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Albums you didn’t like at first but grew to like?


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Thought I’d ask this question as I have noticed that I have a couple of albums that fit this criteria, however the one that I think of the most would have to be Judas Priest’s Stained Class, at first I didn’t like the album at all, nothing resonated with me and I just didn’t think it was anything special, it just bored me which is crazy as now it is not just one of my favourite JP albums but one of my all time favourites. I think it’s because at the time I remember being told by a lot of people that it was their best album, and when I listened to it at first for whatever reason it didn’t really seem like it to me.

Do you guys have any examples to share?

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Yes, lots. Some of my absolute all time favorites took me a while to get into. My Dying Bride's Turn Loose The Swans didn't click for a year or two, and then one day I had it on headphones while walking around a local public garden in late afternoon and everything just came together for me. I didn't think much of Opeth when I first heard Morningrise, and then a couple months later I was listening to it every day. Ghost Reveries took me something like seven or eight years to enjoy; same with Borknagar's Empiricism. Katatonia's Discouraged Ones and Viva Emptiness both took repeated listens for me to dig, I couldn't stand The Fall Of Hearts when it first came out, Bethlehem's Dark Metal grew on me pretty significantly, Gorguts' Obscura gave me a headache the first time I heard it, Death and Enslaved in general took years for me to warm up to. Couldn't stand Type O Negative or Tool the first time I heard them (Bloody Kisses and Undertow respectively). I vaguely recall completely hating Parallels by Fates Warning in the 90s, and I fell in love with it at some point over the past couple of years. Several others come to mind as well. This is why I always go back to albums I still don't enjoy. I've had my mind changed enough times that I really never know how or when something's going to click for me.

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Rotting Christ's AEALO album. I was listening into a friend's house, Demonon Vrosis was playing on the Stereo and I was like What The F is this guy listening to.....Nowdays Rotting Christ is one of my favorite bands and AEALO is one of their masterpieces. Till this very day I remember him of that day and we laugh together. Those times were good

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Yep, several.

When I first heard Testament it was during the New Order era. Loved that album and its successor Souls of Black. When Practice What you preach came out, I was underwhelmed. It now, however is in my top three from them.
Low was a similar reaction. I thought that it was such a different sound from them and nothing like their previous album, The Ritual. It has grown on me and now I have several songs that I listen to in a regular basis.

Another one was Maiden's Seventh Son album. After being exposed to them via the Somewhere in Time album, SS was a strange composition to me. Not just the concept part but the writing arrangement etc. After leaving it alone for quite some time, I revisited it and really enjoy that album now.

Slayer's Devine Intervention was in the same boat. Once you get past the ridiculous first track Killing Feilds, the rest of the album is really good.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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I’m a routine fool for this type of thing. Without detail, here are some albums I’ve struggled with but have come to love, sometimes years after release:

Kampfar - ‘Mare’

Dimmu Borgir - ‘Eonian’

Katatonia - ‘Night is the New Day’

Marduk - ‘La Grande Danse Macabre’

There are a thousand others but I can’t think of them at the moment. 

 

 

 

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Speaking of Mayhem, it took me a while to like A Grand Declaration of War.  The first several times that I listened to the album, I was totally thrown off by how weird it is.  I listened to it without realizing that it represented a deliberate attempt to reinvent the band's sound, so I had expected it to sound like Chimera.  I have never been a fan of spoken word, and was initially really disappointed by Maniac's vocal delivery.

Now, though, I have grown to like it more than any other Mayhem release, and I think that that was because it was so different from anything they (or any other bm band) have ever done.  It is a work of genius, and such things can often only be recognized for what they are after spending a great deal of time with them.

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A lot of interesting additions guys, thanks for your input, while I can’t relate to a lot of these (not mad about Black Metal) I can relate to you @audiophile, SSOASS by Iron Maiden to me when I first listened to it sounded radically different to the rest of their stuff to me, this was about the time I’d just got into metal, and when I heard it I thought (naively) “this album sounds too soft” and nothing interested me, however after I listened to their previous albums and Somewhere In Time, I went back to Seventh Son, and I now I love it.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse" is probably the best example for me. I never liked that album when I first heard it. For years afterwards I'd re-visit it and react the same way. I finally took the time to sit down and really listen to it one weekend and these days don't get why I never liked that record in the first place.

 

Deathspell Omega's "Paracletus" is another one. It was way too weird for me at a time when I was just getting back into black metal. The more I listened to it though the more it grew on me. Wow now I want to listen to these albums again...

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Sepultura - Against.

I think this might have been largely due to Max Cavalera leaving the band. He is such an icon and was really hard to imagine Sepultura without him. I did obviously buy the album when it was released, and in time learned to enjoy it. Not as much as Max era albums, but it was decent enough to give it quite few hours in my record player. It´s not something i re-visit as often as older Sepultura stuff, but i do every couple years or so.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Metallica's ride the lighting I did not like at all to begin with. I just gave up listening to it which is crazy. next time I listen to it a few years later  I was blown away and is my favourite of there album's although puppets and kill em all are not far behind. Same here re early opeth. I liked orchids but not massively as the music was very different to anything I'd heard before. After a few listens I really liked it though and there first couple of album's are some of my favourites. Gojira's magma album I thought was very average to begin with but after some play through  I really liked it. 

Early sepultura I overlistened on them and I don't listen as much as I used to. When I first heard chaos ad I hated it but it soon became my favourite after a few listens then again it was the first metal album I heard. Chaossssssssssssssss adddddddddddddd????

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On 8/15/2021 at 1:10 AM, JamesT said:

Oh yeah, I've been in this situation many times.  The first one that comes to mind is "City of Evil" by Avenged Sevenfold.  "I Hear Black" by Overkill is another one.  I've even grown to like "St. Anger" by Metallica, although I know I'm in the vast minority on that. 

liking st anger by mettalica is very impressive. im along way from that right now. 

out of interest what your favourite mettalica album

 

 

On 12/23/2019 at 12:07 AM, RelentlessOblivion said:

Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse" is probably the best example for me. I never liked that album when I first heard it. For years afterwards I'd re-visit it and react the same way. I finally took the time to sit down and really listen to it one weekend and these days don't get why I never liked that record in the first place.

 

Deathspell Omega's "Paracletus" is another one. It was way too weird for me at a time when I was just getting back into black metal. The more I listened to it though the more it grew on me. Wow now I want to listen to these albums again...

interesting relentless oblivion  re emperor nightshade eclipse. i like the album alot but because i only listen to single tracks at a time im definitely losing bit of interest with it which is a shame.id like it alot more if i played it from start  to end, 

 

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I didn't like Dukes' efforts with Exodus at first but in the last few years with no Exodus I've definitely changed my thoughts.

 

I also never liked Sabbat when their albums first came out, took me more than 20 years to go back and give them a listen and decide I liked them.

 

And Warbringer, I wasn't immediately blown away by them like many were, at first I really didn't like War Without and End and Walking into A Nightmare but around the time Woe To The Vanquished was released I went back and started to like what I was hearing.

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2 hours ago, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

liking st anger by mettalica is very impressive. im along way from that right now. 

out of interest what your favourite mettalica album

 

 

interesting relentless oblivion  re emperor nightshade eclipse. i like the album alot but because i only listen to single tracks at a time im definitely losing bit of interest with it which is a shame.id like it alot more if i played it from start  to end, 

 

That's totally understandable about "St. Anger"!  I'd rank Metallica's discography like this:

#10 Load

#9 Reload

#8 St. Anger

#7 The Black Album

#6 Death Magnetic

#5 Hardwired...to Self-Destruct

#4 Ride the Lightning

#3 Kill 'Em All

#2 Master of Puppets

#1 ...And Justice for All

How about you?  Any favorites that stand out? 

 

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On 8/19/2021 at 2:26 AM, JamesT said:

That's totally understandable about "St. Anger"!  I'd rank Metallica's discography like this:

#10 Load

#9 Reload

#8 St. Anger

#7 The Black Album

#6 Death Magnetic

#5 Hardwired...to Self-Destruct

#4 Ride the Lightning

#3 Kill 'Em All

#2 Master of Puppets

#1 ...And Justice for All

How about you?  Any favorites that stand out? 

 

cool list. my favourites are 1. ride the lightning: love this record, just sounds so amazing to my ears, title track is a favourite of mine  and i like the instrumental alot. didn't like this album much at first but i just liked it more and more with time. 

2. master of puppets: a very very good album. dont listen to it much now but used to be my absolute favourite metal album before i rather overplayed it. im sure i can get back in to it again. 

3. kill em all: has the best energy out of all there albums imo. gets bit repetitive for me but when it works its as good as it gets at least for me. 

4. and justice for one and harvester of sorrow. 

5.black album was first mettalica album i got, enter sandman what a track,  

6.load. there was a time 15 plus years ago i listened to this album alot. 

 

ok so you like st anger some what but its hardly your favourite or have i got it wrong😄.  what is your favourite track on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 8/22/2021 at 7:00 PM, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

cool list. my favourites are 1. ride the lightning: love this record, just sounds so amazing to my ears, title track is a favourite of mine  and i like the instrumental alot. didn't like this album much at first but i just liked it more and more with time. 

2. master of puppets: a very very good album. dont listen to it much now but used to be my absolute favourite metal album before i rather overplayed it. im sure i can get back in to it again. 

3. kill em all: has the best energy out of all there albums imo. gets bit repetitive for me but when it works its as good as it gets at least for me. 

4. and justice for one and harvester of sorrow. 

5.black album was first mettalica album i got, enter sandman what a track,  

6.load. there was a time 15 plus years ago i listened to this album alot. 

 

ok so you like st anger some what but its hardly your favourite or have i got it wrong😄.  what is your favourite track on it.

 

 

 

 

Oh yeah, it's far from my favorite haha.  You're correct about that!  I do like a lot of the songs on it, although mostly the first half of the album or so.  I'd say "Frantic" and "My World" are my two favorite songs on it, but I love "Some Kind of Monster" and the title track as well.  I know a huge gripe with most fans is the production - and more specifically the drum sound - but I really don't mind it.  I think the drums sound kind of cool.  This album just has a rawness and energy to it that can be appreciated if you're able to get past the production.  What did you think of "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct"?  

 

 

 

 

 

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On 8/25/2021 at 2:35 AM, JamesT said:

 

death magnetic had that very good track judus kiss. i was disappointed other songs imo were not as energetic. there ok songs. saying that i know alot of people who love this album. not heard hardwired. after reading the reviews i decided not to get it. moth in to flame was good though. the video was fun. they all looked like they was having a blast. also do you agree that album was bit long. think metal hammer said theyd have reviewed it better with some filler tracks taken out of it. what do you think of that. agree or is it bit harsh thing to say?. 

 

thanks for your st anger favourite tracks. may give those a listen

 

 

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1 hour ago, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

death magnetic had that very good track judus kiss. i was disappointed other songs imo were not as energetic. there ok songs. saying that i know alot of people who love this album. not heard hardwired. after reading the reviews i decided not to get it. moth in to flame was good though. the video was fun. they all looked like they was having a blast. also do you agree that album was bit long. think metal hammer said theyd have reviewed it better with some filler tracks taken out of it. what do you think of that. agree or is it bit harsh thing to say?. 

 

thanks for your st anger favourite tracks. may give those a listen

 

 

That's an interesting point about "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct".  I would rank it right behind the 80's classic albums and just one slot ahead of "Death Magnetic" in my discography ranking.  But yes, I do think there are a couple of tracks on "Hardwired" that I'd probably take out.  "Murder One" was a track I was never too crazy about.  But man I absolutely love the album as a whole.  The title track, "Moth Into Flame", "Atlas, Rise!", "Am I Savage?", are all great.  But the best track on it, in my opinion, is "Spit Out the Bone", because it's the most thrash-y that they've sounded since their glory days.  On "Death Magnetic", you're absolutely right about "Judas Kiss"!  Great track.  "All Nightmare Long", "Broken, Beat and Scarred" and "Cyanide" are all really good tracks, too.  And I'm glad to hear you're thinking about checking out those tracks from "St. Anger".  It's really not as bad as a lot of folks say it is.  Happy listening, and rock on!

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On 8/27/2021 at 1:56 AM, JamesT said:

That's an interesting point about "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct".  I would rank it right behind the 80's classic albums and just one slot ahead of "Death Magnetic" in my discography ranking.  But yes, I do think there are a couple of tracks on "Hardwired" that I'd probably take out.  "Murder One" was a track I was never too crazy about.  But man I absolutely love the album as a whole.  The title track, "Moth Into Flame", "Atlas, Rise!", "Am I Savage?", are all great.  But the best track on it, in my opinion, is "Spit Out the Bone", because it's the most thrash-y that they've sounded since their glory days.  On "Death Magnetic", you're absolutely right about "Judas Kiss"!  Great track.  "All Nightmare Long", "Broken, Beat and Scarred" and "Cyanide" are all really good tracks, too.  And I'm glad to hear you're thinking about checking out those tracks from "St. Anger".  It's really not as bad as a lot of folks say it is.  Happy listening, and rock on!

hello again james t. thanks again for a very interesting message. Tbh i can see where your coming from re putting the albums in order you mentioned. Definitely hardwired is most similar imo to those early albums. Tbh its impressive they can still play that fast. there not young anymore. Atlas rise is a good track to me at least, saying that i prefer those early albums to it but its not without merit and the video to spit out the bone is certainly interesting and funny in places, id need to listen bit more to hardwired tracks but big thanks for all recommendations on tracks, i will check these out in time.  frantic and st anger are growing on me a bit too. st anger i never hated it was just an album i thought was very average which disapoints me as mettalica was my absolute favourite metal band and compared to puppets it was miles off for me. the drums are let down for me tbh. lars tried new thing and for me new sound did not work for his drums on st anger which to me made the album worse

also i can see why puppets hardwired, death magnetic, black album or even load could be good introductions to mettalica for non metal fans. There just very accessible imo. First time i heard kill em all and lighting i did not like them that much but they are albums that just got better the more i played them. out of interest what were the Metallica albums you first got in to and which ones were you not so keen on but  you liked them more with more plays

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 8/30/2021 at 6:36 PM, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

hello again james t. thanks again for a very interesting message. Tbh i can see where your coming from re putting the albums in order you mentioned. Definitely hardwired is most similar imo to those early albums. Tbh its impressive they can still play that fast. there not young anymore. Atlas rise is a good track to me at least, saying that i prefer those early albums to it but its not without merit and the video to spit out the bone is certainly interesting and funny in places, id need to listen bit more to hardwired tracks but big thanks for all recommendations on tracks, i will check these out in time.  frantic and st anger are growing on me a bit too. st anger i never hated it was just an album i thought was very average which disapoints me as mettalica was my absolute favourite metal band and compared to puppets it was miles off for me. the drums are let down for me tbh. lars tried new thing and for me new sound did not work for his drums on st anger which to me made the album worse

also i can see why puppets hardwired, death magnetic, black album or even load could be good introductions to mettalica for non metal fans. There just very accessible imo. First time i heard kill em all and lighting i did not like them that much but they are albums that just got better the more i played them. out of interest what were the Metallica albums you first got in to and which ones were you not so keen on but  you liked them more with more plays

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's a great question!  The first Metallica album I really got into was "...And Justice for All", which still stands as my favorite album in their discography.  It wasn't long after that I got into "Master of Puppets" and "Ride the Lightning".  Funny enough, an album of theirs that I wasn't crazy about at first listen was the debut "Kill 'Em All".  Sounds crazy now, I know!  But now I absolutely love that album and would rank it 3rd in their discography.  Regarding the Black Album, I was never crazy about it, and I still view it as quite overrated, although there are some songs I really like on it.  In more recent years, I've given albums like "Load" and "Reload" more of a chance.  I've found a few tracks on those that I enjoy, because I really love blues-based hard rock with a groove to it.  But ultimately, I turn to Metallica for heavy, thrash metal, rather than bluesy hard rock, so I don't listen to those albums much.  Glad to hear you're starting to like a couple of tracks on "St. Anger" a bit more!

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On 9/2/2021 at 4:29 PM, JamesT said:

That's a great question!  The first Metallica album I really got into was "...And Justice for All", which still stands as my favorite album in their discography.  It wasn't long after that I got into "Master of Puppets" and "Ride the Lightning".  Funny enough, an album of theirs that I wasn't crazy about at first listen was the debut "Kill 'Em All".  Sounds crazy now, I know!  But now I absolutely love that album and would rank it 3rd in their discography.  Regarding the Black Album, I was never crazy about it, and I still view it as quite overrated, although there are some songs I really like on it.  In more recent years, I've given albums like "Load" and "Reload" more of a chance.  I've found a few tracks on those that I enjoy, because I really love blues-based hard rock with a groove to it.  But ultimately, I turn to Metallica for heavy, thrash metal, rather than bluesy hard rock, so I don't listen to those albums much.  Glad to hear you're starting to like a couple of tracks on "St. Anger" a bit more!

james t good to hear from you again im pleased you like and justice as much as you do and its your favourite album of theres as lots of people don't like it, probably lack of bass on album did not help. tbh first time i heard and justice i liked it. it was by no means there best work imo but i liked it more than later albums. the track one is bit of a classic, 

yeah i was the same with kill em all. took me a while to like this album. yeah when load was first released i was very disappointed. I did not want a blues rock band but i wanted thrash metal band or at least music similar to black album . i like it somewhat now  but have not listened to it for a while

the one album i dont get is reload. ive never listened to it much. fuel is a fun track. but my reload cd is just gathering dust in the attic.  should  listen to it more of a listen

 

 

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3 hours ago, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

james t good to hear from you again im pleased you like and justice as much as you do and its your favourite album of theres as lots of people don't like it, probably lack of bass on album did not help. tbh first time i heard and justice i liked it. it was by no means there best work imo but i liked it more than later albums. the track one is bit of a classic, 

yeah i was the same with kill em all. took me a while to like this album. yeah when load was first released i was very disappointed. I did not want a blues rock band but i wanted thrash metal band or at least music similar to black album . i like it somewhat now  but have not listened to it for a while

the one album i dont get is reload. ive never listened to it much. fuel is a fun track. but my reload cd is just gathering dust in the attic.  should  listen to it more of a listen

 

 

 

 

Great to hear from you again, too!  Yeah, I definitely think the lack of bass sound on the original recording of "...And Justice for All" is the main reason why the folks who don't love it feel the way they do.  It's always been my favorite album of theirs, because the songwriting is superb, and it's still very heavy.  I actually like Reload better than Load.  "Fuel" is a good track for sure, and I just think it has more solid heavy tracks than Load.  It would be a great idea to give "Reload" more of a listen!  I would recommend the tracks "The Memory Remains", "Devil's Dance", "Carpe Diem Baby" and "Bad Seed".  Those are some pretty heavy, groovy rockers.  Happy listening!

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Borknagar - The Olden Domain

I hated this when I first heard it.  Rygg's vocals are an acquired taste and usually if I can't get past the vocals the rest of your stuff is dead to me.  However, something kept bringing me back to the record and with subsequent listens the true wonder of the album unlocked before my very eyes (ears).  This is an album of many layers that need to be peeled back one at a time, so in essence the vocals had to be sub-consciously stripped away to listen to everything else.  Overtime then, once I had engaged with the storytelling aspect of the album the relevance of the vocals was obvious and they fit perfectly.  My favourite Borknagar record by a long chalk.

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