Anaal Nathrakh - In the Constellation of the Black Widow [2009]

FUCK YEAH! Starts a little slow, but when the shit kicks in, it's like a steel-toe boot to the forehead. Production continues on from the previous album. The vox are have more extreme distortion and madness to them. There's a little less clean singing on this album, but they clearly went for quality instead of quantity. They've gone back to a lot more grinding as well. However, there's still a significant amount of that modern metal feel that carried over from the last album. There's also more of a melodic undertone to this one. There's a little bit more experimentation with the vox and one or two songs dive a bit deeper into the Industrial side of things than they have before. I'm happy that they have more grinding and better-written clean vox sections, but the stubborn inclusion of modern and melodic metal stops this album from earning a perfect score.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence [2002]

"The Glass Prison" is a bit disappointing, falling flat for 90% of the song with the ending finally bringing the music up to a level worthy of Dream Theater. "Blind Faith" is much better right from the start with it's very relaxed atmosphere and beautiful keys. Much more catchy and well-written than the first track. "Misunderstood" follows on from "Blind Faith". It's not quite as good, but it's interesting enough to hold me through until it blends into "The Great Debate". One that note, "The Great Debate" isn't all that great at all, seems like it falls into the same trap that "The Glass Prison" did where most of the song sounds flat and doesn't have much feeling to it. "Disappear" is ok; not phenomenal, but good. Overall, the first disk is definitely not as refined as the second, but there are still some really good songs on it.


Okay, I've heard disc 2 all the way through a few times now. Overture is a great instrumental which does exactly what it's meant to do in classical terms. Really cool classical feel at times and blended perfectly with the prog rock aspect. Almost all of the songs on disc 2 blend seamlessly into each other. The disc is beautiful, emotional, and a musical masterpiece when played all the way through. This is probably one of the most focused discs DT has ever put out. The only issue I have with this album is the very straight-forward and uninventive lyrics.

Rating: Disk 1: 7

Rating: Disk 2: 9.5

http://www.dreamtheater.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos [2007]

Wow, somehow they've managed to increase the clarity of their recording production. Yep, here we go, sick-ass bitchin' difficult riff about 1:45 into the first track... damn. Track 2 starts off with a hauntingly beautiful piano section, pretty different from the more classical stylings of Dream Theater. This track almost has a nu-metal feel to the verse… different, not necessarily bad, but if it continues throughout the album, it'll get really old. Holy shit, it's got the most smooth and natural guitar solo I've ever heard……. ever. Nice and heavy in track 3. It picks up and almost sounds like something Metallica should've done. So far, this album is in typical Dream Theater style with some more emphasis on heavier riffs in the verses and a little bit less of the progressive feel. Meh, track 4 seems pretty stale, though, the chorus is really good. Okay, it gets pretty damn good around 4min in. Fuck me, track 7's solo is maddening. Track 8 is the perfect Dream Theater fusion of progressive, heavy, and creative elements. Wow, amazing ending. Overall, it's a good album with a couple songs that fall a bit flat at times. Leagues better than Train of Thought, but seems to lack the energy and conviction of Octavarium.

Rating: 7

http://www.dreamtheater.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Setherial - Death Triumphant [2006]

Starts off powerful and quick. Fucking killer/catchy riff about 25 seconds in. Cool stuff so far. Good production. Track 2 is a much less catchy overall. Still decent Black Metal, though. Whoa, track 3 starts off crappy, but gets semi-creative when everything drops out but bass and some effects. Slow track, but a bit atmospheric to offset the sudden change in pace. So far the album's style seems pretty consistent. It's nothing insanely ground-breaking, but it is good overall Black Metal with the occasional creative and un-conventional riff thrown in the mix. So, there's a few surprises on this album, but nothing that'll make me cum blood or anything. Overall, it's a slightly above-average Black Metal album.

Rating: 6

http://www.setherial.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Setherial - Nord [1996]

Stock Black Metal. Sometimes it's catchy, too. Production is pretty damn good for the time period. This album still isn't anything to write home about. Typical Swedish Black Metal.

Rating: 6

http://www.setherial.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Hypocrisy - A Taste of Extreme Divinity [2009]

It starts off far more promising than Virus. Way heavier than Virus. Catchy, with bouts of grinding. Production has improved a little. I'm not a fan of the more popular-sounding melodic riffing. It's much better than most of their new albums. However, it still isn't as good and black as The Arrival.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.hypocrisy.tv/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Hypocrisy - The Arrival [2004]

Could not be more different from C22. Great songwriting. Catchy, but still brutal. Always dark and on the edge of being Black Metal. Each song is good in its own way. The production, while not crystal clear, lends itself very much to the atmosphere of the album.

Rating: 8

http://www.hypocrisy.tv/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Hypocrisy - Catch 22 [2002]

Starts off heavy and thrashy. Catchy and really cool distorted vox. Pretty cool second track, but it starts to move a little into nu-metal. It's still catchy, though, the lyrics seem to be really simplistic and cliché. Yeah, it's definitely moving more into nu metal. The "clean" vox are beginning to grate on my nerves. No creativity on this album at all. All the songs are exactly the same. It really feels like a typical Swedish attempt to sell out. Very very few decent songs on this one… tracks 1 and 8 are the only ones worth listening to.

Rating: 5

http://www.hypocrisy.tv/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Satyrion - Volcano [2002]

Great opening to the CD. It's a bit slower and more modern than their older stuff. Interesting guitar work. There's a lot more influence from Doom Metal in here. It's pretty good/interesting, but it does get pretty boring at many points during the album. However, I guess it's all dependent on my mood. If I feel like doomy black metal, then this will be perfect. However, if I'm in the mood for energetic and really engaging music, I'm fucked.

Rating: 6

http://www.satyricon.no/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anomalous - Cognitive Dissonance [2006]

Eerie intro. Kicks in hard and fast. Not a fan of the production, but it's tolerable. Technical as fuck. Damn cool use of effects and keys. The song structure is unique. Goes from hard and fast to light and then right back. Pretty creative stuff. There's a glimpse of genius in the second track at times with the stop-go song structure combined with crazy weird atmospheric keys and effects. Track 2 bleeds into 3 in a stunningly beautiful way and really pushes this album into the Avant Guarde category. The 3rd track is really where this goes from a cool-but-average technical death metal wank to a quite superior technical death metal wank. 3 bleeds into 4. 4 is fucking amazing right from the start and it really seems to be the pinnacle of their style on this album so far. Holy shit, 5 is amazing. Ends with the exact same effects as the cd began. Overall, the Cd is front-loaded with a couple mediocre songs (it's like a light introduction to their style), but it fucking ends strong as hell and makes me feel like I've just been on some insane death metal journey. The production quality is what really holds this album back.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/anomalousmetal

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Cryptopsy - The Unspoken King [2008]

First track is fucking cool. Definitely a punch in the face. Seems like Flo actually managed to get faster, fuck. Missing the creativity that was found on "Once Was Not", but we'll see how the rest of the album is. Second track and I'm actually beginning to miss Lord Worm. It's punchy, but still missing the creativity that I'm used to. Close to the end of the cd and I can say that I'm really not impressed at all. It's cool that they deviated from what they have previously done, but the change was not an improvement at all. I fucking hate the vocalist, especially his horrid clean vox. Virtually no creativity on this album. There are a few parts towards the beginning that are insanely technical on guitar, but that doesn't carry all the way through. This is a sub-par album for Cryptopsy.

Rating: 4

http://www.myspace.com/cryptopsy

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Cryptopsy - Once Was Not [2005]

Beautiful opening track. Brutal and heavy. Blazingly fast track 3. All in all, there's some extremely creative guitar riffs for Grindcore. A lot of jazz influence in the drumming. The technicality is fucking staggering. Every once-in-a-while there are even keys in the later tracks. Very good album with a lot of creativity. Definitely doesn't sound like anything else out there. The production is pretty damn good, too. Lord Worm isn't my favorite vocalist, that's for sure, but he's way better than the fag that replaced him.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/cryptopsy

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Hell Is Empty, And All The Devils Are Here [2007]

Wow. A large increase in production again from Eschaton. It's truly amazing that AN manages to put out such consistently awesome albums like this. There are more songs with the beautiful clean vocal sections. There's also more modern metal influence. The only production-oriented complaint I have is that the vox are a tad low in the mix. I'm only disappointed that they have moved farther away from their Black Metal roots. However, it's still awesome in its own right.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind will Reap as it has Sown [2003]

Exactly what I'd expect from these fucking geniuses. It actually seems a bit more catchy than their previous efforts.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Eschaton [2006]

Increased production quality. Holy shit, the songwriting is phenomenal. There's more emphasis on the clean vox on this one. The only thing holding it back from a perfect score is the small amount of more modern influence scattered throughout the album that feels a little like nu-metal.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Domine Non Es Dignus [2004]

Fucked up and cool intro. I'm really anticipating what this is going to be like. Will they continue with the necro-produced insanity or will they change it up? Wow. Production quality skyrocketed since the last album. First track is definitely more refined than previous albums. Whoa… much more refined use of the clean vox in T3! There's even more psychotic use of vox in this album than the previous ones. It's still catchy and brutal. However, for some reason, the drums aren't as well-produced as the first album, but I've gotten used to it and the album still comes across as very heavy. The creativity hasn't really increased, but it has switched focus, making the album seem fresh.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro [2001]

Wow. Starts off with a really simple but powerful riff and kicks you in the fucking head. What I really didn't expect was the vocals to be heavily distorted and completely incomprehensible. But then, out of nowhere there's a really quick and small clean voc part. Second track slows it down and starts off with more industrial influence. Seems like this is going to be a decently varied album. Holy fuck, second track is awesome. Third track starts off with a pretty unique riff… I think I'm really going to like this album. Holy fuck… overall, I honestly can't think of any real criticism for the album. I liked every single song on the disk. Talk about a flawless execution of black atmosphere, heavy-ass guitaring, catchy songwriting, and fucking grindstone black metal.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Inzest - Grotesque New World [2008]

Punches you in the fucking cunt with the first track. Very heavy production. It's death metal, but they also throw some hardcore in there, which isn't so hot, but overall, it's a fucking heavy-ass album with a lot of energy and punch and a few surprises along the way. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/inzest

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Samael - Above [2009]

Whoa! Double bass and a Black Metal riff?! BLASTING!!! SWEEEEEET. Seems like this is going to be a throwback to their BM days. I'm kinda missing the techno/industrial aspect… I thought that they were going to try and blend the two more, but that's not the case at all. Production is really loud. When the drums are blasting, it feels like the pounding of a machine, pretty cool. It's nice to see them go back to their Black Metal roots, but I was kind of expecting this album to blend all that Samael had been experimenting with after their style change to Industrial Metal.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.samael.info/Above/index.html

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Samael - Solar Soul [2007]

Samael is back with the heavy guitars. Production quality is improved a bit. The keys are a bit more forward in the mix and the guitars sit a little farther back. First track is good so far. More orchestra effects, really cool. Wow, I'm really impressed by this album. The use of keys and effects is fucking phenomenal and makes the songs way more energetic than on their previous albums.

Rating: 8

http://www.samael.info/Above/index.html

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Samael - Era One [2006]

Nice piano / industrial intro with cool ethnic beats… hoping for good things. Absolutely not what I expected for the beginning of the first track. Starts of with a very anti-climactic ride cymbal and then goes into the industrial stuff but with no sign of guitars. It's actually pretty cool, different song-writing than I expected, so props go out for surprising me. 3rd track is promising good things with the intro. Seems like this album as a whole is going to move Samael deeper into the industrial genre and farther from metal. Still haven't heard any guitars at all yet, lol. Overall, interesting work, but slightly disappointed that there weren't any heavy guitars or anything… actually, there's virtually no guitar-work at all. Still, it takes the risk and is a good album when the mood for industrial music strikes me.

Rating: 7

http://www.samael.info/Above/index.html

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Samael - Reign of Light [2005]

Right off the bat, I am fucking impressed as hell. Unique instrument usage, powerful entry, great production, catchy, and heavy all at once… and that's just the first fucking track. The awesomeness seems like it will carry through to most of the album, judging by the second track. Tracks 4 and 5 are a bit more doomy, maybe even a little bit on the boring side. However, "Telepath" starts kicking ass. It begins to get a bit one-sided towards the middle-end of the album. Overall, it's creative, heavy, well-produced, and pretty well-written even though there's not much difference between the songs.

Rating: 7

http://www.samael.info/Above/index.html

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Rotting Christ - Khronos [2000]

Promising start. The effects seem to be more focused on orchestra. It's not nearly as dark as SD or even Genesis, but it does have some catchiness to it. Overall, there are some great songs on here (Khronos, Thou Art Blind, Aeternatus, etc), but, in general, it's mostly bland. It's good in its own right, but it still pales in comparison to SD and Genesis.

Rating: 6.5

http://www.rotting-christ.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Rotting Christ - Theogonia [2007]

Starts off a lot like Santus Diavolus. However, the CD doesn't really get good until half-way through "Nemecic" where creativity strikes and it's pretty fucking catchy. However, the album as a whole is fairly flat and boring… especially when compared to Sanctus Diavolus.

Rating: 6

http://www.rotting-christ.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Rotting Christ - Genesis [2002]

Erie beginning. Promising first track. Pretty good production, too. Looks like this is going to be good competition for SD. The underlying keys create an atmosphere of darkness and malevolence. It's not quite as dark as SD, and there's more emphasis on the melodic riffs. It's very good and creative at some parts, but it still doesn't quite capture the black and ominous feel of SD.

Rating: 8

http://www.rotting-christ.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Rotting Christ - Sanctus Diavolus [2004]

Great album all the way through. I really don't want to praise it too much, but I still can't help use words like "brilliant" and "awesome". It's exactly what I look for in a really dark and black album. Perfect atmosphere. Catchy songwriting. Flawless use of keys and effects. I don't think I'll ever get tired of listening to this album.

Rating: 9

http://www.rotting-christ.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Thyrane - Travesty of Heavenly Essence [2005]

Starts off very unexpected for a black metal album. I've never ever heard natural harmonics used in BM. Damn-good production quality. Nice and heavy guitars. First song doesn't have much grinding, but it's got a bit of a thrashy feel to it. Awesome use of melody in the guitars. They create an extremely unique sound. Cool keys… very fitting for the music. Second track starts with more of the very well-crafted melody in guitars. Slows down a little. Album has a surprisingly modern feel, but it never detracts from the Black Metal created within. Really cool so far. Track three kicks in with fast thrash and then hit's the grind pretty hard… fucking cool. Really awesome guitar work in the middle of the T3… modern feel but then kicks into this crazy-cool arpeggio riff. Track 5 has this fucking beautiful section to it that almost brings tears to my eyes. 3 Songs from the end and I can say that within a few songs there seemed to be a lull or two in the action, but it's never for long and the songs don't miss a moment in picking back up and kicking into an awesome riff. The use of keys in this album is fucking phenomenal. I would've liked to see more use of keys in this manner, but now I'm nit-picking. At some points, the drumming is amazing as well. Overall this is damn creative guitar work, heavy, catchy, but still always Black Metal at heart.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/thyranefans

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Opeth - Watershed [2008]

One of Opeth's best. Beautiful opener and an overall creative and very well-written album. A thousand times better than their last album (Ghost Reveries), which was a junker. My only complaint is with "The Lotus Eater" because the beginning few minutes are basically ripped straight from Textures' style, but then the song completely redeems itself by the end with really creative structuring and riffs.

Rating: 8

http://www.opeth.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Opeth - Blackwater Park [2001]

Starts off strong with first track. Second track is beautiful. Of course, this album is in classic Opeth style. Not much in the way of creativity, but they haven't seemed to exhaust the amount of songs that can be written in this style. So, it's not old-hat yet.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.opeth.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse [1998]

Great songwriting throughout the album. One of the few Opeth albums that is a joy to listen to with each song. The production obviously isn't quite as good as the later albums, but the songwriting and excellent execution certainly makes up for it. Definitely one of my favorite albums by them.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.opeth.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

The Elysian Fields - Suffering G.O.D. Almighty [2005]

Whoa. I was expecting some more techno influence, but not this much. Production quality is way heavier and more forward. Seems like they've mostly replaced the orchestra with techno leads on top of thrash sections. Nearly half-way through the album they finally start blending some orchestra in with the techno… and it's a damn good blend. It's insane, it gets more and more creative as you travel further into the cd. It's a bit of a shame, because if they had started the album with this kind of creativity instead of slowly wading deeper into it, then it could've been their best by far. However, it's still phenomenal when you get into the thick of it, and, who knows, they may have intended to slowly progress deeper into this style throughout the album.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.zenial.nl/html/elysianf.htm

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

The Elysian Fields - 12abLAZe [2001]

Interesting, definitely not what I thought it would be like. The production is a bit better than We… The Enlightened. I wasn't expecting such a melodic riff to open up the CD. Then it goes into a cool keyboard part with grinding that's much more Black Metal. Eventually drops out into piano and really evil keys. The keys feel like they're missing a bit of power because of the way they're recorded, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. HOLY SHIT! THEY'RE USING STEEL DRUMS??!! The production lacks a bit of punch, but makes up for it by having all the instruments be crystal clear. Second track starts off with beautiful keys. Album seems like it's going to be nicely varied. Really cool key parts in track 3… it has a strange feel to it, like a video game but a bit more epic. Track 5 is blazingly fast. Overall, this CD is way creative in it's songwriting. It's got a very fantastic quality to it that makes it feel like it's from another planet all together. The keys are amazingly well-done throughout the entire album. I don't think that there was one key part that fell flat for me. The guitar riffs are ok overall, but the starting riff of the cd really made me worried until the keys kicked in that they had sold out and were just following the Melodic Metal trend that everyone and their dogs are doing. Even though the guitars are pretty stock melodic riffs throughout the album, there are times of real genius where the riffs synthesize perfectly with what the keys are doing and create a very fantasyesque feel to the song. The album has flow, but it isn't perfectly connected like Dream Theater's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and doesn't leave me at the end with tears in my eyes. However, it's still a damn compelling album written very very well.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.zenial.nl/html/elysianf.htm

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

The Elysian Fields - We… The Enlightened [1998]

Definitely true black metal. Not quite what I was expecting because I've listened to some of their other stuff before and it was a bit more unique. Nonetheless, this was pretty good and had some small amounts of creativity. I've listened to this album after a long break and I'm knocking it up a full point. There's much more creativity and similarity to 12abLAZe than I previously noticed and the songwriting definitely deserves higher marks. The production is this album's largest fault.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.zenial.nl/html/elysianf.htm

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide [2007]

My feelings on this album: I'm not going to listen to it again to refresh my memory of why I hate this album. However, if I remember correctly, the production was a massive leap backwards, the songs aren't the least bit catchy, and it feels like a lazy attempt at carbon-copying what they've done before.

Rating: 3

http://www.soilwork.org/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama [2005]

As expected from Soilwork, the album starts on a powerful track. Second track is just as good. For the most part, the CD is full of good songs that are catchy, energetic, and heavy. The production is great. However, some of the melodic choruses feel forced, and there are times when the album starts to feel mundane since there's little-to-no style-variation between songs.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.soilwork.org/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Soilwork - Figure Number Five [2003]

It's a hell of a lot better than I remember it. It does get a little mundane at some parts, but it's definitely not the boring droll that I had previously believed it was. It's got better songwriting than Natural Born Chaos, with good usage of techno leads. It's also heavier and catchier than Natural Born Chaos. Certainly, a better album.

Rating: 7

http://www.soilwork.org/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos [2000]

The start of the album is fucking strong, just like a lot of their albums. Really good and heavy production with cool techno and keyboard usage. First track is great, but frustrating because of the pause in between a few sections that feels completely unnecessary and really breaks the flow. "As We Speak" changes the tone quite a bit to a nicer feel. Slows it down a smidge, too. "The Flameout" has a pretty neat solo section, but the rest of the song feels repetitive and drawn out. There we go, "Natural Born Chaos" is a much better-crafted song. Overall, the album has quite a few songs that feel like filler.

Rating: 6

http://www.soilwork.org/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Dimmu Borgir - Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia [2001]

I remember… when I first got this CD, I wasn't fucking ready for the onslaught of hell contained within. Perfect production quality (and sadly, the only one of it's kind for Dimmu), awesome song writing, brutal, epic, symphonic, and the height of modern Black Metal. This album can almost do no wrong. Nit-picking, I'd say that there are a couple fillers on the album towards the end. Also, it's not the most creative album in the world, but the good far outweighs the bad.

Rating: 9

http://www.dimmu-borgir.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Septic Flesh - Revolution DNA [1999]

This has much better production than the earlier albums. It's not as off-the-wall creative as them, but the song writing is much improved; making the songs listenable and good (unlike the previous crap). The album starts off with a Rotting Christ feel (especially on vox). The second track gets more into the experimentation side and has a very eerie sound. First three songs definitely have a Rotting Christ feel to the song writing and speed. Props for being a little different, but you still need to be "in the mood" to really enjoy the whole CD… so it drags a bit, just like Rotting Christ.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/septicfleshband

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Slipknot - All Hope is Gone [2008]

Well, the main problem I have with this album is that it seems like most of the hatred is gone from the vocals and even the lyrics, which is a fucking crime because this is Slipknot's best-produced album. Corey hardly screams anymore, and almost every single song has one of those nice melodic choruses. This would've been a decent album for Stone Sour, but, as it is, it's a really fucking weak and hate-less one for Slipknot. However, the thing that irks me the most is that the lyrics are political now…. bleh. All hope really is gone for this one.

Rating: 4

http://www.slipknot1.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Slipknot - Vol. 3 [2004]

This was a promising album. The production quality suffered a major step back, but the songs were well-written and angry. The atmosphere was back, but it was much more refined and carried more energy than the first album. If this was released with the same production quality as "Iowa", it would've been the best album by far.

Rating: 7

http://www.slipknot1.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Slipknot - Iowa [2001]

This was a fucking kick in the face coming from the self-titled album. Blasting on People=Shit was a shock to say the least. The production is the best (and heaviest) of the first three albums. A lot more good songs on this one, but less of the atmosphere from the first album. Probably the best album Slipknot has released to-date.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.slipknot1.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Slipknot - Slipknot [2000]

This was a very mediocre album at the time. I didn't like the production all that much; it lacked punch. I also really didn't like the heavy amount of rap elements in the lyrics. However, there were a lot of good songs on the album, many of which were devoid of energy but were very Gothic and atmospheric. The creativity certainly deserves praise as well.

Rating: 7

http://www.slipknot1.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Shadow - Forever Chaos [2008]

Whoa, props to Tokiko for performing awesome Death Metal vocals! It's lost a bit of the classical structure that I liked so much from the first album. However, the guitar riffs are 1000 times more complex now. Way more technical guitaring that almost makes me happy that I haven't tried out for the guitarist position. The solos are just as insane as ever… fuck. However, it's definitely not breaking down any boundaries.

Rating: 8

http://www.shadow666.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Shadow - Shadow [2001]

Fucking amazing songwriting from start to finish. Probably the only Melodic Metal band that I can highly praise. Tokiko Shimamoto is fucking flawless on the vox. The guitar work is melodic, but the song writing has a classical vibe to it (probably due to the chord structures used). The solos are talented enough to make me want to commit seppuku. The album does feel a little bit repetitive, but it's not enough to be distracting at all.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.shadow666.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

The Haunted - One Kill Wonder [2003]

Really heavy and thrashy. Great songwriting that's catchy and energetic. There's only one or two songs that drag a bit on the CDs energy. Not all that creative, but still damn good. The production still stands out as one of the heaviest I've ever heard.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.the-haunted.com/site/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

The Haunted - Versus [2008]

Very heavy album, but it really drags at a lot of parts. The songs towards the end of the CD really fucking suck nuts.

Rating: 6

http://www.the-haunted.com/site/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

The Haunted - The Dead Eye [2006]

Mediocre. Not as much thrashing energy as I was hoping for. However, they at least are mixing up the songs more with clean-guitar sections. Props for incorporating some creativity on this CD. "Shifter" is a very promising song. "The Program" is a pretty different song for them (no vocals).

Rating: 5

http://www.the-haunted.com/site/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Spineshank - Strictly Diesel [1998]

First track is a bit flat compared to what I'm used to on the other albums. There's much more emphasis on Techno effects and atmosphere. Every once-in-a-while they get kind of creative with Indian influence. The tempo is more inline with Gothic Metal than Industrial Metal. Overall, it's a very mediocre album… not horrible for their first effort, but it definitely leaves a lot to be desired when compared to the later albums.

Rating: 5.5

http://www.myspace.com/spineshank

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Spineshank - Self-Destructive Pattern [2003]

The logical successor to The Height of Callousness. More of the same, but with more refined song structures and writing. Also, the catchiness is ramped up a bit with almost all of the songs having some kind of clean-vocal section. However, it never distracts from the songs, nor does it feel like it was thrown in just to grab fans. The lyrics are great and definitely serve the music.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/spineshank

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Spineshank - The Height of Callousness [2000]

Album as a whole is pretty damn good. Some songs are better than others. Regardless, it's an interesting writing-style and unique use of techno/industrial effects. Heavy, too.

Rating: 7

http://www.myspace.com/spineshank

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Marduk - Wormwood [2009]

New guitar style. There's a lot more movement on the guitars during fast parts. However, during slower parts, it's in the style that I'm accustomed to with Marduk. A bit of creativity is still there in smaller doses. There's less of the pitch-black atmosphere of Rom 5:12 that I loved so much, but it's balanced out by more grinding and a substantial change in guitar style.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.marduk.nu/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Marduk - Rom 5:12 [2007]

Starts off very slow compared to most Marduk albums. Really good production… actually, very excellent production. It seems like the album wants to pick up speed after a few songs, but it goes right back into slow stuff. It's a little frustrating, but the frustration just makes songs like "Through the Belly of Damnation" all the more sweet. It's a bit more of an artistic album. In the end, this is a fucking brilliant album with some pitch-black atmosphere. Mortuus lays down some of the most bone-chilling and creatively dirty vocals I've heard in Black Metal.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.marduk.nu/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Marduk - World Funeral [2003]

One hell of a start. The grinding songs are broken up nicely by slow-tempo songs that have a crushing quality to them. The production is awesome, even though it's a little over-compressed. The songs are very well-written with catchy and evil riffs saturating many of the songs so thickly that it feels like I'm experiencing blunt-force trauma via an aluminum baseball bat. Blistering speed, like I've come to expect from Marduk. However, the vocals are extremely one-dimensional compared to what Mortuus has done since he joined the band; it's not really a mark against the album, but I've grown spoiled by his awesome vocals.

Rating: 8

http://www.marduk.nu/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

ＬｕＬｕ - 薬 [2008]

Bad news, sports-fans, LuLu sold out. Now it's just more rock. The vox are slightly improved, but they are still grating. Very disappointing that they have gone this route. It's completely stock shit, too, and not even catchy.

Rating: 3.5

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

ＬｕＬｕ - 第零集中治療室 [2007]

Well, there's good and bad on this one. The good is that it's still punky and catchy. The bad is that the vox are a bit more towards the strange style of the first album, but it's still not quite as annoying.

Rating: 6

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

ＬｕＬｕ - 現実不感症 [2006]

Well, let's see if the vox have improved. Definitely has better vox. Songs are catchy with a lot of punk influence as well as standard J-Rock.

Rating: 6.5

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

ＬｕＬｕ - 精神鎮痛剤 [2006]

Strange vocals, but not too distracting. First track is pretty heavy and punky sound. Production is fairly heavy and the guitars are distorted well. Second track is much slower with some pretty cool orchestra/key parts. Okay, by the end of the single, I'm starting to get a bit annoyed by the vox.

Rating: 6

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

DEATHGAZE - abyss [2008]

At the onset, this single sounds fucking amazing. Much better recording quality than most of their previous shit. Even the clean vocals are much less annoyingly nasally than they were before. The short length helps my rating of this album… not sure if I could handle 50 minutes straight...

Rating: 7

http://www.deathgaze.jp/pc_index.html

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

JackRose - Heart Infection 02 [2009]

Still has really accurate and well-written vocals. The techno effects are still there as well. Very solid production; their best yet. One complaint is that the vocals are a bit predictable in how they fit with the music. However, it seems that they've ditched a majority of their Power Metal influence, which is a bit of a shame because that was something I really enjoyed hearing blended in. It seems like they've gone with a more accessible style for a few songs, pushing their music closer to Pop; not sure how I feel about that. Part of me says "fuck you, sellouts," but the other part loves how well-written the music is.

Rating: 7

http://jackrose.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

JackRose - Heart Infection 01 [2006]

Cool technoish intro. First track is definitely catchy as hell, but they've kept the core aspect of their Power Metal sound as well. There's more techno-effects woven into the songs on this disk. Good writing all the way through.

Rating: 7.5

http://jackrose.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

JackRose - FACES [2003]

Beginning is the epitome of "stock" for Power Metal. However, production is pretty good. Still catchy and decently varied, but not as strong as Asymmetry Kiss.

Rating: 6.5

http://jackrose.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

JackRose - DRAGON FIRE / CRYSTAL ROSE [2001]

Whoa, starts off pretty trippy. Very good single. There's a lot more Power Metal influence in the vox. The production is kinda bawls, though. CRYSTAL ROSE is quite beautiful, if a bit stock.


Rating: 6.5

http://jackrose.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

JackRose - ネバーランド / Asymmetry Kiss [2007]

Accurate singing. Good voice, nice and open. Decent song structure. Has this cute video game synth quality to it. Title track is pretty damn addictive, even though it's not all that original.


Rating: 7

http://jackrose.net/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.