Faith No More - We Care A Lot [1985]

"We Care A Lot" has an enjoyably cynical feel to it, not so sure about the actual music. "The Jungle" starts strange but then goes into what could almost be considered a Black Metal feel, turning extremely dark all of a sudden. The album finally seems to have settled into some sort of groove with "Why Do You Bother". It's got a good atmosphere to it, even though the songs aren't doing a whole lot to give me a stiffy. Even so, I can honestly say that this album doesn't sound like anything else I've heard. Props for being unique, but I hope that the later albums will have songwriting more suited to my tastes.

Rating: 6

http://www.fnm.com/

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

Rotting Christ - AEALO [2010]

Very promising start. I really like the addition of the chorus. I'm not so much a fan of the new Folk influence, but it's not cliché or poorly done so I'm fine with it. It's unfortunate that much of the darkness that I loved from Sanctus Diavolus is gone because it would've been a perfect combination with the new chorus being used throughout this album. "Nekron Lahes..." is just plain annoying, though. Overall, it's good and has some cool additions, but it's lacking the power and darkness of Sanctus Diavolus.

Rating: 7.5

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

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

L'eprica - florence/3rd blood & pain [2008]

Much better production than some of the other albums. More to the standards of ST. Addition of keys is welcome. Intro riff sounds like a bit of a sell-out move, but after the first verse it definitely makes sense. Second track hearkens back to ST a bit in the verses.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/leprica

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L'eprica - Ideal Taste [2008]

Whoa, not what I was expecting at all. It's basically progressive thrash metal. Definitely catchy when it get's going. The production seems to be going a bit downhill, though. The vox are a bit overpowering at some parts. It's a different style for them, but it's a nice change-up from the previous stuff… just as long as they don't stray too long.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/leprica

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

L'eprica - rubble [2007]

Good beginning. Nice and calm. Drums are heavily equalized to sound like they're in the background (sounds like a drum machine, though). Pretty good overall, but definitely not their best. It lacks the catchiness of the previous stuff, but gains some atmosphere.

Rating: 7

http://www.myspace.com/leprica

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

L'eprica - Agnus Dei [2006]

Nice, starts off kinda doom-metal-ish. Decent production quality. Good songwriting, though the first track is a bit predictable and cliché. Definitely has a few elements of Doom mixed with post-rock, progressive, and jazz. Damn cool stuff, but not as cool as ST.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/leprica

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

L'eprica - Sephirothic Tree [2008]

I'm very impressed by the restraint from the beginning. It's as if they don't feel the need to kick in to something heavy really quickly… kinda like saying "fuck you" to everyone expecting the opposite. When it does get heavy, it still stays nice and melancholy. This single isn't going to change the earth's rotational direction or anything, but it's definitely got it's own writing style to it that really goes against convention. I can even hear some Mexican musical influence in the second track along with progressive elements. Very well written and good production. My one complaint: this CD is criminally short. I would love to hear a full-length of this. Very high marks for the masterful writing.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/leprica

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DELUHI - Surveillance [2008.03.26]

Not what I was expecting for an intro. Definitely more Metal than their later stuff. Production isn't as good, though (to be expected). Certainly more creative than their later stuff as well.

Rating: 7

http://www.myspace.com/deluhi

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

DELUHI - Visvasrit [2008.10]

Very catchy, even more so than OOA. Slightly less heavy production than OOA, but more than enough to achieve the proper effect. It's also a bit more geared for pop culture, but not so much that it feels like a sell-out. The songwriting has improved ten-fold. This is quite different from most Japanese metal bands… it's got much more of an American sensibility to it.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/deluhi

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DELUHI - Orion Once Again [2008.7]

Wow, great production quality. Hits you in the face. Thrash metal with melodic choruses. It's a bit of a stock style (for the U.S., at least), but it's pretty damn well done. Catchy songwriting. They're not lighting the world on fire with anything new, but it's still well-done and good songwriting. A pleasant surprise.

Rating: 7

http://www.myspace.com/deluhi

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

Keep of Kalessin - Kolossus [2008]

Starts off pretty weak compared to Armada, but it's different for KoK, so I'll roll with it. T3 is what they probably should've started the album with. The creativity is ramped up in this album and some parts even cross over into the Atmospheric genre of music. The production quality is strange. It's still heavy, but there's a weird type of re-verb to the guitars that's only really audible when everything else drops out. Not a bad thing, though. It gives the guitars a bit of an alien quality to them that makes listening to them interesting. There are more keys / piano in this album than Armada. One of my complaints is that the lyrics are a bit static and boring. Often verses are repeated more than once. Another complaint is that this album is definitely less brutal than Armada. However, it's almost a completely different style, which is great to see and the songwriting is still top-notch.

Rating: 8

http://www.keepofkalessin.no/

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Keep of Kalessin - Armada [2006]

Awesome from start to finish. Brutal riffs. Fast as fuck. Some of the most unique guitaring I've heard in Black Metal. Catchy. For an album with no keys whatsoever, it does an amazing job of creating an epic feel with the extremely well-crafted guitar riffs and song structure. Production quality is perfect for the style. There are a couple fillers in the middle-end of the album, though. Cheers for doing shit differently and expanding the boundaries of Black Metal.

Rating: 9

http://www.keepofkalessin.no/

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Jeniva - 想浮、明くる緋ノ月 [2006]

The intro is really dark, but the next track jumps into very stock and happy-sounding visual kei. I think they have mixed up their desires on this album. On the bright side, the vocals aren't intolerable at all. In fact, they're actually pretty good. Last track is really good. So, it's a step up from 泣き雪, but not much of one in the way of song writing.

Rating: 6

http://www.geocities.jp/official_jeniva/

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Jeniva - 泣き雪 [2005]

Not quite what I was expecting from a band that looks as Gothic as they do. Cool piano part after the beginning, though. Weird vox and definitely not the best tuning. Somewhat stock (okay, very stock) vocal styling and rhythm. Cool solo at the end of T1, definitely the only part of the song that has any talent… too bad it fucking fades out within 5 seconds. T2 is much more promising with its more moody riffs. Overall, definitely not fucking impressed. It's stock as hell. Admittedly, the second song is ok, but the vocals are intolerable… not the worst I've heard, but pretty fucking bad. The short length of the album gains it a favorable score. I can see now why this band didn't last long.

Rating: 5

http://www.geocities.jp/official_jeniva/

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Jelly Berry - Mother Crisis [2002]

Niiiice. Cool and funky rock beginning. Definitely catchy. Interesting vox. Nice and in tune. Cool use of muted notes on guitar during the verse. I heartily approve. Too bad there's only one song… time to search. Short, but sweet.

Rating: 7.5



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

Agalloch - Tomorrow Will Never Come [2003]

One rehash of an old song and one brand-spanking-new one. The new song is quite good. it's very soothing and beautiful. However, the song is marred by a plethora of sound samples that really undermine the beauty of the guitar riffs.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.agalloch.org/

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

Agalloch - The Mantle [2002]

Five seconds in and I can already tell that the production quality has increased quite a bit. Somehow feels like it's missing a bit of the catchiness that was in PF. However, the atmosphere is still there as well as the calm beautiful riffs and sections with clean singing.

Rating: 8

http://www.agalloch.org/

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Agalloch - Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor [2001]

Good stuff. Basically an extension of PF, production quality and all, but shorter and with more clean vox.

Rating: 8

http://www.agalloch.org/

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Agalloch - Pale Folklore [1999]

Nice, already a huge improvement on the first album. Better production, much better playing, way better riffs, and infinitely better song writing. A couple minutes into the first track and it's already way more creative than the entire first album. In the end, this album is worlds better than FWotO. So good, in fact, that it completely reverses my decision to hate them that I obtained from the first album. If the production was a bit better, it would be amongst the best of my albums. High marks for doing shit way differently and superb song writing.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.agalloch.org/

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

Agalloch - From Which of this Oak [1997]

Whoa, definitely not what I was expecting. Melodic-based heavy metal. Really shitty playing so far, I've been able to hear a shitload of mistakes. Vocalist kinda sucks at keeping his vox distorted. However, I’m intrigued and must listen on. Okay, wow, first track was a fucking joke, right? Terrible. Second track is much better… they actually sound like they know what they're doing in the song. Okay, totally redeemed themselves a bit with the slow acoustic section in T2. The rest of the cd was decent. Interesting stuff that makes me want to be drawn in, but the entire band's playing is awful. It's got potential, but they pushed the project out the front door before it knew how to dress itself.

Rating: 5.5

http://www.agalloch.org/

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

Abyssos - Fhinsthanian Nightbreed [1999]

A bit melodic for my tastes in the beginning. Cool song writing, though. Beautiful clean section towards the end of T2. Good clean vox sections. Definitely has damn creative song structuring and riffs. It's very effective and extremely well-crafted. Because it relies so heavily on complex melodies, it does get repetitive by the end. The production is not so good, but it's not distracting.

Rating: 7

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

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Ebonylake - On the Eve of the Grimly Inventive [1999]

Chaotic opening. Cool orchestra/keys. Very haunting feel. Disjointed songwriting, but it really works for this style and the effect that they're trying to convey. This album actually makes much more sense when you know that the subject is about a haunted house. The production quality is a bit stale. It's not all that heavy, either. However, it is definitely clear and all of the instruments are very audible. Very unique album with interesting ideas executed in a compelling manner. High marks for innovation, even if the catchiness is a brutalized casualty.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/ebonylakeofficialuk

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...and Oceans - SYNÆSTHESIA - The Requiem Reveries [2007]

Pretty good first track, the rest is straight up industrial.

Rating: 6

http://www.myspace.com/andoceans1

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...and Oceans - Cypher [2002]

Heard this album a couple times before. The industrial is completely integrated into the music, now… there's absolutely no separation. More catchy and much more heavy. I do miss the grinding drums, though.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/andoceans1

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...and Oceans - A.M.G.O.D. [2001]

Wow, less than ten seconds into the first track and I can already tell there's a HUGE difference in the style of the guitars. Definitely the first CD where they heavily used the industrial effects with Black Metal. It's very well done and used to great effect throughout the album. One of the things I really like about this album is that it has more grinding and thrash elements than their proceeding album. Pretty catchy, too.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/andoceans1

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...and Oceans - The Symmetry of I - The Circle of O [1999]

Cool keys and guitar riff right-off-the-bat. Powerful vox. Really cool stuff, nice key sections that blend well with the guitars to give that "nice" Black Metal feel. There's much more grinding on the drums than the last album. On disc 2, the first track has really cool use of techno / industrial effects that are calming. Seems like disc 2 is going to be just industrial effects… interesting. There's some dabbling in the techno stuff in disc 1 and used in a pretty unique way. Plus the production is definitely better than TDGoT. Disc 2's effects are kind of corny at some points.

Rating: 7

http://www.myspace.com/andoceans1

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...and Oceans - The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts [1998]

Weird beginning, but when the keys kick in, it's fucking nice as hell. Definitely more traditional Black Metal than their later works. It's really strange, like a completely different band. There's some really fucking fast grinding in here. A few strange vox in T3. T5 has a killer beginning techno thing that reminds me of the dystopian society of Blade Runner. Cool CD. Not nearly as ground-breaking as their later efforts, but there's still plenty of the techno/industrial element and some unique song-writing. The production quality is what I'd expect from a Black Metal band's first album, though it is still better than most debuts.

Rating: 6.5

http://www.myspace.com/andoceans1

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Je*Reviens - Romantic Jewel [1999]

First track is very unimpressive as far as singing goes. Seems like the vox haven't improved much. In fact, they may have just gotten a bit worse… he's doing this weird thing that makes him sound vaguely like Kermit the frog and it's beginning to hurt my opinion of T2. T4 is basically a Offspring rip-off, but less catchy. This whole CD is crap. There's only one remotely well-written song on here (T9), and while it's a pretty damn good song, everything else is so bad that I want to puke. Repetitive, boring, uncreative, and painful to listen to. The vox haven't gotten any better at all and are VERY frequently out of tune. Better production, but it doesn't spare the album from one bit of my bile.

Rating: 3

http://www.last.fm/music/JE*REVIENS

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Je*Reviens - Ne'phesh [1998]

Starts off very impressive. Cool key riffs, good guitar riffs, nice and heavy. First song is very well-written. Some of the vox in the chorus are off-tone, but it's not too distracting. It's definitely more metal than I thought it'd be. It's a damn good effort for a first album. The production is pretty good and clear, the songs are quite well-written, heavy, and keys are used very well. The only major downside is that the vocals go out of tune every once in a while. This album isn't pushing any envelopes, but then, not every band can revolutionize the genre. Regardless, this is a very enjoyable album.

Rating: 6.5

http://www.last.fm/music/JE*REVIENS

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Behemoth - Evangelion [2009]

If the whole album is like the first track, it'll get a nearly perfect score. Good job mixing up the speeds a bit. Extremely well-crafted guitar work. It all fits so perfectly together. Even the background atmospheric stuff feels like it all has a purpose. The first couple of songs have definitely taken a few cues from Nile. One major issue keeping it from a perfect score is the predictability of the album about half-way through.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.behemoth.pl/

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

Behemoth - The Apostasy [2007]

Huge disappointment. There's really only one good track on here with the rest being sell-out pop-metal shit.

Rating: 5

http://www.behemoth.pl/

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Behemoth - Zos Kia Cultus [2002]

First track is actually a bit weak. The second track, on the other hand, is a fucking brutal kick in the nuts with spiked boots. A major complaint I have is that the drums are weakly recorded. Also, the overall production feels a bit stale, probably because there's no sign of re-verb at all until shit slows down. The writing is what I've come to expect from Behemoth. It's not really my style, but at the same time they do some things so well that I can't help but enjoy it. This album in particular is actually a bit slower and less extreme than stuff from Demigod.

Rating: 6

http://www.behemoth.pl/

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Profundi - Omega Rising [2006]

Album is very well-written and chaotic from start to finish. The songs are catchy, but brutal. Very good use of melody throughout. The style is a bit too consistent at times, but that's being nit-picky in this case. There's plenty of variation to keep things interesting until the end. The production is my only serious complaint. It's necro, sure, but it's a bit too chaotic and there are plenty of times where lead instrument lines will get buried by keys or effects. It's definitely not a really heavy production, but it's passable and tolerable. It's also not the most creative of albums, but the writing on this album earns it high marks.

Rating: 8

http://www.profundi.com/

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Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest [2009]

Damn, massive upgrade in production energy. Drums are a little higher in the mix. Everything sounds crystal clear. Wow, some more creativity in the first track with the Indian vocals in the midst of grinding Death Metal. They've definitely pushed the Egyptian theme to a new level with this one. There is more samples, sound effects, and extra instruments thrown into the mix. The technicality has been ramped up to a new level as well with a lot more difficult sweeps. Almost every song is solid gold with only one song that feels like filler on the album. The only thing I can think of that keeps this from a perfect score is the very thing that makes me excited for albums like this: the slight change in guitar style. If it stands up to multiple listens, it'll earn its perfect mark. Even so, Nile has really out-done themselves on this fucking epic and perfectly produced album.

Rating: 9

http://www.nile-catacombs.net/

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Nile - Ithyphallic [2007]

The guitars are so heavily distorted that I almost crapped my pants. However, every detail of the guitar riffing is still audible making it the perfect brutal guitar sound. This is another epic effort when listening to the whole album with a little more catchiness sparsely strewn within many songs. The snare drum is slightly higher in the mix, much to my delight, giving this album a more Grindcore feel than previous albums

Rating: 8.5

http://www.nile-catacombs.net/

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Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked [2005]

Much better production. This follows very closely on the philosophy of ITDS with a very epic album structure when listened all the way through. They play more with the atmospheric Egyptian sound in the middle of songs. There's even some more catchiness thrown in. My only complaint is that, like ITDS, this is an album that doesn't really sine on a song to song basis. Rather, you must listen to the album all the way through if you are to hear its full brilliance.

Rating: 8

http://www.nile-catacombs.net/

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Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines [2002]

Good and heavy production. Starts off with a massive punch in the face (more like a sledge-hammer). Second track is equally as brutal. Listening to the whole CD is epic... if you have the time to do it. It's a damn good CD overall with only a few drop-offs in brutality, but the artistic creativity of these tracks more than makes up for it. The production certainly isn't their best and is a bit stale and dead. However, it's still heavy, effective, and clear enough to make out all of the instruments.

Rating: 8

http://www.nile-catacombs.net/

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Nightwish - Over the Hills and Far Away [2001]

T1 is great. However, for such a short CD, there aren't a lot of great songs. So it drags at more than a few parts and even get's monotonous once or twice.

Rating: 7

http://www.nightwish.com/

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Nightwish - Oceanborn [1998]

As is typical with most Nightwish albums, this one starts off epic and very energetic. Good and catchy first song. Let's see if they can hold it all the way through the album for once… Definitely still have me at track 3. This is probably their best album overall. At most, one song may be filler, but the rest of the writing is very even in its quality. The production isn't as crystal clear as their later albums, but it's hardly anything to scoff at. However, despite the fact that the overall writing on this album is great, it definitely lacks the high-points of some of their later albums.

Rating: 8

http://www.nightwish.com/

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

Sigh - Hail Horror Hail [1997]

Uhhh.... I was NOT expecting that opening for "Hail Horror Hail". Halfway through the first track is when it finally starts to feel like Sigh. "42 49" ventures back into Sigh territory. It's a fairly well-done song with some creativity much like what I heard on GFT. Really cool panning effect used in the beginning of "12 Souls" that goes into an extremely haunting riff and then straight into a jazz sax section. Nutty. "Burial" is a nice piano piece to break up the action. After listening to this album, I can understand why some fans prefer this over the newer material. It's extremely well-crafted. The guitar riffs really fit in with the keys and the keyboard work is awesome. The creativity is almost staggering at some points. This isn't a high-energy album. The production is ok, but there's a lot of room for improvement. There are more than a few occasions when the keys will completely overpower the guitars and vocals.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/sighjapan

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Last Days of Humanity - Putrefaction in Progress [2006]

Fuckin' amazing. The most brutal shit ever. Fast as fuck. The energy is enormous. The quality of the production is shitty, but it's just barely enough to make out, it's still heavy as fuck, and definitely serves the brutality of the music. The vocals are insane. The album isn't very long (26min), but that's a good length for it; it doesn't overstay it's welcome. I would normally complain about the production quality and the lack of variation between the songs, but those issues are completely insignificant when looking at how brutal the music is. In fact, those cons may actually be necessary for the brutal experience.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/lastdaysofhumanityofficialmyspacepage

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Last Days of Humanity - In Advanced Haemorrhaging Condition [2004]

Now we really get to the LDoH that I know and love. Absolutely brutal. Blisteringly fast. Fucking disgusting. Entirely beautiful.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/lastdaysofhumanityofficialmyspacepage

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

Last Days of Humanity - Hymns Of Indigestible Suppuration [2000]

Best production quality so far. However, I'm noticing that, as the quality increases, the brutality seems to decrease. Certainly not as exciting as PiP.

Rating: 7

http://www.myspace.com/lastdaysofhumanityofficialmyspacepage

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Last Days of Humanity - The Sounds Of Rancid Juices Sloshing Around Your Coffin [1998]

Wow, probably has the best production quality of all of the albums. I can actually hear what the guitars are doing. Unfortunately, the blasting/grinding is mostly buried by the guitars.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/lastdaysofhumanityofficialmyspacepage

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Last Days of Humanity - Human Atrocity [1993]

I was expecting horrible quality, but not this horrible.

Rating: 4

http://www.myspace.com/lastdaysofhumanityofficialmyspacepage

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

Nightrage - Wearing a Martyr's Crown [2009]

Very good start. Production quality is far superior to ANDiB. The songwriting has changed again. It's a bit more predictable, but it's still pretty catchy. I don’t really approve of some of the really slow drum beats. There's only a little bit of the SV style left in this band, it seems. However, this album does give me a bit more hope for the future of Nightrage.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.nightrage.com/index.asp

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Nightrage - A New Disease is Born [2007]

This album as a whole is both a step up and a step down from SV. It certainly has more of a unique style, but it also tried to blend in some more modern filth with it. While that approach works occasionally, often it will cause a parts of frustration. It seems like they will never fully recapture what I loved about SV. Even so, the songwriting is much improved and more polished than before, and it is closer to SV. I like that they are using some more of the clean vox again. However, the production has suffered a bit with the guitars being much less clear than on their previous albums.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.nightrage.com/index.asp

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

Nightrage - Descent Into Chaos [2004]

Pretty good again. Follows very much from SV with a small but noticeable change in the songwriting. The guitar riffs in many of the choruses are now much more like Arch Enemy riffs, which I'm not really a fan of. I liked the more Gothic and Classical quality of SV. The songs are a bit weak in the middle of the album, too. Even so, this is a good album. Just a bit of a step down from their more unique first album.

Rating: 7

http://www.nightrage.com/index.asp

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Nightrage - Sweet Vengeance [2003]

Good production. Heavy. Natural drum sound. Awesome songwriting. Probably some of the best in the genre. It's catchy, the vocals are decently varied between the screaming and the clean vox. The music has some decent dynamic to it, going into acoustic/clean riffs every once-in-a-while. The style is very unique and almost indescribable, and it has an almost beautiful and classical quality to it. The excellent and unique songwriting makes up for the lake of creativity in other areas of the music and production.

Rating: 8

http://www.nightrage.com/index.asp

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Tristania - Ashes [2005]

A much less epic start than what I had grown used to from the previous two albums. The songwriting style has progressed a noticeable amount, but it still feels distinctly like Tristania. When I first listened to this album, I may have been overly harsh and negative towards it since it contains much less keys than previous albums and the epic feel is mostly absent. However, the songs are quite beautiful and very well written. The production quality is definitely a step up; everything is much more forward and clear. In the end, the shift in style doesn't really hurt the material, and while there are a couple songs that feel like they drag on, it's still a very good and dark album.

Rating: 8

http://www.tristania.com/

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Tristania - World of Glass [2001]

Beautiful from start to finish. However, the catchiness has fallen off a bit from BtV and some more patience is required for some of the songs. Even so, it's a great album that goes back to the slower and more depressingly beautiful style of WW, but with more "evil" inserted into the mix. Production quality is their best yet.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.tristania.com/

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Tristania - Widow's Weeds [1998]

Wow, I really wasn't in the mood for Tristania when I started listening, but the first 4 tracks have completely changed my mood. So far, this may be some of the best songwriting I've heard from them. Production isn't bad. The guitar distortion is a bit wonky. This album has much less of the epic and energetic feel of the later albums. Rather, it focuses on the more beautiful style of songwriting, and they seem to have perfected it in this album

Rating: 8

http://www.tristania.com/

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Tristania - Tristania [1997]

Starting off with a more renaissance feel. Production is pretty good for their first album. Overall, very good… especially considering that this is their first album. The songwriting isn't as refined as their later stuff, but it's still great, very effective, and beautiful.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.tristania.com/

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

Tristania - Beyond the Veil [1999]

Beautiful opening track, but "beautiful" will be used often on this album. Very good production quality. It perfectly suits the musical style. The orchestra and chorus are easy to hear over the guitars and drums. It's not a really heavy production, which is probably better for the style of music. The song-writing is top-notch and very very Gothic. Beautiful use of chorus and clean vox as well as the viola and orchestra. The guitar riffs are well-crafted and fit in nicely with the rest of the instruments. The production could be a little bit better for the drums, though, and I would've liked to hear a slightly heavier guitar sound… but now I'm just nit-picking.

Rating: 9

http://www.tristania.com/

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Sigh - Ghastly Funeral Theatre [1997]

Cool intro track. I like the clapping in "Shingontachikawa", even if it's a bit comical. I also like the addition of solo jazz-style Alto Sax. This album has much more catchiness to it. There's a lot more punk influence. There's also more experimentation. The production quality has increased again, too. Sure, it still doesn't feel as refined as the later material, and the overall song writing isn't stellar. But the shorter length of the album feels perfect and the experimentation feels fresh.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/sighjapan

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Sigh - Infidel Art [1995]

Towards the middle of "Izuna", Sigh shows a glimpse of the orchestra stabs that the band will use more heavily later on. The keys are pretty well done, and the clean vocals are more accurate than they were on Scorn Defeat. "The Zombie Terror" really becomes cool for me when the piano parts kick in. "Desolation" is a haunting song, especially once the cool keys kick in around half-way through. However, I've never really been a fan of doom speeds for metal. The production quality is heavier than Scorn Defeat. Overall, a pretty decent album with really awesome keyboard use when they kick in, but the large amount of Doom Metal sets me off a bit.

Rating: 6.5

http://www.myspace.com/sighjapan

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