Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Moderator: Metal Sludge
Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Talking to some friends about this the other day, we came up with some good ones. Which albums can you think of that had the most noticeable leap from an artist's debut to their sophomore effort?
Could be in terms of songwriting, arrangements, production, even concept.
A few come to mind right off the bat. The debuts are great of course, but the second album takes another step:
Metallica: Kill to Ride
Megadeth: Business to Peace Sells
Crue: Too Fast to Shout
Evanescence: Fallen to Open Door
Danzig: I to II
Tygers of Pan Tang: Wild Cat to Spellbound
Saxon: S/T to Wheels of Steel
Leppard: Night to High N Dry
Dokken: Chains to Tooth
Nirvana: Bleach to Nevermind
And tons more. What you got?
Could be in terms of songwriting, arrangements, production, even concept.
A few come to mind right off the bat. The debuts are great of course, but the second album takes another step:
Metallica: Kill to Ride
Megadeth: Business to Peace Sells
Crue: Too Fast to Shout
Evanescence: Fallen to Open Door
Danzig: I to II
Tygers of Pan Tang: Wild Cat to Spellbound
Saxon: S/T to Wheels of Steel
Leppard: Night to High N Dry
Dokken: Chains to Tooth
Nirvana: Bleach to Nevermind
And tons more. What you got?
*I kinda want a new screenname. Seriously. I barely watch racing anymore. 

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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Disagree with Crue and Nirvana, except the better production and bigger budget.
Accept - s/t to I'm a Rebel
Priest - Rocka Rolla to SWOD
Maiden - s/t to Killers
And, just like most here I prefer Appetite to UYI but the leap is obvious. From a fairly straightforward sleazy rock album to an eclectic collection of songs showing more diversity than probably any band in the genre and era.
Accept - s/t to I'm a Rebel
Priest - Rocka Rolla to SWOD
Maiden - s/t to Killers
And, just like most here I prefer Appetite to UYI but the leap is obvious. From a fairly straightforward sleazy rock album to an eclectic collection of songs showing more diversity than probably any band in the genre and era.
Chip Z'Hoy wrote: ↑
LI is a gentleman and scholar but that “Parasite” take is wild!
LI is a gentleman and scholar but that “Parasite” take is wild!
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
SAD WINGS OF DESTINY
Of course, it's bizarro world here, and this is now somehow an "unpopular" album.
Of course, it's bizarro world here, and this is now somehow an "unpopular" album.
LAglamrocker wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 8:07 pm You can tell Sleek had nothing to do with this…thats why it’s so entertaining
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
L.A. Guns. I prefer S/T but they improved a lot on Cocked & Loaded.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
I'd say Megadeth. That first album was shit. Peace Sells is definitely overrated, but still a massive improvement.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Pantera. They established their Groove/Thrash/Hardcore mixture with Vulgar Display. Cowboys has great stuff, but is still a bit derivative with Anselmo doing Halfordish stuff.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Motörhead s/t to Overkill
Mercyful Fate s/t to Melissa
Dream Theater WDADU to Images
Mercyful Fate s/t to Melissa
Dream Theater WDADU to Images
Chip Z'Hoy wrote: ↑
LI is a gentleman and scholar but that “Parasite” take is wild!
LI is a gentleman and scholar but that “Parasite” take is wild!
Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Nightwish, the growth from Angels Fall First to Oceanborn is massive
Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Unpopular is bullshit or course, but I'd call it more of a "superfan-favourite". On spotify it's pretty far down on the list too:HueyRamone wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 7:00 am SAD WINGS OF DESTINY
Of course, it's bizarro world here, and this is now somehow an "unpopular" album.
https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/2tRsMl ... lbums.html
Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Mr Big
Black n Blue
Billy Squier
Lee Aaron
Helix
Black n Blue
Billy Squier
Lee Aaron
Helix
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
5th and 6th albums. Cowboys wasn't even the first with Phil.Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:07 am Pantera. They established their Groove/Thrash/Hardcore mixture with Vulgar Display. Cowboys has great stuff, but is still a bit derivative with Anselmo doing Halfordish stuff.
Anthrax' Spreading The Disease was a giant step forward from Fistful of Metal. Obviously having a decent singer helped, but mainly just far better songwriting, and the latter also applies to Megadeth and Kyuss.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
They said in interviews that they consider their independent albums to be like their demos.GoodJudge wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:31 pm5th and 6th albums. Cowboys wasn't even the first with Phil.Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:07 am Pantera. They established their Groove/Thrash/Hardcore mixture with Vulgar Display. Cowboys has great stuff, but is still a bit derivative with Anselmo doing Halfordish stuff.
Anthrax' Spreading The Disease was a giant step forward from Fistful of Metal. Obviously having a decent singer helped, but mainly just far better songwriting, and the latter also applies to Megadeth and Kyuss.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Jetboy
Junkyard (though most won’t agree with this….but sizes, sevens and nines is the better album)
Faster Pussycat
Junkyard (though most won’t agree with this….but sizes, sevens and nines is the better album)
Faster Pussycat
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Was going to mention this. I'm one of the few that prefers Spreading to Among the Living. Just a massive step up from Fistful.

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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Skid Row S/T to Slave to the Grind
Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
It's the Tom Werman effect. He's been cited 3 times so far.TREVERLAST wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 7:58 am L.A. Guns. I prefer S/T but they improved a lot on Cocked & Loaded.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Spreading The Disease is my favorite Anthrax album.Anthrax442 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:29 pmWas going to mention this. I'm one of the few that prefers Spreading to Among the Living. Just a massive step up from Fistful.
"Moving on, is a simple thing...what it leaves behind is hard. You know the sleeping feel no more pain...and the living all are scarred." -- Megadeth's "A Tout Le Monde"
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Aeroshit - S/T to "Get Your Wings"
Queen - S/T to "II"
Judas Priest - "Rocka Rolla" to "Sad Wings Of Destiny"
Black Sabbath - S/T to "Paranoid"
Metallica - "Kill 'Em All" to "Ride The Lightning"
Elton John - "Empty Sky" to S/T
Extreme - S/T to "Pornograffitti"
Mr. Big - S/T to "Lean Into It"
RUSH - S/T to "Fly By Night"
Styx - S/T to "II"
Bruce Dickinson - "Tattooed Millionaire" to "Balls To Picasso"
Sweet - "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be" to "Sweet Fanny Adams"
Queen - S/T to "II"
Judas Priest - "Rocka Rolla" to "Sad Wings Of Destiny"
Black Sabbath - S/T to "Paranoid"
Metallica - "Kill 'Em All" to "Ride The Lightning"
Elton John - "Empty Sky" to S/T
Extreme - S/T to "Pornograffitti"
Mr. Big - S/T to "Lean Into It"
RUSH - S/T to "Fly By Night"
Styx - S/T to "II"
Bruce Dickinson - "Tattooed Millionaire" to "Balls To Picasso"
Sweet - "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be" to "Sweet Fanny Adams"
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Ok, it's not going to be all Sludge...
Prefab Sprout: Swoon to Steve McQueen
Ash- Trailer to 1977
Breeders- Pod to Last Splash
The Cult- Dreamtime to Love
Jane's Addiction- s/t to Nothing's Shocking
Neil Young- s/t to Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Sleeze Beez- Look Like Hell to Screwed Blued And Tattooed
Teenage Fanclub- A Catholic Education to Bandwagonesque
Prefab Sprout: Swoon to Steve McQueen
Ash- Trailer to 1977
Breeders- Pod to Last Splash
The Cult- Dreamtime to Love
Jane's Addiction- s/t to Nothing's Shocking
Neil Young- s/t to Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Sleeze Beez- Look Like Hell to Screwed Blued And Tattooed
Teenage Fanclub- A Catholic Education to Bandwagonesque

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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Good choice. What a coincidence, I'm listening to Funny... right now.risingfarce wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 11:37 pm
Sweet - "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be" to "Sweet Fanny Adams"

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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Was gonna say Motörhead as well. From a so-so debut to their best album was quite the lap. Stay Clean, No Class, Capricorn, Metropolis, I'll Be Your Sister, the title track itself, it's just a relentlessly great album.Love_Industry wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:12 am Motörhead s/t to Overkill
Mercyful Fate s/t to Melissa
Dream Theater WDADU to Images
Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
I can't believe no one said Rush.
There was a minor lineup change that might have had something to do with it.
There was a minor lineup change that might have had something to do with it.
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Is the change from Rush to Fly By Night that much of an improvement, though? They started to change up styles from being a Canadian Led Zeppelin to be sure, but I don't know that it's a lot better, just different.
But then again, I'd say the same thing about Judas Priest going from Rocka Rolla to Sad Wings of Destiny, it was more of change in style than improvement. The JP jump in quality to me is going from Stained Class to Killing Machine.

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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Unpopular opinion here, but for me, it’s faster pussycat self titled to the second
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
That was bullshit revisionist history and they knew it. They're fucking embarrassed because it didn't tie into the whole Douchebag/Dimestore meathead image that made them big.Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:36 pmThey said in interviews that they consider their independent albums to be like their demos.GoodJudge wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:31 pm5th and 6th albums. Cowboys wasn't even the first with Phil.Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:07 am Pantera. They established their Groove/Thrash/Hardcore mixture with Vulgar Display. Cowboys has great stuff, but is still a bit derivative with Anselmo doing Halfordish stuff.
Anthrax' Spreading The Disease was a giant step forward from Fistful of Metal. Obviously having a decent singer helped, but mainly just far better songwriting, and the latter also applies to Megadeth and Kyuss.
"Copying off of one person is called plagiarism.
Copying off of ten people is called research."
Copying off of ten people is called research."
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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Agreed, but got to respect the fact that at no point in the last thirty five years have they attempted to properly release those albums. They could very easily have done a quick remaster on them and put them out as a box set, and people would have bought it, but they've been okay with leaving that stuff in the vault.
Although, I have to wonder if that would still be the case had Dimebag not gotten murdered. I could totally see at least something like "Proud to be Loud" or "PST" having shown up as a random Record Day release or something.

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Re: Best/Most Impressive Improvements from Debut to Second Album?
Yeah, but they weren't. You'd have to get into a "major label releases" debate to make that case.Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:36 pm They said in interviews that they consider their independent albums to be like their demos.
But the run from Am I The Night --> Power Metal --> Cowboys --> Vulgar is one helluva run of constant evolution/improvement.
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