Music Non Stop: 3rd album = peak of career?

What is it about 3rd albums? I have posed this question to other metal fans before and got some obvious answers;

• worked out all of the kinks
• matured as writers and musicians
• grew as artists

And I guess those make sense, but it's simply amazing at the classic albums that came out as their 3rd release. I am sure there are more, but these are some of my favorite 3rd albums.

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Anthrax - Among the Living
Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings
Susperia - Unlimited
Into Eternity - Buried in Oblivion
Devildriver - The Last Kind Words
Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
Killswitch Engage - End of Heartache
All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals

Just look at the first three on the list. Those are the "Big Four" minus Megadeth. Their 3rd album, So Far, So Good, So What, was a solid album but suffered big time due to all of the production money going to fuel Dave Mustaine's drug use.

Burnt Offerings is my favorite Iced Earth album. They don't like it now, saying it is too angry. Whatever that means.

Shadows Fall? Are you kidding me? Without that album, the whole metalcore genre might not have taken off. Sure, there was KsE's Alive or Just Breathing, but Art of Balance was the first "metalcore" band I saw on Mtv. KsE's End of Heartache is pretty much a re-hash of AoJB, but with a new vocalist. If AoJB is their Ride the Lightning, then this was their Master of Puppets.

Susperia & Devildriver are great modern thrash bands that put out excellent 3rd albums as well. I might argue that Superia's Cast in Stone is a little better due to it's diversity, but Unlimited is a solid modern thrash album.

And what can I say about Into Eternity? Or Buried in Oblivion? Heck I put it as a "must own" album. Up there with Rust in Peace, Slaughter of the Soul, Master of Puppets, and Alive or Just Breathing.

It may be a coincidence or not. But if you are looking at how good a band is or will be check out their 3rd album. Well, maybe not, Trivium's 3rd album, The Crusade, was a piece of sh!t.