Forever heavy: 30 records that keep me headbanging (part I)
Metal is a huge part of my life – these are the ones I keep coming back to over and over again.
[This post ran a little long – if you’re reading in your email app, click ‘read in app’ or ‘view in browser’ to get the whole thing]
Before we get stuck into the latest mammoth two-parter, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who completed last week’s survey – hundreds of you got involved, which is honestly really helpful as I continue to published stuff under the deep cuts name.
I’ll be using some of your answers to think carefully about what I cover and how I do it, to make sure you’re all getting what you want from this newsletter. If you fancy even more of a say, you can join the paid subscribers – they also receive the weekly ‘In My Ears’ listening diary, as well as additional videos, the full archive and more.
As a bit of a summer special, for August only I’m also slapping on an additional 20% discount – that means a whole year of access for £36 (roughly $48). Check out the offer here.
After the phenomenal response to the ambient series – and seeing from the survey that readers overwhelmingly want more genre explorations – I knew metal had to be next.
But how to approach it? I could have gone with 30 heavy metal albums, but what even qualifies as pure ‘metal’ these days? The progression of the genre since the 70s means we have an endless stream of unique sub-genres to wade through. Should I focus on the genre’s origins and risk skipping over newer, boundary-pushing records? What about doom, death, sludge?
For this piece, I didn’t want to obsess over labels; as with the ambient series, I wanted it to be about a feeling. Talking about doom in the most recent YouTube video, it struck me how closely heavy music skirts the boundaries of the spiritual. A riff that hits like a migraine, drums that land like a freight train, vocals that sound as if they’re bubbling up from a cracked geyser in the earth.
My first forays into metal were music videos on Kerrang and Scuzz TV, heavy tracks that opened my eyes to how intense music could be. I started picking up CDs from HMV and Virgin Megastore with covers akin to horror films – who were these masked guys staring menacingly at me? I had to find out, and it being a time when the internet was still a few years away from defining our music-consuming experience, I blindly bought anything I could afford to.
I also remember having to persevere when I first started; a lot of it sounded too caustic to my young ears, and I couldn’t understand why someone would enjoy the aural pummelling and screeching voices. But by the age of 13, I was well on the way to falling in love with how brutal – and cathartic – metal can be.
So this list isn’t about perfectly defining a genre in 30 records, rather picking the records that define my love of that heavy feeling.
These are my 30. Forever heavy.
Keep your eyes peeled next Tuesday for part II of the series, and in the meantime if you want to listen along whilst you read I’ve curated a playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
Botch – We Are The Romans (1999)
We Are The Romans just does something to me; loading up first track ‘Our Friends in the Great White North’ and getting thwacked by Dave Knudson’s twisting guitar line puts me into some sort of trance-like tunnel vision that doesn’t widen for the rest of the record. I was able to catch the mathcore legends at the London date of their final victory lap tour last year, and the sheer energy vibrating through the crowd during the tracks from this album was an astonishing thing to be a part of. The Washington state band weren’t prolific, only releasing a couple of studio LPs and EPs, but the scarcity makes all of the Botch output absolutely essential. There are few better endings to a record than the explosion of energy delivered by ‘Man the Ramparts.’
On the playlist: ‘Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb’ & ‘Frequency Ass Bandit’
Metallica – Master of Puppets (1986)
People will argue Ride the Lightning or …And Justice For All are better albums, but to those people I would say: eh? Undeniably a founding relic of the thrash scene, Metallica’s third record defined the influences of musicians and heavy music fans the world over. My first exposure to this belter was a strange one, picking up a Kerrang issue which featured a covers album for the 20th anniversary of the record. The track list included tributes by Trivium, Machine Head and Funeral for a Friend among others, so my 14-year-old brain couldn’t comprehend how ‘old’ the original sounded when I got around to listening a year or so later. It was years later when I finally fell for the original in all of its thrash glory – it was a revelation to hear James Hetfield sing ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’ instead of Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck. No offence, Matt, but woof.
On the playlist: ‘Battery’ & ‘Master of Puppets’
Breach – It’s Me God (1997)
One of the great overlooked records of the 90s, it blows my mind that Breach hasn’t yet been rediscovered by a fresh generation of music fans looking for some intensity. A Swedish post-hardcore group that briefly stepped into the limelight during a support stint with fellow countrymen Refused, their sophomore record is 37 minutes of misanthropy; sludge and post hardcore instrumentation frames Thomas Hallbom’s anguished screams perfectly, resulting in one of those frenetic face-melters of a listen. While later records like Kollapse would bring a more experimental edge with instrumental interludes and moments of quiet clarity, It’s Me God does not let up for even a second.
On the playlist: ‘Valid’ & ‘Centre’
Pupil Slicer – Mirrors (2021)
When I placed this at number 3 in my 2021 Albums of the Year video, I said “if I listen to this album too much, I’m going to end up with a neck injury.” Four years on and the sentiment endures; for me, Mirrors still stands tall with records made by mathcore greats like Dillinger Escape Plan (DEP) and Botch. Vocalist Kate Davies juggles the dual roles of vocalist and guitarist, no mean feat considering the technical prowess of the instrumentation across the entire record. Even just rhythmically, I cannot fathom how it’s possible to perform those two essential roles in tandem. Their voice is a frantic, ragged scream, competing with a powerhouse drum performance from Josh Andrews. And even when the influences feel a little obvious (the chorus of L’appel Du Vide may as well be a late-period DEP cut) it still holds its own as a brilliant piece of work.
On the playlist: ‘Martyrs’ & ‘Worthless’
Thergothon – Stream from the Heavens (1994)
Veering us firmly into the ‘acquired taste’ category is Thergothon, a band once described to me as someone wailing in slow motion while syrup is slowly poured down their throat. Funny and not entirely inaccurate, you’ll probably either love this cornerstone of doom metal or hate it. The Finnish trio only ever produced one record, granting them cult status among metal fans as the founders of the excellently-named sub-sub-genre, ‘funeral doom’. The utter bleakness is very much the pull of Stream from the Heavens, its crushing slow riffs trudge along, time crawling between snare hits. Niko Sirkiä’s vocal style is a near-expired guttural growl, coming off like the final gasps of a dying king lamenting to his attentive subjects. If you find yourself struggling after a first listen, I recommend returning when you feel up to it – it’s one of those projects that can take time to reveal its majesty.
On the playlist: ‘Yet The Watchers Guard’ & ‘Who Rides the Astral Wings’
Opeth – Watershed (2008)
They say your first Opeth will always be your favourite. Actually, I’ve never heard anyone say that, but it was certainly the case for me. I was introduced to the Swedish prog-metal powerhouse through the guitarist of my high school band, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of incorporating more genres into heavy music than I ever realised possible. I can remember first learning ‘Coil’ and ‘Heir Apparent’ and feeling like the most versatile guitarist in the world, jumping from the lilting folk of the former to the palm-muted dissonance of the latter. Mikael Åkerfeldt and the gang produced one of the most satisfying prog metal albums with Watershed – by leaning so heavily into the throwback pastoral prog stylings, they made the death metal sections hit even harder. It might not be their heaviest record, but it’ll always be my favourite.
On the playlist: ‘Heir Apparent’ & ‘Hex Omega’
Converge – Jane Doe (2001)
Raw, unpredictable – and, according to one listener, like taking a sander to the face. Boston metalcore legends Converge hit it out the park for fourth studio effort Jane Doe, a record that has lost absolutely none of its potency in the near-quarter of a century since it released. If it wasn’t yet clear from the picks so far, more often than not my metal proclivities tend to err on the side of complexity. I love to hear a band pair crushing brutality with breakneck sections that ricochet off of one another, delivering a feeling of spiralling chaos. If you’re looking for that kind of untethered ferocity, this is for you; vocalist Jacob Bannon’s screams sound more distorted than the guitars on opener ‘Concubine,’ and rarely let up throughout the record’s running time.
On the playlist: ‘Fault and Fracture’ & ‘Heaven in Her Arms’
Melvins – Houdini (1993)
Up until recently, Melvins was one of my shameful blind spots. They had gained fabled status in my head in that way knowledge gaps often become, and I vowed to rectify it by listening through to all of their classic releases. Fifth record Houdini stuck with me above all else, and remains in frequent rotation months later. A record that often gets overshadowed by its story, Kurt Cobain came on to help produce but was fired by the band when sessions became unproductive and Cobain’s drug use became a greater problem. He would be dead mere months later. This is a back to front wicked collection of sludge metal and stoner songs, not to mention a Kiss cover in ‘Goin’ Blind.’ Elsewhere, ‘Honey Bucket’ has distortion so thick and woolly it makes Billy Corgan’s classic Smashing Pumpkins tone sound thin. Having not looked into how on earth Buzz Osborne gets that sound, I can only assume it’s a fuzz pedal into five more fuzz pedals.
On the playlist: ‘Night Goat’ & ‘Honey Bucket’
Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works (2007)
About as memorable as that time DEP guitarist Ben Weinman smacked me in the mouth with his headstock whilst crowdsurfing (true story), in my eyes Ire Works will forever be the jewel in the crown of this influential band. It’s true that I struggled to pick between this and ferocious debut Calculating Infinity, which is one of the most biting records you’re likely to hear, but Ire Works feels like an accomplishment in tone and delivery, a full realisation of what a band like DEP was capable of. From the opening second, ‘Fix Your Face’ doesn’t so much fix it as tear it off completely, with pelting drums and the gruff, throaty screams of Greg Puciato. This record also marks the moment the band became equally interested in more conventional songwriting, epitomised by tracks like ‘Black Bubblegum’ and ‘Milk Lizard.’ But their deft dance between experimental and straightforward keeps Ire Works fresh and bracing.
On the playlist: ‘Lurch’ & ‘Party Smasher’
Obituary – Cause of Death (1990)
Sometimes you just want to escape the everyday humdrum with music that blasts you into a stupor with its sheer force. This article’s central point – that these records keep me headbanging – is none clearer than with Floridian death metallers Obituary’s second record, featuring one of the absolute best cover arts in heavy music history. Just look at it, how metal can you get? One of Roadrunner Records’ early success stories, Cause of Death absolutely rips with its deep grooves and walloping drums, John Tardy barking lyrics like ‘With the darkness we arise / Your hell is denied’. 35 years later, this probably still stands as the greatest death metal record ever produced.
On the playlist: ‘Chopped in Half’ & ‘Cause of Death’
Meshuggah – Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
The mighty Swedish titans are often described as ‘your favourite metal band’s favourite metal band’, and for good reason; their insane technical proficiency has made them one of the most influential metal bands of the past 30 years, proving there’s always room for creativity and innovation in the genre. They’ve remained a staple of heavy music due to their focus on syncopation, tangled time signatures and a particularly nasty palm muted chug which lead them to unintentionally birth the ‘Djent’ subgenre (of which I’m still sceptical is an actual genre, but hey ho). Destroy Erase Improve is the Meshuggah album I always come back to, because it has a rough edges that were smoothed out on follow-up records like obZen.
On the playlist: ‘Beneath’ & ‘Inside What’s Within Behind’
Mastodon – Leviathan (2004)
Another record that fell into the unsuspecting hands of a 12-year-old Oliver and proceeded to warp his brain, Leviathan is a defining statement of heavy metal in the 2000s – both a throwback to its metal forefathers and a thrilling example of what modern metal could be capable of. There is something enticing about taking the essence of one of the great tomes of literature (Moby Dick, in case the artwork wasn’t obvious), and turning it into a ten-song odyssey of tasty riffage and iconic lines of paranoia like ‘I think that someone is trying to kill me.’ The Atlanta quartet seem to revel in the subject matter, with galloping tracks like ‘Island’ whipping waves up like a great maelstrom, spilling buckets of seawater across the bridge of Ahab’s battered vessel. Those unconvinced need only listen to the one-two hit of ‘Blood and Thunder’ and ‘I Am Ahab’ to understand the brilliance of Leviathan. Don’t fight it.
On the playlist: ’Blood and Thunder’ & ‘Iron Tusk’
Between the Buried & Me – Colors (2007)
Very much the Pink Floyd of the first half of this list, Between the Buried and Me’s best record is a flamboyant, over-the-top metal opera. Mileage may vary depending on your taste, but I’ve always been drawn to the kind of metal which isn’t afraid to fling the listener from genre to genre in service of a kaleidoscopic and varied experience. Written as a single song broken up into eight tracks, the North Carolina group kick things off with a gentle piano refrain before engaging the rollercoaster in earnest, flipping through genres as varied as space rock, jazz, even a brief slither of country towards the end of the brilliant ‘Ants of the Sky.’ While other metal concept records may be more cohesive, Colors remains a top-tier favourite of mine for its sheer entertainment value, showcasing a band at the peak of their technical powers with tongues firmly in cheek.
On the playlist: ‘(B) The Decade of Statues’ & ‘Ants of the Sky’
Jesu – Jesu (2004)
English musician Justin Broadrick has carved out a legacy of heavy music; a one-time member of Napalm Death, he played guitar on their classic debut Scum, before moving on to found Godflesh (two important bands I may or may not touch on during next week’s second part). But in 2002 he tried something entirely different with Jesu, a stunning concoction of metal, drone and shoegaze that manages to deftly balance the weight of its huge droning riffs with a tender sensitivity, ending up as the most emotionally-raw record on this list. ‘Tired of Me’ was written following the break-up of Godflesh and Broadrick’s long-term relationship, his echoing voice sounding caged by those monolithic chords.
On the playlist: ‘Your Path to Divinity’ & ‘Walk on Water’
Black Sabbath – Master of Reality (1971)
What, you thought there would be no Sabbath on this list? There was no way the band who invented heavy metal could be omitted, especially a record as entertaining and riff-tastic as this one. I mentioned in a recent ‘In My Ears’ post that this is my favourite of the Sabbath LPs, returning to it following the ‘Back to the Beginning’ Villa Park gig. Since Ozzy’s death a few weeks ago, Master of Reality has found its way even more squarely into my weekly rotation – heavier than the records that came before it, Tony Iommi’s riffs became thicker and sludgier than ever before, none more so than on that hypnotic opener ‘Sweet Leaf.’ There’s a rawness to the heaviest tracks on the record, with the acoustic interludes of ‘Embryo’ and ‘Orchid’ offering a brief respite from the doom. Decades ahead of its time, it’s still one of the best ever.
On the playlist: ‘Sweet Leaf’ & ‘Children of the Grave’
Phew, made it through the first half! I hope you’ve enjoyed digging into my favourite heavy records, and fingers crossed you found something you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to before.
Please do let me know your favourite metal records in the comments section, and what you think should be included in next week’s second part.
Love this:
“I also remember having to persevere when I first started; a lot of it sounded too caustic to my young ears, and I couldn’t understand why someone would enjoy the aural pummelling and screeching voices.”
Metal is a genre that I have always struggled with and perseverance is key to how I started to enjoy the genre.
Botch as the first pick goes extremely hard.
As an underrated gem, Sepultura's Max Cavalera had a one-off project called Nailbomb that did one album called Point Blank. With an extremely disturbing album cover and pummelling riffs, it's the mix of thrash and industrial I reach for should the first cup of coffee of the day fail to do the trick.
Also, would love to hear your thoughts on the latest and maybe greatest by The Armed, The Future Is Here and Everything Must be Destroyed; an ambitious title they somehow live up to especially with track #1, Well Made Play. Feels like the record they were trying to make their whole career and finally succeeded!