Ranking Bands' Discographies: Each release better than the next/last

First Post February 08, 2025 12:28 PM

I've had fun ranking band's discographies in different clans, and I decided to do a special thread for this activity. Some bands I've listened to have actually sounded gradually better or worse to my ears in the span of at least 7 albums/EPs without any bumps high or low. It's actually kind of rare for listeners to experience that kind of streak within a band, which is why I've made this a multi-clan thread. What are some bands that you think have had an "each release better than the next/last" line of at least 7 releases (albums/EPs), whether covering part of or the entire discography? Feel free to post them here.


Here are a couple bands in which I find each release better than the last:

Trail of Tears

1. Disclosure in Red

2. Profoundemonium

3. A New Dimension of Might

4. Free Fall Into Fear

5. Existentia

6. Bloodstained Endurance

7. Oscillation

8. Winds of Disdain (EP)


Lorna Shore

1. Triumph (EP)

2. Bone Kingdom (EP)

3. Maleficium (EP)

4. Psalms

5. Flesh Coffin

6. Immortal

7. ...And I Return to Nothingness (EP)

8. Pain Remains


And a couple bands in which I find each release better than the next in part of their discographies (when rated via stars, which may differ from the actual album rankings):

Voivod

1. Killing Technology

2. Dimension Hatröss

3. Nothingface

4. Angel Rat

5. The Outer Limits

6. Negatron

7. Phobos


Mechina

1. Acheron

2. Progenitor

3. As Embers Turn to Dust

4. Telesterion

5. Siege

6. Venator

7. Cenotaph

Tune in next month or two, after their new album Bellum Interruptum comes out and I listen to and review it, to see if it ends up continuing Mechina's quality-lowering streak or not.

February 08, 2025 01:01 PM

In Flames would have to be my canonical example of the latter:

1. Lunar Strain

2. Subterranean E.P.

3. The Jester Race

4. Black-Ash Inheritance E.P.

5. Whoracle

6. Colony

7. Clayman

We could skip the EPs and continue the descent even further!
February 08, 2025 02:06 PM

In Flames was really making a gradual descent in quality from the melodeath glory of the 90s to the alt-metal atrocity of the 2010s, around twice as many albums as the ones from each of the bands I've listed above. That's part of what made me gave up on listening to this band a few years ago, though they made a slightly better comeback to the in-between of the 2000s with their new album Foregone in 2023.

February 08, 2025 04:15 PM

This is extraordinarily difficult for me to find.  The only band of this example with more four albums that I can think of is Boston, and they aren't even metal.  Yes, each one did get gradually worse, and they only have six.