Average Rating: 3.93 Rating Variance: 0.51 Objectivity Score: 60% (Somewhat Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicMachine Head Burn My EyesMachine Head The BlackeningMachine Head Unto the LocustI'm sure there'll be plenty of people determined to bash this album, as is always the case with such a highly anticipated release, so I'll write a pre-emptive rebuttal to the haters. On repeated listens, this record lacks nothing in the way of creativity, intensity, memorability, and brutality. The songs manage to be genuinely heavy whilst still including powerful, often melodic hooks, and the guitar work is probably some of the most solid the band have ever done. I never thought I'd be saying this, but in my opinion this tops The Blackening. Just as epic and heavy, but far catchier with more skilful songwriting. The best metal album of 2011 and an instant classic.Slayer Reign in BloodSylosis Edge of the Earth4.5 superbAbigail Williams In the Shadow of a Thousand SunsBlack metal meets metalcore. We all saw it coming. And we were all fairly certain it would be terrible. For this reason, Abigail Williams are a pleasant surprise. These guys have produced an excellent symphonic black metal record. Devoid of the artistic redundancy that plagues deathcore, most of this album sounds like a bastard child of Emperor, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, The Black Dahlia Murder and Behemoth, with very gothic-tinged, Cradle of Filth-reminiscent keyboards thrown in for good measure. Abigail Williams produce orchestra-heavy, thrashy, and extremely abrasive music. They seem to focus on constructing songs that revolve around epic symphonics, melody and overall crushing heaviness. The vocals and riffs speak volumes of death metal - and maybe even some Gothenburg - influence, and yes, there's breakdowns, but they're few and far between. They're utilised conservatively and tastefully, and are always complex and technical, complimented with overtones of melodic shredding and atmospheric keyboards. These nuances help them to blend into the rhythmic structure of the music, adding more creative layers and personality to the songs rather than dominating or defining them. Far from damaging the band's credibility or integrity, the metalcore influences make Abigail Williams' personal style of black metal sound fresh, powerful, and unique. The ultra-technical drumming is crazy throughout and, regardless of what you think of the 'core' elements, you can't deny that the frequent 'traditional' blast beats and soundscapes are epic, intense and brutal as hell. I am loathe to call this 'blackcore' or burden it with any other shallow label. Black metal purists will no doubt utterly despise this, but any open-minded extreme metal fan should find a huge amount to enjoy here. This band's sound is, in essence, a ton of european metal immitation flavoured with some choice New Wave of American Heavy Metal influences. It's awesome.Amon Amarth Surtur RisingAmon Amarth manage to create a middle ground, between the raw intensity of Fate of Norns, the greater complexity of With Oden On Our Side, and the accessibility of Twilight of the Thunder God. The result is a truly devastating album, packed with savage riffs, brutal vocals and epic solos. One of the best albums of the year so far, Surtur Rising is not for the faint of heart, and is possibly the band's most solid release yet, sure to catapult Amon Amarth to greater heights of unexpected success in their long and distinguished extreme metal career.Machine Head Through the Ashes of EmpiresMastodon The HunterMisery Signals ControllerOpeth HeritageSlayer Seasons in the AbyssSlayer South of HeavenSoilwork Natural Born ChaosSoilwork The Living InfiniteSoilwork The Ride MajesticSoilwork VerklighetenSylosis Conclusion of an AgeTesseracT Concealing FateTestament The New OrderTestament The LegacyTextures SilhouettesA fantastic album, perfectly blending tech, thrash, prog and ambient. The harsh vocals sound like a bit of a Meshuggah clone, but clean vocals are very emotional and fairly unique-sounding. There are sections in each song that construct complex, multi-layered soundscapes. The band play with atmospheres and time signatures, but successfully maintain an overall sense of cohesion. You can tell that there is real passion and artistic depth behind the music. A well deserved 'Superb' rating. This band is leaps and bounds ahead of most other 'djent' bands. Will be very interested to see what these guys do in the future.4.0 excellentAbigail Williams In the Absence of LightMachine Head The More Things Change...Painted in Exile RevitalizedI meant to select 4 originally but accidentally clicked 3.5, because I'm apparently an idiot.Slayer Show No MercySlayer Hell AwaitsSlayer Haunting the ChapelSoilwork A Predator's PortraitSoilwork The Panic BroadcastTestament Practice What You PreachTestament The GatheringTestament The Formation of DamnationTestament Dark Roots of EarthVildhjarta Omnislash3.5 greatBlood Stain Child MozaiqHere Comes the Kraken Here Comes the KrakenThis is brutality-centric music, but as far as deathcore goes, it's done very well. They seem to actually try to add some point to all the crushing heaviness - with a bit of underlying melodic riffing and shredding - and the breakdowns aren't all that generic. This is the clearist bass I've ever heard on a deathcore record, not that that's exactly saying much. The vocalist is also very talented. The inhales are a bit silly, but not nearly as bad as some deathcore vox. Still, the creativity is lacking after the first few tracks, not that creativity is exactly a priority in this genre. There's much better death metal out there, but in hardcore terms, these guys are alright.Machine Head The Burning RedSepultura KairosSlayer God Hates Us AllSlayer Divine InterventionSlayer Christ IllusionSoilwork Steelbath SuicideSoilwork Stabbing the DramaSoilwork The Chainheart MachineSoilwork Figure Number FiveTestament Souls of BlackTestament The RitualTestament Low3.0 goodMachine Head SuperchargerMiss May I MonumentSlayer World Painted BloodSoilwork Sworn to a Great Divide2.5 averageTestament Demonic2.0 poorSlayer Diabolus in Musica1.5 very poorSlayer Undisputed Attitude
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
