10 Metal/Hard Rock Albums That Require A Full Listen

Often it is hard to find an album that makes you want to hang on and listen to every song straight through. It seems that is difficult for bands to have the right formula all at one time to keep your attention throughout an entire album. Each song would have to pull you in and make you not want to skip to the next one. The CD format made it easy to find the song you really like and not bother spending time on others. And with today's digital download format, people can get the songs they want and skip hearing others altogether. So it is in this vein that I would like to submit my list of metal/hard rock albums that do something that is rare. And that is to put out an album that grabs your attention and gives you an enjoyable experience throughout. Let's see what you think about this list.

One caveat, is that if you think metal sounds like 2 dinosaurs fighting over a bone with a caveman banging on a drum in the background, then you may disappointed in this list. I can only take so much of that stuff. Around the time the singer comes in like he's trying to pass a stone, song's over for me. Sorry.

On that note...here we go!

Okay, not a "metal" album, in fact I think they are the epitome of grunge, but such a great album to hear all of the way through. "Once" is a great start, followed by two very well-written and catchy songs "Evenflow" and "Alive" which got a lot of airplay. "Why Go" is a transition to the album's best two songs. "Black" is hard to explain, but it works big-time. It's a great build up song. "Jeremy" has such a great rhythm and vibe. The remaining songs are just a great collection of songs that pull you in from the beginning and make you want to listen to them for how varied their styles are. Of course, "Release" brings back the same progression you hear at the beginning of the album and if on repeat flows right back to the beginning. It reminds me of how System of a Down did with their Mesmorize/Hypnotize albums.

What is funny about this album is that it pushed Pearl Jam into the stratosphere for getting new fans and the band seemingly didn't love the success. From what I've read, they prefer playing in cozy surroundings and much smaller settings. Oh bummer, we have tons of fans that want to fill our pockets with money...yeah, must suck something awful. And unlike other grunge-types, I believe they took showers.

Powerslave is definitely an album with a motif. Pyramids, mummies, heiroglyphics adorn every inch of the album cover. Naturally, the first song is about Royal Air Force pilots fighting the German Luftwaffe in 1940. Okay, okay on to the second tune and surely it's about...pyramids...nope doomsday clock for the atomic bomb. Later there's a tune about Bruce Dickinson's love of swordfighting, then one based on poetry about sailing...what?

So what, none of this really matters as this album really has a way of making you want to stay on and finish it off. Aces High and Two Minutes to Midnight are just 2 great songs that have some great riffs, superior bass playing and melodic guitars, the instrumental really flows well.

The next 3 songs are just great straight-foward metal songs. Steve Harris really, really, really loves triplets in his playing. I'll tell you though if that man ever got arthritis, it will have to have been from using those fingers entirely too much. I bet the guy plucks a bass string more than 3x times any other bass player does in any song of the same length. Want proof? Listen to The Duellists for about 2:30 minutes and tell me I am wrong.

Seriously though, Powerslave finally brings us a song that sounds like it might be about ancient Egypt and it is a great one. Then we get to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. With this song coming in at a (cough...cough) trim 13:34, I considered not including this album on the list. (See Operation: Mindcrime's Suite Sister Mary for similar hesitance). But, it is such a great song that tells a moving story and needs to be given a chance. Once you get into it, 13 minutes seem to go by so very fast.

I know Number of the Beast gets all of the nods, but as I'll say again...this is my list.

There is a simple truth about Van Halen. Less is more, or so it seems when you put on one of their early albums. 37-38 minutes of music is all that is put out generally and this one comes in at a whopping 31 minutes. No wonder you have to listen all the way through! But you could expect some experimentation, ground-breaking guitar work, and some really great songs punctuated by a David Lee Roth style that was so great and unique. (Today he is pretty intolerable to watch. It's almost if he trying too hard and he comes off like a clown). Again, you might argue that this isn't metal, but it's going on the list.

This album has some of the best bass lines that drive the record. Mean Streets and Dirty Movies really crank out some heavy bass driven moments. Push Comes to Shove and So This is Love? also demonstrate Michael Anthony's ability. Eddie has some great guitar work that bridges these songs together so well. Of course most people will remember Unchained because it, like Ain't Talking 'Bout Love from the first album, was very simple but just grabs you and says "You like this song, don't you!".

There is an interesting instrumental here that unlike previous albums is all keyboards and drums. But it is done in such a way that is so heavy it doesn't feel like a "keyboard" song. Imagine if Eddie had one of those keyboard guitars like Kajagoogoo or the Thompson Twins had to play this on stage...blech.

The keyboard influence continues on the album's farewell song. But again, it doesn't in the slightest feel like a "keyboard" song. Here the keyboard is used, guitar-like, as a rhythm driver. One Foot Out the Door is a cool song to finish out the album. The last 2 songs each come in under 2 minutes and just like that Fair Warning! is over. Also important is that Van Halen didn't decide to do cover songs on the album this time. Thank goodness because that is what breaks up the rhythm of so many of their other albums. You're No Good blows Van Halen 2 all to crap. Dancing in the Streets kills Diver Down (they previously had gotten away with working up Pretty Woman...barely).

One last note is that Van Halen has this annoying habit of recording their albums in stereo with the guitar mixed only on one side of the recording. If you have a speaker out or something like that, you can't listen to their records (unless you want to listen to them with no guitar). Music with no guitars is kind of like listening to Enigma or Kenny G.

Had a hard time trying to figure out whether to pick this one or to pick Diary of a Madman. I knew both kind of count, but I went with the Ultimate Sin here. One reason is that I think Jake E. Lee did such a great job of writing songs for this album and everyone already idol worships Randy Rhoades enough. Jake E. Lee, it seems to me, never did get the credit he deserved for the great songs he wrote and the playing that he did while he was with Ozzy.

I know lots of guitarists have their signature things but I can't really put a finger on what Jake E. Lee's is. Perhaps its because these are the only albums he ever played on that anybody heard. (I'm sure somebody out there has a Badlands CD....anybody?) But Ozzy did get a guitarist with a distinct signature thing he does. The man's name is Zack Wylde. I don't think I could stand one more Zach Wylde vibratto. You know the sou~ou~ou~ou~ou~nd I am talking about 10-12 times a song, gag.

Anyway, we're talking about the Ultimate Sin. This album came out at about the time everybody in metal was trying to look like Poison. (Even Judas Priest, for crying out loud) But Ozzy's Ultimate Sin album really stands up as an album with no bad songs. You could make an argument that Secret Loser was a bit pop sounding (some would argue the whole album), but you wouldn't get me to bite. It is still a great song. The beginning of Shot in the Dark really has a future as a lead in song for some late night host's new TV show. I really think it would work if somebody had the guts to try it.

Besides those 2 songs, the rest are basic genuine Ozzy fare except that they really all hold up well over time. Never has a great, quick guitar riff. That's some tough playing. I don't think I ever stopped and said "woah, that's some fast guitar" since Slayer's Angel of Death. (that was like liquid). Thank God for the Bomb, Lightning Strikes, Killer of Giants and Fool Like You move you right from one song to the next. The next thing you know, album's over.

And by the way, I do not care that Allmusic reviewed this at 2 stars. I also do not care if this is sort of pop-like. The lyrics are fairly mature and the music is pretty solid. I mean it's not like you have to hear..."I'm your Turbo Lover!....Tell me there's no other! " Loved that Judas Priest concert (w/ Dokken opening). It was so very, very loud too. But it needs to be noted that Turbo was an album that Judas Priest should never have made.

Say what you will about Ratt, but these guys never made a bad song throughout their first 3 albums. These are catchy, poppy-type metal songs, but once again they all work. There is a clean production to this album and Warren DiMartini is quite a good soloist.

One of the things that might turn people off is the way that Stephen Pearcy um....sings. It's sort of part constipated, part teenage girl-calling voice but he gets away with it. The key here is that Crosby, DiMartini and the rest write such decent songs. Nothing much else to say about this record except that the riff for Lay It Down got played so much, I wore out one cassette copy. (Same thing happened to my Pyromania tape--got it when I was 14, don't judge--at least then they weren't totally pop.) Highlight is Between the Eyes, Lay it Down and Never Use Love, but again this is a list for listening to an ENTIRE album.

Atrocious album cover aside, this is an album that I just cannot skip through. It took a couple of listens to get into, but now it flows so great. One thing to say about King Diamond is that you probably either love or hate his vocal styling, but it is hard to dismiss the band and their tight musicianship. I know this is a deviance from the other albums that have been covered, but I am trying to list those albums that if/when I play them, they go until the whole thing is done. This album has reached "Come Sail Away" status (a la Eric Cartman) with me as once I turn it on, it goes until it is over. Period, end of story.

Right out of the box, you wonder where "At the Graves" is going (besides a carnival), but once you get into King banging out "Rise! Rise!" and then he shrills "Spirits! Rising from the Grave!" you are hooked. Such great mixing of the vocals on the chorus. Mikkey Dee is exceptional on the drums here. I posit that King needs to go back in time and have Mikkey replace all of the drum work on any King diamond album he wasn't originally on.

"Sleepless Nights" is great. The intro is a bit out of place, but nonetheless it works fine. I didn't dig "Lies" at first, but now it is one my favorites. There are some great riffs on this song. The first 45 seconds is some great guitar work (highlighted by the one at :34). It is interesting to note how most of the songs on this album have very interesting intros to them. They usually don't end up where they start.

"A Visit from the Dead" has such beautiful guitar work as does "Something Weird". "Wedding Dream" is interesting, to say the least. "Amon Belongs to Them" has great melodic guitar playing. "Victimized" grows on you and really has that collection of riffs KD bands are great with. Also there are so many time changes to keep you interested. "Cremation" would be great to hear live. Another great album from King Diamond.

It bothers me that King Diamond (Kim Bendix Peterson), at one time, professed to be Satanist. I really think that sort of mindset is not wise, nor healthy no matter what he found out the truth to be. However, I understand that now, later in life, he has decided to live and let live and not continue to berate religion. I wish he understood that no religion is ever going to be or do everything perfect as people are imperfect beings. People can always turn against religion if their standard is to want perfection from Church representatives. Learn the truth (there is one) and live like you are called to live and quit worrying about the plank in your brother's eye. I also hope he recovers from his triple bypass surgery soon and is healthier than ever.

I don't know how I got side-tracked, but I did. Moving on...

What is there to say about this album that hasn't already been said? This is their masterpiece. Being a concept/story album, it aids in listening to it the whole way through. The one drawback, as mentioned earlier, is that while Suite Sister Mary is quite a good song and sort of an opus, after 25 years, you might find yourself skipping to The Needle Lies about when Dr. X tells Nikki "and get the Priest as well...whirrrrrrrr". That is not going to take this down off of the list.

Other than that one possibility, it is impossible to not be drawn into and mesmerized by this achievement in music. Revolution Calling is a song that you better enjoy because Geoff Tate is never, never, never going back to doing stuff like that again. When I first had this cassette and had listened to it the first 25 or so times, I remember thinking, I can't wait until their next album comes out because I want to hear how Geoff vocally owns another album. Empire was great, but it didn't have the vocal acrobatics in this one. Sadly, nothing even close was ever coming. It has been disappointing. Sort of like when my mom told me that wrestling was fake. Boy, was I ever crushed? I'm being serious.

Speak and Spreading the Disease are two well-written and superior songs. But The Mission is on a whole other planet. This song is so great that they should have put it on the album twice :) Actually you can get that if you get the reissue (which I did, even though I already have a copy). SSM was already mentioned, but the second side (dating myself again) really continues on in incredible fashion. The vocals and the mixing of the vocals on Breaking the Silence and I Don't Believe in Love are top notch. Same thing goes for Eyes of a Stranger. What a way to end an album.

When Queensryche decided to put out Operation: Mindcrime 2, people beat on the band for it. I don't know why. It takes a lot of balls to do something like that. It never had a chance of being close to what this album was but it was quite great as well. Why people beat on it, I don't know. Save your ammo for the overpriced drink coaster that is Dedicated to Chaos.....wow, just wow.

Here is where fanboys will scream Rust in Peace! Where is it? How dare you?!?! Well, again, this is my list. I love Rust in Peace, I love Peace Sells (Unbelievable musicianship on Side 2) and I also love So Far...So Good. But this album is such a diverse and great album that does everything well.

This puppy is great from start to finish. I played this CD (ha I finally got one) over and over in college. The mixing is great and all of the guitars are so clean sounding. I don't think Mustaine ever lets Ellefson mix the bass level high enough, but that is for them to decide. Come to think of it, maybe that's why Ellefson quit the band for so long. Okay, we know that wasn't the reason. Good thing he's back for the Big 4. By the way, Dio left Sabbath after he felt they lowered his vocal levels on the live recording. Aaanyway. Maybe I have ADD.

The drum kickoff to this album sets the tone and the riffs on this album are incredibly great. Many are very simple. Take Symphony of Destruction, the rhythm is as simple as a Joan Jett song, but I challenge you to listen to it and not find yourself swinging your head back and forth. Then, we get just the opposite in Architecture of Aggression. Here we have a meandering rhythm line that goes everywhere...and that is not a critique. This is probably my favorite song on the album. I'll never understand how this guy sings one melody while playing something entirely different on guitar. And this guy was an alcoholic and a drug addict at one point. I can't play guitar or sing a song half as well when I do them by themselves. Okay, okay just about anybody can "sing" better than Mustaine, but he is unique.

Every single song is just nails. It is hard to talk about every one and their qualities, so I'll go down a list of one (or so) word descriptions.

Foreclosure of a Dream (Great bass and vocals)

Sweating Bullets (Creepy)

This Was My Life (Great Chorus)

Countdown to Extinction (I don't want to be preached to about hunting, even from my favorite band, just don't eat meat if you don't like hunting.) Whoops that was more than 1 or 2 words.

High Speed Dirt (Hell yes. Love the song and lyrics...great riff!)

Psychtron (Worst song on the album...but that's kind of like finding the ugliest Playboy centerfold.)

Captive Honour (Beautiful....then disturbing)

Ashes in Your Mouth (Classic...Perfect Metal Song)

There you go. My rundown of Countdown to Extinction. Love it or not!

Another Queensryche album? That's how good this band used to be. What makes this album so great is that there is such experimentation in delivering a product that is so unique. There aren't really any "straightforward" songs that you can point to and that is the charm. Queensryche has gotten into trying more of a straight "rock" approach over the last 15 years and it is VERY hit and miss for them when they do that. The more Geoff Tate tries to sound cool, he comes of like your Dad trying to speak hip lingo with your buddies. Double Facepalm. But this album nails everything in such a way to make you want to come back to it over and over.

"Walk in the Shadows" is probably the closest thing to a stand alone-type song, but it is such a great song and launches this album off very well. No lyric is really forced (even the one that begins the second verse). "Gonna Get Close to You" is about the only song that can make you want to skip, but it is sandwiched in between two great songs, "The Whisper" and "The Killing Words". It is also kind of disturbing, theme-wise. "Neue Regal" is very weird, but once that first guitar riff hits you can't turn away. The rest of the songs are tight and well done. "Screaming in Digital" is quite revolutionary and the album wraps up with a very haunting ballad ("I Will Remember") that never gets old. I suggest you catch their version of it on 1992's MTV Unplugged episode. Those performances of all their songs on this show were incredible.

I had a buddy that actually went into the Navy and while he was away he would send some tapes of some albums he was hearing for the first time. "Walk In the Shadows" and "Neue Regal" were a couple that were sent. Chances are I wouldn't have ever heard much of Queensryche without that "heads up". I will always be grateful that I was introduced to them when I was. As a side note, I am trying to listen to their new album (Dedicated to Chaos) and I honestly have had it for 2 days and can't get through the whole thing yet. I always try to listen all the way through and then do it again, but it isn't happening here. I realize groups change and evolve, but c'mon...Retail Therapy....really?

Wow. How to properly describe this album? The quality of this album comes through in so many ways. First, the story drives the album. It is hard to turn away as each new song gives you a new twist or draws you deeper into the story. Second, this album has more incredible guitar riffs than most bands have in a career. The mood, story and incredible musicianship is evident all of the way through.

"Funeral" gets the mood going. "Arrival" has a straight-forward feel to it and it should be noted how well the bass guitar is mixed on this album. You can actually hear the technical nature of Hansen's playing. "A Mansion in the Darkness" just is a perfect metal song. King Diamond's voice going from it's highs and lows, as the story dictates, grows on you and it makes the album flow so well. Andy la Rocque and Michael Denner do such a great job of harmonizing and soloing that you never have a feeling of passing on any song. "Family Ghost" and "7th Day" move the story along so well and are quite satisfying. The next three songs are great examples of heavy metal guitar riffs and recurring melodies.

It also should be noted how great Mikkey Dee's drumming is on this album (all of the ones he was on for that matter). He is so creative and made King Diamond albums stand out. He was replaced by Snowy Shaw (and a drum machine) for The Eye and boy you see how much Mickey Dee meant to the KD Band.

"The Black Horsemen" is an epic song that has two great guitar solos to close out the album. I never get tired of that song. Do yourself a favor and don't miss out on this record. It grows and grows on you. The best ones do. Usually you will listen to something and say "What the crap was that?" Hang on, you have probably found your next classic album that you'll love for years to come.

Mezmerize/Hypnotize: System of a Down. These albums were so great and tight, but I just cannot get over how disgusting Violent Pornography is. I also can't get over how gay-sounding She's Like Heroin is. The rest of the songs are just revolutionary and kick-butt. So close, but can't do it.

Defenders of the Faith: Judas Priest. No excuse for this being left off. It probably needs to replace the Ultimate Sin...hmmmmm.

Reign in Blood: Slayer. The songs are very short so that really helps. If it were longer, I'd probably have a headache by the time it was finished. I am not big on listening to lyrics all that much, but I do get disturbed at the themes they go after here. I know it's their thing, but it's too much of an elephant in the room to be ignored.

The Crimson Idol: W.A.S.P. This is a great one, but W.A.S.P tends to have repetitious drum fills all over this album. Another thing is that I dig and understand the recurring melodies but the number of times is repeated smacked of cheating. Also, never, ever name a song something lame like Doctor Rockter. I like the song, but it's like an instant disqualifier. Sort of like naming a song Kick Axe Boyz. Arena of Pleasure is the highlight. Hold on to my Heart is beautiful. Although Blackie made the exact same song on another album and called that one Breathe. Listen to them both. It is uncanny.

St. Anger: Metallica. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Just joking. I can't even get through it once. It is tedious. Here is something they need to learn. Don't make songs whose lengths are measured in calendar days and use a drum set...a real one.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this list. I enjoyed writing it! Be gentle on me...