Album Introductions / Song openers

One thing that I find distasteful is when a Heavy Metal band begins an album mellow - or odd ball.

You know, like 30 seconds of a windy breeze and footsteps approaching.
Or 30 seconds of a boring meaningful piano riff playing.

Anyone remember the 'October Rust' introduction ?
Even 'Fast as a Shark' - that silly scratchy German polka song sound - too long !
Detroit Rock City - was like 2 minutes of a car, radio news, etc etc

King Diamond always starts his albums - kinda screwy.
Today, I was listening to REVEREND in my car....at one point, no song, with 7 seconds in ?

Anyone else have any good examples of terrible intros ?

Intros like that above annoy me.

I get that the King Diamond ones are supposed to frame it like as a horror story but I don't like listening to them. Cradle of Filth do that too. They do it between like every song it seems. There are tracks that are just the wind for two minutes.

Rarely do I think these intros add much at all. Like, Detroit Rock City without the intro is definitely better.

As I think of it - AC DC " Rock or Bust " tour.
The lights go down - cheering - than a 5 minute animated cartoon movie clip ?

Glower wrote:

As I think of it - AC DC " Rock or Bust " tour.
The lights go down - cheering - than a 5 animated cartoon minute movie ?

Oooh yeah, I vaguely remember that. It was a Beavis & Butt-head toon, wasn't it? My friends and I were like "WTF?" cuz we hated B&B.

The worst I can think of is Onslaught's In Search of Sanity album.

It opens with a track called "Asylum", which is simply five minutes of ambient sounds.

I don't mind a nice, long intro to set the tone. Enhances the experience.

I hate the intro to Holy Diver. It might make sense if it was opening the album, but it doesnt even have that excuse (it's the second track on the album, and worse, comes right after the high-energy opener Stand Up and Shout).

Hadley wrote:

I hate the intro to Holy Diver. It might make sense if it was opening the album, but it doesnt even have that excuse (it's the second track on the album, and worse, comes right after the high-energy opener Stand Up and Shout).

It's never really bothered me, but that is a good point--if you want a little intro thing, it should really be in the first track.

Another one I thought of is KISS' Psycho Circus.

Firehouse's debut also comes to mind with that "Rock! Here we go!" thing taking up the first minute of the album. I rarely listen to "Rock on the Radio" just because of that. As for a GOOD intro, easily Priest's Painkiller.

I hate long intros!

Unless it’s part of a concept album with a story like Operation Mindcrime or a King Diamond album.

I think the worst examples, besides Kiss' DRC, would be Maiden's Satellite 15.....The Final Frontier or that mini movie before Rush's Clockwork Angels concert starts. Like the AC/DC example of above, I hate that shit. It reminds me of the current trend of comedy specials to do that for the bigger stars.

Sometimes though, the intro's really work, like Dio's "Holy Diver" and Priest's out in the Cold or Blood Red Skies wouldn't be as epic. Also, I can't listen to Hall of the Mountain King without hearing Prelude to Madness. Its just doesn't seem right.

I too hate these kinds of intros. But what really fries me is when the intro is part of the opening song, so it cannot be skipped. Stryper's last album's opening track - Take It To the Cross - has a 1:15 intro! That's ridiculous.

If you want to do an intro, make it a music/metal intro. Someone mentioned Priest's Painkiller - excellent example. Dokken did this well too back in the 80s. The intro track to Tooth & Nail - Without Warning - is not only a killer instrumental, but it's a separate track so you don't have to have it if you just want the title track. Unchain The Night had a brooding intro, but it was George playing something that built up pretty quickly to the main song. Then Back for the Attack just unleashed the opening riff of Kiss of Death. All three were great (with BFTA being my favorite).