Ok, given my username and avatar, I guess I ought to respond.
The tough thing about recommending Skyclad albums is that they don't really have a "bad period" that you can eliminate. Certainly some albums are better than others, but they don't follow any pattern. Instead, since the band is quite evolutionary, style is a greater differentiator between albums than quality.
So, were there any particular songs that you liked more than others?
Anyhow, here's a bit I wrote a while ago breaking the albums down:
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[THE FOUR SKYCLAD DISCS I LOVE]
1. Jonah's Ark (1993) - The perfect mix of heaviness, melody, folk elements, groove, and lyrics. I always find it amazing how this album appeared early in their career between two much thrashier albums.
2. Irrational Anthems (1996) - An incredibly well put-together album, and I really like the lyrics too, with Martin really starting to turn personal. Their most "commercial" album.
3. The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea (1995) - This was my first Skyclad, so maybe that adds bias, but this is just a great bunch of songs. Heavy and rocking, but with a good variety.
4. Prince of the Poverty Line (1994) - A much more uniform and unified album than the ones before and after, just lots of heavy folky thrash metal, with the lyrics tying it together even more tightly.
[THE FOUR SKYCLAD DISCS THAT I REALLY LIKE]
5. The Answer Machine (1997) - The most mellow "real" album from Skyclad. At first I didn't like it much at all, but it's really grown on me the past couple of years. It has a pretty depressive atmosphere about it that I really like.
6. The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth (1991) - Their least melodic and most "standard" album, but the songwriting is still excellent
7. Oui Avant Garde a Chance (1996) - I don't really count this as a real album, more like their first "unplugged" disc. In general it's very upbeat and the total opposite in mood of "The Answer Machine?" Excellent when driving on a sunny spring day.
8. Folkemon (2000) - big surprise comeback after the subpar "Vintage Whine" - not a classic but the songs just have a lot more life to them again, and while it's "heavy", it doesn't sound as forced to me.
[THE REST OF THE SKYCLAD DISCS]
9. Vintage Whine (1999) - Skyclad's return to a heavier sound, but it seems like in the process of getting heavy, they forgot about writing good, memorable songs.
10. A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol (1992) - This album is ok, but kinda "blah"; to me, stuck in the middle between the intensity of the debut and the melodic folk infusion of 'Jonah's Ark'. None of the songs really do anything to stand out to me.
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Since I wrote that, they've released two albums in the Kevin Ridley-era, where their longtime producer replaced the seemingly irreplaceable Martin Walkyier on vocals and lyrics. Thus, it was kind of shocking to me that the first album of this era, 'A Semblance of Normality' (2004) is probably good enough to make it in the "DISCS I LOVE" category. "In the... All Together" (2009) is still a bit new to pass judgment on, but it doesn't make the top group.
In short, as a generic recommendation, 'Irrational Anthems' is probably the most obvious starter album. You'd think your Satan/Pariah input would help, but unfortunately it doesn't give too much direction, since, although there are hints of similarity, there isn't a very obvious connection between the two bands.
I'm still waiting for Glenn to pull off the the Skyclad reunion at ProgPower to get me to return to Atlanta. You know, cuz he'd get at least 17 people to show up for that.
Neil
