Inspired by the old Kellogg's cornflakes advert that said "have you forgotten how good they taste?", I always use this as the name for those albums you've not listened to in ages and wonder why you waited so long.

What are yours?

[Octillus]

Damage Done by Dark Tranquillity since I pretty much disavowed my Gothenburg melodeath scene cred after it got run into the ground.

That's a good question really. Because, well:
1. If the album really is THAT good, then surely I would be listening to it already.
3. Whatever the causation, there is a ridiculous high correlation between albums I like and how much I listen to them.
2. For the past 2 years I have actively searched for new music to such an extent that I have hardly listened to any of my good ol'favourites. So this could just become a list of my old favourites.

Blind Guardian - A Night at the Opera :I was really into power metal in my mid-teenager years, and this is the one that stuck with me. Hansi's voice is just out of this world.
Dimmu Borgir - Puritanical Ephoric Misantropia: The only black(ish) metal album I could bear at the time. So much symphony. So much awesome.
Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element: Perfect from start to finish, yet I haven't listened to it in an obsessive manner for 2-3 years.
Evanescence - Origin: It's not an album, strictly speaking
Within Temptation - Mother Earth: My first favourite metal album. Sadly, it has disappeared in the amount of music I have discovered since, but it's just as awesome as it was back then.

Honorable mentions: Eternal Tears of Sorrow - Before the Bleeding Sun, Pre-2005 Sonata Arctica and Nightwish, Stuff by Arjen Lucassen and by Hans Zimmer, Therion - Gothic Kabbalah

[EphelDuath666]

just had that feeling yesterday. The album was Amorphis's Eclipse!

[Octillus]

just had that feeling yesterday. The album was Amorphis's Eclipse!

Totally that album too. House of Sleep is the best jam of its kind as far as I'm concerned.

[EphelDuath666]

just had that feeling yesterday. The album was Amorphis's Eclipse!

House of Sleep is the best jam of its kind as far as I'm concerned.

very much this

[swervedriver]

Currently relistening Stream of Passion's self-titled debut album, after neglecting it for several years. Marcela Bovio still has the most beautiful female voice in rock/metal/anything, to my ears anyway.

I could probably file all Rush albums under this as well, since I usually get hooked on one for a time and then ignore the other 20+ for too long.

After looking at this thread, I had a gaze at my CD collection. I found myself choosing:
Atrocity - Atlantis. Used to be obsessed with this one. Still good, probably my favorite from this band.
Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction. Symphony of Destruction plays in my head now and again, but I haven't given the whole thing a proper listen in awhile; glad I did.
Ice Ages - This Killing Emptiness. I don't revisit this album very often; that said, once it starts, I enjoy it to the finish.
System of a Down self-titled. Haven't really given much thought to this band in quite awhile, either. But I always enjoy listening to this one, too.

I realised yesterday that Mindless Self Indulgence's (guilty pleasure of mine) new album should be available soon if the Kickstarter page is anything to go by so made a playlist of their old stuff. I'd forgotten how crazy and chaotic their album Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy is. For a band that celebrate immaturity I think you can tell they've got older through their material so it's good to hear the madness on FGWSSS again from when they were still pretty fresh.

[Octillus]

Life is Killing Me by Type O Negative. I always listened to Type O, but that was the album that ignited the love. So yeah.

Butterfly Temple - The Times of Mara
Random choice from my CD collection, but one I loved when I first heard it; this was also one of the first albums I heard when getting into east European pagan metal (and learning to spot and dismiss an NS band).

Butterfly Temple - The Times of Mara
Random choice from my CD collection, but one I loved when I first heard it; this was also one of the first albums I heard when getting into east European pagan metal (and learning to spot and dismiss an NS band).

What's an NS band?

I don't think I've ever head European Pagan Metal, will give it a go tonight!

Butterfly Temple - The Times of Mara
Random choice from my CD collection, but one I loved when I first heard it; this was also one of the first albums I heard when getting into east European pagan metal (and learning to spot and dismiss an NS band).

What's an NS band?

I don't think I've ever head European Pagan Metal, will give it a go tonight!

National Socialist. For some reason, a lot of Slavic bands ally themselves with these ideologies, saying they're part of the Pagan Front, or celebrating true heathen heritage, or whatever. They clearly don't know much about culture or history (then again, the same could be said of any Nazi metal band). All the more reason to seek out pagan bands that aren't NS; you get an interesting style of music, and no idiocy to ruin your enjoyment of it.

[EphelDuath666]

you gotta be real careful when it comes to all the NSBM bullshit. There's plenty of bands that may not have national socialist content in their music but still sympathize with the whole ideology. And it doesn't really make any difference to me whether they sing/squeal about it or not. If they're Nazis they're Nazis.

Wow, dodgy territory. I'll obviously watch out for that then with Slavic bands. I often don't focus on lyrics but been pretty sure over the years I haven't been listening to anything with such a dodgy message... well besides Black Metal where it's obviously an act. That's the problem with free speech, some people are feckless idiots.

I looked into them and it's got a god vibe, ethereal and atmospheric in so many places. I like a band that aren't afraid to have the keyboards turned way up.