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Well, after a marathon of reviewing Guardians classics, it's time to balance out my palate with something a lot darker and heavier. I encountered this Killwhitneydead album in a video the other day and decided to give it a shot. And compared to the other release I've reviewed, the debut Inhaling the Breath of a Bullet... WHAT THE F*** HAPPENED?!?

Killwhitneydead really went downhill in their second release Never Good Enough for You. The album cover of blood and nudity is bad enough, but for the music itself... There are still many samples used just like Inhaling the Breath of a Bullet. What made that EP acceptable was that release's length, which made the amount of samples still the same yet acceptable. When this music/sample alternation goes on for a half-hour, it gets boring and makes you wonder why the band has never been sued for the samples. The growls and riffing don't sound all that great, particularly when there could've been blasts where there are barely any. A few breakdowns are quite good though...

"You Will Get Exactly What You Deserve (and Not One Bullet Less)" gives me something special, a brutal breakdown similar to early Job for a Cowboy. "She Didn't Look Like She Had a Disease" is only one more track I like, and what a surprise! Several other tracks have melodeath leads, but here they go full-on power metal/grind/deathcore, with some clean falsetto singing! Who knew that was even a thing?! As for the rest, it sounds too flat. This sh*t is never good enough for me or anyone....

Favorites (only tracks I even slightly like): "You Will Get Exactly What You Deserve (and Not One Bullet Less)", "She Didn't Look Like She Had a Disease"

Not really a deathcore guy, not really a nu metal guy, so this "nu metalcore" that Wikipedia apparently has an article for doesn't really appeal to me beyond the fact that it's metal.  I checked out Slaughter to Prevail for a coworker and I politely told him that it was better than most of the deathcore I've heard, which isn't really untrue.  But it's only OK.  I didn't really expect much of a change when I heard about the new album.  But to be fair, each song had little tricks here and there that I appreciated.  Good portions of each song were built on these little tricks basically being major focal points.  Unfortunately, none of these aspects were really strong enough to differentiate this album from the vast majority of deathcore in the longrun.  Basically, this album manages to be catchy and edgy enough to get by on its own, with little amounts of creativity making it better than all the other generic nu metal and deathcore albums, but not a groundbreaker by any definition.

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I have a project list in my office for sub-genres I need to conduct a deep dive on. Pagan black metal is one item listed there as I have very little, formal knowledge of the sub-genre. When I come to a release that is tagged as “pagan” on the Metal Academy site I instantly think of folk metal, then I quickly remember that is a different thing. At least I think it is? Anyway, I won’t let the study of the tag take over the whole review, but if pagan black metal has more of what Aldaaron offer on Par-delà les cimes then I will be taking that deep dive sooner rather than later. The title of the album translates as “how pagan black metal differs to folk metal”. No, wait that’s wrong. “Beyond the Peaks” is the correct translation and the album is dedicated to their fallen comrade Thöl who covered bass duties in the band 2010-2012. Sadly, he passed away in 2022.

The album caught me off guard in two aspects if I am honest. Firstly, its potent aggression is vivid and striking from the off. The harrowing scream that starts album opener ‘Antediluvian Prophecies’ is an early taste of the venom of Aldaaron have coursing through their veins. The second item that was unexpected is how atmospheric and expansive the sound is here. Beyond those earthy tones there are soaring tremolos and majestic melodies that loop up into the air around them. Although the release has a thirty-six-minute duration, there are only four tracks here and with a couple of them stretching over the ten-minute mark it is important that the main duo of Ioldar and Voldr create some enchantment to these tracks. Thankfully they achieve this in bundles.

The choral passages are unobtrusive and befitting to the aesthetic of the album. Spaced well apart from the blackened material that drive the tracks in the main, these more ethereal sections are a clever contrast option. The charging tremolo of tracks such as ‘Chants d’hiver et de solitude’ are a joy to behold. Add into this mix, the thoughtful production job that allows each instrument some space to be heard. The vocals are superb throughout, with their ghastly edge creating atmospheres all of their own. The way you can pick out the bass on the final track, ‘Under the Icy Sky, Memories Fade Away’ is pleasing on the ear and the soaring lead work only adds to the allure of the track. A superb discovery, if not a little too short overall.

There are some decent sounding hooks/melodies inside Affliction Vortex, but they are very tricky to find since they are interspersed in between some painfully generic gothic doom metal. Dawn of Solace seem to be stuck in a creative divot where every track on this record uses the same tonal center and similar tempo. I would imagine that listening to this from top-to-bottom would be an absolute chore. When taking the album apart, the promotional singles of "Fortress" and "Invitation" were solid, but when thrown into the gauntlet, they lose much of their splendor. Even in comparison to recent death doom/gothic doom albums I've reviewed in recent memory, they all seemed to have some kind of unique flare to them; whether that be the bands overall sound, or they liked to play around with styles between the individual tracks. Dawn of Solace have none of this and it hurts Affliction Vortex in a big way.

Best Songs: Fortress, Into the Light, Invitation

To me, I liken a good doom record to the looming threat of a thunderstorm. The smell of that electricity in the air that crackles along your nasal passages, causing your ears to strain in the distance for that first rumble of thunder or have you reach for the light switch to plunge the room into darkness so your eyes can catch that first flash of lightning. This record gives me that vibe. It is not that I am expecting a full-blown thunderstorm experience from the record, far from it. Grief’s Internal Flower holds me in that pensive, excited and anticipatory state nicely. Whilst it would be a push to call it the calm before the storm, it is still an enjoyable experience for the looming presence it creates. Abated by the almost hushed, monotone of Cottrell’s vocals layered like pasta sheets in a fuzzy lasagne the album lulls me a little, giving a false sense of security. Then, on the strike of a drum or the dancing melody of a lead, the sky lights up in the distance. A big, bold wall of sheet lightning makes its appearance known and I switch my focus to the rumble of some thunder from the bass or rhythm section overall.

Tracks like ‘Tanngrisnir’ open big and loud yet possess some regimented nature in the tightness of the bands sound still. It is not necessarily a catchy record in the strictest sense of the term, yet the head is banging, and the foot is stomping along to the funereal death march of the drums and the monolithic chug of the guitars. It is an infectious sound to my ears at least, the competency of the artists in a style of music that feels inherently laid-back carries a devoted level of intensity still. The Electric Wizard influence is strong, unavoidable in fact. But it is such a genuine representation of that sound that I cannot help but lap it up.

Having recently discovered Cottrell’s solo work (which debuted the same year as this record), I am a fan of her non-metal stuff. However, the ballad, ‘Sparrow’ does very little for me here. It is well positioned in the album, giving a change of pace in the middle of the record but I am so caught up in all this thick doomy goodness that I find it an unnecessary distraction almost. Of course, by this point we are shaping up for the run into the album’s conclusion. Two lengthy tracks await us, with both clocking in at over fourteen-minutes. ‘Hesperus’ may have a glacial pace to it, but it is so harrowing in its delivery that it just would not work in a shortened format. As a track, it does shift restlessly at times and the way it just cuts off in full flow at the end is baffling to me. ‘Kingfisher’ is borderline a stretch too far for me at this point. There’s just too much to process at the back end of the album with these two tracks laid side-by-side in the running order. Whilst there are obvious differences between the two tracks from a structural perspective, it is still two massive tracks backloaded onto the album together.

In isolation, even on separate albums if not at least at opposite ends of this one, the tracks are not poor. However, they do not complement each other well. Acoustic album closer, ‘Aition’ serves some soothing purpose almost by proxy, but I sense that closing the album with ‘Hesperus’ is a missed trick unfortunately.  So a mixed bag in all for me on this one, still undeniably well performed and well written, even though the arrangement does leave a lot to be desired overall. 

Oh GOD do i love this album. I have started listening to metal relatively recently. Around 6-7 months ago and after starting with numetal at the beggining i wanted to expand my music taste. Among first albums that i listened to was this one. Before those 4-5 months ago (since the numetal phase lasted for around a month and a half i would say), i was really harsh on albums. I didnt make playlists but i rather liked songs and then listened to that playlist, so i was REAAAALLY picky about putting stuff in my playlist. Unless the song was, for my taste around 8.5/10 i wasnt putting it in my playlist. Probably my favorite albums until then were "Around the fur" by Deftones and "Hybrid theory" by Linkin Park and a few of Metallica's records, and even those albums had some skips (now relistening to them most of them dont even have them lol), so i didnt find a no skip album, UNTIL this album came in. Since the band wasnt super mainstream, my dumbass thought this would be underproduced bs that i would forget in the following few weeks or so. But then i started listening to it, and oh boy was i wrong. 8 song with catchy and technical riffing! My favorites are "Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis)", "Son Of Lillith", "Metamorphosis", "Pale Sister". Honestly, there is not a single bad song. Really like their album cover too! Never learnt what it meant or anything but a guy extendng his hand towards the viewer of the cover with the wavy effect and everything really is cool if i'm being honest. Still i wouldnt definitely say this is a PERFECT album. From time to time it does tend to get boring, and Ron's vocals, even though quite unique do get a bit annoying. Apart from that i have 0 other critiques. Also it would be good to say that this is my first album review ever, so i may have not noticed some things that are worthy of mention, bad or good. That's all.

I may have been overly harsh toward Deftones in 2020 with Ohms. I could tell that it was a serviceable project with enough solid moments, but I just could not see it as a standout amongst a discography that includes White Pony and Diamond Eyes. But upon further inspection, songs like “Genesis” and “Pompeji” were stronger than I remember them and Ohms also had a strong production to wipe the slate from Gore.

This new album, Private Music, features the return of Nick Raskulinecz as primary producer. This excited me, since Koi no yokan was also produced by Nick which, while considered a fan favourite, I hold Diamond Eyes in higher regard. And Nick’s presence can be felt almost instantly on Private Music with “My Mind Is a Mountain” having that distinct, early 2010s Deftones sound that was more melodic and atmospheric. Later tunes like “I Think About You All the Time” and “Souvenir” feel deliberate but not boring, leaving the listener in an almost trance-like state; something Deftones are very proficient at.

Deftones are a band that do not have to reinvent the wheel that often given their blend of shoegaze and metal music, even this far into their careers. And sure, Private Music might not be much of a progressive marvel for the group but like with an album such as The Sin and the Sentence by Trivium, you can hear Deftones maneuvering their way through their catalogue in a nostalgic kind of way. I already mentioned how Nick Raskulinecz’s production gives the album a feeling of nostalgia for those early 2010s albums, but as the album gets slower and more longing, pieces of White Pony start to show their face. And of course, you have tunes like “cXz”, “Cut Hands” and “Metal Dream” which feel closer to the original Deftones sounds of Adrenaline and Around the Fur.

Compositionally I really enjoy this record. It is more atmospheric than I would have liked, so I found that some of the truly mesmerizing hooks in the guitar or Chino Moreno’s vocals were a little lacking, but Deftones use space incredibly well. There are sometimes where the guitar work sounds a little bit oppressive through endless wall-of-sound soundscapes, but whenever you have a break as in the outro of “Souvenir”, or the intro riff to “I Think About You All the Time”, it sticks the landing. Also, Chino’s vocals are as pronounced as ever and sound even less like ASMR.

Private Music is just a solid album. For a couple of thirty-five-year-old veterans, Deftones know how to keep a fanbase entertained. Even in their legacy years, Deftones can pull from their past without having it sound derivative. They also have sections that pay homage to the groups influenced by them (i.e. Thornhill on “Milk of the Madonna”). Highly recommended even as a legacy project.

Best Songs: My Mind is a Mountain, Infinite Source, Souvenir, I Think About You All the Time, Departing the Body

Turns out I am a sucker for the rawer end of black metal. As much as I can dig (earlier) Enslaved or atmospheric wonders from the likes of Drudkh and even blackened dm from the Akhlys of this world, give me a meat ‘n potatoes black metal record like Thorn Bringer and I am as happy as a pig in the proverbial. With the blazing intensity of Gorgoroth slicing through all in its path, the third album from Norway’s Khaos Aura is not here to show any mercy. In a year that has seen Altar of Woe charge straight to the top of my EOY black metal list, Khaos Aura were always going to be a strong entry on that list.

I would concede that there is at least some melody and alteration of pace present on Thorn Bringer though. As frenzied as it can be, there is also a sense of how well placed some of the blows are. Equally at home in nicking the skin of the listener as they are in slicing through flesh, Khaos Aura are a calculating pair. Building as true a picture of Norwegian black metal as you could hope to see, Thorn Bringer possesses a real venom to it. But instead of just relying on its bite to placate its victims, it is just as at ease coiling and slithering around limbs and into orifices to maximise the potential of its threat.

With lo-fi but not too primitive production values, the album sounds ugly without being alienating. The borderline ambient closing to ‘Sort Vintertrolldom’ contrasts perfectly well with the jangling guitar attack of the track that follows it, ‘An Empire of Unlight’. So, all in all, Thorn Bringer is right up my alley really. It brings the rawness but shows character with it, just as it shows real heart for the good old days of Norwegian black metal. Worth noting that Torkus who handles drums and synths for Khaos Aura also has his own project, Tornekrans which is a little more roughshod than this and is also worth a listen.

I am a big fan of Onslaught's first two albums. Let's face it they were one of the very few thrash metal bands of any real consequence that hailed from the UK, so a bit of local bias came into play to endear them to me, even though those two albums are really good anyway. However, I have never listened to any of their post-reformation albums. Well, the intervening years between the 1991 split and 2004 reformation had seen the thrash world fall under the thrall of the groove gods, with the shadow cast by the likes of Pantera and Machine Head proving to be almost all-encompassing. In the 21st century it feels like the thrash world split into two distinct camps, the bands who embraced extremity and incorporated more death or black metal into their sound (let's call these the good ones) and those who sold their souls to the groove gods (for argument's sake we will call these the bad ones) in the hunt for increased record sales. Listening to "Killing Peace" it is obvious that Onslaught took the latter path, despite their earlier stuff suggesting they would be more likely to embrace the former.

To be honest, after only a handful of tracks I had had enough of this, it's groove-oriented approach sounding far too much like a knock-off Machine Head for me to stomach it for long. I stuck it out until the end as I was out dog-walking and it was easier to keep listening than change it. However, come album's end I had the horrible empty feeling in the stomach that I get when I realise a band I once really dug has sold out and is nothing more than a trend-following shell of its former glory. In fairness only two of the guys who recorded "Power From Hell" were present on "Killing Peace", drummer Steve Grice and lead guitarist Nige Rockett who had even relegated himself to rhythm guitar in the new band, but even so, the latter album sounds like it was conceived and recorded by a completely different band, possibly one from a different dimension such is the lack of connection I make to it. For me, this is akin to the chasm in quality between St Anger and Master of Puppets.

On the plus side the production is super clean, as you would expect from an album recorded this century and there are a couple of quite gnarly solos, with opener "Burn" being a case in point. Steve Grice's drumming is very good too and is one of the only reasons to listen to this more than once, which I am doing right now, so dedicated am I to delivering a considered opinion! The lead vocals are pretty horrible though ("Destroyer of Worlds" is just painful), the gang backing vocals are even worse and those bouncy, groove-oriented riffs are anathema to all I hold dear. Add in yet another overused "I am become death" Oppenheimer sample and I have just about had it with this.

I originally had this pegged as a 2.5, but further listening has hardened my opinion agaginst it and I can't bring myself to go higher than a 2.0. I will definitely stick with Onslaught's 80s stuff and file their reform albums in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet in the shed at the bottomof the garden marked "Do Not Listen - Ever".

I am a big fan of this Parma five-piece and was stoked to see they had a new album out, with minimal fanfare from the metal world, a long six years since previous offering "The Wolves of Thelema". Their brand of doom metal sits smack-bang between the stoner and the epic, with a wide streak of occult psychedelia, in the vein of The Devil's Blood, running through it's dark heart.

They have a quite distinctive sound, chiefly down to mainman Dorian Bones' vocals which come on like a mixture of the gothic flavour of Paradise Lost's Nick Holmes and the expansive epicness of a Robert Lowe. Over the previous decade and a half they have also become exceedingly proficient at writing more memorable, uptempo doomy riffs that are likely to be rolling around your head for hours after the record stops spinning. The rhythm section is exceedingly solid, with both drummer Mike De Chirico and bassist Henry Bones solidly and unshowily driving the tracks along and providing a solid foundation on which everything else is built.

The opening one-two of the punchy and catchy "Scarlet Love" and the slower and doomier "Aiwass Calling" sees the album kick off in fine style with two of the album's strongest numbers. Most of the tracks are mid-paced affairs, but the band do include a couple of slower, more doom-laden numbers with the aforementioned "Aiwass Calling" and the penultimate "Fire Walk With Me" being well-placed to prevent the album from sounding too samey. I feel there is a bit of a drop-off in the middle, though, with side one closer "Antikristos" and side two opener "Beyond Daath" not really hitting the spot for me. "Antikristos" feels like the band are fishing to catch the Jex Thoth / Devil's Blood crowd and "Beyond Daath", despite having a decent riff, leans too much into the occult theatrics vocally. Luckily things pick up with the album's doomiest (and my favourite) track "Fire Walk With Me" imparting a bit of class before closer "Interstellar Snakes of Gold" rounds things out with a melodic chorus and nice riff.

As much as I enjoyed Spiritus, I find myself being reluctant to impart a top-tier score. The main reason for this is the lack of adventure the band display, particularly in the restraint with which the guitar leads are deployed and their willingness to stick to the same old formula which has, admittedly, served them very well over the years. I think the album is lacking a really good solo or two with the leads mainly used to add melody over the riffs when I couldn't help feeling that on a couple of occasions they could have really let rip, but feel constrained by the tight discipline of the songwriting. The closing section of the aforementioned "Fire Walk With Me" is the only really extensive solo and even that feels like it is being held in check when it should howl and soar.

In truth, I don't need a band to constantly be pushing the envelope and redefining themselves for me to enjoy them, but sometimes they can be found sitting just a little bit too comfortably and I feel like that about Caronte at this point in their career. There are some good tracks here, but it feels to me like there is a little too much filler too with "Antikristos", "Beyond Daath" and "Interstellar Snakes of Gold" almost feeling like a band going through the motions and I hate saying this about a band I enjoy as much as I do Caronte.

I haven't listened to a whole lot from L.A.'s 16, but what I have, I have always found to be angry and confrontational, from a band railing at the world, their relationships and even themselves. Guides for the Misguided starts off in much the same vein with a couple of quick-tempo efforts, Bobby Ferry's anguished and angsty shouting almost making me suspect that they are trying to grab the attention of the metalcore crowd and the band coming off as the result of a cross-pollination of Crowbar and Converge.

However, things soon take a turn down a different alley with third track, "Blood Atonement Blues". Starting with a piano intro that is rapidly swamped by a really nice bluesy, howling lead. The track then turns down an unexpected gothic metal sidestreet, complete with a catchy chorus which isn't as good as the rest of the track, although that howling guitar lead does make a very welcome return. At this point I must admit I was now a bit thrown off track, thinking I knew what I was getting here, but subsequently having those expectations trashed. "Fortress of Hate" is a groovier slab of sludge metal that I would, once more, associate more with Crowbar than I would -16-. This groovier approach and the deployment of generally more catchy choruses continues with "Proudly Damned" and especially "Fire and Brimstone Inc" which has one of those choruses that you just can't shift from your head.

I am then even more confounded by "Desperation Angel" which sounds like a sludge metal track that has been written by Dave Grohl and, even though it is more aggressive-sounding than most of the preceeding tracks with the harsh vocals coming back to the fore at last, it just doesn't quite hit hard enough for my liking. In fact it isn't until "Resurrection Day" that I get the anger and visciousness that I turn to a -16- album for, although the track is a little bit patchy in truth. This is followed, though, by the quite short "Give Thanks and Praises" which has much more of a hardcore feel and so is a better representation of what I personally look for from the band and which, despite it's brevity, is probably my favourite track. Admittedly the album does finish more strongly with "Give Thanks" being followed by the hulking "Kick Out the Chair".

In conclusion, "Guides for the Misguided" probably threw more curve balls at me than I was expecting. This may not be entirely out of character as this is only the third album I have heard from the band, but it does seem at odds with what I have heard previously, not with a massive departure exactly, but it feels like an album from a band toning down their aggressive tendencies in order to garner wider acceptance. Look, this is not a bad album and has some fine moments, it may turn out that this is one hell of a grower and I may look back in future days perplexed at my intital reactions, but at this moment in time I am a little disappointed that -16- have seemingly watered-down their venom.

If anyone has tried to convince me a few years ago to give some power metal albums like this another shot, I probably would've said "I'll think about it" and left that request in the dust. But now that I'm back in The Guardians, with the playlists making me feel more confident about the clan than during my break from it, it's time for another spin.

Dark Moor's 3rd album The Gates of Oblivion is still one of the best albums of power metal that isn't DragonForce or Kamelot. Ever since my first time listening to it over a decade away, I've been mind-blown by all those riffs, melodies, choruses, and solos, all sounding so catchy and technical. And with those fantasy lyrics, it's the kind of cheese that I can have in my system. From start to finish, it's an incredible journey to love and appreciate!

Beginning the album is a true kick-A example of power metal, "In the Heart of Stone". Lots of speedy riffing, plus great vocal melody from Elisa C. Martin. She can go from tough to serene and back again in the blink of an eye. The verses sound epic, as does the chorus with its fantastic leads. "A New World" doesn't lose any power from the previous track. It opens with incredible riffing followed by mystical keys that leads to more of the furious verses. The mood stays strong as Martin belts out her highs in the chorus. The soloing by founding guitarist Enrik Garcia is one of the best here. It's an unforgettable journey to remember, just like Christopher Columbus' discovery of America that's detailed in the lyrics. The band's neoclassical influence shines in the title interlude, a f***ing beautiful keyboard instrumental. "Nevermore" is based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. "Starsmaker (Elbereth)" is a heavier gem, though it starts with a lovely acoustic intro and maintains the melodic beauty for another adventure. It's like a mighty battle between vocals, guitars, and keys. Then we have another epic memorable chorus. You can consider the whole song a story of sorts!

"Mist in the Twilight" is another keyboard interlude. It leads to another one of my favorite tracks here, "By the Strange Paths of Destiny". Incredible guitars and keys here! The riffing power is in perfect balance with the keyboard magic. The soloing is filled with versatile energy. And we have beautiful vocal power from Martin in the chorus which has a glimpse of upfliting light in the midst of the dark sorrow. A true hard-hitter! Next, "The Night of the Age" has more atmosphere for Martin to shine in the spotlight. The solos and riffs are quite excellent and don't mess with the brilliance of Martin's vocals. Everything's well-paced! Well, her vocals are a little restrained in the verses but it's made up for by her impressive highs in the chorus. Wonderful speed before the next track that is a ballad... "Your Symphony" is a beautiful ballad. Nothing sappy. Just keys, acoustics, and singing, all that stir up the vibe of a forest fairy's tale. It's a ballad that's meant to be in the album, unlike those other ballads that disrupt the flow of the albums they're in.

The last leg of this album starts with "The Citadel of the Light", one more interlude that sounds like something from the Old School RuneScape soundtrack. It segues to "A Truth for Me" with some of the most anthemic verses of the album. Then at last, we reach the epic climax of this offering, "Dies Irae (Amadeus)", paying tribute to Mozart's works. The most incredible guitar technicality by Garcia is one of the many things that make this Dark Moor's most fascinating epic. As incredible as this is, I feel like there could've been slight trimming to tone down some of the repetition. Still I wouldn't change a thing, and it's all worth it in the end. One tiny miniscule flaw won't weigh anything down. The Russian edition comes with the bonus track "The Shadow of the Nile" which is great but could've been put before the epic instead of after.

All in all, The Gates of Oblivion is Dark Moor's finest hour of power metal reflection. Sadly, they would never replicate the magic, with all members except Garcia leaving the band the following year before the recording their self-titled 4th album, though bassist Anan Kaddouri would stick around for that then leave too. Martin would move on to other bands such as Dreamaker and Fairyland. Her replacement, Alfred Romero is great at singing as well, but just not as magnificent as Martin. The Gates of Oblivion is one of the most essential albums of power metal. If you're a power metal fan who hasn't heard this album, you should. See you at the gates!

Favorites: "In the Heart of Stone", "A New World", "Starsmaker (Elbereth)", "By the Strange Paths of Destiny", "The Night of the Age", "Dies Irae (Amadeus)"

Paradise Lost is known as an epic poem written by 17 century poet John Milton, centered around the fall of man and the fallen angel Lucifer. The dark romanticism of that tale would lyrically influence several metal bands. The British gothic metal band Paradise Lost was named after that epic, and then we have an entire concept album based on the story, Symphony X's epic masterpiece Paradise Lost!

This was another very important album for me over a decade before this review. It was at this point when the band distanced from most of their neoclassical power metal roots and became progressive. The increase in odd time signatures and heavy riffing gives it away while still keeping you hooked with melodic choruses.

The bombastic orchestral overture "Oculus Ex Inferni" starts the album, painting the skies with the flames of a beginning war. Then the first actual song "Set the World on Fire" gets the action rolling in this battle of angels and demons. Attacking hard is "Domination" with top-notch vocals by vocalist Russell Allen, sounding vicious while staying clean. "Serpent's Kiss" has some killer groove, though it's a little more an average song, while not deducting the album's perfect 5-star rating.

The title track is a beautiful ballad. A little subdued, but still great. There's more the catchy fury in "Eve of Seduction". I can practically memorize those lyrics and maybe try to sing them, despite them having some cheesy romance. That's brushed aside by the blend of the album's progressive metal with their earlier speedy power metal. It's also a solid break from their groove-ish tone in the songs before the title track. "The Walls of Babylon" takes their roots even further as some parts into the neoclassical and choral dynamics from The Divine Wings of Tragedy that were last greatly utilized in The Odyssey.

"Seven" is aptly titled in so many ways. It's the 7-minute 7th full song of the band's 7th album with the occasional 7/4 time signature. How symbolic can you get?! Another kick-A track! "The Sacrifice" is another ballad. It's not bad, just a little tame. But that's just the speedy side of me talking. The memorable 9-minute epic "Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia)" has so many cohesive ideas. If you can get hooked by the neoclassical leads and melodic chorus, you'll definitely wanna stick around for the rest.

For those new to the band's material, Paradise Lost is the best place to start, with its blend of complexity and accessibility. Longtime fans can also get a glimpse of many of their past works. 10 years before this review, this would've been my personal best album of 2007. The heavier albums are still fighting for the throne!

Favorites: "Set the World on Fire", "Domination", "Eve of Seduction", "Seven", "Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia)"

In all honesty, I'm glad we have star ratings in this site instead of percentage ratings. I wouldn't have to decide whether a 5-star album deserves a perfect 100% or not. The two other Symphony X albums I've given 5-star ratings to have one slight problem that would knock each one down to say 97% or 98%. But this album, The Odyssey is absolutely perfect, 100%! And although it's not a concept album like their 5th album V was, it captures different themes in each song to get you hooked.

Symphony X is known as a progressive metal band, though not in the same way as a band like Dream Theater. There's more technicality and orchestra, and the band can sound extreme while staying melodic. All this makes a perfect mix that I regret taking a long-a** break from.

We already get a full-on standout in "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)". Both the music and vocals sound so aggressive, heavier than their previous albums and hinting at their later ones. The riffing in the intro and verses really attack and mark the start of a more kick-A path for the band. "Wicked" loses some aggression but it's still quite wicked, with great soloing from both the guitar and keys. "Incantations of the Apprentice" is more eerie, containing some Lovecraft-infused lyrics. The vocals by Russell Allen can remind some of 70s Rainbow, particularly in the verses. Michael Romeo's guitarwork continues to shine, but Michael Pinnella's keys, not so much. But that's OK, because the guitars really help give the track some meat to beat.

Bringing back the keys right away after that previous track is "Accolade II", a soft while still heavy sequel to a track from The Divine Wings of Tragedy. Lots of piano beauty and audible bass in this one! My favorite part is a brief piano section with Allen's singing midway through the song, before the bridge. A couple minutes later, there's excellent soloing by Romeo. Absolutely breathtaking! Up next, "King of Terrors" flips the stylistic palate as the heaviest song by the band at that time. The riffing is simple yet heavier than most of the more melodic metal bands. While the vocals including the verses stay heavy, the piano lets out a slight calm moment then levels up the bass, drums, and vocals in the chorus. The song is based on Edgar Allan Poe's works, and it includes a spoken section from one of his poems. Add some keyboard/guitar complexity and you have what's basically early Queensryche gone Nightwish! "The Turning" is a short fast heavy track, and the riffs and leads throw back to their earlier neoclassical style.

"Awakenings" stands out with its synths and piano that sounds practically like a video game OST, plus beautiful singing by Allen. There's still some speed that DragonForce would later have. It's both the second-longest track of the album and my second favorite here. And only one track would surpass that one on both accounts... The title epic is the longest track the band has ever done, at over 24 minutes. You know how much I love long epics, especially when there's lots of fresh variation. I love those kinds of tracks as much as the less progressive listeners love tracks that are up to 6 minutes long. A true epic should never be so draggy throughout its length (looking at you, funeral doom "epics"!). In these 7 parts of this epic, things can switch from orchestral to acoustic to metal, often going from slow to fast back and forth. And the lyrics do the journey of Odysseus justice! All I have more to say is, it's one of the greatest epics in the metal part of my existence! The limited edition has two bonus tracks, starting with a 1998 re-recording of "Masquerade" from their 1998 debut. As great as the original! The other bonus track "Frontiers" is a standout with intricate soloing from the guitars and bass.

OK, let's look back at my earlier situation. I've considered The Odyssey one of the best albums both now and over a decade ago. If I focused on only this band and album and others in power/progressive metal, I probably would never have switched to modern heavy genres like metalcore/industrial metal. But if I stayed in those latter two genres today without looking back, I would've completely forgotten about masterpieces like this. With that said, I'm grateful for how everything turned out, and I'm grateful to still remember the perfection of this offering. Fans of metal and all music should give it a go. It's an odyssey that shall be remembered for eternity!

Favorites: "Inferno (Unleash the Fire)", "Accolade II", "Awakenings", "The Odyssey", "Frontiers" (bonus track)

The 5th Symphony X album and the second part of their quintessential quadrology isn't as perfect the other 3 albums, but it certainly marks a well-done entryway into their later progressive metal. The neoclassical madness last used prominently in Twilight in Olympus is fading out a bit, while the progressiveness starts to really build up, finalized in The Odyssey. V: The New Mythology Suite stands greatly on that fine line!

V is a concept album that covers different mystical locations such as Atlantis, Egypt, and space. The music and lyrics are quite beautiful, making this solid album almost as much of a masterpiece as the two albums surrounding it for the most part.

The "Prelude" gets you hooked for what this album has to offer. Then it segues to the first full song and highlight "Evolution (The Grand Design)". There's some more beauty within the melodies in "Fallen", fresh from the Egyptian side of the story. That song loses some energy towards the end, but at least we have a moment to relax in the next interlude... "Transcendence" is the second interlude that's strictly just orchestral keys, similar to the interludes in Dark Moor's The Gates of Oblivion.

Seguing from there is the amazing 8-minute "Communion and the Oracle". Then we have the short yet strong "The Bird-Serpent War/Cataclysm" that can be considered the "In the Dragon's Den" of this album. Unfortunately, in the interlude "On the Breath of Poseidon", their attempt at alternating between metal and orchestra just falls apart. While it's the worst part of the album, I wouldn't consider it a stinker and the 4.5-star album rating isn't affected. Similarly with "Egypt", I feel like it could've been better if some parts didn't sound so familar. Still great though. "The Death of Balance/Lacrymosa" is a strange yet awesome insturmental, enough to make a highlight.

"Absence of Light" has some slight weakness while still bearable not making the album rating any lower. "A Fool's Paradise" brings back the awesomeness of the album's first half. The "Rediscovery" segue is a nice build-up to the grand epic... "Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology" is an awesome 12-minute grand finale. It's epics like this that put them in the progressive metal club of Opeth and Dream Theater, and it reminds me that the glory is left unbroken.

I think this album would've been 1000% perfect if they've improved a few songs and segues, and indexed both "Rediscovery" parts as one track. Nonetheless, V: The New Mythology Suite is another excellent album that is practically a long progressive symphony!

Favorites: "Evolution (The Grand Design)", "Communion and the Oracle", "The Bird-Serpent War/Cataclysm", "The Death of Balance/Lacrymosa", "A Fool's Paradise", "Rediscovery (Part II) - The New Mythology"

My grand experience with Symphony X's 7th album Paradise Lost has made me up to revisiting more to this band's albums. One incredible place to start is Twilight in Olympus, which is yet another classic that I've listened to since over a decade ago and still remember its glory. And considering how much I was into the modern classical works of Two Steps From Hell before switching to metal, no wonder I loved bands and albums like this masterpiece back then!

This can be considered the "Thomas" album since it's the last one with former bassist Thomas Miller, and drummer Jason Rullo was temporarily replaced by Thomas Walling (RIP). I say this is the transition album between the neoclassical era of their first 3 albums and the power-ish progressive era of the 3 albums after this one.

Some of the best progressive metal to surpass Dream Theater occurs in the opener "Smoke and Mirrors", one of my favorite tracks by this band. All we have in the structure is the mundane verse-chorus that ends up getting a grand enhancement, displaying the band's skills without having to make a half-hour epic. The neoclassical madness of this band Symphony X may be hard for simple guitar listeners to understand. But there are great guitar solos to learn such as the one around the 4-minute mark, performed by the impressive Michael Romeo. He often duets with keyboardist Michael Pinella, creating a sea of melodies. The riffing is not what you often hear in melodic progressive metal. Also I love the melodic singing by Russell Allen. He never goes as ridiculously high as other power metal vocalists, and sometimes he sounds nicely rough for the thrashy sections. And oh yeah, the awesome bass by Thomas Miller is audible. I'm not sure why "Church of the Machine" started with an industrial noise-ridden intro, but that doesn't matter. The heavy verses are in perfect balance with the chorus that almost turns the song into the band's own "Bohemian Rhapsody". The ending is quite abrupt, but again it doesn't matter. It just leads straight to "Sonata", a short instrumental take on Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8.

"In the Dragon’s Den" shows that the band can kick a** with the progressive neoclassical metal sound. Sometimes, melody doesn't have to be as deathly as Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. You can get it from bands that are meant to sound like Symphony X, Stratovarius, and Nightwish. Short songs balance out against longer epics like this next track... "Through the Looking Glass" is a long melodic track, following the band's trend of having at least one long epic since their debut and carrying on to subsequent albums. It lasts for 13 minutes and follows the "FantasMic" idea of 3 parts with the last being the heaviest. It ends up getting a bit repetitive towards the end, but still great.

Next up is another short fast track "The Relic", complete with a perfect chorus. The riffing aggression carries on into "Orion - The Hunter" alongside amazing vocals in the verses. I'm not too fond of the soloing, but once again, the 5-star album rating stays intact. Similarly to the previous album, this one ends with a haunting ballad, "Lady of the Snow". Nice singing by Russell Allen and guitarwork by Michael Romeo. That's how metal ballads should be. Melancholic, not happy-sappy.

Twilight in Olympus has been quite a progressive journey through fantasy and mythology ala power metal lyrics, all poetic with only a small tasy dash of cheese. Romeo and Miller are two main songwriters in this album, but with Miller gone, Allen would take his place in the songwriting department. That early era ends as a new one begins!

Favorites: "Smoke and Mirrors", "Church of the Machine", "In the Dragon’s Den", "The Relic"

I really need to thank my brother for getting into this band and giving me the spark of massive interest that didn't ignite until just recently. Volbeat was formed by frontman Michael Poulsen in 2001 after disbanding his previous band Dominus, having enough of his former band's death metal sound and wanting to start anew. Volbeat's name comes from Dominus' 3rd album title. When checking out or revisiting some bands/albums, it's good to follow your heart, and you might just find a gem of sheer greatness!

I really love Volbeat's first two albums. But if there's one album that I think would surpass the other by a few percentage points, it's this one, Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil. It really seals the rock/metal gone rockabilly deal and would be an awesome recommendation for one of my rock/metal-loving pals.

We roll right into "The Human Instrument", a favorite of mine and my brother's, proving that Elvis metal works like a dream. The kick-A power is still kept up in "Mr. & Mrs. Ness", continuing the story that started in the debut album's "Danny & Lucy". The song hints at the band's heavier side in their next album Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood, in which the story continues again. The next track is the popular half-ballad half-rocker "The Garden’s Tale". I actually love this song! It's probably because I was never in Denmark nor the United States in 2007 when the song was played to f***ing death. It's quite catchy as f***, pretty much breaking down the wall between slow-dancing and moshing. Vocal hooks cover the devilishly fast "Devil or the Blue Cat's Song".

Now if you're looking for a punchy banger, look no further to "Sad Man’s Tongue". It starts with acoustic country that would have Johnny Cash fans swooning, then f***ing speeds up into metal including a kick-A breakdown that you can't resist headbanging to. "River Queen" tops it off as another groove-ish banger. If I wasn't into this kind of metal 10 years ago, I would be listening to that song and the opener a sh*t-ton of times! Up next is "Radio Girl". I don't love it as much as many people do, but it still rules. "A Moment Forever" is fast as a motherf***er!

Next up, "Soulweeper #2" is another sequel to a song from the debut. This one still holds the romantic vibe of the first "Soulsweeper" song. If you thought the first track was the most Elvis-like metal song, it's nothing compared to "You or Them". Something that may seem a little goofy ends up turning godly! Ending track "Boa (JDM)" crushes everything in its path, leaving behind nothing but debris by the time it's over.

All in all, Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil has added the cherry on top to Volbeat's beginning one-two punch of albums. The grooves, riffs, bass, drums, vocals, and lyrics are all a f***ing blast to listen to. I highly suggest showing them to your friends for a taste of what real music is like!

Favorites: "The Human Instrument", "The Garden’s Tale", "Sad Man’s Tongue", "River Queen", "A Moment Forever", "You or Them"

If I remember right, I've heard of Volbeat over a decade ago via a few music videos and this band being one of the bands my brother still listens to today. As great as they sounded, their sound that mixes rock, metal, and rockabilly hadn't really stood out for me, since I prefered power/symphonic metal at the time. And wow, I... I've never realized how essential their first two albums were for me. They're so incredible, and I can certainly raise my horns and bang my head to this music.

The Strength/The Sound/The Songs is one of the aptly titled albums I've ever comes across. The sound and the songs all have their strength with this diverse blend of genres. It's practically like late 90s Metallica but way better!

We already get to a h*lla catchy start with "Caroline Leaving". Then "Another Day, Another Way" has a similar pace to Hatebreed's mid-tempo songs in the instrumentation. "Something Else or..." is a softer track similar to Queensryche's ballads. "Rebel Monster" has greater heaviness and speed, perfect for the mosh pit. Then we have "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza" with its catchy sing-along chorus to make a party rock anthem (none of that LMFAO bullsh*t).

One of the best songs here is "Always Wu". The riffing and vocals really have that metalized rockabilly vibe alongside another chorus worth singing along to. The riffing slows down without sacrificing any heaviness in "Say Your Number". Then "Soulweeper" is a ballad-ish track that you can sing to your romantic partner and have them singing along too. The speed goes back up in "Fire Song", which is filled with heavy fire. Then we have another fast catchy track, "Danny and Lucy (11 PM)", which cranks up the rockabilly side of the band for some rock-on fun.

"Caroline #1" builds up some great momentum as we enter the album's final third. "Alienized" keeps up that pace. The mood changes with their cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Wanna Be with You". What makes it so unique is, it can make your raise your horns to the riffing while also singing it to your love. The eerie riff that starts "Everything's Still Fine" is so strong and crushing. "Healing Subconsciously" ends the album with one of the most climatic closing tracks in standard heavy metal.

All in all, Volbeat's debut is an album for all open-minded listeners. Whether you like classic rock n roll, modern rock, metal, and hardcore, you're bound to find something you like, from rifftastic bangers that kick a** to love ballads that don't suck a**. I'm glad to finally get the strength from those songs after all these years!

Favorites: "Caroline Leaving", "Rebel Monster", "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza", "Always Wu", "Fire Song", "Caroline #1", "I Only Wanna Be with You", "Healing Subconsciously"

Epica is one of the most epic bands around, a symphonic metal band that touches on other genres including gothic, progressive, death, thrash, power, and folk metal. Members have come from other bands such as After Forever and Trail of Tears. You might even think of this band as a more extreme Nightwish, particularly in the growls and deathly riffing. The band has reached their epic height in their 4th album Design Your Universe.

This album follows The Divine Conspiracy with a couple new members. guitarist Isaac Delahaye and drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek (as an official member). The lyrics deal with culture, physics, and the freedom to protect your world and, y'know, design your own universe!

It starts with "Samadhi", a wonderful intro to hint at the epicness to come. "Resign to Surrender" continues the "A New Age Dawns" saga that started in Consign to Oblivion. It's a brilliant way to open up the world of Epica for anyone new. The vocals alternate between the growls of Mark Jansen, the operatic cleans of Simone Simons, and occasional choir. Also the instrumentation is more extreme-sounding than their earlier works, easily blending deathly heaviness with symphonics without going just all-out Fleshgod Apocalypse. Next song "Unleashed" is the first single, a beautiful heavy banger. Then we have another catchy heavy single with a great chorus in "Martyr of the Free Word". Another highlight is "Our Destiny", which is a solid mid-paced track, similarly to Within Temptation. Honestly it's quite underrated.

And then comes the true highlight, "Kingdom of Heaven", a 5-part 13-minute epic that serves as the literal centerpiece of the "A New Age Dawns" saga and would itself spawn a couple sequels in subsequent albums. It has practically everything, all extreme, symphonic, and even some acoustic. It's their own attempt at an Opeth-like progressive epic that ends up paying off well! There's nothing in this masterpiece album that would make it lose its perfection, but one things that comes REALLY close is the interlude "The Price of Freedom". I feel like this one could've been removed or at least attached to the next track. "Burn to a Cinder" burns away that mistake as another one of my favorites here. And it's followed up by ANOTHER one of the best songs here, "Tides of Time", one of the few ballads I truly love. It sounds so beautiful, expecially with the heart-touching vocals of Simone Simons. This is the kind of beauty I prefer to hear instead of this Disney Frozen sh*t.

"Deconstruct" puts an end to the relaxation with its melodeath-ish riffing. Would've been nice to hear some soloing too, but I won't mess with it. "Semblance of Liberty" is the heaviest track here, like really hitting hard and fast. Then we have one more ballad "White Waters", a soft duet between Simone Simons and Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko, working out almost as well as Nightwish's live duet with Kakko in From Wishes to Eternity. The title finale is another long epic with vocal perfection, all the way up to its glorious ending climax. The "A New Age Dawns" saga would continue in their new album Aspiral.

Design Your Universe is the best you're gonna get from Epica, maybe even the year of 2009. Not too epic for the heavy fans, not too heavy for the epic fans, JUST RIGHT. It's a legendary experience that would surely spawn some universal inspiration!

Favorites: "Resign to Surrender", "Our Destiny", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Burn to a Cinder", "Tides of Time", "Semblance of Liberty", "Design Your Universe"

What makes an album perfect is the amount of creativity, talent, and passion the band has. In my attempt at wanting to focus on more modern and heavier metal genres, I ended up forgetting about the symphonic power metal masterpieces that have all that for a great dose of magic. Power of the Dragonflame, the 5th album by Italian band Rhapsody (of Fire), is one of them. This is an hour-long prime example of the genre and has pleased me as much as many fans and critics.

Power of the Dragonflame is the final part of the band's first conceptual storyline, the Emerald Sword Saga. And what a way to end it! The symphonics of their first two albums and the aggression of the two albums after are in perfect balance. There's more of the shredding guitarwork of Luca Turilli and the orchestral keyboards of Alex Staropoli, sounding excellent as ever. Pretty much all the metal songs have strong talent from each of the members. Not just the guitars and keys but also the drums by Alex Holzwarth, the audible bass by session member Sascha Paeth, and of course, the vocal power of the versatile Fabio Lione.

One of the best symphonic/power metal intros in the apocalyptic "In Tenebris" that strikes you down to the ground like a gigantic fist. Then "Knightrider of Doom" explodes with some of the best aspects of the band. The title track punches with its speedy riffing. "The March of the Swordmaster" is a anthemic march to get you pumped with a mighty chorus and melodic soloing. RISE! DIE!! SACRIFICE!!!

"When Demons Awake" is a total chiller. The horrendous battle is described via more blackened instrumentation and vocals. Who knew Fabio Lione could go blackened growls so well? "Agony is My Name" is a great highlight that continues unleashing the most fantasy-filled power metal without ever sounding cheesy or sh*tty. "Lamento Eroico" (Heroic Cry) marks the band's first fully Italian song. It's a heart-touching ballad that I've been coming across a lot of lately. My return to The Guardians has made me realize that not everything has to be heavy to delight me.

"Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse" has more of the band's usual aspects, this time with some progressive turns to break the conventionality of power metal. "The Pride of the Tyrant" continues displaying the amazing skills of Turilli. Yet another wonderful composition! And it all comes down to the final epic... The greatest conclusion to this 5-album saga is the 19-minute "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness". It's one of the best songs ever by the band and the epic to end all epics! The complex variation is perfect all the way. It starts with an acoustic intro that's almost like Opeth's softer moments then blasts off into some of the most emotional vocals, most cinematic keys and choir, and the most searing soloing. Then it all ends with a reprise of the intro that then literally explodes and collapses into windy ambience. The perfect ending for this saga!

Power of the Dragonflame is another one of the most impressive symphonic power metal albums that I'm glad to revisit. Believe me, this is for anyone into power metal and any other kind of music. You'll definitely want to get your hands on this emerald gem!

Favorites: "Knightrider of Doom", "The March of the Swordmaster", "Agony is My Name", "The Pride of the Tyrant", "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness"

The first 3 Nightwish albums are a trio of symphonic power metal classics that I enjoyed to death over a decade before this review. I still love them, but I don't find them as perfect as I thought they were back in those times when my love for power/symphonic metal was in an all-time high. I decided to revisit many of the tracks from those via their first live album, From Wishes to Eternity. And let me tell you, I was blown away by this incredible release!

The concert was recorded in Tampere on December 29, 2000, just a few days away from the technical start of the new millennium. Being part of the Wishmaster tour, the setlist mostly consisted of songs from that album and a few from their first two. I love the serene voice of Tarja along with the masterful work of the instrumentalists.

"The Kinslayer" is a rifftastic way to start the show. The lyrics are based on the Columbine school shooting. The bridge is interesting as Tarja's singing alternates with spoken vocals by Ike Vil to practically recreate a talk between the killer and the victim. "She is My Sin" opens the original Wishmaster album before the previous track. The drumming is some of the heaviest I've heard in that album. Tarja's magical vocals continue to shine, especially in the chorus. I also love the soloing here. "Deep Silent Complete" is nice and catchy, calming things down while staying heavy. Wonderful atmosphere and vocals! Then we come to the song with the darkest heaviness in this earlier era, "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion". It features the deep growls of Tapio Wilska (Sethian, ex-Finntroll), speedy keys, and Egyptian lyrical themes. That's Oceanborn's epic!

"Come Cover Me" starts off calm and mystical then carries on with the usual heaviness. Tarja's vocals can be d*mn heart-touching in this amazing track. "Wanderlust" is a great song, but not the total best. There's nothing bad or skippable about it, but it's outshined by the other songs. Many parts of that track I still enjoy including the chorus and the keyboard soloing. It segues to the exclusive instrumental medley "Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea", taking some melody from the soundtrack of those two films and practically making it their own. Awesome! Then it segues to "Swanheart", a perfect ballad for me (a personal rarity). Such slow beauty after all that heavy might.

And now we get one of the tracks from the debut Angels Fall First, that album's opener "Elvenpath". It is a fast heavy power metal song from their most folk-ish beginning album. It segues to the 3rd part of Wishmaster's epic "FantasMic", and the heaviest part of that epic. I kinda wish they would perform the entire song though. "Dead Boy's Poem" is another ballad, and one you can't criticize easily. There a great chorus and superb soloing, the latter after a spoken bridge by a young boy named Sam Hardwick.

"Sacrament of Wilderness" has greatly heavy riffing, slightly different from the melody you'd expect from this band. The 3-track encore starts with "Walking in the Air", a cover of a song from the animated special The Snowman. Another slow ballad, though it gets heavier as the song progresses. "Beauty and the Beast" has nice vocal variation. The original has keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen singing the male vocals, but here they're done by Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica. Then at last, we come to the true finale, the title track of Wishmaster. Epic chorus, beastly guitars... This still reigns as one of my favorite Nightwish songs today. I can hear Dragonlance/Lord of the Rings lyrical influences.

The DVD comes with some bonus content. Not just the video recording of the performance, but also some hilarious off-stage footage, two music videos, two separate live videos, a couple interviews, and a 50-photo gallery. However, the music itself is worth the price of admission. If you're into symphonic power metal and/or Nightwish, I would highly recommend this perfect live offering. The best glimpse of their early discography in their best form. Don't miss out!

Favorites (two per album, plus one new track and one half-track): "She is My Sin", "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion", "Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea", "Swanheart", "Elvenpath", "FantasMic (Part 3)", "Beauty and the Beast", "Wishmaster"

After an incredible experience with Nightwish's first live album From Wishes to Eternity, I immediately felt up to making a full revisit of the album the band was touring for, Wishmaster. Seeing how much I enjoy the songs in this album in live form, I thought maybe I would get the same glory in this album that I considered a classic over a decade before this review. And I still enjoy them all! Well, the songs that were performed live. The remaining few, ehh...

I think the slight issue is, this is around the time the band started becoming more pop-ish in their songs. However, most of these are balanced out by the heaviness and bombast. The catchy choruses hold many of them up and lessen the needlessness of repetition.

"She is My Sin" opens the album quite strongly. The drumming is some of the heaviest I've heard in that album. Tarja Turunen's magical vocals really shine, especially in the chorus. I also love the soloing here. It is followed by the rifftastic "The Kinslayer". The lyrics are based on the Columbine school shooting. The bridge is interesting as Tarja's singing alternates with spoken vocals by Ike Vil to practically recreate a talk between the killer and the victim. "Come Cover Me" starts off calm and mystical then carries on with the usual heaviness. Tarja's vocals can be d*mn heart-touching in this amazing track. "Wanderlust" is a great song, but not the total best. Nothing bad or skippable about it, but it's outshined by the better highlights. Many parts of that track I still enjoy including the chorus and the keyboard soloing.

"Two for Tragedy" is a ballad. The fact that it's a ballad is not the problem. I like the nice flute and keys, leading up to when the guitar, bass, and drums enter. The thing is, the lyrics sound a bit forced and it's a little too slow. Those could've been improved so that it's doesn't just sound like a pop ballad with guitars. Luckily it leads to the anthemic title track. Epic chorus, beastly guitars... This still reigns as one of my favorite Nightwish songs today. I can hear Dragonlance/Lord of the Rings lyrical influences. What's preventing from giving this album a rating beyond 4 stars is the next two tracks, starting with "Bare Grace Misery". It tries to bring back the energy of the heavier side of Angels Falls First but doesn't please me enough. "Crownless" is, I hate to say, the worst track here. While having more of the power metal part of the sound seems cool in theory, it sounds too cheesy for me now, especially those 8-bit-ish synths. Pretty much the DragonForce "Ring of Fire" cover of this album, I used to love it, but now, f*** that.

"Deep Silent Complete" is nice and catchy, calming things down while staying heavy. Wonderful atmosphere and vocals! "Dead Boy's Poem" is another ballad, but this one you can't criticize easily. There a great chorus and superb soloing, the latter after a spoken bridge by a young boy named Sam Hardwick. "FantasMic" is a fantastic epic paying tribute to the animated works of Disney. It really packs a powerful punch, especially in the final 3 minutes. Absolutely perfect! The 2007 reissue comes a few bonus tracks including one studio track "Sleepwalker" that's worth that extra mile. The other two bonus tracks are different live renditions of "Wanderlust" and "Deep Silent Complete".

If it was up to me, I would give "Wanderlust" and "Two for Tragedy" some heavier power, replace "Bare Grace Misery" and "Crownless" with "Sleepwalker", and remove those unnecessary bonus live tracks. Still I shouldn't change too much. The rest of Wishmaster has some of the best symphonic power metal hits you could ever wish for....

Favorites: "She is My Sin", "The Kinslayer", "Come Cover Me", "Wishmaster", "Dead Boy's Poem", "FantasMic", "Sleepwalker" (bonus track)

When I was listening to Within Temptation and other symphonic/power metal bands over a decade ago, I thought Mother Earth was their best album. But ever since I've moved out of those metal genres into the more modern/heavy ones, my earlier revisit of that album made me not find the glory it once had. However, with my return to The Guardians, I've once again found my best Within Temptation album, but it's not Mother Earth. It's this one, The Unforgiving!

In my earlier melodic past, I didn't think The Unforgiving was super awesome. A couple tracks were too pop-ish for me back then. Now that I've experienced some time with more alternative bands before moving back to The Guardians, I enjoy them a lot more now! The album makes a perfect balance between epic and mainstream.

The intro "Why Not Me?" consists of just Two Steps From Hell-esque orchestration and narration by Dawn Mastin. That intro sounds like something out of Agatha Christie's Marple, Downton Abbey, or any other British drama series. Already heading into the band's different direction is "Shot in the Dark", including a new aspect that had barely done before by the band; guitar soloing. "In the Middle of the Night" is a catchy banger to get you pumped and jumping. The intro riffing almost made me think of "115" from the Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies soundtrack. Absolutely great vocals to enjoy there! Interesting how "Faster" is the name of a more mid-tempo song. When that track was released as a single before the album, it was the first sign of their new direction; the usual symphonic metal but heavier and more poppy than their previous albums like The Heart of Everything. That motive is similar to what Lacuna Coil were doing at that time, but in a better, more focused light. That song has really grown on me more than the other tracks, with its tasteful strength and less of the orchestral bombast bands like Nightwish seem to have relied on.

The exciting energy cools down for the first of a few ballads in the album, "Fire and Ice". Then comes what I still consider one of the best standouts in Within Temptation's career, "Iron". It's so heavy and epic, right from the intro riffing onwards. The song itself reminds me of DragonForce's "Cry Thunder" and it's better at that than those poor rip-offs like Warkings' cover of that song and Sabaton's "Union". Next track "Where is the Edge?" doesn't strike me as much as the highlights, but it's still a nice throwback to what the band had in The Silent Force. "Sinead" brings back the Nightwish level of orchestra while continuing the mainstream direction.

"Lost" is one of the few ballads I would ever truly love, filled with beauty, melancholy, and tearjerking acoustic/electric soloing. "Murder" cranks up the orchestration again, making something eerie and cinematic. "A Demon's Fate" is really fast and complex, making another memorable song. It's like the previous album's "Hand of Sorrow" gone The Phantom of the Opera! "Stairway to the Skies" is the ending ballad like in most of their albums. However, instead of just orchestra and vocals, the whole band is here!

There are many risks Within Temptation have gone through stylistically such as going the concept album route, going more mainstream, and adding in guitar solos. But the changes paid off! The Unforgiving is perhaps truly the most well-written album they've ever done. An unforgivingly fantastic blend of accessibility, epicness, and heaviness!

Favorites: "In the Middle of the Night", "Faster", "Iron", "Lost", "A Demon's Fate", "Stairway to the Skies"

So I've just moved out of The Gateway back into The Guardians, and there's no better time than now to revisit one of the greatest albums in power metal, Blind Guardian's Imaginations From the Other Side. This was one of the most important albums for me when my power metal interest was at its height 10 years before this review. If you enjoy 90s power metal, you've come to the right place!

Power metal allows your imagination to run wild through these themes of fantasy, sci-fi, and sometimes reality. And classics like this one (following the fantasy theme) are no exception. Imaginations From the Other Side marks the beginning of the complex structures from subsequent albums while having some of their earlier speed.

The opening title track is one of the best album openers and power metal songs I've heard in my life. It picks up where things left off from the end of their previous album Somewhere Far Beyond, this time with more atmospheric structure. The vocal density would be further displayed in the next album Nightfall in Middle-Earth, as well as those harmonic guitar leads. EPIC!!!! "I'm Alive" takes the band's earlier sound further alongside occasional acoustics, a strong upgrade from the speed of Follow the Blind. I'm not as much of a ballad lover as I used to be, but another one of the greatest highlights is the short and soft yet epic "A Past and Future Secret". Unlike "The Bard's Song", this sounds like a true bard's song in the acoustics, orchestration, percussion, and Hansi Kürsch's clean singing, with the lyrics based on the legend of King Arthur.

"The Script for My Requiem" is the closest we have to the melodic speed metal of Battalions of Fear. "Mordred’s Song" has a blend of acoustic and electric guitar. The folk-ish vibe maintains the similarities to "The Bard's Song". If "A Past and Future Secret" is this album's "In the Forest", then "Mordred’s Song" is this album's "The Hobbit". Then we have another fast song in "Born in a Mourning Hall". The monstrous riffing gives that track more in common with Tales from the Twilight World while having some melodic leads later used in Nightfall in Middle-Earth and lyrics against televangelism. The music might remind some of a blend of Black Sabbath and 80s Metallica.

"Bright Eyes" has more anthemic triumph within the lurking darkness. There's even some twisted keys appearing in the verses to add to the eerieness. "Another Holy War" is filled with pure riff-wrath, while making way for the usual melodic chorus. The precise drumming by Thomas Stauch is what gave power metal a more speedy light. "And the Story Ends" has a truly epic chorus hinting at the grandeur of their later symphonic era. The guitars and vocals are the stars of this simple yet spectacular show.

I think we can all agree that Imaginations From the Other Side is Blind Guardian at their very best. Such a shame that I broke away from this album and this band when I had that long on-off hiatus from power metal and other Guardians genres. But now I can remember the glory of this masterpiece that is the transition album between the speed era that ended with Somewhere Far Beyond and the symphonic era that started with Nightfall in Middle-Earth. The risks the band face when making this album has paid off. It's an essential recommendation for both longtime power metal fans and the newcomers wanting to explore more of the genre. See you on the other side!

Favorites: "Imaginations From the Other Side", "A Past and Future Secret", "Born in a Mourning Hall", "Bright Eyes", "And the Story Ends"

It feels like Blackbraid has been around forever, when in fact it is just a mere three years of existence for the indigenous black metal solo artist from the Adirondack Mountains. Despite my confusion over how long Blackbraid has been around, this is the first time that I have gotten around to listening to one of his albums. I was interested in the beginning but then (bizarrely) I got pissed off with the constant flood of marketing emails I was getting from him and so I senselessly punished him and myself by not listening to his albums. What a twat I am sometimes.

Nowadays, Vinny comes with some degree of in-built maturity about him and so can understand that for a fearsomely independent artist such as Blackbraid, who must have a queue of labels after him by now, promotion is key to his success. The other element that is central to being successful of course is the quality of your music and album number three certainly delivers on that front. Unafraid to fire some leads into the equation, Sgah'gahsowáh can work beyond just tremolos and blastbeats. His racing and urgently paced tracks carry some real attack behind them. Channelling as much Uada as he does Immortal on tracks such as ‘The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag’, there’s a fair old bit of power behind those punches that he throws.

As we would expect from a largely atmospheric-black metal act, there are fleeting acoustic passages and flurries of natural sounds akin to Panopticon, alongside the more direct and aggressive black metal sounds. From looking at the eye-catching artwork on the cover (a combination of border work by Adrian Baxter and imagery form Adam Burke) it is hard not to expect some of the more spiritual aspects we get here. There’s no surprises on the album. From a brand perspective, the listener should find exactly what was advertised is delivered.

My first impression of Blackbraid is that this is an incredibly well-written and skilfully performed record. Drummer Neil Schneider puts in a shift behind the skins that supports the rest of the sounds well enough. The guitar in the main is the element that shines however, alongside those harsh vocals they make quite a combo with the melodic leads and harsh riffs to boot. I guess I could criticise the three instrumentals as starting to get a little old by the time we get to track eight. However, they do all serve a purpose and aren’t directionless sounds of motion like whatever it is that is going on with the opening of the latest Drudkh album. There is a much richer melodic bm vein to the record than I was expecting based on previous reviews I have heard of his work. Whilst I won’t go over the top with praise for Blackbraid III, it is a good album. Its use of interludes aside, it is structurally sound and although I will probably not rush out to buy a physical copy I will try to make up for some lost time with Blackbraid by enjoying this record many more times in the coming weeks, months and years.

I really want to like BABYMETAL. When they first came on to the scene in 2014, they were playing a very unserious, but also very fun style of power metal. The “fun” part drew me in, while many other metal fans were in complete disgust that anyone would want to enjoy themselves instead of moshing to incoherent gibberish. But something changed around the turn of the decade. After losing Yui Mizuno in 2018, BABYMETAL started becoming trend chasers.

Now that on its own might not be a bad thing, but when you release an album such as Metal Forth, it starts to feel less like an experiment and more as a grab bag. The first four tracks on this record have features (Poppy, Electric Callboy, Slaughter to Prevail and Bloodywood) and each song sounds like a rejected tune from each of their respective groups. On reflection, Metal Forth feels closer to Ed Sheeran’s collaboration albums than it does a BABYMETAL one; rather than inviting guests to feature on BABYMETAL tracks, it is instead a BABYMETAL feature on another band. The transitions between tunes like “Song 3” and "Kon! Kon!” is jarring and unpleasant to put it politely.

When I reviewed The Other One, I criticized it for dismantling the identity of BABYMETAL as j-pop/metal hybrid idols, with its incessant use of industrial percussion. But now? It’s as if BABYMETAL does not have an identity at all! One moment you’re listening to power metal, the next it’s Indian oriental, then the worst deathcore you’ve probably ever heard (“Song 3”), then Courtney LaPlante shows up to do some kind of nu metalcore hybrid.

This is a hard album to recommend, even for the novelty’s sake, because the novelty of BABYMETAL has mostly passed. This crossover of j-pop/metal into the west was at its peak with Metal Resistance in 2016. And instead of staying the course, BABYMETAL joined Capitol Records, got a load of guest features from popular bands of the time, which might be good for artist recognition, but the record that came along with it feels more like a collaboration project. I guess that if you like any of the guest features then you might check out a couple of those, but even then, you’ll probably find better tunes in the bands original discography.

Best Songs: Sunset Kiss, White Flame ー白炎ー

I will not say that I was excited to listen to the new Chevelle album in 2025, but given the lackluster performance of legacy bands so far this year, it would surely be a decent change of pace to hear a band that actually gives a shit about writing good melodies and motifs in their music, instead of mindless metalcore breakdowns or a 60-plus minute jazz fusion solo/wank.

Chevelle's style of alternative metal was closer to that of Thornhill (modern day Deftones), but with fewer shoegaze elements. They do like to use atmospheric open chordal progressions in the guitars, but they also have some strong groove centric ideas as well. Wonder What's Next and Vena Sera are two standout albums during the nu metal boom of the 2000s despite not being that close to nu metal at all. The bands 2021 progressive pivot with Niratias was a great album from a compositional point-of-view, but the production was terrible and packed with a bunch of filler content. Bright as Blasphemy streamlines the length, which I enjoy, as well as reworking some of the previous albums production issues; the bass is super prominent in the mixing giving songs like "Jim Jones - Coward, Pt. 2" and "Karma Goddess" some real grit and energy.

I did like the first three songs on the album, even if by Chevelle standards, they can be a little bit too predictable. I cannot say the same about the remainder of the project. None of it is by definition bad, but I feel like there are a lot more inconsistencies from "Hallucinations" on. The biggest issue is the inclusion of two interlude songs, with "Hallucinations" and "Blood out in the Fields" taking on those roles. Normally, the interlude serves a transitional purpose within the album, and Chevelle wisely turned them both into fully stretched out ideas, but I don't see much of a reason to have two of them. "Blood out in the Fields" is the correct place for an interlude since it precedes two of Bright as Blasphemy's heaviest tunes (as well as its best). The two pieces that follow "Hallucination" ("Wolves (Love & Light)" and "Karma Goddess") are both quite meandering.

There isn't that much else to say about Bright as Blasphemy. I think it is a decent album by Chevelle; probably their best since La gárgola, it has a noticeable rough patch during the middle, but is salvaged by its conclusion. Chevelle and Thornhill fans will likely find this enjoyable, while others outside of the 2000s nu metal bubble will probably get nothing out of it. As a musician myself, I've been told that the most important notes in a song/set are the first and last notes. Given that Chevelle saved the best of Bright as Blasphemy for the beginning and end, I can give it a little boost. 

Best Songs: Rabbit Hole - Cowards, Pt. 1, AI Phobias, Shocked at the End of the World, Karma Goddess

Today I decided to check out more release by Spitfire. The Slideshow Whiplash is an EP the band made two years after their debut album Dead Next Door and just one year before their first hiatus. I wasn't expecting a short EP to be slightly better than that debut, but that's certainly the case here! Most of the tracks in this album are in the same quality as the better half of the debut...

Well, there are only 4 tracks, and one of them is an instrumental. Still this is for any metalcore/mathcore listener and you may enjoy it once you try it. And if you haven't heard that debut yet, this EP shall make you up for that.

"This Ain't Vegas and You Ain't Elvis" (sounds like what a casino owner outside of Vegas would say to an Elvis impersonator) has awesome strength in the lyrics. "Bulletproof and Tall as Jesus" is the best highlight of this release, and it's too perfect for me to put into words. It segues to the title interlude with is an odd mix of techno and jazz. Then the EP ends with the brutal "Heroin". Vocalist Jon Spencer sounds a little drunk in his attempt at cleans, but the rest of the track is nice and heavy.

I love most of what this band has in this EP. Nothing disappoints me, and this has better pointage than their debut Dead Next Door. The only things I would remove or improve are the title interlude and the weird clean section in the last track. If this was their way of saying farewell before their first hiatus, they've done it well....

Favorites: "This Ain't Vegas and You Ain't Elvis", "Bulletproof and Tall as Jesus"

Exploring different releases in your favorite metal genres is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Some might be bad, some might be OK, some might be so awesome that you're kicking yourself for not discovering them sooner. That 3rd outcome is certainly the case for me with this early metalcore/hardcore gem!

In the 90s, hardcore and early metalcore weren't always "that emo-fueled genre with breakdowns". Snapcase was formed in 1989 and released their debut Lookinglasself (what's that, an elf character in one of those Alice stories?) in 1993. Their hardcore sound would eventually make its true form in one of the best albums of the genre, Progression Through Unlearning. Straight-on hardcore/metalcore before their switch to post-hardcore/alt-metal in subsequent albums.

"Caboose" is the perfect anthem to start the album. Vocalist Darryl Taberski unleashes his screaming power with full intensity. I appreciate the work the band has put in their songs. The lyrics are clear and empowering, without any incohesive rambling. That's what makes this album the energetic masterpiece it is! That along with the furious "Guilt By Ignorance". It is followed by another great track, "Harrison Bergeron". Then we have another priceless classic in "Priceless". That's what metalcore sounds like before the dance-trancecore of Enter Shikari, the pop-ish melody of A Day to Remember, the heaviness of Fit for a King, and the djent of Periphery.

"Zombie Prescription" is amazing in the vocals, guitars, and drums, along with a well-placed uncommon breakdown. "Killing Yourself To Live" really kicks a**! It greatly exemplifies this early metalcore era. "She Suffocates" punches through frantic riffing and time signature changes, accomplishing a lot in under 3 minutes.

"Weak Tyrant" isn't the strongest track of the album but it still rules and maintains the perfect 5-star rating. The more hardcore listeners would know "Vent" quite well, which can easily get the live crowd rolling. "Breaking and Reaching" is a grand 4-minute standout, with some of the most superb music and lyrics in the album. The "Outro" seems like a nice way out. Apparently, the audio sample is from Pee-Wee Herman. RIP Paul Reubens...

I would probably ask for a little more diversity, but there's practically nothing to change about Progression Through Unlearning. Hardcore's energetic spirit is something that has rarely been replicated in today's scene. Snapcase would drop their earlier roots for subsequent albums. Still if you want true energy entering your mind, listen and learn!

Favorites: "Caboose", "Priceless", "Killing Yourself To Live", "She Suffocates", "Breaking and Reaching"

Fer de Lance present a problem for me in that they play a with very traditional heavy metal sound when approaching their music. Of course, I publicly left that sound behind a long time ago when exiting The Guardians clan. There are times when listening to Fires on the Mountainside when I begin to doubt its doom metal credentials altogether if I am honest. Yet at the same time, there is such quality to this record that I cannot help but put aside my dissatisfaction and be drawn into the joys of the record. I have seen their sound described as folk-prog in some reviews as well as mention of blackened tinges in others. I can see both most definitely, based on this record at least. Influences aside, it is easy for me to appreciate the epic metal authenticity of Fer de Lance’s sound as it is a stalwart of the tracks collected here on this record. Wherever the album does tread over the seven songs presented, the listener can be left in little doubt as to where the heart of the band truly lies.

It is good to hear the Viking metal elements of Bathory protruding through in places, and with some spurts of Candlemass alongside the more modern similarities of Atlantean Kodex we are soon finding ourselves transported around the world of metal with Fires on the Mountainside. The keyboards really drive tracks like ‘Ravens Fly (Dreams of Daidalos)’ whilst soaring leads and epic yodelling vocals continue to embellish the grandeur of the sound. Vocally, I am most reminded of King Diamond. Which, given he is one of the most overrated vocalists in my metal in my book, could be considered a slur somewhat. I find the sound of the higher pitched vocals on this record to be far more endearing though and the songs to be better structured than most Mercyful Fate/King Diamond tunes I have tolerated over the years. I sense there is more than one singer on this record though (or just one with amazing range and heavy use of overlays). ‘Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)’ is probably the best example of this great vocal display.

As tracks like ‘The Feast of Echoes’ prove, simple structures can still make epic metal. Here is a big Bathory, stomping track if ever there was one. Straight and to the point, this is one of the most memorable tracks on display here and has great longevity as a result. Should there ever be cause for me to consider revisiting some trad heavy metal then there is a good chance that this record could be the trigger for it. Yet doubt does still creep in. There is a very well-established format to Fires on the Mountainside and to some degree it does become repetitive at times. Maybe isolated to my own battles I accept, but I am kind of “epic exhausted” by the time we are getting to the final couple of tracks on the record. There’s nothing wrong with them at all, but perhaps they are a stretch too far for me still at this point of my listening habits. However, Fires on the Mountainside has still surprised me and has been kicking around my rotation list for a good few weeks as a result.

Former Ne Obliviscaris vocalist, Marc Campbell has joined forces with Virgin Black’s, Sesca Scaarba to create funeral doom outfit Spiine. Boasting none other than Lena Abé (My Dying Bride) on bass and current Opeth drummer, Waltteri Väyrynen on their debut record, Tetraptych has a lot of class involved in it. As if this star line-up was not enough, the album also features the work of late Norwegian photographer Lene Marie Fossen on the cover. The emancipated figure in the bed is Fossen herself, a lifelong anorexic who was a master of self-portraits and used her art to reflect human suffering. Fossen died in 2019.

Tetraptych then has it all it seems. Some well renowned artists in metal, a sense of grandeur in its use of orchestration, an incredibly harrowing and personal image adorning its cover and a run time of over an hour. The stage is set nicely for some funeral doom folks. And funeral doom we do indeed get. Agonisingly slow riffs and melancholic leads fester in the fetid air of album opener ‘Myroblysiia’ (yes, every song title has a double ‘I’), whilst the drums remain present but unintrusive in the background. All is shaping up nicely until around eight-and-a-half minutes into the track when some crude clicking rhythm takes hold and completely derails all the excellent work done to that point. I am unsure if this was intentional or not, but it is disorientating to say the least.

Taking the track title at its meaning (at least the correctly spelt version anyways), myroblysia is the scent that emanates from the bodies of saints. The odour of sanctity is said to come from the wounds of stigmata according to the Catholic Church. Despite the ugly interruption, this track carries that air of sanctimonious grandeur about it. Clocking in at over fifteen minutes long, it takes a couple of turns along the way, holding the interest still throughout.  That orchestration is obvious throughout the album and is sprawling in the tapestries it weaves. Building tracks subtly alongside Campbell’s varied guttural and raspy vocals, the arrangement of the instruments feels very well thought through. There is plenty of space to be used and the urge perhaps to fill all of it is thankfully resisted. At the heart of Tetraptych is a fathomless void that mere mortals cannot fulfil. Whilst its four panels are very clearly framed (four tracks), there are expanses around each of them that can only resonate with the echoes of curses. Lost in all this sadly is Abé, which seems a waste.

The performance of Väyrynen needs noting though. He plays a clever and important part on the record. I doubt anyone else could have made such a measured performance without losing overall presence. His accomplished, patient and thoughtful style is what allows the atmospheres to really shine without being overshadowed by them at the same time. Tracks like ‘Glaciial’ just simply would not work without him. At the very core of the Spiine sound though are the cavernous vocals of Marc Campbell. The attack of the opening of ‘Oubliiete’ is led by his explosive gurns and the thick atmosphere that ensues sees his deathly rasp ride atop of it. When combined with the crushing riffs of Sesca the results are phenomenal, if not always sustained for long enough for my liking.  As you would expect from a funeral doom release, Tetraptych is a punishing and challenging listen. It rewards in abundance also, especially once tracks have built into their full flow. It is a lot still for me to take in across one sitting, and I do find that splitting the record in half as two separate listens does increase my enjoyment of the album more. Fans of Evoken and Loss, should find lots to enjoy here.

Now we all know that Drudkh had a leading say in the development of nature-themed black metal.  They were basically THE band for the job.  They had a bit of a rocky road after their 2009 album Microcosmos, as the people say, but there seemed to be, ahem, light in the forest, during recent years.  So while I came into 2025's Shadow Play with some good expectations, I remained aware that those expectations wouldn't be met.  So while the album's getting great reviews, I have to say that they've once again become a passable and generic black metal band.  This whole album is all about relying on, and drawing out, half of the basics they had already mastered in the 2000's from Forgotten Legends to Blood in Our Wells.  The album's going for finely-tuned production above everything else, so black metal riffs and melodies come off as unoriginal.  As well, the production doesn't always balance out the ambient backgrounds and the riffs in the foreground, occasionally coming off as muddily-handled despite the ambiance.  I mean, Drudkh influenced so many bands that have done this album so many times that it's not a joke.  Did you know, if you just check the RYM charts and filter it by year and with only black metal, you'll get 25 pages of 40 black metal albums?  And 25 is the maximum they show in custom charts.  That means every year, we get over 1000 black metal albums.  These days, thanks to other nature-themed atmo-black bands like Panopticon and Ashenspire, I can guarantee you a good portion of those albums is nature-themed.  That means Drudkh has gone from influencing a classic form of metal to producing the same tripe that their own imitators make every year, just with better studio production that sometimes gets in the way.  What an overrated disappointment.  Production will keep it tolerable throughout, but otherwise this is kinda bogus.

52

If you can overcome the opening track, "Redrum" then you might find some enjoyment out of the debut album from the Spanish melodeath/melocore band Rise to Fall. The opening track features some really poor production where the kick drum is overpowering the guitar riffing and the synth lines sound out of sync with the remainder of the ensemble. "Unknown Presence" attempts to rectify some of this by removing the synth lines and they only reappear sparingly throughout the remainder of the project. And while the bass drum is mixed very uneven, at least Rise to Fall have the decency to not bombard the listener with endless double kick for every second of the forty minute runtime.

I do not mind the vocal stylings of Alain here; something about the gurgled timbre does sound ridiculous through the first two songs, but after a while I found it more entertaining. I think a major reason for this has to do with a lot of heavier bands that use harsh screaming have similar vocal timbres, especially in the world of melodic death metal. I also enjoy the composition of tunes on Restore the Balance. But, like with Hiraes a couple of months ago, Rise of Fall are indebted to In Flames... perhaps a little too much. 

Now I'm willing to give Restore the Balance a pass since it is a debut album; after all, trying to be completely new right out of the gate is a surefire way to kill momentum before you've even started. But later Rise to Fall albums show that being like In Flames was the main goal from the start. As a result, this is a group that has some decent pieces, but cannot get over the original hump.

Best Songs: Rise From Drama, Infected Wounds, Chasing Infinity

Madness is what you can expect in any noise-ridden math/metalcore release. Songs can range from short to radio-sized and have at least one long-ish epic. Spitfire's debut Dead Next Door may be at the same quality level as Nora's Loser's Intuition, but the mathcore part of the sound is slightly more...

It's not just pure math/metalcore that I often hear in this album. Occasionally, there's a slight touch of alt-rock/grunge. One might call this band a more hardcore Nirvana. But why should that be what we would know them as? Clearly, noise-fueled metalcore is their goal. Oh, and I just realized that this band isn't related to one of the earliest (and worst) mathcore bands out there, Nineironspitfire. Spitfire's debut is by far better than Nineironspitfire's sole release, so let's check it out.

"Please Don't Go Out Tonight", especially not in my country when it will soon be Hungry Ghost Month as of this review! But seriously, that song is a great start that shouldn't be overlooked. Not as great as the interesting highlight "The Two Forty Eight Lie" with its different tempo changes from fast hardcore to slow sludge. There's plenty of chaos in "Render Quench Create". Unfortunately, it doesn't have much focus and tears apart the album's greatness. "Marasmus" is around to make up for that with some of the more hardcore riffing to occur in this album.

"A Glance at Quintenessence" I consider one of the most quintessential songs in early math/metalcore, with Rosetta-esque sludgy tempo. "Good Cop, Bad Cop" is another one of my favorites, long with fast riffs especially at the end. "All Indentured Lovables" is a beautiful interlude while keeping listeners on their seats with heaviness at the end.

"The Burgundy Room" ends up marking the album's descent back into the sh*tty quality of the 3rd track. The bass and drums ruin the band's intention of bringing together hardcore and metal. "What Ever Happened to the Indie Queen" has some nice mathcore, but that kind of sound is better executed by Ion Dissonance. "DJ Jazzy Steve" is a strange closing track, even for me. Jazzy Steve, whoever you are, cut that sh*t out please.

Dead Next Door isn't your typical hardcore album. It has the noise and chaos of any math-metalcore album. I would enjoy and appreciate this more if not for a couple poor tracks including that d*mn remix-ish track at the end. As much as I like all this beauty and brutality, it would take a little more improvement to make this grab my attention....

Favorites: "The Two Forty Eight Lie", "Marasmus", "A Glance at Quintenessence", "Good Cop, Bad Cop", "All Indentured Lovables"

F***ing h*ll, how did this masterpiece hide under my metalcore radar!? The Opposite of December is the debut album by Poison the Well and has greatly defined the genre! It's a heavy emotional offering of glory that fans of hardcore and metal shouldn't miss out in their lives.

Not often can you find something that can sound so fresh even after over 25 years following its release. As awesome as many other metalcore releases, they would be bowing down to the true groundbreaking developing albums of the genre. The title and release date fit well together, considering it was released in December 1999, one month before the new millennium (unless you wanna be technical). Already there was hope for a promising future for metal and hardcore in this millennium.

Already hitting things hard is the opening track "12-23-93" (I wonder what that date means). After the beginning drum roll by Chris Hornbrook, there's a lot of fury from the guitar and vocals. Jeffrey Moreira has wonderful vocals as he screams well-written lyrics at the top of his lungs. Not a lot of metalcore vocalists have the same rage as Jeffrey, and that's probably good health-wise. That, combined with active smoking and when used his screaming offstage after finding out the band's equipment was stolen, would lead to him suffering a collapsed lung, but he recovered. Anyway, he also does some clean singing that helps the band standout among other early metalcore bands. His vocals also shine greatly in "A Wish for Wings That Work", with a spoken bridge. Closing the next track "Artist's Rendering of Me" is some emotional guitar and bass.

Then the bass becomes audible in the bridge of "Slice Paper Wrists", a melodic standout for many metalcore listeners, and I truly agree. "Nerdy" has more special relatable lyrics about wanting to take a friendship to the next level. Jeffrey's lyrics are truly beyond the kind of scenario I would ever write. "To Mandate Heaven" takes on a more experimental side of things that would increase in later albums. The metallic riffing is covered in raw filth compared to other tracks. The experimentation pays off and naturally, they've made another powerful anthem.

"Not Within Arms Length" marks another dynamic highlight. The bass and drums are more relentless and take the spotlight above the riffing. It sounds quite fresh and never loses any steam. "Mid Air Love Message" plays around with rock riffing for a lighter vibe. The heaviness is still there as a counterweight for the slower emotion. After a hidden section between tracks, "My Mirror No Longer Reflects" closes the album with some of the most emotional guitarwork in late 90s metalcore.

All in all, The Opposite of December is just what every metalcore fan really needs. Something so beautiful and brutal was made by this young talented group that would stand the test of time. This impactful gem is essential for all metal/hardcore fans, one that you can't go your entire life without!

Favorites: "12/23/93", "Slice Paper Wrists", "To Mandate Heaven", "Not Within Arms Length", "My Mirror No Longer Reflects"

Nora, named after Samantha Mathis' character in Pump Up the Volume, was formed in 1996 and released a few EPs including a split EP with The Dillinger Escape Plan. I checked out one of those EPs Theneverendingyouline a couple years ago in which the strained vocals by Carl Severson made it unbearable. On the debut full-length album Loser's Intuition, while the style hasn't changed too much, the members' talent and writing has improved, and luckily that includes Severson. No more of that strained sh*t...

This album can still be considered math-metalcore, but the mathcore side has been toned down some in favor of the metallic hardcore of Hatebreed and Earth Crisis. It's all about performing loud and heavy, nothing dramatic. The powerful groove of metal/hardcore is unleashed!

The album starts off greatly with "Wave Goodbye". The band fires away with riffs and breakdowns without ever sounding as repetitive as that EP. "My Bloody Clownsuit" follows as another killer track. "Warthog" has heavy rhythms to please my ears, especially at the end. Then we have another highlight in "Bring It". The band continue to bring their math-metalcore sound with a dash of melody from Undying.

"Nobody Takes Pictures of the Drummer" is another pummeling track, starting off with mid-paced dissonance before some vicious hardcore speed. You gotta appreciate the drumwork Chris Ross, despite nobody taking pictures of him. Then we have "For the Travelers" which is one of the heaviest anthems I've heard from this band. The riffs and tempo practically shapeshift into different forms, even slowing down for the dark effects of Godflesh. Indeed for the metalcore travelers! Now "what about standing up" for "Leadpipe Moment" with its really powerful bellows from Severson!

The title track is where the band starts to lose some steam, but it proves that good metalcore doesn't have to be from later modern bands like Northlane and Like Moths to Flames. "Mudmonster" is another d*mn killer highlight, as drilling as that cover art by Derek Hess. "Kill You for a Dollar" I'm guessing is a re-recording from one of their EPs. The more mathy side there might've been the spark for Iwrestledabearonce later on. However, I feel like it could've been better if it was longer than just under two minutes.

Loser's Intuition is a lot more worth your money than Theneverendingyouline, with better improved talent from the band members. With that said, I should warn newcomers about the chaos that would occur. This offering is good for the experienced....

Favorites: "Wave Goodbye", "Bring It", "Nobody Takes Pictures of the Drummer", "For the Travelers", "Mudmonster"

When people ask me when I lost interest in the genre of thrash metal, I point them firmly in the direction of the years 2014-2016. During that time, all of the big four thrash bands released records. None of them were very good, yet everywhere I went, I heard cries of "thrash resurgence". I could not, in good faith, take the genre seriously anymore when their golden geese were releasing uninspired records and the only one that was any good (Anthrax's For All Kings) was underrated. This was in addition to many other B tier 1980s thrash bands like Exodus, Testament and Death Angel making a resurgence.

2017 was the end of my metal purge after post-secondary and I wanted something of sustenance beyond the tech-thrash coming out of Vektor and Revocation. So out comes Teutonic thrashers Kreator early in the year with Gods of Violence. I hadn't heard Kreator in quite some time but even I knew that this melo death inspired hybrid was not how Kreator sounded during their formative years. And yet for some reason, I really enjoy Gods of Violence. This is very likely the case that Teutonic thrash takes its influence from power metal; bands like Blind Guardian and Helloween have their influence felt in a lot of the lead guitars on "Gods of Violence" and "Lion with Eagle Wings". The albums main riffing is has some of that old school Slayer sound, while the modern production gives it some girth, and does have moments that remind me of modern Arch Enemy. Together, it might seem like Gods of Violence is a bit of a mess, but unlike the recent BABYMETAL album, these pieces are not kept isolated to single tracks on the album. Kreator have done an adequate job of revitalizing their sound to the modern age. Granted, I think Nuclear Blast might have something to do with that.

Gods of Violence was an album that took me a while to appreciate, given the time when I received it. It's a powerful record with lots of progressive effects used by Kreator to assist in relevancy. The main hooks are kind of hit-and-miss, but the hits do hit hard, songwriting is not bog standard and not a Sami guitar wank fest for almost an hour. When I'm not listening to progressive/technical thrash in my spare time, Gods of Violence is the type of thrash metal I use to relax.

Best Songs: World War Now, Gods of Violence, Lion with Eagle Wings, Fallen Brother

Metalcore fans who listen to bands like Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall probably don't know about the bands those members were originally in before those fans (including myself) were born. The members of Overcast include Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio and Shadows Fall vocalist "male metalcore Rapunzel" Brian Fair. After an 8-year breakup due to lack of the success their peers had, they've reformed and started recording a new album...

Reborn to Kill Again is actually mostly a re-recording album of many of the songs in their first two albums Expectational Dilusion and Fight Ambition to Kill. And of those 13 tracks (14 if including the European bonus track), only one song is brand-new, and one other song is from a different band. A look back into the past, I'd say!

The first track is a two-parter, "Diluting Inertia / Grifter". Now that's how you time-travel into 90s hardcore/metalcore! Thundering riffs and rhythms continue in "Root Bound Apollo". And yes, it's that song that was meant to be for Overcast's then-shelved 3rd album and ended up in Shadows Fall's album Of One Blood. It still remains one of my favorite early-ish metalcore songs with a fast searing Metallica-like solo, alongside the thrashy riffing and vocals. Things slow down in "Seven Ft. Grin" (that's a h*ll of a long grin), as the vocals sound tough and the guitars have heavier layers added. "Filter of Syntax" is kind of a filler track, but it might remind some of Snapcase. The brand-new title track is a strange one, sounding more alternative. If they had a chance to make a 4th album, I hope they go their earlier direction, not like that new track.

Another two-part track, "As a Whole / Two Degrees Below", is a 7 and a half minute epic with a long intro, just like Aftershock's "Prelude to Forever". As a whole, that Overcast epic makes another solid highlight, but it doesn't have the glory of the Aftershock one. "Spun" spins into gang vocals, guitar soloing, and Pantera-esque breakdowns. The destructive "Your (Destructive) Self" has some vocals to remind some of Merauder, and they help with hardcore's lyrical commentary. "For Indifference" is another one of my favorites here. I can't believe how indifferent some people are nostalgia-inducing tracks like that!

We then get an instrumental, "Styrofoam Kill Machine". It probably would've been better with vocals, but it's still quite killer. It's followed by another favorite of mine, "Fates Design". Then "Apocalypse Upon Us" goes dark and lurking without ever reaching the deathcore depths of Winds of Plague. Finally, "Bleed Into One" is one of the earliest songs by the band, the title track of their first demo released in 1992. The gang vocals alongside Fair's yells have a similar vibe the Rollins Band album The End of Silence.

Reborn to Kill Again is for both new fans of metalcore (including myself) looking for older treasures and earlier fans wanting to relive their hardcore memories. If you're wondering where the bridge is between Integrity and Shadows Fall, here it is. A great break from today's heavily modernized metalcore market....

Favorites: "Diluting Inertia / Grifter", "Root Bound Apollo", "As a Whole / Two Degrees Below", "Your (Destructive) Self", "For Indifference", "Fates Design", "Bleed Into One"

So as we all know, Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall are the two Massachusetts leading conquerors of the melodic metalcore scene. However, there were two other bands formed earlier by those two bands' members; Aftershock and Overcast. I don't wanna waste time listing every single associated member, but I will list the ones in this album as the review goes on. Boston, the city the Dropkick Murphys are shipping up to, was already shaping up its hardcore scene at this point before receiving a metal injection right before the new millennium dropped. The band that included future Killswitch Engage guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel recorded and released their second album Through the Looking Glass in 1999, around the same time as another one of the best releases in early melodic metalcore, Prayer for Cleansing's Rain in Endless Fall. While this Aftershock album isn't perfect, it's amazing and essential for metalcore fans to listen to and dropkick some a**!

Through the Looking Glass is a solid offering with all you really need in metalcore within the riffs, leads, drums, breakdowns, and vocals. Everything's so dissonant and diverse, and while there isn't the technical heaviness later metalcore bands would have, it's a strong album to remember. The lyrics and titles seem to center around the adventures of a young girl in Wonderland named Alice (if you know, you know), setting aside the wonderful fantasy for the dark reality hidden beneath.

It's not often a metalcore album starts with a 7 and a half minute epic, but here we are in "Prelude to Forever". Ambient feedback rises before a couple minutes of heavy sludgy riffing and drumming. So basically, the first third of the song is an instrumental. As the vocals come in, the tempo in the riffing slowly increases from mid-tempo to finally reaching a punky thrash pace. Incredible! This is early groove-ish metalcore at its finest, sounding quite heavy without ever having to resort low djent tunings. Fast riffing, catchy hooks, and deathly breakdowns, all in the moderately heavy drop C tuning. What more can you ask for in metalcore? The ambient title interlude is simple yet dark, with some angelic choir. There's more of that atmosphere to end "Jabberwocky" after the song itself progresses through heaviness.

"Traversing the Gap" takes on some deathly tremolos. As with many metalcore/melodic metalcore bands in the late 90s and 2000s, Aftershock leans into melodeath territory and takes the genre's powerful riffing without making it super melodic. "Living Backwards" is more phenomenal, as the bass and drums have a stomping groove aligned with grim leads and chords. Notice I said this album isn't totally perfect in the first paragraph because of the slightly flawed "Impenetrability". It's a mid-paced heavy track, but the drumming sounds oddly timed and the leads sound too screechy. I prefer hearing those kinds of leads from Meshuggah. There's also some clean singing which isn't too bad.

We also have some thunderous riff rampage in "My Own Invention". Some of the more deathly drum blasts occur though a little heavy on the cymbals. Kicking off "Infinite Conclusion" is some start-stop riffing that is a little choppy, but the enjoyable chords made me forget about that. However, that doesn't stop the vocals falling behind the music. I understand if some steam is lost. The outro "Awaking the Dream" is a nice light way to end.

Aftershock was an early developing band of metalcore with not as much recognition as their still enjoyable peers in Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. Nonetheless, I can enjoy this band's focus on pummeling heaviness as much as those other two bands' catchy melody. Aftershock and Overcast both provided the spark needed for one of metal's most popular genres in the modern era. Remember, Aftershock was Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel's band that would lead them to their more famous one, and you already know what it is. Small reduction of technical heaviness aside, Through the Looking Glass is a truly cohesive experience. One that metalcore fans should own!

Favorites: "Prelude to Forever", "Jabberwocky", "Traversing the Gap", "Living Backwards", "My Own Invention"

Seeing the RYM ratings between Deathrow's iconic Deception Ignored and their follow-up, Life Beyond, drop from 3.7 to 3.4, the latter of which is the same rating as their divisive debut, I was a little worried that the album would miss out on the key factors that made them such an icon in the thrash world in the first place.  But I started to doubt those very doubts upon finishing that opening title track.  If it proves anything, it's that Deathrow had not lost their sense of fun, or their ability to be technical.  Of course, it should be said that this is a somewhat less technical album than Deception Ignored, and that's probably the reason it gets so much slack.  But if they wanna have more fun and try to write a bunch of different types of songs again, then let them, because I was having a good deal of fun myself.  This might not be a TECHNICAL album, but it sure is wild.  The thing is, these tracks might share SOME similarities overtime, but they're really too different from each other to call it a monotonous album.  Staying in the tech thrash constraints, it maximizes what the genre's capable of like South of Heaven did, even if the combination of rhythms, production and vocals doesn't meet that same greatness.  Some tracks are edgy and a little groovy, some are wild and just plain fun, some are angry and even kinda evil, etc.  Deathrow proves themselves to be artists three times in a row as far as I'm concerned.

91

Deathrow made some major improvements to their general sound between the thrashy but fuzzy debut, Riders of Doom and their more epic and glossy Raging Steel, but they still had some improvements to make. This is where they decided, "Let's go crazy, let's get nuts," and turned into a freakin' prog band. And boy did they rock prog in ways most thrash bands couldn't at the time. I mean, some of these ideas sound like they were basically being Chuck Schuldiner before Chuck Schuldiner turned his band Death into a tech band. And sometimes they just get thrown in your face. That randomized piano playing at the beginning of Triocton kinda smacked my brown around like "What the hell just happened?" And they prove again that they're quite good at layering guitar riffs together. Of course, this also means there's a little less of the Teutonic side of things, being a bit more melodic and wild much like And Justice for All or Rust in Peace. Hell, you know they nailed it when a nine-minute song like Narcotic manages to flood you with a barrage of consistent riffs and progression that never gets too wild for its own good or overstays its welcome, AND THEN FOLLOW IT WITH A SEVEN-MINUTE EPIC. This was a major winner for the band, yet another improvement and a damn good reason to check out thrash.  This is the kind of album where the band proves they know how to both have fun with their chosen artform and treat it as an artform to grow and learn from.

92

Some of you might've heard this band from their industrialized cover of Celtic Frost's "Morbid Tales" for a tribute album. While the idea of industrial death metal with drum programming has been done before to less than desirable results at the time, Inner Thought has done it right in Perspectives...

Formed by guitarist Bobby Sadzak, Inner Thought takes some thrashy death metal from his previous work in Canadian band Slaughter and mixes it together with industrial metal for an interesting combo. The programmed drumming sounds so inhuman and works side-by-side with the electronic keyboards. The end result is what Fear Factory would sound like at that time, if that band didn't drop most of their death metal elements in Demanufacture. All in haunting steel!

"Words" is already the best start of the album, and I have no words to describe it. The next track "Sanctioned Situations" is filled with unpredictability in the riffing and the vocals. For the latter, there's some serene female singing by Mary Giordano, giving the heavy darkness some light. The main vocalist Dennis Balesdent has the ability to switch from deathly growls to blackened shrieks. With that and the melodeath leads, they've gotten a bit of that Gothenburg sound months before At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul. "Bed of Nails" starts off with a gothic synth intro then makes its way into a deathly blend of Circle of Dust and Grin-era Coroner.

"Tortured" is an effective highlight, almost as much as the similarly titled Sonic Violence track. Except it's heavier, more upbeat, and instead of the opening sample being Mozart's "Dies Irae", it's a seductive movie sample. "Observe" has some riffing similar to Zao without ever going as hardcore as that band.

The most f***ed up sh*t in the album is in "Autodogmatic". Dennis attempts to do some rapping at one part, and it really ruins the song for me. Rapping doesn't belong in these extreme albums! Perspectives would've been perfect without it. Luckily that mistake is brushed aside in "Rack of Lethargy". Fast thrashy riffing comes on before some more samples and fun keys. That's what early extreme industrial metal should be! The spooky synth title outro fades away nicely into darkness.

Perspectives is a solid example of death metal gone sci-fi, similar to early Fear Factory. I think Inner Thought has really emphasized the fear in that factory. Any metalhead should get a hold of this and explore what this album has to offer. Of course, you have that d*mn rapping part to blame for lessening the essentiality....

Favorites: "Words", "Sanctioned Situations", "Tortured", "Rack of Lethargy"

Immediately after the intro, it becomes apparent that Deathrow had fixed the production problems that got in the way of their debut album's ability to entertain (most of the time).  This is the kind of album where a band is basically showing off how much they've improved without overdoing it.  Although the stay comfortably within the thrash vein for the most part (such as having our first song, Raging Steel, stay within the vein everyone's familiar with), not only does the speed metal come back, but we even get some real instances that feel more like epic storytelling rather than general thrash.  The track Dragon's Blood alone should tell you that.  This was also the chance to show off their progressive side, allowing songs to switch tempos at rapid speed, even to the point of flipping through channels.  And unlike much of the six minute stuff from the last band I binged, Destruction, songs like The Thing Within are able to keep going.  However, while its riffage stays great and its production fine, it DOES tend to get a bit traditional and samey by the end.  Nevertheless, I'm very happy that Deathrow grew up and rwwrote themselves so much soonere than Destruction did.

88

The album starts with the instrumental Winds of Death, which is simple, epic, heavy, but not the most original.  At one point, the intro sounded a lot like For Whom the Bell Tolls, which came out two years earlier.  After the intro, it takes no time at all for the band to head right into the powerful thrash that defined the genre, crossover undertones, King Diamond screams and all.  But it's already much more powerful and effective than any of the early works by Destruction, so this was a bit easier to enjoy.  In fact, the solos in Riders of Doom worked wonders.  It was obvious that this album had a much better idea of what thrash sounded like, even if the production's a little fuzzy for my liking.  Although, this helps the tremolo-picking heavily present on Hell's Ascent, basically adding black metal to the mix.  The riffs on this one are absolutely crazy.  But it doesn't take long for the album to get back to standardly powerful thrashing without much else on their minds.  In fact, some of the actual verses are pretty lame when it comes to writing, and sometimes all I could think of was when they were going to get to the solo.  No metal album should be like that.  So while this is extraordinarily heavy for thrash, even for the time, the riffs and the incredible power are enough to enjoy most of the album throughout while acknowledging the lack of thought put into art and writing, even though the longer songs at the end have a stronger sense of creativity.

76

Here it is, the major comeback for Destruction and their last testament to talent, as well as the end of my Destruction marathon.  I walked barefoot into this, expecting either one of their best and most creative albums, or another overrated display of thrash simplicity with production and energy as the headliners.  Maybe a little of both.  But it didn't really start out that way.  The intro was just a variation on things they had already done before, and the first two tracks, while well-played, sound like basic Destruction in the end.  Now the balance between energy and speed was perfect, but I'd once again be disappointed if they didn't even bother to try and write something new.  SOMETHING new, Bullets from Hell, went the speed metal route, and managed to keep itself up for the five-minute runtime with a pretty strong sense of fun.  But at the point of track 7, Meet Your Destiny, I realized after so long, I was getting bored with Destruction.  This is because the minor improvements in melody, production and heaviness overtime don't really change the fact that it's just another Destruction album, even though I would say this is one of the better ones in this format.  I suppose it's even better than the whole classic three, but not by a grand extent.  So, this is and isn't ending on a high note.

71.5

Well, it looks like longtime thrash act turned groove act Destruction learned their lesson.  Two EP's and one album into the groove scene, and it was obvious to them that groove was just not what the classic Destruction fans wanted.  They needed to get back to the pure Teutonic thrash that made them one of the big three in that scene.  And this, the pure return to form named All Hell Breaks Loose was formed.  Of course, I never thought the early sounds of Destruction were that clever, and thus, this return to form is just about as good as what we got before.  In fact, it sounds so much the same that even the fans of this band's earlier works admit that, while the Destruction fanbase gave a big fat "thank you" to the group for doing so, it's not like this album was anything new either.  This is largely due to the fact that the group got the classic members back together.  It kind of reminds me of Metallica's shift from radio stuff back to thrash during the switch from alt-metal album St. Anger to Death Magnetic.  I mean, yeah it sounds cool enough.  In a way, the extra heaviness and better production values give it some form of an edge in this vein, but there's the originality department that needs to be considered.  So while this is a much more fun album that what we've been getting before, and further proof of their ability to produce and mix well enough for their raw power, it's also pretty obvious that the raw power takes the helm while thick writing still needs some work.  Thankfully, there are a COUPLE interesting tracks, like the more proggy World Domination of Pain, but that happens halfway through (again).  But in the second half, the five-minute tracks tend to get overlong (again).  So in other words, this is a Destruction album (again).  So I'll put this in the same league as the first two albums.

68

Despite being in the Pit for my love of Metallica, can't say I'm very in tune with groove metal. I give it chances on and off, but have little interest in a deep exploration at this time. This is partially because so many classic thrash bands made the switch to at as quickly as the European prog giants of the 70's switched to AOR and pop rock, and the results were about the same: middling and generic. Of course, I can't deny that a part of me absolutely loves the album Invisible Touch by Genesis more than my technical rating states (which is already sitting pretty at 93). But how can I complete my Destruction marathon without getting through an album so bad it might as well be Lulu? It's a key part of their history just like Risk is for Megadeth, and I plan on stopping at their comeback album, The Antichrist. So, here we go.

Aside from a half-cocked album cover that looks less like a thrash album and more like a screenshot of a Monty Python animation with a quickly placed cheap font for a logo because "money's tight," I found it easy not to hate the album, shall we put it. Now I encourage change and variety so that a band can prove they're capable of many other things, thus potentially improving greatness by virtue of multiple talents. But how does this groove album stack up against the others? Well, with the groove aspect and slower tempos maintaining SOME of the thrash genre that defined them, this newfound love of the 90's sound fails to stand out. Catchiness is spotty and riffs are pretty done before. On top of which, it's pretty obvious how much of their previous identity they forsook for this new route. I'm sure if they had bothered to diversify their earliest albums more so that stuff like this feels a little more natural, this wouldn't have happened. I mean, the vast majority of these groove songs do more or less the same thing, which in itself is hardly a surprise considering that it's a Destruction album. There's a rare exeption in Brother of Cain which goes into some major thrash power. Otherwise, it hardly gets interesting at all, and mostly just worries about getting on 90's radio. So this really doesn't do Destruction, or the groove world, any favors. Having said that, it's still a bit better than those two groove EP's they did in the eight years between this album and their last, Cracked Brain, so it's not terrible, just not promising.

57

I guess I'll just have to give up on the idea of Teutonic thrash act Destruction going for the artistic route again for a few releases.  I mean, this 1994 EPreally offers nothing new in anyway, shape or form save one tiny little insignificant detail: they decided to jump on the groove metal hype train, as if that would make their music any better.  They were already devolving back into the generic thrash band that ironically made them a key figure of the small Teutonic thrash act before they started focusing on real songwriting with Mad Butcher.  This groove metal album is a short little 21 minutes, so it doesn't have the disadvantage of overlength that even a 40 minute album like their previous venture, Cracked Brain, did.  But now with the groove aspect so deeply implemented, they spend less time on rhythm and writing and more time on breakdowns and repetition just because they figured it to be the "cool thing."  In other words, they sold out and lost their depth.  The last track is the best one for being a bit weird and creepy, but it's still repetitive in this way even for three minutes.  What an unbelievable disappointment...

48

You'd think after such a grand venture into creativity (or at least grand for Destruction's standards) such as Release from Agony, they'd continue with this newfound love of writing and try something bolder and bigger next time.  Instead, what we have is a degeneration back into primordial soup.  And even though that sounds pretty metal, it's not a compliment.  Cracked Brain, release #7 and studio album #4, shows them going back to the same repetitive writing and tempo that they spammed to freakin death on their first three releases and their live album.  The only thing that can be said that's favoriable against the first three is that the production's better.  We've been getting good production from them since Mad Butcher.  But the problem here is that things are significantly less interesting.  Nothing interesting happens until Rippin' You Off Blind, not only takes place after a standard cover of My Sharona of all songs, but goes back to the same old same old again while lessening the effect of the rhythm and atmosphere.  And the most interesting song is the eighth of nine, No Need to Justify, which is only interesting because of a mellow intro and a different tempo.  All of these songs are decent and aggressive alone, but put together it's an incredinly samey experience that I wouldn't be quick to recommend when so many better albums out there exist.

63

Right from the start, Destruction boasts of of their most well-produced and best sounding albums so far.  If I had to rank them, I'd say this is second-best, with the first being Release from Agony, the one that got me thinking, "these guys CAN be a great band," especially after starting with so many samey and generic pieces.  The production captures the full extent of the raw power in which they're able to ply.  Not a single not is left to drown in the arena.  I honestly didn't think Destruction would be even able to afford that.  Thing is, even though the studio album right before that, the aforementioned Release from Agony, greatly impressed, I was a bit worried about them taking so many tracks from the samey era and lumping them together.  And unfortunately, that's what I got.  While the production adds a lot more power to each song, it's a pretty damn samey album.  They likely only took the title track from my favorite of their albums because it was one of the closest to sounding like all the rest.  They're largely all sharing the same BPM which really pisses me off.  So while the energy and production are fantastic, they rely on their generic sound through and through, neglecting the improvements in writing that they so obviously intentionally made throughout the last couple releases.

73