Buying music blind (part 1)

I haven't had much luck buying music blind in the past. Prior to yesterday, the last time I bought an album without knowing anything about the band it was We Are The Ocean's Cutting Our Teeth - in retrospect and in fairness to the band an apt name for an album amounting to little more than adolescent fluff.
But every once in a while I get the urge to expand my fairly narrow musical horizons and give something new a chance, and yesterday was one such occasion, as I decided to buy three CDs from bands I've never heard before - and two of which I'd never even heard of - purely on the recommendation of HMV's staff picks. Those CDs were Orange Goblin, A Eulogy For The Damned; Monarch, Omens; and Gallhammer, Ill Innocence - Monarch and Gallhammer being the two bands that are entirely new to me.
HMV's staff pointed out that an all-female Japanese metal band might sound a bit like a reclusive metalhead's wet dream, but suggested that Gallhammer actually have something going on, and that was enough to spike my curiousity. Well, I've just given All Innocence it's first listen, and I was far from blown away. If I remember rightly, HMV recommended the band for fans of Ufomammut, which I most certainly am, but on first listen alone comparing Gallhammer to that particular Italian trio is like comparing Uncle Ron's caravan-based homebrew to Delirium Tremens. On first listen, Ill Innocence is the uncertain offering of a band more concerned with putting out something, anything than it is a masterpiece to compare with the likes of Ufomammut's output. Perhaps that'll teach me to buy music based more on a band's leer-ometer rating than their musical potential. But, I'm at pains to keep stressing that I've only listened once, because many a time I've been underwhelmed by an album on first listen only to have it become a favourite after a bit more effort on my part. So, the jury is still well and truly out on Gallhammer, even if the press is already sticking their faces on the front page, alongside full details of their addresses, under headlines like 'Asian Babes Guilty!'. (In case anyone's unsure, that was a dig at the British press, not at Gallhammer. Please direct all hate mail to the Daily Mail et al. Thank you.)
Orange Goblin on the other hand are, perhaps predictably, an entirely different story. I've avoided OG until now, not so much because I didn't think I would like them but because I'm already a fan of Goblin, the Dario Argento soundtrack-meisters, and I felt there was only room for one such fiendishly named band in my life. However, as I type this I'm giving AEFTD its first run-through, and 8 tracks in it couldn't be making a more different impression than Ill Innocence. Undoubtedly the comparison is grossly unfair - I believe AEFTD is OG's 9th album whereas Ill Innocence was Gallhammer's third or fourth (I can't say for sure because I'm avoiding looking up any of the bands except for a brief glance at Myspace until I've formed my own opinions) - and true to expectations it immediately hits home with the kind of confident got-it-nailed form you would expect from a band with such a wealth of experience. HMV recommended this one to fans of High on Fire, and this time the comparison is much more appropriate. I could quite happily send this CD round again once it finishes, whereas I think I'll give it a little while before revisiting Ill Innocence. I'm happy I've finally found room for a second fiend in my pokey existence.
Finally, I haven't yet listened to Monarch's Omens, because I cheekily felt I could stretch this concept over several posts - further comment to come. Hey, on the bright side it means the post you're reading right now is almost over, so you won't have to put up with much more of my waffle. HMV likened Monarch to Sunn O))), among others, and Sunn O)))'s Monolith's and Dimensions is an album so terrifying I can only listen to it when I'm absolutely 100% confident of my mental integrity, so I'm feeling just a little trepidation about giving Omens a go. But, everything has its place, as I discovered when I tried listening to M&D during a midnight trek across a snow-bound central London after some gig or other in late 2010, and everything about it finally clicked for me. So, we'll see.
In summary, I haven't yet decided whether HMV's recommendations are worth a damn, or whether buying music blind is a good or a bad idea. Now, aren't you glad you read this?