Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

This is it. The real "Big Bang" beginning of my brother's rock/metal taste that would spark up my metal interest, Disturbed's Indestructible! Or at least the title track, which we'll go to a couple paragraphs later. Disturbingly enough, both the band and this "new beginning" they created spawned from vocalist David Draiman's traumatic experience in his teens of seeing his heroin-addicted girlfriend dead and hanging from the ceiling. And apparently, that was where the band name came from, when Draiman was disturbed from that tragedy. One song from the album is heavily centered around that event and took a few years to write, and we'll get to that soon as well. Indestructible shines similarly yet greater than what I've heard from Ten Thousand Fists. There's the grand guitar performed by Dan Donegan, with pretty much every track having good soloing without ever being out of place. And those songs I've hinted at have great examples...

See, this album would've been as perfect as those masterpiece milestones for my metal interest like DragonForce's Inhuman Rampage and Trivium's In Waves, but there is something holding it back, or someone. Drummer Mike Wengren's beats sound too plain and doesn't work right in the snare-pedal combo. This causes the bass to have more prominence but in a way that overshadows the drumming. That's not to say the bass is bad at all, it's quite amazing. Simple yet interesting, performed by John Moyer.

The aforementioned title track starts off greatly with background gunfire and war sirens. It's as if you're dragged into this battlefield where you become an army soldier ready for war, and when the drums and guitar enter, you're all pumped up for a new intense experience. I'm guessing that's how my brother felt when he first heard this song that caused him to convert from our earlier sh*tty radio pop interest into the more enjoyable (for us) rock/metal. Amazing catchy chorus, impressive guitar soloing, mighty vocals... I totally understand and enjoy how this brand-new world of metal opened up for my brother and eventually me. Thank you for that, Disturbed! "Inside the Fire" follows as another favorite track for me, and it's the song heavily written about Draiman's girlfriend's suicide. Interesting electronics and riffing open the song before kicking in the bass and drums. The chorus is so brilliant, and so is the guitar soloing. Then the bridge has more of an electronic vibe in the guitar. Absolutely great! "Deceiver" starts heavy yet having pitched-up guitar. The bass and drums, along with Draiman's vocals, give the song a Nevermore kind of vibe. The lyrics describe the deceivers and liars we have to avoid in our lives. The solo-less bridge doesn't impress me. Though what's awesome is Draiman's final cry of "DECEIVING ME NOW!!!!" as the music ends. Other than that, the song is just decent. Next up, "The Night" is perhaps the second best track between those first two. It really shows the band's talent and melody in the guitar. It can really stay in your mind! The pre-chorus has heavy pounding bass before an unbelievable chorus. The solo is one of the best and longest here. Another perfect track!

Speaking of perfect, "Perfect Insanity" is a re-recording of a demo track from 10 years before this album. This one's also quite an awesome single! The drum beat intro sounds a bit weird, but once the riffing enters, so does the greatness. The chorus is so perfect, fitting well with the lyrics. There's also some more of the melodic guitar here, especially a great solo between parts of the bridge. Draiman repeatedly asks "Have I lost my mind?!?" until the song ends nicely. "Haunted" starts, well, haunting with the creepy atmospheric intro.. However, the chorus does fit well with the sinister vibe. And the disturbing bridge then just leads back to the chorus with nothing impressive. Still it's quite good. Now enough with this next song "Enough"! The guitar and vocals sound softer while being heavy in a strange balance. Make up your minds, guys! The bass and drums in the bridge are quite good, but they don't make up for the horrid chorus. "The Curse" is much better. It starts weird in the bass, drum, and guitar mix, but it's very good. The pre-chorus is great, while the chorus is incredible! There's no technicality in the guitar until the solo that's well-executed. Then some final riffing to wrap things up.

"Torn" is the most horrible disappointment for me here, with nothing impressive at all. Let's not talk about it, and instead move on. "Criminal" makes up for that sh*tter quite well with interesting drumming and vocals. There's a good addictive chorus here. The bridge melody will enter your mind and stay in. Then one more time with that chorus. What better way to start a song here than in another favorite, "Divide"?! The bass and drums actually sound complex! The guitars kick things up and before going a bit softer. The heavy chorus is so good. Then a slow solo adds to the groovy sound. So great! "Façade" is too straight in the guitar and drums, which is a bit disappointing along with the vocal strength. There are a couple upsides in the good chorus and long solo. It ends badly in the guitar and drums. Still the track is OK, but not the best ending.

All in all, Indestructible is pretty great. Despite a couple downers and poor quality in a bit of the drumming, the guitar shines a lot in technicality and melody. Any Disturbed fan might dig this, and I respect this offering as the one spark to ignite my brother's rock/metal interest and eventually mine. Hail our true beginning!

Favorites: "Indestructible", "Inside the Fire", "The Night", "Perfect Insanity", "The Curse", "Divide"

The most accurate scenario for one of the most iconic nu metal track openings would be something like this: You're at a high floor of a tall building when you feel rumbling going on like the start of an earthquake ("Can you feel that?"). Soon the shaking gets more violent and you try to find a way to escape ("Ah sh*t..."). You find the exit staircase, but the earthquake causes you to trip and fall down the staircase, through a window, out of the building, and onto a power line, electrocuting you ("OOH-WAH-AH-AH-AH!!!").

My brother is a big fan of Disturbed, and they kickstarted his rock/metal interest that would soon lead to mine. He prefers the band's modern alternative metal sound, though he likes a bit of the nu metal heard in The Sickness and, to a lesser extent, Believe and Ten Thousand Fists, including a certain popular hit. I like this album too with several songs deserving as much attention as that hit, though some other songs may come out as weak and forgettable. The nu metal aspects within the dark guitars, electronics, and vocals work quite well, and they would sort of pave the way to Linkin Park's rise to fame with Hybrid Theory later that year.

Raging opening track "Voices" is written in the perspective of a killing psycho. This anthem of a song have fun riffing and a catchy chorus. "The Game" works well with its simple formula. "Stupify" also has a simple structure in perfect rage that would get you hooked like my brother who really enjoys it. Now, "Down with the Sickness"... You know this as one of their most popular songs, starting with that aforementioned opening riff and vocalist David Draiman's memed-to-death primal shriek of "OOH-WAH-AH-AH-AH". The song has been used in many films, TV shows, and video games. This is Disturbed's true anthem! My brother likes it too, but he skips its disturbing bridge which has Draiman roleplaying as a kid being attacked by his abusing mother and ultimately fighting back. I've heard more disturbing sh*t than that, so I can handle that just fine.

Things start to deviate in "Violence Fetish" which starts causing the album's downfall in quality. "Fear" has killer heaviness despite the electronic overdose. "Numb" shows the band attempting to make a slower ballad, ending up in mundane numbness. Linkin Park's "Numb" is better! "Want" is just plain bad, with a laughable cry of "She wants me!"

"Conflict" makes another move at raging heaviness but falls flat on its face in forgettable repetition. "Shout 2000" is a cover of the Tears for Fears single "Shout", and it brings things back to classic status as the vocals and riffing pound through for your attention. "Droppin' Plates" has decent guitar riffing, yet Draiman's profane rapping makes it another atrocity. "Meaning of Life", despite having more electronic effect, has nice heaviness in the guitar and vocals throughout its structure. A great way out!

Although there are some songs that shouldn't exist, The Sickness is a decently enjoyable album. It has the blueprints for the more recognizable elements of Disturbed. Setting aside those filler tracks, their debut is a decent start for those willing to explore this band and nu metal....

Favorites: "Voices", "Stupify", "Down with the Sickness", "Fear", "Shout 2000", "Meaning of Life"

In Flames was once a band that I listened to before leaving the death metal realm, a Swedish metal band that started with glorious melodeath but (d)evolved into the alt-/nu metal that metalheads hate. And while this live album isn't as terrible as some of their later albums, the fault is in the quality...

Seeing this live album in the anniversaries thread yesterday as of this review, I thought it would be worth giving this band another go to see if anything's good in this album. As it turns out, some things are very good, others are horrible, like the production sounding more stereo-like. The vocals sound horrible compared to their studio works, f***ing up the songs that stand out, while some others still sound good. Do I dare talk about them all? I guess so...

Kicking off the show and the album is "Bullet Ride", with a nice riff before Anders' singing takes over, though only the bass and drums stand out more than the rest, thereby butchering the song. Anders sounded much better and less sucky in studio than this live sh*t. "Embody the Invisible" stays close to the original from the Colony album, but nothing special is added except for the bad quality of the production and vocals. "Jotun" kicks real a** in the instrumentation, but the vocals hit a new low there. "Food for the Gods" has much better vocals to bring the quality to higher average. "Moonshield" is one of the best songs from the melodeath era of the band, but for the performance here... WHAT THE F***?!? Why in the h*ll did they skip the acoustic intro?! That's the best part of the song!! The f***ed up production does not help at all. This is sad, man...

"Clayman" is just sh*tty here, too whiny-sounding. "Swim" is another one from the at-the-time latest album Clayman, still cr*ppy enough to skip. The next track begins with Anders shouting to the audience, "We're gonna take all of you behind space!" Cheesy, right?? Anders once again ruins it all with his Rabbid-like voice. That's why I prefer only the original version with Dark Tranquillity's Mikael Stanne. "Only for the Weak" is the best song of Clayman and almost this live album, though it's degraded by the cheesy "Jump!" chant and the absence of background vocals. The way he pronounces the next track title "Gyroscope" is amusing, but the rest of this song still sounds sh*t here.

"Scorn" sounds much worse than the original. The only upside is the "Raining Blood" break in the middle. "Ordinary Story" does a good job doing the original justice, but I'll still complain about the production and vocals. "Pinball Map" is absolutely worth skipping and the live version should be called "Pimple Map". The title track for Colony isn't as bad as the other songs from the album performed here. "Episode 666" is very good, almost not lame at all, with kick-A singalong moments, though not too spectacular.

All in all, this is a good live album in some parts. Their previous albums, especially their first 3, are much better than this live sh*t. D*mn bummer, man, especially since this was meant to be a nice throwback for me. The production and setlist should've been made better. Now if you'll excuse me, my time away from death metal continues....

Favorites (one song per album, I liked the original versions better): "Food for the Gods", "Moonshield", "Behind Space", "Only for the Weak", "Colony"

I've been in the hardcore/metalcore zone for longer than 3 years now, and I barely despise anything from that genre. I enjoy many Revolution classics, even ones before this album like Calculating Infinity by The Dillinger Escape Plan and We are the Romans by Botch. Maybe someday I can get into other metalcore bands like Poison the Well and Hopesfall, but this band, Skycamefalling is what I'll start with, all thanks to another one of Daniel's Revolution recommendations!

This is one of those albums that essential for the hardcore/metalcore scene in the new millennium. The sole Skycamefalling album 10.21 and Converge's Jane Doe are two of the first metalcore albums with more poetic lyrics than just uniting a brotherhood of rebellion.

The instrumental "Intro" starts the album. Then "With Paper Wings" kickstarts the action. This is probably the band's greatest hit, filled with driving guitar intensity, one of my favorite metalcore songs to remember! I might just feel up to screaming along to the chorus. After grabbing your throat throughout the song, there's a beautiful piano outro that would inspire hundreds of other bands to add something like that to their songs. You know who "Laura Palmer" is, a murdered girl whose investigation serves as the plot to the series Twin Peaks. This is more aggressive than when Swallow the Sun made a song about Laura Palmer. "The Nothing" is a great way to describe where a relationship leads to: "So where were you when one heart became two?! When three words became more than you could chew?!?" I highly recommended listening to that song!

"-" is just a short instrumental. "Porcelain Heart Promises" covers pretty much everything you need to hear from this band. Another recommendation! "Healing Yesteryear" shows what TDEP and Botch should've done the previous year. "Shallow Like the Sand" is definitely what you should come for poetic lyrics: "Trees fall like iron on their way down, we bury our hands in their hearts and waste away again, because I have tried to turn words to stone, tried to fight the day with my eyes closed." Way more thought out than other hardcore bands! "The Truth Machine" continues the classic metallic hardcore, at a time when progressive innovators like Devin Townsend were on the rise.

The instrumental title epic contains 9 minutes of acoustic guitar, clean piano sounding a bit Eastern, and light percussion, leading to an ending crescendo. A soft break while you breathe in the flames of creativity! "November’s Neverending" gives you the idea of an eternal dark winter with no point in moving on. The album closes with "An Ocean Apart", staying strong even after 5 minutes of silence. A fitting end to a hardcore metal album of a beauty and intensity!

I still can't believe this talented group of musicians split up after only one album, but hopefully there would be more after a few recent reunion shows in the 2010s. As much as I enjoy other metalcore bands, I already miss these guys and hope they'll come back again. A metalcore classic of sheer poetry!

Favorites: "With Paper Wings", "The Nothing", "Porcelain Heart Promises", "Shallow Like the Sand", "10.21", "An Ocean Apart"

Like a book-writer having finished making his anticipated masterpiece and what started as a small decay turned into a big one when the pandemic hit, prog-death/metalcore masters Born of Osiris suffered a similar fate. The band made a 26-minute "studio album" (nearly as long as Cryptic Shift's "Moonbelt Immolator"), The Simulation, released in early 2019. After spending the first half of the year touring, they started writing the album that was supposed to follow, but for the production, like I said, a small decay turned into a big one. Their pre-recordings fell apart when the world was altered. After spending 2020 writing more material, they were able to hit the studio again to record what turned out to be a 55-minute actual studio album, Angel or Alien!

The band has made quite a 12-year prog-death/metalcore journey of studio albums since A Higher Place (Happy 12th anniversary as of this review!!). Throughout their tenure, their passion and dedication have never died out, with their sound evolving in a time when very low tunings where a thing in the djent lands. Bands are like some foods; you wanna keep enjoying it but eventually you might end up spitting them out before you can swallow. To make sure Born of Osiris is a relevant band and never an acquired taste, they still have the will to continue to push away from the complacent dark abyss. The band that has consisted of Ronnie Canizaro (unclean vocals), Joe Buras (keyboards and clean vocals), Lee McKinney (guitars), Nick Rossi (bass while switching to guitars), and Cameron Losch (drums) make the right turn of igniting the inner fire of their roots that they embrace along with new authentic surprises through this 14-song offering.

Beginning this collection is the catchy danger worth facing that is "Poster Child". At the end of that killer opener, some of their newer elements come in such as the synth-infused saxophone to smooth out the electronic synths. Then the explosion into "White Nile" is detonated with their expected matured refinement taken to the next level. What you may hear in the title track is a long-time-no-listen infectious hook, in which you can't deny its resemblance to their past material while moving the evolution forward. "Waves" conveniently waves for its needed attention. The more brutal "Oathbreaker" continues the expected mix of melodic synths and djenty explosion to please your ears.

The present once again allows the past to stomp through in "Threat of Your Presence", another notable highlight. The emotional "Love Story" is filled with confessional sincerity, far better than that Taylor Swift song. "Crossface" howls like a wolf, reaching a Crossfaith-level of metalcore mixed with EDM synths. "Echobreather" is so beautiful yet pummeling, as the heaviness and growls is balanced with Buras' synth melody and cleans. "Lost Souls" is another astounding composition.

The brutal slaughter continues "In for the Kill" as McKinney's fine guitar work dominates over the cinematic flourishes. A gut-punch of madness is unleashed onto you in "You are the Narrative" (can this "Narrative" really be beaten up??). The self-inflicted deliverance of "Truth and Denial" has Canizaro keeping his vocal edge and pushing it up with his earlier New Reign-era shrieking. The grand finale "Shadowmourne" is almost an anthem for my earlier Horde/Infinite/Revolution clan lineup. This instrumentation in this song alone is almost superior to those other songs and almost every other band with a similar style, and the saxophone makes its triumphant return throughout this piece.

While the semi-massive delay was the virus' fault, Born of Osiris continue igniting the inner fire of their roots as their sound continues evolving beyond bounds. While other bands try and fail, this band creates a strong storm of grace that never falls, and every track in Angel or Alien proves that point. This may not be the direct follow-up to The Simulation, but it's the start of a new era that will continue with another upcoming album Born of Osiris is currently writing. Whatever comes next, I'll be ready. Bring it!

Favorites: "Poster Child", "Angel or Alien", "Threat of Your Presence", "Love Story", "Lost Souls", "In for the Kill", "Shadowmourne"

I was thinking about trying to find one more thrash band that would be perfect enough to prove that I can fit well in The Pit, but ultimately, I decided that this can already be proven by a classic I'm already familiar with. One with... 246 RIFFS!!!! All of them rule as they strike through your mind and soul, taking control from beginning to end. Everyone has a different feeling when it comes to a certain album, and I find this album to be full of high-quality thrash genius!

The perfect lineup can show you more than just those killer riffs. The production is clean with audible instrumentation. Drummer Gene Hoglan adds some slower technicality alongside his usual fast thrash. Vocalist Ron Rinehart is a perfect fit here with strong vocals as the riffs from the guitarists slay away.

The title track starts with the first of those hundreds of riffs, slow before becoming lethally fast. The lyrics written by Hoglan are awesome, dealing with insanity and death in greater depths than the still perfect Darkness Descends. D*mn, even the music is incredible, including how well the bridges and choruses are structured. All that confirms that you're listening to one of the most complex and extreme thrash albums around. "Pain's Invention, Madness" has more of those many riffs, as Ron's flawless vocals continue following them. "Act Of Contrition" similar keeps up the variety of riffs to maintain your headbanging as always. The amazing soloing reaches the top compared to some other thrash albums. All this will make you stay in attention through the progressive length that most songs have.

Next one is one of my favorites, "The New Priesthood", in which lyrics detail modern technology surpassing religion. The intro riff is perhaps its most killer here. The most melodic and sinister at the same time track here is "Psychosexuality". Then comes one of my favorite songs in tech-thrash, and maybe all of thrash, "An Ancient Inherited Shame". The band's longest song at 9 minutes, all the riffs in the track kick a**. The progressive structure makes incredible tempo changes from slow to fast and in between. Dark Angel at their mightiest!

"Trauma and Catharsis" is f***ing superb, though the doom intro for nearly first two minutes is slightly unnecessary. However, the memorable fast riffing is still worth it, and the perfection is not affected. Rolling in a more sludge-ish pace, "Sensory Deprivation" is another magnificent track. While staying in the usual grand strength, the closing "A Subtle Induction" is the fastest song here and puts everything to a speedy end.

The Pit has spoken! This is what I truly desire from the clan, a technical heavy sound with awesome music and lyrics. People might think of Darkness Descends as the band's greatest album, and while they're right, Time Does Not Heal is very close to that reign as one of the greatest albums of thrash and tech-thrash. Truly standing the test of time!

Favorites: "Time Does Not Heal", "Act Of Contrition", "The New Priesthood", "An Ancient Inherited Shame", "Sensory Deprivation"

There are a couple reasons why I wanted to give this Anthrax album a listen and review. First off, I felt a little bad for missing out on that Anthrax concert in my home country that was originally for sometime last year before this review but got postponed anyway because of the virus. Second is the reason why I chose this album State of Euphoria, because it was near the bottom of the 10+ chart list in this site. It's time to see what went wrong for this album...

This album is pretty much the black sheep of Anthrax's classic era. You can SEE why by the trippy cover and HEAR why by the simplified slightly slower sound that thrash fans don't consider a real winner. Despite a small split in the fanbase, the album continued the band's gold-winning streak. It would take some adjustment to get used to this.

Straight into the opening track "Be All, End All", we hear cello. F***ING CELLO!! The heavier fans might think, "That's thrash!? Cello is classical! Blah blah blah..." A strange yet nice addition to a song I find brilliant! If they kept using that cello, they would be an early ancestor of Apocalyptica. "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is another a**-kicker. Joey Belladonna performs his strongest vocals there despite pressure from his bandmates. "Make Me Laugh" makes me laugh to hear anti-religious attempts to rule television.

What's considered the last winner of the album is their cover of Trust's "Antisocial" that everyone else has heard, but there are several more... The otherwise unimpressive "Who Cares Wins" can rule with Joey's singing from the heart. Another fantastic song "Now It's Dark" is shamefully shunned by other listeners, but it's one of the best for me.

However, I have an issue with the lyrical quality in "Schism", like where is the chorus?! Is that it when Joey scats "sc-sc-sc-schism"? That's quite fake and anti-climatic when expecting something different after the verses. This common issue would be fixed in their next album. Inspired by Stephen King, "Misery Loves Company" can please fans of dark-ish hardcore thrash. The interlude "13" is a small fault. However, "Finale" is a fan favorite that they should play live more often.

In my opinion, while State of Euphoria has a bit of dry gloom in their songs, it's still interesting and the necessary balance of thrash between the apparent light of Among the Living and the apparent darkness of Persistence of Time. F***ing h*ll, I enjoy this more than most other fans would, but it still doesn't get me in the mood for Anthrax....

Favorites: "Be All, End All", "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", "Who Cares Wins", "Now It's Dark", "Finale"

Wanna hear what electro-dubstep mutating electro-rap rock from a nu metal sounds like? Look no further to the second full-length remix album from one of the biggest bands of the world! Here you would find remixes of almost every song in the album Living Things, including the greatest hits of the album like "Lost in the Echo" (now with KillSonik), "Powerless" (now with Enferno), and "Until It Breaks" (now with Datsik), and...

ACK, I just turned the first paragraph of this review that's harsh for the greater good into an advertisement! Let's just get the criticism in here; it's all just bleeding 8-bit dancehall 'n' bass that wails a lot, harmful to those with hearing epilepsy. The only great moments of the album are the one new song "A Light That Never Comes (with famous DJ Steve Aoki) and the remix by Linkin Park's album producer in the non-metal era Rick Rubin. But what's really a disaster is, they never remixed "In My Remains". One of my favorite songs of Living Things DOESN'T HAVE A F***ING REMIX!!! For all you metalheads intolerant to music that's strictly EDM, you might wanna avoid a lot of this at all costs....

Favorites (only songs I truly like): "A Light That Never Comes" (both the original and the remix)

At that point in 2012, Linkin Park had quite a problem in their hands. After the showering fanfare in the first half of the 2000s caused by their first two albums of nu metal/rap rock, they tangled themselves up in a plethora of different sounds in Minutes to Midnight, including a few U2-inspired ballads and a laughable political rap, with very little trace of their actual heavier style. A Thousand Suns shows the band joining the rock opera concept album club that includes Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown and My Chemical Romance's Danger Days, and just like that club, they reached for the mainstream stars while falling from rock grace. Then here we are at Living Things, a return to good ol' rap rock with a better balance of rapping and screaming. However, the electronic elements are still there to divide the band's fanbase. Well I didn't mind the electronic elements in their previous album, but let's find out how they turn out in this one...

I gotta admit, there's a decent amount to admire with the better sense for the band to abandon the heavily electronic direction A Thousand Suns would've taken them. It's good that they know to have balance, and they left the rock opera concept album club to continue working on individual themes they last had in Meteora. That was a great move on their part and I respect them for that.

"Lost in the Echo" is the ultimate album opener for a rap rock album. Mike Shinoda performs an incredible rapping verse while the later Chester Bennington performs an aggressive yet melodic chorus, a much better combo than, say, Equilibrium's Renegades. It's not too catchy or as heavy as Hybrid Theory, but definitely more powerful than Minutes to Midnight. "In My Remains" is another memorable track with a mid-tempo beat. "Burn It Down" sounds similar to the previous track and probably should've had a slightly later position in the track listing, but that doesn't matter. That song has Shinoda's best rapping in the album. 3 tracks in, and while not exactly groundbreaking, they're nostalgic highlights that is a step up from anything they have done in their non-metal era. What could go wrong in this album?

After that interesting opening quarter of the album, "Lies Greed Misery" is the worst ever attempt to recreate their earlier nu metal sound. I say it's too heavily electronic for that resurrection attempt! "I’ll Be Gone" lacks anything worth standing out. "Castle of Glass" is OK, but could've been far better. "Victimized" is the closest sounding to the band's nu metal roots and a hint at their heavier next album, but it's constructed as just a lazy sh*t show. The angsty lyrics are just too redundant, and while you can head-bang to the screaming chorus, I would hit my head on the wall to make myself forget that bullsh*t. "Roads Untraveled" is quite a mystery of how Bennington would sing solo in all vocal positions. This wouldn't be bad if he didn't sound so emotionless and sleepy. And if the excellent rapping of Shinoda was around, the song would be leveled up much higher, like a salesman getting demoted to secretary. That's how poorly the album is suffering. However, "Skin to Bone" is a gem that makes up for those forgettable songs with one of the catchiest choruses here, though containing the trite line "ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

"Until It Breaks" has more beautiful glory in the chorus and ending, though the rapping verses are great as well. "Tinfoil" is the experimental prelude to the final track. "Powerless" is a breathtaking ballad that stands out greatly. The most emotional non-metal album ending I've heard since the end of HIM's final album Tears on Tape.

All in all, Living Things is difficult to enjoy at its fullest, and many of their influences that they had in the first two records were replaced with something less heavy and more modern. They tried returning to their earlier form of Hybrid Theory, but they failed miserably to regain the passion in their music and lyrics. Their calmer mature moments and their earlier heavier glory outshine each other in a war where half of each army is slain. Still there are some songs that sound so emotional, including that last track that they should've used Chester's funeral. It's nice for the band to kick up a little more life, but it's not until their next studio album that marks a heavier comeback....

Favorites (the only songs I somewhat or truly enjoy): "Lost in the Echo", "In My Remains", "Burn It Down", "Skin to Bone", "Until It Breaks", "Powerless"

Like many 21st Century metalheads, my metal interest wouldn't have started without Linkin Park, specifically their diamond-selling debut Hybrid Theory and its sequel Meteora. The anger-angst combo stemming from Mike Shinoda's rapping and the late Chester Bennington is what got me hooked. Of course, I've already moved to heavier things, and while their first albums aren't exactly my favorites, they've planted the seed for my interest in bands that I've called favorites, starting with the power metal of DragonForce, then moving on to the modern metal of Trivium and Lamb of God, and currently in the post-/progressive metal of Meshuggah, Isis, and Rosetta. Those two Linkin Park albums really opened my ears to eventually where I am today. However, Minutes to Midnight really let me down in over half of its songs. Most of their nu metal was discarded for cr*ppy U2-ish pop-radio rock. Upon listening to their 4th album A Thousand Suns, I find a few better moments, but they still don't reach greatness...

To put it simply, the album provides 15 tracks of electro-alt-pop-rap-rock. And if you thought there would be a lot from 15 tracks, well... 6 of these tracks are interludes, the same amount as in Reanimation. Two 5ths of the album are interludes!! This leaves only 9 real songs! 9 songs wouldn't be that bad for an album by DragonForce or Isis, two bands that make longer songs, but this is Linkin Park, g****mn it! Most of the interludes are skippable anyway, like who would want robotic versions of famous speeches?

"The Requiem" is pretty good for the opening interlude, sounding like an actual mini-song. Shinoda sings in a pitched-up vocoder a line from a certain near-closing epic that we'll get to soon. "The Radiance" is a pointless interlude, unless you wanna hear a speech by J. Robert Oppenheimer. The real opening song "Burning in the Skies" is a catchy track for the radio that could've easily been a B-side in Minutes to Midnight and/or the "What I've Done" single. This track is actually slightly better executed than that single without ever reaching Killers-level catchiness. Nice one! "Empty Spaces" is a very short pointless interlude with war sound effects. Having curiously waited for a song with Shinoda's rapping anger, "When They Come for Me" is another highlight, completely returning to his true form that was faked in his rap songs in Minutes to Midnight. There's also a bombastic Indian-like percussion as the main beat, and while the song sounds to p*ssed off to be a single, the rap rock/nu metal fans might be most pleased since 10 years before the album's release.

"Robot Boy" continues the catchy radio appeal, but it sounds so bland, structured and sounding like a repetitive boy band. Another interlude "Jornada Del Muerto" (Day of the Dead) does not make anything better. "Waiting for the End" sounds much more optimistic, and I agree with most of the world that this one of the best non-metal tracks and of the album, highlighted by Shinoda doing rapping, but in a great melodic reggae-ish singing kind of way. "Blackout" is the weirdest of the bunch. The instrumentation is almost completely electronic, and Chester's vocals range from rapping to singing to screaming. That's right, the godly screaming of their first two albums! Those vocal styles all sound catchy though. If they added heavy guitars and had Shinoda doing the rapping verses, that would be their old heavier style. The second of the two rapping songs "Wretches and Kings" starts with an unnecessary excerpt Mario Savio's famous "bodies upon the gears" speech, then the song kicks off with a heavy beat and Shinoda's well-done rapping. Bennington sings the chorus more aggressive, and he seems to have adopted an African-like accent that some find annoying or hilarious, but I don't mind that chorus staying in my head for a while. Again, much better than the rap songs in Minutes to Midnight!

"Wisdom, Justice, and Love" is an interlude that I would let slide, because the speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is very historical, but why did the band ruin it with robotic vocal effects?! "Iridescent" is another song that's highly electronic, only this time with more emotional vocals and piano, and I mean some of the best vocals here! And it fits well with the third Transformers movie end credits that it ended up in, an uplifting song compared to "What I've Done" and "New Divide". The 6th and last interlude is a prelude to an almost 6-minute epic, but is it epic though? Sadly, "The Catalyst" is disappointing with barely any climax, just constantly looping an electronic beat. Though that beat and the vocals going strong and fast are good for a hotel stay in your head. And it's a far better closer than the unoriginal acoustic "The Messenger" that's not worth existing.

Despite many flaws and needless interludes, A Thousand Suns contains electronic tones, emotional vocals, and Shinoda's triumphant rapping that pointed the band towards higher hopes of keeping their mainstream streak going. There may be enjoyable memorable moments, but they were still far away from the revolution of Hybrid Theory....

Favorites (the only songs I somewhat or truly enjoy): "Burning in the Skies", "When They Come for Me", "Waiting for the End", "Wretches and Kings", "Iridescent"

Linkin Park has caused adoration and hatred from music fans worldwide. I used to be a Linkin Park super-fan myself when I was like 13, a year before my "real" metal interest. I built my collection with more than just the singles that everyone knows; I collected album tracks and B-sides. They never p*ssed me off...until recently.

When Minutes to Midnight was announced, the band said it would mark their departure from most of their nu metal sound, causing uncertainty from fans. I still appreciate the decent brilliance of both the Hybrid Theory and Meteora albums, but other fans think the latter is straight-up copied. Even the early announcements of their third album are total sh*t-starters when the late Chester Bennington mentioned "a mix of punk, classic rock, and hip-hop standards". That's one way to think of this album, I suppose...

Starting the album is the minute-and-a-half intro "Wake". It builds up slow and steady through promising ambience and a background campfire, but then it soars into alt-rock riffing over dense drumming. A well-done intro that sounds like the prelude to a certain brilliant single... However, this is what get instead as the first real song, "Given Up". It has an edgy punk-ish riff that's pretty cool, along with the unique clapping and key-jingling, both from Brad Delson, but they both don't sound right together as if he's trying to multitask poorly. And as if that wasn't poorly produced enough, Chester's vocals aren't the heavy type I like, more like a whining teenager after having his iPod taken away. All just 3 minutes of misery, except for the interesting moment of Chester's 17-second scream of "MISERYYYYYYY!!!!!!" After that roaring start comes the first ever ballad of the album and by the band, "Leave Out All the Rest". It's all right, but weaker than the previous track. The song shows a bit of the band's U2 influences. Chester sings nice clean vocals over average lyrics. "Bleed It Out" is much worse. Trying to create a "live" soundscape sounds a bit sloppy. Mike Shinoda raps as decently as in the previous albums, but the lyrics are more vulgar and nonsensical. Chester sounds more worn out in his edgy moments, as if that 17-second scream a couple tracks back strained his voice.

Once again following a hard song is another ballad, "Shadow of the Day", with more of their U2 influences. In fact, people have accused this song of being a rip-off of U2's song "With or Without You", and I kinda agree. They slowly build up into a pop rock climax, but it turns out to just be a boring anticlimax. Then the song ends, but not without an ambient prelude to one of Linkin Park's greatest non-metal songs ever... "What I've Done" is heard by practically everyone, especially those who have watched the first Transformers movie up to the end credits. It may sound like plain ol' pop rock, but it's done much better than any other song like that. I have nothing else to say about that beautiful piece. However, "Hands Held High" is something to rudely laugh at. It is the latter of the two rap songs here. Starting with organ and a marching beat like a cheesy march into an 18th/19th Century war, Mike's rapping is once again decent, but the lyrics are inspiring yet too cheesy to take seriously. The ending choir is so LOL-inducing!

After the lightest track of the album comes its heaviest one, "No More Sorrow". A sinister atmospheric intro allows the instruments to build up one by one, leading to a riff as well-done as my favorite type of steak. The lyrics basically graffiti-paint "F*** Bush" on the walls that don't help the poor vocals. However, making up for it is the chorus and instrumentation that is the best of the album. "Valentine’s Day" is where Chester's vocals sound the best, his vulnerable emotion singing nice lyrics that flow over light clean guitar. Then a buildup commences to a rock climax towards the end that might sound a bit cheesy but mostly well-done. "In Between" is another track with Mike taking the lead on the vocals, for the first time trying a clean singing style. However, he sounds so bored, like I am throughout that song. "In Pieces" really stands out, sounding dark and haunting with good vocals by Chester, and Brad's cool rare guitar solo. The final epic "The Little Things Give You Away" was the longest and slowest song by the band at the time with Chester vocals to highlight though sounding a bit annoying. The lyrics are the best here, a nice tribute to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The build-up is a bit bland though, sounding too drawn-out before the solo. However, that solo is worth the wait, and so is the good final part where Shinoda sings the lyrics much better than a couple tracks earlier, with Chester's background wails. What an epic!

Sadly, Minutes to Midnight shows how f***ed up the band had become. They reduced most of their earlier nu metal sound so they wouldn't get slammed for making another similar album in a row, and yet the end result is a pleasant yet sh*tty album. And they were the guys who made Hybrid Theory....

Favorites (the only songs I somewhat or truly enjoy): "Wake", "What I've Done", "No More Sorrow", "Valentine's Day", "In Pieces", "The Little Things Give You Away"

I'm no fan of rap. I'm too metal for rap! Yet I'm so familiar with Linkin Park for almost a decade now. They made waves of success with their coin-flipping hybrid rap/metal sound of the late Chester Bennington singing/screaming and Mike Shinoda rapping, and Shinoda can be quite the MC, far better than most other rappers. Shinoda's rapping skills were shining the most in the remix album Reanimation. They have a middle finger reserved for those who say that rock and hip-hop shouldn't co-exist.

Linkin Park still didn't feel like they had fulfilled their hip-hop/rock fusion vision, but they took things ONE STEP CLOSER with a new project dawning, Collision Course! However, it wasn't Linkin Park's idea to fuse songs by rap legend Jay-Z into their own, nor did Jay-Z come up with the idea by himself. MTV wanted to create the "Ultimate Mash-Up", so they gave Jay-Z the opportunity to do with a mashup album with a group or artist, and it's obviously who he chose... He and Linkin Park recorded their tracks via email exchange for their studio take, then they got together for a live performance of the whole album. The live set is redundant, so let's focus on the studio version...

The 21-minute EP starts with Bennington yelling, "I ordered a Frappuccino, where's my f***ing Frappuccino?!", beginning the "Dirt off Your Shoulder/Lying from You" fusion. The original Jay-Z beat is slowed down with Shinoda rapping his verse. Then Linkin Park's rock/metal music plays as Jay-Z emphasizes the guitar crunch and drums with his verses and chorus. After that, the original "Lying From You" song comes back second verse onwards, busting out those lyrics and music until the end, when the "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" beat returns briefly as Jay-Z shouts "B***H!", laughs with the rest, saying "You're wasting your talent, Randy!" So that first mashup turned out slightly better than the original "Lying From You" song, sounding less annoying and a little more complete, despite the rapping overdose. However, some mashups don't work as well, such as the "Big Pimpin'/Papercut" mashup. It just sounds too odd when the original Jay-Z melody plays throughout with Shinoda rapping over it with none of Linkin Park's rock sound around. You just can't have your cheese and spend it!

"Jigga What/Faint" makes more sense, returning to actually taking both sides of both the music and lyrics. The Jay-Z track blends perfectly with the Linkin Park rock/metal, as the rapping sounds great with the actual drumming and guitar. Jay-Z feels comfortable with this incredible rock crunch/rap beat mix, and so do I. You already heard the "Numb/Encore" mix nearly as many times as the original "Numb" song, being the EP's sole single. That's probably the best mashup here. "Numb" makes everything better!

"This is fun", Shinoda says, which is mostly true, but not so much in "Izzo/In the End". I mean, it is pretty fly, and Shinoda can almost turn you into the Kool-Aid guy, smiling greatly and going "OH YEAH!!", but again they could've used the "In the End" music besides the "Izzo" beat. Another missed opportunity... The ambitious last combination, "Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer" is a great way to end the EP. However, I still feel a little picky in some places, like when Shinoda awkwardly raps the line, "rap mags try and use my black a**", that he knows is unlike his style. But the nu metal magic of the two LP songs makes up for all that, especially the SHUT UP!! bridge.

This mashup album Collision Course is quite an experiment where the two artists bond well with their collaboration, especially since Shinoda and co. were hip-hop fans from the start. I think MTV mashups work the best when a rock/metal band is involved. A couple mashups might not work well, but the rest of the EP has good entertainment....

Favorites: "Jigga What/Faint", "Numb/Encore", "Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer"

Remix albums were once a mainstream artist/band's way of keep their listeners hooked between studio albums, but it can be very rare for metal. A nu/rap metal band who already made a remix album is Limp Bizkit with their album New Old Songs. Elsewhere, a different rivalling band of that style would redefine their sound for credibility in the remixes. They were really hitting their charts with their hip-hop-infused metal sound, but they wanted more respect earned for their hip-hop side...

Linkin Park's Reanimation is a remix album project of 20 tracks; all 12 songs from the Hybrid Theory album, 2 B-sides, a medley, and 5 new interludes. While they still had their fists of alt-metal fury, a number of rappers and DJs were hired to give the sound an edge of dark electronic hip-hop. While I'm not very pleased as a fan of their rock theatrics, I find a few parts of the album more d*mn interesting, once again adding balance to the rap rock torture they're trying to distinguish from. Yes there are many rappers taking over for the remixes, but there are also a few rock/metal singer as well including Korn's Jonathan Davis. I say any non-drastic change is welcome!

The "Opening" hints at a closing remixed epic that we'll talk about when we get there. "Pts.OF.Athrty" (Points of Authority) has been given a more NERD-ish side thanks to Jay Gordon of Orgy. Astounding! "In the End" was remade into "Enth E Nd" by rappers/DJs Kutmasta Kurt and Motion Man, taking it much closer to hip-hop than the original song. Let's stop talking about it there. "[Chali]" is just a pointless voicemail message interlude. I certainly recognize Mike Shinoda as a professional MC, though not a lot of the rap community can, and his MC skills are proven his "Forgotten" remake, "Frgt/10" with rappers Alchemist and Chali 2na, the latter from Jurassic 5. If the original verses and chorus weren't included, I wouldn't the original song there, that's how different the remix is. "P5hng Me A*wy" (Pushing Me Away) adds more beats and scratching, but is redeemed by the bridge sung by Stephen Richards of Taproot. Good highlight, but doesn't do the original song justice. The annoying "Plc.4 Mie Hæd" (A Place for My Head) with Amp Live and Zion is not worth talking about here, let's move on...

"X-Ecutioner Style" is a two-minute medley exclusive to this album, with rappers Sean C, Roc Raida and Black Thought. Besides those new rapping verses, I recognize a few vocal parts from "One Step Closer" (the SHUT UP!! bridge) and "Cure for the Itch" ("Now wasn't that fun? Let's try something else"). Up next, "H! Vltg3" (High Voltage) thumps through hip hop beats and piano notes inspired by a free Dre songs, with vocals performed by Evidence, Pharoahe Monch, and DJ Babu. Sweet highlight, but both the Hybrid Theory B-side and the remix still don't beat the original from the Hybrid Theory EP. Then there's another pointless interlude, "[Riff Raff]", which I thought there was going to be actual riffing but there isn't any. After that, "Wth You" (With You), featuring Aceyalone, adds way more beats and scratching than the original. "Ntr\Mssion" is not as bad as most of the previous interludes, again giving a small hint to the upcoming closing epic.

"Ppr:Kut" (Papercut) adds more twists with a group of rappers that include Cheapshot, Jubacca, Rasco and Planet Asia. The "Runaway" remake "Rnw@y" actually adds more truth to the original, keeping the skyrocketing hooks and primitive melodies of the original to please listeners of the original song. Even the rapping bridge with Backyard Bangers and Phoenix Orion is worth headbanging to. Nice job! "My Dsmbr" is also better than the original "My December", with the otherwise weird hip-hop beats by Mickey P. making it sound more real than just a ballad. Former Sneaker Pimps vocalist Kelli Ali does background vocals in the chorus. Beautiful! "[Stef]" is another a pointless voicemail message interlude. "By_Myslf" (By Myself), produced by Josh Abraham, adds heavier industrial power in the guitars performed by Deftones' Stephen Carpenter, with blazing drum machine insanity. However, the vocals are f***ed up, especially the screams sounding more screechy. "Kyur4 th Ich" is almost the same as the original "Cure for the Itch", other than strange new vocals, so that's kinda lame. The two nearly 6-minute closing remixed epics are by far the best of the entire album, starting with their smash hit "One Step Closer" remade into "1Stp Klosr", with production by The Humble Brothers guest vocals by the aforementioned Korn lead vocalist Jonathan Davis. A great escape from the rappers and MCs from earlier! Further distancing from most of the hip-hop sh*t is what you've all been waiting for, "Krwlng", an epic dramatic revisit of "Crawling", with Staind singer Aaron Lewis, where the beat and brief rapping have earned a greater edge for a crossover with less emphasis on hip-hop. Well done, guys...

So, some of these remixes are well-made, others are kinda ridiculous or just flat-out boring, and some of the instrumentation is unrecognizable from the original. However, Reanimation has taken Linkin Park closer to the rock hall of fame with bands like Radiohead and Flaming Lips, and is the right direction for their next album Meteora....

Favorites: "Pts.OF.Athrty", "P5hng Me A*wy", "H! Vltg3", "Rnw@y", "My Dsmbr", "1Stp Klosr", "Krwlng"

Once upon a time (cheesy opening, I know), 3 high school friends dreamt of starting a famous band. When they graduated, they began their plan to achieve that dream. They hired 3 more members and started a band called Xero, recording a bedroom-produced demo. However, with a name change lack of a record deal, two members left for other projects. Original vocalist Mark Wakefield's replacement, Chester Bennington (RIP) helped revived the band with new chemistry, and their path to fame was only beginning...

So yeah, I'm reviewing the EP Linkin Park released as Hybrid Theory. It's actually part of my own big project involving their discography, so you're gonna see a lot of Linkin Park reviews from me soon. I would've also included the Xero EP, but it's not in the site because that's a demo. The Hybrid Theory EP is a real release though, so let's review!

"Carousel" is a very good way to open both the EP and the band's discography. When Chester's vocals arrive, they really rock along with the instrumentation. A good song for me to like! "Technique" is a very short interlude with not a lot to say, other than having a couple mini-sections. My least favorite part here... Next up, "Step Up" is filled with Mike's rapping, which I actually like in both the verses and chorus, along with the cool guitars and drums. Mike's potential shines there more than any other rapper!

While "And One" is the second song in the EP with Chester's vocals, it is actually the second ever song Linkin Park made with his vocals, first being the then-unknown demo track "Could Have Been". My favorite song in the EP! I love the vocals from both Mike and Chester, the latter especially in the chorus, along with heavy instrumentation.

"High Voltage" is one of my favorite songs with Mike rapping. I'm not lying at all when I say his rapping is perfect, better than any other rapper or rap metal band by far! The vocoder in the chorus ruins its epic vibe, but I don't care. "Part of Me" is the weakest actual song. Chester doesn't sound so great in this song, no matter how hard he tries. At least I can appreciate Mike's anger. After 6 minutes of static, the "Ambient" hidden track shows turntablist Joe Hahn doing a good job solo, but it lacks any redemption value.

The Hybrid Theory EP is very good for a short rap metal release. Sure they would sound much different in the albums to come, but I like the strength of its sound more than I thought I would. My review streak is just starting, but in the meantime, enjoy this EP and the albums that beyond fulfilled a high-school trio of friends' big dream....

Favorites: "Carousel", "And One", "High Voltage"

"WAR!!! DESTROYER!!!" That's what's been going in the first Linkin Park album without producer Rick Rubin and with their earlier metal sound since 2003's Meteora. These ultra-famous rap rockers from California decided to go rogue in a Star Destroyer-like spaceship to shoot missiles at ex-record labels and political rule-makers, equivalent to their rediscovery of savage loud guitars. The Hunting Party can be considered the Rogue One of their global-selling 2000 debut Hybrid Theory. While the electronic synths of their non-metal albums in between are still around, they've regained their earlier pummeling aggression. As the sound attacks, the lyrics defend, working as the band's sword and shield for the fight. Apparently, they were going to make another electronic album like Living Things, but when they decided to go to this furious metal direction, they ditched the electronics, which was the right decision for metalheads like myself.

So what's with all this rage then? Rap metal can be cool (for metalheads who like rap), but this isn't 1999 anymore. As evolution goes on, do you wish to stop and apologize for making a few critics mad? NO!! It's your sound, and while they won't accept it, just go with it so you can please the rest! Fortunately, Linkin Park had done just that. They even had a little more freedom since they self-produced the album. It's not really the highest point, but heaps of copies have been sold, and there are very few lousy songs.

"No control! No surprise!!" Distorted screaming starts the album opener "Keys to the Kingdom". Then the guitars blast off, and what follows is nu metal verses sung/rapped by Mike Shinoda and hardcore choruses screamed by the late Chester Bennington. Back to the basics and then some! "All for Nothing" continues the heavy guitars, but the drums swing slowly for Shinoda's verses of disobedience. As defiant as those verses are, the chorus is sung by Helmet's Page Hamilton (with Bennington's backing shouts) who also does a neat guitar solo. "Guilty All the Same" was pretty much the last ever song I've heard from Linkin Park in my brother's alt-rock/metal footsteps before fading out into my "real" metal interest, and I still love it to this day because of how metal it is! There's a minute-and-a-half intro of dramatic guitar buildup, and in the second half of that intro is a power metal-ish melody similar to Avenged Sevenfold, before Bennington's verses roll in where he really unleashes his rage. There's a rapping bridge, but this is the 3rd track in a row to have rapping, and it could get a bit boring for the heavier metalheads to hear Shinoda rapping in so many songs. How did they prevent that problem? Enter hip-hop legend Rakim who shines with his attack on the industry ("The media, the game, to me you're all the same, you're guilty!"). "The Summoning" is a one-minute static-infused interlude to build tension, waiting for the grenade to explode after the pin is pulled out.

"War" is surprisingly closer sounding to Bad Religion, but the stunning punk attack moves on smoothly. For a two-minute song, guitarist Brad Delson has quite some time to pull a fierce solo with Chester playing rhythm guitar to follow his lead (pun somewhat intended). "Wastelands" continues Shinoda's rapping with "Every phrase a razor blade", to paraphrase one of his verses, as the start-stop guitar is sharpened by electronic ambience. Bennington's choruses timelessly deliver declarations of d*mn discontent. The sonar synth effect from "Numb" returns in "Until It's Gone", opening the song together with a heavy guitar rush as a moody electronic rock piece. The bridge builds up until the bass is dropped and the guitars come back for the final chorus. The cliché-ish lyrics make the track sound a bit like a middle school fight song. "Rebellion" stomps in with a gnarly guitar intro, which along with the background synths, once again give the song a European power metal vibe for a medieval sword war. Assisting the band in the quest is a guest, System of a Down's Daron Malikian performing part of the aforesaid guitar riffing. The song's lyrics speak of anger and urgency, with nothing specific to fight against and just rebelling for the h*ll of it. "Mark the Graves" starts with U2-like atmosphere before they load up the punk pins and needles on the guitars and drums. It's equally naughty and nice, with the lyrics bringing up a scenario of a losing your girlfriend in the wreckage of a bombed city. Those lyrics allow space for deep touching contemplation, and really mark the album's territory. 

While the lyrics have been unironic, in "Drawbar" the instrumentation can be considered the opposite. Here we have one more guest, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, and instead of continuing Linkin Park's rock return, he does not play a single riff or chord, he just provides guitar ambience over a shuffle of piano, synths, and drums in an off-kilter mix. A lame missed opportunity! "Final Masquerade" marks the return of actual guitars, synths, and vocals, through the verses and chorus that carry a mid-tempo hard rock ballad sound. This is basically lyrics of another love affair sung in an epic arena singalong. "A Line in the Sand" is, at 6 and a half minutes long, the longest Linkin Park song, slightly longer than the closing epic of Minutes to Midnight. When I first heard Shinoda's verses, I initially thought it was Page Hamilton again. Anyway, the metal madness continues one more time as the band hop back into their Star Destroyer and bomb the graves of the presidents who did their roles in the World Wars. The intro verse is reprised in the outro, "We laughed at the suns, we laughed at the guns, we laughed at it all," but he just sounds tired. A good rest is needed after that heavy run...

So there you have it, The Hunting Party, the heaviest album by Linkin Park since their nu metal era! Most of the songs are pretty great, but I think some of those could've been done better. The Linkin Park blood still remains within me years after my "real" metal interest took over. Sadly, their metal is gone, and so is Chester Bennington. RIP.....

Favorites: "Keys to the Kingdom", "Guilty All the Same", "War", "Rebellion", "Final Masquerade", "A Line in the Sand"

Once a Japanese Visual Kei/glam rock band, Dir En Grey toned down their earlier imagery and focused on becoming something greater and more modern. Their superb songwriting will surely persuade listeners to enter the Japanese alt-garde metal realm!

Their 7th album Uroboros further establishes the unique genre the band has reinvented, all in emerging triumph. It is an exploration through new territory while staying familiar to earlier fans. They continue to expand on the earlier pop elements but twist it with the metal sound that would dominate this album in sonic talent. And seeing how I can better tolerate both Japanese metal bands and bands in other languages besides English, I should have no problem here...

The album begins with the intro "Sa Bir" with deep drum looping, subterranean synths, cimbalom, bass, and background vocals by lead vocalist Kyo. It is a little risky to open the main action with a 10-minute epic, but "Vinushka" wastes no time getting into the zone with an acoustic intro with soft clean vocals, before crashing into metal riffing and vocal reverb. Dynamic time changes are a stunning addition to this dark gothic-ish tune. Throughout these 10 minutes, the song just walks carefully over a deep pit but keeps staying together thanks to the vocal styles that vary more than Mike Patton. In the middle, you get a killer thrash/death metal section before returning to dark prog-pop from early on, and everything works for a seamless enjoyable experience! "Red Soil" has a bit of Soilwork-like riffing and growls while still having melodic dark pop verses. "Dōkoku to Sarinu" (Gone With Lamentation) can help you identify the vocals from whispering to shrieking in the blink of an eye. They've maintained their harder edge for a few years before this album, living up to their experimental metal motive that was never present in the 90s. "Toguro" (Coil) shows the bass carried out of the bottom of the mix.

"Glass Skin" has a dark ballad vibe closer to some of Dream Theater's ballads. Another standout is warped funk-rocker "Stuck Man" with killer bass. Another great song in that style is "Reiketsu Nariseba" (If I Was Cold Blooded) that blends the jazz and vocals of Mr. Bungle with Schizophrenia-era Sepultura. The elegant layers of "Ware, Yami Tote" (For I Am Darkness) includes Kyo's emotional singing, the breakbeats, and guitars that hook together acoustic and electric.

Before we get to the next track, there are two bonus tracks in the remastered version, the devilish "Hydra -666-" and "Bugaboo Respira", which is an odd prelude to what you were waiting for. But was it worth the wait? "Bugaboo" is as odd as the bonus prelude, but I still like it, and the album's 5-star score remains intact. "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro" (Paean, the Time When Silence Sleeps) can range from emotional to a rapid headbanger. "Dozing Green" is a further demonstration of the band's sonic talent.  "Inconvenient Ideal" is a ballad that seems like an inconvenient way to end the album, but I digress.

I don't know what else to say about Uroboros, other than... Get it right f***ing now! If you enjoy this alt-garde metal kind of style, this would get you hooked, otherwise you would be better off elsewhere. Dir En Grey have made one of the proudest achievements in the history of metal!

Favorites: "Vinushka", "Dōkoku to Sarinu", "Stuck Man", "Reiketsu Nariseba", "Ware, Yami Tote", "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro", "Dozing Green"

This is the only death metal album rating and review I'm gonna keep. I promised myself I would stop listening to death metal and avoid it at all costs, but I felt like giving myself an exception. I mean, it is quite understandable, right? Y'know, when a band you've heard for a few years has ended, followed a year later by the tragic passing of their guitarist/vocalist during a new project. You probably know how I felt...

Legendary melodeath band Children of Bodom split up when half of the band left, taking the rights to the name with them, so guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho formed a new band Bodom After Midnight. Sadly he passed away at the end of 2020, leaving behind a few songs for an upcoming album. The rest of the band released those 3 songs as an EP, and ended the project, knowing that this was Laiho's project and continuing under its name would put them in the same legal trouble he almost had over the name rights of Children of Bodom. As a tribute to their fallen leader, Paint the Sky With Blood does great justice to his absolutely astonishing career that's now gone too soon.

Beginning this 15-minute offering of melodeath entertainment, the title track has epic melody. Fast riffs and powerful rhythms battle against neo-classical solos and fun keyboards. Alexi Laiho has vocal charisma, especially in the catchy chorus supported by gang vocal fury. This is very well the best song he has ever written in his career, absolutely hungry for the epic fury he hadn't had for 20 years. The song does indeed sound fitting for that early era of Children of Bodom.

The second track is probably the least strong and most brutally lyrical of the EP, "Payback's a B***h". It starts with heavy breathing, then energetic rhythms, furious riffs, and relentless reckless vocals kick in. There's less catchiness but more brutal atmosphere that sounds fitting for the later part of Children of Bodom's middle era 10 years ago.

The EP ends with an excellent Dissection cover, "Where Dead Angels Lie", the longest song in the whole Bodom band universe, just a few seconds longer than "The Nail" from the 1997 Children of Bodom debut Something Wild. The sinister atmosphere and melody remain while adapting into the EP's impressive technical melodeath. The song has a slower pace than the other two, but it will keep you interesting throughout these 6 and a half minutes. The original Dissection song has been appreciated by melodic black-death fans. Two melodeath-ish bands, both split up, each with their guitarist/vocalist passing away shortly after.

At the end of it all, Bodom After Midnight have made their only studio appearance with Paint the Sky With Blood, an excellent swansong EP for the melodeath mastermind Alexi Laiho. I highly recommend this timeless piece of melodeath for fans of the genre who want to preserve it for many generations. RIP Alexi and Bodom....

Favorites: "Paint the Sky With Blood", "Where Dead Angels Lie"

Today is the day, a very special day... It's my time to try a bit of experimental noise-metal with Today is the Day! I tried reviewing one of their other albums that was an Infinite feature release, but I bailed out because it was too much for me. So let's find out how I'm gonna handle this one...

The 1997 Today is the Day release, Temple of the Morning Star has been known as a noise metal classic, and for its 20th anniversary in 2017, a deluxe reissue was released to include a bonus CD filled with demos and a live concert from the original release year that was released in 2007 but remastered for the album's reissue. It might seem amazing, but if I can stand the noise-ridden music in the original album, maybe then I'll proceed to those rarities. (spoiler alert: I didn't)

The opening acoustic intro starts the album in nihilistic nature ("I am slowly dying, I can’t be what you want me to be, I am dead") to summarize the views of lyricist/founder Steve Austin (not to be confused with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin). A pleasant acoustic start before the cathartic start of the sound that inspires metal acts like Converge and Thou. After that acoustic intro is a sample of Waylon Jennings' "Good-Hearted Woman", then the screaming chaos of "The Man Who Loves to Hurt Himself" starts to frighten those who aren't prepared. "Blindspot" sounds more repetitive in the riffing, but the sirens almost make the chorus sound like Pac-Man. The dark sludge to appear in later albums is hinted in "High as the Sky". My favorite track in the album is "Miracle". It's short but it sums up everything the band has from anger to doom.

The lyrics in the album are far too direct, especially in "Kill Yourself", when he gives clear instructions to take a blade and cut through the wrists, neck, thighs, heart, etc. ("Why hold back!? Kill Yourself!!! Take a blade!! Do it fast!! Do it clean!!!") No thanks! I got a lot to live for and I don't wanna waste my life by bleeding to death. A more experimental sound can be heard in "Mankind". The minimalistic noise rock of their earlier albums returns in "Pinnacle". More of the astounding noise layers come in "Crutch", keeping up the break from the emotional melody before the next track. "Root of All Evil" is a more melodic song in contrast to most of the songs so far, but before the heavier listeners could call it "filler", the powerful crescendo is still in possession. "Satan is Alive" has far more Satanic experimentation than reversed messages. Maybe playing it backwards would summon Satan itself, but do I dare to? NAH...

"Rabid Lassie" continues the melodic groove while still having rabid experimentation. "Friend for Life" is a pointless half-minute acoustic interlude that I want banned for life. Austin does a bit of clean singing in "My Life With You" (while still screaming), a tale of disappointment and demise of his ex-relationship. "I See You" can kinda be a sequel to that previous track, where he ends up seeing his ex in his dreams. We come near the end with the 8-minute doom epic "Hermaphrodite". The ending electric outro ends the album similarly to how it began, but of course more electric and tuned up a semitone. Technically the original album ends after a hidden cover of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".

Here's a bit of listening advice; play the album as loud as you can, but only in a soundproof room where no one can accuse you of "disturbing the peace". The only distortion you wanna hear is that of the guitars and not the production quality. The band has aced their sound but I still don't feel ready for more of that noise. Maybe some other day....

Favorites: "Temple of the Morning Star" (both versions), "The Man Who Loves to Hurt Himself", "Miracle", "Root of All Evil", "My Life with You", "Hermaphrodite", "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (hidden Black Sabbath cover)

Jesu is a band formed by Justin Broadrick that was active during his decade-long breakup of his main band Godflesh. The name is spelled like "Jesus" but without the second S, and pronounced "yay-zoo", like when you say "Hey kids, we're going to the zoo!" and your kids are like "YAY, ZOO!!!" I decided to give this EP I requested to add to the site a listen to see if I'm up to completing my post-sludge elemental star. Probably not at the moment, but never say never...

Fans of Justin's work pretty much fell in love with Jesu's 2004 self-titled debut and were glad to hear him still in action. In an attempt to match its greatness, he continued the project with the EP Silver. This really does seem closer to post-sludge than the drone of their debut, but it still has the band has to offer.

Off in a good start is the title track that marks the beginning of what the sound has; electronic ambient sludge instead of drone. A good but not too shocking opener. "Star" is an upbeat alt-like shocker. Jesu fans might have trouble digesting it, but it's all good once you get used to it. The second half is where things slow down to the drone style of their debut album and EP. "Wolves" is good, though sounds closer to the drone of their debut. The last track, "Dead Eyes" discards most of the guitar heaviness for synths, thereby being the EP's black synth sheep. I really like this song because of the well-placed synth-ambience, so it's my black synth sheep of favorite songs...

There are two bonus tracks in the Japanese release, which are original mixes of "Silver" and "Wolves", but seeing how the EP versions are the slightly lower quality half, I'll skip those two bonuses. Despite that, I really enjoy Silver, and how can a band not have even the slightest complaint, right? JK Broadrick has still got it!

Favorites: "Star", "Dead Eyes"

Shadow Work is known as the swansong album for Warrel Dane, who suffered a fatal heart attack while recording. He was one of the best singers in metal, and now we get to experience his last ever material. Despite being incomplete, this album is incredible! All fans of Nevermore and the recent Sanctuary should enjoy this twisted darkness.

This album was released 10 years after Praises to the War Machine, when he still had the light of Nevermore while using less of that band's virtuosic technicality. Shadow Work is so heavy and impressive, and he recorded the album in Brazil with a local band. I'm guessing those two guitarists Johnny Moraes and Thiago Oliveira were trained by Jeff Loomis before recording with Warrel Dane. The riffing balance between heavy and melodic sure has been inspired by Nevermore.

High-quality ethnic sounds perfectly fill the overture "Ethereal Blessing". Then the intense "Madame Satan" starts the extreme action in a bang. "Disconnection System" is closer sounding to the second Nevermore album The Politics of Ecstasy, even recycling some lyrics from that album. The best song to sample before the rest!

"As Fast as the Others" is ironically not as the title says, but it does have an arena rock vibe. The title track distinguishes the album from its atmosphere with its killer heaviness that make the song a highlight. The intro to their cover of The Cure's "The Hanging Garden" is probably the darkest and most extreme section of any song Warrel Dane had worked on. The guitar stays both vicious and atmospheric with a few unexpected twists, as Dane's melodic vocal emotion shines over prog-death instrumentation.

The ballad "Rain" is more accessible while still gloomy. "Mother is the Word for God" is the epic closer with all his vocals heard for the final time, from snarling to whispering. All that's missing is his falsetto from the earlier Sanctuary, but he has worn it out. This really echoes the title epic of Nevermore's This Godless Endeavor without copying.

In the beginning of this review, I mentioned that this album is incomplete, right? Yeah it was supposed to be almost twice as long, near the 80-minute CD time limit, but after Dane's passing, they used the songs he completed and thus came Shadow Work. Those recordings were made possible thanks to Dane's band and the last of his emotional vocal drama. It might seem a little rough on the edges, but this is the best album for his singing at the very end of his over 3-decade career. Thank you, Warrel Dane..... RIP

Favorites: "Madame Satan", "Disconnection System", "Shadow Work", "Mother is the Word for God"

I've never really been a Kylesa fan, but I recently stumbled upon a couple of their songs, each from one of their albums, when searching for Spotify recommendations for my private-at-the-moment playlists. While the first song, "Tired Climb" from Spiral Shadow, was a restrained pop-ish metal disappointment, the second song which appears in this album, Ultraviolet (I'll tell you which one when we come to it) is heavier and more superior. This made me surprised that this album is considered non-metal, when I hear stoner metal all over in that song, but having learned my lesson after my Alcest review/judgement submission, I decided I won't submit this album into the Hall until I make a full review. So let's dive into this offering from a sludgy stoner metal band from Georgia!

I am quite curious to see if there's metal here or not, but while the metal strength is prominent enough to be in a clan, it seems more diminished than most other metal albums I've listened to. That might sound awful, but the approach works better than you might expect because it has way more psychedelic abstract than mainstream sugar. Instead of 21 Century Blink 182-inspired music, they've gone backwards in time with their influences ranging from 90s alt-rock to 80s post-punk to 70s Pink Floyd. Baroness and Kylesa stay king and queen of present-day stoner/sludge, but the latter's sound is more evident, proving that this album is, once and for all, considered metal.

"Exhale" sounds great with cool downtuned fuzz, but the lyrics can come out hilarious. The band's combination of heavy sludge metal with psychedelic trance is so obvious in "Unspoken", their most accomplished mission in reminding me of how metal they are. In fact, that's the song from this album I found when I was adding recommended songs to one of my playlists to my Spotify account, and the main reason for this review. "Grounded" is another great song.

"We're Taking This" is short but has f***ing intense vocals with insane lyrics. The guitars sound fresh, especially at the two-minute mark that reminds me of Mastodon, though not as amazing as "Unspoken". Except in this one, you hear massive atmosphere with amazing riffs suitable for metalheads. Seriously, those sinister vocals are awesome! You'll find a lot of sludge stacking up more than Red Fang or Stake, and did I mention the heavy uncompromising riff in the psych section. It's so short, unlike Mastodon's longer songs, but I love it! I also say h*ll yeah to the awesome "Long Gone". The short "What Does It Take?" is faster, but in a Placebo-gone-metal kinda way. Philip Cope goes solo when doing the vocals for that song. "Steady Breakdown" starts with what the title says, but over the stoner rhythm is a memorable melody. However, the melancholic passages make the band have a Beach House-like sound. Laura Pleasants returns with her vocals and riffs there.

"Low Tide" is a somber flashback to Joy Division. "Vulture’s Landing" continues the speed with Laura's vocals soaring through the air, along with a short solo trip. A killer heavy tune! "Quicksand" is a quick song with not a lot to note here. "Drifting" starts off sounding more suitable for stoner smokers before increasing heaviness.

Ultraviolet is a pleasant break from the extreme metal realm of growls and blast-beats, but there are a few outstanding riffs and heavy solos, though with barely any doom in the guitars. However, what's really missing that would make the album more appealing would be any tribal drumming jams that would make the dreamy soundscape and the heavy vocals more solid. Ultraviolet might not make Kylesa reach my interest, I love the mystique of this album! Kylesa have really evolved their sound along with fellow prog-sludgers Mastodon and Baroness. Ultraviolet is an album I would recommend to people with broader stoner tastes who might find this kind of metal fascinating....

Favorites: "Unspoken", "We're Taking This", "Long Gone", "Steady Breakdown", "Vulture's Landing"

Wow... Vektor has changed a lot since we last heard of them! First off, they set the tuning to the standard E, as opposed to the slightly higher F tuning in all their previous releases, and that's a bummer because I was kinda hoping for them to pick up some C-tuned 7-string guitars for a heavier yet ethereal sound. Second, the vocals! David DiSanto has been known for his high shrieking, yet the vocals here are mainly more melodic and clean, with a small bit of the shrieks only in the background. I think he lost most of his screaming ability after using it all up on his ex-wife (sorry, I know, poor taste).

With the E tuning and mostly cleaner vocals, "Activate" sounds closer to the 80s albums of Voivod and Coroner (both bands I enjoy) than the unique style Vektor has been known for. That song is, in my opinion, the band's fourth-worst song (second-worst being "Collapse" and first-worst being "Mountains Above the Sun"), though it's not bad enough to be a sh*tter and it still remains solid. What is the third-worst Vektor song, you may ask? Well that would be the other song of the EP...

I spend some time wondering if this other song, "Dead By Dawn" would have this new sound as well or their unique style from before, and if they both have this new sound, is it just one-off for that EP, or will it affect their upcoming album and become permanent?? Only time will tell for the latter, but now I know the answer to the former. IT'S THE NEW SOUND!! The first half is a clean Pink Floyd-like prog ballad while the second half continues Vektor's signature thrash, like a "Collapse/Ultimate Artificer 2.0" or some sh*t. My third least-favorite Vektor song behind "Collapse" and "Mountains Above the Sun" while still staying solid.

With that, I decided to check out the other band of the split EP, Cryptosis, and let me just say... They're like a Vektor-ized Revocation! Born out of the ashes of Distillator, the death-ish tech-thrash complexity they started developing along with Vektor-inspired sci-fi themes. Their two songs in the EP, "Decypher" and "Prospect of Immortality" are great singles.

Who knows what Vektor would sound like in their next album? Is this their new normal of just a one-off thing? That's probably one of two things I wanna know from Vektor, the other being whether or not they'll re-record the Demolition epic "Moonbase". For now, I shall enjoy this band and new fellows Cryptosis....

Favorites: "Decypher", "Prospect of Immortality" (yeah, I like the Cryptosis songs better the Vektor ones)

So... 5 tracks in under 40 minutes. I guess this can kinda be considered an EP, being only half as long as A Dawn to Fear. It looks as if The Raging River was created as the then-unknown third nearly 40-minute disc for A Dawn to Fear, but and it certainly sounds that way too. This EP can be considered both a perfect post-sludge continuation to A Dawn of Fear and a look-back at their magnum opus Somewhere Along the Highway. Even the order of songs is kinda similar while staying new!

"Three Bridges" starts experimental, but then it builds up to epic post-sludge Cult of Luna fans want. The twists and turns that combine heaviness and emotion just continues rolling. "What I Leave Behind" fills your heart with pain and despair in sludgy destruction.

"Inside of a Dream" is a short pretty ballad with nice ambience. Mark Lanegan, known as a former member of Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age does great soft clean vocals. "I Remember" is another epic-sounding song with better riffs and amazing vocals. The finale epic "Wave After Wave" does exactly what the title says; hit you with wave after wave of massive flowing transcendence. An epic climax of weaving instrumentation fills up the last few minutes, keeping up the band's lucky album-ending streak.

All in all, Cult of Luna have released another perfect energetic release. You can play A Dawn to Fear and The Raging River back-to-back, or listen to the EP on its own, whichever seems better for each fan. Feel the rage!

Favorites: "Three Bridges", "I Remember", "Wave After Wave"

It wasn't just Linkin Park that my brother and I were listening to in our alt-metal phase back then, another one of those bands is Chicago rock band Disturbed! OOH-WAH-AH-AH-AH!! With recognizable growls like that, along with bass and drums more powerful than a dozen kicks in the b*lls, they managed to headline more tours than any band would ever dream of doing. Asylum was released in 2010, but did they end up going experimental like Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns released that year?! NOPE!!

Disturbed's sound is a harshly rapid move into the pure darker rock/metal side with content mostly consisted of heartbreak and society's downfall. They've covered this style in 5 consecutive albums, far more than Linkin Park did in their first two. That's where some things get problematic...

Don't expect the first track "Remnants" to be a short nu metal track like Linkin Park's "One Step Closer". This opener is really just a weak disappointing instrumental. Sure they can be capable of showing their instrumentation, but this intro just doesn't work here, despite its rock inspirations. It's just pale filler, the weakest link of the album besides what would occur in the end. Fortunately, the title track has the alt-metal instrumentation to expect from the band, the true starting song of the album! David Draiman's first words here are a passionate shout of "Release me!" I actually like this song much more now than when I listening to the band 9 years ago, probably because the heaviness I can definitely tolerate much more. The hook is worth repeated listens; "And the loneliness is killing me!" A hard-hitting radio single! “The Infection” is another favorite song in this album. It really flashbacks to the early 2000s of their album Believe and Linkin Park's Meteora, worth many spins. It's more forgiving, and the instrumentation harkens to the Meteora song "Figure.09", only with no rapping and instead powerful singing and guitar shredding to have you headbanging along. Classic alt-metal with an emotional edge! “Warrior” is stuck in an unlikable loop for me. It tries to revive the 2000 rap/nu metal aspect of The Sickness and Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory, but this trying attempt of resurrection ends up in miserable failure. However, that song has a fast pace and a warlike feel. The album's first single "Another Way to Die" is also stuck in the middle for a Disturbed track. It sounds more like a PSA against global warming fitting for the oil spill in Mexico at that time, and basically a straight-up outtake from Ten Thousand Fists.

Back to the (he)art of headbanging, "Never Again" has lyrical concepts such as the Israel-Iran conflict and the Holocaust from World War II. The political commentary is much better than that of the previous track, and the verse has some of the most inspired lyrics, though the chorus needs some fixing. The middle track of the album should've been another perfect track, but "The Animal" sounds too much like it should've been part of the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack, which by the way, is filled with just alt-rock singles. That chorus is just so cr*ppy. "Crucified" does nothing to regain the band's strength and just drifts on with nothing to do. While I feel bad for Draiman's pain and loss of relationship in the lyrics, the track is so slow and long for alt-metal and just an uninspired disappointment. "Serpentine" immediately takes me back to the bad-a** action, starting with opening riffing reminding some of Sevendust at that time. Pounding drums and heavy guitars continue inducing headbanging. The only small problem is the uninspired lyrics, specifically the opening verse that sounds like Draiman wrote it in his teens as an angsty men. The grand instrumentation makes up for that.

Almost breaking my focus is a baby crying at the start of "My Child", but the song itself starts with viciously emotional instrumentation in this song with the darkest essence of the album. The emotional lyrics cover the true story of Draiman's girlfriend's accidental pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage. The track ends with a heart monitor on flatline (another album to add to my "Heartkiller" list). The most chillingly psychological song here! "Sacrifice" has one of the best solos of alt-metal lasting 30 seconds. Something I've been waiting for throughout the album that never disappoints, though the rest does. "Innocence" is a true headbanger to end the main part of the album. Drilling beats and haunting vocals end the main album with heaviness instead of a ballad. Well unless you count the hidden track after one and a half minutes of silence which is a cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". F*** that cover, it's too weak and pointless to review! I won't go into the live versions of "Down with the Sickness" or "Stricken" either. They're awesome classic songs by the band but I wanna save my comments for the original songs if I get to the albums they're in, like in a compilation album or something, but for now that would be the B-side collection The Lost Children.

5 albums on, Disturbed continue their sound that is perfected in some songs, with this album going deeper into hard rock. The instrumentation is what keeps them stable. The humor of the band's earlier albums is gone, replaced with more serious songs of death, darkness, and depression, which is good for this album and Indestructible, but often comes out as uninspired. Not even most of this album's singles could have the originality they need. Still, Asylum is a great album with memorable riffs and lyrics. Another chapter for Disturbed's saga that could've had a little more true greatness....

Favorites: "Asylum", "The Infection", "Never Again", "Serpentine", "My Child", "Sacrifice", "Innocence"

Linkin Park was a band with elements of many genres combined into one back then. Turntable scratching, heavy yet simple riffing, big bass bursts, metalcore screaming, and fast meaningful rapping are all combined into their modern popular style of nu metal. They released their breakthrough debut Hybrid Theory, and they continued what they had in their greater second effort Meteora! This album is in some ways a sequel to Hybrid Theory. Just like that debut, Meteora is around 37 minutes long with 12 songs (this album has an intro that doesn't count), each at a length range from two and a half minutes to slightly over three and a half. However, each song continuously blends into one another, much more than their debut. You might be annoyed if you just wanna hear one song, but it's great because it sounds like a concept album to me.

Basically, they're on the opposite side from System of a Down when it comes to alt-metal creativity. They're still in their own box, lacking any bridges extended with soloing. The band members can be so modest, not showing off their playing abilities. The stronger points are the good drumming and, of course, the vocals. Mike Shinoda continues his incredible poetic rapping and also put the songs together well as co-producer, while Chester Bennington has great singing range (RIP, my great dude). This album is pretty great, slightly better than Hybrid Theory while still not pushing the envelope a lot, and I'm almost completely over my pre-real-metal days of this band.

The "Foreword" is a short unnecessary intro, but a neat start. "Don't Stay" is the real opening song with great heaviness. This is another song where Brad Delson tunes down to drop B tuning (also used in the debut's "With You" and "Runaway", I think), instead of the usual E-flat/drop D-flat (to appear later), and it's great! Chester does an awesome mix of singing and screaming. The scratching is awesome as well. "Somewhere I Belong" is more melodic with incredible emotion. There's powerful guitar along with great vocals alternating between rapping and singing. The lyrics are a bit forced and unable to flow well, but the song is still awesome. "Lying From You" has the best guitar riffing here with greatly intense sound. However, Mike's rapping seems to spike in tone which is annoying. So are the otherwise cool bass bombs. "Hit the Floor" is also annoying in the vocals, but Chester's smooth singing in the last line of the chorus is greatly performed. The guitars explode but never beyond its simple point. A low point in this album...

However, "Easier To Run" has slower drama. Chester sings in beautiful peace, and the same can be said for Mike's rapping. The guitars have nice flow. The drum beat is interestingly single yet having some complexity. Everything is put together without being forced. "Faint" is a sudden change of mood that can get you pumping and jumping. The drums are faster with nice guitar layers, though not reaching its strong point until the bridge. Great single! "Figure .09" begins with interesting turntabling and tapping, and the guitars stay solid. Mike's rapping starts smoothing in the verses until the intense bridge with Chester screaming. Pretty good! "Breaking the Habit" is a step towards their later material, with the vocals being only Chester's singing with more emotion, along with digital effects. Excellent single, but not enough to make the high-quality half.

"From the Inside" is not the most popular song of the album, but my absolute favorite here. This song takes on a heavier side of rock, as Chester sings smoothly in the verses (along with Mike's rapping), gets coherently stronger in the chorus, and finally reaching the repetitive yet good brutal bridge (in the same level as the "SHUT UP!!" bridge from "One Step Closer". The guitar is not really the best, but everything else makes up for it. "Nobody's Listening" is a different departure from their earlier material. It opens with a strange Eastern flute loop and programmed beat. The lyrics are great, though the song is too experimental for my interest. Speaking of experimentation, "Session" is a two-minute digital-sounding interlude with nice piano and scratching from Joe Hahn. It's this album's "Cure for the Itch"! "Numb" is the second-best song saved for last, and probably their most successful song ever! The song can be found anywhere in the public, and even my friends from the outside world like it. Chester does melodic singing throughout the verses and chorus while getting rough in the bridge. The piano is awesome. The guitar sounds weak, but I don't care. "Numb" is Linkin Park's ultimate anthem!

All in all, Meteora is a slightly better effort by the ultra-popular Linkin Park, thanks to powerful guitar, strong lyrics, great vocals, and NOT the limited uniformity. Once again I enjoy all 5 singles along with 3 other songs. The only weak songs are the promo single "Lying From You" and the remaining 3 songs (4 with the "Foreword"). Sadly, all albums after would not have as much heaviness as this album and Hybrid Theory. If you love Hybrid Theory, you can't miss Meteora. Might not sound the best, but it's worth it....

Favorites: "Don't Stay", "Somewhere I Belong", "Easier to Run", "Faint", "From the Inside", "Numb"

Godflesh have made two amazing albums in the 2010s! They haven't sound this good since the early 90s. They went a little downhill with a few experimental albums and would eventually break up after 2001's Hymns.

Fast forward to 2009 and these industrial metal innovators reformed as a live band. It wasn't until 5 years later when they rewarded fans for their patience with their first EP and album in over a decade. I enjoyed A World Lit Only by Fire quite a lot, a straight throwback to their earlier sound. And here we are again with another golden album in 2017, Post Self! Their 8th album with strong conviction.

The title track opens with the band's classic sound; a pounding drum beat and simple heavy riffing. The soundscape is relaxing yet dissonant. Nothing's out of place! This cohesive sound is still doing well after all those years of experience. This is also proven in "Parasite". While "No Body" brings back the groove of Selfless.

Laying back the sounds a bit is the ethereal "Mirror of Finite Light". Though more industrial-driven, it's a nice break from the earlier monolith metal ambience. However, that returns in the doomy "Be God". Whereas "The Cyclic End" adds more spacey atmosphere, the kind to expect in Jesu. So things get a little more ethereal at this point of the album, and you're about to get more...

The trek peaks up with "Pre Self", continuing the spacey post-rock sound, to remind some of the sonic grief of early Swans. "Mortality Sorrow" recalls the band's earlier electronics, as G.C. Green's bass thunders through with his bass, bring something old into the new in a strange mix. For "In Your Shadow", I've talked before about how the earlier Godflesh material would inspire the sludgy vibe of Converge's You Fail Me, and that's recalled again there, though mostly dominated by hip-hop instrumentation. "The Infinite End" lets everything out from the band before ending with eerie synths, though it sounds like there should be more to come from the band. To be continued, I guess...

Whatever concerns me, Godflesh continues to impress us with the strength they've regained since their reformation. While they're all shorter than half the amount of songs from the previous album, more of the new ground has broken without too much force. Broadrick is so brilliant at putting together this industrial metal sound he's had since the late 80s. Whether old or new, Godflesh fans can find great pleasure in Post Self, and expect more of the best from the band in the future!

Favorites: "Post Self", "Mirror of Finite Light", "The Cyclic End", "In Your Shadow", "The Infinite End"

Justin Broadrick has restarted the band he's been mostly known for, with an awesome comeback! A World Lit Only by Fire marks a return to their crushing roots, twisted to become more interesting. To recap this band dynamic career leading up to this album, first they made a trio of albums that solidified their freshly invented industrial metal with the apocalyptic Streetcleaner, the monolithic Pure, and the harsh Selfless. Then they brought in a diverse cauldron of drum 'n' bass, IDM, and hip-hop in the mellow Songs of Love and Hate and the overly groovy Us and Them. Finally, Hymns was a more experimental post-metal-ish album that would hint at Broadrick's next project Jesu.

13 years later, Godflesh fans thought there would be a Hymns Part II, but they ended up getting a pleasant surprise. The earlier violent darkness of industrial metal is back in form, continuing what they had 25 years prior in Streetcleaner! Of course it's not really a sellout plan, instead being a return to what they do best, like what Black Sabbath and Carcass did in their comeback albums the previous year. Don't get me wrong, this isn't just recreating Streetcleaner, this is a brand new direction based on that. Some things are different and more modern without making any sacrifices, like for example, crushing 8-string riffing! They now have the axes forged by Meshuggah for djent descendants, and it sounds insane. Of course, it's just dissonant chords and atmospheric riffs that are far away from what would be considered djent.

"New Dark Ages" marks the band's killer return, starting a new dark age for their industrial metal sound. Another worthwhile track is the aggressive march of "Deadend", where the drums and bass (I mean the instruments this time) shine along with the harsh yells. I also like the shuffled rhythm in "Shut Me Down". Next song "Life Giver Life Taker" once again makes sure there's nothing stale or repetitive here, unlike the previous 3 albums.

Obey the demanding power of "Obey"! Rhythms keep stomping through in "Curse Us All". Then sludge crawls through in "Carrion", similar to what the band in late 80s when their industrial sludge sound was fresh and new.

There's some more cleans in "Imperator", a bit surprising for first-time listeners of the album. Adding in something unexpected in very sparse gaps can help keep listeners interested. His decent singing through post-drone is a nice break from the earlier harsh yelling. Oh the audacity while maintaining the atmosphere! "Towers of Emptiness" is probably my favorite track here, just listen to it! "Forgive Our Fathers" has dreamy atmosphere that's never out of place. Justin continues his vocal variation once more, from his usual low growls to the occasional usage of clean singing.

All in all, A World Lit Only by Fire shows Godflesh making a solid comeback; modern production, heavier djent-sounding riffs, and amazing vocals in fun crushing songs with lots of background textures. Despite the bass and drums not getting much of the spotlight, it's still a solid interesting album, like a modern Streetcleaner 2.0. A promising start of the band's new dark age!

Favorites: "New Dark Ages", "Deadend", "Obey", "Imperator", "Towers of Emptiness"

Hymns would mark the last Godflesh album before their decade-long split-up. They've definitely had more industrial metal in their earlier works. While this one does not have as much industrial, there's barely any weakness. Most of the keyboards are dropped with more emphasis on guitar, bass, and real drums, and it actually sounds strong. This trio actually worked pretty well, unlike other trios that end up sounding boring as a tea party (both the band and literally). Why did they have to break up with a steady lineup?!

For this album, the industrial beat is more of a background aspect. This group of geniuses know how to add small amounts of drum loops and keyboard into the songs and somehow make them sound so big. It's great for the music's diversity!

The album opener "Defeated" starts slow in the intro. Despite the guitar strums and hit-hats, you might start to fall asleep until your jolted awake at around the one and a half minute mark where things get more interesting as the action begins. After that slow fitting intro, the heavy beats and guitars are brought forward and continue from there. Then there's hip-hop-inspired riffing in "Deaf, Dumb & Blind" (3 things I don't wanna be altogether). "Paralyzed" would have you paralyzed by the industrial metal groove. An interesting highlight is "Anthem". After 3 songs of shouted vocals, this one focuses on clean singing. Such an amazing anthem! A haunting vibe is added to the guitar thanks to those vocals. Sadly, "Voidhead" doesn't really work well when it comes to those clean vocals.

The tyrannical aggression returns in "Tyrant" when the cleans are replaced with the shouts. I enjoy the atmospheric sludge anthem "White Flag", but the clean vocals sound so terrible that there's no chance it would ever be a highlight. However, "For Life" is a heavy groove track that would become a fan favorite for life. Then we swing into even more groove with "Animals" with great riffs.

"Vampires" has a darker vibe. Same with "Antihuman". However, reigning over them is the most triumphant song here, "Regal". However, what really deserved mentioning is "Jesu" (pronounced "yay-zoo", like when you say "Hey kids, we're going to the zoo!" and your kids are like "YAY, ZOO!!!"). Not many of the other songs can surpass this one, it's so beautifully haunting. The beauty is especially found in the clean hidden track, a good hint at the project Jesu, which Justin Broadrick would start in the aftermath of losing everything including his main band, money, house, and marriage, but with that project, he would slowly get his life and Godflesh back on track.

While many sound repetitive, they all have a unique identity despite lack of the elements that made their signature sound. Still, Hymns is pretty solid, though not as great as their classic releases. I understand how far this duo (for the most part) of technical industrial metal had come to that point, to fill your ears and drums with heavy hymns....

Favorites: "Defeated", "Anthem", "Tyrant", "For Life", "Regal", "Jesu" and the hidden track

So the album before this one, Songs of Love and Hate, was kind of a half-good album that doesn't live up to the strength of Godflesh's first 3 albums. But if you think any of the songs in that album are bad, wait until you hear what they got in Us and Them...

Godflesh decided to break out of the earlier humanistic approach for something more technological. Most of the harsh industrial metal is stripped down into broader ideas of trip-hop, drum 'n' bass, and ambient textures. It's the kind of trend that ends up getting outdated, yet when the usual monolithic bass and dark riffing come in every now and then, it's a fresh refreshment as opposed to this eclectic techno sh*t. Expansive while lacking innovation resulting in something somewhat dull.

The drum 'n' bass beat patterns of "I, Me, Mine" sound OK in quality, but for many listeners, it might cause some boredom. Then we have the hip-hop sample-infused title track. After that, we have something I might enjoy in "Endgames" with dark layers of bass textures. Of course, we go back to moronic failures with the b***hy "Witchhunt".

"Whose Truth is Your Truth?" is nowhere close to a good track. The dark-ragga-metal-jungle "Defiled" follows a looping pattern with a cool beat and solid writing, but with the music and vocals have that style throughout, it's just not right. However, "Bittersweet" master the shoegaze-influenced sound well. "Nail" brings back the stronger fare.

Crashing through heavy drumming is "Descent". After that, "Control Freak" is another filler track that doesn't go anywhere. "The Internal" continues the airy shoegaze in a much better form that would probably inspire Justin Broadrick's later project Jesu. "Live to Lose" is probably the best track of the album if you wish to explore more of Godflesh's heavy riffing. It is a bonus track recorded during the Songs of Love and Hate sessions that ended up in this album.

An ominous yet alienating formula plagues Us and Them and left the band's fanbase puzzled. They would bring back some of their metal while kept stripped down in their next and final album before their temporary split-up Hymns. Us and Them is definitely not the place to start when it comes to Godflesh. Better stick with Streetcleaner....

Favorites (only songs I truly like in this album): "Endgames", "Nail", "The Internal", "Live to Lose"

I think most Godflesh fans would agree with me when I say their first 3 albums (Streetcleaner, Pure, and Selfless) are their best era. They're one of the first bands to mix industrial with metal, and they've really shown what they've made in those 3 albums. When they started adding real drums and hip-hop groove in this album, it can repel the audience while adding newer fans.

So yeah, this album is a little more average, but it's still something I enjoy. Godflesh once again releases an 11-track bass industrial metal album with songs for you to love and hate. I guess that album title really makes sense...

The first song "Wake" is guaranteed to wake you up so you can smell the industrial metal spirit. There's wonderful riffing in "Sterile Prophet" among other infectious elements. However, "Circle of Sh*t" is where the hip-hop sh*t begins to rise. Metal elitists should not stick around for that stinker. "Hunter" would make you wonder, "What happened to the Mastodon-influencing sludge this band once had!?"

Redeeming the quality with emotion, "Gift From Heaven" levels things up with guitar groove, alongside a shouting chorus ("I am nothing, feel like everything") and a mumbling verse ("I am love, I am hate, hate my love, love my hate"). "Amoral" has more technical atmosphere. Next song "Angel Domain" has infectious bass to go with melodic guitar, along with catchy vocals. This is worth headbanging to in a way that you can enjoy without going as vicious as when you listen to death metal. Drum looping occurs in then next song, "Kingdom Come", though it sounds repetitive.

"Time, Death and Wastefulness" is just a waste of time, even after f***ing death. However, my favorite song in this album is "Frail", practically close to post-metal with the ethereal atmosphere. It fits much better in Hymns, but that's my only complaint there. "Almost Heaven" almost seems like a sequel to "Gift From Heaven", but sadly no. All we get is just industrial hip-hop sh*t. Thankfully, it's not available on vinyl for any vinyl collectors out there.

So the music is strong in half the amount of songs, especially the well-done samples and synths, and the vocals really stand out, but the lyrics and beat are painful to hear at times. Despite the negative aspects, I'm sure both the old and new fans might dig some songs, though there's no chance at some of those songs reaching touring....

Favorites: "Wake", "Sterile Prophet", "Gift From Heaven", "Angel Domain", "Frail"

I started my Godflesh journey with their first two releases, their self-titled EP and Streetcleaner. I have clearly understood the appeal of industrial metal ever since, and recently I've reviewed Pure and the Merciless EP. I continue my brave Godflesh quest with Selfless!

This is where the band expands their repertoire while becoming more accessible in the riffing. Selfless is not as strong as the aforementioned first two releases, but it's worth frequent listens. Despite their usual minimalistic sound, there's the fear of being condemned as selling out when the earlier harsh density is being moved away from. With that said, this ain't pretty mainstream music, Godflesh's heaviness is still unbreakable.

"Xnoybis" is an interesting start, with a heavy riff as the drum machine marches on alongside shouted vocals, the latter relied on while adding clean-singing melancholy. However, during the times clean singing prevails, it sounds a bit off-key, yet fits the atmosphere. Going big on the industrial metal is "Bigot". Same with "Black Boned Angel".

"Anything is Mine" is the only song here that takes on more of an industrial death 'n' roll tone. It's fury lets you stomp your cleated boots to the ground and grind anything underneath to dust. Hinting at Justin Broadrick's later project Jesu, "Empyreal" is a beautiful fragile song, distancing itself from the sound of their previous entries. Some might be bored, while others, like myself, might find it entrancing. The heaviness has never before sounded so light. Stretching out the skeletal structure is "Crush My Soul", delivering more traditional industrial sounds, with electronic samples reminding some of Aphex Twin at that time. Though being released as the first single might've tricked fans into thinking the entire album would be like that. "Body Dome Light" adds a bit of an EBM vibe to the industrial metal sound.

"Toll" is pretty cool, though not significantly decent. The slower "Heartless" might've inspired the sludgy vibe of Converge's You Fail Me. "Mantra" seems to drone on like a mantra, another early hint of Jesu. The CD version includes a special track, the nearly 24-minute "Go Spread Your Wings", the longest Godflesh song and my favorite of the album, possibly of the band. It is a modern epic journey through Broadrick's tunnel of imagination, as drums and guitars pound along. This might surely beat the previous album's "Pure II" as Godflesh's ultimate epic!

Not one Godflesh album is identical to one another, and while that's good, it's hard to tell exactly what represents them the most. As the usual elements are kept, the progression helps keep the albums separate. Selfless isn't the best part of the band's peak period, but it is a momentous album that I love. Accessibility aside, it's an emotional helper. Of course, what you prefer is up to you, whether or not you really want this album to crush your soul!

Favorites: "Xnoybis", "Anything is Mine", "Empyreal", "Crush My Soul", "Heartless", "Go Spread Your Wings"

Godflesh is one of a few bands to start their own league, that league being industrial metal, with one side of the genre being heavy and the other being skinny...Puppy. You might think Godflesh is being indecisive, but it's part of what makes them unique.

This is pure industrial metal, fresh from the 90s. Earache is an essential record label for game-changing albums from bands like At the Gates, Cult of Luna, Woods of Ypres, and of course, Godflesh. The bass really drives through as G.C. Green pounds away, while Justin Broadrick plays his droning distorted guitarwork. The guitar and bass are in a nice loud balance with distorted tone. It sounds so raw and clear, and the drum machine almost sounds like real drums!

The title track is so slow and doomy, with powerful riffs crushing your spine and ripping it out from your neck. That's the kind of feeling induced from the sludgy bass and the heaviness brought forward from the 45-second mark onwards. The crushing riff may sound redundant, but the repetition is worth it. Justin's smashing vocals come close to growling. This could be used in a dramatic slow-motion movie fight scene. Midway through is a clean bridge that's also repeated. Everything is memorable here! "Blind" follows, sounding more industrial with low beats. The guitar and bass have some sound effects in the tone. Justin's vocals are the usual deep and dark with no cleans. The lyrics are the same throughout the repetition, but that's what makes them memorable. However, too many stanzas spoil the structure a little. On the other hand, even without a proper chorus, the music and lyrics stay memorable. The lyrics are so simple yet have powerful meaning. Justin can help Godflesh possess the greatness it really needs.

"Unworthy" has more sounds and more speed. Not really the greatest of the EP, but worth listening to. The vocals sounding clean in the beginning seem out of place. Other than that, it's still pretty good. Lastly, "Flowers" is just a strange drone instrumental based on "Don't Bring Me Flowers" from the Pure album. It can work as both an eerie piece of music in a dark haunted house and relaxing background music when chilling in a lounge.

Godflesh has made another simple EP that you can listen to without disappointment. It focuses on minimalism instead of technicality that never fails to amaze me. This is one of Godflesh's more metallic releases and an underrated offering that should be picked up. Merciless deserves listening mercy!

Favorites: "Merciless", "Blind"

Justin Broadrick and co. really know to light up the industrial part of my metal heart. Normally, whenever I test out a bit of industrial metal from other bands, the end result is just disappointing machinery or sounding too goth or electro. By that rate, you might as well be banging on concrete doors and sheet metal and call all that sh*t "industrial". Yes, you can use unorthodox objects as instrumentation, but it's not just banging them around like preschool music class, you gotta really...think! While Godflesh has never been an Infinite band for the most part, they certainly think outside the conventional box the way progressive/avant-garde metal bands would think. That's a good reason why this album is called Pure, this is pure unconventional music that marks h*ll of an expansion for metal boundaries.

Of course, it's definitely worth it for metal fans. Sure they can grab a hold of accessible rock/metal, but to really spice up this taste, more abstract sounds deserve some appreciation. This band can sound abstract while setting reasonable limits, like a few riffs per song. That's one thing to make industrial metal a proud subgenre, and the short amount of riffs are never too technical or melodic. And it makes industrial metal sound good with all that droning groove and memorable melody. The catchy aspects are still there to break the monotony. Godflesh have done their job well...

This is prominently shown in "Spite" that can be the sign of a shining gift. "Mothra" has groove-powered industrial metal riffing that's never out of place. It's so special and different, and that's the key for the style of Godflesh. Justin's vocals are up to the highest standard, but the riffing is the right priority. Things seem to brighten up with "I Wasn't Born to Follow", though it gets a bit weird.

"Predominance" adds some menacing vocal layers that allow the song to dominate. The title track drums pretty well, but the beat is a little annoyingly predictable, and there are barely any of those wonderous riffs. "Monotremata" is a throwback to the earlier heaviness while adding more melodic vocals. However, it sounds a bit unsettling overall.

"Baby Blue Eyes" is where there's more bliss to go with the sinister sound, becoming more stable. Throbbing Gristle seems like a great influence on the nice atmospheric surface before being attack by what lies beneath. "Don't Bring Me Flowers" helps the band stand by their principles for this highlight. The CD version has two bonus tracks, the first of which, "Love, Hate (Slugbaiting)" is just obsolete ambient-industrial. You can say the same about the 21-minute "Pure II", but it's actually greatly immense.

With that, Pure is a notable part of Godflesh's tenure and continues to show what masterful pioneers of industrial metal they are. There's barely anything boring. It can be strange and moody, but the droning riffs are what make this band memorable and other bands jealous. This is pure industrial metal the way it should've been!

Favorites: "Spite, "Mothra", "Predominance", "Don't Bring Me Flowers", "Pure II"

Justin Broadrick is very underrated in the metal scene. He's one of the contributing inventors of 3 different genres; grindcore, industrial metal, and post-metal. How did he contribute to those genre inventions, you may ask? Well for grindcore, he played guitar for grindcore pioneers Napalm Death for a few demos, one of those demos becoming side A of their debut Scum. After leaving that band, he began experimenting with music that was atypical for metal at that time. He wanted to create something out of the genres and bands he loved, including the hardcore of Discharge, the crust of Doom, the anarcho-punk of Crass, the industrial of Throbbing Gristle, the noise of Swans, and the post-punk of Killing Joke. This mix became prominent in his project Head of David, the first ever band of both industrial metal and post-metal! At the same time, Justin has his own project going on with G.C. Green and Paul Neville. Originally named Fall of Because after a Killing Joke song, the name was later changed to Godflesh.

It's a little cliché for the very first release of a project to be self-titled, but that doesn't matter. The Godflesh EP was groundbreaking at that time for setting up a new genre that's slower and gloomier than even doom metal. Justin Broadrick was inspired by the cold bleak atmosphere of his home town Birmingham, similar to the city's most famous band Black Sabbath, but Godflesh went far ahead with their influences. In the 70s and 80s, almost every metal band had set up an entryway for new genres to be formed. Besides Black Sabbath, the hard rock of Deep Purple would inspire the heavy metal of Judas Priest who would inspire the NWOBHM/speed metal of Raven, Iron Maiden, and Accept that would inspire the thrash metal of Metallica and Slayer that would inspire death metal, grindcore, and black metal, thus forming the extreme metal umbrella together with the slow doom metal of Candlemass who would inspire Godflesh to reverse those standards. Godflesh focuses on the heavy groove dissonance of industrial/noise masters at its bleakest. No electronic-dance sh*t, just the heaviness of dissonant bass and downtuned guitar. How else can you define industrial metal?

Think about this further in the opening "Avalanche Master Song" which has lyrics of strong hate and a pondering bass groove as its main role unlike other metal bands accompanied by guitar feedback and a programmed marching rhythm. That f***ing groove has practically invented groove metal, inspiring Pantera to drop their glam act, Sepultura to add more groove to their thrash, and the alt-noise-metal band Helmet to be formed. Then we head to the hardcore-sounding "Veins". Then the doomy "Godhead" shows the band in creepy filthy gloomy sludgy agony. They've surpassed Black Sabbath by many miles and would break ground for new subgenres to come in the 90s with more focus on heaviness and groove, instead of speed and melody that's completely absent here.

Next track "Spinebender" focuses on creative beats and dissonance that might bring discomfort to anyone including classic metalheads. Once again, "Weak Flesh" shows Broadrick's Discharge-like hardcore roots with a more "p*ssed" faster pace while having the atypical vibe. Wait a minute... "Godhead", "Weak Flesh"... That's it! That's how they got their name, to mix sludgy doom and hardcore in an industrial sound. Glad they aren't named "Weakhead", lol. "Ice Nerveshatter" has hip-hop beats that actually sound excellent. Hip-hop was like the Voldemort of metal at that time, but Godflesh killed that taboo and showed us that mix isn't that bad in their first 5 full albums.

Speaking of full albums, the 1990 reissue extends the EP into kind of a full album with two long remixes from the Streetcleaner album, "Wounds" and "Streetcleaner 2". Both of those remixes show some of Broadrick's hip-hop roots that were scornful from metalheads at that time, along with his influences from Swans in a different perspective of devastated reality. You can also hear a bit of the solid vocal aggression to be delivered in the Streetcleaner album, more aggressive than the EP where the music has spoken.

Godflesh, both the band and their self-titled EP, was a new beginning for metal. Initially, it wasn't strongly received and still in the underground, but it marked a revolutionary path setting to Streetcleaner that would change metal history forever. This masterpiece of an EP and Head of David back then were a taste of the industrial metal future!

Favorites: "Avalanche Master Song", "Godhead", "Weak Flesh", "Ice Nerveshatter"

Strapping Young Lad came to an end in 2007. After their final album The New Black, Devin Townsend made two more solo albums, the ambient The Hummer and the comedic metal opera Ziltoid the Omniscient. Then he announced the end of Strapping Young Lad and a break from touring to focus on family and album writing/production. So how did this final SYL album work out in both the production and the result?...

This album continues the band's usual violent kick-a** destruction! They keep the standard diversity true to the band. They add more of the melody of their previous two albums while bringing back the heaviness and humor of the first two.

"Decimator" already brings in the riffing melody, along with enjoyable clean vocals reaching a nice ending crescendo. The anger comes back in "You Suck" which never sucks! It continues the rage that has made most of the band's previous albums killer. "Anti-Product" adds a little more funky jazz in the horns and flute in the bridge. This is metal at its least serious while nicely listenable. For me, "Monument" is skippable because it sounds too happy for me. It fits better for one of Devin Townsend's solo albums, and it's the reason why I can't give this album a perfect 5-star rating.

However, "Wrong Side" is a true progressive industrial metal highlight. I just love the insane drumming in this one! Anyone who thinks that kind of drumming doesn't belong in industrial metal can stand corrected. "Hope" has more of a groove-metalcore vibe that nicely shakes things up a bit. The metallic "Far Beyond Metal", originally a touring song from as early as the City tour, features by Oderus Urungus of GWAR (RIP). "F***er" is a mid-paced metal love duet with Canadian hard-rocker Bif Naked.

"Almost Again" is where drummer Gene Hoglan deserves some praise for his mighty drumming blasts, but you know who else? Devin Townsend for his fine lyrics and raw vocals, not to mention founding this band! Is it just me or does the guy in the last 10 seconds of the song screaming and collapsing sound like Hoglan after this impressive work? Hmm... At least he will be well-suited for a drum soloing battle with Meshuggah's Tomas Haake. "Polyphony" is a good track to return to for a sincere calm before the final storm. The magnificent 6-minute title finale opens with mighty power and ends with a climatic sign-off, all without tiring me out. A true industrial metal swansong!

Devin Townsend continued once more to venture through his heavier band. Some of it is forward, some of it is backward. They continued their recent melodic direction while having a lot more of the earlier heaviness and humor. It's like they've continued where their 90s era left off in the same place as their 2000s era. It's a shame that SYL is gone, and it's probably for the best. Nonetheless, the band's speed and groove would make some comebacks in a special multi-album project from this Canadian metal man!

Favorites: "You Suck", "Wrong Side", "Hope", "Far Beyond Metal", "Almost Again", "The New Black"

Until just recently, I never really had the appeal for industrial metal. I thought it was an overrated mainstream metal genre like alt-metal, with the invasion of bands like Ministry and Rammstein. Now I can see where its heavier background lies, when I was pulled into listening to Strapping Young Lad during my run through Devin Townsend's discography. This band has started my quest to dig into industrial metal's heavier background for bands like Fear Factory and the genre's true pioneers, Godflesh!

But for now, I'm gonna review the Strapping Young Lad albums, starting with this one Alien (the rest would be after I finished reviewing the Devin Townsend albums). Alien is the follow-up to their self-titled comeback album and, unlike other bands' fourth albums, is of higher quality instead of lower. Their extreme industrial metal is punishing!

Kicking off the CD with a bang is the fantastic crushing intro "Imperial". The song features the humans within this machine; drummer Gene Hoglan, guitarist Jed Simon, bassist Byron Stroud, and Devin Townsend who also plays guitars while screaming with a bit of clean vocals. Great start! Following this is the brutal "Skesis" where you can hear Gene's amazing drumming that might've inspired the more metal side of Protest the Hero. The drumming is filled with punishment, no remorse. Finally, the vocals kick in that are amazing as always, along with fast riffs and neat keyboards all over. The song that many people have heard the most is surprisingly the one with swearing in the title and the lyrics, "Sh*tstorm". Devin Townsend sounds absolutely p*ssed and determined to stab your eardrums (already done by the music in a way I like). The entirely shouted vocals threaten you with crazy lyrics. The song is fast with good riffs and fantastic keyboards. The choirs diversify this amazing song. Can this album get better?! Yes, with "Love?" This is an absolutely emotional composition of punishing heaviness. Devy's great vocals range from screaming to clean. The guitar, bass, and keyboards are amazing with fantastic lyrics. The best song of this album! Though I'm sure there's at least one or two song by the band that's better...

"Shine" is another song that prevent the quality from going down, crushing you into Hell with riff heaviness and drum insanity. The song keeps you busy and in attention with Devin's maniacal screaming. Once again, the choir in the second half keeps the interesting level high. There's more relentless chaos to come... "We Ride" is a fast riff ride, driving through the well-written lyrics in high gear. Something that makes this song unique for Strapping Young Lad is the amount of soloing, well-performed for listeners' ears. "Possessions" is another major highlight for this album. The lyrics might be corny for other bands, but they fit well with the band's great riffing and crushing drumming. What's fantastic is the choir being more prominently used. The choir isn't underused or overused but just right.

"Two Weeks" is where the album starts... SLOWING DOWN?!? YES!!! BUT FOR ALARM?! NO!! It's Pink Floyd-like well-written slowness! Still there isn't a break in atmosphere, adding to the album's greatness in mellow relaxing form with emotion. The only people who can't deal with this song are either strictly heavy metalheads or anyone wanting to hear the song go 200bpm like All That Remains in their song "Two Weeks" or DragonForce. "Thalamus" returns to the heaviness, and while it sometimes drones on, it's still good. Its diverse effect keeps the album interesting. The last track in real song form is "Zen", bringing back the speed that was missing in the previous two tracks. The great riffing and drumming is impossible to forget. The absolute final track "Info Dump" is a controversial track worth liking or hating. It's a 12-minute ambient track, but it doesn't affect the perfection at all. If you're patient enough to stick around, you would find that there's more than just feedback, instead being a feedback experiment. It's so cool yet scary! It sounds like the feedback has its own beat. Then the feedback stops then comes back differently, getting louder and more distorted. This is SYL's "Elastic"!!

First Strapping Young Lad (and Sphere) album I've reviewed and already I think this is the best of their tenure! It has heavy anger and emotional power. Alien is probably my new best of 2005. No matter the craziness, you must hear this!

Favorites: "Skesis", "Sh*tstorm", "Love?", "Shine", "Possessions", "Zen"

You can't get away with saying Strapping Young Lad isn't original. This band has a unique bulletproof blend of industrial metal with progressive/hardcore influences. However, you can also consider this band the modern industrial Anthrax because of both the thrash elements and the humor. Sure the lyrics can be weird and the music can be noisy, but that's just part of what I like from this band, and what Devin Townsend can do with his music. During his hiatus from Strapping Young Lad, he started recording his own solo albums besides one-time projects and producing albums by other bands, noticeably Soilwork's Natural Born Chaos. Perhaps that Soilwork album gave him motivation to focus on heaviness in a slightly more serious, less humorous light, along with his creative anger sparked by 9/11. The SYL ship stands strong!

With crystal clear production, you can hear everything including the thundering drums, deep bass, and heavy guitar punch. Making the production clear can be a b***h for some bands, but they've done it in ease. I must admit, I enjoy the groove-ish riffing more than that of Pantera of Machine Head. Though it's the intense drumming that stands out the most, with Gene Hoglan performing blazing beats in technical groove. The bass is also relentless! The keyboards stand by the heaviness to emphasize it. And finally, Devin still has his diverse vocal range, adding slightly more cleans while doing the usual growling/screaming.

"Dire" is an epic intro where you see the gates of Hell opening as you enter. "Consequence" pounds through with evil riffing and searing drumming. "Relentless" picks up the extreme relentless energy, though it could've been done a little more interestingly. The more hardcore "Rape Song" is also not super great, but it works well for the album and doesn't affect the score one bit.

"Aftermath" is a real gem in this album. It's like a massive war anthem! Near the end is some amazing riffing energy that any metalhead should love. Thrashing around is "Devour", though the melodic sections sound a bit like heavy/power metal. Next song "Last Minute" has the closest the band has gone to black metal.

Then we have the more deathly "Force Fed". And then "Dirt Pride" has the hyperspeed thrash of Testament's faster songs. Do you think the band can continues this chaotic speed? Nope, "Bring on the Young" ends the album similarly to City. It is a drawn-out slow epic building up to a powerful climax. I honestly like this album's closing track better than that of City, despite that album being more perfect than this one.

You know what?! Nothing can stop Devin Townsend from being creative, and nothing can stop me from listening to this heavy band of his! It's a promising album for those who enjoy fast and heavy extreme industrial metal. Anyone who doesn't should stay the f*** away. Solid intense gold!

Favorites: "Consequence", "Aftermath", "Devour", "Dirt Pride", "Bring on the Young"

Strapping Young Lad's debut album Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing marked the full debut of Canadian metal mastermind Devin Townsend. He also made a couple albums for one-time projects (Punky Brüster and Ocean Machine), between that album and this second one City. So the band started off solid with their debut, unleashed lots of rage with some touches of Devy's signature humor. Could City be a big improvement?...

F*** YEAH, MAN!!! I love this album! If you're into Strapping Young Lad, and anger mixed with humor, this album is a must. With its intensity and swearing, my parents wouldn't have let me listened to this when I was a young teen over 10 years ago. But I'm an adult now, same age as Devy when he recorded this! Who can stop me now!?

Beginning with a bad-a** intro, "Velvet Kevorkian". Someone taps a spoon on an anvil before the album's tone gets set for the city you're rushing through to get home. Devy's evil shouts are also what you'll expect in this album. "F*** SLEEP!!! F*** ALL OF YOU! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... WELCOME THE F*** HOME!!!" You finally make it home and start blasting out this CD with "All Hail the New Flesh", a d*mn great hammerer! The legendary Gene Hoglan performs an intense drumming avalanche through this noisy cacophony whirlpool and the aggressive vocal cyclone from Devy, though his clean vocals help keep you in safe shelter alongside the keys. Townsend can really show us his insane vision of extreme industrial metal. He yells "ALL YOU ARE IS ALL YOU ARE!" in an uplifting chorus before more brilliant riffs and keyboards. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! "Oh My F***ing God" will make you wanna scream that song title. It's one of the heaviest songs I've heard in my life, probably heavier than even Morbid Angel and Slayer combined! Lots of sounds and build-ups from different dimensions can be heard, not for the faint-hearted. Even the violins change the time signatures! F***ING BRUTAL!!!!!

The heavier metalheads wanting to try some industrial might like "Detox". You just want to scream along to those lyrics, from the repeated chant of "Hey! Devo!" to the lyrics of heavy paranoia. "HOW DID I GET HERE TONIGHT!? WHAT AM I DOING HERE?!? HOW DID I REACH THIS STATE?! HOW DID I LOSE MY SIGHT!?!? I'M LOST!!! I'M FREAKING! And everyone knows, everyone's watching! So here, All my hopes and aspirations, THEY’RE NOTHING BUT PUKE!!! GOD I’M SO LONELY!!" SEE!?! You can get progressiveness from the extreme industrial metal of this band, rather than just the post-sludge of Neurosis! The main riff returns, more melodic than earlier, as a spoken sample talking about nerve cells functions can be heard followed by the last of the tortured cries and ending with a return to the catchy bridge riff. "Home Nucleonics" starts with a brief audio sample saying "The beat starts here". H*ll yeah, it starts here... WITH A F***ING SCREAM!!! This one makes heavy bands like Meshuggah and Northlane sound like smooth jazz in comparison! Probably the heaviest, most chaotic storm from Strapping Young Lad besides "Sh*t Storm" and having the most amazing screams from Devin Townsend. "I! WARNED!! YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!" I consider "AAA" to be brilliant groove-ish industrial metal, right from the sick intro. One of my favorites from one of the first industrial metal bands that I've encountered and truly like. Need some batteries for this grand song? The riff near the 3-minute mark has massive f***ing heaviness for half a minute, then this killer sh*t really goes off. Now imagine singing along to this in the bus, annoying the other passengers. "No one hears so no one knows and... NO ONE! NO ONE F***S WITH MEEEE!!!" I guess you can kind of consider this Korn gone Meshuggah.

"Underneath the Waves" blasts you away is a cold winter storm of chaos, starting with a kick-a** riff! The earlier intense emotion is still around with atmospheric keys. The powerful drums are emphasized through lyrics that talk about life going on for "F***ING NOTHING!!!!" Up next is a cover of the Cop Shoot Cop song "Room 429". The lyrics are weird but kick-a** as f***. I bet 25 years after this review, this track still won't be outdated, thought it might cause haunting melodies. You can visualize yourself being trapped in an isolation room away from the people surrounding you, even at the minimum social distance of two meters. Once again, it connects to the theme of a city that isolates you. Closing the album is "Spirituality", sounding calm and spiritual while ominous. After a nightmarish day in the city that hurts you like a b***h, you want to sleep it all away until tomorrow. You're just tired of "all you sick stupid people" and want to "pray to God they'll hear me". You let all the emotions remaining in you before finally sleeping in the night before another agonizing day. It all ends with Devin's last whisper of "I found a way out of here". Well technically it ends with an alien voice saying "Strapping Young Lad rocks my hairy a**s", but let's ignore that.

City is filled with original talent and brilliant emotion. Honestly, this is one of the heaviest albums that I enjoy in industrial metal, and maybe even metal in general. The city is an intense emotional place you have to be brave and metal-headed enough to try. There's nothing in the main album I can ever deny. It's so d*mn mind-blowing!

Favorites: "All Hail the New Flesh", "Oh My F***ing God", "Detox", "Home Nucleonics", "AAA"

"I am the coming of a new age, stained we still stand tall! I am the coming of a new age, and I will never fall!" Yes, a new age was coming, the age of one of the mightiest progressive metal masterminds, Devin Townsend! Well even though I lost interest in his solo material, the material of his former band Strapping Young is still with me. Let's begin my SYL review journey with the one album that started it all for Devy (not including his contributions to Steve Vai's Sex & Religion)...

I understand that this album isn't for the pure old-school thrash fans. Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing is basically heavy thrashy industrial metal with lots of noise and rage. Despite a few disorganized songs, the album comes out as a great beginning for Devy's massive career.

The journey begins with "S.Y.L." Holy sh*t, this is angry energy to make fans of industrial metal happy. It's quite genius how you can hear toddler Devy present his own play in the intro and then teen Devy as an A&W employee in the outro. Strapping Young Lad and Meshuggah are the two go-to bands for metal's heavy intensity in the 90s. Next up, "In the Rainy Season" continues to test out the anger that would be shoved up haters' f***ing a**es, adding to the album's general theme. There's also a well-placed clean chorus, an aspect later adopted by Soilwork. Another track, "Goat" is just silly and pointless, though the lack of seriousness is somewhat admirable. The album gets more interesting when you hear "Cod Metal King" sounding like a dance-metal track that should've been used for a vampire romance film like Twilight.

"Happy Camper (Carpe B.U.M.)" can be considered industrial grindcore insanity. "Critic" continues the savage riffing hellfire. Thrown into the mix is the wonderful "The Filler - Sweet City Jesus". I find the title hilarious because it's not filler at all. It's a great song with lots of interesting vocals and guitars.

Small subtle details make "Skin Me" enjoyable. Another song to have extreme potential is "Drizzlehell". That one can be considered a modern metal anthem despite the mechanical distortion and annoying beat. Now if there's one signature aspect Devy hasn't forgotten, it's his sense of humor in "Satan's Ice Cream Truck". It's like a children's song twisted into death metal, pretty much the Happy Tree Friends of metal music. Quite funny, but not really my thing.

In the end, we have a solid high-quality album of anger and humor that has marked the beginning of this Canadian metal man's adventurous journey. After two albums for one-time projects (Punky Brüster and Ocean Machine), Devin Townsend would bring his SYL sound to perfection in the band's next album City....

Favorites: "S.Y.L.", "In the Rainy Season", "Cod Metal King", "The Filler - Sweet City Jesus", "Drizzlehell"

Thanks to Daniel, I now have the final remaining piece of the post-sludge elemental star, Rosetta! If you wanna know what this album, The Galilean Satellites is about, the nearly blank booklet explains it all in one sentence... "These songs are about a space man."

If you wanna know more than just a simple sentence, just press play and you'll find yourself as an astronaut eternally stranded in space with no other surrounding lifeforce. The Galilean Satellites contains two discs; one filled with monolithic dirges of spacey post-sludge not for the faint-hearted, and the other filled with desperate ambient tracks of strange beauty. And when you time both discs to play at the same time, they fit like a glove! A bit like Neurosis' Times of Grace and its ambient counterpart.

Disc 1 begins this space-doom venture with "Départe" (Departure), starting clean on the guitar and keyboards. Then the buildup comes, warning you that the space adventure is gonna be life-risking. Then the vocals of Michael Armine crashing in with the crushing music of both chaos and grace. "Europa" continues the helplessly great framework.

"Absent" sees you travelling through a space dimension, and midway through, the guitars do a bit of soloing. The vocals are mostly ambient until Armine does some screams in the last-minute climax. "Itinerant" is a 16-minute epic that's mostly piano-based. It's great, but the epic I prefer is "Au Pays Natal" (The Homeland), 13 and a half minutes of the best isolated post-sludge madness ever heard!

Disc 2 is the ambient counterpart where the space-man has already died from lack of food, water, and air as if floating through the infinite universe alone. Both that scenario and the ambient sound sculpture can be enough to give you agoraphobia, which fortunately I don't have. This creepy reverb can give you feelings of loss, and it's a nice effect that would be nice if you're in the mood for that. It's interesting how I, a heavier metalheads who's not usually into ambient music, feel more immersed by this disc than the first. It's an aural adventure well-crafted!

Whether one of the two discs or both at the same time, the listener has to be absolutely determined. Clearly, it wasn't made easy with all tracks going over 8 minutes, but it sure looks like it was. The Galilean Satellites is no easy task. If you're driving while listening to the album on your radio, it's not for a small errand trip, it's for a cross-state road trip made epic. But it's better to listen to the album at home on your computer or MP3 player if you really want a perfect post-sludge trip out of reality!

Favorites: "Europa", "Absent", "Au Pays Natal", the complete Disc 2