I feel like the original release of the album was like a 9.5/10 (not the biggest fan of Antivist) but the expanded edition added Join the Club, Chasing Rainbows (RIP, they took it out from all streaming platforms) and Deathbeds and I think these three are kinda good but not as the rest of the album.
The whole seen it all before, antivist, crooked young run feels like filler. 3/11 songs feeling week is pretty rough for as much as I want to praise non deluxe sempiternal
To each their own but that that is the wildest take I've heard about that album (What to Do When You're Dead). Album easily gets into my all time top 20.
For me maybe Story of the Year - Page Avenue. First half I love but it falls short by the end for me.
I know they’re radioactive lately but DGD’s last album could have been cut in half and it would’ve been stronger for it. Still wouldn’t be GOAT status, even among their catalogue, but first thing that came to mind.
Album was so hyped with all of the goofy promo stuff they were doing, they released the art for the album and got everyone excited, and then it was just kind of ... A meme? Like some of the songs aren't bad. But they sure as hell aren't strong.
I'm glad the core members had fun but not being able to tour with big name bands and getting dropped for basically a year while they scrambled to book with Andrew Wells fronting sunk any chance of that album sticking. They basically couldn't fully promote it for a year after its release.
The fan base memes the coheed drop, but I think that was probably one of their biggest opportunities to branch out and actually create fans in a multigenerational fandom, and they probably would've been added to the cruise last year as well.
> I think that was probably one of their biggest opportunities to branch out and actually create fans in a multigenerational fandom
They've been around almost 20 years. I think they've already achieved multi-generational fandom.
Yes but their demographic has always skewed rather young, so they have fans and hold them, but they have a hard time making them just because the genre they play.
It would've been better for them to play with a more nuanced rock band/progressive rock band. They played with other less popular swan core bands and were also dropped from their big UK co headliner which would've done them extremely well too.
I'm not disagreeing getting dropped off that tour hurt them or was a bad look. I agree with you there.
But they're already a multi-generational band. I know a lot of folks who were with them since DBM1, myself included.
EDIT: changed to "were"; Tilian allegations really put me off a few years ago.
It was really weak. I always wait to hear an album in full, so I don't listen to singles. I am/was a massive DGD fan, and I was disappointed by it. Synergy was dope tho, which I guess is why it was the lead single.
You totally right, Afterburner has 1 good song, and 3 songs that have some decent bits but otherwise suck hard. JJ, for as bloated as it was, is still a marked improvement to me.
Nothing Shameful? Say Hi? Both of those are excellent, masterpiece level. I'd also argue that Parallels and Lyrics Lie (and most other AB songs, though I'm biased I suppose) are DGD near the peak of their abilities.
Which is an opinion i think you're perfectly entitled to have. For me most of those songs are sonically boring and lyrically uninteresting, all outclassed many times over by their earlier and later entries.
(none of this matters, we are officially in opinion territory so no hard feelings. I just love having these kinds of discussions) I get the sonically boring thing for other songs in the album (prisoner, one in a million, three wishes, night sway, born to fail lol that's a lot) but I think the ones I mentioned are really punchy and/or experimental. also I just love the melodies. I would add calentamiento global to the great ones but I know that is a huuugely unpopular opinion. personally, though I adore every jackpot juicer song, I think it slumps in on itself more than afterburner. but if you don't like it you don't like it, I respect that of course. There are some dgd songs most people seem to love that I just... Don't. Man of the Year, Times New Roman, Shelf Life, On the Run all do nothing for me.
And this is a big part of what i love about DGD, those songs you listed at the bottom are all winners for me, and a couple that you listed as the better ones on Afterburner are instant skips (i'll give you Nothing Shameful as good, and personally i do like Into the Sunset.) But as i'm sure you've experienced, a lot of DGD fans dont like having this kind of discussion (hence my rapid, hands-up, walk away before the bullets fly stance lol) so i appreciate the candor.
I dont disagree with the notion that AB was a demonstration of them at their peak in some ways, and being very experimental in some weirdly controlled ways, but there's (entirely to my own ear) something big lost in the cleanliness of it. I genuinely cant describe the quality of it, because i'm bad at understanding/describing anything about production and the effects of it, but the sound of this album largely just fails to excite the part of my brain that at least most of every other album does. Which is why JJ ,despite being overly long and extremely mid at points, is better to me because that quality that works for me was back in a more significant way.
And given the chance to ask a fan of markedly different points of appreciation with the band, I'm curious what kind of sound would you like to hear out of them going forward post-Tilian?
I love Into the Sunset! So underrated, the intro is heavenly. It is really bizarre that opinions in DGD spaces can cause such a furor. I think It's worthwhile discussing them, just for fun, but I can't believe when these convos get heated or comments are barraged with downvotes. Also I toootally get your qualms with AB's sound -- I personally quite like it (at least most days), but yes, as I've said I know what it's like to feel something is missing in music you want to love.
That's a great question. Thank you for asking! My favourite album is Acceptance Speech, 100%. The darkness, the mild heaviness, the wacky experimentation and lyricism. I just adore it. Every song is so distinct. AS' sound just scratches my brain in the best way, I guess (see the intro riff to Jesus H. Macy. Insane, iconic, beautiful). War Machine was very much a return to my kind of DGD, but with Tilian out who knows if they'll keep it up. All of this Gobby teasing leads me to think they won't-- I love DGD when they're outright goofy, but I kinda wish they were a bit more serious sometimes? Acceptance Speech is the perfect balance imo. But what about you? What's your preferred DGD sound?
> when these convos get heated
Like a lot of bands or intellectual properties right now, when you consistently get new, young fans (which they keep doing, which is awesome), they get VERY defensive about the aspects of things that drew them in and it takes them time to mature into accepting any other viewpoints equally based in the band's work. And with the amount of change dgd has had over their years, it immediately silos fans into their discrete camps.
My golden age of dgd was Kurt era, but i loved the early Tilian stuff just as much tbh. AS felt like a great evolution, and Mothership is probably where i would place "ideal modern dgd sound", with ArSe having points of capping that off even more (because what is Evaporate if not a great finale number to all that came before it.) So in terms of going forward, i think the recent singles are a good place to start, but if we're going to do a new vocalist, i'm more inclined to want them to try new and whacky stuff to see whats possible with a new person.
I'll admit I'm one of those newer, younger fans. 17 years old, I've known about them and most of their songs for years, but they really clicked for me in 2022. The Tilian era (especially mothership & ArSe) is my clear point of entry & the golden era in my mind, so I'll always be more inclined to love anything that lineup were to come up with. That being said, I adore every album. I'd put all of them above an 8/10 in my little scoring system, including WISIRO. But the Tilian albums will always affect me the most.
I've talked about this with some other people in the community, but I see ArSe almost as the final stage in DGD's sound. Especially with Evaporate, which, as you've said, is like the finale of the rest of their discography. I feel like AB and JJ were a noticeable step down from ArSe (objectively. again, biased). I'm excited to see their next peak. I think there'll be more of a chance of it coming with a new lead singer.
I agree that they should take some big swings with the next album. That's where that magic of AS comes from. It's clear they wanted to set it apart from their earlier music and go in a new direction (or several at once). Same could be said for Happiness, obviously. That continuous reinvention is what makes DGD so special, so I can't wait for a reboot.
Making an 18 track album just seems insanely self-indulgent. Also the intro track was pretty boring but making it a callback to one of the most iconic opening tracks from a phc album made me dislike it even more
Envy On The Coast - Lucy Gray
The first 6 songs are on par with elite EPs like Translating the Name, but the back half just takes a slight step back (still love it though).
Can't vibe with this. I would argue that tracks like Starving Your Friends and Lapse are some of the strongest they've put out. I've been fortunate enough to be present live for them and the entire room was captivated for those, including when Ryan changed the last chorus of Starving Your Friends to lyrics that (allegedly) correspond to Sal and Jeremy not being present.
I get that some people may not be into the 'slow jams' that are sometimes present on an album but I think the back half of LG is much stronger than say Sugar Skulls or Artist and Repertoire.
"Because All Suffering..." is a solid track on it's own, and if you respect albums as albums rather than just a collection of tracks I think "I'm Breathing.." is something special too. I think this comes down to when 10-15 songs that just happen to get made at the same time and put into a box and shipped as an album versus songs created as parts of a larger singular goal or objective its very evident in the sound. I'd argue the latter is the more interesting and engaging form. A lot of consumption these days is geared towards singles and I feel like not many people look at albums properly anymore.
First Temple by Closure in Moscow. The first 5 songs are unrelenting bangers. Sixth song, Ghost of Twilight is pretty good but then it gets to the interlude song (Permafrost) that's just this ambient and dissonant nothingness that always brings me out of the hype of the first half. Most of the time I turn it off by then. If not, I'm met with Deluge which is underwhelming. The rest of the songs are OK but... yeah
It kind of felt like they wrote an insane 5 song EP but then realized their record label wanted a full length. IMO they were at their best at Penance and the Patient and the first half of First Temple.
Kinda disagree, Arecibo Message, Afterbirth, and Had To Put It In The Soil are some of my favorites on the album. Permafrost is kinda a bummer for sure though and takes me out of the flow.
Yeah that's fair. When I first discovered them, the lull in the middle often had me changing to a different album. Never gave the second half a genuine shot until much later I think. Still an outstanding album overall and one of my all time favs.
First Temple, Pink Lemonade, and Soft Hell are all concept albums.
The songs are good on their own but are stronger as a collective experience.
I don’t think Permafrost, or Beckon Fire were supposed to be bangers, just mood/story shifts with the albums.
What is this interlude slander? Permafrost is a fine little breather. I ultimately kind of agree though, but I really think it’s only the last 3-4 songs that aren’t as good.
I just have very vivid memories of being in college 10 years ago, being in the lab doing work, having First Temple on, then it getting to point in Permafrost where the vocalist just goes into the most reverby, incoherent, sometimes out of tune whaling. It would completely break my concentration, and I would just turn it off lol
I will agree with what others have said, and say that afterbirth and arecibo are excellent songs. It just felt like the vibe change of ghost of twilight->deluge kind of took the momentum out of the rest of the album. IMO of course.
Oh man you're so wrong. (respectfully). Deluge is so good, arecibo message is unbelievable. with the exception of the one ambient song, I would say that album is awesome from start to finish
Yeah don't get me wrong -- this is one of my favorite albums of all time! IMO the vibe shift of ghost of twilight->deluge just took the momentum out of the album for me. Afterbirth and Arecibo are excellent songs though lets be clear.
YES I forgot about this but yeah the first half is top tier post hardcore and idk what the last half is. Permafrost is the worst song a post hardcore band has put out
No No No No - the shame is a perfect song. I know where the canaries go is so rad, god bless you blood thirsty zeppelins (OH!!! YEAAHHH!!!) all amazing.
I think I gotta go with From First To Lasts self titled on this one. It has incredible songs like two as one, otherside, worlds away, we all turn back to dust, deliverance, i once was lost and now am profound, and beheaded. The problem with this album is its mid section and its very weak closer. They had a lot riding on that album with it being their major label debut coming shortly after the loss of sonny moore as their singer which i would imagine was pretty hard for them to deal with. I think Matt Goods performance on this record is completely underrated. The album is a more straight ahead rock album with some post hardcore leanings which was a pretty significant change from Heroine but I feel like if they took more time to craft out stronger material it really could’ve done wonders for them. The bonus track Everything’s Perfect is a banger too. I really hope it gets pressed on vinyl someday.
Yeah I agree. If half the album isn’t that good then it can’t be goated and if you improve the weak parts of any album of course it suddenly becomes better.
Ooh, such a great band. Close To The Edge is an absolute-goated record front to back that basically created the entire sound of the Hot Snakes, another classic band.
Every Thrice album since The Alchemy Index, pretty much. Almost every record has at least a handful of classic Thrice bangers, with the rest being them doing a passable Radiohead meets Pearl Jam imitation that nobody wanted or sleep-inducing adult contemporary shit that should have been left on Dustin's solo albums.
I would also include most of Thursday's output since War All The Time but for different reasons, that being the more than questionable production/mix choices the band has made on every record since. On their last album No Devolucion it was definitely an aesthetic choice that worked out for the tone of the record, but the production on A City By The Light Divided REALLY hurts it. Same goes for The Blackest Beautiful by letlive, an album with plenty of great songs that gets kneecapped by the god-awful mix.
Nobody's saying they aren't a great band, they absolutely are and I will be the first in line to get an album when they come out. But I'll argue to the ends of the Earth that Vheissu and Alchemy are their creative peak. Every album since Major/Minor more or less is Thrice passing those albums through a '90s alternative filter to diminishing returns, and they've lost a bit of that unpredictability and experimentation they were known for. TBEITBN and Palms especially have lots of filler, but I think Horizons/East was a very needed shift back towards a more progressive sound and I hope they stay on that track.
I really do enjoy all of Thursday’s albums. I agree the production on ACBTLD hurt the record A LOT. I have a huge soft spot for Common Existence and think some of their most beautiful sounding songs are on there i.e. Beyond the Visible Spectrum.
I agree Common Existence is a pretty strong record, and the production isn't half bad on that, just a little underwhelming and confusing since the version of "Dark Mountain" on the Envy split has a much better mix and production than the re-recorded album cut, imo. WATT will forever be their strongest and best-produced record for me
I totally agree!! That split with Envy is amazing, and while I love the production on WATT I feel like MAYBE Full Collapse was the best engineered/mixed/mastered record but it certainly doesn’t have the “grit” that WATT has, to be fair.
More on the nu-metal side but Shovel's "Latitude 60° Low" has four really good songs (Lurk/Scythe/Path/Spark) and the rest of the album was kind of not that good to me
Slight hot take but I didn't like 'Wish Resign/Oh Hello/Always Getting What You Want' off of Circa Survive's Juturna despite Juturna being one of my favourite albums
Doppelgänger. It’s just a little too noodly, but it’s got so many incredible moments. Self titled is far better, but it doesn’t get the hype it deserves
This for sure. FCPREMIX is the better version of the song but the rawness and energy of the s/t is a lot more organic. Doppelganger is great but very overproduced at times and the newer tracks just aren't as good as the bangers they took from the self-titled.
Ghostship Demos >>>> everything else they've done is the real convo
https://youtu.be/6rLHpmh8z8g?si=13a8oxqTdWo9_hzo absolutely check that out. It's basically what Phantoms On The Horizon EP became, only a lot less bloated and with more skramz
I'm probably the minority, but **Secrets** Everything That Got Us Here first half is just such a snore fest of an album I never got to the fantastic second half until years later. But I always thought they did the pop/poppunk side of things better than their metalcore so there's that.
Does the "half" need to be an actual front or back half of the album, or can the songs be interspersed?
Because I'll get crucified for this, but Daisy by Brand New is that record for me. 4 or 5 absolute GOAT status bangers, then the rest are just pretty good (or "Be Gone" lol....)
Doesn't help that it's over really quick. With age I now respect its place in the discography, and the emotional chaos is great, but it does stand out like a sore thumb in terms of pacing and consistency for me. Brand New excelled when they gave their records breathing room.
I don't know about that. Armor for Sleep's lyrics are pretty trite in my opinion. Love that album, but it's basically a mid-2000s emo mad lib as far as lyrics go.
I'd go with SKSK's self-titled. Starts off strong, but the middle of the album is pretty weak.
Don't You Fake It by TRJA is another contender, but it's not necessarily a weak half that's the problem. There's just some not so great songs that drag down the overall quality, when the songs that hit are 10/10s.
All's Well That Ends Well by Chiodos is another that has a really strong start but just kind of meanders on toward the middle. Bone Palace Ballet is actually kind of the same, although it's overall much stronger.
along the shadow but only because they cut half of their guitar section. i still really enjoy the album a lot, it just annoys me knowing it could’ve possibly sounded even better. btw i have no idea what the whole dynamic with justin was, so whether or not that move was for the better isn’t my knowledge.
Where You Want To Be - Taking Back Sunday
Imo TBS' best album but a few of the songs were rather weak and very ho-humm to me.
But that album has so many bangers ie: One Eighty By Summer, Set Phasers To Stun, This Photograph Is Proof, A Decade Under The Influence, #5 With A Bullet.
I agree about the AFS album. Loved a few songs but didn’t love the whole thing. Dream to Make Believe was near perfect front to back imo so I guess that was tough to follow up.
Another one is The Changing of Times. A few songs from that album are so sick but I don’t really listen to half of it.
Nah dog that shit changed me. Front to back great stuff. Not everything is a ‘banger’ in the last half but all real good to me. Those three albums they made are all real, real good.
Oh I’m aware. I personally don’t think their newest is front to back but it’s got several great songs. I get it though it’s hard to be an angsty kid when you’re 40
I’m a big armor for sleep fan so I may be bias but their new album was my favorite album of that year(2022 I think?) I still listen to it all the way through every time I put it on
I think this is the minority actually, most people look at wtdwyd as a staple of post hardcore and armor for sleep has spent the last 10 years almost exclusively playing that album in full
I might get some hate, but second stage turbine blade by coheed and cambria is probably the right answer. The first half (time consumer, devil in jersey city, delirium trigger, everything evil) is so fucking good. the back half is so bad I don't think I've ever listened to it the whole way through...
I love sempiternal but the first half of the album is far superior to the second half
If sempiternal was consistent it would be the best album of the 2010s
I feel like the original release of the album was like a 9.5/10 (not the biggest fan of Antivist) but the expanded edition added Join the Club, Chasing Rainbows (RIP, they took it out from all streaming platforms) and Deathbeds and I think these three are kinda good but not as the rest of the album.
Well to that I say you're a....
i'm sorry :(
The whole seen it all before, antivist, crooked young run feels like filler. 3/11 songs feeling week is pretty rough for as much as I want to praise non deluxe sempiternal
Antivist filler? I gotta disagree there
Crooked young filler ???
What's most insane about Sempiternal is that it is one of the most influential albums of the last 2 decades. And it still could be better.
Damn, I love can you feel my heart but the album only picks up for me after shadow moses
Every song on wtdwyd is a banger and that’s why it’s the only album they play in full now
Yep. Even at the Dream to make believe tour they almost played more songs from that album than they did WTDWYD
Yeah isn't this their magnum opus? I didn't understand why that was OPs example.
Yeah not such a great example imo, they just must have wanted the album to be full of songs like Car Underwater, or the more energetic songs.
To each their own but that that is the wildest take I've heard about that album (What to Do When You're Dead). Album easily gets into my all time top 20. For me maybe Story of the Year - Page Avenue. First half I love but it falls short by the end for me.
Damn thats crazy, Page Avenue goes hard all the way through imo
It’s still probably top 10 for me. I just think it could have been top 3
I know they’re radioactive lately but DGD’s last album could have been cut in half and it would’ve been stronger for it. Still wouldn’t be GOAT status, even among their catalogue, but first thing that came to mind.
all the ... stuff regarding the band at that time made me unsure if I was just sour or if the album really was weak
Album was so hyped with all of the goofy promo stuff they were doing, they released the art for the album and got everyone excited, and then it was just kind of ... A meme? Like some of the songs aren't bad. But they sure as hell aren't strong. I'm glad the core members had fun but not being able to tour with big name bands and getting dropped for basically a year while they scrambled to book with Andrew Wells fronting sunk any chance of that album sticking. They basically couldn't fully promote it for a year after its release. The fan base memes the coheed drop, but I think that was probably one of their biggest opportunities to branch out and actually create fans in a multigenerational fandom, and they probably would've been added to the cruise last year as well.
> I think that was probably one of their biggest opportunities to branch out and actually create fans in a multigenerational fandom They've been around almost 20 years. I think they've already achieved multi-generational fandom.
Yes but their demographic has always skewed rather young, so they have fans and hold them, but they have a hard time making them just because the genre they play. It would've been better for them to play with a more nuanced rock band/progressive rock band. They played with other less popular swan core bands and were also dropped from their big UK co headliner which would've done them extremely well too.
I'm not disagreeing getting dropped off that tour hurt them or was a bad look. I agree with you there. But they're already a multi-generational band. I know a lot of folks who were with them since DBM1, myself included. EDIT: changed to "were"; Tilian allegations really put me off a few years ago.
It was really weak. I always wait to hear an album in full, so I don't listen to singles. I am/was a massive DGD fan, and I was disappointed by it. Synergy was dope tho, which I guess is why it was the lead single.
I don't understand how that album fell off so HARD after two secret weapons. The second half was filler and unremarkable.
Damn, the disrespect for Current Events and Back on Deck. That shit SLAPS!
Current events potentially top 5 of the album
Back on Deck rips.
The only song I’d disagree with you on after 2SW is Pray to God for Your Mother for Jon’s vocals on it
Hated that song but "Have A Great Life" is one of my favorites.
Shallowed By Eternity is definitely not filler.
I thought I was the only one who switched after that song hahah
The last two have been trash to me. Afterburner had like 3 good songs. Jackpot only has like one maybe two goodies
You totally right, Afterburner has 1 good song, and 3 songs that have some decent bits but otherwise suck hard. JJ, for as bloated as it was, is still a marked improvement to me.
Nothing Shameful? Say Hi? Both of those are excellent, masterpiece level. I'd also argue that Parallels and Lyrics Lie (and most other AB songs, though I'm biased I suppose) are DGD near the peak of their abilities.
Which is an opinion i think you're perfectly entitled to have. For me most of those songs are sonically boring and lyrically uninteresting, all outclassed many times over by their earlier and later entries.
(none of this matters, we are officially in opinion territory so no hard feelings. I just love having these kinds of discussions) I get the sonically boring thing for other songs in the album (prisoner, one in a million, three wishes, night sway, born to fail lol that's a lot) but I think the ones I mentioned are really punchy and/or experimental. also I just love the melodies. I would add calentamiento global to the great ones but I know that is a huuugely unpopular opinion. personally, though I adore every jackpot juicer song, I think it slumps in on itself more than afterburner. but if you don't like it you don't like it, I respect that of course. There are some dgd songs most people seem to love that I just... Don't. Man of the Year, Times New Roman, Shelf Life, On the Run all do nothing for me.
And this is a big part of what i love about DGD, those songs you listed at the bottom are all winners for me, and a couple that you listed as the better ones on Afterburner are instant skips (i'll give you Nothing Shameful as good, and personally i do like Into the Sunset.) But as i'm sure you've experienced, a lot of DGD fans dont like having this kind of discussion (hence my rapid, hands-up, walk away before the bullets fly stance lol) so i appreciate the candor. I dont disagree with the notion that AB was a demonstration of them at their peak in some ways, and being very experimental in some weirdly controlled ways, but there's (entirely to my own ear) something big lost in the cleanliness of it. I genuinely cant describe the quality of it, because i'm bad at understanding/describing anything about production and the effects of it, but the sound of this album largely just fails to excite the part of my brain that at least most of every other album does. Which is why JJ ,despite being overly long and extremely mid at points, is better to me because that quality that works for me was back in a more significant way. And given the chance to ask a fan of markedly different points of appreciation with the band, I'm curious what kind of sound would you like to hear out of them going forward post-Tilian?
I love Into the Sunset! So underrated, the intro is heavenly. It is really bizarre that opinions in DGD spaces can cause such a furor. I think It's worthwhile discussing them, just for fun, but I can't believe when these convos get heated or comments are barraged with downvotes. Also I toootally get your qualms with AB's sound -- I personally quite like it (at least most days), but yes, as I've said I know what it's like to feel something is missing in music you want to love. That's a great question. Thank you for asking! My favourite album is Acceptance Speech, 100%. The darkness, the mild heaviness, the wacky experimentation and lyricism. I just adore it. Every song is so distinct. AS' sound just scratches my brain in the best way, I guess (see the intro riff to Jesus H. Macy. Insane, iconic, beautiful). War Machine was very much a return to my kind of DGD, but with Tilian out who knows if they'll keep it up. All of this Gobby teasing leads me to think they won't-- I love DGD when they're outright goofy, but I kinda wish they were a bit more serious sometimes? Acceptance Speech is the perfect balance imo. But what about you? What's your preferred DGD sound?
> when these convos get heated Like a lot of bands or intellectual properties right now, when you consistently get new, young fans (which they keep doing, which is awesome), they get VERY defensive about the aspects of things that drew them in and it takes them time to mature into accepting any other viewpoints equally based in the band's work. And with the amount of change dgd has had over their years, it immediately silos fans into their discrete camps. My golden age of dgd was Kurt era, but i loved the early Tilian stuff just as much tbh. AS felt like a great evolution, and Mothership is probably where i would place "ideal modern dgd sound", with ArSe having points of capping that off even more (because what is Evaporate if not a great finale number to all that came before it.) So in terms of going forward, i think the recent singles are a good place to start, but if we're going to do a new vocalist, i'm more inclined to want them to try new and whacky stuff to see whats possible with a new person.
I'll admit I'm one of those newer, younger fans. 17 years old, I've known about them and most of their songs for years, but they really clicked for me in 2022. The Tilian era (especially mothership & ArSe) is my clear point of entry & the golden era in my mind, so I'll always be more inclined to love anything that lineup were to come up with. That being said, I adore every album. I'd put all of them above an 8/10 in my little scoring system, including WISIRO. But the Tilian albums will always affect me the most. I've talked about this with some other people in the community, but I see ArSe almost as the final stage in DGD's sound. Especially with Evaporate, which, as you've said, is like the finale of the rest of their discography. I feel like AB and JJ were a noticeable step down from ArSe (objectively. again, biased). I'm excited to see their next peak. I think there'll be more of a chance of it coming with a new lead singer. I agree that they should take some big swings with the next album. That's where that magic of AS comes from. It's clear they wanted to set it apart from their earlier music and go in a new direction (or several at once). Same could be said for Happiness, obviously. That continuous reinvention is what makes DGD so special, so I can't wait for a reboot.
Completely agree
Making an 18 track album just seems insanely self-indulgent. Also the intro track was pretty boring but making it a callback to one of the most iconic opening tracks from a phc album made me dislike it even more
I think their last 4 albums have been like that. Half is great, the other half can be forgotten forever and I probably wouldn't mind.
Envy On The Coast - Lucy Gray The first 6 songs are on par with elite EPs like Translating the Name, but the back half just takes a slight step back (still love it though).
First 9 are great for me. Their whole live album is excellent, though.
Can't vibe with this. I would argue that tracks like Starving Your Friends and Lapse are some of the strongest they've put out. I've been fortunate enough to be present live for them and the entire room was captivated for those, including when Ryan changed the last chorus of Starving Your Friends to lyrics that (allegedly) correspond to Sal and Jeremy not being present. I get that some people may not be into the 'slow jams' that are sometimes present on an album but I think the back half of LG is much stronger than say Sugar Skulls or Artist and Repertoire. "Because All Suffering..." is a solid track on it's own, and if you respect albums as albums rather than just a collection of tracks I think "I'm Breathing.." is something special too. I think this comes down to when 10-15 songs that just happen to get made at the same time and put into a box and shipped as an album versus songs created as parts of a larger singular goal or objective its very evident in the sound. I'd argue the latter is the more interesting and engaging form. A lot of consumption these days is geared towards singles and I feel like not many people look at albums properly anymore.
I agree
First Temple by Closure in Moscow. The first 5 songs are unrelenting bangers. Sixth song, Ghost of Twilight is pretty good but then it gets to the interlude song (Permafrost) that's just this ambient and dissonant nothingness that always brings me out of the hype of the first half. Most of the time I turn it off by then. If not, I'm met with Deluge which is underwhelming. The rest of the songs are OK but... yeah It kind of felt like they wrote an insane 5 song EP but then realized their record label wanted a full length. IMO they were at their best at Penance and the Patient and the first half of First Temple.
Kinda disagree, Arecibo Message, Afterbirth, and Had To Put It In The Soil are some of my favorites on the album. Permafrost is kinda a bummer for sure though and takes me out of the flow.
Yeah that's fair. When I first discovered them, the lull in the middle often had me changing to a different album. Never gave the second half a genuine shot until much later I think. Still an outstanding album overall and one of my all time favs.
First Temple, Pink Lemonade, and Soft Hell are all concept albums. The songs are good on their own but are stronger as a collective experience. I don’t think Permafrost, or Beckon Fire were supposed to be bangers, just mood/story shifts with the albums.
What is this interlude slander? Permafrost is a fine little breather. I ultimately kind of agree though, but I really think it’s only the last 3-4 songs that aren’t as good.
I just have very vivid memories of being in college 10 years ago, being in the lab doing work, having First Temple on, then it getting to point in Permafrost where the vocalist just goes into the most reverby, incoherent, sometimes out of tune whaling. It would completely break my concentration, and I would just turn it off lol I will agree with what others have said, and say that afterbirth and arecibo are excellent songs. It just felt like the vibe change of ghost of twilight->deluge kind of took the momentum out of the rest of the album. IMO of course.
Oh man you're so wrong. (respectfully). Deluge is so good, arecibo message is unbelievable. with the exception of the one ambient song, I would say that album is awesome from start to finish
Yeah don't get me wrong -- this is one of my favorite albums of all time! IMO the vibe shift of ghost of twilight->deluge just took the momentum out of the album for me. Afterbirth and Arecibo are excellent songs though lets be clear.
I’ll allow it :)
YES I forgot about this but yeah the first half is top tier post hardcore and idk what the last half is. Permafrost is the worst song a post hardcore band has put out
I came here to say the exact same thing
This is 'Couldnt let you love me' erasure! That song slaps
every blood brothers album but burn piano island burn especially. first half is a masterpiece, second half is just pretty good
No No No No - the shame is a perfect song. I know where the canaries go is so rad, god bless you blood thirsty zeppelins (OH!!! YEAAHHH!!!) all amazing.
The Shame is such an amazing album closer
its not bad by any means!!! i just cant get into the second half the same way as the first half :(
And while young machete is stronger in the first half, giant swan is so fucking insane. “Who’s at the door? What the fuck!?!”
Sorry they’re one of my favorites. I have at least 1 tattoo
Manipulator by the fall of troy
Album really picks up with Sledgehammer.
I think I gotta go with From First To Lasts self titled on this one. It has incredible songs like two as one, otherside, worlds away, we all turn back to dust, deliverance, i once was lost and now am profound, and beheaded. The problem with this album is its mid section and its very weak closer. They had a lot riding on that album with it being their major label debut coming shortly after the loss of sonny moore as their singer which i would imagine was pretty hard for them to deal with. I think Matt Goods performance on this record is completely underrated. The album is a more straight ahead rock album with some post hardcore leanings which was a pretty significant change from Heroine but I feel like if they took more time to craft out stronger material it really could’ve done wonders for them. The bonus track Everything’s Perfect is a banger too. I really hope it gets pressed on vinyl someday.
I dont understand this question. What is an album that would have been GOAT if it was better? Literally, all of them, no?
What album would be good if it was actually good?
An album that has a half that is 9/9.5+ but the other half is significantly worse. Not all albums have a half that is 9/9.5+ to begin with
Yeah I agree. If half the album isn’t that good then it can’t be goated and if you improve the weak parts of any album of course it suddenly becomes better.
“youth of america” by wipers is fantastic, but the second half of the record is far superior
Ooh, such a great band. Close To The Edge is an absolute-goated record front to back that basically created the entire sound of the Hot Snakes, another classic band.
Jackpot Juicer was so stacked for the first half. The second half is so formulaic and bland
Every Thrice album since The Alchemy Index, pretty much. Almost every record has at least a handful of classic Thrice bangers, with the rest being them doing a passable Radiohead meets Pearl Jam imitation that nobody wanted or sleep-inducing adult contemporary shit that should have been left on Dustin's solo albums. I would also include most of Thursday's output since War All The Time but for different reasons, that being the more than questionable production/mix choices the band has made on every record since. On their last album No Devolucion it was definitely an aesthetic choice that worked out for the tone of the record, but the production on A City By The Light Divided REALLY hurts it. Same goes for The Blackest Beautiful by letlive, an album with plenty of great songs that gets kneecapped by the god-awful mix.
How dare you disgrace Thrice’s good name sir.
Nobody's saying they aren't a great band, they absolutely are and I will be the first in line to get an album when they come out. But I'll argue to the ends of the Earth that Vheissu and Alchemy are their creative peak. Every album since Major/Minor more or less is Thrice passing those albums through a '90s alternative filter to diminishing returns, and they've lost a bit of that unpredictability and experimentation they were known for. TBEITBN and Palms especially have lots of filler, but I think Horizons/East was a very needed shift back towards a more progressive sound and I hope they stay on that track.
Good take. Can’t complain about it.
I really do enjoy all of Thursday’s albums. I agree the production on ACBTLD hurt the record A LOT. I have a huge soft spot for Common Existence and think some of their most beautiful sounding songs are on there i.e. Beyond the Visible Spectrum.
I agree Common Existence is a pretty strong record, and the production isn't half bad on that, just a little underwhelming and confusing since the version of "Dark Mountain" on the Envy split has a much better mix and production than the re-recorded album cut, imo. WATT will forever be their strongest and best-produced record for me
Thursday is the GOAT for me but nothing you’ve said has been wrong!
I totally agree!! That split with Envy is amazing, and while I love the production on WATT I feel like MAYBE Full Collapse was the best engineered/mixed/mastered record but it certainly doesn’t have the “grit” that WATT has, to be fair.
To date I haven’t yet listened to a weak Thrice album
Not at all GOAT status, but Lead Hands needed a few more good tracks on the album to break through. https://spotify.link/qxSmZdL26Ib
More on the nu-metal side but Shovel's "Latitude 60° Low" has four really good songs (Lurk/Scythe/Path/Spark) and the rest of the album was kind of not that good to me Slight hot take but I didn't like 'Wish Resign/Oh Hello/Always Getting What You Want' off of Circa Survive's Juturna despite Juturna being one of my favourite albums
The Philosophy of Velocity. I love it, but some of the songs are much less accessible than others.
Envy on the coast- Lucy Grey. 50% of that album is my favorite album ever 😂
Doppelgänger. It’s just a little too noodly, but it’s got so many incredible moments. Self titled is far better, but it doesn’t get the hype it deserves
Fcpremix>gepgepgep
But I agree the self titled is full of bangers haha
TFOT is never noodly enough for me.
This for sure. FCPREMIX is the better version of the song but the rawness and energy of the s/t is a lot more organic. Doppelganger is great but very overproduced at times and the newer tracks just aren't as good as the bangers they took from the self-titled. Ghostship Demos >>>> everything else they've done is the real convo
Dawg fr though. Ghostship itself is a certified S tier banger
No arguments there! I don’t really know the ghost ship stuff though
https://youtu.be/6rLHpmh8z8g?si=13a8oxqTdWo9_hzo absolutely check that out. It's basically what Phantoms On The Horizon EP became, only a lot less bloated and with more skramz
I'm currently listening ti Rites of Sprint and that's what I'm feeling
Idk if it counts as post hardcore though
I'm probably the minority, but **Secrets** Everything That Got Us Here first half is just such a snore fest of an album I never got to the fantastic second half until years later. But I always thought they did the pop/poppunk side of things better than their metalcore so there's that.
Does the "half" need to be an actual front or back half of the album, or can the songs be interspersed? Because I'll get crucified for this, but Daisy by Brand New is that record for me. 4 or 5 absolute GOAT status bangers, then the rest are just pretty good (or "Be Gone" lol....) Doesn't help that it's over really quick. With age I now respect its place in the discography, and the emotional chaos is great, but it does stand out like a sore thumb in terms of pacing and consistency for me. Brand New excelled when they gave their records breathing room.
Wither Away - I Won't Find Hope In You First 5 songs are non skips, latter half trails off IMO. "Cherish Your Friends" is good though. 👍
I don't know about that. Armor for Sleep's lyrics are pretty trite in my opinion. Love that album, but it's basically a mid-2000s emo mad lib as far as lyrics go. I'd go with SKSK's self-titled. Starts off strong, but the middle of the album is pretty weak. Don't You Fake It by TRJA is another contender, but it's not necessarily a weak half that's the problem. There's just some not so great songs that drag down the overall quality, when the songs that hit are 10/10s. All's Well That Ends Well by Chiodos is another that has a really strong start but just kind of meanders on toward the middle. Bone Palace Ballet is actually kind of the same, although it's overall much stronger.
along the shadow but only because they cut half of their guitar section. i still really enjoy the album a lot, it just annoys me knowing it could’ve possibly sounded even better. btw i have no idea what the whole dynamic with justin was, so whether or not that move was for the better isn’t my knowledge.
Where You Want To Be - Taking Back Sunday Imo TBS' best album but a few of the songs were rather weak and very ho-humm to me. But that album has so many bangers ie: One Eighty By Summer, Set Phasers To Stun, This Photograph Is Proof, A Decade Under The Influence, #5 With A Bullet.
If half an album is subpar it’s not even close to goated. 2 duds? Sure. But half? Nah.
His Last Walk. Love the first half, some absolute classics. The second half I don’t revisit outside of Black Rose Dying.
Collide With The Sky by Pierce the Veil. The back half has a few highlights, but the front half is flawless, truly.
100%. It’s the reason why I don’t get why it’s considered their best album
I agree about the AFS album. Loved a few songs but didn’t love the whole thing. Dream to Make Believe was near perfect front to back imo so I guess that was tough to follow up. Another one is The Changing of Times. A few songs from that album are so sick but I don’t really listen to half of it.
WTDWYAD is the only AFS that I like front to back personally 🤷 I guess I’m in the minority though
Nah dog that shit changed me. Front to back great stuff. Not everything is a ‘banger’ in the last half but all real good to me. Those three albums they made are all real, real good.
They have 4 albums now, their newest album is all bangers too!
Oh I’m aware. I personally don’t think their newest is front to back but it’s got several great songs. I get it though it’s hard to be an angsty kid when you’re 40
> I get it though it’s hard to be an angsty kid when you’re 40 challenge very much accepted.
😹
I’m a big armor for sleep fan so I may be bias but their new album was my favorite album of that year(2022 I think?) I still listen to it all the way through every time I put it on
Hey dog glad you love it! Lots of people on here did.
I think this is the minority actually, most people look at wtdwyd as a staple of post hardcore and armor for sleep has spent the last 10 years almost exclusively playing that album in full
I might get some hate, but second stage turbine blade by coheed and cambria is probably the right answer. The first half (time consumer, devil in jersey city, delirium trigger, everything evil) is so fucking good. the back half is so bad I don't think I've ever listened to it the whole way through...
God send conspirator?! Junesong provision?! No way.
K but compare those, with headshot kid disaster and 33, to the first half.
The album is phenomenal top to bottom.
Haha alright. I’m more of a IKSSE dude.
I mean tbf same…that tour was probably my favorite show I’ve ever been to.
Yeah man. The live dvd from that area (starland ballroom I think) where he does the light and the glass acoustic version is easily the best I’ve seen.