6. Continue A Noticeable Progression Between Albums
There are two routes you can take with harsher genres of music, you either perfect the formula youve built a career on and keep carving out your own notch in the pantheon of greats ala AC/DC, Airbourne, Steel Panther, Slayer etc., or you inject some semblance of progression as you move forward. What you cannot ever do, is move backwards, producing more simplistic songs in the same genre youve already got a recognisable presence, resembling that of a cover band attempting to emulate the real deal. It can take a variety of forms, from smoothing/rationing out divisive elements such as harsh/screaming vocals to reach a wider audience, experimenting with structures, types of song-styles, even completely different genres, but the essence of the band should always ring true regardless. When Metallica put Fade to Black on 1984s Ride the Lightning, thrash-fans cried foul even then at its dynamic composition, but that song was created with such a devout passion and purpose, its become one of their all-time best. The same thing was true with 1991s Black Album, the work that many view as taking metal to the mainstream, and proving you could have tracks as bone-powderingly heavy as Sad But True and The God That Failed on an album that would do the same requisite destruction to the Billboard charts. Regardless of the direction the Metallica were taking, they remained distinctly themselves, whereas when Bullets Fever album put a hole in their otherwise solid hull, Temper Temper sank the whole ship.