Written By McKauley Kitterman
Welcome to Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs weekly feature where we curate music from the past and the present for your listening pleasure. This week we are featuring albums that deliver a masterclass in metal.
“With school semesters for some of us starting or having started at the time of reading, we thought it appropriate to jam some more learning into that metal-loving noggin of yours this week! These are albums that (in this writers humble opinion, of course), offer a masterclass in different aspects of the genre we all have come to love! Here are our teachings this week: “
“Rosetta – The Galillean Satellites
You need two record players to play this properly as one record is the music and one is the ambience. I believe that Neurosis Tribes of Neurot started this style, but, for sake of “I’m not getting us cancelled” (for the uninitiated, one of the vocalists of Neurosis came out and said he was very abusive to his family and disbanded Neurosis due to this so he could seek help)
“Animals as Leaders – Self-Titled”
Have you heard this album?!? I seen them live when Tosin was playing a guitar with a trapezoidal neck (was able to hold the guitar, it was really neat and felt like a dream) and even their live performance was amazing. Front to back, this record delivers a masterclass in technique and instrumental prowess that we hadn’t heard in a hot minute in music. They continue that trend to this day
“Meshuggah – obZen”
I think many would agree that besides for Chaosphere and Catch 33, this is probably their Magnum Opus. Featuring some of their most complex rhythms, grooves, and brutality, it has you destroying your house in Space-time
“Dying Fetus – Wrong One to Fuck With”
Gallagher and co deliver such a cerebrally punishing record here that it has to be mentioned as a masterclass in brutality. You might bang your head hard enough to self-concuss
“Sybreed – God is an Automaton”
Who would I be without mentioning the Cyber Metal lords themselves? While this is their final record, it’s a masterclass in beautifully complex lyrics, musicianship, and grooves
“Last Chance to Reason – Level 2”
Showcasing an album that tells a story is what this record does. From code to virus to its removal (leave that to interpretation), it’s a front to back for me
“Woods of Ypres – Woods 4: The Green Album”
What a wrenching record. A masterclass in emotional music, you NEED to experience this record front to back to really know what it says in totality.
