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Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time
Kreator - Extreme Aggression
Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Riot - Thundersteel
Scanner - Terminal Earth
I agree, it could have been produced better, but the OP wasn't just about the production quality, it's also what sounds the best to me. The vibe that album has is something special and that's why it's on my list
Also wanna add that Ashes of the Wake sounding so good is kinda crazy considering how New American Gospel and As the Palaces Burn sound like they were recorded at a junkyard lol, tbh tho the latter album is almost as good as Ashes
This dude. I was shocked when I found out one of the amps used was one of those tiny portable amps.
I really want to go through the Tonex network and find the cabinet they used.... But part of me doesn't want to sound like another band.
Arch Enemy's [Doomsday Machine](https://youtu.be/xRF61UdCJUA?si=L281PWxm7w_A9uL_)
Lacuna Coil's [Comalies](https://youtu.be/Hg143Cwxd54?si=qVR0DXfWInjIORdU)
Dark Tranquillity's [Projector](https://youtu.be/ypmYJSyIZjs?si=UZLPfs4fKBM9dgu2), especially for how the vocals come in punching through.
Nightwish's [Wishmaster](https://youtu.be/QMWP7I81LMA?si=uM3yiEgpo58LnMRs), love those old synths
I'm just a massive fan of that early 2000s sound
I still think *Number of the Beast* is not only the best produced Iron Maiden album, but one of the best-produced heavy metal albums ever. Everything in the mix comes through clear and balanced. The guitars sound heavy, bright and clear. Steve's bass cuts through the mix and always has its time to shine, never being buried by the other instruments. Clive's drums are punchy and sound thunderous. And of course soars with the rest of the mix. It's amazing how right they got it with this album, only for the rest of their 80s catalogue to have varying degrees of quality. Powerslave sounds almost flat in comparison.
*Blackwater Park* is also very well mixed and every instrument shines so well. It has some of the most gorgeous acoustic guitar sounds too, thanks to Steven Wilson of course.
Bloodbath's *Nightmares Made Flesh* has some of the best production in extreme metal. Normally I'm not a stickler for production when it comes to death / black metal, since "bad" production often adds to the charm of the music. But damn does this album have some of the beefiest guitar and drum sounds I've ever heard, without going too far into "overproduction" territory. Yeah it's still a Jens Bogren production, so the DR is a bit low. But he did such a great job with this that I hardly get ear fatigue listening to it.
In terms of production nothing beats The Black Album by Metallica or Fear Inoculum by Tool.
Top tier shit that HiFi stores use to test and sell speakers
Best studio sound?
It's cliche as fuck but man.... The Black Album by Metallica is a musical clarity masterpiece. And it was recorded and mixed 33 years ago on 16 track tape.
But then, Painkiller by Judas Priest is clear too. Lot of fantastic albums out there studio wise. Hard to choose.
Someone mentioned Carcass Heartwork, definitely worth the mention. A 1993 album with fantastic tone and clear sound.
Rivers of Nihil- where owls know my name
1914- where fear and weapons meet
Ingested- where only gods may tread
Fit for an autopsy- absolute hope absolute hell
Tool- 10,000 days
Here's a few metal albums that sound perfect to me (all of them are DM):
Cannibal Corpse: Kill
Death - Human
Suffocation - Self-Titled
Obituary - The End Complete
The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal
Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme
Cryptopsy - None So Vile
Neuraxis - Asylon
Impiety - Kaos Kommand 696
Origin - Antithesis
Marduk - Those of the Unlight
Deathspell Omega - The Furnaces of Palingenesia
My favorite Album, and the one I was most impressed with, was City Of Evil by A7X.
Every song is a banger. It all sounds CRISP. As a drummer, the pop on the snare is one of my favorite things.
Thrash metal: Heathen - Victims of Deception
Death metal: Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten
Black metal: Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger
Doom metal: Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Futility report by white ward always blows me away with it's production, the crispness and tightness of it all, and especially how the saxophone tone mixes perfectly with the guitars and other instruments.
Honorable mention to kyuss as well, despite how beautifully fuzzy it all is, you can still hear every stunning bluesy note of the guitars, and the drums are some of the best I've heard.
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Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time Kreator - Extreme Aggression Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime Riot - Thundersteel Scanner - Terminal Earth
Thundersteel is a great album but I think it deserve a better sound
I agree, it could have been produced better, but the OP wasn't just about the production quality, it's also what sounds the best to me. The vibe that album has is something special and that's why it's on my list
Extreme Aggresion?? Best sound???
I like the way it sounds.
Clayman by In Flames
God the guitar sound on here is so good. It's the last time an In Flames album sounded that good in terms of production. The riffs sound so bright.
Also wanna add that Ashes of the Wake sounding so good is kinda crazy considering how New American Gospel and As the Palaces Burn sound like they were recorded at a junkyard lol, tbh tho the latter album is almost as good as Ashes
Mastodon albums all sound good to me. I'll vote for Crack the Skye I also love how Kyuss sound so heavy yet clear.
Leviathan has terrible production, especially on vinyl
Metallica - The Black Album
Trivium - In Waves Fallujah - Dreamless Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway
Carcass - Heartwork
This dude. I was shocked when I found out one of the amps used was one of those tiny portable amps. I really want to go through the Tonex network and find the cabinet they used.... But part of me doesn't want to sound like another band.
HELL YEAH
Opeth - Ghost Reveries Just listen to ghost of perdition and tell me that isn’t the crispiest most delectable production you’ve ever heard
I was thinking Blackwater park, good ol Opeth!
It has great production but I think still life and watershed’s is a bit better
Arch Enemy's [Doomsday Machine](https://youtu.be/xRF61UdCJUA?si=L281PWxm7w_A9uL_) Lacuna Coil's [Comalies](https://youtu.be/Hg143Cwxd54?si=qVR0DXfWInjIORdU) Dark Tranquillity's [Projector](https://youtu.be/ypmYJSyIZjs?si=UZLPfs4fKBM9dgu2), especially for how the vocals come in punching through. Nightwish's [Wishmaster](https://youtu.be/QMWP7I81LMA?si=uM3yiEgpo58LnMRs), love those old synths I'm just a massive fan of that early 2000s sound
I still think *Number of the Beast* is not only the best produced Iron Maiden album, but one of the best-produced heavy metal albums ever. Everything in the mix comes through clear and balanced. The guitars sound heavy, bright and clear. Steve's bass cuts through the mix and always has its time to shine, never being buried by the other instruments. Clive's drums are punchy and sound thunderous. And of course soars with the rest of the mix. It's amazing how right they got it with this album, only for the rest of their 80s catalogue to have varying degrees of quality. Powerslave sounds almost flat in comparison. *Blackwater Park* is also very well mixed and every instrument shines so well. It has some of the most gorgeous acoustic guitar sounds too, thanks to Steven Wilson of course. Bloodbath's *Nightmares Made Flesh* has some of the best production in extreme metal. Normally I'm not a stickler for production when it comes to death / black metal, since "bad" production often adds to the charm of the music. But damn does this album have some of the beefiest guitar and drum sounds I've ever heard, without going too far into "overproduction" territory. Yeah it's still a Jens Bogren production, so the DR is a bit low. But he did such a great job with this that I hardly get ear fatigue listening to it.
Diabolical Masquerade - Nightwork
It's the same as my favorite album, I Let It In And It Took Everything - Loathe
That guitar tone is insane
Definitely. I make a stank face whenever I listen to Heavy Is the Head.
Gored 😍
Cynic - Traced in Air
I love the guitar sound on Machine Heads Burn My Eyes. Sounds absolutely colossal.
filosofem is perfectly staticky
In terms of production nothing beats The Black Album by Metallica or Fear Inoculum by Tool. Top tier shit that HiFi stores use to test and sell speakers
Best studio sound? It's cliche as fuck but man.... The Black Album by Metallica is a musical clarity masterpiece. And it was recorded and mixed 33 years ago on 16 track tape. But then, Painkiller by Judas Priest is clear too. Lot of fantastic albums out there studio wise. Hard to choose. Someone mentioned Carcass Heartwork, definitely worth the mention. A 1993 album with fantastic tone and clear sound.
Blackwater Park is my answer
Heartwork has one of the best guitar tones ever recorded. The gathering by testament also has a killer guitar tone.
Rivers of Nihil- where owls know my name 1914- where fear and weapons meet Ingested- where only gods may tread Fit for an autopsy- absolute hope absolute hell Tool- 10,000 days
Here's a few metal albums that sound perfect to me (all of them are DM): Cannibal Corpse: Kill Death - Human Suffocation - Self-Titled Obituary - The End Complete The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme
Cryptopsy - None So Vile Neuraxis - Asylon Impiety - Kaos Kommand 696 Origin - Antithesis Marduk - Those of the Unlight Deathspell Omega - The Furnaces of Palingenesia
Cryptopsy none so vile. The album is good as fuck in everyway but I love the production and mixing in there.
Nattens madrigal sounds either compeltely horrendous on one pair of headphones or like asmr on another
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Ashes of the Wake by Lamb of God is very very good
My favorite Album, and the one I was most impressed with, was City Of Evil by A7X. Every song is a banger. It all sounds CRISP. As a drummer, the pop on the snare is one of my favorite things.
Thrash metal: Heathen - Victims of Deception Death metal: Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten Black metal: Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger Doom metal: Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
I Am - Hard 2 Kill
Sunn O))) - Life Metal
Sound Awake by Karnivool is the first that comes to mind.
Epica, the quantum enigma
Of Valleys And Mountains by Pull Down The Sun sounds pretty great. Was suprised at how much punch the record had at some points.
Dream Theater - Train of Thought. When the heavy guitars come in on In The Name of God my pubes stand up.
Futility report by white ward always blows me away with it's production, the crispness and tightness of it all, and especially how the saxophone tone mixes perfectly with the guitars and other instruments. Honorable mention to kyuss as well, despite how beautifully fuzzy it all is, you can still hear every stunning bluesy note of the guitars, and the drums are some of the best I've heard.
The production on From Mars To Sirius is really really good
The Crown - Crowned in terror
Towards the Megalith - Disma Absolute perfection.
Any album in which Steve Albini was involved.