Bullet For My Valentine Scream, Aim, Fire

Tracklist:
1. Scream Aim Fire
2. Eye Of The Storm
3. Hearts Burst Into Fire
4. Waking The Demon
5. Disappear
6. Deliver Us From Evil
7. Take It Out On Me
8. Say Goodbye
9. End Of Days
10. Last To Know
11. Forever And Always

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Bullet for My Valentine- Scream Aim Fire

Background Info:

Ah, Bullet for My Valentine, one of the most controversial metal bands ever to emerge in the modern era. This band seems to be a love or hate band; for me, personally, I think their great and very talented musicians. Anyways, when Bullet first started they were originally called Jeff Killed John. During this time they were mainly doing covers of famous metal bands that influenced them, such as Metallica, Pantera, and Iron Maiden.

After awhile they began to work on their own music, and eventually released and EP after changing their name to Bullet for My Valentine. Then they released a so-called album named Hand of Blood, which consisted of only five songs, so it puzzles me why it’s considered a full album. In 2005 Bullet proceeded to release their REAL debut album, called The Poison. This album gained them quite a fanbase, and propelled them into the world of music, making them famous very quickly.

Now, in 2008, Bullet is releasing their sophomore effort, called Scream Aim Fire. They have promised us multiple times in their recent interviews that this album would be much faster and heavier than The Poison, but have they achieved such a promise? For the most part they have, at least on the songs that are heavier, because now they feature multiple slower songs. But, gratefully, most of these compositions don’t drag the album down.

The Review:

This album is definitely leaning more towards the thrash metal genre than the metalcore genre (I’m actually scared to say that, cause I know I might get flamed). Anyways Scream Aim Fire is definitely a bit heavier than The Poison; songs like “Waking the Demon,” “End of Days,” and the title track demonstrate this faster paced music that Bullet for My Valentine have created.

It seems that most of the metal community despises this album, and I just don’t understand why. It’s definitely not the most original album, but it’s definitely not a horrible album by any means, lest we forget St. Anger people. I mean the instruments overall are much better than The Poison; the lyrics, in my opinion (me being a gamer), are much better than their debut album. The drummer, Michael Thomas, has greatly increased his speed, complexity, and focus while playing the drums.

Right when the album sets off his newly found skills are immediately shown: the title track begins with a fast snare and bass drum combination, creating a great opening for the album. The guitars then kick in with a catchy melody, then followed by Matt Tuck cutting in with his newly found voice. Well I shouldn’t say “found,” as these new vocals weren’t really done forcefully (not that their bad or anything).

See when Bullet was touring for The Poison Matt, unfortunately, popped a blood vessel in his throat screaming. He then had to get a painful surgery done on his throat, ruining his ability to scream for long periods of time, thus changing the bands vocal style slightly. No longer will you hear a constant barrage of screaming, as Matt cannot do it anymore. Actually the closest I heard him coming to constant screaming on this album was “Waking the Demon.”

Although his vocals have changed, I still think their very good (raises flame shield again). His voice just fits the new, more metal sound much better; this helped me enjoy the album much more so I didn’t really mind the new style. Actually I think the screams on this album sound much better: less whiney and annoying, and more heavy and thought-through.

Another notable improvement is the wonderful guitar work, with guitar solos littered throughout the entire album, most of them being good. A noticeable solo would be the one that is present in the third single, “Waking the Demon.” It is fast, hard-hitting, and very well done making for a nice experience. I would definitely consider “Waking the Demon” to be the best of the album, as it presents many good qualities including great guitars, excellent drums, and good song composition.

Very surprisingly, I could actually hear the bass guitar in this album, while it is nothing amazing; Jason James has definitely improved since their debut. This is something that helped me enjoy the album, because it seems that these days many metal albums rarely include the quality that makes it possible to hear the bass. This just proves that the band spent essential time producing the album’s overall quality and crisp sound.

This album seems to be a combination of heavy and softer affairs, making for a listenable experience. Examples of these softer songs include “Hearts Burst Into Fire” (a spectacular track) and “Forever and Always” (a not so spectacular track that drags on for a very long time). The album also consists of the heavier songs noted before, with surprisingly fast riffs and guitar solos that leave me wondering how the hell Bullet has improved so much instrumentally since their last album.

While this album is often heavier than The Poison, it’s almost as if the softer songs balance the two albums out in terms of heaviness. This is ok, as I am happy that Bullet has experimented with softer compositions; then Tuck gets to show off his excellent singing voice, though very British, but very good.

Overall this album is great; a constant display of superior guitar work that had me impressed the whole way through. The fast-pased drums just make you wanna stand up and hit something as hard as you can. I suggest any fan of Bullet for My Valentine pick this one up, or any fan of metal at all, because it showcases what is great about metal.

Pros:

+The guitar work has greatly improved.
+Michael Thomas is a newly found beast drummer.
+Good song composition.
+”Waking the Demon”

Cons:

-Some people may not enjoy Matt’s new vocals.
-“Forever and Always”
-No real other cons, just nitpicks.

Top Five Tracks:

1. “Waking the Demon”
2. “Take It Out On Me”
3. “Hearts Burst Into Fire”
4. “Scream Aim Fire”
5. “Disappear”

Avantasia The Scarecrow

Tracklist:
1. Twisted Mind
2. The Scarecrow
3. Shelter From The Rain
4. Carry Me Over
5. What Kind Of Love
6. Another Angel Down
7. The Toy Master
8. Devil In The Belfry
9. Cry Just A Little
10.I Don’t Believe In Your Love
11.Lost In Space

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Tobias Sammet is a busy man. Mainman and leader of infamous German cheese-metallers (well, all right: power metallers), in 2000 he started his Avantasia project, which aimed to make a Metal Opera (I'm surprised nobody trademarked this) and assemble a cast of supporting guest vocalists, much in the vein of Ayreon. The only difference being that Tobias Sammet doesn't play guitar or drums or keyboards anymore... only handling some of the lead vocals and bass duties. He had originally announced earlier that after the two Operas, he would quit this project, but in 2007 the bug must have hit him again, as he released the two-part Lost In Space EP, and now 2008 is graced with the full-length, called The Scarecrow.

Of course, the new full-length features another full set of guest musicians and vocalists, some of whom we know from previous Avantasia records, or from Ayreon, or other projects. There's Jorn Lande (yes, that guy always seems to pop up for these projects), Bob Catley (Magnum), "I don't like metal but these guys pay me for it and I need the money" ex-Helloween singer Michael Kiske, Kamelot mainman Roy Khan, and more. For this disc, Tobias has even managed to get the most infamous of infamous hard rock musicians, Alice Cooper, to do a guest spot on this record. That alone should tell you something about the ace vocal lineup.

So, what about the music Tobias puts behind it? Well, it's a good mix of speedy power metal anthems (Shelter In The Rain, Devil in the Belfry), longer epic songs (title track), and the obligatory Bon Jovi ballad moments. In fact, if I'd had to categorise this, it would fall somewhere between Kamelot, Bon Jovi, Queensryche and Iron Maiden. The longer, speedier power metally tracks sound more symphonic, and opener "Twisted Mind" opens with a grinding, dirty riff that could have come straight off The Black Halo. It's probably the darkest piece of music on the record, despite that it's still rather fluffy, and the Kamelot mirage is only enhanced by Khan who shares lead vocals on this track.

However, after the grinding opening track and the epic number in second, things begin to fluff up a bit. It seems like the album shot its load of epic a little bit too early, and though there's still a nice speedy anthem for Shelter in the Rain, we get two subdued 80s rock songs in a row. Whereas Carry Me Over seems to still take from the harder, "rockier" aspect of Bon Jovi, channeling something similar to It's My Life, the next track is a ballad with female vocals, 80s style. If you thought the first four songs were cheesy German tripe, get a load of this song: it never seems to pick up with powerful guitars, the main melody resembles the ***ing Lion King soundtrack and the female vocals make it sound like we're witnessing the ascension of Simba. Note to T.S.: I thought you made music for grown-ups, not ten year old prepubescent children. Though it might be a good idea to play it to your little sister or mother to show them what "metal sounds like", it's overall a pretty pathetic idea.

Unfortunately we're not spared this for the rest of the album. "Cry Just a Little" would score big on a hit list if Bon Jovi or AC/DC had put their names behind it rather than Avantasia, and Lost in Space should have been a cool speed-metal tune, but what we get is a formulaic hard rock song that sounds far too generic and watered-down to belong on a metal album.

Lucky the end of the record has some bright spots too. The Toy Master is a pretty ***ing excellent song, a cool epic tune with Alice Cooper on vocals. Devil in the Belfry has that epic power metal feel, and Jorn Lande is a big catalyst for the song's driving chorus. Another Angel Down is a pretty formulaic "kind of sounds like later Sonata Arctica" power metal tune, but it has Jorn Lande on it, and though a listener would pretty much be done with the sympho-flowery bull*** by then, it's worth listening to for the vocals alone. Oh and the penultimate track has Rudolph Schenker doing a guitar solo! Scorpions lovers unite!

So, what's the verdict? Well, it's a very fluffy and accessible disc, despite sounding so grand and pompous. It's catchy, instant gratification music that is well written and composed. If you're into Edguy, Kamelot and friends, you'll love this too. But the biggest issue is that it comes with the worst of power metal cliches, and that is the grand, grand, grand amount of cheese, not to mention the overt AOR influences. The album's tracklisting becomes rather patchy thanks to this. I guess this boils down to another status quo power metal album: like the thing, you will like this. Dislike power metal, stay far away from it. If you're in doubt, you've got better options than this, but you'll probably like a bunch of tunes depending which side of the musical fence you're on. And I guess that always counts in a band's favour, so this record is redeemable after all.

Iced Earth Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Pt. 1)

Tracklist:
1. Overture
2. Something Wicked Pt. 1
3. Invasion
4. Motivation of Man
5. Setian Massacre
6. A Charge to Keep
7. Reflections
8. Ten Thousand Strong
9. Execution
10. Order of the Rose
11. Cataclysm
12. The Clouding
13. Infiltrate and Assimilate
14. Retribution Through the Ages
15. Something Wicked Pt. 2
16. The Domino Decree
17. Framing Armageddon
18. When Stars Collide (Born is He)
19. The Awakening

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Iced Earth follow up 2004's disappointing The Glorious Burden with this nigh-disastrous offering. Once again, Schaffer "proves" his assertions that IE would not be affected by Barlow's departure by writing the most insipid, dull songs of his career. Perhaps every day is opposite day in Schaffer's world. So, for the second time in a row, Tim Owens has the (in)glorious burden of having to prop the weak songs up with his astonishing voice. It's a shame he seems to forever be the guy who has to replace the guy everyone loves, because it overshadows one of the few modern metal singers who really stack up with old titans like Tate and Dickinson and Halford (to be fair, so was Barlow, making this that much harder).

Framing Armageddon is the first part of a concept album spanning two CDs. The concept? An expansion of the Set Abominae character, introduced in Iced Earth's own Something Wicked trilogy at the end of Something Wicked This Way Comes. Oh dear...using your own stuff as a basis? Oh well, it worked for Dream Theater when they made Scenes From a Memory. The story on this disc is a mix of Egyptian mythology and aliens, and if you read that with a straight face I must recommend this album to you. I'd also recommend you play poker professionally. The chief problem with the album is that Schaffer does that thing. You know the thing: putting short preludes before every other song. Note to artists: STOP. Stop doing that. It does not make you sophisticated, interesting, or anything other than borderline (at the very least) pretentious. An "overture" is fine, but even that is pushing it. I, nor anyone I have ever met, want to sit and listen to some 2 minute acoustic piece or epic chorus/keyboard. If you have to completely divert away from actual songs to set a mood, the music isn't good enough. This pointlessness ruins "The Clouding," a track that gets really good but only after you sit through 5 minutes of soft banality. Schaffer has written some marvelous slower songs in the past as well as some songs that can run the gamut of time signatures and tempos, but he's never packed as much of that on one album. I appreciate you trying to branch out Jon, but given my druthers I'd prefer you stick to the old formula.

Now, the music isn't all bad. When Schaffer and co. speed things up, they hit that magic stride they've had since the beginning, which is impressive considering Schaffer is the only constant. It's clear that no matter how loud-mouthed a egoist he may be, he can certainly find musicians who can not only play but play together, and that's worth more than gold. "Setian Massacre" and "Ten Thousand Strong" are head-banging genius, propelled as much by Ripper's golden screams and unsettling mid-range as they are the charging guitars and drums. Hell, there are even some good mid-tempo songs. "A Charge to Keep" and the chugging "Order of the Rose" are superb, making excellent use of Tim's full range as opposed to just screams as well as showing off a previously-unheard groove in the band. The rest, however, is mediocre at best and all of the enjoyable material is at the front of the album.

Shortly after the release of the album, Jon Schaffer announced that Matt would return to the band. Once again, Tim Owens has found himself kicked out of a band after trying valiantly to fill the shoes of a legend, and I'm sure once again people will blame him for the band's lapse in reason. Truth is, he did the best he could, and then some. If it weren't for him, I don't think a single part of this album would have been enjoyable or even tolerable. It remains to be seen if the band can bounce back from this, but if Part 2 has the same atrocious composition as this, Iced Earth is gonna have a hell of a time convincing people to give them a fair shake ever again.

Testament The Gathering

Tracklist:
1. D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
2. Down For Life
3. Eyes Of Wrath
4. True Believer
5. 3 Days Of Darkness
6. Legions Of The Dead
7. Careful What You Wish For
8. Riding The Snake
9. Allegiance
10. Sewn Shut Eyes
11. Fall Of Sipledome

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In 1999, Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson, the sole remaining core members of Testament, recruited the help of some of the biggest names in underground metal to help out with their new album. Obituary/Death guitarist James Murphy (who had played with the band already on the album Low), Slayer/Fantomas drum god Dave Lombardo, and the king of extreme metal bass, Steve DiGiorgio, all chipped in to make Testament’s heaviest album yet.

While the band still plays the same melodic style of metal that has typified the band’s sound since The Legacy, the guitars how been seriously downtuned and the amps have been kicked up to 11, making this more of a death metal album than standard thrash. With this impressive lineup, Testament are faster, heavier, and lyrically at their best since Practice What You Preach, resulting in some prime modern thrash.

The album kicks off with "D.N.R.", whose soft, orchestrating intro quickly gives away to a super riff and a rhythm section that is moving so fast it’ll make your head spin. Chuck’s bull roar is downright scary. The song ends and, before you can catch a needed breath, the band launches into an even faster song. "Down For Life" is where Chuck starts to shine, adding as much groove as the guitars. If you think Lombardo’s playing with Slayer is impressive, check out how he can play his double bass even faster, only to suddenly break into a steady beat at the drop of a hat. For a guy who consistently placing on top drummer lists, Dave is too often dismissed, but only a fool could listen to his work here and not acknowledge his skill. Now we come to one of the album’s several gems; "Eyes of Wrath" is where the band really hits their stride and start playing like they’ve been together forever instead of playing like a one-off supergroup. When the riffs let up for a few seconds of whispered vocals, I shudder every time. Chuck finds the perfect balance between his death grunts and his older, more melodic voice, and it firmly establishes him as possibly the finest vocalist in extreme metal.

"True Believer" and "Three Days of Darkness" are both very groovy numbers, if a little unmemorable. Then again, perhaps that’s because they’re both sandwiched between “Eyes of Wrath” and the heaviest song in the Testament canon, "Legions of The Dead". For two and half minutes, Testament dive head first into death metal waters; whereas the rest of the album has flirted with melodeath, this is flat out evil. "Careful What You Wish For" has a great bassline as well as a gloriously chunky riff. The chorus is insanely catchy and you’ll be humming it for hours after you’re done. But nothing can compare to the next track, undoubtedly the greatest on the album. Steve DiGiorgio is a bit of a wandering minstrel in the underground metal world; he’s recorded for so many bands odds are he’ll be in Fort Wayne, Indiana next week laying down lines for the demos of a bunch of 16 year old headbangers. Sadly, despite his always inventive basslines for a myriad of groups, he rarely gets a real opportunity to shine. "Riding the Snake" is one of those moments. Not only does his fluid bassline eerily open the track, but his frantic, finger-picked jazz fusion fits in perfectly under a crushing yet melodic riff. It combines the swagger of “Souls of Black” with the heaviness of “Low” and the speedy melody of “Eyes of Wrath.” In short, if this isn’t the band’s best song, it’s in the top three.

The final three songs can’t hope to approach the perfection of “Riding the Snake,” but they are all superb cuts. "Allegiance" is a shorter number with squealing guitars led mainly by the Chuck’s vocal lines. "Sewn Shut Eyes" features yet more superb vocals from Chuck and yet another killer riff with yet more perfect rhythm. "Fall of Sipledome" isn’t the most ideal album closer; it’s got Chuck’s weakest vocals on the album and we get another charging riff that doesn’t feel like an album closer. Nevertheless, it’s a nice last blast of killer drum beats, impossibly fast bass guitar (how does this guy play that fast without a pick?) and pure death metal guitar.

Despite the talent involved, I still felt the hesitation one must always have when dealing with supergroups; too often they play like a collection of individuals rather than as one. Here, however, the group plays like they’ve all been in Testament since the beginning. Steve DiGiorgio never fails to impress, while Dave Lombardo puts in some of his finest performances and James Murphy expertly toes the line between thrash and death. The real star, though, isn’t one of the guests; it’s Chuck Billy. Most thrash vocalists start out bad and only get worse after years of throaty roars, but Chuck is a rare breed. Sure, he doesn’t hit those high shrieks like he used to (some of the overdubs are in a bit of a higher register), but his voice has never sounded better. Even though he only sings, he should be counted a member of Testament’s rhythm section; his voice has an unparalleled sense of melody and groove to it that is as important to the song’s movement as any riff or double kick drum.

While the album isn’t perfect (the start and end pale in comparison to the middle), this is perhaps the best album from these thrash gods, and one of the better examples of modern trash metal. This album’s excellence makes Chuck’s subsequent cancer all the more tragic; it would be nine years before they could capitalize on their brilliant tweak in sound. Recommended for any fan of heavy and fast metal.

Pros
- No truly weak material
- Chuck sounds terrific
- the guests sound like actual members of the band
- inspired lyrics
- manages to create a new sound for Testament despite changing practically nothing but the tuning.

Cons
- Some songs are a bit unmemorable

Key tracks
Eyes of Wrath
Legions of the Dead
Riding the Snake
Sewn Shut Eyes

Psychotic Waltz Mosquito

Tracklist:
1. Mosquito
2. Lovestone Blind
3. Haze One
4. Shattered Sky
5. Cold
6. All the Voices
7. Dancing in the Ashes
8. Only Time
9. Locked Down
10. Mindsong

Release Date: 1994

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After creating 2 masterpieces of complex and technical progressive metal with ‘A Social Grace’ and ‘Into the Everflow’, many Psychotic Waltz fans were disappointed with their third release, ‘Mosquito’. Although Psychotic Waltz had always had psychedelic influences in their music, leading their unique style to be dubbed ‘hippie metal’ by some fans, it was only here that the progressive influences that overpowered their older work were almost completely abandoned and replaced with far a more noticeable psychedelic sound than before. If Syd Barrett had continued making music after leaving Pink Floyd and made a metal album, it would probably sound like this.

The intricate progressive epics had been replaced with a much simpler sound with traditional song structures, and obvious verse-chorus arrangements. However, despite the more accessible catchy ‘pop’ sound and accusations of Psychotic Waltz selling out, ‘Mosquito’ still sounds fantastic.

‘Mosquito’ is much more mellow than their older albums. Although there were calm sections in ‘Into the Everflow’, this whole album has a very laid back atmosphere - it’s metal that you can relax to. Synths are used a lot more than before and sometimes even a flute to enhance the calm atmosphere. Even the lyrics have been simplified, though they are still much weirder than most, with a psychedelia theme running throughout the album.

This sound is largely due to the strange production, which Scott Burns (who has worked with bands such as Death and Atheist) worked on. The production gives it a down-tempo, doomy sound. While this helps with the more mellow songs, it does hinder a few songs that should be much heavier, making them sound slightly too weak. Saying that, the album opens brilliantly with the title track, the liveliest track on the album with a great riff running throughout. This song really demonstrates the potential of the band’s new simpler sound, taking away the meandering atmospheric sections and concentrating instead on a more concise typical metal style.

The problem is that these more metal songs don’t completely fit with the rest of the album, making it sound slightly disjointed. Mostly it tries to create a relaxed feeling but the title track and ‘Dancing In The Ashes’ come in all of a sudden, sounding out of place when put next to the calmer songs. As only a few of the 11 tracks (including the very pointless hidden track) are like this it doesn’t get in the way too much, but it probably would have sounded a lot better if they had replaced these songs with other mellower tracks instead.

As always with Psychotic Waltz, the musicianship is superb. The band members are easily capable of handling the new simpler songs and managed to adapt to their new style well, writing some excellent and memorable melodies. The biggest weakness of the band this time is surprisingly, after listening to their first 2 albums, their singer, Buddy Lackey. On ‘Mosquito’ his singing is much more restrained and calm than before, not using much for his incredible vocal range. Sometimes his voice sounds drowned out because of the production and on the more metal sections especially his voice sometimes has a nasally tone to it.

While it doesn’t have the dark haunting atmosphere of ‘Into the Everflow’, or the amazing technical musicianship of ‘A Social Grace’, ‘Mosquito’, while slightly inconsistent and arguably their worst release does have a much more accessible sound that even non-metal fans might enjoy.

Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time

Tracklist:
1. Caught Somewhere In Time
2. Wasted Years
3. Sea Of Madness
4. Heaven Can Wait
5. The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
6. Stranger In A Strange Land
7. Deja Vu
8. Alexander The Great (356-323 BC)

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Iron Maiden just got finished with the powerslave tour which lasted for a complete year. They took some well deserved time off. On that break Adrain Smith wrote a few songs and Steve Harris and Dave Murray started penning down tracks. Somebodyt also picked up a guitar synth which at that time was a very controversial move, Compare Somewhere in Time with Judas Priest's Turbo (which also featured guitar synths)
and you will see the winner. This album is my favorite maiden record and it is also one of my favorite records out of the metal genre, The muscianship is top notch, and the keyboards give an execlent vibe.


TRACK BY TRACK



1.Caught somewhere In Time- This is a killer opener. It begins with some guitar synth , which to all you guitarists:tons of chours sounds about the same. After about 60 seconds into the song the pace picks up considerably. A staight galloping riff and the Steve Harris Trademark Triplets on the bass. The chours in my opion drags a bit but when the solo comes in you will forget about it fast. the solos are long, both Addrain and dave's solos are about a minute each. I said it before and ill say it again, a killer opener. 4.5/5

2.Wasted Years- This is the first track by Addrain Smith. I begins with some tremelo picking on the high E string and this opening riff has been ripped of by tons of artists.
After the inro surprisingy there is no gallop. its straight time. The riff is really good, but the chours is better. Very sci-Fi sounding. The solo isn't very impressive in my opinion but it still kicks ***. 5/5

3.Sea of madness- This is the second song from Addrain. The riff is really cool and the bass is very nice. I really like the chours for some reason. In the middle there is a really cool bit where the tempo slows and there is clean guitar. Very cool and often overlooked song. 4/5

4.Heaven Can wait- This is the second song by Steve Harris. I thinks ist based an the movie. This song really gets the crowd going at their live shows. The intro is the best part in my opinion. The verses are tongue twisting and very fast. The drums are very tricky on this one. Thumbs up to Nicko. The solos are really good. towards the end Bruce starts chanting, and that is the part that gets the crowd going. Classic song. 5/5

5. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner- this is my second fav off of the album. The into is very hypnotising, Then it switches key from E toF sharp I think. The the galloping riff starts. The stacatto vocals on the verses are brutal. The chours is what makes the song. There some great Dual parts with Addrain and Dave Murray.
At the end the song just fades out. 5/5

6.Stranger in A Strange Land- In my opinion this isn't a great song, Addrain could have done more with this. It reminds me of Bring your daughter to the slaughter when the chours comes in. Filler in my opinion. 2/5

7.Deja vu- My fav track of the album. The intro is very hypnotic and its very deciving. After the intro Guitars and the guitar synths come in. The drum work on this one is incredible. Its in the key of F which i think is a first in the maiden book of songs. The song is very energetic. once again the twin dual guitars are very good. The vocals sorta lack what the other songs offer but the muscianship sorta covers it up. Classic track and very overlooked. 5/5

8."Alexander the Great- Tis is a great one. The intro is in a strange time signature 9/8.
The riff is really good and the lyrics are about of course alexander the great. One of Steve Harris's best tracks. 5/5


PROS: -A very overlooked Maiden record.
-Addrain Smith's songs
-Deja Vu
-The guitar synths


CONS:-Not as big as it should.
-Not the best choice for somebody just getting into maiden.

Filter Anthems for the Damned

Tracklist:
1. Soldiers of Misfortune
2. What's Next
3. The Wake
4. Cold (Anthem for the Damned)
5. Hatred is Contagious
6. Lie After Lie
7. Kill the Day
8. The Take
9. I Keep Flowers Around
10. In Dreams
11. Only You
12. Can Stop This

Release Date: 05/13/2008

Download - All Tracks <<< Click Here

Richard Patrick- Lead Vocals, Guitar
Mitchell Marlow- Guitar
John Spiker- Bass
Mika Fineo- Drums, Percussions

For those who are not familiar with the band Filter, they are a rock group that was formed in 1993, and over their fifteen year span have came out with some classic songs such as, “Hey Man Nice Shot”, “Take A Picture”, “Welcome to the Fold”, and “The Best Things”. They have three previous studio albums, which have all been pretty successful, and have had hit songs featured on movie soundtracks (Jurassitol-The Crow: City of Angels, (Can’t You) Trip like I do-Spawn. Front man, Richard Patrick, has had a few side projects in his career, such as The Damning Well, which only released one song and is on the Underworld movie soundtrack. There is also the band Army of Anyone, which has one album that came out in 2006.

It has been six years since Filter released their last record, The Amalgamut, and now it is time to see if their fourth full length studio album, Anthems for the Damned, can bring back what Filter fans have always enjoyed and make new fans in the process.

The album starts off with their new single title, “Soldiers of Misfortune”. This song is about the soldiers that have served over seas in the Middle East and it seems to have a very powerful message to it. Lyrics such as, “I'd like to wake up, In a dream, Where they don’t scream, Without misery,” are about the struggles that soldiers go through during war, hoping that they can make it home alive. Robert Patrick’s vocals are flawless and emotional, while the guitars and drums are pretty standard for a rock track. It is clear why they made this song the single and that is because they wanted to send a message to all of those who have ever fought in a war.

The next track, “What’s Next”, is a heavier track that starts off with a constant drum beat and hard guitar riffs. The drums really stand out to me in this track, but the vocals from Patrick could be better. He seems to restrain in some parts and doesn’t put in the emotion like he did in the previous track. It is an average song but forgetful in the end.

“The Wake” takes you back to the old Filter days, sounding like “Where Do We Go From Here.” It starts off with a single guitar riff that leads in to mellow vocals and then explodes into a great chorus with lyrics such as, “The wake aftermath, do you forgive and forget.” It’s a track that all Filter fans would enjoy.

“Cold (Anthem for the Damned)” is a mellower track with great lyrics and combination of instruments, while “Hatred is Contagious” is just another average alternative rock song that would be something that you would hear over the radio.

The next track “Lie After Lie” is surprisingly catchy, but can become pretty repetitive after a few listens. “Kill the Day” sounds like something that you would hear from Title of Record and features a great combination of guitars and drums. It is another slower song, but it is definitely one of the best that Filter has done.

“The Take” is the heaviest song on the album due to its grungy guitar riffs and angry vocals from Patrick. It gets slower in the middle with Patrick singing, “We’ve got nothing left to say, and we go on everyday,” but then builds back up again making you feel like you just got kicked in the mouth. This song is similar to The Amalgamut’s “So I Quit”.

The next two tracks, “I Keep Flowers Around” and “In Dreams” have some great bass lines and emotional hard vocals in some parts that sound like they’re from the Short Bus days of Filter. The acoustic “Only You” gives an amazing vocal performance that will cleanse your soul and leave you breathless.

One of the only downsides of this album is how it closes out. The instrumental “Can Stop This” is boring and lacks in the musical ability that was seen throughout previous tracks. It also tends to drag on a little too long. It would probably have been better to just get rid of this track completely and let the highlight of the album, “Only You”, close it out.

Overall, this album does have a few great tracks on it, but they don’t seem to be as great as tracks from previous records that Filter fans have come to love. After having to wait six years for this album to come out, you would expect that it would be a little bit better than what it came out to be. The lyrics on it are well written and can be very catchy, but it doesn’t have anything on it that will blow you away, aside from “Only You”. Filter seems to be sticking to what they know best and that might be a good thing to a lot of fans, but they might want to consider changing things up a little instead of sounding like an average version of their previous albums. This way they won’t seem too repetitive.

1. Soldiers of Misfortune- 4/5
2. What’s Next- 2.5/5
3. The Wake- 4/5
4. Cold (Anthems for the Damned)- 3.5/5
5. Hatred is Contagious- 3/5
6. Lie After Lie- 3/5
7. Kill the Day- 4/5
8. The Take- 4/5
9. I Keep Flowers Around- 3/5
10. In Dreams- 3/5
11. Only You- 4.5/5
12. Can Stop This- 1.5/5

Warrel Dane Praises to the War Machine

Tracklist:
1.When We Pray
2.Messenger (solo Jeff Loomis)
3.Obey
4.Lucretia My Reflection
5.Let You Down
6.August
7.Your Chosen Misery
8.The Day The Rats Went To War (solo 9.James Murphy)
10.Brother
11.Patterns
12.This Old Man
13.Equilibrium

Release Date: 04/29/2008

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Now I’m not a particularly religious person, but it seems someone has answered my musical prayers. With Iced Earth's latest being a complete sleeper, Bodom hitting rock bottom, and Watershed completely lacking any memorable songwriting, the metal scene is in desperate need of an at least a decent album. Not that there aren't any good albums out there right now, it’s just there doesn't seem to be any hard-hitting, balls up, ****-rock cd's to keep my suburban white *** head banging. Dane has answered my prayers with a disc so good if you see me drive by in my parents car with one arm raised, clasping an invisible orb, head banging furiously, you'll already know what I’m listening to.

Beware listener, this is not Nevermore, and if that's what you’re expecting you could be a tad disappointed, but after repeated listens you will come around just as I did. All seems vacant in Nevermore base camp these days, but this has definitely made the wait for some new material far more bearable. The album does however have the same heaviness, production, and sound of Nevermore, particularly close to Dead Heart In A Dead World, so if you’re already a fan you will be in for a treat.

Superb riffing dominates this album; Peter Wichers (ex.Soilwork) and Matt Wicklund (ex. Himsa) absolutely throw it down. Neither of them brings anything incredibly original or progressive to the table, but the riffs are fresh, heavy, and masterfully thought-out. Every song is impeccably well written and manages to keep your interest all the way through. The song writing style is very much like Dark Tranquilities Fiction ; in that every song flows incredibly well; bottom ended chugs proceed into head banging speed riffs and then into chorded choruses, giving Warrel a great amount of room to exercise his vocal talent over all of them. It’s not all heavy metal though; the songs take a lighter change in the mid-section of the album, featuring some truly epic ballads such as Let You Down and Your Chosen Misery.

The bass and drum work on is not however up to the high standards of the guitars and vocals. The drums sit way back in the mix making them particularly hard to pick out and appreciate, but then again this is more hard rock than it is metal, so maybe I was expecting too much. The bass follows the guitar lines all the way though but, the mix has such a heavy bottom end that you know it’s there.

And now on to the man himself, Warrel Dane has an incredible talent that is rarely seen nowadays. His operatic vocal style will simply astound you every time, spine tingling highs, an exceptionally powerful midrange, and perfect vocal harmonies, will have you begging for more. He also has a remarkable ability to make every word so full of emotion that it paints a vivid mental image of whatever he’s singing about. He bellows “love lost, fire at will” and “if your finger was above the trigger, would it itch?” with such piss and vehemence it’s somewhat frightening. The vocals are also very well placed within the context of the riffs. His operatic vocals fly over the boring parts and stop to make room for the interesting and complex tidbits of guitar work. The lyrics are angst-ridden barrages of protest against the government, war, and drugs, but with-out being too preachy. In terms of vocals, this album is leaps and bounds above everyone else, even most of Dane’s work with Nevermore.

The first section of the album is four songs of awesome heavy-metal/hard-rock, featuring a brilliant solo from king Jeff Loomis on Messenger, and the oral orgasm Lucretia My Reflection, a Sisters of Mercy cover. The mid-section is laden with powerful, epic ballads, featuring some of Dane’s best work. The final section is highlighted by a passionate Paul Simon cover, Patterns, and a classic Nevermore-style thrasher, Equilibrium.

The production style and sound is very similar to Nevermore it makes me wonder if it is Dane’s input that makes Nevermore sound the way they do, or if Nevermore’s sound is simply rubbing off on him. Hearing and album of such quality coming from Warrel in a solo effort makes me froth at the mouth of the thought of how good the next Nevermore album will be. All in all there really isn’t a bad song on the disc, but the album is far from perfect. I feel this album is just an opener, with a lot of room for the band to grow and mature, I think the masterpiece disc is two or three releases down the road.

If you’re a fan of head banging guitars, Warrel Dane, Nevermore, or ****-rock-fist-pumping heavy metal, get your hands on this,,, now.

Psychotic Waltz A Social Grace

Tracklist:
1. ...And the Devil Cried
2. Halo of Thorns
3. Another Prophet Song
4. Successor
5. In This Place
6. I Remember
7. Sleeping Dogs
8. I Of The Storm
9. A Psychotic Waltz
10. Only In A Dream
11. Spiral Tower
12. Strange
13. Nothing

Release Date: 1990

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A Social Grace is Psychotic Waltz’s first and most popular album. Released independently and with hardly any promotion it predictably sank like a stone upon release, despite some very good reviews. However, it has since got a lot of underground attention and gained a lot of popularity (I’m always happy to see it rated as 12th best album of 1990 on rateyourmusic.com… an amazing achievement for such an underrated band).

Psychotic Waltz’s style is unique to say the least, and has been called ‘hippie metal’ by some fans because of the psychedelic influences that they would build on in later albums. Fates Warning’s ‘Awaken the Guardian’ is the best comparison that could be made, but even then it is not that similar. Apart from that, there is little they can be compared with except perhaps Black Sabbath and occasional Jethro Tull influences.

While their later albums would be more mellow and ‘spacey’, focusing more on atmosphere, ‘A Social Grace’ has a rougher, more thrashy sound to it. Guitarists Brian McAlpin and Dan Rock managed to create some incredible riffs that while very complex and unorthodox remain catchy. While technical music is usually seen as ‘emotionless’, Psychotic Waltz combine their technical skills with amazing songwriting, creating some fantastic melodies that interweave between the metal sections. Sometimes the song will switch between a vicious riff to a stunning acoustic melody completely suddenly, but due to the strong songwriting talent of the band it never sounds at all out of place or disjointed.

This is the biggest strength of early Psychotic Waltz, the mix of amazing technicality and genuinely beautiful mellower sections. The sudden changes and intricate song structures keep the album interesting and unpredictable throughout. As well as the metal sections, there’s a great Jethro Tull-inspired ballad, ‘I Remember’, complete with an incredible flute solo, a synth-led atmospheric track, ‘Sleeping Dogs’ which shows the beginnings of the atmospheric style they would build on in later albums and even a piano on the epic ‘A Psychotic Waltz’. Acoustic guitars also often make appearances throughout the album.

The musicianship of all the members shines on this album. The guitarists are easily able to play the complex arrangements completely accurately, Norm Leggio’s drumming is equally as unpredictable as the music; he is able to cope with the constantly changing styles. Even the bass is spectacular, especially on ‘Spiral Tower’, which is based on one monstrous bass-line.

The singing could put some people off, as Buddy Lackey has a very unique, often quite high-pitched voice. However, it is one of the most impressive thing, if not the most impressive things about this album. Lackey is easily one of metal’s best vocalists, and much of his very best singing is done on this album. His singing range is absolutely incredible, switching from ghostly ethereal wails during the mellow sections to much rougher almost manic shouting in the heavier parts, and everything in between. His lyrics are also much better than those of most metal bands, and are always cryptic and surreal, fitting the music perfectly.

It’s truly tragic that Psychotic Waltz will never play together again, it’s even more tragic that WillieFisterbut has seen them live and I haven’t, but the biggest tragedy is that so many metal fans will never hear such a flawless metal album.

Diamond Head Lightning to the Nations

Tracklist:
Lightning To The Nations
The Prince
Sucking My Love
Am I Evil?
Sweet & Innocent
It's Electric
Helpless

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Diamond Head was part of the New wave Of british Heavy Metal [NWOBHM]
Other bands in that genre include=

-Motorhead
-Tygers of Pang Tang
-Def Leppard
-Iron Maiden
-Girlschool
-Saxon
-Raven ect......

Also that year almost all of the NWOBHM bands had huge albums. Iron Maiden had their self titled Iron maiden record with paul dianno on vocals. Motorhead had Ace Of Spades, and Def Leppard had On Through the Night which was a minor succes in America.
Diamond Head had Lighting To The Nations which inspired everybody from Metallica to Testament. This record combines punk with the american and british prog rock scene. The music was faster, and more original than punk was. Lightning to the nations has some classic tracks and some of which were covered on Metallica's Garage INC. [1998]
And Am I Evil is a common encore for Metallica.
I am not going to give a track by track because its been forever since i have heard the album in its entirity.

Cradle to Grave Texas Medicine

Tracklist:
1. Broken God
2. At Way With Myself
3. Five Years of Fire
4. Light
5. From Nowhere to Nowhere
6. I Am Nothing
7. At Last
8. Fuck It Up
9. Daughters
10. Nothing Left To Taste
11. Beheaded in Paris

Release Date: 04/15/2008

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Cradle To Grave is a Canadian Thrash Metal band. Cradle To Grave began in 2002 when Denis Barthe was looking for a new project after his old band dissolved. After recruiting a few bandmates through an ad in a local newspaper, they set out to record music. In 2004 they signed with Year of the Sun Records and recorded their debut album CTG later that year. Four years later and we now have their second full-length album, Texas Medicine. The band decided to tap Devin Townsend (Lamb of God, SYL, Darkest Hour, Misery Signals, GWAR) to mix and master the new album.

The vocalist of Cradle To Grave is Greg Cavanagh. Immediately you can tell that Pantera and Thrash inspire his vocals. This is already two strikes against him: Pantera is the worst of the big Thrash bands and he is not bringing anything unique to the table. With that said, Greg hurts the band and prevents them from having a lot of potential. He is too mono-toned while rarely showing off any range. When Greg goes to clean vocals, once during the whole CD, it is decent at best. The same can go for when he goes to the predictable whisper trash vocal style on “Light”. There are two tracks that the band goes punk when they should have just held true to their genre. On “From Nowhere to Nowhere” and “F*ck It Up” the vocalist tries his best to go punk, but it does not come off well at all.

Greg is not all bad though, he has his moments. In the middle of “Broken God”, there is a nice death growl. The vocals have a raw, thrashy feel to them, a good example of this is found on “At War With Myself”. The vocals get thashier near the middle of “Five Years of Fire”, which is pulled off well. The only portion of the album where the vocals are catchy are at the beginning of “At Last” when Greg holds out his notes. “At Last” does start off with the cheesy chorus they put at the beginning of the track. Glenn Chisholm (Bass) useally stays with the drummer but is heard at the front of the mix for 2 seconds on "F*ck It Up".

Denis “Sasquatch” Barthe is the founder and guitarist of Cradle To Grave. A thrashy southern guitar riff starts the album. This album is full of distorted and chugging guitars. It gets to the point where almost every song sounds the same. A homage to their influence, or rip-off artist if you may, is a technical guitar riff found on “Broken God” that would fit perfect in a Pantera song. Another Homage to their thrash roots is the thrashy clean guitar riff in the background near the end of “At War With Myself”. There are two great intro riffs on “Five Years of Fire” and “I Am Nothing” while there is a sludgy guitar intro on “Beheaded in Paris”.

It would not be a metal album without leads and solos. On the album, all the guitar leads are nothing to write home about. They seem to just be placed there for show and to not add any substance into the song. The solos on the other hand are a mixed bag of tricks. Some are decent, “Five Years of Fire”, while some are just horrible, “I Am Nothing” and “At Last”. A great opening solo on “Nothing Left To Taste” is met with another great solo in the middle of the same song while a slow solo in the middle of “Light” turns out good after a decent start. Acoustic guitar is found on “From Nowhere to Nowhere” and the instrumental “Daughters”. There is only one breakdown, and it is a decent one to finish the song “Five Years of Fire”.

Matt Fowler (Drums) starts the album off with a double bass drum pattern that eventually adds cymbals into the mix. He then finishes “Broken God” off with a simple drum outro. The only other drum-oriented intro is “Light”, and it comes off great. Something you come to expect from every extreme metal band is the use of a lot of double bass, Matt is no different. However, there is a nice snare line near the end of “Light”. All in all the drums never really go over and beyond on anything.

Cradle To Grave is a band that is trying their best to jump on this modern day Thrash movement. When it is all said and done, the vocalist does not fit the band, the guitars sound like their ripped from thrash’s forefathers, the bass is rarely shown in the mix, and the drums are simple but ineffective at times. This band may be able to ride the wave to a larger label, but they will never come close to making it big. The one thing that will benefit this band the most is a new vocalist. Is the claim that Cradle To Grave are the leaders in Canadian Metal worthy of this band? HELL NAW!

Quote:Rating (?/5)

Vocals: 2.5
Lyrics: 3
Guitars: 3
Bass: 2
Drums: 2.5
Production: 4
Creativity: 1.5
Lasting Value: 1.5

Once Nothing First Came the Law

Tracklist:
1. The Intimidator
2. Avoid Me Like The Plaque
3. Juliet Or At Least What's Left Of Her
4. Gunfire Is The Sound of Freedom
5. The Dust of a Town
6. My Sweet Medusa
7. Columbus Wasn't Looking For America
8. Then There Were Nine
9. All Heroes Are Cowboys
10. The Truth About Me or Someone Like Me
11. Whiskey Breath
12. ....And Then Came Grace

Release Date: 01/15/2008

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Creedence Clearwater Revival + As I Lay Dying = Good? Despite some very conflicted influences that do not seem to add up to make a good album, Once Nothing proves that it is always possible to rock. The band released their debut album First Came the Law (January 15, 2008). Rising above the quickly-becoming-repetitive modern metal scene, Once Nothing crafts a dirty, fierce, and incredibly enjoyable first album.

Immediately noticeable at the start of this album is the guitar riff, which is disturbingly reminiscent of some of the less impressive post-grunge bands that popped up in the late 1990’s. However, a couple of bass drum kicks and the intensely screamed first line, “You want to go for a ride?” show that this is certainly not a post-grunge, punk, pop, emo “disc ‘o’ depression.”

The first song (“The Intimidator”) alone is so diverse that after an intense roller coaster of time changes, the listener is brought to the 3:00 minute mark. At this point, it seems as if the track has changed when, in fact, it is just a transition from a meaty breakdown to a more melodic guitar lick. When the song does end, it progresses neatly into the hard-hitting first few seconds of the disc’s second song (“Avoid Me Like The Plague”). The second track comes to a delightful close with a breakdown that could, quite literally, knock the teeth right out of the listener’s mouth.

The third song (“Juliet Or At Least What’s Left Of Her”) is the song that makes the whole album. The first two songs were a thrilling tour through the landscape of MetalLand. However, the third song stomps the others into submission at the 1:00 minute mark when a brief instrumental interlude turns into the very Southern exclamation, “Now, kick it!” This was later accompanied by, in the fourth song (“Gunfire Is The Sound of Freedom”), the interjection, “Ah, swing it!”

The metal bliss continues through the fifth track (“The Dust of a Town”) including a lovely intro. The real shocker was the acoustic sixth track (“My Sweet Medusa”) which serves as a well-deserved change of pace and breath of air.

Though an enjoyable head-banger, the seventh track (“Columbus Wasn’t Looking For America”) does not do anything too exciting. It is the beginning of the eighth song (“Then There Were Nine”), which crackles into life with melodic vocals and cowbell, that is truly surprising. Some strange yet satisfying screamed vocal harmonies bring the listener through the enjoyable ninth and tenth tracks (“All My Heroes Are Cowboys” and “The Truth About Me Or Someone Like Me” respectively).

The eleventh track (“Whiskey Breath”) shows off the previously subdued Southern influence without shame. The song begins with a riff straight out of a Skynryd album. The groove of this song leads, almost regrettably, to the twelfth and final track (“...And Then Came Grace”) which is a monstrous and epic instrumental track. Waiting after the last track brings the listener to a quick bonus track that ends the album with the chirping of crickets. This sound effect is normally something reserved for boring or not enjoyable acts. Needless to say, it has never been more out of place than at the end of this album.

Judas Priest Stained Class

Tracklist:
1. Exciter
2. White Heat, Red Hot
3. Better by You, Better Than Me
4. Stained Class
5. Invader
6. Saints in Hell
7. Savage
8. Beyond the Realms of Death
9. Heroes End

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Line up:
Rob Halford: Vocals
K.K Downing: Guitar
Glen Tipton: Guitar
Ian Hil: Bassist
Les Binks: Drummer.

Along with 1976's Sad Wings of Destiny and 1990's Painkiller, Stained Class is one of Priest's most consistant albums in terms of quality. At worst, you have two songs that are merely average, and at best you have tracks that are immensly spectacular.

This album is a refinement of the preceding three LPs (For those that don't know, 1974's Rocka Rolla, the aforemented Sad Wings of Destiny, and 1977's Sin After Sin). The riffs are noticably built off of those albums, but they're leaner and heavier, on the whole. The solos are, generally, more fiercly constructed and melodic, (the guitar solos in the opener, "Exciter", and the title track are absolutly huge examples of this) and Rob Halford's vocals are simply mind-blowing. On this record, Halford's range is second to none, and his screeching goes to heights that few singers have ever matched. ("Exciter", "Saints In Hell", and the chorus in "Beyond the Realms of Death" are easily the best vocal performances on an album filled with them.) Basically, Priest were at the height of their technical capabilities on this record, something they would not match until a little over a decade later with Painkiller.

Lyrically, Stained Class is a bit more streamlined than the preceding albums. However, it still handles the subject matter of the lyrics fairly intelligently.. something that except in small flashes, you couldn't say about every Priest album that followed this one. Even if the lyrics can get a bit goofy (The choruses to "Exciter" and "Invader"and the entirety of "White Heat, Red Hot"), they're also thought provoking, particularly the second half of the album, which is completly obssesed with Death. "Saints In Hell" and "Beyond the Realms of Death" are the most notable examples, the latter being a ballad about suicide.

The production isn't great. It's certainally not bad, espcially by the standards of the late 1970's, but the guitar tone is a little weak, and the drums still lack punch. Basically, it suffers from the same production problems that befell the the LPs that came before it, but it suffers the least in this regard.

As far as the songs go, the only two that don't really work for me are "Invaders" and "Savage". I'll admit though that the chorus to "Invaders" is actually kind of catchy, and both songs do feature good guitar solos, but other wise they just kind of do nothing. They're not bad, just average.

The 2001 remastered version has two bonus tracks: "Fire Burns Below", which is an outtake from the Ram It Down sessions, and a live version of "Better By You, Better Than Me". Quite frankly, "Fire Burns Below" should of been on Ram It Down, because it's definately better than the majority of the tracks on that LP. (i.e, it does leave an actual impression, something that about half of that album never did.) And it does have a really great guitar solo that comes in around the 4:10 mark, but I don't like the drumming all that much. (A bit too mechanical for my tastes) The live version of "Better by You" is servicable enough. I mean, it is a fairly nice bonus track, but it otherwise doesn't leave very much of an impression.

Highlights... "Exciter" is pure speed metal at its finest, espcially that melodic guitar solo that comes in at 3:27. The title track has that awesome galloping riff that no doubt influenced a particular up-and-coming metal band. (hint: the bassists for that band's name rhymes with 'barris'.) "Saints In Hell" in addition to having a top-notch vocal performance from Rob Halford, also has a riff that comes in at 3:13 that just screams "thrash!" "Beyond The Realms of Death", for the reasons listen above, and "Heroes End", which has a fantastic solo to bring the record to its conclusion. (The lyrics, which are about mortality [in keeping with the second half of this album], aren't too shabby, either.)

In the end, Stained Class is a consistantly great record and the last hurrah for Judas Priest's progressive albums before they began going for commercial appeal. When all is said and done, it is completely worth owning. 4.5 out of 5.

Judas Priest Nostradamus

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. Dawn of Creation
2. Prophecy
3. Awakening
4. Revelations
5. The Four Horsemen
6. War
7. Sands of Time
8. Pestilence and Plague
9. Death
10. Peace
11. Conquest
12. Lost Love
13. Persecution

Disc 2
1. Solitude
2. Exiled
3. Alone
4. Shadows in the Flame
5. Visions
6. Hope
7. New Beginnings
8. Calm Before the Storm
9. Nostradamus
10. Future of Mankind

Release Date: 06/17/2008

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Well, they’ve finally done it. No proprietors of fantasy-themed metal can go forever without putting out a concept album, and after 35+ years, Judas Priest have yielded to the temptation. Unfortunately, they run the gamut of Spinal Tap cliches and release the most trudging, boring album of their career.

The concept centers around the story of the famous Nostradamus. For those unfamiliar, Nostradamus was a 16th century Frenchman known for his visions of the future. These visions were passed to him by God in the form of vague metaphors that could only be deciphered after the event they possibly alluded to had already transpired. Now, depending on your IQ level, this is either “magic” or “stupid.” But whatever your view, one thing is for certain, it’s perfect for heavy metal (Stratovarius already made a concept album about old Nos a decade ago). As one might expect, the lyrics dealing with the life of a mystic probably aren’t exactly notable, and one can somewhat forgive their rampant cheesiness (the sole exception being the ballad "Lost Love", which is out of place and just plain terrible).

The music, however, is completely unforgivable. The boys make the fatal mistake of loading the album with short preludes before nearly every song. While brief intros can be effective mood-setters, loading every song with one just makes them cumbersome, especially given the unimpressive preludes on display. Some of them (i.e. "The Four Horsemen") actually kill the momentum of the previous song and have nothing to do with the next one.

Also an issue is the plodding nature of most of the songs. Priest, who usually purvey metal of the mid-tempo variety (and occasionally borderline thrash), choose to slow down to Sabbath-speed and the result is some truly boring numbers. They layer these tracks with generic keyboards and the same few string patterns that are supposed to make things “epic” but instead smack of repetition. The one example of a song that has all these features that actually works is War. For a track that openly rips off Holst, it’s rather entertaining and the only one that truly feels epic (probably because they rip off Holst).

Now, it’s not all bad. Sprinkled among the pounding mediocrity and the idiotic preludes are some enjoyable tunes. "Conquest" features some of Halford’s better vocals, which are somewhat lacking on this release, plus it shows off K.K. and Glenn. It's not that great, but it's better than everything that precedes it. "Alone" has Rob’s best vocals on the album, making great use of layering that doesn’t push the higher register to the background like it so often does, while "Death" really lets the guitarists shine. However, the best tracks are puzzlingly at the end of each disc. "Persecutioin" and the title track show the band playing at their normal speed, to fantastic results, while the album closer "Future of Mankind" is a proper closing epic (which sadly means it must also have the token too-long fade out).

Ultimately, 5 fully good songs and 2 songs with good aspects cannot redeem a 23-track, 2-disc set.. Scott Travis, the powerhouse drummer who has proven both with this band and Racer X that he is one of the finest men behind the kit, has absolutely nothing to do here. Glenn and K.K. get a few moments in the spotlight to solo, but not enough and their riffs are completely unmemorable. Rob is the only member of the band who acquits himself well, but even so it’s obvious he blew out his voice in the last few years (he didn’t sound too hot on Angel of Retribution either), but his lower voice still has a sinister edge to it. Expecting another Painkiller would be naive, wishful thinking, and one must give kudos for the band for having the stones to try something new so late in the game, but that doesn’t give them a pass. The album is far too long, far too boring, and far too cliched to entertain all but the most die-hard of fans who would rather live in denial than admit that the gods are fallible.

Judas Priest Painkiller

Tracklist:
1. Painkiller
2. Hell Patrol
3. All Guns Blazing
4. Leather Rebel
5. Metal Meltdown
6. Night Crawler
7. Between the Hammer & The Anvil
8. A touch of Evil
9. Battler Hymn
10. One Shot at Glory

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Pounding drums...

Over-the-top riff...

High-pitched vocals...

'Faster than a bullet
Terrifying scream
Enraged and full of anger
He's half man and half machine'

And so begins the title track of Judas Priest's speed metal masterpiece, Painkiller. This album is the epitome of all things metal. It doesn't get more over-the-top than this. Dragonforce? Nah, those guys are wimps. Judas Priest could be insane and ridiculous all they wanted, and they could, unlike many other metal groups, make it sound good. Not just good. Amazing.

Painkiller is a heavy metal classic, through and through. It's definitely the most extreme of all of Priest's studio albums. It takes the raw agression and power found on albums like Screaming for Vengeance and Stained Class and multiplies that tenfold. Rob Halford is at his very best here. His shrieks and shouts are second to none on this album. For some Priest fans, his voice is just too high-pitched. They preferred his lower, yet still great voice found on previous albums. On Painkiller, he seems to be shouting more than anything, but regardless, his voice sounds stellar and he sounds more pissed off than ever before. He reaches his highest notes of all-time on this album. The title track and others have Halford at his loudest ever, reaching notes not even achieved by some opera singers. On some songs, like Hell Patrol and Night Crawler, his voice is slightly more tamed and less over-the-top. No matter how he's singing on this album, Rob Halford's vocals are top-notch.

Glenn Tipton and KK Downing are two of metal's finest guitarists ever. The solos found on Painkiller are flourishing with absolute virtuosity. The duo is best at playing fast, reckless riffs and solos, yet they also hold their own at slower, more sinister riffs, like the ones found in the aforementioned Night Crawler, and Between The Hammer and The Anvil. Are any of you familiar with the video game F-Zero X for the Nintendo 64? Every level of this game has a soundtrack filled with melodic and cheesy guitar-playing. The solos in Painkiller are similar to those found in F-Zero X. Endless shredding and melody fused with brutality dominate the title track. Painkiller is definitely the duo of Tipton and Downing's finest hour.

Until I heard Scott Travis, I was under the impression that Priest was all guitar and vocals and no one was good in the rhythm section of the band. I was wrong. Although previous Priest drummers ranged from average to bland, Scott Travis was truly special. He is an outstanding drummer, especially for the genre. Speed metal is not exactly known for having incredibly talented drummers. The finest men behind the kit in the metal world are usually found in the genres of progressive metal and thrash (sometimes). Scott Travis, however, is certainly an exception. The first thing you hear on this album is Travis' ferocious and chaotic drumming. He plays incredibly fast and throws in plenty of fills, yet he keeps the beat and refrains from sounding too crazy. The title track is definitely his best performance. The entire first twenty seconds of the song consists of nothing but Scott banging away on his drumkit. He's definitely one of the best metal drummers out there, and the best drummer Priest has ever had.

Painkiller is almost flawless. However, there are a few negative aspects. There is no filler aside from track eight, A Touch of Evil, which is absolutely bland, uninspired, and simply boring. Also, while Rob Halford's vocals are top-notch, they can get irritating at times, but this is very rare. The lyrics are awful, but at the same time, they are hilarious. The only metal band that I can think of that has worse lyrics than Judas Priest is Dethklok, and they aren't a real band. The lyrics on this album may be terrible, but I just love 'em. They fit the music, definitely. If Painkiller had thought-provoking lyrics, it wouldn't be as fun.

'Twisting the strangle grip
Wont give no mercy
Feeling those tendons rip
Torn up and mean'

-All Guns Blazing

Pretty silly, huh?

Painkiller is a metal masterpiece. If you want to get into Judas Priest, buy this album and download/ignore the rest of their material. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, worth the one dollar and forty-five cents I paid for it. Although there is one lackluster song (A Touch of Evil), Painkiller is definitely worth buying if you're into Judas Priest or just heavy metal in general. It is a classic, through and through. If you like metal and have avoided this album, buy it now. It's not for everyone, but if you want to retreat from the serious and complex sounds of Opeth and other bands, then buy Painkiller. It's fifty-five minutes of speed metal bliss.

5/5

Abigail Williams Legend

Tracklist:
1. From The Buried Heart
2. Like Carrion Birds
3. The Conquerer Wyrm
4. Watchtower
5. Procession of the Aeons

Download - All Tracks <<< Click Here

First of all, anyone who thinks Abigail Williams is a metalcore band is an idiot. Abigail Williams is a SYMPHONIC BLACK METAL band from the US. This is their debut ep Legend. After releasing this ep, the band broke up. A couple months later they reformed with a completely different line-up except for the vocalist, Sorceron. Then, most of the new members either left or got kicked out of the band leaving just Sorceron. The old keyboardist rejoined the band and they are now working on their first full length album. Sounds like a lot for a band that has only released one ep right? What most people don't know is that this ep with just 5 songs on it is amazing.

Vocal-wise, I would describe Sorceron as a mix of Ihsahn from Emperor and Dani Filth from Cradle of Filth. Believe me that's definitely not a bad thing. This guy has the potential to be on of the best vocalists in the black metal scene. You will also hear him let out a death metal growl more than once during this album. The only complaint I have about him is that he also has a whiny emo/metalcore-like singing voice to go along with his amazing black and death metal vocals. Now, if you think this band is metalcore, these vocals might be the only thing you have to back that statement up. Other than that this guy's vocals are absolutely incredible.

The main instrument that the band utilizes is the keyboards. The keyboards will probably remind you of Cradle of Filth as well. If you cant tell this band is strongly influences by the Cradle of Filth guys. This album is extremely symphonic. The guitar playing on this album is very melodic and fast tremelo picking more often than not. While this album is very symphonic, it is also very fast and brutal. The drumming is blast beats basically the whole time and if you know me by now you will know that I can never hear the bass in any album I listen to so I couldn't tell you about that. The band also does an occasional breakdown, but its not a common thing during the album.

Basically, there is nothing wrong with this album except for the whiny emo/metalcore-like vocals that are used a couple of times throughout the album. I do know for a fact that they are gone on the full length that should be released later this year. If you are a fan of the early symphonic black metal bands such as Emperor, Cradle of Filth, Limbonic Art, Dimmu Borgir, etc, you should do yourself a favor and check this out.

Metal Church The Dark

Tracklist:
1. Ton of Bricks
2. Start the Fire
3. Method to Your Madness
4. Watch the Children Pray
5. Over My Dead Body
6. The Dark
7. Psycho
8. Line of Death
9. Burial at Sea
10. Western Alliance

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Metal Church have always been an underrated American thrash band, this being their best album. MC have been through many lineups, Kurdt Vanderhoof being the only one still in the band to this day (even though there was a period of time where he split from the band). This was also the last album David Wayne performed on before rejoining the band in the late 90's. The lineup for this album:

David Wayne *R.I.P.- Vocals
Kurdt Vanderhoof-Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Craig Wells-Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Duke Erickson-Bass
Kirk Arrington-Drums and Percussion

The album starts off with a midpaced, upbeat thrasher that seemed to occur a lot in their 80's and 90's setlists. Ton of Bricks is one of those songs that is just great in every aspect, except for the solos which I'm not too impressed with. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate slow and simple solos, but usually when Kurdt and Craig do their leads, I'm not majorly impressed. Start the Fire is an exception; I love the solos in that song (blends real well with the vocal rhythms). I personally think that they are better riff writers, kind of like Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. Kurdt and Craig show that they can write incredible riffs and licks in songs like Watch the Children Pray and Over My Dead Body, WTCP probably being their biggest song to date. Like I said, Kurdt and Craig are very accomplished players, but are much better rhythm players than lead.

David Wayne had a one of a kind voice that no could emulate. Mike Howe and Ronny Munroe did great jobs, but I think David Wayne fit MC the best. I actually think the vocals are probably one the best parts of the album. David can do just about everything from singing clean in Watch the Children Pray, to doing amazing high pitched screams throughout the album. Another thing I like about his vocals is that he makes it sound he’s actually talking to you in the song (The Dark, Psycho, etc). Unfortunately, David Wayne is no longer with us. David died May 9th, 2005 from the results of a car crash.

Ah, the one and only rhythm section. Duke and Kirk are a perfect team, like Ed Jackson and Scott Rockenfield from Queensryche. I love the simplicity; neither Duke nor Kirk are very technical. I’m a fan of Dave Lombardo, Paul Bostaph style of drumming and the Frank Bello, Steve Harris style of bass playing, but for Metal Church, simplicity fits them well. Songs like Method to Madness and The Line of Death show off their strong, tight playing.

Overall, The Dark is one of the best thrash albums to date. I’d recommend it to any metal fan, even if they aren’t big thrash fans. This album captures creepy and dark themes like in The Dark and Burial At Sea, as well as true thrashers like Ton of Bricks, Over My Dead Body, Western Alliance, Psycho, and Line of Death. It also has a great “ballad,” Watch the Children Pray, which became their first single and music video.

+PROS: Rhythm guitar playing
David Wayne’s vocals
Entire Rhythm section (Duke and Kirk)
Every song is absolutely incredible except for Western Alliance

-CONS: David Wayne’s high pitched screams may get annoying to some people
Some guitar solos aren’t real great
Even though it’s a solid song, Western Alliance seems to be the album’s definite filler

Ved Buens Ende Written In Waters

Tracklist:
1. I Sang for the Swans 07:01
2. You, That May Wither 04:54
3. It's Magic 05:25
4. Den saakaldte 08:49
5. Carrier of Wounds 07:40
6. Coiled in Wings 07:04
7. Autumn Leaves 05:07
8. Remembrance of Things Past 08:54
9. To Swarm Deserted Away 02:14

Release Date: 1995

Download - All Tracks <<< Click Here

Ved Buens Ende is a relatively unknown band from Norway formed in 1994. The members of this band are now pretty well known in the black metal scene. The line-up for this album consists of Victonik formerly of Dodheimsgard on guitars, Skoll formerly of Ulver on bass, and Carl-Michael Eide better known as Aggressor of Aura Noir handling the drum and vocal duties. Written in Waters is the one and only album that this band released before splitting up. If you're thinking that you're going to get a full on black metal riot, you're not. This album is along this lines of avant-garde/progressive metal with some black metal elements, such as the occasional black metal vocals and blast beats, throughout the album.

The guitars, bass, and drums for the most part can be described in one word, slow. Most of the time during this album all the instruments are very slow. Victonik plays slow, simple, almost doom-like riffs. Aggressor plays some extremely easy and slow drum beats that a 5 year old could probably play and Skoll is pretty much non-existent during the slow parts. The good part about this album is that occasionally the band goes insane and blasts into some crazy, fast as hell black metal parts. Aggressor goes blast beat crazy and Victonik and Skoll go insane with tremelo picking, leaving the doom-like aspect of this album behind.

Vocally this album is absolutely amazing. Now most people who know Aggressor from Aura Noir might think that this guy doesn't have a bone in his body that would make him want to make him sing beautifully. Well you would be wrong. For most of the album, Aggressor's vocal style is crooning. Crooning is singing in a soft or intimate matter. This is the style that Aggressor does for most of the album, but you can't have a black metal vocalist and not expect him to do black metal screams. When the instruments pick up, so does Aggressor. He pulls off some amazing black metal vocals in the vein of Varg Vikernes from Burzum.

This album is perfect for fans of doom, progressive, avant-garde, or black metal. Basically if you are into any kind of extreme metal, you might like this. The only bad thing about this album is that some of the songs last a little bit too long and become very repetitive and you might get bored during this album. I know I got bored the first couple times I listened to this. Other than that this album is very good. It's not really a well-known album, but it deserves to be heard at least once.