Metallica - St. Anger (2003)

★ ★ ★ ★

Much bollocks has been written about this album, please allow me to contribute: First let's establish what "St. Anger" is not; it is not a Nu-Metal bandwagon-jumper, it is not like any Metallica album from the past, it is not polished with magic studio-dust. Bad production? Fuck no. This is molten Lo-Fi metal of a type never before see. Every song lasts for 3 days and is bursting open with brutal muscular riffs and bizarre twists and turns. The snare pings like a rusty oil drum, the kick drum feels like a brick to the face. Its slower than old-school Thrash-Metallica -  but far, far heavier. If "St. Anger" sounds like badly recorded mush to you right now... keep listening. There's genius in here. I'm serious. And it rocks like a bitch too.

Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1966)

★ ★ ★ ★

On his third long-player Leitch decorates his delicate folk with sitars, tablas, swooning orchestras, and funky psychedelic rock. The songs have a flow of consciousness feel, perhaps less lyrically engaging yet musically somewhat more mature than the song-stories Dylan was dealing in at the time. Released a month after "Revolver", "Sunshine Superman" holds its head proudly among the auspicious company of 1966.

L7 - The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum (1997)

★ ★ ★ ★

This is L7's masterpiece. Its an A-Team style scrap metal tank of an album; huge slabs of garage punk and grunge welded onto quirky noise pop and laquered with pure sludge. Production is just the right side of careless: huge room-destroying drums, super-fat rhythm guitars, squealing Atari-like lead guitars, and Donita and Suzi screaming and gargling like nutters on top. The songs are great too.

Danzig - Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990)

★ ★ ★ ★

Although not far removed musically from the debut, that first album's potential is realised fully here. This time around the band sizzles convincingly, while remaining thoroughly listenable, and Danzig throws in some of his old Misfits chorus-pizzazz. This is a genuinely great metal album; rocking AND catchy as hell.

Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (1980)

★ ★ ★ ★

Steve Harris and Dave Murray are the only members of what would become Maiden's classic line-up present on this debut, which may account for its punk edge not present on following albums. The songwriting is mostly impeccable, but a slightly thin and ragged production mars what is still a very impressive and fully-realised first effort.