Metal Hammer Staff Top Ten: Under-Rated Albums

terrybezer / News, Top Posts / 07/11/2008 17:45pm

The Metal Hammer staff have been beavering away as always on another awesome issue but it’s not stopped them coming at you with a brand new top ten!

Check out what they believe to be the top ten most under-rated albums and leave your own top ten in our comments section! You can also check out past top ten’s on the Metal Hammer blog.

Alexander Milas (editor)
Metallica – S&M
NIN – The Fragile
Black Sabbath – Cross Purposes
Opeth – Damnation
Spiritual Beggars – Ad Astra
I – Between Two Worlds
Green Carnation – Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
Pride And Glory – Pride And Glory
Devin Townsend – Ocean Machine: Biomech
Wolverine – The Window Purpose

Caren Gibson (deputy editor)
earthtone9 – arc’tan’gent
Corrosion Of Conformity – Wiseblood
Sixty Watt Shaman – Seed Of Decades
Pride & Glory – Pride & Glory
Himsa – Hail Horror
Wool – Box Set
Snot – Snot
Gruntruck – Push
Karma To Burn – Karma To Burn
Sevendust – Next

James Gill (editor at large)
Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth
Skid Row – Slave To The Grind
Ignite – Our Darkest Day
He Is Legend – We Are Hollywood
Maylene And The sons Of Disaster – II
The Fall Of Troy – Doppelganger
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
Whitesnake – Slip Of the Tongue
Skindred – Roots Rock Riot
Protest The hero – Kezia

Jonathan Selzer (reviews editor)
The Young Gods – The Young Gods
The End – Elementary
Akercocke – Choronzon (basically, their entire career)
Isis – In The Absence Of Truth
Watchmaker – Kill. Crush. Destroy.
Slayer – Diabolus In Musica
Rotting Christ – Theogonia
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part
Dexys Midnight Runners – Don’t Stand Me Down
Yattering – Genocide

James Isaacs (art editor)
Red Tape – Radioactivist
Led Zeppelin – Presence
Black Crowes – Amorica
Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
Jackyl – Jackyl
Black Sabbath – Mob Rules
Van Halen – F.U.C.K.
Pride & Glory – Pride & Glory
Slayer – Divine Intervention
Goatboy – Superlube

Chris ingham (publisher)
Black Sabbath – Sabotage
Pulkas – Greed
earthtone9 – arc’tan’gent
Satyricon – Now, Diabolical
Kiss – Revenge
AC/DC – Flick Of The Switch
Soundgarden – Louder Than Love
Entombed – To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth
Dub War – The Wrong Side Of Beautiful
Pitchshifter – Desensitized

Terry Bezer (web monkey)
Slayer – Divine Intervention
Metallica – Load
Kiss – Revenge
Rocket From The Crypt – RFTC
Jetplane Landing – Once Like A Spark
Machine Head – The Burning Red
Morrissey – Vauxhall & I
Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzmosis
3 Colours Red – Pure
Prince – The Love Symbol Album

39 Comments


thers’ some good one there guys and some not so good ones lol but here’s my list (just for fun…ish)

master of reality -black sabbath
snot -snot
slave to the grind -skid row
wasp-wasp
2112-rush
physical graffti -led zepp
brave new world-iron maiden
black rose-thin lizzy

megadeth – youthanasia
metallica – garage days re-revisited
marilyn manson – portrait of an american family

Megadeth – The System Has Failed
Korn – Life is Peachy
Slipknot – Iowa
Metallica – …And Justice for All

I totally agree with most of those…

Especially Roots Rock Riot..
I have no idea why skindred are not bigger than half the bands out there… they are easily currently the most underrated british band…

ThrasherRobin

Sepultura – Schizophrenia
Sarcofago – The Laws of Scourge
Sacrifice – Forward to Termination
Anthrax – Persistence of Time
Megadeth – So Far, So Good, So Waht!
Overkill – Killbox 13
Def Leppard – On Through the Night
Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations
Witchfinder General – Death Penalty
Bon Jovi – 7800° Fahrenheit

james doyle

i definately agree with the skindred one they are amazing. I hav seen them twice now and both times have been on top form and benji makes you feel a real part of it.

thegingermosher

anything with sabbeth is great and still underrated

Overkill -W.F.O.
Prong- Prove You Wrong
Black Crows ain’t metal fancy lad.

Kris Dobo

Exhorder – Slaughter in the Vatican
Coroner – Metal Vortex
Holy Moses – Finished with the Dogs
Artillery – By Inheritance
King Diamond – The Eye
Bathory – Blood, Fire, Death
Cynic – Focus
Demolition Hammer – Tortured Existence
Vio-Lence – Eternal Nightmare
Vulcano – Bloody Vengeance

Captain Zoso

Exhorder!! Good shout!

SNOT – SNOT

Althothothoth

Nailbomb – Point Blank
Misery Loves Co. – Misery Loves Co.
Shotgun Messiah – Violent New Breed
Profound Effect – Lashing Out
Kreator – Coma Of Souls
Carcass – Heartwork
Old Man’s Child – Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion
Pro-pain – The Truth Hurts
Body Count – Violent Demise: The Last Days
The Almighty – Crank

malus darkblade

here is my top 10 albums, not in any particular order though lol.

cradle of filth – nymphetamine
satyricon – now diabolical
cannibal corpse – kill
sepultura – arise
gorgoroth – ad majorem satanum
bolt thrower – IVth crusade
decapitated – winds of creation
rotting christ – theogonia
machine head – the blackening
dark throne – prepare for war

violentfluid

some good stuff up there,overkill especially but my choices have to be…..
Samhain- november coming fire.
Exodus-pleasures of the flesh.
Testament-practice what you preach.
Metallica-REload
Misfits-american psycho.
Alice in chains-alice in chains(the one with the dog on)
Big black-songs about fucking.
Mad season-above
Ministry-the mind is a terrible thing to taste
The jesus lizard-down.
there you go my top 10 forgotten/under-rated albums

Kieron Harlow

Acid Bath – When The Kite String Pops
Eyehategod – Take As Needed For Pain
Soilent Green – A Deleted Symphony For The Beaten Down
Crowbar – Broken Glass
Frank Zappa – Zoot Allures
Down – NOLA
Sleep – Holy Mountain
Dax Riggs – We Sing Of Only Blood Or Love
Agents Of Oblivion – self-titled
Death – The Sound Of Perseverance

check them out!!

Thanks for including Hail Horror Caren. I bought it at the beginning of the year and it’s still one of the most played albums on my iPod (hint for a future top ten…). My list:
As I Lay Dying: An Ocean Between Us
Himsa: Hail Horror
Machine Head: The Burning Red (it’s not nu metal fuckers!)
ACDC: Ball Breaker
Soulfly: Prophecy
Megadeth: Cryptic Writings
In Flames: Soundtrack To Your Escape
Dark Tranquility: Everything they’ve ever stamped their name on.
Bruce Dickenson: Accident of Birth
Anthrax: Volume 8

jonowev

Agree with The Burning Red by Machine Head, that album is wonderous!

TriggerHappyDan

Some great albums listed there, especially Karma To Burn, Metallica’s ‘Load’ and earthtone9.

Some more under-rated albums for y’all:

Planes Mistaken For Stars – ‘Fuck With Fire’
Clutch – ‘The Elephant Riders’
Karma To Burn – ‘Almost Heathen’
The Locust – ‘Plague Soundscapes’
Husker Du – Anything they ever made
Kerbdog – ‘On The Turn’
The Replacements – ‘Let It Be’
Hot Water Music – ‘A Flight and a Crash’
Far – ‘Water & Solutions’
Chamberlain – ‘Fate’s Got A Driver’

Black Sabbath – Headless Cross. Amazing record.

Destruction – All Hell Breaks Loose
Sodom – Agent Orange
Wizard – Odin
Gamma Ray – Powerplant
Waylander – Reawakening Of Pride Once Lost
Alice In Chains – Facelift
Falkenbach – Heralding The Fireblade
Ministry – Filth Pig
Death – Human
Bathory – Hammerheart

Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life & Death
Metallica – St. Anger
Mordred – In This Life
The Organization – The Organisation
silverchair – Diorama
Satyricon – Volcano
Sepultura – Schizophrenia
Pantera – Reinventing The Steel
King Diamond – The Eye
Testament – Souls of Black

christopher blackman

i was just thinking today how under rated louder than love by soundgarden was and its in the list, uncanny! what an album though,nothing like it!!

Chris Ward

My Top Ten Under-rated Albums As Follows:

Black Sabbath – Cross Purposes
Sepultura – Nation
Paradise Lost – Symbol Of Life
Judas Priest – Demolition
Bruce Dickinson – Accident Of Birth
The Misfits – American Psycho
Anthrax – Volume 8: The Threat Is Real
Type O Negative – October Rust
Corrosion Of Conformity – Wiseblood
Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark

Seanicus

Rise Against – Appeal To Reason
Iron Maiden – S/T
Bad Religion – New Maps of Hell
Thousand Foot Krutch – The Art of Breaking
Megadeth – Youthanasia
AC/DC – The Razors Edge
Oasis – What’s The Story (Morning Glory)
(TLW) Slough Feg – Down Among the Deadmen
Violator – Chemical Assault
Tarot – Suffer Our Pleasures

violentfluid

a couple more i just thought of
Pig-Sinsation
Forbidden-Forbidden evil

I LIKE ANAL!!!!!!!!!!

how about these
1. Killing is my bussinesss…and bussiness is good – Megadeth
2. British Steel – Judas Priest
3. Live and Dangerous – Thin Lizzy
4. Piece of Mind – Iron Maiden
5. Mate Feed Kill Repeat – Slipknot
6. Live Fast Die Dast – Wolfsbane
7. Fables From A Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True – Fair To Midland
8. Agent Orange – Sodom
9. It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere – Slash’s Snakepit
10. Something Wild – Children Of Bodom

Excuse me? S&M is UNDERRATED? That’s probably the most populat live metal album in the world.

theatomheartmother

all venoms albums

xXMASIDIAHXx

MACHINE FUCKING HEAD!!
they r great rekon there should be more of it on there
and burning red is not fucking nu metal!!

BigDeth

Megadeth – So Far… So Good… So What!

1.black sabbath , born again(fucking evil)
2.x factor iron maiden,(bayleys voice is like a crushing hammer)
3.metallica load,metallicas best lyrics and james best vocals,
4,led zeppelin presence
5.queen innuendo
6. motorhead 1916
7, black sabbath heaven and hell
8.ozzy osbourne no more tears,
9. megadeth risk
10.iron maiden iron maiden

LotsoBallsSinceImOnTheNet

Sorry, but Acid Bath are by far the most under-rated band in total on this page. Such quality – ANY of their stuff, for ANY metalhead.

Korn – Life is Peachy? Keep off the crack, mate. It was hyped the FUCK up at the time, and has some wank-as-fuck production and lame non-songs, zzzzzzzz. Korn’s first and third albums are their best if you want my relative comparison (IMHO).

Load by Metallica under-rated??! WTF, you must be on more drugs than Acid Bath and Metallica combined during that time period (and look who produced the better results)! Nostalgia IS NOT critical judgement, is it? OK I might not know shit about that, but I know what word of mouth tells me – which wasn’t the same as all the albums that came previously and none since.

Under-rated as already stated =
Exhorder

Cynic

Karma To Burn (although not that much as they’re a cult band that decided to be cult so it makes sense).

Clutch (although known, just should get paid a lot more for their severe ability to rock your ass)

Earthtone9 for sure.

Iron Maiden with Paul DiAnno, pretty good…

Crowbar deserve another mention – ‘Odd Fellows’ Rest’ is a balanced and class album… getting their music is a subtle thing… ironically!!

Marilyn Manson – Eat Me, Drink Me
Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet
Alice Cooper – Along Came A Spider
Motorhead – Kiss Of Death
The Misfits – Famous Monsters
Judas Priest – Angel Of Retribution
Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction
Testament – Souls Of Black
Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time
Metallica – S&M

Well done Terry Bezer for putting Load and The Burning Red your list …2 albums I very much enjoy despite the slatings they receive!

ashmetallica

any chrimaria album

Pierre1233

KISS – Lick It Up (and probably every 80s KISS albums)
AC/DC – Fly On The Wall
Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin
Metallica – St. Anger
Scorpions – Face The Heat

Anger Unmanagement

ANYTHING by Devin Townsend.

I agree with protest the hero

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