Aroc - you are not alone (thank goodness - I was more than sure I was). I was going to write this, but the voice of hard music here falls on such dead ears, I had given up. So now, with gladness, here are my picks:
Destruction - Live Without Sense (a thrash epiphany)
Venom - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (one of the best ever)
Hawkwind - Space Ritual (space rock's gibraltar)
Feel free to email me anytime. This hobby is so full of people who say: "I used to be into hard music until my system got really good, then my horizons started expanding and I lost my taste for hard music." As Manowar says, "Stripes on a tiger don't wash away." My horizons aren't so narrow that I don't branch out, but I listen to what I like, which in my case doesn't even include Gorguts (although I've heard OF them, I've never actually HEARD them). I was a metal DJ from '91-'93, and they were a little after my time I think.
For everyone else - if your horizons expanded, and you stopped listening to other types of music, that is understandable (AND COMMON!), and that is the case for many people. But for some people, credibility is more important than individuality. I've seen alot of people drinking up "flavor of the day" Stereophile recommendations and so on, just to seem "hip", or "in the know". I have talked with young audiophiles before and asked them what type of music they listen to, and they rattle off a few predictable Stereophile flogs like Patricia Barber and Diana Krall, but after I get to know them a bit, their faves are actually modern hard music (Tool, NIN etc.) Once I told them I like the same kind of music, they dropped the smokescreen. Paul Klipsch had a word that would fit here. If you feel safer in a crowd, so be it, but remember that you can be your own person - music is the LAST place you should feel you have to fit in.
Peace,
