Unpopular Metal Opinions
According to the latest studies, 14 years of age is where this phenomenon is at its strongest.
Psych major here - During adolescence, our bodies are hyper-sensitive to stimulus of all kinds, especially emotional stimulus. This means that experiences and feelings we have at this stage in our life are intensified, and therefore solidified as significant memories in our brain. Anything that makes us feel strongly is more liable to be remembered and considered important to us, and since we are prone to feel more of everything in this period of our lives, what we experience often becomes ingrained much more significantly than in other periods of life. Evolutionary purpose? Humans need to take risks to evolve, and this risk taking behavior stems from the extreme sensitivity to feeling and the drive for more of it in this period of our lives. Favoring music (or anything) from this time period is a by-product of this.At least, that was the consensus when I learned it. The field is always changing (and it's been some time since studying psych) so the details might not be 100%, but that's the gist of it.
Good to know that there's some scientific basis to what I thought was a personal theory. Interesting stuff, and explains why I still play Amiga games that I originally played around 1990.
Live albums are overrated
Live albums are overrated
I've got a good one:
Ben's opinions are overrated.
Live albums are overrated
I've got a good one:
Ben's opinions are overrated.
That is indeed a very unpopular thing to say Daniel. I guess this is the place for it.
OK, so it's time for me to share some of my wacky Judas Priest opinions. Don't say I didn't warn you. :)
1. Priest's best 70's studio albums were "Killing Machine" & "Rocka Rolla".
2. "Turbo" is one of Judas Priest's top three studio albums.
3. "Screaming For Vengeance" isn't as metal as it's made out to be & is overrated.
4. "Stained Class" is a consistent release but is lacking in the highlights department.
5. "Sin After Sin" has a three track quality hole in the middle of the album which makes it Priest's weakest 70's release.
6. "Living After Midnight" is an absolute shocker.
OK, so allow me to retort...
1. Killing Machine is a good album, but Rocka Rolla is unremarkable. Neither are a patch on Stained Class and Sad Wings.
2. Really?? err... OK. That IS an unpopular opinion (and it IS a shit record).
3. I agree.
4, I disagree. Exciter, Stained Class and Beyond the Realms of Death are all among Priest's best songs.
5. I kinda disagree, although Last Rose of Summer is a bit drippy.
6. This is a true statement. Although it's not as bad as Take on the World or the truly execrable United (in fact British Steel as a whole is their most overrated album).
OK, so allow me to retort...
1. Killing Machine is a good album, but Rocka Rolla is unremarkable. Neither are a patch on Stained Class and Sad Wings.
2. Really?? err... OK. That IS an unpopular opinion (and it IS a shit record).
4, I disagree. Exciter, Stained Class and Beyond the Realms of Death are all among Priest's best songs.
Quoted Sonny92
Unlike most people, I don't find "Rocka Rolla" to be all that unremarkable. I can understand the claims that it's lacking a bit of focus as there's certainly a lot of jumping around stylistically but you could also say that this equates to some interesting variety. I really enjoy the progressive & psychedelic components & (with the exception of "Winter Retreat") find it to be a very consistent record as far as overall quality goes. In fact, "Run Of The Mill" is an amazing piece of work & it takes up over 20% of the run time. I think "Rocka Rolla" suffers a lot from the fact that it's not a metal record. In my experience Priest fans don't generally take too kindly to that sort of thing.
I really like "Sad Wings Of Destiny" (with the exception of "Epitaph") but I just don't think it has as many highlights as people make out. "Victim Of Changes" is the only classic for me personally & I've never thought a track like "Tyrant" was as special as some people make it out to be.
There's definitely a strong case for claiming "Stained Class" to be the most consistently metal release to the time but that doesn't make me like it more than some of Priest other 70's releases. I've never understood why "Exciter" is held up on such a pedestal. It sounds pretty light-weight & bouncy to my ears & makes me feel like tapping my toe more than bang my head which is not a positive observation. It's not in the same league as an absolute banger of an opener like "Delivering The Goods" or "Victim Of Changes" in my opinion. I've never thought the title track was all that remarkable either actually. My faves from "Stained Class" are "Better by You, Better Than Me", "Beyond the Realms of Death" & "Heroes End" with the cover being my pick of the bunch. I dunno about you but I actually don't like "Invader" much. It's the only dud on the tracklisting for mine.
"Turbo" was my introduction to Priest & came at a very impressionable time in my life. It was the age of arena rock megastars so I was already well accustomed to a bit of hair metal pomp. "Turbo Lover" & "Out In The Cold" not only sit amongst my favourite Priest tracks ever but I actually hold them up as some of the greatest heavy metal anthems ever recorded so that obviously skews my opinion a bit. Sure there are a couple of overly commerical duds in the middle of the tracklisting (see "Rock You All Around the World" & "Parental Guidance") but that was hardly unusual for a Priest album to the time & the rest of the album is actually very strong if you can deal with a bit of 80's synth work in the production (which I clearly can). I honestly can't fault tracks like "Locked In" & "Hot For Love". Even "Private Property" gets me going if I'm honest.
I'll give Turbo the accolade of being underrated, I personally prefer it to British Steel and Killing Machine myself, but it does have some weak material. That being said... "Reckless" is in my top Judas Priest songs. Super underrated closer, amazing riffs and solos.
The track Stained Class is one of my Priest favourites, as is Genocide from Sad Wings and while Epitaph is no classic in itself, I fuckin love the way it segues into Island of Domination.
As an old ex-biker (grebo was the old expression), I hate glam and hair metal and that Eighties arena rock sound so Turbo was never going to rev me up the way the earlier material did.
1. "No Prayer For The Dying" isn't a bad Iron Maiden record. It just suffers from comparisons with their previous material.
2. I'd take Maiden's 2006 album "A Matter Of Life & Death" over the self-titled, "KIllers" or "Brave New World".
3. "Dance Of Death" is the only bad Bruce Dickinson-fronted Maiden record.
4. "Divine Intervention" is a better record than "Hell Awaits" which is the weakest of Slayer's classic period releases.
5. "Live Undead" is a genuine classic & the best of Slayer's pre-"Reign In Blood" releases.
6. Slayer's "Repentless" isn't a bad record.
1. "No Prayer For The Dying" isn't a bad Iron Maiden record. It just suffers from comparisons with their previous material.
2. I'd take Maiden's 2006 album "A Matter Of Life & Death" over the self-titled, "KIllers" or "Brave New World".
3. "Dance Of Death" is the only bad Bruce Dickinson-fronted Maiden record.
4. "Divine Intervention" is a better record than "Hell Awaits" which is the weakest of Slayer's classic period releases.
5. "Live Undead" is a genuine classic & the best of Slayer's pre-"Reign In Blood" releases.
6. Slayer's "Repentless" isn't a bad record.
1. Agree
2. S/T & Killers absolutely disagree, BNW agree.
3. Any album with a track like Passchendaele on can't be bad in my book. Brave New World is my most disliked Bruce-fronted album.
4. Hmm.. interesting. Think I'll sit on the fence on this one (Hell Awaits is a bit overrated).
5. Live Undead is a great record but I love Show No Mercy and Haunting the Chapel too.
6. I agree. It's better than the three that precede it.
5. Live Undead is a great record but I love Show No Mercy and Haunting the Chapel too.
Don't get me wrong here. I love "Show No Mercy" & "Haunting The Chapel" too. In fact "Haunting The Chapel" is a genuine classic in its own right & "Show No Mercy" is the best of the Big Four debuts in my opinion. I just think that the band member's overall energy & fast improving techniques (particularly Lombardo's) give "Live Undead" an edge over "Show No Mercy" while its brighter, clearer production is an improvement on "Haunting The Chapel".
Here's another unpopular opinion by the way, "Chemical Warfare" is the weaker of the three tracks from "Haunting The Chapel". "Captor Of Sin" & "Haunting The Chapel" are the genuine classics for me, particularly the title track which is generally overlooked but is one of Slayer's best overall.
3. Any album with a track like Passchendaele on can't be bad in my book. Brave New World is my most disliked Bruce-fronted album.Quoted Sonny92
I have to admit that I actually don't like "Paschendale". There are only a few tracks that I like on "Dance Of Death" with "Gates of Tomorrow" being the clear highlight for me.
Unpopular Maiden opinion: The "Satellite 15..." intro track on "The Final Frontier" is amazing & is amongst the best things Maiden have done since their classic period.
1. "No Prayer For The Dying" isn't a bad Iron Maiden record. It just suffers from comparisons with their previous material.
2. I'd take Maiden's 2006 album "A Matter Of Life & Death" over the self-titled, "KIllers" or "Brave New World".
3. "Dance Of Death" is the only bad Bruce Dickinson-fronted Maiden record.
4. "Divine Intervention" is a better record than "Hell Awaits" which is the weakest of Slayer's classic period releases.
5. "Live Undead" is a genuine classic & the best of Slayer's pre-"Reign In Blood" releases.
6. Slayer's "Repentless" isn't a bad record.
1. Agree
2. Haven't given it the time of day, but I wouldn't be surprised if I agree. Killers is decent, but clearly the worst of the band's first 7 albums IMO.
3. Again, haven't listened to these later albums, so can't comment.
4. Blasphemy. Hell does indeed await for you with comments like that. 
5. Your worship of live releases over studio albums has always baffled me.
6. After the admittedly few listens I gave it, I'd have to disagree. Divine Intervention was the last Slayer album that I actually enjoy, and even that one is pretty hit and miss.
5. Your worship of live releases over studio albums has always baffled me.Quoted Ben
"Live" is a very strong term to use when referring to "Live Undead".
5. Your worship of live releases over studio albums has always baffled me.Quoted Ben
"Live" is a very strong term to use when referring to "Live Undead".
It's performed live isn't it? Whether the audience is actually present or not doesn't really change that fact. Or does it?
4. "Divine Intervention" is a better record than "Hell Awaits" which is the weakest of Slayer's classic period releases.
Divine Intervention is an AMAZING record that just hit at the wrong time. Changing lineup, slightly different sound and production issues mean it will always be marred... but DI is seriously Slayer at their most technical, the songwriting is probably their best as well. The riffs are less flashy but really, really dark, it's truly a cold album with some very well written sinister lyrics that aren't comic book evil at all. Focused more on real life, real evil. And the solos on that record are easily their best ever, seemed like the only time they put thought into them and went for something that served the particular song as opposed to just... you know, doing what they normally do. Tom's voice is also insane there, probably the most range on a single Slayer album between what he does with it.
6. "Living After Midnight" is an absolute shocker.
6. This is a true statement. Although it's not as bad as Take on the World or the truly execrable United (in fact British Steel as a whole is their most overrated album).
I agree with both of you! However, I don't think the rest of British Steel is as overrated as most other Priest albums, maybe even Iron Maiden (the kind of opinion that might have metalheads from the early half of the 80s yell "Off with his head!!"). If I want true underrated classic heavy metal from the late 70s and 80s, at least I have Riot, Accept, Running Wild, Virgin Steele, and Crimson Glory.
No matter how popular or unpopular our metal opinions are, they're lost in the shadows of painfully overrated opinions from those who enjoy radio pop:
I don't think the rest of British Steel is as overrated as most other Priest albums, maybe even Iron Maiden (the kind of opinion that might have metalheads from the early half of the 80s yell "Off with his head!!"). If I want true underrated classic heavy metal from the late 70s and 80s, at least I have Riot, Accept, Running Wild, Virgin Steele, and Crimson Glory.
Quoted shadowdoom9 (Andi)
All of who wish they were Judas Priest & none of which are underrated.
All of who wish they were Judas Priest & none of which are underrated.
Amen to that!
I think you've missed my point Andi. The bands you mentioned may not reside in the top few most popular heavy metal bands of all time but they definitely sit amongst the most celebrated artists from the remainder. They all have multiple albums that are regarded as genuine classics & are pretty much essential listening for any fan of your more traditional heavy metal sound so I find it hard to fathom the idea that they're underrated. I mean Accept were (& still are) fucking huge for example!! I don't think it would taking too much creative license to suggest that their latest album is the biggest heavy metal release of 2021 so far.