Best audiophile metal and rock albums
Jan 3, 2015 at 5:02 AM Post #376 of 527
I will check them out for sure!
 
What i am into these days is symphonic / female vocal / art metal [like Muse]..
 
most post metal is not up to audiophile standards. too much distortion, the sound cannot be clear.. i think that it started from the ideea of not being clear.
 
Jan 3, 2015 at 12:10 PM Post #377 of 527
  I don't think an audiophile approach is appropriate to evaluate Sleep's Dopesmoker. If you're looking for pristine recording quality and dynamics, then sure, you'll be disappointed, and to be fair it doesn't even make sense bringing them up on this thread. But their brilliant use of blown-out distortion and the gradually evolving hooks are visceral, nearly spiritual. One of the greatest albums of its kind. But not so much for audiophiles.
 
I really fell in love with the sound of Syd Arthur's second album, Sound Mirror. Also some of the other psych prog albums I listed in my year-end summary are worth checking out. Everyone knows the Opeth of course but not so much some of the others.
 
Psych Prog, Prog & Neo-Prog
motorpsycho-behind-150x150.jpg
sydarthur-sound-150x150.jpg

Psych Prog is mostly associated with music made between 1968 and 1972 when psychedelic music was evolving into progressive. However a few bands have been revisiting that territory and actually expanding on it, like Spirits Of The Dead, Wolf People and Hidden Masters. UK psych proggers Syd Arthur was a slow burner for me. They’ve toured with Yes but have more in common with Caravan and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Their second album carries over some of the folky elements, but it’s a less cluttered sound that’s just so rich you want to soak in it. Their first album pays tribute to 70s Canterbury prog and the second emphasizes some folky elements with a focused sound that’s just so rich you want to soak in it. Norway’s psych prog masters Motorpsycho are on an incredible roll, releasing new albums almost every year. After such a long career, it seems they’re taken for granted. I so, so wish Opeth would have chosen Motorpsycho to accompany them on their North American tour. It would have been far more appropriate than In Flames, for ****’s sake. However it was nice when 20% of the crowd exited the sold-out venue after In Flames’ set and before Opeth came on. The show was more of a span of career highlights, with only a few songs from their completely non-metal prog albums. I wouldn’t have minded an entire set of their prog, as Pale Communionwas pretty great. British psych prog newcomers Messenger would have been perfect for the opening slot too. | Spotify
 


I kind of was going to drop trying to review this one list, because i have a LOT of other new bands, but then i saw that you have closure in moscow in your list 
biggrin.gif

 
Sorry, now this one got some priority! closure in moscow is easy one of the best bands i ever heared.. and the album pink lemonade is amazing, just amazing!
 
I am going to try all of these bands soon, except for opeth, which i already tried, and was not into...
 
Also, for everyone who is into metal, as soon as i understand how to write it, and as soon as i will have some more free time, i will start a new thread, with a little more in depth analysys of bands and albums, from an audiophile point of view. I will try to be as objective as possible!
 
Jan 3, 2015 at 1:16 PM Post #378 of 527
Objectivity is overrated! Closure In Moscow is very influenced by Mars Volta which can be divisive, but I like 'em! 
 
Please do at least check out the Syd Arthur, curious to hear comments. BTW I accidentally left a redundant line in that blurb (...soak in it) which I corrected on original post. Ugh!
 
Jan 3, 2015 at 4:52 PM Post #379 of 527
I don't know if these would be considered true audiophile:

In Hearts Wake - Divination/Earthwalker - Love the raw sound
King's X - Dogman - Strong Basslines
Karnivool - Themata
Living Colour - Stain - Probably just nostalgia
prong - cleansing - Love Prong this could be nostalgia over the actual production
 
The rest which may or may not be anything:

Intervals - A Voice Within - Perhaps a more modern fates warning
Circles - Infinitas - Close your eyes and he could pass for the singer from Fates Warning
Nothingface - An Audio Guide To Everyday Atrocity
Trapt - No Apologies - I think this album sounds solid
Five Bolt - Again, really like this "natural" raw sound.
Letlive - fake history / speak like you talk
Pillar - The Reckoning
FM Static - My Brain Says Yes But My Heart Says Go! Fun Album
Fight - War Of Words - Loved fight back in the day and i think this album was thunderous on a nice setup.
Fei Comodo - Behind The Bright Lights
Falling Up - Dawn Escapes/Crashings - Something about this style makes the album probably sound better than it should
Earthone9 - Arc'Tan'Gent - Old Deftonish sound.
E-town Concrete - Renaissance
Division By Zero - Independent Harmony
Candiria - Process of self development
Blessed By A Broken Heart - Pedal To The MEtal / Feel The Power - Fun 80s sounding modern "hardcore"
 
Jan 3, 2015 at 10:18 PM Post #380 of 527
The scorpions - Unplugged live in Athens

Their recordings and guitar playing are amazing.
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 2:03 PM Post #381 of 527
The scorpions - Unplugged live in Athens

Their recordings and guitar playing are amazing.

Don't! Live recordings in general are not audiophile level. People screaming random are not what i want to hear. I don't say there are no live recordings that are enjoyable, and great, but no live records can be true audiophile, in the sense that a well mastered album can be. It is different.
  I don't know if these would be considered true audiophile:

In Hearts Wake - Divination/Earthwalker - Love the raw sound
King's X - Dogman - Strong Basslines
Karnivool - Themata
Living Colour - Stain - Probably just nostalgia
prong - cleansing - Love Prong this could be nostalgia over the actual production
 
The rest which may or may not be anything:

Intervals - A Voice Within - Perhaps a more modern fates warning
Circles - Infinitas - Close your eyes and he could pass for the singer from Fates Warning
Nothingface - An Audio Guide To Everyday Atrocity
Trapt - No Apologies - I think this album sounds solid
Five Bolt - Again, really like this "natural" raw sound.
Letlive - fake history / speak like you talk
Pillar - The Reckoning
FM Static - My Brain Says Yes But My Heart Says Go! Fun Album
Fight - War Of Words - Loved fight back in the day and i think this album was thunderous on a nice setup.
Fei Comodo - Behind The Bright Lights
Falling Up - Dawn Escapes/Crashings - Something about this style makes the album probably sound better than it should
Earthone9 - Arc'Tan'Gent - Old Deftonish sound.
E-town Concrete - Renaissance
Division By Zero - Independent Harmony
Candiria - Process of self development
Blessed By A Broken Heart - Pedal To The MEtal / Feel The Power - Fun 80s sounding modern "hardcore"

so... 
 
Candiria, i had in my short list these days, it was not up to audiophile levels..
Pillar is great, not audiophile, but i like that band in general.
Falling up is one of the best audiophile metal bands ever. very very much of everything audiophile metal must have, at least, the first album, crashings. It is compatible with Family force five if you are into these type..
blessed by a broken heart - i don't do metalcore at all.
earthone9 is muffled, at least for me.
letlive sounds very very good.
from nothingface i am going to look into skeletons and violence.
Living Colour - Stain - this one i don;t have where to get from
 
 
everything else i am going to test...
 
if anyone is interested, i am researching the best bands ever, and i am going to post thoughts and everything about all bands i am hearing... people might be interested...
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 2:31 PM Post #382 of 527
  Don't! Live recordings in general are not audiophile level. People screaming random are not what i want to hear. I don't say there are no live recordings that are enjoyable, and great, but no live records can be true audiophile, in the sense that a well mastered album can be. It is different.
so... 

 
Well, as long as they are recorded well and are suitably high definition live recordings can certainly qualify as being in the very top tier of recordings. In most uses of the word a low-fidelity vinyl recording could be considered audiophile level if rendered in high enough resolution and clarity. IE "audiophile level" being a very good presentation of any source material, not obfuscating or missing anything. 
 
As for live recordings sounding great in and of themselves, check this Queen live recording from somewhere in the 80s:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUyPyTn-IS4
 
This is obviously Youtube compression of unknown resolution source material, but to my mixer/mastering ears this is a simply superb rendering of the track, incredibly spacious and natural in all aspects, excellent dynamic range, etc. This towers leaps and bounds over the original recording, which is still very good, and included on the Queen best of remaster series.
 
I don't see why you'd completely dismiss live recordings like you did, unless you were speaking from your experiences with other live recordings, in which case that didn't convey very well.
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 2:32 PM Post #383 of 527
If anyone needs a more detailed description of anything i keep, you can ask. i am just writting off my thoughts of my research, because someone might need these. or not. if i am not welcome to post anymore, i will stop, just tell me
redface.gif
 
as i test lots and lots of albums, i will only write of what i consider listenable at least, or i consider worth of mentioning. 
 
mewithoutyou - post hardcore - nice band overall, i will keep it.
 
[a-->b] Life - sounds bad, bad recorded, cymbals are not that great, soundstage is congested, can sound distorted, voice is kind of harsh, interesting lyrics, and concepts, but it has distortion of kinds, you might not be into it. i am not into this album.
 
catch us for the foxes - sounds amazing, cymbals very clear, very low distortion. I like the voice. soundstage above average. songs are quite simple, but interesting as they are. It suffers a little from being recorded a little cheap, but it is still nice. - i am keeping it for now.
 
brother sister - instruments are way more clear than the foxes, better in mosts senses, except for soundstage, which is similar. it has interesting songs, a little on the relaxing side.
 
it's all crazy - songs very different between one and other. most ballads, quite interesting, very clear recorded. again, i am into the voice, so i fiind it to be very very good. It is more of an experience album, tran a listen album, soundstage got better than last two albums, it sounds very very good. Lots of interesting instruments, compared to the past two.
 
ten stories - This got better than it's all crazy, Again amazing band, soundstage, and details are even cleared/better than what was on it's all crazy. amzing sound. voice has something special to it. reminds me of la dispute and flogging molly.
 
 
Bars of gold - Indie/Post hardcore - good songs, bad recorded, mostly, i don't keep it.
 
of gold - Nice album, pretty clear, not distroted at all, the cymbals are somewhat muted, the mids are much more proemimnent than the rest of the audio. not much of lows, or treble... I will not keep it, due to it not being up to audiophile levels, voice and songs were not bad, but bad recorded and bad mastered.
 
wheels - Has something of the last album, but this time, there are cymbals, and bass. it goes down low, and way up, sounds right for audiophile recording and mastering. The album can be pretty loud at times. this means loudness war victim. don't expect dynamics, everything has pretty much the same volume, this distorts the voice, and mids. could be named boomy, for some songs...
 
 
Trophy scars - post hardcore - holy vacants - i wanted to keep it, but no dynamics, and it is too loud, has much too much clipping.
 
Jennifer Rostock - indie punk electro - ins offene messer - you can hear the bass, the cymbals, the band sounds interesting, the voice of the female singer is amazingly good. i am going to test the other albums too. this album could be considered fun, very fun. it is not mastered well, but it was recorded well. too much compression, but it remains fun for some time listen. soundstage exists, but it is narrow. it clips at least half of the time. it could be a noise for fun thingy, the voice and lyrics [i have no ideea what she is saying, but they sound at least interesting] are what it is  of it.
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 2:36 PM Post #384 of 527
   
Well, as long as they are recorded well and are suitably high definition live recordings can certainly qualify as being in the very top tier of recordings. In most uses of the word a low-fidelity vinyl recording could be considered audiophile level if rendered in high enough resolution and clarity. IE "audiophile level" being a very good presentation of any source material, not obfuscating or missing anything. 
 
As for live recordings sounding great in and of themselves, check this Queen live recording from somewhere in the 80s:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUyPyTn-IS4
 
This is obviously Youtube compression of unknown resolution source material, but to my mixer/mastering ears this is a simply superb rendering of the track, incredibly spacious and natural in all aspects, excellent dynamic range, etc. This towers leaps and bounds over the original recording, which is still very good, and included on the Queen best of remaster series.
 
I don't see why you'd completely dismiss live recordings like you did, unless you were speaking from your experiences with other live recordings, in which case that didn't convey very well.

i have very very nice live recordings, like sonata arctica, linkin park, rammstein, metallica lives, but i don't want to go through them, as voices are noise out of the music, and it breaks the atmosphere created by the artist. i love some lives a lot! 
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 3:24 PM Post #385 of 527
So I figured I should also try and contribute my favourite recordings in metal, perhaps someone may find something they really like. Unless noted the youtube examples are close to lossless fidelity, obviously slightly compressed but this is so you get an idea of the type of music and sound.
 
 
 
Stone Sour - House Of Gold and Bones (2012)
Pretty compressed and controlled, but snappy drums, and great room feel to vocals and lead guitars contribute to energetic yet non-fatiguing listening.
Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dHBjXnbtk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVX_aFKYTFU
 
 
Slipknot - The Gray Chapter (2014)
Again dynamically limited, controlled metal mix, but excellent recording and production.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgA7KIwKlOE
 
 
Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis (2006)
This is one of the most savagely fast aggressive albums I've heard. Triggered, razor sharp drums, quad-tracked guitars, and groovy riffs. You may need some seriously fast headphones or speakers to get the most out of this and avoid smearing, but if you do, there is tons of rippling, sparkling detail in the drums and guitars. 
Example: Day 69 (http://youtu.be/Iq-Q6P32aWo?t=4m41s) (Lossless audio has noticeably better and sharper definition, the youtube examples I could find are uploaded too long ago to retain good quality).
 
 
The Sorrow - Misery Escape (2012)
Metalcore with catchy riffs and choruses. Quite an unusual timbre to the guitar tone and drums. If you like sparkly guitar tones, this might be your cup of tea.
Example: Burial Bridge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeKsPhiATDw)
 
 
Fractal Gates - Beyond The Self (2013)
Excellent production of thick, dense metal. 
Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQMT3Vwgns, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrFT84FIxBU
 
 
Persefone - Spiritual Migration (2013)
Excellent production, and superb musicianship.
http://youtu.be/upv6_4WT6hY?t=25m27s
 
 
myGRAIN - Self-Titled (2011)
Great mixing and mastering, balancing traditional metal elements with synthesizers.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIKOpIpabk
 
 
Soilwork - The Living Infinite (2013)
Not brickwalled and very lively and well-recorded instruments. Timbre on drums and cymbals are great, and overall the mix is full and snappy and very balanced.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFug3xQBKAk
 
 
Textures - Dualism (2011)
Very nice, quite underproduced recording, with a more live feeling, no stereo widening effect on the vocal, drums are nice and punchy, and guitars sit quite relaxed in the mix.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UzFDCLh2p0
 
 
Fear Factory - Mechanize (2010)
If you ever need to test a system or headphone for ultimate sharpness, this is the record. This is a machine precision metal album, which will extract any detail from headphone or speaker. Razorsharp transient response on drums.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoToZUAQfUQ (Note, none of the compressed youtube versions I've found do this album complete justice. Lossless has another layer of edge to it in transient sharpness and clarity).
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 3:30 PM Post #386 of 527
  i have very very nice live recordings, like sonata arctica, linkin park, rammstein, metallica lives, but i don't want to go through them, as voices are noise out of the music, and it breaks the atmosphere created by the artist. i love some lives a lot! 

 
Alright, that was a misunderstanding from me in that case. :)
Yeah, for certain genres I can see the audience being a bit of a distraction. Certain genres certainly lend themselves better to that sort of atmosphere.
 
Jan 4, 2015 at 9:38 PM Post #387 of 527
  Don't! Live recordings in general are not audiophile level. People screaming random are not what i want to hear. I don't say there are no live recordings that are enjoyable, and great, but no live records can be true audiophile, in the sense that a well mastered album can be. It is different.
so... 
 
Candiria, i had in my short list these days, it was not up to audiophile levels..
Pillar is great, not audiophile, but i like that band in general.
Falling up is one of the best audiophile metal bands ever. very very much of everything audiophile metal must have, at least, the first album, crashings. It is compatible with Family force five if you are into these type..
blessed by a broken heart - i don't do metalcore at all.
earthone9 is muffled, at least for me.
letlive sounds very very good.
from nothingface i am going to look into skeletons and violence.
Living Colour - Stain - this one i don;t have where to get from
 
 
everything else i am going to test...
 
if anyone is interested, i am researching the best bands ever, and i am going to post thoughts and everything about all bands i am hearing... people might be interested...

My earthtone is definitely not muffled.  I don't think its audiophile but it sounds solid.
 
I was going through my music and i stumbled upon this band called:
Legend - The Pale Horse - In the vein of volumes/textures  - I'm not sure if this is would constitute audiophile but everything to my ears sounds really good.
 
Listening to Living Colour this is definitely a nice recording.  If anyone downloads, let me know what you think.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/5l5k08 - Song called Bi. (and i realize i could have taken a heavier song but it has a nice blend)
https://www.sendspace.com/file/m4dwwr - little heavier - ignorance is bliss.
 
Nothingface i think skeletons sounds like poo.  Violence sounds decent.  Every one of their albums has a different production value.  I think AAGTEDA sounds the best.
 
I am familar with FF5 - good band.
 
Throwing Suicidal Tendencies - Art of Rebellion into the mix.
 
@Airlight love love some of your choices - textures, mygrain, the sorrow.
 
Jan 5, 2015 at 7:27 PM Post #388 of 527
Electrocute - Electro punk synthpop - double diamond - this sounds better than i expected. it is, very very fun, the bass and percution is amazing. the voice of the girl sounds nice, like more sweet than other nuances, similar to XX voice i think? the album is not overly too compressed, it has good dynamics, soundstage is top notch, effects the same..  the music itself can be named simple, and not overly complicated, but it is fun to listen to, and it is very very good recorded... very clear sound..
 
shaka ponk - electro punk - bad porn movie trax - it is worse recorded than double diamond from electrocute, but it is more catchy, only because the album includes the song, te gusta me.. again, a lot of soundstage, and much dynamics. i am happy that this is not that compressed. it is compressed, but less than most metal...
 
robotnicka - electro punk - spectre en vue - this is a horrible album. music is bad, it is recorded bad, i would highly not recommend.
 
bondage fairies - electro punk 8 bit - it is interesting for a change... it would be good, but it  8bit music, so you must not expect much to get the fun. more soundstage and less compressed that i expected, but again, 8bit kills it for me mostly...if you are able to get fun out of 8bit it is one of the best recorded album ever made this way... if you are new to the ideea, but want to get it, i would highly recommend first to listen to machinae supremacy.
 
dottie danger - post hardcore - i would recommend it to be given a try, but remember before that it is in russian, and some albums are recorded bad, while some are recorded good.
 
does it offend you, yeah? - electro-punk new wave - you have no ideea what you are getting yourself into - it is one of the most fun bands i ever listened to. electro punk in general is a fun thing to do, but this one is over all expectations, dynamic range is scarce, but soundstage is amazing. bonus points for it soundsing clear, like a cloudless sky. 
 
 
starlingraid - chaotic hardcore experimental post metal - terminal stage of decay - recording has some problems, it is not dynamically compresssed, soundstage is not large, but it is.. not for me. it is worthy of a listen, but the genera is not everyone's cup of... well.. coffee..
 
Jan 14, 2015 at 4:08 PM Post #389 of 527
DAT Politics - Are you phony? - something electro punk - I cannot exactly describe it. It clips very bad, has no dynamic range, just one level of sound, soundstage is limited, but exists. the music... is at least very stereo... voice is a girl's voice, but sounds heavly modified with synth. the sound is bad from an audiophile point of view, and i personally did not like it. But it was very energic, with a lot of fun, for what it was.
 
that's outrageous! - teenage scream - experimental post hardcore, with electronic effects, rap breakdowns, it just is interesting - the sound does not clip, almost at all. The quality on the other hand, is quite bad, some sounds are muffled, i think. cymbals are not loud enough, and are not crisp, they finish in some vocal like "a", not "i" like cymbals should. Dynamic compression is quite bad. Soundstage is above what i expected. voices are a combination of clean emo-like voice and deathcore scream. they do combine, but it could had been better. the rythms are not the most original, neither the best i have ever found. this band would be your most average band, if it weren't for electronic and rap parts, which really add a color to the typical emo-post-hardcore sound. In the end i quite say that you should give it a try, even though i suppose that you are not going to listen to it twice.
 
Hands like houses - experimental alternative post hardcore - dynamic range is so and so, clipping does not exist, soundstage is not big. From an audiophile point of view, it is slightly muffled, and veiled. Now, this will sound like your average post hardcore band, at first look, but if you have the patience to listen to an entire song, it prooves to be up to quite a high level of being interesting. like, quite it is up to protest the hero level, it is far from being similar, but i don't know that many post hardcore bands which are interesting.
 
Pop evil - war of angels - alternative post grunge - it is clearly a level above what i usually test. it is clearly recorded in a better studio, with better equipment. every instrument is good defined, no clipping, there is a dynamic range, not huge, but it exists, soundstage is amazing. cymbals are clear, and nice sound, like they should. voice combines well with music, quite heavy metal-like, but it is clearly somewhere in the alternative post grunge grounds. i would cealry recommend this more than what i have before.
 
Jan 24, 2015 at 3:22 PM Post #390 of 527
Lungfish - i just discovered it, and it has been around for a long time - post hardcore art indie rock - all albums sound more than amazing. from an audiphile point of view, the music is perfect, recorded perfectly, every aspect is amazing. As a general sound, they sound like what la dispute sounds like lately. they are an amaizing band!
now, being serious, there is almost zero dynamic compression, zero clipping, soundstage is amazing, every instrument is defined, and even though first albums are from '90, all sound is extremely clear. guitars sound amazing, and cymbals are also amazing. the style is on the simpler side, but still manages to keep one very immersed in the music.
 
shemales from outta space of death - grind? i don't know anymore..ru.. there it is! deathcore experimental nintendocore. - do not go from the mellow ama\zing state that lungfish gives to this straight. you will have a shock. well, they sound nice. clips a lot, dynamic range inexistent, soundstage is good. for what it tries to be, it sounds at least good. voices are in german, so for what it is, bonus points!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top