Most impressive album openings

[SculptedCold]

I love a good, consistent CD......really, not much pisses me-off like an album that has really standout tracks all bunched-up at the end or the start and the rest filler. Even if they're spaced-out a bit, that's better imo. But still, there's some albums that regardless of what follows, the first couple of tracks give you enough energy and optimism to make you want to last-out the rest of the CD, for better or worse.

CD's that have stunning opening songs to me would be;

Testament - The Gathering (D.N.R, Down For Life, Eyes Of Wrath)

Soilwork - The Chainheart Machine (The Chainheart Machine, Bulletbeast, Millionflame)

Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos (Follow The Hollow, As We Speak, The Flameout)

Iron Maiden - 7th Son Of A 7th Son (Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, Can I Play With Madness)

Ebony Tears - Evil As Hell (Deviation, Soulcrusher, Outraged)

Arch Enemy - Wages Of Sin (Enemy Within, Burning Angel, Heart Of Darkness)

Cryptopsy - None So Vile (Crown Of Horns, Slit Your Guts, Graves Of The Fathers)

In Flames - The Jester Race (Moonshield, The Jester's Dance, Artifacts Of The Black Rain)

In Flames - Clayman (Bullet Ride, Pinball Map, Only For The Weak)

Death - The Sound Of Perseverence (Scavenger Of Human Sorrow, Bite The Pain, Spirit Crusher)

What do you guys/gals think?

 

[JJPLANO]

Megadeth - Youthanasia (Reckoning Day-Train Of Consecuencies-Addicted To Chaos)
Sepultura - Roots
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Cradle Of Filth - Cruelty And The Beast
Arch Enemy - Burning Bridges
Cannibal Corpse - The Bleeding

and there is maaaaany more. the thing i hate is the unnecesary intros that many of the power and goth-doom-black bands have. some are good, but some are terrible boring!!!! that makes that an album don't "hit" you all it can.

 

[svenske kocken]

Have to mention the beginning of Anthems... with Alsvartr and Ye Entrancemperium too. Amazing stuff.

 

[manuelgv]

Death-Human
At the Gates-Slaughter of the Soul
Iced earth-Horror Show
Meshuggah-Chaosphere

 

[AjDeath]

Monstrosity-In Dark Purity,(one of those synth intros) with four Explosive tracks to follow
Lost Horizon-Awakening the World(some more synth and then a GREAT album
Meshuggah-Destroy Erase Improve
Anthrax-Stomp 442(senseless acts really carries the album)

..............

 

[JayKeeley]

Originally posted by manuelgv

Iced earth-Horror Show

Good call. As much as I love Iced Earth, I have to say that Wolf and Damien were excellent, and then the rest of the album became absolute complete and utter shit. It is so uneventful that the boredom in the playing just shines through....

Kamelot - Karma
Edguy - Vain Glory Opera
Iron Maiden - Brave New World

 

[Elfbane]

For me the most impressive album openings are Swamplord by Kalmah and CoB's Follow the Reaper. Although far from impressive, but at least noteworthy is Type-O-Negative's October Rust. Heh, I admit I actually thought something was wrong with my cd the first time I listened to it.

 

[Slipknot_isn't_metal]

Originally posted by JayKeeley


Good call. As much as I love Iced Earth, I have to say that Wolf and Damien were excellent, and then the rest of the album became absolute complete and utter shit. It is so uneventful that the boredom in the playing just shines through....

i disagree.... "dracula" is one of my favorite IE tracks.

 

[The Wanderer]

enslaved: bodhemn. i think that album starts off awesome.

a more recent one is sons of norhtern darkness by immortal. the first three tracks are stunning, followed by a stunning album.

rebaelliun's annihilation sarts out all guns blazing. the first two tracks just destroy everything.

immolation: failures for gods

priest painkillier (the whole album is awesome, but the title track at the beginning followed by hell patrol just sets up the rest of the album perfectly.

 

[Wanderingblade]

The Gallery - Dark Tranquillity... the entire album rocks, but Punish my Heaven blows my mind apart...

 

[Voice of God]

Testament - Low, the first 4 songs rock like hell and when I first heard it I was in love with the band immediately.
I also like the "Nightfall!!" scream in the beginning of Dark Tranquillity's Skydancer.

 

[Board]

I think that Satyricon's "Nemesis divina" starts of very evil with "The dawn of a new age". It's one of the most brutal starts to an album that I know of. Dark Funeral's "The secrets of the black arts" is possibly more brutal.
Then there's also Marduk's "Panzer Division Marduk", but the first song is as brutal as any other on the album, so...
In a complete different kind of music, I have a double lp compilation called "Stars for a summer night" that has the best start I've ever heard. It starts out with Ray Conniff's version of Gershwin's "Summertime" which is my all time favorite track, and Conniff's version is the best version I've ever heard.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

Testament - The gathering, it kicks in, goes for the throat and doesn't let go!
The Haunted - The Haunted
SYL - City
Megadeth - Rust in Piece (well, I love megadeth and this album, so had to include it really )

 

[Lordenlil]

Carcass - Necroticism
Lovely autopsy-talk samples that sets the mood,
followed by the gory tunes that all metalheads should love to death.

Control Denied - great fucking intro and aggressive riffing on the first song.
The rest keeps it up

 

[HarmonyDies....]

Borknagar- The Genuine Pulse
Blind Guardian- A Night at the Opera

 

[Jesper_X_]

the most impressive album opener ever is Truth from devin townsends album/masterpiece Infinity. truly amazing

 

[thebleakaffinity]

At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul. Blinded By Fear is just too good.

 

[BRUTAL SENSATION]

Ephel duath the opening of "The embossed" knocked me around like a dirty bitch!!! ahahahaaha.....

 

[sydystyk666]

Survive! by Nuclear Assault, Extreme Aggression by Kreator, Cowboys From Hell by Pantera, everything from Coroner, Down and Frozen by Sentenced, Dreaming Neon Black from Nevermore... the list goes on and on...

 

[Vim Fuego]

Clandestine b y Entombed. No fucking about with intros, just straight into the middle of a song.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's Hell Awaits by Slayer and Blood Fire Death by Bathory. Both use sound effects effectively to establish a mood or feel for the album which follows.