Underrated Masterpieces

[OPBASSMAN1994]

My example: Caress of Steel by Rush. Although the album contains the band's most embarrassing moment ("I Think I'm Going Bald"), it also contains the beautiful, engrossing "Fountain of Lamneth", which is a masterpiece in and of itself, as well as the epic "Necromancer", and the hard-rockin' "Bastille Day".

Though critics hated it, and some still do (Caress of Steel - Rush | AllMusic), I have to give this album my thumbs up, and I'm going to try to win a near mint copy on vinyl from ebay tomorrow. It's quickly become one of my favorites.



So what other albums do the mainstream reviewers hate but you and the other true fans love?

[Spectrum]

As a long-time Rush fan, I'm too biased to look at that album objectively. Back when I was a teenager, I was unaware that the album had been a commercial failure and I looked at it as just another prog gem from my fav band.

I Think I'm Going Bald is actually a good hard rock song, IMO, it just sounds out of place amongst all that serious-sounding stuff.

As for stuff mainstream critics hate, doesn't that cover pretty much everything Rush has ever done LOL?

I have always thought Undercover of the Night by the Rolling Stones was a good song music-wise, but I have heard it bashed many times.

[TomA1234]

IMO Orbital elements by Obscura is a masterpiece of instrumental metal, incredibly melodic bass work.

[Barkless Dog]

Not sure about critics hating, but Red by King Crimson.

Dukes Of Stratosphere- XTC - Tasty Bass work by Colin Molding

Berlin - Lou Reed- Critics hated it, by is a masterpiece.

[Chrisk-K]

Spartacus by Triumvirat. Every second on that album is a gem. Helmut Koellen played some truly tasty lines on the album.

"Gradually Going Tornado" by Bruford. Jeff Berlin is smoking on the album. "Palewell Park" is my favorite instrumental solo piece in rock music.

[MRDOOM]

Steal This Album by System of a Down. Its always regarded as a collection of b-sides from Toxicity but it is a truly great album with its own distinct style and sound. I love it.

[Ursus Tyrannus]

There was this death metal band called Gorefest in the early 90's. Very typical, very ordinary, very bland and formulaic death metal...boring, and I like death metal.

Then they did this album in 1996 called Soul Survivor and it was a full on rock album with a lot of groove to it and it had a real pop sensibility to the song writing. Not at all death/extreme metal. The singer even took singing lessons in preparation of the album. It was an amazing album, completely transcended the death metal genre and had a very big, powerful yet accessible sound with catchy songs that were sung, not growled. It was not very death metal at all.

Their fans HATED it and those publications at the time whose domain was death/extreme metal music panned it as mainstream pandering and dismissed it as a failed experiment. I dont know how well it was received in any mainstream media, I doubt a death metal band from Zeeland, Netherlands got much mainstream attention. They followed up with a second album along the same lines called Chapter 13 two years later and it too was so poorly received that the band called it quits as a result. Nobody wanted to hear Gorefest do rock.

I dont like the rest of their catalog of material and I'm a hardcore, dyed-in-the-wool, lifelong metal head, but that first non-extreme album by Gorefest is one of my all time favorite albums of any genre of music, period.
I only like those two albums, the two fans and critics hated. Sometimes I wonder how much their name hurt them in the end.

[Tituscrow]

I actually quite like Celtic Frost's 'Cold Lake'. Look past the ridiculous posturing and the throwaway line up (Ain excepted), there are some really good heavy songs hiding in there...

[Darth Handsome]

Voivod's Nothingface. You heard it here first.

[Tituscrow]

Originally Posted by Darth Handsome

Voivod's Nothingface. You heard it here first.

Ah no sir.... Voivods 'The Outer Limits'!

[OPBASSMAN1994]

Add a new one:

III Sides to Every Story by Extreme.

Critics hated this album. Metal critics and 80's hair guys REALLY hated it. But this particular concept album is by far Extreme at their best for me, as it demonstrates some nice lyrical content, and most of all demonstrates that Extreme was capable of retaining their signature sound, but could switch from hard, driving rock to the ballad-esque stuff that resembles "Hole Hearted" and "More Than Words", to funky, interesting rock fusion, and then to grand progressive rock epics.

Speaking of the latter, I have to say that I really like "Everything Under the Sun", the (when all parts are combined) ~24 minute epic that takes up the last section of the album (labeled "The Truth"). It is very well orchestrated and I love the vocals on it, as well as the mix in general.


All in all, this album has become an instant classic for me, and I consider it Extreme's best.

[Darth Handsome]

Originally Posted by Tituscrow

Ah no sir.... Voivods 'The Outer Limits'!

No no no. You're way off! Hatross is better than Outer Limits. So is Killing Technology, for that matter.

Of course, Jack Luminous or whatever it's called is a killer track........

[bassfart]

Tool"Aenima" and Clutch "Blast Tyrant". 2 of the best heavy rock albums of all time.

[Tituscrow]

Originally Posted by bassfart

Tool"Aenima" and Clutch "Blast Tyrant". 2 of the best heavy rock albums of all time.

Agreed. New 'acoustic' tracks on BT are unbelievable. Clutch one of my favourite bands of the last 15 years.

[Tituscrow]

Originally Posted by Darth Handsome

No no no. You're way off! Hatross is better than Outer Limits. So is Killing Technology, for that matter.

Of course, Jack Luminous or whatever it's called is a killer track........

Can't argue with that, but Hatross has always been acknowledged as a masterpiece....I thought we were looking for underrated albums.

Was very let down with the Newsted stuff and not heard Negatron or Phobos. Worth investing in?

[Darth Handsome]

Originally Posted by Tituscrow

Can't argue with that, but Hatross has always been acknowledged as a masterpiece....I thought we were looking for underrated albums.

Was very let down with the Newsted stuff and not heard Negatron or Phobos. Worth investing in?

Oh, I wouldn't say there are a ton of people who consider Hatross a masterpiece.....or have even heard of it.

Snake doesn't sing on either of these albums & they suffer greatly b/c of it. Negatron has some good moments, but Phobos is f'n terrible. It gives me a headache. I gave that disc away.

[s_mcsleazy]

marquee moon - television
who will cut our hair when we're gone? - the unicorns
1986 - one last wish
the argument - fugazi
the shape of punk to come - refused
the unsustainable lifestyle i now fit in - beauty pill

oh and anything by this band
Imperial China | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos

[Tituscrow]

Originally Posted by Darth Handsome

Oh, I wouldn't say there are a ton of people who consider Hatross a masterpiece.....or have even heard of it.

Snake doesn't sing on either of these albums & they suffer greatly b/c of it. Negatron has some good moments, but Phobos is f'n terrible. It gives me a headache. I gave that disc away.

I guess what I meant was, as Voivod albums go, Outer Limits came and went with the minimum of fuss. It's the only one you can't get on iTunes I think. Whereas Hatross, KT, nothingface, war and pain and even rrroooaaarrr (to a certain extent) were acknowledged as cutting edge, innovative, mould-breaking releases.

Think I'll give Phobos and Negatron a miss!

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by OPBASSMAN1994

So what other albums do the mainstream reviewers hate but you and the other true fans love?

99.5% of everything in my record collection.

[steamthief]

Blind Melon's Soup - it gets better every time I listen.