夢中夢 - 夢中夢 [2006]

Much more classical inspired beginning than rock and metal. It has a very charming darkness to many of the songs tempered with beautiful strings and piano. "不浄幸福讃歌" really has that metal attitude and grinding distortion to the beginning. This is where it becomes clear that the production, while suited very well for the light, beautiful, and dark arrangements of previous songs, needs to be polished for the metal stuff. That said, the production still gives it a lovely and spacious feel. Part of the spaciousness of this album also comes from the sections of music that are very minimalist and simplistic. The album is a bit long, but certainly brilliant in its execution and I never really got bored despite the minimalistic last few songs of the album. It only feels slightly less polished than il y a and it certainly doesn't have the same energy, but then, they seem to have gone for a more sedate energy on purpose. Extremely effective album.

Rating: 8.75

http://sound.jp/mutyumu/news/underconstruction.html

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

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine [2004]

"Panasonic Youth" is one hell of a track to start off the album. It's catchy, chaotic, technical, and fairly creative. This album is much more accessible with more groove riffs and catchy sections than ever before. The dark and brooding sections of Irony is a Dead Scene are largely gone, replaced by more brutality. Many of the sections could almost pass for Technical Death Metal. I do love the continued addition of new instruments for accenting certain sections of music; it isn't overdone, either, making it more special when those new instruments are finally used. The album makes excellent use of musical dynamics as well, causing the album to sound varied enough to avoid a one-dimensional experience. "Phone Home" is one that really shows the proficiency in other genres and the ability to blend dark brooding electronic effects into the madness of their songs.

Rating: 9

http://www.ireworks.net/

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The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony is a Dead Scene [2002]

This has a more metal feel to the songwriting and the production. The creativity is more extreme now as well, and it makes listening nothing less than a pleasure. There's just enough catchiness to stick with you, but it's the experimentation that really leaves an impression. Mike Patton's vocals are wonderful and spastic, as usual. This is the progression of creative songwriting that I was hoping for. This is great all the way through. There isn't a wasted note of music. Much more darkness has permeated this album and gives a very appealing almost Gothic feel at times (such as "Come to Daddy"). Chaos and creativity reigns supreme in this soundscape.

Rating: 9

http://www.ireworks.net/

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

Dir en grey - Gauze [1999]

They are certainly trying to spread their wings a bit with the more unconventional approach to rock. There's a bit more malice in the vocals. Things calm down considerably with "ゆらめき"; good and catchy, though. Most of this album has the air of Rentrer en Soi about it... certainly not a bad thing. Then, without warning, things suddenly change drastically with "蜜と唾" and then again with "Mazohyst of Decadence". Then, right back in to Progressive Pop with "予感"... boredom is obviously impossible on this album. It's the best of all styles. Much of it doesn't really stick in my mind, and the parts that are supposed to be stronger and more chaotic feel a bit weak compared to bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan. However, it's a great all-around-er and damn effective with all of the other styles that they experiment with. Certainly, it's an album-experience that is unique.

Rating: 8

http://www.direngrey.co.jp/

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The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity [1999]

From chaos to smooth jazz and then right back to the madness. There isn't much in the way of variation, and it doesn't pack as much of a catchy punch as the previous EP did. It's still pretty good, though, and the creativity is still there even if they aren't progressing much.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.ireworks.net/

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

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Under the Running Board [1998]

WAHAY!!! Catchy, chaotic, energetic, AND heavy! Effortless and seamless transition into "Sandbox Magician". This ep is great all the way through. The intensity is staggering. Creative, unconventional, and quite energetic.

Rating: 8

http://www.ireworks.net/

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

Darkane - Rusted Angel [1999]

As is typical with these guys, the first track is a beguilingly epic start. "Convicted" wastes no time and takes no fucking prisoners. Not a fan of the vocals. They're a bit weak and it feels like he's constantly at his limit, but not in a good and ballsy way. I really get tired of the mono-tone singing by the end of the second track. I wish he'd either use a different note or fucking stop singing entirely. What a useless fucking vocalist... this band would be much better off without him. It's an energetic album, but it's waaay too long and has little to no variation. So, I got bored really fucking easily.

Rating: 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkane

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Chimaira - Pass Out of Existence [2001]

Korn-like start to "Let Go", but then things move more into Heavy Metal. The use of effects is very impressive. A lot of effort went into the type, execution, and placement of effects. The production is quite dull, though... with the vocals having the sonic quality of someone putting a damp blanket over the mic. It's still quite heavy, though. There's definitely a recessed stench of the Nu Metal troll lingering around the songs, but it works because of the massive amount of electronic influence and the focus on thrashy and heavy riffs. There's even a whiff of Death Metal to it. Small surprises delight my ears, especially when done well like the middle section of the title track. However, the rap-ish vocals of "Split" and "Painting the White to Grey" make me cringe. This album could not be more different from "Impossibility..." The variation is wonderful. The creativity, while not stunning, is more than enough to set this apart from other Heavy Metal bands. That said, this album is a bit too long for its own good. It really feels like shit is dragging by the end and that they've run out of ideas.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.chimaira.com/

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Chimaira - The Impossibility of Reason [2003]

Heavy Metal with a large dose of groove, a dash of thrash, and a pinch of death metal. I've never really liked Mark Hunter's Hardcore vox... I think his Death Metal style is much better. The Hardcore screaming is too thin and doesn't have any guts to it. "The Impossibility of Reason" is mostly a heavy metal romp, but contains a very surprising homage to Pantera towards the end... extremely convincing and very well-done. The transitions between sections are so smooth that the listener can hardly tell how they moved through the song. "Down Again" brings the catchiness back up a notch. There is a decent amount of variation in the middle of the album with songs changing up the tempos a bit. The whole album is pretty catchy, if a bit uncreative. The people calling this "nu metal" are clearly clueless retards.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.chimaira.com/

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

Fellsilent - The Hidden Words [2008]

Polyrhythmic right off the bat. I'm really not a fan of the somewhat weak production. It really hurts this style of music. "Erase/Begin" is a bit catchy, though stock, with a wonderful clean vocal surprise tucked away in there. "Drowned in My Enemy" introduces the first bit of creativity with a short-lived clean section. This sounds remarkably like a Swedish album for a band that's from the UK. There are a few interesting sections throughout the album, but most of it is derivative. It is catchy in small chunks, but listening to the album all the way through makes one realize that this is a fairly two-dimensional album with little to know variation.

Rating: 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellsilent

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The Dillinger Escape Plan - The Dillinger Escape Plan [1997]

An oddly sedate intro track leading into more of what I expected from TDEP. "I Love Secret Agents" is quirky with odd chords and what I like to call "noise riffing". "Monticello" is a bit more groove-oriented with a catchier premise. "Cleopatra's Sling" returns to the chaotic style and mad timing. The people that are calling this album "mathcore" are clearly clueless; I would say either Post Hardcore or Experimental Hardcore. Excellent use of dynamics on "Caffeine". The stuff isn't all that catchy, but if it's chaos I'm after with a hint of groove and some experimentation, I should look nowhere else. Bonus points for completely ignoring the trends.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.ireworks.net/

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

Cradle of Filth - Damnation and a Day [2003]

Production is certainly heavier, but for some reason "The Promise of Fever" feels like it isn't centered properly... I'll let it slide since it may be my version of the file. "Hurt and Virtue" starts off with pandering to the faggy melodic metal crowd, killing the evil attempts of the music. Definitely a very weak song. "An Enemy Led the Tempest" picks things up just a bit, but the main riff is fairly stock and lifeless. "Better to Reign in Hell" finally changes things up a bit with some kind of creativity calling on the clean guitars and spacey effects. Orchestra effects are fairly well-placed and sparse enough that they don't feel overused. One thing that has been bugging me is that the production quality of the guitars keeps changing, and not just between songs, but within the song as well. It's not a BAD album at all. However, it doesn't have the same bite, ferocity, and grandeur of previous albums. It's watered-down; a handful of very good riffs evenly distributed on an album with wall-paper paste to fill in the majority of the time. It's a damn shame, because it is obvious that A LOT more effort was put into the arranging and selection of effects and keys. Obnoxiously, the album seems to slowly settle back down into what made CoF good as the music goes on. So, skip the crap and go straight to the middle-end. Standout tracks are "Present from the Poison-Hearted", "The Promise of Fever", "Doberman", and "Babylon A.D.".

Rating: 7.25

http://theorderofthedragon.com/

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Hans Zimmer - Crysis 2 Original Soundtrack [2011]

Now that I've let the crappiness of the game settle in my mind and be nearly forgotten, I can listen to the soundtrack with an open mind. Things start off creepy with "Insertion" and then move into more anxious and proud. "Battery Pack", has more tension. Epic, dark, proud, sometimes cliché, So, it's not all that creative, and I especially dislike the "PROUD AMERICAN" feel that sometimes crops up, but it IS pretty epic and polished to a perfect shine.

Rating: 7.75

http://www.hanszimmer.com/

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Dir en grey - Missa [1997]

The production quality lacks quite a bit of punch and is quite "dead", but it's pretty clear. "霧と繭" sounds stock from the perspective of the vocals, but the frantic thrash breaks with tradition just a bit. It is fairly repetitive, though. "｢S｣" has a few screams and feels a little more dark. You can tell that they want to move away from the stock J-Rock template that was set before them, but they don't seem to know quite how to do it. They use odd chord structures and the rhythms border on progressive at times. It doesn't do much to draw me in to the music and there's very little in the way of catchiness, but I do applaud the effort to not sound like everyone else.

Rating: 5.5

http://www.direngrey.co.jp/

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

Amethystium - Isabliss [2008]

Another solid album. All the things that the previous albums were, but with just a little bit more variation.

Rating: 8

http://www.amethystium.com/

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Iced Earth - Something Wicked this Way Comes [1998]

From galloping and heavy romps to thrashy rapid-succession triplets to calm and beautiful strolls. Nearly all of the songs are catchy and well-written. "My Own Savior" is too camp for my tastes as the chorus feels like a bad joke. The quality and strength are very far cries from Dark Saga's mostly bland effort.

Rating: 8

http://www.icedearth.com/

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

Metalium - State of Triumph - Chapter Two [2000]

Just when I think that Henning's voice couldn't possibly get higher, "Steel Avenger" proves me wrong. It's certainly following on the structure of the first disk, energy and all. "Years of Darion" is a bit more groove with quite a catchy chorus. "Break Out" starts off slow and eventually builds up to a moderate tempo... much more catchy guitar riffing than YoD, but the sound clip part after the solo is out of place and very distracting. "Erania" kicks it off fucking strong, but with a strange and quirky verse and eventually ending with what will surely be, by far, the peak of the album. Right into "Stygian Flames" which thrashes the listener around like a british nanny. The chorus of "Prophecy" saves the song a bit from the grip of boredom. This album doesn't have the same proficient songwriting or magic of the first one, but it's still pretty good in its own right.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.metalium.de/

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

Hate - Morphosis [2008]

There's quite an increase in production quality. The guitars are much heavier now. "Threnody" gives me hope for the album with more complexity in the song arrangement, but the riffs aren't particularly catchy or memorable. "Immum Coeli" starts a bit more promising, but breaks up the action a bit too much. It's a bit frustrating... many of the good ideas are balanced out by bad ideas that break flow for guitar riffs that feel fluid. Not all that great overall. It doesn't really capture or move me. Quite a flop. But at least it has got heavy production.

Rating: 5.5

http://www.hate-metal.com/

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ZONE - Z [2002]

The first track could use a bit of pitch correction on the vocals. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!! "GOOD DAYS" is so fucking happy it's impossible to not smile while listening to it ^__^!! The "kyu kyu kyu"s are cute of course, but the song isn't nearly as strong as "GOOD DAYS". In fact, that's the only really strong song on the album. Even so, everything is just what you'd expect from Pop. Nothing creative, but decent. Honestly, I'll probably only listen to GD more than once... and I'm sick to death of all the different versions of secret base.

Rating: 5

http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/ZONE/

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