Quote:
Originally Posted by [QUOTE=Kevin Kolodziej
This thread needs more Swedish love, as in Soilwork, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, Opeth, Arch Enemy, and especially Scar Symmetry. I'm sad that Scary Symmetry has two new vocalists (to replace one awesome one), but the new sound stands on its own.
If you want to go old school, you can't go wrong with Megadeth and Anthrax. I never really did get into Slayer. Metallica is Metallica...take 'em or leave 'em. Its just nice to have them all still around (and in top form in Megadeth's case).
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That's the wrong type of Swedish love.
In Flames' first four albums are incredible, but everything after that is sucky. Dark Tranquillity and Amon Amarth are okay, but nothing special. Arch Enemy's stuff with Johan is pretty good, and their Angela material is okay if you accept it for what it is (cheesy anthem metal that hasn't changed in nearly 10 years). Can't stand Soilwork or Scar Symmetry. Children of Bodom are from Finland, not Sweden.
Now if you want good Swedish melodic death metal, listen to Unanimated, Gates of Ishtar, At the Gates (particularly their early material), Eucharist, Ceremonial Oath, The Haunted's second album (
The Haunted Made Me Do It), Dissection (typically lumped in with black metal, but they're one of the important bands in the melodeath movement, especially early on), and Centinex.
Otherwise, there's tons of traditional Swedish death metal that's awesome. Repugnant, Tribulation, Dismember, Entombed, Death Breath, Maim, Skeletal Spectre, Bloodbath, Unleashed, and The Crown. And the proggier acts like Edge of Sanity and Opeth.
I've never been a fan of Anthrax, though I do like S.O.D.
Megadeth has a couple really good albums (namely Peace Sells), but overall I find them somewhat overrated. Metallica's first two albums are incredible, especially
Kill 'Em All, but tailed off after that (and really hit bottom in the 90s and 2000s). Slayer is the most consistent of the "big four," but even they haven't done anything particularly good since
Seasons in the Abyss.
In terms of 80s thrash, Kreator reigns supreme. Slayer, Destruction, Metallica, D.R.I., and Coroner also put out terrific albums, but Kreator delivered consistent greatness through the decade.
Pleasure to Kill is one of my favorite thrash albums and
Extreme Aggressions,
Coma of Souls, and
Terrible Certainty aren't far behind.
In terms of the "thrash revival" during the 2000s, there are some bands definitely worth checking out (and tons and tons of mediocre ones to go along with them). Vektor, Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Vulcan, SSS, Evile, Toxic Holocaust, Pyrotoxic, Children, Gama Bomb, Lich King, and National Suicide are all definitely worth listening to.