GUIDE TO BEING A METAL-HEAD: 5 ALBUMS YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE!

GUIDE TO BEING A METAL-HEAD: 5 ALBUMS YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE!

   Lets face it, we all love that immensely satisfying feeling we get when we hear some great new music. Music that doesn't necessarily have to be new to the whole world, but music that is new to you. New music can have a huge impact on your life. After all, we all discover out favorite bands and songs by listening to something for the first time, right? 

   Recommendations account for a large amount of the music we discover, whether its a recommendation from a friend, a magazine, a band or even a total stranger on the internet. So here are some albums that most Metal-Heads will already be well acquainted with, but would recommend to anyone hungry for The Metal. Check out these albums, you may even discover your new favorite songs..... 

5:NAPALM DEATH 
ORDER OF THE LEECH

   By the time Order Of The Leech was released, the old Grind-Core tradition of songs being so short that you could sneeze and miss nine songs, was nothing more than a dying art.  Instead, songs now had twice the duration and twice the brain battering brutality. 

   The bass heavy riffs took center stage, accompanied by the industry defined snarling growls. This dangerous duos capabilities are perfectly demonstrated by Napalm Death, especially on Order Of The Leech. Mark Greenway's range on roars makes for an impressive performance by itself. When coupled with Mitch Harris' and Shane Embury's thunderous riffs, the resulting combination is a breathtaking beacon of brutality. 

  

   Order Of The Leech contains some of the greatest songs of Napalm Death's career. The monstrous "Per Capita" and "Lowest Common Denominator" demonstrate perfectly just why Napalm Death are the true God's of Grind. In a more simple term, you need Order Of The Leech in your life.  

4: ARCHITECTS: DAYBREAKER 

   No Metal-Head or Metal band can deny that of all Metal's sub-genre's, Metal-core is the hardest to find fame in. A band can throw together as many breakdowns and screams as they want, but that doesn't mean its going to make a good album. That said, some bands seem to be able to master the art of Metal-core, using their own formulas to turn the straight forward screams and breakdowns into a monolithic gem of timeless creativity.

   Architects certainly know how to turn a bunch of screams and breakdowns into a masterpiece. Their mastery is perfectly presented on their latest album, Daybreaker. This is one of the hardest albums to define. Its heavy, its melodic, its dirty and its clean. Vocalist Sam Carter, demonstrates his full vocal capabilities, with the use of barbaric screaming and gentle singing. The riffing on Daybreaker can range from the metallic slabs heard on "These Colours Don't Run", to the soundscaping guitars on "Unbeliever". 

   It takes a tremendous amount of skill and talent to create such a varying album, but a album this good shouldn't be seen as a surprise. Not when this brilliant British band have already released amazing albums such as "Hollow Crown" and "The Here And Now". Architects are destined for arena filling success, of that there is no doubt, but fans can only hope that more albums of such quality as Daybreaker, will be released along their path of ascension. 

3: IMMORTAL
AT THE HEART OF WINTER
  No band can make their music come alive in the 

same way Immortal can. At The Heart Of Winter, effortlessly encapsulates the listener, transporting them to the cold Norwegian landscape in which this masterpiece was forged. Their iconic and distinctive breed of Black-Metal is unrivaled, but you don't have to be masked by corpse-paint or coated in nails, to appreciate Immortal's music.
   At The Heart Of Winter, marked a monumental reconstruction for Immortal. Their sound was different and the line up had changed. If At The Heart Of Winter, was the direct creation of such change, then change is indeed, a very good thing. 
   The title track displays Immortal's atmospheric capabilities, which results in a brilliant piece of the Blackest Metal. The albums highlight however, has to be the amazing "Where Light And Dark Don't Differ". Its chanting chorus is lethally contagious and the riffs are as dark as a Scandinavian winter. Truly, this album is a thing of legend. 

2: HELLOWEEN: BETTER THAN RAW 

   Ever wondered what it would sound like it you took the riffs of Kreator, the power of Judas Priest, and the infectious nature of AC/DC, and then fused them all together? Well Better Than Raw, could very well be the product of such a combination.

   This release from Germany's greatest Heavy Metal band helped to completely reshape Power and Heavy metal. Thrash style riffs were making an appearance on most of the songs on the album. The vocals range from window shattering screams to untraceable wails, making the vocals less of an item of main attention, and more of a weapon of Metal destruction. This stylistic change is evident on amazing songs such as "Falling Higher" and "Revelation", not forgetting the Heavy Metal hymn of "Hey Lord!". Its safe to say, Better Than Raw, took all the blistering solos and screams that Helloween, had to offer and used them to change Heavy and Power Metal forever.   

1: MERCYFUL FATE

DON'T BREAK THE OATH

   Satan may be a chosen topic for a lot of Metal bands these days, but King Diamond and Mercyful Fate really made Satan fashionable within the Metal community. There is far more to thank Mercyful Fate for though. Not only did they provide us with songs of epic Metal mastery such as, "A Dangerous Meeting" and "Come To The Sabbath", they completely terraformed the Metal sound. No-one has ever been able to match King Diamond's, vocal accomplishments. Not even the musicians and singers he has inspired, Such as James Hetfield and Dave Mustaine.
   The atmosphere Mercyful Fate can create with their music, is one of magic and mystery. Songs like "The Oath" and "Night Of The Unborn" will make you shiver like being in a graveyard at midnight in the middle of winter. Don't Break The Oath, really is proof. Proof that the devil really does have all the best tunes.

Thank you for reading!!

Feel free to comment or ask any questions \m/

Please remember that these albums are chosen out of my own opinion.