I agree w/the Pantera pick. I remember when TGST was new, and RTS was new. TGST was a liiiittle step down for me regarding the song writing, though the music itself to this day remains brutal and awesome. It has definitely held up over time!
A couple of my favorites:
Black Sabbath - Sabotage, as mentioned, their last "great" album. Gets overlooked a lot. I'm a giant Sab/Ozzy fan and never listened to but a couple songs from the post-Ozzy albums until recent years. I forced myself to. Most weren't bad at all, some were good, but they had a different vibe for sure.
Ozzy - Ozzmosis. That said, I have songs I really like from all of his albums
Slayer - Very tough here. Divine Intervention was a huge drop, but I always liked Diabolus in Musica. God Hates Us All has become a classic. Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood were criminally underrated too. I'd say they just had a drop on Divine/Undisputed, and came back just fine but with a different overall sound.
All That Remains - Overcome, although their latest is a huuuuuuuuge step back to the right direction
Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising. Interesting that they are becoming more and more popular, though I've been a fan since Fate of Norns was current and have seen it all w/them. They're one of those bands were NOTHING is bad, but much may not stand above the rest. Every album since and including Surtur Rising has had this mix, but no incredible anthems like Death in Fire or Twilight of the Thunder God had. That said, every album is still very enjoyable.
Black Label Society - Another interesting one. The Blessed Hellride. Now, Zakk is my favorite musician of all-time (not counting Ozzy) but I'll admit he gets overboard on many things. After this one, things felt rushed, and IIRC a lot seemed to have to do with label commitments and rushing. Every album has had great songs, but they were no longer 100% solid. So after The Blessed Hellride, I considered the next 3 weak with a follow-up that was possibly the best yet (Order of the Black). The follow-up to that was much weaker, but the latest AGAIN is one of the best IMO.
Children of Bodom - Easy call, Are You Dead yet? was the last banger. After that was very hit or miss, although Halo of Blood and Hexed are great.
The Black Dahlia Murder - Absymal was too much too loud, but still has some good songs. Another band that usually has albums 100% great, but this one was lacking by comparison. Their latest is much better, thankfully, and I don't doubt at all that their upcoming release will follow suit.
