The WORST & BEST second albums (oof...) 

Dude Ranch to me is the perfect marriage of their more raw, punk side and the more polished, poppier sound that was to come. Not their best album but still my favorite

Sometimes Hybrid Theory is my favourite Linkin Park album. Sometimes it's Meteora.

Alice In Chains Dirt is S++++ tier.

Going from Barney to Limp Bizkit is hilarious 😂

Lots of thrash bands had a great 2nd album. Ride The Lightning, Hell Awaits, Spreading The Disease, Peace Sells, Darkness Descends, The New Order, Pleasure To Kill, Never Neverland, Evil Invaders

Underoath's The Changing Of Times is their third album, though. Act Of Depression was their first, Cries From The Past was their second. But I love that album nonetheless.

Around the Fur is one the greatest sophomore albums ever, love or hate Deftones- that album can't be denied for just how much it influenced and inspired so many other bands. Classic.

“Where’s Ride The Lightning?!?!!” - Kirk Hammett

You should talk about 311, that way you could've put Grassroots where it rightfully belongs on S tier!

Fear Factory - Demanufacture is how you do a second album. Their first album was pretty good industrial death metal for the time, but Demanufacture upped the grooviness, the production value and Seabell's vocals were on the whole, much better. It's technically not perfect, the Dog Day Sunrise cover is a bit out of place, but in my opinion it's still a masterpiece, one that Fear Factory themselves have not been able to top.

Still want to see a 311 discography ranking video from you Finn!

The Cure's "Seventeen Seconds," Weezer's "Pinkerton", Placebo's "Without You, I'm Nothing," Suede's "Dog Man Star," COF "Dusk and Her Embrace," Type O "Bloody Kisses," Radiohead "the Bends," MM "Antichrist Superstar," NIN "the Downward Spiral," the Smashing Pumpkins "Siamese Dream" are some examples of great sophmore efforts. Not punk, emo or hardcore bands I know but still. It seems like great bands have better luck with their 2nd album bc of all they learned about the problems of their 1st attempt.

Glad that you also enjoy 311. Their first two studio albums still hold their own today. No matter how cheesy people think they are, they are S tier in writing catchy choruses

Deafheaven’s Sunbather is a MASSIVE MAAAAAASSSIVVEEE Sophomore record that made huge waves. It was a nuclear bomb.

Wow. Never neen first in anything. Thanks for the opportunity Finn. Edit - you mentioned 311 once before and I freaked out, they're my favorite of all time. Never thought I would hear them mentioned on your channel. Awesome to know they're one of your favorites. You should do a deep dive video on them, too many people associate them with Amber and don't realize how deep their catalog goes.

Blackbird by AlterBridge! S Tier! They found their signature sound after their debut - which was basically Creed 2.0 with a better singer and guitar solos. Now they incorporated Myles’ guitar and heavier riffs and solos, and more complex song-structure! Start of three in a row 10/10 albums💪

Iowa, Toxicity, Dirt, Diary of a Madman, Demanufacture, Ride the Lightning, Crowbar, Shadows are Security, Down II...sheesh. I really love a lot of 2nd albums.

Underrated sophomore album: kerplunk by Green Day. But I’m just some nerd on the internet what do I know 🤷‍♂️

The 311 love is great, Soundsystem is a perfect album imo

sophomore albums may be a band's best album on average

The gold standard for a sophomore is "Sad Wings of Destiny" by Judas Priest. Their debut didn't make much of an impact but they came back and created a genre defining classic.

311 fucking rules. You gotta do a full video on the main channel on them

You forgot your favorite band Deftones...Around the Fur is total S teir, naw is God Teir. Adrenaline was good but Around the Fur was amazing

Quick note: Izzy Stradlin actually wrote Patience and was Imo the hidden weapon of GNR He had arranged a lot of their songs on Appetite and Lies ✌️🤘

Glassjaw Worship and Tribute is S tier.

Underoaths second album is cries of the past ope

Isn’t the Changing of Times Underoath’s third album? Their old stuff is so effing good, listen to it all the time

Panic! Pretty Odd has a ton of good songs

Fear Factory's sophomoric album changed metal. Soul of a New Machine is actually my favorite, but that's because it's such a unique sound and, once Demanufacture came out, everything after that seemed like it was just riffing on that second album. If they had made 6 albums that sounded like SoaNM, I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much.

311 is legit in the GOAT category for me personally. I was 12 when I began listening to them in 1995, after my brother traded his Black Sabbath Paranoid album to my aunt and uncle for the self-titled "Blue Album". Been listening to them ever since, have all the albums and saw them in Detroit in Sept. 2001, and Milwaukee in July 2008. Looking forward to hearing the new album!

Was jamming Dude Ranch today, great album so catchy :)

I personally love unholy confessions when Matt is singing the song live rather than screaming it. I wish they did another recording of it. 👀

Underoath' second album is cries of the past, which sounds similar to their debut but with more black metal influences and keyboards. Some try to call it an EP cause it has 5 songs, but those songs are so long (all over 7 minutes, the longest being 11 minutes) that it gives cries a longer runtime than most of their subsequent records

he said that MFKR was slipknots debut album. but that Iowa was the sophomore album?? so what is the self titled?

I've heard you mention the vandals, but I didn't know you had them ranked so highly on your personal list. I was very late to them, didn't get it for a long time but it sort of just clicked for me at some point. I guess when I started to appreciate punk that didn't take itself so seriously.

11:25 ngl I'd love to see Finn do a video on 311. I listened to them and I really like their mix of clasic 80s rap and the pop-punk sound. Kinda like a 90s version of Beastie Boys.

A couple sophomore releases that spring to mind as being a huge step up from the debut: Nirvana - Nevermind; Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream; and Thursday - Full Collapse.

Underoath’s second LP was Cries of the Past.

You should do a video about the Luna hicks, they were pretty unique.

You know whats a pretty good pop song on that underoath album, the sun still sleeps (or something?) idk I rocked with it back in the day

Always excited to see Linkin Park coverage. Meteora and Hybrid Theory are definitely S tier! Love those albums. And. Think your analysis is spot on. I appreciate them for different reasons, depends on the day, but probably give a slight edge to HT.

Waking the Fallen being in the B tier is one of Finn's worst takes in my opinion 😂 Besides melodic Death metal bands like At The Gates, waking the fallen and Alive or just breathing basically defined that era of early 2000's metalcore, otherwise I actually agree with pretty much all of these, good video!

13:20 didn't you always say you preferred Meteora? 🤔

I may also be out of the discussed genre at times here but.. My picks for S Tier would be: Siamese Dream, The Bends, Nevermind, Dirt, New Bermuda, The Colour and the Shape, Vs, Leviathan, Origin of Symmetry, Rated R, Downward Spiral.

Still Remains’ “Of Love & Lunacy” sophomore record was way ahead of its time, extremely unappreciated to this day. Would love to hear your take on the record? Great video as always PS Demon Hunter’s “Summer of Darkness” record is also S tier for its time, imo

I would have difficult time trying to say which one is better between hybrid theory and meteora. I don't think there's a definitive answer there personally

Breaking Benjamin-We Are Not Alone Chevelle-Wonder What’s Next Both bands basically launched their career off their second albums.

311?! Dude, I think the internet should punish you for not making a video about them! There's just too much potential in a 311 video.

Music for the Jilted Generation by The Prodigy...no, it's not rock, metal or punk but it's a stellar album and still their best. This is when they transitioned out of their candy rave phase and started to incorporate darker elements of electronic music paired with trip hop and grunge. All round banger and loved by music fans everywhere. Ready to die on this hill... If you haven't watched their full live set at the Phoenix festival in '96 (readily available on RU-vid) I suggest checking it out. You won't be disappointed. The amount of energy is mind-blowing. They damn near nearly caused a riot at the end 😂

Self titled Hatebreed album was way after Rise of Brutality

Thinking about Hybrid Theory vs Meteora, I think it’s a two part story of discovery and mastery. It tells me something that the band moved on from this sound immediately after Meteora.

I was in high school from 2000-2004 and the music was just killer the whole time.

Fall Out Boy should be on the next sophomore album list. I love straight-up pop punk of Take This to Your Grave. They improved their songwriting 100 fold for From Under the Cork Tree.

I think many sophomore records are when the band or artist really starts to find their sound, great examples i can think of: Ride The Lightning, Peace Sells, Aenima, Toxicity, Late Registration, Good Kid Maad City, Leprosy, Around The Fur, Voodoo, Leviathan, The Bends, Thriller, Post, Demon Days, Come my Fanatics, Flood, Dirt, None So Vile, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, The Mantle, F#A#⁸, Oceanic, Everything is Fire, Prowler in the Yard, Sleep's Holy Mountain, Unquestionable Presence, We Are the Romans, My arms, Your Hearse, Nevermind, Downward Spiral, Loveless, Run the Jewels 2, and many others

This feels like the youtube version of Now Thats What I Call Music. Im psyched for fourth cds, they are unexpected, either a flop or rise back up, and tend to cement a band where there relevance is. Btw, no one mentions Many More. Ive seen then on conpilation cds for 30 years

Meteora is definitely one of my most listened to albums, it often occupies my car's cd slot

Images and Words - Dream Theater Best sophomore album for a prog band ever. Meteora and Iowa are S-Tier Three Cheers by MCR was amazing

The worst example of this ever has to be The Human Abstract's second album. First album came out swinging in the prog metalcore scene. Still holds up as an absolute banger. Then their main songwriter left and their second album was so bad it's kinda unbelievable. Even the band members hate it and wouldn't play them live anymore after the album cycle.

Wait so if Iowa is 2nd and the shit one is 1st, what is self-titled?

But wasn’t ’Mate Feed Kill Repeat’ included in the debut albums tier list recently? Some inconsistency going on here I think.

Satisfaction is the death of desire is the best hatebreed album, every last track is 10/10- some of the best breakdowns ever, I love the production and recording, awesome lyrics, just hands down one of my favorite albums ever made.

Nice video Sir!

In the last debut album video, Finn said MKFR was Slipknot's first album, but in this video he ranks Iowa as their sophomore album. Make up your mind Finn!

My personal favorite sophomore album is Deja Entendu by Brand New. Went from a generic sounding pop punk band to one of the best post punk bands ever imo.

My favourite is The Jester Race. So much better than the first album, and possibly better than the rest of the albums.

Unless you were there, you'll never understand how amazing it was to be into 311 right before and right after the blue album dropped. Great times!!

I think it depends on the individual, regarding Hybrid Theory and Meteora, I like Hybrid Theory more because we got reanimation but Meteora had popular songs.

Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree might be my favorite sophomore effort. They even poke fun at the idea of a sophomore slump on the album. Love that record.

Iowa got me through depression in my late teens.

meteora is my favorite LP album. songs on Hybrid theory and Meteora are both top tier. but i really like the way the tracks flowed on CD for Meteora. it was just an experience.

Never really listened “into the unknown “… but that snippet you played… probably the most interesting thing by that band, I’ve ever heard

I think Meteora sounded more radio friendly than Hybrid Theory.

Cries of the Past is Underoath's second album, not The Changing of Times. You got it wrong, Finn.

I thought I was the only one that knew Underoath’s “Act of Depression”. It’s a short album, but I revisit quite often. Lots of breakdown variety and very enjoyable to listen to, give it a listen!

I remember seeing Hatebreed a bunch of times in Meriden Connecticut in 1993-94 at a place I used to work called The Hanover House Jamie and the guys were always cool and put on a hell of a show for a room of 100 pll at the 18+ shows they used to put on I'm happy they broke out of Connecticut and went Worldwide ✌️🧐😎🤘

More 311 please! They are an incredible band

Underøath's second album is Cries of the Past ope

I am surprised you're a 311 fan. One of my favorite bands ever. I remember the first time I heard grassroots.

I don’t even like 311 like at all but that first album they put out is damn good. It improved my drumming a lot. Some of the sexiest grooves I’ve heard.

Underoath's second album was Cries of the Past (tier S+++ IMO) but u can consider Act of Depression+Cries of the Past to be like the big one first album of them lol

Perseverance isn’t really Hatebreed’s sophomore album. Prior to this was Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire (my favorite), and prior to that was Under The Knife.

Outside of this channels' paradigm but worth a mention. Rainbow's second album Rising is just transcendiary and legendary. I mean Dio performing at IMO his greatest on Tarot Woman, Starstruck, etc. Let's not forget the absolute masterpieces of Stargazer and Light in the Black. God dang to have the Philharmonich Orchestra for Stargazer and that solo by Blackmore, geez it's still astonishing to this day. This is the album that many a-power metal band got influence from. If there was ever an album that superseded the first album in almost any way, it's Rising by Rainbow.

Fun fact the screamer in those Underoath songs is a Dallas Taylor

Do 311 in the next one!

Waking The Fallen is one of my definitive albums of all time. Not A7X's most concise effort, of which City Of Evil takes that crown, but absolutely blows their first album out of the water! Title intro/Unholy Confessions, Chapter Four, Remenissions, Desecrate Through Reverence, Eternal Rest, Second Heartbeat, Radiant Eclipse, I Won't See You Tonight, Clairvoyant Disease, And All Things Will End. A God-Tier sophomore album in my opinion.

Underoaths second album is Cries From The Past.

I have seen all of your favorite bands live at least once if not two or five times and I can confirm you like good shit, Finn. 😎👊

I am SOOOOO glad to hear you finally speak on 311! My absolute favorite band! #PNWexcitableones

Please talk about 311 sometime. Id get grief from my friends that were stoners for liking hardcore and metal and then the hardcore and metal friends couldnt fathom why 311 was my favorite band.

there is no better sophomore album than Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins. Almost perfect the entire way through, and somehow their third album Mellon Collie was still considered their best work.

The comparison of Meteora and Iowa is just a reminder of how diverse nu metal is in the heaviness compartment

The Changing of Times is NOT Underoath's second album. It's CRIES OF THE PAST

If 3 dollar bill yall had better production and mixing it would be A tier for me. It's pretty nostalgic. Deftones sophomore album is S tier for sure. I love Adrenaline but the evolution from it to Around the Fur is unbelievable. I don't count the demo they used to hand out at shows as their 1st album either lol.

What’s your opinion on Incubus Finn?

Perseverance was the 2nd album i ever bought, before that I was all about Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers etc, absolute pivotal moment for me

I like this list expect for the waking the fallen placement that album defined a genre of metal for a decade plus and I don’t think there’s a skip on it

i got to see hatebreed at xfest in Minneapolis in 2002 right after that album was put out, great show. Great album.

Ultimate S-tiers: Nevermind, Dirt, The Colour and the Shape, Crazysexycool, Led Zeppelin 2, Like a Virgin, Zen Arcade, Paul's Boutique, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

311 fan here! Please talk about them 😊

LIES was fire . Second best next to AFD . Plus it felt more like an album than an EP to me just because it had as many songs as a full length . And I loved every song on there ! The acoustic version of Your Crazy was fantastic !