Average Rating: 3.70 Rating Variance: 0.60 Objectivity Score: 70% (Fairly Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicAnimal Collective Merriweather Post PavilionAnimals as Leaders Animals as LeadersAyreon The Human EquationBetween the Buried and Me AlaskaBetween the Buried and Me ColorsBig D and the Kids Table Fluent in StrollAn album that simply never gets old for me, Fluent in Stroll is everything that embodies the positive side of relationships. A pick-me-up in dark times and a booster in bright hours, the point is never missed here.Black Widow SacrificeI conjuh thee I conjuh thee I conjuh THEE I conjuh thee appear!Blind Guardian Imaginations from the Other SideCoheed and Cambria The Second Stage Turbine BladeCynic Traced in AirDavid Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...Devin Townsend Ocean Machine: BiomechDream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a MemoryEmerson, Lake and Palmer TarkusIron Maiden Somewhere in TimeIron Maiden Seventh Son of a Seventh SonIsis PanopticonJudas Priest PainkillerJudas Priest Sad Wings of DestinyKevin Gilbert The Shaming of The TrueKing Crimson In the Court of the Crimson KingKing's X Gretchen Goes to NebraskaLed Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IVMegadeth Rust in PeaceMetallica Master of PuppetsMiles Davis Bitches BrewModest Mouse This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To..Opeth Blackwater ParkOrbs Asleep Next to ScienceI think this may be my album of the year. The whole thing is just so fresh... Heavy yet light. Poppish yet well-grounded. Deviating yet catchy. The vocals are a little hard to get into upon first listen, but you come to love them very, very quickly. And the lyrics... They're quirky, but fun. This whole album is simply great.Porcupine Tree In AbsentiaQueen A Night at the OperaQueensryche Operation: MindcrimeRed Hot Chili Peppers CalifornicationReflux The Illusion Of DemocracyRush Moving PicturesRush 2112Rx Bandits ...And the Battle BegunScale The Summit The CollectiveScale the Summit put out another astonishing release that really shows the band maturing ranother degree past Carving Desert Canyons. While there's no doubt that all of the musicians rhere have honed their skills since their last release, what's really been sharpened is the roverall sound of the album.rOn each track, there's simply not a note out of place, and the instruments come together to rform a larger picture more now than they did on Carving Desert Canyons (and even moreso on rMonument), where the framework would often be set for a guitar battle. And yes, that kind of rskill and the show of it are still around, but they're even more artfully exercised than rbefore. Which is saying a lot.rThe album loses some cohesion between tracks, which wasn't much of an issue on the past two rreleases, but the increase in technicality and the more mature sound definitely makes up for rit.rHard to put it at a 5 just yet, but it's definitely no lower than a 4.5.Scatman John Scatman's WorldSieges Even The Art Of Navigating By The StarsStreetlight Manifesto Everything Goes NumbStreetlight Manifesto The Hands That ThieveColor me impressed with Streetlight's ability to push the envelope album after album. Not as immediate as their past releases, but following Somewhere in the Between, that's not too much of a shock. "If Only for Memories" may be my favorite right now, but every track is a winner. The Hands That Thieve is just a testament to what can happen if you give good musicians the time they need to make an album.Sufjan Stevens IllinoisSufjan Stevens The Age of AdzSufjan Stevens Silver & GoldThe Dear Hunter Act II: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. LeadingThe Dear Hunter The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)The Devin Townsend Project GhostThe Residents God in Three PersonsThe Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness4.5 superbAeon Spoke Aeon SpokeAerodyne Flex TransmissionsThis is djent's "Colors." Everything the subgenre purports to be, executed perfectly.An Endless Sporadic AmeliorateAnathema We're Here Because We're HereAnathema Weather SystemsArcade Fire FuneralAtoma SkylightAyreon Into the Electric CastleBotch We Are the RomansBruce Dickinson The Chemical WeddingBruce Dickinson SkunkworksBuckethead Monsters & RobotsBuckethead Decoding the Tomb of BansheebotCanvas Solaris SublimationChimp Spanner At the Dream's EdgeClosure in Moscow First TempleCoheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of MadnessCynic FocusDavid Maxim Micic Bilo 2.0Death Individual Thought PatternsDeath HumanDevin Townsend TerriaDisperse Journey Through The Hidden GardensJakub Zytecki has a band. And, thank god, they work to create a real, solid and creative progressive metal sound that ranks up there with the best. Zytecki is an astounding guitarist and the vocals and atmospheric work the rest of the band supply to accompany him astound, as well. "Circle's Complete" may be the capstone of the album, and it's the perfect track to go out on, providing what almost feels like a companion piece to Portal (Cynic)'s "Circle," replete with a vocal performance reminiscent of Aruna Abrams.Dream Theater Images and WordsEmerson, Lake and Palmer Emerson, Lake & PalmerExplosions in the Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead PlaceFair to Midland Fables From a Mayflyfordirelifesake Dance.Pretend.Forget.DefendThis is stand out metalcore, any way you slice it. The now departed fordirelifesake play what seems to be the most melodic and upbeat album within the metalcore genre, and perhaps any music to feature screaming at all. The mixture of melody, breakdown, screaming, clean male and female vocal passages, and just down-right intelligently structured music provides some serious aural satisfaction.Giant Squid The IchthyologistGordian Knot EmergentGru CosmogenesisGuilt Machine On This Perfect DayHumanoid Remembering UniverseIkuinen Kaamos ClosureIron Maiden Brave New WorldJag Panzer Thane to the ThroneJudas Priest Stained ClassKing Crimson Larks' Tongues in AspicKing's X Out of the Silent PlanetLast Dinosaurs In A Million YearsLazer Kitty RuinsLeafhouse LeafhouseLed Zeppelin Houses of the HolyMark Hawkins Grandpa's GuitarsExcellent acoustic-hybrid progressive album from Soul Cycle and Robots Pulling Levers djentleman Mark Hawkins. The album blends elements of folk, metal, flamenco, and progressive to create a really interesting instrumental work. Definitely worth checking out.Megadeth Countdown to ExtinctionMegadeth Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?Opeth Ghost ReveriesOpeth WatershedParkway Drive Deep BluePorcupine Tree DeadwingQueen Queen IIQueen A Day at the RacesRadiohead Kid ARadiohead OK ComputerRadiohead In RainbowsRush A Farewell to KingsRush Permanent WavesRush HemispheresRush In RioSavatage Dead Winter DeadSavoir Adore Our NatureScale The Summit Carving Desert CanyonsScale The Summit The MigrationNothing but a continued example of instrumental excellence. Doubters and detractors beware.Sithu Aye IslesSleepmakeswaves In Today Already Walks TomorrowSoul Cycle Soul Cycle IIStreetlight Manifesto Keasbey NightsStreetlight Manifesto Somewhere in the BetweenSufjan Stevens MichiganThe Contortionist ExoplanetThe Dear Hunter Indigo"Progress" is about the only track on here that I really care for, but it's so good that it carries the whole Spectrum in my eyes.The Dear Hunter WhiteEasily the best part of the collection (with Indigo clocking in at a solid second). White is simply incredibly moving, well-orchestrated songs, one after another without a miss.The Devin Townsend Project KiThe Devin Townsend Project AddictedThe Fall of Troy DoppelgangerThe Great Gamble Book 1I've been waiting for these guys to put out a finished product for a while now, and it does not disappoint. The vocals are reminiscant of King's X and Howard Jones's cleans on Killswitch Engage, while the instrumental offering sounds like a hybrid of Dream Theater and Symphony X in an epic-only format. It's interesting and certainly worth your time if you get a moment.rhttp://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thegreatgamble1The Kymatica 2011 EPThe Omega Experiment Karma EPThe Prize Fighter Inferno Beaver Records EPSuperb EP. Its only downfall is being far too short.The Wednesday Club Passing StrangeTides of Man DreamhouseWater's Edge An Abstract Collapse4.0 excellent3 The Ghost You Gave To MeA.S.A.P. Silver and GoldA.S.A.P. Silver and GoldAdebisi Shank This Is The Second Album Of A Band Called...Anathema JudgementAngel Vivaldi Universal LanguageAngel Vivaldi The Speed of DarkA notch above Universal Language, on Vivaldi's second outing, he shows a side to his music more infused with emotion than in his latest offering while still showcasing the skills that classify him as a neo-virtuoso (although, admittedly, cutting back on the "neo" part).Arcturus The Sham MirrorsAshes Divide Keep Telling Myself It's AlrightAt the Gates Slaughter of the SoulAthletics Who You Are Is Not EnoughAugury ConcealedAugust Burns Red ConstellationsAyreon The Universal Migrator, Pts 1-2Barrier Dark DaysThis is the raw metalcore (if not simply technical hardcore) sound so many bands have aimed for only to somehow fall short. There is no pretense, there is no complication, there is only that pure, channeled aggression maneuvered through technicality and dexterity of instrumentation. If you're trying to be heavy with sincerity, this is how it's done.Between the Buried and Me The Parallax II: Future SequenceBig D and the Kids Table StrollNow that's what I'm talkin' about. Well, for the most part. This isn't really the "stroll" rwe heard on Fluent anymore. This is spaced out reggae stroll that likes to forego a lot of rits ska beginnings, which is why it's not as good as its predecessor. Some tracks come rcloser, some are further away, but it's still miles beyond The Damned, The Dumb, and The rDelirious. Blind Guardian A Twist in the MythBonobo The North BordersBootsy Collins Blasters of the UniverseBruce Dickinson Accident of BirthBuckethead Pepper's GhostBuckethead Crime Slunk SceneCapharnaum FracturedChildren of Bodom Follow the ReaperChildren of Bodom Something WildChimp Spanner All Roads Lead HereChosen ResolutionAfter Intrinsic turned out to be a bust, someone had to step up.rThank god. I've been waiting for a metal album like this.Circulatory System Signal MorningCloud Gavin PostureCloudkicker ]]][[[Cloudkicker BeaconsCoheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: AscensionYup, it's a Coheed album. A grower, at that. "The Afterman" won't get out of my head and now that I can hear the rest in good quality, it's slowly creeping in there as well.Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: DescensionPop prog. "Number City" borrows shamelessly from The Police, but it's a great track and this is a really good album, so who cares?Corelia NostalgiaCynic Carbon-Based AnatomyDamascus Of Whom I Always ThinkHealthy, robust, pretty cool post-rock. Worth a listen.Dan Dankmeyer ArcologiesDananananaykroyd There Is A WayDavid Bowie Aladdin SaneDavid Maxim Micic BiloDeadlock ManifestoDeath SymbolicDevin Townsend Ziltoid the OmniscientDream Theater Train of ThoughtDream Theater AwakeDrewsif Stalin's Musical Endeavors A Particularly Beautiful DayA really nice ambient EP that sounds like the description of its title - A Particularly Beautiful Day. It's just one 12 and a half minute instrumental track that breezes on through and leaves you with a bit of inner peace.Enemies Embark EmbraceFair to Midland Arrows and AnchorsIt's pretty good, but when did Fair to Midland become Tool?Gamma Ray Land of the FreeGirugamesh MusicGivers In LightGod Is An Astronaut All Is Violent, All Is BrightGojira From Mars To SiriusGojira The Way of All FleshGorguts ObscuraGuns N' Roses Appetite for DestructionHeavens Gate In ControlThe first release from German Power Metal band Heavens Gate, In Control comes across as something fresh to the Metal scene, though sporting high pitched vocals common to the era, the guitars have a special, gravelly quality, which, when coupled by the absolutely superb solos on this album make it not their very best album, but at least their heaviest and a very promising one.Heavens Gate Livin' In HysteriaHeavens Gate Hell For Sale!Heavens Gate BoxedHelloween Keeper of the Seven Keys Part IIced Earth Night of the StormriderIced Earth Horror ShowIkuinen Kaamos Fall of IconsInto Eternity Buried In OblivionIron Maiden PowerslaveIron Maiden The Number of the BeastIron Maiden Piece of MindIsis OceanicIsis Wavering RadiantJakszyk, Fripp, Collins - A King Crimson Projekct A Scarcity Of MiraclesJohn 5 The Devil Knows My NameJohn 5 The Art of MaliceJoncofy Rorschach InkblotsJudas Priest Defenders of the FaithJudas Priest Screaming for VengeanceK Sera Collisions and Near MissesKalisia CybionKillswitch Engage The End of HeartacheKing Diamond AbigailKing Diamond "Them"King Diamond The GraveyardLar Kaye EPLodeStar Dynasty Blurry MoonOne of the strangest, if not best albums to appear this year - this short, but sweet 4 song EP draws from metal, djent, rock, hip hop, dubstep, electronica, and classical piano sounds to create a well-blended mix that maybe whispers originality more than it hollars it. The djenty guitars perhaps stick out a bit too much in many areas, but on tracks like "Blurry Moon" and "Breaker," LodeStar Dynasty comes across more like a heavy version of Nujabes than anything else.Marty Friedman True ObsessionsMarty Friedman Dragon's KissMastodon RemissionMastodon LeviathanMastodon Blood MountainMastodon The HunterMegadeth Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!Megadeth United AbominationsMegadeth EndgameThe thing I love about Megadeth is the way they've always shown a progression. Even on shit like Risk, they've been willing to try something new. But there's really not much new on Endgame aside from Dialect Chaos, which is just Chris Broderick being Christ Broderick.rIt IS just Rust in Peace 2, which is the problem. Move forward, Megs, not backward. You can create something so much more interesting than this album which has nearly zero replay value.Metal Church The Human FactorMetallica Kill 'Em AllMetallica Ride the LightningMichael Romeo The Dark ChapterMindplotter ImperativeMinus the Bear Planet of IceMisery Signals MirrorsMountain Animation Lava LetterBANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO BANJO Numbers NumbersObscura CosmogenesisOh No Ono EggsOpeth DeliveranceOpeth DamnationOrion Where Whales Go To DieDeep, dark, and heavy where it needs to be, yet intriguingly melodic in a very soft-spoken, yet beautiful way. This may be one of the few bands to have the right mixture of djent chugs and melody down to make it work out properly.Overkill NecroshinePain Of Salvation The Perfect Element, Part 1Paramore Riot!Parkway Drive Killing With A SmileParkway Drive HorizonsPlanet X MoonBabiesPorcupine Tree Fear of a Blank PlanetPorcupine Tree We Lost the SkylinePorcupine Tree The IncidentProtest the Hero KeziaProtest the Hero FortressPunky Bruster Cooked on PhonicsQueen Sheer Heart AttackRed Hot Chili Peppers Stadium ArcadiumReel Big Fish Why Do They Rock So Hard?Remmirath Polis RougeRush Fly by NightRush The Spirit of Radio: Greatest HitsRyan Wall SleepA good mix of chug grooves, post-rock atmosphere, and well-directed guitar make Sleep an intriguing listen, but it's Wall's vocals that sell the album. Oscillating between gritty yet flowing cleans, not-too-harsh sustained growls, and high screams that retain that harsh note of strained emotion, it's no surprise why Wall is auditioning to fill the vocalist void in Tesseract.Samson Head OnSamson Shock TacticsSavatage The Hall Of The Mountain KingScale The Summit MonumentScar Symmetry Holographic UniverseSeventh Wonder Mercy FallsShearwater The Golden ArchipelagoSithu Aye CassiniSkyharbor Blinding White Noise: Illusion & ChaosSo Long Forgotten Beneath Our Noble HeadsSo Long Forgotten put out a release that is laced with interesting guitar work, some nice bass grooves, and solid drumming. When coupled with pleasant vocal harmonies sung to the tune of intelligent lyrics, this boils down a very good album that comes off as surprisingly non-preachy for the group's pronounced Christian views.rDefinitely worth a position in your collection.Soul Cycle Soul CycleInteresting melodic djent with the capability of becoming something more. A lot of the characteristic djent chugging, especially present on the first tracks of this album are really distracting and almost annoying, but there's enough of an interesting approach to the solos and lead riffs that when the chugging isn't going on, the music is really great.rQuite frankly, it'd be a 4 without the chugs, which are mostly present and distracting before "Landscapes to Infinity" (which is a fantastic track).Special Providence Soul AlertSteve Vai Sex & ReligionSteven Page Page OneStrapping Young Lad AlienStrapping Young Lad CityStreetlight Manifesto 99 Songs of Revolution: Volume ISun Ra AtlantisSymphony X The Divine Wings of TragedySymphony X Paradise LostTacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster ExegesisTenacious D JazzTesseracT Tesseract DemoTesseracT Concealing FateTesseracT OneThe Algorithm Polymorphic CodeThe Darien Venture A Kite, A Key and A StormIt's not often that I get excited about indie projects I find on bandcamp that haven't even gotten their release out yet, but after hearing the first two tracks off of this album, I'm really excited for it.The Darien Venture IndicationsThe Darkness Permission to LandThe Dear Hunter Act I: The Lake South, the River NorthThe Dear Hunter Act III: Life and DeathThe Dear Hunter BlackThe Dear Hunter GreenThe Dear Hunter RedThe Dear Hunter OrangeThe Dear Hunter YellowThe Dear Hunter VioletThe Dear Hunter MigrantNot necessarily the curveball everyone sort of expects from The Dear Hunter, Migrant follows the same direction as many of the tracks from The Color Spectrum which played closer to the usual sound of the band. Still, while the album plays things a little softer and a bit safer, it remains as lavish yet fitting as always, resulting in another beautiful success for Casey and what's quickly becoming the near entirety of the Crescenzo family.The Devin Townsend Project DeconstructionThis is the sum total of everything that is Devin - drawing on riffs and phrases from albums past and weaving them into something new. And it's glorious.The Elijah I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I CreatedThe New Mastersounds Out On The FaultlineThe Ocean PrecambrianThe Prize Fighter Inferno My Brother's Blood MachineThe Prize Fighter Inferno Half MeasuresCoheed's been selling this while on tour ahead of its slated Comicon release. So, yeah, I'm probably gonna review the crap out of this soon.The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese DreamThrice The Illusion Of SafetyThrice VheissuTilian Pearson Material MeToby Lightman The Snow Day CollectionWith a warm, soulful voice and catchy, upbeat melodies rooted in pop from days gone by, it's hard not to fall in love with Toby Lightman's holiday/winter EP Snow Day.Tre Watson Lexicon of the Human SubconsciousTre Watson kicks out an album in the "djent" category that definitely showcases a few new and improved elements as well as styles similar to Buckethead ("That Which is Past Predicts F") and variations on existing themes ala Powerglove ("Charmander Used FLamethrower!"). Tre comes out sounding a bit like a slightly less skilled Tosin Abasi or Chimp Spanner, though that's not to say he's not good - the potential is definitely there, and with a bit more channeling and attention to structure and flow of the music and album as a whole, Tre Watson has the potential to be a HUGE force in music today.Tre Watson GravestonesMellow and amazing from the first listen, to the spastic and (very out of place) rheavy/deathcore, this is a synthesis of where Tre Watson should be going and where Tre rWatson has been. "The Mortal Coil" is nothing short of great, but is followed by the rconfusing and out of place heavy metalcore stylings of "Demise" (fully accompanied by death rgrowls that really jar the listener). This seems to carry into the beginning of "Thread of rHumanity," where atonal guitar riffs and blast beats dominate the track after a brief, but rundermixed orchestral intro. It does, however even out in its latter half to become a good rtune, while the epic, 18-minute long r"Dancing on Gravestones" features vocals from The Omega Experiment frontman Dan Wieten which rare, admittely, too low key for his abilities, yet still intriguing. The EP ends on an up rnote, but seriously, "Demise," while not entirely bad, just doesn't fit in.Trivium AscendancyWings Denied AwakeWintersun WintersunWolves in Aramid ObsidianWU LYF Go Tell Fire to the MountainYngwie Malmsteen Rising Force3.5 great2wo VoyeursReally a pretty excellent album put out at a confusing time in the career of Rob Halford. This album is very industrial, and makes use of Halford's unique bass tones rather than his stunningly high vocal range. At the same time, the album puts the masterful guitar work of John 5 to better use than any Marilyn Manson record, though there's nothing quite like his solo work here. There's a very odd kind of catchiness to this album, producing songs like "Stutter Kiss" which easily creep into one ear and fail to exit through the other.Abstract Deviation Abstract DeviationCutting edge progressive instrumental metal here. Should warrant a listen and a following to be sure.Adebisi Shank This Is The Album Of A Band Called Adebisi ShankAirbourne Runnin' WildAnd So I Watch You From Afar All Hail Bright FuturesArcade Fire Neon BibleArch Enemy Wages of SinAtheist Unquestionable PresenceAtreyu Suicide Notes And Butterfly KissesAvenged Sevenfold City of EvilBehemoth DemigodBehold... The Arctopus SkullgridBeing ArrivalArrival is a good initial effort by a band with a new take on things. Unfortunately, they're still feeling out their sound, and it shows on some tracks, such as their cover of "A Glorious Dawn," which sounds quite attrocious. On the other hand, songs such as "Perpetual Groove" are spacey, sparkly, and interesting. Their approach to vocals are particularly notable. In some songs they drown in production, gasping for air in a quagmire of autotune effects, while at other moments the sound is just wet enough to give it the right quality to enhance the sound. Being could release a very good freshman debut and have the potential to be innovators in their arena, but they need to work on establishing and tweaking their tune first.Between the Buried and Me The Silent CircusBetween the Buried and Me The Great MisdirectBig D and the Kids Table Strictly RudeBig D and the Kids Table StompNot as different from Stroll as the band would likely have you believe, Stomp is Big D at the height of their ska/punk efforts, and it effortlessly kicks the crap out of their recent outings in that regard.Black Sabbath ParanoidBlind Guardian Nightfall in Middle-EarthBruce Dickinson Tyranny of SoulsBruce Dickinson Balls to PicassoCacophony Speed Metal SymphonyCarthage Carthage EPCavern CavernChildren of Bodom Hate Crew DeathrollChildren of Bodom HatebreederChildren of Bodom Are You Dead Yet?Chthonic 9th EmpyreanChthonic Relentless RecurrenceCity of Ships Look What God Did To UsCloudkicker The DiscoveryCloudyhead AbstractionCoheed and Cambria No World for TomorrowCoheed and Cambria Year of the Black RainbowComadre ComadreCynic Re-TracedCynic The Portal TapesDamascus Salutations, Distant Satellite!Dan Dankmeyer XDan Dankmeyer PureWhile it outclasses Origin without much effort, Pure is a bit of a slog for anyone. With the majority of its tracks clocking in at over 7 minutes of meandering post- rock influenced instrumental metal, it's just easy to forget where things are. There's nothing terribly wrong with it aside from that - the material's actually pretty good despite the way it drags its feet. The opener and closer "The Air at Midnight" caught my attention in particular. 3.3/5Darkest Hour The Eternal ReturnDeadlock WolvesDeadlock Bizarro WorldDeerhunter Halcyon DigestDragonForce Sonic FirestormDream Theater OctavariumDream Theater Black Clouds & Silver LiningsDrewsif Stalin's Musical Endeavors ExcursionIt's clear on "Excursion" that Drewsif is making use of the tones he used before on "A Particularly Beautiful Day" and to good effect. Of course, that's in-between the more-common djent sound that is incorporated throughout the album. Some of the guitars here are really exceptional though, especially on final track "Affection," which features guitarist Tre Watson.rAll in all, pretty solid.Eidolon The Parallel OtherworldEpica The Divine ConspiracyFates Warning Perfect SymmetryFates Warning ParallelsFoo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience & GraceFuneral for a Friend Casually Dressed & Deep in ConversationGenesis Not Planet All Turn To DustRussian Instrumental Gojira. I shit you not. And hey, it's actually pretty good!Giant Squid Metridium FieldsGirugamesh 13's RebornGraph Rabbit SnowblindHalford ResurrectionHammerFall Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, UnbrokenHammerFall ThresholdHeavens Gate Open The Gate And Watch!Iced Earth Framing ArmageddonIced Earth DystopiaThis should be subtitled "How Stu Block saved Iced Earth"In Flames The Jester RaceIn Mourning Shrouded DivineInteriors SyntaxInto Eternity Dead or DreamingInto Eternity The Scattering of AshesIron Maiden Dance of DeathIron Maiden A Matter of Life and DeathJames LaBrie Elements Of PersuasionJoe Satriani Is There Love In Space?John Petrucci Suspended AnimationKalisia SkiesKeldian Journey of SoulsKillswitch Engage Alive or Just BreathingKillswitch Engage As Daylight DiesKing Crimson Starless and Bible BlackKing Diamond House of GodKing Diamond Give Me Your Soul.... PleaseLight Bearer Silver TongueMachinae Supremacy Deus Ex MachinaeMadder Mortem Eight WaysMarty Friedman Music for SpeedingMarty Friedman LoudspeakerMarty Friedman ScenesMegadeth YouthanasiaMegadeth The System Has FailedMegadeth So Far, So Good... So What!Metal Church MasterpeaceMetal Church The Weight of the WorldMetallica ...And Justice for AllMetallica The Unnamed FeelingGreat for the fact that it includes Jaymz Hetfield introducing "MISTER ROBERT TRUHIJUL!" and calling for "love and respect for Robert!" Then "forgetting the fucking words" on Ride the Lightning and pondering if this is "A crazy dream? Or is it just a dream?" In other words: novelty. If that's not your bag, this is crap.Necrophagist Onset of PutrefactionNerve The Distance Between Zero and OneNerve End AxisNevermore This Godless EndeavorNightwish Dark Passion PlayOh No Ono YesOpeth HeritageOrphaned Land Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons...)Overkill HorrorscopePain Of Salvation ScarsickPanopticon CollapsePaul Gilbert Silence Followed By A Deafening RoarPinnick, Gales, & Pridgen Pinnick, Gales, & PridgenPomegranate Tiger EntitiesPorcupine Tree Nil RecurringQueen News of the WorldQueen Live KillersQueensryche EmpireRed Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex MagikRedkey Rage of FireReel Big Fish Turn the Radio OffReturn To Earth AutomataRoadrunner United The All-Star SessionsRush Vapor TrailsRush FeedbackRush Roll the BonesRush Test for EchoSam Locke EraSavatage Streets: A Rock OperaShabutie PenelopeShai Hulud Reach Beyond the SunSkyfire Timeless DepartureSonata Arctica UniaStar One Victims of the Modern AgeSteve Vai Passion and WarfareSteven Wilson The Raven That Refused to SingSun Ra Space is the PlaceSymphony X The OdysseySymphony X V: The New Mythology SuiteSynaptical Glitch MonolithsMitch McLaine has been refining his sound as "Synaptical Glitch" for a little over a year rand 15 EP releases, now, and the refinement shows on Monoliths. Combining a use of rreverb and electronics to simulate a very drawn out, spacey mood while keeping things dark rand heavy through compressed guitars, Monoliths presents a well-crafted and large, rsophisticated sound that rumbles with other high profile djenters such as David Maxim Micic rand Chimp Spanner.TesseracT Altered StateWhile parts like the end of "Exile" shine in technical instrumental harmony with Ashe O'Hara's stunningly lush vocal deliveries, the album falls into the djent quagmire of "too much groove, not enough variation." Altered State is at its best when it's at its most experimental - saxophones, synth leads, etc.; at its worst when it follows the straight and narrow of chug guitar rhythms, which permeate the structure of the album almost to the point of nausea at times.rAll the same, I enjoy it.The Dali Thundering Concept When X Met Y...Attempting to define movements in art through music is a bold, but ultimately interesting and successful move. In some instances, The Dali Thundering Concept play it a bit too safe - while the track on Futurism opens with a very loopy, synthetic sound entirely characteristic of our notions on societal and musical progression in many ways, they all too often fall into their heavy, chugging deathcore ways. In some ways, it seems an artistic incorporation of the dark and brutal approach to nearly all things (spare Surrealism, which is fair), but it's really hard to way whether that's giving the artist the benefit of the doubt or if it's a simple cop out. With the amount of liberal atmosphere and synth-metal pepperings, opinion is likely to lean towards the former, though. And uhh... I don't know, while I'm likely to say that the end of Avantgarde is entirely unnecessary, it is highly avant garde, so there's that.The Dear Hunter BlueThe Littlest Man Band Better Book EndsThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones More Noise and Other DisturbancesThe Ocean PelagialThe Reign Of Kindo Rhythm, Chord & MelodyTides of Man Empire TheoryTimes of Grace The Hymn of a Broken ManTrivium ShogunWide Eyes VolumeA pu pu platter of what decent instrumental djent has to offer. Though it's not the most memorable listen in the world, it makes for some good background noise and raises eyebrows here and there, but is overall nothing that special to the stagnating subgenre.Wide Eyes The Unreleased EPWidek 2010/2011 SongsWintersun Time IXanthochroid Blessed He With Boils3.0 goodAbstract Deviation AliedoraAnathema Falling DeeperAnimal Collective Strawberry JamAnimals as Leaders WeightlessGood, if not a bit hollow. It's simply not the grandiose metal meets flamenco on an 8 string guitar sound anymore. It's become this pseudo-electronic jam noise. Maybe it's because they're trying to dedicate more presence to the drum and bass work (and it's good stuff), but the sound feels lacking compared to the debut.Assimilated Mind Phase Involuntary DeconstructionAstra The WeirdingYou can only be so stuck in the past. This is a big re-hash of old prog with little innovation. It's not bad, but it goes nowhere fast.Avenged Sevenfold Waking the FallenAyreon 01011001Bruce Dickinson Tatooed MillionaireBuckethead The Cuckoo Clocks of HellBuckethead Albino SlugChildren of Bodom BlooddrunkChthonic Seediq BaleDan Dankmeyer OriginSome excellent moments surrounded by the mediocre and strange. Maybe it's what Dan was shooting for this time around, but it's a pitfall in the road after Arcologies.DragonForce Valley Of The DamnedDragonForce Inhuman RampageDream Theater Systematic ChaosEncircle Watch The Sky FallEnslaved IsaFates Warning Awaken the Guardianfordirelifesake Breathing in Is Only Half the FunctionGirugamesh GirugämeshHeavens Gate Planet E.Heavens Gate MenergyIced Earth Iced EarthIn Flames ColonyIron Maiden Iron MaidenIron Maiden KillersIron Maiden Fear of the DarkJoe Satriani Unstoppable MomentumIt's good - nothing really new for Professor Satchafunkilus, though. Just the standard fare noodles and caboodles over rock tracks. Enjoyable as background music. Not much to say other than that.Journal UnlorjaJudas Priest British SteelJudas Priest Killing MachineJudas Priest Ram It DownKeith Merrow Lonestar TranscendKillswitch Engage Disarm the DescentKing Diamond Abigail II: The RevengeLast Chance to Reason Level 2This album wears its Cynic and BTBAM influences on its sleeve, and does so wonderfully. Last Chance to Reason blend intriguing, clean, spacey sections with the crushingly heavy to create something genuinely interesting. It's hard to find a band with a sound you can call "similar to, but not exactly the same as Cynic," but this is it.Linkin Park Hybrid TheoryMarty Friedman IntroductionMarty Friedman Tokyo JukeboxMarty covers a bunch of Japanese songs from Maximum the Hormone (known best in America for doing the theme song "What's Up People?" for Death Note) and Mr. Children to some of the more poppish stuff out there. It's all instrumental and it's all a tasty solo jam and thank god it is, because Future Addict was a wreck with Jeremy Colson's singing. I'm not huge on the J-Pop stuff, but I like the songs as they're presented here and it's a return to form in Marty's quality. Maybe it's even a sign that his next non-cover album will deliver the goods like Loudspeaker or Music for Speeding.Marty Friedman Bad D.N.A.Megadeth Cryptic WritingsMegadeth The World Needs a HeroMegadeth Greatest Hits, Back To The StartMegadeth Th1rt3enMetal Church Metal ChurchMetal Church The DarkMetal Church A Light in the DarkMetallica MetallicaMilhouse ThrillhouseNile In Their Darkened ShrinesNoah and the Whale Last Night On EarthOcean is Theory In My Blood AgainOrion All This World MeansOverkill Relix IVOverkill Killbox 13Overkill ImmortalisPeriphery Periphery II: This Time It's PersonalPortals A Continuous SpectrumChock full of melodic atmosphere augmented by some heavy chug riffs on the heavy side and piano on the light side, A Continuous Spectrum is a good album that can sometimes come across as a bit repetitive. A lot of this comes from the fact that, with the exception of opener "Canis Minor" and "Hibernation," the whole of the album tends to blend together in such a way that one track bleeds right into another. It's not bad music at all, just hard to immerse yourself into. Maybe after a few more listens. 3.2ish for me right now.Powerglove Metal Kombat for the Mortal ManPowerglove Total PwnagePowerglove Saturday Morning ApocalypsePrimal Fear Primal FearQueen The MiracleRed Hot Chili Peppers By the WayRed Hot Chili Peppers One Hot MinuteRoyal/Revise RevivalSam Locke Crossing the BarrierAs memorable and enticing as Era was, Crossing the Barrier comes across as a bit flat. Faulting from djenting cranks to repetitive melodic riffs, Crossing the Barrier simply spins its own cogs a few too many times before moving on to bigger things. It's certainly not without its brilliant ideas and remains a cut above the monotones of Keith Merrow, but it remains a bit of a letdown after its predecessor's promise.So Long Forgotten Things We Can See and Things We CannotUnfortunately far less creative and soulful than their debut, Things We Can See and Things We Can Not takes a harder, more abrasive style to So Long Forgotten's previous groove-laden approach. Though some of those subtle, tasty drumming quirks spark up here and there, the overall feel has just lost passion and creative direction. Hopefully the boys will rebound sometime soon with something more akin to Beneath Our Noble Heads.Star One Space MetalStorm Corrosion Storm CorrosionI blame the primary mediocrity of this album on Steven Wilson.The Contortionist IntrinsicI don't get how everyone's proclaiming that they've toned down the deathcore bit so much - sure, there's less of it, but now it's really annoying and intrusive instead of convergent and smooth. At the end of the day, that's all Intrinsic is - an even more spaced-out Exoplanet whose breakdowns are more a nuisance than anything else. And, to be frank, it's just not as interesting.The Devin Townsend Project EpicloudFor everything Devin's done previously (especially under the "Project" label), Epicloud comes across as safe, soulless, and, frankly, a little boring. "Kingdom" is easily the most memorable track on the album and it's a re-recording, while the best of the rest are "More!" and "Save Our Now." Other tracks like "Lucky Animals" and "Grace" come across as b-sides from previous project outings that lack the same kind of personal passion. While the quartet of Ki, Ghost, Addicted, and Deconstruction may not have always had the most serious lyrics in the world, the arrangements were unique, forward-thinking, and easily some of the most personal and reflective of Devin's career.rEpicloud, on the other hand, seems like the stale remnants of those projects - forgettable, if not a little enjoyable in the moment.The Fall of Troy Phantom on the HorizonThe Mars Volta De-Loused in the ComatoriumThe Omega Experiment The Omega ExperimentTradjectory Invasion EPExcellent instrumentals and production flawed only by the presence of entirely soulless and atonal clean vocal passages. Unfortunate, since, if they were on-key, this would be excellent.Tradjectory TradjectoryTre Watson Death of a MonarchMuch that was innovative, interesting, or quirky about Tre's previous release, "Lexicon of the Human Subconscious" is gone here, leaving just the shell of what was once something promising. Take Tre's Metalcore band, Carthage - who are mostly (and somewhat surprisingly) very generic and mediocre - and apply the same sense of pure and endless dedication to brutality and commitment to the constraints of genre to Tre's solo efforts and this is what you get.rBland and boring. But worst of all, nothing new. One step forward, and two steps back.Tre Watson Death of a Monarch [Re-Release]Trivium In WavesWidek MultiverseXanithon SerpentPretty decent instrumental metal. A bit boring with the chugs at times, but there's some good melody to make up for it. There's room for improvement, but it's a good starting block.2.5 averageAdimiron Burning SoulsAvenged Sevenfold Avenged SevenfoldDisperse Living MirrorsExodus Bonded by Bloodfordirelifesake A Daydream DisasterGodspeed You! Black Emperor 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!Maybe I just don't "get it" yet, but I find this album boring.Gojira The LinkGojira L'Enfant SauvageIt just gets boring. Gojira used to be pretty good about throwing in enough change-ups and points of interest, but this is just an okay album that really holds no playback value.Green Day American IdiotGuns N' Roses Chinese DemocracyHacktivist HacktivistHelloween Keeper of the Seven Keys: The LegacyIced Earth Something Wicked This Way ComesInto Eternity Into EternityInto Eternity The Incurable TragedyJudas Priest Angel of RetributionKeith Merrow Awaken the Stone King"Awaken the Stone King" is Keith Merrow doing the same thing he did on his last two albums... Only this time there's a guest solo by Jeff Loomis (that's quite good, though the video showing the tracking for it is laughable) and a very lengthy track ("Stone King (The Awakening pt. 2)") that shows promise and evolution, but isn't enough to make up for the rest of the album. Oh, and that Keith expects money for his music now.Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage IILamb of God SacramentMetallica Death MagneticMinus the Bear OmniMithras Behind the Shadows Lie MadnessMithras Worlds Beyond the VeilParkway Drive AtlasPhlebotomized Immense, Intense, SuspenseQueensryche Operation: Mindcrime IISamson SurvivorsShabutie Plan to Take Over the World [EP]She Was The Universe WhalesongThe Mars Volta Frances the MuteVan Canto Break the SilenceThey should really stick to being a cover band that I can laugh at.Watchtower Energetic Disassembly2.0 poorBig D and the Kids Table For the Damned, the Dumb, and the DeliriousBland and boring, especially when compared to Big D's previous release, Fluent in Stroll, which had a uniquely energetic ska-lounge sound. To go from that to a blander version of Strictly Rude just isn't acceptable to me.Born of Osiris A Higher PlaceFalconer NorthwindGamma Ray Land of the Free IIIron Maiden Virtual XIKeith Merrow The ArrivalTo anyone who's heard the latest "djent," much of Keith Merrow's material is nothing new. rTracks like "Bioluminescent" reek of the formulaic down-tuned chugging emblematic of the rgenre, and while there are some decently creative riffs and solos in this album, they rare generally nothing earth shattering. And when they are, the song seems to take too long rto get to the point or it goes back to the monotony of the chug (take "Io" for example, or r"Shorted Out" which has a great start, but spins into the chug very quickly). rIt's still better than some of the stuff out there, but it could be a lot better.Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage: RemasteredLamb of God Ashes of the WakeMegadeth Super ColliderWhat happens when you mix Cryptic Writings, Risk, and a few dashes of Symphony is apparently Super Collider.rBut most of the blame can still probably be attributed to Dave Mustaine supporting Rick Santorum and writing songs about abortion.Meshuggah obZenPeriphery PeripheryQueensryche Frequency UnknownRorcal VilagvegeSteve Harris British LionFor an album featuring one of the most prolific bass players in rock/metal history, British Lion is extraordinarily devoid of any outstanding grooves.rThere's moments where it seems like the album might take off, but it never does. It just seems like a failed attempt at something like ASAP because, fuck it, if Adrian can do it way back then, Steve can do it now... Only he can't. If the Steve v. Bruce thing were still an issue, I think the solo careers would prove it's Bruce all the way.The Advaita Concept The RatioThe Dillinger Escape Plan Calculating InfinityThe Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza Danza IIII: The Alpha - The OmegaTrivium The Crusade1.5 very poorDragonForce Ultra BeatdownIced Earth The Crucible Of ManOwl City All Things Bright And BeautifulParamore ParamoreYou know, I thought Haley's voice was the one decent facet of this album, then I heard "Ain't It Fun." This is just a shit pop album and though it's main fault is its lack of instrumental backing (hindsight kudos to the Farro brothers) Haley really didn't do anything to back it up.1.0 awfulbrokeNCYDE The BrokenbrokeNCYDE I'm Not A Fan, But The Kids Like It!brokeNCYDE Will Never DiebrokeNCYDE Guilty PleasureLou Reed and Metallica LuluMarty Friedman Future AddictMarty bastardizes pretty much everything he's ever done on this album. From Megadeth to Cacophony, yup, it's all here, and it's all spat upon with either slugged down riffing or the terrible, terrible performance of vocalist (and drummer!) Jeremy Colson. Why Marty, why?Metallica St. Anger
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