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@vellutogrigio: I wholeheartedly agree with you on every point, and I've always thought more or less the same things about Judas, even though the very hard rock drums were the only element over the years (up until Painkiller) that kept them from fully crossing into metal. However, on "Sad Wings," it is truly, truly embarrassing.

@weseven: well, I can only agree. As far as taste goes, I liked them before broadening the perspectives diminished them. (and they themselves have diminished with the latest releases) In my opinion, today's metal is one of the saddest genres, lacking true creativity or any artistic interest, people like Opeth can freely wallow above mediocrity thanks to (de)merit from others, fundamentally.

@lux: I also thought of Drake, and by gothic I don't mean "that" gothic you’re talking about, but the one in which many modern metal bands wallow, of course. The growl makes me smile, but getting into the right mood, it can indeed create certain atmospheres, even if straightforwardly (which is very common in metal, where moods are crudely slapped in the listener's face, without many nuances). @weseven: I meant to say one thing and said another; obviously, if I do progressive-death-melodic-metal, I'm operating in a narrow field where it's (more) straightforward to excel, and in this, metal and its subgenres are prime examples of great closure towards the "outside world." But unlike you, I believe that if we threw them into "90s rock," they would have a good chance of getting drowned (albeit with the necessary exceptions, because when they step outside the stereotypes, they show a different caliber compared to the canonical death metallers).

@weseven: no, if they are overvalued it's also because of albums like "blackwater park," "orchid," and "morningrise," wrongly considered essential masterpieces of "melodic death" (and here we have to laugh at this very amusing definition), but which are just a combination of adolescent music (thus ghostly themes, melody, and gothic elements) and some seventies influences that ultimately betray the decent depth of the artists in question. The result is that, indeed, at least in the metal scene, they express their opinions without too much difficulty.

I found the album really boring, not to mention terribly produced. I think they are highly overrated.

@psycroptic: a choice between "badmotorfinger" (the most muscular) and "superunknown" (as I've written in almost every one of my posts, probably the pinnacle of their discography) while the first two, although valid and fascinating, might be somewhat less "complete." "down on the upside" is a good album, but it unfortunately does not represent the peak of any of the musical directions taken by Cornell and the band. Cheers :)

oh my goodness how beautiful, every time it moves me.. merry Christmas to everyone :D

In the end, I believe that the key factor influencing my opinion on the album is that I’ve only just heard it now, having been discouraged by the almost unanimous negative reviews, and because the whole scene around that particular rock genre had pretty much stopped breathing for a while. Now, taken out of its context, I see it in a probably different light and I like it, even though I’ve been cautious with my praise because what it represents today is not what it was supposed to represent back then. In fact, as a last turn after Superunknown, I wouldn’t have known what to expect, but my expectations are negative and bring the music back to our temporary mental cage; it’s likely that over time and with more listens I could change my mind, but tastes can be understood but not justified :)

@purpulan: I actually missed those. I'll gladly listen :) @donjunio: the "shortcut" to MTV could also be a result of mere softening, rather than the change in attitude you mentioned; the group and the people in it change, and their defiance starts to mean less. Except for ultramega ok, from my perspective, the band has made content-wise "reactionary" albums since louder than love, so I wouldn't talk about taking the artistic discourse "to the extreme consequences" stifled by money, MTV, etc. It's not very romantic to love the music of an "inoffensive" group, but it can be accepted. I still think superunknown is the best album to come out of Seattle, and in general one of the best of the '90s, so if this is its poor copy, that's almost a compliment. (always imho, of course) In any case, I respect your opinion, and we are free to listen to whatever we like. Cheers :)

@purpulan: which albums are you referring to as "classically rock"?