Expect a lot of Metal, but also a little bit of everything else.
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I can honestly say that I have never listened to Mastodon, so this is a first for me and at first I was excited to see what was to be come. For the most part, the album was interesting in the music sense. I stopped trying to pay attention to the lyrics and just listened to the music.
And I'm glad I did it that way.
After going back and finding the lyrics online, needless to say, I felt they made little to no sense. So in the music department, it was interesting and held my attention. In the lyrics department, I could care less.
Much like my last post, I don't really have a lot to say. I've never listened to Mastodon, so I have nothing to compare it to for older stuff. But I might go back and check some of it out just to get a better feel for the band.
As for the score, I give this album a 4.5/10. The music was interesting, but samey. The lyrics made no sense and I lost interest in them rather quickly. But check it out if want something a little different.
Let's just say I don't foresee this finding it's way into my collection any time soon...
Genre(s): Symphonic Power Metal, Symphonic Gothic Metal, Folk Metal, Orchestral
Label: Nuclear Blast, Roadrunner Records
Year: 2011
Track List:
1. Taikatalvi
2. Storytime
3. Ghost River
4. Slow, Love, Slow
5. I Want My Tears Back
6. Scaretale
7. Arabesque
8. Turn Loose The Mermaids
9. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, the Owl and the Dove
11. Last Ride of the Day
12. Song of Myself
13. Imaginaerum
Imaginaerum, the predecessor of Dark Passion Play, is the newest album released by Gothic Metal band Nightwish. At first listen of this album, I'll be honest, I vegged out on it. I stopped paying attention to and just used it as background music. This bugged me. I didn't give this album the chance that I give all the other albums. So, I went back and listened to it again, giving it all my attention. As much as I wanted to, I didn't do anything else but listen to this album.
After giving it a second chance, I stand by my first thought of it.
I was disappointed in this record. I was hoping that they would do as good, if not better then Dark Passion Play, which is my second favorite record by the group, with the 2007 album Once being my favorite. It was catchy at some point, but for the most part it seemed like a drag to me. I can't really say much more about this album. I was disappointed.
So I guess I should score it, seeing that I have nothing else so say...
7/10. While I thought it wasn't all that great, I did enjoy it for background music. It's interesting playing Minecraft with this album playing in the background. While it did have some good stuff, overall it wasn't that great.
Stay tuned for my "Top Albums of 2011" list, which should be coming very soon!
Before the review, I just want to say thanks to my friend Kyle for recommending that I check this out.
Beyond Magnetic is the newest extended play record by the world renown American Thrash Metal band Metallica who boast having two of the most influential people in the Metal Universe today, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The band also boast some of the most recognizable and memorable songs such as Enter Sandman, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets and Sad but True just to list of a few. As far as favorite piece of work goes for me, with Metallica it has to be the 1991 release Metallica aka The Black Album. This album holds most of my favorites songs, two of which I mentioned above.
Honestly, I haven't been too impressed with Metallica's work as of late. I thought that Death Magnetic was bad, only to be beaten by the album previous, St. Anger. Hate if you want, but remember, this is just my opinion. If you like the albums, more power to you! Just because I don't like them, doesn't mean you can't enjoy them if you so chose.
Then I heard Lulu.....If you can make St. Anger and Death Magnetic look good, your not even trying anymore. And others would agree with me. Rolling Stones gave it a 3/5, Metal Hammer Germany gave it a 4/7 and Sputnikmusic gave it a 1.5/5. Needless to say, Lulu didn't break Metallica's bank account.
But back to the record at hand. Beyond Magnetic is a album that consist of four songs that where recorded, but never released on, Death Magnetic. It was also released to coincide with the bands anniversary shows, of which they released a new song on all four nights of the show. The album has done well so far, with releasing around 36,000 copies in the first week alone and landed in the number 32 spot in the Billboard 200.
Now that we have a little back story, I suppose I should tell you how I feel about it. After all, you didn't come here just to read my rants and information you already knew, did you?
If I had to say how I feel about this album in one word, it would be "eh". I've heard a lot worse, but I've also heard much MUCH better. At first it had me interested, but as time went on I became less interested. And seeing as I rate on a scale of one to ten, well....I would have to say that this particular EP gets a 3/10, my worst score yet. I will say that it had potential, but I fear that Metallica has been on a steady decline in producing good, quality stuff over the last few years. And it disappoints me because The Black Album is what actually got me interested in these guys in the first place. And ever since then they have been putting out things that are less than interesting in my opinion.
Hopefully they'll get back on the ball and start making good records again. But maybe that's just me.....and Rolling Stones magazine....and a few other people....eh, maybe I'm not alone in this. Oh well. I give these guys a 3/10.
"One by one in pitch black sky No stars to reflect the sun After all light become undone Darkness has come to blacken fires of the night Deathstar rising"
Genre(s): Melodic Death Metal, Gothic Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Year: 2011
Track List:
1. The First Snow
2. Winter Within
3. Deathstar
4. Remembrance
5. Unbroken
6. Judgment
7. The Wake
8. Sanctuary
9. Butterfly Effect
10. Wreith
Before The Dawn comes to us from Finland, lead by the talented Tuomas Saukkonen. With six albums, one demo, one DVD and three EP's, Before The Dawn is making it's mark in the metal world. While still not very well known (at least from what I've gathered), Before The Dawn is a preference for me. I find myself throwing these guys into my regular rotation of music almost on a consistent basis.
Their newest record, Deathstar Rising, released through Nuclear Blast Records who holds big shots such as Accept, Belphegor and Dimmu Borgir, just to name a few, is the bands best work to date. Black Dawn off of their 2006 album The Ghost is what brought BTD to my attention and has since remained my favorite track by the group. And Deathstar Rising surpasses their 2008 album Soundscape of Silence in a big way, which is still my favorite record by these guys. But Deathstar Rising is close second.
9/10 is the score for this record. It's good, but its not perfect. Their really isn't anything wrong with it, just my disliking for slow metal songs with a band like this. All in all though, it's a good listen. Check it out if you haven't already.
Track List:
1. White Trash Millionaire
2. Killing Floor
3. In My Blood
4. Such a Shame
5. Won't Let Go
6. Blame It on the Boom Boom
7. Like I Roll
8. Can't You See
9. Let Me See You Shake
10. Stay
11. Change
12. All I'm Dreamin' Of
Black Stone Cherry. What can be said about them? Well, they are one of my favorite Southern Rock groups of today, and I first heard them through the video game WWE: Smackdown! VS. RAW 2007, with the song "Lonely Train from their self-titled debut record.
Anyway, I'm going to keep this short and sweet as I am getting ready to leave for Christmas break, so I'll get to the good stuff and stop rambling so I can finish getting ready.
Overall, I give it an 8/10. It was interesting, kept my attention for the whole thing, but I think they could have done a little better. But then again, that's just me being nit-picky.
What can be said about English rock group Motorhead, other then they have been one of the most influential bands in metal history?
Well, aside from that, not much. I first heard Motorhead WAY back when I was in eighth grade and the song was Ace of Spades, which I do not remember how or when it was when I first heard it, but I do remember that I liked it. And from that point on, it has been my favorite Motorhead song to date.
But we're not here to talk about early Motorhead, we're here to talk about the ONLY Motorhead record I own, Motörizer.
First I want to talk about how I found this record: completely by accident. Yes, that's right. I hadn't heard anything about this record, and I stumbled upon it while browsing the heavy metal section of my local FYE (much love to you guys), and sampled it; instantaneous approval. So I bought it and blasted it on my way home. After listening to the album all the way once, I found what songs I like and what I didn't like. And as I listen to it again, I find that not much as changed.
What I like about this album? Just about everything. The only thing I don't like is the cover art, because it doesn't really make a lot of sense. But other than that, I love this record; great hooks, the typical Motörhead style of lyrics, and of course, Lemmy. What's a good Motorhead album without Lemmy Kilmister? It's not.
Anyway, on to the songs! Right off the bat this album sets the stage with Runaround Man, which is my personal favorite of the record. This is one of those albums that as soon as I heard it, I wanted it and I knew I would like it. I've been a Motorhead fan for a few years, but unfortunately this is the only record that I currently own. I haven't heard much from their new album, The World is Yours, but that's mainly because I haven't had much time to go and pick it up with being in school and all. But I will try to at least take a peak at it through Youtube, and I might have to review it that way. But that's something I'll deal with when the time comes.
The entire album is what I like to call a "Road Tripping" album, and I have popped into the radio while on a few long trips. Overall I give this album an 8.5/10. The few things I don't like about it is with the slower songs. They seem almost out of place to me. But other than that, I love this album.
Alright, I'm gonna break my mold here for a minute. I'm gonna go WAY of course and review this band I literally JUST heard of. They're called "I Chaos", and they come to us from the Netherlands. I'm not going to post the picture up because I feel it would be too graphic for this particular page. But I digress.
Let's start with a little info about these guys. The only site that I could find with even a shred of info is the band page. I'm serious. These guys started in '09. They don't even have a Wikipedia page yet! Their debut album, "The Human Repellent", has hit the shelves. And I have to say, I don't normally listen to death metal, but when I heard these guys I had a bowel movement.
My brain exploded, my eyes where as wide as dinner plates, and I got an instant headache due to the sheer awesomeness of these guys. I can't tell if they're music is satanic or not, seeing as how I cannot find any lyrics online. But for the time being, I'm reviewing them!
Like I said before, I don't normally like Death Metal, especially generic. But these guys are different for me somehow. Maybe it's because they're not over-doing it (if that's even possible in Death Metal) with horrible blast beats (which are in EVERY song). I don't know. Regardless, these guys are good. And Holland has once again given us a fantastic group of men. I more than likely won't listen to them on a regular basis, but I will certainly come back to these guys and be keeping an eye on them.
All together, I would have to give these guys an 7/10. They're good, but I've heard much better (Mortification).
BTW, this might be how long my post are for the time being while I'm still in school. But I will try to get you guys something when I have an "off" day.
Genre: Heavy/Speed Metal
Label: Columbia
Year: 1990
Here we go, Judas Priest! One of the pioneering bands of the "NWOBHM", the New Wave of British Heavy Metal! And one of my personal favorite albums of all time, Painkiller.
This is one album that I can listen to for HOURS and HOURS and HOURS...And I have. So much so that I've had to take a break from this album for about two months, just so that I don't listen to it SO many times that I grow to hate it. This album, from start to finish, is one of my favorites, so first lets talk about what I don't like (and what little of it that is actually relevant).
The only song that seems out of place to me would track 11: Living Bad Dreams. And only a little out of place, might I had. Yes, it still has the same overall style of the entire album and intensity, but the way that Halford sings it slowly makes it seem out of place to me.
Now let me talk about whats good.
The title track, which is the beginning track, starts off hard and fast. The entire time Halford is singing in a high tone voice, which just makes this song awesome. My favorite songs would be the first half of the album. Tracks 1-6 are my favorites of the album. But like I said before, I like the whole thing. The solos on this record are awesome in the only way Judas Priest knows how to be: "Killtacular!"
The last half of the album is also good, but not as good as the first half in my opinion, and I've had a few people agree with me on that. For me, it's almost like the album is awesome at first, and slowly dies off so your not left in a sate of awesomeness and a need for it. It gives you a break almost in the last half. I really don't know what else to say, other than this album is absolutely an amazing work of art. The guys of Judas Priest are talented and they show it in this album, as well as in another Priest album that's also a favorite of mine, Screaming for Vengeance, which I'll review at a later date.
As for the rating of this album, I give it a 9.5/10. If it weren't for the fact that Living Bad Dreams seemed so out of place for me, this album would have gotten a perfect score. Nothing about this album to me is boring. Living Bad Dreams is the only song I have a problem with, but other then that I love this CD. I would highly recommend this album for anyone who's looking for a high octane CD with awesome solos and amazing riffs and hooks. If you haven't checked out this CD yet, you should. It's an amazing CD in my opinion, that I think anyone who listens to metal would enjoy.
Genre: Heavy/Thrash Metal
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 2007/2009
"Destroying every town, light it up and burn it down
You may not like it now, but this is how the story ends."
"I am the King (an evil king),
Who dreams the wickedest of dreams
An ancient mystery, nobody could interpret
Of seven empires falling, the wolf is at my door
As predicted years ago, that that was, that is, that is no more
The word predicts my future and tells the truth about my past
Of how the world's leaders are waiting to usher in
The eighth world power of modern Rome: Washington is Next!"
I decided I wouldn't wait to get one of the albums to make my decision after all, so I'll review both at the same time.
Let's start with Endgame, the newest release thus far form 2009. Right off the bat we have the classic Megadeth instrumental opening of awesome shredding that leads into one of my favorite songs This Day We Fight!. As soon as I heard this combo I instantly fell in love with it. However, the next track on the record, 44 Minutes, took a while to grow on me. Not sure why though.
After that, we hit 1,320! Another favorite of mine. From what I can guess it's about racing of some kind. I'm guessing street racing, but I could be wrong. As soon as I heard 1,320 I decided that this album was going to be awesome, I wasn't that far off. The only song I have a problem with off this album is the eighth track: The Hardest Part of Letting Go....Sealed With A Kiss. The reason is simply because it brings up too many memories that I've been trying to forget for a long time now.
Other then that one track, I love the record. It has become a personal favorite of mine, and I for one can't wait for a new record. They did release a new single for Guitar Hero called Sudden Death, and I have to say it's good. It took a while for me to get used to it, but now I find it to be a good release.
The rest of the album makes up for The Hardest Part of Letting Go... as one of my favorite albums to date. And now we're going to the next album on this here two parter, United Abominations!
The album starts out with two of my favorite Megadeth songs of all time, Sleepwalker and Washington Is Next!. When I first heard these songs, I had a feeling the album would be great. And for the most part, it is. A few songs that I don't care much for would have to be Black Swan, Burnt Ice and the cover of Led Zeppelin's song, Out on the Tiles. I don't like either of these songs because...well honestly, they bore me. Yeah I know Zeppelin are one of the godfather bands of metal, but I've never really liked them at all, and even though Megadeth covering them makes it a little better, it still bores me. The other songs are just....dull in my opinion.
After we finish with the awesomeness that is the first to tracks, we go to another track that, at first, was boring, but now it fits right in with the album: Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms. This song is this albums version of The Hardest Part of Letting Go... for me, as it brings up too many memories of relationships gone bad.
It's strange to me how an awesome Thrash Metal band like Deth keeps bringing up bad memories...Oh well..
After that, we go to the title track. Right off the bat I loved this album when I heard it. I've always liked the way that Dave works the spoken parts of voice intros, and United Abominations is no different. The song itself is a good kick in the pants and I love the theme of it. Now lets jump to a song that I've loved for a long time: Gears of War. At first this song seemed off to me, but now it's a personal favorite of mine. While at first, like I already mentioned, it took me a rather long time to actually sit down a listen to this song all the way through, and once I did, I instantly fell in love.
Now we're off to Blessed Are The Dead. This song to me is just weird...Not sure what it is about this song, but I get a weird vibe off it.
Not much more needs to be said about that, so we'll just talk about the last few tracks: Play for Blood, A Toute le Monde (Set Me Free), Amerikhastan and You're Dead. All of these songs I love, even though I like the original version of A Toute le Monde better. The last two songs are also good ones. Unless your a political type, go ahead. They're awesome.
As for the ratings of these two great albums, I give them a collected 18/20, which is 8/10 a piece. If it weren't for the songs that I didn't like, I would feel more inclined to give them better ratings. But for now, Megadeth's albums Endgame and United Abominations will remain as two personal favorite of mine, even though they have some songs I can't listen to, or just don't like.
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label: Rivel Records
Year: 2011
When I first heard that DivineFire was returning, needless to say, I was very happy. When I heard that you could pay 15$ for a signed copy, I jumped on it. Now after taking the time to listen to the album all the way through, I feel I should review it.
At first, I wasn't expecting what I was hearing. I did know that a new singer was coming on board but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it until I got to listen to it. From what I can gather, the first half of the album, tracks 1-7 are new songs, sung by the new singer Germán Pascual, and the last half of the album, tracks 8-10, with 11 being an instrumental piece, are sung by Christian Liljegren, the original singer.
Returning to handle the instruments is one of my personal favorite people in the Metal genre today, Jani Stefanovic, who also plays for Death Metal band Miseration, as well as a former member of the Metal Super-group Solution .45.
I'm not going to bash Germán for the sole reason is that I like his style. It brings a new vibe to DivineFire that I personally think they never had. Bear in mind that I first heard these guys when their Into a New Dimension was released, but I have also listen to their older stuff as well.
Now lets talk about the songs for a little bit. As I stated before, the first half of the songs are all new, completely original pieces. The last half, however, from my version of the album, is consisted entirely, save for the last song which is an instrumental piece, is all remakes of older songs. My personal favorite of these remakes would have to the the song Never Surrender, original off their debut release record Glory Thy Name, back in 2004.
The reason I like the remake is because of the original. It's one of my favorite songs by DivineFire, with Eric Clayton of Savior Machine, which is a progressive neoclassical Christian gothic symphonic metal band from LA, California, as a guest/backing vocalist on the track.
From what I can gather by listening to the records, the remakes are all "remasters" instead of "remakes". The reason I say that is they have more "ompf" to them, a little more of a kick if you will.
As far as ratings go, I'm sorry to say that I feel this album deserves only a 7. The reason I say that is because, in my honest opinion, this album didn't have the drive I was expecting it to have. I know it's only a return album and whatnot, but I still think they could have given a lot more drive to it.
You know what they say, beggars can't be choosers.
"The Vanir felt deceived Höne was a fool without MÃmir at his side Höne could not rule In a fit of violent rage MÃmir's blood was shed and to Odin's court they sent MÃmir's severed head"
Here it is, folks, Amon Amarth's newest record, Surtur Rising. Needless to say I was VERY impressed with this album. I was hoping it wasn't going to be like Twilight of the Thunder God and I was happily surprised. What do I mean by "Like Twilight"? What I mean is, while it's still one of my favorite albums in my collection, I didn't care much for the two songs Guardians of Asgaard and Varyages Of Miklagaard. Not sure why, just didn't like them.
But this CD, from start to finish, is good. The song I have a problem with is the second track on the record: Töck's Taunt - Loke's Treachery Part II for the slowness of it. That, and I just didn't like the the construction of the song. My four favorite songs off the record are: War of the Gods, Destroyer of the Universe, Slaves of Fear and A Beast Am I. These four songs are great, but NOTHING has as much drive to it as Twilight of the Thunder God. That one song has more drive to it then an entire album in my opinion. If you ask me, they should an album with as much drive in every song as Twilight of the Thunder God.
Now before I go any further, I do need to say that the only reason I listen to Amon Amarth is because I feel that they are telling stories with their music. I've always found Norse Mythology to be a fascinating and interesting subject, and I have done A LOT of personal research of it. I don't take ANY OF IT SERIOUSLY.
Now that the religious stuff is out of the way, let's get back to the music.
This is one album I could listen to several times over and still get a different feel every time. Depending on my mood, I may not listen to Amon Amarth at all for up to a week, maybe longer. But when I think Death Metal, I think Amon Amarth. I like my music to have some melody to it, which is why I will always prefer Melodic Death Metal to generic Death Metal.
I WON'T however listen to anything past With Odin On Our Side because I don't like the content of the albums. W.O.O.O.S. is almost too much for me as it stands. I haven't even listen to W.O.O.O.S. all the way through yet, and most likely never will. I found the songs I like, and I stick to them.
I'm keeping this one short because I'm vacation and don't want to spend most of my day in front of a computer screen. So I'll skip right to the rating.
9/10. I give it that because of the song I mentioned above that I don't like. If it weren't for that one song, this would more than likely have a perfect score. The music is awesome in my opinion. There isn't anything I don't like, save for the second track. But other then that, I give Amon Amarth Surtur Rising a 9/10. Good jobs, guys. Keep up the good work.
I can't tell you how many times I've had this question asked to me...And honestly, it's getting tiring answering it all the time. In case you haven't noticed (and I don't mean to cow across as rude or brash here), I don't JUST listen to/review Christian music. Most people, as I have come to realize, when they think Christian music, they think of the contemporary. But oh my friend, I am NOT a contemporary limited listener.
Just in case you haven't noticed, I do listen to Secular music. But I know when enough is enough and when to change gears. I'm not going to get all preachy on your guys, saying that "rock 'n roll is the devil!", because that would make me a huge friggin' hypocrite. To answer the question, I listen to it because I like it. Most of the Secular music I listen to isn't "over-the-top, extreme" Secular. If it bashes my faith, I don't listen to it. I won't lie, I do listen to Five Finger Death Punch on occasion. I'm not going to say "but only the stuff that doesn't have cussing in it", because that would deprive the point of the music. What I like about 5FDP is that most of there music, if you REALLY listen to it and break it down, is themed around the Military. If you would like, I can do a quick review of War Is The Answer and better explain what I mean.
But I will tell you this; I really have to micromanage myself when it comes to music, because I am an easily influenced person. If I listen to too much of 5FDP, I become angry and bitter at the world and everyone around me. If I listen to too much slow stuff, I become depressed and emotional. If I listen to too much high octane, fast action stuff, I become so pumped up that I have to burn off my energy by any means whatsoever.
Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I listen to both Christian and Secular music, a majority of it being Metal. And no I don't have a problem with it, and neither does anyone else I know, because I know when the right time is metal and what is the right time for contemporary. And most of the time I ask people before I just put on a random song, because I know a few people that don't like metal.
I'm not one of those people that are like "it's metal or nothing!" because I was raised with a diversity of music. When my dad drove the car, it was classic country. When my mom drove the car, it was classic rock and 80's pop. And as time went one, I found other styles of music that I liked. I'm a well rounded person, and will listen to just about anything, from A Capella to Country, From Metal to Classical, from Big Band/Swing to Jazz. I don't care, I love music. I listen to whatever I'm in the mood for.
If your still lost about this whole thing, don't worry, so am I.
Genre: Speed/Heavy Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Year: 2010
No picture this time, as I am no longer at home, but I am on vacation and using my friends Mac instead of my PC. I did buy a new laptop from Best Buy yesterday, but I have to wait for the store to open again today so I can go get it, once they've finished installing the new software I bought with it.
But if we want to talk tech, I'll make a new blog for that...Right now, we're here to talk music. And not just any music, mind you. We're here to talk about a band that's been growing on me as of late, Accept, who come to us from good 'ol Germany (if that somehow came across as sarcastic, it wasn't). More importantly, their newest album Blood of the Nations.
I have to start off with this: Beat the Bastards ALWAYS gets stuck in my head. I have to say its my favorite track on the record, followed by the second track, Teutonic Terror. I can't remember what spot on my Top 30 list I posted awhile back that I put Blood of the Nations, but if I remember right it was in my top 10...I won't go back to check, because I like the fact that I don't remember everything.
Blood of the Nations is right up my ally for "speed metal". It's not overly fast, but it's also not a slower metal that makes me want to fall asleep after fifteen minutes or so. One my friends, who will remain unnamed, is a diehard DragonForce fan, and more power to him. I will admit, some, SOME, of their studio stuff is....well its okay. I wouldn't, and don't, listen to them on a regular basis because it's WAY to samey and dull for me. I like a little verity in my music. Don't get me wrong, speed for speed sake is all fine and dandy, but only at certain points. And I saw them live at Mayhem Fest '08, along with Disturbed, Suicide Silence, Five Finger Death Punch and Mastodon, as well as several other bands that I can't remember the names of.
But Accept is a band that I look forward to. What I mean by that is I own Blood of the Nations, and I will most likely be going in the way-back machine to check out some of the earlier stuff. But for now, I give Accept: Blood of the Nations an 8/10. "An 8/10? What a minute...You gave a band, that's main genre is a genre you don't listen to hardly at all, an 8.5/10, but you give a speed metal band from Germany, that's been around WAY longer an 8/10?" And I'm sure some of you are feeling just like The Nostalgia Critic when he reviewed "Quest for Camelot" on his website, thatguywiththeglasses.com, which almost every five minutes he shouted "EXPLAIN!!!!". I could be wrong on the movie, but again, I'm not going to find out just for my own gain. If you want to correct me, by all means, go ahead.
But the reason I gave these guys a lower score then Silent Lapse is more or less the same reason I gave Silent Lapse the score I gave them. Some of the overall structure of some of the songs was boring, the vocals are really, REALLY gravelly and kind of a little bit TOO rough, which makes me want to call them a Heavy/Speed/Trash metal band, even though some people would be inclined to disagree, and I won't argue with you about it.
Also, some of the songs are just flat boring. I give you an example with Kill The Pain.....
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a good ballad, and Mark Tornillo CAN sing, which threw me off a bit, but there's just something about this song that is boring to me. And I can honestly sit here and say I don't know why I don't like it. It's a good song, the music is good and the lyrics actually make some sense, but I just don't like it all that much.
But as I said before, I give Accept: Blood of the Nations an 8/10. It's a good album, it flows pretty well, and most of the songs hooks get stuck in my head a lot of the time.
But hey....perfection is a terrible thing to try to attain every time you make an album, so you'll just have to settle for second best.
Hey guys, I've been really busy lately and haven't had much time to do a review. But I promise you I will get going on that again soon. But in the mean time, here's what you can expect to see(in no particular order):
Coriolis: The Endless Funeral
Stryper: The Covering
Megadeth: Endgame/United Abominations (whichever I get first)
Witchburn: This Is How We Slay Our Demons
DivineFire: Eye Of The Storm
Impellitteri: Wicked Maiden
Rise Against: Appeal to Reason
Godsmack: The Oracle
Firewind: Days of Defiance
Accept: Blood of Nations
Red: Until We Have Faces
If you guys got something you would like for me to review, let me know in the comments
BELOW
Thanks for putting up with me, and sorry for keeping you waiting! More stuff to follow soon!
I heard about these guys in '09 after their album Birthright was released through Divine Metal Distributions if I remember correctly. I don't normally listen to progressive. It tends to bore me A LOT, which is the main reason why I don't listen to Dream Theater. But these guys are....well they're alright...but I wouldn't listen to them on a daily basis in my opinion. But what I do like about these guys is that they know what works for them and they stick to it, which a lot of new bands, as I'm finding out, either haven't found what works for them or they don't give a rip.
I will say however, that with Silent Lapse, it's got me interested as to what they will make in the future, with Birthright being their debut LP. Looking at their website, these guys are still young, with the oldest of the members being guitarist Wyatt Aldrich of 27 years old. I haven't been able to find anything out yet about them working on an album or not, seeing as how on their Myspace page it still says they're unsigned.
I've heard a few good hooks from these guys, and overall the construction of the music is good. I'm having a hard time getting past the vocals, but in time, I'll get used to it. For the genre their in, I like Silent Lapse. As I stated before, I don't normally listen to progressive, but their is something about these guys that just kind of catches my attention.
Overall I would give this group a 8.5/10. It's good stuff and I like it, but their are somethings that I don't like. The vocals are a bit hard for me to get past, and some of the slowness gets repetitive and dull, as well as some of the overall construction of some songs. I would recommend this group to someone who's looking for some verity in their selection, or if you just want something a little different, give Silent Lapse's LP Birthright a shot.
John Cooper, the lead singer of the band Skillet, along side him, his wife and guitar/keyboards for the band, Korey, guitarist/male backing vocals Ben Kasica and drummer/female backing vocals Jen Ledger form Skillet, the American Christian Rock group with songs such as Monster, Comatose, Hero, Rebirthing and so on.
When I first heard these guys it was from the album Comatose, with the title track that got me into these guys. I was still in high school when I heard these guys, thanks to my good friend and sudo little brother David, while I was still being a arrogant prick with pants hanging down past my butt. Come to think of it, my high school years, while they sucked, also kind of rocked because I found metal \m/. Lately, Skillet has been breaking into the mainstream rock with songs like Hero and Monster, with both songsbeing featured on video game WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 soundtrack
Skillet has also had there songs used for the WWE's live broadcast, for events such of The Royal Rumble 2010 and Hell In A Cell 2010. John, being a big WWE fan, was excited to have those two songs used as the themes for the live broadcast and have them put in the video games.
As far as the album goes, I'll give it 8/10 Volts. Reason be is because, while they have awesome songs such as the ones I've mention above, they also have some slower songs that, while the message is amazing, the structure for whatever reason bothers me. Or maybe its the fact that John, which his gruff voice, his trying to sing a Ballard....Whatever the cause may be, Skillet's Awake gets 8/10 Volts.
Well, as the title hints to, this is me, talking about 2010. 2010 was an interesting year for me: got a job, started college, started my blog in late 2010 and so on. Meet some new people, lost a few friends and the like.
First off, I just want to say this.....WHERE THE HECK DID 2010 RUN OFF TO!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I mean seriously! Where did that year go? It seemed to just FLY for me. In a way, I like that, because it doesn't seem as long. But on the other hand, I don't remember much about it....In fact, the only things I remember happening is losing a few friends of mine due to certain events that transpired, going to a new youth group (which is FREAKING AWESOME because the last one I went too I grew out of the age group), I got a job and started going to college to learn ASL (LOVE IT!) and started the blog.
What else happened you say? Well, I found the wonderful world of AT4W, Thatguywiththeglasses, Itsjustsomerandomguy, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series by LittleKuriboh, TFS and others.
Overall, I'd say it was a good year. Too bad I can't remember most of what happened.....Oh well!
What do I expect for 2011? Well, the year is young so I have no idea whatso-freaking-ever!
I hope your year was better than mine, and I hope your coming year is awesome.
I know this is a bit late, but when your trying to review songs for a list consisting of 30 albums while working, going to school AND having to deal with a holiday rush in December, you don't get much time to squeeze in a listening party. But here is my list of 2010 Top 30 Albums.
#1
Solution .45: For Aeon’s Past
#2
Saint: Hellblade
#3
Blind Guardian: At the Edge of Time
#4
Firewind: Days of Defiance
#5
Golden Resurrection: Glory to My King
#6
Halford IV: Made of Metal
#7
Sinbreed: When Worlds Collide
#8
Arch Enemy: The Root of All Evil
#9
Audiovision: Focus
#10
Yngwie Malmsteen: Relentless
#11
The Showdown: Blood in the Gears
#12
Accept: Blood of Nations
#13
Demon Hunter: The World is A Thorn
#14
MyRath: Desert Call
#15
Slechtvalk: The Forlorn Throne
#16
Fireflight: For Those Who Wait
#17
Grave Robber: Exhumed
#18
Fireball Ministry: S/T
#19
Disciple: Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
#20
Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier
#21
Stryper: Murder by Pride
#22
Final Axe: Beyond Hell’s Gate
#23
Coriolis: The Endless Funeral
#24
Pastor Brad: Break Out!
#25
White Wizzard: Over the Top
#26
Ted Kirkpatprick: An Ode to a Roadkill
#27
Overkill: Ironbound
#28
Grave Digger: The Clans Will Rise Again
#29
As I Lay Dying: The Powerless Rise
#30
Motorhead: The World is Yours
Now I know that the Arch Enemy and Styrper album's were released in '09, but I like them too much to not have them on here....Other then that, everything else is '10.
Well, this is my list for 2010! I'm already getting pumped for this years list! Oh Amon Amarth, Surtur Rising better be as good if not better than Twilight of The Thunder God.....And Stryper's The Covering! Oh man I can't wait! *giddy*
Genres: Power/Progressive/Speed Metal
Labels: No Remorse/Virgin/ Century Media/Nuclear Blast
I picked this album up a few days ago and I'm in love with it. I like it so much, that's my #3 on my top list of albums 2010, followed by Firewind's Days of Defiance and Golden Resurrection's Glory to My King, but that list will be posted at another day when I complete the list. In the mean time, you get to read my ramblings about Blind Guardian's newest, At The Edge of Time.
Now when I first heard these guys it was their song Valhalla from the album Follow The Blind, another personal favorite of mine. At first I didn't really know what to think about these guys. The sound didn't really work with me and it had to grow on me.
But now I am a Blind Guardian fan. And while prowling around in FYI, I found this album and decided to check it out. Thankfully FYI has a sampler device. I checked it out and fell in love with the sound. The artwork is what really caught my eye. I'm always looking for bands with artwork like this. And when I found out that they got their inspiration for all of their artwork comes from J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings, it came as no surprise.
While listening to this in my car, I came across the second track on the record called "Tanelorn" which was an instant favorite for me. The sound that Blind Guardian gives off is certainly one of movie soundtrack quality.
I would have to give these guys a 9.5. I love the album as a whole, but a few songs are a little bit "meh" for me, which is the case for most, if not all, of the albums I listen to on a regular basis.
I think I could benefit from getting a new Laptop messenger bag from CSN Stores.
Solution .45, For Aeon's Past, my album of 2010. I can not stop blasting this! Every day I have to listen to this album because it's such a stinking ear worm! Gravitational Lensing, The Close Beyond, Lethean Tears.....GAH! I can't stop listening to this album! Another one I can't stop listening to is Saint's Hellblade, but that's another review for another time. When I first heard this album, I was hooked from the word go.
The following statement will be brought to you in part by.......
(This has been a wild one from the word "go"!)
Ahh memories.....Anyway, back to work!
Solution .45 is one of my top picks of last year in terms of "Top Five", which is a list I will give to you.......now....
Solution .45: For Aeon's Past
Saint: Hellblade
Golden Resurrection: Glory To My King
Fireflight: For Those Who Wait
and last, but most certainly not least, Accept: Blood of Nations.
For Aeon's Past flows really well, which is something I LOVE hearing in Melodeath. The songs are all made really well, and theirs even a break in the album from all the hard awesomeness with a slower song called Lethean Tears. Overall, the album itself is amazing, and the artwork is an eye-catcher.
But alas, with every good album comes the bad. And the problem that I have with this one iss the same as all the other Melodeath that I listen to: after a while, it gets boring. And that's one reason why I'm trying to cut back on it. I don't want it to become TOO boring so that I'll never listen to it again. So this album gets a 9.5 out out of me. It's sound is amazing, the flow is good, the lyrics are different, but it gets boring after a while.
