Sophomore Slumps

[Guest ICHIBAN~!]

Sophomore albums that aren't as good as the debut isn't the same as not being good at all. "Not the best way to follow up their debut" doesn't necessarily mean a slump.

 

 

Yeah, when the 2nd album follows a classic, and its still very good, I wouldn't call that a slump, by any means (this is in reference to things like Sabbath, Led and Wu Tang being mentioned.)

[Copper Feel]

I have not yet heard Black Sabbath, but Paranoid most certainly is a classic.

[Coffin Surfer]

"Speaking of punk albums, this one doesn't really count in that it wasn't a true album and more of a soundtrack, but The Great Rock & Roll Swindle was clearly a huge drop off from Never Mind the Bullocks. Also, it didn't really feature the original band either."

 

Nah, I wouldn't count that. Not really an official album, just a bunch of random recordings collected and thrown together. Still, I must say Johnny Rotten's original vision of "Anarchy in the UK" crushes the one that made the album.

 

"I have not yet heard Black Sabbath, but Paranoid most certainly is a classic."

 

Personally, the theatrics of the debut sometimes comes off a little too heavy handed and cheesy for me but it's certainly a landmark release. I think they got it just right with "Paranoid."

[King Kamala]

Ben Folds' Rockin' The Suburbs while not quite as good as his work with Ben Folds Five, was a lot better than the spellbindingly boring follow-up, Songs For Silverman

[Corey_Lazarus]

This is kinda iffy...since it's TECHNICALLY the band's third album, but since the first one was an indy release and most of their "fans" don't even know it exists...

 

Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance

Not necessarily a slump in the sense that it's not successful, because it was even more successful than their first Century Media release Of One Blood, but it's not nearly as good as Of One Blood. So it doesn't count per se, but it does because of the huge drop off in quality.

 

S.O.D. - Bigger Than the Devil

Though it does have my favorite song by the band, "Shenanigans," on it...no. It's especially a disappointment considering how much of a classic Speak English or Die is in both the metal and hardcore circles. Oh, and take into account the 14-year span between albums, and that makes it an even bigger disappointment.

 

Dope - Life

Dope's debut, Felons and Revolutionaries, really started making them a decent name on the nu-metal circuit in the late 90's, when nu-metal was at its prime. A good blend of punk ethics, industrial production, rap influences, and a genuine intensity from Simon and Edsel helped the band out...but Life is just another generic nu-metal album. Radio-friendly sing-along's, mid-tempo hammer-on riffs galore, and lyrics poorly sung about heartache rather than the screamed anger from Edsel on the debut. There's a third album that is just remotely better, and a fourth that isn't all that awful (bad, but not as bad as Life), and...they're still around, amazingly enough.

[Coffin Surfer]

"Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance

Not necessarily a slump in the sense that it's not successful, because it was even more successful than their first Century Media release Of One Blood, but it's not nearly as good as Of One Blood. So it doesn't count per se, but it does because of the huge drop off in quality."

 

I prefer "Art of Balance" actually. They toned things down a bit, but I think the more controlled/patient approached allowed them to create good memorable riffs, while also making moments llike the climatic solo on "Art of Balance" and the closing riff "Fire In Babylon" all the more impactful. They strike me as better overall song composers on that outing, though I must "Destroyer of Senses" and the title track were really weak.

 

Here's one:

 

Down II-Ugh. NOLA is a modern classic though.

[Corey_Lazarus]

I like two songs off of Art of Balance: the title track and "A Fire in Babylon." "Idle Hands" is just a "Battery" (Metallica) knock-off, really, and I'd say I prefer the pretty lame tracks from Fallout From the War over all of Balance, save for "A Fire in Babylon." The War Within doesn't get enough love, though, even though it's the superior album to ALL of SF's work.

[Red Baron]

Oh man, I completly forgot about Down II. Maybe its a good thing.

[cabbageboy]

I'm amazed anyone has the nuts to say Paranoid is a sophomore slump album. It's by far Sabbath's most well known and popular album. Their debut has a lot of aimless soloing on it that really drags it down, the sort of thing that's fun enough the first time through but on repeat listenings warrants FF or a skip all together.

 

Bush's Razorblade Suitcase....that's a good example. Actually with Bush I'd just say they had one really good album and the rest of their stuff is all mediocre, so I don't even know if it's a 2nd album slump.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

I think I got rid of Down II. Should I bother to rebuy it used?

[Coffin Surfer]

I think I got rid of Down II. Should I bother to rebuy it used?

 

NO!!!