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Albums that peak in the middle of runtime
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Author:  Vintersorrow [ Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:25 am ]
Post subject:  Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Bands usually recognize their best songs and put them at the beginning (or at the end) of their albums. Many times the songs that come in between are considered filler or they simply don't reach the quality of songs that introduce or conclude the album.

I wonder if there are many albums that stand out for starting off really slow, peaking somewhere in the middle, then dying down in the final tracks?

Cannot remember any off the top of my head ...

Author:  Peroy [ Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Dream Theater's A Tragic Turn of Events put its most noteworthy song "Outcry" at #6 on the tracklist...

Author:  Senton [ Sun Mar 31, 2013 10:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Pantera's 'Vulgar Display Of Power'.

The first five tracks are well known and live staples, the rest...eh?

Author:  Terri23 [ Sun Mar 31, 2013 12:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Suicidal Tendencies debut. The middle third of that record is the peak, no question. Also, Institutionalized is one of the great all time hardcore punk anthems.

Author:  Liquid_Braino [ Sun Mar 31, 2013 8:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

The whole album is pretty much ace, but regarding Death Angel's The Ultra Violence, it's tracks 3 through 6 that really do it for me, whereas the first and last couple of tracks, though not crappy by any means, aren't at the same level.

Author:  lord_ghengis [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 12:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Destroyer 666s Phoenix Rising comes to mind. It doesn't start badly at all, but the I am the Wargod/Eternal Glory of War/Lone Wolf Winter trio of songs blows the early songs away, then you've got an okish song and a really dull one to finish it off. Very poor piece of track arrangement.

Author:  OzzyApu [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 12:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

I'd say Moonsorrow's Kivenkantaja. The album before it had a long, kick-ass ending, but this one had me so puzzled because I couldn't even remember what the final track sounded like. It's just some atmospheric padding with no kick to it. Not bad, but as the finale it goes to waste. It's also too long for what it is.

The final song should have been "Jumalten Kaupunki - Tuhatvuotinen Perinto". THAT song RULES. Was the first Moonsorrow song I ever heard and it's amazing from start to finish. Everything about it is epic, catchy, crushing, and timeless. The only problem is that it's right in the middle of the album, reaching a high that the rest of the tracks never match. Should have finished the album on a really huge high.

Author:  ClaymanOnFire [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 1:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Agalloch's Marrow of the Spirit. The entire album is amazing, don't get me wrong, but Black Lake Nidstang is definitely the highlight and the final song is more of an ambient piece.

Author:  Empyreal [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 1:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

The new Avantasia is kind of like this; starts off pretty good and ends pretty good, but the middle is outstanding and has some really great, epic songs.

Author:  LordStenhammar [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Deep Purple In Rock might be one. That album is my all-time favourite. I like it even more than any Maiden album. And Maiden is my number one band. Every song on In Rock is phenomenal of course, but Child in Time is clearly the centerpiece.

Author:  hakarl [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Windir's Likferd, I suppose. Fagning at least is one of the high point of their career together with Todeswaltzer.

Author:  Peroy [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Ilwhyan wrote:
Windir's Likferd, I suppose. Fagning at least is one of the high point of their career together with Todeswaltzer.


last two songs on Likferd are the best ones...

Author:  hakarl [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Peroy wrote:
Ilwhyan wrote:
Windir's Likferd, I suppose. Fagning at least is one of the high point of their career together with Todeswaltzer.


last two songs on Likferd are the best ones...

I disagree, but I think they're among the better ones. I suppose it's more accurate to say that the album ramps up in quality, but the peak is definitely Fagning, which is in the middle. On The Mountain Of Goats is also a nice counterpart to the epicness preceding it, making it a memorable song.

Author:  Menternor [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Edge of Sanity - Crimson

No, that's not a joke. I know it's a one-song album but I think the strongest melodies and riffs lie in the middle of the song.

Author:  Celtic Frosted Flakes [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Nirvana 2002's Disembodies Spirits EP. 3 songs, yes, but Zombiefication is definitely the best one. ;)

Author:  KE3useer [ Mon Apr 01, 2013 4:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Opeth - Orchid. The best tracks on the album are tracks 4 and 5 (Forest of October and The Twilight is My Robe).

Iced Earth - s/t. Colors, Curse the Sky, and Life and Death are their most emotionally pulling songs as well as complete riff fests.

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness. Maze of Torment, Lord of All Fevers and Plague, Chapel of Ghouls, and Damnation are, in my opinion, the strongest, darkest, and most aggressive jams on the album. Don't get me wrong, the entire album is brilliant, and an argument could be made for the first half of the album being the climax, but the middle section is just pure evil.

Pestilence - Consuming Impulse. Chronic Infection, Out of the Body, Echoes of Death, and Defy thy Master. Each track is more imaginative and brutal than the next. Progressive, primal, and pulverizing.

Author:  ChildClownOutlet [ Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Someone already said Iced Earth, but NOTS has Pure Evil, Desert Rain and Mystical End(which is their most underrated song), I always thought Travel in Stygian overstayed it's welcome for a little bit, same for Angel's Holocaust.

Author:  DoomMetalAlchemist [ Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Day of Reckoning by Pentagram. Tracks 2 (Evil Seed), 4 (When the Screams Come), and 5 (Burning Saviour) are definitely my favs from the album, as well as some of my favs from the band in general, AND even in the doom genre. Track 3 (Broken Vows) would be my next favorite, also quite good. Tracks 1 (Day of Reckoning), 6 (Madman), and 7 (Wartime) are all good, but nothing special.

Author:  StillDeath [ Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

The Chemical Wedding. The two highlights ( for me) are tracks 5 and 7

Author:  Syntek [ Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Swallow the Sun's "Plague of Butterflies".
The first part is vast and mysterious, and the third incredibly beautiful, but the second part is just one kick-ass 10 minute ride of a blackened death metal breakdown, that they never really adopted in the same way elsewhere.

Author:  SisuBerserk [ Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Altars - Krieg. Their only demo, the best track is 3rd (out of 5) called The Reign of God Has Ended.
Azaghal - Codex Antitheus. Mid-third (tracks 4-6) are the best ones. Opening is the close number one though.
Azahgal - Omega. See above, 'cept track 9 instead of opening.
Azaghal - Perkeleen Luoma. 5th track, Kuoleman Kylmä Ikuisuus, is the best one here.
Black Sabbath - Born Again. Zero the Hero, 'nuff said.
Darkthrone - F.O.A.D. Title track is 5th out of 9 and it's tie with first track... Sometimes F.O.A.D. is better and sometimes I say These Shores Are Damned is better...
Doro - Love Me in Black. Best tracks are Terrorvision (6th) and I Don't Care (7th out of 14)
Doro - Machine II Machine. Best tracks are (7th) and (8th out of 14/15)
DragonForce - Ultra Beatdown. The Last Journey Home is easily the best track here. Only track on this album that I gave 5/5.
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos. Number 4, Dark Eternal Night
Fethuruz - P D E C O E O D L V C. Duelo El Destino (2nd out of 3) is the peak.
Impaled Nazarene - Pro Patria Finlandia. Best track is For Those Who Have Fallen, which is 6th.
Iron Maiden - Brave New World. Peaks during tracks 5-7.
Nadja - Radiance of Shadows. Second track (out of three) is the best one.
Pantera - Metal Magic. 5th track, Biggest Part of Me, is the best one.
Stone - No Anaesthesia. Title track is 6th and the best.
Suicidal Inc. - Dead Enough for Life. Third track, Alcoholic Then Suicidal is the top here.
Testament - The Formation of Damnation. Peaks at 6th track, The Persecuted Won't Forget.
Torsofuck - Erotic Diarrhea Fantasy. Raped by Elephats, do I need to say more?
Weakling - Dead as Dreams. This Entire Fucking Battlefield is the peak (3rd out of 5).

That's about it. Long list is long.

Author:  TrooperEd [ Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Iron Maiden- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Black Sabbath- Sabotage

Author:  maidenpriestmanic [ Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

ChildClownOutlet wrote:
Someone already said Iced Earth, but NOTS has Pure Evil, Desert Rain and Mystical End(which is their most underrated song), I always thought Travel in Stygian overstayed it's welcome for a little bit, same for Angel's Holocaust.


Don't forget The Path I Choose.

Author:  DoomMetalAlchemist [ Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

TrooperEd wrote:
Iron Maiden- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Black Sabbath- Sabotage


I disagree greatly about Sabotage, I think it's best in the first half. Hole in the Sky, Don't Start (Too Late), Symptom of the Universe, and Megalomania are definitely my favorite songs from the album.

Author:  DARKZSOU7 [ Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Judas Priest - Sin After Sin. The two songs Call For the Priest and Raw Deal are some of the best songs Priest ever wrote because of Robs amazing performance on them.

Author:  DoomMetalAlchemist [ Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

DARKZSOU7 wrote:
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin. The two songs Call For the Priest and Raw Deal are some of the best songs Priest ever wrote because of Robs amazing performance on them.


Another one I (partially) disagree with. :D For me it's the end, Rawl Deal, Here Come the Tears, and Dissident Aggressor.

Author:  Woolie_Wool [ Tue Apr 16, 2013 1:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Virgin Steele's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II has a really amazing streak of songs between "Twilight of the Gods" and "Emalaith". Unfortunately "Strawgirl" comes in to kill all the momentum the previous tracks built up, which makes "Devil Angel" have less effect than it could have had.

Author:  MacMoney [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

When considering things like this, you have to take into account when the album was made i.e. for what format. Albums like Sabotage (Thrill of It All) and Sin After Sin (Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest) have a strong opener in the middle because that's when the listener has to flip the vinyl so he/she will be perking up, paying more attention to what he is hearing next.

Author:  Terri23 [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

DARKZSOU7 wrote:
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin. The two songs Call For the Priest and Raw Deal are some of the best songs Priest ever wrote because of Robs amazing performance on them.


Gotta disagree with you there. The opening track is the best song here. Great solid album though.
SisuBerserk wrote:
Black Sabbath - Born Again. Zero the Hero, 'nuff said.


Disagree here too. This is a good song, but the whole album is solid all the way through. If I had to choose a best song, it'd probably be either the closer, or the title track, but only just.

Author:  Empyreal [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Woolie_Wool wrote:
Virgin Steele's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II has a really amazing streak of songs between "Twilight of the Gods" and "Emalaith". Unfortunately "Strawgirl" comes in to kill all the momentum the previous tracks built up, which makes "Devil Angel" have less effect than it could have had.


"Strawgirl" is just about the best ballad they ever wrote in the 90s. Love that track, definitely part of the killer run in the middle of that album. The songs after that are pretty substandard for VS though.

Author:  TheLiberation [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

I tend to love album closers the most rather than the openers (although these are usually pretty good songs), but a few I can think of here:
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane: pretty much everything from Fandango to Dryad of The Woods is amazing. The first two songs are pretty good but are more of a nice intro, and the last couple of tracks is a little weaker, except Beyond The Pale which is very good but I don't worship it as much as many fans.
Riverside - Second Life Syndrome: title track. If you've heard, you know.
Opeth - Watershed: okay, saying Porcelain Heart and Hessian Peel are in the middle is pushing it a bit, but still. It's possibly the most powerful two-song combo on any Opeth album. Porcelain Heart is beautiful and monumental, Hessian Peel is an atmospheric masterpiece.
Decapitated - Carnival is Forever: title track, Homo Sum is a slightly calmer interlude, and then 404 to complete what the title track did. Does what the band name does.

This is harder than I'd expected.

Author:  Wilytank [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Fleshgod Apocalypse's Agony album. The strongest tracks are easily "The Egoism", "The Betrayal", and "The Forsaking". The rest of the album doesn't really stand up.

Author:  vengefulgoat [ Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Albums that peak in the middle of runtime

Menhir - Hildebrandslied - the title track split into short intro, metal and folk part, are real highlights, even when the rest is top quality too

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier - When the Wild Wind Blows was my favourite tune in the start too, but now I am much more fond of the songs in the middle, especially Starblind

Graveland - Memory and Destiny - the 3 middle tracks are just my favourite

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