ZeroSymbolic7188's Reviews
User Shadowdoom9 (Andi) writes "Interesting review, Zach. Now I'm curious about your thoughts on Metallica's other highly hated album St. Anger. I haven't listened to that one but I'm aware of the amount of hate it has received." In response to my review of the much maligned Lulu project.
Well, ask and ye sha'll recieve...
The late 90s and early 2000s saw the emergence of nu-metal acts such as Slipknot, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, System of a Down, and so forth. That context is important when trying to understand Metallica's St. Anger, Megadeth's Risk, or Slayer's Diabolus in Music. These albums aren't the worst things ever made, but they are widely considered to be missteps in the discographies of otherwise legendary thrash metal bands of the 1980s. The effect was kind of like a lame dad trying to relate to his angsty teenage son. It was uncomfortable and a little awkward because "dad just doesn't get it." The old legends were a bit out of their element is what I mean. In Metallica's particular case add on top of it that the band and it's members were a mess at the time-if you have not seen the rockumentary "Some Kind of Monster" it's kind of a mandatory watch, and explains a lot about why this thing came out the way it did. Then of course there is that god forsaken snare tone BONG BONG BONG BONG.
Let me explain how that snare makes me feel, as a young man I once rented a video game called Turok Dinosaur Hunter 2: Seeds of Evil. The game is recently remastered, and worth playing for nostalgia or if you enjoy "boomer shooters". Why do I bring this up? The game features a weapon called the Cerebral Bore. You fire the Cerebral Bore at an enemy and it drills into their skull then explodes, blowing the head off in gory fashion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CaiXVbFZXI That is what the snare drum on this album does. It gradually bores it's way into your brain until your mind explodes-no not in the fun way, but rather in the dentist drill during a root canal kind of way. It's damn unpleasant, and it doesn't stop.
The best thing about this is album is the opening track "Frantic", because it contains an absolutely goofy chorus FRANTIC-TICK-TOCK, TICK, TICK-TICK-TOK! and the line "My lifestyle determines my death style." Which I've been internally and externally debating if it is brilliant or the absolute stupidest fucking line in a song ever sang. I think it's very cheesy like a goofy Doctor Seus thing, but James is singing it with his whole heart like it's the deepest shit he ever wrote, and damned if I don't want to hear him do it from time to time. That track is responsible for 0.5 of the 1 star I gave this album.
The title track is a weird metaphor that just doesn't work. St. Anger-he's bustin' out, he's bustin out... it's dumb as all hell, and yet I constantly reference it in near daily conversations with my wife whenever a student at work (we are teachers) or our family dog becomes clearly irritated with something we can't explain-it's St. Anger.. he's bustin' out, he's bustin out! That's another .25 of the single star rating.
The remaining .25 is for "Purify" which would be great if it was about 1/3rd as long as it is.
Everything else on this album is a waste of time. 5 of the remaining 7 songs are over 5 minutes long, some getting up around 7 or even 9 minutes in length, and there was not a single idea on this album worth expressing for more than 3... no 2 and 1/2 minutes. Shave these songs down to their best parts, and make a punk album and hey I could see it... except BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG. There is no saving that snare tone, and listen I know that snare tone is a running gag in the metal community, but it really is some unholy torture device if you listen to this album in one sitting. I can not remember a single memorable thing about any of those songs, not a single thing, not line, not a riff, none of it. I remember the BONG BONG though, the goddamned BONG BONG BONG.
Without the context of Some Kind of Monster, you would think this album was some kind of sadistic hazing ritual on Robert Trujillo. "Welcome to Metallica now play the shittiest music you've ever played", but it wasn't-nobody is that sick and cruel.
It was an unpleasant, misguided experience that nobody, not even the band, enjoyed. This is not the album Metallica wanted to make, this was the album that Metallica had to make at that time, and it plays like it.
Doing this review on reccomendation from user Shadowdoom9.
Let me begin by saying that this is objectively good music. It's catchy, it has a lot of memorable moments. It fits well on hard rock/metal radio stations. Most people that hear this are going to have a pretty decent time with it. I had a decent time with it myself. This might not be music that I would seek out but it's also music that I wouldn't mind coming on the radio or at a party, and it's probably very good in a live setting as well. I have some critiques, but don't get the idea that this is a bad album. Spin it and it'll be at worst just OK, and you might love it.
For me it's a bit over produced, and a bit over polished. I wish that the bass was a little heavier in the mix, and that the basslines didn't follow the guitar quite so closely. The crash symbol is also plagued by compressed production this is common on early 2000's rock and metal releases but this album is from 2011 and this should've been caught and fixed. The vocals are well done and have their heavy moments but for the most part are a little bit too clean for me.
The final package hits me like a lighter, more friendly version of Lamb of God. I prefer LoG, but this is a solid offering.
I was 13 in Mr. Byke's (thats Bi-Key not Bike) art class-the first class of the day, working on a paper animal. You know that project where you glue tissue paper to a balloon to create an animal? That one.
Anyway up to that time I had lived on a farm in the deep rural areas of Nebraska, along the Kansas Border. If you need a clearer picture do a quick google of Inavale, Nebraska and understand I was still 20 miles south of THAT, so my musical understanding consisted of 90's pop courtesy of KQKY Hits 106 (105.9)-the only radio station with a signal that would reach us, my dad's collection of OLD time country like Hank Williams Sr, Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings, ect., and my mother who was a fan of opera, musicals, and symphonies. We did have VH1 so I got pretty acquainted with the 80s as well. I had lived a hard life out on the farm and had a lot of scholastic struggles related to a chaotic homelife. This isn't a blog about my life, but an album review so I will leave it at that. I do have point in mentioning it...
Mr. Byke was a fan of classic rock and he would bring in various mix tapes he had made and play them as we worked on our art projects. On this particular morning, one of those tapes changed my life and I remember it vividly; I'm 35 now and I can transport myself to that time and place as if it's happening right now.
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP... THUMP BROOOOWWWWW--oooooooWWWWWWW "I AM IRONMAN!" BROOOOOOOOOOOWWWW-oooooooowwww... and then what I consider to this day to be the single greatest piece of audio ever recorded, the iconic riff from Tony Iommi. I stood up and forgetting where I was exclaimed "HOLY FUCKING SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" Mr. Byke promptly handed me a detention slip but I was to serve this one in his office rather than the usual detention room. I did not mind at all to stay and have Mr. Byke tell me all about Black Sabbath, and it's wild front man Ozzy Osbourne. I also heard Randy Rhodes play "Crazy Train" that day. Ironman is this story about a man who is used and rejected by mankind, and sets on a path for revenge-it was the first time I heard lyrics that I related to-"You mean other people are unhappy too?"
That was pretty much it-I knew what I was gonna do with the rest of my life. Play heavy Metal.
And that's the impact a single track from this album had on me. There are 8 on this album. Need I say more?
I was introduced to SubRosa by word of mouth from another user here at Metal Academy called "Sonny". I decided to try out the highest rated album-this one, More Constant than the Gods.
What I got was the usual thick production that one comes to expect in a doom metal release, but this one had some stand out elements. There is a lot of orchestration in addition to the traditional doom band set up and it's done well here. The atmosphere here is crushingly beautiful melancholy. Rebecca Vernon is reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick, and she uses her voice to supplement the music and enhance that atmosphere and I think that a lot of the psychedelic feel to this album comes down to her voice. "Cosy Mo" is a stand out track with strong guitar riffs, and it earns a slot in any heavy metal fan's mixed play list.
This one is not quite on the level of my absolute favorite doom metal offerings, but it is undeniably a very good doom album with many strong features.
There you have it, the pride of Salt Lake City Utah, Subrosa.
Hail to the Queen! Her Majesty Doro Pesch! If anybody else was singing for this album it would be another mediocre throwaway, but Ms. Pesch puts the team on her back and drags them kicking and screaming to the top of the mountain. The music isn't terrible by any means, it's straight forward classic metal like what you would find on a Dio or Scorpions album, it's just that Doro's voice carries so much power and charisma that's it the clear star of the show. Good timing, fist pumping, classic heavy metal with an absolute dyno on the mic. Doro is just a pure joy to listen to and by all accounts a fantastic human being off the stage as well.
When you think of a progressive concept album you probably don't think of the guy who wrote "Fuck Like A Beast" as a primary candidate for making a good one, but in 1992 he did, and it is good, real fucking good. I'm not in the camp that would call this the best WASP album, that honor goes to the Last Command, but I generally enjoy all of the WASP catalogue. They were just a nastier take on the Motely Crue formula that really worked for me. Blackie considers this his best work. Chainsaw Charlie kicks all kinds of ass. As with most concept albums you kind of need to listen to it from beginning to end and judge it by the complete product rather than by single tracks. Luckily, unlike so many concept albums, doing that is a joy rather than a chore. Fun Trivia Fact: this album doesn't have the WASP line up on it, Blackie wanted to release it as his solo debut, but the record company wouldn't go for it.
I absolutely love Slough Feg "Traveler" album. I also love Manilla Road, and that whole early 80s classic metal sound. This is more of that so it's fine, but it's mixed a bit murkier than Traveler and lacks the same excitement. There is more folky stuff in here than I remember being on Traveler too, and that's a negative for me. I don't really care for folk metal. You probably see where this is going, but long story short, just listen to Traveler instead, it's a more focused and better sounding album than this.
The title track is great, and the rest of the album is just disappointing. It's fine power metal but I don't really like power metal and nothing else on the album remotely approaches the quality of the title track. I tried to think of something else to say, but it really is that much of an open and shut case for me.
I was a surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. I listened to a Riot album for a different clan list, and while I applauded the bands enthusiasm it failed to land for me. Here they got it just right. This album plays out like a NWOBHM album like Judas Priest, except that it's an American band. Many bands of course, have taken a stab at the Judas Priest Formula, and I think Riot got pretty close to doing it justice here. Priest is still the better band, but I enjoyed every track on this album quite a bit, and I think I will come back to it time and time again in the future, I can't wait to have my wife weigh in on it later today! Well done RIOT!
Look man, I just hate Queensryche. I'm here to complete the clan challenges on the website, and I did listen to it, but I hated it as much as everything else they do. Given how beloved they are, and how much I despise them, I would have rather not written a review, but the site calls for it. I am not the man to get your Queensryche review from. I find them bland, boring, and up their own backside as far as social commentary and concepts. Something about them just irks me to no end.
This is some utterly forgettable music that sounds like any given late 80s to early 90s mainstream rock. Think of the Scorpions, then take away anything interesting and you'll be in the ballpark of this. It's not offensive to the ears, but it's utterly unremarkable. As I was listening to the album on spotify it ended and went into a different but similar band, and I probably heard 3 of that bands songs before I realized it wasn't this album anymore.
Well, it's Motorhead so I like it. If you listen to Motorhead at all they are pretty consistent in what they offer up: old school rock and roll sped up to punk/thrash levels and vocals delivered by the whiskey and tobacco soaked pipes of the great Lemmy Kilmister. For me it's a 4 start formula on average and then it comes up to 5 on some albums. This is a 4. I would recommend the title track, and "Doctor Rock" be thrown into your permanent mix, then visit the other songs for flavor.
Well, it is quite possibly the biggest mainstream metal release of all time, so that alone earns high marks for me. Yes all of the thrashy goodness from the earlier albums is gone. It has been exchanged for straightforward metal that verges on rock and roll, but the guitar tones and some of the subject mater are still aggressive enough for me to call it a metal album. It's incredibly catchy, full of memorable riffs and vocal passages. The production on it is top notch-it objectively sounds incredible and huge. As far as writing a review it's another case of "what can I say that hasn't been said?" Even if you are not a metalhead you probably already know about half of these songs as they are staples of rock radio. It's a great entry point for the genre, it's good music with great mass-appeal.
I'm being generous with the 2 stars. If you must listen to Metal Church stick to the self titled album. This is not the worst music I've ever heard or anything, but it is a lighter and more power metal influenced endeavor than the other album, and even that album isn't a favorite for me. I just have no reason to visit this and you probably don't either.
From time to time I surf youtube and try to find good live performances. It was through this method that I came across Crowbar's Bloodstock set from 2023 which can be found here: https://youtu.be/hGih5_AJrPw?si=lUhmBDWJ4GtYbk0f
Now, being a fan of doom and sludge I had of course heard of Crowbar, but what I had been told was that "Planets Collide" was their magnum opus. That particular song doesn't resonate with me, so I didn't dive deeper. It was when they performed "To Build a Mountain" in that live set that something clicked for me.
...but Zero, that song isn't on this album.
Correct, so let's talk Symmetry in Black; Crowbar's most common lyrical themes revolve around strength and perseverance in the face of depression, anger, addiction, and unfavorable odds. This is music designed to get a man through his lowest lows. In any Crowbar album you're going to get super thick down tuned guitars, an endless stream of powerful riffs, and Kirk Windstein delivering encouragement in a style that is heavy, gruff, bellowing, and yet completely 100% decipherable. These are possibly the most clear vocals I've heard on anything this heavy, and this is good because as strong as the riffs, and as crushing as the tones dialed in are, it's the lyrics and messages that I'd say are Crowbar's greatest strength. Crowbar's formula and sound are very consistent from release to release. Symmetry just sounds a little bit better to me from a production standpoint and it has some lyrics that particularly connect with me.
This is an album full of inspiration, but I've chosen the lyrics to "Shaman of Belief" as I feel it encapsulates best what Crowbar is all about.
Shaman Of Belief
"Look up at me
You're crawling
On dirty ground you prowl
Lift up your head
And see me
Your antidote is now
Open up your mind
Time to realize
Now save your energy and use it well
It's not too hard to see
What's real
Look up at me
You're drowning
So far below
Beneath
The answer that eludes you is echoing so deep
Open up your mind
Time to realize
Now keep your energy and use it well
It's not too hard to see
That time will tell
I'm the creator of all your dreams
I am the shaman of belief"
Powerful stuff. Did I mention this is an incredible album to work out to? It is.
I'd like to conclude by saying that I've watched a lot of Kirk Windstein's interviews, and he seams to be a down to earth, humble, polite, and honest man. The phrase "salt of the earth" comes to mind. The kind of person you can feel good about supporting. I've read that he's pretty accessible and available so when he goes on tour again I will try to meet him.
Pretty good.... just there though, not an album that stands out like other Mercyful Fate works such as their breakthrough album Melissa. nor as interesting as some Kind Diamond pieces, but it is a pretty good, just kind of there, I wasn't mad about listening too it just its not one I would probably seek out again and again. If the songs from this album came up in a random playlist I would probably let them play but I wouldn't seek them out as they didn't stand out enough on their own for the most part.
Flawless Album. Dave is an excellent writer at times and this is some of his best work all put together on one album. Even the ' sillier' tracks such as Psychotron are a lot fun, and get stuck in your head. Whether you are playing this album start to finish or just picking individual singles you can't go wrong with the pieces from this album to listen to as you will have a lot of fun with it. Even with some of the more bleak subjects such as in countdown to extinction and sweating bullets. Put this on an enjoy the metal! this album is always worth a listen.
I found this album to be a little better than average. As someone who enjoys Manilla road, its not their finest work ( that of course goes to Crystal Logic) but it was a serviceable work. Nothing on it particularly stood out. I put the album on an sat back and listened while playing a game and no tracks on it made me stop and go OH WHATS THIS SONG they all kind of blended together, in a nice way, but not in a way that any of them were special. Its an album to throw on and play in the background that's enjoyable but there are no particular hits in my opinion on this one and that's fine enjoy it for what it is, a deluge of sound.
This is an album where is is difficult for me to find words that have not already been said by countless reviewers I have already seen before as this is an iconic album, by an iconic band, this is perfect heavy metal. Only an absolute maniac would deny its awesomeness. Turn it on, turn it up loud, as albums like this don't come around very often and enjoy yourself. Aside from the Title track being many persons favorite Judas Priest song ( its definitely one of mine ) you will also get to enjoy Hell Patrol, A Touch of Evil, and Metal Meltdown, to name a few of the highlights.
Albums like this are why we love heavy metal. Every part of the music; The tones, the vocals, the lyricism, the production, are top notch here. I feel this is an album of music that can appeal to anyone, not just heavy metal fans specifically because it is that good of an album. Every song is not just good, but excellent, there is no wasted space, no "filler' tracks in my opinion. I would proudly recommend this to anyone as an example of how good the genre can be at its best, needless to say, if you have not heard it I would put it on right now.
When an iconic singer departs from an iconic band such as Bruce Dickenson from Iron Maiden, or Robert Halford from Judas Priest, there is an expectation that the music they release as a solo artist will at least be on par with what they release with that band. This is WAAAAAY below Judas Priest standards. Therefore there is no reason to listen to this when Judas Priest albums exist. Every song on this felt like an inferior version of a Judas Priest song that already existed, either sonically, ( see the perpetual high tones of the first track making me think about how annoying they were compared to how I enjoy them in Painkiller) or lyrically, Locked and Loaded being a much worse Turbo Lover ... skip this album.
Listen to the track Mr. Scary. So that you can appreciate the choice of guitar tones and technical ability of the guitar players in this band really are. The trouble is that the singer, while good in literal sense, lacks any distinguishing or characterizing features in his voice. So, He's good, but he could be any singer, in any band, and the lyricism is unfortunately awful. That being said, I have heard Dokken songs that I really like and I think there are more to be found, just...not on this album. Its fine, but nothing special.
Excellent stuff, this isn't a 5 for me, but it does have a few great songs, such as All the Fools Sailed Away ( maybe his best ) the title track, Dream Evil, and Sunset Superman among them. Once again my wife includes Dio among her top artists and so this album has seen very heavy rotation in my home over the years and I can highly recommend it to others. While not every track is a star, it has enough heavy hitters on it to make it a definite listen.
I would say that my wife is a very big fan of Glen Danzig's solo albums and of all eras of the Misfits, and therefore all of these albums have seen very heavy rotations in my home. I would say any Danzig album, and this is no exception, are going to be very solid, evil music, that rides the hard rock/heavy metal line. i would also add that despite a gruff reputation I saw him live on one of his solo tours a few years back, he gave an excellent performance, there was no drama from the night ( except the middle aged women trying to throw themselves over the barricade at him onto the stage) and it was a great time. The formula for this album ( and any other Danzig solo album if you're looking for a comparison) is equal parts Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and the Doors
So there I was, having a perfectly mediocre time, listening to some generic power metal, with an incredibly high pitched lead singer who, only mildly annoyed me, and then I heard the track, "Lonely" and I had to knock of the extra 0.5 of a star taking this from a 2.5 to a 2 rating for this track alone, it was that bad. Sir leave that woman alone. We get it, you were friend-zoned and her current guy isn't good enough for her but like, stop simping. The rest of the album is as previously stated. Mediocre, generic, mildly annoying. But , if you play it at a reasonable volume in the background while doing other things it makes for an alright album.
2 songs in. Bruce Dickson came on my window and then ripped off the Phantom of the Opera organ riff and my wife told me she was going to physically fight someone or something if she had to listen to any more of it because it felt like ants under her skin listening to it. I could not Defend it and had to put in head phones so she could enjoy the silence. The songs do not improve after that I am afraid and I had to suffer the overreaching ;lyricism alone. I am a Bruce Dickenson and Iron Maiden enjoyer and I did noy Enjoy this. Remember he LEFT Iron Maiden to make THIS.... A crime.
I'm giving a single star for the bass player on this. The rest of the album here is generic and bad in my opinion and sound like a grab bag of discarded 80's lyrics and riffs while also having Bon Jovi knock off over tones. If you enjoy Bon Jovi... Actually just go listen to Bon Jovi I won't recommend this for you either.
Another incredibly talented and important musician gone from us too soon, his name was David Gold and he was the brains behind Canadian outfit Woods of Ypres. Gold had an incredible voice that was instantly identifiable, a deep gothic baritone dripping with sorrow, and he wrote songs that suited this sublimely. Every Woods of Ypres album is good, and any Woods of Ypres song is good. High quality musicianship and songcraft flowed effortlessly from this man. Type O Negative, My Dying Bride, Woods of Ypres, and Tiamat would be my gothic metal Mt. Rushmore. Stop reading the review and go listen to the album because when nature comes collecting it doesn't care at all about you.
This is very talented band making very ambitious music. The atmosphere, production, and originality displayed here are incredible. The vocalist is Rowan London, and he is a force of nature that has to be experienced more than explained. That being said, as good as it is, like objectively great, nothing on it does anything for me. I felt kind of bad about that until I look around, and saw that this album actually hit a lot of people that way. Nobody disputes the quality of the product, but very few people sighted it as "special", some said it was even disappointing. I guess you have to listen to it and decide for yourself. I was not moved by it in any way, but putting a 2.5 on this doesn't feel like the right thing to do either, as it's anything but average. My final verdict: You should hear this once. You might not ever revisit it, but it does warrant a moment of your time.
I absolutely love and miss Pete every day. He is a huge influence on the musician and song writer I am today. Type O Negative was an incredibly important, influential, and innovative band. Pete was always a huge fan of the Beatles, sometimes referring to Type O as the "drab four" in mirror of the "fab four" moniker the Beatles wore. More than any other Type O offering, the Beatles influence is felt here, it's slightly more conventional and slightly more optimistic than the rest of their catalogue-SLIGHTLY being the operative word here. It's still every bit a Type O Negative album, and Type O Negative albums are damn good.
In this album Tribulation are trying to make something equal parts black metal, and gothic metal. If you are looking for that particular niche to be filled, then this is possibly the only game in town, and certainty the best game in town, but it begs the question, "did anybody want this?". I don't think there is enough gothic atmosphere and ambience to have this work for a goth metal fan, and to a black metal fan... what black metal fan wants to hear black metal without trem picked guitars, harsh dissonance, and blast beats? I don't think it satisfies that side of the coin either. This is what you listen to if you really want just a blackened-gothic experience specifically, otherwise it's lost in the ozone.
This is a tale of two vocalists. On one hand you have a female singer that is undeniably special, her voice is rich in quality with range and power. On the other hand you have a male singer who is sub-standard, and when he is put next to her on the same album the end result makes him feel worse than he probably actually is-because of being next to her. What happens then is that it's delightful when she is handling the vocal duty, but every time the man comes in with that generic growl it sucks all the charisma out of the performance. This album for me was just waiting for the guy to shut up so I could hear the lady sing. As far as the band goes, it's just adequate-there are no world beating technicians or particularly innovative tones on display. For me it's just average but if the male vocal doesn't irritate you as much as it did me, then you might like this in an above average sort of way. It comes down to him vs her.
Tiamat are legendary in gothic metal/rock community, and with good reason. This album is a masterclass in how to do this kind of music. The chosen tones, the melodies, the mix. All of it is 100% on point. I even like the choice of cover-the album ends with "Sleeping in the Fire" originally by W.A.S.P. and it's a perfect choice not only for Tiamat but for this album-a carefully selected cover. I'm deliberately being vague about what the album sounds like because I earnestly want you to go listen to it for yourself. I would hold this up as a masterpiece of Gothic music, and I wish very much that I could write songs like the ones on this album. It's Perfect.
This is among the worst music I have ever heard. The vibes you get from this band is even more Scooby Doo than Ghost, and I fucking hate Ghost. That being said Ghost is a better band than this is. This album is also home to the most unpleasant drum mixing I've ever heard. This is like an album designed to irritate me. I actually got more and more agitated through its run time.
The production and musicianship on this album are way ahead of many peers. It’s just an absolute joy to listen to because it’s so tight and so well mixed. Each song on this track is better than the one before it and it starts in a place most albums never get to. “How Could You”, “Joy and Happiness”, and the grand finale “The Bathroom Monologue” are highlights and suggested samples. This thing right here is thoroughly satisfying.
This is a standard gothic metal affair but what makes this one a little bit better than average is that the guitar and bass tones have slightly more aggressive distortion (just slightly, but noticeable). This album also contains more tempo shifts and groove than a lot of other albums in the sub genre. It’s not prog by any stretch, but it all comes together to be just a notch above the average gothic metal offering. It’s even got riffs!
This album is an hour and 12mins long, so if you like it there is plenty of it. However, I thought it was just OK so it felt every bit of an hour plus. Toward the end my wife asked me “how is the music going”, and I responded “well I’m about an hour deep into into and I have nothing interesting to say about it.”
The remaining 12 minutes or so did not change this assessment, so here it stands.
Do you like choral vocals? The answer to that question has a lot to do with whether or not you will like this. It slaps them on thick. I found this music rather unremarkable outside of that feature, and that feature doesn’t do a lot to move the needle for me, so I left this one right down the middle at 2.5.