My first entry into this 1001 Albums Generator, my first entry into Slayer, and frankly my first entry into thrash metal at large.
I had no real idea what to expect going in, other than the gruesome Hieronymous Bosch-esque cover and my pre-conceived ideas of what metal is, and frankly this has blown me away. As a fan of a lot of punk and hardcore this keeps that same ethos of intensity and efficiency, but incorporates theatrical levels of satanic lyricism which I can get on board with.
Really book-ended by two incredible tracks in Angel of Death and Raining Blood, the rest of the album on first listens has washed over me in a flood of sheer thundering intensity. Jesus Saves is perhaps the other stand out track that keeps drawing my attention with its slower chugging riffs. But as a whole, this is ferocious, super cohesive and keeps you wanting more. No fat.
Very interested to hear other Slayer albums, and other 80s thrash that maybe isn't as hardcore-adjacent just to hear the full variety.
Mental to me that this was produced by Rick Rubin and released on Def Jam... what a curveball. I also checked the Tori Amos cover of Raining Blood - weirdly effective.
I've been a big fan of the debut for a long time, but hadn't listened to this classic until now, apart from some of the big hitters.
Candy Says is a gorgeous opening track, and I was also familiar with Pale Blue Eyes as one of my favourite love songs for hungover mornings. After Hours was the other I knew going in although less well.
Other tracks are more classic Velvet Underground, although with a more subdued feel than the debut (I've not yet listened to White Light/White Heat so can't compare.) Goes to show maybe how much John Cale was pushing the experimental side of the band.
.
The Murder Mystery is a cool experiment and develops nicely over it's run-time.
My first time giving Metallica a proper go, and whilst this has some big tunes on it I am not immediately in love. Perhaps I had quite high expectations after how much I enjoyed Slayer last week, but I found this to be quite a long slog.
Enter Sandman is undoubtedly the highlight with its iconic riff, and benefits from being the first track to hit your ears. After that though I felt the album becomes quite a one-dimensional marathon, chugging along for a full hour. There are definitely some great parts in there, the sitar that opens The Unforgiven, some sweet solos, and Nothing Else Matters is a welcome vibe shift. I also like The Struggle Within with its slippery time signatures and faster tempo, but by that point in the album I was running out of stamina. I struggle to think of defining features of the other songs on here.
I'm sure many of these songs are great on their own, but as a total package they are all a bit much for me. I also totally recognise the epic legacy this album has had, and do want to check out earlier Metallica. I think I prefer the faster side of thrash.
My first time listening to R.E.M. other than their big hits, despite how iconic this album cover is.
I think definitely the kind of album that will grow on me with repeated listens as I can take in the lyrics more. I'm not immediately in love with Michael Stipe's voice but the lyrics that I picked up on are definitely special.
Everybody hurts is a tricky one - it's been so overplayed that it takes a moment to actually appreciate it - but when you do it is a beautiful and devastating song.
Other songs on here varied for me, not my normal cup of tea but I keep getting moments of greatness peeking through.
That said, the last three tracks here are all incredible. Man on the Moon is just a great song, I know nothing about Andy Kaufman and I bet it'll only get better as I read up on him. Nightswimming... really special. No further notes at this time. And the Find the River, what an outro.
A lot about death and mortality on this badboy. 3/5 for now but confident this will get bumped up once I've had more time to dwell on the lyrics.
A personal favourite of mine, and perhaps my favourite Kendrick album. TPAB is an obvious masterpiece, but is such a dense piece of work that I don't find myself reaching for it often. GKMC on the other hand, with its narrower scope and more traditional beats, is one I have played many times and am now very familiar with.
The production is so nice, there are so many now iconic beats on this and the genres hop around like you're in the car arguing over what radio channel to listen to as you cruise. The interludes riff on the classic trope of using voicemails as intros/outros, but in the concept album context provide essential narrative beats.
The story being told keeps you locked in to every word he says, and the track ordering is fantastic to keep suspense. To me this is Kendrick's first incredible album, and it was clear from this point he is one of the greatest wordsmiths ever to do it, a reputation that has only grown since.
Very tricky to form opinions on a full double album in one day - will revisit this review over the weekend.
