Post by clem on Jul 1, 2022 20:57:02 GMT
{Children of Bodom} Children of Bodom. First couple of albums were excellent, and then gradually drifted towards being very average.
S Tier
1. Hatebreeder (Honestly can't think of anything I'd change about that album. One of metal's greatest)
A Tier
2. Something Wild (Not quite as refined an effort as Hatebreeder, and hadn't fully integrated the keys into their lead melodies yet. Still a great record though)
B Tier
3. Follow the Reaper (Already there were signs of simplifying song structures and becoming more plain. But it's still good)
4. Hate Crew Deathroll (Big shift towards their more streamlined sound. But doing it to a high standard at this stage)
5. Are You Dead Yet (A lot American melodic metalcore vibes on this one, which isn't so much my thing. But again, they carried it off well, and pretty good on balance)
C Tier
6. Halo of Blood (A little more adventurous in parts than most of their post-2000 stuff. "Dead Man's Hand on You" was pretty different, and still felt like COB. Still predictable a lot of the time on this album, but not as incessantly)
7. Hexed (A few moments where some of their classic sound threatened a return. But still many of the same drawbacks of 21st century COB lingered)
8. Relentless Reckless Forever (Decent. Slightly better than "Blooddrunk". But not a record I feel compelled to listen to, and generally generic COB)
9. Blooddrunk (Pretty much alright. But there's little memorable about it, and is 21st century COB at their most generic)
10. I Worship Chaos (Similar problems to Blooddrunk, and even fewer real hooks)
D/E/F Tier
A couple of albums nearly belong here, but not quite. They never dropped genuinely bad records. Just a lot of mediocre ones.
S Tier
1. Hatebreeder (Honestly can't think of anything I'd change about that album. One of metal's greatest)
A Tier
2. Something Wild (Not quite as refined an effort as Hatebreeder, and hadn't fully integrated the keys into their lead melodies yet. Still a great record though)
B Tier
3. Follow the Reaper (Already there were signs of simplifying song structures and becoming more plain. But it's still good)
4. Hate Crew Deathroll (Big shift towards their more streamlined sound. But doing it to a high standard at this stage)
5. Are You Dead Yet (A lot American melodic metalcore vibes on this one, which isn't so much my thing. But again, they carried it off well, and pretty good on balance)
C Tier
6. Halo of Blood (A little more adventurous in parts than most of their post-2000 stuff. "Dead Man's Hand on You" was pretty different, and still felt like COB. Still predictable a lot of the time on this album, but not as incessantly)
7. Hexed (A few moments where some of their classic sound threatened a return. But still many of the same drawbacks of 21st century COB lingered)
8. Relentless Reckless Forever (Decent. Slightly better than "Blooddrunk". But not a record I feel compelled to listen to, and generally generic COB)
9. Blooddrunk (Pretty much alright. But there's little memorable about it, and is 21st century COB at their most generic)
10. I Worship Chaos (Similar problems to Blooddrunk, and even fewer real hooks)
D/E/F Tier
A couple of albums nearly belong here, but not quite. They never dropped genuinely bad records. Just a lot of mediocre ones.
{Protest the Hero} Protest the Hero. Overall, dropped one of the most slept on metal albums of all-time, and have since consistently released fairly good material, though never fully recaptured their lightning in a jar LP.
S Tier
1. Kezia (The perfect balance of punk attitude with prog metal virtuosity. I can't describe how impressed I am that people that young made an album so well-assembled, where everything compliments everything else. One of my top 5 favourite albums ever made.)
A Tier
Oddly, nothing of theirs quite belongs here.
B Tier
2. Palimpsest (The most ambitious and conceptual thing they've done since "Kezia", with moments of their punk roots here and there. I was a bit worried it was just going to be quite a low-hanging fruit album about Donald Trump, and whilst there definitely is some of that, Rody's lyric-craft improved a good bit here)
3. Volition (Pretty similar level to "Palimpsest", but not quite a tight-knit an experience, and some weaker lyrics)
4. Scurrilous (This kind of set the tone for the last few albums with more of the math rock vibes on display. It's pretty much the little brother of "Palimpsest" and "Volition". But there are a few lyrical contributions from Arif, and it makes a difference. The highlights on this album are pretty strong, but it does get a bit same-y, although that's a bit of a criticism of PTH in general)
C Tier
5. Fortress (After how well they'd outlined their sound on "Kezia", it was always going to be really hard to follow. They just threw everything but the kitchen sink at this one, and even though it's good-ish, it feels like the least focused. "Bloodmeat" still slaps pretty hard. But other than that, I wouldn't be disappointed if I saw them live again and they played no other material from this album.)
D/E/F Tier
I'm not too worried about them dropping a bad album. PTH are safe enough hands. My main criticism would be that their music can get a bit repetitive.
S Tier
1. Kezia (The perfect balance of punk attitude with prog metal virtuosity. I can't describe how impressed I am that people that young made an album so well-assembled, where everything compliments everything else. One of my top 5 favourite albums ever made.)
A Tier
Oddly, nothing of theirs quite belongs here.
B Tier
2. Palimpsest (The most ambitious and conceptual thing they've done since "Kezia", with moments of their punk roots here and there. I was a bit worried it was just going to be quite a low-hanging fruit album about Donald Trump, and whilst there definitely is some of that, Rody's lyric-craft improved a good bit here)
3. Volition (Pretty similar level to "Palimpsest", but not quite a tight-knit an experience, and some weaker lyrics)
4. Scurrilous (This kind of set the tone for the last few albums with more of the math rock vibes on display. It's pretty much the little brother of "Palimpsest" and "Volition". But there are a few lyrical contributions from Arif, and it makes a difference. The highlights on this album are pretty strong, but it does get a bit same-y, although that's a bit of a criticism of PTH in general)
C Tier
5. Fortress (After how well they'd outlined their sound on "Kezia", it was always going to be really hard to follow. They just threw everything but the kitchen sink at this one, and even though it's good-ish, it feels like the least focused. "Bloodmeat" still slaps pretty hard. But other than that, I wouldn't be disappointed if I saw them live again and they played no other material from this album.)
D/E/F Tier
I'm not too worried about them dropping a bad album. PTH are safe enough hands. My main criticism would be that their music can get a bit repetitive.
{The Dillinger Escape Plan} Bulletproof discog. Six albums, ranging from good to genuinely brilliant, and then split, never to return.
S Tier
1. Calculating Infinity (This just revolutionised rock/metal music at an important time. It's utter madness, but one of the best-constructed things ever recorded. This is another one for my top 5 albums.)
2. Option Parlaysis (Their most mature effort. It's got plenty of nastiness, and the melodic moments are used just right here. Not quite as much of a jaw dropping experience as "Calculating Infinity", but for quality it's a pretty close match)
A Tier
3. Ire Works (Seldom does a band change so much, and add many wildly different elements to their sound, and still sound like the same band, with the same soul as always. Not quite profound enough a listen for S Tier, but it's a really strong record)
4. One of Us Is the Killer (A step back towards the heavier end of TDEP. It's good, and it all gels. It's maybe a little safer than I'm used to with this very non-safe band, considering everything in the back catalogue. But I have few real criticisms, and the highlights are very good)
B Tier
5. Miss Machine (It was always going to be tough to follow "Calculating Infinity", and add in the pressure of replacing their frontman. It's a case of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it, and with that in mind, they do a good job. There aren't many weak tracks on this album. It just didn't quite have the unity as a record as their other stuff)
6. Dissociation (Their final record, and even though I do enjoy it when I listen to it, I do think it felt like a natural place to wrap up. TDEP have always prided themselves in adding more to their sound with each release, and this was the first one where it felt like they were running out of ways they could do that. It's still good, but doesn't live as long in the memory as their others)
S Tier
1. Calculating Infinity (This just revolutionised rock/metal music at an important time. It's utter madness, but one of the best-constructed things ever recorded. This is another one for my top 5 albums.)
2. Option Parlaysis (Their most mature effort. It's got plenty of nastiness, and the melodic moments are used just right here. Not quite as much of a jaw dropping experience as "Calculating Infinity", but for quality it's a pretty close match)
A Tier
3. Ire Works (Seldom does a band change so much, and add many wildly different elements to their sound, and still sound like the same band, with the same soul as always. Not quite profound enough a listen for S Tier, but it's a really strong record)
4. One of Us Is the Killer (A step back towards the heavier end of TDEP. It's good, and it all gels. It's maybe a little safer than I'm used to with this very non-safe band, considering everything in the back catalogue. But I have few real criticisms, and the highlights are very good)
B Tier
5. Miss Machine (It was always going to be tough to follow "Calculating Infinity", and add in the pressure of replacing their frontman. It's a case of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it, and with that in mind, they do a good job. There aren't many weak tracks on this album. It just didn't quite have the unity as a record as their other stuff)
6. Dissociation (Their final record, and even though I do enjoy it when I listen to it, I do think it felt like a natural place to wrap up. TDEP have always prided themselves in adding more to their sound with each release, and this was the first one where it felt like they were running out of ways they could do that. It's still good, but doesn't live as long in the memory as their others)
