Here's a selection of albums that I seem to have gotten better over time for me. I only picked one's that have been reviewed here already - some have already been reviewed multiple times, others are in need of an update.
ANTHRAX - Stomp 442 (1995)
Okay, well Stomp 442 is far from one of Anthrax's best - but it's definitely one that's gone up in my estimation over the years. For yonks, I always found it to be kind of a faceless '90s groove metal album, overshadowed by literally everything they'd released prior. Alright, it's still weaker than anything that came before, but there's plenty of tracks on this record I really dig. 'Fueled', 'Perpetual Motion', 'Random Acts of Senseless Violence', 'Riding Shotgun'... even the closing ballad 'Bare' is a good'un. Sure, the songs don't differ all that much musically, but it does at least make Stomp 442 consistent if nothing else. Also, I'm a big fan of John Bush. No, he's not Anthrax's classic vocalist - Joey Belladonna is. But if we're talking about voices alone, I'll take John Bush. I've become quite a big Armored Saint fan these past few years, and I've always somewhat appreciated his work with Anthrax too. I can't compare his voice to anyone from the top of my head. So yeah - Stomp 442 is still one of the weaker albums in the Anthrax discography, but I like it more than I used to. In fact, I think Volume 8 might be their worst record these days.
Current review rating: 5.7/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Likely a 7/10.
BLACK SABBATH - Tyr (1990)
I suppose I could've picked Never Say Die! for this blog post, but I've already re-reviewed that one multiple times over the years because it keeps getting better for me. The other obvious pick is 1990's Tyr. Of all the Tony Martin-fronted Black Sabbath records, this is the one that didn't immediately click for me. Well, this and Forbidden, but that one was more down to production than the actual songs. Anyhow, Tyr is an album I've actually always liked, but never really loved until the Anno Domini boxset was released last year. I always thought the songs themselves were solid and Martin's Norse mythology-focused lyrics were cool - but it never really felt like a Sabbath record to me despite how good the tracks were. The whole album has this grandiose, almost power metal-like aura - a definite shift in tone from the doom and gloom of most Sabbath records. But the songs are just superb, and Tony Iommi's riffage never disappoints. I also think along with 1989's Headless Cross, Tyr holds Martin's greatest vocal performance. Just listen to the highs he hits on soaring numbers like 'Anno Mundi', 'Jerusalem' and 'Valhalla'. Just brilliant. Also, the album does still touch on doom when it wants to with the awesome 'Sabbath Stones'.
Current review rating: 7.5/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Easily a 9/10.
BLUE OYSTER CULT - Imaginos (1988)
I haven't really lived with this one all that long, in the grand scheme of things anyway. I reviewed it back in 2022, and that wasn't long after I acquired it. I thought it was good even then, but I never really understood it's cult status - no pun intended. I think it's pretty darn great now, actually. I still don't really understand the conceptual lyrics behind it, but the music is classic BOC! I get that it was supposed to be an Albert Bouchard solo project originally, but the songs work perfectly well under the Blue Oyster Cult moniker, and I appreciate the guest contributions from guys like Robby Krieger and Joe Satriani. The tracks are sometimes proggy, other times heavy, occasionally catchy, often epic... diverse, but with BOC's identity written all over them. 'I Am the One You Warned Me Of', 'In the Presence of Another World', 'Del Rio's Song' and the self-titled 'Blue Oyster Cult' have all grown to become favourites of mine. Imaginos still doesn't top their first 3 or 4 albums from the '70s for me, but is easily up there with Cultosaurus Erectus and Fire of Unknown Origin.
Current review rating: 7/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Somewhere comfortably within the 8/10 range.
DEEP PURPLE - Slaves and Masters (1990)
Something of a black sheep in Deep Purple's catalogue, Slaves and Masters was the only album Joe Lynn Turner sang on. I don't think I ever hated it, but I never thought it was all that good until recent years. In fact, I actually re-reviewed it back in 2022 and gave it a 6.3/10. I think my old 2017 review score was either or 4 or 5/10. Honestly, if I were to review this again today I think it'd be a 7/10 now. Some people online like to call this thing a Joe Lynn Turner-era Rainbow album in all but name, but is that even a bad thing?! I'd say I actually listen to Slaves and Masters more than I do it's predecessor, The House of Blue Light these days. The songs are far more memorable - 'King of Dreams' is the only song I really love here (maybe even a top 20 Purple track for me), but I also think 'Fire in the Basement', 'The Cut Runs Deep' and 'Wicked Ways' are very strong too. And while Turner doesn't have the charisma of Ian Gillan or David Coverdale/Glenn Hughes, he's still a brilliant singer in his own right. And let's not forget the album still has Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover and Ian Paice on it - that's 4 out of 5 members of what most people consider to be the classic Deep Purple lineup. A good album then - certainly not one of their best, but one that I've come to appreciate more as time goes by.
Current review rating: 6.3/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Me thinks a 7/10 is fair now.
DIAMOND HEAD - Canterbury (1983)
Despite being legends of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and having major influence on US thrash giants like Metallica and Megadeth, Diamond Head really dropped the ball on their 3rd album, '83's Canterbury. Or so I thought anyway. You'd be hard-pressed to even call this album 'metal', but that doesn't automatically make it 'bad' ... which is kind of what I was hinting at in my review from way back in 2018 (although I've owned this album since my college days - I probably liked it even less then). The music is much more melodic and artsy than predecessor's Lightning to the Nations and Borrowed Time, but the songwriting is still very solid when it wants to be. 'The Kingmaker's keyboards aren't as annoying to me as I said they were now, and you know what, 'One More Night' is a fun pop rock ditty! Other tracks like 'Makin' Music', 'Out of Phase' and 'Knight of the Swords' are classic Diamond Head - a glossier, more accessible Diamond Head anyway. It helps that Sean Harris' wonderfully melodic vocals actually work in the new direction of the music's favour. Dude could'a been an AOR singer if he wanted. Anyway, not a great album per se, but a good one for sure - and one that's far better than I thought.
Current review rating: 4.6/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: 7/10, easily.
IAN GILLAN & ROGER GLOVER - Accidentally on Purpose (1988)
I recently re-reviewed this after not hearing it for a good few years. Much better than I remembered, but I think that's partly my age talking too. It's a mostly pop rock side-project album from Ian Gillan and Roger Glover that works far better than it should! I guess I'm more accepting of mellower music these days. Either way, there's a nice variety of smooth ballads like 'She Took My Breath Away' (I've never heard Ian sing a song this way before, but he sounds great), rockers like 'I Can't Dance to That', synthy pop like 'Clouds and Rain' and rock n' roll like 'Can't Believe You Wanna Leave Me'. All are done in a catchy pop rock manner like I said, and the album only displays Gillan and Glover's talents as songwriters even further. Sounds nothing like Deep Purple or any of Ian's other solo stuff, but it's good.
Current review rating: It's a 7/10 right now, but it was a 5.6 back in 2020.
Rating if I were to re-review it: Still a 7/10, because I only reviewed it again a month or so ago.
HAWKWIND - The Chronicle of the Black Sword (1985)
This album was always just 'okay' or 'pretty good' in my books. I gave it a 6.5/10 back in 2017, but I'd say I like it more than that nowadays. Not the best Hawkwind album by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it's more than just a hard rock album with synths/keyboards etc., which is what I stated it in my review. It sounds like Hawkwind rolling with the '80s whilst still maintaining their identity - so there's still a space rock aura about the music as there should be, but some of the tracks like 'The Sea King', 'Song of the Swords' and 'Sleep of a Thousand Tears' have a bit more of a hard rock grunt to them. But then you've also got the nice synthy ballad 'Zarozinia' and the insanely catchy 'Needle Gun' - a stupidly fun, punky romp! Yeah, I like this one more today.
Current review rating: 6.5/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: 7.5/10?
IRON MAIDEN - Dance of Death (2003)
When I re-reviewed the entire Iron Maiden catalogue this time last year, I was baffled by how low I scored Dance of Death way back in 2017. It was the lowest-rated Maiden album for me, with a 5.9/10 rating. Well, after the 2024 update it now holds a 7.8/10. Don't get me wrong, there's things I still don't like about it (and modern Maiden too for that matter) - Kevin Shirley's production still isn't perfect and I find the album's too bloody long at 67 minutes. But when it shines, it really shines. Although I think there's a tad more filler here than it's predecessor Brave New World, the best songs on Dance of Death triumph - 'Montsegur', 'Wildest Dreams', 'Paschendale' and 'Rainmaker' are all among some of my favourite 21st century Maiden cuts. I'm not entirely sure why I found it to be so mediocre until recently. Maybe I just had a chip on my shoulder about modern Maiden?
Current review rating: 7.8/10, but it was originally a 5.9/10.
Rating if I were to re-review it: Still 7.8/10, because it was re-reviewed just last year.
JUDAS PRIEST - Turbo (1986)
For a very long time I've been quite unkind when it comes to Judas Priest's Turbo. They're blatantly selling out here thanks to the glossy, radio-friendly tracks, use of synths and overall hooky nature of the music. It's a massively poppy arena rock/metal album, and a far cry from Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith that came before. But you know what, I'm finally starting to get it. It's just a bit of fluff - fun fluff. Well, I always loved the anthem 'Turbo Lover', but even silly cheese like 'Rock You All Around the World' and 'Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days' are starting to sound better to me these days. It's still one of the weakest Priest albums for me - and I'm glad it's kind of a one-off affair in terms of the sound they were going for, but Priest always liked to experiment here and there with their albums. That's what makes them so great. Does Point of Entry sound like Stained Class? No. Does Painkiller sound like British Steel? No. Does Nostradamus sound like Firepower? No! Anyway, Turbo - it's dumb as fuck, sure, but it's certainly better than the 3/10 score I gave it on this blog.
Current review rating: 3/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Somewhere in the 6/10 range.
MAGNUM - On a Storyteller's Night (1985)
Maybe the ultimate example of an album that's really grown on me with time, I first bought the 2005 2-CD Anniversary Edition of Magnum's 1985 classic On a Storyteller's Night way back when I was 18 around 2010. Other than maybe 'How Far Jerusalem' and 'Before First Light', I wasn't into this at all back then. I never thought it was 'bad', it just wasn't my thing. The amazing Rodney Matthews fantasy artwork made it look like some sort of cool progressive rock album to me, but in reality Magnum are more of a melodic rock band that blend elements of hard rock and prog into their formula. Either way, I shelved it for many years, right until I listened to it again in 2022 and it immediately made sense to me. The title track and the epic ballad 'Les Morts Dansant' are masterpieces (the latter is one of my all-time favourite songs of any genre nowadays), 'Just Like an Arrow' is a splendid poppy single, 'How Far Jerusalem' is an incredible slow-burning opener and 'All England's Eyes' is a masterful arena rocker. Since it clicked with me back in 2022, I now have every Magnum studio album in my collection.
Current review rating: 9.1/10, but it was never reviewed here before 2022.
Rating if I were to re-review it: Probably still a 9.1/10, maybe a tad higher.
MEGADETH - Youthanasia (1994)
I'm a huge fan of the first 4 Megadeth albums - they're all seminal classics to my ears. But the rest of their discography is full of highs and lows. Generally speaking, I'd say I like around 75% of the catalogue, but the first 4 are unquestionably better than the rest in my opinion. However, 1994's Youthanasia is great! I prefer when Dave Mustaine thrashes, and he's certainly not doing that here. It's definitely one of their more accessible albums, sure, but when the songs are this good I can give ol' Dave a pass. Catchy, hooky metal - but still heavy. 'Train of Consequences' is a top 10 Megadeth song for me - soooo bloody catchy! 'A Tout Le Monde' is a surprisingly brilliant ballad too, and the rest of the album is full of really solid deep cuts like 'Victory', 'Addicted to Chaos', 'The Killing Road', 'Elysian Fields' and the title track itself.
Current review rating: 8.3/10, but the 2017 rating was 7.2/10.
Rating if I were to re-review it: 8.3/10 as of 2022, but maybe even an 8.5/10 on a good day.
METALLICA - St. Anger (2003)
St. Anger won't ever be more than a mediocre album for me, but at least I don't hate it anymore! Yep, this is one of those legendary albums in metal that you'll quite often see listed as one of the worst of it's genre - which I think is absolute bollocks. Like I said, I certainly don't think it's good, but it still has some things going for it. I used to hate it, because I felt like I was supposed to hate it. But you know what, there's things I do like about St. Anger. The album is full of crunchy, heavy riffs and I actually enjoy James Hetfield's harsher vocals throughout many of these tracks as well as the overall more abrasive approach to songwriting. Obviously Lars Ulrich's tin-can drums will always sound like shit, some of the songs are unnecessarily long and the lack of any guitar solos is baffling. But the point is, there's enough things I appreciate about this record to the point where it's not the epic fail I thought it was for so many years. And hey, the "KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL!!" vocal part right at the end of 'All Within My Hands' still makes me laugh out loud to this day, so it's got that going for it too! And yes, that is a vinyl copy of St. Anger in the photo. And no, I don't know why I blew £35 on it either.
Current review rating: 5/10, but my original rating was something like a 3/10.
Rating if I were to re-review it: Likely still a 5/10.
NINE INCH NAILS - With Teeth (2005)
I only really listen to Nine Inch Nails in small doses, but some of their albums really hit the spot with me sometimes. A lot of people consider The Downward Spiral or The Fragile to be Trent Reznor's finest works, but I actually find myself turning to With Teeth and Year Zero more than anything else these days. With Teeth's songwriting is just really strong, plain and simple. Tracks like 'Everyday Is Exactly the Same', 'Sunspots' and 'All the Love in the World' have that same bleakness of the '90s records, but I find them to be hookier and more polished in a way that isn't blatantly poppy either. Nothing here is worth skipping. I'm not saying the album is better than Downward Spiral, but I appreciate the way the songs are less challenging to sit through yet still sound unmistakeably like NIN. Always enjoyed this record, but it's definitely one of Trent's best works to me now.
Current review rating: 7.7/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Somewhere around an 8.3/10.
ROLLING STONES - Steel Wheels (1989)
Around the time I saw the Stones live in 2018, I went on a bit of a shopping spree and bought a whole bunch of their albums at once, and ended up reviewing them here pretty soon after. I kinda slated this one. I said the production was far too clean and the band were mimicking '80s US arena rock bands. Maybe there is some truth in this, but the Stones often rolled with the times and managed to stay relevant decade after decade. Steel Wheels sounds far better to me now in my 30s than it did in my 20s. And to be frank, my 2018 review is absolute nonsense. Yeah there's some '80s influences in this record, but like I said, the band almost always successfully took advantage of trends throughout their career, and as a result continued to sell millions of albums and tickets no matter the decade. Steel Wheels sounds like the Stones just doing their thing in a 1980's setting, which is what it is! There's nothing majorly wrong with it, even if it isn't one of their best works! I still love 'Slipping Away' too.
Current review rating: 3.7/10
Rating if I were to re-review it: Definitely a 7/10.
THIN LIZZY - Nightlife (1974)
To be fair, this is another one I've always liked up to a point - I just found Nightlife to be substantially worse than most of what Thin Lizzy would record after. Despite marking the first time they would record as a 4-piece with the classic twin-guitar setup, it was 1975 Fighting that was the true start of classic Lizzy for me - that is, until 2022 when I re-reviewed Nightlife and actually realised how great this album is. Naturally, the reason why this one never ranked quite as high for me was because it's often quite mellow. Soulful even. They finally had both guitarists now, yet they still weren't really rocking! It doesn't matter of course - I realise that now. 'She Knows' is such a catchy little opener, 'Night Life' makes me feel good, 'Showdown' is classy as hell and 'Still in Love With You' is one of their greatest ever ballads. They do hint at what was to come with the hard-edged 'Sha La La', but for the most part this is a pretty chilled-out album. And a great one at that.
Current review rating: 8.3/10 as of 2022, but 7.2/10 was the old rating.
Rating if I were to re-review it: You know what, maybe an 8.5/10. It keeps getting better.
