Five Beginner Friendly Metal Albums
I'm working on something big, so here's something bite-sized
Right now I’m working on a huge project about metal for beginners. However, I wanted to get something out before the year is officially more than ⅓ done. So, here I am! As a little taste of my larger project, I’ve put together a list of five killer metal albums that you can show to your beginner friends, or listen to if you’re a beginner. My hope for these albums is that they split the perfect middle ground between beginner-friendly and metalhead approved. I battle tested each album by showing their least accessible songs and they agree that the albums are “more or less listenable.”
Transitions are overrated, your albums are here:
Poppy - I Disagree
Anyone roughly my age (close to 30) should find something to enjoy on this record. It has killer riffs, plenty of attitude, and the not especially new but always fun twist of a nymphlike frontwoman. While Poppy’s strikingly girly appearance can easily take center stage, don’t let it deceive you. This is an album by a bonafide metalhead who is finally making the music that calls to her, rather than the music that fits with her appearance. It’s also clearly inspired by the groovy nu-metal sound of my youth, which is more than deserving of reappraisal. Plus, she retains just enough of that poppy (pun intended) sound that the album feels fresh, and not like a retread of the early aughts.
Since releasing this album, she’s gone on to put out four projects, all metal-tinged at minimum. Her latest, Negative Spaces is even better than I Disagree. However, its more metal-focused approach makes it just a tad less accessible than this album, so I Disagree stays my pick for beginners.
Tracks to start out with:
Moon Tooth - Phototroph
Did you grow up listening to bands like Creed and Shinedown? If so, you’re going to love Moon Tooth. I view this band as the natural evolution of all the “butt rock” adjacent groups of my youth. Riffs are blunt and chugging, the vocals are raspy and hollered, and the drums propel each song along at a solid clip. However, the place where the mediocre bands of the late 90s and early aughts end is where Moon Tooth begins. Vocalist John Carbone is a much more ambitious singer than those in the aforementioned band, regularly tackling trickier melodies and pushing toward roaring yells. The guitarists and drummers often take breaks from shepherding the song from point A to point B to diverge into solos, fills, and meandering bridges. All this is delivered with a heft that is energizing, familiar, and comforting all at once.
Tracks to start out with:
Frayle - 1692
One of the most oft-cited reasons for avoiding metal is a distaste for harsh vocals. While this album isn’t free of screaming, it introduces the element in a gentle, approachable manner. The reason? Screams aren’t the focus of this album. Instead, it has two core components — the riff and “beauty and the beast.”
While Frayle isn’t full-blown stoner doom, they sit squarely in the doom sphere. And in doom metal, the riff is king. Frayle produces music that is slow, deliberate, and heavy. Provided you can, listen to this on a system with good bass, or at least headphones. Anyone playing this out of their iPhone speakers simply won’t get it. I’ve found that this slower, heavier style is significantly more approachable than fast, noodly styles you can find in black and death metal.
“Beauty and the beast” refers to the combination of dark, heavy instrumentals, and clear, pretty vocals. This term is occasionally leveraged derisively, but it’s a core component of symphonic metal (which is not what Frayle is, but something they are clearly influenced by). In Frayle’s case, the higher, gentler vocals of Gwyn Strang balance expertly with the punishing riffs and occasional scream. And speaking of the screams, they’re pushed slightly back in the mix, treated more like an instrumental element than a vocal component. If you know someone who likes blues or psych rock and somehow hasn’t gotten into metal yet, give this one a shot.
Tracks to start out with:
King Woman - Celestial Blues
Of all the albums on this list, Celestial Blues furthest pushes the boundaries of “beginner friendly.” Still, it’s a good pull for folks who are a bit more ambitious, but who probably shouldn't start with Xythlia. Like many artists on this list, King Woman leans into the blues-y, doom metal space. Her stylings verge toward the psychedelic end of that particular spectrum though. Songs loop back in on themselves and stay stuck in that spiral for minutes at a time, forcing you to listen for the minute shifts in instrumentation, or to explore the rich lyrical tapestry of the record.
Now, there is screaming on this one. However, I consider it fairly accessible compared to most harsh vocals. They aren’t black metal shrieks, death metal growls, or any of the wild shit they do in metalcore. It’s straight across the plate screaming that perfectly exemplifies the ability of harsh vocals to deliver rising emotion. If you can’t handle this type of screaming, then I’ll truly believe that harsh vocals will never get it done for you.
Tracks to start out with:
Psychic Wound (this song features in the also great film, I Saw The TV Glow)
Tower - Shock to the System
Now, if you liked metal at some point in the past, and have found that the post nu-metal world has altered the definition of the genre beyond recognition, try out Tower. Shock to the System is one of the only heavy metal albums I have liked in recent memory, and for a few good reasons.
First, and most importantly, the vocals. Sarabeth Linden gets it. Heavy metal is a genre that lives and dies on the strength of its singer. Think back to the beginnings of the genre, you’ve got guys like Robert Plant (Zeppelin isn’t really heavy metal, but a progenitor) Dio, and Judas Priest. Even later groups like Iron Maiden relied on soaring vocals to add theatricality and engagement to their riff-laden masterpieces. Linden does exactly that. Her vocals scream across the sky, dripping with emotion and technical capability. I’d belabor the point, but feel confident listening to even one minute will serve you better than any treatise I could compose.
Of course, bands cannot live on vocals alone, which is why the rest of Tower also kicks ass. Every track has a new face melting riff that’s sure to get stuck in your head, and good god those drums. Whenever I feel as though I have a grasp on the drums, a new fill blows my wig back and I’m left scrambling to reestablish my bearings.
So, if you liked metal long ago, or were introduced to the genre by someone who liked Judas Priest and hated Slipknot. Tower won’t let you down.
Tracks to start out with:
And there you have it. I hate conclusions so I’m not writing one. Keep an eye out for my bigger project.
Thanks Drew, this is very helpful and I’ll be listening to these today!