Love Opeth, Dream Theater, Lightning, Puppets, Justice

[Carl Hungus]

I'm a 33 year old life long metal lover looking for some new music.

My gold standard are the big 3 by Metallica with Master of Puppets being my all time favorite. I love everything that Opeth and Dream Theater have done and I listen to those two bands more than anything else.

Albums I LOVE that aren't Metallica, Opeth, or Dream Theater:

Operation Mindcrime
Chemical Wedding
Prison of Desire by After Forever
Rust in Peace
Light of Day, Day of Darkness
Burnt Offerings
South Of Heaven

Recent albums I've bought that I'm getting into:

Agalloch - The Mantle
Symphony X - V The New Mythology Suite
Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine
Mercenary 11 Dreams
With Oden On Our Side

I find that I never really "hate" anything so all suggestions are welcome. For example, I bought Nile's In their Darkened Shrines a couple of years ago and while it's not my kind of thing I absolutely love the slower riffs they have on that album like the first part of Sarcophagus.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

[The Ozzman]

Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes and Dark Saga
Judas Priest - Stained Class

If you really love Opeth, give Katatonia a shot. Anything from them is great.

[Carl Hungus]

I have all of Iced Earth's albums my favorite being Burnt Offerings. Katatonia sounds interesting though because I've heard OF them, but never heard them. I'll check them out. What's their best album if you had to pick one?

[The Ozzman]

Originally Posted by Carl Hungus

I have all of Iced Earth's albums my favorite being Burnt Offerings. Katatonia sounds interesting though because I've heard OF them, but never heard them. I'll check them out. What's their best album if you had to pick one?

If I had to pick a Katatonia album for someone who has never heard their material:

The Great Cold Distance.

Viva Emptiness and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are great too, but The Great Cold Distance really got me into the band.

The album cover for TGCD is my avatar.

[rfe]

Also consider their older stuff, which treads more into doomy/death metal. You may want to consider Brave Murder Day and possibly DODS.

[Triton]

I highly recommend the newest Symphony X album: "Paradise Lost"...definitely my favourite album from them.

You also might like to get into the other sub-genres too. I recommend:
Candlemass-Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, and Nightfall [Doom metal].

[The Ozzman]

Originally Posted by rfe

Also consider their older stuff, which treads more into doomy/death metal. You may want to consider Brave Murder Day and possibly DODS.

Anything of their stuff really, but I got started on the newer stuff.

[Carl Hungus]

I had never heard of Candlemass before lurking around here for awhile *ducks* but it looks like something I might like. I know Type O Negative isn't exactly doom but I bet there are some similarities and I love Bloody Kisses and October Rust.

[Carl Hungus]

I wonder if I'll ever find another Opeth... they already had 5 albums when I discovered them (all incredible) and the next 3 were released very quickly. 8 great albums to digest, each seemingly better than the others(I know that doesn't make sense, but that's how it seems to me).

That said, I'm sure I'll fall in love with other bands but it is such a rare thing...

Thanks for the ideas so far, I've been listening on the music sampler on cdnow.com and I like what I'm hearing (even though the sound quality is shit on those samples.)

[Mathiäs]

Threshold is excellent prog. Pick up Dead Reckoning.