Grief of Emerald - The Devil's Deep [2011]

A more clear production quality, but the snare and toms really sit low in the mix, thus hurting the impact of blasts. Clearly, more effort went into the keys for this album than previous material. The beginning-middle section of "Famine" snapped me right out of my article-reading trance and immediately into the music. Unfortunately, it's been two songs since I was captivated like this... so it really doesn't have that catchy and shouty attitude. Nearly all of the Death Metal influence that I loved from Christian Termination is long gone, replaced by some more generic Black Metal. There's really nothing much that's unique about this album. A few risks here and there, but nothing substantial. I was really hoping for more... power and boldness.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.griefofemerald.se/

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

Marilyn Manson - EAT ME, DRINK ME [2007]

"If I Was Your Vampire" is a bit of a departure from the Manson style, but damn is it dark and brooding. "Putting Holes in Happiness" has a worrying opening that feels more like rock than Goth, but it actually starts to work a bit when the vocals kick in. Extended guitar solo!?!?!?!?!?!? Wasn't expecting that. There's quite a lot of soloing on this album, which is a shock. It's a mix of shred, rock, and whammy, so it's interesting and still manages to stay within the darkened room that is this album. The album relies much more heavily on guitar, drums, and bass riffs rather than the electronic and industrial effects that used to be pervasive. It's odd to hear this come from Manson, but it seems to work for the most part. That said, the songwriting seems to be a bit lazier nowadays; the album has little to no variation, so things start getting repetitive pretty quickly. It may be a doomy and dark album, but I do miss the creepiness that was found in earlier Manson material.

Rating: 7.25

http://marilynmanson.com/

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

Genitorturers - Flesh is the Law [2002]

Quite stock, but also catchy, first track, "Lecher Bitch". "Public Enemy" is more up-beat and energetic with a bit more of a conventional Metal feel to it. Interesting middle-end section that ever so slightly breaks the rules. "Flesh is the Law" is more like what I was envisioning with a lot of industrial effects and dark mood. It\'s not bad at all despite the stock style and the Manson-worship.

Rating: 7

http://www.genitorturers.com/

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

Taro Bando - F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition [1999]

This is more like it. The guitar distortion isn't anything worthy of Death Metal, and neither is the production quality, but the live instruments and production really add to the punch of the songs. The drums are oddly produced with a few toms having WAAAAYYYY too much bass put on them. The solos are lovely shredding rock solos that remind me of old-school metal. The songs are much more cohesive and have been rearranged to actually feel like a song from start to finish instead of a looped track for the purpose of continuing forever.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.last.fm/music/Taro+Bando

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

Taro Bando - F-Zero X Original Soundtrack [1998]

Ok, so it's nostalgic. However, the production quality suffers quite a bit from the required performance of the game. So, it's not all that immersive an experience to listen to the soundtrack. There's potential for many of the riffs that is never realized thanks to the production quality. That said, there's a lot of filler on here, too. The nice thing is that there is a good deal of variation in the feel of each song.

Rating: 6

http://www.last.fm/music/Taro+Bando

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

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis [2010]

Whoa, ok, not an impressive start to "Farewell, Mona Lisa", but fuck does it suddenly get insane eventually giving way to a calmer middle section. Quite catchy. More chaos and catchiness from "Good Neighbor". "Gold Teeth on a Bum" is more ponderous and whimsical with a whiff of groove. Then it's right back to the chaos. Can you tell this is a chaotic album? Luckily, that's not all there is to it. There's plenty of that pre-Ire Works energy and creativity. At the same time, it's pretty damn catchy. The distorted guitars sound too much like they're enclosed in a box, but, other than that, it's good production quality. The writing style does feel like progression has been slow for them. So, the album isn't really pushing the boundaries of their style. Songs like "Widower" and "Parasitic Twins" give me hope for things to come. Even so, this is a very solid TDEP album that sits proudly next to Miss Machine.

Rating: 8.75

http://www.ireworks.net/

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Dir en grey - THE MARROW OF A BONE [2007]

"CONCEIVED SORROW" is a pretty track with piano accenting the softness. Then, without warning, "LIE BURIED WITH A VENGEANCE" takes a trip to metal city with somewhat catchy and very groove-oriented riffs. "THE FATAL BELIEVER" keeps going in the same direction with metal riffage and a more J-Rock chorus. "GRIEF" finally brings a very small amount of variation into the album with a more Korn and Coal Chamber-like feel to a few of the riffs. "凌辱の雨" fits more in to the slot of heavy Japanese rock. "ROTTING ROOT" passed by without me even noticing. "艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み" has a good amount of catchiness and passion going for it. Songs like "艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み" and "THE PLEDGE" are really good and the more metal songs have some good groove and crazy vocals. However, all of this is overshadowed by the fact that there's virtually no creativity anymore. So, the metal songs feel very clichéd and old-hat, while the other songs, good as they are, feel like something that any ol' Japanese band could do. The production feels like a bit of a step backwards with weak guitar distortion for the metal parts. Not and impressive album.

Rating: 7

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

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Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis [2006]

One hell of a first track. Brutal, fast, technical, and catchy. The different vocalist takes some getting used to, but his style works for the music and he's quite versatile. Things continue on the brutality path with "Day 69". "Revelation of Existence" really drives home the fact that trying to predict what these guys will do next is fruitless. They've really perfected the songwriting on this album. Even the slow parts are really heavy and catchy... never feeling like they drag. All of the songs on this album are extremely strong. By far their best album and certainly one of my favorite Death Metal albums in my library.

Rating: 8.75

http://www.decapitatedband.net/

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

The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra [2006]

"Let it Roll" starts things off with acoustic beauty slightly giving way to some progressive elements later in the song. While "Hypergeek" starts off the same way, it kicks in with wall of sound madness and metal. "Triumph" shows off a bit of the switching the listen can expect on this album. It's almost as if the whole song is constantly in a state of transition... Metal, Progressive, Folk, Pop... it just never stops. POLKA! lol. Damn, it really blends into "Vampira" perfectly, though. Fuck, that's quite amazing. There are a few heavy sections littered throughout the album, but the focus of this album is obviously not heaviness. This is a progressive metal album with a good amount of the creativity that I like to see from Devin. However, it's not particularly catchy and doesn't really stick with you after listening. So, the immersion is hampered a bit.

Rating: 7.75

http://www.hevydevy.com/

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

Devin Townsend - Devlab [2004]

It's much better than I thought it would be. A solid, ever-changing atmosphere permeates the tracks. It's not over-blown noise like most bands and the placement of effects is much more deliberate. The vocal parts are kooky, creepy, and crazy depending on Devin's mood at the time. It's surprising that he managed to make an atmospheric album that bends to his every whim and still doesn't feel boring and self-indulgent.

Rating: 8.25

http://www.hevydevy.com/

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

Genitorturers - 120 Days of Geintorture [1993]

Not particularly engrossing first track. It's interesting, though, because it's a lot more Heavy Metal inspired than the more Industrial movement of the following albums. "Reality Check" is much more catchy with a significant amount of groove. "Velvet Dreams" gives a glimpse into the direction that they will be going with later material, but it's way too long and drags a lot. "Pleasure in Restraint" is quite long, but also very limp. In total, there are some nice and catchy songs with a good metal feel. The production isn't that good, but it IS the first album and it's from 1993 no less.

Rating: 6

http://www.genitorturers.com/

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

Genitorturers - Machine Love [2000]

"Stitch in Time" is brilliantly dark, brooding, and heavy. I've never really been a fan of remix/rearranged albums, but this one is tolerable if for no reasons other than "Stitch in Time" and "Touch Myself". There are a couple good remixes of Geni's songs, but most are much crappier than the originals.

Rating: 7

http://www.genitorturers.com/

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

Genitorturers - Sin City [1998]

Catchy and blood-pumping start to the album. "Terrorvision" brings a lot of evil to the horned throne. The production quality isn't so hot... there's a lot of punch and heaviness missing thanks to the lower mix-level of the guitars and the weak distortion. The drums could use some punch as well. Even with those major downfalls, this album is a trek through the graveyard on a chilly fall night... and I fucking love it. Catchy, bleak, and hammering at times. Fix the production issues and this could be one of the best gothic albums out there.

Rating: 8.25

http://www.genitorturers.com/

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

girugämesh - GO [2011]

"Opening" introduces us to the dance aspect of giru. "destiny" starts off on a bad foot with the very emo-inspired style. However, redemption is slightly at hand when the chorus kicks in to reveal more of a high-school rock feel. Sure, it's cute and I want to like it, but damn is it fucking cliché these days. It really feels like they've traded in their balls for a nice heaping plate of vagina. That said, it's better than NOW and feels like it has more passion. Every once-in-a-while a pretty damn good section slips through the cracks, too. "MISSION CODE" is probably the only major highlight on the album. I'm just so sick of the gradual mutation into a more pop-friendly "metal"... there's virtually nothing left of the bite and attack they used to have.

Rating: 6.25

http://www.girugamesh.jp/

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

The Devin Townsend Band - Accelerated Evolution [2003]

Up-beat and catchy start to the album with "Depth Charge". Not as brutal as Physicist, and not as contemplative as Terria. "Storm" has a very kind feel to it despite the harsh guitar distortion. The production on this album isn't quite as solid and heavy as the last couple of albums. There's a bit too much of the stock-rock influence for my taste, especially since the writing isn't all that catchy or gripping.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.hevydevy.com/

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

Devin Townsend - Terria [2001]

A much more introspective introduction to the album with "Olives" flowing right in to the more brash and punchy "Mountain". It drags a bit, but it's not bothersome because the riffs change nicely between sections and there's more than enough variation within the song to hold my consciousness in it's gravity field. For the most part, Devin keeps the tempo on the moderately slow side until "The Fluke". Devin seems to be combining the heaviness of the previous album with a more post-metal attitude and the more progressive vocals from Biomech. It's a bit of a journey, this one. A noticeably more inside-out approach than anything Devin has done before. The catchiness isn't really there, but it's much more creative and passionate.

Rating: 8

http://www.hevydevy.com/

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

Dir en grey - Withering to death [2005]

Impressively heavy start to "Merciless Cult" and equally impressive calm and soothing middle section. The production, isn't quite as impressive since the distorted guitars feel a bit dead. "C" confirms that the Japanese Rock aspect is still alive and well in their style. I'm beginning to see why this album got more favorable reviews than VULGAR: the metal sections, while heavier, pander more to the masses quite a bit with the more melodic writing and even some breakdowns thrown in there. The album isn't bad at all, in reality, it's quite good. However, it's not as creative and captivating as VULGAR was.

Rating: 8

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

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

Dir en grey - VULGAR [2003]

Four songs in and this is already an awesome album. The metal influence has remained integral, but they've ramped up the creativity and, equally important, the catchiness. There are many overtones of Japanese Rock. The songwriting is a massive improvement over anything they've ever done that it's almost like listening to a completely different band. They have finally become good song writers instead of just continuing to rely on creativity and genre-hopping. There is enough variation to keep things fresh. Even poly-rhythmic sections are thrown in there. The energy is staggering in many songs. I have no idea what could have possibly changed in 14 months to illicit such a wonderful change, but I'll be fucked if I say I don't love it.

Rating: 8.5

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

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

Dir en grey - Six Ugly [2002]

"Mr.NEWSMAN" is a bit of an unbecoming start to the album. It's a live recording with somewhat poor production quality. "Ugly" kicks things up by moving back to a studio recording with better production. It's much more Heavy Metal than anything they've done previously. "umbrella" jumps back to the live recording. Overall, it's cool to hear Deg push themselves into metal, but the creativity is completely absent. If they can throw the creativity back into their new stylistic addition, all will be better. It's fairly classic as far as metal goes, too. At least the passion is there.

Rating: 7.25

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

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

Ladytron - Light & Magic [2002]

Fairly uninteresting introduction to the album with "True Mathematics". "Seventeen" feels promising with good rhythm and a fairly catchy lead... so why the fuck do they ruin the entire song by repeating the same cock sucking phrase over and over again until I wanna punch the fucking "lyricist" in the face for being such a stupid cunt. It wreaks of lazy writing. Clearly, the lyrics on this album are just there to fill space. They add nothing to the music except for a female British voice to sucker guys into listening to it. It's sad because the actual electronic music is pretty nice and enjoyable to listen to... just ditch the fucking bitch. It's all well and decent up to a point, but the album is far too long and the songs are far too shallow with zero variation. I say skip the beginning, skip the ending, just concentrate on a few songs somewhere in the middle of the album.

Rating: 5

http://www.ladytron.com/

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