The Ritual vs The Black Album

[Demonic Legionaire]

Is this a joke man???
Offcourse is the ritual better...
The black album is a pop album man , the ritual is a metal album..
And i only like Metal!!!!

 

[progmetalgod]

Some of you guys will probably curse me out but IMHO MetallicA with their Black Album went new path and TestAmenT, MegadetH, anthrax simply followed

Oh yeah definitely. I remember when the Black Album came out and the other big thrash 5 bands except Slayer (well they didn't release anything for a while after Seasons anyway) started going more commercial and catchy. I actually enjoy that style of metal anyway. Whilst I love classic thrash, I still like to hear singalong songs/melodies with the heaviness and vibe of thrash metal. So yeah I love both of the albums mentioned but I prefer The Ritual. It's my fave Testament album, TBA is my 3rd behind RTL and MOP although it was behind KEA and AJFA for the first few years of my love of metal but it grew on me.

 

[The saYer]

Black album? is that metallica?
I wouldn't know, and am proud of that.
I thought you meant souls of black, I mean, lets have a real opponent for the ritual here.

 

[one man]

I don't know if TestAmenT really followed Metallica on The Ritual. I'd rather say it was the opposite way. TestAmenT was first to release melodic albums (Practice, Souls) and Metallica simply put it to a next level (losing most of the metallic sound, unlike TestAmenT)- of course only if metallica ever heard testament, because if they don't know this band, they cannot be accused of following them and probably just had similar ideas, only some time later.
Black album is obviousely more melodic and softer than these two, but some similarities cannot be denied (so I don't really find metallica's self-titled album that innovative and groundbreaking).
As for The Ritual, I'd say it was a logical step forward for TestAmenT after Souls- it had nothing to do with copying anyone's ideas- they were going further on the path they had paved a couple of years before Metallica decided to change musically (or sell out). That's how I see it.

 

[progmetalgod]

IMO PWUP and SOB were melodic versions of their previous 2 albums but not commercially oriented albums like The Ritual could have been. Those first 4 albums were still thrash metal but with more diversity.

 

[LegionsOfTheDead]

As anti-metallica and true-metal as some of you may want to be, to deny The Black Album's worldwide impact and influence on METAL and music of the 90's in general is just stupidity.

The production alone will go down in history as some of (if not THE best) in metal/hard rock history. The songwriting is top notch, and each member's performance was spot-fucking-on.

Sure it ain't no Master, Ride or Justice... but it beats The Ritual. Hands down.

And that's not saying The Ritual is BAD by any means. It fucking rocks!

But better than The Black Album?

Sorry.

 

[Valofvalhalla]

Ritual...Hands down.

 

[Zob Rombie]

Ritual

 

[progmetalgod]

Legions, I agree with everything you say but I prefer The Ritual so much more, I really do.