Where to Start?
Sometimes, when a band has a catalog that seems to go on for miles (or even when they don’t), it’s hard to know where to begin. You want something that best represents the whole, but you want the best too, so you can hear them at their peak. Well, it’s an age-old question, “Where do I start with…?” that I’m hopefully going to help answer for at least a handful of bands.
Below you’ll find just a smattering of recommendations for beginning points for bands you may or may not be curious about. I do a lot of assuming that the people reading this site know this stuff already, but maybe there are some newcomers who aren’t sure which Kyuss record is the way to go.
If you have any to add to this list, please leave a comment. Maybe I’ll finally figure out how to kick off my Robin Trower collection.
Acid King, Busse Woods
Alabama Thunderpussy, River City Revival
Bathory, Twilight of the Gods
Brant Bjork, Jalamanta
Black Sabbath, Just get the first eight, go from there.
Boris, Heavy Rocks
Candlemass, Nightfall (Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is a good place too, but you get Messiah Marcolin singing on Nightfall, which is essential to understanding the band.)
Cathedral, The Carnival Bizarre
Clutch, Clutch (Blast Tyrant second, then Elephant Riders)
Deep Purple, Deep Purple in Rock
Dozer, Madre de Dios
Electric Wizard, Witchcult Today (A lot of people will tell you Come My Fanatics or Dopethrone, and while those albums are great, they’re not the best introductions to the band. This is their latest. It’s a better way to get acquainted.)
Eyehategod, In the Name of Suffering
Fu Manchu, King of the Road (Not their best album, but has more memorable songs than In Search Of…)
Godflesh, Streetcleaner
Kyuss, Welcome to Sky Valley (If you want grittier, get Blues for the Red Sun; smoother, get And the Circus Leaves Town. They’re all amazing.)
Masters of Reality, Deep in the Hole
Melvins, Hostile Ambient Takeover (Yes, over Houdini and Stoner Witch.)
Monster Magnet, Spine of God
Natas, Delmar
Nebula, To the Center
Neurosis, A Sun that Never Sets (This one is hard. A cool project if you’re not familiar with them might be to start with their latest, Given to the Rising, and work your way back through the catalog album by album. If you’re just going to get one record — and after you hear it, you’re not — A Sun that Never Sets is the way to start.)
Orange Goblin, The Big Black
Pentagram, First Daze Here
Porcupine Tree, In Absentia (Unless you turn fanatic, you’ll probably only need from this album forward.)
Saint Vitus, Saint Vitus (Born too Late too. Get both. You can afford it.)
Sleep, Dopesmoker (Sleep’s Holy Mountain is usually recommended, but I say dive right in, 65 minutes of one-song, pure riff overdose. If a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth going all out.)
Solitude Aeturnus, Alone (Not one of their classic albums, but the latest from 2006 has some of the best songwriting they’ve ever done.)
Trouble, Trouble
Woven Hand, Woven Hand
YOB, The Unreal Never Lived
Tags: Lists, Record Shopping
This is a very cool list. I agree with just about all of it.
I am surprised at your choice for Electric Wizard though. I thoroughly agree with you, but I thought I was in the minority. That album has grown on me so much since getting the physical copy, (folks, it DOES make a difference). For me it’s second only to Dopethrone in their catalog (blasphemy, I know).
I whole-heartedly concur with your Sleep recommendation too. It’s where I started when I got into the band.
As for Saint Vitus, go with Born Too late if you have to make a choice.
Hostile Ambient Takeover? So you want people to know what the Melvins really think, eh?
Hey thanks for this! I am rather a newbie, I mean I know all of these bands but I am yet to dive into some of them. This is excellent I thank ye very mucho!
I’d argue that starting the exploration for any of the bands on your list is the easy part. But where to stop? So much music, so little time . . .
Anyway, my 2 cents:
Church of Misery, “Master of Brutality”
Colour Haze, “Colour Haze”
High on Fire, “Blessed Black Wings”
Ufomammut, “Snailking”
Lists! I love lists! Cool.
A few I strongly agree with: Sleep, Kyuss (although I would warn the naive against Wretch) and Brant Bjork (although I’m really into Gods and Goddesses now and it’s also a pretty good place to start too)
A few I strongly disagree with (but in a “I just about remember this is all a bit of fun…just” kind of way:
Black Sabbath – you must get Black Sabbath through Sabbath Bloody Sabbath… but forget the rest. Yes, this is probably blasphemous but hey ho…
Boris – admittedly, this is a difficult one to call. However, Feedbacker is THE only way to start
Electric Wizard – Witchcult Today: are you mad? ;-) Dopethrone is the place to start! Dive straight in!
Neurosis – I always recommend Times of Grace, not only because it’s my fav Neurosis album but because it rocks damn hard!
A couple to add:
Earth – Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method. And not just because of the title! No point starting with the sub pop albums (especially the glorious Earth 2: Low frequency version) if you want a feeling for what they sound like these days. Any of the Southern Lord ones will do.
Enslaved – Ruun. Work forwards, then backwards.
OM – Conference for the Birds. No question. Then get all the others.
Queens of the Stone Age – all the Oliveri albums. Don’t bother with Era Vulgaris
Sunn O))) – Void00 if you can get it, otherwise Black One. (Monoliths and Dimensions is awesome but not an easy introduction)
This might not be the right place for this, but in my view everyone should own at least one God Speed You! Black Emperor album and a great place to start is: Lift Your Skinny Fists… (although my secret fav is Yanqui UXO – I think I’m in the minority).
Thanks for that. Twas fun!
So couldn’t resist:
Gentry Densley – one of my guitar heroes. Easiest place to start is probably Ascend’s album Ample Fire Within, where he’s with Greg Anderson. If you want to dive in, Meditavolutions (Iceburn Collective) or The Unkindness of Crowes (Eagle Twin).
Speaking of Greg Anderson, everyone should own “Flower of Disease”
Ahhh…. can’t…. stop…. making… lists…. help….!!!
For Fu Manchu, I personally would say California Crossing is a good one to start with. For Neurosis, I’d say Given To The Rising or Times of Grace. As far as Kyuss, I’d say Sky Valley, but I’m biased since it’s my favorite album ever. And for Sunn O))), I’d go with Monoliths and Dimensions. “Alice” is the song that got me into Drone.
Just gotta add some Norwegian flavour into your list:
Motorpsycho – Little Lucid Moments (4 songs, 1 hour, simply great)
Skambankt – Hardt Regn (they come from a small norwegian town called Haugesund, and they sing in their mother tounge with a really weird accent, but the riffs are totally worth it)
Turbonegro – Apocalypse Dudes (come on, the title says it all)
Ulver – Shadows Of The Sun (one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard, a must-have)
We – Smugglers (a great stoner/garage rock band, with the opening song Cosmic Biker R’n’R that really hits the spot)
Black Debbath – Welcome To Norway (they actually sing in norwegian, but they made this album for all the tourists that wish to visit this beautiful country. A somewhat comic take on the tourism here in Norway, and the riffs are fantastic. The name is a crystal-clear reference to Sabbath, and “debatt” in norwegian means “debate”. They are strongly political, and use comedy as a tool)
The Dirty Callahans – Fucked Up And Still Standing (great garage-rock band from the capital, Oslo)
Dunderbeist – 8 Crows And Counting (somewhat alternative, but great guys. Some of the members hail from the heavy-metal band Stonegard. Sounds like Faith No More with bongo-drums)
The Grand – The Grand (great fuzz-rock from one of Norways greatest guitarists, Amund Maarud. Super-cool guys)
Haust – Ride The Relapse (crust-punk/garage with some black metal mixed in, their first album is epic)
Kvelertak – Kvelertak (what they call Necro’n’roll. All I know is that they kick ass. Sings in their native tounge, but you can’t really make out the words anyway)
Manhattan Skyline – Curses (think Dillinger Escape Plan, just more dirty)
Sahg – I (stoner/doom from Bergen, one of the sadest and darkest cities in all of Norway. Features members from Audrey Horne and Gorgoroth)
Shining – Blackjazz (because their older stuff is all jazzy and shit)
Maybe you know some of these bands from before, but I thought I should just give you my two cents on all of this. Great list by the way!
Disagree with your Fu Manchu choice, I think “The Action Is Go” is definitely where it’s at. Also disagree with your Sleep choice, I think “Holy Mountain” should be first. “Dopesmoker” is important, but the key songs on “Holy Mountain” are incomparable.
Others:
Spirit Caravan – Jug Fulla Sun
Earthride – Taming of the Demons
The Atomic Bitchwax – Atomic Bitchwax I
Karma To Burn – Wild, Wonderful Purgatory
High On Fire – The Art of Self Defense
Solace – Further
The Gates Of Slumber – …The Awakening
I think Madre de Dios is actually the weakest Dozer album. I’d start people off with Call It Conspiracy.
Hey if a band has a song named after the band, on an album with the same name, then you should start with it for max cheeze. Electric Wizard, by Electric Wizard, on Electric Wizard. Softer crossover from ‘mainstream’ doom e.g. black sabbath.
And for Alabama Thunderpussy ‘Staring At the Divine’ was quite a fine introduction for me, and still the favorite.
Second the motion for ‘Sky Valley’ though.
Trower is easy…. Bridge Of Sighs!