i.e. Zabu) I don't care enough to speculate, though I will note that I also value people actually knowing the albums on their list. That said, just because they add something they haven't heard before, it doesn't follow that it's groupthink. I always use this game as an excuse to go listen to albums that I haven't heard before. For me, that's one of the joys of this game. This time I found "Illusions" and "Thundersteel," the former of which made my list, because after numerous listens I concluded it was legitimately deserved the spot.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

i find it kind of weird that in a year that is filled with so many bonafide 5 star classics that people are voting in albums they have only heard once or twice. I cant even begin to imagine ranking an album that ive never heard from this year over any of the stuff that are even on my HM list. Just shows that either that guy is a)not too familiar with most of the stuff that came out that year(which is more respectable in my opinion) or b) he is just a tosser. Im gonna go ahead and say that you belong to group A.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

i find it kind of weird that in a year that is filled with so many bonafide 5 star classics that people are voting in albums they have only heard once or twice. I cant even begin to imagine ranking an album that ive never heard from this year over any of the stuff that are even on my HM list. Just shows that either that guy is a)not too familiar with most of the stuff that came out that year(which is more respectable in my opinion) or b) he is just a tosser. Im gonna go ahead and say that you belong to group A.

I basically agree. There's no problem with A, but B dilutes the quality of the lists.

I'd be A to when it comes to the thrash-heavy years of the 80s. I prefer death, power, black and traditional to thrash (though the stuff I love I tend to really love) so there's usually a number of classic thrash records that I either haven't heard or haven't heard enough.

 

[no country for old wainds]

some albums are just instant love though. not very often (for me at least), but it happens. you've never listened to an album once or twice and already been pretty sure it's an all-time favourite?

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

... yeah, when i was 7.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

some albums are just instant love though. not very often (for me at least), but it happens. you've never listened to an album once or twice and already been pretty sure it's an all-time favourite?

We've all been there. However, often it fades. IMO, it's quite impulsive to rank something without giving it at least 5 listens. Then again, I'm not a pleb.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i'm sure i was fairly certain after my first listen that, say, IRAE MELANOX is a top ten album of '88 for me, even top five. it's so obviously to my tastes and so distinctive. id listen a number of times before the time came to rank it though, i'm anal that way (plus if i discover something that gives that much of a first impression i tend to play the shit out of it anyway).

 

[HamburgerBoy]

For me it's pretty ordinary for an album I love to take a number of listens to get there, but the reverse where I immediately fall in love and then get sick of an album is pretty rare. Aside from SSOASS (which I literally listened to hundreds of times over a ~2 year period before I wore it out) and some stuff that pushed my musical horizons a bit, it's hard to even think of examples. But I generally try to never listen to an album more than several times a year just to retain that "Love on first sight" feeling as long as possible, so if one's standard for a favorite is an album that can be listened to hundreds of times without fading, then I guess I get why one would be distrustful with the idea.

 

[RedinTheSky]

There are lots of good albums from this year, and id even have accepted 10 albums that werent on my list to have won, but theres no way boring ass South of Heaven beats out Kind Diamond's Them.

- There are some nice riffs and harmonies and a good solo on SOH, but its all held together by a fat lump of overcooked, unseasoned cream of wheat.

 

[Bloopy]

I've never clicked with South of Heaven either. It lacks energy and there's no bite in the vocals. The slower paced title track was a terrible choice for opener. All problems which were fixed on Seasons in the Abyss, but we can argue about that when we do 1990.

 

[DisconnectedFromReality]

1. Blood Fire Death
2. Leprosy
3. South of Heaven
4. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
5. Operation: Mindcrime
6. Keeper of the Seven Keys II
7. And Justice for All
8. Kings of Metal
9. Thundersteel
10. Endless War

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

Shit missed this one too lol.

Albums:
1. Adramelch - Irae Melanox
2. Bathory - Blood Fire Death
3. Hellias - Revenge of Hellias
4. Helstar - A Distant Thunder
5. Rigor Mortis - Rigor Mortis
6. Razor - Violent Restitution
7. Slayer - South of Heaven
8. Liege Lord - Master Control
9. Manowar - Kings of Metal
10. Master Fury - Hell Party

EPS/Demos
1. Tormentor - Seventh Day of Doom
2. Nihilist - Premature Autopsy
3. Raven Bitch - Tear Down the Walls
4. Xandril - Perfect Darkness
5. Mutilated - Psychodeath Lunatics
6. Treblinka - Crawling in Vomits
7. Whetstone - Ancient Metal
8. Exmortis - Descent Into Chaos
9. Velle Witch - 血・貴婦人 Blood Noblewoman
10. Solar Eagle - Solar Eagle

Honorable Mensch:

King Diamond - "Them"
Hexenhaus - A Tribute to Insanity
Psychic Possessor - Toxin Diffusion
Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law!
Hobbs' Angel of Death - Hobbs Angel of Death
Pestilence - Malleus Maleficarum
Black Shepherd - Immortal Aggression

 

[Dog Hates Us All]

Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Megadeth - So Far, So Good, So What
Slayer - South Of Heaven
Danzig - self titled
Masters Of Reality - self titled
Anthrax - State Of Euphoria
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime
Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow...
D.R.I. - 4 Of A Kind

 

[Goodman]

1. Manowar - Kings of Metal
2. Running Wild - Port Royal
3. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
4. Judas Priest - Ram It Down
5. Saxon - Destiny
6. Virgin Steele - Age of Consent
7. Testament - The New Order
8. Grinder - Dawn For The Living
9. Rage - Perfect Man
10. Razor - Violent Restitution

 

[SoulDebtOfficial]

1. Iron Maiden-Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
2. Testament-The New Order
3. Voivod-Dimension Hatross
4. Slayer-South of Heaven
5. Death-Lepropsy
6. Nuclear Assault-Survive
7. Destruction-Release From Agony
8. Overkill-Under the Influence
9. Death Angel-Frolic Through the Park
10. Queensryche-Operation Mindcrime

 

[Burkhard]

1. Hexenhaus - A Tribute to Insanity
2. Death - Leprosy
2. Znowhite - Act of God
4. Anacrusis - Suffering Hour
5. Sieges Even - Life Cycle
6. Coroner - Punishment for Decadence
7. Voivod - Dimension Hatröss
8. Drifter - Reality Turns to Dust
9. Forbidden - Forbidden Evil
10. Mekong Delta - The Music of Erich Zann

Honourable mentions:
Helstar - A Distant Thunder
Flotsam & Jetsam - No Place for Disgrace
Fates Warning - No Exit
Meanstreak - Roadkill
Megadeth - So Far, So Good...So What!
Chastain - The Voice of the Cult
Testament - The New Order
Candlemass - Ancient Dreams
Saint Vitus - Mournful Cries

Made a few changes compared to my original list. Death and Anacrusis switched places as did Sieges Even and Voivod and also Coroner and Mekong Delta. I decided to put Znowhite at no. 2 together with Death and added another four honourable mentions.
Edit: Coroner moved up another three places to 6.

 

[Slayed Necros]

1. Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare



2. Rigor Mortis - Rigor Mortis



3. Coroner - Punishment For Decadence



4. Crimson Glory - Transcendence



5. Blind Guardian - Battalions of Fear



6. Bathory - Blood Fire Death



7. Sadus - Illusions



8. Adramelch - Irae Melanox



9. Razor - Violent Restitution



10. Voivod - Dimension Hatröss