Prefer the more recent releases (latest or last two) over all other albums in their respective catalogs...

Amorphis
Megadeth
Paradise Lost
Shadow Gallery
Trivium

Astaarth - Gloria Burgundia is way better than first album
Sorgsvart - first album was great, but Vikingtid Og Anarki is just awesome
Turisas - again they started good, but Vagranian Vay kills

Written by Ellrohir on 15.09.2009 at 11:21

Sorgsvart - first album was great, but Vikingtid Og Anarki is just awesome

Crap, we somehow agree once again

I would have to say Katatonia...Jonas' clean vocals have hypnotizing effect on me.

There are a few actually
Death were one band that got better with age
Megadeth's last three albums have been fantastic (including Endgame in that)
Emperor got better with age and maturity
Immortal got better with age although i havn't yet heard their latest work.
Edenbridge are another band that have matured nicely into a class act
Nightwish I strongly prefer the new singer and the last album was very good

Written by ToMegaTherion on 23.09.2009 at 04:39

Nightwish I strongly prefer the new singer and the last album was very good

all people blaming Anette for ruining the band should read this

If it comes to really old stuff vs. really new, In Flames, their first 2 albums are way too raw and underproduced death metal for me, their last 2 admittedly are a lot more commercial but at least they sound good and are far more mature than the usual bang bang bang raaaahhhrrr of their first album. Jester Race is also a bit like this(even the album after that too) but i find it bearable and quite kickass at times

Written by Valentin B on 23.09.2009 at 12:15

If it comes to really old stuff vs. really new, In Flames, their first 2 albums are way too raw and underproduced death metal for me, their last 2 admittedly are a lot more commercial but at least they sound good and are far more mature than the usual bang bang bang raaaahhhrrr of their first album. Jester Race is also a bit like this(even the album after that too) but i find it bearable and quite kickass at times

I think that In Flames have never been death metal but I don't care, I don't want to start another death/melodeath/gothenburg debate. But you hate Lunar Strain >:[

Written by Elio on 23.09.2009 at 12:32

Written by Valentin B on 23.09.2009 at 12:15

If it comes to really old stuff vs. really new, In Flames, their first 2 albums are way too raw and underproduced death metal for me, their last 2 admittedly are a lot more commercial but at least they sound good and are far more mature than the usual bang bang bang raaaahhhrrr of their first album. Jester Race is also a bit like this(even the album after that too) but i find it bearable and quite kickass at times

I think that In Flames have never been death metal but I don't care, I don't want to start another death/melodeath/gothenburg debate. But you hate Lunar Strain >:[

i like my metal when i can actually hear the riffs.

Written by Ellrohir on 23.09.2009 at 11:49

Written by ToMegaTherion on 23.09.2009 at 04:39

Nightwish I strongly prefer the new singer and the last album was very good

all people blaming Anette for ruining the band should read this

Here, here
I like Tarja's singing, but the truth is Tarja has only herself to blame for getting sacked. Besides, too many people saw her as some kind of Goddess, she was good, but there are much better singers out there. Anette can't be blamed for ruining Nightwish, she is doing a good job, and while her style is very different to Tarja I feel she suits the music better.

Kamelot, the albums without Roy were pretty bad.

Dimmu Borgir, there kvlt stuff is kinda boring, but all the albums from Spiritual Black Dimensions-In Sorte Diaboli is amazing.

It's not a metalhead thing. I think it's a pretty common thing among music elitists. It applies to me, too. It's part nostalgy, part pretension, part due to early material sometimes (often?) just being fresher and more inspired. And the fact that when you get into a band, you get into the stuff that's been released so far. You might not like different kind of stuff quite as much, and new material is always somewhat different.

For me, I have some quite controversial favorites among bands that have changed. To mention a few:

Anathema. A Natural Disaster is just amazing, if somewhat poorly produced.

The Gathering. The trippier and more experimental they get, the better. Souvenirs was a pinnacle in the band's career.

Katatonia. This is a difficult one. I didn't particularly like The Great Cold Distance, while Dance of December Souls and Discouraged Ones are among my favorites. Overall, though, I'd say their change of direction has been a good one.

Immortal. I think At The Heart of Winter was their best work, and I quite prefer the slower stuff to their black metal.

Written by ToMegaTherion on 25.09.2009 at 08:11

Written by Ellrohir on 23.09.2009 at 11:49

Written by ToMegaTherion on 23.09.2009 at 04:39

Nightwish I strongly prefer the new singer and the last album was very good

all people blaming Anette for ruining the band should read this

Here, here
I like Tarja's singing, but the truth is Tarja has only herself to blame for getting sacked. Besides, too many people saw her as some kind of Goddess, she was good, but there are much better singers out there. Anette can't be blamed for ruining Nightwish, she is doing a good job, and while her style is very different to Tarja I feel she suits the music better.

Word. Dark Passion Play is, by far, the most genius work Tuomas has come up with. The end of "Meadows of Heaven" blows everything else out of the water. Anette fits the musical style much better, too. She's not overly bombastic or mechanically unemotional like Tarja. I hear the new album is supposed to be groundbreaking. Considering that I thought the last one was groundbreaking, I can't wait to hear this one.

Some other bands that I am enjoying the later stuff of are...

Dream Theater - I often hear that DT's older albums, those released during the Kevin Moore era, are better. I admit that they're great, and I do like them more than the ones released with Sherinian, but I just can't get enough of DT ever since Rudess joined and they released Scenes From A Memory. They get progressively heavier with every album, which is never a bad thing in my opinion. James's voice is getting better, too.

Amorphis - They do progressive metal with a folk-vibe so much better than they ever did death metal with a progressive vibe.

Dimmu Borgir - They've been improving ever since Death Cult Armageddon. I'm worried about this new album, though. Vortex and Mustis seemed like such a great fit. Hopefully they'll still put out something great, though.

Written by Kratos on 25.10.2009 at 19:44

Dimmu Borgir, there kvlt stuff is kinda boring, but all the albums from Spiritual Black Dimensions-In Sorte Diaboli is amazing.

i have to agree with this, for all tid and stormblast are ok albums with crappy production. their newer albums have more atmospheric feeling, thanx to the real orchestra playing in those albums

Immortal, age made them sound brutaler

Spanish band Avalanch!

The recent lead singer is way better than the previous!

For me good example is kreator with last three albums,better songs,production,lyrics..really amazing,in my opinion this is their "golden age"

I like better the latest Immortal albums than the old stuff, for example. But doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the old stuff too.

I prefer Behemoth's later albums than their old albums. Demigod and Apostasy are nothing short of masterpiece.
Also later albums od Deeds of flesh and Decrepit Brth are way better than previus ones

Katatonia...I prefer their newer albums.

That's not to say I hate Dance of December Souls because its a great album...but I personally enjoy their newer style more.

Oh and Nevermore.

Amon Amarth: their old stuff was good but a little too raw and badly produced. I really think their last two albums are amazing Melodic Death albums!

This might be a big surprise but I belive the albums Anthrax released post Joey Beladonna are better. John Bush is a great singer and a great addition to the band. Albums Sound of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8 - The Threat is Real and We've Come for You All are fantastic.

All That Remains & As I Lay dying

last two albums are awesome but older ones are not great.

Death, although their old stuff is awesome I enjoy their later stuff more.

God Forbid, never really got into their earlier stuff but their most recent album "Earthsblood" is pretty awesome.

Helloween, their first album is pretty good, but I think Andi Deris is their best singer.

To an extent Samael, I'm not a fan of their first two albums as they were pretty boring, but "Ceremony of Opposites" and most of their albums afterwards are pretty awesome. Their stuff after "Passage" wasn't quite as good though.

Disturbed, I didn't like their first album that much but "10,000 Fists" and "Indestructible" are pretty enjoyable.

Plenty of bands have grown in great ways.

Blind Guardian - They've come a long way from the early more thrash metal albums, but I can't argue with the direction they've taken. I like it.

Kamelot - Roy Khan revolutionized that band. Even older tunes sound better when he sings them.

TOOL - Many will diss 10,000 days, but I find it measures up to their standards beautifully. Musicianship and lyrical content is gold.

Death - Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance are perfect. Except for the song Bite the Pain, I hate that tune for some reason.

Ayreon - Arjen stepped it up when he created The Human Equation.

Porcupine Tree (not metal I know) - I prefer the latter side of their discography. The last 2 albums may not have topped Deadwing, but how can you top perfection?

In flames ( I like there direction and I would not want to hear them retread)
Metallica ( Each album has a meaning to me and I would not like them as much if they had become a parody of themselves. Death Magnetric was 10+ perfect!)
Dimmu Borgir (I love there old stuff but they have some serious power on the last 2 Cd's. Death cult is extreme, melodic and sounds badass on vinyl)
Darkthrone ( All I can say is there bizzare style changes never dispoint me. the new sound is strangely addictive)
Bathory (Best in history and Nordland 1/2 is perfection 20 years after Hammerheart was recorded. I wish we could have heard what his next masterpiece woulds be)
Satyricon ( They have created amazingly dark atmosphere on the last 3 Cd's. I like there older materials a lot but there new sound is evolved and perfectly carries the lyrics)

Dimmu Borgir's and Behemoth's latest albums definately! They sound more mature and done with more attention to detail.

Written by F0rang3l on 11.08.2010 at 19:49

Dimmu Borgir's and Behemoth's latest albums definately! They sound more mature and done with more attention to detail.

I lol'd.

Dimmu Borgir aren't really mature. Overdone symphonic extreme metal.

There are a lot of bands where I like their later material as well, but not many occassions were I actually prefer the latter day material. But here are some bands where I do prefer their later stuff:

Rage: Their first two albums were extremely generic and virtually devoid of any memorable tunes. Their "middle" period contains their best stuff, but I even prefer their last 2/3 albums over the first 2.

Grave Digger: More or less the same thing as with Rage, although some of their early albums did contain some good tunes.

Angra: I prefer the albums since Edu Falaschi came into the band

Nevermore: A band who seem to just get better and better with each successive album. Although I thought their last album wasn't quite as awesome as it's predecessor.

Destruction: I find their 80's albums to be very patchy. "The Antichrist" and "Metal Discharge", which were both recorded after the reunion are their only albums that I think are very consistent.

Symphony X: A bit like Nevermore, in that they seem to improve with each release.

Bruce Dickinson: It took him till his 5th album to record the absolute classic in his solo career. I also think up until his latest, which wasnt as great as "Chemical Wedding", every successive album he did was better than the last.