Daniel's Reviews

I wasn’t completely sold on Riot’s early works. But their third album, 1981’s legendary “Fire Down Under”, had finally grabbed my interest & this led to me really enjoying their more bluesy & heavily underrated follow-up album “Restless Breed” from the following year. “Restless Breed” was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me as most Riot fans seem to agree that the Guy Speranza-fronted albums represent the pinnacle of Riot’s career with Rhett Forester’s influence seeing the band steering towards a more accessible & less energetic direction that wasn’t to everyone’s taste. But I don’t shy away from the big calls so it’s without fear that I make the bold claim that I rate the Forrester era more highly than the Speranza one.  

However Rhett’s erratic behavior on the “Restless Breed” tour & a changing of the guard at Riot’s record label Elektra saw the band’s fifth album, 1983’s “Born In America”, being self-financed by producer Steve Loeb. It would see Riot steering the ship back towards a heavy metal direction after Rhett’s arrival had seen them catering for his style with a bluesy hard rock sound that better suited his skill sets on “Restless Breed”. To be honest, I felt that the bluesier direction sounded pretty cool & suited the band quite well. I’ve always favoured Riot’s more hard rockin’ material though & I enjoyed the added atmosphere, even if the production wasn’t as strong as it could have been. And they haven’t quite got the production right again here on “Born In America” but it’s certainly improved.  

This is definitely a more aggressive record than “Restless Breed” but I wouldn’t say that it’s overly ambitious. I mean the opening title cut may be one of the better tracks but it’s a clear take on the tried & true AC/DC stadium hard rock anthem. Closer “Promised Land” is also pretty clearly paying homage to Led Zeppelin & most of the metal material could be classed as Judas Priest worship but it’s the quality of the song-writing & performances that allow Riot to still offer the listener something interesting.  

No matter what your opinions on the Rhett Forrester era albums it’s hard to deny his talent. He was a great front man & “Born In America” sees him sitting more comfortably within the context of the band after “Restless Breed” saw him occasionally trying too hard & being guilty of over-singing. There are plenty of quality metal riffs on display & some great guitar work. The solos are high quality as usual & I really enjoy the more expansive lead sections. They make for some of the more exciting parts of the album. The tracklisting is reasonably consistent with only a couple of blemishes. Second track “You Burn In Me” being the most obvious of them but why they thought covering Cliff Richard’s pop hit “Devil Woman” would be a good idea is anyone’s guess. Thankfully a good half of the album is of a very high standard & this well & truly covers the weaker moments.  

But it wouldn’t be a Riot album without one of the most ghastly album covers in metal history now, would it? And this one is outrageously bad with Riot’s awful seal mascot returning once more but I have to admit that it only works to further enhance my enjoyment of the album in all honesty. Those that were surprised by my adoration for “Restless Breed” will likely be equally surprised by my affection for “Born In America” as I place it just behind “Restless Breed” as my second favourite Riot album to the time. I just like this more mature & less glossy Riot sound over the faster & more energetic Speranza material. Unfortunately though, this would be the final Riot album that Rhett Forrester, guitarist Rick Ventura, bassist Kip Lemming & drummer Sandy Slavin would appear on as Riot disintegrated shortly after the release of “Born In America”. Sadly, interest in the band had waned following the loss of Speranza & the backing of their label. The huge popularity of Los Angeles hard rockers Quiet Riot hadn’t helped either with many fans becoming confused between the two bands so founding guitarist Mark Reale decided to pull the pin altogether. He’d go on to reform the band three years later with a completely new lineup & it would be a full five years before the next Riot studio album.

It had been a full eleven years since Black Sabbath had kicked off the heavy metal genre with their self-titled album in 1970, but 1981 would see the Americans finally managing to contribute a major metal release in the third album from New York’s Riot (entitled “Fire Down Under”) representing a breakthrough moment for US metal. It showcased a beautifully produced & performed blend of energetic heavy metal & hard rock which appealed to me a hell of a lot more than the more commercially focused hard rock of the band’s 70’s material. So having already had my interest tweeked by “Fire Down Under”, I was interested to see what direction Riot had taken with their fourth album “Restless Breed” given the high expectations that come with a string of three critically acclaimed releases in a row & a progressively heavier & more refined sound. Well Riot’s early material was blessed by the inclusion of enormously talented front man Guy Speranza whose vocal ability was capable of lifting the band’s weaker material to much wider levels of appeal, but unfortunately “Fire Down Under” would be the last Riot album for Guy. He parted ways with the band in early 1982 which was partially the result of his ongoing frustration with Riot’s management & the music scene in general & partially because of family commitments following his recent marriage. But that wasn’t before Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian had offered him the empty vocal spot with Anthrax however. An offer which he proceeded to knock back by maintaining his intention to leave the music industry. I for one would have been very interested to hear a Guy-fronted Anthrax. Anyway… Riot had a big hole to fill & they did so with a 26 year-old singer from Georgia by the name of Rhett Forester.  

Rhett was a substantially different singer to Guy, possessing a bluesy & distinctly American sounding voice that was no less powerful. But it’s certainly a topic of great debate as to how suitable Rhett was for Riot’s sound with many fans feeling that he was instrumental in leading Riot down a bluesier & more commercially accessible path. And look… that may or may not be the case however I choose not to worry about that & to let my ears decide on whether I like this new version of Riot or not. For starters, fans are correct that “Restless Breed” has a distinctly more bluesy sound but not in a bad way. Rhett’s vocal approach certainly works well in that environment & I have to admit that I really like his sound. Riot’s albums have always included just as much hard rock as heavy metal so I don’t think it’s a major concern to hear that again here even though things are weighted a little further towards the hard rock side of things as they were on Riot’s first two albums to be fair. There’s even a total blues rock outing in the pretty decent “Showdown”. But the style of this record is not the only difference to Riot’s previous material with the production also being a major talking point. Production has always been a real strength for the band with a consistently bright & energetic sound being one of their major strengths. Unfortunately, “Restless Breed” doesn’t fit into that mould & the sound is a bit flat & lacking brightness. That’s not a complete deal-breaker by any stretch of the imagination however I do think it contributes to many people claiming that this album is much less heavy than it actually is. It certainly nullifies the impact of the musicianship a little & Mark Reale’s guitar solos don’t have quite the electricity that they did previously. The rhythm section seems to have taken a more basic approach than they have previously too which one would assume is an attempt to give the songs a more accessible flavour. Thankfully though, the song-writing is as strong as we’ve heard from Riot to this point & there are more highlights than on any of their first three albums in my opinion. 

Yep! That’s right everyone! While most Riot fans will tell you that “Restless Breed” was the point where the band started to decline I’m gonna go the other way & say that I find it to be their most enjoyable release to date; even taking into account the obvious production issues & the more commercial & bluesy sound. Opening track “Hard Lovin’Man” is amongst my very favourite heavy metal songs. It’s just an absolute corker! While “Loanshark” is also a really strong metal tune with some very intense thrash drumming that I’d imagine would have been pretty ground-breaking for the time. But Riot have never been a pure metal band. In fact, I found some of the more hard rock driven tracks on “Fire Down Under” to be amongst the highlights of the album & I’m tempted to say that I think they were as good a hard rock band as they were a metal one at this stage. The bluesy title track is a clear example of this. I simply love it. I think the fact that many of these songs lack the urgency & energy of Riot’s signature sound is probably an issue for some people & contributes to the lower regard for this album but I have no problem with it at all. It’s just a different sound & one that suits Rhett Forrester’s vocal style pretty well. There are still a few flat tracks to be fair (the cover version of Eric Burdon & the Animal’s “When I Was Young” in particular) but the larger percentage of highlights on this album caters for those better than it did on previous albums in my opinion. Unlike everyone else in the world this is my favourite Riot release to the time & I think you should all check it out with an open mind. It’s a real grower & improves substantially with repeat listens. 

Up-tempo San Francisco Bay area style thrash metal (ala Exodus/Vio-lence) mixed with classic heavy metal (ala Iron Maiden/Yngwie Malmsteen). The vocalist sounds quite a bit like Bruce Dickinson at times. Plenty of Maiden-esque guitar harmonies & shredding neo-classical guitar solos. The riffs often remind me of Gary Holt & Rick Hunolt from Exodus. Great musicianship from all involved. Has a lot of energy. A lot of people will love this but there's far too many cheesy moments & not enough outright thrash metal for my liking. The ballad "A Hero's Welcome" is truly disgusting.

A very similar type of record to their previous album "The Art Of Dying" from 2004 although I find this one to be slightly more consistent in that the low points aren't quite as low. There are a few flatter tracks of course but the production is once more of a very high quality which lifts these songs to higher levels than they would ordinarily have been capable of. They've continued to expand on their traditional thrash metal roots with a variety of other influences. There's some obvious heavy metal, groove metal, alternative metal & hardcore punk influences on this one & they don't feel out of place really. The vocals are again the focal point of the album & they really drive the highlight songs (see "Dethroned" & "Soulless"). A solid workman-like release from a band that knows their capabilities well. The best tracks from this album & "The Art Of Dying" showed glimpses of what they're really capable of. I'd love to hear a whole album of that quality.

This is a real mixed bag. It features some high quality material (see "5 Steps Of Freedom" & album highlight "The Devil Incarnate") mixed in with some fairly ordinary moments (see "No", "Spirit" & "Land Of Blood"). There's definitely quite a bit of punk influence on some of these tracks. Unfortunately that's not something that I'm very interested in so most of the songs that disappointed me tended to be the punkier ones. In fact, when you look at it objectively, "The Art Of Dying" is as much a heavy metal record as it is a thrash metal one. It reminds me of the approach Anthrax took with their "Worship Music" album in that regard. The production is excellent & there seems to be a stronger focus on song-writing over their more riffy older material. The vocal performance continues the improvement we saw on "Act III" & it's actually one of the more enjoyable aspects of the album. Overall "The Art Of Dying" is worth a listen but I won't be returning to it often.

I've never really gotten into Death Angel & time doesn't seem to have altered my opinions on this album. I love the raw thrashy production & there are plenty of great riffs but I think the song-writing is a bit lacking in maturity & sophistication (which is hardly surprising given their age). Also, although I don't mind Mark Osegueda's more aggressive vocal style I have a bit of trouble accepting all the out of key stuff when he tries to actually sing. He would have been far better off simply screaming his head off throughout the whole album than attempting to sing notes that he clearly can't hit. Luckily the production & raw energy of the band makes up for some of these negatives. They're at their best when they keep it a bit more basic & simply thrash out on tracks like "Kill As One" & "Mistress Of Pain". In fact I do find myself really enjoying parts of most of the tracks but I don't think I actually love any of them in their entirety as I always find something that lets the rest of the song down (like some dodgy vocals or a few substandard riffs). Not bad but overrated in my opinion.

I was a big fan of "Alice In Hell" when it was released & it still comes across as a really solid & ambitious thrash metal debut today. Every song includes at least a couple of classic thrash riffs but there are also plenty of more melodic King Diamond & Iron Maiden style heavy metal parts tossed in throughout the tracklisting, only they're generally played at high speed which gives the album a noticeable speed metal feel (see "WTYD", "Word Salad", "Ligeia"). The bass lines are really interesting & are also quite prominent in the mix which really enhances the progressive nature of the composition. Randy Rampage's vocals have invariably been a cause for debate over the years but I've always quite liked them. Jeff Waters guitar solos are certainly impressive, if a little high in the mix. His opening intro piece "Crystal Ann" is pure Yngwie Malmsteen worship.

I have to admit that the song structures are pretty loose by today's standards. In fact, a few of the songs sound quite pieced together but the quality of the riffs is good enough to overcome it. The links to technical thrash metal are overly ambitious as there's really not very much genuinely technical stuff on offer. "Alice In Hell" sits much more comfortably alongside bands like Testament & particularly Megadeth although it's the precision performances & overall sophistication in the song-writing that draws comparisons with the likes of Coroner.

Annihilator's debut album is comfortably their best work but I've never regarded it as a thrash classic. The title track certainly is & there's a case for "Burn Like A Buzzsaw Blade" too but the remainder of the album doesn't quite fit the bill, despite displaying an undeniable consistency & maturity.

I didn't find much to like about Rotting Christ's 2010 album "Aealo" (2.5/5). It didn't really have enough atmosphere or intensity to keep me interested so I didn't have high hopes for "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy". Surprisingly I've found that it's not a bad record. It's equipped with a massive production that really suits it & there seems to be a fair bit more energy. The songs tend to be pretty epic with anthemic choruses & they've really broken out of the confines of traditional black metal these days into a sound all of their own. They keep things very simple & uncomplicated which is all that's required when you've got such a great production. You can really let the songwriting work for you in that environment. Unfortunately there are a couple of cheesier tracks which let them down (i.e. "Grandis Spiritus Diavolos" & "Iwa Voodoo") but the rest of the album is generally very solid & engaging.

I wasn't sure of what to expect from Rotting Christ's eleven album "Aealo". I've always found them to be underachievers who never really reached their full potential. This album is no different. "Aealo" sees the band all but lose their black metal identity in favour of a more traditional metal sound that features more of the ethnic influences that they have hinted at before. Sakis Tolis' raspy Tom G Warrior-style vocals sound thin & the musicianship & song structures are typically simple. There's also not enough atmosphere or intensity to keep me interested in this album. Probably Rotting Christ's weakest release to date.

I had high hopes for Rotting Christ's third album after the huge improvement they showed on the previous album "Non Serviam". I was quite a fan of that record & hoped the band could recapture some of the atmosphere they had created on that record. "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" also had the benefit of a much higher recording/production budget due to the backing of their new label Century Media so things were all looking very promising for the band at that time.  

The first thing I noticed about this release was that the extra money had been well spent in the production department. Everything sounds much cleaner & more powerful. The drums sound like an actual drummer for the first time & the guitars are very full which is in direct contrast to the thinner sound on "Non Serviam". Secondly Rotting Christ's trademark mid-paced tempos had been diluted somewhat. Much of "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" is at a slower & often doomier pace. I'm not sure I enjoy this as much as the drumming really does sound overly simple in this context. I think they really needed to work on making the drumming sound more interesting to keep things from coming across a little flat at times. In fact the whole album does tend to sound a little tame & could do with some more energy. It's missing a bit of the dark, majestic atmosphere that "Non Serviam" achieved & is guilty of dipping into the more light-weight melodic death metal bucket on more than the odd occasion. Quite a few tracks come across as fairly forgettable (see "King Of A Stellar War", "One With The Forest", "The First Field Of The Battle") & it really does come down to the quality & memorability of the riffs. There are some pretty tired old riffs included here amongst the weaker tracks. Unfortunately the improvements in the area of production haven't been matched by a continuation of the dramatic improvement they made in their musicianship from "Thy Mighty Contract" to "Non Serviam" & there's still a little left to be desired in the rhythm guitar performances here. The guitar solos still sound very clunky & are a struggle to listen to at times.   

Still, all is not lost. To their credit Rotting Christ have achieved a more varied album than "Non Serviam" which was considered to be a little one dimensional. The high points of the album are the tracks where the band manages to capture the listener emotionally. Tracks like "A Dynasty From The Ice" & album highlight "The Opposite Bank" achieve this through the use of more mature melodies & memorable song-writing. These moments often remind me of the elegance of early Paradise Lost & Katatonia & leave me humming the melodies for the rest of the day. If only the album was more consistent in that respect. Thankfully the production really does make the whole thing a more enjoyable experience than the song-writing deserves. Overall the inconsistencies of "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" makes it an overrated & inconsistent release.

Rotting Christ's second album is a massive improvement on "Thy Mighty Contract". The musicianship & song-writing has come forwards in leaps & bounds & everything is much more memorable. Their debut hinted at a more melodic side of black metal & this album sees that developed on further but it's important to note that they never descend into over-the-top cheese like many of the more melodic black/death metal bands do. This is quite a mature sound. The production is quite thin but it doesn't take away from the experience much as it's certainly not muddy & you can clearly make out all of the individual instruments. The guitar solos are still pretty poor & I've always thought Rotting Christ would be better off giving them away altogether. There has been a great improvement on the use of keyboards which sounded very amateurish on "Thy Mighty Contract". 

Rotting Christ have always been about atmosphere over brutality & it's no different here. They hold enough back to allow the songs to breath & the tempos don't generally get above mid-pace which can lead to a samey feeling with many of the tracks but the memorability of the melodies saves them from becoming boring. There's really not a poor song here.

I quite enjoyed Inquisition's 2010 album "Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm" so I was interested to see how the band had progressed since then. There's not many surprises here. They still sound very much like Immortal for the most part however there are plenty of slow, melodic sections that remind me quite a lot of Dissection's slower moments like "Where Dead Angels Lie". I don't think the slower stuff suits them quite as much as the faster brutal material but it's a nice changeup. It's undisputedly no-frills black metal with little attempt made to break new ground but it's definitely a professional package & is enjoyable throughout.

This was my first listen to Gris & I was initially a little unimpressed. A double album of fairly unintimidating atmospheric black metal featuring live violin with a heavy reliance folk instrumentation doesn't exactly sound like an attractive prospect to someone with my particular tastes. However things started to change for me on my second listen & by the time I'd given this a third run I was more than a little interested in what this Canadian duo have to offer. 

For starters it's not the longest double album in history & is easily endured in one sitting. The musicianship is absolutely top notch for an atmospheric black metal band. The bass lines are easily heard throughout & are always interesting. Plus the drumming shows a willingness to experiment that is quite endearing. I'm not entirely sold on the vocals but they get the job done. Some of the folk sections have a distinct Opeth feeling about them & the use of the violin & cello are not overblown at all. In fact they're used to enhance the atmosphere more than as a centrepiece. Overall I found this release to be an ambitious but ultimately rewarding experience.

Back in the day I would undoubtedly have dished out a five star rating for this album without hesitation however these days my feelings are a little different. The album starts off with “The Dawn of a New Age” which can only be described as Norwegian black metal of the highest level. In fact it may well be the best thing the band has ever done. It shows Satyricon at their most brutal & this is a side of the band that I find really exciting. The rest of the album has plenty more of those moments & this element has always kept “Nemesis Divina” fairly high in my esteem. “Mother North” is a good case in point. It includes plenty of brutality but also a great sense of melody that has given it such a wide appeal. What I’ve tended to forget about this album over time is that it also includes some ideas that didn’t quite work for me. The last section of “Forhekset” is pure folk metal which doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. I also struggle with the piano section at the end of “Du som hater Gud”. Closing track “Transcendental Requiem of Slaves” seems to have no song structure whatsoever & is clearly just a bunch of leftover ideas they’ve flung together. Regardless of these issues there is some fine black metal going on for the most part. Frost’s drumming & Satyr’s vocals are ferocious throughout & are the clear highlights. A pretty great Norwegian black metal album that has plenty to offer but may be a touch overrated in my opinion.

I hadn't heard this one since the mid-90's & was interested to see how I felt about it these days. It features a fairly progressive & melodic death metal sound mixed with traditional Israeli folk music. That combination spawned some pretty interesting ideas as you can imagine but you can tell they were still developing their sound at this stage. Some of the more melodic death metal sections remind me quite a bit of early Amorphis & the death vocals sound similar to Aaron Stainthorpe's on the first couple of My Dying Bride releases. While it does tend to maintain my interest due to the unusual nature of the sound I still find "Sahara" to be a bit flat. I think it could do with a little more class in the production & musicianship departments to be honest. Orphaned Land certainly deserve credit for creating an album with a strong point of difference though.

Iron Maiden's "Live!! +one" E.P. was originally only released in Japan in November 1980 but it was later expanded for a Greek release in 1984. It features three live tracks (fan favourites “Sanctuary” & “Phantom Of The Opera” as well as “Drifter” from their as-yet un-recorded follow-up record “Killers”) which were recorded at the Marquee Club on 4th July 1980 plus the studio version of Maiden's cover of Skyhooks' “Women In Uniform” which had only recently received it's own single release. It’s not the best Maiden live recording you’ll find as it does sound a little bootleg-ish at times. Some of the sloppy lead work from Dennis Stratton is also a concern however it’s still early Maiden & they were a powerful & energetic live act at the time so you can easily overlook the flaws. Of the live material I think “Sanctuary” sounds a little better in a live environment so I enjoy it more than the studio version even though I've never been much of a fan of it's punky hard rock feel. “Phantom Of The Opera” misses the production of its studio counterpart which leaves it falling short of the classic album version but the high quality song-writing & composition still make it a highlight regardless. “Drifter” features a long drawn-out outro with a call-&-response audience participation section that mimics The Police’s “Walking On The Moon” & it’s a pretty fun listen even though it could definitely have been trimmed to keep its runtime more palatable. There's no question that it’s a good live song though & this version easily manages to do its studio counterpart justice. The tacked-on studio number “Women In Uniform” is an up-tempo & energetic number that’s been totally Maidenized with galloping rhythms & harmonized guitar lines. It's inclusion seems to be a largely redundant given the song's availability elsewhere however the hooky chorus really digs it’s teeth in & Paul’s vocal performance is excellent. Overall I find "Live!! +one" to be a pretty decent if inessential live release which is generally enjoyable without commanding regular revisits.

1980's "Invasion" album documents the humble beginnings of Manilla Road; a classic American three-piece heavy metal band who formed in Kichita, Kansas in 1977. They’d later go on to become known for a particularly epic brand of metal music however I’m not actually sure that I’d even call “Invasion” a metal record. To my ears it’s more of a combination of the progressive rock of Rush, the classic heavy metal of Judas Priest & the spacey psycheledic rock of Hawkwind.  There’s probably more prog rock than anything else though. Take my personal highlight track "Cat & Mouse" as an decent example of this as it sounds very much like a heavier version of Rush.  The only obvious metal tune is also the weakest track on the album by a fair margin in the heavily overrated “Street Jammer”. The space rock thing really comes into play during the guitar solos which are smothered in delay & other spacey effects & represent one of the best elements of “Invasion” in my opinion. The mix isn't ideal with the vocals sitting too high & the rhythm guitars not given enough clout which leaves them sounding pretty thin. But despite it's primitive nature, I have quite a bit of time for “Invasion”. The longer, spacier & more epic progressive tracks are the most impressive pieces of work but there are also some great metal riffs scattered throughout the tracklisting. It’s definitely worth checking out if you don’t mind a bit of prog rock & early 80’s heavy metal. 

This release shows Meshuggah really flexing their muscles. They are an extremely talented group of musicians performing powerful metal music that is both technical and unique. If you've heard any of the bands backcatalog you will know exactly what to expect from their sound. What you won't expect is the sheer perfection of this performance. There is barely a dud note on the whole CD. Although a little monotonous at times, the vocals are aggressive throughout. The rhythm section is inhumanly tight & the trademark Allan Holdsworth-style guitar solos complement the complex riffs splendidly. The slower crunchier moments are particularly effective in a live environment with the closer "Bleed" being the album highlight. A little more variation wouldn't go astray however I find this to be a very impressive release from one of the elite metal bands in the scene today.

I have mixed feelings about this album. On the positive side, the band rightly decided not to take the one-track epic with programmed drums any further as it had run it's course. Instead they decided to go back to their roots & returned with a sound that is basically a combination of all of their albums to date. On paper that sounds great. In practise it means that "ObZen" doesn't really offer anything that you haven't heard from them many times before. Because of this I find my attention waning at times during this album.   

All of the usual Meshuggah highlights are here (including the crushing bass guitar) & I do find myself loving a lot of this record but I have a little bit of an issue with the production as there seems to be too much high-end which leaves the album sounding a bit noisy & less precise. There seems to be a wall of crash cymbal throughout pretty much the entire album & the guitars are not as full as on previous albums. There is also very little variety in the vocals & it might be time to introduce something different there. That pretty much sums up the album really. A couple of Meshuggah's previous albums have been carried by the complexity & technicality of the song structures & riffs. "ObZen" is probably a little less complex than their recent releases which should help them recreate this stuff live. But this also takes away from the element that carried my interest during more monotonous periods on albums like "Catch Thirty Three".   

Overall, Meshuggah are still a fair distance above 99% of the metal scene (see "Bleed" which is as good a track as the band have ever recorded) & therefore I find it very difficult to give them a rating of less than 4 stars for such sublime metal music. However I think this will be the last time that I can justify giving a four-star rating to Meshuggah albums without them adding something new to their sound. Dazzle me guys!

My mother always taught me that if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all.

Tool's debut E.P. has never been a regular playlist inclusion for me. I've always loved albums like "Aenima" & "Lateralus" but in my opinion this little release struggles to stand up in such exclusive company. It's clear from the start that the band has real talent but that's not really in question. Maynard certainly has an amazing voice & all of the band members are more than capable but the songwriting & atmosphere just isn't quite there yet. Also the production on the studio tracks is very weak which leaves them sounding a bit flat. The guitar really needs to be much more in-your-face. In fact there's an immediate jump in energy when the two live recordings come on as they have a heavier production & are subsequently much more effective. "Cold & Ugly" is probably my favourite track on the E.P. although "Jerk-Off" is pretty close behind. None of the studio tracks really grab me. "Opiate" also includes a silly hidden track called "The Gaping Lotus Experience"  which is simply the band mucking around in the studio with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. It might have been fun to record however I fail to see how it adds any value to the end-user. Hidden tracks are a pet hate of mine. If the song isn't good enough to make the proper album then it shouldn't be included as all it does is devalue the rest of the material.  

Ultimately "Opiate" is a snapshot of an already very decent rock/metal band that is still finding their sound. Given a better production these songs could have offered much more than they do in their current form but Tool still had some work to do before they would produce anything truly special.

Having waited out the long five year sleep between albums I was feeling quite excited about the release of Tool’s 2006 album “10,000 Days”. Each of Tool’s records to that time had shown off  a remarkable improvement on the previous one & given that 2001’s “Lateralus” had made such a huge impact on me I was ready to be blown away all over again. I wondered just where they could take their sound as I had a feeling they may have taken it as far as it could go with “Lateralus ” so a change-up was definitely on the cards.  

What we got was not really a change-up though. In fact it seemed to me to be an attempt to take the “Lateralus” sound even further. It’s a long album with extended track lengths & atmospheric passages but it most certainly sounds like the Tool we’d all come to know & love. Only it’s a more introspective record than anything the band had previously released as they elect to take the listener on long tension-filled journeys before picking their moment to strike. There aren’t the enormous highlights we’ve come to expect from Tool but there is an impressive consistency to this material & I can’t say that there are any disappointing tracks here.  

For the most part it works beautifully but it’s not without its challenges. It’s a very ambitious record that tip-toes along the edge of self-indulgence at times. “Wings Of Marie” (Pt 1)” is a good example of this. It’s not a bad track on its own but it’s followed immediately by the eleven minute epic “10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)” which treads much of the same ground while expanding on it substantially so although it may fit the concept it seems a little bit of an unnecessary inclusion to me. The more up-front rockers like “The Pot” & album highlight “Vicarious” are where the band sounds most comfortable & are subsequently the most memorable moments although brooding builder “Right In Two” is also quite brilliant. The scope, vision & execution of epic tracks like "Rosetta Stoned" is highly impressive although it's debatable whether the songs would have been better suited to a shorter format on occasions. The rhythm section is unbelievable as usual with drummer Danny Carey putting in a truly stellar display. Even Tool’s often misguided use of ambient interludes seems to be used fairly effectively to break up an otherwise fairly long album.  

“10,000 Days” is not the masterpiece that “Aenima” or “Lateralus” were but it’s still a very solid & often overlooked Tool record. In fact its overall consistency gives it a very slight edge over their debut “Undertow” for mine.  It’s worth noting that it requires a reasonable commitment from the listener before opening up many of its charms but the effort is unquestionably rewarding. Although I was hoping they’d take things a little further with this one I find it hard to be disappointed with the result.

When I first heard this release back in 1996 I was very disappointed. Slayer was my all-time favourite band & they'd never failed me before but this time I was left feeling empty. In time I've come to find it a little more appealing but I don't think it's ever going to get regular revisits. Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad hardcore punk record. The Slayer sound & production works quite well & there's plenty of energy. Tom Araya's vocal style really suits the material too but ultimately I'm just not a fan of the hardcore punk genre. I listen to Slayer to experience the pinnacle of metal so this album was always going to be fighting a losing battle with me. Closing track "Gemini" is the only true Slayer material included & while it's a pretty decent song it also sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the stuff on offer so I have to question why they chose to include it at all. "Undisputed Attitude" will certainly appeal to hardcore punk fans as these guys really know what they're doing but if you're looking for that classic Slayer sound you may want to look elsewhere.

There's not much to like about this release. A thin production, very poor musicianship & terrible clean vocals are all contributing factors in an unpleasant listening experience. The orchestral interludes are well done but the black metal material is very amateurish. I tried really hard to like it after reading the recent reviews but I guess I just don't get it. Each to their own. 

Another very overrated release from Negura Bunget which is thankfully a bit better than the "Vîrstele Pămîntului" release which coincided with this one. However it is still quite flawed in many of the same ways. This release is a re-recording of their 2000 album of the same title with a couple of extra acoustic tracks thrown in.  It features a more pure black metal sound with less of the folk metal influence apparent on their recent material. The song structures are extremely pieced together & never really allow the music to flow. I've noticed this a lot in black metal this year. It seems that there is very little attention put in to the transitions between riffs these days. The musicianship is also found to be fairly pedestrian at times. I certainly don't share the admiration for the drumming that some others have expressed. They are so far back in the mix that I find myself wondering whether they even exist at times. The vocals are also not done any favours by the mix either as they are off in the background for the most part. There are some very good moments when the band decide to give their mid-pace riffs some breathing space but these moments are quickly swallowed up by sudden transitions & I find that I there is probably not a single track that I like in it's entirety. In my opinion this is clearly the most overrated metal band on RYM at the moment. 

1992’s “Countdown To Extinction” is a record that I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand it signifies the end of Megadeth’s days as a thrash metal band. I’d been a fan of the band for around six years by that stage & the idea of Megadeth moving to a more song-writing focused traditional heavy metal sound was not an idea that I was terribly thrilled about. On the other hand it ended up being a pretty decent heavy metal album & it was hard to deny that I enjoyed it. Having said that I couldn’t say that I liked it as much as their previous three albums so there was still that hint of disappointment in the back of my mind. Subsequently when it came time for the release of their follow-up album two years later my interest had waned somewhat. I gave the record a couple of listens regardless & soon discovered that the band had progressed even further away from their thrash metal roots. This didn’t sit well with me so I didn’t really give it the time that it needed to open up.  

Revisiting “Youthanasia” now has been a very different experience. I’ve matured a lot & have a much more diverse taste in music these days so I wanted to give it a proper chance to show me what it had to offer this time. To be fair it seems like a logical progression from “Countdown To Extinction”. The band shows a little more restraint & presents a clear focus on song-writing over energy & technicality. There’s a lot more space than Megadeth have ever shown before. The drumming is very basic & stripped back which was initially a struggle for me while I became acquainted with the songs. Dave Ellefson’s bass lines aren’t as prominent as they were in the past either. The song structures are much more traditional than their more progressive & adventurous thrash material & the riffs tend to take a back seat while the vocal hooks carry the spotlight. This is aided by a clean production job that presents the songs in a very accessible & palatable form. Marty Friedman seems to relish the new-found space & his solos are a definite highlight for me. The guy has such beautiful & exotic style that’s as memorable as it is technically flawless. I don’t think Dave Mustaine’s vocals suit this less intense metal sound as much as they did the thrashier stuff. He does sound a bit whiney at times but I can certainly deal with it when the song-writing is of this high a quality.  

The album doesn’t really hit you the first time around but the hooks definitely start to sink in on repeat listens. There are some really anthemic choruses on there & I struggled to get them out of my head for days afterwards. The highlights aren’t as huge as those on Megadeth’s classic albums but there’s a consistency that they’ve struggled to achieve at times. There aren’t any real clangers here. In fact two thirds of the album is really very good. The other third is not horrible but it doesn’t quite get to where I’d like it to. “Blood Of Heroes” & “Black Curtains” are probably the weakest links but I’m not a huge fan of “Train Of Consquences” or “The Killing Road” either. Everything else is pretty entertaining really. Each song has an addictive singalong chorus without overdoing the cheese factor at any point. Strangely enough my favourite track ended up being the most commercial one which was quite a shock to me. “A tout le monde” is pretty much a power ballad but the chorus has an amazing hook that I struggled to shake. The gimmicky closing track “Victory” with its lyrics that include the song titles of loads of Megadeth’s old material was also a standout.  

“Youthanasia” ended up being a very simple but surprisingly entertaining listen that deserves a lot more respect than I gave it back in the day. It’s not the most challenging or impressive Megadeth album but it makes up for that with some quality song-writing. I can see myself revisiting it on occasion.

My initial experience with “Wretch” was way back in the early 1990’s. I’d just gotten into their follow-up album “Blues For The Red Sun” & I wanted to hear what Kyuss’ earlier material had to offer. In truth I don’t recall a lot of that experience & going into this revisit I wasn’t entirely sure as to why I hadn’t returned to the album in the decades that had elapsed since. I guess that fact alone gave a strong indication as to why really. Plus the rest of the band’s discography was so strong that anything subpar was always going to be overlooked in favour of a superior product.  

The self-titled Sons Of Kyuss album did very little for me. It suffered from poor production & execution & it didn’t really indicate that the band had anything special to offer. The common feeling seems to be that “Wretch” suffered from similar production problems but I don’t feel they’re as severe. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the sound is ideal but it’s not unsuitable for this type of music & it gives everything a real live feel so I can deal with it pretty comfortably. The rhythm section gives the songs a solid backbone from which to work off without ever really challenging the listener. I wasn’t a fan of guitarist Josh Homme’s performance on “Sons Of Kyuss” & although he’s a little more convincing here he still had a bit of work to do with regards to technique & overall tightness. The guitar sound is still pretty sloppy but it’s definitely better than the one of “Sons Of Kyuss”. The big improver though is vocalist John Garcia who was really coming into his own by this stage. He showed promise on “Sons Of Kyuss” but this time he commands the listeners attention & is the clear focal point of the band. It’s his performance that draws me to the best moments on the album.  

“Wretch” includes five re-recorded versions of songs that originally featured on the “Sons Of Kyuss” record. I didn’t really get into any of those songs in their initial formats to be honest & “Love Has Passed Me By” & “Katzenjammer” don’t do much more for me on this occasion. The newer versions of “Deadly Kiss” & “Isolation” sound a bit better than the originals but the songs still aren’t quite good enough to keep my interest. “Black Widow” is the real standout from  the older material. It was probably the strongest of the five to begin with but it sounds much better with this production & is one of the better tracks overall. Of the new material “Son Of A Bitch” is an absolute monster & is the clear highlight of the album. John’s vocals are just so bad-ass that I can’t help but to scream along with him. I’ve seen Kyuss live on a number of occasions over the years & I’m disappointed to say that I’ve never seen them play this song because I’m certain it would be an absolute beast in a live environment.  “The Law”, “I’m Not” & “Stage III” are all quite enjoyable too but for every decent track here there is another flatter one like “Big Bikes” or “(Beginning Of What’s About To Happen)/Hwy 74”. There’s nothing too horrible but there’s a distinct lack of consistency across the tracklisting.  

I really like parts of “Wretch”. It clearly shows a band with potential. It just seems like a bit of a clean-out of their older material to me. I think perhaps it might have been wiser to leave the old songs in the past & to hold off on recording a new release until they had a full album worth of fresh material. Overall “Wretch” shows good promise for the future without possessing the consistency to draw the listener back for repeat listens.

Given that I found a fair bit of enjoyment in 2006's "Christ Illusion" & 2001's "God Hates Us All" I was politely optimistic about Slayer's 2009 release "World Painted Blood". I had heard that Slayer were perhaps steering away from the nu-metal & groove metal influences that had crept into their repertoire in recent times & had put together an album more faithful to the band's legacy & this was music to my ears. "Christ Illusion" had headed further in that direction than the previous couple of albums but also had a habit of heading off course.  

The first thing I notice about "World Painted Blood" is the dry & sloppy production. It's very disappointing & doesn't give the songs a chance to really shine. I honestly think the album may been a much more enticing prospect with a decent production job & it's particularly noticeable on faster numbers where the rhythm guitar sound becomes quite messy. Stylistically there is certainly a lot of the trademark Slayer elements at play however there also seems to be quite a bit of self plagiarism going on with very little new ground being trodden. Kerry & Jeff's guitar solos are a good example of this as they have played these solos a thousand times before & generally much better too. Still... it's good to hear Slayer doing Slayer I guess.  

Unfortunately the quality of the material is also pretty inconsistent. There are a couple of belters in "Psychopathy Red" & album highlight "Beauty Through Order". Given a better production I suspect that these two tracks probably wouldn't have sounded too out of place next to some of Slayer's classic albums. Others like "World Painted Blood", "Hate Worldwide", "Public Display Of Dismemberment" & "Playing With Dolls" have a fair bit to offer as well without quite reaching that level. The remainder of the album is pretty weak with the horrible "Americon" being the low point followed by "Human Strain" & "Not Of This God". There are also some obvious attempts at revisiting the frantic thrashfests of their first few albums but they inevitably end up sounding a bit average in comparison (see "Unit 731" & "Snuff").  

It's really quite a disappointing album due to the fact that the ingredients are all there yet the execution is so poor. Of course there will always be some good stuff on a Slayer record but I simply expect more than this. The quality control seems to have been overlooked & I'm left feeling uncertain as to whether Slayer will ever release something memorable again. With a new album in the works I imagine we will soon see.

I haven't heard Dark Tranquility in probably 10 years but they sound exactly the same. And I mean EXACTLY! Which is why this album went by without leaving much of an impression on me at all. If anything it's a bit more lightweight than I remember. I'm sure this album will be just as successful as all of their other albums however it won't be grabbing them many new fans. Nothing to see here! Move along people!

1995’s “The X Factor” was nothing short of a complete disaster for Iron Maiden. They really needed to get off to a flying start with new vocalist Blaze Bayley but not only was his performance very ordinary but the band seemed to completely lose their direction & song-writing ability. It was really quite amazing. I couldn’t have imagined the band could descend to such a low point so quickly. Subsequently when it came to the follow-up (with Bayley still behind the mike) I was not exactly expecting miracles.  

And I’m glad I didn’t alright because “Virtual XI” is about as far from a miraculous return to form as you can possibly get. I didn’t imagine that there was any way that they could put out something worse than “The X Factor” but if that was their goal then they succeeded with flying colours. There is so much wrong with this record that I don’t even know where to begin. Why don’t we start with the production which is nothing short of dreadful. How a band of the stature of Iron Maiden can release something that sounds so bad is beyond me. I can only assume that they sent the wrong masters to the manufacturers & didn’t discover their error before it was too late. Then we have another pedestrian vocal performance by Bayley who is quite simply not up to the job of singing for Iron Maiden. It was never gonna work. On top of that you add some of the poorest song-writing I’ve ever heard from a major metal band & you've got a complete clanger of an album.  

Opener “Futureal” is very much in the format of your classic Maiden opening track. It’s a driving, galloping call to arms that reminds you of past openers like “Tailgunner”. Unfortunately it’s well below par & the production doesn’t help but you can see what they were trying to do. Then there’s “The Clansman” which is an attempt to revisit their more epic direction & you can imagine that it might actually sound good with a decent sound & Bruce on vocals but in its current format it just doesn’t cut the mustard. The rest of the album is a total abortion. “The Angel & The Gambler” (which sounds fars too much like Status Quo for its own good) & “Don’t Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger” are horrible songs as it is without needlessly extending them with Blaze repeating the same line over & over & over again. The chorus of “Lightning Strikes Twice” is unbelievably crap. There are obscure synth stab sounds at various times throughout the album that seem totally out of place. Closing ballad “Como estais amigos” may be the cheesiest & weakest thing the band has ever done. I can keep going too. It’s really that bad.  

“Virtual XI” is quite easily one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard from a major metal band. I truly struggle to see why anyone would bother with it when there is so much great music out there. At least things could only get better from here though I suppose.

I had some high expectations for this album as Cult Of Luna have always been consistent & “Vertikal” hasn’t let me down at all. I recently revisited 2006’s “Something Along The Highway” & enjoyed it quite a bit but this one has definitely got a darker, heavier feel which really appeals to me. This can be directly attributed to the band’s conscious effort to focus on thematic content similar to Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” & it’s really quite noticeable. The production is top notch & helps to present the themes nicely. It’s interesting to note that this release is the first not to feature the vocals of founding member Klas Rydberg. I honestly wouldn’t have noticed had I not read this in an online review but I’ve since found myself enjoying the vocals more than on past COL albums. Johannes Persson’s performance seems less grating & quite powerful.  

Stylistically Cult Of Luna haven’t made any major departures from the sound they are known for but they have taken a few risks with varying degrees of success. For example, “Vicarious Redemption” features the use of a dubstep bassline & a house beat at one stage while “Synchronicity” takes an industrial direction & is clearly influenced by early Godflesh. There is also a stronger integration of electronics than on past releases which helps to promote the industrial/urban themes. These flashes of experimentation don’t alter the signature Cult Of Luna sound too drastically but they certainly add a level of interest to a band that has at times hit flat periods during their more atmospheric & experimental moments. The album highlight is undoubtedly the epic “In Awe Of” which is a realization of everything that COL do well while haunting closer “Passing Through” leaves me wanting to experience the whole thing all over again.  

As with all good post-metal “Vertikal” requires your full attention & multiple listens to open up. I will definitely be checking out the “Vertikal II” E.P. which features other material from these sessions as this is a focused & impressive release from a really professional outfit.

2004’s “The System Has Failed” was a step in the right direction for Megadeth. It saw the band actively concentrating on a more heavy metal oriented direction rather than the cheesy pop metal material that had plagued the previous couple of albums & it featured a decidedly heavier production to match. Former lead guitarist Chris Poland had returned to contribute some solos which was also of great interest to me personally. Unfortunately the quality of the song-writing was still too inconsistent to make the album a rewarding experience. It felt like a bit of a chore to sift through all of the filler in order to find the hidden gems & Chris’ contributions were surprisingly a bit of a disappointment given the quality of his performances on the first two Megadeth albums. Although “The System Has Failed” avoided the global panning that it’s two predecessors received it also failed to instil much confidence in future releases.  

2007’s “United Abominations” may have featured an all-new lineup but it was immediately obvious that the plan had stayed pretty much the same. It’s a pretty similar sort of record with a few notable enhancements. Firstly the production has been improved & it really allows the songs the chance to shine. There's also slightly less of the more commercially driven material that was hanging around on “The System Has Failed” & the album is a bit heavier overall. Guitar solos had been given more & more time over the previous couple of albums & that trend had continued with new guitarist Glen Drover’s lead work being the highlight of the album for mine. His tone is sensational & he takes a really flashy approach that I find quite exciting. Particularly towards the end of the album. The new rhythm section of James LoMenzo & Shawn Drover do a very solid job & are helped out by the lovely sounding production. Dave Mustaine’s riffing gives more than the odd hint towards his thrash metal heyday & he also gives us a pretty standard post-1990 vocal delivery that gets the job done without ever touching the angst-ridden aggression of his 80’s material.  

There are still some weaker tracks here but I find “United Abominations” to be a bit more consistent than the previous four albums. The second half of the record is particularly solid. Surprisingly Dave decided it would be a good idea to re-record “A tout le monde” (which was my favourite track from his 1994’s “Youthanasia” album) with the addition of Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia. The concept had sellout written all over it but I have to admit that the result reminds me of just why I loved the original & I ended up finding it to be one of my album highlights (along with the aggressive “You’re Dead”). Thrashy opener “Sleepwalker” & shredding closer “Burnt Ice” are also pretty impressive. Where “United Abominations” is let down a little bit though is in the first half with tracks like “Gears Of War” & the title track sounding pretty flat & lacking memorability.  

“United Abominations” is a long way from perfect but it certainly exceeded my expectations for a modern day Megadeth album. Not only can it can be seen as a further step in the right direction but it is genuinely worth a listen. Strangely it seems to be a little underrated so I encourage you to make the decision for yourself.

I honestly wasn’t expecting much when I gave this album its first spin. I vaguely recalled being fairly unimpressed with their 2011 album “Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand” & found Alan’s vocals to be intolerable on the “All Empires Fall” DVD. My only other experience with Primordial was way back in the mid-1990’s & I think those brain cells are long gone by now. I must admit that the “folk metal” tag I’d seen them branded with recently was a very scary term for me but reliable sources had informed me that it was misguided & had highly recommended this release. The outcome is that I’m really glad that I gave this a chance because “To The Nameless Dead” is an outstanding metal album that utilizes Celtic metal & Pagan black metal to create a fresh sound all of their own.   

The opening three tracks are absolutely killer & I find Alan’s vocals to be much more enjoyable than on the live DVD. In fact the vocal hooks are quite memorable & are one of the album’s major draw cards. “Failures Burden” & “Heathen Tribes” are not quite as strong as the earlier tracks but the last couple of songs really bring it home nicely. The production has a warm & organic style that really suits the band & helps them to maintain an epic feel that draws on the spirit of early 90’s Bathory without really sounding like them that much. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Primordial’s material based on this effort. 

I loved Bolt Thrower back in the day but have never checked out their post-90’s material until now. I admit that I came in with the preconceived expectation that “Those Once Loyal” was going to sound exactly as they did in their 90’s heyday but that only ended up being partially true. The first thing I noticed was the inclusion of quite a few riffs that would fit more comfortably on a groove metal or nu-metal release than a death metal one. There's even a couple that remind me of early Amorphis. I know that sounds a bit unappealing but it actually works quite well in this context. I think the simplicity of Bolt Thrower’s trademark mid-paced drum beats, their solid song-writing skills & the overall tightness of the band combine to prevent these stylistic departures from sounding out of place. I won’t go so far as to say that I love all of these moments but they are definitely not off-putting. There are certainly enough of their standard tremolo-picked bottom-string riffs with driving double-kick drumming on offer to satisfy the old-school fans too. Vocally Karl hasn’t changed in the slightest. His style is still fairly limited but is generally effective & suits the atmosphere nicely. I enjoyed Jo’s bass lines quite a bit. She threw in some nice inventive licks here & there that made for a more interesting listen. The rhythm section does a stellar job really.  

Overall I really enjoyed the album but I don’t think it reaches the heights of their classic albums. The small changes in riff style were probably necessary to keep the band relevant in the current market but they don’t appeal to me quite as much as the more memorable melodic moments of the past. There are some belters like “Those Once Loyal” & “Anti-Tank (Dead Armour)” mixed in with some less effective tracks but generally Bolt Thrower can be relied upon to dish out a quality product & “Those Once Loyal” is no exception.

The golden touch Iron Maiden seemed to have throughout the 1980’s had certainly tailed off a bit through the early 90’s but I was still able to find plenty of enjoyment in “No Prayer For The Dying” & “Fear Of The Dark”. The signs were there that the band still had what it took to create high quality metal music but the consistency wasn’t there. However once the legendary Bruce Dickinson moved on it became a whole new proposition. There was certainly some doubt as to whether the band could effectively replace Bruce & hit the ground running without any further loss of momentum. I’m not generally one to get too tied up in lineup debates. I just want to hear good music & couldn’t care less who produces it so I genuinely wanted to like whatever Maiden dished up for me. Unfortunately they made it extremely difficult for me to do that.  

I’ve read many people’s views on vocalist Blaze Bayley’s performance & overall suitability for Iron Maiden over the years. Some have indicated that he ruined what would have otherwise been a couple of pretty decent Maiden albums however I can assure you that this is not the case. The music on “The X Factor” is just as disappointing as the vocals. Blaze’s performance is certainly subpar. There is no question about it. He struggles with the material which leaves him sounding quite forced & unprofessional. He regularly misses notes & is generally pitchy throughout the album. Even if that were not the case his style simply doesn’t suit Iron Maiden & he was a poor choice of replacement in my opinion. When you add what was easily the most uninspired group of tracks of Maiden’s career to that time then you have somewhat of a disaster.  

It becomes obvious very quickly that things are not quite right as the first three tracks are all very disappointing. Amazingly the quality descends a lot further from there though with horrible efforts like “Fortunes Of War”, “Look For The Truth” & “Judgement Of Heaven” being the weakest the band had ever recorded. The previous couple of albums had included some tracks that sounded rushed & pieced together but “The X Factor” took this to another level with material like “The Unbeliever” falling a long way short of sounding cohesive. The overall energy level is low & many of these overlong tracks sound very ploddy & dull. “Man On The Edge” & “2 A.M.” are probably the closest they come to putting together anything memorable but even they sound a bit flat & stale.  

Experiencing “The X Factor” for the first time is quite a shock for someone who was brought up on classic 80’s Maiden. I simply didn’t think they were capable of releasing something so wide of the mark. Blaze cops a lot of the flack for it but in fairness his vocals are only a part of the problem. I seriously doubt one of Bruce’s best performances could have resurrected this one.

his is such an original & consistently brilliant record. Every musician contributes with amazing performances & the song-writing is simply wonderful. Jim Martin bangs out some of the most epic metal riffs ever. Mike Patton leads from the front beautifully too. It's a real testament to the bands skills that they can present so much variety without ever dipping in quality. "Underwater Love" is probably the only track that I don't absolutely love but it's still a pretty catchy tune. I think "Surprise! You're Dead!" may be one of my all-time favourite tracks. I get tingles up my whole body every time. Possibly my favourite FNM album these days. 

A really promising record that was let down by a thin production. The guitar sound is the main area of concern. The vocals are excellent throughout. There's some really great melodic death metal riffs in the first half in particular. The song-writing is high quality but not as memorable as the previous album. Much like "The Gallery" the later songs are not as strong as the early ones. One feels that a decent production could have opened these songs up a lot more.

This is certainly worth a look for fans of Katatonia. The video clips are decent without really providing anything to enhance the music but the music on display here is all very solid. "The Longest Year" is still the clear highlight & I am sure it's vocal themes will continue to penetrate my brain for quite some time yet. But I enjoyed most of the other material here too with the exception of "Idle Blood (Linje 14)" which is a bit lightweight for my taste. The production is excellent as expected. I see these tracks as growers that will gradually dig their hooks into you. Is it just me or does Jonas Renkse sound an aweful lot like Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) these days? Maybe that's why I like them so much.

I wasn’t overly excited when I gave Iron Maiden’s 2006 release “A Matter Of Life & Death” its first spin. Three of the previous four albums had been disappointing so I was a little cautious & reluctant to expect too much. Luckily my perseverance paid off & I ended up enjoying “A Matter Of Life & Death” as much as anything the band have released since the 80’s. It certainly had its flaws but there was a consistent quality that kept me interested throughout. The production needed to be stronger to take it to the next level but the song-writing & performances were certainly there. So when I eventually got around to giving “The Final Frontier” its first spin I was hoping to see Maiden build off the solid platform they’d set with the previous album.  

Maiden’s track record with production has been very poor since their classic 80’s period but I was happy to hear a better result on this occasion. There’s still room for improvement but the guitars sound fuller which creates a bigger soundscape than recent efforts. The lengthy track durations of “A Matter Of Life & Death” are still evident here with most songs comfortably breaching the 5 minute mark. The album is also very long as a whole. Its 76 minute run time is pushing the limits of the CD technology & can be quite a chore until you gain some familiarity with the songs.  

Not a lot has changed from a stylistic point of view. The sound Iron Maiden are championing here is probably not quite as progressive a sound as that of “A Matter Of Life & Death” but there are still plenty of reasonably lengthy instrumental & atmospheric sections. A few of the tracks are very wordy from a vocal point of view. It seems to me that the messages were quite important to the band on this occasion. Bruce Dickinson had made a strong comeback on “A Matter Of Life & Death” after an inconsistent performance on “Dance Of Death” but here there are a few moments that are less than perfect. His high register range seems to be lacking the confidence that it once had. I don’t think it’s a major problem for me as he’s rarely out of key but you can hear him straining to reach those higher notes on occasion when he used to do it so effortlessly. Admittedly Bruce’s lower register seems to be as strong as ever.  

The last two Maiden albums have surprisingly included some fairly poor opening tracks. Given that this was an area that the band had always prided themselves on I was hoping for a dramatic improvement here. And boy did I get one! “Satellite 15” is probably the freshest sounding thing Maiden have released in a long time. In fact it’s clearly the best track on the album in my opinion. It features a dark brooding atmosphere that’s high on tension & drama. There is a noticeable futuristic quality to it & it’s a shame the band didn’t explore this sound further. Strangely this track is tacked onto the title track which is clearly a separate & wildly different sounding song. I’m guessing there’s some sort of lyrical link between them but it makes no sense whatsoever from a purely musical point of view. The rest of the album is made up by more traditional sounding Iron Maiden material. “El Dorado”, “Mother Of Mercy”, “Isle Of Avalon”, “Starblind” & “The Talisman” are all very solid metal tunes with those catchy choruses digging their teeth in after a couple of listens. There’s a lot to take in on some of the lengthier tracks but they open up quite a bit with repeat listens. The album unfortunately includes a few weaker tracks too though. “The Alchemist” is a pretty dull song that seems quite simple & sounds a bit dated to my ears. The album really peters out at the end too with the decidedly average “The Man Who Would Be King” & the downright horrible eleven minutes of “When The Wild Wind Blows” closing things out. This is a real shame because there was plenty to like about “The Final Frontier” up until that point.  

I was pleased to see that Maiden were able to follow on from the surprisingly good “A Matter Of Life & Death” with a pretty decent record here. I don’t think it’s quite the album that its predecessor was but it’s not far off. I think they’ve just been a little overambitious. A 76 minute album can be a bit of a chore to sit through & I could definitely have done without the last couple of tracks. “When The Wild Wind Blows” certainly taints my overall enjoyment of the album as it’s a very cheesy, badly structured & overly lengthy way to close out proceedings. I think “The Final Frontier” had the potential to sit alongside “Brave New World” & “A Matter Of Life & Death” but as it is I think it sits just slightly behind them in terms of consistent quality.

I'm generally not much of a fan of power metal but this album has really gotten under my skin. The production & performances are outstanding & vocalist Roy Khan is an amazing talent. "March Of Mephisto", "When The Lights Are Down", "The Haunting (Somewhere In Time)" & "The Black Halo" are all five star belters with loads of hooks that'll have you singing the choruses in your head for days afterwards. There are some cheesier moments but none of the weaker material has a major impact on my overall enjoyment levels as there aren't really any genuine duds here. There seems to be a strong Dream Theater influence in the band's sound & that can't be a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. It's not overly technical though. It's more in the atmosphere & melodic structure. At the end of the day there can be very little doubt that this is a high quality melodic metal record that could possibly be my new favourite power metal album.

For fans of Dream Theater, Avantasia & Sonata Arctica.