Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

Most metalheads who start exploring heavy metal from the very first year begin with the first two Black Sabbath albums, but me? I'm starting with Deep Purple in Rock! Sure this album came out in the middle of the period between those two Black Sabbath albums' release, but you gotta acknowledge the fact that Deep Purple came before Black Sabbath, releasing 3 psychedelic/prog-rock albums in the late 60s. But once their lineup changed, so did everything else...

When vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover stepped in, the band dumped their psychedelic roots in exchange for something heavier. Deep Purple in Rock is a true start to metal alongside those Black Sabbath albums (SIT DOWN, Led Zeppelin). Deep Purple's raw heavy formula is something that is hard to replicate in subsequent albums.

Classic opener "Speed King" starts off the album in a bang with fast distorted shredding before fading into soft ambient organ. Then the hard rock/heavy metal rolls in, and you might not agree with me here, but this is practically proto-speed metal! Maybe close to speed rock? Still the organ shines in some sections. An upbeat way to begin this early example of a heavy metal album! "Bloodsucker" is more firm in catchy hard rock/heavy metal. The rhythm is worth praising, and so is the sweet soloing.

One track that takes a break from the formula is "Child in Time". I didn't say ALL the progressive/psychedelic roots were taken out! As much as some speed is still around in some sections, it mostly just slowly builds up without reaching a specific destination, though I do like the vocals here. While one of their more famous tracks, it's never really the best for me while still great. "Flight of the Rat" marks a solid comeback to the proto-speed metal, or speed rock, I don't know. "Into The Fire" has a more Sabbath-like direction, slower marching hard rock/heavy metal, coming close to proto-doom metal.

"Living Wreck" takes on a great hard rock groove. However, it seems like they keep following that same groove without much proper focus on a chorus, instead just trying to compromise with the same lyrical passage at the end of a verse. That song's still great though. Finally, "Hard Lovin' Man" is more of a Scorpions-like track, crossing through their earlier hard rock/heavy metal era. The riffing/soloing momentum drifts through the technical structure at ease.

Deep Purple in Rock offers a lot of tight heaviness and variety, and is the one Deep Purple album that truly does that. With that, it is an essential hard rock/heavy metal album and one of the true first of the latter genre. Practically any music lover should give this historical offering a listen!

Favorites: "Speed King", "Flight of the Rat", "Into the Fire", "Hard Lovin' Man"

If you wanna be technical, this is truly the first ever industrial metal album, to be recorded anyway. And already it sets the genre's aggressive synthetic tone. From the heart and mind of innovative inventors, listeners who had the chance to hear the sound when it was performed could hear a new modern future. One of humanity's complicated life of what's more moral and what's not. All told within compositions of sonic noise, industrial synths, and metal guitars. The damage done in society is impossible to fix, and this is the kind of music made by people who want to let out their thoughts of desperation in an instant, for people who have those same thoughts. The 80s was a decade when the noise-fueled genre of industrial was spreading over to rock, and later, metal, ready for our minds to be warned of mankind's peril...

1982 was when two Birmingham musicians B. C. Green and Paul Neville first started the band O.P.D. (Officially Pronounced Dead). Then a year later, they changed their band name to Fall of Because, taken from a song by industrial rock developers Killing Joke. Then another year later, Justin Broadrick entered the band as their drummer. The trio recorded a demo in 1986 titled Extirpate. Most of those songs, along with a few live tracks, make up the album Life is Easy, which was not released until 1999. Note that this band was an earlier incarnation of Godflesh, with a few Fall of Because songs later being-re-recorded for Godflesh's debut Streetcleaner and EP Merciless. What makes Fall of Because different from Godflesh is the primal production, Justin Broadrick using live drums instead of a drum machine, and the instrumentation sounding more punky while still having industrial noise. Though the vocals by Broadrick and Neville foreshadow that of Godflesh with their bleak cold shouts and melodies.

Beginning this cold isolated album is the devastating intro "Devastator", showing the best of Neville's guitar nose. That song was re-recorded for Godflesh's Streetcleaner along with the title track, with an approach easily compared to Swans before they moved out of their original industrial-noise sound at that time. Thanks to the dual guitar attack, bands like Pitchshifter would be able to emphasize their discordant lead work and help develop industrial metal. The dirtier side of the album that deviates from Godflesh's later glory is exhibited in the punky "Middle Amerika". Seems like they were more interested in punk than metal back in those days. The industrial rock of early Killing Joke and Swans is combined with a bit of the pre-grind punk of Napalm's Death Scum side A. Ironically, the monstrous "Grind" is a slow crawler.

"Ecstasy of Hate" shows that there's a noise-ridden side of industrial metal that is a polar opposite to the catchy melody of later bands like PAIN. "Malew***eslag" has more mellow yet noisy sludge. "Lifef***er-Sh*tsucker" has too much of the punky grind of early Napalm Death. "Merciless" is so slow and doomy, with powerful riffs crushing your spine and ripping it out from your neck. That's the kind of feeling induced from the sludgy bass and the heaviness brought forward from the 45-second mark onwards. The crushing riff may sound redundant, but the repetition is worth it. Justin's smashing vocals come close to growling. This could be used in a dramatic slow-motion movie fight scene. Midway through is a clean bridge that's also repeated. Everything is memorable here, though still behind the title track as the ultimate highlight. "Survive" is the first of the 3 live tracks, though this one is just a singular song, unlike the next two...

And now for the live shows, the first of which, "Fight Show" is worth a small journey. Although consisting of a few songs ("Empire of Lies", "Whiterock-Blackdeath", "Christian Motherf***er", and "Ecstasy of Hate"), when performed back to back, they actually form a top-notch multi-part 15-minute suite. The concert is infamous for a crowd fight in the middle of the setlist, with one of the members telling someone to go back to their "gothic s***hole in town". For the actual performance, it is one of the most intense live shows I've heard! Ex-Napalm Death members Mick Harris and Nik Napalm appear as guests, thus furthering the hardcore-industrial crossover. Sadly, the "Xmas Special" live recording doesn't sound as nice in quality, only there for the sake of history. The "Life is Easy" segment there is still good, but not "Calling" or "Submit-Suppress".

It's amazing how even when you think Godflesh started off big in their young years, an earlier developing demo from their earlier incarnation was hidden under Godflesh fans' noses for some time. Life is Easy would've made history as the first official industrial metal if it was released in 1987 as initially planned. I guess more extreme metalheads back then weren't too disappointed since Bathory's 3rd album and Mayhem's EP from that year turned out to be black metal's developing miracles. Anyway, while I don't favor this Fall of Because album as much as Godflesh's classics, it's still essential for those who want to hear the earliest industrial metal to ever exist....

Favorites: "Life is Easy", "Middle Amerika", "Ecstasy of Hate", "Merciless", "Fight Show", "Xmas Special" ("Life is Easy" segment only)

Upon seeing Extreme's Pornograffiti receive a review in this site, I knew I had to check it out. I felt like I couldn't live the rest of my life without the knowledge that there's a lot more of this band than just a f***ing acoustic radio ballad. The album came out in 1990, the twilight zone year between heavy metal's reigning era of the 80s and the 90s era where Nirvana and their legion of grunge took over. You might find this opinion amusing, but this album is actually more metal than the band Cinderella has ever been...

Of course, I can't ignore Extreme being part of the glam metal scene with their ridiculous aesthetics. Their hair is bigger than a lion's mane, and their lyrics are more personal and journal-worthy than Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The vocals of Gary Cherone help give the band a heavier edge that differs from the wham-bam-glam of KISS and White Lion.

The opening highlight "Decadence Dance" had me worried at first this is just gonna be full-on glam metal with the piano and strings. Then the riffing makes a promising sinister riffing buildup then explodes into the heaviness that separates the band from the glam metal pack. Guitar master Nuno Bettencourt is a professional at performing solos, such as that of "Li'l Jack Horny". Then "When I'm President" has lyrics that are 3 decades behind the present day, but you can't resist Bettencourt's guitar harmonizing together with Cherone's vocals. Quite fun, with barely any disappointment! I'm shocked to hear some Parliament-esque funk blended into the band's metal in the aptly titled "Get the Funk Out" though not as shocked as I am about how heavy it is compared to this next more infamously famous track...

You know just what I'm talking about, the unfortunate acoustic ballad that is "More Than Words". I can't believe THAT SONG is what made this band exist in the mainstream, even though 90% of the rest of this album is nowhere near like that. Don't get me wrong, it sounds quite beautiful, but if you're like me, having listened to radio pop before developing your own metal interest, you can easily make that association with the softer mainstream sh*t you're tired of. Unfortunately, I live in a country where the only English radio stations are the ones that play mainstream pop songs with only the occasional "rock hour", so back then, I never got to experience Extreme's rock/metal side. Then again, even when radio stations find metal acceptable enough to play, they would probably think the songs from this album are too poppy to play. I wasn't thinking of dedicating this entire paragraph to that "radio hit", but considering its history, it had to be done.

Another highlight "Money (In God We Trust)" brings back the hard rock/heavy metal sound, as if their heaviness is still intact. "It('s a Monster)" brings back another heavy aspect, more of Bettencourt's shredding. Lyrics of personal crisis seem to cover the title track, all while the guitar continues galloping. The Sinatra-inspired "When I First Kissed You" sounds way too flat, having more of an unfitting lounge style. This was 8 years before the loss of Frank Sinatra and the lounge trend. Probably the weakest part of this mostly solid album, and I would much rather listen to "More Than Words" than this sh*t any day.

"Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?)" is slightly forgettable though it still has nice potential. "He-Man Woman Hater" is the best highlight here. It starts with Bettencourt's shredding take on "Flight of the Bumblebee", while that's a great head-buzzer, it's not as much as the chorus later on. Absolutely great music and lyrics! There's some Beatles influence in "Song for Love", but it's nice song to sing. Then finally we have one more semi-acoustic rock ballad, "Hole Hearted", which I guess is a fine way to end.

I say while there is the hard rock of AC/DC, the guitars come close to reaching the heaviness of Metallica's Black Album next year. With that, Extreme's album is pretty much glam/heavy metal in an accessible mainstream level. With killer guitars and pretty vocal harmonies, it's a formula that suffers a severe lack of radio acknowledgement....

Favorites: "Decadence Dance", "When I'm President", "Money (In God We Trust)", "Pornograffiti", "He-Man Woman Hater", "Song for Love"

I've had my fun when checking out Genitorturers' debut. I never thought sexual industrial rock/metal would mesmerize me, but it did. Sometimes the least likely things I would get interested in I actually enjoy once I try it. And this album continues that streak...

Genitorturers' albums are more likely to attract fans of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson than serious metalheads, and Sin City is no exception. Anyone who likes sleazy industrial metal will find some great things to enjoy in this album without a doubt. Fast beats, thick guitars, and sexy lyrics sung by Gen have cooked up an industrial dish. So come spend a good time in Sin City!

It starts with the aggressive title opener that offers some stylistic tricks up their sleeve. This is followed by "Terrorvision", which is seductive yet a bit disorienting. Opening things up further is "Liar's Liar" as the band continues riding through different stylistic territories.

"One Who Feeds" kicks things up with some psychotic vibes. "Squealer" is a cover of an AC/DC classic, though Gen's vocals are way different from the melodic squealing of the late Bon Scott. "4 Walls Black" shows that a female vocalist doesn't have to be as operatic as Trail of Tears for some top-notch rock/metal. That song is actually more industrial, but you get my point.

"Asphyxiate" is a slow catchy tune. Then the aggressive rampage returns in "Razor Cuts". Then "Level 3" has a bit of a Slayer vibe in the riffing, but the beat stays mid-paced. "Crucified" ends the album sound a bit like Waltari at that time, albeit more percussion-focused and ending in creepy atmosphere.

Don't think you have wasted 45 minutes you could've spent on other productive things. Listening to this Genitorturers album is productive as it can help conjure some fantasies. If the fantasies you're up for are of pleasure and debauchery, that is. This is the kind of music that would make my parents and friends and concerned. For that reason, as much as I like these albums by Genitorturers, this band really isn't my thing....

Favorites: "Sin City", "Liar's Liar", "4 Walls Black", "Razor Cuts", "Level 3"

Alter Bridge is known very well as a side-project-turned-full-time-band by guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Philips, all coming from the more famous Scott Stapp-led band Creed. Together with frontman Myles Kennedy, Alter Bridge had proved themselves to be the creative songwriting force alt-metal needs!

After 3 albums of hard rock/post-grunge in a similar vein to a few of my brother's favorite bands like Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Skillet, Alter Bridge decided to boost up their creativity intensely with their 4th album Fortress. It's a test of magic as they added more diverse arrangements and time signature variations for something more progressive, though closer in sound to Karnivool rather than TOOL. And who's manning the production? Michael "Elvis" Baskette has entered that building.

Beginning this adventure is the epic "Cry of Achilles". It already sets the tone for this melodic prog-ish alt-rock/metal journey. They make some daring experimentation to win some new fans and keep their longtime fans. It's not easy to achieve, but the past and present are blended together in great balanced. Another standout single, "Addicted to Pain" rocks on straight through blazing riffing and melodic choruses. It shows the band's more variant path while still being perfect for radio. Driving their message further, "Bleed It Dry" unleashes some fury, including Tremonti transcending from such a powerful solo. A full display of the technical beauty spawning from his guitar! In an unexpected but acceptable twist, "Lover" can be considered a power ballad. However, as soft as it is, there's dark despair within the emotional lyrics and delivery.

"The Uninvited" has the style the band was once known for. This heavy song has mighty bass groove. And when matched the album's production, that song is just top-notch! "Peace is Broken" has a bit of the mainstream stylings of Killswitch Engage at that time, albeit without any of the metalcore aspects. "Calm the Fire" has solid reflective bass. It fits well with the unique drumming there. "Waters Rising" has Tremonti taking over most of the lead vocals, which makes great sense considering his vocal ability in his solo project. The dynamic evolution is evident in Tremonti's guitar/vocal power. Kennedy's background harmonies can still be in the chorus which ultimately turns out well.

"Farther Than the Sun" is filled with blazing heaviness, with defiant spirit in the lyrical theme. The hard rocker "Cry a River" is not the best, but the album still has its perfect 5-star rating. Standout "All Ends Well", which builds up in softer melodic rock. The song is written about a mother fearing the uncertainty of the world, letting out a somewhat relatable message. The 7 and a half minute title epic is the perfect ending to this hour-long tale. The textures and time changes are produced perfectly in experimental glory.

Alter Bridge's sound is so unique. The melodic rock elements the band has taken from more popular bands has been merged with superb technicality for their own style of prog-ish alt-rock/metal. Fortress is an epic journey for the genre, and it seems like my interest in this band is at a rapid beginning!

Favorites: "Cry of Achilles", "Addicted to Pain", "The Uninvited", "Waters Rising", "All Ends Well", "Fortress"

Upon finding out about this Oomph! compilation album having songs from their first 4 albums, 3 of which are metal enough for this site and I've reviewed, I knew it was time for one more look into the band's earlier discography. Well, even though NDH isn't really my thing, I can actually find some great highlights making up half of this offering.

The first trio of songs is from the band's self-titled album that has more of an electro-techno sound with sparse guitars. Surprisingly though, two songs actually stand out for me. One of those tracks, "Ich bin Du" (I Am You) is actually one of my favorite Oomph! songs and, yep I'm saying this, it's metal enough to be in a Sphere playlist with some guitars in full prominence at the most needed parts. Then we have a club classic in "Der neue Gott" (The New God) that also foreshadows their subsequent albums' sound.

Only a couple tracks in the Sperm trio stand out for me, one of them being the best here, "Sex". Another good track is "Feiert das Kreuz" (Celebrate the Cross), though the intro sample makes me think of a Hitler-Exorcist crossover.

Not all of the songs in the Defekt trio are any good, so I'll just talk about the ones that are, starting with one of the best here, "Willst Du Hoffnung?" (Do You Want Hope?). The other good song, "Mitten Ins Herz" (Right in the Heart) continues that experimental vibe. What I really wanted to hear in this compilation is the beautiful "Come and Kick Me", which would've kicked my rating for this compilation up at least a half-star. Sadly, it isn't here.

As for the 4th album Wunschkind (Desired Child), the title track for that album has heavy riffing. Guitars and synths are blended together in dark atmosphere. However, it's not something you should be bring to dance parties because of the dark mood and slamming heaviness. The other two songs aren't nearly as great as that track though. Neither are two of the 3 remixes that come after. However, the remix for "Krüppel" (Cripple) is a true enhancement! Dero's vocals sound close to growling as he details a story about getting kicked, punched, crippled... Now this is the Oomph I need in the lyrics and distorted music. The emotion is what makes the song special in its own right.

And there you have it; 15 songs, including 3 from each of the first 4 Oomph! albums plus 3 remixes. I say half of this compilation is quite solid with brilliant highlights from that earlier part of their career. Still the remaining songs I will never revisit any time soon. Once again, Neue Deutsche Härte is just not for my metal heart....

Favorites: "Ich bin Du", "Der neue Gott", "Sex", "Feiert das Kreuz", "Willst Du Hoffnung?", "Mitten Ins Herz", "Wunschkind", "Krüppel" (remix)

As I've said in my previous review, I was following a 3-album industrial rock/metal path as I continued my ongoing early industrial metal rediscovery journey. The first part of this path was Gravity Kills' 1996 debut which, again, is barely metal at all. The second part is the well-done bridge that is Acumen Nation's More Human Heart. And this third part is from a side-project by one of the all-time most famous metal vocalists...

Rob Halford was already in his temporary split from Judas Priest and made a couple albums in his own groove metal band Fight. His second side-project, Two (often spelled "2wo") has disappointed long-time fans with a more electronic metal style. And there's none of the melodic screaming of Judas Priest's Painkiller.

Still the album is pretty decent, starting with the techno-hungry "I am a Pig" that has planted Nine Inch Nails into the minds of listeners, both due to the sound and the word "Pig" in the title. A bit of the alt-prog metal of TOOL can be heard in "Stutter Kiss". The industrial yet melodic "Water's Leaking" can be considered what Judas Priest could've done if they let Halford have more creative freedom. "My Ceiling's Low" bounces through electronic rock and more of Halford's sinister singing.

Next up, "Leave Me Alone" is another example of what Judas Priest would sound like if they go electronic. The following track "If" has more tribal rhythms. Shooting through some more of the cool industrial rock/metal is "Deep in the Ground".

"Hey Sha La La" sounds too awfully close to dance-pop in the rhythm, but at least the catchy chorus makes the song somewhat tolerable. "Wake Up" is far too synth-driven in its attempt to mix synths with guitars. Thumbs down for that one. "Gimp" strikes back with its nice bass punches. Closing the album is "Bed of Rust" which the album's epic-sounding climax. Seriously, you should stick around and be rewarded after all that earlier trouble!

Voyeurs is a decent straight one-time experiment in industrial metal for Rob Halford. After that, he and his project partner guitarist John 5 would go their separate ways. John 5 joined Marilyn Manson, and Halford started a 3rd side-project, his solo band Halford. The album might not be super fun, but I guess two is better than one....

Favorites: "I am a Pig", "My Ceiling's Low", "Deep in the Ground", "Gimp", "Bed of Rust"

I needed an album to balance things out in my ongoing early industrial metal rediscovery journey. That Gravity Kills album caused an unnecessary twist into my journey, as that album and band have more of an industrial/alt-rock sound with only a few songs being metal. However, this band Acumen Nation has a more metallic take on that sound, and a great improvement too. So let's dive into that...

More Human Heart is the band's 3rd album and the first under the band name Acumen Nation. They were previously known as just Acumen until legal issues with a similarly titled prog-rock band caused the name change. The solid industrial metal rage will get you hooked to the grooves.

"Ventilator" starts the album greatly with their usual blend of electro-industrial and metal. "If You Were" has some sections that would foreshadow all those times when The Dillinger Escape Plan deviate from their mathcore sound in their more experimental songs. Staggering a bit is "Unkind" within the rhythm. "Cancerine" is a nice standout that's soft but keeps your attention going.

"Revelations Per Minute" definitely has a similar vibe to early Dir En Grey. "Bleed for You" makes me think of Red Harvest blended with the groove-ish instrumentation of Vision of Disorder at that time. Things get a little more vulnerable in "The Funny Thing is...", but it still has some catchy energy.

"F*** Yer Brains Out" is a more brutal industrial standout. "Ugly on the Inside" is more catchy and upbeat, but it makes me wonder if that's where Code Orange got a bit of their industrial side from. "Punka**" indeed sounds more punky, with a side of Waltari at that time. "Dreamheart/Crush'd" is one last two-part 9-minute epic. Quite a climatic way to end an industrial rock/metal album!

The cool thing about Acumen Nation is, they can mix 80s-style rock/metal with modern industrial at easy grace. It's a well-deserved bridge between Gravity Kills' debut and the one album by Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford's side-project 2wo. In the mainstream industrial metal realm, I'm nicely surprised by how far I've come. RIP Jamie Duffy....

Favorites: "Ventilator", "Cancerine", "Bleed for You", "F*** Yer Brains Out", "Ugly on the Inside", "Dreamheart/Crush'd"

Gravity Kills... That band name sounds like some kind of Gravity Falls creepypasta. Anyway, they're an industrial rock band packed with guitar riffing, drum loops, synth layers, and vocal intensity. However, this kind of alienates my ongoing industrial metal rediscovery, as there's not much metal to offer here.

There are only a few songs that I like here, close enough metal, starting with "Guilty". It's a good song to jam to, and they might've been an influence to Spineshank. The band sounds closer to the style of Orgy and Nine Inch Nails. It's quite cool, and not as controversial as the more well-known industrial metal songs out there, or the other songs in the album that are more rock than metal.

"Enough" is another piece of alt-rock/industrial metal that I love, but still not enough to go further with this band. You can jam out during a long drive! Definitely having some vibes from Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and a bit KMFDM.

Another great industrial/alt-rock/metal song is "Goodbye". I don't have anyone I really hate, but for those who do, use this song against them ("I'M F***ING TIRED AND I'M SAYING GOODBYE!!!!"). Anyone who thinks The Prodigy is THE 90s electro-rock band might stand corrected. I can do without the background noises though. "Never" is one more heavy highlight with decent singing.

All in all, Gravity Kills has a few moderately enjoyable tracks. Those tracks have great metallic emotion. However, everything else is just bland industrial/alt-rock programming that's not worth repeat listening for me. I would recommend this mediocre album much more to Nine Inch Nails fans than metalheads....

Favorites (only songs I like): "Guilty", "Enough", "Goodbye", "Never"

Danzig's 6th album 6:66 Satan's Child was actually the tail end of the band's industrial metal era. The 5th album Blackacidevil is the center of that era. This heavily industrial album was released in 1996, and then reissued 4 years later with a few bonus tracks and better cover art.

So what do I mean by highly industrial? Well instead of the dark heavy metal sound Danzig is known for, electro-industrial techno and experimental noise rock covers the rock/metal tracks. I actually find some tracks interesting, despite the album being unsuccessful and turning away many Danzig fans. A problem that I notice is, vocalist Glenn Danzig sounds too distorted in a few tracks, and that makes me prefer the less experimental parts of the album.

Things starts upbeat with the electronic-powered "7th House". Then the title track has lyrics of drugs. A strange acid trip before the album's later melancholy... "See All You Were" is one of a few tracks here to feature Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell. However, that doesn't make up for the d*mn vocal distortion making the lyrics hard to understand.

"Sacrifice" starts with a Nine Inch Nails-like intro before launching into a perfect industrial metal single that should've ended up in the 1997 Spawn film soundtrack. This is followed by the more sadistic "Hint of Her Blood". One song that's not enjoyable at all and shouldn't have existed is "Serpentia". I don't wish to say more. "Come to Silver" is another Cantrell-featured track, originally written for Johnny Cash. A country-infused ballad I would recommend!

"Hand of Doom" is a Black Sabbath cover, rewritten with more disturbing lyrics. That said, I love it, though Isis' cover is better. "Power of Darkness" is just too plain bad. Why does that sh*t f***ing even exist at all!? "Ashes" is a sweet closing ballad as you drive away into the darkness of who-knows-where...

I think I'll skip out on the bonus tracks in the reissue, mainly because I don't wanna hear anymore of that awful distortion. Despite that flawed aspect though, I don't find Blackacidevil as bad as most other people do. Some songs I find quite enjoyable, and a few others I don't want tainting my ears a second time. Sure it's different, but any open-minded Danzig fan can give this album some more spins. For some fans, once is never enough....

Favorites: "7th House", "Sacrifice", "Come to Silver", "Hand of Doom", "Ashes"

16volt began their discography with their debut Wisdom. It is a solid cold blend of electro-industrial beats and heavy guitars that form another prime example of industrial rock/metal. The band started recording their next album Skin shortly after releasing their debut, and they seem to really picked up where they left off. They even made a sequel to one of the debut's songs, which we'll get to later...

It's been nearly 3 decades since this album Skin came out, and it still appeals to many industrial metal fans who wish to see them live. Although not as well-known and great as Wisdom, Skin will still have you interested in this cold industrial rock/metal sound.

The title opener already sets the stage for the album as smoothly as the opening track of Wisdom. "Perfectly Fake" is a perfect hodgepodge of experimentation, similar to what Candiria was doing at that time, but the hardcore elements are replaced with industrial ones. I wouldn't say "Uplift" is uplifting, but the end of that track is worth it for its somewhat ambient climax. I love that!

"Slow Wreck" is slower, but it comes out as kind of a trainwreck that made me think "Why did I go from listening to the awesome metalcore of Parkway Drive, As I Lay Dying, Every Time I Die, and August Burns Red, to this sh*t!?" Then we have "Skin", the first of few instrumentals, this one a little bland but slightly better. Greatness is present again in "Stitched", with some impressive vocals to love. However, "Built to Last" again threatens to make me want to skip out on the industrial sound and go back to the metalcore of Parkway Drive, Trivium, Winds of Plague, and A Day to Remember.

"Bottle Rockets" is another instrumental that isn't the best but still works. An inspiring mix of guitars and electronics appears in "Downtime 2", which I find awesome and actually surpassing the first part of that song from Wisdom. "Flick" is one more noise-ridden instrumental. After that, there's 6 minutes of silence before a remix of the title track, "Dead Skin" which is OK but I prefer the original. The reissue has a couple more remixes and covers, but I've already said enough.

I think what really caused two of the non-instrumental tracks to go downhill is, the lyrics sound too simplistic and direct. They don't follow the "show don't tell" technique that English teachers recommend using. Take out those two tracks and a couple of the instrumentals, and you have something worthwhile....

Favorites: "Skin", "Perfectly Fake", "Uplift", "Stitched", "Downtime 2"

16volt is another industrial rock/metal band fresh from the early 90s. They are known for blending electro-industrial beats with abrasive electric guitar for a unique blend in the genre. This is unlike that other band Genitorturers that's more well-known for their live aesthetic and imagery. Not wanting to sound like the semi-apathetic young modern metal fan I am, music is a band's true value. But if you wish to explore the visual components of a band or album, that's fine. You do you!

With that said, the first 16volt album Wisdom seems to have a slight notch off compared to Genitorturers' debut. Nonetheless, 16volt's music is quite addictive and will get listeners hooked right from the start...

"Motorskill" is an amazing industrial metal opening track like none other. The coldness of the riffing and beats march on with no fear. Anyone who thought this kind of mix shouldn't exist would be wrong! The industrial apocalypse rolls further in the title track. Same with "Head of Stone", which is another example of what industrial rock/metal should really be about, all in great balance.

Vocalist Eric Powell tests out some erotic-ish whispering vocals in "Filthy Love of Fire" which is a more sludgy track. I think that's the closest the band can get to a similar vibe to Genitorturers. The tricky "Hand Over End" struggles with the marching snare, but the crushing percussion shoves it aside.

"Will" is another heavy crusher that I enjoy. "Dreams of Light" is another one of my favorite tracks in the album. While the beat and guitar are more mid-paced, that's not the main focus here. It's centered around more of the sound's apocalyptic atmosphere. The slow noise-ridden closing track "Downtime (Part One)" hints at their next album Skin, which has a "Part 2" to that track. Conveniently, I'll be reviewing that album next. In the meantime, check out a few remixes in the reissue that don't sound too different...

Wisdom has a lot you can ask for in the cold industrial darkness. A very solid industrial rock/metal release! Though it's slightly limp compared to Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste. Still it's something any fan of industrial, rock, and/or metal should get for some of this band's talent and wisdom....

Favorites: "Motorskill", "Head of Stone", "Will", "Dreams of Light"

I'm not really one to listen to a lot of music with themes of New South F***ing Wales and Black Depressive Suicidal Metal (think about the acronyms, not the words), but what's strange is, I quite like this one. I might be getting some Stockholm Syndrome vibes. Enough said! Let me just say, this album and review is not for the oversensitive.

Formed by singer Jennifer "Gen" Zimmerman, then-wife of Morbid Angel guitarist David Vincent, Genitorturers are infamous for their provocative imagery and live shows. Gen can be seen flexin' for some sexin' in the album's cover art. The lyrics are simple yet disturbing. Other bands/artists trying out this sexual theme in the early 90s were Divinyls with their 1990 single "I Touch Myself" and pop queen Madonna's Erotica album and SEX book released just less than a year before this twisted industrial metal offering...

This dark sinister vibe is spawned straight from the opening "120 Days". The name of that song and this album reference Marquis de Sade’s unfinished erotic novel 120 Days of Sodom. Already, the lyrical message has some deep power. Unleashing more of this intense passion is "Reality Check", with the lyrics taking on facing reality instead of illusions of false struggle. Next up, "Velvet Dreams" starts slow before speeding things up in erotic power. The crushing sexuality in the lyrics are sung as Gen's vocals penetrate your ears and give you great pleasure.

"House of Shame" is another one of my favorite tracks here. "Pleasure in Restraint" will definitely have you imagining Gen tying up her slaves. Another heavy track is "Lesser Gods", filled with heavy desire to please the album's listeners, especially from the 30-second opening intro that sounds like Slayer. "Jackin' Man" is a shorter track with almost a similar experimental vibe to Voivod at that time.

"River's Edge / Strip the Flesh" has more of the savage heaviness. "Force Fed" is big on the riffing, sounding the most metallic here. "Crack Track" is one more track that sounds close to a stylistic transition between Red Harvest's first and second albums.

Gen is someone who would rather f*** than give a f***, as her lyrics take on dark imagery of dominatrix fantasy. Sounds so wild yet addictive. It is an adventure in your mind in which only those who are brave and not oversensitive can prepare themselves for self-indulgence. I don't think I would ever attend one of their live shows though, for both moral and financial reasons. But the album itself is already theatrical!

Favorites: "120 Days", "Velvet Dreams", "House of Shame", "Lesser Gods", "Force Fed"

Call this album neoclassical or speed metal, but I wouldn't consider them accurate for Helstar's 4th release Nosferatu. Sure you can hear the shredding popularized by Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Cacophony, etc., but that's not the main style. Here we have a strong progressive US power metal style that incorporates those technical scales into their own sound. The songs are well-structured with those aspects, thanks to the guitar duo of Larry Branagan and André Corbin. And it fits well for a then-unexpected theme, covering one of the most legendary figures in horror fiction...

OK, I am familiar with the whole "horror metal" concept, but mostly via modern metalcore bands like Ice Nine Kills and Motionless in White, and I remember Iced Earth and Evergrey each making a song based on that evil Transylvanian vampire. Helstar's Nosferatu displays the horror story concept early in classic metal's golden decade. While the atmosphere isn't as chilling or scary as you might expect it to be, the technicality is filled with terrifying majesty and helps the album succeed. Interestingly, the album title and cover art is based on Nosferatu, while the lyrics center around the original Dracula and samples from the 1979 Dracula film can be heard. The Dracula concept only covers the first half of the album. Still, this sinister bloodsucker created by Bram Stoker became part of Helstar's vision of darkness and riffing complexity!

Thundering in is the riff-wrath of the intro "Rhapsody in Black", already hinting at the promising greatness of the album. The bad-a** speedy power metal storm kicks off in "Baptized in Blood", straight from the verse riffing. You can already hear this Texan band's Priest/Maiden/Sabbath-infused response to Mozart and Beethoven. More of the direct yet dexterous verses come in "To Sleep, Per Chance to Scream", with wonderful vocal emotion by James Rivera. Killer choruses appear in "Harker's Tale (Mass of Death)", all while exemplifying the neoclassical technicality.

"Perseverance and Desperation" is a shred-tastic instrumental with lots of acoustic sections and melodic solos that make up the neoclassical side of the band's sound. See, that's the kind of the music I would've loved to bits in my teen years of listening to power/progressive metal. I suspect a lot of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani would enjoy the sh*t out of that piece. Lovely atmosphere too! "The Curse Has Passed Away" has more of those cool acoustics. "Benediction" starts the non-Dracula half of the album, standing out with more gang shouts used than any of the other tracks here. The hammering "Harsh Reality" lyrically feels out of place, singing about how f***ed up the world is, right after travelling the shadowy realm of Count Dracula. Still the song is quite good and killer.

The dominating "Swirling Madness" fits things better, and is one of the best songs here! "Von Am Lebem Desto Strum" is German for "From Alive to Current". The track itself is a bit of a clumsy acoustic/piano instrumental, but it's a nice setup for the finale... "Aieliaria and Everonn" is a good closing track, but the lyrics could've been better aligned.

All in all, Nosferatu is a pretty kick-A album in which the earlier classic sound of progressive US power metal is blended with horror imagery. They can go f***ing heavy while having some wild melodic scales. They can really head forward with their innovation, as they close their 80s era on a well-deserved note, though they would end up absent throughout the first half of the 90s. Anyway, the more melodic metalheads will bloodthirsty for this offering of horror and neoclassicism!

Favorites: "Baptized in Blood", "To Sleep, Per Chance to Scream", "Perseverance and Desperation", "Benediction", "Swirling Madness"

Gojira is strongly iconic for their unique metal style. They can let out their ecological thoughts through deathly progressive metal. Their excellent music that most metalheads love have helped build the stairway between the underground and the mainstream surface. That's something that can lead to close to universal fame!

After blowing away people's minds with From Mars to Sirius, fans had to wait until 2008 for the album The Way of All Flesh to arrive. Since then, there have been 4 or 5-year gaps between albums, with the first album to end that gap being this album, L'Enfant Sauvage (The Wild Child). It's definitely worth revisiting in the present, because then I can bring this 2012 album back to discussion and see if it still appeals to me as it did before my break from this band's material starts a couple years ago.

Screeching in is the explosive "Explosia", having a bit of the heavier groove/tech-death guitar, mixed with the progressive the band is known for. Interesting leads and rhythms plague the title track, which still reigns as one of my favorite Gojira songs, due to a music video I was watching on TV long ago. Then we have the first of a couple formulaic tracks, "The Axe". That one should get the axe for its poor attempt at executing a more melodic groove-oriented The Faceless kind of sound. More effective singing and roaring come around in "Liquid Fire".

The interlude "The Wild Healer" is a mellow break from the action. "Planned Obsolescence" has more complex aggression, but the ambient outro is just way too long to like. "Mouth of Kala" seems lacking of original ideas, but I still like it a little. Excellent variation in "The Gift of Guilt" makes the song's 6-minute length well-filled.

"Pain is a Master" is another song that could've used a bit of improvement. "Born in Winter" is an epic underrated track from this band. They can journey through soft spoken verses before launching into the usual dramatic heaviness, all in just 4 minutes! Closing track "The Fall" sounds kinda diminished in the vocals by frontman Joe Duplantier, which is too bad because he's the elemental force powering up the band.

As with my Mastodon revisit, a few songs in this Gojira album don't strike my metal heart as they did years ago, but that doesn't decrease the album's greatness. L'Enfant Sauvage has much to offer in its songs. The hammering madness just isn't the same as it should've been back in those days....

Favorites: "Explosia", "L'Enfant Sauvage", "Liquid Fire", "The Gift of Guilt", "Born in Winter"

Once again, I'm surprised by how much interest I'm losing in the more popular progressive metal bands like Mastodon. It's just... I don't know, they just seem a bit overpraised with their huge expanding fanbase. But they do have these constant surprises that keep them unique and unpredictable. This progressive quartet from Atlanta, Georgia, has made sure none of their albums or songs are the same as one another. For this album, the band has firmly placed themselves in the atmospheric progressive realm they've always transcended through, discarding their earlier Crowbar-esque sludge roots. Checking this album out again after missing out on it for almost a couple years made me realized that while many songs are still awesome, only a couple of them I would rate lower.

As I've said, the band switched from a progressive sludge band to an atmospheric progressive metal/rock one in this release. Actually, maybe the "rock" part is too much of a face-slap, because it is mostly metal. For some reason, guitarist Brent Hinds once said Mastodon was more of an art rock band than metal, which is a band self-description as wrong as Lemmy insisting on deeming his band Motorhead just rock and roll. Anyway, sure there are some soft progressive rock moments in this Mastodon, but they still have a lot of heaviness. The f***ing big riffing of Hinds and Bill Kelliher, the talented drumming of Brann Dailor, and the distorted bass of Troy Sanders proves it all...

Vocals are performed by all members except Kelliher, albeit not altogether, with opener "Oblivion" being the only track with all 3 vocalists singing. The song shows ambitious elevation in emotion. Next track "Divinations" is a straight hard-hitter, as opposed to the rest of the album's atmospheric side. Great metal bliss in those riffs, though a bit uneasy at times. The amazing "Quintessence" has slower, less direct guitar that allows you to relax and explore further. Then when the heaviness comes, it's more balanced.

There's lots of progressive imagination in the Opeth-sized epic "The Czar". Throughout those 4 movements and 11 minutes, the band can control their emotional structure to allow a stable climax that can end the track shining greater than the end of their earlier 4-minute track. "Ghost of Karelia" has mighty bass thunder.

The title track has a bit of the sludgy doom of Neurosis, whose recently fired vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly appears here. The song and the album title tribute to Brann's one-year-younger sister Skye who took her own life at age 14. However, that song I struggle with nowadays. "The Last Baron" is another epic with the structural strength of Opeth, though slightly less focused with some steam lost halfway through. The steam is regained in time for a jazzy yet metal finale to make the song another highlight.

With all that I had to say about this album upon my recent revisit, Crack the Skye is a cohesive journey as Mastodon's progressive side takes the place of most of their earlier sludge. The different moods nicely test out their ambitious style when creating this fine album, though a couple songs should've had more concentration for higher quality. It's more thorough and later rounds of listening like this that has made me find some oddities more quickly. Despite that, I've regained a bit of interest in Mastodon. It just goes to show that greater different listens make you find a few things hard to enjoy, while everything else deserves great praise....

Favorites: "Oblivion", "Quintessence", "The Czar", "The Last Baron"

Fatalism is an album Polaris fans have been anticipating. The creative songwriter and performers are at it once again! And they even sealed a schedule of 3-year intervals between albums. Oh, what a solid strategy.

After the perfect one-two punch of The Mortal Coil and The Death of Me, the band continue progressing through their exciting creativity in Fatalism. Hearing the news about this album got my hopes up high. But then the news about guitarist Ryan Siew's passing was heartbreaking. He was one of the most talented modern metal guitarists I had heard, and he was only 26 (same age as my older brother). He had already complete his work before his death, so this album lets you hear his guitar wizardry one last time...

"Harbinger" starts the album with an atmospheric intro as bassist Jake Steinhauser sings his clean vocals over building synths. Soon the drums and guitars come in, and finally the moshing riffs and vocalist Jamie Hails' screams. The perfect opening storm that should work well live! "Nightmare" is the ultimate Polaris anthem! An easy metalcore banger with all of their signature aspects; screamed verses, melodic choruses, heavy riffs, and powerful vocals, all leading up to the mighty end. This is full-on rage you just gotta experience! "Parasites" has more aggressive attitude. And I mean real middle-finger-pointing anger. Full speed ahead for that track! Calming down from that intense ride, "Overflow" greatly display the two vocalists' skills. Jake continues his clean strength, and Jamie adds in some singing too alongside his usual screams.

"With Regards" has strong vocal beauty from Jake which, along with Jamie's kick-A screams, add to the heartful lyrics and soaring riff melody throughout the song. The high-sung final chorus really hits that spot. Heading forward to "Inhumane", bass opens the track, and then Jamie Hails unleashes the fire. Ryan Siew pulled off perhaps the most epic guitar solo he's ever done that barely any other guitarist could do. That song was the only one in the album to come out before his passing. Lots of interesting moments including powerful gang vocals, djenty melodies, and of course, that incredible solo! Finally we drop down to the song's finale that's more of a throwdown than a breakdown. "The Crossfire" is also very interesting. With more metallic guitars, this should really end up in Guitar Hero! It's quite addictive, as those vocal melodies will end up seared into your brain. Get your air guitars up!

Drummer Daniel Furnari gets all the action is "Dissipate", all in blast beat brilliance. D*mn, those blasts are all around, especially behind some wonderful riffing. The drums are front and center while the guitars provide support. And when the guttural vocals, they're filled with deep insanity that greatly contrasts with Jake's soaring cleans. The breakdown is what many of the heavier metalcore fans came for. It's so killer as the drums f***ing devastate, while Rick Schneider performs ravaging rhythm. "Aftertouch" is a slow sweet power ballad that's a rarity in metalcore. There's lightness in the keyboards and drums, but the guitars and vocals slowly gain stronger intensity. Even the most touching song can break down barriers as part of the band's essence. "Fault Line" starts soft in the synths before launching into another easy yet impressive banger. "All in Vain" closes the album, but not as energetic as I was hoping it would be. It starts off promising with some whispers and building riffing before exploding into a heavy verse. Then the intro is reprised before the final chorus which unfortunately makes an abrupt stop. Probably the only truly problematic Polaris song.

Fatalism is a different album from their earlier ones, yet there's a lot of the greatness to expect. Polaris continue to shine with their songwriting creativity that has made this album stay true to their discography. With lots of well-balanced highlights and professional teamwork, this blend of melody and brutality levels up the stories told within the lyrics shall keep listeners alert and wanting more. There's no doubt that Fatalism will please Polaris with this exciting heartful work. A near-perfect swansong for Ryan Siew that shall be engraved in his legacy! RIP

Favorites: "Harbinger", "Nightmare", "With Regards", "Inhumane", "Dissipate", "Fault Line"

Mikael Åkerfeldt is known as a true hero in progressive rock/metal. He and his band Opeth have stunned the world with their sound at least 25 years after Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath had done the same with their pioneered heavy metal sound. He has lead the band through a journey made by his creations of haunting riffs and melodies through great largely arranged compositions. Like many progressive bands, Opeth never hesitates to push themselves beyond their boundaries. If people think of Tony Iommi as an Iron Man, Mike is a kick-A Man of Steel!

2010 was the year that marked Opeth's 20th anniversary. I'm still stunned by how my appeal for progressive metal is drifting away. I mean, one month I was rocking out to the heaviness of Opeth, and the next month, I'm like "Opeth who?" I'm f***ing losing my Infinite touch! However, after a positive revisiting experience with Between the Buried and Me's Colors Live, I thought it would be a good time to redeem myself, by reviewing this album with a similar idea to that BTBAM live album. Opeth's 20th anniversary tour shows the band performing 5 special concerts, this one in the Royal Albert Hall, London, being documented in this mighty live release. They play their entire "Blackwater Park" to celebrate that breakthrough album from 2001, then after an intermission, their second set consists of 8 more songs, one from each Opeth album at that time.

Beginning the Blackwater Park set with heaviness crashing in is "The Leper Affinity". Then "Bleak" takes the deathly heaviness further alongside the progressive complexity. Deathly riffs and growling are in perfect equal contrast with clean melodies and singing. The rhythms and textures help keep the atmosphere in place. It shows a difference from an earlier album like Morningrise, having a more complete structure in under 10 minutes without combining a few songs into one. "Harvest" is a soft pleasant break from the dark deathliness of those first two tracks. Next song "The Drapery Falls" I still haven't forgotten as a melodic and heavy deathly progressive metal classic epic!

Things get a bit stretchy in "Dirge for November". That's too bad, because I used to think of that song as an impressive one, but listening to it now, the two-minute outro sounds anticlimactic and far-fetched. Those two minutes might just be a small spark of eliminating part of my Infinite interest. "The Funeral Portrait" strikes again with some decent deathly chaos. Despite a bit of repetition, that can be brushed aside by how dynamic the track is! "Patterns in the Ivy" is a great melodic moody interlude. The epic title finale, "Blackwater Park" continues the complex structure, adding in some of the later rhythm atmosphere. All I'm gonna note is how majestic the ending is, when the band unleash all their power before hitting the brakes in a bang.

After the intermission, the band re-enter the stage with their second set, beginning with "Forest of October" that has melodies of beauty and sorrow from one of the band's most memorable earlier compositions. The song is quite d*mn long at 13 minutes, but what makes those long epics superb is, there are some different emotions in different sections, all ranging from aggressive brutality to acoustic melancholy. One of my favorite Opeth songs and perhaps my second favorite in this release (behind "The Drapery Falls")! Heading into the Morningrise album, "Advent" kicks things off with swift riffing that then leads straight from dissonant to elegant. As usual, the blend of cleans and growls add to the progressive instrumentation and structure. And there's more progressiveness abound as the moods continue to twist. The riffing is never super repetitive, but each time they appear allows to relive the scene in a pleasant tone. An explosion into heaviness that begins "April Ethereal" can sound as beautiful as it is dark. You can already hear where the evolution the band took from the first two albums while having the usual brutal growls and riffs mixed with the melancholic cleans and acoustics that many of the songs in the band's metal albums have. "The Moor" opened what was my favorite Opeth album besides Blackwater Park, Still Life, perfectly with a two-minute intro. This live rendition starts with the section right after that, when some brief acoustics are blasted away by the electric guitar density. The riffing from that epic is some of the best I've ever heard from this band.

"Wreath" is one of the greatest examples of Opeth's aggressive side. It sounds like a lost outtake from Orchid, with more flow in riffing and movements. The haunting song "Hope Leaves" is one of the saddest I've heard to not be doom metal. "Harlequin Forest" provides strong imagery. The music sounds great from the start, but it has the same repetition problem "Dirge for November" has. The execution in "The Lotus Eater" is a bit awkward, thus ending this mostly awesome show somewhat poorly in my opinion.

Any Opeth fan should own this, especially if they want to hear some amazing highlights from the band's metal era including the entire Blackwater Park album. Almost every song is in top-notch quality and still strong within me, so I don't have to feel like a d*ck in the progressive metal community. This live album is an essential taste of Opeth!

Favorites: "Bleak", "The Drapery Falls", "The Funeral Portrait", "Blackwater Park", "Forest of October", "Advent", "The Moor", "Wreath"

Before this band's switch into industrial rock/metal, Killing Joke started their 45-year tenure as an intense addition to the post-punk scene in the 80s. The band has pleased numerous fans of the scene with their earlier releases, despite a downward turn with the trance-pop Outside the Gate. But that's just part of their broad appeal, right from the start with their first single "Wardance". As much as their 80s era gained lots attention, so did their 2003 album which brought the band back from the shadows. Of course, we can't forget about the two albums in between, Pandemonium and Democracy, and you wouldn't believe how well the songs in the former album turned out...

The release of Pandemonium marked the end of a 4-year gap since the previous album Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions, and it has a heavier mood. The members seem to add in some elements of their side-projects, with the electronics that bassist Youth explored, and vocalist Jaz Coleman's trip to the Middle East (music, not the region, although he recorded his vocals in Egypt). So there's a more ambient/world tone added alongside their new industrial rock/metal direction.

The title opener is a heavy song that needs more attention, maybe more than their earlier rock hits. "Exorcism" is another astounding heavy tune. Jaz Coleman encourages listeners to "Let it out, let it rise, let it-" (literally coughs and wheezes, f***ing amusing). The theme of exorcism can be associated with Babylonian religion. The catchy "Millennium" allowed Killing Joke a rare chance to hit the airwaves in the U.S. The epic highlight "Communion" has more of the Egyptian vibe than before to add more uniqueness to the album's style, as Kevin Walker's chords are in perfect blend with the percussion and violin.

"Black Moon" begins the more brooding second half, in which some of the earlier momentum is lost. There's a bit of redemption in "Labyrinth", but that's not enough. The more poppy "Jana" is too much of just a simple rock song that doesn't really fit the earlier heavy vibe.

Then we return to the heavier chaos for real with "Whiteout". That's the kind of energy I needed to make sure the second half doesn't bore me to death. However, I can't say the same thing about "Pleasures of the Flesh" which is just dull and doesn't please me at all. "Mathematics of Chaos" takes you into a metallic trance, as the wizardry of the instrumentation is in clear production, thanks to Youth.

After Pandemonium, the band made their next album Democracy and then go on a 7-year hiatus before their 2003 album that features the legendary Dave Grohl on drums. I wouldn't say Pandemonium is highly essential, nor is it a waste of time, but it's another chapter in the band's evolution, and their post-punk-focused days are long gone....

Favorites: "Pandemonium", "Exorcism", "Communion", "Whiteout", "Mathematics of Chaos"

Now this is the album I need to revisit this band that I've distanced from their music for a couple years! Colors Live is a Between the Buried and Me live album in which they perform the entirety of what was once a favorite masterpiece of mine, Colors, followed by some songs from their first 3 albums voted by fans in a special online poll.

When I was still enjoying this band, their 2002 self-titled debut was a solid start that showed their metalcore side at their rawest. The Silent Circus began to display their more progressive tendencies. Then Alaska was a perfect phenomenon of progressive metalcore innovation. This is only surpassed by a few points by the stunning diamond gem that was Colors, in which their experimental deathly progressive metalcore sound is in full prodigious force throughout basically a 64-minute epic split into 8 tracks.

The live rendition of that colorful journey begins as it should, with the smooth piano and clean singing of "Foam Born (A) The Backtrack". Then the drums crash in and the guitars follow as uplifting spiraling synths enter the picture. Then it makes a dark twist into melodic death/black metal, almost like Dissection/Emperor possessed their minds for 30 seconds. The crushing deathly heaviness is maintained as it segues into "(B) The Decade of Statues" as their finest hour kicks off for real in the speed. An atmospheric Middle-Eastern guitar melody opens "Informal Gluttony". With that and the deathly fire that comes after, you might almost be reminded of the band Nile. There's an epic chorus later on before ending on tribal drumming. The gigantic 11-minute marathon epic "Sun of Nothing" has some moments to highlight, such as a nice Beatles-like melody, a weird piano section, and a beautiful climax that looks back at Pink Floyd's "Dark Side" that rises up until the band stampede through from that track into another, and it's another epic that can be considered the centerpiece of Colors...

The 13-minute epic "Ants of the Sky" has wonderful aspects of blues groove and organ, with some hard rock/thrash added in, as the soloing ranges from jazz to Queen-esque to country. Soon it leads to an epic slow bridge that then quiets down for a bit of clean soloing. And then another country-like moment, this time with banjo-like guitars and a background bar fight (WHAT?!), before ending with an uplifting neoclassical outro similar to Pachelbel's Canon. It then leads to "Prequel to the Sequel", continuing the sweet twists. One moment they play some aggressive soloing, and the next... We have a moment of wacky polka/cabaret. The rising/brutal section after that originally had Fear Before vocalist Adam Fisher screaming his own verse and then a growling/screaming showdown with BTBAM vocalist Tommy Rogers. The live version shows Rogers doing it all himself, before another uplifting clean outro. Bassist Dan Briggs's shining instrumental "Viridian" plays as all is relaxed a bit before the towering finale... The legendary 14-minute "White Walls" pretty much summarizes all that is central to the album's sound. All I'm gonna note is how majestic the ending is, when the band unleash all their power before collapsing and concluding it all with the last bit of piano, just like in the beginning.

However, the entire live experience ain't over yet, as after an intermission, the band strike again with their earlier material, beginning with "Mordecai", perhaps the highlight of this second half. It starts with brutal tech-death that can remind some of Suffocation and Misery Index, followed by a 5-second Zappa-like transition into relentless mathcore ala The Dillinger Escape Plan, and a bit of melodeath/groove. The distorted heaviness fades away, and taking its place is a soft bridge of clean guitar, falsetto singing, and beautiful keyboards. This can be almost consider a progressive metalcore ballad, especially when Rogers' emotional singing rises and guitarist Paul Waggoner performs splendorous soloing. That stylistic switch from brutality and beauty has left me speechless since first listen. I love it! "Shevanel Cut a Flip" is the 9-minute closer of the first BTBAM album, and it starts with some of the most extreme chaos the band has had, only interrupted by another brief jazzy riff over another background bar fight (seriously WHAT?!?), before some more heaviness and bass. But the real change comes 3 and a half minutes in, when it all switches to quiet softness, as if you suddenly end up from darkness to light. The clean vocals and harmonies were sung by ex-drummer Will Goodyear in the original album, sung by Waggoner and Rogers in this live version. Also in the original is that quiet ending extended for 3 minutes before a white-noise fadeout. It's actually good that they didn't include that extended ending, as I would probably get bored to death if I hear the soft drumming and riffing for that long. "Backwards Marathon" continues the band's chaotic side with groove and speed, before a switch into a jazzy ethereal bridge that almost reminds me of Dream Theater's "Trial of Tears" ("It's raining...").

"Ad a dglgmut" is another epic track with a powerful climax. It first bursts in blast-beat/riffing fury, as the times change through wild cacophony, while Tommy screams "SCREAM LOUD! LOUD!! LOUD!!! LOUD!!!!" Then everything changes into an uplifting mellow bridge with more of his pleasant singing, "It all makes sense, we're capable of beauty, through sounds which make one cringe, the dogs only hear us now". Next track "Aspirations" showed the band making unexpected twists even in those earlier days. They start off with melodic metalcore riffing that then turn into crushing rhythm. The guitar becomes more melodic, as the bass shines again. Then the cool metalcore riffing returns, and a delightful twist is Tommy performing some high falsetto for a brief verse. Again, the softer clean singing was originally by Will Goodyear in the original debut. "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" concludes the entire set on a grand note. It begins with groovy keyboards, before some more of the annihilating deathly madness. Soon we get to a dreamy bridge of clean singing, bluesy soloing, and soft piano. And finally, they end it all with a few-minute climax of glorious neoclassical soloing that is as much of a moment fans have been looking for as graduation day for college students. What a treat to wrap things up! As the live video ends and the credits roll, the outro for Alaska, "Laser Speed" plays, as a sweet jazzy elevator music interlude.

Colors Live is a monstrous live experience like none other from this modern progressive metal fivesome BTBAM. I really need to get back in touch with the music of this band and Opeth if I want to maintain my Infinite street cred. This is an excellent live journey you just gotta hear to believe!

Favorites: "Informal Gluttony", "Sun of Nothing", "Ants of the Sky", "White Walls", "Mordecai", "Aspirations", "Selkies: The Endless Obsession"

First of all, let me just say (again) how amazing and painfully underrated this band is! Trail of Tears is a band that I regret waiting until only last year to check out. Their brand of extreme gothic metal has struck me as much as other modern legends like the thrashy metalcore of Trivium and the epic deathcore of Lorna Shore. Trail of Tears started off as a mournful gothic melodeath band with the operatic Helena Iren Michaelsen (later temporarily joining Sahara Dust (Epica)). Then the gothic side took a haunting symphonic turn in A New Dimension of Might with the rock-on Cathrine Paulsen. The next two releases had a greater emphasis on melodeath with male vocals by Kjetil Nordhus (also in Green Carnation), though one of those releases, Existentia brings back female singing in a few tracks, sung by Emmanuelle Zoldan (Sirenia (as a session member, later full-time). Finally, Cathrine returns for a perfect one-two punch of albums, and Oscillation is one of those albums! Sadly it ended up becoming their swansong release because the internal conflicts that decimated the band's lineup before the release of Existentia happened again, this time between Thorsen and Paulsen with her partner guitarist Bjørn Erik Næss by her side. With that, drummer Cato Jensen, and the band leaving Napalm Records for Massacre, the band fell apart and was no more.

Oscillation can very well be the perfect ending statement. The deathly symphonic gothic metal sound has been nailed down in the writing Ronny Thorsen and Paulsen. Pretty much everything they've had in the music and lyrics has been delivered smoothly. Darkness, heaviness, catchiness... All to make their extreme gothic metal sound the way it's meant to be! If it's possible for the band see the future and witness the devastating tail end of production in advance, they've done it. And when the sweet beauty comes in towards the end, it is part of the farewell they would sing to their fans.

It starts with "Waves of Existence", a metal pounder right off the bat. Excellent solid production here! The atmosphere is as bleak and cold as the album cover by Jan Yrlund, stunningly resembling that of Rammstein's Rosenrot. Everything this album has is given a sneak peek. Ronny's growling fury is in perfect balance with Cathrine's operatic drama. You can't deny the remorse that comes from the lyrics, especially reminds us that "Nothing lasts forever..." Melancholic doom covers "Scream Out Loud" with Cathrine's vocal emotion in full display. She unleashes her feelings of anger and pain out loud. "Crimson Leads on the Trail of Tears" can be considered the band's theme song, though in this case, it's more like the theme song for the band's final season. Before the music comes in, we hear what sounds like a revolution of youth. The death-growled lyrics sound more prophetic than anything done before, "We were destined to prove all the things that we say". The title track has some heavier guitar thrash, as Thorsen's harsh growls and Paulsen's clean singing open up different dimensions.

"Path of Destruction" is a 6-minute epic with gothic atmosphere and the best vocals by Paulsen. The music certainly sounds close to late 90s Anathema/The Gathering while more metallic. However, "Vultures Guard My Shadow" hits some slight turbulence, sounding more typical than special. The perfection is still stabilized though. "The Dawning" begins with some excellent guitar as the harsh and clean vocals battle against each other. "Room 306" may not be the strongest metal song title, but it's a haunting standout with soothing female choir and more of the emotional singing. It is more of a rock-on track rather than the usual symphonic death/gothic metal, while having some structural complexity. I enjoy Ronny's growls in the chorus, "Realize all is lost/dead/gone". Then "Our Grave Philosophy" loses some specialty though it's not really a grave error.

"Lost in Life" is more of a ballad with beautiful keyboards and cleans. Finally, "Eradicate" marks a desperate yet perfect way out, with a final lyrical message of "Prepare to fall!!!" The digipak edition has two bonus tracks that throw back to earlier albums, the first one being "Sleep Forever" with the great gloomy atmosphere of Existentia. "Quick Fix of Shame" has the eeriness of A New Dimension of Might all over.

ALL OVER... Two simple words that are hard to say but it was true. A band that was active for nearly two decades, with strong musicians and vocalists, gone just like that. So thank you, Ronny, for all this awesome music like in this masterpiece album.... And thanks for coming back for more. Up next: my thoughts on their recent comeback EP!

Favorites: "Waves of Existence", "Crimson Leads on the Trail of Tears", "Path of Destruction", "The Dawning", "Room 306", "Eradicate", "Sleep Forever"

Not often does a symphonic gothic melodeath band continue their winning streak building up with every release better than the last, but how else can I describe the music of Trail of Tears? Existentia shows the band going back to some of their earlier gothic roots with more keyboard orchestration and the return of female singing in some songs. And at the time of its release, it was what atmospheric gothic metal fans needed after The Gathering and Green Carnation were softening their respective sounds.

And holy sh*t, the heaviness is still up in Existentia! The crushing guitars and growls continue on from their previous album Free Fall Into Fear. What's different is, there's more of the soft drama from their earlier albums for better flow.

"Deceptive Mirrors" begins the album with killer riffing and Kjetil Nordhus' clean singing, keeping up what the band has in Free Fall Into Fear, before switching into the piano and female singing of the albums before then. The female vocals are done by session member Emmanuelle Zoldan, known as part of the band Sirenia, originally in the Sirenian Choir for 15 years before joining that band full-time. With that kind of contrast in this album, I had a grand feeling about it. "My Comfort" is also great with a catchy midtempo chorus. The song is a little restrained in its 4 and a half minute length. Oh yeah, every song here is within the 4-minute track length. Then we have the killer highlight "Venom Inside My Head", packing some venomous punches, as Ronny Thorsen's growls are in perfect battle with the clean melodies of Nordhus.

"Decadence Becomes Me" is a total rocker though the chorus practically pays homage to Candlemass' "Solitude". Then "She Weaves Shadows" makes a dramatic entrance sounding similar to Green Carnation back when Nordhus was still making that band heavy. "The Closing Walls" has wonderful atmosphere. I wish I could give the album the remaining half-star needed for total perfection, but unfortunately... "Empty Room" is a poor attempt at looking back at the early years of Trail of Tears and Tristania when try to put operatic singing and keyboards up front. But it's never really a stinker, otherwise the rating would be lower.

Next track "Poisonous Tongues" is a better gem. Lots of excellent drama in the bridge there. You can hear killer riffing in "As It Penetrates", with more symphonic synths and piano as Kjetil's vocals fit right in. "Shades of Yesterday" starts with some strange electronics that almost made me think this was gonna lead into something like Dead by April, but nope, we still have the last bit of the epic gothic melodeath for this album, and the last bit of Kjetil's vocals for his time in the band.

Anyone who has followed Trail of Tears and known its history would be aware of their initial fallout. The main members of the band who recorded the album besides Ronny and Kjetil were guitarist Runar Hansen, bassist Kjell Rune Hagen, and drummer Jonathan Perez, all 3 of whom plus Kjetil left shortly before the album was released. But shortly after, Thorsen would assemble a new lineup, including the return of female vocalist Cathrine Paulsen, all ready for a fantastic duo of albums. Existentia is still quite amazing though and it's for anyone who wants to hear Kjetil's work outside his other band Green Carnation. He and the other departed members have done their job well!

Favorites: "Deceptive Mirrors", "Venom Inside My Head", "She Weaves Shadows", "Poisonous Tongues", "Shades of Yesterday"

There comes a time when a band would make severe changes to their own sound, and not often can they still sound good. For this band Trail of Tears, all they did was replace female clean vocals with male ones, drop the tuning 3 semitones lower, and added more deathly riffs to the mix. So different yet darker and heavier! And those changes came to fruition after Cathrine Paulsen temporarily left the band and session vocalist Kjetil Nordhus (Green Carnation) joined full-time.

Kjetil and unclean vocalist Ronny Thorsen transformed this band from Beauty and the Beast gothic metal to Devil and Angel melodeath, more specifically, symphonic extreme gothic melodeath. Free Fall Into Fear is more aggressive than the band's surrounding works while having lots of variation.

Starting things off with perhaps the best track here, the fantastic "Joyless Trance of Winter" is a prime example of symphonic gothic melodeath with groove-ish riffing and a beautiful clean chorus. The melodic "Carrier of the Scars of Life" sounds almost like Nightrage's debut Sweet Vengeance, particularly one of the songs where that band has Evergrey's Tom S. Englund performing cleans. "Frail Expectations" has more of a gothic atmosphere while sounding eerily close to Wintersun's "Time" epic.

Then we have the power metal-ish melodeath fury of "Cold Hand of Retribution", not too far off from Into Eternity. It's also the only song in the entire album to have female vocals, sung by guest vocalist Astri Skarpengland. The menacing keyboards shine in "Watch Your Fall" while the guitar duo pull off crushing work and the cleans and growls continue their battle. We also have the technical "The Architect of My Downfall" which practically brings back Soilwork's melodeath fire that they dropped most of in their own album Stabbing the Drama that year. Doom-filled "Drink Away the Demons" is a little slower than the rest.

"Point Zero" has a heavy breakdown with some interesting keyboard surprises. That also occurs in "Dry Well of Life", a highlight of melodeath rage. With all those amazing songs, is there one track that can be a slight downer? That would have to be the closing track "The Face of Jealousy". I mean it has great energy, but it doesn't stand out as much as the others. Still a satisfying album ending all the same.

Trail of Tears has once again proven to be masters of symphonic extreme gothic melodeath, even with a different sound. It doesn't please a lot of metalheads, but it really should. This is the kind of dark work that deserves more appreciation!

Favorites: "Joyless Trance of Winter", "Carrier of the Scars of Life", "Cold Hand of Retribution", "The Architect of My Downfall", "Dry Well of Life"

Trail of Tears started off with their first two albums Disclosure in Red and Profoundemonium, both with female vocalist Helena Iren Michaelsen. Helena left the band in the time between the recording and the release of the latter album. She would later briefly join Dutch symphonic metallers Epica (then named Sahara Dust). While Helena was great at her singing, her replacement Cathrine Paulsen is more top-notch! She can perform operatic soprano and rock-like singing in a greater perfect balance.

I still can't believe how unheard this underrated album is. Sure this blackened symphonic gothic metal sound may turn away purists, but it works well and shouldn't be ignored. The normally tiring Beauty and the Beast style of vocals is actually quite strong, from Cathrine and Ronny Thorsen. Plus some nice cleans by Kjetil Nordhus.

The opening track "Ecstatic" kicks things off with lots of different vocalists, starting with a male choir, before the aforementioned 3 vocalists perform their respective parts. The choir sounds so emotionless yet they paint the atmosphere with emotion. You don't really hear a lot of extreme gothic metallers add electronic synth effects to turn this place into a haunted carnival, but it's what they do in that epic banger. And that's just the beginning of the adventure... "A Fate Sealed in Red" seals that eerie stylistic motive further, with the orchestrated synths and female singing not too far off from Dark Moor at that time. "Crashing Down" crashes through and speeds along as if you're in a deadly maze trying to find a way out. "Obedience in the Absence of Logic" has nothing absent in the sound the band has constructed.

"Liquid View" brings back some of the melodeath from the first two albums, though of course, it's never the fast thrashy style ala The Haunted/Disarmonia Mundi. Then we head into "Denial and Pride" which is exceptional but barely reaching standout status. "The Call of Lust" is filled with gothic energy, fitting with its title.

"Splendid Coma Visions" has the strongest synergy in music and lyrics to make this song memorable. You can't help but shout along to the "DIE!" bridge and risk sounding like a psycho. While the growls sound electronic, there isn't much vocal distortion involved. "Bloodred Trance" closes the original album in mighty drama. The bonus Faith No More cover "Caffeine" is an odd choice for a serious band, but I'm glad they had fun. Kjetil's cleans are f***ing spot on, and Mike Patton would certainly praise that cover.

All in all, A New Dimension of Might is worth getting for some epic extreme gothic metal treats. Cathrine left the band after this album, but she would come back for the one-two glory punch of Bloodstained Endurance and Oscillation. And in between are two albums with a different side of Trail of Tears. Step into this dark dimension!

Favorites: "Ecstatic", "A Fate Sealed in Red", "Liquid View", "Splendid Coma Visions", "Bloodred Trance"

The gothic melodeath of Trail of Tears continues in their sophomore album Profoundemonium! However, the melodeath now has much more in common with 90s Dark Tranquillity than the more deathly bands out there, exemplified by the guitar harmonies and acoustic/electric interplay. The deathly side also sounds more blackened, in battle between fast and slow. The band sure know how to take their sound seriously, in contrast to the cover art that's practically a towel model photoshoot...

Profoundemonium has more ideas explored than Disclosure in Red, particularly in the orchestration and vocals. Female vocalist Helena Michaelsen lets out her singing for the last time before leaving the band after recording (later joining Epica when they were still named Sahara Dust), replaced by Cathrine Paulsen shortly after.

"Countdown to Ruin" is an epic synth-orchestral intro that should really fit well in a climatic video game scene. Then "Driven Through the Ruins" drives through with the usual gothic melodeath, picking up where their debut left off. "Fragile Emotional Disorder" also has clean singing, this time coming from guest vocalist Kjetil Nordhus, best known as the lead vocalist of Green Carnation, and having a more prominent role in Trail of Tears' next 3 albums.

We get a cool standout in the title track to level up the flow with Jonathan Perez's powerful drumming to keep things moving. "Sign of the Shameless" shows that there's no shame in what the band can do with their sound. "In Frustration's Preludium" is another interlude, and what's interesting is, the piano melody at 0:40 sounds a lot like the intro riff melody that kicks off Amorphis' "Into Hiding". Although it can be considered a coincidence, I can totally understand if Amorphis left a profound influential mark in Trail of Tears' sound. It segues to highlight "In Frustration's Web" which has strong Sabbath-ish riffing. Also, at over 3 and a half minutes in, it's that "Into Hiding" melody again!

The otherwise great soprano vocals of Helena seem to take a toll in "Released at Last". It's not bad, but there could've been better control. "Image of Hope" has more of the gothic melodies of Edge of Sanity and mid-90s Paradise Lost. "Disappointment's True Face" is the ultimate highlight for me, with the riffing and vocals sounding industrial without altering much of the usual sound. "The Haunted" once again shows that melodeath doesn't have to be as thrashy as the band The Haunted.

Profoundemonium is another step in the journey of Trail of Tears with a little more to offer than Disclosure in Red. This is the kind of deathly symphonic gothic metal I need without it having to be as overly melodic as Sirenia and Tristania. The second time can make a promising sign....

Favorites: "Driven Through the Ruins", "Profoundemonium", "In Frustration's Web", "Image of Hope", "Disappointment's True Face"

We all have the kind of music to, y'know, be able to concentrate deeply and escape into another world. For many outsiders out there, it might be jazz or classical, right? But for us metalheads, you know what we like. And I have the go-to band for this kind of escapism...

Trail of Tears stand out with their own beautiful sound of atmospheric gothic melodeath. Their debut Disclosure in Red and follow-up Profoundemonium start off their sound smoothly. I'm not as big of a fan of epic gothic metal as I was in my teens, but here it's blended with dark melodeath for enchanting majesty! Sweet melodies with angelic singing fit together alongside deathly rhythms and demonic growls. Helena Iren Michaelsen can even switch from operatic soprano to Cranberries-style rock vocals at ease.

The band crashes in right away with "When Silence Cries" with black metal-ish riffing that clearly shows the Norwegian black metal scene bleeding crimson into the band's influences, alongside Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery with its E-flat tuning, occasional blasts, and the alternation between growls and female singing. A truly powerful start! Some retro synths can be heard in "The Daughters of Innocence" to make things more interesting, as opposed to the orchestration and piano in subsequent albums. There's more vocal variation in "The Day We Drowned" with Helena's operatic side sounding quite impressive. Heavenly bliss flows through the acoustic bridge of "Mournful Pigeon".

"Swallowed Tears" once again has a bit of black metal elements in the arpeggios and blast beats. "Illusion?" is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful tracks I heard in gothic metal, and that's saying something considering I'm not into a lot of ballads. A dark serenade of lost love and depression. "Enigma of the Absolute" continues those clean sections of orchestrated synths and Helena's emotional singing while making room for some heaviness.

"Words of the Fly" is another melodic track with Helena singing beautifully like an angel, practically outshining The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen. "Temptress" brings in a bit of the gothic doom of Within Temptation at that time with a magic touch. "The Burden" is the band's longest song at 8 minutes, giving the album a nice somber ending.

Disclosure in Red is all about the interplay, including the alternation between female singing and male growling, and the keyboards and guitars, all in gentle flow. It's rare for any death metal subgenre to have such soothing mournful breaks. Opeth is another band that can go from deathly to soft so easily, and that aspect was quite plain to hear at that time. It's astonishing how much my appreciation for Trail of Tears grew in just less than a year. Their debut shall be for anyone with sense of darkness and diversity....

Favorites: "When Silence Cries", "The Day We Drowned", "Mournful Pigeon", "Illusion?", "Words of the Fly"

Having kept a distance away from Tiamat for over a couple years, I decided it was time to get back in touch with this band's material, starting with their live EP The Sleeping Beauty. The show was recorded 30 years before this review in Israel, the one country I'm forbidden from entering. The recording is raw with no overdubs or mixing, resulting in lo-fi production that still sounds nice and clear.

The EP is overlooked and underrated, and fans of the band's earlier material should give it a listen. The 5 songs are from the albums The Astral Sleep and Clouds. Maybe someday I can check out the band's live rendition of the Wildhoney album, but for now, let's look back at those good ol' death-doom days...

Opening the show is Clouds' first track "In a Dream", starting with crushing slowness before speeding up in the riffing and soloing. Some nice synth-keys segue into "Ancient Entity" from The Astral Sleep, which is quite awesome and straight. Midway through is a cool breakdown.

The title track of this release, "The Sleeping Beauty" continues the eerie slowness of Clouds. A nice atmosphere is added from the leads. "Mountain of Doom" reigns as the best highlight here. The cool intro leads to killer riffing. There's even a speedy solo later on in the song. "Angels Far Beyond" is a solid finale for the show, with great riffing in the middle. Afterwards, there are two minutes of silence before a mysterious synth outro that sounds like it can be the intro for My Dying Bride's "The Cry of Mankind".

The Sleeping Beauty: Live in Israel is a great recommendation for fans of early Tiamat. It's definitely worth picking up for those fans. As much as I like this release though, there are other bands to look out for with that kind of beauty....

Favorites (one per album): "The Sleeping Beauty", "Mountain of Doom"

When progressive metal was first starting off in the 80s, it was more melodic than in subsequent decades. Those were the times when the two founding bands of the genre, Queensryche and Fates Warning were associated with classic heavy metal, though Dream Theater would then sever those ties with their pure melodic progressive metal sound. In between was an album from a band that would mix the genre with another Guardians genre, one that would've appealed to me more 10 years ago... Power metal.

You know how happy power metal sounds in their riffs, leads, and choruses to sing along to, but back then, bands of that style had a darker direction. Fates Warning at that time added some heavy riffing and lyrics of death and religion to their power-ish progressive metal. Adramelch does the same here. Not as heavy, but quite dark...

"Fearful Visions" begins ominously with mysterious keys and choir that have a bit of a gothic vibe. Then the progressive/power metal action kicks off, and Vittorio Ballerio starts singing. While not hitting the highs as powerfully as Queensryche's Geoff Tate, his accented desperation fits well with the song's theme of a desolated city of peasants. It's a great opening track to let you know what to expect in the album, high-level riffing leading up to a climatic ending. Seriously, I love the riffing that takes me through the Black Death without actually experiencing the deadly plague. There's more of this divine music in "Zephirus". The title track shines very well in the progressiveness, while not drifting too far off from the power metal side.

"Lamento" is kind of a bland acoustic interlude. Despite its blandness, there is a medieval atmosphere that actually sounds promising and can work well as a soundtrack to a Dungeons and Dragons fantasy game, but it just fades out. So yeah, quite anticlimactic. This is made up for by "Decay (Saver Comes)" with solid wailing vocals, especially in the ending over a gloomy melody as it fades out more appropriately, a bit like the end of Fates Warning's The Spectre Within. The interesting "Was Called Empire" is full-on power metal with some speedy Iron Maiden-infused riffing and vocal glory.

"Eyes of Alabaster" once again shows that when it comes to progressiveness, there's a major difference between the 80s power metal of this band and the modern technical-thrash of Vektor. Here we have the finale "Dreams of a Jester" that summarizes the great aspects of the album and ending it all in a way that never ceases to amaze me. That would certainly make me up for more of this progressive power metal sound if I didn't p*ssy out of there.

All in all, Irae Melanox shall appeal to fans of power metal who would like to hear the US and European styles blended together with early progressive metal. Not quite the perfect spark for a heavier metalhead like me, but there's a charm of uniqueness within....

Favorites: "Fearful Visions", "Irae Melanox", "Was Called Empire", "Dreams of a Jester"

Trail of Tears is a Norwegian band known for their original extreme gothic metal sound. They were also known for some turbulence in the lineup, facing many different changes. Just before the release of their previous album Existentia, all the members except founding harsh vocalist Ronny Thorsen left the band. The fate of the band was left uncertain until a few months later when several new members joined in, along with female vocalist Cathrine Paulsen, who was in their 2002 album A New Dimension of Might. You might know a few of the other vocalists from other bands; Helena Iren Michaelsen in Sahara Dust (pre-Epica), Kjetil Nordhus (male vocalist) in Green Carnation, and Emmanuelle Zoldan and Ailyn in Sirenia. But the quick-paced operatic vocals of Paulsen are an essential part of one of the finest extreme gothic metal albums around!

Trail of Tears was known as one of the earlier developing bands of Norwegian gothic metal alongside The Sins of Thy Beloved and Tristania. Unlike the former that split up after two albums and the latter that took on a less extreme sound, Trail of Tears started mixing the genre with melodic death metal in the second half of the 2000s, with death growls provided as usual by Thorsen. However, there's more female singing than death growling that causes this band to be like a darker Epica. With all that said, the band is up to exploring different directions for something so special and unique.

I love opener "The Feverish Alliance" with exemplifies this gothic/symphonic death metal sound, complete with choirs. "Once Kissed by the Serpent (Twice Bitten by Truth)" has more of this symphonic direction of destruction. The female vocals appear a little more that seem to overpower the death growls/screams that appear in the verses. Switching to softer gears is the title track, especially in ethereal sections of female vocals and violin. It really shows the many twists Paulsen can pull without having to come up for air. You can say the same thing about Thorsen's dark growling intensity that fit well with the guitars and drums. Now that's true Norwegian extreme gothic metal! "Triumphant Gleam" has some epic symphonics that might've planted the seed for Lorna Shore's symphonic aspect.

More of the melodic/harsh blend can be found "In the Valley of Ashes". Then "A Storm at Will" appears right in the middle of the album as a Nightwish-esque ballad. Paulsen's delightful vocals shine over symphonic and background choirs. Although I've lost interest in the ethereal symphonic metal of Nightwish, this song makes a classic highlight with its spiritual lyrics, "Leave your broken dreams, alone in despair, stay in that place, and I will be here". After that, "Take Aim. Reclaim. Prevail" has strong symphonics and vocals from both Paulsen and Thorsen with dark lyrics. "The Desperation Corridors" reminds me of Amaranthe if there were symphonics instead of electronics.

"Farewell to Sanity" is another one of my favorite songs here, beginning like a funeral dirge before switching to the usual heaviness and vocal alternations. Shining high is the instrumentation, especially the guitars over the percussion. And there's more of the harsh lyrics. Then "Dead End Gaze" has the kind of metal the heavier fans find listenable. Closing with another favorite, "Faith Comes Knocking" has amazing symphonics and eerie wickedness. There's also a great bonus track, "Onward March the Merciless".

Ronny Thorsen and co. have a masterpiece that I'm glad to have revisited after a few years. This is true extreme gothic metal! The dark lyrics and deathly growls are in perfect blend with the epic music and operatic female vocals, all in grand value. Bloodstained Endurance really deserves profuse attention!

Favorites: "The Feverish Alliance", "Bloodstained Endurance", "Triumphant Gleam", "A Storm at Will", "Farewell to Sanity", "Faith Comes Knocking"

I can find brilliance in many places. Some filled with upbeat energy, others filled with downbeat despair. Doom metal/death-doom has developed in several countries like Sweden, the UK, and the US. Fans of the genre can handle the sadness and mortality detailed in the songs. Death-doom is considered quite unique for mixing the wickedness of the former genre with the melancholy of the latter. One of those bands was Katatonia at that time, but I gave up on listening to that band and much of The Fallen genres because I had enough of the depressiveness. I might just make a comeback though, with the spin-off band of Jonas Renkse and Fred Norrman, October Tide!

This album can be considered by many to be a bridge between the first two Katatonia albums, though the album was released two years after it was recorded, with Brave Murder Day released in the middle year. With this October Tide album encounter, the perfection of those heavy guitars and atmospheric keyboards from those Katatonia albums re-entered my mind, along with the more deathly elements. Renkse performs his final growled vocals before health issues restricted him to only clean singing in subsequent Katatonia albums. With those vocals perfectly fitting the melodic atmosphere, it made me regret my move away from the earlier albums of his main band. The guitars sound heavy while staying spacey and aren't as meandering as Opeth, which is why that band became another one I lost interest in just recently (SAD).

Opening the album is the grand "12 Days of Rain" with perhaps one of the strongest slow doomy riffs ever. The verses have a similar vibe to early 90s Paradise Lost, with Renkse's vocals unleashed. Keeping that stage set is "Ephemeral".

Same with "All Painted Cold" which has some Sabbath/Maiden-like mid-tempo heavy metal in the opening riffing before slowing down as expected in this album. You can almost think of this like In Flames at the time, but slower. When "Sightless" appears, you can imagine 80s Queensryche blended together with Edge of Sanity, sounding graceful in this sea of brutal somberness.

There's more of the slow decay in "Losing Tomorrow". It is more of a short ambient gothic rock track with a bit of Renkse's clean singing that would replace his growls as his main vocal style in subsequent albums. That song is this album's "Day"! Then "Blue Gallery" takes on a faster pace, though it's not without its lyrics of suicidal lamentations. "Infinite Submission" will keep you aware in attention as the melodies play while Renkse performs his last ever growls before they crumble away. With beautiful ambience, you might think there should be something like an ambient score. One final riff ends the album, sounding huge yet with a simple chord that carries you to the finish line.

Rain Without End is one of the best early Swedish death-doom albums I've heard in a long time. Anyone looking for melodic doom metal with deathly riffs and growls have come to the right place. Sweden is a country with one of the most diverse metal scenes around, with lots of different sounds like the melodic black/death of Dissection. The earliest releases of some genres are ones that really embrace them and prove to be prime examples of their respective scenes. This brand of death-doom is the right kind of doom I need, never as droning as funeral doom and never as old-school as traditional doom. So come one come all to the bleak Swedish death-doom realms. Rain Without End shall be your starting point!

Favorites: "12 Days of Rain", "All Painted Cold", "Sightless", "Infinite Submission"

The tough thing about checking out some demo EPs from bands, including splits, is that you end up thinking "What the f*** happened there?!" and then you realized, "Oh this is just a demo" while irritated about a band you love sounding this sh*tty. In saying that, Parkway Drive would definitely improve in a short matter of time and start making killer albums that cement them as one of my favorite metalcore bands.

The only track that closely matches their later better quality is "Hollow Man", which would be re-vamped in their 3rd album Deep Blue with more anger and improved production. A couple other tracks, each from one of two other bands in the split, Think Straight and Shoot to Kill, are also quite solid. Think Straight's "Make a Move" is a full-on blast of melodic death metal/metalcore that I can definitely rock out to as much as Parkway Drive's material. Shoot to Kill's "D.J.C." is the 5-minute closing epic of the entire EP, and there's even a bit of influence that I can hear from This Day Forward at that time.

But other than those 3 tracks, this split EP has only as much quality as the only images of its cover that can be found on the internet. Nonetheless, I'm glad to let out my thoughts about the EP here on this site, so thanks Ben for adding it. All I'm gonna say is, Parkway Drive's official discography is so much f***ing better....

Favorites (only one song per band): "Hollow Man", "Make a Move", "D.J.C."

Despite being a fan of an industrial metal and enjoying a few Ministry albums, I still prefer the genre when it's more experimental or, in some cases, cyber. With that said, I've realized that I have not yet took on what is considered one of the most essential albums in all of industrial metal, Ministry's Psalm 69. It is the final piece of the band's first industrial metal trilogy puzzle, so let's get right on it!

Psalm 69 is a step up from both of the band's previous two albums. It carries on the industrial metal direction that the duo of The Land of Rape and Honey and The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste kick-started. The thrashy instrumentation in Psalm 69 is something to enjoy, though it wouldn't make its comeback until Houses of the Molé which is one other great album but not as full-form as this one. The album, officially titled ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ, is pretty d*mn excellent. Following the band's successful live album In Case You Didn't Feel like Showing Up, Al Jourgensen was determined to make an album so explosive yet appealing to the mainstream.

Opening things up in madness is "N.W.O." It starts with a sample of a siren alarm over the first riff, and the band set up the stage. "Just One Fix" is a pretty great song, especially during that hard-hitting breakdown over the 3-minute mark. It really can be worth "driving down the highway at night". However, there might be something missing, I don't know. Vocalist Al Jourgensen can do sinister laughing. This industrial rock/metal tune can also work well for fighting a zombie apocalypse, or at least that's what it sounds like. The f***ing world needs to be fixed, doesn't it? Also it reminds me of Rammstein's "Du Hast". Co-written by Chris Connelly, "TV II" shreds through pure anger. And holy f***, those are some blazing black metal-level blast-beats there!

"Hero" hops along with some thrashy riffing and D-beat drums. While not really the best here, this is one that can get you headbanging or at least head-nodding. Still this track is quite fun and it has a great midsection solo. The crazy highlight "Jesus Built My Hotrod" I'm already familiar with via the Lamb of God/Burn the Priest cover. The song has an interesting narrative and fun lyrics, sung by the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes. Another favorite here, "Scarecrow" is an 8-minute slow industrial metal epic with samples from the 1973 film of the same title. There are some harmonic guitars and a bit of a gothic-ish vibe. A pleasant slow trip through hell-fueled harmonies.

The title track has the best of the band's heavy side. However, what kills the song's highlight status are those f***ing opening samples! As much as I find the background choir epic, the repeated sample of a child saying "I think that my heart has been touched by Christ" is quite annoying, going on for the first minute and a half. But at least the mind-blowing moshpit-inducing drumming makes up for that. And of course, samples are still a nice essential touch in industrial metal. "Corrosion" is much more of a plain industrial song with a dance-y beat. It's not weak at all, sounding quite interesting as a different track towards the end of the album. "Grace" is the perfect ending here. While the more industrial sound is still on, samples of "armageddon, doomsday, apocalypse" can be heard before some crushing harmonies to wrap things up.

The band started falling off a bit in creativity a few years after this album was released, when Jourgensen was arrested for drug possession and subsequently moved away from drugs and alcohol for some time. However, their later material would still please some fans while not reaching the f***ing heights of the first industrial metal trilogy. A few might argue about the EBM Twitch or even the synthpop With Sympathy being the band's breakthrough in the commercial perspective, but Psalm 69 is considered by many to stand as the true pinnacle of the Ministry's tenure. H*ll, there is more sludgy heaviness than there is pretty melody, and that was the band's right move!

Favorites: "Just One Fix", "TV II", "Jesus Built My Hotrod", "Scarecrow", "Grace"

Power metal was my favorite genre when I was a young teen. I even liked the more cheesy and uplifting kind. But of course, my taste changed into heavier and more serious modern metal genres. I had a couple-year attempt in reviving my interest in power metal that ultimately fell apart. Nonetheless, I'm sometimes up to making an occasional revisit to one of the power metal bands I used to like, and one cool band honoring the uplifting kind is Freedom Call!

Released around the band's 25th anniversary, The M.E.T.A.L. Fest is a live CD/Blu-ray recording of two live shows from the prior year, the first one at the titular Metalfest in the Czech Republic and the second one at Regensburg’s Eventhall in Germany. Get ready for a smooth ride of 14 speedy anthems with happy melody and magical choruses...

But before this live presentation, we have a brand-new studio track from the band in honor of the festival, the title track of this release! It's quite smooth with infectious vocal delivery from frontman Chris Bay. And I'm not ashamed to admit that this is the ultimate highlight of the entire album! The main live part of the release begins with an "Intro" to get you pumped up as the crowd chants "M! E! T-A-L!" Then comes the strong opener of the show, "Union of the Strong". Fast bass and drums and melodic guitars speed along in catchy verses and anthemic choruses. As you listen to the song, you can already the band rising to the top of glory. Great hooks and high-level guitars makes the song one of the best of the band. There's some more true glory in "Tears of Babylon", with galloping background melody from background horns like a medieval fanfare. The memorability of the album Eternity can be heard even before we can hear songs from that album. "Spirit of Daedalus'' has some excellent power metal that isn't too far off from earlier legends like Gamma Ray and Edguy, even adding some heavier guitar riffing to the melodic music. "Sail Away" has more of the band's signature sound within the same mid-tempo marching tempo as "Tears of Babylon", while having effective guitar melody and background choir.

Get ready for some action-packed adventure in what's pretty much this release's epic "Metal Invasion", that can be as kick-A as the epics from the band's first two albums. There's lots of speedy riffing and drums that start after a massive choral intro, a glorious Blind Guardian-like combination! The title track of Freedom Call's latest studio album M.E.T.A.L. honors this classic melodic side of heavy metal with lyrics centered around the genre, the way HammerFall would do it. With such addictive honesty in these lyrics, you know how much power metal joy you're getting. This German band can make a somewhat Christian power metal anthem with ''111 - The Number of the Angels''. You'll be happy to hear such optimistic melody, as the rhythms and vocals keep you in attention. "Ace of the Unicorn" is a strange as sh*t title, and the same can be said for the song itself that sounds way too sweet compared to the other songs in both the studio album and its live release, especially in the chorus. The immortal "theme song" for the band, "Freedom Call" makes up for that a lot as a brilliant power metal anthem, beginning with a rising alternating melody between the guitars and the audience.

The heavy yet uplifting power metal tune "Power & Glory" has perky bagpipe that once again makes the song too happy and worth skipping. The glorious next track "Metal is for Everyone" has most of the more melodic metal genres formed into one. There's a bit of crushing riffing, but the catchy chorus shines among it all. "Warriors" shows Chris Bay's melody in both the vocals and guitars with not much technical. It is an upbeat rock-on track plays out quite as well as Edguy and Stratovarius along with the catchier hits from the band's first two albums. Now "Far Away" I have mixed feelings for. It throws back to the positivity of Crystal Empire, a little too much with the overwhelming bagpipes, but some sections are still well-done. One final standout "Land of Light" can be considered the "Final Countdown" for this band, with the mid-tempo mix of horns and guitar and the fact that it's the band's signature song. Then the "Outro" ends the adventure, with a reprise to the "Intro" and the opening melody of "Spirit of Daedalus''.

Freedom Call can make anyone smile with their happy good-mood power metal sound, whether in a small concert or big festival. Although this live release is a pretty great throwback to when I enjoyed power metal so much, I think replacing a few happy-joy-joy songs with ones from Stairway to Fairyland and The Circle of Life is all I wish for....

Favorites (one per album including new studio track): "The M.E.T.A.L. Fest", "Union of the Strong", "Tears of Babylon", "Metal Invasion", "M.E.T.A.L.", "Freedom Call", "Power & Glory", "Metal is for Everyone", "Far Away"

Well I decided to give some listening and a review to Unbroken's debut Ritual, and it's just not meant for my ears. It sounds too much like they tried to combine the hardcore of Strife at the time with the thrash of Anthrax and the in-between of Suicidal Tendencies, with less metal emphasis, in more of a thrashy hardcore mix than metalcore, close to Neurosis' first two albums. "Zero Hour" is a decent metallic standout, but that's pretty much it. I like their second album Life Love Regret far more than this hardcore sh*t....

Favorites (only one I decently like): "Zero Hour"

As I continue to test out my strength in The Pit, I decided to check out another Testament album, their latest one, at least until their next album that will possibly continue the 4-year intervals between releases. The quality is still in a decent strong level as in the other Testament album I've review, The Formation of Damnation. There are quite some good things to enjoy in album #13, Titans of Creation...

Adding to the "13" superstition, the album was released during the dark terrors of COVID, and in the weeks surrounding the album's release, vocalist Chuck Billy and bassist Steve Di Giorgio were both tested positive for the virus. Fortunately, they recovered. And the positive reception this 12-track album claimed is a good light in the darkness.

Opening up "Children of the Next Level" is what to expect in this awesome song and the rest of the album, thrash aggression with some melody. Kicking up the heavy drums is "WWIII". What's also interesting in that song in the main riff. "Dream Deceiver" has a catchy chorus. Moving forward, "Night of the Witch" displays a bit of rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson's Ihsahn-like screamed vocals that he adopted from his other band Dragonlord.

Opening the next composition "City of Angels" is some prominent thick bass that thrashes along with the rhythm guitar. Then we get ahead to "Ishtar’s Gate", which has an Egyptian-like vibe in the music. Next tune "Symptoms" has some cool riffing melody in the intro, which then leads to heavier patterns. While they're worth moshing along to, they're a little too predictable and at fault. "False Prophet" is where is the earlier glory of this album seems to be fading out. The heaviness is still around, but at that point, it's getting more predictable and listeners would want something to really spice it up.

"The Healers" returns to the death/thrash glory that has swept the American nation in the late 80s, even having unexpected tremolos. "Code of Hammurabi" with more of the prominent bass playing a riff that is then played by the guitars, lead straight into typical thrash. The album's last full song, "Curse of Osiris" is filled with the pure heaviness of thrash that shall ignite speedy mosh-pits. You can't forget the black metal-ish parts with more of Peterson's vocals. "Catacombs" is an OK sign-off outro.

In the chaos of a deadly disease, Titans of Creation proves that no matter how old the members are, they're as strong as they were when they were young. For 4 decades, one of the most well-known American thrash bands besides the Big 4 continue their roots and reinvent themselves with more of the heavy riff complexity from the guitar duo of Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick. The drumming by Gene Hoglan has more progressive diversity. Listeners might argue that this album is twice as long as a thrash release should be, with only the singles being good. I still find good unique work in a few other songs, not just the singles, though some improvement could've been in order....

Favorites: "Children of the Next Level", "WWIII", "Night of the Witch", "City of Angels", "The Healers", "Curse of Osiris"

There was one song from this album that I discovered via a YouTube ad that made me up to checking out this band's material, which we'll get to later in the review. I decided to check out their debut album Vastaus before getting to this album. It was decently good, but there were a few odd aspects, to me anyway, one of them being Finnish lyrics. After that, I knew I would have to go their second album that includes the main reason for my discovery of this band. It was only A MATTER OF TIME...

Alase is a Finnish post-/progressive metal band. They blend different styles in atmospheric melody, even beyond what's conventional in metal. A Matter of Time is a pretty good 9-song journey, and the English lyrics make things more understandable.

First song "Understanding the Waves" starts in soft light before the heavy darkness. The music and vocals seem to connect differently from one another. "Clear Sky is Not a Curse" has slow atmosphere despite its short length. The clean leads in the middle have good weight. There are nice harmonic vocals, but again, it's not music-connected. "Fate's Intervention" is heavier with harsh vocals, almost like they're blending Katatonia's recent material with Brave Murder Day. They shine against those parallel cleans.

"Unburden" has better consistency, but it seems like any excitement is out of reach. The atmosphere really could've had a greater approach. However, "Life Ahead" has a nice developing charm. "The Source" is the song that made me up to checking out this band. Atmospheric bass and vocals lead to a well-done blend of heavy and ethereal.

"Out of Place" takes on a darker tone. Sadly, the direction is, like the title suggests, out of place. Some sections can be a bit confusing. "Feeling Free" is short with consistent melody. Despite being a soft ballad, it's quite favorable. "Ajan Kysymys" is a heavier closing track. It's basically the album's title track as it's the title in Finnish. Bass, leads, and vocals are all in a nice blend. It's a very cohesive song and my second favorite here behind "The Source".

All in all, A Matter of Time is good but in need of some improvement. This atmospheric progressive metal sound is quite nice. While the vocals have diverse variety, they should've connected better with the music. No matter the band's intentions, anyone should experience this ethereal melody....

Favorites: "Fate's Intervention", "The Source", "Feeling Free", "Ajan Kysymys"

Alase is a practically unknown yet underrated band. They had released a string of singles with drummer Janne Kusmin before he left to continue his focus on Kalmah. Taking his place was Toni Paananen, and then the time came for the band to make their debut album...

This band is quite atmospheric, the same kind of atmosphere you would find in The Ocean and 21st century Katatonia. Alase cooked up a cauldron in Vastaus (Answer) that isn't about disharmonic cacophony, but instead, smooth post-progressive metal atmosphere. The vocals that alternate between clean and harsh perform mostly Finnish lyrics, which doesn't let me enjoy the album as much as I should, but it still comes out decently well.

The title track is a short slow intro. "Näkyvä" (Visible) is the first full song, and it has dark melancholy mixed with dreamy air to make a unique blend. "Binary Stars" is the only song in the album to have English lyrics. With that and its blend of beauty and heaviness, it's a well-done highlight.

The ethereal "Osa Minua" (Part of Me) is not something to dance to in a party. It's worth listening to while floating in your stream of consciousness. A mentionable track to start the second side is "Vaienneet" (Silenced). It's a soft intermission of beautiful atmosphere. It offers all that you need, but there's not much to say about it.

Harsh vocals can be heard greatly in "Vapaaksi Merkitty" (Marked as Free) (why am I visualizing a mermaid kid cat?) push things along like a tidal wave. That's probably the heaviest song in the album! What I enjoy is "Riisuttu" (Stripped) which, despite its title, builds up slowly high, approaching the album's climax. "Haukka" (Hawk) ends the album with a solid blend of the ethereal space of Hawkwind and the metal serenity of 2000s Amorphis.

Vastaus starts the band off in a somewhat good level, but I feel there could've been a lot more improvement, along with more English lyrics. The band would achieve that potential with another release to follow....

Favorites: "Binary Stars", "Vaienneet", "Riisuttu", "Haukka"

If you thought Chapter I was bizarre and disturbing, let me tell you, there's more of that in Chapter II. Electronic rhythms come in to guide you through a surreal yet pleasant nightmare. This unique motive of adding true crime lyrics to gothic-ish industrial rock/metal I have more leeway towards than I would have when I was younger.

"Jim Jones" is based on the Jonestown Massacre, a mass murder-suicide in which approximately 909 people died, a 3rd of that amount being children, and most of them drank Flavor Aid cyanide. Jim Jones was the cult leader, and he shot himself in the head. The song is darker than even the more extreme metal genres, and yet I'm intrigued. Just remember, life is too precious to be laid down.

"Tyler Hadley" is one of the most disturbing songs I heard in industrial metal, and metal in general. An industrial metal gone trap song about a teen who bludgeoned his parents to death with a hammer, hid the bodies in the closet, and threw a party, then he was arrested the next day and sentenced to life in prison. The song is pretty great though. "You should feel lucky, why don't you feel lucky?" Finally, the emotional "Katherine Knight" has a bit of a Lady Gaga-like pop vibe. It's based on a woman who murdered her husband and was intending to make herself and her children cannibals to that man. So crazy, yet the song mesmerizes me.

Innovative melody is twisted with the darkest real-life stories to ever occur, thanks to Skynd and the ongoing industrial party they've been having. It's an amazing experience that's filled with horror while quite inspiring!

Favorites: "Jim Jones", "Katherine Knight"

This here is gonna be a two-part review as I explore one of the darkest non-extreme metal bands I've heard in my life, the first part being their first EP. Skynd is known for basing their songs on true crime, including notable real-life deaths and murders. The creepiness may not be for the faint of heart, but it works well for the experienced...

"Elisa Lam" is based on a college student whose body was mysteriously found in a cistern at the Cecil Hotel. It's a little too deranged for me to love, but still quite solid. "Gary Heidnik" is based on a murderer who brutally tortured and/or killed several women and hid them in a chamber under his basement. The song features Jonathan Davis of Korn, and has more of an electro-industrial sound with a bit of pop and trap. With that said, I like it!

The clever "Richard Ramirez" is my favorite of this EP. Skynd herself sings more naturally here, and it's quite fantastic, though I'm OK with the strange effects. Richard Ramirez was another serial killer, known as the Night Stalker.

So far the music is so disturbing, and while I do enjoy it, I can understand why other people don't. To be continued in Chapter II....

Favorites: "Gary Heidnik", "Richard Ramirez"

Lard's final release before a 20-year hiatus is, similarly to The Power of Lard, a 3-track EP with each track having a different style. They're a few outtakes from their two full-length albums. Is this EP worth closing the initial part of the career? Well...

The 7-minute title track is, in a word, HILARIOUS. Let me tell you, this is the band's attempt to parody the cheesy classic 70s rock of Aerosmith and AC/DC. The lyrics are quite ridiculous, especially the chorus that keeps declaring that this kind of sound must die. Biafra seems to do a good job impersonating Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses. You never usually hear something both headbanging and hilarious at the same time, and people say only Spinal Tap could do something like that. It's definitely a break from the punky attitude of bands like Dead Kennedys (Jello Biafra's former band). It's just so d*mn funny. I'm not sure what I was thinking adding that song to the next Sphere playlist.

The next track "Volcanus 2000 (We Wipe the World)" has the band's usual industrial rock/metal first introduced in the 1988 Ministry album, tackling those who want to imitate Nine Inch Nails. There are some people who think this kind of sound is stinky garbage, but if you get more to the sound like I am, you might some decent enjoyment. "Ballad of Marshall Ledbetter" stomps with the industrial metal sound once more.

So we have one track parodying 70s rock, and two industrial rock/metal songs. All I can say is, Lard could've had a much better way than this EP to sign off.....

Favorites: all tracks, though the title track isn't too well-fitting