Best album to introduce someone to Metal

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[MetalMike]

If someone unfamiliar with Heavy Metal asked you where to start, which one album would you suggest?  I think I would point to Judas Priest's British Steel, for the following reasons;

1. Halford is one of the premier Heavy Metal singers and showcases a wide range of what can be heard in Metal music
2. The twin guitars are a Heavy Metal staple and Tipton and Downing do it as well as any, plus the solos are classic
3. The music is on the commercial side so anyone new to Metal might find it an easier transition
4. There are some great anthemic Traditional Metal songs as well as some Power Metal tracks

Anyone agree or disagree?  What would you suggest and why?

I don't mean this to be a "my favorite album is such-and-such so that's where I'd start."  British Steel isn't my favorite album (or even favorite Priest album), but I think it would make a good introduction.

 Dusk - Book of Satan

[Sargon the Terrible]

If you're talking about NWOBHM, yeah.  If you just mean metal in general I'd start with something more modern.  You want something catchy, commercial, and well-produced - something that sounds the most like music they already know from a recording and stylistic standpoint.  Modern Saxon, like Lionheart would be ok.  Personally I'd say go with Nightwish.  Some songs off Century Child like "Ever Dream" or "Dark Chest of Wonders" off Once.  I've had that do the trick several times.  Also try metal covers of mainstream songs, like Iron Savior's version of "Crazy" or Nightwish's "Over the Hills and Far Away".

[Baldr]

I agree with Judas Priest but I'd pick Painkiller. It worked for me back then as the introduction. If I have to think of one perfect heavy metal album it's pretty much that and it will showcase all that's great about the genre. Though the extremely high vocals might be a bit much for some at first, but I think the songs are good enough to carry them through that first shock

[Chris Foley]

Yeah Painkiller makes for an excellent introduction, and completely opens the listener up to power metal, particularly the German bands. I agree with Sargon's sentiments over Nightwish too, and Century Child or Once would also be great starting points.

I'd like to add Metallica's black album, and Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction. Both of which helped me back when I was first getting into metal, the tick the boxes for riffs and guitar solos, not to mention the singles from those respective albums.

[hERICtic]

Metallica-Black Album is a great idea. Commerical enough, catchy, well produced and just heavy enough not to scare anyone off.

I was thinking, Iron Maiden-Somewhere in Time. Very well produced, great vocals, catchy and again, not too heavy that it would turn some people off.

When I first got into metal in the 80's, Maiden, Metallica, Overkill, Testament and a few others were the bands that got me started. My dad use to say to the majority of them that it sounds like everyone was playing whatever they wanted in different rooms, then just "blended" them in together. His way of saying it was "noise". But he always said Madien has nice harmonies and you could understand what the vocalist was singing.

I gues it all depends on what the person is into now that you are trying to "convert". Haha. If he/she is into movie soundtracks, opera...theres symphonic metal. If the person likes pop music, maybe hair metal is a great start. So on and so forth...

[darigaaz]

I personally would go for Iron Maiden - Powerslave, though it depends on the person. Say for example one likes classic rock like Pink Floyd but mainly listens to party music at the club, then i might recommend Seventh Son of a Seventh Son after Powerslave.

Nightwish and Metallica is actually where I began but i followed Nightwish and Power Metal bands more than I did thrash bands, so I would also add Angra's album Rebirth and the unforgettable Kamelot albums Epica and Black Halo.

From my own experience the transition from clean vocals to growling has to pass through Celtic Frost, so i would also recommend To Mega Therion once the listeners start to appreciate the more raw side of music. Skipping from Maiden to Nile for example will put most people off.

[Joseph Allen]

I would say the Black Album, but I've seen too many people stick with that and never steer away from radio buttrock. Painkiller seconded.

[Warhammer]

This is next to impossible to answer with something abstract because people are so different. People have their own ideas as in "what's good" and such. Not everyone is a true connoisseur either and like things for odd reasons. But, I think the safest band is Dream Theater and people who don't "get Metal" may find something in this band they can relate too. And then after that maybe Queensryche. Operation Mind Crime comes to mind.

[Claus]

This is next to impossible to answer with something abstract because people are so different. People have their own ideas as in "what's good" and such. Not everyone is a true connoisseur either and like things for odd reasons. But, I think the safest band is Dream Theater and people who don't "get Metal" may find something in this band they can relate too. And then after that maybe Queensryche. Operation Mind Crime comes to mind.

Ha! That's funny, because I've never really liked Dream Theater that much, and if they were the band to introduce me to metal, I doubt I would like it as much.  

[Warhammer]

Ha! That's funny, because I've never really liked Dream Theater that much, and if they were the band to introduce me to metal, I doubt I would like it as much.  

What band was it that got you into Metal then? Who knows. Were you listening to Ska before Metal or what?  

[Baldr]

Skipping from Maiden to Nile for example will put most people off.

It worked for me, though in my case the starting point was the aforementioned Judas Priest and stuff like Hammerfall.

I basically started out with Thrash and (mostly Melodic) Death Metal, supported by a few classic metal albums and light-weight Power Metal stuff. Only many years later did I branch out into genres like Progressive Metal, decent Power Metal and Symphonic Metal. I just finally started to get into traditional Doom Metal this year thanks to Blood Ceremony. With very few exceptions (Nile is still godly, so are The Chasm and Origin) I can't even stand 90% of Death Metal anymore.

The progression definitely isn't always soft-> harsh, and there are many more aspects than the vocals that might draw or push away someone from a specific kind of music. The best way to keep someone excited about Metal is probably to show them all kinds of stuff and let them decide for themselves what they like. Everything else is up to them and might probably take a lot of time too. There are so many albums I checked out after a recommendation years ago and immediately dismissed as boring or shit, and when I stumble upon them now I can't believe how I didn't see the awesomeness the first time around.

[Menternor]

I think it depends on who you want to introduce Metal to. The people more likely to begin liking the genre after your introduction are (kinda obviously) those who at least like some variation of Rock. If that's the case, then a more rocking kind of metal album would work wonders, like some of Mötorhead's output or Iron Maiden's No Prayer for the Dying. I wouldn't know what to recommend for someone who doesn't like Rock to begin with, but I guess a Power Metal album without very high pitched vocals or Symphonic stuff like Nightwish would work well.

[darigaaz]

People who dont like rock, typically start with nu metal 

[luciferi]

I've introduced metal to others numerous times. Usually friends or family who are curious. I then showcase a little bit of everything, to show the variation in metal, accompanied by some information about the different subgenres I choose to play. However, if you're trying to get someone interested in listening (rather than just give them a general presentation), I think Sargon's approach is the best. It is an acquired taste after all, in a sense at least. I remember the 'noise' I heard the first time I ever heard black metal (Mayhem's Buried By Time and Dust, I think it was), but only about a year later I was listening to the very same song and I really liked it, after having progressed for a while from my starting point with gateway bands.

Though this might be taking the discussion in a slightly different direction, I wasn't really introduced to metal until I found this site. Hearing the music is one thing, knowing what it's about beside its sound -  and appreciating that - is another. Several previous friends I introduced to metal a long time ago went from the gateway metal bands over into metalcore and other garbage despite my repeated attempts to recommend other things along the way. When they (amongst other disappointments) blew off Omen's Battle Cry as old fashioned and boring, preferring to soil their ears with their newly-discovered Avenged Sevenfold, I no longer bothered.

I think one also needs to keep in mind the mindset of the person. What are they looking for in the music? What are they interested in besides music? I know that several non-metal listeners I've tried to introduce to metal thought the cheesy, nerdy, fantasy stuff was laughable. Others only wanted angry music that made them feel tough and they figured metal was the place to go. Therefore whenever someone who isn't that familiar (or completely unfamiliar) with metal asks me to recommend something, I ask them some general questions first to get a better idea of where they're coming from.

[Sargon the Terrible]

With Black Metal, I found that Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant works well, as it has those keyboard melodies for people to hang onto until they get the feel for things.  Semi-ambient stuff like Wolves in the Throne Room has also attracted my non-metal fan friends, even if they complain about the 'screeching'.  Harsh vocals can be a tough sell.