Metal bands that were formed in the 70s/80s & early 90s that are better now than they were back then

The bands that IMO are better now than they were back in the 80s would have to be Overkill and Kreator. the recent two albums by kreator are brilliant and I reckon Mille petroza and Co have evolved into better musicians dont get me wrong their 80s stuff is good as well.
IMO Overkill are alot better now than they were back in the 80s one of their best albums would have to be Killbox 13 and the albums after that as well which are better than the albums they recorded in the 80s and early 90s.

Grave Digger, compare 'Heavy Metal Breakdown' or 'War Games' to 'Ballads of a Hangman', 'Clash of the Gods'....oh yeeaaaahhh.

I enjoy the last two Accept albums much more then any of their early albums.

Primordial have progressed nicely over the years and I much preferred Bathory's later stuff to the early Black Metal style. ( i really liked both Nordland records) although obviously there is no 'now' with Bathory (R.I.P)

Also I thought that Onslaught's 'Sound of Violence' was probably their best work.

First one that came to mind for me was KREATOR! I love their more recent stuff.

As well, HIRAX. Not a popular opinion, but I far prefer New Age of Terror to their first two releases.

My favorite Overkill lineup is the Blitz/Verni/Comeau/Marino/Mallare era of the mid/late '90s. Even though they're not exactly "new" anymore I feel that From the Underground and Below and Necroshine are two of their all time best.

Overkill definitely. They are firing on all cylinders. Of course, they weren't crap in the past either. It might not be popular to say, but Motorhead has been killing it since '93. Some of their later day discs rival the classic material.

Wow - I disagree with almost everything that has been said in this thread so far [surprised?]!

But I will throw Annihilator into the mix. Except for the last few albums where Jeff went bonkers imo, his late 90's-early 00's albums killed the early stuff.

Iron Maiden.

Their post-reunion stuff kills most of the early stuff, IMO.

ultmetal wrote:

SpectreFate wrote:

Iron Maiden.

Their post-reunion stuff kills most of the early stuff, IMO.

Bill Cosby said so.

I don't know if it's better but I listen to the Maiden reunion stuff more then the early works. And I like the Owens stuff with Iced Earth better then Matt. (ducks)

SpectreFate wrote:

Iron Maiden.

Their post-reunion stuff kills most of the early stuff, IMO.

I don't know if it's better, but it is just as good. That said, I do listen to the post-reunion albums a lot more than the classics these days!!!!

Quote :

It might not be popular to say, but Motorhead has been killing it since '93. Some of their later day discs rival the classic material.

I'm with you all the way on this.

A few others that I feel have stuff these days that rivals the past....

Saxon & Rush

Not to suggest that it is better now, but just that it holds up to the greatness of the past.

thejokeriv wrote:

SpectreFate wrote:

Iron Maiden.

Their post-reunion stuff kills most of the early stuff, IMO.

I don't know if it's better, but it is just as good. That said, I do listen to the post-reunion albums a lot more than the classics these days!!!!

I basically feel the same way, I think they are different now but just as good as the early days. They've matured while still sounding like nobody but themselves, I have the highest possible respect for that.

Overkill has released albums I've liked throughout their career, I just prefer the more raw vibe of their earlier albums with Bobby.

I also agree that Motorhead has released some great albums later in their career, particularly Sacrifice and We Are Motorhead which I think are just as good as any of their early 80s albums.

Another band I think has improved musically over time (while also branching out stylistically) is Opeth. Mikael is the only remaining member but he's improved the group by consistently hiring more talented musicians to fill vacancies whenever they happen. That method of "upgrading" has allowed them to branch out into areas that probably few would have imagined when they started.

Overkill - Yes!
Kreator - Yes
Accept - YES!!
Sodom - Yes


Iron Maiden? No way, their new stuff is good, but never will it hold up to those classic 80's albums.



I like the direction Thrash has gone the last 5-7 years.

I don't know about now, but Killing Ground and Lionheart from the early 2000s are my favorite Saxon albums. It's not even close. I didn't like the most recent Saxon album I listened to on Spotify, so maybe their best era for me has gone.

Totally disagree about Accept and Iron Maiden. I can't believe anything Accept does will match Restless And Wild--Metal Heart.

Some of you mention listening to post reunion Maiden more than earlier Maiden. Well, if it is new and fresh, you probably will listen to it more than albums heard hundreds of times.

Bolt Thrower springs to mind, for me. I thought Those Once Loyal was their best yet.

None.

(BTW, I agree that "From the Underground and Below" is a really underrated disc.)

As an Authority to all things Saxon [in my own mind], Anyone that says the Power Metal years are better than 79-84 needs to give me the number to their dealer. Or is under the age of 40, obviously. Or, if they are over 40, listened to too much Savatage and Helloween after they got off the Cure/Depeche Ca-Mode trip
they thought was super in high school.

Hey, I was never into the Cure or Depeche mode.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Hey, I was never into the Cure or Depeche mode.

Let me restate that then DH. Poison and Mega-Dave in 88.

Boo-Ya???

Mega Dave, yes. Actually, I like almost all the eras of Saxon, remember, I did many of those reviews in the discography thread.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Mega Dave, yes. Actually, I like almost all the eras of Saxon, remember, I did many of those reviews in the discography thread.

That takes up too much attention. I still only come on here to stir the pot.