CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Metallica

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Metallica

Release Date August 12, 1991
It's a myth that this is a great album.

Metallica's 2 towering masterpieces are "Master of Puppets" and "And Justice for All."

At the time that "the Black Album" came out, Metallica was so massively huge that everyone rushed out and bought this piece of junk. That's why it sold so well. And it did have that Metallica sound, yet to those who knew Metallica best, the "the Black Album" lacked any sincere fire in the soul. It was empty. It was bland. It was Metallica only going through the motions. And creatively, it was the end of the real Metallica.

If you want to buy a Metallica album, buy "Master of Puppets" for it's muscle and purity. Or, buy "And Justice for All," which is complex and takes a while ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

The Formation of Damnation

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Testament

Release Date April 29, 2008
This is a an excellent example of a "true" thrash album that reminds me of their earlier releases such as New World Order, Pratice What You Preach and Souls of Black. I loved these releases back in the eighties and nineties due to Alex Skolnick's guitar work. Well, the band is back and at its zenith with an aggressive and non-stop drum pounding release. any long time fan will appreciate this album especially now tat Alex Skolnick is back and at his best.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Ride the Lightning

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Metallica

Release Date October 25, 1990
Metallica's second studio album, Ride the Lightning is a great thrash metal experience. The album's theme revolves around death; this is apparent from the album art alone, which depicts an electric chair. Some songs are fast, some songs are slow, but in my opinion each track is great in its own right. Enough foreplay.

Fight Fire With Fire: The opening track, this song is about nuclear war. It starts off with a calm acoustic intro, reminiscent of some sort of old instrument (a harpsichord I believe). If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was a recording of the National Symphony Orchestra leading up into a masterpiece by Beethoven. But all of a sudden, you get a fast, heavy, low guitar. It's a pretty good song overall, but it isn't ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Master of Puppets

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Metallica

Release Date October 25, 1990
Master of Puppets is largely hailed as Metallica's crowning achievement, a great piece of thrash metal. The album deals with control, manipulation, free will, etc. It showcases some of Hammett's best guitar work, and it's definitely got a more polished sound than the previous two Metallica releases.

Battery: Not my favorite track in all honesty. It starts off with an easy acoustic intro but leads into a heavy battery of guitars and drums. A pretty good intro. 8/10

Master of Puppets: Arguably one of their best tracks. The song starts heavy, and has a very melodic sound to it. I think what's so great about this song is that it's not just mindless shredding, but it actually has a very strong structure and varied sounds. The solo ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Kill 'Em All

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Metallica

Release Date June 20, 1995
When I first heard of Metallica I saw mixed feelings about them. Having no prior knowledge of the band I more or less bought into the "sell-outs" argument but ultimately dismissed it since I had no interest in the band at all. One day, I decided that after hearing about this supposedly amazing song called "Master of Puppets", I would check it out. One youtube channel and several clicks later I found myself listening to the epic eight-minute and thirty-eight second masterpiece; or, "epic" so I thought. I couldn't ignore the nagging doubt that I had been lured into listening to an overrated song due to public opinion. It wasn't until I listened to "Enter Sandman" that my interest really began to pick up. A few more songs - "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Ride The ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

...And Justice for All

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Metallica

Release Date October 25, 1990
This is possibly my all time favorite album of heavy metal music of any kind. It has a unique sound of its own, the bass is rather quiet on this album, but actually I think this very sound is a part of why this album is so good, the unique sound grows on you. It sounds kind of like everything unnecessary is stripped away, and I think this sound fits perfectly with the general feeling of this album and the themes in its lyrics. I don't think it could have been mixed any other way without sacrificing some of this album's uniqueness. When you compare the sound to the Black Album, of course the latter has a more well-rounded sound but in some way it also lacks the edge of this album. I like both but I prefer this one.

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

The Way of the Fist

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Five Finger Death Punch

Release Date July 31, 2007
First, I would like to thank the two guys above me for having the brains and sense to call this garbage what it is, VAPID! There is no less perfect word for this.

Any of the brain-dead five star reviews for this album will tell you how bad it is. O! metal the way metal should be done, headbanging YEAH!, tough stuff and stuff. All while failing to extol any qualities of the music that distinguish it as good.

Know why? Because there aren't any! My friend played this for me and from song to song I felt myself more pent up (I didn't want to spoil this for him, he really liked it) with rage, disgust, and irritation as I felt everything intelligent I had ever thought being sucked from my mind to fill the vacuous space created by the stupidity of this ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

An Ocean Between Us

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: As I Lay Dying

Release Date August 21, 2007
The music on this album is fantastic. In my review on As Blood Runs Black I said: "Some artists are such amazing musicians that they can screw originality and they can play other people's original ideas twice as well as the original artist. This is what As Blood Runs Blacks does for the first 4 songs." This is basically what As I Lay does, except for the entire frickin' album! There isn't a song on the entire album that I don't like. I felt the same thing about August Burns Red. Both albums are amazing at keeping my interest for the entire album. Their lyrics are also very good. So, with all the praise i have given As I Lay Dying, what is wrong with this album?? My problem is that you can not figure out what in the world Tim Lambesis is saying. What the vocalists say is very ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

The Bedlam in Goliath

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: The Mars Volta

Release Date January 29, 2008
This album takes you on a unbelievable trip through the minds of Cedric and Omar. The progression and transition of all of the songs are spectacular. Listening to the album from front to back is needed in order to appreciate the album's beauty. This album shows the growth of Omar's talent not by just guitar solos, but by the complex set up of the songs. The drummer that appears on this album is unbelivable, and adds a lot of power and soul to the music. With the completion of this album, it proves that The Mars Volta is definitly the most talented group of musicians out there right now. Buy this album if you are a fan of any other Mars Volta albums.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

S&M

CD-Charts > Music > Thrash and Speed Metal
by: Metallica

Release Date November 23, 1999
Metallica continues thier downward spiral with...A SYMPHONY???
Nothing like putting all your recent failures to the score of an orchestra.
I'm besides myself even trying to review this tragedy.
The new songs sound even worse. And classic Metallica is made a mockery of.
And if you didn't think it could get worse.
Metallica decided to inflict St. Anger upon the world.
This album is completly irrevelant.
Avoid like the plague.