The Gateway

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7aY7WjCGySb3Lb4x79Dk5T?si=5d4a7deaa4e64ce3

1. Asking Alexandria – Psycho

2. Breaking Benjamin – Never Again

3. Five Finger Death Punch – Mama Said Knock You Out

4. I Prevail – Paranoid

5. In This Moment – Rise With Me

6. Lacuna Coil – Never Dawn

7. Parkway Drive – Wishing Wells

8. POYNTE – In My Head

9. Rage Against The Machine – Down Rodeo

10. Dope – Dirty World

11. Sleep Token – Chokehold

12. Yakui The Maid – Nereid

13. Mudvayne – World so Cold

14. God Lives Underwater - No More Love

15. BABYMETAL – Onedari Daisakusen

16. TOOL – The Pot

17. Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – Back to the Light

18. Naïve – Mother Russia

19. Destiny Potato – Take a Picture

20. For The Fallen Dreams – No Heaven

21. Chevelle – Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)

From very early on all I wanted was for it to end 

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Asking Alexandria - "Dark Void" from Dark Void (2023)

5/5. These metalcore-turned-hard-rock Brits are back with their return to the heaviness of 10 years prior, though in a more alt-metal light. With emotional lyrics, the playlist is off to a perfect start, and I can gladly welcome back this amazing band!

Dark Divine - "Dancing Dead" from Dancing Dead (2023)

4.5/5. This band's first recording was an EP titled Halloweentown (reminds me of that Disney Channel film series). Then came this killer single from their upcoming album! Ice Nine Kills, Motionless in White, and Black Veil Brides would be proud, wouldn't they?! These new guys on the modern horror metal block deserve more attention. The breakdown is especially a f***ing blessing that I adore. Definitely worth spicing up a Halloween party!

In Flames - "State of Slow Decay" from Foregone (2023)

4/5. The alt-metal/melodeath action is kicked up a notch with the lead single of the new In Flames albums, which pleasantly surprised fans with heavy riffing, drumming energy, and metal soloing, bringing back the glory of the band's earlier era and At the Gates. This is straight on metal heaviness that's entirely different from their previous album I the Mask. And that's the single my brother likes from this album. Quite strong and promising!

Breaking Benjamin - "Polyamorous" from Saturate (2002)

4.5/5. Another lead single for an album! It shows vocalist Benjamin Burnley having his ability to sing and perform background screams. A catchy tune that I still remember throughout all these years, thanks again to my brother.

POYNTE - "Hold On" from Discreet Enemy (2015)

4/5. Yet another one of my brother's favorite songs, and I can definitely hear why. It's a heavy rock anthem of dreams that you just gotta hold on. Any rock fan shouldn't miss out on such a song!

Five Finger Death Punch - "Jekyll and Hyde" from Got Your Six (2015)

3.5/5. This band my brother and I think are pretty cool, despite other people thinking otherwise. It's as if what would could be considered by those people a mess-up ends up sounding solid to us. Rock on!

Saliva - "How Could You?" from Cinco Diablo (2008)

4/5. This one's pretty great, and I'm stunned that I didn't discover this band until after their remaining founding member guitarist Wayne Swinny passed away. RIP... I feel sorry for those who have been cheated on by their partners. Longtime Saliva fans can find a good throwback to the band's earlier material. I wouldn't say it's the best song I heard, but it still works well. These lyrics of heartbreak and cheating are something that shouldn't be put down. The chorus definitely reminds me of Breaking Benjamin, and I can recommend it to someone experienced with the band's music. Maybe my brother? Getting cheating on is painful, especially when you really like that person. It's good to look back at the wrongdoings of someone you once knew once in a while and learn from them. It's more suitable to listen to on a rainy day than a sunny one. There's nothing annoying about this sound, and those who think it is annoying are as thoughtless as those cheating a****les. It's a sad shame that the world can be so unfaithful...

Soil - "Black Betty" from Play It Forward (2022)

3.5/5. Not the best cover I've heard, but it's pretty good. The vocals might have a bit of a Monster Magnet kick. The song was first written by Lead Belly in the late 1930s, and then popularized by Ram Jam in the 70s, and again by Spiderbait in the 2000s. Soil's cover is a bit too Rob Zombie-sounding for me, and speaking of the devil...

Rob Zombie - "What?" from Hellbilly Deluxe II (2010)

3/5. A decent recommendation from another friend of mine, but some parts of the song make me think... "WHAT?!"

Avatar - "The King Wants You" from Avatar Country (2018)

3.5/5. "THE BEST OF THE GREATEST! THE GREATEST BUT FEW!! THE SOON TO BE HEROES... THE KING WANTS YOU!!!" Avatar Country was the first new album I discovered since my first move out of the earlier epic/melodic metal into the heavier more modern side. Nonetheless, this song sounds as Queen-inspired as those more melodic bands.

The Word Alive - "Made This Way" from Dark Matter (2016)

4/5. Telle's vocals are what make this song and other songs by the band so good. The music and lyrics fit well for these dark times. It's for that reason that Dark Matter is an album I can easily resonate with.

Mudvayne - "Happy?" from Lost and Found (2005)

4.5/5. Chad Gray is known for his screamed vocals, but it's songs like this in which his singing shines.

Celldweller - "The Last Firstborn - Klayton Remix" from Celldweller (2003)

5/5. This awesome remix makes me wanna listen to the original. H*ll, it makes we want more of Celldweller! Looking back at this though, this mix of metal with dubstep/house sounds a little more appropriate for a Sphere playlist.

Whitechapel - "Anticure" from Kin (2021)

5/5. I've just started a Whitechapel reviewing marathon (while making my busy schedule stays intact), and this album Kin is gonna be an interesting one to review with this perfect emotional lament. Reminds me of some of the slower ballad-like Trivium songs!

Lacuna Coil - "Spellbound" from Shallow Life (2009)

4.5/5. Perhaps one of the best songs from this band! Cristina Scabbia sounds beautiful as always. My brother and I have only discovered this band during the Delirium era, but better later than never. I might listen to this while writing my next book. And d*mn, this is the same band that made that dark gothic metal album In a Reverie. Of course, this track is not to be confused with a more well-known hit with the same title by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Male vocalist Andrea Ferro shines in the verses. Anyone who doesn't like this music should chill, keep what they say to themselves, and move on. Probably the best song by this band in the late 2000s era besides "Our Truth"! I need to get into listening to this band again.

Korn - "Forgotten" from Requiem (2022)

4/5. The lyrics of darkness and despair might seem unusual in nu metal, but they click well in this song. You can truly feel the grief! It actually sounds more natural than forced, with smoothness in the f***ing anger. The guitar creeps in the chorus for an eerie yet pleasant vibe. There's some enjoyable goodness in Korn! Probably due to the earlier Linkin Park-like sound this song has.

Nothingface - "Ether" from Skeletons (2003)

4.5/5. This is actually quite underrated. Apparently the lyrics are about George W. Bush and sound wicked when put into a similar sound to Korn and Slipknot. You might also know this from the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack. RIP Matt Holt...

Papa Roach - "Last Resort" from Infect (2000)

4/5. One of the earliest rock/metal songs my brother knows besides the bands he listens to. It's never really my favorite song, but I like it better than most other people do who just downright hate it.

Limp Bizkit - "Hot Dog" from Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000)

3.5/5. I accidentally selected the clean version of this song for the playlist, which is a bit unfitting considering the uncensored Papa Roach song in the same playlist. Despite that, it's quite good yet odd in the rapping. I love the dirty intro riff!

Linkin Park - "One Step Closer" from Hybrid Theory (2000)

4/5. This is their breakthrough single worth checking out for both metalheads and radio listeners. The riffing is both heavy and kid-friendly, the latter adjective maybe not the killer screaming bridge ("SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU! SHUT UP!!"). This is metal for Sesame Street-level beginners and probably the heaviest song to be allowed in karaoke (I know because I've been there).

Slipknot - "The Dying Song (Time to Sing)" from The End, So Far (2022)

3.5/5. The nu metal revival at its more maniacal. Enough said!

Mushroomhead - "Kill Tomorrow" from XIII (2003)

4/5. One of my favorite Mushroomhead songs from the nu metal era, though the quality could've been slightly higher.

Nonpoint - "Bullet With a Name" from To the Pain (2005)

4.5/5. Some might know this song that's practically an anthem, from WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007. You can rock out to this song while watching wrestlers go nuts on each other. There is kind of a Disturbed vibe here.

Machine Head - "From This Day" from The Burning Red (1999)

4/5. While I still can't get the hang of this band, this is a nice crazy song, though a bit surreal. Some might be reminded of the band RED in the music. Bring the pain!

Infectious Grooves - "Violent & Funky" from Groove Family Cyco (1994)

3.5/5. The f***ing funky bass is performed by Robert Trujillo, known as the current bassist of Metallica. The lyrics fit with the song title ("Sticks and stones may break some bones, but a 357 gonna blow your d*mn head off"). And don't forget drummer Brooks Wackerman, who would later join Bad Religion, and then Avenged Sevenfold.

Faith No More - "Epic" from The Real Thing (1989)

4/5. I wouldn't say this song is epic, but it can certainly be an anthem of sudden love within the lyrics. This would fit well for the ending of a video game to celebrate the main character's victory before the piano ending hints at a possible sequel. Apparently, this song is a big inspiration for Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor. You can let your personal imagination run wild through the lyrics, even during the simpler parts ("It's it! What is it!?"). See? Funk rock/metal isn't just Red Hot Chili Peppers, and there certainly isn't any naked staging. The vocals and piano really take the show.

Living Colour - "Cult of Personality" from Vivid (1988)

3.5/5. The lyrics of leadership make more sense once you give the song further listening. It's the kind of message to express for your land. Everyone has their own personality, and that's something relevant and should never be forgotten. You can find this song in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and it is also used by WWE professional wrestler CM Punk. The quality could've been better though.

Primus - "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" from Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991)

3/5. For a heavily funk-infused song, it tells the sad tale of a young lad who lost his life in a drunk driving accident. "Fire it up, man!" RIP Jerry

Nuclear Rabbit - "Secretly Meaty" from Vicuna (1997)

3.5/5. Anyone longtime funk metal fans would definitely have a taste of nostalgia when they listen to this band and Mr. Bungle. It's not too much of a time-waster, but once again, there's a little too much funk.

Anthrax - "I'm the Man" from I'm the Man (1987)

4/5. The song that has kickstarted rap metal is a fun hilarious metal rap performed by the band members, not just in the instruments. The rappers keep messing up their verses in a funny way "I'll steal your pop tarts like I stole your...socks!" And the chorus paraphrases a line spoken by Taylor Negron in the movie Easy Money, "I'm so bad I should be in detention, I'm the man!", while sampling "Hava Nagila" in Dan Spitz's riffing.

Rage Against the Machine - "Wake Up" from Rage Against the Machine (1992)

3.5/5. While the song's original album is known for a certain different single, and a certain cover art of self-immolation, this song is best known as one of the end credits songs for The Matrix. "WAKE UP!!!"

Godsmack - "Lighting Up the Sky" from Lighting Up the Sky (2023)

4/5. One last song to dig in this playlist. One that can hits you with heaviness while staying calm. If this album really is the last one by this band, this song is a great way to end their recording career, along with this playlist.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in the funk metal section. Anyway, I recommend this to any alternative metal fan and anyone who isn't into alternative metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Saxy for granting me the privilege to make this playlist during your break, and Daniel for accepting it. I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had! (Coming next month: my thoughts on the July Infinite playlist)

I am no expert on Katatonia by any means, I really like Brave Murder Day and really dislike Last Fair Deal Gone Down, so my opinion on them is "variable" at best. Still, approaching Sky Void of Stars with no strong expectation either way, I was quite pleasantly surprised by what I found within it's fifty minutes runtime. 

This is a really tuneful and melodic album that references the progressive sounds of bands like Porcupine Tree and Riverside. Unsurprisingly, as he wrote all the material on Sky Void of Stars, the vocal performance of Jonas Renkse is absolutely central to the album. It is fortunate, then, that his performance is top-notch with a strong presence and impressive consistency. I don't wish to demean the contributions of the other band members as they too are of the highest quality, but they are more restrained and are used as the foundation and support of the vocals. This feels similar to the way that the E-Street Band back Springsteen's singing, they are all superb musicians in their own right, but The Boss is the main event. Personally, I would have liked to have heard the band as a whole let off the leash and the album lean more towards a progressive sound with some lengthier instrumental sections. There were a couple of times where it seemed about to happen, but it never really materialised. That said, that is obviously not what was intended here, the focus being less on progressive instrumental explorations and more on precise melodies and memorable musical phrases, with the lyrics and vocals being placed front and centre. To that end Sky Void of Stars is inordinately successful and I got plenty of enjoyment out if it. No doubt I will return to it at some future point, the scales of judgment on Katatonia now weighted more towards the positive as far as I am concerned.

4/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Wheel – Tyrant (2019)

4/5. A great start for this playlist! That's the kind of breathtaking music to appreciate with audible bass. However, I find the lyrics to be a little too obvious. And while I do love the music, it's a bit too much like TOOL. Though there is a bit of a Soen vibe in the ambient midsection. Also the excellent vocals sound like the smoother side of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington (RIP).

Breaking Benjamin – Red Cold River (2018)

4.5/5. This song is a true example of Breaking Benjamin's heavier potential. My brother has been a fan of this band since the beginning of his rock/metal interest over a decade ago, and he and I still find amazing songs from this band throughout all those years.

Coldrain – Bloody Power Fame (2022)

5/5. Now this is a thought-evoking anthem throwing back to their earlier alt-metal/post-hardcore roots of 10 years ago. It's certainly addictive with the tight guitar shredding and powerful clean choruses. No wonder it became another anime theme!

Evanescence – Haunted (2003)

3.5/5. One of my brother's favorite Evanescence songs, though it's quite strange, telling a horror story about a spirit trapping a girl in a haunted mansion for a decade.

Five Finger Death Punch – If I Fall (2011)

4/5. This one continues the heavy madness that would impress fellow bands of the NWOAHM such as Trivium.

I Prevail – Bow Down (2019)

4.5/5. A great song from one of my brother's recent favorite bands! "GET ON YOUR KNEES AND BOW DOWN!!!"

My Ruin – Silverlake (2008)

4/5. The sludgy alt-metal instrumentation is quite killer, but the rapping ruins it a bit.

Lacuna Coil – Sword of Anger (2019)

4.5/5. A great sensation of gothic alt-metal from the masters of that sound! Like holy sh*t, you can hear the vocal anger of Andrea Ferro alongside the beautiful voice of Cristina Scabbia. The amazing music comes out as almost a cross between Madness-era All That Remains, HIM, and We are the Fallen. Probably one of the best songs I've heard from this band! They've taken their heaviness and done it justice like true modern metal warriors.

Escape the Fate – Gorgeous Nightmare (2010)

2.5/5. This song I've heard from a music video I've watched 10 years ago. It sounded great back then, but now? Nope, it's just too d*mn repetitive. This attempt at a catchy chorus is annoying with plain-sounding instrumentation. I feel like skipping that track and erasing all memories of it from my mind.

New Years Day – Relentless (2015)

3/5. Although I support my brother's like for this band, Ash Costello's vocals sound a bit too whiny and emo there. Sorry, miss...

Parkway Drive – Shadow Boxing (2018)

3.5/5. This one introduces something different to the band; clean vocals and piano! It's a dark epic song, despite the strange rapping vocals throwing me off.

Ektomorf – Ten Plagues (2014)

4/5. Great track to end the playlist, despite sounding too much like mid-90s Sepultura.

Before I make the thread for my June feature releases and playlists, I'd like to share my thoughts about this feature release that I skipped but have not caught up. Here's my review summary:

The late Wayne Static, along with bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuka, and drummer Ken Jay have made pretty good industrial/nu metal straight outta California. What's interesting is the album title, coming from the 1973 Michael Lesy book. The programmed drumming shows the band's noise-powered industrial metal tendencies, while being easily performed with actual drums. Static's vocal range is impressive, ranging from shouts to cleans without difficulty. The atmospheric synths and heavy riffing are also essential to the album's sound. In the end, we get to have a nice lookback at the first work of the band Wayne Static is mostly known for. RIP Wayne....

4/5

I came into this record with no knowledge of Klone as a band either. I had just finished listening to the new Katatonia record Sky Void of Stars from earlier in the year and found it rather disappointing overall. Meanwhile, conversely, does not really seem like a record that is doing a whole lot different than a recent Katatonia album, but has its fair share of subtle deviances that snowball on one another to stand out amongst the influences. I, like Sonny, do feel like the album does get a little bit too comfortable at the halfway point, and Klone do not really seem super invested on developing their story beyond what has already been established on the first two songs. But the progressive tendencies are well executed, once again, the Katatonia influence is here in droves, but it doesn't sound like "another Katatonia album" and it features some excellent production, especially in the guitar leads.

4/5

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway playlist! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Soundgarden – Loud Love (1989)

4/5. Let's start with the strongest track of its original album! Though it's a bit creepy.

Spiritbox – The Void (2023)

4.5/5. Spiritbox is a band that the modern metalheads should never miss. They know just how to hit with all their power!

Loathe – New Faces in the Dark (2020)

4/5. Quite a banger with a killer ending breakdown! Though the one at the one-minute mark is good for headbanging too. This band has underrated atmosphere. You can think of them as Chevelle gone Meshuggah, plus a bit of recent Wage War.

Avatar – Hail the Apocalypse (2014)

4.5/5. This is the song my brother was listening to that got me interested in Avatar. It really blew my mind, and in a time when I still had my mind set on melodeath, it was love at first listen. They made raging riffing and sick soloing in the albums before this one, when they were just a typical melodeath band. I still think of this song as some f***ing amazing sh*t! They've done their bada** job quite well. They seem to have similar physical aesthetics to Rob Zombie and King Diamond. When the first verse starts after the 30-second intro, you know you're in for a wild ride. HAIL THE APOCALYPSE!!!

Tremonti – If Not For You (2021)

5/5. Lots of d*mn power in this one. I love it! I hear a bit of Skillet vibes here.

Days of Jupiter - Ashes (2015)

4.5/5. Another song my brother loves! It fits well for an action film soundtrack. The guitars and drums are nice and hard. It sounds similar to Breaking Benjamin's "Diary of Jane" which is a good reason for my brother to like this song. I actually find this sound to have some Disturbed vibes, maybe even the more "alternative" side of Demon Hunter. It's all in good arrangement!

Alpha Wolf – Bleed 4 You (2020)

5/5. Scr*w the complainers, this is absolutely well done! It's so mellow, yet with f***ing massive diversity and emotion. I actually like the chorus more than the breakdown, which is still a headbanging puncher. The heaviness descends into oblivion for the female vocals by Lizi Blanco and then rises up again.

Haji’s Kitchen – Twenty Twelve (2012)

5/5. Wow, this is slightly more amazing than the Spiritbox track from earlier! It's featured in the English dub soundtrack of Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan along with "Lost". Gotta get more of this band!

Disturbed – The Curse (2008)

4.5/5. This highlight starts weird in the bass, drum, and guitar mix, but it's very good. The pre-chorus is great, while the chorus is incredible! There's no technicality in the guitar until the solo that's well-executed. Then some final riffing to wrap things up.

HELLYEAH – Welcome Home (2019)

4.5/5. The world was shocked to hear about the passing of drummer Vinnie Paul (best known from his time with Pantera). They had just finished recording this album but held on to it for over a year before its release. Despite having a different drummer in Stone Sour's Roy Mayorga, they only toured with him for a couple years and then went on hiatus due to the reforming of vocalist Chad Gray's other band Mudvayne. Welcome home, Vinnie Paul. RIP

Sleep Token – DYWTYLM (2023)

5/5. Sleep Token is another band to thank for their music, like A LOT.

Five Finger Death Punch – Cold (2013)

4.5/5. This is one of those reflective power ballads. You can hear the raging fear in the chorus, especially in the final one. F***ING REAL EMOTION!!! Still I can hold back the tears and look strong. Despite the coldness of the world, I have people who care for me, including my brother who also enjoys this band. There's also a bit of an Alice in Chains vibe in the intro.

Linkin Park – Crawling (2000)

4.5/5. This emotional hit is where icy synths and bass crawl through the intro before getting mudded out by the guitar heaviness and Bennington's cries. The more industrial fans might compare the song to Nine Inch Nails. The lyrical subject matter deals with Bennington's teenage years of torture and meth addiction, and he was so upset about it that he needed help from the crowd when performing the song live.

Tallah – The Impressionist (2022)

5/5. Impressed? Consider me so! This band has revived the late 90s nu metal sound with a mix of that style and modern metalcore. Absolutely unique, including that wild solo performed by guitarist Derrick Schneider.

I Prevail – RISE (2016)

4.5/5. So emotional and optimistic! It almost fits well for part of an action movie when the hero slowly walks away from an explosion. So pump your rage and "dig a little deeper, make 'em believers"!

Nonpoint – Rabia (2004)

4/5. Interesting to hear this band's attempt in writing a song with Spanish lyrics. It's hard to understand without an English translation, but it's still quite a banger. Go back to Spanish class if you wanna enjoy the lyrics!

Lacuna Coil – Hostage to the Light (2014)

4.5/5. A beautiful breath-taker to love! This is a great one to hold dear, from the moment Cristina Scabbia enters with her serene vocals after the 30-second intro.

Sevendust – Angel’s Son (2001)

4/5. This song first appeared in the Snot album Strait Up that tributes to their late vocalist Lynn Strait who was killed in a car crash along with his dog Dobbs. The original was recorded by Snot with 3 of the members of Sevendust, who would record their own version for this album Animosity. The band would suffer their own tragedies a year later with the passing of their friend Dave Williams of Drowning Pool, and the murder of vocalist Lajon Witherspoon's younger brother Reginald. RIP fallen ones...

Parkways Drive – Prey (2018)

4.5/5. This one continues the classic melodic sound with a shuffling beat and riff with epic harmonic guitars in the bridge.

Smallman & Ivan Shopov – Rhodopes (2016)

4/5. You might think of this project as the Bulgarian Perfect Circle. This beautiful power is worth some praise. Give it some good listening! It's a very nice mind-blower. There is some good f***ing art there for TOOL fans to enjoy.

The World Alive – New Reality (2023)

4.5/5. I've only just found more of this band over a year ago, and I never get tired of them! This song is probably the band's heaviest since their 2014 album Real, while taking on the new elements. Different yet similar in total beauty and inspiration! Telle never fails to amaze me. This oughta beat Hollywood Undead out of the park.

Breed 77 – Insects (2009)

4/5. Flamenco metal?!? A bit odd, but a good ending for the playlist!

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Disturbed – Indestructible (2008)

5/5. The 4th Disturbed album's title track starts off greatly with background gunfire and war sirens. It's as if you're dragged into this battlefield where you become an army soldier ready for war, and when the drums and guitar enter, you're all pumped up for a new intense experience. I'm guessing that's how my brother felt when he first heard this song that caused him to convert from our earlier sh*tty radio pop interest into the more enjoyable (for us) rock/metal. Amazing catchy chorus, impressive guitar solo, mighty vocals... I totally understand and enjoy how this brand-new world of metal opened up for my brother and eventually me. Thank you for that, Disturbed!

Gone Is Gone – Roads (2017)

4.5/5. You ever think about a cover that's f***ing greater than the original? This is one of them, with haunting guitars! Recreating a Portishead hit, this is good for one of my brother's drives. Wow, this is like alt-metal/rock sounding as doomy as Type O Negative or Katatonia! The sound could've been slightly better though, particularly the vocals. Other than that, excellent cover from this band featuring Mastodon bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders!

Katatonia – Austerity (2023)

4/5. Dropping in right away is an incredible 4-minute track of progressive force, complex in the riffing and rhythm while staying melodic. Drummer Daniel Moilanen makes his way through an impossibly big amount of time signatures. Bassist Niklas Sandin impressively keeps up with fast technicality, into a bridge of mellow jazz. Guitar duo Anders Nyström and Roger Öjersson are the masters behind the riff complexity, with the latter performing a beautiful soloing. Of course, we can't about Jonas Renkse's warm vocal melodies, but while the unpredictability of the vocals can level up the impact, right from the beginning, it might catch you off guard at times.

Linkin Park – Numb (2003)

4.5/5. This is the second-best song of its original album, and probably Linkin Park's most successful song ever! The song can be found anywhere in the public, and even my friends from the outside world like it. Chester does melodic singing throughout the verses and chorus while getting rough in the bridge. The piano is awesome. The guitar sounds a bit weak, and it may be considered by some overrated, but I don't care. "Numb" is Linkin Park's ultimate anthem!

Avatar – Dance Devil Dance (2023)

4/5. Stomping right in is the opening title track with a thunderous country-like march. Though the riffing is repetitive, the song is redeemed by the solid Judas Priest-like chorus where vocalist Johannes Eckerstrom really shines. Perhaps my favorite since the title track of Hail the Apocalypse!

Breaking Benjamin – Next to Nothing (2002)

4.5/5. The best song of Breaking Benjamin's debut Saturate for me, despite sounding softer, which deserves as much fame as that album's 3 singles.

Dog Fashion Disco – Love Song for a Witch (2003)

5/5. This awesome song opens as a fast pounder, creeping in with keyboards. The guitars and drums go almost as fast as thrash!

Atreyu – Do You Know Who You Are? (2015)

4.5/5. Amazing marching anthem, though the lyrics might need some slight improvement.

Chevelle – Jawbreaker (2014)

4/5. A great song in the lyrics can actually fit well in one of the Saw films.

I've done my review, here's its summary:

This is it. The real "Big Bang" beginning of my brother's rock/metal taste that would spark up my metal interest, Disturbed's Indestructible! Or at least the title track. Indestructible shines similarly yet greater than what I've heard from Ten Thousand Fists. There's the grand guitar performed by Dan Donegan, with pretty much every track having good soloing without ever being out of place. However, this album would've been as perfect as those masterpiece milestones for my metal interest like DragonForce's Inhuman Rampage and Trivium's In Waves, if not for something holding it back, or someone. Drummer Mike Wengren's beats sounds too plain and doesn't work right in the snare-pedal combo. This causes the bass to have more prominence but in a way that overshadows the drumming. That's not to say the bass is bad at all, it's quite amazing. Simple yet interesting, performed by John Moyer. Here we have 6 of the best tracks I've heard from the band, 4 OK tracks, and two stinkers. The awesome tracks include the first two of the album, the former being the aforementioned "new beginning" for my bro's music path and eventually mine, and the latter written by David Draiman about his ex-girlfriend's suicide. And the otherwise poor drumming works greatly in that better half of the album. And of course, the guitar shines a lot in technicality and melody. Any Disturbed fan might dig this, and I respect this offering as the one spark to ignite my brother's rock/metal interest and eventually mine. Hail our true beginning!

4/5

Recommended tracks: "Indestructible", "Inside the Fire", "The Night", "Perfect Insanity", "The Curse", "Divide"

For fans of: Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Trivium's Vengeance Falls (produced by Draiman)

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Katatonia – Colossal Shade (2023)

4.5/5. The opening track for this playlist has a mid-tempo pace with lighter catchy melodies and bouncing electronics. Of course, darkness still lurks in the heavy guitar dissonance, especially in the bridge harkening back to Viva Emptiness.

Celldweller – Frozen (2003)

5/5. You might think I would've discovered this gem over 10 years ago when I only knew my brother's alt-rock/metal interest, but it's only quite recent when I heard him listening to the Blue Stahli remix. With the original song being as fantastic as, if not more than, the remix, and my interest in Klayton's other projects like Circle of Dust and Argyle Park, I'm more determined that ever to check out his most popular project!

Memphis May Fire – Bleed Me Dry (2022)

4.5/5. Another amazing song to love. Enough said!

Static-X – I’m With Stupid (1999)

4/5. Great lyrics to like, though I'm not highly appealed. "HE'S A LOSER!!!" RIP Wayne Static

Gone Is Gone – Violescent (2016)

4.5/5. This highlight hits you with fuzzy magic in the guitar that Troy Van Leeuwen has kept from his main band.

Lacuna Coil – My Spirit (2012)

4/5. A pretty great song written in memory of Type O Negative's Pete Steele, and in some live performances, Slipknot's Paul Gray. RIP those fallen metal bass players... The band crafted this composition very well. There's also an Italian spoken bridge.

Through Fire – Stronger – Extended Version (2016)

4.5/5. This strong single is motivational, encouraging you to lift your spirits up and drop all the bad things in life.

Demon Hunter – Silence the World (2022)

4/5. This is a great place for me to stop, a beautiful epic reminding me a bit of Trivium's Silence in the Snow album, and featuring singing by Tom S. Englund of Evergrey.

The modern alternative metalcore scene is a hard subgenre to pin down. While it certainly has its modern upsides in Bad Omens and Spiritbox, a lot of them begin to blend together after a while, as many simply latch on to already popular/dead trends hoping to make a quick buck. Motionless in White is one of those bands for me. After attempting to go more alternative with 2014's Reincarnate, they became a band that would release records that get a bunch of acclaim, but are as quickly forgotten about a month later.

Case in point, I did listen to Scoring the End of the World back in June of 2022 and thought it was...fine. Chris Motionless is quite capable when writing well constructed tunes with some decent melodies. And, most important to me, incorporating breakdowns that do not act as an aside from the original concept or idea. But the record is held back considerably by not having any identity of its own. I had to do a double take at first when listening to the chorus of "Sign Of Life" because I thought for certain that Benjamin Burnley was the principal vocalist here.

And while the vocal comparison should not be that big of a deal, when the instrumentals sound like Breaking Benjamin too, that's where I have to draw a line. MiW goes a step further by having "Porcelain" sound like a modern Bullet for my Valentine tune, complete with some industrial/electronic spattering's that, while not offensive, I found to be more than distracting.

Scoring the End of the World has a lot of guest features and those tunes also feature some of the freshest sounds on the record. "Slaughterhouse" with Bryan Garris is a straight rump and serves as a good change of pace and intensity following the slower, more dreary "Porcelain". Then a trifecta of songs at the end of the record, however these tunes are not as enjoyable. starting off with "Cyberhex" sounding closer to a Mick Gordon track than even the title track, which actually features Mick Gordon! And in the middle of those two, we have the Marilyn Manson inspired "Red, White & Boom", which can be cheeky and fun, but I was not really feeling it.

And I think the reason why is because MiW have this long stretch of Breaking Benjamin/Bullet for my Valentine sounding tunes that aren't the most innovative things in the world. Sure they have breakdowns, but a metalcore band has to do more than add breakdowns to pre-existing formulas to make them enjoyable. And then, right at the very end of the album, they throw a curveball and show you something vastly different than what you've heard through the first ten tracks. The pacing of this record is so back heavy that I had less interest in those deviances than if they had been prominently featured early on in the record. Chris Motionless and company may have had some good ideas, but they are few and far between, and the sequencing is not good at all.

6/10

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find good tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Sleep Token – The Summoning (2023)

4/5. There's a lot of brand-new metal to explore, and this playlist opener is one of them! After 5 cool minutes of ambient alt-metal, there's a funky turn into something different. But throughout the song, the vocals and lyrics are so divine, alongside the djenty heaviness almost as much as Deftones mixed with Tesseract and Haken. I'm telling you, those lyrics can really guide you through.

Mudvayne – Death Blooms (2000)

4.5/5. A legendary heavy intro starts this track that has a bit of an industrial aspect from Godflesh and Static-X. Ryan Martinie performs excellent bass here. This sh*t can be good as h*ll for the more experimental nu metal fans.

Atreyu – Untouchable (2021)

4/5. A good song to love for anyone who's into Atreyu and Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach).

Katatonia – Birds (2023)

4.5/5. Continuing the flow is this song from Katatonia's new album, restoring more of the straight heaviness of their early 2000s albums like Viva Emptiness, within the sinister atmosphere and urgent melody.

Buckethead – Soothsayer (2006)

4/5. This is such a beautiful and emotional long alt-rock/metal instrumental, with some soloing to marvel upon, especially at the 4-minute mark. Excellent! This can almost be consider this playlist's "Crusade".

Breaking Benjamin – Blood (2018)

4.5/5. If there's any song that can fit well with the soundtrack to the film Morbius, it would be this one. It's one of the f***ing heaviest tracks by this band, and one of my brother's favorite songs from one of his favorite bands.

Bloodsimple – What If I Lost It (2005)

5/5. Such as awesome underrated group this band is! A Cruel World is one of the best 2000s alt-metal albums I've heard. This song reminds me a bit of the aforementioned Mudvayne. Lead vocalist Tim Williams is also a founding member of metalcore band Vision of Disorder. Anyone who has watched the ESPN X-Games or played Need for Speed Most Wanted may be familiar with this track that reminds me of Godsmack in a Disturbed-like level of heaviness. Kyle Sanders (brother of Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders) would later join Hellyeah long after this band's split. I would really like more of Bloodsimple for alt-metal at its best.

Candiria – Down (2004)

4.5/5. Some listeners of this song might know it from Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball. This one has the new millennium balance of heaviness and melody, all while declaring "I bow down to no one!" Its album shows the band's temporary move from the mathcore of The Dillinger Escape Plan to the heavy/alternative metal of Avenged Sevenfold and Clutch. It's gems like this that get me pumped up for the intense experience of a college course that I currently have. Candiria is one of the greatest mind-blowing hybrid bands out there! Though I can find better material from this band in their previous two albums. Too bad I'm nearly two decades late in finding this track. It's quite fun, despite not having their earlier intensity. It's, to me, much better than what I would find in Darwin's Waiting Room and Korn, and is as good as the better side of Linkin Park and Sevendust. They would've brought back the metalcore of The Process of Self Development if not for that van accident, but I'm glad they survived...

Parkway Drive – Glitch (2022)

4/5. The new Parkway Drive album's first single adds a bit of speed while in a mid-paced march through insomniac depression, alongside guitar and gang-style vocals to remind me of While She Sleeps.

Demon Hunter – Heaven Don’t Cry (2022)

4.5/5. This incredible highlight is worth being a radio single, mixing heaviness with melody. This can reach the mainstream without stripping down the sound as much as Songs of Death and Resurrection and instead elevating the writing quality.

Slipknot – The Heretic Anthem (2001)

4/5. Although Slipknot won't ever be a favorite band for me, this song kicks a** with impressive lyrics shouted by the talented Corey Taylor.

Disturbed – Won’t Back Down (2022)

3.5/5. This one's a kinda strong headbanger, bringing back elements of the band's first 3 albums, complete with some of the earlier "OW" and "get up".

Alice In Chains – Drone (2018)

3/5. Now here's something interesting, former Queensryche guitarist Chris DeGarmo performing acoustic guitar in this Alice in Chains song. There are longtime fans who think Alice in Chains isn't the same without the late Layne Staley. While I haven't listened to this band enough to agree, I can understand this song being a bit disappointing.

I Prevail – There’s Fear in Letting Go (2022)

3.5/5. I kinda like this song from another band that my brother loves, but it's a little weird like their Taylor Swift cover. With that said, holy f***, there are a few great surprises such as the extension of the chorus near the midway point.

Coaltar Of The Deepers – AMETHYST [REVENGE] (2021)

4/5. For any Japanese rock/metal fans who want some sweet energy without having to go into the thrash of Overkill, this is your answer, I guess. So poetic and versatile!

Twelve Foot Ninja – Oxygen (2016)

4.5/5. It's quite great to hear groovy prog-ish alt-metal without having cross too much into TOOL territory. There are great lyrics, but they can't beat the jazzy bridge in the middle. Mike Patton and the rest of Mr. Bungle would be pleased.

Love and Death – Down (2021)

4/5. A pretty great song with well-done singing from Brian "Head" Welch. This oughta motivate to live life with faith in your heart.

Within Temptation – The Reckoning (2019)

4.5/5. Despite having completed my move away from this band, I love how they've impressively enhanced their over 25-year career with cyber elements added to their symphonic/alternative metal sound. It's a great song to love and motivate your spirit.

In This Moment – Black Wedding (feat. Rob Halford) (2017)

5/5. Oh man, I need this played in my future wedding! This is some of the darkest alternative metal I've heard since the recent Motionless in White. Maria Brink has bad-a** vocal power, leveled up in this duet with Judas Priest's Rob Halford.

Halestorm – The Steeple (2022)

4.5/5. The second song I've heard from the new Halestorm album, and I have a feeling about this being their heaviest one yet. My brother listens to this band more than I do, and while you can assume that I've been living under a rock when it comes to hard rock/alt-metal, I have a lot to listen to in my heavier metal cave of solitude. Even without the fast speed from other metal bands that I enjoy, this is one you just gotta love. It really hits hard! Lzzy Hale has also guest appeared in songs from other bands like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dream Theater, In This Moment, The Hu, and Evanescence. While I don't have my own church, I have my own community of like-minded metalheads, this website. Whether we like the same or different metal genres, we're all our own people.

Stuck Mojo – The Ward Is My Shepard (2000)

4/5. Rich Ward has done amazing guitar that has pleased fans of Stuck Mojo throughout their career. And thank greatness this is instrumental, because I'm not really up for a whole lot of rapping that the band usually has, and it's a great way to close this playlist.

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Gateway in 2022.

Here are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2022 The Gateway Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they have 3 or more ratings) :

Parkway Drive - Darker Still

Bloodywood - Rakshak

Cave In - Heavy Pendulum

Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World

Moon Tooth - Phototroph

Demon Hunter - Exile

Northlane - Obsidian

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Gateway and 2022.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=2&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2022&toYear=2022&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

I really enjoyed this one Saxy. It was a pleasant surprise as I wasn't across Moon Tooth previously & there's no doubt that they're a capable & classy metal outfit. I'd suggest that they're probably more of a progressive metal band than an alternative metal one & "Phototroph" might have been a slightly better fit for The Infinite but there can be no denying Moon Tooth's alternative edge, particularly in the vocals of John Carbone who sounds very much like Sevendust front man Lajon Witherspoon to me. There's a strong Mastodon influence here with many of the riff structures being quite complex but there are also some tracks that take a more accessible alternative route. I particularly enjoy the lead guitar work of Riot V axe man Nick Lee who showcases a clear Eric Johnson influence in his fluent & speedy runs. The only track I didn't enjoy was the lightweight "Carry Me Home" but this was easily compensated for by the stunning progressive metal highlight track "O My Isle" which is a couple of steps up from the rest of the material (& is apparently the least popular track on the album according to RYM). Another nice feature release selection here gents.

4/5

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find good tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Thornhill – Red Summer (2019)

4/5. A beautiful good way to start this playlist. The climax shows the band go all out in tear-jerking tension. So atmospheric! This sounds closer to one of Northlane's less heavy while still powerful songs, a great break from the brutality of other bands I listen to like Chelsea Grin.

Bring Me The Horizon – Itch For The Cure (When Will We Be Free?) (2020)

3.5/5. I was think of this one being the starting track of this playlist, but it works as a transition out of that Thornhill song. It's much better than that Linkin Park instrumental the name of this otherworldly track comes from.

Time, The Valuator – Binary Pulse (2022)

3/5. A good heavy track while still dreamy. Not really the best for me though...

Bullet For My Valentine – Coma (2018)

2.5/5. This frustrating generic song is too light to make an impact. That's enough to make me fall into a coma! I'm not sure what I was thinking when suggesting that one, but it is good for the more curious alternative metal fans.

Cave In – Trepanning (2005)

3/5. Another otherworldly song, and standing out is the massive screaming for their late bassist/vocalist Caleb Scofield. I'm glad to discover this band a few months ago, but I prefer the heavier furious metalcore of their 1998 debut. This is the kind of band people would discover in high school, but when I was high-school-age, my heart was set on power metal. I think the first I heard Caleb's vocals was in a song by post-sludge band Isis. RIP

Disturbed – Liberate (2002)

3.5/5. It's been many years, like over 10 years, and I enjoy a small bit of one of my brother's favorite alt-metal bands Disturbed. He hasn't really listened to a lot of this album, but it has some decent classics like this one.

Saliva – Badass (2011)

4/5. This one's quite bad-a**! This could almost work as the soundtrack to a WWE fight against Darth Vader. The quality's very good.

Fight The Fury – Still Burning (2018)

3.5/5. This one restores grace for the EP, once again reminding me of Collide and the heavier direction Skillet should've taken after that album. The lyrics in the song are a great improvement compared to the earlier weakness.

Pyogenesis – I Have Seen My Soul (2017)

4/5. Great emotion in this song to get you f***ing hooked!

Primus - Jerry Was A Racecar Driver (1991)

3.5/5. Interesting song telling the sad tale about a racecar driver who was killed in a car wreck whilst drunk driving. The lyrics explain the story. Don't drink and drive, peeps!

Tallah – Telescope (2022)

4/5. New extreme era for nu metal?! Rightly so!

I Prevail – Lifelines (2016)

4.5/5. Another underrated band and one of my brother's favorites! I would say that my brother and I discovered this in around my middle-school-age, but the truth is, that was nearly 5 years before this album was released, so it's a more recent band that we started hearing of, when we're now both young adults in our 20s.

P.O.D. – Boom (2001)

4/5. Long-time nu metal fans might find some nostalgic memories from this band, but I'm not one of them. It's still quite good. Here comes the boom!

Katatonia – Consternation (2006)

4.5/5. One of my favorite songs when I still listening to this album! Still killer!!! What interpretation is there??? I don't care, as long as I can hear Jonas Renkse's unforgettable vocals! The gothic/doom metal of their earlier material is what turned me away from this band though.

Taproot – I (2000)

4/5. This is one of those songs that can help remedy a depressive dark time you might have, but I had other songs to listen to when I was in quarantine last month. I'm like 20 years later than any other person who has found enjoyment in this song. This band toured with fellow then-nu metal bands Linkin Park, Papa Roach, and Static-X during that era. I personally like myself far more than I hate myself. It's almost like an anthem against dark times! Great song, but perhaps if it was sped up, it wouldn't have a bit of droning quality. It still works!

Saint Asonia – Break the Mold (2022)

4.5/5. A highlight of melancholic groove!

Soilwork – Nerve (2005)

5/5. Now we're talking! During those earlier high-school-age epic metal phase, I was starting to get into melodic death metal. I tried to get into listening to Soilwork, but the band didn't really fit my taste at that time. Now this one absolutely kickstarts my interest in the band. The beginning reminds me of that of Fear Factory's "Slave Labor".

The Raven Age – The Day The World Stood Still (2019)

4.5/5. This is one of my brother's current favorite songs, and throughout the different times he played it during one of my car rides with him driving, it has grown on me to the point that I like it too. Although it's closer to the alt-rock/metal that he likes while having a bit of melodic metalcore elements, it's so great and powerful! The music is quite impressive, and the lyrics are so dramatic. Absolutely beautiful!

Destiny Potato – Indifferent (2014)

4/5. Here we have the more djenty vibe of Periphery and Intervals in the guitar. In fact, it's almost like an Animals as Leaders song with female vocals, both cleans and screams. A more djenty Paramore, if you will. The action really boosts halfway through.

Avatar – A Statue of the King (2018)

4.5/5. Although I haven't really been listening to a lot of this band lately, this one is still worth headbanging. This one ends this playlist far better than DragonForce's sh*tty cover of "Ring of Fire" that ended the standard edition of their album Maximum Overload.

I'm afraid I couldn't get into this one much as it's simply too poppy for my taste. There are three or four really decent 3.5-4 star tracks included ("Land of the Lost" & album highlight "Glitch" are especially solid) & the production & execution is excellent but the majority of the album sits in spaces that I'm not that all that comfortable, particularly the Fred Durst-ish vocal approach that pops up here & there. In fact, there's definitely a bit of nu metal about this album at times. Strangely, the back end of the tracklisting is where most of the best tracks can be found with three of the last four all being more than decent alternative metal numbers. 

For fans of Bad Wolves, Avatar & latter-day In Flames.

3/5

The Parkway Drive release intrigues me, I had no idea they had another album out.

I might just have to listen to the Disturbed album for some laughs? I can't imagine they've changed much.

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Coldrain - "Boys and Girls" (from Nonnegative)

3.5/5. Interesting start for this playlist, a nice beautiful rock ballad. It's different from the rest of the playlist and the song's original album, yet a nice emo tune that flashbacks to 10 years ago when the band also made a few ballads.

Architects - "Burn Down My House" (from The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit)

4/5. Another mid-tempo ballad-ish song though with a dark turn in the instrumentation. The more poppy aspects that appear in this song and much of its album end up giving Architects more in common with a band like Falling in Reverse.

Cave In - "Blood Spiller" (from Heavy Pendulum)

4.5/5. Cave In really should've been more popular than they really are, not just for their mainstream early-2000s sh*t, but also for d*mn beautiful pieces like this that just smell an Oscar for the band. Caleb Scofield would've been proud. RIP

DIR EN GREY - "The Perfume of Sins" (from PHALARIS)

5/5. I love this album's beautiful dynamic mix of heaviness and melody. This is one of my favorite songs here, both in the album and the band, with some of the wildest blackened death blast beats performed by their drummer Shinya.

I Prevail - "Bad Things" (from TRUE POWER)

4.5/5. Another d*mn good mix of heavy and melodic, only softer and less extreme. I first heard of bands I Prevail and Bad Wolves around 2018 when my brother was (and still is) listening to those bands. This is one of the best mixes of metal, pop, and rap since what you might find from the year 2001 in the nu metal age! A bad-a** song for anyone battling addiction, and a tearful polar opposite from a heavier song like "Body Bag". There are a few songs that my brother plays in the car, and he could drive twice the legal speed limit if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. He's a good law-abiding driver. Excellent lyrics, alongside the Linkin Park vibe in the music!

Memphis May Fire - "Only Human" (from Remade in Misery)

4/5. Sweet lyrics, interesting vocals including rapping, enough said.

Motionless in White - "Masterpiece" (from Scoring the End of the World)

4.5/5. Great tune from Motionless in White recent near-masterpiece album. I should recommend this one to my brother!

Northlane - "Is This a Test?" (from Obsidian)

4/5. Yes, this is a test! A test of 90s nostalgia. You can for sure understand when I say that this would fit well in the soundtrack for the rave scene of an action-thriller movie set in the 90s. When you listen, you can hear the palate being cleansed with fresh ideas. There's certainly never any filler, though the tempo change seems too calm for one.

Parkway Drive - "Soul Bleach" (from Darker Still)

3.5/5. This one puts us back on track with rapid pacing in the riffs.

Disturbed - "Unstoppable" (from Divisive)

4/5. F***ing throwing back to Disturbed's earlier days of 20 years ago, hard-hitting like a b***h!

Halestorm - "Back From the Dead" (from Back From the Dead)

4.5/5. I haven't heard of Halestorm (don't confuse them with Alestorm) in a long while, I mean the last time I heard a few songs was from my brother listening to them 5 years ago. This band really is back from the dead, with a heavy as f*** vengeance! This would be great for a wrestler's comeback into their career. The vocals would sound interesting when the band perform this live. I really should be thankful for my brother listening to bands like Halestorm and Skillet that set my eventual path to metal.

NOTHING MORE - "TIRED OF WINNING" (from SPIRITS)

4/5. Holy sh*t, this one I thought about recommending it to my brother, but then upon closer listen, I realized that this is a song he has already been listening to lately! I've been searching for it for a couple months! Thanks Saxy for the help even though it wasn't intended. What a way to end this playlist, with an unexpected realization.

It may have taken me a couple of years but I've finally gotten around to giving our August 2020 feature release a good few listens & I've gotta say that I've once again been impressed by Primus' musicianship, ambition & ingenuity. This is probably a little more quirky & whacky than their 1990 debut "Frizzle Fry" was & that may well be to its detriment with this particular listener however that doesn't stop me marveling at Les Claypool's ridiculous chops or Larry LaLonde's wonderful jazz fusion guitar work. It definitely isn't the sort of music that I would generally go for but its hard not to become engaged by the unstructured madness going on, especially given that it sounds so foreign compared to literally everything else I've ever heard.

In saying that, "Sailing The Seas of Cheese" definitely takes a little while to get going. The first four tracks are all pretty entertaining but I didn't really feel myself becoming fully engaged until their very familiar hit single "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" kicks into play & begins a very strong three track run. The back end of the record sees them matching that quality with the lengthy psychedelic number "Fish On" (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" being my clear album highlight. As with the debut, this definitely isn't a metal record though & I really struggle to see where people can even start to see that as a possibility. I'd describe it as experimental alternative/funk rock personally but that's not important though as, despite the fact that this sophomore effort may not appeal to me quite as much as "Frizzle Fry" which is still my favourite Primus record, "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" is another damn fine example of just how enjoyable the sheer lunacy of early 90's Primus' can be.

For fans of Nuclear Rabbit, Mr. Bungle & Praxis.

4/5

My flirtation with The Gateway clan has waned over the past year or so. However, that having been said I think Bad Omen's latest release might just be my most played album of the year and I do still spin Niratias by Chevelle on a regular basis following its release last year. Still, I do not now engage with much of this clan even though for a period in the late 90s and early noughties I was listening to the likes of Korn, Linkin Park and grunge acts such as AiC and Soundgarden on a daily basis.

In Sevendust I found a happy medium I guess between a record that is not shying away from being alternative but at the same time lacks any real sense of panache when it comes to song writing overall. But let us start with a huge positive in the vocals of Lajon Witherspoon. His cool and tuneful voice is the standout item on Animosity. The irony being that his voice hardly evokes any sense of animosity given that it possesses a smoothness that sounds like he could roll icing out from between his vocal chords at times. The more aggressive tracks leave me to think that he most certainly has depth in his abilities (if not necessarily able enough for me to describe that depth as range of any sort). In keeping with the vocal performance, I find the riffs here of equal aptitude. When they put their mind to it, Sevendust can let rip with the old six-strings whilst also weave some of those hazy nu-metal notes in there also from time to time. These two elements alone make for some memorability without ever managing to convey much in the way of excitement or intrigue in what I am hearing.

Animosity is very much an album that I would not come back to. After giving it more than a few listens ahead of this review I cannot say there is anything remarkable here and it really just sounds like an awful lot of other music that was floating around at the time. The song writing can actually sound quite lazy at times with clunky structures such as Xmas Day really bringing nothing positive to the table. As a result the album lacks completeness and suffers from the dreaded sense that this is a collection of songs as opposed to an album.

3/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Atomship - "Mothra" (from The Crash of '47)

5/5. One of my favorite kinds of alt-metal is when it's mixed with progressive metal, sounding more progressive while staying alternative, and this has suddenly become one of the best examples of that kind for me. Underrated kick-A art! RIP Nathan Slade and Joey Culver...

Carpenter Brut - "Imaginary Fire" (from Leather Terror)

4.5/5. Darksynth master Carpenter Brut gone alt-metal with vocals by The Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato! Who would've thought, right?! After the brutally beautiful intro, the vocals help animate the jam. The last 40 seconds or so is where the vocals reach their sick killer point.

Cave In - "Wavering Angel" (from Heavy Pendulum)

5/5. This song can catch Gateway listeners off-guard because of the 12-minute length, but as the more progressive fan I am, I'm quite used to that kind of length. The bass is crystal clear and the opening chords are so d*mn good. The song itself is the perfect ending epic for Cave In's recent album, so it's an amazing reward for someone like me who only found this band about 20 years after their highest peak of success. This recording can surpass even Soundgarden for me, and I can consider this song probably my personal alt-metal track of the year. Absolute perfection! Caleb Scofield would be proud. RIP

Katatonia - "Atrium" (from Atrium)

4.5/5. Another band I've only started listening to about 20 years after their highest peak of success, but one that I've taken a break from listening to for a year. A great dark throwback to their late-90s albums.

Poppy - "Fill the Crown" (from I Disagree)

4/5. If you think Poppy would be the kind of alt-metal artist I would be interested in, let me tell you... I DISAGREE. Though this experimental mix of metal and dark pop is unique enough to make her a modern legend.

Chevelle - "Take Out the Gun Man" (from La Gargola)

3.5/5. The mix kicks a**, but it sounds more like TOOL with lyrics sounding a little too obvious. Moving on...

Disturbed - "Hey You" (from Hey You)

4/5. Disturbed is probably one of the first ever bands I've listened to with all their albums qualifying as metal here, as part of the alt-rock/metal league of bands I was listening to 10 years ago that my brother likes. There's f***ing great bad-a** power in the band's first single from their upcoming album Divisive, reminding me of the late-2000s era of this band. It's definitely an original song instead of a cover for a certain Bachman Turner Overdrive song. Thumbs up for that! There's a divisive line in heavier alternative music between the metal of this band and the rock of Shinedown, and I prefer to stay in the former side. But the real division is what this song describes in the lyrics, such as ongoing wars and protests, so wake up and fight the division!

Bloodsimple - "Blood In Blood Out" (from A Cruel World)

4.5/5. This was one of my playlist submissions from a few months back, but I don't mind a repeat of this killer song. Bloodsimple is a band that deserves to continue making these kinds of metal rampages from the crime-filled streets of New York. This is a black hole that only the strongest (like myself) can survive. This album continued the alt-metal twist from Tim Williams' other band Vision of Disorder's alt-metal twist. Might remind some of Dope!

Parkway Drive - "Darker Still" (from Darker Still)

5/5. This centerpiece, surpassing the previous album's "Chronos" as the longest and probably most epic song by the band, is a prime example of reinvention for the band. It's basically filled with pieces of acoustic balladry and whistling, with Winston singing some Nick Cave-like cleans. It's obviously not as heavy as the more metallic tracks, but there's deeper texture glory than before!

My interactions with coldrain have been limited due to the Gateway spheres I frequent being slightly more on the progressive side. But I have heard plenty of tunes from this band thanks to the many song recommendations for monthly playlists. And in all honesty, I might have liked this band more during the 2000s as opposed to discovering them in the late 2010s. Their brand of melodic metalcore is fairly generic and the alternative leanings such as melodic songwriting sounds formulaic.

Case in point, the bands newest album, Nonnegative. When coldrain isn't directly ripping off older bands such as Slipknot on "Cut Me", Parkway Drive/Shadows Fall with "From Today", and a laundry list of chug-chug-chug metalcore bands on "Rabbit Hole", these tunes just are not that interesting. The album might have a decent guitar melody from time to time, but the vocals just feel forced and lacking in emotive drive. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the No Doubt cover of "Don't Speak", which, while not a great song in its own right, Gwen's vocals were timid and hushed as the protagonist goes through a breakup. The vocalist of coldrain doesn't seem to have a problem singing like the lead singer of a power metal band here, creating a weird dichotomy; not just between the vocals and the lyrics, but the instrumentals as well.

It all leaves me with a feeling of nothingness because I've heard all of this before...twenty years ago. coldrain's newest album does not do anything interesting to its influences, and when it does it isn't very good. It's attempts at alternative metalcore are met with a resounding "meh" from me as I have heard plenty of newer artists (i.e. Spiritbox, Bad Omens) and even older groups like Northlane growing the sound beyond the Of Mice and Men and The Devil Wears Prada's of the world. At least when BABYMETAL came out of the new J-rock scene, it was something new and got people talking. Maybe coldrain don't want to be BABYMETAL and that's fine and they will find their audience. But a well oiled machine has to keep moving, and coldrain are still stuck on ten year old technology.

5/10

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Destrage - "Venice Has Sunk" (from SO MUCH. too much.)

4/5. Good start, though the experimentation can be SO MUCH.

Attila - "Shots for the Boys" (from About That Life)

4.5/5. This is one of the best songs of this album where Attila took a turn for their metalcore/deathcore sound to add in some rap/nu metal. This direction has worked much better than most other rap metal bands out there. That Gateway side of them aside, Attila is one of the best Revolution bands alongside Oh Sleeper. That's proven by the breakdown almost a minute in, sounding closer to their earlier material, that alcoholics can headbang to while splashing beer in a bar, and they only drink straight shots ("If you don't like to take straight shots, well shut the f*** up, we only take straight shots"). I would never drink, but bottoms up for those who do!

Karnivool - "Fear of the Sky" (from Themata)

5/5. This one adds odd time signatures for the heavy guitar in the same vein as late 90s Incubus and A Perfect Circle at that time. These guys never f*** up this sound, unlike other such albums that end up being a blur. Karnivool have their multi-flavor identity to keep your attention span high.

Devin Townsend Project - "Bastard" (from Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv)

5/5. Interesting choice here. I've never really expected a Devin Townsend song in the Gateway playlist (unless it's a song from the Project album Addicted which has recently been removed from Spotify) nor a live track here. But that's OK because it's one of my favorite songs originally from one of the best Devin Townsend albums, visualizing a deadly night voyage through a stormy ocean. More about that scenario in my review for the original Ocean Machine album.

Bad Wolves - "Run for Your Life" (from Disobey)

4.5/5. This songs shows an example of humanity working and giving until the end of their lives without a break, and the slaves trying to run from that vicious cycle so they can live a free life. The music adds color to the story!

Killer Be Killed - "Dream Gone Bad" (from Reluctant Hero)

5/5. More like a "Dream Gone Good", if you ask me! This killer song is made by a great team of members from bands Soulfly, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, and Converge. F***ing mind-blowing!!!

Mushroomhead - "Carry On" (from A Wonderful Life)

4.5/5. Have I mentioned how much I like Mushroomhead more than Slipknot, both musically and aesthetically? Lots of great tracks in their new album, especially this one that's beautiful and addictive. It's almost entirely clean vocals here, and I like it as much as other tracks. Great music! The band sure know how to build back up after their split from founding members keyboardist Tom Schmitz and vocalist Jeffery Hatrix. It's so riveting! I feel like this is a continuation of the dedication to the loved ones they lost that started with their previous album The Righteous and the Butterfly. Keep calm and do what the song says!

Chevelle - "Point #1" (from Point #1)

4/5. You know what's interesting? I submitted just the "Open" intro because I felt like including a song from this album, but I was running out of space for my suggestions. Then the song that leads to has appeared here instead, and it works out quite well. A solid song in the beginning of Chevelle's tenure!

Dope - "1999" (from Blood Money)

3.5/5. My first year of being alive! I like this one, though it sounds a little too angry, especially the "F*** IT" parts.

Northlane - "Carbonized" (from Obsidian)

4/5. This one is another single, this one starting with grungy experimentation in the intro. The screams giving you a moshing urge. The moods often change. Then the chorus adds more life with Marcus Bridge's d*mn beautiful singing.

Static-X - "Cold" (from Machine)

4.5/5. This one is kick-A for those who wanna take a f***ing trip through a lifestyle of strip-club viewing and fast-racing. RIP Wayne Static

Coldrain - "GONE" (from VENA)

4/5. Staying innovative as ever, the groove and clapping unexpectedly add rock anthem traditions to the lament of a walkaway love.

Abrahma - "Neptune of Sorrow" (from Through the Dusty Paths of Our Lives)

4.5/5. Another great catchy tune, though slightly away from being a total groundbreaker. The mid-tempo pace shows that you don't need a fast thrasher for full-gear headbanging. The slight weakness is in the muddy mastering that needs to be tightened.

Dead by April - "Freeze Frame" (from Let the World Know)

5/5. "Everything is gonna be just fine." Well it's way more than fine! It's songs like this that made me love this band.

Kittie - "Paperdoll" (from Spit)

4.5/5. I love the cool beautiful voice of Tanya Candler. I also like the amazing bass she performs. Is it wrong for me, a grown man, to keep praising a 16-year-old girl (that she was back in 1999) like that? But since she's older now, does that even matter? Quite a confusing paradox... Apparently, Tanya left the band after this album's recording and was replaced by Talena Atfield, with whom the band re-recorded the track. There's also a sinister laugh in the last 20 seconds of the song.

Saliva - "Unshatter Me" (from Love, Lies & Therapy)

4/5. I like how beautifully haunting this song sounds. It's also a good metaphor for undying love mending back together a shattered heart, including loved ones who have passed. That's how good the lyrics are.

DIR EN GREY - "THE DEEPER VILENESS" (from THE MARROW OF A BONE)

4.5/5. This song is from the earlier part of their ongoing metal era, and it has a lot of raw passion especially in the screaming. Listen before you judge.

FEVER 333 - "Walking in My Shoes" (from Made an America)

4/5. I'm glad to hear some killer greatness in this song, despite this trap-metal sound combo.

Machinae Supremacy - "The Greatest Show on Earth" (from A View From the End of the World)

4.5/5. One of the most awesome songs, and possibly my favorite, from this album. F***ing heroic! This band has gotten more popular throughout the years thanks to online sharing and other means of support. This song would encourage you to head out and enjoy life. Don't confuse it with Nightwish's 24-minute epic!

Parkway Drive - "The Greatest Fear" (from Darker Still)

5/5. This shows a different, more epic direction for the band, beginning with a church organ and an angelic choir. Then melodic riffing marches in to make you think of Iron Maiden then it's twisted into the groove of Rob Zombie in the verses. In the bridge, we hear a Gregorian-like choir singing the "hymns of nevermore" and then they're replaced with a moshing breakdown. Probably one of the best of the album for me and my brother whose listening to the song reminded me that I needed to get into the action.

End of Green - "Like a Stranger" (from Void Estate)

4.5/5. We've reached the end of the journey with some of the best lyrics in this playlist. They really nailed the message of an ex-relationship. A sad yet powerful finale....

Without rambling, my experience with Dirt is in direct opposition to Sonny's. As I matured, it was albums like Nevermind and Ten that lost favour as I learned more about the artist, their songwriting process, as well as their future. Sure, Alice in Chains had their problems on later albums (S/T and Black Gives Way To Blue) and left me questioning the bands future, but I never found those albums outright repulsive in the same way I find so many newer Pearl Jam records in the 2000s and beyond. Dirt is an album with soul; something severely lacking in the genres that Alice in Chains are attempting to replicate here. And it's the soul of Layne Stayley, Jerry Cantrell, and the rest of Alice in Chains that lives on 30 years later.

Just for the record, Saxy, I don't have any experience or history with Dirt as I only listened to it just now for the first time for the feature, so I don't really know what you mean. Maybe that is the difference you are referring to as I have zero emotional attachment to it as it played no part in forming or shaping my taste in music, whereas Nevermind, Ten and Superunknown did? I had been a metal fan for many years before Dirt was released and had even left metal behind by then, at least for a while, before returning to it later in the nineties. I do agree about Pearl Jam though, as pretty much everything after Vitalogy is painful.

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Time, the Valuator - "Ivy" (from Ivy)

4.5/5. Let's start with some new heavy power that barely disappoints at all! I love the instrumentation and vocals lighting up like fire with killer tone and lyrics. The music is so d*mn phenomenal that you would almost wanna f***ing cry. This single would inspire you to believe in breaking the limits of your dreams. This amazing sh*t is a slight step up from "Black Water" from a couple playlists back. These guys bring you good value in time...

A Day to Remember - "Miracle" (from Miracle)

5/5. This song is what really caused me to love this band and look forward to finding more from this band when my brother was listening to this song. I'm glad he's still around to guide me through my Gateway journey. This is a must-have for alt-metalcore fans! I'm glad that my brother drives our family car legally while listening to this song instead of revving it up to a dangerous speed of over 200mph. This song is almost indeed a f***ing miracle! I'm up to checking out this band's earlier material whenever I can. "You might think it’s somethin’ spiritual..."

Katatonia - "Buildings" (from Dead End Kings) (song already in last month's playlist, but I'll let it slide this time)

4/5. I used to really love Katatonia and the vocals of Jonas Renkse before moving away from the more depressive metal styles. The brutal riff-drumming combo at around the one-minute mark is so f***ing good. I still love a few songs like this one from Katatonia and In Flames, kind of like when you break up from a girlfriend but remain friends. I just wish the song didn't have a bit of inconsistent cr*p.

Beartooth - "Riptide" (from Riptide)

5/5. I think I found a new favorite band in Beartooth! Hearing more of Caleb Shomo after leaving Attack Attack! brings joy and excitement into my heart and grows it powerfully similar to near the end of The Grinch. There is hope for me to finally become a Beartooth fan, along with winning a battle against my demons. I just love this f***ing hard-hitter that shows that metal music addiction isn't so bad at all. Though my childhood was pretty good, I had a few traumatic experiences back then, but this helps me overcome them better. This would be a great follow-up to the aforementioned A Day to Remember song if not for the repeated Katatonia track. Some non-metal listeners call metal sick and disgusting, but Beartooth's new track would prove them wrong! I got a lot more to look out for from this band...

Coldrain - "Help Me Help You" (from Nonnegative)

5/5. This anthem will make you rise up and clap along with the intro beat that's like Vena's "Gone" on steroids. The song kick-starts the top-notch power of vocalist Masato, and the rest is worth giving this song a perfect 5 stars.

Twelve Foot Ninja - "Vanguard" (from Silent Machine)

5/5. Same with this song, which comes across reggae rock/metal, but in a way that's f***ing perfect! This would also fit well in The Infinite with its progressive/experimental poetry within the music and lyrics.

Thornhill - "The Hellfire Club" (from Heroine)

4.5/5. This song has a title that could remind some of either Stranger Things or that Edguy album. Yet the music in this track is cinematic alt-metal that can easily fit in a Hollywood film soundtrack.

DIR EN GREY - "Ningen Wo Kaburu" (from The Insulated World)

5/5. It's been over a year since I started listening to this band from Japan. They have great stylistic experimentation, and while you may lose count at the different aspects they have, they're all worth make the journey absolutely worthwhile. They keep their lyrics grounded while in the mix of English and Japanese. This song has the alt-styled heaviness of the mid-2000s material. The lyrics kinda work as a metaphor for someone manipulating hate from the masses with a reflective feeling under the skin.

Disturbed - "This Moment" (from The Lost Children)

4.5/5. This is a killer song from the Transformers movie soundtrack and end credits, possibly inspiring the heaviness of In This Moment.

The GazettE - "BLINDING HOPE" (from MASS)

5/5. Another killer alt-metal band from Japan, with this song being one I love so much that I want more of this band. Sit back, and relax, and enjoy this ride!

Escape the Fate - "The Aftermath (G3)" (from Escape the Fate)

4.5/5. This is a very well-done ending track for its original album. It is the 3rd and the last part of the band's "Guillotine" trilogy of songs and is a lot better than any of the other songs in the album. The starting solo and subsequent scream-vocals sounds so good. The chorus and its vocals sound so nice for once. Kicking off the song's second half is an epic guitar solo. This song should get the band recognized more.

Mushroomhead - "Rumor Has It" (from The Righteous & the Butterfly)

5/5. It's no rumor that this awesome cover is what got me into this band. Incredible!

This is a fascinating album. It's a record that I have seen appear in numerous curated Spotify playlists since I listened to and reviewed this project back in June. The controversy among Northlane and Metalcore fans in general surrounding this record has not been lost on me. I made it known in my review that the crime against humanity of metal bands going accessible is completely lost on me since it usually results in more consistently good albums.

And Obsidian is no exception. This record has some of Northlane's most well constructed tracks in their entire discography (i.e. "Abomination", "Clockwork" and "Cypher"), incorporating breakdowns in a well constructed fashion that are not shamelessly dropped in as a generic mosh pit slammer.

Where it loses me are some of the heavier tracks, which sound less like Northlane exploring this more accessible, "mainstream metalcore" and rather as a plea of "please do not abandon us! We can still make heavier songs see?" It just leaves the album feeling flustered as vibes do not connect well between certain tracks. Regardless, Obsidian is one of the better "mainstream metalcore" albums I've heard in recent years as well as one of the better albums of 2022 so far. 

7/10

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Reliqa - "The Bearer of Bad News" (from The Bearer of Bad News)

4.5/5. This one's quite great, promising a more progressive future for alternative metal. Good killer technicality!

Dorje - "Catalyst" (from Catalyst)

4/5. Beautiful mixing here, with an intro groove that's like Alice in Chains' "Them Bones" on steroids.

Floodgate - "Running With Sodden Legs" (from Penalty)

3.5/5. In the year of Sepultura's Roots, 1996, Floodgate was active for one album. Pretty d*mn good, but I'm not into this stoner-ish style of alt-metal.

36 Crazyfists - "Where Revenge Ends" (from Lanterns)

4/5. 36 Crazyfists is one of my recent favorite alt-metalcore bands, and they've always stayed steady on their feet, even in soft ballads like this one. You can feel the deep soothing touch within your heart.

Pyogenesis - "Undead" (from Twinaleblood)

3.5/5. I haven't heard this band before, but I probably would've loved it better if I continued developing my initial alt-rock/metal interest 10 years ago.

Evanescence - "Sweet Sacrifice" (from The Open Door)

4/5. This is a heavy lamenting anthem showing how much a breakup can feel like freedom ("It's true we're all a little insane, but it's so clear now that I'm unchained").

Helmet - "Crashing Foreign Cars" (from Size Matters)

4.5/5. This is a nice song to love, especially after getting immersed in one of their earlier albums Strap It On. Many listeners might know this song as part of the soundtrack for Need for Speed Underground 2.

DIR EN GREY - "Beautiful Dirt" (from Withering to Death)

5/5. Man, for a song with the word "Beautiful" in the title, it's very aggressive the way I love it, especially the direct lyrics. If this band continues re-recording their songs, they should definitely do this one!

Clawfinger - "Don't Wake Me Up" (from Clawfinger)

4.5/5. I don't usually like rap-ish nu metal (except a bit of Linkin Park), but this one's an excellent tune to take you to mystifying dimensions. It has kind of an emo vibe here (the mood, not the genre).

Five Finger Death Punch - "Got Your Six" (from Got Your Six)

4/5. My brother has been a huge fan of 7FDP among other alt-metal bands. This shall encourage combat soldiers to fight their enemies and GET THEIR SIX! Another good song to love and fight for your rights.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra - "Crucifixion" (from Broken Lines)

4.5/5. An amazing great track from a supergroup that includes guitarists Brent Hinds (Mastodon) and Ben Weinman (The Dillinger Escape Plan).

Katatonia - "Buildings" (from Dead End Kings)

4/5. I used to really love Katatonia and the vocals of Jonas Renkse before moving away from the more depressive metal styles. The brutal riff-drumming combo at around the one-minute mark is so f***ing good. I still love a few songs like this one from Katatonia and In Flames, kind of like when you break up from a girlfriend but remain friends. I just wish the song didn't have a bit of inconsistent cr*p.

Spiritbox - "Rotoscope" (from Rotoscope) (song already in last month's playlist, but I'll let it slide this time)

4.5/5. Spiritbox is back with a great hysterical alt-metalcore tune!

Memphis May Fire - "Misery" (from Remade in Misery)

5/5. One of only two tracks from Memphis May Fire's new album to not be a single (the other being "The Fight Within), and it's an underrated piece of greatness, with lyrics to love to bits! Has a bit of a vibe from Motionless in White, who also released a new album the same month. We'll get to a song from that album after this next one...

Yakui the Maid - "Guilt" (from Flock)

4.5/5. An odd digital-sounding instrumental, but I quite love this!

Motionless in White - "Scoring the End of the World" (from Scoring the End of the World)

5/5. One of my favorite songs from the brand-new Motionless in White, with amazing lyrics and melodies, plus a total headbanging breakdown! This can motivate listeners to look out for a possible apocalypse. While this song fits well for the Gateway playlist, I have another song from the album in the Sphere playlist, which I'll tell you over there. I guess Mick Gordon's instrumentation work could've been heavier, but it all comes out perfectly!

The Butterfly Effect - "One Second of Insanity" (from Begins Here)

4.5/5. A d*mn brilliant song that would be better suited for my brother's alt-metal/post-grunge taste, though it close to the Karnivool-like sound that I like. Either way, this is a killer and f***ing underrated tune!

Lacuna Coil - "Kill the Light" (from Dark Adrenaline)

4/5. Another insane yet lovable song. Enough said!

Nekrogoblikon - "Bones" (from The Fundamental Slimes and Humours)

4.5/5. There's a Goblikon in all of us, and I'm glad that my brother's enjoying this lately.

While She Sleeps - "CALL OF THE VOID" (from SLEEPS SOCIETY)

5/5. Probably the best and most epic part of its original album!

Finger Eleven - "Awake and Dreaming" (from Tip)

4.5/5. I love this nice beautiful song from the 90s, though it sounds closer to Our Lady Peace. Before this, I only knew this band from one of my brother's favorite songs, "Living in a Dream", which happened to be the final song in a rock music program from a channel that ended up discontinued shortly after. So this is a good way to end here...

I've been listening to this album off and on for the past 2 months or so, since a coworker recommended it before it showed up here. I think I was a bit too harsh on it at first when I bantered back and forth with my coworker, immediately going to the canned analysis of "Wow this sure is a Deftones record!". After coming back to it here and there and letting it marinate for a bit, I agree that it's definitely more than just a Deftones case study, but I still couldn't get into it all that much. 

Thornhill leans into some of the more modern Indie/Alt Metal/Rock and Shoegazy tendencies that help to distinguish their style from their early 2000's influences. Their sound is a bit more playful and upbeat, coming off as a bit less aggressive than other similar styles. Their vocalist is less sultry than Deftones, but he still conveys a lot of passion with how soulful his varied range can sound. For some reason I view their style as a bit more mysterious sounding, although I can't quite explain what exactly that means. 

Overall I think "Casanova" is a prime example of how Thornhill's style is able to take influential source material and put their own direct spin on it. It's a great song through and through, although the ending is disappointing in my opinion. "Hollywood" is another highlight but the harsh vocals aren't used very well for my tastes. Other than that, "Raw" really isn't something that I enjoyed and after the creative instrumental interlude "Something Terrible Came With the Rain" the album kind of grinds to a halt for me. The final two songs didn't grip me in any way, so it ends on a pretty poor note. 

This is a weird one where I enjoy coming back to it for the first half, but then I just never get into it by the time the final few songs roll around. I can see why everyone's enjoying it and it's awesome to see this style make some waves thanks to a newer band, but I guess it just ain't for me. 

3/5

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Katatonia - "Soil's Song" (from The Great Cold Distance)

4.5/5. Awesome eerie start to this playlist, with alternating guitar notes in the chorus. This was one of my favorite songs from Katatonia when I was still listening to them. I still love the powerful rhythms throwing back instrumentally to Brave Murder Day. The simple concept is about evaluation and its resulting crisis, though "Who's first?" makes me think of Abbott & Costello. It's annoying how underrated songs like this don't get as much attention as the more popular sh*t.

Avatar - "Bloody Angel" (from Hail the Apocalypse)

4/5. It's f***ing great hearing a slow gentle beat blend into hardcore-ish melodeath/alt-metal, comfortably ringing into my head. A couple songs from this band like this one and "Hail the Apocalypse" are what got my brother hooked, then got me hooked next until I left The Horde completely behind. Still this is something metalheads must hear. So crazy yet beautiful! Though it might remind some too much like Alice Cooper, both musically and aesthetically. A couple other genius albums from this band are their self-titled 3rd album and Black Waltz. To start headbanging, just wait until after the one-minute intro.

Spiritbox - "Rotoscope" (from Rotoscope)

4.5/5. Spiritbox is back with a great hysterical alt-metalcore tune!

New Years Day - "Crawling" (from Diary of a Creep)

4/5. RIP Chester Bennington. New Years Day made a beautiful tribute to him with this great synth-rock-ish cover. It's not highly horrible at all, but I still prefer the original Linkin Park song. Keep up those vocals, Ash! It would be interesting if we have just the vocal track for New Years Day's version to use for the instrumental of the original. Such a killer job Ash has done singing this! Not sure if the reception this has received is positive, but my feedback practically is. My brother is a fan of New Years Day and still likes them to this day. I also listened to them when I was still into Linkin Park before my "real" metal discovery. Still not as emotional as the original. I think the only weak part was still with the first chorus vocals without the intro before actually starting the music.

Treyarch Sound - "115" (from Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies Soundtrack)

4.5/5. Another song I still remember from long ago is the best part of the entire Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies soundtrack, and my first (melodic) metalcore encounter (though I submitted it to the Gateway playlist because, where else?). The first time I listened to this, the only "real" metal genres I knew were power/symphonic metal, so I probably said something cringe about this like "Epica without symphonic elements". Now here's my better real opinion about that track; blazing riffs and drumming, with vocal alternation between screams and cleans, make that song a memorable metalcore one.

Sleep Token - "Hypnosis" (from This Place Will Become Your Tomb)

4/5. Another underrated progressive alt-metal song that's worth a fortune!

Bloodsimple - "Blood In Blood Out" (from A Cruel World)

4.5/5. Bloodsimple is a band that deserves to continue making these kinds of metal rampages from the crime-filled streets of New York. This is a black hole that only the strongest (like myself) can survive. This album continued the alt-metal twist from Tim Williams' other band Vision of Disorder's alt-metal twist. Might remind some of Dope!

Twelve Foot Ninja - "Portrait #1" (from New Dawn)

5/5. First time finding this band and I can't get enough of this great gem. The star-shining bass is so mind-f***ing-blowing!

Time, the Valuator - "Black Water" (from Black Water)

4.5/5. The vocals are what you gotta love in this song!

System of a Down - "Lost in Hollywood" (from Mezmerize)

4/5. Sounds beautiful, having a bit of Beatles/Bauhaus influence. However, I'm still not into the nu-leaning alternative metal of other songs from this band. I got other kinds of alt-metal to listen to, and that band ain't it.

Disturbed - "Intoxication" (from Believe)

4.5/5. Of course, I wasn't strictly against that kind 10 years ago. Disturbed was an awesome band in my pre-"real"-metal times, including this f***ing hard-hitter. Of course, this might not reach church, while having such an extensive vocabulary in the lyrics.

Alpha Wolf - "Akudama" (from A Quiet Place to Die)

5/5. There are some killer moments like the breakdown teleporting you like a Magic the Gathering wizard into the asteroid explosion killing the dinosaurs. A great angry song that would never disappoint!

Egypt Central - "White Rabbit" (from White Rabbit)

4.5/5. Egypt Central! That's another band my brother likes and I used to. This is one of the best from this band, it's practically f***ing awesome! After this album, they split up for 7 years and are planning some new material. From my lyrical knowledge, this follows a similar theme to that Jefferson Airplane classic covered by Sanctuary ("We follow like Alice and just keep diving down the hole"). This band certainly knows how to express themselves via these mental metaphors. I can thank my brother for blasting this music for me to hear all those years ago. I was just hitting puberty the first time I listened to any of the 12 tracks in that album. This is as insane as the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit combined! You can just imagine this strange black-and-while world while stuck in this colorful reality. Though if anyone has nothing nice to say about this, they should just ignore it and move on. I was entering my teenage-hood when first encountering Egypt Central and other bands, but I was never so moody or mean unlike most other teens. I would also never do drugs, which is what any song titled "White Rabbit" is about. Yeah, those stereotypes can get annoying. I've never had the thought of the world trying to get us another just a couple year before the present when the virus started, and it is quite hard to escape that reality...

Embodyment - "Pendulum" (from The Narrow Scope of Things)

5/5. This is a more aggressive highlight, with bass Derrick Wadsworth's dominating work and the instrumentation and vocals sounding close to emocore.

P.O.D. - "Lost in Forever" (from Murdered Love)

4.5/5. Unlike those other bands I've listened to years ago, I've only heard one or two songs from P.O.D. I'm glad to hear good lyrics in this one, unlike the sh*tty you might expect from the most popular alt-/nu metal bands. God bless!

A Pale Horse Named Death - "As Black as My Heart" (from And Hell Will Follow Me)

5/5. Now this is super great! I haven't gotten back in touch with gothic metal since leaving that genre nearly a year ago, but I might return with this track from the revival of Type O Negative by that band's two drummers. RIP TON leader Peter Steele

Evanescence - "Everybody's Fool" (from Fallen)

4.5/5. Gothic vocal harmonies appear in this song that's basically about how celebrities keep sexualizing themselves for the sake of success, something that has bothered Amy Lee, especially when a little sister of her was badly influenced. An interesting lyrical message in another killer highlight.

Yakui the Maid - "Flock" (from Flock)

4/5. This one's pretty great and can fit well for an anime, though more digital-sounding and instrumental than the other tracks.

Cold - "Suffocate" (from Year of the Spider)

3.5/5. Beautiful skill here! Doesn't work quite well for me, but still a good job.

Nekrogoblikon - "This Is It" (from The Fundamental Slimes and Humours)

4/5. Excellent lyrics here, like d*mn good this song is! I can once again thank my brother for recommending me this along with one more song from that album for next playlist. Stay tuned for that...

Blindside - "Superman" (from Blindside)

3.5/5. This final time-travel into 25 years ago might not really make me a fan of Blindside or classic nu metal, not even 10 years ago when I was developing my taste closer to that style. It sounds too much like 311 gone hard rock. Of course, it's not totally sucky, but there could've been a better end to this playlist in which the rest of it is awesome.

I have to admit that this release is an interesting choice for a feature release for The Gateway as there's really only two of the seventeen tracks that I consider to fall under the subgenres included under The Gateway. In fact, I'm not even sure that this release qualifies for metal status at all given that only there's only three tracks that are obviously metal & one that's kinda borderline. Of the tracks that I do consider to be metal, one is traditional heavy metal ("Lullaby of a Dead Man"), one is alternative metal ("Beauty of Annihilation") & one is melodic metalcore ("115"). "The One" is more of an alternative rock track that pushes out into alternative metal territory as it builds through the latter half. Other than that we have the usual mixed bag that is the modern video game soundtrack with the rest of the tracklisting covering disparate subgenres like ambient, electronica, chiptune, techno, psytrance & progressive rock. In truth there's a lot more electronic music here than there is rock/metal so I'm inclined to suggest that this shouldn't be regarded as a metal release. The quality also travels the full spectrum from amazingly atmospheric (see gorgeous ambient piece "Voice In Your Head" & closing instrumental prog rock guitar shredder "Undone" for example) to disposable rubbish (see dire chiptune inclusions "Zombies Don't Surf" & "Temple").

Overall I'd suggest that I get enjoyment out of about half of the tracklisting but the other material is simply too far from my comfort zone to allow me a positive overall experience. The female vocals are pretty cheesy but do come up with some nice melodies & I do quite dig some of the less bleepy/quirky electronic stuff but I often find that these video game soundtracks sound very artificial & generic, particularly in their use of dime-a-dozen software synths that come across as lacking in sophistication. The ambient pieces are where this release is most consistent & I do enjoy four of the five rock/metal tunes so this isn't a horrible experience by any stretch but I can't say that it ever really threatened to have me returning for repeat visits in the future.

For fans of metal-related video game soundtrack artists like Mick Gordon, Heaven Pierce Her & Machinae Supremacy.

3/5

Here are my thoughts on most of the tracks in this playlist:

Breaking Benjamin - "Breakdown" (from We Are Not Alone)

4.5/5. After a "Fur Elise"-like piano intro, Burnley screams "BREAKDOWN!!!" to begin a hardcore riffing part of the intro similar to the heavy parts of their debut. That should've been a single!

TOOL - "Prison Sex" (from Undertow)

4/5. OK, there's a bit of disturbing groove sh*t, but it's dominated by amazing riffs and melodies.

Evanescence - "Better Without You" (from The Bitter Truth)

3.5/5. This one starts off with a soft synthesized music box before an industrial earthquake.

Coldrain - "RUNAWAY" (from Vena)

4/5. Masato sounds just fine in this song, but when Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix butts in, he really has his vocal power that make that song another highlight. However, if you thought this was intense, another Japanese metal song I'm gonna comment on would be even more...

Dir En Grey - "AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS" (from THE MARROW OF A BONE)

4.5/5. This one's absolutely killer, pure brutal alt-metalcore right here! The music video is also cool, though some viewers would be like "WT*?!" This is over-the-top madness, much different from the band's softer "empty" ballads.

MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - "Seritsuwa Kannazukiwo Korasu Kion" (from Kusoban)

5/5. Who else but this band can make lyrics about "physiological pain" and "freezing temperature" in the same song? I'm not usually in the more funk-oriented alt-metal, but this is so brilliant I can cry!

Five Finger Death Punch - "Under and Over It" (from American Capitalist)

4.5/5. This one fulfills the band's resolution with their revolution against critics.

In Flames - "Where the Dead Ships Dwell" (from Sounds of a Playground Fading)

4/5. In Flames was a band that gave me good alt-metal/melodeath in the times when I was up for them. I can still hear the anger and sadness in the chilling lyrics ("I won't let the world break me, so I need to change direction..."). This amazing song hits me with unique beauty much more than bands like Killswitch Engage. This modern alternative sound they've been having since Soundtrack to Your Escape. Maybe I will return to this band someday when I'm fully back in my melodeath sound...

Vanilla Ice - "Too Cold" (from Hard to Swallow)

3.5/5. Wow, I didn't expect the "Ice Ice Baby" dude to appear here, but it makes sense because of his nu/rap metal material, which I'm not usually fond of. This one's a good hard-hitter though, so it's fine.

Lacuna Coil - "Within Me" (from Karmacode)

4/5. A good song for post-breakup woes of loneliness, bring back good memories of when I used to listen to this band full-time. This band still exists in activity, and I'm glad about that, though their earlier gothic years are far behind them.

Cave In - "New Reality" (from Heavy Pendulum)

5/5. H*ll yes, another awesome discovery for me from this band. It sounds so zany and they have good relation with Converge, with that band's guitarist Kurt Ballou manning the album's production and Nate Newton as their new bassist after Caleb Scofield's fatal car crash. RIP...

Linkin Park - "Somewhere I Belong" (from Meteora)

4/5. This one is more melodic with incredible emotion. There's powerful guitar along with great vocals alternating between rapping and singing. The lyrics are a bit forced and unable to flow well, but the song is still awesome.

Machine Supremacy - "Anthem Apocalyptica" (from Origin)

4.5/5. This one I still love as a potential fight-preparation song. The music fits well by itself without any lyrics. I discovered this band 7 years ago when I was still in the power metal zone. This was before their debut Deus ex Machinae when they creating singular tracks to upload on their website. It's still quite, including that calm beginning. I think this should've been in the movie Ready Player One. While I enjoyed the instrumentals, same goes for the real songs despite the whininess in the vocals. I also enjoyed playing the demo of the Jets'n'Guns game they composed music for. A great outro to end this playlist!

It's funny how a record with such energy & vitality can divide opinions on it's individual components yet elicit a similar overall response, isn't it? I'm hardly a die-hard System Of A Down fan as I'd only ever heard their classic 2001 sophomore album "Toxicity" prior to digging my teeth into this month's feature release. I really enjoyed "Toxicity" though. It was a very strong album & this one is too. Perhaps not quite as strong as it's older sibling but I've rated it the same nonetheless. Let's just say that "Toxicity" was a strong 4/5 while "Mezmerize" has just snuck over the line for that rating by the barest of margins.

"Mezmerize" starts off a little slowly for me as the first three tracks were mildly enjoyable without ever really threatening to hit my sweet spot. It's only when SOAD embrace their hardcore side a bit that I start to see my pulse rate increasing rapidly. I actually really dig the two short gimmick songs in "Cigaro" & "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song", both of which worked to super-charge my experience. I couldn't give a toss about the lyrical direction. It's more about the electricity & urgency they bring to the table. "Violent Pornography" is the only let-down across the tracklisting for me as it's simply too quirky & accessible for my taste but I love the Tool-ish progressive approach of "Question!", the strong alternative metal stylings of "Sad Statue" & especially the lengthier alternative rock builder "Lost in Hollywood" whose hooks really dug in & made it my album highlight. The production job is very much situated in the hardcore space with plenty of mid-range in the guitars & I think this works to the band's benefit as It adds to the chaotic nature of the arrangements & gives the avant-garde vocal approach a better grounding. The occasional Faith No More style clean sections usually aren't my cup of tea when taken in isolation but within the context of the rapid-fire song-structures they work to nicely break up the record.

In many ways I really shouldn't enjoy this album as much as I do because I usually recoil from humour in my metal but System Of A Down have a funny way of nudging you in the ribs enough times with a silly "Eh?" look on their face that you eventually turn around & laugh along with them despite trying hard not to. That's a rare talent because it's so easy to end up on the wrong side of that equation. The fanaticism of the SOAD fanbase is often overwhelming (particularly in the USA) but it's nice to occasionally be reminded that there's a fair bit of merit behind it.

For fans of Faith No More, Dir en Grey & Twelve Foot Ninja.

4/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Primus - "Conspiranoia" (from Conspiranoid)

4/5. Starting the playlist with 11 and a half minutes of prog-ish funk metal, you can already hear the signature vocals and bass of Les Claypool to please Primus fans. This isn't usually my style, but I would definitely recommend this to Emitter!

36 Crazyfists - "Wars to Walk Away From" (from Lanterns)

4.5/5. I love this killer track! Though they wouldn't reach the same heights as their 2000s metalcore material.

System of a Down - "Mr. Jack" (from Steal This Album!)

4/5. Apparently, this "Mr. Jack" dude was a man disguised as a cop who kidnapped people and was eventually beaten by real police, a story bassist Shavo Odadjian wrote in the lyrics inspired from witnessing bank robberies. Guitarist/co-lead vocalist Daron Malakian can do some voice-threatening screams then continue singing well. I listen to a lot of alt-metal bands now, but nowhere close to the mainstream of System of a Down and Alice in Chains. That said though, this is a nice song to love with some good lyrics ("F*** you man!). The tempo changes and different chords Serj Tankian follows really well with his vocals.

Karnivool - "Roquefort" (from Themata)

4.5/5. This one shows how confident the band is to try a funky approach and expand boundaries without going beyond anyone's comfort zone.

Atreyu - "Warrior" (from Baptize)

5/5. One of the top best songs from Atreyu, despite ditching much of their metalcore roots! Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker contributes with some marching-like percussion in the bridge. Sounds awesome, right?!

Avenged Sevenfold - "Almost Easy" (from Avenged Sevenfold)

4.5/5. One thing about Avenged Sevenfold's sound at that time is, it sound so clean yet dirty, bright yet dark. There's also a "CLA mix" that's rawer than the original. Still the original is impressive! What's not to love? Amazing vocals that sometimes border on aggressive, especially in the chorus. The guitars are heavy while adding melody. Absorb the speed! Their late drummer The Rev also added some of his own vocals mixed with M. Shadows, and the drums really pummel through as well. RIP Rev...

Evanescence - "Going Under" (from Fallen)

4/5. Another track I love, though it lacks a bit of potential, yet made up for by the strong heavy instrumentation and Amy Lee's massive singing.

Otep - "Battle Ready" (from Sevas Tra)

3.5/5. Add rapping as the main vocal style for Evanescence, and you get Otep! Sounds kick-A, but I still struggle with the rapping.

Bad Wolves - "Remember When" (from Disobey)

4/5. Here's a good song about lead vocalist Tommy Vext having fun with his twin brother when they were young, kind of like me and my older brother. However, a dark twist came when Tommy's brother descending into drug addiction and was so high that at one point, he attacked Tommy and nearly murdered him. Fortunately, Tommy survived. His brother ended up in jail for that incident. Great song based on an intense true story...

Wage War - "Me Against Myself" (from Pressure)

4.5/5. Also a h*lla amazing track with great lyrics! That's the kind of song that needs more attention. If anyone out there is shy about rock or metal being their favorite genre, you don't have to hide it anymore with this one.

Bad Omens - "What Do You Want From Me?" (from THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND)

4/5. This one has a bit of heavier potential, but the synthwave-like beats don't really light up my heart. Next!

Dead by April - "Anything at All" (from Anything at All)

4.5/5. Another song I love! I appreciate the work this band puts in perfecting their poppy metal sound.

Katatonia - "Inside the City of Glass" (from Viva Emptiness (10th Anniversary Edition))

4/5. Though this is the "10th Anniversary Edition" with vocals, as opposed to the instrumental version I requested, this is still a good doomy alt-metal track, and the vocals add more emotion. The lyrics are a great description of life. For anyone who has only listened to the instrumental version, the one with vocals would blow their minds. This could be easy for me to sing along to this haunting tune. Besides Jonas' wonderous vocals, the drumming has improved as well. All good despite me preferring the version without vocals by a slight edge. The beautiful vocals shine without ever being overshadowed by the powerful guitars. A decent track fixed with something to make it slightly more complete. Katatonia was a good band for me...

Black Map - "Run Rabbit Run" (from In Droves)

3.5/5. The sound in this song is basically U2 gone as heavy as Chevelle. I'm not sure if this is even metal to be honest, closer to alt-rock. Still this isn't too bad for this band that was formed by Mark Engles during his break from Dredg.

Linkin Park - "Rebellion" (from The Hunting Party)

4/5. This one stomps in with a gnarly guitar intro, which along with the background synths, once again give the song a European power metal vibe for a medieval sword war. Assisting the band in the quest is a guest, System of a Down's Daron Malikian performing part of the aforesaid guitar riffing. The song's lyrics speak of anger and urgency, with nothing specific to fight against and just rebelling for the h*ll of it.

Spiritbox - "Yellowjacket" (from Eternal Blue)

4.5/5. This song can also get you hooked with lines such as "Where was the grace when I was asking for it?!" Architects’ Sam Carter delivers one of the most memorable choruses of the year. This should really be performed live, with or without Sam, for beautiful chaos in motion.

Bloodsimple - "Dead Man Walking" (from Red Harvest)

5/5. Now this amazing song I absolutely love! I find Bloodsimple a kick-A band now. The song is notable as part of the sound track for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. I gotta put this f***ing banger into my iTunes playlist. The bass here sounds deadly as f***. There also seems to be a Clutch-like pace. Sick metal right here! I shall add this killer tune as one of my most awesome favorites. This playlist really ended in a bang for me!

My experience with Evanescence going into "The Bitter Truth" was limited to just the one song as far as I'm aware (you know the one). I've always assumed that they'd be too commercially focused for my taste & were unlikely to offer much in the way of genuine metal so I can't say that I was looking forward to immersing myself in this album for a couple of hours, particularly not after reading the couple of reviews listed immediately above this post. But my fears were quickly eased once I chucked the record on because it opens quite splendidly in all honesty. It certainly doesn't maintain that high standard throughout the tracklisting but there's easily enough quality here to keep me interested. In fact, I have to say that I'm surprised at the poor ratings for this one as it's nowhere near the artistic failure that I was being led to believe it might be.

There are two major stumbling blocks for "The Bitter Truth" though with the first being the production. After reading the reviews on RYM I was expecting to find that Amy's vocals were the issue with a couple of long-time fans noting that her voice sounds distant & muffled. In reality that isn't the case at all with her vocals sounding quite clear & sitting well towards the front of the mix. The issue is with the guitar tone which is fuzzy & weak. It's certainly not a deal breaker but I was left with the feeling that the weaker moments could have been done a few more favours by a heavier guitar sound to hide the flat hooks. The second issue is the inconsistency in the quality of the song-writing. Unlike many reviewers I actually believe that there are some very solid outings included on "The Bitter Truth" with a couple of them even reaching pretty close to alternative metal classic status for me personally. The opening atmospheric piece "Artifact / The Turn" & the anthemic "Use My Voice" are nothing short of phenomenal while "Broken Pieces Shine", "Better Without You", "Far From Heaven" & "Blind Belief" all became ear worms after a few spins through their use of some quality vocal hooks. It's just that there are also some duds along the way too with "Yeah Right", "Wasted on You", "Take Cover", & "Part of Me" all doing very little for me even though I wouldn't class any of them as being complete shockers.

Is this a metal album then? Well, yeah I think it is. There's no question that it falls under the pop metal banner but I don't think that Evanescence have ever tried to fool us that they were anything else, have they? There are certainly a few tracks that don't even try to be metal included here but more than half of the tracklisting draws its sonic palate from the metal toolkit. As usual though, I couldn't care less whether it's a metal releases or not. My ratings are based entirely on the quality of the work as a piece of art &, despite it's faults, "The Bitter Truth" is a long way from a creative failure. Amy's vocal skills are really pretty special in all honesty & I can't deny that each repeat listen saw her drawing me in a little further. I have to wonder whether the lack of the band's signature symphonic component has actually worked to this record's advantage with me as I've never been too fond of that element within my metal. Overall, I think everyone should put their preconceptions aside & give "The Bitter Truth" a few active listens before making judgement. It's very easy to identify the reasons that many metalheads don't like a band like Evanescence upon first listen but there are some diamonds to be found here if you're patient enough to sift through a few rocks.

3.5/5

Saxy, you're really on fire with the assembling of your Gateway and Infinite playlists! I might just be up to commenting on all the tracks, and that's what I'm gonna do:

Linkin Park – Session (2003)

4/5. While this might not work best on its own, I'm glad that it's used as the playlist's intro. "Session" is a two-minute digital-sounding interlude with nice piano and scratching from Joe Hahn. It's Meteora's "Cure for the Itch"!

Hum – In the Den (2020)

4.5/5. This one's a great portal to the nostalgic times this band was reliving. It's more of a spacey alt-rock track in my opinion, but this band walks around with it ends up sounding well-done. 22 years since their last album, and it's as if they never left! This sounds closer to if Danish band Dúné attempted to revive My Bloody Valentine's sound. Sadly, Hum's long-standing drummer Bryan St. Pere passed away a year after this album. RIP

36 Crazyfists – Better To Burn (2017)

5/5. I love this one! I'm glad that I'm finally getting into listening to this band.

Demon Hunter – Infected (2002)

4.5/5. Here's a heavy highlight! It begins with an oil-drum solo before beginning the riff aura, followed by Ryan Clark's growls that sound like rapping. Those rap-growls threaten to deduct points from the song, but the chorus keeps the score high with its catchy flow. A definite album favorite!

Fire From The Gods – Excuse Me (2016)

4/5. Excuse me, but why am I caught in this rap trap?! That's OK because I enjoy some parts including the "I Yearn to Be Free" part that would make you go savage in Fortnite! Still I didn't enter The Gateway for any rapping.

FEVER 333 – SUPREMACY (2020)

3.5/5. Here's some more slightly good RATM-like hip-hop. People have compared the music and lyrics to Blondie's "Rapture", but I think they have a bit of the wrong idea. The audio sounds a bit distorted while still clear.

Chevelle – Family System (2002)

4/5. This one starts with soft guitar and vocals in the intro before exploding into hard rock riffing. Pete's vocals sound rough, a bit close to yelling, throughout much of this song. There's some repetition, but it sounds catchy in this worthwhile track.

Breaking Benjamin – The Diary of Jane (2006)

4.5/5. Ah, a modern classic from my pre-"real"-metal days of listening to my brother's favorite alt-rock/metal music. Good times that haven't gone stale...

Tool – Opiate2 (2022)

4/5. On the EP's 30th anniversary, Tool made a 10-minute re-recording of "Opiate". This would definitely be the bomb for Tool fans wanting to hear their older material remade but this still hasn't opened my eyes to this band despite how cool this sounds.

Dog Fashion Disco – Wait (2017)

5/5. My second attempt at getting into this underrated amazing band, and this brilliant piece might just be the key I needed! Like that previous Tool song, this one is a re-recording, from a recent 20th anniversary remake of their debut Erotic Massage. I might try more of this band along with side-project Polkadot Cadaver. I think they even changed the lyrics for this track to be more appealing to the modern audience. Todd Smith and co. are still at their game, delivering the kind of disco I prefer. So thunderously beautiful! I might just get this album on my own for better quality. This should've been high in the alt-metal reign instead of System of a Down. Good work, guys!

In This Moment – Forever (2008)

5/5. From the opening riff, I see some more alt-metal greatness coming! That along with soft verses and dramatic chorus what makes this song epic in the vocal and guitar department. I'm loving this awesome song and I want more of this amazing band! If they could use this as an anime theme, it would leave an awesome impact. This was when In This Moment was an actual alt-metal band before they ended up adding more experimentation. Maria Brink might just f***ing surpass Bonnie Tyler by far. So cool!

MAXIMUM THE HORMONE – REREREREREREREREMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA (2005)

5/5. This one's quite entertaining as f***. The bass and lower guitar tone along with the snare-less drums fit perfectly well for an anime. This is a motherf***er of funky nu metal sound the way I like it!

Dir En Grey – Unraveling (2013)

4.5/5. Another alt-metal band from Japan. Kyo's raw vocals really sell it!

Prophets Of Rage – The Party’s Over (2016)

4/5. At the time this song came out, Donald Trump was in the presidential race that he eventually won and became president. Then in 2020, the party was over for both Prophets of Rage and Trump's time as president. Good track, but I'm still not up to joining the rap metal party.

Disturbed – Perfect Insanity (2008)

4.5/5. This insane song is one of my favorites from Disturbed. It's actually a re-recording of a song from 10 years before Indestructible, even before The Sickness. I wonder what my brother thinks of that one...

Evanescence – Use My Voice (2021)

4/5. This was inspired by the Stanford sexual assault cases and trial, and is the ultimate anthem in fighting back against those atrocities of the world. What makes it even more of an anthem is the amount of female vocalists singing in the background including Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), and Lindsey Sterling.

Atreyu – Save Us (2021)

5/5. Turn this sh*t up! A great song that I love from another band I just started getting the hang of. It reminds me of another song that I like, Parkway Drive's "Crushed". This I also gotta show to my bro.

Stone Sour – Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & so Am I) (2017)

3/5. ... There's some good potential in this song, but I'll let you guess what I really think about it.

In Flames – I, The Mask (2019)

4.5/5. Most metalheads started listening to this band in their teens or early 30s, but I was somewhere in between. I still enjoy this killer song despite my move away from this band as part of my death metal departure.

Dope – Survive (2005)

4/5. Cool song. Not my style, but I would recommend this to my recent Discord friend.

Lacuna Coil – Blood, Tears, Dust (2016)

4.5/5. This was one of my favorite songs from this gothic metal-turned-alt-metal band before dumping the darkness of the former genre. The fire burns especially in the breakdown at the two and a half minute mark.

Architects – Black Lungs (2021)

5/5. D*mn, I would recommend this song to anyone wanting to get into alt-metalcore, along with recommending this band to myself!

Machinae Supremacy – Gimmie More (SID) (2008)

4.5/5. What better way to head out than with a Britney Spears cover! Converting this song into 8-bit alt-power metal adds some bad-a** fire. Very nice for sure. This playlist may be over, but the Gateway is still open for me, and most of my comments here prove it!

OK, I really wasn't looking forward to this one - stupid band name, shit album cover - so far, so DIY... oh and it's an instrumental only album to make matters worse. On the upside it's only 25 minutes long, but on the downside is.. everything else - especially that irritating cymbal sound that I can even hear over my tinnitus and is even more annoying than tinnitus!

In truth, this was always going to be ahard sell to me and has been proved to be such. If you are keen on electronic music as well as metal then there may be something here for you, but for me there is nothing.

1/5

...Anyways, my list for this clan is incredibly easy to run out:

1. Alice in Chains - Rooster

2. Faith No More - Be Aggressive

3. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

4. System of a Down - B.Y.O.B.

5. Slipknot - Psychosocial

6. Linkin Park - Faint

7. Rage Against the Machine - Guerilla Radio

8. Helmet - Unsung

9. Karnivool - Mauseum

10. Living Colour - Cult of Personality

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Attila – Day Drinking (2021)

4/5. Cool song to start this playlist! While drinking may never be in my religion, this is still some f***ing fun good sh*t to listen to that might work in underground radios. It might seem like Southern-fried metalcore was gonna die because of Every Time I Die's recent split-up, but nu metalcore masters Attila know how to bring this Southern style back to life. This band is so f***ing underrated, if you ask me. Rob Zombie would be proud...

Chevelle – The Red (2002)

4.5/5. This great track is the ONE SONG my brother can play on guitar. I'm glad to still enjoy this song from my first listen 10 years ago. The lyrics about anger management fit well for the explosive heaviness. The chorus is so good, and it makes sure the song never disappoints. You just wanna keep repeating that song as much as possible. Pete's vocal range is showcased very well, with the most screams in the album.

Dir En Grey – The IID Empire (2003)

4/5. A spark of experimental alt-metal from Japan. H*ll yes!!

Escape the Fate – Issues (2010)

4.5/5. This next song hits you with hard rock instrumentation and a catchy chorus. The bass can be heard pretty well, which is quite rare for bands of this style.  It would be great if more bands try that.

Karnivool – Synops (2005)

5/5. The heaviness continues again. Amazing submission, Daniel!

Lacuna Coil – Our Truth (2006)

4.5/5. Close to a f***ing incredible highlight! Even though I moved away from this band during my departure from gothic metal, after listening and reviewing a couple Evanescence albums, they might be some hope in returning to Lacuna Coil in the future. Maybe...

The Bread Scientists – Starburst (2021)

3/5. Good attempt at testing out a song from The Bread Scientists to see whether or not I'm up for checking out this month's Gateway feature release, but if I've really struggled with this experimental side of alt-metal, perhaps my Gateway feature release should continue sometime else.

Coldrain – We’re not alone (2010)

3.5/5. This next track is where massive heaviness of the rhythms and leads come in while Masato sings cleanly. During then, the band makes sure Masato is not alone. I know a little more of this band's material than that of The Bread Scientists, but even then, it's not at its best.

Mark Morton – Cross Off (2019)

4/5. The final studio recording of vocals from this fallen hero, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, is what makes this song absolutely killer. It's as if the universe granted Linkin Park fans one last gift from the heavens (not Heaven itself, but you know what I mean). Those g****mn screamed vocals are some of his best since Linkin Park's metal albums. Mark Morton, best known as guitarist of Lamb of God, knows how to pull as much guitar talent as Avenged Sevenfold, maybe a bit of Bullet for My Valentine. Chester was a great man in the world of music. RIP

Memphis May Fire – The Old Me (2018)

5/5. This one fits well for our world falling apart because of the virus, even though this album was released a couple years before the virus started. Is it possible for a such a f***ing personally relatable song to exist?! Great lyrics in this song hitting a great level! That question "What happened to the old me?" is a hard-to-answer question that many people are wondering. A perfectly fitting song for our world!

Wage War – Grave (2019)

4.5/5. Another on-fire track! One of my favorite tracks since the previous album's "Stitch".

Green Carnation – Pile of Doubt (2005)

4/5. I've heard talk about this song ending up in a few 2K sports games. I don't know that for sure, but what I would really like to see if this song reaching the charts instead of the sh*tty ones from the radio. Despite being over a decade and a half old, the insane deep beauty never fades away. The ending part from the 5-minute mark onwards is the best part! This band started off as death metal before moving to a gothic progressive metal sound, and in this album, they had a more of a hard rock/alt-metal sound on. They would switch to moody acoustic rock just for the next album Acoustic Verses. This song is quite kick-A, though that album cover is a little creepy. Great song, somehow ending up in a few sports video games and I didn't know.

Ra – Don’t Turn Away (2008)

5/5. Now this song I totally love! Probably my favorite song of this playlist, definitely worth ending it. This band is so underrated and deserves more fame. Absolutely bad-a**! I don't need any violent death metal or Slayer-like thrash metal, this is the epic heaviness I prefer. Cool catchy riffs! I look forward to listening to their other offerings...

After having fun with the "most popular 50 Infinite albums and EPs in 2021" last week, I've decided to the same with my other 3 clans. So here they are for The Gateway, with the number of ratings and average score:

#1 Poppy - Eat (NXT Soundtrack) (2164 / 3.67)

#2 Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks (1813 / 2.73)

#3 Architects - For Those That Wish to Exist (1159 / 2.55)

#4 Spiritbox - Eternal Blue (1109 / 3.38)

#5 Chevelle - Niratias (832 / 3.44)

#6 Evanescence - The Bitter Truth (700 / 2.75)

#7 Lantlôs - Wildhund (683 / 3.28)

#8 Turnstile - Turnstile Love Connection (544 / 3.52)

#9 Whitechapel - Kin (495 / 3.44)

#10 Serj Tankian - Elasticity (331 / 2.74)

#11 Sleep Token - This Place Will Become Your Tomb (329 / 3.20)

#12 Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine (310 / 2.89)

#13 Beartooth - Below (278 / 3.08)

#14 Slaughter to Prevail - Kostolom (275 / 2.77)

#15 Coaltar of the Deepers - Revenge of the Visitors (273 / 3.28)

#16 While She Sleeps - Sleeps Society (256 / 3.14)

#17 The Gentle Men - The Evolution of Tears (175 / 2.83)

#18 Don Broco - Amazing Things (168 / 3.31)

#19 Atreyu - Baptize (164 / 2.49)

#20 The Bread Scientists - Troposphere (160 / 3.16)

#21 Twelve Foot Ninja - Vengeance (153 / 3.18)

#22 Tremonti - Marching in Time (144 / 3.46)

#23 The Plot in You - Swan Song (126 / 3.23)

#24 Times of Grace - Songs of Loss and Separation (115 / 3.19)

#25 Black Veil Brides - The Phantom Tomorrow (111 / 2.81)

#26 Love and Death - Perfectly Preserved (108 / 3.03)

#27 Tetrarch - Unstable (99 / 2.99)

#28 Sion - Sion (95 / 3.25)

#29 Blanket - Modern Escapism (92 / 3.28)

#30 Hacktivist - Hyperdialect (88 / 3.08)

#31 Imminence - Heaven in Hiding (83 / 3.47)

#32 Alien Weaponry - Tangaroa (79 / 2.89)

#33 The Gazette - Mass (76 / 3.23)

#34 Attila - Closure (75 / 1.93)

#35 Slope - Street Heat (73 / 3.35)

#36 ASkySoBlack - What Is Yet to Come? (68 / 3.52)

#37 Aborym - Hostile (65 / 2.14)

#38 LizZard - Eroded (65 / 3.09)

#39 Eisbrecher - Liebe Macht Monster (65 / 3.28)

#40 Loli in Early 20s - blood for evening (64 / 3.16)

#41 Bad Wolves - Dear Monsters (61 / 3.06)

#42 Dreamshade - A Pale Blue Dot (60 / 3.15)

#43 鬱P [Utsu-P] - Unique (54 / 3.59)

#44 Психея [Psiheya] - Видения (48 / 3.06)

#45 Sumo Cyco - Initiation (45 / 2.99)

#46 Blood Youth - Visions of Another Hell (45 / 3.11)

#47 Pain of Truth / Age of Apocalypse - Pain of Truth/Age of Apocalypse Split (43 / 3.26)

#48 ten56. - Downer Part 1 (42 / 3.25)

#49 MolyBaron -The Mutiny (39 / 3.60)

#50 Appalooza - The Holy of Holies (37 / 3.03)

I did not expect that Eisbrecher album to appear here. Neue Deutsche Härte apparently now covers alternative metal and industrial metal in RYM, instead of just the latter. Another RYM genre change to keep in mind...

Although I seem to enjoy this album a bit more than the rest of you, I have to admit that the closing ballad is pretty flat & was a poor option in my opinion. It's the only track on the album that offers me little in the way of appeal.

I never actually got around to listening to "Niratias" although I did enjoy all of the tracks I selected for the monthly playlists so it definitely shows strong potential. Perhaps I'll see how I go with this month's feature release first though as it'll be my first attempt at taking on a full Chevelle record.

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Breaking Benjamin – Torn in Two (2018)

4.5/5. A killer song to start this playlist! This is one of my brother's favorite Breaking Benjamin songs, and it's probably now one of my favorites too when my brother was playing in a car ride that was in with him. This massive boss battle theme is what really gets me hyped. "Broken I crawl back to life..."

Karnivool – Mauseum (2005)

5/5. The heaviness builds up again with this slower highlight. I found that song and someone's orchestral version a few years ago.

Bullet For My Valentine – Piece of Me (2018)

3.5/5. This one has some breakdowns and screams similar to their older material, but everything else falls into the electronic sea, similar to Asking Alexandria. Fortunately, their recent self-titled album made up for the mistakes made in Gravity.

Linkin Park – Krwlng (2002)

4/5. Further distancing from most of the hip-hop sh*t in Reanimation is what you've all been waiting for, an epic dramatic revisit of "Crawling", with Staind singer Aaron Lewis, where the beat and brief rapping have earned a greater edge for a crossover with less emphasis on hip-hop. Well done, guys...

Bad Wolves – Springfield Summer (2021)

3/5. Nice acoustic country, but it doesn't really work for the most part. Next!

Machinae Supremacy – A View from the End of the World (2010)

4/5. To tell you the truth, I loved this song more 5 years ago when my taste in power metal was still at height, but this band has an amazing mix of that genre, alt-metal, and 8-bit synths. Deep lyrics fit well for these astral video game metal heroes. In the alt-metal side, this band really separates itself from other bands who keep focusing on hip-hop and dubstep. Yet I caught all of this band like all that Pokemon sh*t much more back in those earlier days...

Spiritbox – Eternal Blue (2021)

4.5/5. The title track of the first and so far only Spiritbox album clearly calms down the metal wolf for ethereal clarity. Mike continues his heavy and melancholic soloing, and Courtney wishes that her "blood would slow down".

Dir En Grey - 輪郭 (Rinkaku) (2014)

5/5. I'm still stunned by how amazing this band is, especially the vocal range of Kyo that goes in different levels, from low to mid to high. Bad-a** amazing fun! I still have my faith in one of my favorite Japanese metal bands. I also sense a bit of Yakuza-like jazziness.

Motionless in White – Another Life (2019)

4.5/5. This hits me with wonderful beauty and great lyrics that could shed me to tears. F***ing fascinating!

While She Sleeps – Division Street (2021)

4/5. Sleeps Society is another good album in 2021, and we've had several songs from the album, each one in one of the Gateway playlists last year. This one is a soft ballad that I thought would break things up a bit, and I like that it's saved for one of the last.

3rd Strike – No Light (2002)

3.5/5. Thanks for this playlist, Saxy. This song is quite good, but it's not really how I wanted to end it. A pseudo-rap metal track right after a soft ballad that would've nicely sealed the ending better. 3rd Strike is not a charm, despite some cool potential.

Whitechapel - Kin (2021)

I remember hearing Whitechapel on one or two Terrorizer Fear Candy cover discs (which I still have somewhere) and fucking hating them! Since then I have given them a very wide berth indeed, so it is with some trepidation that, fifteen years later, I approach their latest album, Kin. Well I must say, the intervening years have been pretty kind to these once-irritating deathcore merchants because this is really good and I found myself enjoying it quite a lot. Like an annoying angsty teenager who has grown up to be quite the poet or artist as he hits middle-age, the band have matured and directed their energies into a more coherent and artistically satisfying direction. Sure, there's still anger and aggression here, but much better controlled and expressed than when they were younger. The calmer, clean sung sections provide a relief from the accumulated aggression, making it more effective as a result and giving it a progressive death metal atmosphere. I would have liked to hear them explore these clean sections a little further and think that would be a rewarding avenue for them to pursue going forward. All in all though I was pleasantly surprised by this and will look out for any further releases from Whitechapel with much more anticipation than before.

3.5/5

I chose this album for the month after hearing that Karnivool were releasing a new album early in 2022, and felt I needed a refresher beforehand. It's been a while since I gave this album a spin and I'm glad I came back to it. I think the first thing to notice it that it is a product of its time. While it does have influence from a band like TOOL such as "L1FEL1KE" and "Roquefort", and songs like "Scarabs" are heavily indebted to nu metal such as Slipknot, I think it does just enough to make its mark as a cut above those bands. The title track, "Fear of the Sky" "Sewn and Silent" are littered with influence, but also contain many progressive tropes, such as uncommon time signatures and simple, repetitive musical motifs that lead you into a trance. I think "Mauseum" has a Chevelle influence and you may even pick up on some System of a Down on "Synops". A lot of times (most notably with Linkin Park's The Hunting Party) it felt like a mish mash of ideas stuck together for nostalgia purposes. With this, Karnivool use those bands as blueprints and then create their own sound beyond it. It's quite impressive all things considered.

But, this album is hilariously front loaded. After the big opener "C.O.T.E." and the title track, it feels like this is gonna be a solid run, but you can almost feel the band not caring as much beyond "Scarabs" as the songs become more texture than melody. And I like "Sewn and Silent" and "Mauseum", but I would never recommend them first. They poorly represent the bands identity and maybe I'd let it slide since they are deep cuts. But then you have "Synops" with its out of nowhere distorted, blown out guitar that becomes more horrendous with each repeat of the main theme. The album ends with atmospheric texture on "Change (Part 1)" that does not resolve to a completion, but rather makes you wonder where is track 13? 

The album gets credit for engineering and feels very spacious. The bass lines are prominent and efficient (as expected from TOOL imitators), the vocals are unique and melodic, while the guitar work is not overbearing (minus "Synops") and never comes across as sounding like a constant wall of noise. In the end, the progressive elements on display do make it a worthy addition in alternative metal, and this record helped lay down the foundation that fellow countrymen Caligula's Horse would develop further through the 2010s. 

7/10

Think we'll find it is Life of Agony not "Life in Agony".

Whoops!

Hmm... I think I should refer you back to my comments on the new Trivium album a month or two back. Sounds more like a commercial enterprise than an artistic statement to me. Mix together the sound of several commercially successful bands (Slipknot, Nickelback, Trivium) then sit back and watch the money come pouring in.

Or, alternatively, I'm just an out-of-touch old fart who doesn't understand "the kids". Either way, I don't like it. (I'm sorry Daniel, but I can't even be bothered to get too wound up by it - but I did prefer the christmas carol record to this, so that can't be good).

I think I'll give it a 1.5/5 (I do like the black metal wolf peering out of the cover).

If this is the shape of things to come on The Gateway playlist with Saxy curating then long may it continue.  The Gateway is not always a clan I get along with as we know but on here there are some very familiar tracks (FNM, Deftones, Soundgarden and Helmet) plus a few new discoveries, as well as a couple of shocks also.

Not sure how I have missed Hum but they just went to the top of my list to check out more of their stuff.  That track has a doomy vibe and also some off-kilter rhythms thrown in to keep things interesting.  Not sold entirely on the vocals but can see how they fit this track perfectly.

I actually didn't mind that Butcher Babies track.  Yes it was predictable as hell but equally entertaining at the same time.  Similarly with the Lacuna Coil track, it does not make me want to necessarily run off and discover more of the back catalogue but it was a good track.

Main surprise was Breaking Benjamin (a band I had thought not to be anything to do with metal).  I found this track quite a pleasant way to open the playlist.

I could not cope with Utsu-P and those fucking vocals and Twelve Foot Ninja are filed under "none of my business" as well now.  Spiritbox aren't for me as I don't think they truly let the more intense aspects of their sound shine enough despite having obvious promise and I just cannot get on with P.O.D. despite repeated attempts.

Solid month though. 

Guess I should briefly mention my own featured album for this month before it ends.

While Spiritbox do have a very strong ear for melodic hooks that are super catchy, they only truly materialize in Courtney LaPlante's vocals. The instrumentals fall into a very comfortable alternative metalcore sound with a distinct Architects vibe with its leanings towards djent. I have never been a fan of this sound personally and the last Architects album (and its subsequent review) should be evidence of that. Otherwise, the compression in the mix is detrimental to the overall sound, but unfortunately necessary in order to find that crossover appeal.

I described this album during my review as a musical grab bag of popular metalcore trends and I stand by that claim. I would love to hear this group break away from the Architects influence and make a record that, while still indebted, is a sound all their own. I believe that little blue light on the horizon is still attainable.

6/10

My thoughts on some tracks:

While She Sleeps – “Anti-Social” (from “So What?”, 2019)

5/5. Let's start this playlist with a song with some of the most honesty in humanity. I love this, especially the f***ing catchy chorus! Probably the best of its album So What?, with great lyrics. The Sleeps Society awakens!!

Papa Roach – “Time & Time Again” (from “Lovehatetragedy”, 2002)

4.5/5. I remember in my pre-high-school-days, this was one of the alt-metal bands my brother and I used to listen to, but mainly just their hit single "Last Resort". This song, "Time & Time Again" is what I think should've been part of The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack, and I think it might just be my favorite song from them besides the nostalgia-inducing "Last Resort". There's a bit of a Faith No More influence in there. As great as a well-balanced diet of pizza and salad!

Body Count – “Institutionalized 2014” (from “Manslaughter”, 2014)

4/5. Is there hope for the Gateway humanity?! Rap metal is not really what I'm up for when expanding my Gateway palate. This is still kinda great though, revisiting a Suicidal Tendencies classic. Ice-T rants angrily in the verses with lyrics worth laughing at, like for example, "I COULDNT GIVE A F*** IF YOU EAT SAWDUST, MOTHERF***ER!!!!" and a tangent about whether or not ham could kill you if you shoot it out of a gun. This is guaranteed to wake up the neighbors with either the music's loudness or your laughing or both. A wicked tune for people wanting to blow up their anger like a f***ing deadly bomb, though I might not return to this band anytime soon.

Disturbed – “A Reason To Fight” (from “Evolution”, 2018)

3.5/5. Then after that massive rant-fest, you begin to wonder if there is a reason to fight, or if it would just lead to something worse. This tear-jerking ballad is good for any anxiety-ridden person, like I was a couple months ago.

The Gentle Men – “2004 Breakup (Remastered)” (from :The Evolution Of Tears”, 2021)

4/5. This is another good song to enjoy, reminiscent of the alt-rock/metal you might find in the year 2004. Nicely done!

Lacuna Coil – “Closer” (from “Karmacode”, 2006)

4.5/5. Lacuna Coil was one of the bands I've left behind in my gothic/doom metal departure, and that's too bad because of their later alt-metal albums like this one, Karmacode, the album with the slightly nightmare-inducing cover art. This is an amazing song that actually has some Europop vibes that might've influenced Amaranthe. Years since my last full listen of this song, and it remains immortal in my memory. I enjoy the bad-a** bass intro and outro, though the guitars are still worth bringing in. These lyrics hit me like a train in this awesome song, especially when the first chorus starts at the one-minute mark. This might be tied with Disturbed's "Stricken" as two historical modern alt-metal songs for me, and they still have that energy in subsequent decades. Guitar Hero players know that song for sure...

Linkin Park – “Pushing Me Away” (from “Hybrid Theory”, 2000)

4/5. The perfect formula of the Hybrid Theory singles continue once more in the closing song of the album, which I still like since first listening nearly a decade ago. Oh how I wish that was a single...

The Bread Scientists – “!!!” (from “Troposphere”, 2021)

3.5/5. ??? This track is sick (as in killer) and all, but too experimental. Next!

Katatonia – “Lethean” (from “Dead End Kings”, 2012)

4/5. Similarly with Lacuna Coil, Katatonia's first 3 albums were in The Fallen, which is why they're another band I've left behind in my gothic/doom metal departure, but later they switched to alt-metal while maintaining the gloomy lyrics. Beautiful vocals as the cold shivering tree of depression continues to grow.

Green Carnation – “The Quiet Offspring” (from “The Quiet Offspring”, 2005)

3.5/5. I skipped ahead to track 24 for one more of my submissions, a song from Green Carnation's hard rock/alt-metal album that was part of their constant style-switching. Not really the best, but a good one for those who wanna hear that kind of style much better executed than Metallica's Load albums.