Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

It was only last month when I've finally claimed my interest in late 80s thrash, going as early as 1988, which is the release year for Illusions, the debut album by Sadus, a band I started enjoying after reviewing one of their albums, A Vision of Misery (this one). See, I never had any interest in the older proto-extreme thrash metal bands like Exumer and Messiah. Aside from those bands being too old for me at the time, brutality seemed to be quite a norm back then. Technicality and progression has always fascinated me much more, and while Sadus wasn't gonna be completely part of that charade, a few small technical elements mixed with this brutal sound became more appealing to me... Sadus is one of many bands with 80s metal bass hero Steve Di Giorgio. I was never really fully interested in his bands before, but once I listened to this album, I was pleasantly surprised. His bass really adds atmosphere! Also, I found out he's currently down with COVID. Hope he gets well soon... Anyway, back to the album, I've heard it's a more prominent pathway through death-ish thrash metal while keeping a bit of the technical affair of their previous album Swallowed in Black. This elevating combo has results that are quite astonishing!

A Vision of Misery has envisioned a mighty progressive thrash/technical death metal hybrid first planned in the late 80s, shining in the American metal scene along other bands like Atheist and Incubus (the death/thrash metal band later known as Opprobrium, NOT that other Incubus band). It's a shame that this style has faded away so fast due to a loss of its scope, but at least it has influenced death metal bands to later take on a technical/progressive path, like Death when Di Giorgio joined in (RIP Chuck Schuldiner). The other Sadus members, all assist Di Giorgio in this deathly thrash metal apocalyptic ride to fulfill their skillful vision without being lost in misery.

"Through the Eyes of Greed" begins the death/thrash ride of wild passion before patterns of intricate riffs, powerful bass, and vicious leads. It is a speedy progressive crusade helped built by dominant vocals. "Valley of Dry Bones" never gives up moshing through frantic technicality up to its virtuoso end. Sounds like they still have their energy from their first two albums! More prominent complexities would please the listener on "Machines", striking through brilliant technicality, less decipherable than other technical bands like Death at the time. There are fast escapades that aren't as abundant as the intricate riffs and rhythms, making one of the greatest pieces of technical death/thrash metal ever, besides some of Coroner's songs.

"Slaves to Misery" is more of a mid-paced that continues chopping through technicality with heavy guitar rolls and sudden death-ish aggression, while Darren Travis takes his vocals to hysterical heights in a wild race. "Throwing Away the Day" crushes with speedy shredding interrupting elaborate technical puzzles, changing pace while filled with pure chaos. The progressive "Facelift" is probably the most delightful yet serious tech-thrash piece, a dramatic composition that has more of an atmospheric doom vibe with addictive dynamics to keep the bass busy. The second half is when the guitarists amaze everyone with a supreme technical riff vortex before a fast sweep near the end.

"Deceptive Perceptions" has more atmospheric drama with mid-paced delivery, until more furious brutal thrash combat to remind some of Invocator. "Under the Knife" continues the hurricane with loads of death-ish complications beyond any band mentioned in this review so far. Finally, "Echoes of Forever" brings the compelling madness at its end. In a virtuoso showdown of altering tempos, the dueling leads and striking riffs dominate, while the bass has some memorable moments before the grand exit.

And that's it, we made it through all the stops in this glorious creation, A Vision of Misery. It has been a vision for this band to reach the summit without ever giving up. Although there have been bumps of anger hiatuses along the way, those won't stop this incredible band from fulfilling their vision!

Favorites: "Through the Eyes of Greed", "Machines", "Facelift", "Under the Knife", "Echoes of Forever"

Annihilator started their career in a bang with the groundbreaking Alice in Hell. It is a masterpiece that showed me what to love from traditional/technical thrash metal. After that one, the band decided to make one more album from their classic era. Only difference is, vocalist Randy Rampage left the band and wouldn't record another album with the band until a decade later. Despite a different vocalist, could Annihilator continue what they had in their breakthrough debut?...

Indeed they could! More of the thrash insanity was unleashed, and the audience continued growing from there. Never Neverland is nicely equal to the fans' expectations, and it's almost as much of a blessing as Alice.

Without any intro, the action kicks off in "The Fun Palace", a catchy highlight for any metalhead. "Road to Ruin" has a lyrical theme of drunk driving, which seems kind of obvious but works out quite well. "Sixes And Sevens" isn't so bad, but it's not really as spectacular as the first two tracks. It just doesn't match their greatness! "Stonewall" has lyrics about blocking information. The song itself is a catchy single to win both new fans and longtime fans.

Taking on a similar "Wonderland"-like concept to the previous album's title track while being a different story, this album's title highlight takes through dark sanity. "Imperiled Eyes" that has faster chorus riffing that can fit in the debut, though it doesn't give you much attention. "Kraf Dinner" is so cheesy. Literally! It's about macaroni and cheese.

"Phantasmagoria" has thrashy riffing worth headbanging, but the mid-paced chorus riffing is kinda lame. Another notable strong track is "Reduced to Ash". The unforgettable closing "I am in Command", a true highlight here. It quite rocks! There's another lame mid-paced riff in the beginning, but then it's decimated hard by the intense aggression of fast thrash. The verses are fast, and the chorus is catchy. It shares the greatness of the debut album's closing track, though not as brutally fast.

So while the vocals by Coburn Pharr don't match the power of Randy Rampage, the riffing and drumming in most songs is h*lla amazing, sounding catchy and fast, each whenever appropriate. Any metalhead can be up for the fun. Welcome to the palace of thrash!

Favorites: "The Fun Palace", "Stonewall", "Never Neverland", "Reduced to Ash", "I am in Command"

My ultimate Pit test is already at a magnificent start! Annihilator has one of the biggest discographies in any thrash band, with 17 albums, and only one or a few of them turning away from the genre. Jeff Waters has been determined to keep his band going despite the various changes in lineup and what is "all the rage" in metal these days. This band has made some of the best thrash albums I've heard, and this gem from the last year of the 80s is where it all begins...

I believe many of the speedier metalheads around here and out there, whether they like or dislike Annihilator, can agree about how awesome as f*** Alice in Hell is! Dark heaviness, searing technicality, and violent speed is all around. Metal listeners who can't get the hang of this band because of their later albums should give this album some listening. They'll be shocked about the different styles Jeff Waters can put together for a unique original sound. While the later albums have some of those earlier elements, Alice in Hell is where the elements truly shine, in the band's clearest example of traditional/technical thrash metal.

The beautiful intro "Crystal Ann" consists of classical guitar, something that would be integrated into the ballads or softer midsections of songs from the band's next 3 albums and beyond. It's a perfect acoustic start before the tech-thrash booms in. The intro to the classic "Alison Hell" slowly builds things up, then the speed makes its entrance. Clearly the idea of making the track title sound like the album title was taken from Slayer's Reign in Blood. The incredible Randy Rampage (RIP) does an amazing job with his vocals, ranging from thrashy snarling to falsetto screams ("AL-ison Hell!"). The more metallic "W.T.Y.D." (Welcome to Your Death) has a more original lyrical theme. Same with "Wicked Mystic". The lyrics are a bit wacky, but it's a signature aspect for the band, whether you love it or hate it.

It's kinda weird hearing some funky riff-bouncing in "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade", but it works quite well. That song and "Word Salad" has slightly more odder lyrics. For the latter song, Randy Rampage adds more aggression and dignity than Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, enough to make that track a superb highlight. The faster "Schizos (Are Never Alone)" is a mostly instrumental song split into two parts. The only lyrics there are the occasional saying of the song title. Quite a thrasher! A sequel ("Part III") would later be recorded for Rampage's other album with the band, Criteria for a Black Widow.

"Ligeia" continues the occasional crazy randomness. To be honest, the wackiness really is what makes the band unique and different from other classic thrash bands. It really adds a bit of happiness to the darkness without being too comedic. And there's more of that in their later material. "Human Insecticide" is the fastest, most thrashy song in the album. There's even a bit of guitar tremolos that might've planted a seed for classic black metal. No time wasted, nothing toned down, just full-on raging thrash!

All in all, Alice in Hell is a standout gem in the massive discography of Annihilator, as well as thrash metal in general. There's blazing power in every song from the guitars and bass. The vocals really have that charismatic anger. With all that and the great production, Annihilator's debut is perhaps one of the best classic thrash metal albums for me. There are many different twists in the rest of the band's journey, but the open-minded fans, such as myself, can find great enjoyment in them. Not a single thing needs to be changed in this masterpiece. Jeff Waters was once a young fellow ready to develop a long incredible journey, and Alice in Hell is the perfect start of it. Go get it if you haven't!

Favorites: "Alison Hell", "W.T.Y.D." (Welcome to Your Death), "Word Salad", "Schizos (Are Never Alone)", "Human Insecticide"

The Mosquito Control has been made great by its raw heaviness. This is more chaotic than Isis' more evolved works. If the earliest Isis album you have is Oceanic and you want something from them that's deadlier and heavier, just start with Celestial then head down to their EPs leading up to their first, this one!

The first song of their first ever EP "Poison Eggs" just so happens to be one of Isis' best songs! It starts with a minimalistic melody, then percussion and a radar-like noise gets slowly added in until finally reaching the heavy riff chaos with enraged vocals from the mosquito king (Aaron Turner). The song is both rough and great in the music and the vocals. The ending reaches a frantic climax before abruptly stopping for 10 seconds of radio distortion.

"Life Under the Swatter" is more extreme with riffing as fast as the mosquitoes' reflexes and as furious the exterminator they're dodging. The mosquitoes would swarm around him and suck out all his blood dry. Looking deeply, you might find the subtle melodies and percussion Isis would develop later.

"Hive Destruction" starts with an eerily soft melody then the guitars let it rip with something more frightening. "Relocation Swarm" has suspenseful percussion from the start, then adds in strange samples mixed with the brutal growls that is actually just torturous adrenaline. This isn't really the masterpiece people (like Daniel) thought it was, and as much as I'd like to say this is the band's longest at almost 12 minutes, I don't trust its length because the last 5 minutes is just guitar droning and screaming, like My Dying Bride's "The Cry of Mankind" but not that awesome. No wonder I gave this EP 4 stars. However, I enjoy the Japanese edition bonus track, their cover of the industrial sludge classic title track of Godflesh's Streetcleaner. Another reminder for me to step up my industrial metal game!

If you're a new Isis fan, even though this is their very first release, this is not the right place to start. You might get too attached to the heaviness of their EPs and not enjoy their full-length masterpieces. Of course, fans of Isis' full albums will see the grand difference. Though not the best start, this is where Isis' true innovation had just begun....

Favorites: "Poison Eggs", "Life Under the Swatter", "Streetcleaner" (bonus Godflesh cover)

The state of thrash metal was looking very bleak in the 90s. The style was stagnating with not a lot of its bands keeping their audience hooked to what they once thought was great, the scene starting to expect new overly progressive sounds. It might work well for the mainstream, but not for the underground from whence they came. After most of those bands try at least one album in a different style, the result would be to submit to obscurity or vanish from activity...

The mighty tech-thrash lords Coroner have done just that. However, instead of stagnating right away, they've actually planned a more pleasant progressive thrash direction through No More Color and Mental Vortex, so they've done their unique progression just right. However, the groove metal foundation has taken over in Grin.

For the first time since R.I.P. and Punishment for Decadence, the album starts with an intro "Dream Path" which has more of a tribal theme complete with didgeridoo. Then a lethargic pace grips "The Lethargic Age" which is a fairly jumpy ride without ever take a break for relaxation with its main motif similar to the opening track of Mental Vortex. Then the earlier energetic thrash enters the groove arena in "Internal Conflicts" with lively proposition and pounding atmosphere without ruining too much.

Another drastic changer is "Caveat (To the Coming)", another brooding groove track that stealthily hypnotizes the listener into the overall soundscape despite the modern non-thrashy manner. "Serpent Moves" includes synthesized vocals adding to the psychedelic industrial groove nature that might sound closer to Ministry and Treponem Pal with a bit of background synths once in a while. The groove status is maintained in "Status: Still Thinking" with atmospheric riffs in a twisted vortex and dark sinister vibes. Second interlude "Theme for Silence" can almost be a sequel to the first one, keeping the tribal atmosphere and didgeridoo.

The dark vibes continue in "Paralyzed, Mesmerized", a fitting composition that would have the listener feel like that song title, paralyzed and mesmerized, with a creepy string of pieces through melodic motifs and ephemeral leads all in spacey semi-thrash. The title track "Grin (Nails Hurt)" is a little more moderately paralyzing with patient rhythms with consistent grooves that keep you hooked up to a sudden fast crescendo throughout the last couple minutes. This formula would be repeated on the spacey finale "Host" which is an unsettling closer but my favorite in this album, their longest song at 8 and a half minutes, and a true swansong (unless counting their self-titled compilation). The unsettling elements range from the spoken vocals to constant tone changes, the creepy female chants, and finally ending in a sonic swarm of parasitic locusts.

So that marks the end of this great tech-thrash band's first era. Some praise as the band's pinnacle for reaching their final destination in evolution, which I respect for their sense of individuality. Others dislike how they succumbed to the groove metal invasion. At least they imbued their groove metal base into something different. Grin is a more open-minded album, but I wish they would return to their breakneck tech-thrash. That's what I hope for when they release an upcoming album, that and changing their band name so they wouldn't be confused with a certain ongoing virus. Unless you're a thrash purist, Grin should be a worthwhile finale from the creative Swiss metal masters.....

Favorites: "Internal Conflicts", "Caveat (To the Coming)", "Paralyzed, Mesmerized", "Host"

When I've first heard of this band Coroner, I didn't like it at first because I didn't have much of the 80s thrash appeal, but now I've built slight tolerance for some of the best technical thrash metal power reaching the end of thrash's golden decade. Despite being just a live band now until an upcoming album comes out, I still understand their high-level focused musicality that reigns supreme!

The production was outstanding, allowing the thick aggressive drums to be heard without being rendered sterile. The guitar has quite a crunch that stands out. That and the gruff vocals of Ron Royce makes sure that the band doesn't sound like a clone of Metallica, specifically James Hetfield.

The 12-second "Intro" is an odd one, basically consisting of a lot of machinery and concluding with a scream, as if someone was driving a Hummer and accidentally drove off a cliff. Seems kinda pointless, but I'll live with that. It just foreshadows the heavy sampling that makes the album unique. Then the metal action bursts in with "Absorbed". It starts with the signature riffing by Tommy T. Baron, underlying audible bass, and rapid drumming. Ron comes in to yell the lyrics written by drummer Marquis Marky. I think the lyrics are about a guy who gets attacked and lives to see his friend getting killed. The victim who's alive then tries to move on and forget it but gets driven into insanity. Tommy does a mind-blowing solo before the first chorus, then after that chorus, he does another amazing solo better than the first! Ron's vocals work well for the chorus but not so much with the verses that tell the story. Besides that and the production, that song is pretty good. Then we have the ultimate song for Coroner and technical thrash metal, "Masked Jackal"! So amazing! The great riffs, the underlying bass, the rapid drums...all awesome, especially Tommy's tapping solos. Rarely have I heard any tremolo leading from him but it sounds pretty nice there. He overlays the guitar tone, playing both a distorted and clean chord. There's some sampling including a speech and audience applause. Both the amazing music and lyrics might remind some of Megadeth. In the lyrical story, the antagonist is a power-hungry dictator, while the protagonist is some guy thinking of whether or not the dictator's plans are worth it. Overall, that track is an amazing perfect one with Coroner's flawless skills!

Next is the real instrumental "Arc-Lite", which might sound like a thrashier take on Rush's instrumentals. Ron and Marky back Tommy up throughout the song and it works well. After a rapid drum roll intro rarely performed by Marky, it goes into a catchy riff hook that you need to hear to believe. It's just so amazing how in this instrumental, Tommy destroys everything more than any other thrash metal guitarist both American and European. Tommy can pick, skip, tap, and add some classical, jazz, and exotic influences into his amazing guitar playing. Ron didn't get to do his vocals for that song but we do get to experience his nice bass when listened closely. An instrumental shred ride that's never out of place! Next is "Skeleton on Your Shoulder". It sounds like a power ballad at first with acoustic guitar and choir sampling, then heads into a haunting guitar riff backed up by bass and drumming that might've been the inspiration for starting the groove metal genre. Soon it bursts into shredding and thrash metal mayhem. During the verses, Tommy once overlaps the clean and distorted guitar riffs together, sounding great and not like a cheat. Markus really adapts with the sudden time changes. Tommy also does nice tapping that make radical soloing. It's hard to decipher the eccentric lyrics but they can be interpreted in different ways and I say it's closer to an uncommon metal lyrical theme; drug use, specifically acid, which can be heard in the verse lyrics, the drug addiction that might make you dead inside. A great inventive song! Then the next song "Sudden Fall" would really get you hooked in attention. It starts with Tommy burst in a riff going high and low back and forth. Then it goes to a mid-paced groove-inspiring tempo before switching gears when the riffs come in. The thundering bass and rapid drums help the verses and chorus keep the catchiness factor. After a slower guitar riff in the chorus, the song switches to some clean guitar riff and ambient keyboards before going into a tapping solo with Tommy channeling his inner Kirk Hammett. Then it's back to the refrain riff played a little more frequently with a small vocal passage. Then it's back to the first two verses and a chorus repeating until fading while Tommy plays another solo. The lyrics are interesting, taking on the perspective of workers in mines.

"Shadow Of A Lost Dream" opens with a typical thrash riffing section before hinting the progressive groove affair that would later take on their experimental album Grin. The thrash is still there and both styles alternative between one another in the verses with different time and key changes. The lyrical theme here is uncommon for thrash metal besides other bands like Megadeth and is common is many other popular music genres; relationships. The lyrics are about a girl mad at her boyfriend for cheating on her, which you would expect more in an emo band. Of course, it's the instrumental talent and Tommy's soloing that makes the song nice and not like emo. That's probably the worst song of the album, but it still has nice sweeping. Next, "The New Breed" hooks you up with a catchy riff that would make you want more. It starts with a slow tempo before building up faster, then a quick break before Ron starts singing. Tommy's inventive riffing goes well with the incredible bass and technical drumming. Between the verse and chorus is a weird voice sampling. Interesting... More of the skipping, sweeping, and tapping are nicely mixed together into a sick solo with ruling riffs spinning around. The lyrics might be about the war in Afghanistan with the new generation of children born there having to face the terror. But still that song deserves to be on MTV and the radio. Up next is "Voyage to Eternity" which sounds closer to the power/speed metal that would influence Iced Earth. After that great opening to hook you up, it's back to the usual thrash fury with the usual drumming, bass riffs, and speedy guitar shreds. The lyrics that Ron reads out loud are about a spacecraft losing power and breaking down, just hurling into space leaving the pilot to suffer alone with no life support. That's one song in Punishment for Decadence to have a sci-fi theme, but it's not really as thought-provoking as the other songs. Fortunately, the alternate tapping and sweeping makes the song awesome to listen to. There's even a rocket engine sampling right after the solo. Marky's drumming is absolutely punishing in that amazing piece. The album doesn't end there yet, there's one more song and it's a Jimi Hendrix cover, "Purple Haze"! A thrash metal band covering Hendrix, who would've thought? The band executes it flawlessly. Tommy does great thrash shredding, and the rest of the band does a great playing it like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, though Ron's vocals sound nothing like Hendrix. A great fun song to listen to at the end of this dark ride!

Technical thrash is as underrated as this great band Coroner, compared to other bands. This band shows off perfect thrash musicianship, a nice break from later technical death metal bands like Cynic and Atheist who just feel like showing off, period. With Punishment for Decadence, Coroner's unique technical thrash deserves great credit!

Favorites: "Masked Jackal", "Skeleton on Your Shoulder", "The New Breed", "Voyage to Eternity", "Purple Haze"

I've been a big fan of technical/progressive metal for almost 6 years now, but never really the old 80s thrash metal. Of course, sometimes exceptions are made because the progressive elements I really enjoy spice up the thrash. That's certainly the case for Coroner! In my previous Coroner reviews, I've mentioned that this band is never really my favorite because of the experimentation weighing heavily against the heaviness it should've had, especially in Mental Vortex, but now I can reconsider that initial thought and finally see that they're one of the most influential Swiss extreme metal bands besides Celtic Frost. Lots of heaviness and Ron Royce's harsh vocals can be found in R.I.P.!

What I like about this band is how it stands out against the typical standard thrash metal bands, such as its unique style. Their instrumental ability helps them become superior compared to other bands in the 80s thrash scene and would give them greater impact in their later albums, all starting in 1987 with this album R.I.P. There's quite a lot of awesome material in here; 13 tracks (including 5 instrumentals) in 45 minutes!

Unusual for a thrash album, the "Intro" is a piano instrumental that kicks off the album which is enjoyable and their own original work. It really has a sinister mood before the raw darkness... The metal action begins with the classic "Reborn Through Hate", still played live since their recent reformation. This song shows how incredibly talented this band is in true aggressive technical thrash metal. I love it! This is followed by another favorite "When Angels Die" with great riffs and chorus both catchy as f***. The choirs are unexpected but bring a unique aspect. It's awesome how the band focuses on inspiration instead of the brutality of other thrash bands. There's another classically-influenced "Intro", followed by... "Nosferatu", an instrumental piece of technical thrash violence, showing the band what a blast they're having without ever f***ing around.

"Suicide Command" stands out in heavy thrash pleasure with prominent bass. "Spiral Dream" has absolutely furious tempo. The album's title track has another classically-influenced intro with a depressive mood before switching an intense f***ing heavy with nice guitar riffs and melodic bass groove. You can hear more of the bass that's high in the mix in the next track "Coma". Same with "Fried Alive" where the bass flawlessly follows the guitar melodies in a smooth pattern. More of the killer technical thrash is there to please me more than Metallica!

Then the next thing present is another little synth "Intro"... And finally, "Totentanz" is another song of technical thrash violence to end the aggression in a powerful bang. And the album ends with an "Outro" that is another thrashy instrumental, this time with sinister keyboards.

Overall, "R.I.P." is a h*ll of a killer album and probably my favorite one of the 80s thrash metal scene, with a primitive feeling that's never bad. Of course, they would become more progressive in subsequent albums which I didn't approve of at first but now I possibly might! I would later have to review the remaining Coroner albums; Punishment for Decadence and the (gulp) mechanical-groove-infused Grin to confirm the band's "favorite" status for myself. But for now, enjoy this early tech-thrash recommendation!

Favorites: Reborn Through Hate, When Angels Die, Suicide Command, R.I.P., Fried Alive, Totentanz

Ever since their 2014 album Massive Addictive, Amaranthe have been in perpetual experimental motion. Some consider this Swedish band to be part of Europe's symphonic metal scene. Well other than a few grand symphonic pieces, and one of the singers, Elize Ryd stepping in as a guest vocalist for Nightwish in place of that band's freshly departed vocalist Anette Olzon for a show, I don't quite get that association. This band is basically metalcore/power metal mixed with euphoric electro-dance-pop.

That divisive mix is what caused the band's sound to slowly drop in quality with the lowest point being Helix. However, while Manifest picks up where that previous album left off, the metal quality seems to skyrocket a bit! Maybe it's all these familiar stars in the metal world guest appearing in this album. Let's see for ourselves...

The first 4 tracks are some of the most killer songs by Amaranthe I've heard since Massive Addictive, starting with "Fearless" where the band fearlessly slays through their trance-metalcore sound like a sci-fi dystopian battle. Then "Make It Better" makes their sound better and more killer than ever before. "Scream My Name" is filled with pyrotechnical synth-guitar duels. "Viral" is a little off because of the gigantic hooks being cheesy, but they're swept away by the triple-vocal attack and crushing metal.

"Adrenaline" leans more towards the Europop side with a cheesy chorus that could've been written/performed by Graham Norton, but the metal sparks are still there. The emotive "Strong" is a strong brilliant duel between Elize and Battle Beast's Noora Louhimo. "The Game" isn't as lightning-fast as DragonForce's song "The Game" but it does have some DragonForce vibes (from their recent synths and motivational lyrics, all it's lacking is the faster speed and the guitar solo being longer). The symphonic cello-infused seductive ballad "Crystalline" dedicated to loved ones passed away or locked away due to the virus. Guest appearing there is Apocalyptica’s Perttu Kivilaakso on cello and Dragonland's Elias Holmlid on keyboard orchestration. This crystalline ballad stands out with its peaceful spacious arrangement. Beautiful!

"Archangel" continues the sinister hooks that flash all over and serves as a bridge between the softest and the heaviest. The heaviest and most innovative song in the album is "BOOM!" which is more of a djentstep rap-filled track similar to Hacktivist with spoken vocals by Butcher Babies vocalist Heidi Shepherd. Harsh vocalist Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson does high-speed Eminem-inspired growl-rapping, which normally I'm not a fan of, but here brings wild technical force. "Die and Wake Up" is my least favorite song here, sounding closer to the cheesy pop metal from the previous two albums in some parts. However, "Do or Die" definitely makes up for that, both the male version and the female version, the latter being limited edition bonus track and an excellent collab with Angela Gossow, returning from the void since her departure from Arch Enemy. The song itself reminds me of Amaranthe's earlier era with radiant riffs and laser synths. There's also a bonus cover of Sabaton's "82nd All The Way" which is pretty cool too.

Amaranthe might not be able to hook all their listeners, new and longtime, but it is more likely with this album Manifest. This is their strongest effort in 5 years, putting much of their sound in glory and honor, thanks to half of the songs being solid, plus a few amazing guests. One of Sweden's most diverse non-progressive bands is still rising!

Favorites: "Fearless", "Make It Better", "Strong", "Crystalline", "BOOM!", "Do or Die" (both the male and female versions)

Coldrain have travelled far out of their homeland of Japan to pick up more alt-metalcore influences for their initial post-hardcore sound. Masato and Y.K.C. are the two key members of the band, doing all the songwriting and performing the best vocals and lead guitar respectively, though rhythm guitarist Sugi, bassist RxYxO, and drummer Katsuma are great as well. I don't know how Michael Baskette, the producer of Slash, Alter Bridge, and Trivium made this album lightyears better than his previous produced album Fateless, but it's a blessing after a curse!

If there's any fan who had the same opinion as I had about Fateless when they had to wait for the next album, whether or not they've been patient, a great reward has been earned. The Side Effects the perfect post-hardcore/alt-metalcore addition to the band's discography. Coldrain sure know how to spice up the pop hype when adding pop elements to their sound. And with 4 awesome singles released in advance, they show what a sight and listening the album is to behold...

The song "Mayday" kickstarts the album in a bang and includes killer vocals from Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake. Apparently, Masato also guest starred in Crystal Lake's single which makes me curious about listening to that song. "Mayday" didn't become a single until later when it became the title song for the anime Fire Force. The song begins with radio samples and an intro solo before the two vocalists harmonize each other in the verses before a crescendo through the chorus and climax. The speed is kicked up high with one of the in-advance singles "Coexist", a futuristic-sounding reflection of the band's roots. Following this is "See You", a simple yet catchy tune worth listening to more than once. You can enjoy singing along to this in an evening drive much more than synthwave, though not a lot of depth here. That's a nice song to get used to before getting more of the loud heaviness. The heavier song "Speak" has screams to pick you up and slam you back down. Those screams are done very well, and that's why Masato deserves his title as the greatest metal screamer in Japan.

The title track, released as a single one day before the album, is a brilliant highlight, having a more metalized Set It Off vibe. Alternating between slow verses and the faster chorus proves to be a successful move for both the vocals and the instrumentation. It is a different side of Coldrain, but you'll definitely wanna sing along. Another single is my second favorite of the album, "January 1st". This is much better than "Whole" from Vena when it comes to proving how good the slower emotional songs can be, and that is how that category should be. Masato sings harmoniously over the instruments to make that song so good, more or less. "Insomnia" is a hard loud buildup of mood. The hardcore-sounding "Answer/Sickness" is the perfect definition of Coldrain. Screams, cleans, guitar solos, pounding drums, breakdowns, time changes, you name it! That one should've ended the album as a perfect sign-off, or maybe be an encore song in concerts. "Breathe" marks a return to Earth for a nice warmup.

"Stay the Course" is entirely cleanly-sung, but the typical instrumentation makes up for that. I like that soloing bridge. What follows is the best standout of the album, "Revolution"! This sneak peek single is beyond d*mn right good, and what got me interested in the band when a friend from the outside world showed me that song and mentioned that it was used as the theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs 2. What an anthem! As always, there are strong screams and clean vocals that marks Coldrain's signature vocal department from Masato. There's even a short rapping verse that works better than even Linkin Park. Then the album ends with "Li(e)fe", which isn't the best song to close an album but I digress. The perfection stays intact!

This is Coldrain's true style, spiced up with a few experiments that work well and are cleverly done. Sure they are a couple songs to struggle with, but you'll get used to them after a bit of warming up. And I'm glad that the band manage to tour for this album before the virus came half a year later. You've done well, Coldrain!

Favorites: "Mayday", "Coexist", "The Side Effects", "January 1st", "Answer/Sickness", "Revolution"

I'm a bit disappointed by this album, and I decided not to write a full review here. But honestly, "Envy" is really good. Same with "Feed the Fire", having a similar vibe to recent In Flames. The rest of the album never really stands out, unlike The Side Effects or even Vena, nothing worth listening to instantly here.

But what sounds great is track 5, "R.I.P." that is worth having on repeat, yet I subtract some points for its chorus that blatantly rips off "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I don't even like RHCP, but the chorus here doesn't do that song justice. What a pity... And what's worse is their cover of Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited". That one is terribly overrated and while metalizing songs are what makes covers the best, all it does was make that song f***ing worse.

What I enjoy in the music itself is both the screaming and clean vocals. However the amount of the latter is stronger and more common than the former, which is fine I guess. So yeah, the 3 singles are good, but nothing really stands out, unlike Vena and especially The Side Effects, the latter making up for everything....

Favorites (only songs I like): "Envy", "Feed the Fire", "R.I.P." (except that f***ing chorus)

Coming in at their 4th album, Coldrain were already tapped out from their epic UK journey and felt ready to make a new album. I'm guessing their tiredness has infected their work because Vena doesn't reach the same heights as their previous two albums.

Sure their sound has already sailed beyond the shores of Japan to please the western lands, but Vena seems to lack the sound you really wanna find. But at least they were confident enough to unleash more metalcore into their contemporary alt-metal/hard rock songs. While this was never THE alt-metalcore album of 2015, you'll hear a good amount of what they had to offer...

The title intro is basically a sonic face kick, attacking with one minute of un-melodic vocals and heavy metalcore riffs. A brutal beginning before the hard rock/metalcore mix to follow... There are well-done moments in "Wrong", to welcome you to actual songs with beefed-up guitars. "Divine" brings the band at friendly competition with Crossfaith without becoming too much of a b****rd hybrid. Staying innovative as ever, the groove and clapping of "Gone" unexpectedly add rock anthem traditions to the lament of a walkaway love. "Words of the Youth" continues the heartful blend of heavy screams and melodic cleans over guitar fire and fury.

"The Story" creates a blustery storm in the chorus to show how hugely famous they are in their homeland. The howling of the unwelcome ballad "Whole" brings the album stuck in a traffic jam-sized standstill that doesn't really go anywhere. Masato sounds just fine in "Runaway", but Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix butts in, he really has his vocal power that make that song another highlight.

I kinda like "Pretty Little Liar" that has powerful harsh vocal techniques to level up the heaviness of the band, though not as much as the heavier extreme bands out there. However, while Masato's vocals are on fire, the actual instrumentation fails to make a laser-powerful impact and is a bit dull. I find the lovey-dovey "Heart of the Young" too sentimental. Love songs are overrated! They lose more of their key features in the closing "Fire in the Sky" which, while they stay in dangerously brutal metalcore territory, it doesn't really conclude the album naturally enough to represent the release.

Vena is a well-executed album by a group of young experts crossing over Japanese rock with western alt-metalcore, despite several songs not having enough strength or impact. Coldrain have that crossover mix locked and loaded....

Favorites: "Wrong", "Divine", "Gone", "The Story", "Runaway"

Until the End is a mini-album to expect after the original edition of The Revelation if you don't have its international edition, released over a year after the original album. The EP spawned from when the band was signed to Raw Power, a UK company leading the way for Bullet for My Valentine and Bring Me the Horizon, the former band Coldrain toured with in Europe. Coldrain would also be signed to Hopeless Records in the US, accelerating their global popularity.

Until the End, an EP that can almost be considered a spin-off to The Revelation, is a rich blend of catchy and heavy elements that have almost always stuck with them to the present. Though the international fans might not be used to this change in position...

"Aware and Awake" shows how beyond awesome this band is, especially when you're getting through the tough times of the virus. Some of the best lyrics here include "you can't break me, you can't take me down", "without the word you say, stuck inside my head", and "this life is not a race, you'll find your own escape". This is the music global fans were waiting for, more than Bullet for My Valentine or Amon Amarth. Absolutely exciting! Next up, the aggressive "Evolve" shows Masato once again having his angelic singing and demonic screaming. Masato really f***ing unleashes his singing power in "You Lie", a bit like Simple Plan's "Your Love is a Lie" but heavier and more powerful.

Speaking of Simple Plan, mix elements of that band with Demon Hunter and you get "Fade Away", a solid highlight! "March On" ticks like a timebomb before you realize that the only explosions here are the occasional bursts of heaviness. "House of Cards" is so good for a slow tune, and the only song that's not in the international edition of The Revelation. Again the songs that are exclusive to one album or another are some of the best!

If you only have the original edition of The Revelation from Japan, I highly recommend getting this EP to complete this mini-saga! Sure one or two of the songs could've been done better, but you know what they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained....

Favorites: "Aware and Awake", "Fade Away", "House of Cards"

In 2014, Coldrain were signed to Raw Power Management, a British company where many bands around the world have been signed to including Bullet for My Valentine, whom Coldrain would tour with in large festivals all over Europe. 7 years active, and this talented group had hit the big time, all thanks to The Revelation! Their third album was released a year prior in the summer of 2013, and I believe a good review is in order!

Now most of the reviewers for this album wrote about the more popular international edition, but I think it makes more sense to review both the original Japanese edition and their subsequent EP Until the End, so I can get the best of both releases. Let's get this war on...

"The War Is On" begins gently, but only for a short intro with soft singing. Then the furious high growls come in along with the heaviness, with everything in perfect balance. The drums and rhythm guitar stand strong. The dark-ish vocals invite you to join the singing, especially the chorus that is like Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong" on steroids. This song would definitely catch on live! Next up, the title track begins differently with a futuristic sci-fi vibe. This is a solid song worth headbanging. The growling vocals fit well with the loudness, with the clean vocals being a good addition. "Falling Forever" is another heavy song. There's a slightly greater balance between the cleans and the growls, the latter being common in the verses. This song works in the mainstream despite the aggression and should be appreciated more, a great song for newcomers!

"Behind the Curtain" has an electronic intro before the superb guitar and drumming crash in. There's some more of the signature growling. With solid rhythm, this is another great track worth headbanging. You just can't stay still! Another song to make live performances more dynamic! Continuing the journey is "Next to You", starting with quiet singing, making you wonder if this is a pleasant ballad that's a nice break from the singing/growling heaviness, and indeed it is, other than the chorus and bridge. You can pay more attention to the lyrics that are more cleanly sung than the previous songs. This mix of fury and balladry makes that song one of the band's most diverse and also one of the best of the album and live! Now time for the "Timebomb", beginning with a solid guitar/bass intro. The vocals have more dynamic aggression, rushing through subtle reverb. The guitar is important for the nice beat here, especially the fantastic solo. A beautiful song of variety!

For the next song "Voiceless", if you thought this would be a calm instrumental, you'd be wrong! Already you hear heavy drums, powerful guitars, and strong bass, one of the heaviest songs of the album. The vocals are absolutely solid, driving you through the instrumentation and lyrics. An exciting jumper! Next, "Chasing Dreams" is inspirational in both the song and the title to motivate you to chase your dreams away from darkness into positive light. The song starts with soft piano that signifies something different to go on in this song. Overcoming struggles with persistence in a nice message, this is absolutely inspiring! That track ends the international edition, but we still have two more tracks to comment on in the original Japanese edition. "Given Up on You" pulls you in right away with the singing. The song has great variation in the instrumentation. The dramatic feeling makes you realize the band's resilience after a huge disappointment which I think is their punky debut album. Drums and guitars beautifully share the spotlight. Just like Voivod's self-titled album, the ending song is titled "Carry On", which I have no words to say if I don't wanna ruin the delicate motivational message.

I think I made the right choice reviewing the original Japanese (released in Japan, not Japanese language) edition of this album. Besides wanting to get the full experience in the album and its subsequent EP, the 3 tracks exclusive to that edition are some of the best by the band, and I feel bad for people who only have the international edition. You don't know what you're missing! Anyway, whichever edition you want, The Revelation shall be owned by any fan of loud heaviness. Some songs really deserve radio play. All I'm saying is give Coldrain a chance!

Favorites: "The War Is On", "Falling Forever", "Next to You", "Voiceless", "Chasing Dreams"

Formed in the late 2000s, performing in big Japanese music festivals and ending up in soundtracks for sports games and anime series, it was the first half of the 2010s when they really started fitting well with the western scene. The mini-album Through Clarity sounds heavily influenced from the titanic UK metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine, with production by David Bendeth who would also help mixing albums by Bring Me The Horizon and Of Mice & Men. All that has really paid off...

After the release of their next album The Revelation, the band ended up on tour in the UK with BFMV, and they would also be signed to Raw Power Management which has the bands David Bendeth worked with including BMTH and OM&M (the latter acronym sounds like a candy). And it's all thanks to Coldrain's musical direction.

The EP bursts into the opening track "No Escape" which was already a pre-release single a month in advance. Heavy riffs go as lightning fast as thrash alongside relentless drumming and screams in a seamless that would leave even metal purists hungry for more. While all tracks in the EP are equally strong standouts, that one is the most unique in the vocals ranging between cleans, screams, growls, and whispers. A perfect combination! If you wanna sink into soloing waters, look no further to "Persona" with a beautiful soloing bridge before the final chorus. "The Future" is unfortunately slightly corny, sounding more forced with lack of emotional spark. It sounds more generic and fits better in a plain emo-rock album like their debut Final Destination. That's why this EP rating is a half-star short from perfection.

The much better "Six Feet Under" has brilliant vicious screaming with lyrical insanity, though there's still its melodic nature. That's the alt-metalcore/post-hardcore you're looking for! It has the perfect marriage of heavy screaming and melodic singing, along with heavy guitar groove. My personal favorite here is "Never Look Away". After a soft riff and delicate vocals, the torrential onslaught rises and builds up into an intense crescendo achieved in the chorus, and the momentum is maintained. The ending track "Inside of Me" is the most BFMV-inspired song, a bit like that band's hit "Tears Don't Fall", and the solo near the end would make you deny that this is the end of the EP.

Through Clarity is the EP that would eventually spark the impact an eastern band like Coldrain would have in the western metal scene. Almost none of the tracks are super weak, and the EP is indeed a grand prelude to the next full album. The west shall let in the eastern storm!

Favorites: "No Escape", "Six Feet Under", "Never Look Away"

If you're a nu metal/alt-rock fan, you'll for sure love this album from this English-singing Japanese band! The Enemy Inside is a great improvement from their band's earlier releases. Final Destination was a false punky start for the band. While their debut had a few good songs like "Fiction", the incredible title track, and "Counterfeits & Lies", but that's all there is to like there. Their second release, the EP Nothing Last Forever is much better produced with great tracks that aren't totally bad...

The Enemy Inside is the band's second full album and third release, and if you think there would be something disappointing, there isn't! This is the album to start your perfect Coldrain journey if you're up for a mix of nu-metal/alt-rock/metalcore.

The heavy energy they possess begins with "To Be Alive", and that's what they need for stage performances like the live DVD Three Days of Adrenaline. You don't often hear a song like "New Fate" that would never get too old. "Rescue Me" is a great song that's never awful. "Adrenaline" is another great highlight to like, and it definitely makes me up to support this band even more.

"You" is a beautiful song, showing that the band never had to translate from Japanese when writing lyrics in English. "The Maze" is also beautiful, one of the best pieces of art in this album. The bridge is performed by Mah of SiM, a fellow Japanese band that can mix mathy alt-metalcore with Central American reggae. "Rise and Fall" is another grand highlight, far better than that sh*tty Helloween song of the same title. I really appreciate this one with all my heart, and it has motivated this alt-metalcore side of me to develop. Coldrain is one of my 3 favorite Japanese metalcore bands (alongside FALILV and Crossfaith), and that song deserves to give this underrated band more attention.

"Confession" is a ballad-like song that can work as a victory song for a sporting event like the Tokyo Olympics coming soon as of this review. "A Tragic Instinct" is also emotional, yet a more upbeat tune. For the final track "Hollow", HOLY SH*T, this is tremendous! This is one of the most underrated songs by this underrated band. Definitely something the heavier fans would love!

Again, if you love nu metal/alt-rock but wanna hear that style mixed with something different, Coldrain is a band you'll love to bits. You should really keep this album if you ever get it. I guarantee your enjoyment!

Favorites: "To Be Alive", "Adrenaline", "The Maze", "Rise and Fall", "Hollow"

Now this is a much better early part of Coldrain's career! Nothing Lasts Forever is a short EP that very well should've replaced the weak emo second half of their debut Final Destination for a better debut album. This is a heavier way for western-inspired Japanese alt-metalcore band Coldrain to kick things into a high gear.

Since their formation in 2007, the band's lineup has stayed intact; vocalist Masato, guitarists Y.K.C. and Sugi, bassist RxYxO, and drummer Katsuma. Their sound is a mix of alt-metal/post-hardcore/metalcore, though the metal was mostly absent in their debut. Thanks to Masato being taught English by his American mother, the lyrics are written in English, making them more globally accessible than most other Japanese bands. This emotional EP Nothing Lasts Forever amazes me with their roots growing heavier.

The EP starts with the powerful "Die Tomorrow", mixing catchiness with violence. Already we find the classic metalcore punches with Masato's screamed vocals and the heaviness of the rhythm and riffs, before switch to their alt-metal side with the cleanly-sung chorus. Then comes the next track "We're Not Alone", where massive heaviness of the rhythms and leads while Masato sings cleanly. During then, the band makes sure Masato is not alone. The daredevil move of covering a song pays off with "Stuck", a cover of that Stacie Orrico hit. Their alt-metalcore sound fits well with the catchy pop writing, that's the kind of covers I like!

The more aggressive "After Dark" has more atmospheric riffing from the clean guitar. The screams stay in the background though. However, "The Youth" is filled with screams in different sections especially the final chorus, plus a breakdown to add to the intensity. The EP ends with a surprise, their first semi-acoustic ballad "Miss You", where Masato and Sugi take the front stage, the latter bringing his clean/acoustic guitar.

In a world where western bands rival against Japanese bands, Coldrain helps break up the war with their English-sung solution. The band also create their own mix of styles without reinventing the wheel. They can compose moments loud and quiet, and write deep lyrical topics. A promising release for a young energetic band of the rising sun!

Favorites: "Die Tomorrow", "Stuck", "The Youth"

Before discovering this band Coldrain, I was never too sure about checking out Japanese metal bands since most of them sing in their native language, but this band sings in English! Vocalist Masato learnt to speak fluent English when he was young, thanks to his American English teacher who is also his mother.

The band sold 2000 copies of their now-unknown demo discs before they were signed to Nippon TV's VAP in 2008. They've stunned their homeland with music, images, and videos. However, their debut album Final Destination has production that can be equal to when a piece of meat is ruined by sweat and cooked in plastic wrapping. And while guitar intertwining and Masato's vocals mixing heavy and melodic are key elements to their sound, they don't level up the emo-rock sound that's not like subsequent albums.

I'm just going to talk about the first half of the album which is the better half here, starting with the killer title track that would become a live staple for the band. "Counterfeits & Lies" is probably part of the demo the band sent to Nippon TV to get signed, with lyrics battling the evil side of TV, the kind of lyrics VAP might praise. They've worked hard on "Someday" with good results to possibly get out the day-jobs described in the lyrics. "Fiction" is one of two songs (besides "8AM") to have a pre-album single, and seems a bit two-faced. "Just Tonight" is a nice catchy tune that I like. "24-7" also falls into the two-faced trap, and that's my cue to skip commenting on the rest...

Despite the lack of proper metal songs and mediocre production, the energy is still around as much as in their live shows to win them the acclaim they earned. I personally think they should've replaced the second half of this album with their first EP Nothing Lasts Forever, then leave said second half as an EP with the songs from the "8AM" single as bonus tracks. Yeah their first EP would be much better and heavier. This band had a lot to work on before their actual final destination....

Favorites (only songs I like here): "Final Destination", "Counterfeits & Lies", "Someday", "Just Tonight"

Cult of Luna has already been known as one of the most consistent bands of post-sludge with destructive and pensive walls of sound. In this album, they share their defining qualities with those of someone who has joined forces with them for a collaboration, Julie Christmas! Let me just say that her vocals are impressively diverse. Her vocals range from distinct singing to vicious shrieks to floating cries that she had been known for in her noise-rock/metal projects Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice.

Mariner is a collaboration of both artists' sounds, as if two lone particles in the universe have met each other to create some kind of object. Cult of Luna's evolution of sound that would affect later releases is all thanks to Julie Christmas and her dash of variation.

The album commences with "A Greater Call", beginning with melodies drifting into a space environment, note by note, before the sludgy riffs explode like a big bang along with vocals from the Cult of Luna vocalists and Julie Christmas. "Chevron" is more equal-sounding in terms of involvement. In this song, Julie's vocals warps from girlish singing to coherent shouting, as if Avril Lavigne joined a post-sludge band. Yet there's plenty of space for Cult of Luna's illustrative grooves and luminous electronics.

"The Wreck of S.S. Needle" is where Cult of Luna has their typical sludgy riffs picking up where they left off from Vertikal. However, they're newly defined by Julie's eccentric vocal textures, in a feeling contrast of bliss and anxiety, something Cult of Luna had never ordinarily done before. The expansive "Approaching Transition" has limitless post-metal ingredients including timbre guitars, undulated bass, hypnotic rhythms, and beautiful cleans from the band's clean vocalist Fredrik Kihlberg, all blended together for a peaceful galactic atmosphere. It is slightly draggy for a 13-minute song, but soon the shouts from unclean vocalist Johannes Persson keep you awake in the second half.

Nailing this instrumentation-vocal balance, "Cygnus" is a 15-minute epic that you need and might just love. This is one of the most inspirational songs of recent times, from when I'm writing my review right now with my Beats headphones turned slightly up for a massive boost without deafening myself to look up to the stars and imagine what the rest of the universe is like at the very edge. Seriously, this is one of my current favorite songs, from the pleasantly killer first 6 minutes (with a f***ing awesome solo in the middle) to the 3-minute ambient interlude to the intense last 6 minutes, with the drummer building intense tension throughout the song. D*mn, just D*MN, that 6-minute final part is one of the most brutally insane and greatest moments in post-metal and probably all of metal and music. Before we get to that, let me just say Julie Christmas is beyond g****mn amazing! Her unique vocals helped turned this long track into an epic. Those vocals have stunned me and left me on the brink of emotional tears. The music itself is so unreal and flawless, but she does a grand job helping out. Like I said, what makes this track the best and most epic of the album is that 6-minute ending. The final part starts with a F***ING BRUTAL minute of Christmas screaming at the top of her lungs. Then neurogenesis happens; we transcend across the solar system then beyond the galaxy and the universe itself with magnificently emotional vocals in the foreground over the underlying Twinkle Twinkle Little Star-like background vocal loop. She's a goddess of the post-metal universe! I love this amazing song so much, it might've surpassed much of the band's material. That whole song is EPIC!!! An album ending like no other...except for a bonus track in the vinyl version, "Beyond the Redshift", a 12-minute space-ambient instrumental epilogue. At that point, you have fully stopped after no longer seeing the universe far out of reach, leaving you stranded in the infinite void of darkness, and you slowly disappear as all your particles fade away.

Mariner is one of those albums that requires multiple spins to fully absorb what it truly contains. This Cult of Luna-Julie Christmas collaboration album is a vibrant achievement, and her fresh stellar vocals have progressed through melody and emotional intensity. You did well, Christmas!

Favorites: "Chevron", "The Wreck of S.S. Needle", "Cygnus", "Beyond the Redshift" (bonus track)

Cult of Luna is pretty much my favorite atmospheric post-sludge band. They're complex and ambient yet straighter than other amazing bands of the genre that would follow because of this band, bands like the pioneering Neurosis with tribal elements and Isis that has taken a more rock-ish side in their last two albums. Cult of Luna always has this developing formula of heavy and quiet in their post-sludge sound. They do really well at bringing the emotion to maximum impact, and there are so many great albums within the two decades they've been around. The band has reached their peak in their third and fourth albums, yet instead of peering out like other bands, they're still incredibly strong with their eighth album A Dawn to Fear helping Cult of Luna demonstrate their songwriting with more refine elements.

At first listen, A Dawn to Fear might sound cliché with all of its famous ingredients like sludgy guitars, rumbling bass, and synth riffs together with clean sections, along with Johannes Persson’s roars to massively overlay the sound. However, the more you explore, the more the album opens up to you, the more you realize Cult of Luna move out of the cold metal feel of Vertikal and Mariner back to the warm organic tone of Somewhere Along the Highway and Eternal Kingdom. For every massive riff crushing the listener, there's a carefully layered melody to revive them. If there's something the album relies less on, it's the massive climaxes of intense apocalyptic power that you would find at the end of albums like Somewhere Along the Highway and Mariner. Instead the songs are more moody and sometimes the mood is still intense. The warm organic feel of this album and Somewhere Along the Highway helps the cold parts of the latter become more warm through images of hills and forests...

"The Silent Man" is anything but silent. That song can be considered kind of a prequel to Somewhere Along the Highway's "Dark City, Dead Man" in both the music and story. "Lay Your Head to Rest" is a sludgy doom dirge with droning synth followed by lumbering bass and pounding drumming crashing in with sonic guitar riffing. Along with Persson’s roaring, the song is so intense and maybe even as transcendent as The Infinite wants it to be. Despite that song being the shortest of the album (at 6 minutes, contrasting with the 10+ minute epics trademark to post-metal), it is probably one of my favorites of the album.

A solid intro starts the title track with a few minutes of Fredrik Kihlberg's clean singing. However, the metal part that starts halfway through the song is a little more dragging than engaging. That doesn't affect the album's perfection though, but I don't see why they chose to name the album after that song. With a mood of sinister serenity, "Nightwalkers" has an anxious feeling helped by frantic percussion and dark riffing similar to their self-titled debut, including the drop C tuning in the first half and ending.

The new tone is best expressed in "Lights on the Hill", the album's 15-minute epic crown that starts the second disc. Instead of booming into massive riffs right away, the guitars start a bit restrained for a while as moody synths and clean guitar lines settle in, the latter soon evolving into rock-ish layers while having space to breathe. They keep playing all over each other for a serene sound. Then the massive riffing begins and is spaced out throughout the song. This is a good song to listen to while sitting near the campfire in a grassy countryside on a grey sunsetting dusk. Excellent epic! The purpose of "We Feel the End" is to take a soft break after all that intricacy. Kihlberg sings over guitar and synth, still shining over mellow distortion. This serene tune might just be my favorite song with Kihlberg singing, much better than the song that ended Vertikal!

At that point, I was getting a little sleepy over that song's negative side effects that the riffs of "Inland Rain" didn't help me listen to half of it, let alone remember. This is probably because once you reach the one-hour mark right after a ballad, you don't expect the album to end there, and what do you get instead? Two songs lasting 20 minutes in total!! That seems a little much... Fortunately, restoring the album's perfection and waking me up once more is the 13-minute epic "The Fall"! It's heavier than "Lights on the Hill", yet slightly shorter and less dynamic. Nonetheless, "The Fall" is a brilliant powerful closing epic.

So things got a little critical before the grand finish, but the enthralling atmosphere and writing makes up for all those mistakes and maintains the album's perfect glory. A Dawn to Fear is another masterpiece to help Cult of Luna keep their titanic reign in the post-metal scene. The mature focus and compelling sound has made this album another one of my favorites of the band, and probably the best of 2019 (take that, DragonForce's Extreme Power Metal)!

Favorites: "Lay Your Head to Rest", "Lights on the Hill", "We Feel the End", "The Fall"

There seemed to be a lot of anticipation going during the 5 years of absence for Cult of Luna, on whether or not a new album would come. With other bands of the ambient post-sludge metal scene either also taking a break, splitting up, or moving to a different sound, the fanbase was really getting hungry for new music. Fortunately, I joined the fan-group super late (4 months before this review), so I wasn't that hungry. I still feel how joyful those fans are when the band announced this album Vertikal!

According to a secret-unveiling interview, this album is based on one of the oldest movies to be set in an industrial dystopia, Metropolis (NOT the Dream Theater concept Metropolis, though that would've been something). Quite a charming concept, but many fans weren't ready for a radical sound change showing different unusual sound layers to the band's earlier material. Industrial machinery soundscapes paint abstract monotone soundscapes like that of the cover art (Did I mention how much I like abstract arts?) mixed with sonic layers of electronic noises, giving the album more ambience than the band has had before. It's quite a challenge...

Different strokes of composition are already hinted track #1, "The One", the opening intro that demonstrates the band's new electronic tendencies, unleashing a slow gentle beat, entering the bleak desolate dystopia. "I, the Weapon" jumps right in with a modulated vocal trade-off between screams and cleans, alongside distorted guitar and synth-bombs. The song may seem simple at first, then the dynamics constantly twist and turns as you roam through the hazy misty city. This emotional rollercoaster has been structured to take you straight through a climatic line without ever needed to build up for a bit of cohesive tension throughout. Then at the 5-and-a-half-minute mark, the instrumentation takes a break for some air and a perfect beautiful feeling of closure to transition to the next track that's much longer...

I'm not kidding when I say that the epic "Vicarious Redemption" is so amazing and long that they should've made an EP consisting of this song and the remix by Godflesh's Justin Broadrick so I could review them on my own. It is the longest song made by Cult of Luna with a staggering yet glorious 19 minutes in length! I must admit though that it's easy to get lost in the overlong 5-minute intro of repetitive beats and light chords with the feeling of walking into a deserted factory. Soon the abandoned furnace starts coughing up smoke. You realize what's gonna happen and begin to run away to avoid the explosion and get fresh air. Around the 7-minute mark the riffs builds up as the furnace opens and you see the bodies of the factory workers who have perished by the furnace. Once the heaviness comes in and the vocals begin, tension builds up as you get pummeled and the revived machine begins its objective to devour you. You run on the conveyor belt that goes as fast as a treadmill on steroids for several minutes. Right at the 11-minute mark, there's a dubstep break (you read right, F***IN' DUBSTEP!!), and after that, you get tossed away by the conveyor belt's fast speed during the most amazing guitar exchange in a two-minute crescendo. The trade-off ends and finally, there's the last 5 minutes of beautiful tension and blissful anger, as you try to find the turn-off-switch for the furnace. You managed to turn the furnace off, and the factory becomes cold again, though your blood feels warm after feeling the furnace fire. You leave the factory and vow never to go back there again. A mighty pinnacle of the band's tenure!

Bordering this midway point of the album is the uneventful interlude "The Sweep", probably the weakest part of the album, and this next track doesn't help. "Synchronicity" is a bad song. Not saying it's bad enough to be a sh*tter (otherwise this album would go less than 4.5 stars), but it leaves me out in the coldness of the negative unrelatable space within the band's universe. It has curious layers of synths and guitars, but it's not that interesting. Unlike the better "Mute Departure", which starts with an immerse industrial keyboard intro. The voice of an angel appears, singing into your ear a lullaby to put you in an ecstatic trance. This song is so emotionally crushing that I would consider it the second-highest point of both the album and the band's career (the first of course being "Vicarious Redemption"). It drags you through an atmospheric escape from reality with ravenous vocal fury. Beginning the last quarter of the journey is another pointless disharmonic interlude "Disharmonia". Then "In Awe Of" is more similar to the band's earlier works, especially the riffing with a sense of comfort. Finally, quieter times arrive with the soothing yet sinister ending song "Passing Through".

It is quite shocking that Cult of Luna has kept staying fresh and original after being absent for so long, yet at the same time, they picked up new electronic experimentation along the way. It was a kind gracious time, and their sense of identity was renewed and transposed into sonic brilliance for listeners to escape the dimension that is Vertikal. Their other albums were emotional, but this one have a feeling of balance between harsh mechanical coldness and humane solace of warmth. And I'm sure many fans have appreciated the sentiment given from those godly post-sludge masters. While almost every song is a puzzle piece of a masterpiece, the interlude and song in the middle aren't that strong though still a bit decent. However, with immensely high quality in every other song, it's impossible not to love an amazing album like Vertikal. Cult of Luna took a radical leap into something different, and in the end, I can marvel at another one of these magical post-sludge wonders!

Favorites: "I, the Weapon", "Vicarious Redemption", "Mute Departure", "In Awe Of"

In the age of the internet, post-metal became more popular. Sludgy post-metal bands like Isis and the more alternative post-metal bands like Tool keep spawning and touring with each other, giving the lesser known band more exposure. Post-metal basically (obviously) combines the tranquil post-rock with crushing metal. One of those bands is Cult of Luna with their own cult fanbase praising them for their unique atmosphere and the sung-screamed vocal combo that was growing at the time. It's hard to get into the band's music right away, whether listening to their previous albums Salvation and Somewhere Along the Highway at home overnight or on your iPod while shopping. Almost 4 months have gone by since I started listening to this band. While both of those albums are true masterpieces, it's not the same for the still great Eternal Kingdom!

One notable thing is the track-listing for this album. Those two previous albums each have a massive four 10+ minute epics, while the first and second albums each have two, but Eternal Kingdom has only one. The length isn't a problem nonetheless because the album is very good and it's an hour long. Throughout this hour, the music peaks high and low with ambient moments and the right times to attack. However, there isn't a lot new here, and it seems like another routine album, so if you're expecting any new sounds, well it's better to expect what they have.

The first track "Owlwood" is a bit misleading with its tedious twists and turns. Same for the title track, which is good but it threatens to switch off your attention for this album. So far this is kind of a dull start unlike the previous album's "Finland". However, LIKE "Finland", this next track "Ghost Trail" is a long journey, lasting 12 minutes. This is pure incredible post-sludge brilliance for this band! The second quarter of the song (from the 3 to 6 minute marks) is one of the most brilliant moments in the history of music, along with that kick-A breakdown shortly after the 9-minute point. This clearly explains the album's concept. based on the diary of a madman who was locked up in a mental asylum after being falsely accused of murdering his wife by drowning her in the river of the Näcken. The diary would be contributed by creatures known as the "owl men" and the "tree men" to help clear his name. Interesting concept for an ambient sludge metal album showing how awesome the band is. Praise the Cult!!

"The Lure" is just a soft eerie interlude. However, you just gotta listen to "Mire Deep"! It's shorter (5 minutes) but it has a great amount of time changes, advance notes, and guitar variations. "The Great Migration" should've also been a pre-album single. It kicks in a great ominous riff from the classic era of the band's first two albums, along with great guitar rhythm. A dynamic composition! I wish it was longer than 6 and a half minutes...

Sampler Anders Teglund has made interesting contributions to the interlude "Österbotten", as talented as a classical composer! "Curse" is an absolutely mesmerizing track. The mellow ambient interlude "Ugin" reminds some of Earth and Katatonia. "Following Betulas" is an epic ending with horns and guest vocals by David Sandström (Refused).

Eternal Kingdom might not be an improving step from their previous 3 albums, but I believe Cult of Luna has many other great albums that would later come. Despite the impressive writing and recording, this album could never beat Somewhere Along The Highway. Eternal Kingdom still remains an essential Cult of Luna album, and the more you listen to it, the more it grows on you. This is good advice for any new fans of Cult of Luna so they wouldn't give up after their first try. If you're already a fan of that band, you know that this album deserves for anyone interesting in trying some sweet progressive post-sludge metal!

Favorites: "Ghost Trail", "Mire Deep", "The Great Migration", "Following Betulas"

New genres are often created by longtime chain reactions of old genres, often mixed with others. It started with the bands that opened the gates of rock 'n' roll, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, with a touch of R&B. Then the garage rock movement spawned two genres that would later expand; punk rock and heavy metal. Thrash metal puts together those two genres in a fast complex mix. Then the awful nu metal slowed it down and added some industrial/hip-hop. But a different descendant had other plans... Sludge metal slowed the thrash down, but instead of the dreaded hip-hop, it was much slower, the slowness borrowed from another metal sibling, doom metal. Then what happens when Cult of Luna mixes that style with the ambiance of Mogwai and Godspeed You!? That's right, post-sludge!!

Isis had already formed that style, but together with Cult of Luna, they helped pave the way for heavier bands like Jesu and mellower bands like Pelican. However, Cult of Luna are still stuck in the middle. They're less mainstream than other post-sludge bands, they don't twist or evolve as much as Isis, they don't have Pelican's major keys, and they're not as vocal-driven as Neurosis. Cult of Luna are different, and that's what makes them one of the most unique bands in the world today, and this album, along with Somewhere Along the Highway, are perfect examples of what they can do.

The songs are all long, half of which go over 10 minutes, starting with the 12-minute "Echoes". It's only half as long as Pink Floyd's song "Echoes", but Cult of Luna's song is heavier. First there's a 4-minute intro with guitars following the title, just one-note echoes. So hauntingly beautiful... I think grindcore fans might find it boring. Then the rest is post-sludge history with a slow heavy groove riff. "Vague Illusions" is another long song, this time at 10 minutes, keeping up their post-sludge game.

"Leave Me Here" has a killer first verse, then it slows down for an amazing mellow beat going on for the next two minutes. Sometime during those two minutes, anyone expecting a buildup back to heaviness might be surprised that they didn't get it right away. The drums and vocal chants all stop leaving the mellow riff there. Then the heaviness crashes in again. A lot of good unexpected parts can be found in the song, but it's all centered around a heavy changing riff. Another good mellow part is the former half of "Waiting for You", which gets unpredictable after that half. At the 6-minute mark, the heaviness comes in for 4 minutes, but right at its building climax, it abruptly stops. Annoying at first, but I like it. "Adrift" is another heavy and d*mn interesting song with effects adding to the mood. The guitars stay in a steady drone beat, keeping the song floating adrift.

"White Cell" sounds to an even heavier stoner, almost in an Electric Wizard kind of way. While most of the album's vocals are hardcore yells, the uncommon clean vocals are fully used for the first time in "Crossing Over". This beautiful ballad has some of the least subtle effects in the album, taking over much of the song. It would be too much to count that entire song when describing the really good clean parts of the album. "Into the Beyond" (which looks and sounds like an outtake from The Beyond album) is yet another h*lla long epic with a great mellow intro. It greatly builds up with cool tremolo, bass, and drums, other than the uncool cymbal. Once again, the song continues the heavy-mellow alternation throughout and before closing the album on a perfect note.

All in all, Salvation is a kick-A post-sludge masterpiece. It's good in both the clean and heavy parts. Sludgy heaviness to the max! Everyone knows what they're doing. While I definitely love this album, I have to say this album is not for any casual listeners. A regular metalhead might dig the heavy parts but hate the spacey mellowness. For a soft ambient listener, it's vice versa. If you're a more open-minded fan, go get it, and if you're on your phone then lock yourself and do nothing on your phone except listen to the album for a spiritual journey. And please don't listen while driving your car in case the unexpected causes you to crash. Total immersion for total post-sludge genius!

Favorites: "Echoes", "Leave Me Here", "Adrift", "Into the Beyond"

From industrial metal depths rises a relentless beast from the parallel dimension of post-metal to stomp out the industrial nu metal race just for its own ambient sound! After the cryptic debut, Cult of Luna's second album The Beyond takes you beyond apocalyptic realms through a post-sludge wormhole. Back then, the band was still at their heaviest with thundering time-shattering guitars and the lion-roars of vocalist Klas Rydberg, building a thick sludgy wall. The production is an abyss of rich distortion.

Like their debut, not including the interludes, the 8 songs range in an average of almost 10 minutes, and they all including soft breaks, intense buildups, and straight-up colossal riff storms. This adventurous stylistic concept has broken many conventions thereby making this album a very unique one.

"Inside Fort Meade" is just a programmed introduction track. Then "Receiver" crashes in like a sudden massive earthquake that could destroy the world more than a nuclear bomb factory. The chaotic bass supports the psychotic guitar, attacking with drone-ish distortion in treacherous layers, almost as much as the final Celtic Frost album Monotheist. This song still reigns supreme with mixed feelings of comfort and intimidation. The guitar tone is made monstrous by competent riffs all in perilous spirals. "Genesis" is a good long example of heavy and mellow alternation with an almost cosmic feel. The emotional main lead of "The Watchtower" makes that song one of the greatest of the album. Love that one!

The beginning of "Circle" sounds a little similar to country, but it's way better than the country pop s*** on the radio. Then it builds up into post-sludge heaviness. "Arrival" is one of two songs in the album with audio samples from Noah Chomsky, similar to the band's debut. The song itself is filled with waves of crushing tyranny to help you feel like one with the infinitely expanding universe. "Leash" works well mostly to drive through the exciting experimentation Cult of Luna is known for to keep their audience awake. Instead of just force-choking the listener with heavy guitar distortion, there's more variation in the sound, continuing the heavy-mellow alternation.

The crushingly beautiful interlude "Clones" drives through backwards-played guitar. "Deliverance" seeps through sick guitar ambiance and pounding drumming, all before a rising outro of tranquility. "Further" is a doomy finale pushing the ambience further into hinting at their next album, with vocals staying above riff waves. The song and album ends with one more Noah Chomsky audio-sampled quote.

With the distinguished vocals of Rydberg leading a diabolical tone, The Beyond can devastate mankind from the ground up. Though this is the band's second album, this is where Cult of Luna truly began their post-sludge reputation with continuous answers to the dark secrets of the universe. You can hear beyond what meets the eye!

Favorites: "Receiver", "The Watchtower", "Leash", "Further"

The millennial turn was a strange time for many metal genres. Metallica switched to short-hair alt-metal/hard rock. The more successful death metal/grindcore bands have either split, lost their labels, or went highly experimental. One of the Cavalera brothers left Sepultura for his own band. Pantera split up due to conflict and Phil Anselmo's heroin addiction. Many classic heavy metal bands were becoming less popular. And groove metal bands (before Lamb of God) have fallen into the dreaded expanding nu metal scene. At least there are a few rising exploding scenes that I definitely enjoy. Metalcore and melodeath have been a few of my favorites for a few years, but a genre I just started diving into is...post-metal, an ambient compositional metal genre developed by Neurosis, Isis, and of course, Cult of Luna!

The self-titled debut from these Swedish post-sludge masters marks the beginning of a journey through introspective smoothness and heaviness mixed together, a year after Isis started a similar journey with their debut Celestial. Cult of Luna's debut was originally released on a relatively unknown record label, but it wasn't until the re-release of the album on their newly signed label Earache and the release of their next album when the band started become noticeable. The debut's songs consist of violent riffs and loud noise with synth loops through a hardcore climax. This primal persona of raw rage might be simpler than say Neurosis' Enemy of the Sun, but it's all about the attitude...

Many of the songs here are long with atmospheric keyboards, starting with "The Revelation Embodied", opening this ambient adventure with brooding darkness before descending through sludgy guitar riffs. After the first couple minutes, the gears are set abruptly to violently strike you in the head repeatedly with a hammer of pummeling riffing and intense hardcore shouting. The hammer keeps growing until it become big enough to smash you to pieces. Another similarity between this album and earlier albums of Neurosis' post-sludge era is the trade-off of nightmarish harsh vocals and uncanny audio samples. Continuing the recollections of early-90s post-sludge Neurosis, "Hollow" starts with a rude awakening riff beginning a 10-minute brutal post-sludge development continuously snapping your neck until your head is left dangling. Relentless darkness and unstoppable rage goes on with no escape, except for a soothing violin break in the middle. That shows how much this album can infect your ears and mind.

"Dark Side of the Sun" is an atmospheric interlude that starts calm and peaceful before the heavy darkness comes in again. The gigantic ambient "Sleep" holds the dark tone through gloomy synth breaks and claustrophobic tension. However, as much as the soft breaks balance with the heaviness, I feel like they've been overused, not really giving the song any deserving of being 14 minutes long. The unnecessary parts just keep repeating themselves, but I still like the main riff and brilliant exploding climax. "To Be Remembered" shows the album reaching a great leap of quality, though the first half is slightly inconsistent. But what's really great is, it's the most violent and hardcore song the band has ever done in their entire discography. That's something to be remembered!

"Beyond Fate" takes you through a different dynamic dimension. It is gloomier in some times and angrier in other times, but there's more tension than brutality. The keyboard helps make the song darker with looped sounds to make you loopy. "101" in another interlude that sets the tone for the final incoming strike. The frantic finale "The Sacrifice" has the album's most enthralling riff right from the start. A simple riff can cause so much tension and fury at once to rip your neck-snapped dangling head right off. These 9 minutes show the riff evolving through quiet sections and more relentless heavy darkness before closing with an acoustic outro.

As much as I enjoy this brutal hour-long attack, it just doesn't reach the level of subsequent albums. To me, it sounds more like a prototype to be tested out before the final product that is the more improved next album. I do enjoy the violent hardcore tension, but they resorted on that too much which is why this album isn't as successful as later ones. The dynamic usage of buildups and quiet moments is very minimal and there should've been more of them for a reward counterbalance. In the end, this atmospheric sludge is more emphasized on the claustrophobic punishing side of sludge. That's why it's probably the lowest Cult of Luna album ranked by their fanbase. However, their self-titled debut is pretty good and any fan of the band should go for it. Even though there are barely any ambient crescendos, this is still an offering to be remembered....

Favorites: "The Revelation Embodied", "Hollow", "To Be Remembered", "The Sacrifice"

Some of the greater bands are uncommon like Neurosis. Well sure there are other artsy post-sludge metal bands like Isis and Old Man Gloom, but it's Neurosis who takes the helm and escapes the well of bands posing as art such as Dream Theater and gothic metal bands like Paradise Lost and Tiamat. As much as I like that well, Neurosis is a mighty king compared to them!

The Eye of Every Storm might just be Neurosis' true meaning of the art of music. After their initial minimal wonders, they've expanded it with layers of textures progressing into touching beauty alongside cold darkness.

The opener "Burn" strongly represents the interesting style Neurosis has been shaping up throughout their career and how the album would sound as it goes on. The lyrics match the music that evolves as they both progress. It starts with heavy dissonance, then it forms into a different calmer theme. It's almost like two songs in one! Which reminds me, there are two more songs that are two of the most clever mixes of extreme and ambient you would ever come across, despite not sounding alike, the first being "No River to Take Me Home". It opens with a searing riff of mourning loss, then develops into flowing mid-paced guitars, followed by a quiet smoothing duet between the two vocalists/guitarists Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly (the latter I know more about since his frequent collaborations with Mastodon). The title track is one of the two nearly 12-minute epics in this album. It opens with mournful atmosphere plus soft bass and drums, and slow guitar distortion. The first chorus hums heart-stoning melodic feedback. At the 5-minute mark comes a quite depressive passage with bass waves of anxiety transmission. Ambient noises strike the atmosphere while Steve Von Till provides vocals ranging from eerie chants to anguish cries ("Now oath-breaker sinks low!!"). Then ghostly distorted notes are amplified to finish off the droner. Epic!

"Left to Wander" is 8 minutes long, so it's quite a ride until the best part, its intense ending! Longtime Neurosis fans might think of their earlier albums such as Through Silver in Blood with strange oscillated guitars, a tribal beat, and ringing synth flying around. A powerful ending that's worth the long wait! "Shelter" is a really short ambient piece and while this album is perfect, that track is my least favorite here. "Season in the Sky" is close to 10 minutes long, and it's another majestic intense epic that shines light of redemption. Another reason to love this album!

After all that heavy evolution, it all comes down to "Bridges", also last 12 minutes but largely acoustic, yet still keeping Neurosis' main power with a subtle yet mournful atmosphere alongside haunting vocals that tell an esoteric story of turmoil and beauty which is what Neurosis is all about. Another song using the acoustic-heavy technique is "I Can See You". The first half has acoustic guitar, cello, and vocals, then the second half is a bleak heavy storm. I would approve, but my metal-hating mother wouldn't.

The Eye of Every Storm is an album you can definitely enjoy but not achieve by yourself. Their sound is filled with incredible unimaginable minimalism. Their creepily amazing feeling is something very few bands have ever attempted. It's enough to give your ears goosebumps. An amazing album of astonishing ambiance!

Favorites: "No River to Take Me Home", "The Eye of Every Storm", "Season in the Sky", "Bridges"

Whenever there's experimentation, their results are often mixed reactions from many critics. The negative reception is due to those changes being suddenly different from the sound they're used to, whereas bands like Voivod take things slowly when gradually changing their sound for a fresh complex result. And on that same year, Metallica also released a more progressive thrash metal album before making their abrupt switch to the heavy/alternative metal that was received negatively...

I guess you can call Dimension Hatröss a progressive thrash metal album, but only a few traces of thrash remain, those traces being just the fast thrashy tempos. Those tempos are dominated by all its changes every few measures.

The experimentation begins in "Experiment" after its turbulent intro. But it's not until "Tribal Convictions" when those rapid tempo changes come in after the second verse where Snake (Denis Bélanger) does some sneering like a snake. Another clear example of different tempo changes is "Chaosmöngers", having over 5 time signatures, far more than just two or three you find in non-progressive metal albums. Its chorus and bridge is a bit punk-inspired in both the music and vocals.

The 4 and a half minute long "Technocratic Manipulators" demonstrates highly creative originality, packing powerful metal punches. Why did I mention its length? Because it can be progressive without turning into a 20-minute epic! After a calm dark ambient intro with a few bass touches, the crossover-ish dynamics erupt with speedy riff rhythms and signature snarling vocals. Near the two-minute mark, the song makes a weird evolution into old-school Hawkwind-like spacey guitar rhythms. Many styles and influences all in dexterous textures in only under 5 minutes. A truly awesome feat! "Macrosolutions to Megaproblems" is another favorite with a memorable rock-ish chorus.

"Brain Scan" has some things worth mentioning including a jazzy chorus with complex drumming. You've read right...jazz! More of those jazz influences come from the otherworldly diminished chords of Piggy (Denis D'Amour) (RIP). "Psychic Vacuum" has many bizarre tempo changes, with each verse having a different tempo from one another. Same with "Cosmic Drama" which has an unusual sneering chorus. The bonus cover of the classic "Batman Theme" has fun wild soloing, especially in its beginning.

Dimension Hatröss is the beginning of Voivod's transitional period out of their thrash metal era with Celtic Frost to their alt-prog metal era with Faith No More. Their progressive sound would be fully solidified in their next album Nothingface. Their thrash was in the past, but their progressive metal would come in that's out of this world!

Favorites: "Chaosmöngers", "Technocratic Manipulators", "Macrosolutions to Megaproblems", "Brain Scan", "Batman Theme" (bonus track)

Kamelot's 3-decade journey so far has been none other than an inspirational saga. They were originally formed in the late 80s as Camelot when 80s melodic metal was still rising peacefully. Then they changed their lineup and their band name slightly in the early 90s at the dawn of metal's losing battle against its fraudulent impersonators. It's amazing how this band can survive through the end of the last millennium while staying practically unknown. As an American band, their style started as old-school US power metal with symphonic keyboards, but ever since touring outside America, they picked up more European flavors and gained a continent-hybrid epic power metal sound. Soon they became the most consequential non-death metal band from Florida and one of the most ambitious bands besides classic heavy metal giants out there.

But wait! That wasn't their highest peak yet. This American revival of European power metal still had quite some changes before the entire world was ready to hear their music. They already had their current style set when they're just about to reach their pinnacle of success, thanks to the grand idea of adopting a theatrical concept, resulting in their own two-album take on Goethe's Faust in the mid-2000s. The success of the former album Epica caused them to be signed to a higher known record label to greatly promote the latter album The Black Halo, causing a rapid expansion of the band's popularity. And with their simple yet grand formula carrying on through later albums, it all leads to their new massive live album I Am The Empire: Live At The 013! Featuring a few of metal's recent greatest female vocalists and a talented string quartet Eklipse, the band has hosted an ambitious live experience placed together by the riveting rhythm section of bass and drums, soaring keyboards, ascending guitars, and heavenly vocals.

It all begins with the epic intro "Transcendence". It's not the same one as The Shadow Theory's "The Mission", so I'm guessing they borrowed an epic film score/trailer music track as the intro song for this show. Either way, what a glorious start! Then we blast off into the opening cruiser "Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)", an amazing song that has the line that has inspired the name of this album, I am the Empire. The song provides an astonishing assault of beauty and the beast vocals, with lead vocalist Tommy Karevik provided the clean vocals alongside impressive growling by Once Human’s Lauren Hart. It's as if they switched genders in the whole "beauty and the beast" idea! An epic start of the live action!! When I first heard that song's tuning, I thought "Oh we're switching back to the old E-flat/drop D-flat tuning now?" but when the dark anthem from the classic era "Rule the World" is performed, it's in the recent D/drop C tuning. Did guitarist Thomas Youngblood change that tuning like a swift ninja?! I guess so... Instant classic "Insomnia" picks up the pace with an addictive chorus to test their range. "The Great Pandemonium" is from the band's darkest most progressive album Poetry for the Poisoned. The original song included guest growls by Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid of Soilwork which I love, but they didn't include them in this album! WHY?!? They should've brought back Lauren Hart to do those growls!! Oh well... There's still rich riffing creating an epic soundscape, plus the mid-tempo middle-eastern feel of the previous two songs with keyboard strings dancing around. But what really springs things up is the daring rhythm that is turned up a few notches higher than those songs.

The riveting rendition of the swift "When The Lights Are Down" is incredible! The lush harmonies performed by Eklipse in "My Confession" might sound melancholic but are lively enough to keep the audience alert, and of course it has the brilliant classic melody that is enough to continue being a live staple. There are some female vocals that take over of the softer part of the pre-solo bridge, whom I think it's Elize Ryd (Amaranthe). I'm guessing when Tommy Karevik did his falsetto in the original song, it was too much for him to take. "Veil of Elysium" is another excellent power metal number to linger into the hearts and minds of the thousands of people attending the show. Karevik continues his powerful vocals with the lyrics engraved to them as if they were destined to be sung. Then comes the ballad "Under Grey Skies", which just so happens to be the previous song's followup in the original Haven album. That proves them fitting well as a two-song suite!! Delain vocalist Charlotte Wessels puts the audience under the spell of her angelic vocals like a siren princess, sung in a duet with the prince of Kamelot that is Karevik.

"Ravenlight" is another solid song providing the ultimate power metal. Again they briefly return to the drop D-flat tuning! "End of Innocence" is a mid-paced song with straight riffs going their distance, but it is helped out by the epic orchestration. "March of Mephisto" starts with an eerie choir intro before heading into Kamelot's imperial march itself with Arch Enemy's Alissa White-Gluz doing background singing and performing the growling of Mephisto done by Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath in the original song. But for some reason, they didn't include the progressive keyboard solo originally played by Stratovarius' Jens Johansson. Either keyboardist Oliver Palotai doesn't know how to play it himself, or they're just playing its radio edit. Better not be the latter! Some more of the refreshing power metal comes in "Amnesiac".

That concludes the first disc of the CD version, but this second disc I think of as more of an encore set, you'll see why soon, starting with the intro "Manus Dei", which would be better if it included the original orchestral part, not just the narration. Then it segues to the speedy majestic "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" with Karevik's vocals blended with the light and dark sides of the female vocal forces, Elize Ryd and Alissa White-Gluz, respectively, all coming together in a dramatic vocal love triangle. After that is a "Drums and Keys Solo" where the drums and keyboards have their own shining moments in the spotlight. The drum soloing is pretty cool, but what's really memorable is the keyboard medley. It's basically a mix of freestyle improvisation and fragments of a few songs from their past that I recognize; jazzy piano renditions of the main melodies of "Farewell" and "Ghost Opera" that appear after the one-minute mark, and an epic synth outro based on the main melody of "The Fourth Legacy". INCREDIBLE!!! Man, I wish they would start performing those songs entirely again. "Here’s to the Fall" is another ballad also from Haven, this time being a soft piano tune, harking back to the golden Roy Khan-era of albums like The Black Halo that have softer acoustic ballads. It's a fine track with Karevik taking the spotlight, but not first-rate.

"Forever" is the only song in the concert from the obscure era before The Black Halo, where Thomas Youngblood really shreds like his idol Yngwie Malmsteen. However, this is where the biggest flaw comes in, let's talk about that. When I saw this track's length, 14:12, I thought maybe that first "1" was just a typo, but no, it's basically just the song being extended! The first extension is the neo-classical guitar intro not present in the original song. The second extension is even longer... After what was originally the final chorus, the band continues playing from there, alternating between the sole sounds of drums and Karevik singing with the audience together, and the guitars and keyboards backing up for glorious epicness. That would've been the only necessary part I needed, but then it quiets down to just drums and the audience singing as Karevik introduces the other members, and one of the members introduces Karevik. Then begins the "challenge" where Tommy Karevik does his vocal runs with the audience singing after him, and the drums are played in sync with the people chanting the band's name. I mean, all of that is done to introduce the band and encourage audience participation but c'mon! C'MON!!!! As a guy stuck at home listening to this CD on his computer, that's absolutely useless!!! WHY THE F***?!?! An awesome song ruined by the overrated audience participation.... Anyway, another one of the best recent songs by the band is the playful and creative "Burn to Embrace" with versatile folk elements and an epic outro backed up by an elegant choir. The band unleashes their last bit of vocal/instrumental wizardry with the closing "Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)", which has Alissa White-Gluz stealing the show once more with both her wicked harsh screams and brilliant operatic screams on full display. "Ministrium (Shadow Key)" ends the show just like how it ended The Shadow Theory, but it is followed by a different epic orchestral outro which again might've been borrowed from a film/trailer soundtrack.

I am the Empire is pretty much the ultimate release for any Kamelot fan, coming in every format you can imagine, and I think the DVD/Blu-ray edition comes with interviews with all the major helpers of its production. Most of the technical and mechanical parts of the production were done by Youngblood and Palotai to keep their guitar-keyboard duos well-functioned, among other important factors of course, and helping them out is longtime production buddy Sascha Paeth (who also does additional guitars in "Ravenlight"). I haven't seen the behind the scenes content myself yet, but I've heard of a special contribution by bassist Sean Tibbetts that might spark some interest. And finally, I would like to say how proud I am of the guest performers who have helped direct members of the Kamelot fanbase to more than just Kamelot. A masterful concert placed in CD, DVD, and Blu-ray, this is a definite must-have for fans of Kamelot and symphonic power metal, despite a few flaws. Kamelot is the true epic metal empire!

Favorites (one per studio album, plus new track, despite its radio-edits and unnecessary extensions): "Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)", "Rule the World", "The Great Pandemonium", "Veil of Elysium", "March of Mephisto", "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)", "Drums and Keys Solo", "Forever"

Before I started listening to bands like Mastodon and The Ocean, I never thought I would stretch my Infinite/Fallen limits further into atmospheric sludge, but now, thanks to great recommendations heading my way, I believe I can! Now I have a fresh better view into post/sludge metal's epic dynamics.

I didn't know much about Cult of Luna until the day this album Somewhere Along the Highway got suggested to me, but I've heard of how much looser and rawer it is compared to other albums, with tighter, less mechanical drumming. It's as if the band played this entire album in one recording like how Meshuggah recorded The Violent Sleep of Reason! The post-metal elements are more prominent, probably more than any other album I've listened to, and it's a great advantage.

This highway ride starts with the 3-minute kick-A ambient intro, "Marching to the Heartbeats". Then begins the action with the over 10-minute marathon that is "Finland", an exhausting yet spectacular post/sludge metal adventure! This epic is so organic and different from pretty much any other piece of music I've listened to. Heavy and clean parts weave all around in as many twists and turns as you would find in Isis (side-note: I listened to and reviewed one of Isis' albums, and even though it was great, I ended up feeling nothing and gave up on them shortly after). Anyway, the heavy bits aren't too massive, but definitely have draining production, raw distortion, and drenching emotion in an overwhelming combination. The production is no mistake, it has big passion. Fantastic! Makes me wanna move to Finland... "Back To Chapel Town" has emotive layers of guitars for you to feel the pain and despair.

This next song certainly goes out on a limb, "And With Her Came the Birds", a pretty ballad with a cool title. It has nice guitars and great clean vocals; soft but not annoyingly monotone. "Thirtyfour" is another typically long excellent marathon, but it doesn't reach the height of the other longer epics. That one's good preparation before the storm...

"Dim" isn't as dim as you would expect. It's EPIC!! Basically it's done in the same but better way than the previous songs. Better riffs, amazing cleans, and great screams. The only downside for that song and this album is the song's cr*ppy one-minute electronic-synth outro. Fortunately it doesn't affect the album's 5-star rating, but the album would actually be 100% perfect without that weird outro. The final song "Dark City, Dead Man" is the absolute best song of the album and one of the greatest songs I've ever heard in the Fallen and Infinite clans. It is an epic transcendent 16-minute song that almost no other band ever has the guts to write something as massive as this. And of course, you know how much I like most lengthy epics. The song flows through cool riffs and textures. Then just close to the 10-minute mark, the climax begins to build with a slow devastating riff repeating pleasantly through weaving instrumentation. A stunning awesome ending to this glorious atmospheric sludge journey!

Lemme just end this review by saying how awesome this album is. Somewhere Along the Highway is filled with unpolished yet accessible heaviness with great lyrics. You should definitely pick up this album as a starting point for when you're new to Cult of Luna, just like I am. A true post/sludge metal recommendation!

Favorites: "Finland", "Back to Chapel Town", "Dim", "Dark City, Dead Man"

Prayer for Cleansing continue their perfect yet short-lived streak with one more EP to end in a bang! Once again they combine elements of epic melodeath and early metalcore, with lots of harmonies and breakdowns from their respective genres.

Not only does bring back old nostalgia from the earlier metalcore days from 10 years prior, but they predict a new future of melodic deathcore to plant the seed for bands like As Blood Runs Black and Conducting from the Grave. Prayer for Cleansing's sound and production are honorable, including audible bass. The unfortunate short amount of songs were 3 re-recordings of unreleased tracks from the Rain in Endless Fall era, and they're all as perfect as that album!

The well-done opener "The Closet" with a somber intro that sounds like something from a Southern-influenced band. And if you thought things would get darker, get ready to be blown away by the Scandinavian black metal-influenced metal/deathcore to come. The slamming breakdowns aren't too slow and perfect transition through with the drumming and strong vocals to show a slight improvement from their debut. "When The Sun Kisses The Morning" is my favorite track here. Absolutely melodeath-inspired, with a perfect amount of epic riffs, harmonies, and tempo changes, plus a breakdown worth moshing to. The transition to the outro might've inspired the Eyes of the Dead. The finale is an odd yet fun cover of "Salvation" by the Cranberries, with punky undertones and a chorus sung by drummer Will Goodyear, alongside Dave Anthem's screams. 

Everything is awesome!!! Seriously, I'm not referencing the Lego Movie here, this really is awesome! The vocals range from raw rasps to lingering lows, the guitars have varied structures in the riffs and tempos, the bass is actually audible for a metalcore EP, and the drums are varied as well. The lyrics could use slightly more work, but the album's perfect all the same. It really sucks that this killer band ceased to exist. I mean, no hate for 3 of the members' later band Between the Buried and Me, despite moving away from that band, but Prayer for Cleansing is heavily underrated and deserves to be listened to by fans of BTBAM, Undying, and Glass Casket. Let their legacy live!

Favorites: "The Closet", "When The Sun Kisses The Morning"

I was quite burnt out with Between the Buried and Me (the band 3 of the Prayer for Cleansing members would form) for around a year, but I might feel up to returning to that band someday. I've regained a bit of confidence listening to this short-lived pre-BTBAM band that would also inspire death metal elements in metalcore!

Prayer for Cleansing is obviously not the first ever metalcore band, but they would help in developing metalcore's deathly side, with brutal growls of anger and sorrow, and fast heaviness in the music. A lot of hardcore/metalcore now has more association with the aspects of this band's sound. So if you're looking for the band that started the ongoing Gothenburg-inspired metalcore trend, the answer is right here.

"A Dozen Black Roses" starts with the sound of falling rain and thunder before the neo-classical-ish intro fades in. Then it all collapses as a deep voice mutters, "So begins the dawn of our invincibility..." Then the metalcore battalion charges into war in "Feinbhas a Ghabhail", which is a great highlight, though my only complaint is the clean vocals that sound weak but don't affect the rest of the song. There's a breakdown at the end that adds variation to the style and tempo without being overused. "Winter's Gloom" is a piano interlude. Another favorite "A Dead Soul Born" attacks with fantastic black-metalcore that makes you forget that some of these guys are from BTBAM.

An example of metalcore going crazy as sh*t with their extreme influences is "Sonnet" with its high-range intro and open breakdowns. That breakdown appears again near the end before an outro with almost the same cadence as the album's intro. "Violent Waves" has violent heaviness. Same with "Destiny of Culture", though starting melodic.

"Chalice of Repentance" sounds absolutely devastating, enough to make sure any sinners repent. "Bael Na Mblath" begins by alternating between fast blast beats and slow acoustics. Some parts get a bit sludgy, especially in the second half, before speeding up one last time. Finally, the album ends with "Sleep Eternal". It starts to rain again, and all you hear is a soft beautiful acoustic outro that could fit well in an Opeth album at that time.

Rain in Endless Fall is pretty much the roots of not only Between the Buried and Me but also the majority of mixing melodic metalcore with extreme influences. Get this album any way you can, whether buying or downloading. There's barely a single thing to make you disappointed!

Favorites: "Feinbhas a Ghabhail", "A Dead Soul Born", "Sonnet", "Chalice of Repentance", "Bael Na Mblath"

Botch was a chaotic metallic hardcore band like no other. Their chaos is more controllable and never annoying, it's systematic chaos! This EP has concluded the band's career in a mind-blowing ending. There's a chill of mathcore magnitude in An Anthology of Dead Ends!

I wish the band could last longer instead of ending after almost a decade, but it's just as well. By the time Botch spilt up, many influenced mathcore bands have spawned to take its place. Anyway, about this release... There's a lot of anger in the 4 songs that are 3 to 4 minutes long. All of the song titles are each named after a different country, but all the N's are replaced with M's. Not quite creative naming, but it works.

First track titled "Spaim" is a 14-second intro. Then "Japam" is an excellent hardcore metal song with cool time changes and riff-wrath that just had to be there. That song has really blown me away, but not as much later on in the EP...

"Framce" sounds closer to their last album We are the Romans with their conventional desire handed more organically. "Vietmam" pays off with its methodical mechanism of guitar and bass. However, it's a little plodding with less orchestration and more flexibility. The colorful harmonies and riffs and false starts and stops seem to be lacking in that song. However, Knudson has natural guitar work and the rhythm section stays solid through unorthodox intricacy.

The excellent fifth track "Afghamistam" is what blows me away the most. I know, it's insane that I, a heavier metal fan, like such a mellow track, but I won't lie, this song gave me a monstrous chill at first listen. After the first two soft minutes, the drums start to play the cymbals eventually getting louder, then after those two minutes, suspenseful eerie piano plays alongside cello. Then after those two minutes, the sampled talking was already rising when distorted feedback segues to the last track. "Micaragua" begins the distortion going on for a minute before a methodical drum solo builds slowly and heavier until... a massive vocal/guitar blast to blow you away! It's such a rare moment of awe that can stun you. Its hardcore sound fits well with the production, ending the album and their career in a mighty bang. Botch has truly created a final grand surprise for the entirety of their fanbase.

If you're a hardcore fan like I am, you should totally get this EP. I was prepared for that sonic assault, yet still surprised more than any other band. It might sound mellow and restrained, but it sounds great with all that maturity and inspiring emotion mixed with the usual chaos. A great mathcore swansong! Botch is gone but shall remain #1.....

Favorites: "Japam", "Afghamistam", "Micaragua"

What's there for me to say about Botch that fans of the band don't know yet? Their name has been engraved as one of the early developers of metalcore and the inventors of mathcore alongside Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Sadly, this band didn't live even close to as long as the other two pioneers. Fortunately, Botch has been granted a rare legacy out of their heavy innovative brilliance. Their debut American Nervoso came out in 1998 (a year before I was born), and that album is still a relevant ground-breaking album for many metalcore/mathcore fans to remember, though not as superior as the other album We are the Romans.

American Nervoso is pure chaos! It is packed with relentless complex progressions, thrashy guitar screeches, pulsating bass noises, inconsistent drum beats, and devoted towering screams. Botch is the kind of band who would scatter thick raw noise without any restrain while putting the anarchy in counterbalance with mild groove breaks. You're gonna find a good amount of songs with that technique...

The fantastic opening highlight, "Hutton’s Great Heat Engine" has great chaotic moves including the guitar dive-bombing into a sludgy riff breakdown. Guitarist Dave Knudson has such extraordinary talent. He performs so naturally and helps the band gain its sense of individuality. "John Woo" has prime usage of the heavy-mild technique. The song starts with maximized mathcore noise that would fit well in a demolition derby, but eventually starts weaving back and forth between an easy guitar groove and a technical riff. Then there's a simple breakdown before a chaotic ending. That song pretty much proves the unrestrained hysteria of this album in intelligent progress and unique contrast. Track #3 "Dali’s Praying Mantis" continues the mathcore logic while having vocals that are comical but still tasteful.

Opening "Dead For A Minute" is a set of eerie bass notes that is a clean warning before restarting the great pandemonium. Eventually, vocalist Dave Verellen gets tired out from all that screaming, just repeatedly muttering "they fade" to establish a proper context. After slowing the machine a bit, the song bursts back into frenzied discord, the band now having rejuvenated energy to finish the chaos for that song. After that formula finishes dominating the first half, the middle song "Oma" has it perfectly culminated. The vocals have echoes of paranoia, passion, and perfection, before it gets dissolved halfway through by a piano section of demented beauty. There's still some atmospheric guitar howling behind the piano melody. Unfortunately, instead of having some more mathcore triumph, it fades into the soundtrack of a funeral procession and march. Still a great highlight despite losing its potential at the end.

"Thank God for Worker Bees" starts with a compelling industrial intro with Verellen's screams that might've inspired the heavy side of late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington. I think that intro is the basis for that hidden remix at the end of We are the Romans. Here, the early frenzy comes in but sounds less inspired. "Rejection Spoken Softly" also has that repetitive problem, and it's definitely not spoken softly. In the next track, "Spitting Black", that first line "It won't happen again, not for the hundredth time" seems fitting because this song's uniqueness makes sure nothing gets repeated for the hundredth time. The uniqueness is helped out by Knudson's guitar versatility going all over the place and constantly changing like when you're repeatedly switching weapons in your arsenal in one of those shooting video games like DOOM. "Hives" is a killer closer to this good album of mathcore madness, but I wish it would have a more interesting ending like a much better piano melody than the one in "Oma" after the rest of the instrumentation fades, but that didn't happen. Oh well...

It's sad that there would never be another offering from Botch after their sole two albums. I'm fascinated by the fact that this album American Nervoso came out 22 years ago and has proven the band's greater ability than other bands. American Nervoso is an amazing debut, but it's their next album that marks a historical metal milestone....

Favorites:  "Hutton's Great Heat Engine", "John Woo", "Oma", "Spitting Black", "Hives"

There's a mathematical pollution in the metalcore air, and it's a great one too! Those patterns needed to work out with crushing sounds and atmosphere that are achieved perfectly, passing by in a way that might make the band frustrated, but they took their frustration out on their sound. This results in the subtle transformations in each song to be executed smoothly while engaging in real angry instrumentation that create a masterpiece. The album speaks softly in the subtle well-written in the midst of punishing technical metalcore/mathcore madness. The album is intelligent and abrasive. It pounds through clouds of dissonant distortion and otherworldly annihilation!

We are the Romans is never over the top. Each and every riff is organic with different variations that fit perfectly. The songs begin and end either differently or the same. The structures are the right ones for every song, with all the riffs, patterns, and harmonies in flawless flow.

The opener "To Our Friends In the Great White North" is just insane!! The riff passage at the two-minute mark is one of the most epic in the history of metalcore, surrounded by walls of dissonance. I'm not lying when I say there's a jazz passage in "Mondrian Was a Liar". You gotta listen to believe! "Transitions from Persona to Object" greatly represents the organic nature of the album. Every riff is played naturally, never forcefully placed, as if the riffs are inventing themselves. After an eerie intro melody, the song continues into its awesomeness, riff after riff, all in a perfect groove mood. The heavy riffs lead to high dissonance in a passage that brings back the lower riffs and vocals. The song ends with frantic discord fading out to a drumbeat. The guitar leads in "Swimming the Channel Vs. Driving the Chunnel" are simple yet frighteningly ominous, building up into one of the eeriest songs in metalcore. Almost the entire song has just that guitar melody with different variations, accompanied by eerie spoken vocals. Soon the vocals stop, but the guitar melody is still going with the drums that fade out as well. That's quite a timid ambient song...

In the next song "C. Thomas Howell as the ‘Soul Man‘", the main riff is interrupted in a brilliant and not rude way by a passage of repetitively eerie high guitar, going solo for a few seconds before the rest of the band joins in. More of the high guitar notes come in a different pattern. The song keeps going until it slows down exactly when it needs to. Then the mathcore action returns in a bang with an epic chord pattern over frantic drumming before the best ever crash and burn. "Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb" will grab you by the throat and twist it with exotic changes and unrestrained riffs until you can't breathe. Same with this next song that I like its original title more, "Frequenting Mass Transit", yet for some reason they changed it to "Frequency A** Bandit". That song's lyrics of ambiguous angst fit into the crushing powerful music like a glove ("Patience is a girl I’ve been trying to forget about").

"I Wanna Be a Sex Symbol On My Own Terms" has vocal-trade offs that make the sure album never gets stale, and one of the reasons why it's impossible for me to not enjoy this album. The 11-minute closer "Man the Ramparts" is the perfect way to end Botch's two-album career. Epic gigantic chords soar throughout its long duration. Soon there's a passage where a choir sings the album's title, "We are the Romans", in glorious grandeur before being overtaken by one more furious devastating riff as a proper farewell from the band members. A grand atmospheric outro to bring this album to a heavy epic end! However, there's a hidden electronic remix of "Thank God for Worker Bees" from their other album American Nervoso which makes me wanna hear the original song.

We are the Romans explodes like a firework and lights up with vibrant colors with loud ear-crushing pulverizing force. Now that's loudness my ears can stand! It keeps happening until...it's over. The album never begs the listener to pay attention, but the listener would be begging for more until they make the sad realization that Botch is forever gone. And if any listeners wonder, "What the h*ll just happened!?", I'll just tell them that they came across some of the best mind-blowing mathcore yet!

Favorites: "To Our Friends in the Great White North", "Transitions from Persona to Object", "C. Thomas Howell as the 'Soul Man'", "Frequency A** Bandit", "Man the Ramparts"

As much as I love metalcore, I have a bit of an issue with its hardcore cousin and death metal's sibling in the Horde family, grindcore. I'm sure many of you Horde members know what grindcore, but basically the songs are mostly under two minutes long (often even shorter) and are filled with the noise of heavily distorted guitars, bass in max-overdrive, high-speed drums, and wide-range growls/screams. Some of those elements can be found quite a lot in this album's sound, especially since only two of its songs surpass the two-minute mark. See, I wanna go hardcore but not too much to the point where it's equivalent to extra-spicy habanero peppers.

The chaos begins with the title track which is definitely an absolutely killer grind-metalcore opener. "Cries of Pleasure, Heavenly Pain" is an OK song that can please me with heavenly heavy grind-metalcore pleasure. You're probably wondering, "Looks like you're praising some of the songs so far, what the h*ll are you complaining about?!" Well stay in your seats, because the chaos gets much spicier. "Self-Inflicted Mental Terror" is a song that fits well with the title. It sounds too much like it was written by a mentally ill terrorist. "Lie, Deny, Sanctify" is definitely something that can be taken seriously, only to cause a rioting revolution. Keep it away from the children!!

And definitely keep this next song out of children's reach, "F***ing Towards Salvation", not just because of the title but also it's so f***ing intense and "slanderous" that I'm pretty sure Tipper Gore would faint after hearing it. "All Fall Down the Well" is pretty much a death(grind)trap for the well Timmy is trapped in. "Shallow Reflective Pools of Guilt" is just too shallow. And finally, "Sin in My Heart" is a longer closing song that reminds of the earlier Converge in a nice way. I like that!

Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress is a beyond intense grind-metalcore album that even I can't handle. This album is strange in the intensity of sound and also the cover artwork. Maybe it would be slightly better if all the songs were put together in a 16-minute suite. Either way, I'll just redirect this album to people who like both grindcore and non-melodic metalcore. They might enjoy this extra-spicy habanero hardcore chaos....

Favorites: "Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress", "Sin in My Heart"

When I did my review for the Machine Head album The Blackening, I found it only as decent as other metalheads would think of their more averagely successful albums like the album prior, Through the Ashes of Empires, and their debut, Burn My Eyes. Their best effort for me is Bloodstone & Diamonds, which although I'm still not fully committed to listening to this band, I can see how thankful I should be for them developing metal. Yet they do a 180 and make a new album that can suck a rat's a****le...

Catharsis is probably the most eclectically shallow metal album, and while it's not as atrocious as that Exterminator album, it's still a F***ING STINK BOMB!! This is pretty much a return to the nu metal sound of The Burning Red and Supercharger, but thankfully there's still a few small stylistic throwbacks to their true sound.

While I won't mention a lot of the songs, one of a few that I would point is the title track. It actually sounds OK for the first minute and a half, with an epic string intro and a quick soft clean verse. But when the heavy part begins, that's when it starts going downhill! Death-growling?!? More like death-RAPPING!!! What the f*** is that sh*t?! You guys know that rapping is a b***h for me when used unsuitably!! This whole rap-powered nu metal rats*it continues on, especially in the horrid "Triple Beam". Attila does much better rapping in their metal. There's another song that's structured by a bunch of lazy "B****rds", that song being the most controversial song of the album. Right smack in the middle, it comes out as a folk-core anthem ripping off Dropkick Murphys. Is that what a call-to-arms anthem is NOT supposed to sound like??

The 15-song offering of nu metal misery continues, but eventually a couple songs go on a more pleasant note such as the melodic "Behind a Mask". What really marks a great comeback to their thrashy groove-metalcore era is "Heavy Lies the Crown" which, after a two and a half minute intro, has tons of heavy riffing within this 9-minute epic. A much better epic than the ones in the other Machine Head albums I've reviewed, stranded in an ocean of much worse songs. OK, there's one more sh*tter to note and that song is "Psychotic" where the death-rapping goes f***ing psycho! Then after a couple more mediocre songs, "Eulogy" brings the album to a nice melodic end.

I sh*t you not, Catharsis is a Machine Head album like Donald Trump is the current U.S. President. This album exposes the wretched nu metal hell of everything wrong with this band and possibly metal throughout a long 75 minutes, except for a few excellent highlights that bring the rating up a bit. Their "supercharged" nu metal is worsened by poor delivery, but it feels like they haven't forsaken their groove grace. It's fine if you wanna try this album to see for yourself, but look out, the b****rds will grind you down....

Favorites (the only highlights): "Behind a Mask", "Heavy Lies the Crown", "Eulogy"

I just realized that the theme of my Ultimate Metal Family Tree extra-credit assignment is...last albums from a few bands before each one's change in style that is less tolerated than before; for myself, Coroner and Sentenced, and for other metalheads, Asking Alexandria and Machine Head. That's right, I'm reviewing Bloodstone & Diamonds, Machine Head's last groove/thrash metal album before their return to nu/alt-metal in Catharsis!

I probably would've reviewed the album before this, Unto the Locust, because of how epic people think it is, but I chose this album based on how much the band has lived up to since The Blackening ever since climbing the ladder higher album after album, ending their streak here. This would be their last album where the new stuff is tolerable...

First is the monstrously epic "Now We Die". This song has a stable structure never shaken by any repetition. Instrumental variety include the addition of violin harmonies used perfectly as vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn continues his searing roars. Huge choruses soon lead to an unbelievable breakdown and soloing. All this great metal action and it's only their first song! Then there's the next track "Killers & Kings", which is harder, better, faster, shorter! Drummer Dave McClain blasts through the fast technicality with subtle cymbals to go with the bass. You might think a breakdown would hurt the song's flow, but that's not the case here. A thunderous breakdown is unleashed as a compliment instead of an insult. The music in "Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones" is pretty good where the bass playing of Jared MacEachern shines excellently and is never drowned out. He may be new to the band, but he plays as professionally as their alumni. "Night of Long Knives" greatly grinds through with fast riffs and solos, plus strong lyrical aggression to fuel the fire with the anger needed for their signature attitude.

"Sail Into the Black" is, at 8 and a half minutes, the album's longest song, but it's not as impressive as the first two tracks. The first half is just mesmerizing softness with subtle piano and acoustic guitar for dreamy atmosphere. Then the second half is the usual true Machine Head aggression. Then a couple more problems arrive starting with the repetitive "Eyes of the Dead". The other slightly problematic song "Beneath the Silt" is kinda interesting but could've been slightly shorter and more straight to the point. The war-like feel created "In Comes the Flood" mixed with political lyrics of rebel soldiers raiding the White House nicely help create the war theater in this album.

"Damage Inside" is a darker slower song showing Robb Flynn's soft sad cleans to fit with this short ballad. Then "Game Over" flips off the softness back to the band's true aggression. Samples from the Spontaneous Evolution audiobook can be heard in the otherwise instrumental "Imaginal Cells" brings interesting facts and mysteries to light. The great ending "Take Me Through the Fire" is heavily memorable with brilliant choruses and riffs to close the album in a groove/thrash metal bang.

All in all, this album is unbelievably great, and even though it's different from their prior two albums, it's definitely better in my opinion, and Machine Head did a splendid job there. A nicely recommended diamond in the rough bloodstone!

Favorites: "Now We Die", "Killers & Kings", "Night of Long Knives", "In Comes the Flood", "Game Over", "Take Me Through the Fire"

Oh. My. Greatness! This is close to the top of the Coroner mountain for me. Oh all these d*mn monstrous riffs! I personally think this is almost as great as the now perfect Mental Vortex, and possibly Punishment for Decadence which I haven't listened to yet. So why do I think No More Color is so f***ing great!? One word: diversity! That's what makes this album a better part of the band, when they begin to mix speed/thrash metal with elements of avant-garde/progressive metal, without having too much of those two kinds. The mid-transition albums are the ones that works best for me. Riffs and screams equalized with experimentation!

The opener "Die By My Hand" has buff riffs in the verses that scream pure progressive thrash. However, the main riff in "No Need to Be Human" is more technical and also slower. In fact, that song itself is slow, before having faster rage worth killer moshing inspired by Slayer and Exodus. That's definitely a psychotically great song that would make you fear the following song to be filler. Fortunately, "Read My Scars" is more killer than filler. It starts with a war-march-like beginning before having an excellent verse filled with incredible riffing, especially when the bass and guitar mix. Then it breaks into speedy thrash metal with a scaling solo bridge, while still sneaking some progressive ideas. Once again, that's how progressive thrash should be done!

"D.O.A." starts with f***ing creepily incarnated guitar thrusts carrying on into the verse. It makes you feel the fear of an awake surgery patient lying on the table staring at the sharp hooks on the wall hanging sharper knives and the surgeon examining you with his bloodshot eyes. My favorite song in this album is "Mistress of Deception", which after the first minute, the frantic fills make you feel the pain (in a good way) of the patient when the surgeon slides his scalpel into one of the patient's eye sockets over the eye to remove a cancerous part of the cranium. The rhythms and leads are highly notable, especially in the bridge. That might wet your pants more than a wet dream...

The more strategic "Tunnel of Pain" has a hammering bass intro before a neoclassical spiral that would make Beethoven look down from heaven in awe. I love the bridge where the bass shines in tranquility before an incredible breakdown, followed by arching leads. "Why It Hurts" is the climax where the aforesaid surgery is at the most painfully hurting stage (I don't know what that would be, but best not to know). It's more superior, compared to "Last Entertainment" which seems too stretched out.

No More Color is another killer Coroner album in my opinion. It is one of the greatest achievements in technical thrash, though fans of Celtic Frost and Megadeth might not agree. With this album and Mental Vortex at the top, I'm proud of this band for what they've accomplished. A h*ll of a technical thrash surprise!

Favorites: No Need To Be Human, Read My Scars, Mistress of Deception, Why It Hurts

One of the greater things to prove that metal is still alive is when younger fellas begin raising the metal torch higher than ever. The sounds of metal keep pumping into young bloodlines and hopefully it can keep it up for many future generations. With metal in good long-lasting hands, I can be able to have good metal dreams when I sleep at night, not that I ever remember my dreams. Alien Weaponry is a young teenage metal band, and by "young teenage" I mean, when their debut album Tū came out two years ago, they were between ages 15 and 17! Wow...

With their debut Tū, Alien Weaponry blend their powerful heavy metal sound and vocal melodies with the sound of their culture. This unique intriguing feature has opened a whole new world in heavy/groove metal. The band has unleashed Māori history and language into the metal world! It's a fresh new perspective sharing dark tales from the tribe among other themes in strong tribal elements infused into metal.

The opening intro "Whaikōrero" (Speech) is basically Maori flute in ambient rainfall as a speech is presented in the Maori language. A nice intro to set the spirit of the album! Then in "Rū Ana Te Whenua" (The Earthquake), whoever's doing the Maori speech leads a group chant as if that intro was a pre-battle speech. Then they charge to battle in a thundering breakdown that erupts into Soulfly-like thrash energy. The song has simple yet huge vitality. The guitar riffs aren't technical, but deliver a perfectly fitting tone. The chorus in the song "Holding My Breath" is where the vocals of Lewis de Jong really shines. He has exemplary vocal delivery, in which his cleans and yells aren't too deep but nicely fit his young teenage vocal range, more than mine has ever. The most aggressively crushing song here is "Raupatu" (Confiscation) with opens with a Cannibal Corpse-like riff that evolves into headbanging thrash. The bass and guitar riff sounds so clean while ripping the ambiance apart.

"Kai Tangata" (Human Food) continues the heavy aggression while having another shining melodic chorus. I love it! "Rage - It Takes Over Again" once again balances heavy rage with powerful melodies. "The Things That You Know" is one of two bonus tracks (the other bonus track at the end of the album) and it has some of the most amazing metal I've heard from a teenage band. I don't know if I should be proud of them or jealous. "Whispers" is a greatly significant song in both the production and defending their culture, with mighty powerful melodies inspired by Stone Sour, specifically Corey Taylor. The aggressive "PC Bro" has lyrics that rage against machines that have allowed social media to take over our lives.

"Urutaa" (Plague) begins with soft piano before a cool drum beat. The word "Urutaa" is shouted throughout the captivated chorus over a melodic guitar chord. The highly political "Nobody Here" continues the lyrics of how social media is corrupting the world, as the vocal range goes beyond emotional. "Te Ara" (The Way) begins with tribal percussion and native speaking with guitar buzzing seguing into an instrumental inspired by one of Gojira's long instrumentals. It smoothly transitions until a powerful Maori chant concludes the album...the standard edition, anyway. The other bonus track "Hypocrite" is a killer melodeath-ish groove track.

A great fusion of Māori culture and metal, Alien Weaponry has added something new and special in the world of metal. Telling Māori historical stories and often speaking their native language, the band has their own unique league. The album cover artwork is an incredible depiction of a Māori warrior (helmet included). Tū is a unique album, and its title represent the album's strength and pride in the name of the Māori god of war!

Favorites: "Rū Ana Te Whenua", "Raupatu", "Kai Tangata", "The Things That You Know", "Whispers", "Te Ara"

The modern groove metal part of my Ultimate Metal Family Tree band challenge might help me gain some appeal to modern groove metal...or maybe not. Machine Head has two sides of the metal coin that can be flipped over at any given moment. It might be the groove/thrash metal heads or the nu metal tails. Most of their albums are in the heads, while flipping to the tails in the turn of the new millennium and in their recent album Catharsis. The Blackening is often considered the most thrashy of the band!

That sounds about right, and it might be their most progressive album too. The album has long epics, which I love, and it's way better than almost every nu metal album, so that's a bit promising. The Blackening is a good album, but it left me disappointed by not being the masterpiece people thought it was.

"Clenching the Fists of Dissent" starts the album with a promising intro for about a minute, then it starts building up until a riff bursts in. Then just like Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong...goes wrong. The riff and vocals are too mediocre. Then the song evolves with an incredible solo, and I mean the top-notch shredding I absolutely love! Then the song continues with the mediocre riff and vocals. Then that awesome-mediocre pattern repeats again. I can't decide whether that 10-minute epic is bad or good! I'll just say that it's not quite the promising epic I really wanted. The second song "Beautiful Mourning" is quite the same; mediocre riffs and vocals mixed with a cool solo. "Aesthetics of Hate" is a top-notch thrasher that is a tribute to Dimebag Darrell and a "f*** you" to a guy named William Grim who wrote an article disrespecting Dimebag.

"Now I Lay Thee Down" also helps the album become more interesting. The vocals are riffs are much better and worth listening to. Not the best home-run but a great step up. Unfortunately, things become bad again in "Slanderous". It's quite a horrible song with vulgar lyrics and an emo chorus, "I LOVE YOU!! why do I hate my father?! I HATE YOU!! why do I hate myself?!" Do things get worse from there?...

Nope, luckily a good trio of 9+ minute songs starting with "Halo". That song has a long intro and extended soloing that can go with no problem. Same with "Wolves" which is the best song here with excellent riffs and solos. Without this song, this album would've had a much lower rating, like under 2.5 stars. The epic finale "A Farewell to Arms" has lyrics dealing with the war in Iraq which is quite different from other subjects. The soft parts have an attitude of "All's fair in love and war", while the heavy parts have the "don't f*** with us" attitude borrowed from bands like Pantera and Lamb of God. A much better 10-minute epic than that first track!

All in all, The Blackened is a good release that I have mixed feelings for. The vocals and riffs are good sometimes, but on most occasions they sound a bit mediocre. I gave the album 3.5 stars thanks to the nice flowing vibe and a few great songs. It's nice listening to the great solos that make up for some of the bad parts. Seeing how long the album gap was, it must've taken a long while for the band to mature and compose the songs just to be themselves. There's just isn't a lot I would consider mind-blowing....

Favorites: "Aesthetics of Hate", "Now I Lay Thee Down", "Wolves", "A Farewell to Arms"

No one should underestimate the riding complexity of Architects, no matter how easy it seems. After making their entrance into the TDEP-inspired technical math-metalcore scene with their first two albums, the quintet from Brighton stunned the world with their third album Hollow Crown which I heard is one of the finish metal juggernaut albums in the UK to end the 2000s. This caused the band to think so much of their greatness that it caused their follow-up The Here And Now to derail them off track.

People who were angry about that drastic change into a more melodic direction were thinking, "'Day in Day Out', more like 'Day in SELL-OUT'!!" Even the band hated it! So over a year later, they forged Daybreaker which pushed them back to their heavier sound while still exploring new territory. But then, guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook left the band, they dropped out of Century Media, and touring was canceled due to exhaustion and guitarist Tom Searle's leg surgery to remove a cancerous part of his skin, which did not work; he would pass away after their seventh album. Anyway, the band managed to forge a metalcore path that would never be lost, in album #6 Lost Forever//Lost Together!

"Gravedigger" opens the album with every great thing the band can encapsulate; impassioned vocal energy, energetic breakdowns, tight rhythms, and an army-calling chorus. An excellently wild representation of any of the band's achievements! Then we blast through the drumming and riffing of "Naysayer", one of the band's heaviest songs yet, but the atmospheric chorus and clean vocals also sink in and never lose their grip. "Broken Cross" builds up atheistic rage and tight riffing.

"The Devil Is Near" warns us with screamed lyrical commentary about how we must learn from our environmental mistakes and beat "The Devil" who's been making us do those mistakes. "Dead Man Talking" is a song that might've inspired Veil of Maya to move to their current djent-metalcore sound, dealing with the topic of whistleblowers getting persecuted despite being praised for their actions. The album's two-minute instrumental intermission "Red Hypergiant" is named after the biggest existing star in the universe and samples a Carl Sagan film. Tom Searle barrages through the abrasive chorus of "C.A.N.C.E.R.", the thing that would kill him a couple years later.

The measured screaming breaks the atmosphere of "Colony Collapse", while its ardent lyrics keep moving precisely as the band stays confident at the top of their game. "Castles in the Air" has a more epic progressive mood as the lyrics point out the band's anxieties. "Youth is Wasted on the Young" is a brooding song featuring Murray Macleod of The Xcerts. Then it descends into "The Distant Blue", a 5-minute closer reflecting upon the engaging fury throughout the record's 43-minute length.

Lost Forever//Lost Together deserves massive applause in Architects' path to genuine triumph. It's a masterpiece that should really be praised, especially the spectacular guitar work of Tom Searle. RIP....

Favorites: "Gravedigger", "Naysayer", "Dead Man Talking", "Castles in the Air", "The Distant Blue"