Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

Self Inflicted is known as one of the cult albums deep in the underground metalcore/early deathcore mines. However, there's not much in common with what I'm used to when it comes to this style...

I mean, there are some moments to beat you into damnation, but I was hoping for more in this mix of Hatebreed-style metalcore and slight Crowbar-ish groove. Maybe a bit of experimentation from fellow New York-core band Candiria would've spiced things up, but nope, nothing like that here, other than a few audio samples. One track, "Step Back" is pretty good, but everything else is mediocre and boring (I hate using that latter word to describe anything metal). I got much better bands to access than this poor sh*t...

Favorites (only one for this album): "Step Back"

Candiria's goal for a more complete sound wasn't achieved in their then-unknown debut Surrealistic Madness, but I think it might just be in their 1997 second album Beyond Reasonable Doubt! As the band take on Starkweather-like experimental metalcore sensibilities, it seems like a slight change of lineup might affect which path to go. Guitarist Chris Puma (RIP) left to explore different horizons, and taking his place was John LaMacchia who would then be confirmed to be a full-time member for their next album.

The band went to Brooklyn's Purple Light Studios to record the albumwith All Out War producer Michael Barile. As a result, you'll find the usual complex yet listenable compositions with guitars at true thick power.

There's not much you can deny when it comes to how flawless this offering can be, beginning with "Faction", an irresistible blend of metal and jazz. The blend continues to form in "Year One", with incisive riffs and rhythms as changes surround the sound. "Lost In The Forest" is an 8-minute experimental jazz instrumental which seems to weigh down the earlier dynamic. It's the only slightly annoying part of this otherwise perfect album. "Paradigm Shift" adds in tribal groove percussion and a bit of saxophone.

There's some more of tribal percussion in "Tribes", this time brought into the front stage while mixed with more of the cutthroat riffing and vocals. Next track "Molecular Dialect" has some sprawling drum samples which I found out were from the somewhat Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Burnt by the Sun, Discordance Axis, etc.) who brings interesting color into this interlude. Amazing! Then we have the improbable "Divided". Even "Mental Politics" is excellent, and that one is a different genre from two scenes in New York, rap, which is not really my thing in other times. That proves how well the album shines in diversity.

Then there's the interlude "Riding the Spiral" that's pointless but doesn't affect the album's score. It leads to a more primal highlight "Primary Obstacle". The final track "Intrusive Statements" closes the album with a couple long jazz jams. I wouldn't say it's bad in any way, but while there are irresistible aspects like its energetic attack and urban groove, this would be more pleasing as soundtrack to a cheesy lounge, rather than something for metalheads. It's still quite fun! Ya like jazz!?

How can I not praise the talented genius of these guys? Beyond Reasonable Doubt follows the style of Surrealistic Madness though in a better level that I hope to find more of in their more successful next two albums. There's more efficient maturity that has helped Candiria stand out in the hardcore scene. You really shouldn't forget quite a feat. Anyone here looking for eccentric creativity for a hardcore band? You're in luck! Candiria would have it all in this album and their next two. Beyond Reasonable Doubt shall delight me with its improbable delight for many years to come, and it's no doubt at all!

Favorites: "Faction", "Year One", Molecular Dialect", "Divided", "Mental Politics", "Primary Obstacle"

Many subgenres are created out of different experimentation, and crust punk/stenchcore is no exception, thanks to a band wanting to take a more unorthodox path. Amebix was the kind of band who wanted to craft music without any limitations. This band moved fresh out of the 70s punk scene and took their roots to the metal scene rising in the UK in the 80s, taking on a new sound of eclectic consistence. After a few demos and EPs, the band become more than just "experimental". They were a band that made some of the heaviest, most aggressive fusions of punk and thrash, a style known as stenchcore!

As much as they've made a great impact to the punk and metal scenes at that time, the actual material of debut album Arise! is worth looking out for. These guys can actually play their instruments, unlike some punk bands. They perform simple riffs then mix them up with atmospheric keyboards. I've never really heard much of stenchcore before finding this album and requesting its addition to the site as part of helping the genre expand in the site, but I already have a great feeling about it...

"The Moor" right there shows how unique the genre can be by blending by mix creepy choral work with a slow rock groove. "Axeman" continues the creepiness, this time in the lyrical territory. The lyrics in "Fear of God" perfect show their revolution against religion, "To justify injustice you must misinterpret Christ".

Another track establishing where the band stand in their lyrics is "Largactyl" (sounds like what you call a large pterodactyl). The ambient/progressive elements rise in the 6-minute epic "Drink and Be Merry". Next track "Spoils of Victory" is one of the most victoriously rebellious songs I've heard, more than anything I've heard in The Revolution. Daniel was right, this is the best example of stenchcore!

The title track is not as fast and brutal as that of Sepultura's Arise, but Amebix's song is still a killer punky thrasher. Do you dare to bang your head viciously to "Slave"? Maybe if you're a greater stenchcore fan than I would ever be. The closing ballad "The Darkest Hour" once again brings home some of their Rush/Pink Floyd influences.

All in all, Amebix's debut is perhaps the first release to seal the stenchcore deal and probably the best this genre had to offer, adding relevance to the lyrics and intricate music to touch your punky soul. It's mostly a well-defined part of the style that quickly started a kick-A evolution. Amebix is a pioneering force of a genre they were piecing together in their earlier EPs. I don't really intend to continue on with their next album, Monolith, but for those who wanna hear thrash crossing over into crust punk.... Arise!

Favorites: "Fear of God", "Drink and Be Merry", "Spoils of Victory", "Arise!"

After revisiting a couple albums from my symphonic-ish power metal past, it was time to hop back into the more brutal end of the symphonic-ish metal spectrum. Earlier today (as of this review), I had a not-so-ordinary family car ride, with the driver, my usually alt-rock/metal-loving brother, blasting this EP (among other songs) along the way, and holy mother, this was one of the most epic and brutal at the same time EPs I've heard recently! I recognized one of the songs and remembered where it's from, so I knew I had to find the right time to listen to it at home. I was prepared for a full listen to this EP by myself, and here's what I have to say about it...

Are you with me, deathcore fans?! This is THE deathcore EP of 2021, and facing it head-on is demanded if you haven't given a listen in the year since release! You know how much the sh*t is real from the start. Lorna Shore has let go of two vocalists, one for another band Chelsea Grin, and the other due to abuse allegations. Enter Will Ramos, a young yet monstrous vocalist whom his first song with the band has become their entryway to popularity. You're about to find out what it is in a second, so let's f***ing go!

Although I listened to the brutal opener "To the Hellfire" in one of the Revolution playlists last year, I changed my mind about it because it was too intense for me at the time. And now that I can stand the deathcore intensity much more a year later, it was time for a second round. This is perhaps the discovery of deathcore for many listeners, probably including my brother, perhaps from the breakdown alone, which we'll get to soon. It's incredible how rapidly the song's video gained millions of views. The entire band's talent is also beyond incredible, with Ramos taking the front stage with his vocal rage. From this opener, you get the greatest taste of operatic/demonic blackened death metal/core. It's so amazing and better appreciated with headphones. It's hard to believe that this furious breakdown is what caused my bro to convert from alt-metal/pop-punk into full-on epic deathcore right off the bat, but that's what happened. It occurs 5 minutes into the track after some speed metal soloing, with the consuming line of "Swallowed by the womb of death!!!" You would also hear the most demonic shrieks ever! This breakdown is such a f***ing ride with nothing dramatic to precede it.

"Of the Abyss" is another 6-minute epic that can really pack some punches right through. Ramos warms up his vocals while the band rises from the cinematic orchestral inferno while still attacking from the deepest pits of Hell. This is symphonic black/technical deathcore we're talking about at its most epic, and it might be a new style to add to my metal arsenal. There are new standards in the drumming that just never stop, maintaining its power in every beat. They shoot like a machine-gun above the guitars, bass, and orchestration. In the middle is a spectacular breakdown with perfect vocal precision from Ramos. Super wonderful production once again ensures that the album is one of the best releases of deathcore and perhaps all of metal.

And finally, we have the title track finale to behold in all its epic glory. This is pure massive destruction that the band had in earlier material, perhaps much more than that. The death metal elements carry on in a steady rhythm, as the vocals are unleashed with berserk might, and the guitars shine even more. The riffs have incredible technical speed. Ramos doesn't have any mistakes in his vocals and the dark lyrics he reads. It's all in intentional thought and focus. His lines are made high while breaking through the lows. While the breakdown fury is an important aspect to the other two songs, and pretty much many other deathcore bands, for this track, fast blasting technicality is the key. Speaking of technicality and keys, the final climatic minute marks a couple raises in the key signature, blows you away with the last of the technical speed, and ends it all with an operatic outro. That final epic is probably the best of the 3 and one of the most glorious extreme metal songs in my entire lifetime!

So, that's that Lorna Shore EP, ...And I Return to Nothingness. F***ing h*ll, I can't believe how incredible this is! If you're a deathcore fan enjoying this as much as me and my brother, you definitely need it. If you're like my indifferent-to-extremeness parents, you're better off elsewhere. This deathcore gem has made history for a epic brutal future!

Favorites: ALL 3 tracks, though the best of the best is the title track

I haven't given up on this industrial metal early-years journey after a soundtrack EP to brutal violence by Trent Reznor's NIN project. There's still one more heavy industrial metal trick up my sleeve... I like some of the 7 long progressive-length tracks in this Trust Obey album, though the album is overall in the same quality as SLAB's albums.

For the few highlights here, "Hands of Fire" is a killer tune. "Hands of Glory" is also worth part of the CD's runtime. However, what's really the best, probably better than some of Godflesh songs, is the terrifying beautiful bonus track in the original edition, "Larvatus". It is the final destination for this industrial descent into Hell, where horns, trumpets, and synths flow over the moans of founder John Bergin. It's so cathartic and almost epic! A grand ending to a heavy experience. Such a shame it's not on Spotify...

I guess you can say that Trust Obey is like a mix of Nine Inch Nails, Godflesh, and SLAB!, and it seems to have the same quality as the latter, a few winners here in an otherwise poor album. If you want the best of heavy industrial rock/metal, check out the highlights....

Favorites (the few highlights): "Hands of Fire", "Hands of Glory", "Larvatus"

Trent Reznor has been active for nearly 4 decades now, with his popularity growing with every release. He can be considered the industrial music king! His project Nine Inch Nails is the reason for his success and has changed their sound quite a lot. The 80s debut Pretty Hate Machine was known for its cheesy synths and beats, and torture-themed lyrics where vocal distortion dominates. Now what was the 90s like?...

Drastic new changes come aboard including higher prominence of guitar, screams, and a beautiful blend of orchestration/piano/synths in contrast to the hideously great heaviness. Those can be found in the dark Downward Spiral and the melodic Fragile. The bridge of pleasure and pain continues to extend beyond, though some gaps between albums, such as between Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral last as long as 5 to 6 years. Fortunately, to prevent any stagnation, the band has cooked up an EP, Broken, an over half-hour industrial metal EP essential for Nine Inch Nails fans! This cauldron of catchy riff crunch marked the beginning of a dark decade.

"Pinion" is a decent distorted intro with a riff building up to the end. Then it drops into "Wish" with a programmed beat and spaced-out vocals making room for metal riffing. The catchy metal chorus spices up that mundane verse-chorus pattern with metal guitar and synths, the latter foreshadowing what they would have in The Downward Spiral. "Last" adds a slower twist into the riffing that's like a more distorted metal take on Pretty Hate Machine, and then crossing over to a hint at The Downward Spiral. Good one!

"Help Me I Am in Hell" is a melodic interlude that would foreshadow even further into the instrumentals of The Fragile. It's a nice highlight to let you breathe before the rest of the album socks it to ya. "Happiness in Slavery" is pretty bad, not having any melody at all, as Reznor screams "Slave screams!!" It mellows out for a little while with a bit of melody in the verses. Sick yet bearable... After a minute of programmed drumming and Reznor's whispers, "Gave Up" has good riff-blast before quieting down for the verses, while keeping the pounding drums, screamed vocals, and guitar blasts. The pre-chorus gradually grows louder until the chorus with loud metal riff repetition until fading out.

In many versions of the EP, there are 91 one-second silent tracks that lead into tracks 98 and 99, which are two covers, one awesome and the other horrible, starting with "Physical", originally by Adam and the Ants, an awesome catchy tune with a sexual-sounding chorus that you desperately try to resist singing out loud, "You're too physical to me". The Pigface cover "Suck" sucks as an ending track, having some of the worst 90s techno-metal sh*t I've heard. They should've ended the EP with the "Physical" cover.

Most of the tracks would serve as the basis for one of the sickest, most disturbing short films you would ever find. The content is why that film never had a commercial release, that and they don't want it to overshadow the music. If the film is too much for you, just stick with the music. And definitely ditch that sucky Pigface cover....

Favorites: "Wish", "Help Me I Am In Hell", "Gave Up", "Physical"

So far, it's been an interesting ride through the early years of industrial metal, and what's next after Ministry's entryway into industrial metal? How about a collaborative EP with the legendary Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra!?

Indeed this was unexpected when Lard's debut came out in 1989, but it wasn't surprising for anyone who was already following Al Jourgensen's side projects like Pailhead with Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye. With Lard, Jourgensen and Biafra have teamed up for a project of ambitious progression. The Power of Lard is a 3-song EP that continues the industrial punk of Pailhead, in addition to Jourgensen's newfound metal influences and Biafra's punk stylings.

The title track practically picks up where Jourgensen left off in his Pailhead, including the pattern; opening slow before building up frantic fast energy. Once the drums roll in, Biafra leads a group in shouting the band's name, "Lard!" Biafra adds his recognizable vocals to socially political lyrics in the verses. It's the kind of commentary to sonically assault the listener! Following this is "Hellfudge", a country rock ramble similar to what you might find in Dead Kennedys, as opposed to the hardcore-speed industrial metal of the first track. The coherent story in the lyrics shows Biafra taking on the role of a Southern TV preacher. I guess you can consider this EP a stroll through different styles...

...And even more so in the 32-minute closing track "Time to Melt", basically a long slow experimental industrial sludge epic about death and rebirth. I wouldn't say this is the best half-hour epic I've ever heard, but it's almost as enjoyable as the first track.

This EP would be the first 3 releases Lard would publish in 1989 and 1990, then after a break, they would release one more album in 1997 and one more EP in 2000, though a possible new album has been teased lately. Despite its lack of activity, Lard is an essential part of the successful careers Biafra and Jourgensen had in their main bands. The Power of Lard is a pretty good EP, though it could do without "Hellfudge" and with "Time to Melt" being trimmed down a bit, but fans of Jello and Ministry will surely like it....

Favorites: "The Power of Lard", "Time to Melt"

I'm glad I discovered industrial metal a year or two ago in the site and have expanded my interest in a genre I've once barely known into one of my favorite genres that has earned me a spot in The Sphere. In saying that though, I'm more into the experimental side of the genre with bands like Godflesh and Strapping Young Lad rather than the alternative-ish side with bands like Rammstein and Ministry. Of course, I'm up for another visit in one of the pioneers of the genre as part of my early years review tour!

It is good to diversify every few years, whether it's your music taste or your band's style. After a couple synthpop and EBM albums, Al Jourgensen refreshed his Ministry project with a metalized sound. A hellbent atmosphere of vocal distortion, booming drums, and heavy keyboard-guitar hybrids fill the air, along with solid bass presence.

One of the best tunes displayed here starts the album with "Stigmata" and its fuzzy keyboard riffing. Al would enter the scene with a howl of maximum distortion. The riff and beat drives the song through well. The keyboard-guitar hybrid riffing rolls in "The Missing", which is mid-paced and can deliberately force your head into a different place. "Deity" is a roaring Metallica-like thrash tune as the drums and riff thunder around. Next up, "Golden Dawn" is a highly different instrumental trip. It is the first of several tracks in the album to use samples, including from the horror-drama film The Devils ("The antichrist!!") and chanting from Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie. An excellent loopy instrumental! I could recommend this to anyone starting out this band for the first time. Though it's in contrast with the bleak drone of "Destruction".

The first of two bonus tracks in the CD version is "Hizbollah", which is good but not really a mentionable standout. The title track is a menacing crawler, standing out with its creepy vibe. "You Know What You Are" has simple drums and trance-like keyboards, along with Tuco from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly screaming the title, "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!!!" This creepy mood foreshadows what the band would have in their next album.

"I Prefer" is the second CD version bonus track and has what I prefer in industrial metal, savage percussive heaviness. "Flashback" is pure up-tempo industrial where the keyboards appear more clearly. The final track "Abortive" is more unique, as the samples and loops creep up and corrupt what would've been a throwback to the dance-pop of Ministry's earlier 80s era. Nonetheless, it's perfect for a dark nightclub. The samples are from NASA announcing the takeoff of "America's first space shuttle!" A great metaphor for the developing industrial metal sound taking off...

Anyone with a more open mind than mine should give The Land of Rape and Honey a try and love its mood. The mood is what Ministry needed to nail the metal path they would take. And you can hear the catchy riff power coming not just from the guitars. Then after you finish this, you can progress to the more metallic Mind....

Favorites: "Stigmata", "Golden Dawn", "The Land of Rape and Honey", "I Prefer", "Abortive"

The nearly unknown second and final album in the initial run of Slab!, Sanity Allergy is still not as exciting as I would hope for the first ever metalized industrial band. Sure there are heavier grooves and menacing slabs of beats, guitars, and vocals, but not a lot of it is good.

I prefer the upbeat tracks in this one like the instrumental "Son of Sloth" with the sheer action to remind some of later electronic acts like The Crystal Method. The other upbeat highlight is "Cancer Beach", f***ing catchy, especially in the bridge, yet not a lot of other people have heard of it, let alone like it. Any industrial rock/metal fan can go ahead and try this album and look out for any chance of a new album coming out in the future. If you want just upbeat fun though, then just grab those two highlights and skip the rest.....

Favorites (only ones I like): "Son of Sloth", "Cancer Beach"

The Sphere was created and turned on with the first ever album to fuse to industrial rock with metal. Slab's Descension is not really super good, but it's highly underrated compared to more popular bands like Ministry. Slab! seemed to have built their sound from industrial-ish rock bands Swans and Big Black.

The Big Black influences are especially apparent in the opening track "Tunnel of Love", my favorite of the album and the perfect start to the industrial metal genre. However, the rest of the album isn't as promising as the opener. Though "Dolores" and "The Animals" have great potential. One of the two bonus tracks "People Pie" is another great highlight despite a more poppy sound. All in all, a kinda poor album while a decently respectable beginning, for anyone up for a similar vibe to Godflesh and Trust Obey's Hands of Ash....

Favorites (only ones I like): "Tunnel of Love", "Dolores", "The Animals", "People Pie"

I decided to give this album a listen and a review for a couple reasons: 1. To tag along in the stenchcore ride despite this release sounding otherwise. 2. I'm a fan of Neurosis (both a bit of their crust punk era and a lot of their post-sludge material) and Godflesh, the latter's debut coming slightly after this offering from Saw Throat. Sore Throat was known as a classic band in the crust/grindcore scene, delivering avalanche after avalanche of short fast tunes. Their over 40-minute single-track concept album Inde$troy is essentially an 8-part ambient industrial sludge epic with barely any of their crust/grind roots. And it's not the best album of that style either, but it's enjoyable in a few parts....

The highlights I would specifically point out are the long ambient intro and outro, and the standard hardcore heaviness of the "Air" section. Basically those highlights take up half of the album with absolute power. The ambient sections work out as an easy-listening soundtrack to the apocalypse of a dystopian society. Yet the in-between-sounding parts don't do well for me. Anyway, if you're looking for an earlier, more ambient/industrial attempt at a grindcore band's sludge epic than Pig Destroyer's Natasha, here you go...

Favorite parts: "Phase I", "Air" (Phase IV), "Phase VIII"

There's a light chill from an intro of cheesy synth-orchestral sh*t that then descends into a heavy storm of melodic deathcore chaos. In saying that though, this is a much lower step from what I hope for in this early deathcore reviewing marathon and anything of this style I've listened to on a regular basis. This is pretty bad, though I've heard worse. Only the ending epic "Season's End" stands out well, but as for the rest of the album, BEWARE....

Favorites (only one for this album): "Season's End"

This is sort of a half-decent half-awful EP. It actually follows up smoothly from the Caliban/Heaven Shall Burn split EP I've reviewed just before this. With that said though, there just isn't much worth mentioning here, except for one track...

"Don't Hold Your Breath" is the best song in this EP, filled with top-notch raw math/metalcore brutality! Honestly, this is the kind of metalcore sound bands like Underoath, All That Remains, and Lamb of God were starting out at that time. Yep, that's brilliant mathcore right there!

However, the rest of this EP isn't like that, instead striking with early deathcore and melodeath. You can hear a lot of the melodic Gothenburg leads here, along with a bit of a thundering Slayer influence in those leads. The black metal-like screams bring the EP closer to melodic black/death territory. I can handle this style better if parts of the song lengths were wasted on breakdown overdose and rough demo-like production. I don't plan to listen to more of this band, but if I do, I hope to see more improvement....

Favorites (only one I enjoy): "Don't Hold Your Breath"

I was hoping for a slightly better follow-up to Caliban's debut on their side of this EP, but what do I end up getting? A more generic-sounding melodic death/metalcore split EP with some of its entertainment value. The other band hasn't been great either, after reviewing one of that band's albums a couple years ago...

The intro is sampled from a composition used for the 1992 Dracula film, a great atmospheric build-up. Then a good thrash/groove riff rises after a great scream beginning the first real song "Assassin of Love". There are two f***ing brilliant breakdowns, but afterwards, the song sounds a bit draggy. "A Summer Dream" is just weak thrashy melodeath-metalcore, with only the intense vocals not sounding lame. The riffs really need faster speed and sharper changes for the genre to work.

The intro of "Sunday's Words" is nice, but the rest is weak-sounding metalcore, and not the thrashy melodic-ish kind I prefer. Their cover of Heaven Shall Burn's "Partisan" is very good though. Then the outro is an audio sample from Pulp Fiction.

I just can't say anything about Heaven Shall Burn's side of the EP. I mean, some parts sound raw and good, but there just isn't any great or mentionable. Except the vocals that are once again the best aspect, ranging from good growls to great screams. However, the structure is terrible, spoiled especially by the drumming. Metalcore is awesome, but they were missing a lot to learn. A real metalhead would skip most of the songs in the EP, and if they're up for better metalcore like I am, best to search elsewhere....

Favorites (only from Caliban's side): "Assassin of Love", "Partisan"

Good amount of chaotic potential, though much too intense for my liking. Daughters' Canada Songs had the one to two minute grind-mathcore song aspect done much better. And those song titles are hard as sh*t to type without copy-pasting! The final 6 and a half minute epic works out well, but the rest of the album? No thanks! This is just another case of grind-mathcore sounding more than I can take....

Favorites (only one I can stand): "2xs{om:cclc}2xs{/f}4xs{ccl}2xs{g:infct}1xs{hx}3xs{:\:.}"

The first nu metal band with gnarly masks that comes to the minds of many people is Slipknot. But for me, it's Mushroomhead. Despite not being as successful as Slipknot, Mushroomhead has been around since a couple years before Slipknot was formed, and this industrial-ish take on nu/alt-metal is more interesting to me. Their 8th album A Wonderful Life proves that the band can stay relevant after a 6-year gap and the departure on longtime members vocalist Jeffrey Hatrix and keyboardist Tom Schmitz.

As always, the industrial-ish nu/alt-metal sound is blended together with pieces of hip-hop and techno, whether separate or together. Props to the new lineup that includes new vocalists Steve Rauckhorst and Jackie LaPonza, one-off guitarist Tom Shaffner, and sampler Rick Thomas taking over on keyboards, for keeping the band alive!

"A Requiem for Tomorrow" opens with a church choir before a rollercoaster ride of a familiar yet fresh heavy sound. The attitude changes when you nicely expect it to change. "Madness Within" has Marilyn Manson-infused madness, some unusual elements to spice up the cauldron. First single "Seen It All" hints at the band taking a more accessible route than before. Not quite a surprising track, but Rauckhorst's vocal range has promising melody. No matter how repetitive it is, the catchiness still pleases me a bit. Taking the vocal spotlight in "The Heresy" is 3rd vocalist Jackie LaPonza. Next song "What a Shame" is where rapping/growling vocalist Jason Popson gets ahead of the game with his vocals. With eerie carnival-like experimentation, it's almost like "Qwerty" all over again!

Clear strings and choir appear in "Pulse" that almost make that track full-on symphonic metal. "Carry On" is a beautiful addictive highlight. It's almost entirely clean vocals here, and I like it as much as the other tracks. Great music! The band sure know how to build back up after their split from Schmitz and Hatrix. It's so riveting! I feel like this is a continuation of the dedication to the loved ones they lost that started with their previous album The Righteous and the Butterfly. Keep calm and do what that song says! Some epic doom can be heard in "The Time Has Come" before speeding up. "11th Hour" is a strange yet enjoyable track of Faith No More influences in the music and vocals.

"I am the One" has nu metal riffing performed well by Shaffner. Ballad-ish "The Flood" lets the piano flow as the song progresses. "Where the End Begins" has more of that piano and other diverse aspects everywhere in this 7-minute epic. Absolutely exciting! The choir-led finale "Confutatis" is something unexpected from the band, but it allows the standard edition to come full-circle. There are 4 bonus tracks in the special edition, but not much is interesting there, apart from the destructive "Sound of Destruction".

All in all, A Wonderful Life continues the band's strong streak. They have a new lineup and modern approach while staying true to their name and getting fans on the edge of their seats over what the future has in store. Wonderful!

Favorites: "A Requiem for Tomorrow", "Madness Within", "What a Shame", "Carry On", "The Time Has Come", "11th Hour", "Where the End Begins", "Sound of Destruction"

It's strange how Mushroomhead is part of the nu/alt-metal pack but has never gained the huge success many of their other peers have gained. Nonetheless, this band has a large fanbase that barely of those other bands have. The dedication fans have for Mushroomhead is a good reason for their 3-decade existence at this point, and why open-minded metalheads, such as myself, have no trouble at all with albums like this one, The Righteous and the Butterfly!

Following up from the heavy Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, the industrial-ish nu/alt-metal blend of brutality and beauty still stands in this album. The Righteous and the Butterfly introduces two new members, guitarist Tommy Church and bassist Ryan "Dr. F" Farrell. Jason "J Mann" Popson returns on vocal duties to make a 3-vocalist lineup (or 4 if including their later vocalist Jackie Laponza who guest appears in one song here). The title pays tribute to two longtime contributors who passed away in the years leading up to this album, former guitarist JJ Righteous and band photographer Vanessa Solowiow (drummer Skinny's wife). RIP...

Opening this album is "Our Apologies" that pretty much summarizes all that Mushroomhead is known for. Then we take on "How Many Times" that's more melodic and ominous as h*ll. "Devils Be Damned" continues the hardcore adrenaline that's gotten the band this far in their career. "Qwerty" is a song that sounds weird at first, but eventually I end up loving it to bits. This might've also happened to my brother because he loves it as well. I guess you can consider this Slipknot performing at a haunted carnival. Seriously, this band should've had greater fame than Slipknot. The haunting piano makes a comeback in "Portraits of the Poor". It very well sums up the slower Mushroomhead tracks of yore that can please both modern metal fans and ballad lovers.

"Childlike" has haunting beauty with the vocals mainly done by Jus Mic of 10.000 Cadillacs. "This Cold Reign" launches back into heaviness to tear you apart. And again in "We are the Truth" with its country-like guitar and the aforementioned guest vocals by Jackie Laponza. The Best Buy version has a few bonus remixes of that song at the end of the album. If you thought there's not much experimentation left here, "Son of 7" will have you think otherwise. Another standout, "For Your Pleasure" has pretty much everything you can find from Mushroomhead, practically from every era. A true gem!

"Worlds Collide" sounds like you're going down a cave until a heavy monster crushes you. "Graveyard Du Jour" is as spooky as a graveyard while maintaining some heavy moments. One more original track "Out of My Mind" has smokin' hot metal. It practically pays great tribute to earlier heroes like Judas Priest. A high-quality heavy tune! But my actual favorite song here is their cover of Adele's "Rumor Has It". It's no rumor that this awesome cover is what got me into this band. Incredible!

All in all, Mushroomhead have their strongest album since XIII in The Righteous and the Butterfly, nicely improved from the albums in between. Both longtime fans and newcomers will love this righteous album, essential for any nu/alt-metal fans' collection!

Favorites: "Our Apologies", "Qwerty", "Portraits of the Poor", "This Cold Reign", "For Your Pleasure", "Out of My Mind", "Rumor Has It"

Mushroomhead and Slipknot were in a bit of a feud throughout the 2000s due to their aesthetic similarities, but then they ended their rivalry and became close friends. They even paid respects to each other's fallen members in 2010; ex-Mushroomhead guitarist John "JJ Righteous" Sekula and original Slipknot bassist Paul Gray (RIP). Though while the bands themselves have buried the hatchet, their fans are still burying hatchets into each other's heads, with some of them claiming that Mushroomhead is ripping off Slipknot. In reality, Mushroomhead's sound is much different, and they were creating music in the underground before Slipknot even formed. The situation is pretty much equivalent to people thinking Big Nate is a Diary of a Wimpy Kid ripoff when Big Nate is actually around before Wimpy Kid and both book series' authors know each other.

The global success Mushroomhead would achieve did not come until their compilation XX and their first two major-label albums XIII and Savior Sorrow, standing out from the nu/alt-metal pack with their experimental sound. The band can still stay strong despite having to leave behind one of their original vocalists and the record label that propelled them into fame, before their previous album. For this one, Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, they continue their industrial-ish nu/alt-metal journey with more emphasis on metal. Still you can hear the Faith No More-ish wackiness to keep their stylistic personality in place.

First track/single "Come On" punches through with its heavy instrumentation and catchy vocals. The song has some notoriety in the foul chanting chorus ("Do you really wanna f*** with me?! COME ON!") and its music video that's too graphic for television. Starting off "Inspiration" is some fiddling of synths and drums that can turn off anyone who hates nu metal or industrial. I can hear a bit of Limp Bizkit in the hip-hop pace. "Slaughterhouse Road" has a lot to expect from Mushroomhead. The name of the song was the album's working title before the band changed it to its current one based on a DC Comics graphic novel series. The Faith No More influences are the most prominent in "I'll Be Here", where Tom Schmitz displays his keyboard/piano talent. The sampled children noises are a bit odd yet interesting.

"Burn the Bridge" starts with a funny beatboxing intro then launches into thrash aggression. "Holes in the Void" has more of the keyboard drama with some guest vocals by Joe Altier and Sarah Sloan. The percussive intro in "Harvest the Garden" leads to rock-out groove-ish riffing. "The Harm You Do" is close to ominous blues rock in the guitar.

The vocal contrast stands out the most in "Your Demise" between vocalists Waylon Reavis and Jeffrey Hatrix. Topping it all off is excellent soloing by Dave Felton. "The Feel" is a ballad with a lot in common with the slower tracks from other bands like Asking Alexandria, Waltari, and While She Sleeps. Can you feel?! Next track "Darker Days" has some more excellent metal guitar. The closing track "Do I Know You" has slow piano tranquility plus a brief buildup that stops in a rather anticlimactic ending.

Anyone who enjoys any of Mushroomhead's surrounding releases can very well dig this one. Whether or not you're in the Mushroomhead or Slipknot side, there's always some appeal to gain from Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children. If any outsiders consider metal an ugly genre, they don't know what they're missing out on, the beauty within!

Favorites: "Come On", "Slaughterhouse Road", "Burn the Bridge", "Your Demise", "The Feel", "Darker Days"

Although Mushroomhead is more of an experimental nu/alt-metal, there are some times when they lean into industrial metal. Savior Sorrow is where the industrial side of the band shines the most. It's also where the band decided to just have Gravy do all the guitars after Bronson left. Co-lead vocalist J Mann also left and was replaced by Waylon Reavis. He can perform growls as greatly as J Mann and can almost be considered the band's savior!

The tight structure of this album has reduced a bit of the experimentation from their previous albums. It's also less commercial and not so radio-friendly, though it has spawned singles/music videos for half the amount of songs in the album. And even at their most mainstream, Mushroomhead is still what they are.

Firing things up is the opening track "12 Hundred", beginning the album in a more kick-A fashion than most of their previous albums. "Simple Survival" is one of my favorite and more industrial-sounding Mushroomhead songs, beginning with the sinister yet melodic opening line, "The shadow within me, the sorrow at my feet". This will make you wanna pay more to get more of Mushroomhead's releases. So cool! I can hear a bit of a Linkin Park influence in the music and a Slipknot influence in the aesthetics, though it's no reason to start a feud between these bands. Still an awesome song! "THE END IN ME!!!" Unorthodox instruments roam in "Damage Done" which starts off sounding like Korn until they bring in a sitar. "Save Us" is a softer ballad suitable for the radio.

Then we have the mighty heavy "Tattoo" with guest vocals by Sean Kane of Gizmachi. Next song "Erase the Doubt" stands out well to smoothly end the album's first half. "Burn" stands right on the line between the industrial metal of Fear Factory and In This Moment and the mid-tempo metalcore tendencies you might find in bands like Soilwork and Upon a Burning Body. The second ballad "Just Pretending" is better and heavier than the first. You can certainly point your devil horns and headbang along while doing the emotional ballad swaying.

Another anthemic ballad, "The Need" can still unleash complex power. "Cut Me" messes things up a little as a strange gothic sound creeps in and causes some confusion to affect the thunderous guitars/drums frenzy. "The Fallen" won't work in the Metal Academy clan The Fallen, but it's still nicely heavy. "Embrace the Ending" ends the album as an eerie ballad, albeit a metal-less one. The vocals, guitars, and classical strings add beauty to the haunting sound. A demo version of "Burn" appears as a bonus track.

With Savior Sorrow, Mushroomhead knows how to keep things in control. It may seem restrictive, but that's good because too many cooks can spoil the broth. Though I'm not saying 7 or 10 band members is too many. They all know how to do everything just right!

Favorites: "12 Hundred", "Simple Survival", "Erase the Doubt", "Just Pretending", "The Need", "Embrace the Ending"

After making 3 albums in the underground, Mushroomhead released their first major-label release XX, which is a compilation of tracks from those 3 albums remastered. That release marks the band's introduction to a more global audience. With that big amount of success achieved, it was time to make their major-label album of new material, the perfect gateway into a new level of fame, XIII!

The songs in this album are more accessible but at the same time more enjoyable. The guitar tunings have been dropped lower to drop B and drop B-flat. The experimental nu/alt-metal has some stoner/grunge-ish elements that are added to make sure nothing sounds too repetitive.

"Kill Tomorrow" is one of my favorite Mushroomhead songs from the breakthrough era, though the quality could've been slightly higher. "Sun Doesn't Rise" is a more commercial single that is still great because the vocal duo singing together in the choruses can get you headbanging in no time. There's some strong muscle in "Mother Machine Gun", but it makes way for some moody piano. Soft emotion covers "Nowhere to Go". Then "Becoming Cold (216)" is another heavy banger.

"One More Day" is the most emotional track here. It moves you along through serene piano, a gothic violin solo, and background female vocals by Devon Gorman. It certainly shows more of the experimental side of early Mushroomhead before the band's usual heaviness returns in subsequent songs. "The Dream is Over" decimates the earlier softness as the heaviest track here, featuring killer growls by Meshuggah vocalist Jens Kidman. The thrashy "The War Inside" has the speediest torment here that only the strongest can survive. "Almost Gone" has a bit of the funky groove of Faith No More. "Eternal" has a bit of the industrial metal of Gothminister added to the brutal heaviness.

"Our Own Way" has the acoustics, piano, and female vocals similar to the other song that features Devon Gorman, but the heavy guitars and growls are still around. The progressive "Destroy the World Around Us" is an intriguing 8-minute epic with slower drama. I feel like that one should've been the final track of the album. Simply because the only track here I consider even remotely weak is the actual final track "Thirteen" which sounds serene until you end up hearing creepy baby laughter. Quite unsettling but doesn't affect the album's perfect score. Some editions have a bonus track before the album's original hidden track, the bonus track being "Along the Way" with a similar vibe to Demon Hunter at that time. Said hidden track "Crazy" is a cover of a Seal song, but it sounds a bit half-baked. One more bonus track "Treason" sounds more like a remix.

I would give this album a score of 96%, those few percentage points being taken off by that unlucky 13th track and the hidden Seal cover. Nonetheless, XIII is one of the greatest, most satisfying albums Mushroomhead has ever done. A fantastic start to their more famous days!

Favorites: "Kill Tomorrow", "Sun Doesn't Rise", "One More Day", "The Dream is Over", "The War Inside", "Eternal", "Destroy the World Around Us", "Along the Way" (bonus track)

Nightmares are brutal beasts of horror that haunt your dreams and give you terrible experiences in your mind. Fortunately, I'm one of the lucky few to not remember a single dream. The only downside for me is, I wouldn't have any new fears to conquer and gain heroic strength. But I am grateful for my memories of reality. Sometimes the worst nightmares are the ones that actually come true, like for metalheads when nu metal sprang into existence much to their chagrin. However, Mushroomhead has given this metal nightmare a more expressive and elegant turn, and turned it into a pleasant dream for open-minded listeners such as myself.

Staying hot in Cleveland since forming in 1993, Mushroomhead have their experimental nu/alt-metal sound going with pieces other genres ranging from art punk to industrial metal, along with a similar live imagery to Slipknot. The band started slightly weak with their self-titled debut but were slowly building up to the top. The 3rd part of their 8-album journey so far, M3 might just be their entryway into the unbreakable streak that started with the perfect XIII! Though M3 is the last part of their independent 90s trilogy.

"Before I Die" is a wicked start to this offering. However, it doesn't beat "Solitaire/Unraveling", one of the most popular songs from the band's 90s era, and for a great reason. Jeffrey Nothing sings in clean melancholy while Jason "J Mann" Popson has his tough-guy vocals, both fitting well with the dramatic instrumentation. "The New Cult King" has some heaviness while being more melodic. The haunting "Inevitable" follows, and it starts with an audio sample snuck in from Storm of the Century, a miniseries by Stephen King, shortly after the series first aired.

"Xeroxed" has a more brutal take on Mushroomhead's style. Unfortunately, it seems a bit flat in the production compared to other songs. "The Final Act" is more melodic, partly due to Scot Edgel performing guest vocals here. Then "Conflict - The Argument Goes On" has more of the incredible vocals to flow with the keyboard atmosphere.

The impressive "Exploiting Your Weakness" is full-on primal in the riffing by J.J. Righteous and Dinner. Oh yeah, I should mention that this is the last album with that guitar duo, and JJ Righteous passed away in 2010. RIP... The aptly titled "Beauteous" is filled entirely with beautiful somber piano. "Born of Desire" is a great heavy ending to the main album. But then there's 12 minutes of silence followed by a hidden track "Dark and Evil Joe", a humorous prank call argument over the true meaning of "black" metal.

Despite that hidden track and the production in one of the songs, M3 is a stunning album that long-time Mushroomhead fans should get. And I would also recommend this to anyone coming across this band for the first time. If you can get used to this blend of electronics, melody, and heaviness, you're all set. No harm, no foul!

Favorites: "Solitaire/Unraveling", "Inevitable", "Conflict - The Argument Goes On", "Exploiting Your Weakness", "Born of Desire"

The earlier albums by Mushroomhead were practically unknown. You gotta admit how underrated this industrial-infused nu/alt-metal band is, compared to the more popular aesthetically identical Slipknot. Back then, these Clevelanders were starting their underground business before that Iowan band was even heard of. Mushroomhead pretty much invented the idea of a nu metal band wearing horror masks and costumes, though of course, that aspect has already existed in other genres like black metal.

Buick is a cool car name. My dad owned one when he was young. However, Superbuick is a super cool name! The band's second album was self-produced with help from Bill Korecky. It is a shorter album without a useless 12-minute medley and, like their debut and their 3rd album M3, would have some songs appear in the compilation XX.

The first song "Bwomp" has some of the greatest lyrics in the album. Jason Popson performs a rapping verse with some amusing lyrics ("If it was up to me, I'd free Charles Manson"). Then later, Jeffrey Hatrix yells out his own lyrics in the killer breakdown ("Laughed at religion long ago, I doubt I'll be an angel when I die". Fantastic start! Then "Never Let It Go" continues this perfect blend of beautiful melody and dark heaviness that would maintain its greatness in the XX remastering. Next up, "These Filthy Hands" has keyboards shining over the guitars for an eerie effect. The creepy drama from the piano is more apparent in "The Wrist", another highlight. If you can't go past the spookiness that track has, then why are you still here!?

The piano horror/drama doesn't stop in "Chancre Sore", which once again keeps its quality together when remastered in XX. "Flattened" is more unpredictable, even when it's mostly a piano-emphasized ballad. "Big Brother" shows how well the band can add experimental twists into alt-metal long before Twelve Foot Ninja would do the same thing. "Idle Worship" is another track that shall be worshipped by members of the experimental alt-metal fanbase circle. This is the kind of a song that would ask fans of the genre the following question, "Are you in or are you out?"

"Fear Held Dear" is a slow sludge-ish track, a bit like Will Haven, though the experimental alt-metal aspects are still dominant. To be honest, I don't know if "Unintended" was intended to be the album's outro. I mean, it does sound like it should be the outro, but then we have one more track... That final track being a reprise of "Bwomp". Should've been different placed, but it's still as perfect as the main song.

Newcomers should be prepared for the experimentation the band has to offer, and once they're used to it, they'll find greatness within. But if they don't like it, they should at least listen before cursing it out. As great as this album is, I feel like the production quality, guitars, and vocals could've been improved. Still cool either way. And that's all....

Favorites: "Bwomp", "Never Let It Go", "The Wrist", "Big Brother", "Idle Worship", "Bwomp (Reprise)"

Like most metalheads, I'm not a fan of nu metal. However, I don't hate it as much as those other metalheads do. A little overrated, but not everything about it is a downright atrocity. My brother likes a bit of nu metal, alongside his usual hard rock/alt-metal/post-grunge, and I was following his music footsteps before starting my own metal path. Mushroomhead is probably the closest band to nu metal that I enjoy, and they play a more experimental take on alt-metal.

For those who think Slipknot is the band that introduced horror-themed masks to nu metal, Mushroomhead already invented that aspect before Slipknot popularized it. The alt-metal sound with bits of hardcore/industrial metal in this album should've had more fame than their aesthetics, though their 1995 self-titled debut is bit of a rough start...

"Slow Thing" is an interesting track to kick off the album. It's an instrumental gothic-ish piano ballad with samples from a couple documentaries about LSD and marijuana. Then the last minute is an audio sample from an intense scene in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me ("IT'S HIM!!! IT'S YOUR FATHER!!" "ARRG!!!!" "STOP IT!!!"). From the White Zombie-ish "Elevation", you're already in for some punk-ish chords, melodic synths, strong cleans/shouts, and percussive assault. Some Ministry/Killing Joke influences are snuck into their alt-metal. "Too Much Nothing" has riffs and vocals that might end up spawning a nickname for this band, "Alice Inch Nails". Then we have a useless piano "Intermission" before we can proceed further into the album.

"Ego Tripp" has more funky fury to remind some of Suicidal Tendencies. "Mommy" is a cute yet sexual-sounding ballad with soft lovely guest vocals by Mandy Lascko. A bit weird but a great break from the more thrashy heavily-sampled arrangements in other songs. "2nd Thoughts" shows the band easily mixing together alt-metal with old-school electro-dance music. The only other band who could do that mix well at the time is Waltari. "Casualties in B Minor" is another pointless interlude and probably the worst of them. That's practically what most metalheads would consider a boring lullaby.

I'm indifferent to the song "Indifferent". Then "Simpleton" is far too simple to impress me at all. "43" starts with that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest sample that also started Mastodon's EP Lifeblood ("DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? FINALLY!?!"), then the song itself is a catchy rocker with the two vocalist Jeffrey Hatrix and Jason Popson performing their Mike Patton-influenced vocals well. "Episode 29" is another instrumental, but it's much better than the other ones. It starts with a sample from David Lynch’s Hotel Room ("You're not a nice person. You're a b***h.") then leads into some wicked electro-industrial with some background samples from Twin Peaks. The remix in the Remix EP is f***ing killer. "Snap" is a strange outro that reprises the "LSD user" sample from the first track. After 29 silent tracks, the 43rd track is a medley of several highlights from the album, and each clip is separated by a different-pitched sample of "Slow Thing". It's cool and all, but at the same time, absolutely worthless and baffling.

So here we have a standard E-tuned (in PAL speed/pitch) platter of alt-metal gone experimental and industrial (NO avant-garde metal). A nice beginning for the band, but don't expect this album to be a grand work of art....

Favorites: "Elevation", "Too Much Nothing", "Mommy", "2nd Thoughts", "43", "Episode 29"

It's amazing how a group of 5 can stay together for around two decades even with a few-year break and a recent pandemic. Brandan Schieppati has battled through mental doubt during these trying times to keep the band alive during the virus. The end result is the 3-track EP Rage, filled with straight sh*t-loads of aggression!

Drummer Derek Youngsma blasts the band into the action of "P*ss You Away" that instantly makes one of the band's best classics. Gang chants, harsh growls, and harmonic cleans, all from Brandan Schieppati, blend with Marta Peterson's stunning background singing and icy symphonic keys unusual to metalcore. The band proven themselves to still be around during these trying times.

"Damage Done" reminds me of 2000s-era Dark Tranquillity with more of Peterson's enchanting keyboards, melodeath-ish riffing/soloing, and melancholic atmosphere. The chorus is definitely worth singing along to and makes a modern classic moment, alongside lyrics of love and hate. The final hardcore breakdown crashes through to instantly start a moshpit. This (un)holy trinity of songs ends with the title track, complete with sinister riffs, sharp solos, and serene synths that oughta land this song a spot in the soundtrack for the next Underworld movie. So epic and brutal!

This melancholic yet malevolent 3-track release is a very short yet great continuation of the band's career. They've returned since their 2018 album Love Will Kill All in a way that they don't overstay their welcome....

Favorites: all 3 of the tracks! (though they could've been slightly better)

Hearing about a successful band reuniting without but in honor of their two fallen founding members is a nice time to finally witness what the hype was about with Pantera's Cowboys From Hell! This is their 5th album and a mighty change from their once-unknown heavy/glam metal to the freshly developed groove/thrash metal that would make them burst in popularity. Metallica made a similar attempt with their own fifth album in sort of the opposite approach, switching out of thrash into mainstream heavy metal, and they were already popular underground before expanding globally. For Pantera, their groove twist in the speed/thrash template has left many hits and a few sh*ts...

The production is heavy yet clean, though later albums from the band and the genre would be heavier. The late Abbott brothers have really taken the stage with their respective instruments; Dimebag's guitar has thick tone but not too heavy, and Vinnie's drumming has a thrashy pace without too much aggression. Rex Brown's bass is close to audible, and vocalist Phil Anselmo is professional at his singing range from clean to aggressive, even making the heavier songs sound tame in a beautiful way.

The title track already shows traces of the post-thrash fury the band would shine with. "Primal Concrete Sledge" fits their groove metal development much further with the heavy riffs, powerful chords, and simplistic rhythms that they would have in later releases, though it might cause some love from thrash fans and hate from groove haters and people accusing the band of being a metal ripoff of Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Psycho Holiday" has Metallica-sounding riffing, minus the epicness and speed, plus the repetitive rhythms that lack variation. Despite its flaws, that song is still decently listenable. "Heresy" has faster speed than what Metallica and Megadeth would abandon slightly later on, along with politically driven lyrics.

"Cemetery Gates" is the album's ballad-like song, an excellent one, and the band's longest at 7 minutes. After a stellar acoustic intro, the power increases especially in the vocals and shredding soloing. That song was covered by many bands, including Between the Buried and Me on their cover album The Anatomy Of. Another one of the few fast furious speed/thrash tracks here in "Domination". The shredding "Shattered" has a lot of Judas Priest vibes, including when Anselmo makes his attempts to sing as high as Rob Halford, along with Dimebag's guitar cutting like a chainsaw.

However, that's the start of the filler second half of this album, starting with the odd flop that is "Clash with Reality". Honestly, the sounds of pop rock and thrash end up clashing each other in a forced mix that sounds lost. "Medicine Man" sounds fun though a little too goofy. Same with "Message in Blood" with its murder themes. "The Sleep" is also fun-sounding yet forgettable. However, "The Art of Shredding" makes up for all those mistakes with one more offering of dense thrashy riffing and shredding.

All in all, I understand this album being the bridge between their once-elusive glam years and their famous groove era. Although this sounds inconsistent with its mix of classics and duds, Pantera was done sounding like Van Halen and preferred an Exhorder-like direction. May the two fallen Cowboys From Hell rock on in metal heaven.... RIP

Favorites: "Cowboys From Hell", "Primal Concrete Sledge", "Cemetery Gates", "Domination", "Shattered", "The Art of Shredding"

2020 was the year when everything in the world slowed down due to a certain virus, and many bands were in a storm of plan changes, one of those bands being Japanese alt-metalcore rockers Coldrain. However, despite delaying album production by a year, they're still strong in creating their latest offering...

Coldrain is the kind of band that prefer to rise up and not stand down. Nonnegative marks the 7th full-length part of their discography filled with ups and downs. I'm probably one of the very few people in my homeland of Malaysia who knows and listens to this band, but I'm sure that by the possible chance of success for this album, more people here would hear about them too. Get ready for some massive surprises!

"Help Me Help You" (Is that a Jerry Maguire reference?) will make you rise up and clap along with the intro beat that's like Vena's "Gone" on steroids. The song kick-starts the top-notch power of vocalist Masato, and the rest is worth giving this song a perfect 5 stars. "Calling" keeps up the pace with more depth in the cool screamed vocals. They really enhance the music structure with sections stitched seamlessly well. The darker "Cut Me" has heavier metal guitars that sound nice. Growling verses lead to perfect clean choruses. Relentless guitars and great vocals make a real crystal gem out of that song. "Before I Go" sounds closer to the more poppy Senses Fail songs, but it's OK.

"Bloody Power Fame" is a thought-evoking anthem throwing back to their earlier alt-metal/post-hardcore roots of 10 years ago. It's certainly addictive with the tight guitar shredding and powerful clean choruses. No wonder it became another anime theme! Smoothly carrying on is "Here With You", with probably the best guitar solo from the band in their recent era. I wanna hear that shredding as long as DragonForce's solos. "Boys and Girls" is a nice beautiful rock ballad. It's different from the rest, yet a nice emo tune that also flashbacks to 10 years ago when the band also made a few ballads. "Paradise (Kill the Silence)" was the first single from the album, released a year before, starting ominous before throwing you into frustration and joy. Blending the drums, guitar, bass, and vocals altogether, we have the perfect rock-out anthem from Coldrain!

Moving on, "2020" reminds you of what happened to the world from March of that year onwards in an opening monologue. Emotional screams lead into the first chorus. Then gritty bridge riffing leads into the last chorus. I think I've done enough mentioning such an impactful song, let's go to the next... "Rabbit Hole" is so d*mn brutal, almost like a continuation of Code Orange's "Swallowing the Rabbit Hole", especially in the growling screams of metalcore. That's the heaviest track in the album and probably by the band, and it's good that they placed it towards the end of the album so you wouldn't get tired out from those growls too soon. Next up is, no doubt, a cover of "Don't Speak" of No Doubt, the former band of pop-star Gwen Stefani, and probably the most surprising of the bunch, a pretty good challenge. The guitars are heavy and rough as always for the band, but I wish they would've metalized that acoustic guitar solo. "From Today" closes the album on a fine note. Nothing bad at all, ending with excellent energy.

Nonnegative is very solid for an alt-metalcore album with barely anything worth harsh criticism. Calm sections with clean singing are mixed with heavy sections with harsh growls. The successful formula they've had in The Side Effects is still strong in this album. They're back on their path, and might be off to a golden future in J-rock/metal!

Favorites: "Help Me Help You", "Cut Me", "Bloody Power Fame", "Paradise (Kill the Silence)", "2020", "From Today"

Well, we've come to this album that is the August 2023 Gateway feature release, one year after the band's next album Obsidian was the feature release for that clan. And I must say, I really look forward to saying what I should say about this album. It's one of the best albums I've heard to blend genres from 3 of my clans; The Gateway, The Revolution, and The Sphere. And seeing how well-deserving their earlier albums are of The Infinite, it solidifies Northlane's reign as one of the most suitable bands for me.

The band had already reached a decade since formation at that point. Continuing their quest for worldwide fame, they were able to overcome lineup/touring changes. Alien is a true definition of the new modern direction they're going for. As amazing as their previous two albums are, Alien is, in a couple words, f***ing fantastic!

The cyber-metalcore style blasts off in "Details Matter", a total in-the-face track of heaviness and screaming. There's a lot of industrial/cyber metal effect in the song, much more than in any of Northlane's past albums. "Bloodline" has absolutely awesome lyrics and production here! So atmospheric while dark and heavy. Fantastic prog-ish alt-metalcore! "4D" is a speedier track, albeit as electro-industrial-focused as Rammstein and The Prodigy. Unlike some metal bands that trade their heaviness and breakdowns for electronic synths, Northlane combines the best of both worlds, with a sound unique as f***. The addictive speed is worth good listening. Bassist Brendon Padjasek, who's only in the band for this album, also performs noticeable screamed vocals, alongside Marcus Bridge's cleans, and even a screaming duel between the two vocalists.

In "Talking Heads", Marcus has proven himself well as one vocalist ruling with 10 techniques! The sludgy nu metal part of their cyber metalcore sound has really expanded in their recent albums. "Freefall" has a brief slow introduction, then it explodes into a faster drive. The heavier side with screamed vocals and djenty riffing definitely makes this song another favorite of mine. "Jinn" is so monstrous. The band take on different sounds and styles, and crank up the power. As a result, this mind-blowing blend can beat a lot they've done in the past. "Eclipse" is one of the most upbeat and heaviest songs by Northlane. You can definitely scream along to the lyrics in live shows!

"Rift" is a soft atmospheric ballad. There's not much heavy or loud, with the power being relied on by the electronic synths. It's almost like they take some influence from Bring Me the Horizon's divisive album Amo that was released earlier that year. The fearless "Paradigm" has more of the heaviness and screaming that's definitely worth playing live. With a lot going on, hearing this song is much more of an experience than a listen. In "Vultures", Marcus Bridge is really having more influence from the band whom Northlane named one of their songs after, Architects, adding melody to his screaming. So insanely epic, continuing the writing of Mesmer while restoring their earlier riff-wrath. The final track "Sleepless" is mostly just EDM, though it's a fitting closer for this offering as different sounds appear. During the second half of the track, the band's heavy instrumentation is unleashed one last time in full emotion and melodic heights. Then it all ends in synth and piano. It's a risk that nicely paid off.

Northlane continues to rise as the album Alien expands their style into different realms. The elements can evolve while the source stays intact. This album is highly enjoyable and can be treated like a journey from the dark Hell to the bright Heaven. A true masterpiece from the masters of futuristic modern metal!

Favorites: "Bloodline", "Talking Heads", "Freefall", "Eclipse", "Paradigm", "Vultures"

Northlane started off their career with two djenty metalcore albums, Discoveries and Singularity, with their original vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes. Then came their 3rd album Node, marking a grand entrance for their current vocalist Marcus Bridge, and beginning to hint at more alternative experimentation. People weren't aware that another album was around the corner, and just when they least expected it....

F***ING SURPRISE!!!!!! Northlane's 4th album Mesmer sprung out of nowhere after some singles and teasers that went on for a couple months! I think they got that idea from when Avenged Sevenfold surprise-released The Stage months prior, so sudden that fans of that band didn't even know. Was the abruptly ended wait for Mesmer worth it?

Already the answer is yes with opening track and single "Citizen". OMG, I have no words to describe this beauty! And it continues in "Colourwave". The breakdown here is one of the best, and it has stirred up one of my favorite songs from this album the and band. It made me pumped up for listening to the rest of this album. Segueing out of that riff-tastic monster, "Savage" opens with synth that is put on the spotlight ahead of the ambient guitar, building up for 25 seconds before the rest of the band bursts in. This is heavy aggression that can smash through the walls surrounding you. At over the 3-minute mark, things quiet down for listeners to take a breather before a quick heavy outro.

Kicking off with slow and steady drumming is "Solar", and the pace is maintained throughout the song. Marcus is so good at singing, easily hitting those notes within the ambient instrumentation. I guess you can find a bit of Limp Bizkit-like nu metal/rock here. What helped the band reach their mark there is the production by the legendary David Bendeth. "Heartmachine" has more of that ambience. It can come out as a sweet power ballad while being a dark banger. "Intuition", despite being in the middle of the album, is its first single. Anyone who was in the 2017 Unify Gathering got to hear the band perform that song for the first time. It's packed with the band's usual f***ing heavy riffing, drumming, and clean/unclean vocal alternations. It's perhaps one of the heaviest songs by the band that any fan of the Adrian Fitipaldes era should dig. "Zero-One" has a brutal breakdown with some of the heaviest as f*** vocals I heard from Marcus. Holy sh*t, now that's my favorite here, and worth playing in live shows!

Slowing down further is "Fade", but only for a few seconds before some more speed, followed by nice singing melody. That might be worth hitting the mainstream. As the end of the album nears, "Render" has haunting ambience to fit well with Marcus' vocal anger. This is another one of the best here, and it really shows Marcus' unstoppable vocal talent. "Veridian" lets you know that there's still more of this adventure left to go beyond. Fast guitars, background synths, and more of both the clean and unclean vocals are not to be missed. "Paragon" closes things up as a tribute to Architects' late guitarist Tom Searle. Things ease up slowly for over a minute, and then F***ING H*LL, there's more of the heavy bass, chaotic screams, and melodic cleans. Alex Milovic has more audible bass played and it sound so impressive. Totally worth some re-listening!

Mesmer is quite close to reaching the perfection of most of its surrounding Northlane albums. The band stood silent about their album-released plans, and then delivered it straight to fans as a reward for their patience. These guys should really be proud of their work, especially Marcus Bridge. So exceptionally mesmerizing!

Favorites: "Citizen", "Colourwave", "Intuition", "Zero-One", "Veridian", "Paragon"

The third album from Northlane, Node is basically a continuation of the djenty metalcore sound in their earlier albums before their more recent evolution into alt-/industrial metal territory. Here you can find the experimental structures, polymetric grooves, and down-tuned riffing that make up the djenty sound first prominent in Singularity. Though this time, the more alt-metal elements draw near...

As the Australian metal scene grows with awesome metalcore bands like Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, and In Hearts Wake. Standing strong in the scene as well is Northlane! Their 3rd album Node introduces their current lead vocalist Marcus Bridge after Adrian Fitipaldes left the previous year.

Kickstarting this offering is "Soma" with a slow buildup into what to expect; great riffing and lyrics ("I refuse to die here"). It's easy to find out how much greatness the band still have since Singularity. The next track is single "Obelisk" which has its own video released a month before the album's release. I enjoy that track that nicely builds up throughout before a 20-second slam-down. The title track is slow yet epic, with motivational lyrics and vocals ("You could be the change"). A true anthem for world peace!

"Ohm" is where the speed starts picking up as the band members jam along. The following track "Nameless" is an ambient instrumental with most of the work being the percussion by drummer Nic Pettersen. My favorite song here is "Rot", the first single of the album and listeners' first taste of Marcus' vocals. Each listen makes it better, and it ensures the modern heavy direction the band has in this album. Any Northlane newcomers here, start with that awesome song! There's barely any time to settle down as "Leech" storms in with a breakdown after a calm intro. OK, the REAL breakdown doesn't come on until later, and it's worth listening to as well as playing live.

"Impulse" proves that Marcus can really bring new sounds to the old, and that's why he's an awesome vocalist! "So alone in a digital world..." Massive heaviness and diversity right here! That's how much I love this band, and the breakdown rules! Structures had also tackled the topic of the truth of the digital age. It can actually fit in the Digimon video games or anime! The sound would've been what would happen if Underoath didn't have their hiatus after Disambiguation and instead took on a more progressive sound before their recent albums. As this album approaches the end, we have the slow "Weightless". Smashing through your face is the heavy "Ra". And lastly, "Animate" makes a superb combo of cleans and uncleans to end the experience as perhaps the best album closer by the band.

All of this modern greatness comes in waves of timeless talent from this Sydney-based band. This is another album that can truly get modern metalheads worldwide in love with this music. Another solid recommendation!

Favorites: "Obelisk", "Node", "Rot", "Impulse", "Animate"

Although Discoveries is a solid start to Northlane's career, it's their second album Singularity that catapulted the band into fame. It's quite a step forward from Discoveries, with the production in Singularity being some of the best I've heard in modern metal. It's so perfectly clear! The growls and screams by Adrian Fitipaldes sound awesome as ever and stay unbreakable. Too bad this is the band's last album with him, though their next vocalist Marcus Bridge is awesome too.

It's quite easy for me to give this album a perfect 5 stars. It's a melodic progressive blend of beauty and heaviness. The breakdowns hit hard! The poetic lyrics fit well for this modern-age society and give listeners positive encouragement.

The ambient intro "Genesis" starts with haunting strings, followed by rising percussion, dissonant rhythm, and emotional vocals to start things on a powerful note. Keeping it up straight on is "Scarab". With its technical structure, you'll be able to stick around in attention as the band members unleash all their talent. "Windbreaker" shows the earlier heaviness still being around as the melody increases. The most brutal growls and breakdowns can found there. It's almost as if they initially wrote that song for Discoveries.

A bit of Dark Tranquillity-like melody can be heard in "Worldeater", which is one of a few singles from the album. Another single "Quantum Flux" shows the band taking on a calmer direction, while keeping the usual heaviness. The breakdown fury is in perfect place, and they're never overdone, proving how well Northlane are at the genre. "Dream Awake" is more energetic with a rapid pace, in solid delivery and balance with the ethereal atmosphere. "The Calling" reminds me of a similarly titled track by Saturnus, though instead of gothic death-doom, we have a foreshadowing of the band's later alt-metalcore, like a more progressive and djenty blend of All That Remains and Coldrain.

The aggression really levels up in "Masquerade", perhaps the strongest track with something special, guest vocals by Drew York of Stray from the Path. The catchy chorus is what makes this song a total highlight, along with lyrical fire and breakdown brutality. The slow ambient title interlude has given me a good lesson; If I worry too much about famous people like Michael Jackson, I would become disempowered by media icons. Terrence McKenna gave those who have listened to this album up to this track this advice, and it's amazing advice to follow. The instrumental itself gives me warm chills ("warm chills", sounds oxymoronic), it's so beautiful! The message is now more unbelievably relevant than ever. The final track "Aspire" unleashes the last of Adrian's vocals. Chaotic yet pretty!

I can never put down such a perfect masterpiece that is Singularity. This is a true example of ambient progressive djenty metalcore, and a must-have for modern metalheads. You won't regret this incredible journey!

Favorites: "Scarab", "Windbreaker", "Quantum Flux", "Masquerade", "Singularity"

Throughout the past year and a half (as of this review), I've made many different Revolution/Sphere discoveries, and Northlane is one of those bands. Since their 2010 EP Hollow Existence, they've been building up a strong fanbase. Their first full album Discoveries was released on 11/11/11, the day that two of the greatest computer games arrived, Skyrim and Minecraft. Djent-ish metalcore fans can chill and enjoy the music without comparing the bands to the other same tier.

OK, yes, there might be a few similarities to other bands, but they're very subtle! Architects was their most obvious influence, with Northlane taking their band name from one of Architects' songs. However, this band twists their influences into a unique masterful sound, as they explore the spectrum of modern metal.

The brief technical bass intro in "Dispossession" might catch some people off-guard, but the drums, guitars, and vocals make a perfect entrance! They kick things up to high gear without slowing down much. The band can really balance riff melody and killer breakdowns without ever wimping out. A clean ballad-ish song follows with highlight "Abrasumente", standing out with an honest clean chorus. More clean singing appears in "Comatose", building up within the eerie as sh*t atmosphere.

"Transcending Dimensions" proves that progressiveness can dark melody that's far different from other progressive bands like In the Woods... The title intermission is a nice time to chill out. It's quite epic and beautiful, starting off with serene ambient chords that soon build up into a stylistic djenty climax. A lot of the diverse sound of this band is summarized without having to use vocals, and the bass and drums gain tight insanity. "Corruption" is my favorite track of the album, and right after the intro, you'll encounter heavy verses worth headbanging to, with complex drumming. This mix of ambient and brutal has never been demonstrated so flawlessly elsewhere!

"Exposure" seems to stray off a bit, with a more average-sounding chorus. The singing could probably have taken out of the chorus as there's little point there. Anyone following the band since the beginning may know "Metamorphosis", re-recorded from the Hollow Existence EP, having some heavy songwriting. "Solace" (or "Solitude" in some editions) definitely has the djenty metalcore vibes Within the Ruins and Invent Animate would have later. All of the band's strength is unleashed once more in "I Shook Hands With Death", dominating with wicked instrumentation/vocal talent. It's quite impressive how the band can end it all in a devastating bang without being too much of an abrupt cut-off. Props to this band for that!

Northlane can perform some f***ing brutal technicality in conjunction with ethereal melody, in professional form worth playing over and over again. This band has proven themselves ahead of their peers, and the game ain't over for them. It was just getting started!

Favorites: "Dispossession", "Abrasumente", "Discoveries", "Corruption", "I Shook Hands With Death"

A highly influential band in 90s hard rock/alt-metal, it may seem like a shock that Helmet did not reach the mainstream as much as their peers in the alternative age. They can almost be unsung heroes! In their initial 90s run, they released 4 albums that are something for alt-rock/metal fans to die for. Strap It On is the first and probably the best I've heard from those guys. Get ready for one of the rawest, most frantic half-hours of your life!

This is more of kind of a post-hardcore album, but closer to what you would expect from Coldrain, not the wimpy variety of Dance Gavin Dance. Guitar riffs, noise, and chords build a wall of sound repeatedly punched by the rhythm section.

You can already hear alternating time signatures such as the 6 out of 8 or 4 in "Repetition". Then "Rude" has some more of that noise that your neighbors would consider rude to play as loud as an actual concert, though in an early groove-like pace. More of the simple yet never boring riffs evident later on can be found in "Bad Mood", utilized very well. You'll never be in a bad mood with that!

Another track has mostly just guitar noise in the instrumentation, "Sinatra", which is obviously not a Frank/Nancy Sinatra tribute. A tense breakdown in the beginning of "FBLA" occurs on and off alongside Page Hamilton's shouts. The groove-ish riffing in "Blacktop" is what makes that song the most metal one here. An addictive banger!

The 7/4 parts of "Distracted" is what keeps the simple instrumentation formula interesting. Predominantly in "Make Room", the vocal style is clean singing as opposed to rough yelling. The clans are sparse and different while making sure you hear the band's signature sound. In "Murder", the album's finale, "NO ONE'S SAFE!!!" yells Hamilton within a heavy storm of noise-metal.

So with all that said, is Strap It On a metal album? It's not the most metal one I heard, sounding closer to hard rock, but specifically it's alt-metal/post-hardcore with pieces of early groove. All these natural elements make this release enjoyable despite its short length. Basic beats, tough vocals, and guitar noise can sound pretty d*mn good!

Favorites: "Bad Mood", "FBLA", "Blacktop", "Distracted", "Murder"

As the alt-metalcore fan I am, it's hard to confess that I've barely given this band a listen despite a good amount of fans of a similar style loving this, and it can be tough putting to words how much I feel about a band in which I enjoy a couple of their songs a lot but an album I'm about to review might not be as perfect as them, though a very close call. Those two songs from The Dark Pool that were in my Revolution playlists are crazy good, but now I'm taking on a different album from this band...

I've noticed what an easily different journey Thornhill has taken in this album. They've boarded a new concept in the style and lyrics, heading into alt-metal territory in a similar yet less industrial manner to Northlane. I've enjoyed the majority of Heroine without letting my expectations run wild.

First up, "The Hellfire Club" has a title that could remind some of either Stranger Things or that Edguy album. Yet the music in this track is cinematic alt-metal that can easily fit in a Hollywood film soundtrack. "Leather Vibes" continues that vibe with metalcore elements. Then we soar through "Blue Velvet" with moody melody and vocal insanity. The incredible "Arkangel" is a throwback into 90s nostalgia, especially with its grungy sound. The outro has good drumming.

"Valentine" is slow and seducing with low bass guitar and high falsetto vocals. All of those aspects occur alongside good drum effects. "Casanova" is more recognizable as metalcore, and that I really like. So upbeat and worth dancing/moshing to. The chorus buildup is incredible! You can also hear a fantastic switch from a classic metal guitar solo to djent bass riffing. After all that heaviness, we have a beautiful intermission in "Something Terrible Came with the Rain". It slowly builds up into the same cinematic vibe as before, from guitars to synths then strings.

"Hollywood" returns to the 90s grungy nostalgia, this time mixed with 21-century Hollywood-like epic trailer-ish orchestra and 80s synths. I guess you can think of this as Deftones with more emphasis on djenty metalcore. Plus there's a breakdown with classic-sounding guitar! How much more can you mix?! "Raw" has dirtier-sounding synth, fun for dirty dancing in the moshpit. The end is near with "Varsity Hearts", sounding like an emo-ish classic. Then the final title track has cool classic-sounding harmonics.

Heroine is kind of a drug, a more legal and musical one compared to heroin. It's filled with inspiring poetry and sound! It would be boring for the band to stay with their original sound whether or not that's what fans want, so don't dismiss something that's different. Just listen and learn!

Favorites: "The Hellfire Club", "Blue Velvet", "Arkangel", "Casanova", "Hollywood", "Varsity Hearts"

Dutch band Pestilence made a brilliant evolving revolution in the European death metal scene in the late 80s and early 90s. First they were thrash, then death, then tech-death... Then came top-notch original progressive death metal in Spheres, making the many elements that were in their first 3 albums possible! Patrick Maneli and co. bring their music to more imaginative realms beyond comprehension, despite disapproval from heavier fans and the band doubting their future, leading to their 15-year split.

I really mean it when I say that I just found what might be my favorite Pestilence album and a true motivation to get me listening to this band full-time. Sure the music disappointed the earlier extreme fans who prefer Testimony of the Ancients or earlier. While that album is great too, Spheres has a better understanding in attracting attention with its unique sound, and it would make open-minded listeners want more. It was a risky yet intriguing move for the band. Whether the consequences were good or bad for them, they've never lost their stylistic essence.

The guitar riffing style of Mekong Delta can already be found in "Mind Reflections", standing out with minimalistic atmosphere and sounding nearly as thrashy as Dead Brain Cells. This continues in "Multiple Beings". And even further into "The Level of Perception" with a bit of tech-thrash foreshadowing what would come in the new millennium. Then the heaviness halts for the spooky string aura of interlude "Aurian Eyes".

"Soul Search" is an urgent prog-death trip that would expand beyond death metal's boundaries, the way Tribulation has done in their first two albums. There's some marvelous psychedelia a bit like Pink Floyd in "Personal Energy" in more dynamic light. "Voices from Within" is another ambient instrumental.

Then we have the abstract title track. There are some more mind-blowing traces in "Changing Perspectives", containing some more impressive synth-thrash of Mekong Delta. Then there's one more interlude, "Phileas". And lastly, "Demise of Time" is a twisted labyrinth of great leads and synths that guide you through transcendence beyond space. Lots of galactic magic all around!

Spheres was the band's last attempt at changing their style into something phenomenal before their long hiatus, and they nailed it! The album has placed this band in the tech-death league along with Cynic and Atheist, thanks to their combination of space and extreme. A unique masterpiece before their disappearance from activity!

Favorites: "Mind Reflections", "The Level of Perception", "Soul Search", "Personal Energy", "Changing Perspectives", "Demise of Time"

The whole reason I keep requesting these earlier metalcore/mathcore/deathcore bands to be added in this site is to make sure I can expand my metalcore genre rediscovery with different discoveries, particularly in the very early years of those "non-melodic" genres. And, well... This one's a f***ing mess! Sure there's the noisy chaos of mathcore and metalcore that I like, but it leans towards Refused-like hardcore than what could spark up a more metallic band like Underoath. The least agonizing and only song close to a highlight here is "Charcoal Drawings / Weapon Of Choice", their best attempt at the mathcore Deadguy developed more properly, in a two-part epic. Yeah, it's much better to start with Deadguy in your mathcore journey, rather than this sh*t-fire....

Favorites (only one I even remotely like): "Charcoal Drawings / Weapon Of Choice"

With all this recent talk about Northlane, and me enjoying one of their earlier songs to bits in one of my Revolution playlists, I decided to check out their latest album Obsidian to see if I really do have a chance with this band, and YES I DO!!! They were named after a song from metalcore band Architects and once known for their djent-fueled progressive metalcore sound. While experimenting on their untouchable sound in recent albums might alienate their fanbase, for me, it fits well with my current clans!

Here we have some f***ing bangers filled with emotion and talent in their music. If Obsidian can get you get as excited as I am, d*mn right it will! I'm here to provide usual track-by-track, and while it might not do the tracks in this masterpiece justice, it's all about my reviewing journey.

"Clarity" starts optimistic-sounding, all light and gentle in the electronic without immediately starting in a bang while many other albums in a similar style would. After one and a half minutes, BOOM!! The heaviness kicks into high gear! Switching from melodic vocals and electronics to screams and technical riffs, you're buckled up for this wild ride like no other. A very strong starter track! Building through this 6-minute track, it's not until the 4-minute mark when the breakdown the more hardcore fans are hungry for strikes and gets you hooked in the remain two minutes. Every member shines with the instruments in their own ways. The drumming especially makes that song a standout! "Clockwork" is the second track but the first single, released over a year before the rest of the album. I probably love this as much as any Northlane fan who has listened to it before. Not as adventurous as the opener, but I'm highly comfortable with this breakout track. If you thought this would end the album with the "I’m running out of time" lyric, you're mistaken! It sounds so fresh and strong, and there's more to come in this album soon... "Echo Chamber" is my favorite song here and shows how big the sound can be. There's strong synth-dance bits while staying heavy and vocally diverse. I sometimes feel like I'm in an online vortex where my goals have a hard time being reached, and that's what that track relates, along with the virus lasting for a couple years. Again, that track is the f***ing best! "Carbonized" is another single, this one starting with grungy experimentation in the intro. The screams giving you a moshing urge. The moods often change. Then the chorus adds more life with Marcus Bridge's d*mn beautiful singing.

"Abomination" has different elements and interestingly covers self-reflection to fit with the monstrous sound. When you expect a metalcore breakdown, instead you get a DNB-like dance section! It's great that this journey has something to break the circuit. "Plenty" is one more single as we approach the end of the first half of the album, so the second half would have songs that originally appeared in the album and not before. The second half of that song has plenty of twists that make an interesting standout. I definitely see that as a live staple!  "Is This a Test?" is a test of 90s nostalgia. You can for sure understand when I say that this would fit well in the soundtrack for the rave scene of an action-thriller movie set in the 90s. When you listen, you can hear the palate being cleansed with fresh ideas. There's certainly never any filler, though the tempo change seems too calm for one. "Xen" twists your way back into heaviness in the beginning verses before a light verses. Yet another standout! Your heart would melt by the harmonizing music and vocals, especially when they take a detour away from breakdown territory, into a f***ing searing solo! More harmonies await in that experimental alt-metalcore track! It's another 6-minute track, but the softness is reserved for the two-minute outro. That can be considered the last track before a 5-song encore...

"Cypher" has a long intro following up from the previous track's outro. Beautiful music shows comfort in their creation. They've made an easy song that still speaks more than words. Not regular, but an enjoyable standout! "Nova" is, from start to finish, the lightest song here. It sounds so dreamy in the music and vocals, where Marcus can really shine. So get yourself and gear up for more coming... "Inamorata" is a beautiful song that's the closest we have to a modern metal love song. Oh the beautiful emotion! The title track starts by once again following the light path of the previous two tracks. But after the first minute, we start to witness a climatic epic buildup and wondering if they will ever reach their breaking point. That occurs in the "we’re too far gone" breakdown and final drum collapse. "Dark Solitaire" is the 5-minute ending track summarizing the heavy and light sides of the album. It switches back and forth from a light section to a furious breakdown, and finally ends in an interesting farewell.

The band has been plagued with lineup changes and other problems over the years, but they've never given up. Obsidian is the album they've pretty much dreamt of making, and much different from what they had 10 years prior. Well done, Northlane! You've served a masterpiece for the new modern metal age!

Favorites: "Clarity", "Clockwork", "Echo Chamber", "Plenty", "Xen", "Cypher", "Obsidian"

Here's one of the first albums to combine death metal and hardcore in the late 90s, thus creating deathcore, a genre that would evolve (or devolve) into something much different. Day of Suffering and Abnegation were two of the first bands to combine hardcore with thrashy death metal influences. At hand was a righteous mix of Earth Crisis, Slayer, Deicide, and Morbid Angel, the latter of whom is perhaps how Day of Suffering got their name, from one of that band's songs...

The Eternal Jihad has a few uncomfortable things about the album, such as the title. It's so unlike the lyrical themes the band was interested in, and me being part of Islam, I'm not sure what my family would think of this. Of course there were more controversial bands of the hardcore scene like Vegan Reich. The vegan message made by that band and Earth Crisis would carry on into Day of Suffering. It's quite strange hearing such liberal themes in hardcore, but hey, when haven't those themes occur? They were more relevant back in those days than the recent diversity I was more used to.

The opening title track begins with a sample from Malcolm X before hitting you like a truck with deathly hardcore. The Slayer/Earth Crisis-like riffs are leveled up with death metal influences. It's so amazing hearing chugging tremolo riffing with dangerous aggression. "Shades of Red" is a better highlight, with as much blasting intensity as Deicide before settling into hardcore groove. There's a chanting chorus important for live shows. "Elegy" fights against abortion.

"Engulfed In Darkness" starts with a dark intro then accelerates into hardcore chaos. The thrashy "Condemned to Fire" has evil-sounding leads. "Visualize Industrial Collapse" takes on industrialization as the lyrical theme.

"Pawn" is another deathly hardcore monster. "The Rising of the Tide" is one more highlight that's left me in awe. I can hear the metalcore that Trivium and Demon Hunter would have in their most sinister in each band's first couple albums, while mixed in with those thrashy death metal influences from before. This finale doesn't beat the first two tracks, but it's a brutal good way to end!

The music this band has made fits well for their place and time. Many underground bands would remain forgotten, yet some stand out as interesting and underrated. The Eternal Jihad is perhaps the best founding definition of early deathcore/metalcore and is worth being placed in the hands of the listener....

Favorites: "The Eternal Jihad", "Shades of Red", "Engulfed in Darkness", "The Rising of the Tide"

Even though I'm glad to join The Sphere, I still haven't listened to as much industrial metal as many of the genres in my other clans, though there might be more, thanks to the tracks I've enjoyed in the Sphere monthly playlists, such as one of the tracks in this album (sneak peek for the July playlist premiering less than a week after this review!). From the gothic-ish cyber metal sound to the artwork of blood and nudity, Deathstars' Termination Bliss can be quite strange yet awesome!

I might try their other albums later, but Termination Bliss is a perfect work of cyber metal and what got me interested in Deathstars. I'm no expert in song analysis, but I've done it hundreds of reviews before, and that's what I shall do again...

"Tongues" is a slow melodic awesome album opener to get you pumped for incoming darkness. The deep dark voice sticks with the heavy electronic rhythm. I also enjoy the chorus and the female singing before it. "Blitzkrieg" is blazing epic techno-metal fire complete with an awesome mix of voice samples, guitar distortion, and driving rhythm. Excellent single and probably the best here! "Motherzone" feels a little bothersome. I mean I love the warm chorus, but the change from techno groove to violent heaviness is abrupt. It's great, but not the right bridge. "Cyanide" is a perfect hooker! Great rhythm alongside more of those deep dark vocals. They probably work better in studio than live and, along with the bass, shine more than the guitars that are still awesome. From the synth intro onward, you'll never get bored even after hundreds of listens.

"Greatest Fight on Earth" is a weird slow heavy track. The King Diamond-like chorus is once again sung by that female vocalist, Ann Ekberg. It's an impressive waltz within the rhythm and vocals. Not the greatest of the album, but definitely in my favorites list down below. "Play God" is quite killer. The great chorus with heavy rhythm is what makes that song remarkable. Probably the best for public jogging! "Trinity Fields" is the longest of the album, though only 4 and a half minutes long. It still works as a relaxing change of pace in one of their gigs, or at home after a long day out. Different yet nicely great.

Holy sh*t, "The Last Ammunition" is another brilliant highlight. There really should've been a single for this, being the 3rd-best song of the album (behind "Cyanide" and "Blitzkrieg"), though maybe I would find better songs in the others. If there ever was a video for this song, it could be the soundtrack for the combat sequence of a modern war video game. With dramatic rhythm, synths, and vocals, this is as perfect bliss as those two other favorites. You must check them out! After that perfect storm comes the calm of "Virtue to Vice". This is probably the softest song of the album, quite close to a ballad. The guitars and vocals shine despite their softness, and you might hear more of that in their next album. "Death in Vogue" shows that, while the album is still deserving of this 5-star rating, this song is once again just plain. You can read or study to that! The title track has slower melancholy with sad emotion. You don't need to know the lyrics to get the feeling, an achievement first made by Queen in "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Well my reviews are mostly based on my own taste, but Termination Bliss is so amazing that you have to listen to believe. We'll see how much I enjoy their other albums, but for now, this is Deathstars' best work and a (inter)stellar piece of cyber metal!

Favorites: "Tongues", "Blitzkrieg", "Cyanide", "Greatest Fight on Earth", "Play God", "The Last Ammunition"

So I've been into metal for nearly a decade, including the first 5 years when I preferred power metal. However, the rest of you in this site have only known me for 3 years now in a time when metalcore was dominant in my metal liking. I definitely see more appeal now to lyrics of hate for metalcore fans to love. Rising from Connecticut, Hatebreed, has been active for nearly 3 decades, with the only two founding members still active being vocalist Jamey Jasta and bassist Chris Beattie. This band has been quite strong and successful, having released a solid 9 studio albums since 1997, including their 2002 second album Perseverance!

The artwork is as basic as the album, depicting what appears to be the band's logo with two spiky black maces, all on fire. The name "Perseverance" can be seen below. You can see it as some sort of face! Anyway, the artwork is not bad, but they could've made better effort. The logo stands out the most in the artwork. The name is also suitable for the band's motive to persevere with their sound and career.

The band prove their heavy aggressive metalcore sound in "Proven", blasting through for believers to rock on with them while the doubters are given a big fat "f*** you". This banger can get things moshing in no time and, at two and a half minutes long, the hellfire doesn't last too long. The title track keeps up what the first track had, a blast in the face and b*lls. Enhancing the metalcore approach very well is how clear the vocals sound, so you can hear the lyrical message better. Persevere against these hard times! "You're Never Alone" is for those who don't feel enough appreciation or mental health in life. This would definitely help us more now than 20 years ago, since we have a certain virus going on. You're encouraged to brush aside those issues and come to peace with what you really love. This is why metalcore and other heavier metal genres should not be knocked until tried. This band says a f***ing lot more than lame pop stars. "I Will Be Heard" motivates you to get up on your feet and stab your enemies with your middle finger. Aggressive metalcore greatness! It also appears in the Vin Diesel film xXx, which is one reason why I'm here in this review. "A Call For Blood" changes the narrative into more hate, targeting possibly the 8-year presidential tenure of Bill Clinton. Jamey's words cut sharply like swords in that angry thrasher.

"Below the Bottom" brings the lyrics back to normality while adding a twist. Sure it's about self-belief, but the story is about the enemy sinking below the bottom in the pit of lies while the hero rises out of there. F***ing rad, right?!? A shorter one and a half minute track is "We Still Fight", continuing the theme of belief and dedicated to the military who has helped the country stay safe. Short yet sharp, though slightly forgettable. "Unloved" can be considered the most hateful breakup song in existence. This might or might not be the right song to send to your partner that you're tired of, like a huge "f*** you" to that partner. Moving on, that track is not too bad, but a bit bland. "Bloodsoaked Memories" is a composition I like for the switch in gear. The drumming really drives along here. Riffing is drawn out while staying aggressive. However, the lyrics are just painful to fear, continue the power of hate but with something missing. Rolling on from the last track's riff, "Hollow Ground" opens nicely yet loudly, shouting to the masses for them all to fight back with their fists up high. I'm happy that the album's back on track after the bumpy middle. G****mn it, that's a great fight anthem!

"Final Prayer" signifies the human race being destroyed by greedy leaders fighting for infinite power. It's hard and heavy as usual, ending with killer guitar soloing by Slayer's Kerry King. The lyrical message is quite bleak, since the power would destroy us before we could have a chance to fight back. "Smash Your Enemies" is re-recorded from their hardcore demo EP Under the Knife. The great intro has some of the heaviest growling and vibe here, as the lyrics detail destroying your enemy with the strong power of the previous track, in interesting depth. "Healing to Suffer Again" would have you raising your flag in a battle to protect your mental health, which the vocalist might've been struggling in, considering the lack of the earlier perseverance. "Judgement Strikes (Unbreakable)" is quite decent for another short track, with a clear message of hate. "Remain Nameless" is the final real song, and a more complete one to once more strike down haters. The "Outro" is quick a 40-second jam hinting at what would come next...

I'm glad to enjoy this album. Even though the middle tracks are a bit dull, the ones in the start and end are highlights with clear messages. Hatebreed and Killswitch Engage were competing against each other in the reign of metalcore popularity, but both bands should be checked out by fans of the genre. Hatebreed shall please the metal breed!

Favorites: "Proven", "You're Never Alone", "I Will Be Heard", "Below the Bottom", "Hollow Ground", "Final Prayer", "Smash Your Enemies", "Remain Nameless"

Motionless in White has been in the modern metal zone since the 2010s. They're one of my favorite bands to cover 3 of my current clans, though they probably would've been too dark for me 6 years before this review, when I wasn't fully into the genres they cover. They've made a really solid and relevant run from Creatures to Graveyard Shift, though Disguise was slightly more alt-metal focused. They started their current path through industrial metalcore around Infamous and Reincarnate, and what could top the former album being my favorite alongside Creatures? With the early 2020s insanity of the virus going, the band have more courage to unleash their emotions to the world.

The band didn't immediately start working on their new album after touring. They released a 10th anniversary reissue of their breakthrough debut Creatures 2020, along with two singles "Creatures X: To the Grave" and "Timebomb" to look back at their metalcore roots. With the announcement of Scoring the End of the World 3 months prior to its release, will they continue the throwback while unleashing the emotions they've had in the period after Disguise?

The album opener "Meltdown" begins with a mighty "BLEGH!!!", already letting you know that hardcore sh*t's gonna go down. The electronics and heaviness continue from Disguise, and what also makes the song great is the massive chorus. The title absolutely fits the electronic atmosphere and the couple years we've suffered through, "Side effects are not allowed when they include our meltdown". Next track "Sign of Life" has wonderful inventive strength in the verses and the chorus. Chris Motionless does an amazing Breaking Benjamin impression in the triumphant chorus, "Wasting away in the dark is not an option, I’ll scratch my nails through this coffin". Those first two tracks already make a f***ing fun live show opener. My first time listening to "Werewolf" was a quite exciting experience, having some of the most f***ing experimentation they've had for so long. It's like a Carpenter Brut remake of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me", especially when Chris sings Michael Jackson's hook from that song. Some fans may love it, others may hate it. The chorus is my favorite here with pleasing harmonies, "I can be honest, I can be human, I can become the silver bullet in your hand". I want more of that! The slow-paced ballad "Porcelain" has lots of beautiful emotion in the singing. "I’ve broken my vows to reconcile. I shattered your heart and left a crack in your smile". One of the singles here "Slaughterhouse" is a f***ing heavy fun track, featuring Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose. He and Chris do perfect vocal alternation in the brutal bad-a** breakdowns, alongside political lyrics, "In the land of the free you’re a slave to your wealth". The chorus is slightly out-of-place within the heaviness, but still enjoyable.

"Masterpiece" follows as another ballad, which is quite jarring when adding a brutal as f*** song between two ballads. Still this ballad is a great tune I should recommend to my brother! Another powerful harmonic chorus occurs there, "So how do I apologize, and put the tears back in your eyes? When every canvas that I paint is a masterpiece of my mistakes." Next up, "Cause of Death" doesn't strike me as much as the previous tracks, but it's still a good grower. The instrumentation is quite good too. "You found your life in my cause of death." Then "We Become the Night" has a Marilyn Manson-like sound that throws back to Infamous when industrial elements were first entering the stage. Fans can decide whether or not that song is for them. I enjoy the haunting verses and massive chorus of huge dynamics, "Take back your soul while we become the night." The title of "Burned at Both Ends II" already lets you know the song sequels are still going on, being a sequel to a song from Infamous. It has really grown into one of my favorites. The lyrics have a more positive theme, "At both ends burned once more, but now I live for something more".

What worried me a bit is "B.F.B.T.G. Corpse Nation" when I first saw the title. The first "B.F.B.T.G." from Disguise was, as I said before, a bit sloppy and repetitive. Fortunately, it has better cinematic surprises to touch my industrial alt-metalcore soul. "RESEARCH THIS, MOTHERF***ER!!!!" One other song to be a "sequel better than the original" is the previous album's "Undead Ahead II". Next track, lead single "Cyberhex" is a phenomenal highlight. They came back with an epic vengeance, along with guest narration from Lindsay Schoolcraft, former vocalist of Cradle of Filth. Many more electronics have been used than before, and the chorus is so huge, "In this hell you are my paradise". The unfortunate "Red, White, and Boom", featuring Caleb Shomo of Beartooth and formerly Attack Attack!, is the f***ing worst song of the album. The riffs and gang chorus are so corny, and the shout before the bridge doesn't really help, "1! 2!! F*** YOU!!!" Still it's quite fun to listen to, so it's not a total disaster. Otherwise, the album rating would've been lower. The glorious title closer is my favorite song here, with amazing lyrics and melodies, plus a total headbanging breakdown! This can motivate listeners to look out for a possible apocalypse. It surpasses "Cyberhex" by a small notch as the album's highlight I guess the legendary Mick Gordon's instrumentation work could have been heavier, but it all comes out perfectly! One of the best tracks the band has ever done! "Amplify or die, it’s us or them".

All in all, Scoring the End of the World has proven to be amazing comeback for the band after a slight decrease in quality in Disguise. Many of the tracks will satisfy open-minded listeners, though not every track is highly likeable. Scoring the End of the World has the band's dynamic strength in fresh quality!

Favorites: "Meltdown", "Werewolf", "Slaughterhouse", "Masterpiece", "Burned at Both Ends II", "Cyberhex", "Scoring the End of the World"