Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

Killing Joke made their move into a more metallic sound with their 1994 album Pandemonium, utilizing heavier riffing that made a few good songs. Heading into their next album Democracy, the battering reverb of their 80s material makes its comeback, blended together with those heavy guitars for something immensely dark...

Things take a more introspective turn when vocalist Jaz Coleman stayed in Arizona after the Pandemonium tour. He was getting over depression at the time and learning more about Native American culture. He began to see a more optimistic light that was put into writing ("I am forced to see the other side, I can see a way out of here.") The lyrics are both more spiritual and political, all fitting well for a dark yet upbeat offering of alt-/industrial rock/metal (not many people can find some metal in here, but I do).

The album starts off a bit weak in "Savage Freedom". Same with the title track that depends too much on the acoustic guitar. If the rest of the album was like this, I would've slept through it all. Luckily, the dark "Prozac People" has kept me awake, an alt-rock/metal tale of the year and a half Coleman spent using that drug.

"Lanterns" has more in common with the alt-rock/metal sound taken on recently by 36 Crazyfists and Cave In, albeit a bit tamer. The 8-minute epic "Aeon" has a spectacular mix of the band's new wave/post-punk sound from the 80s with the industrial rock/metal style that shaped up Pandemonium. Probably the best song of the album and by the band! "Pilgrimage" swings through in some more brilliance. "Intellect" is kinda interesting in the more scurrying pace and occasional tribal rhythms. As effective as that is, it doesn't really make too much of a classic.

"Medicine Wheel" threatens to reach the album's earlier weakness, but the vocal passion of Jaz Coleman saves the day and makes it another standout. The decent "Absent Friends" is brought down a bit by the distracting production. And finally, the band gets the album's sound really rolling "Another Bloody Election". A little oddly-placed, but I don't care. The venomous fire of the band is still around!

It was right after this album's release and small tour when the band went on hiatus and then started working on their popular 2003 self-titled album. Democracy is as good as Pandemonium, but if you're going for something a little heavier and more essential, Pandemonium is the better deal....

Favorites: "Prozac People", "Aeon", "Pilgrimage", "Medicine Wheel", "Another Bloody Election"

The musical journey of Trail of Tears was filled with sorrow (Helena Iren Michaelsen era), darkness (A New Dimension of Might), violence (Kjetil Nordhus era), and accessible glory (Cathrine Paulsen's second era). It really is a shame that the band fell apart after Bloodstained Endurance and Oscillation. The talented voice of Cathrine can't be found anywhere besides this band and Lucid Fear. During the split, Ronny Thorsen was in a different band, Viper Solfa.

And now these extreme gothic metallers are reborn! Two singles were released, leading up to the EP Winds of Disdain. Their greatness is still in full force, but a new female vocalist has stepped in, Ailyn (ex-Sirenia). Here we have crushing guitars, bombastic symphonics, bass/drum assaults, and cool synth effects to reminds us who they are.

"Winds of Disdain" launches into heaviness right away, in which the B-flat-tuned drilling guitars made me think of 2010s Wage War and the growls that fit amongst the thrashy pace reminded me of Sylosis. But when the orchestration and Ailyn's serene vocals appear, you know it's Trail of Tears, back with a vengeance. Beautiful acoustics begin "Take These Tears", a brief throwback to Disclosure in Red, before more of the heaviness. This also occurs in "No Colours Left" before more of the downtuned metalcore-ish riffing of Architects and Protest the Hero that again leads to Ailyn's singing. We also hear the band's earlier raw bass in "Blood Red Halo" that I want more of in their possible next album.

All in all, Winds of Disdain proves that the band hasn't lost any steam after that long gap since their last album. I look forward to if the band ever makes a new album with this kind of sound plus more of the occasional acoustic section and audible bass. An absolute must for any symphonic gothic metal fan. Oscillation wasn't their final stand after all!

Favorites: "Winds of Disdain", "No Colours Left"

OK, what have I heard so far from Rammstein? I've listened to the albums Reise Reise and Zeit, and a dozen tracks used for the Sphere playlists. I hadn't entirely heard this breakthrough album Mutter yet, so why not? And this turned out to be really great for both an NDH album and an album with a singles-filled first half...

Mutter has been considered by many this popular German band's 3rd-time charm. You can hear a lot in the riffs and drums, along with some samples and the bass vocals of Till Lindemann. This band isn't one to take seriously, with their over-the-top lyrics, though they are quite meaningful. You'll know what I mean if you read the translations. And you can enjoy the catchy music whether or not you can understand the German lyrics.

"Mein Herz Brennt" ("My Heart Burns") opens the album beautiful with quiet singing by Lindemann. Then the solid verses kick off with guitar riffing side by side with string melody. The themes of angst and heartache are just beginning... "Links 2 3 4" (Left 2 3 4) is a more well-known single with political lyrics by the band to brush aside the earlier Nazi allegations, "They want my heart in the right place, but then I look below, it beats to the left." The music marches through, especially in the chorus with a more choral vibe. Not really enough to be a standout despite its goodness. "Sonne" (Sun) is the album's first single. The song was written for boxer Vitali Klitschko, but he never used it. After doing a boxing match referee-like count to 9 then "out". The catchiest riffing can be found here, followed by a melodic chorus, "Here comes the sun." Probably the best song of the album and by the band! Up next, "Ich Will" (I Want) is a great single as well. The keyboard/guitar rhythm is so catchy though can get tiring after many listens. This song of desire for fame has made a fantastic live staple.

When the sirens go off at the 40-second point of "Feuer Frei!" (Open Fire!), you're in for a ride. Actually this song would cause driving to be quite a challenge if you put it on your car stereo. It doesn't have much fire as I'm hoping for though. That intro is quite sick though. I could imagine Pitbull remixing this song, which is quite odd to imagine. And don't forget, that song was also in that Vin Diesel film xXx along with one of Hatebreed's songs, and in an earlier CSI episode. The title track is one more single, a sad ballad with a deep lyrical concept. A baby was born without a mother via an experiment and grows up lonely. The powerful chorus with its somber guitar melody and the repeated shouts of "Mother!" give the song more life. "Spieluhr" (Music Box) has a deeper baby-related lyrical concept. A stillborn baby that was buried in a music box (dug out and photographed for the album cover) is brought back to life. It both begins and ends with a music box melody, and the chorus features the distorted voice of one of Lindemann's children, to add more eeriness to the story. Plus, the solid verses have audible bass. So beautiful yet haunting! "Zwitter" (Hermaphrodite) is a heavier song to love. It has more furious riffing and some of the best and most bizarre lyrics of androgynous self-pleasure, "I'm not discouraged, when someone says 'f*** you' to me."

"Rein Raus" ("In Out") is never something I would enjoy lyrically, with the band's typical graphic sex-filled lyrics. The "Farther!" bridge is rather unsettling. The techno-ish intro leading into heavy riffing is pretty good. Despite that, not much of that song stands out for me. "Adios" (Goodbye) is an awesome song that should've been a single. There's interesting rhythm from the bass and drums. The guitar can really drive through. That song would've been made the best ending for the album, if not for... "Nebel" ("Fog"), a weak love ballad. I mean, I don't mind a metal album ending with a ballad, but it doesn't have the melancholic power of the title track. A poor letdown but it's still tolerable. "Hallelujah" is a bonus track in the Japanese edition, a slightly better way to head out than the previous track. Apparently, it's about a priest inappropriately touching an altar boy. Definitely too brutal for the more conservative/religious market. And the boy singing "Hallelujah" in the chorus once again makes things more eerie. 

Mutter can certainly be the ultimate starting point for anyone wanting to hear Rammstein for the first time. Any fan of Rammstein and NDH should give it a listen, maybe even follow it up with the more experimental Reise Reise....

Favorites: "Mein Herz Brennt", "Sonne", "Ich Will", "Spieluhr", "Zwitter", "Adios"

You know how much I enjoy metalcore, including its chaotic noise-powered subgenre mathcore, including bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge. Dissonant guitars grind through complex rhythms and everchanging time signatures in a fast heavy hurricane. Frontierer is another great example of that sound in this 15-track 48-minute journey, twice as long as albums from the more underground bands of the genre. And let me tell you, they've done it quite well.

Frontierer arrived in the mathcore scene shortly after the demise of Tennessee's The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. I've really enjoyed that band's djenty mathcore sound for the past couple years, and I thought, "What would they sound like if they didn't split up?" Here's the answer! Though the greatness is not entirely the same...

Heading straight to the action is opening track "Bunsen" with tons of noisy distortion in a catchy fashion. Then "Cascading Dialects" just goes on like a huge breakdown, almost threatening to be filler, but there's still some slight variety to keep things up and running. Favorite "The Collapse" is a re-recording of a track from its self-titled EP, and is filled with extreme chaos and devastating riff-wrath. You just gotta hear it to believe it! "Digital Tarpit" is sick as f***, with riffing heavy enough to put even deathcore bands like Whitechapel to shame. "Tunnel Jumper" stands out with melodic guitar in the second half to lighten things up a bit after all that riffing fury. Sure it may turn off some of the heavier mathcore fans, but it's what they gotta expect.

"Helium Vat" has some repetition in the riffing which makes it clear that the album isn't entirely perfect. "Bleak" is another incredible example of mathcore's slash-and-dash chaos. What also works out well is the intermission "IALCCA". While having a more electronic sound, it greatly displays the Converge-like screams of Chad Kapper. An effective way into the next track... Some sections are more layered than others in "Delorean Trails". Then we have another favorite in "Time Disruption Footprint", and HOLY F***ING SH*T, that midsection breakdown if practically heavier than anything I've heard in my life!

"Exposure & Aperture" has powerful riff groove as progressive and deathly as Extol and Into Eternity without actually sounding like those bands. "Evil Dermis" is good but not that memorable. "Mt. Swath" is never a disappointment. The rage from the bass and downtuned guitars can pack some punches even in the lowest mix. "Crystal Turbine" definitely screams TDEP and early Burst in gut-wrenching chaos. The closing track "Dusk" is the ultimate closing epic of chaos that then fades out into ambience.

All in all, Orange Mathematics shall give you some great mathcore entertainment. There's just so much power in a moderately long album length without tapping out. Most fans of music, even metal, would forfeit this chaotic run, but not me! Sh*t-tons of insanity are afoot to take the mathcore scene to the next level....

Favorites: "Bunsen", "The Collapse", "Tunnel Jumper", "Bleak", "Time Disruption Footprint", "Mt. Swath", "Dusk"

The more hardcore side of metalcore was rising back from the grave in the early 2010s, and one of the bands involved in the revival is this Canadian band Counterparts. The emotion can be heard from both the music and the lyrics sung by vocalist Brendan Murphy.

The Difference Between Hell and Home is the right path for them! Counterparts continue the metalcore/hardcore sound developed in the first two albums with a blend of melody and heaviness to put them in a similar level as other cool bands like The Ghost Inside. The lyrical writing focuses on giving people a motivational spark from relatable topics, from love to inner struggles.

"Lost" opens the album with pure lyrical nostalgia, "I feel absolutely nothing, life is a lost cause." The screams by Murphy are in great harmony with the guitar duo of Alex Re and Jesse Doreen. The riff experimentation helps the band stay unique. The lyrical message shall inspire you to battle your demons. "Ghost" takes on one-sided relationships in the lyrics, with music not too far off from Silverstein. "Please don't forget my face, I won't forget to remember you." Picking things up is "Debris" with a lot of heavy riffing. And more of that comes up in "Outlier" with lyrics of isolation, "I am what I am, and I am an outcast." That stellar outro has the best guitar harmony and drum-work here.

The single "Witness" continues the ongoing objective to unite hardcore with metal, with emotional lyrics by their side, "I lost track of all the times I made it home alive." Lots of heavy dissonance from the excellent guitars there! "Decay" is more of an ambient intermission with a spoken poem rising into screaming, all in a similar vein to La Dispute. It leads to the masterpiece highlight "Compass", the best standout in the music and lyrics. "I am a compass, constantly spinning, constantly searching for the end." The drumming and riffing sound so progressive, and the midsection breakdown touches down hard. The outro after a small break from heaviness has some absolutely chilling lyrics, ending with Murphy yelling the album title, "You're the difference between Hell and Home!"

"Wither" follows as actually the weakest track here, though weak doesn't necessarily mean bad, otherwise the album rating would be lower. "Cursed" has more of the best lyrics here, right from the beginning, when Murphy bellows "The facade is something greater than ourselves!" Then we reach a killer two-part finale, starting with the loud fast "Slave", a hardcore song with a ravaging breakdown. The slow heavy ending track "Soil" has more groove-ish riffing with some ambience popping up once in a while. Murphy tells you all to "find your mark and make it" before the final bit of riffing that all fades into an outro of ambient noise.

Counterparts know their way through dark beauty as proven by The Difference Between Hell and Home. This can surely reach the playlists of the more hardcore metalcore fans. Only one or two songs have some slight errors. For everything else, the cohesive emotional writing is what makes them shine. This album might surely be a true definition of the more hardcore metalcore revival!

Favorites: "Ghost", "Outlier", "Witness", "Compass", "Cursed", "Soil"

I've totally forgotten about this one-off side-project by MC Raaka Pee of Turmion Katilot. He continues his vocal talents here with co-vocalist HC CSD (Linda Karhu), and several different vocalists with their own contributions...

2 Times Terror continues the techno-industrial metal of Turmion Katilot. While many of the lyrics are in Finnish, some English lyrics are added to the writing. They have the skills to appeal to fans of dance music or metal or both. It is the vocal aggression of MC Raaka Pee that makes it clear that listeners are hearing the dance-y sounds of Turmion Katilot in a different side-project.

Already making use of Turmion Katilot's roots in the opening "D.E.A.D." They know how to make electronic rhythms like The Berzerker but without any speed-grind. What's different compared to Turmion Katilot is the use of female vocals. All in all, we have an excellent piece of electro-metal with both male and female vocals. A well-done example of opposites attract! "Lust" sounds like it has some leftover electronics from Waltari's Space Avenue. The Finnish lyrics in "Kuoleman Kehdossa" (In the Cradle of Death) are a bit unclear, though they work out fine. "Forever Mine" sounds so cool with the drop C tuned riffing of metalcore bands like Atreyu, Of Mice & Men, Phinehas, and Shadows Fall, while strictly being the album's usual techno-industrial metal.

The title track has slower melody. "Maailman Tuomari" (Judge of the World) is less melodic in the chorus, though it has intriguing Rammstein vibes. Next up, "Metalorgy" is a great standout. The riffing from USCH! is mixed together with higher screamed vocals to add more uniqueness to the vocal stylings of MC Raaka Pee with catchy surprises. The only song to surpass that is "Ikävässä Paikassa" (In a Bad Place) which is a high-quality climatic piece of dance-metal. The keyboards and guitars are in perfect union. It may be too accessible for pure metalheads, but it absolutely rules!

"Vaateet" (Clothing) is a dance-y cover of a song by Finnish punk rocker Maukka Perusjätkä, helped out by Maukka himself. "Vielä Joskus" (Sometimes Again) is a great track that should've ended up in a Turmion Katilot album. I probably would love this track more if the lyrics were in English and they did not have the bridge with the baby noises before the final chorus. The bonus remix of "Forever Mine" is pretty nice, though it can't beat the original.

All in all, the sole album by 2 Times Terror is filled with catchy accessible techno-industrial metal for anyone wanting to hear metal mixed with EDM. As great as it is though, this is around the time when Turmion Katilot are at a lower quality than their many of their surrounding albums, as you can hear in Perstechnique from the following year....

Favorites: "D.E.A.D.", "Forever Mine", "Metalorgy", "Ikävässä Paikassa", "Vielä Joskus"

Bad Omens was rocket-launched into popularity with their 3rd album The Death of Peace of Mind, mainly due to one of its singles "Just Pretend" being used a lot in TikTok. Their next album, Concrete Jungle [The OST] continues what they have in that album with more experimentation than before...

Since there are people who often compare the band's self-titled debut with Bring Me the Horizon's Sempiternal, if we continue that comparison path, this would make the Concrete Jungle release Bad Omens' very own Music to Listen to, a remix album based on their previous one (Think we'll get a concept EP and album later?). Anyway, one third of the album has new tracks, the second third has remixes, and the final third has live versions. I'm just gonna go with the new tracks, which I consider the main meat.

"C:\Projects\CJOST\BEATDEATH" is an odd intro, but it works well for the game's main menu. Then the actual album with "V.A.N.", a kick-A collab with Poppy. To paraphrase part of the first verse, it gets more powerful every minute. Although Poppy's vocals are both beautiful and wicked, it would've been nice to hear from Bad Omens vocalist Noah Sebastian as well, but the song is still perfect. The lyrics are so disturbing yet intriguing ("Isn't it strange to create something that hates you?" "I AM DEATH AND I AM NOT ALONE!!!!"). "The Drain" features Health and Swarm. The cyber sound of Health lets Noah flow through fittingly. Dark disco metal???? Sure seems like it!

Turning things around with rapping is "Terms & Conditions", led through by Bob Vylan (anyone here almost misread his name as Bob Dylan?), "Who they killing, when they making a killing". The production is quite clear, though the track doesn't really stand out well when it's just industrial hip-hop. Wargasm strikes on in "Heondist [Recharged]", packed with synths as heavy as the guitars. I've already heard of Wargasm via their remixes with Enter Shikari and Crossfaith. Milkie Way's vocals are more hyper than a sugar-buzzed cheerleader, and that's what I like there! Then we have a synthpop-ballad-ish track in "Even". Interlude "Loading Screen" is definitely what you would expect from an old-school PlayStation loading screen.

Really peaking at the height of the album is "Anything > Human", a collaboration with ERRA. The guest appearances by that progressive metalcore band's two vocalists shine as beautiful as Noah's vocals. An absolute favorite of mine that should be heard by future generations! We then have the long instrumental "Digital Footprint" that can once again be the music for a video game's loading screen. Still it doesn't harm the album's quality so much. Finally, iRis.EXE lends her vocal beauty to "Nervous System" with some of the strongest lyrics to go with a steady beat, "You want to hurt me?"

Again, the remixes and live performances are a separate thing from the main album, so I don't plan on going into that. Even then, Concrete Jungle is quite strange while worth having your heart and mind embrace its material. The guests are well-chosen without a doubt. Poppy, Health, Wargasm, ERRA, iRis.EXE... How can they not be liked? If the Death of Peace and Mind era really ends with this album, it's a pretty solid ending. Though the long-time fans may be uncertain of the band's possible future direction....

Favorites: "V.A.N", "The Drain", "Heondist [Recharged]", "Anything > Human", "Nervous System"

Times of Grace was formed in 2007 by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz when back problems caused him to go for emergency surgery. Helping him out in this side-project is then-former KSE vocalist Jesse Leach. After their 2011 debut The Hymn of a Broken Man, the band was put on hold when the powerful well-praised Howard Jones left KSE and Leach returned to take his place. But that didn't mean Times of Grace was completely finished. Since 2016, Dutkiewicz and Leach spent some of their time outside of KSE writing and recording the next Times of Grace album Songs of Loss and Separation, with a final finishing boost when COVID put touring to a global halt. The end result is a strong collection of songs with a decent load of crushing riff-fire and emotional lyrics, despite the music moving away from Gothenburg. Pure greatness!

Well, despite some metal in here, you can't expect everything to be, well, metal. There's barely any of the violent rage from heavier metal genres. What we have is something more spiritual, more rock-ish, more, dare I say, radio-friendly. Anyone with a negative view on metal can give this album a spin and, with the best of luck, end up changing that negative to a positive. Imagine taking the more melodic side of the second Killswitch Engage album Alive or Just Breathing and expanding on that. The more soothing while still heavy music and positive lyrics will make those people think twice before putting down metal as a whole.

In saying that though, I have to question what the band were doing with "The Burden of Belief". Nonetheless, it's beautiful and filled with lyrical faith. It's "Mend You" that really gives us the sound we need, a d*mn perfect rocker with optimistic vocals and harmonic nostalgia for both heavier metalheads and rock listeners. And no matter how radio-friendly it gets, I still love it. A more b*lls-out Breaking Benjamin, you might say. But they don't wimp out on their metal tendencies with the riff-tastic "Rescue".

"Far From Heavenless" has some Opeth-like prog, as Leach's lyrics help burn away any hate brought down onto religion. "Bleed Me" is mostly acoustic, but when the electric guitar pours in, it has a similar vibe to the slower more melodic Trivium songs. Once again turning into a bit of prog-metal is "Medusa".

Just hearing a bit of "Currents" can get you thinking of the band Currents and Fates Warning at the same time. Then "To Carry the Weight" is pretty much a modern-day response to Soundgarden. Now for a song titled "Cold", there's really a lot of gentle warmth. The 6 and a half minute closing track "Forever" ends the album beautifully to satisfy any listener and giving them something to look for in the future.

So what's not to f***ing love about this album? Songs of Loss and Separation continues what made this band and Killswitch Engage great, albeit exchanging most of their metalcore with something more pop-rock-ish in a way that is never sh*tty. And even in some of their radio-friendly moments, they can still sound metal as f***!

Favorites: "Mend You", "Rescue", "Bleed Me", "Currents", "Forever"

For 8 years, The Amenta was in the silent void after a perfect trilogy of albums that started with their debut Occasus. Those albums showed how futuristic extremeness can be with such a heavy timeless sound. Revelator marks the band's comeback with more of the earlier brutal violence while exploring something dark and more dreadful. This is the darkened future of industrial death metal!

Aside from the usual blasts of technicality of the band's industrial blackened death metal sound, there's a bit of atmospheric doom in the mix. The destruction isn't just straight-on brutal anymore, but also having interesting variety in darker depths.

Opening track "An Epoch Ellipsis" crashes through like a less symphonic Septicflesh with rapid drumming machinery to slay anything in its way. "Sere Money" is more rock-ish than anything the band has done, as the vocals of Cain Cressall range from clean to harsh, and both sides alternate between each other like an all-out war. "Silent Twin" is more chilling with acoustic ambience and Cressall's lurking vocals.

"Psoriastasis" is a punishing blaster with a relentless breakdown halfway through. "Twined Towers" is the band's longest song at 8 minutes and might remind some of a more brutal take on Ministry's mid-90s material. "Parasight Lost" shows the band's industrial side more in the vocals and guitars, like Godflesh gone early 90s Paradise Lost.

"Wonderlost" is a little repetitive but still quite a fascinating interlude. "Overpast" has more relentless drumming turbulence that keeps the band at the right direction. Another absolutely intense standout! Finally, "Parse Over" is one of the best songs ever of industrial death metal! There's even some more of the ambient doom throughout to add to the bleakness. That's the kind of album ending I need here!

The Amenta's killer evolution is displayed quite well, though it doesn't reach the perfect heights of their initial trilogy. I recommend Revelator for anyone wanting a darker follow-up to the Flesh is Heir album. More industrial brutality awaits!

Favorites: "An Epoch Ellipsis", "Psoriastasis", "Parasight Lost", "Overpast", "Parse Over"

I love this album as much as the rest of the album trilogy in The Amenta's initial run. No one can deny the masterful industrial death metal brutality. Not many bands can make such an achievement in sound. Expect a lot of industrial twists and turns! The band can bring the extremeness up to intense levels, though it's not as much of a completely devastating assault as their debut Occasus. This is because with their second album n0n, the samples and noises are more apparent after being hinted in the debut. This somewhat different sound is the best definition of a futuristic Hell. The blend of industrial machinery and metal destruction hits hard like a motherf***er, and h*ll, even Fear Factory's debut Soul of a New Machine can't reach that height.

Earlier on, the debut was just straight-up brutal. Here we have more of the f***ing eerie keys of Timothy Pope that sound so haunting and noise-ridden. Holy sh*t, he's good! He and the other band members are responsible for making n0n the monstrous masterpiece it is. The music is so well-constructed, with not much melodic harmony to let extreme dissonance shine. The keyboards actually bring more impact to the sound, and without it, the destruction would be unbalanced. It's all about the atmosphere to go with the heaviness for a killer blend.

"On" turns the album on with an ambient noise intro. "Junky" begins the inhuman variety of deathly dissonance and occasional doomy atmosphere, transforming from one side to another. F***ing h*ll, the guitars are top-notch and out of this world! "Vermin" is another f***ing monster. It takes some time to patience to actually dig this kind of chaos, and when you do, it's all worth the experience. The vicious vocals ranging between growls, screams, and whispers are so haunting! "Entropy" is a short interlude.

The perfect "Slave" has some killer guest vocals by Nergal of Behemoth. Then we have "Wh*re" and more of the insane atmosphere. "Spine" continues the powerful variety. "Skin" is another interlude with some spoken word, and the music is f***ing insane as always.

"Dirt" levels up the keyboard focus a bit and even has some melody. That's the kind of atmosphere that isn't highly present in the band's debut. One more interlude with more of Timothy's synths is "Atrophy". The haunting atmosphere reaches its peak in "Cancer". So horrifically awesome! Then we have the most twists in the oddly titled final epic "Rape", which starts chaotic in the first 3 minutes, then quiets down before some doomy melancholy in the heavy riffs and melody. D*mn, what a soothing yet brutal way out!

Is there anything more extreme than this band's industrial blackened death metal sound? Probably, but the point is, you haven't heard the most experimental twists around until your ears meet this brutal offering that is n0n. The underrated saga of The Amenta continues!

Favorites: "Junky", "Vermin", "Slave", "Spine", "Cancer", "Rape"

The Amenta is not a band you should ever underestimate. They have combined death metal with industrial metal seamlessly, thereby creating a sound heavier than an entire planet. And the most deathly part of their sound occurs in their perfect debut Occasus!

I've only just start listening to this band beyond their Flesh is Heir album over a month ago, so I thought it was time to review albums from the deathly complex world of The Amenta. I'm talking about industrial blackened death metal with some ambient noise. The sound ranges from technical to atmospheric. You can hear inhuman devastation coming from the vocals, blast-beats, synths, and riffs, all more destructive than most other bands could do.

Kicking off hard is "Erebus", blasting through otherworldly extremeness. "Mictlan" originally came from an EP released a couple years prior. Then we get another highlight from "Zero", going straight into more heaviness in no time flat.

Then we have industrial ambience in the interlude "Selenium". One of the greater highlights "Nihil" actually sounds melodic without too much dissonance. "Geilt" proves that the band can blend extreme metal with electronics, similar to The Browning doing that a decade later, though obviously much heavier.

"Sekem" has more of that mysterious deathly aura. The title track is another interlude that will make you want more of the heaviness that will return shortly. Blasting things apart again is "Ennea", with some of the most f***ing extreme complexity you'll ever find. The finale "Sangre" is something that the inexperienced would take a long time to fully grasp. Warp-speed drums and vocals blast through for something epic and extreme. Then after some ambient noise, the last couple minutes of metal strike once more.

The Amenta's debut is so underrated and needs more attention. It should really catch on for the extreme metal realms to hear. Occasus has a lot of brutality striking, and it should be hailed for all eternity!

Favorites: "Erebus", "Zero", "Nihil", "Ennea", "Sangre"

The last album by Becoming the Archetype before their 10 year split was a great yet slightly flawed death metal/core album, I Am. As much as I enjoyed it, the change in lineup and underwhelmed response from the band would result in their split. That is, until Jason Wisdom revived it with their comeback Children of the Great Extinction!

This is the band's second full-on concept album after I Am. It is a tale of fantasy and redemption similar to the worlds of Middle-Earth and Narnia. But instead of a series of books or a trilogy or films, the story is told through a 50-minute, making the concept short and easy. And just like I Am, the climatic epilogue where everything in the first 9 tracks makes its conclusion is in the final 10th.

"The Dead World" begins the story with the discovery of a lifeless planet, containing "nothing but a wasteland, a roiling sea, chaos and entropy, uninhabited, uninhabitable". Then the punishing "The Lost Colony" follows. Former guitarist Daniel Gailey, who is currently with Phinehas and Fit for a King, performs blazing soloing. Something the band may have failed to notice is the title of next track "The Remnant" being similar to their former band name. That, and RYM considering their sole album as The Remnant being part of BTA's discography caused some confusion when I was requesting adding it to this site. Still a cool song all the same!

"The Calling" comes on, and the melodeath/metalcore sound is blended with the progressiveness of Extol and the symphonics of Xerath. The ending guitar solo is so epic, performed by Aletheian/Solamors guitarist Alex Kenis who was also in the BTA album The Physics of Fire. "The Phantom Field" is a symphonic interlude, and a much better one than in the previous album. It leads to "The Awakening", starting off with a lovely oriental intro. Then we have the brutal yet melodic "The Hollow".

"The Ruins" is another great track in which the character continues his harrowing quest, "Standing in the ruins, a world forsaken, the empty faces of hollow creatures, longing to awaken". Demon Hunter vocalist Ryan Clark makes his 3rd BTA vocal contribution. The brutality continues in "The Curse" in both the music and lyrics, "Welcome to the world of dead men!" The great climax is reached in the final 8 and a half minute epic "The Sacrament". With chants of "Go and reclaim the planet!", I'm like d*mn, this is a true definition of a melodeath fairytale.

I'm not lying when I say not a single thing has taken a toll for the band. They still have their talent in other bands, such as Jason Wisdom in Death Therapy. Children of the Great Extinction can be considered a continuation of the main lineup since Celestial Completion, I Am in both the discography and the sound evolution, and the missing link between The Remnant and Terminate Damnation. Either way, my description of their new album isn't as good as the album itself. A memorable start of a new era!

Favorites: "The Lost Colony", "The Calling", "The Awakening", "The Ruins", "The Sacrament"

Respect and support is what many bands need to stay active. Becoming the Archetype deserve that for their impressive melodeath albums that also cover progressive metalcore, creating a unique original style. Each album shows a different step in their evolution, with none of them sounding exactly the same. 2012's I Am continues that evolution, this time taking on more of a standard death metal/core sound, becoming an odd one out in the BTA discography. The band can still be well-prepared despite the changes in sound and lineup. Founding members Jason Wisdom and Brent Duckett were replaced by bassist Codey Watkins, vocalist Chris McCane, and drummer Chris Heaton. The two members still standing were guitarists/clean vocalists Daniel Gailey and Seth Hecox. It's almost like a whole different band...

Although the music doesn't have the epicness of their previous albums, the lyrics still do. They form a concept album in which each track tells a tale from the perspective of a different character. I have to admit, this is a similar aspect to that Pixar miniseries on Disney+, Win or Lose, and after those first 9 tracks with the title based on the character portrayed, the final 10th one is the climax where all the characters are involved. You'll hear more detail of those songs as I go through them one by one. And by the way, the wicked cover art fits well with the idea of identity.

The story begins with "The Ocean Walker". They still have a bit of the prog-ish atmosphere from Celestial Completion. And as with the other songs, the music stands by the conceptual theme. "The Time Bender" is one of the best tracks in this powerful Christian death metal/core album. Instrumentally it sounds like a more deathly Nevermore. The instrumentation is so simple yet brutal. "The Eyes of the Storm" storms through with fantastic riffs and breakdowns.

"The Sky Bearer" has more melancholic atmosphere. The one track I strongly dislike from this band and album is "The Machine Killer". While I love most of the instrumentals from their past album, this one is just dull and disappointing. It seems like they haven't dropped their mellow electronica sound from their remix EP Celestial Progression, which is so poor that I skipped reviewing release. And just like that release, that interlude is easily skippable. If they removed it, the album would've had the perfect mid-2000s glory. "The War Ender" is a vicious track, though it has a slight issue with its abrupt ending. "The Weapon Breaker" is a naturally heavy highlight.

"The Planet Maker" throws back to a bit of Dichotomy, letting you flow in ambient space then dragging you back to Earth with its ground-breaking riffing and catapulting you into the stars with dreamy cleans and ethereal soloing. "The Sun Eater" is another one of the best songs here. The most of the brutality comes in throughout the last minute. The final title track is the aforementioned climatic end of the journey, with all of the previous tracks' characters gathering together with a war chant of "I AM THAT I AM!!!"

All in all, Becoming the Archetype can still prove what they are despite a drastically different lineup. There's more energy and rage to feed the machine. There isn't much experimentation of progressiveness, just a strong blend of crushing riffing, technical soloing, and brutal breakdowns, to further tear down the walls between standard death metal and deathcore. That and the interesting lyrics should delight fans new and old. I Am is one of the heaviest and most complex albums the band has made without going progressive. Sadly, they would go on hiatus after this release, though they would return a decade later with a new album and the comeback of those two OG members....

Favorites: "The Time Bender", "The Eyes of the Storm", "The Weapon Breaker", "The Sun Eater", "I Am"

Becoming the Archetype is such a talented band. I don't really go to live shows, but if I had to choose which the band to see live, they would be who I choose. Their albums have pleased many fans and critics. Two of my favorite albums are their first two; Terminate Damnation and The Physics of Fire. I also enjoy Dichotomy, but it's just shy of the glory of those albums. My review journey isn't complete yet, I still have a few more to go, starting with Celestial Completion!

Similarly to Dichotomy, Celestial Completion is filled with solid melodeath to satisfy metalheads. The addition of unorthodox instruments may throw off some metal purists. Still this band has great talent in the solos, breakdowns, and vocals.

"The Resonant Frequency of Flesh" is an intro consisting of orchestration, horns, and Gregorian chanting, which is quite well-written. Then we jump into "The Magnetic Sky", the album's first actual song and single. The chorus is something that fans weren't used to at first but eventually would please the live crowd. Guitarists Daniel Gailey (later joining Phinehas and Fit for a King) and Seth Hecox provide clean singing in contrast to the usual screams and growls by bassist/vocalist Jason Wisdom. Great start! "Internal Illumination" has some of the early progressiveness similar to Textures. "Path of the Beam" has a bit of their earlier metalcore, and when it's blended with background symphonics, it comes out nicely sounding like a more prog-ish Bleeding Through.

"Requiem Aeternam" is another paid-off attempt at making a long 3-part epic, albeit split into different tracks, starting with "Music of the Spheres", consisting of smooth piano by Seth. "Elemental Wrath" is so epic and technical, with Jason's vocals of wrath. "Xenosynthesis" has some of the most awesome growls done by Jason Wisdom.

"Invisible Creature" is an odd pointless Middle-Eastern interlude, but the album's rating isn't affected. "Cardiac Rebellion" is another pre-release single, and a unique song unlike any other. There are gang vocals and even some trombone soloing by Dennis Culp of Five Iron Frenzy. "Reflect/Refract" attacks with the prog-ish melodeath of Allegaeon. "Breathing Light" is an epic highlight to end this offering.

Celestial Completion is an album where many of the songs can flow free and not be restrained. They can be separate singles or be put together as a story. This may be their second-best album in the 4.5-star tier, behind Dichotomy. Unlike what the purists would believe, almost nothing will disappoint!

Favorites: "The Magnetic Sky", "Path of the Beam", "Requiem Aeternam", "Cardiac Rebellion", "Breathing Light"

When I do reviews like this, I speak my honest opinions. I try not to sound too professional or amateur. I like what I like and I hate what I hate. Just because many people like or hate something, doesn't mean I have to do the same. Anyway, I can understand why people enjoy the roundabout into melodeath that is Dichotomy. While I love it too, reducing the progressive/metalcore elements for more brutal groove is a slightly odd move, and I don't see the album reaching the perfect glory of their first two albums.

Dichotomy is all about the body and soul. Not just for the band also within the word's meaning. The lyrics teach us that we don't see everything in the world, and some things we have to do differently from everyone else, which is what I've mentioned in that first paragraph; striving to be different!

The astonishing "Mountain of Souls" has great melody. There is so much riffing variety while frontman Jason Wisdom unleashes his wild roars. Canadian prog-metal mastermind Devin Townsend guest appears with his cleans and additional screams. The title track has clever writing to help clarify the concept, "They exchanged the incorruptible for the image of fallen man worshiped creature rather than creator the image rather than his hand". Also worth noting is more of the guest vocals by Demon Hunter's Ryan Clark, not just in the screams but also his tender cleans that have shaped up his main band's ballads. "Artificial Immortality" has leans into some of the melodic metalcore of Demon Hunter and Miss May I, with some modern elements that would later be adopted by The Interbeing and Bad Omens. Love that one!

"Self Existent" has some progressiveness left in the time signatures changing in the verses. Soon the music fades and segues into the interlude... "St. Anne's Lullaby" has gentle acoustic guitar to calm things down before another storm crashes in. "Ransom" marches on with the usual melodeath, though some of their earlier metalcore bleeds in, a bit like Bury Your Dead, and later planting the seed for Wolves at the Gate. "Evil Unseen" blends melodeath with haunting background synths similarly to Skyfire, with some slight ambience that Silent Planet would later have.

The old Christian hymn "How Great Thou Art" is given a metal remake (the kind of covers I like!), complete with the usual fast deathly riffing and gravelly growls, making it sound as if it's their own song. "Deep Heaven" has some metalcore from bands like August Burns Red and For the Fallen Dreams, along with soprano vocals by Suzanne Richter. "End of the Age" is an expansive epic to end the album, closing with heartful soloing as everything fades.

You gotta admire the band's different abilities that make Dichotomy an amazing album. Any fan of Becoming the Archetype can listen to this album and any of their other albums non-stop. All good for your body and soul!

Favorites: "Mountain of Souls", "Artificial Immortality", "Evil Unseen", "How Great Thou Art", "End of the Age"

OK, I know I nominated this epic masterpiece as the May 2025 Revolution feature release, but as I listen to it more, I can hear it coming out as more of a progressive melodeath/metalcore kind of style, something I wish I could've discovered 6 years before this review when The Horde, The Infinite, and The Revolution were my clan lineup. Think of the album as a blend of Extol and Living Sacrifice, two of the band's labelmates in Solid State Records.

Whichever genre fits right for Becoming the Archetype's debut, Terminate Damnation is one of the most battle-ready gems in the Christian metal/NWOAHM side of things. Despite Extol and Living Sacrifice having their temporary spilt-ups shortly after, Solid State followers ended up having another band to headbang to!

The intro "March of the Dead" starts off with piano and synthesized organ. Then the electric guitar and marching drums come in for an epic vibe. Good start! The first actual song "Into Oblivion" blasts off with some typical melodeath/metalcore. The acoustic bridge is a nice touch before building the heaviness back up into the usual sound, including some searing soloing. Then it ends with the breakdown and blasts of metalcore. Next track "One Man Parade" has more of the melodeath/metalcore sound, with frontman Jason Wisdom doing some killer death growls at the start before more of his Matt Heafy-like metalcore bellows. I really enjoy the riffing and fast soloing here, along with the ending that I think is the best part. "Elegy" is a true epic that can fit well in a battle between Heaven and Hell. I would recommend it to any metalhead, whether or not they're Christian. The first part "Deception" is the only part in the epic to have lyrics. The riffing sounds so epic and is never really far off from Nordic melodeath. The part ends with a guest appearance by Demon Hunter's Ryan Clark which is as awesome as everything else. "Lament", the second part, is a beautiful piano interlude with some guitar. The third part, "Triumph", shows the drums and guitar rising back up in glorious triumph, then it ends with a heavy reprise of the main riffing from "Deception".

The next track "Night's Sorrow" is an instrumental that's twice as long as each of the other interludes. Who knew an acoustic track can make an actual highlight? The middle track "The Epigone" is one of the more Christian songs of the album, and a kick-A one too. It starts with a dark synth-metal intro that is almost like Trail of Tears at that time, then it speeds up into the band's usual metal. Another breakdown occurs before a solo that really jazzes things up at the end. Then "Beyond Adaption" strikes as a short but speedy track with fast riffing through the first half. Despite its length, it's another one of my favorite tracks here. Up next, "No Fall Too Far" has cool production. The guitars in the intro rule! And we have more of the fast riffing before a massive midsection breakdown. Then later, effective soloing rolls heading back to the starting riff.

Another song "Ex Nihilo" has a cool yet strange guitar intro. Then we have more of the usual melodeath/metalcore. Splendid soloing a brutal deathly breakdown there. Although it's still great, it's probably the song I liked the least here. Still there's the fun lengthy soloing and one more hardcore breakdown, "OUT OF NOTHING! A NEW CREATION!!" There's one more interlude left, "Denouement", with nice acoustics in the mellow instrumentation. Finally, "The Trivial Paroxysm" is the most progressive and stylistically diverse way out. A strong ending, just like the way I like it!

All in all, Terminate Damnation is for anyone, Christian or not, who is into melodeath riffing, metalcore breakdowns, and progressive structures. And oh yeah, audible bass, which is a great bonus. And double oh yeah, the wicked art of death metal cover artist Dan Seagrave. Some parts of this album remind me a bit of one of the albums Mr. Seagrave has contributed artwork for, Edge of Sanity's The Spectral Sorrows. Anyone looking for talented Christian extreme metal, here it is. An offering for the ages!

Favorites: "Into Oblivion", "Elegy", "Night's Sorrow", "Beyond Adaptation", "No Fall Too Far", "The Trivial Paroxysm"

Before gradually evolving into a progressive tech-death band, Job for a Cowboy released a deathcore classic that was an early result of the subgenre's popularity. Any fan of deathcore can recognize their EP Doom as a brutal masterpiece!

As much as the other band members perform well in the EP, the heavy complex drumming by Elliot Sellers really stands out side-by-side with the guitars. Different variations of blasts and kicks can be heard, and like snowflakes, one is never the same as the other, which is what makes the drumming so unique. That and the use of cymbals, all of which give deathcore some rare literal kicks.

The intro "Catharsis for the Buried" starts the release eerily as someone is getting buried alive and screams "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!" Then comes my favorite track here, "Entombment of a Machine", with some riffing and breakdowns I really enjoy, including that final devastating one at the end. The song also has rare audibility in bass and common usage of horror imagery in the lyrics. "Relinquished" is also interesting with the intro riffing and the song's brief usage of lo-fi and funk-ish beats in the drumming. "Knee Deep" you might already know from that Spongebob "Band Geeks" meme video. I just love its opening riffing!

"The Rising Tide" has some breakdown riffing throwing back to earlier tracks, but it's still killer, especially in another brutal closing breakdown. The growls and screams of Jonathan Davy fit so well with the lyrics. Starting off with a bit of melodeath is "Suspended by the Throat" before more of the heavy darkness. You don't wanna miss out on the re-release bonus track "Entities". Recorded a year after the original EP, you can hear some riffs hinting at the band's later tech-death sound, as well as a rare guitar solo.

Doom is filled with awesome pulverizing deathcore. Fans of the genre should definitely get it and listen to it as many times as they please. I'm glad to discovering this true gem and I look forward to hearing their later tech-death. Only the strongest and most loyal to deathcore can survive!

Favorites: "Entombment of a Machine", "Knee Deep", "The Rising Tide", "Entities"

A friend of mine shared with me a couple tracks from this album, and they sound good enough to check out the rest of what it has to offer, as well as make another dive into one of Megadeth's albums. How does it compare to a classic like Peace Sells? Let's find out...

United Abominations marked the entrance of the Drover brothers; guitarist Glen and drummer Shawn. They were the founding members of power metal band Eidolon. But months after the release of this album, Glen left Megadeth to focus on family life, which also caused Eidolon to disband, apart from a 2015 reunion show and single. Those brothers knew how to add catchiness and heaviness to the less thrashy riffing the band had for 15 years up to that point. Freshness was added to the otherwise mundane.

"Sleepwalker" opens the album as a heavy yet melodic standout, as the snarls of frontman Dave Mustaine soar through the verses. The thrashy riffs and leads last heard in Rust in Peace are in full force, as is the tempo variation. All in an honorable highlight! What's next is "Washington is Next", which picks up some fast speed in the riffs and drums, while having some Maiden-powered melody, especially in the chorus that adds to the energy. The earlier speedy riffing is blended with the 1990 technical shredding. There are some decent choruses in "Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms", but it's much more suitable for the radio.

The title track is the first of the two songs my friend showed me, which is fine, but the chorus is too repetitive to do any good. The second of those songs, "Gears of War" is a slower heavy/melodic composition with a brighter chorus. I like that one more. "Blessed are the Dead" is where Mustaine's vocals often get deeper or less gravelly. The song once again has the band's 90s hard rock/metal sound. "Play for Blood" has the groove-ish riffing of Symphony X, but none of that band's epic orchestration.

"A Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)" is a re-recording of a song from the band's 1994 album Youthanasia. This edition has greater energy and guest vocals by Cristina Scabbia from gothic/alt-metal band Lacuna Coil. Honestly, this is the kind of re-recording we need, one that enhances the song with a guest vocalist. Well done! "Amerikhastan" follows as an unnecessary attempt at a political attack, and it's hard for me to listen to it without cringing in disgust. We get one more memorable track in "You're Dead", reviving the early 90s thrash discretely yet pleasantly. "Burnt Ice" has impressive riffing that is sadly practically obscured by everything else. A strong yet uneven wrap-up.

All in all, United Abominations is a pretty good album with some weak moments. I suppose one day I can check out one of their surrounding albums like The System Has Failed or Endgame, maybe even another one of their earlier classics. But for now, I can savor the more high-quality moments of this album, helped out by the Drover brothers. Shawn would still stick around for the next few chapters of this journey of Megadeth....

Favorites: "Sleepwalker", "Washington is Next", "Gears of War", "A Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)", "You're Dead"

I used to listen to Parasite Inc. when I was still into the more melodic bands before switching to the heavier modern ones. After I made that grand move months before the release of their sophomore album Dead and Alive, I forgot all about that band. Fast forward to just a week before this review, when I found out that they switched to a cyber-ish industrial metal direction in their 3rd album. I was shocked. Shocked! ...Well, not that shocked. But I wasn't gonna put it down right away, I'm too open-minded for that.

This German band consisting of frontman Kai Bigler, guitarist Dominik Sorg, bassist Lucien Mosesku, and drummer Benjamin Stelzer, had already unleashed two melodeath offerings since forming in 2007. How well have they done in 3rd album Cyan Night Dreams despite this sudden idea of adding dreamy synthwave to their sound? Well...

The haunting intro "Lithium" already hints at those ethereal synths. Then the destructive melodeath strikes in "I Am" with solid melodies, rhythms, and vocals front and center. The violence burns through a chorus of epic melancholy and speed. The riff-wrath continues in the heavy "First Born". Hypnotic leads sound interesting when mixed together with the vicious screams. The catchy title track is where the synthwave night begins to shine. The clean singing is very effective. A fantastic example of their new direction!

"In False Light" is all about the band's earlier aggression. The wild riff rhythms are in smooth contrast with the softer sections. "Osmium" is another haunting interlude. The raging march of "Follow the Blind" has more in common with metalcore, which is actually perfect for the headbanging crowd.

"Under Broken Skies" is more modern and accessible while staying heavy. Then "Into Destruction" is a solid melodeath track with more of the devastating blasts. The anthemic choruses allow the clean vocals to make themselves at home. "When All is Said" is the album's closing track and the most synthwave-ish track here. But the modern heaviness is still around as expected and ends it all perfectly.

Who knew synthwave and melodeath can go well together in a catchy blend? I certainly didn't before encountering this album. Don't let the electronics in Cyan Night Dreams turn you off. Let them mesmerize you in your dreams....

Favorites: "I Am", "Cyan Night Dreams", "Follow the Blind", "Into Destruction", "When All is Said"

I had a lot of fun listening to Mechina's Acheron, although I probably would've enjoyed it more when I still into highly epic melodic styles of metal, and the second half could've been improved. Today we go further into the epic sci-fi cyber metal world of Mechina by taking on the band's second album, Conqueror. It is the album that expanded upon the one-off story of their 2005 debut The Assembly of Tyrants and turned it into the saga the band is known for...

I find some good material to please my ears, as Conqueror shows the welcoming signs of their evolving sound to come. I should check out the in-between albums Empyrean and Xenon some time. Though what's different from Acheron is the simpler shorter songs instead of the long complex epics. So that's one reason to knock off a half-star.

Intro "Incipient Tragoedia" has some female vocal melody floating over cinematic orchestra. Then the guitars crash in right away in "Pray to the Winds" with its heavy djenty riffing. The guitar and orchestra are never buried against each other, they are in the right balance. A true symphonic blessing! Keep that in mind before this Meshuggah-powered Sybreed-like sound goes a bit downhill. Exhibit A being "Anti-Theist" with its unbalanced atmosphere and vocalist David Holch's poor attempt at clean singing.

"Non Serviam" also has that issue, but the blend of epicness and heaviness overlooks it and makes the song a better standout. Another instrumental composition "[Error 36:48.58/Connection Lost]" has nice orchestra, yet it's easily skippable. Though not as awful as "Internecion" which is the worst, most flat-sounding sh*tter here.

However, it then goes straight to the best song here, "The Iron Law", the perfect soundtrack to a sci-fi boss battle. The lyrics are definitely worth shouting along to, "TOTAL. SYSTEM. FAILURE!!!!" The title track also stands out well, though it can't beat the previous track. Outro "Ad Astra" can almost fit well in the soundtrack to the film Ad Astra, and the melody from the album's intro is reprised.

All in all, Conqueror truly begins a saga and sound further explored in Empyrean, Xenon, Acheron, etc. It's worth some good listening though some tracks could've been improved, and there should've been a long epic (which there actually is in the Compendium edition). Still the band knows what's right when taking their music to the stars....

Favorites: "Pray to the Winds", "Non Serviam", "The Iron Law", "Conqueror"

From First to Last is a band with a few members that have been part of more well-known projects. Rhythm guitarist/unclean vocalist Travis Richter left the band to join The Human Abstract but came back when that band went on hiatus and From First to Last ended theirs. For this album Dead Trees, the band brought in Spencer Sotelo as lead vocalist, a position held on to for the band's first two albums by Sonny Moore, A.K.A. dubstep superstar Skrillex.

Dead Trees brings back the earlier post-hardcore sound, this time heavier and getting close to djent. That and the more melodic aspects gives the album a melodic metalcore direction. Spencer's well-done vocals are a perfect fit here, and I enjoy them as greatly as his work with Periphery...

"Heresy" is a mysterious one-minute intro with its epic orchestral synths sounding almost like they're leftover from a Powerwolf album. Then you get hit by two minutes of killer metallic hardcore "Straight to the Face". The theatrical heaviness continues in "H8 Meh". Then we have one of two singles in the title track, and it's a perfect metallic throwback to the mid-2000s post-hardcore scene embraced by From First to Last and other similar bands.

"I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good" really takes on the theatrical antics of Ice Nine Kills while Spencer expands his vocal range as much as he had in Periphery's Juggernaut series from that year. "Black and White" is worth listening to as the band fire away with their blend of heaviness and melody. "Back to Hannalei" is a softer ballad, not too far off from the softer tracks of Bring Me the Horizon at that time. "Never in Reverie" exemplifies the more metallic side that reminds me of Bullet for My Valentine and Oh Sleeper, and that I'm definitely up for.

That heavier side continues once again in "2 11". Then "Electrified" has the catchy dance-y pace of Electric Callboy but none of that band's trance-y synths. "I Don’t Wanna Live in the Real World" is another acoustic ballad to wrap up this offering. For the earlier fans, the bonus re-recordings are a successful treat altogether, "Note to Self", "Ride the Wings of Pestilence", and "The Latest Plague". OK, the third one is not as awesome the previous two, but they all still work well.

Dead Trees is the comeback album From First to Last fans need! Well, a couple tracks I don't totally need, but the rest is still great. And as amazing as Spencer sounds there, let's hope the band can make another album in the future with more of Sonny Moore's vocals....

Favorites: "Straight to the Face", "Dead Trees", "I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good", "Black and White", "Never in Reverie", "Note to Self", "Ride the Wings of Pestilence"

With my recent revisit of Septicflesh's comeback album Communion, I eventually thought "What about their earlier era?" These were the days when Septic Flesh (with a space between the two words) were more focused on death and a bit of the doom of the Peaceville 3, with symphonic synths used more sparsely and only fully displayed in tracks where it's used as the sole instrument. The debut Mystic Places of Dawn shows Spiros Antoniou and co. nicely blending brutality with atmosphere and historical lyrics...

The debut is more melancholic and longer (at a full one-hour length) than most other death metal albums back then, and it flows well when experienced entirely. Simple yet devastating guitars soar alongside crystalline synths in haunting melody.

The thunderous title opener has that deathly speed, though you'll find slower variation in the doomy sections. Blazing soloing plagues "Pale Beauty of the Past" in effective echo. It really does sound beautiful, even though the heavier fans of death metal prefer brutality over beauty. Next track "Return to Carthage" is a return to the heavier side of death metal with barely any of the crawling doom.

"Crescent Moon" is an amazing 8-minute doomy epic with guitarwork ranging from blissful to intense. And there's more of the slow doom in "Chasing the Chimera". The most of the pretty synths you'll get in one of the death metal tracks is "The Underwater Garden".

The fast "Behind the Iron Mask" is an explosive riff monster. It's great that they have the heaviest track deep into the album. It's a well-placed brutal break from the slowness. The most variant track here is "(Morpheus) The Dreamlord" with its slow melodic sections that then lead to a climatic buildup into eruptive blasts. The sonic firepower of the soloing would certainly burn away those slow melodies. Also that track was recorded a year before everything else in the album and had an actual drummer instead of a drum machine to add a more authentic kick to the sound. "Mythos" is the 9-minute two-part finale of nothing but symphonic synths. This was around the time when both Septic Flesh and Amorphis stunned the death metal realm with their synth usage. It's not for pure heavy metalheads, but it's certainly fitting for an epic journey to Atlantis.

So I actually enjoy Mystic Places of Dawn slightly more than I did a few years ago, and slightly more than Communion. As amazing as their debut is though, the mixing is a bit unclear, which is understandable when the band was first starting out. Still it has the right kind of mood to stand out in the rise of the Greek extreme metal scene led by black metal bands Necromantia and Rotting Christ. The album has some impressive writing and it promised an essential future for Septic Flesh and the more atmospheric side of death metal. Best recommended for death metal lovers who don't mind some doom and synthesized orchestration....

Favorites: "Mystic Places of Dawn", "Pale Beauty of the Past", "Crescent Moon", "Behind the Iron Mask", "(Morpheus) The Dreamlord"

I haven't heard of this band from Canberra, Australia before, but let me fill you in right away on what to expect from Alchemist's debut Jar of Kingdom. This is avant-garde/progressive death metal soaring through the psychedelic cosmos! This is the kind of style that's either awesome or too weird to enjoy. In this case, it's the former. Alchemist made an experiment in metal alchemy that has really paid off!

With this incredible debut, I have a great feeling about the rest of their discography. There are so many things that are both expected and unexpected all in one dish. Avant-garde/prog-metal has lots of twists through death and doom here. For newcomers to The Infinite genres, it may sound weird and take some time to digest.

Listeners of the album get the first taste of the experience from opening track "Abstraction", starting with a smooth yet eerie horror movie-ish intro before blasting off into atonal guitars and death growls, to remind some of Demilich without going all-out brutal. Frontman Adam Agius actually damaged his voice while recording that song, hence the rawness of his vocals here. "Shell" is a bizarre when kicking off with twisted ethereal doom, but then we have some fast bass melody and heaviness to stand out. "Purple" is more dynamic in the blast-beats and riffing, blending the psychedelia of Voivod at the time with the deathly hellfire. The cacophonic title track once again has 70s space rock twisted into intricate thrashy death metal rhythms.

"Wandering and Wondering" wanders through dissonant riffing reminiscent of Carbonized and melodic turns into doom/power metal. Then we have an acoustic interlude "Found" sung by Michelle Klemke. "Enhancing Enigma" enhances the sound with oriental psychedelia as the death metal realms continue to range from thrashy to doomy.

"Whale" is a strange interlude with the wailing of a humpback whale in the background, long before Gojira tried something like that in From Mars to Sirius. And there's more experimentation in "Brumal: a View from Pluto" in which deathly blasts have a bit of industrial melody crawling in. It all leads to "Worlds Within Worlds" having some of that Eastern balladry followed by the last bit of thrashy death metal in a progressive epic.

Jar of Kingdom is the massive beginning of a 6-album journey that sadly had to end. Adam Agius would then form a new band, The Levitation Hex, with members of Alarum. Nonetheless, the complex experimentation of Alchemist is a deathly adventure through the dark psychedelic depths of space!

Favorites: "Abstraction", "Purple", "Jar of Kingdom", "Enhancing Enigma", "Worlds Within Worlds"

Presenting, in Living Colour, these funk metal forerunners from New York City! Living Colour has been shaping up the funk metal scene since their 1988 debut album Vivid that includes their Grammy-winning hit, political anthem "Cult of Personality". In the years that followed, even more exposure was inevitable thanks to their more popular tour-mates Guns N' Roses and The Rolling Stones, as well as participating in the Lollapalooza tour on its very first year, 1991.

So what's next? Well, bassist Muzz Skillings left the group before they could start recording their 3rd album Stain. His replacement Doug Wimbish has been known for working with popular musicians like Madonna and Mick Jagger. Bad Brains producer Ron Germain helped show the band's dark heavy side while suitable for the mainstream.

The antiliberal opening track "Go Away" is a crushing start to the album. "Ignorance is Bliss" continues the political pessimism. "Leave It Alone" is a more melodic highlight. Another cool mainstream song is "Bi". Despite not getting enough attention or longevity in their career, great songs like this should never be ignored. It's an interesting song detailing the ongoing dilemma of people's sexuality ("Everybody's messed up with their sexuality") and can motivate certain people to overcome that dilemma and be proud of themselves and their community, maybe even certain characters from children's shows that have expanded the LGBT boundaries. But it might also cause some massive debate about whether this is pro- or anti-LGBT. Quite a tough call. Let's move on...

"Mind Your Own Business" takes some influence from their aforementioned tour-mates, and is not really my business. Then "Auslander" explodes into one of my favorite songs here. "Never Satisfied" is satisfying but can't beat the greater highlights. Another one of them being "Nothingness", which is a ballad-ish funk rock track with ambient symphonic synths, but I can certainly understand how destined it was to be a hit. After that, "Postman" packs a killer punch as the lyrics describe a vicious murderer. Living Colour can certainly take a death metal lyrical concept and twist it up in their usual funk/alt-metal/rock.

The problems this album has that make me think "WT*!?" are exemplified in the weird experimental "WTFF" (the second F stands for "Factor"). Really messing things up is "This Little Pig". Then "Hemp" is a f***ing pointless interlude. Fortunately, "Wall" closes the album by showing you all how this funky sound should really be done. As much as I enjoy Revolution bands from the electronicore of Enter Shikari to the mathcore of The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, I'm up for a bit of funky alt-metal once in a while.

Stain is a decent funky album with a few standouts, a few mess-ups, and a few in-betweens. Despite its success, the album ceased printing for 20 years due to a lawsuit from the band The Stain, and Living Colour split up due to creative differences. It won't be until a decade after Stain's release when their next offering would occur....

Favorites: "Leave It Alone", "Bi", "Auslander", "Nothingness", "Postman", "Wall"

Oh wow! After two albums of blending jazzy avant-garde metal with grindcore elements that are too weird to be good, the deathly/thrashy grind has been very much discarded and made this experimental sound even better in their third album Execution Ground. The band consisting of John Zorn (saxophone instead of guitar), Bill Laswell (bass), and Mick Harris (drums) gained more control of their experimentation in these long-a** mighty improvisations...

The lineup show off their powerful talent with occasional guest vocals by Yamantaka Eye, lead vocalist of Zorn's other band Naked City. Oh yeah, Zorn's saxophone is still screechy but more tolerable. And the album cover used in this site is the clean cover as opposed to the original one with the man hung from a tree.

The 3 long improvisations take up the first half of this two-CD offering. I can't really say much about them individually because of how similar they are, but they are perfect for when you wanna chill out in a world of noise (not something I thought anyone would say in a way that makes sense). Then the second disc has ambient remixes of two of those tracks. It's a shame that my favorite track of the trio, "Morning of Balachaturdasi" didn't get the same ambient treatment.

So how does it all exactly compare to those first two Painkiller albums? Well as I've said, there isn't any more of the extreme grind, but those improvisations in the main dish still have heavy strikes, once again bringing out metal from the saxophone instead of the guitar. There are many relentless sections that guide you through the occasional foggy screams, the innovative drumming of Harris, the deep bass pulse of Laswell, and Zorn's saxophone that is, again, excellent and being played well instead of strangled to the bone. This jazzy avant-garde metal sound is so disturbing, it's probably a valid reason for the band's dissolution. Only this time, it's a very pleasant kind of disturbing!

Favorites: All 3 of the main tracks, especially "Morning of Balachaturdasi", though the ambient tracks are great too.

Things get weird once again in Painkiller's second release Buried Secrets. There's more of that tortured screaming saxophone in many tracks and that can get a bit annoying. However, what makes this album better is than their debut Guts of a Virgin is much less of their earlier grindcore, as well as the two longer epics which are the title track and "The Toll". Both rely less on that d*mn saxophone and feature guest appearances by Godflesh, both members with their metal instrumentation and all. You can find a lot in this avant-garde album that's more disturbing than even the goriest death metal around, much more than I can stand....

Favorites (only ones I like): "Buried Secrets", "The Toll"

PainKiller was formed in 1991, one year after the release Judas Priest's 1990 breakthrough album Painkiller. Whether of not this band was named after that Judas Priest release is anyone's guess. The band was known for their strange blend of avant-garde jazz and grindcore, and for the usage of saxophone by John Zorn instead of guitar.

Their most grindcore-ridden album, the debut Guts of a Virgin, originally had an album cover you might expect from some other Horde band, a woman shaven bald and disemboweled. When the album was shipped to the UK, the authorities destroyed all the copies shipped there because of that cover that was against the Obscene Publications Act. The second edition crops that photo to just show the woman's face and adds a disclaimer about the first edition's ban. That's the cover that appears in the release's page in the site (Thanks for choosing that, Ben!).

So this album has the most of the band's thrashy/deathly grindcore side, but when that sounds too screechy and the experimental jazz side is too bizarre with the saxophone sounding so tortured, this jazzy avant-garde grindcore mix isn't a good one. The only track I'm able to not cringe at is the doomy "Devil's Eye" in which the saxophone is used less frequently. For everything else, the weirdness is just too much, and not something I have the guts to explore more of....

Favorites (only one I like): "Devil's Eye"

Swedish violin-fueled metalcore masters Imminence has been gaining a lot more fans with their successful 2021 album Heaven in Hiding. Their growing maturity has pulled them towards their vision to please metalcore listeners with a unique atmospheric sound. Several singles for that album and its deluxe edition have spawned, and they came with immersive music videos for anyone wanting more than just the music experience.

And now they're back with their new album The Black! Despite half the amount of songs having already been released as singles, their great consistency is still on, with heaviness from breakdowns and melodies from hooks. And of course, the violin is what helps them stay nicely different.

As hazy synths rise from the darkness, "Come Hell or High Water" starts off sludgy and melancholic. It slowly builds up with a chorus chanting the song title, and it's not until really close to the end when it reaches its insane crescendo. The hypnotic music then gives way for "Desolation", rolling with fast punches. "Heaven Shall Burn" is a grand highlight, a godly piece of metalcore to enjoy! Another brilliant highlight "Beyond the Pale" attacks with thick riffs and rhythms that fit with the drumming of Peter Hanstrom.

"Death by a Thousand Cuts" is another f***ing banger I'm glad to encounter. The verses of "Come What May" are filled with heavy aggression, which is great for the band's longest song to date. The perfection is knocked off by the odd interlude "Cul-de-Sac". Then "The Call of the Void" is ultra-heavy, with verses of yelling "RAGE! RAGE!!"

The perfection of Imminence's new singles continues with "Continuum", sounding both brutal and beautiful. Like f***ing beyond beautiful! "L'appel du Vide" is not a French version of "The Call of the Void" despite its title and length, just another unnecessary interlude while working as a nice break. The perfect title track is an epic piece of majestic symphonic metalcore! It segues to its similar-titled but translated to French outro "Le Noir" to end it all smoothly.

Imminence is the kind of the band you don't just listen to but rather experience. Let your mind absorb The Black and remember the band's game-changing ways in the metalcore scene. A big impact rising out of the void!

Favorites: "Heaven Shall Burn", "Beyond the Pale", "Death by a Thousand Cuts", "The Call of the Void", "Continuum", "The Black"

The journey of Imminence has taken us through the heavy power of I, the mainstream melody of This is Goodbye, and the in-between of Turn the Light On. The band would take the direction of the 3rd album and enhance it greatly in their 4th, Heaven in Hiding. This is where they have solidified their path and reached their greatest height! None of their previous albums have made it that high up in glory.

Imminence is one of the most anthemic and cinematic-sounding metalcore bands around, thanks to their blend of beauty and brutality, and vocalist Eddie Berg adding in some violin. I can certainly understand the amount of popularity the band is slowly gaining, since they really have gotten better, all the way up to this masterpiece.

The opening track "I Am Become a Name..." starts the album as an ambient synth intro. "Ghost" blasts off with heavy guitars and drums, while the violin floats through in the background. Berg has better screams that in previous albums, going from high to low at ease and making it clearer that this band is basically Architects with violins. His clean singing fits perfectly with the emotional lyrics. With their next song "Temptation", Imminence f***ing rules with their music! My favorite part is the heavy riff at the one and a half minute mark. You just gotta hear how intense the band is in "Surrender". Then "Chasing Shadows" once again balances heavy guitars and somber strings. As dynamic as the instrumentation is, guitar duo Harald Barret and Alex Arnoldsson take the stage with their catchiest riffing here.

"Moth to a Flame" has powerful drumming by Peter Hanstrom, perfectly syncing well with the violin. Next song "Alleviate" has more lightness and sorrow while maintaining what's stylistically important for the band. The strings are toned down in some degree in "Enslaved". And again in "Disappear". Still the fact there's violin at all is enough to make sure it's beyond what you often hear in the average metalcore song. This symphonic taste once again gives me something to love. I absolutely love "Lost and Left Behind"! This is symphonic metalcore that I need more of.

As we head into the main album's final leg, "این نیز بگذرد" (This Too Shall Pass) is an acoustic/violin ballad with clean melodies by Berg. "∞" (Infinity) is just a violin interlude. Then the closing title track perfectly summarizes all the band had to offer, plus a brutal breakdown to end it all. The deluxe edition comes with a bonus disc of many bonus track, started with the wicked "Jaded". The Spanish acoustic version of "Temptation" is fine. And the rest is just acoustic and live tracks.

With that, Heaven in Hiding is the mighty pinnacle of Imminence's career. As they continue to get more popular, they might have potential to light up arenas with their precise theatric sound. Unique elements like violin have established that Imminence is not just your friendly neighborhood metalcore band!

Favorites: "Ghost", "Temptation", "Chasing Shadows", "Moth to a Flame", "Disappear", "Lost and Left Behind", "Heaven in Hiding", "Jaded"

The 2014 debut by Imminence, I is a great offering of violin-infused atmospheric metalcore. Then they made a sudden turn into pop-ish alt-rock in This is Goodbye, stirring up some mediocre tracks and only a couple highlights. With their 3rd album Turn the Light On, the band has returned to the heaviness of the former while maintaining the more mainstream sound of the latter. Better while still bumpy...

You don't usually get to hear the lone violin in most metalcore bands. When Imminence adds that in, you can hear the most clearly in the intro or the bridge. It's all part of the clean side while staying heavy.

"Erase" is the first sign of the more emo-ish alt-metalcore direction the band would take. Good but a little overdone. "Paralyzed" is an amazing track with sweet piano and drums. "Room to Breathe" is also great as it starts slightly soft then the guitars expand into madness. "Saturated Soul" is just sh*tty pop rock leftover from This is Goodbye. Don't expect anymore listening from me there!

"Infectious" is exactly that, from the cool vocal intro. While the clean verses sound so hollow, the choruses are quite big and make up for that well. The violin really fits the heavy sections like a glove, especially in the ending breakdown. "The Sickness" is a re-recording of a non-album single. It's a heavy track with great drums, breakdown, and chorus. How can something be both heavy and clean?!?! Just ask Imminence! "Death of You" is nicely led with violin. It's listenable but anticlimactic with its buildup into nothing. "Scars" is cool yet too poppy for me. "Disconnected" has cool guitar rhythms like a more djenty TOOL. The leads are catchy too, leading up to a nice violin outro.

"Wake Me Up" is a more unusual track. There's too much of the poppy synths that annoy me. Still the guitars and breakdown are something to love. "Don't Tell a Soul" has nice bass as the vocals enter and the instrumentation quiets down to let them shine. Then it all builds up into a cool heavy chorus. The ambient break makes me a little sleep-inducing, though the final chorus wakes me up again before hitting the brakes. "Lighthouse" is the heaviest track on the album. It makes all the soft tracks cower in fear. Holy sh*t, the chorus is so massive! Pretty much everything is so great, with my favorite part being when the violin leads into a huge orchestrated section. That's the epitome of epic ambient metalcore! "Love and Grace" is a sweet piano ballad to end the album, though I'll have to get my metal a** out of there in repeated album listens.

Turn the Light on has songs that connect well and songs that don't, with some potential Revolution playlist entries to come. Adding smooth violin to the dynamic realms of metal is a nice treat. You can listen to this album entirely, but if there's any track you don't like, just skip to the next....

Favorites: "Paralyzed", "Room to Breathe", "Infectious", "The Sickness", "Disconnected", "Lighthouse"

Imminence fans were not expecting a sudden change of style in the band's second album This is Goodbye. They're normally a melodic-ish technical ambient metalcore band, but here they made a detour into pop-ish alt-rock. Not many heavy riffs and breakdowns to be found...

If their debut album I is the band's own Sempiternal (the 4th Bring Me the Horizon album), this sh*t is their own That's the Spirit. H*ll, some tracks sound closer to Imagine Dragons! Despite this different sound not appealing to me, I can't deny the talent and melodic writing this band has. The passion is what I can stand when it all goes down to radio pop sh*t. And this direction being a one-time deal had longtime fans relieved when their next album came out.

Most of the songs are mediocre at best, though the biggest offenders have to be the opening trio, consisting of the title opener, "Diamonds", and "Broken Love". The last of the 3 is the worst, a f***ed-up carbon copy of That's the Spirit, with vocal melodies sounding horrendous. Skipping ahead to the only two highlights, "Cold as Stone" is the strongest one. The riffing sounds so kick-A, and even though the bridge should've led to an earth-shattering breakdown, it's great as-is. "Keep Me" is more melodic while coming out as a modern rock anthem. Vocalist Eddie Berg sounds the best in the chorus.

The album has bonus acoustic versions of 3 of the songs I mentioned above, but those are highly unnecessary, especially considering the album's f***ing pop-ish alt-rock sound. It takes a while for a band going that route to get back on their heavy feet. Bring Me the Horizon didn't regain their heaviness until the Post Human series. Imminence would still have their catchy heavy side in the next chapter of their journey, thus deeming This is Goodbye just a fluke in their path. It's not time yet to say goodbye....

Favorites (only ones I really like): "Cold as Stone", "Keep Me"

Imminence is one of the most unique bands of modern metalcore, sounding more theatrical and atmospheric, and they add in some violin, almost like Architects gone Ne Obliviscaris. If you're looking for how it all began for this band, look no further...

Metalcore songwriting seems to drift away from storytelling and emotion in favor of brutal breakdowns and death metal growls, and Imminence has embarked a mission to restore what was left behind to engage listeners. Diverse power and emotion allows fresh impact on the vicious vocals of metalcore. Their debut I (pronounced as either the letter "I" or the number "1") has energy and passion blended together for Imminence to be the highly unique metalcore/hardcore band they are today.

The violin that starts "Proclaim" might have some listeners confused thinking they put on a My Dying Bride album, but then it explodes into dramatic metalcore, not too far off from The Showdown's 2004 debut instrumentally. With hammer-fists and drum sticks, Peter Hanstrom blasts through "86" alongside talented screams and singing of Eddie Berg (also the violinist) that in turn go well with dissonant riffs and melodies. The lyrics are so beautiful and fit greatly even when screamed. "Every Breath" covers practically every trick in the metalcore book, tricks from bands like Earth Crisis, The Browning (minus the electronic elements), and Bring Me the Horizon.

The earth-shattering "Salt of the Earth" is so energetic, all the way through the breakdowns. Berg doesn't lose much steam when screaming lyrics that can certainly make a novel. The riffing is "Broken Lost" is a bit jarring, though the energy isn't lost. There's lighter drumming in "Du", a more atmospheric track. "The Seventh Seal" is an amazing highlight to please metalcore fans who have been following the band in the 10 years since this album's release.

"Those Who Seek" once again has Hanstrom lowering the speed while staying furious. The metal riffing from the guitar duo of Alex Arnoldsson and Harald Barrett shine in the sky before the bass Fredrik Rosdahl drags it into the earth with an underground breakdown. All that and some stellar harmonies help with this powerful structure. And that spoken verse by Berg is a nice touch. "Last Legs" starts the last leg of this journey with beauty covered in screams. It all leads up to "A Sense of Doubt" which closes the album in soft melancholy from the music that shows in times when Berg isn't using the mic.

All in all, you can find lots of unique creativity from Imminence. Their metalcore/hardcore sound that can go back and forth from harsh to smooth at any time will have listeners wanting more. I'm glad to see the metalcore scene extending into the cold northern lands of Sweden....

Favorites: "86", "Every Breath", "Salt of the Earth", "The Seventh Seal", "Those Who Seek"

The Ghost Inside have had one h*ll of a journey, complete with obstacles to beat and of course, solace to search for. They already made it to album #6, with themes ranging from anthemic motivation to COVID-induced isolation, all in Searching for Solace!

It's often difficult to follow up the perfection of one album, let alone two albums. Searching for Solace comes close to continuing the glory of Dear Youth and their self-titled fifth album. Getting over the trauma of their 2015 bus crash may be challenging, but the emotion spawned from there is let out in their songs for great enhancement. And they have different roads to take in a smooth breeze.

Opening track "Going Under" is a reflective tune with powerful metalcore momentum. "Death Grip" is a crushing track suitable for the mosh-pit, especially in the chorus, "Don’t need a life line, I've got a death grip!" Then we have the broader "Light Years". That song and "Secret" have the downtuned guitars and background synths of Parkway Drive.

"Split" is one of the heaviest and most hardcore tracks the band has done to date. I mean, listen to Architects, Hatebreed, or Knocked Loose, and you might find a lot that song has in common with any of those bands. Things get more accessible in the clean "Wash It Away" with catchy singalong choruses. "Cityscapes" is the most ballad-like song the band has ever done. It is dedicated to vocalist Jonathan Vigil's father who passed away while the band was in Australia during the Get What You Give tour. I'm not into a lot of ballads, but that one is truly moving. "Earn It" has more of the mid-tempo metalcore heaviness of Hatebreed and Upon a Burning Body.

The earlier heavy machinery is brought up again in "Wrath". Same with "Reckoning", which is fine, but it seems like they're trying too hard to look back at their past sound. But hey, they can just be themselves. Finally, we have the superb "Breathless". Just listen to the music and lyrics and let them guide you through. "These days are numbered, so keep on screaming until our hearts break."

For two decades, The Ghost Inside are determined to reign in the modern metalcore scene. Searching for Solace is another solid entry to their catalog. The band will make that their story ain't over and we will have more to look forward to in the future. We have their word!

Favorites: "Going Under", "Secret", "Split", "Cityscapes", "Earn It", "Breathless"

Almost 4 years after The Ghost Inside's horrific tour bus crash, the band made their return from the void with a comeback show on July 13, 2019. The concert was recorded for this live album that was released two years later in 2021, with a physical release another 6 months after. Now let's witness the phoenix rise!

The audience knows a lot of the band's lyrics and are there to accompany vocalist Jonathan Vigil as the band perform, and right from the "Intro", they're already fully prepared and anticipating a fantastic show coming up as they chant "TGI! TGI! TGI! TGI!..." Then Vigil enters the stage and greets "Good evening, everyone", and starts a speech thanking the crowd and introducing the band members before concluding, "Now the phoenix begins its rise."

"Avalanche" has some of the most blazing fire in modern metalcore, already showing that its original album Dear Youth is a solid step up from Get What You Give, and the band would stay in that path for their self-titled comeback album. Then "Unspoken" has well-done gang vocals. "The Great Unknown" is another hard-hitter with driving instrumentation. Only the strong will survive! "Dear Youth (Day 52)" is a mega mood-fitting song for me to love, with some similarities to Crystal Lake, especially the vocals. From the 2-and-a-half-minute-mark onward is an epic breakdown until the end.

The melodic yet drilling riffing of "Out of Control" fits well with more of those inspirational lyrics for the defiant hardcore kids. It segues to the kick-A crusher "Outlive" in which Jonathan Vigil's vicious yells travel alongside the riffing and drumming. Its original album marked the entrance of their current drummer Andrew Tkaczyk, formerly of For the Fallen Dreams. His intense drumming talent really stands out in that track and the more melodic ones later on, even after losing his leg. "Greater Distance" unleashes more aggression. It's all good until the generic breakdown midway through. Although I like breakdowns as much as the next metalcore fan, there's not much different variation, and it ends up breaking the momentum. As for "Between the Lines", I love those brilliant lyrics in that highlight. "Where have the words gone?!" Then "Phoenix Flame" takes the atmospheric direction much further as the band's first ever slow string-filled metalcore ballad. Still we have defiant lines like "It’s a long fall from the top, can you stand it?"

There's more melodic guitarwork in "Thirty Three", though a bit tiring at this point. "Mercy" is an intense highlight paying homage to Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in both the atmospheric bell intro and Vigil's subsequent bellow of "FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS!!!" Then "Shiner" breaks through the hardcore fire of Comeback Kid with a more metallic spin. "Dark Horse" has awesome cleans and the best chorus here. To be honest, that's what was missing from the band's first two albums that could've made them successful. Those cleans have improved the formula with more variation. Although I enjoy many metalcore albums with only unclean vocals. You gotta thank producer Jeremy McKinnon (frontman of A Day to Remember) for giving The Ghost Inside that clean aspect. "The Other Half" once again has a unique mix of heaviness and ambience.

A lot of what they should've had in their debut is in the next one "Chrono" which I enjoy. "Move Me" continues the scream-along lyrics with a more philosophical theme. The melodic guitarwork continues in "White Light". Then "Faith or Forgiveness" is a memorable highlight and probably the best moment of their comeback show. "Engine 45" almost surpasses that, ending the show as the kind of song you need for any crisis you struggle with. This band is clearly having more fame and glory now. Let us have the bravery to choose our actions, break these chains, and keep swinging!

So to summarize this amazing live experience, most of the songs chosen for the setlist in Rise From the Ashes: Live at the Shrine are some of the best highlights from their first 4 albums. There are really only a couple duds, pretty much all the other songs are golden inspirational anthems. The band really knew how to make their return in full-on modern metalcore grace. Rise From the Ashes is for anyone wanting to hear The Ghost Inside for the first time!

Favorites (two per studio album): "Avalanche", "Dear Youth (Day 52)", "Between the Lines", "Shiner", "Dark Horse", "Chrono", "Faith or Forgiveness", "Engine 45"

It's been a few years since I was last interested in Septicflesh. But that's just my modern heavy side of metal talking. Sometimes I just want to focus on what my metal heart really wants. Right now, my heart is in the mood for melodeath and symphonic death metal. And with that Mayan album I've reviewed making me up for more of the latter subgenre than before, let's see what we got from revisiting Septicflesh's transition into their new era...

Septicflesh was originally formed with a slightly different name, Septic Flesh (with a space between the words). Their sound was originally death metal/death-doom with several orchestral suites. Soon they started combining those two separate sounds into one, and after a few-year hiatus, here we are in their comeback album Communion!

Introducing listeners to the band's new improved sound is "Lovecraft's Death". Not even the earlier heavier fans would fear the orchestration. "Anubis" is a more memorable track starting with clean guitar melody with its Egyptian vibe fitting with the mythology. The title track blasts through deathly chaos as ominous verses alternate with f***ing earth-shattering drumming and background choir. Though it's a little hard to take that seriously when it sounds like Meow Mix (thanks for pointing that out, Rex).

"Babel's Gate" carries the new formula further. Same with "We the Gods", though a bit half-baked while still good. In the next track "Sunlight/Moonlight", there's more positive atmosphere to break up the spookiness. That's what I enjoy here!

Next track "Persepolis" is the longest track of the album and one of the most enjoyable. However, it leads to the worst song here, "Sangreal". I enjoyed this track when I was still listening to this band a few years ago, but now, not so much. The lyrics in the chorus are so cringe, "Sangreal, how real..." It's just way too atrociously poppy when sung. The closing "Narcissus" also doesn't fit too well. It's just straight-up melodeath, which is fine, but not in this album, with only the midsection soloing being its saving grace.

If we can ignore those final two tracks, we have an album filled with emotional greatness that is Communion. Septicflesh have proven their place in the Greek metal league alongside Nightrage and Rotting Christ, and I would recommend this album for anyone up for a blend of epicness and heaviness. Or at least the first 7 tracks....

Favorites: "Lovecraft's Death", "Anubis", "Communion", "Sunlight/Moonlight", "Persepolis"

Mayan is a side-project by Epica members Mark Jansen and Ariën van Weesenbeek. Many of the other members of the bands Jansen is in (including his former band After Forever) are as super talented as he is. Mayan has had a massive powerhouse of musicians of vocalists in their progressive/symphonic death metal albums. And after their starting duo of Quarterpast and Antagonise, here they are again in Dhyana (sounds like the name of someone I once knew)!

I had not followed Mayan since my big switch from epic melody to modern heaviness in my metal taste, and that switch happened just under a year before Dhyana came out. I just can't believe what I missed out until now! The band have sealed their balance between metal and orchestra without extra experimentation. The vocal department shines best from female vocalists Laura Macri and Marcela Bovio. The hauntingly beautiful soprano Laura was a session member for Quarterpast then joined the band full-time for Antagonise. The operatic energetic Stream of Passion vocalist Marcela was a session member for Antagonise then joined the band full-time for this album.

"The Rhythm of Freedom" is a glorious 7-minute opening track with different well-structured layers. Jansen and co. were reinventing the wheel and making it unbreakable. "Tornado of Thoughts (I Don't Think, Therefore I Am)" continues this powerful cauldron. "Saints Don't Die" throws back greatly to Quarterpast with the power metal vocals of Henning Basse, who was with the band since that album but left the band just before the release of Dhyana, while making a few guest appearances. The title track is an odd ballad. Despite being a interesting composition where the two female vocalists shine over classical/acoustic instrumentation, it doesn't seem that distinctive, rather being out of place in between the aggression of most other tracks. Still I like the uniqueness of that soft ballad.

"Rebirth from Despair" breaks the quietness with its soaring blast-beats and riff-wrath, complete with Marcela's serene vocal glory. One of the best and heaviest tracks here! "The Power Process" starts with the clean female singing duo who then rise into a duel with the deathly screamed vocals. Soon it leads to a calm piano bridge followed by a heavy talented guitar solo towards the end, all making things interesting. The 9-minute progressive epic "The Illusory Self" is the best way to summarize all this album has to offer, from the classic riffing to the epic choruses. This should've been the end of the album right there, but it's OK that it isn't, because there's more of the epicness to come...

Another ballad "Satori" consists mostly of just the expressive soprano vocals of Laura and mystical background orchestra. Then we moved into "Maya - The Veil Of Delusion" (I almost thought of that djenty deathcore band and the Cynic song they're named after). The boys just wanna have fun, as the all-male side of the vocal department shine in perfect intensity. Then "The Flaming Rage of God" has some more fury. Finally, "Set Me Free" ends the album as an excellent blazing anthem.

If there was anything that would renew my interest in the progressive/symphonic death metal of Mayan's first two albums, this is it. Dhyana has the best of what I once loved about those albums. I may be a more serious grown-up more interested in modern heaviness, but I'm slowly regaining memories of my epic melodic youth!

Favorites: "The Rhythm of Freedom", "Saints Don't Die", "Rebirth from Despair", "The Illusory Self", "Maya - The Veil Of Delusion", "Set Me Free"

As I try to get back in touch with music from the more epic and melodic metal bands I've been familiar is, Before the Dawn is another one of those bands. Recently, the band reformed along with his side-project Dawn of Solace after founder Tuomas Saukkonen spent some time with his own different band Wolfheart. Now let's look back at one of the albums from the initial run of Before the Dawn...

Soundscape of Silence continues the Dark Tranquillity-esque gothic melodeath sound that reached its height in the previous album Deadlight. The riffs, bass, and vocals fit in the cold production. Honestly, I prefer Saukkonen's harsh vocals more than the clean singing by bassist Lars Eikind. Saukkonen can really pull off his distinct rough voice.

"Dying Sun" would've been a good song, but Eikind's cleans sound awkward and more overly dramatic than melancholic. Deathstar Rising would have more of that before thankfully being absent in Rise of the Phoenix. Next song "Exile" continues that issue, sounding redundant when the guitar leads do their melodic work. "Silence" has better melodic riffing that isn't too far off from The Haunted and even 36 Crazyfists. "Dead Reflection" has some of that great Omnium Gatherum melody.

The more positive "Hide Me" has melodic Insomnium-like leads that would make the song shine well if not for Eikind's vocals. "Fabrication" has some of the crystalline yet heavy riffing melody of Crystal Lake. "Saviour" speeds things up while leaning a bit into Black Veil Brides in the metalcore-ish riffing.

The one song where Eikind sounds good is "Monsters" where he sings in more natural delivery in the soft verses, and it doesn't get in the way of the heavy guitar. "Cold" twists through speedy guitarwork that stir up catchy melody that I enjoy. Then it leads to the "Last Song", my favorite track here and one of the best by the band. The quite intro building up into harmonic guitars in a grand climax has the right sense of closure, without Eikind's poor vocals! The bonus track "Ignite" is a decent piece of melodeath.

After not hearing Before the Dawn in a few years, I made a rather iffy return via revisiting Soundscape of Silence. Saukkonen is the main star here, not Eikind. As interesting as it is to add gothic instrumentation/vocals to melodeath, not all of that aspect is enjoyable....

Favorites: "Silence", "Dead Reflection", "Monsters", "Cold", "Last Song"

Wintersun isn't the only band to make us wait around a decade for part 2 of an album series. Scar Symmetry have their ongoing The Singularity trilogy going on, and Phase II - Xenotaph came out 9 years after Phase I - Neohumanity. It was nice listening to Phase I almost a decade ago, but that's where my Scar Symmetry journey stopped after I began to explore less epic, heavier modern metal. So here's my great return to the world of Scar Symmetry, with a few crooked steps...

Xenotaph feels a lot more like an actual album with all tracks being full songs, twice the amount of full songs Neohumanity had alongside a couple interludes, all the more reason to consider that album the band's own Time I. As a result, Xenotaph's full length reaches almost an hour. Some tracks have wild speed, others have slow tranquility.

Heading straight into the heavy blasting action without an intro, "Chrononautilus" stuns me with the strength the band has maintained after their long hiatus, in the singles that lead up to this long-awaited album. Lars Palmqvist ascends like a neohuman angel with his enigmatic clean singing, in contrast to the demonic growls of Roberth Karlsson. Excellent! The other single "Scorched Quadrant" follows with a phenomenal sound like late 90s In Flames modernized and sci-fi-ed. I probably would've loved it perfectly if the chorus didn't sound too much like Madonna's "La Isla Bonita", along with the cleans not sounding too quiet. I still enjoy it! Then things lighten up in "Overworld", particularly in the chorus, to combat the otherwise negative atmosphere. Next track "Altergeist" has f***ing heavy blast beats.

My favorite track here is "Reichsfall". There's dynamic elegance in the intro before the usual heavy fight and melodic flight. The pace often slows down right before the chorus, losing a bit of dynamic while still sounding cool. The vocals are amazing, but I can't tell the higher notes are real or done with a vocoder similar to Cynic. Either way, that along with the guitar melodies spawn a pleasant Blind Guardian vibe. What a progressive adventure within an adventure! I can almost think of "Digiphrenia Dawn" as combining the modern heaviness of Fear Factory with the power metal of Powerwolf. "Hyperborean Plains" has some guitar fiddling that's almost like the 8-bit synths of HORSE the Band or Machinae Supremacy translated into electric guitar. "Gridworm" drives through the band's amazing talent without needing a break. That deathly gem is filled with some awesome hammering sh*t!

As amazing as "A Voyage with Tailed Meteors" sounds in the title and heavy instrumentation, the production seems a bit raw and empty. "Soulscanner" brings melody and speed up front, almost like Sonic Syndicate on steroids. That's quite wicked and will gear you up for the final epic... The 8-minute title closer concludes this part of the Singularity trilogy, blending their own usual sci-fi melodeath with the extreme progressiveness of Ne Obliviscaris. By the end of this epic, you'll be wanting more from this saga and hoping you'll get it from the upcoming third part.

With all that said, Scar Symmetry still have their strength in Xenotaph. Let's just hope things improve a bit before the 3rd and final part of the trilogy that will hopefully come by the end of this decade. And when it finally comes, maybe it will inspire Wintersun founder Jari Mäenpää to make Time III, but I'm already hoping for too much....

Favorites: "Chrononautilus", "Scorched Quadrant", "Reichsfall", "Gridworm", "Soulscanner", "Xenotaph"

"When all is fire and flaming air. When all is said and all is done. Beneath the ground, and man lies dead. When all the earth is a cold grave and no more brave." It is a quote to remember from this Edge of Sanity track that somehow didn't end up in this compilation despite sharing the same name...

Edge of Sanity is one of the leading bands of Swedish melodeath, though there's never as much credit for that band developing the genre as the Gothenburg trio (At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames). When All is Said compiles tracks from all major releases, two per album. The second disc has the two Crimson albums/suites that were shortened slightly to fit in the 80-minute CD limit. The edited versions would later be split into several tracks (not according to lyrical movements) for streaming services.

"Tales" starts the first disc and the song's original album Nothing but Death Remains with a spooky keyboard intro before progressing into raw death metal heaviness. The production is a bit poor, but the track is nice and decent. Something to note about the first minute of "Human Aberration" is how faulty volume control is in the production. The guitars and bass still please me despite the lack of proper delivery. The Unorthodox section kicks off with the diverse "Enigma", which introduces a melodic section complete with clean singing. "In the Veins/Darker than Black" starts slow with heavy riffing, then founder Dan Swano starts growling through the verse with fast drumming. The song keeps switching from melody and brutality before heading into groove/thrash metal followed by blasting black metal. More promising variety than "Enigma"!

"The Masque" has some melodic groove-ish verse riffing that springs to mind melodic death 'n' roll. The Spectral Sorrows is where Dan was really thinking outside the box with his deathly style. "Lost" has some catchy greatness in the structure. The title track of the EP Until Eternity Ends has nice dynamic melody. The gothic singing hinted in The Spectral Sorrows is quite interesting while staying in character with the sound. This different direction is tested out again in "Eternal Eclipse" with more rock-out melody. Having almost forgotten about Purgatory Afterglow after my last listen a few years ago, that album's opener "Twilight" almost caught me off-guard with its synth/vocal intro when checking out this compilation. There is catchy progressive action in the riffing with cool vocals. There's also a bit of death-doom to remind some of Novembers Doom. Then halfway through is a soft spoken passage. "Will we ever meet again?... NO!!!" Then we have "Black Tears", an interesting song relying on clean singing.

We skip ahead to Infernal with the song "15:36" in which Dan explores the bluesy tendencies of his other band Nightingale. One track that barely gets mentioned is "Hell is Where the Heart is" which takes on the usual sound of Edge of Sanity but more melodic. It just goes to straight to destructive riffing and growls without any keyboards or cleans. And d*mn, the soloing is quite killer! On the other hand, "Hell Written" isn't that strong. It's from the only Edge of Sanity album without Dan, Cryptic. Despite that, it twists into a softer Opeth-like bridge without having to be a 10+ minute epic. "Bleed You Dry" is an amazing track with the last bit of the band's strictly deathly achievements.

And now we get to the "Crimson" epics, starting with the first one. It starts slow and doomy in the first two minutes, then speeds up into the fast melodic main riff. Then it quiets down and builds back up in heaviness back and forth, with incredible doomy black metal-ish tremolo near the 8-minute mark. Then the switch from quite to heavy keeps coming until over the 13-minute point with a sinister melodic march, followed by rapid-fire blast-beats and another groove-ish section before f***ing catchy riffing melody close to the 16-minute mark. Now let's skip ahead through the rest of the greatness until 28 minutes in when a softer verse is abruptly cut by one of the greatest screams I've heard in death metal followed by one of the greatest guitar solos I've heard in death metal. After some more speed, once we reach 32 and a half minutes, there's a layered vocal acapella verse before returning to the suite's main riff and the last bit of the heaviness/melody before ending it all right at 40 minutes (originally). And finally we have the 43-minute "Crimson II". This is too massive for me to describe in words, though the best part for me is all that melody between the 3-minute and 6-minute mark.

Anyone new to Edge of Sanity can check this compilation out and explore the different eras of the band. The die-hard collectors might also want this release too. For me, it's a nice throwback to this band I listened to when I was still heavily into melodeath. A solid way to get into all that Dan Swano and co. have said and done.....

Favorites (one per original album): "Tales", "In the Veins/Darker than Black", "The Masque", "Until Eternity Ends", "Twilight", "Hell is Where the Heart is", "Bleed You Dry", "Crimson", "Crimson II"

I really feel like I'm losing my touch with the more epic and melodic metal bands out there. Despite finally gaining enough full-time interest in Amorphis last year and enjoying many of their releases, the enjoyment didn't last long and I ended up back in square one, likely because I'm still hellbent on the more modern heavy bands. I decided that the best way to revisit this band is through this album, Magic & Mayhem - Tales from the Early Years, a 20th anniversary re-recording of songs from their first 3 albums.

The weird yet cool artwork of a gigantic Moby Dick-sized fish (somehow writing that sounds a bit dirty) is a sign of how monstrous the band's earlier material is that has been re-recorded. The songs from their underground debut The Karelian Isthmus are in greater detail. The band stay faithful to the original songs while adding some more guitar soloing, keyboards, and longer sections. Also enhancing the spirit of those tracks is the band's skillful current vocalist Tomi Joutsen. I enjoy his clean singing as well as his powerful growls that allowed the band to revisit some of their roots when he joined the band. And this helps with the mostly solid songs the band has chosen...

The title track of the compilation, which is also the last track of its original album Tales from the Thousand Lakes, focuses a lot on keyboards while keeping the heavy riffing going, fitting well with the name. "Vulgar Necrolatry" was originally a bonus track from The Karelian Isthmus, stemming from pre-Amorphis band Abhorrence. It is one of the most brutal Amorphis songs ever, fueled up by the typical death metal themes of death and rotting in Hell after completing a life of fear. The more doomy parts a bit flawed, but it's set aside by the heavier faster sections. "Into Hiding" comes to mind as one of the strongest songs in Finnish metal, complete with memorable riffs, pounding drums, solid bass, and groovy keyboards. Those enchanting keyboards are displayed the best in "Black Winter Day", as the heaviness lightens up a bit.

"On Rich and Poor" from Elegy has cool melodies and occasional key changes, but it can get tiring after a while, and the vocals can't really keep up with the melodies at times. "Exile of the Sons of Uisliu" still remains my favorite song of the debut. The references to Irish folklore fit perfectly with the Iron Maiden-infused harmonic leads. "The Castaway" is a more unique song with an Egyptian folk vibe. The awesome catchy "Song of the Troubled One" has the best of Amorphis' earlier melodeath sound. You can't miss the dissonant soloing later on in the song.

"Sign from the North Side" is more mid-paced and the riffing doesn't hook you enough, but it still has a great sense of deathly action. Some more of the memorable riffing comes in "Drowned Maid". Then "Against Widows" levels up the diversity. However, listening to that song again, it seems to be missing something. This is fixed in the grand finale "My Kantele". The sorrowful lyrics really detail the emotional magic from the Finnish instrument in question ("Its strings gathered from torments, and its pegs from other ills. Truly they lie, they talk utter nonsense... So it will not play, will not rejoice at all. Music will not play to please.") The vocals work well with the guitars and keyboards. The track is basically extended into an epic as the heavy version is combined with the acoustic reprise for a memorable climax of harmonic leads. Beautiful!

If we ignore the bizarre stinker cover of The Doors' "Light My Fire", we have a special album made for Amorphis fans curious about what their earlier material would sound like in the new era. The original charm can't be totally restored but they've done well in revisiting the earlier glory. Anyone new to the band can check this album out to see if they feel up to exploring their first 3 albums including what I once thought was the perfect duo Tales from the Thousand Lakes and Elegy. The die-hard collectors might also want this release too. For me, it's a nice throwback to their young wonder years. Not essential enough to fully return to listening to this band, yet something magical....

Favorites (two per original album): "Into Hiding", "Exile of the Sons of Uisliu", "Song of the Troubled One", "Sign from the North Side", "Drowned Maid", "My Kantele"