For the hell of it!

[aquarius]

Mortal throne of Nazarene or Diabolical Conquest

and why?

Soulside Journey or Panzerfaust

and why?

The list goes on and on.

[ChapelOfTorment]

Diabolical Conquest is actually my personal favorite Incantation full-length. Something about the way the riffs on that album just roll into each other. Not that Mortal Throne isn't also a classic. That one really showcases the more doom-metally aspects of Incantation's sound. I've always found its absence in the DLA disconcerting.

Panzerfaust is the first Darkthrone album that really "clicked" for me way back in the day, so there will always be a special place in my blackened heart for it. I like the way that both sides are structured: one Transilvanian-esque song, one more percussive song, and then a slow epic. "Quintessence" is my favorite Darkthrone song. Soulside Journey is an interesting evolutionary dead end for the band. I've always wondered if Morpheus Descends' post-Ritual stuff wasn't a bit influenced by it. I dig the longer, fluid tremolo-picked death phrases. Actually, those kinds of riffs (like the opening of "Cromlech") are what make Diabolical Conquest my favorite Incantation album, so I guess there's more than a "for the hell of it" connection!

Another for the hell of it: which of the "big four" of Stockholm-style death metal had the best sophomore album? Personally, gotta go with Unleashed, but that second Dismember album is pretty underrated. You can definitely tell that Richard Cabeza had a hand in writing it.

[Tralfamadorian]

Not too familiar with the stuff mentioned, so I'll do my own:


Piece of Time vs. Unquestionable Presence

Both A+ albums, but Atheist's sophomore is the clear winner. It is without a doubt the best technical death metal album ever made... Okay, maybe it's tied with Nespithe. But compared to Piece of Time, Unquestionable Presence capitalizes on every strength and eliminates just about every weakeness found on that album. UP's rhythms are jauntier and its harmonies more dire, its solos sound less like slop and are actually critical parts of the song, and the already tight musicianship is pushed even further.  Every single riff on this album is captivating, whereas there are a couple of bog-standard speed metal riffs on Piece of Time. Unquestionable Presence is something of a standby album for me, its something I can listen to no matter what mood I'm in; Piece of Time is a great album but I have to be in the right head space. Lyrically, both albums are great. While Satan/occult and death/killing  are cool, I wish there were more free-thought themed bands like Atheist. Long live Atheist! Reminds me to give Jupiter another go, the plastic production seriously turned me off but I'm willing to try and look past that.

[David_Brent]

How about:

Eye for an eye vs Animosity
Motörhead vs Overkill
Selling England by the pound vs The lamb lies down on Broadway
Dawn of possession vs Here in after
Master of reality vs vol 4

[Tralfamadorian]

Dawn of possession vs Here in after

Both well executed albums; certainly not as clear-cut as Piece of Time vs. Unquestionable Presence. However, Here in After edges out their debut by a reasonable margin. Overall, HiA is more ambitious in its compositions, and more varied as well. Instead of using full speed tremolo most of the time like on DoP, HiA focuses more on sinister, twisted, churning mid-pace rhythms-- Immolation's signature traits in their brand of death metal--but the album isn't devoid of blasting, either. HiA also has a better ear for melody, though that is debatable.

One way in which the debut is superior, though, is the production. HiA is somewhat muddied -- not in a good way like Onward to Golgotha, but in a way that makes it hard to decipher some of the faster riffs and drum patterns. Some may argue that this makes for an atmosphere that matches the degeneracy in the music, but I prefer clearly hearing melodies and rhythms above all else.  The debut's production is great, and I wish Immolation had stuck with that sound for their sophomore effort.

[aquarius]

It can be interesting to make this observation whereby two top tier albums that aren’t generally accepted to be the bands artistic peak, but occur correspondingly in the ascent and descent from that peak are compared and contrasted. Not that it’s always so clear cut, but it can be useful to take note of the progression and decline of quality over time. Is the ascent steeper than the descent? Can the composer ever re-ascend that peak? These are questions I would like to know the answers to. Sometimes without seeing where the path actually leads, we might gather enough clues to form a picture and at least guess at where it could have led.

To put it in such a way.

[lost_wanderer]

Hell Awaits vs South of Heaven

[Invisible Sandwich]

I would go for Hell Awaits over South of Heaven. While the latter is more musically nuanced, the former has a stronger atmosphere/aesthetic and is no slouch in the songwriting department. I find it hard to forget the slow sections in "Crypts of Eternity".

When it comes to Genesis, I could never get into Lamb for some reason that I think I've forgotten. In the prog rock communities, the debate always seems to be Foxtrot vs Selling England. I am slightly more willing to value Foxtrot's consistency over the peaks (and lows) of its successor.

[trystero]

How about:
Eye for an eye vs Animosity
Dawn of possession vs Here in after

Dawn of Possession has this raw charm to it that makes it a more lasting work for me. Not an unusual trend with metal bands, who may be at their most vital at a relatively less mature stage (e.g. Deeds of Flesh). The follow-up is a brilliant album (it made me Bob Vigna`s disciple for all time), and DoP has real weaknesses, but I always end up preferring Dawn of Possession. If I had to say which was strictly better, I would go with Here in After.

Animosity. Its difficult to compare these two due to the evolution of style and this may be contradictory to everything I just wrote above, but the maturation of form (the musical language) and ambition put this ahead for me.

[Jim Necroslaughter]

For some reason I like Dawn of Possession more.  I would observe that songs differentiate themselves from one another more on Here in After than on DoP, so I think it was more ambitious, but there is something about that consistency from song to song on DoP that allows me to concentrate and feel like I'm "in the middle of the sonic world" that is created.  HiA kinda makes me feel like I'm getting beat up and at the mercy of Immolation!    Although there is no shame to bow before Immolation!  The last song in Here in After is also the best track between the two albums and a fine way to finish any metal album.

[Unholy and Rotten]

Here's a few for you all:

Mental Funeral VS. Severed Survival

Melissa VS Don't Break the Oath

Iron Maiden VS Killers

Mike Browning's Incubus VS Incubus from Louisiana

Cheers!