| The Birthday Massacre Under Your Spell | 3.0 |
| Asking Alexandria The Black | 3.0 |
| Alesana Confessions | 4.0 |
| Hybrid (UK) Re_Mixed | 4.5 |
| Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz | 3.0 |
| FKA Twigs LP1 | 4.0 |
| Ratatat Magnifique | 3.0 |
| Mr Little Jeans Pocketknife | 4.5 |
| Michael McCann Deus Ex: Human Revolution | 4.5 |
| Cradle of Filth Hammer of the Witches | 4.5 |
| Glass Animals Zaba | 4.0 |
| Zella Day Kicker | 3.5 |
| Celldweller Transmissions: Vol. 02 | 4.0 |
| Godhead The Shadow Realigned | 3.5 |
| Breaking Benjamin Dark Before Dawn | 3.0 |
| 3OH!3 Want | 3.5 |
| It's fun, stupid, and years later The Lonely Island comes around and does something similar with less in-house singing and people love it; strange how that works. |
| Rabbit Junk Pop That Pretty Thirty | 4.5 |
| Rabbit Junk Invasion | 3.5 |
| Moonspell Extinct | 4.0 |
| Enduser Calling The Vultures | 3.5 |
| Paradise Lost The Plague Within | 3.5 |
| Silverstein I Am Alive In Everything I Touch | 3.5 |
| Mechina Acheron | 4.0 |
| Really love their use of orchestral elements and non-English languages, this is fun. The entire theme reminds me of GiTS or Neuromancer, albeit in far less fleshed out world. While I could take or leave the main male vocals, Archeron is a novelty that I can easily see myself coming back to. |
| Junkie XL Mad Max: Fury Road | 4.5 |
| Kamelot Haven | 4.5 |
| Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion | 4.0 |
| Emika Drei | 3.0 |
| OJ Law Let's Be Adult | 3.5 |
| The Dreaming Rise Again | 3.5 |
| Marilyn Manson The Pale Emperor | 4.0 |
| Dir En Grey Arche | 4.0 |
| MO No Mythologies to Follow | 5.0 |
| The Knife Deep Cuts | 4.5 |
| The Cure Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me | 4.0 |
| The Cure The Head on the Door | 4.5 |
| Lindsey Stirling Shatter Me | 2.5 |
| I'm expecting more than just violin kissed dubstep this time around Ms. Stirling, and so far I'm rather disappointed. |
| Cybernetika Solar Nexus | 3.5 |
| More of a grower than his other work, the more prominent DnB influences/vibe overshadows the psychedelic-ness of his other albums and leave this as arguably the bands most accessible work. Solid, but not nearly on the level of what I had hoped for. |
| My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult Spooky Tricks | 4.0 |
| Combichrist We Love You | 3.0 |
| I'm not a fan of their "rock" direction that they've been leaning towards, Andy has plenty of side projects for that. I do however like how some tracks feel like a return to form for the group, though I could do without the dubstep elements even though they're obviously there in jest. rNot a terribly solid Combichrist album, not good enough for Panzer AG, and too "meh" to be as danceable as Icon of Coil. |
| Rise of Avernus L Appel Du Vide | 3.5 |
| Phantogram Eyelid Movies | 4.0 |
| Yoko Kanno Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OST Vol 2 | 4.0 |
| Yoko Kanno Wolf's Rain | 4.0 |
| Yoko Kanno Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OST Vol 1 | 4.0 |
| The Tuss Rushup Edge | 4.5 |
| Covenant Leaving Babylon | 5.0 |
| A combination of Skyshaper's energy and Modern Ruin's atmosphere, Leaving Babylon is something of a return to form for Covenant. It's not a faithful return to their roots, but the small innovations and nods to other genres are enough to set it apart from their past discography, once again moving them into a niche of their own creating. |
| Arcade Fire Her | 4.5 |
| Emika DVA | 4.5 |
| David Maxim Micic Bilo 3.0 | 4.5 |
| Depeche Mode Playing The Angel | 4.5 |
| AFI Burials | 4.0 |
| Theophany Time's End: Majora's Mask Remixed | 4.0 |
| Gary Numan Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) | 4.0 |
| Booka Shade Movements | 4.5 |
| Goldfrapp The Singles | 4.5 |
| Nine Inch Nails Hesitation Marks | 3.0 |
| Hesitation Marks is a prime candidate for playing on fans nostalgia and excitement; after all NIN hasn't done anything in how long??? If you manage to look past this you find an interesting album that somehow manages to utilize different genre's and styles but still remain bland and forgettable at the same time. The range of styles present throughout the album are a refreshing change but the tracks often fail to distinguish themselves past that, making for a lengthy listen that lacks replayability. Lyrically it's clear that Trent is in a happier place, and while I'm sure we're all happy for the man his angst is what many longtime fans have come to know and love; without it he comes across with a seemingly lessoned passion, making it harder to relate on that basic level present on his more famous works. It's nice to have Reznor and Co. back but Hesitation Marks simply can't compare to the groups glory days, and anyone who says otherwise really isn't looking closely enough. |
| Junkie XL Big Sounds Of The Drags | 4.0 |
| Ryan Amon Elysium | 4.5 |
| Little People Mickey Mouse Operation | 4.5 |
| Shpongle Museum of Consciousness | 4.0 |
| Dominik Eulberg Diorama | 4.0 |
| Kamelot Poetry for the Poisoned | 4.0 |
| Sithu Aye 26 | 4.0 |
| Children of Bodom Halo of Blood | 4.0 |
| A Winged Victory for the Sullen A Winged Victory for the Sullen | 4.5 |
| Thomas Newman Skyfall | 4.0 |
| bansheebeat Spiral Power | 4.0 |
| She (SWE) Coloris | 4.0 |
| She (SWE) Pioneer | 4.0 |
| She (SWE) chiptek | 4.5 |
| Fahrenheit Project Fahrenheit Project 3 | 4.5 |
| Fahrenheit Project Fahrenheit Project 4 | 4.5 |
| Fahrenheit Project Fahrenheit Project 5 | 4.5 |
| Sync24 [ Comfortable Void ] | 4.5 |
| Covenant Last Dance | 3.5 |
| Infected Mushroom Legend Of The Black Shawarma | 4.0 |
| Viscous Delicious b-sides abound here, and who is to say that that's a bad thing? Less rpsychedelic, sparse atmospheres are laid over tastefully simple guitar riffs and compliment rthe duo's vocals perfectly; the drumming is also simplistic but feels more tribal because of rit. Though the band is going in their own direction, the evolution is still quite catchy and ra great starting point to get into their harder, older work. |
| Royksopp Melody A.M. | 4.0 |
| C2C Down The Road | 4.5 |
| Emptyself Emptyself | 4.0 |
| Telepopmusik Angel Milk | 4.5 |
| Telepopmusik Genetic World | 4.0 |
| Tricky False Idols | 4.5 |
| Dead Can Dance Anastasis | 4.5 |
| Delerium Remixed: The Definitive Collection | 4.0 |
| Leftfield Leftism | 4.5 |
| I the Mighty Karma Never Sleeps | 4.0 |
| Muse Absolution | 4.5 |
| Vanna The Few and the Far Between | 3.0 |
| Kashiwa Daisuke Program Music I | 5.0 |
| Metric Grow Up and Blow Away | 4.0 |
| Enshine Origin | 4.0 |
| Daft Punk Random Access Memories | 3.0 |
| It feels quite lengthy when you're not entirely sold on the music. Listening to this was made worthwhile by "Giorgio by Moroder", "Motherboard", and "Contact"; if I wanted funk there's a plethora of albums from the genre's peak that I could delve into. |
| netra Mélancolie Urbaine | 4.0 |
| Hans Zimmer The Dark Knight Rises | 3.0 |
| Esthero Breath from Another | 4.5 |
| Bonobo Black Sands | 4.0 |
| Swarms Old Raves End | 4.5 |
| Submotion Orchestra Finest Hour | 4.0 |
| Submotion Orchestra Fragments | 4.5 |
| Emancipator Soon It Will Be Cold Enough | 4.0 |
| Dir En Grey The Unraveling | 4.5 |
| Bonobo The North Borders | 4.5 |
| Anamanaguchi Endless Fantasy | 4.5 |
| Hans Zimmer Inception | 4.0 |
| Sneaker Pimps Becoming X | 4.0 |
| Sneaker Pimps Becoming Remixed | 4.0 |
| M83 Oblivion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | 4.0 |
| Juno Reactor Transmissions | 4.0 |
| Juno Reactor The Golden Sun Of The Great East | 4.0 |
| Hybrid (UK) Morning Sci-Fi | 4.0 |
| Phutureprimitive Searching For Beauty... Part 1 | 4.5 |
| Infected Mushroom B.P. Empire | 4.0 |
| Infected Mushroom Classical Mushroom | 4.0 |
| Juno Reactor Labyrinth | 4.5 |
| Juno Reactor Bible Of Dreams | 4.0 |
| Juno Reactor Beyond the Infinite | 4.5 |
| Solar Fields Altered - Second Movements | 4.0 |
| Solar Fields Origin #02 | 4.0 |
| Depeche Mode Delta Machine | 5.0 |
| Daedelus Looking Ocean | 3.5 |
| Senses Fail Renacer | 4.0 |
| The Pretty Reckless Light Me Up | 4.0 |
| Natalie Walker Urban Angel | 3.5 |
| Kavinsky Outrun | 3.0 |
I'm not completely sure what to make of Kavinsky's first full length. On one hand his recent
surge in popularity really demanded something lengthier than his prior releases, so this
will appease new fans craving more. Coincidentally some of the tracks here feel out of
place, the most notable being "Suburbia" which feels uninspired and watered down (even if
you happen to be following the theme of the album). There are definitely some interesting
moments to be found (and those delightfuly retro sounding syths), but nothing quite as
strong as SebastiaAn's Total. |
| SebastiAn Total | 4.0 |
| Kavinsky Teddy Boy | 3.5 |
| Kavinsky Nightcall | 3.5 |
| Kavinsky 1986 | 4.0 |
| Swollen Members Black Magic | 3.5 |
| Plastikman Kompilation | 4.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Descension | 4.0 |
| Silverstein This Is How the Wind Shifts | 4.0 |
| Android Lust Crater 1 | 4.5 |
| Shikhee moved to another coast, and with it came a resolve to focus on atmosphere. rCrater is a departure from previous Android Lust albums in that the vocals aren't at the forefront of many of the tracks. Looking back, however, you realize that the atmosphere that makes this album excel was present in prior albums, begging to have free reign. rGo get this. Now. |
| Emancipator Dusk to Dawn | 3.5 |
| Kamelot Silverthorn | 5.0 |
| Ellie Goulding Halcyon | 4.0 |
| Silverstein Rescue | 3.5 |
| Passion Pit Gossamer | 4.0 |
| Sithu Aye Isles | 4.5 |
| Lunic Future Sex Drama | 4.0 |
Just beware if you buy this via CDBaby, the quality isn't perfect if you're a stickler for
WAV/320/FLAC (averages around 200 kbps). |
| Archive Controlling Crowds | 4.5 |
| The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble Here Be Dragons | 4.0 |
| Frou Frou Details | 4.5 |
| The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble | 4.0 |
| The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble From the Stairwell | 3.5 |
| Zero 7 Simple Things | 4.0 |
| Hooverphonic A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular | 4.5 |
| Massive Attack Blue Lines | 4.0 |
| Massive Attack Mezzanine | 4.0 |
| Portishead Dummy | 4.0 |
| Hooverphonic With Orchestra | 3.5 |
| Annisokay The Lucid Dream[er] | 4.0 |
| Igorrr Hallelujah | 4.5 |
| Digital Daggers The Devil Within | 4.0 |
| Disturbed The Lost Children | 3.0 |
| The xx Coexist | 3.5 |
| Juno Reactor From The Land Of The Rising Sun - Inside The React | 4.0 |
| The xx xx | 3.5 |
| The Cinematic Orchestra Man With A Movie Camera | 4.5 |
| Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling | 4.0 |
| M83 Hurry Up, We're Dreaming | 3.0 |
| Special Providence Soul Alert | 4.0 |
Really fun jazz/metal fusion. Strong basslines and interesting guitar work lead the way when
the jazz steps down from the forefront, but the drum work is never really anything more than
adequate. Certain moments seem to pay homage to Apocalyptica, while others would fit right
at home in an anime or videogame score. Though a lot of the tracks can be said to sound the
same, this is still worth your time. |
| Metric Synthetica | 4.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) (500) Days of Summer | 4.0 |
| Kashiwa Daisuke Re: | 4.5 |
| Klatu Mutual | 4.5 |
| Biome Two Way | 3.5 |
| Oak Pantheon From a Whisper | 3.5 |
| Machinae Supremacy Rise of a Digital Nation | 4.5 |
| I've had issues getting into this band for some time, but something about the vocal delivery and structure of the opening track "All Of My Angels" changed my mind. The guitar work here is amazing, and though the bands signature electronic/gaming elements are here it's not until later that you notice how well they are weaved into the tracks. Lyrically the album is fun too, as many of the songs can be taken from a gaming standpoint but also work well when viewed from a political or personal mindset. Overall Rise of a Digital Nation is a huge success, and will make my top album of 2012 list for sure. |
| Chicane Behind the Sun | 4.0 |
| Chicane Far From the Maddening Crowds | 4.0 |
| Darren Tate Horizons 01 | 4.5 |
| Atreyu Lead Sails Paper Anchor | 4.0 |
| Front Line Assembly AirMech | 4.0 |
| Rather than attempt to remain true to their industrial roots and become increasingly irrelevant (as many older industrial acts are apt to do) Front Line opts for creating a soundtrack score. And it works. Ignoring most of their roots and focusing wholly on a sound that befits the general theme of the game the band might be accused of selling out, but I really can't fault them for trying something new when the results were this enjoyable. |
| Vyrion Vyrion | 4.0 |
| Portal Swarth | 4.0 |
| How to Destroy Angels How To Destroy Angels | 3.5 |
| Delerium Music Box Opera | 3.5 |
| Dir En Grey The Marrow of a Bone | 4.0 |
| Dir En Grey Vulgar | 4.0 |
| Underworld Second Toughest in the Infants | 4.0 |
| Dir En Grey Macabre | 4.0 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Watchmen: Music from the Motion Picture | 4.0 |
| The Submarines Honeysuckle Weeks | 3.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Ascension | 4.0 |
| Brand New Deja Entendu | 4.5 |
| Above and Beyond Group Therapy | 4.5 |
| Above and Beyond Tri State | 4.0 |
| Timo Maas Loud | 3.0 |
| Fields of the Nephilim Fallen | 3.5 |
| The Birthday Massacre Hide and Seek | 3.0 |
| Fluke Six Wheels On My Wagon | 4.0 |
| Muse The 2nd Law | 3.5 |
| Showbread Cancer | 3.5 |
| Alkaline Trio Agony and Irony | 4.0 |
| GRiZ Mad Liberation | 4.5 |
| Voxis Darkeworld Project One | 4.0 |
| Novallo Novallo | 4.0 |
| Velvet Acid Christ Maldire | 3.5 |
| Blaqk Audio Bright Black Heaven | 3.5 |
| The Presets Pacifica | 3.5 |
| Dirty Vegas Dirty Vegas | 3.5 |
| Ling Tosite Sigure Inspiration Is Dead | 4.5 |
| Joel Nielsen Black Mesa Soundtrack | 4.5 |
| Skrillex Make It Bun Dem After Hours | 2.0 |
| Equilibrium Turis Fratyr | 4.5 |
| Ensiferum Iron | 3.5 |
| Ensiferum Ensiferum | 4.0 |
| Gatekeeper Giza | 4.5 |
| Unlike their debut album, Giza isn't attempting for anything grandiose or above its reach. Highly recommend listening to this while playing Doom. |
| Left Spine Down Caution | 4.0 |
| Tactical Sekt Syncope | 3.5 |
| Chymera Death By Misadventure | 4.5 |
I found myself forgetting that I was listening to a deep house/techno artist, there are some
influences here that really surprised me. Go get this. Now. |
| Protonica Form Follows Function | 4.5 |
| Katatonia Dead End Kings | 3.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers Singles 93-03 | 4.0 |
| Blind Guardian Nightfall in Middle-Earth | 4.0 |
| Camo and Krooked Cross The Line | 4.0 |
| Camo and Krooked Between The Lines | 4.5 |
| Blind Guardian Tales from the Twilight World | 4.0 |
| Amon Amarth Twilight of the Thunder God | 4.0 |
| Black Light Burns The Moment You Realize You're Going To Fall | 3.0 |
| Audio Genesis Device | 4.0 |
| 10 Years Minus the Machine | 3.5 |
| The Upbeats Panic | 3.0 |
| At first it seems as if Troglodytes might carry this split, but a bit overuse of the track title submerges the song into the same category as "Panic" |
| Shpongle Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland | 3.0 |
| The Synthetic Dream Foundation Mechanical Serpent | 3.5 |
Going into this with Ali's soundoff in mind it's quite clear to see where he's coming from.
I would almost agree that the tracks don't go anywhere, but this group has seemed like a
more sprawling ambient/atmospheric group to me and this album helps further that notion.
Some stellar atmosphere and not-quite-relaxed yet downtempo moments await within
Mechanical Serpent, if you're in the mood for it. |
| TNGHT TNGHT | 3.0 |
| Swollen Members Dagger Mouth | 3.5 |
| The Upbeats The Upbeats | 4.0 |
Taking a more laid back approach to drum and bass than their later LPs/Splits/EPs, The
Upbeats have crafted a rather great first full length release. Early listens will be sure to
get the almost liquid track "More Than Me" stuck in the audiences head, while the harder
hitting "Go Around" comes as a delightful change of pace. |
| The Upbeats Big Skeleton | 3.5 |
| NOISIA Imperial | 4.0 |
| NOISIA Program | 4.0 |
| NOISIA Split The Atom | 3.5 |
| Evanescence Evanescence | 3.0 |
| Metric Fantasies | 4.5 |
| Massive Attack 100th Window | 4.5 |
| Suis La Lune Riala | 4.0 |
| Suis La Lune Quiet, Pull the Strings! | 4.0 |
| General Midi Operation Overdrive | 4.0 |
Quite an eclectic release, General Midi really know how to blend their influences; bits of
break beat, big beat, and some triphop-esque elements bump uglies with sometimes gritty
electro to merge into a really fun album. |
| Haujobb Let's Drop Bombs | 3.5 |
| Pendulum Hold Your Colour | 4.0 |
| Pendulum Immersion | 4.0 |
| Pendulum In Silico | 4.0 |
| Green Day American Idiot | 4.5 |
| Assemblage 23 Bruise | 3.0 |
| Espermachine FLAK | 4.0 |
| Released at live shows, this EP showcases the bands older, colder sound quite well. |
| Espermachine Dying Life | 3.5 |
| Solar Fields Movements | 4.0 |
| Lustmord Carbon/Core | 4.5 |
| Solar Fields Mirror's Edge Original Soundtrack | 4.0 |
| Protonica Airflow EP | 4.5 |
| Paul Oakenfold Bunkka | 4.0 |
| Solar Fields EarthShine | 4.0 |
| Protonica Search | 4.5 |
| Though no song here is as long as those found on the groups Refresh EP, Search is just as enjoyable, if a bit more laid back. Progressive trance melodies sooth the listener as the bassline reminds them that this is music for late night dancing underneath a clubs neon glow. |
| Protonica Refresh EP | 4.5 |
| Though only featuring two tracks, Refresh really brings the progressive trance goodness. Constantly building, forever layering, these two songs are what grabbed me and they have yet to let go. |
| Green Day International Superhits | 4.5 |
| Juno Reactor Inside The Reactor | 4.0 |
| James Newton Howard Snow White and the Huntsman | 4.0 |
| Shpongle Tales of the Inexpressible | 4.5 |
| Shpongle Nothing Lasts... But Nothing Is Lost | 4.0 |
| Astral Projection Trust in Trance | 4.0 |
| Infected Mushroom Converting Vegetarians | 4.5 |
| Katatonia Viva Emptiness | 4.0 |
| Motion City Soundtrack My Dinosaur Life | 4.0 |
| Motion City Soundtrack I Am the Movie | 4.0 |
| Katatonia The Great Cold Distance | 4.5 |
| You Love Her Coz She's Dead Inner City Angst EP | 3.0 |
| Emma Hewitt Burn the Sky Down | 3.0 |
| Stray Letting Go | 4.0 |
| The Great Old Ones Al Azif | 4.0 |
| Nordheim Lost In The North | 4.5 |
| Overseer Wreckage | 4.5 |
| The LoveCrave Soul Saliva | 3.0 |
| Moonspell Alpha Noir | 4.0 |
| Epica Requiem for the Indifferent | 4.0 |
| Rob Dougan Furious Angels | 4.5 |
| VNV Nation Crossing the Divide | 2.5 |
Though VNV might have tried to bring new, more club oriented life to these select tracks
it's a mixed bag. Coming from Of Faith, Power, and Glory is not a good indicator in
itself as the album isn't meant for club play, and the only tracks that you could ever
imagine being remixed are presented here. Though some big names lend their hand to this EP
nothing really shines through the morass that VNV like to call their own sound; this isn't
something many would pay for. Post script: It is worth noting that the remixes of Tomorrow
Never Comes stand head and shoulders above the other's, if you want club oriented VNV look
no further than these. |
| The Crystal Method Divided By Night | 4.5 |
| Rather than strive to be cohesive The Crystal Method drop some of their prior sound/styling and incorporate guest vocals on all but two tracks, creating an album that thrives on the individual achievements therein. |
| The Crystal Method Legion Of Boom | 3.5 |
| Infected Mushroom IM The Supervisor | 4.0 |
| Squarepusher Ufabulum | 3.5 |
| Wodensthrone Curse | 4.0 |
| Various Artists Halo 2 Original Soundtrack-Volume 1 | 5.0 |
| Silent Descent Duplicity | 3.5 |
| Marilyn Manson Born Villain | 4.0 |
Born Villain is something that is wrapped up in nostalgia. For many who grew up in
the 90's Marilyn Manson was someone to be loved or despised; his music left a mark on the
youth of that generation. Fast forward to 2007/2009 and it's quite easy to see that the once
great rocker had fallen into a funk, creating albums that were deeply personal and hard to
withstand without knowing the reasons behind the tracks.***Born Villain is less grief
ridden than Manson's previous two albums, and more of a focused effort. He's moved past some
of the theme's of old and crafted an album that is both tied in the present while giving
long time fans a glimmer of his past. Repeated listens only heighten this effect, and often
songs that appear strange at first glance end up being stuck in one's head throughout the
day. ***While the album isn't groundbreaking it is a sight for sore eyes, seeing Manson once
again find himself. Did I mention his vocal delivery has only gotten better with age? |
| Cybernetika Nanospheric | 4.5 |
| In Mourning The Weight of Oceans | 4.0 |
| Basshunter Now You're Gone-The Album | 1.5 |
| Ott Skylon | 4.0 |
| Ott Blumenkraft | 4.0 |
| Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet? | 4.0 |
| Phutureprimitive Sub Conscious | 4.5 |
| Phutureprimitive Kinetik | 5.0 |
| Detroit Diesel Coup d'Etat | 4.5 |
If you found the Canadians debut album too harsh and repetitive rest easy, the band has made
Coup d'Etat far superior. The vocals are toned down to provide a more suitable harsh
ebm experience while the songwriting is still just as catchy. Nothing feels rushed here, the
product is finely honed and has far more of an atmosphere than its predecessor. Final
thoughts? Harsh vox in 2012 never looked so good. |
| Amon Amarth Versus the World | 4.5 |
| C-Drone-Defect Neural Dysorder Syndrome ReduX | 4.5 |
| His track featuring Ashbury Heights is perhaps my favorite industrial song of 2012, hands down. |
| Chrom Synthetic Movement | 4.5 |
| Mood willing I'll review this, but damn this is some of the best synth/futurepop I've heard in 2012. |
| Lunatic Calm Metropol | 4.5 |
| Sektor 304 Subliminal Actions | 3.5 |
| Inure The Offering | 4.0 |
| Wumpscut Women and Satan First | 3.0 |
| Freakangel Let It All End | 4.0 |
| What initially starts off as above average EBM with harsh vocals soon turns into something more as the album progresses; this has atmosphere, it's hard to describe. |
| Ayria Hearts for Bullets | 4.0 |
| Came for "The Gun Song" and stuck around for "1000 Transmissions." |
| Marilyn Manson Portrait of an American Family | 4.0 |
| Juno Reactor Gods & Monsters | 4.0 |
| Blind Guardian A Night at the Opera | 4.0 |
| Blind Guardian Imaginations from the Other Side | 4.0 |
| Marilyn Manson Guns, God and Government (DVD) | 4.0 |
| Disturbed Believe | 3.5 |
| Disturbed The Sickness | 4.0 |
| Disturbed Ten Thousand Fists | 4.0 |
| Faderhead FH3 | 2.5 |
| Blue Stahli Blue Stahli | 3.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Underworld: Awakening | 4.0 |
| You Love Her Coz She's Dead You Love Her Coz She's Dead | 3.5 |
| Wow, Owls! Pick Your Patterns | 4.0 |
| Unitary Second To None | 3.0 |
| Sadly this lacks the flow of Safe From Harm, but don't let that deter you from this Swedes unique brand of futurepop. A little more upbeat than its predecessor, and partial to a certain synth sound, Second To None does many things right; it's just not exceptional. |
| Battle Of Mice A Day of Nights | 4.5 |
| Tonight Alive What Are You So Scared Of? | 3.5 |
| The Crystal Method Community Service I | 4.0 |
| The Crystal Method Vegas | 4.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers Exit Planet Dust | 4.0 |
| Killing Joke Absolute Dissent | 4.0 |
| Hybrid (UK) I Choose Noise | 5.0 |
| Dir En Grey Dum Spiro Spero | 4.5 |
| Knife Party 100% No Modern Talking | 3.5 |
| Julien-K We're Here with You | 2.0 |
With We're Here with You Julien-K hark back to The Killers Hot Fuss, almost
completely leaving behind their previous style. Unlike Hot Fuss the majority of the
albums 12 songs are rather laid back vocal and synth affairs, causing a mass of downtempto
moments that are rarely broken up. The wonderful vocal hooks found throughout Death To
Analog are absent here; backing vocalist Brandon Belsky left due to the bands new
direction. Julien-K have slipped into mediocrity, steer clear. |
| Megaherz Herzwerk II | 4.0 |
| Depeche Mode Remixes 2: 81-11 | 3.5 |
| Depeche Mode Remixes 81–04 | 3.5 |
| Celldweller Soundtrack For The Voices In My Head 2, Chapter 01 | 2.5 |
| Vitalic Ok Cowboy | 4.0 |
| Feed Me Escape From Electric Mountain | 3.0 |
| Celldweller Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head 2, Chapter 02 | 4.0 |
| The Prodigy Invaders Must Die | 3.5 |
| Underoath They're Only Chasing Safety Special Edit | 4.0 |
| Skrillex Bangarang | 2.0 |
| Skrillex Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites | 4.0 |
| DAL EP | 3.5 |
| Underoath They're Only Chasing Safety | 4.0 |
| mind.in.a.box Revelations | 3.0 |
| xKore Full Russian | 4.0 |
| Reso Ishimura | 4.0 |
| Acylum The Enemy | 4.5 |
| Icon of Coil Uploaded and Remixed | 4.0 |
| Icon of Coil One Nation Under Beat | 3.0 |
| Panzer AG Your World Is Burning | 2.5 |
| Icon of Coil The Soul Is In The Software | 3.0 |
| This is borderline average, gets an extra .5 for the intelligent use of machine samples. |
| Cybernetika Atropos | 4.5 |
| Cybernetika Neural Network Expansion | 4.5 |
| Cybernetika The Scythe Of Orion | 4.5 |
| Horn Jahreszeiten | 4.5 |
| Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine: 2010 Remaster | 3.5 |
| Cyanotic MedPack Vol. 1 | 4.0 |
| The Presets Blowup | 3.0 |
This E.P shows The Presets at a much more vulnerable and angry stage of their musical
development; the opening tracks are almost a complete departure from the bands current
lyrical and music direction. It's not until the fifth track, "At A Loss", comes around that
the listener is grace with a taste of what was to come on the bands full length and even
then it's a look at the more somber, slower side at that. While not as danceable or catchy
Blowup manages to show the group at an early stage, one that already had slight
hints of genius. |
| Combichrist Frost EP: Sent to Destroy | 3.5 |
| God Module Rituals | 3.5 |
| Wynardtage The Grey Line | 4.0 |
| Wynardtage Praise The Fallen | 4.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D | 3.0 |
| Cradle of Filth Dusk... and Her Embrace | 4.0 |
| Cradle of Filth Cruelty and the Beast | 4.5 |
| KMFDM XTORT | 3.5 |
| KMFDM Nihil | 4.5 |
| Suicidal Romance Shattered Heart Reflections | 3.5 |
| While Ali Ladhani was dead on about the beauty of the female vocals and the way this concept has been done before, it didn't end up subtracting from the pleasure I took from listening to this. Reminding me of a more upbeat Mechanical Moth the album ebbs and flows around the vocals rather than the beats, it's worth your listen. |
| Flesh Field Belief Control | 3.5 |
| Thy Catafalque Rengeteg | 4.5 |
| Azrael Trigger Season to Sever | 4.0 |
| Dominion III Life Has Ended Here | 3.5 |
| Flesh Field Strain | 4.5 |
| Bombastic industrial rock with a gritty, less than perfect take production value; get your stomping boots, this album demands movement. |
| First Black Pope Spiritual Spiral | 3.5 |
| Cyanotic Prehab 25mg-EP | 4.5 |
| 16Volt AMERICANPORNSONGS | 3.0 |
| CygnosiC One Step Forward | 3.5 |
| Marilyn Manson Lest We Forget | 4.0 |
| 16Volt SuperCoolNothing | 3.0 |
| The Glitch Mob Drink the Sea | 4.5 |
| Rammstein Herzeleid | 4.0 |
| The Shizit Soundtrack For The Revolution | 4.5 |
| I didn't know entirely what to expect when I hit play on Soundtrack For The Revolution (also known as SoFTeR). Having only heard their self titled I was assuming that this would be more of the same, and I was both correct and wrong in that assumption. The energy from The Shizit is present, but I'll be damned if SoFTeR doesn't have better instrumentation. Ironically every sound here is softer, and the group shows that not only can they make noise, but they can create atmosphere ("I Walk Through Walls"). This sound, this musicianship, is something I could fall in love with. |
| Marilyn Manson Mechanical Animals | 3.5 |
| Daft Punk Tron Legacy: Reconfigured | 4.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails The Slip | 2.5 |
| Celldweller The Complete Cellout Vol. 01 | 3.5 |
| This is what I always wanted from Mr. Klayton - hard tracks, hard vocals, and great execution to back it all up. |
| Clint Mansell and Kronos Quartet Requiem for a Dream | 4.5 |
| Julien-K Death To Analog | 4.5 |
| Zeromancer Eurotrash | 3.0 |
| Orgy Candyass | 3.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine | 3.5 |
| Nine Inch Nails With Teeth | 4.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails Year Zero | 4.5 |
| Blind Guardian A Twist in the Myth | 4.0 |
| Terrorfakt Re/Evolution | 3.5 |
| Unter Null Unter Null | 4.0 |
| Much like Neocide there is a lack of vocals, but plenty of noise. The harsh interweaving sounds, if anything, are simpler here by comparison but the "age" of the sounds as well as the tempo makes for an intriguing listen for those who are determined or just want to be lost in the static. |
| Psy'Aviah Introspection/Extrospection | 3.0 |
| Unter Null Neocide | 4.0 |
| The noise here is surprising, the lack of vocals shocking, it's almost a completely different group. |
| Unter Null Sacrament EP | 3.5 |
| While the EP starts off relatively similar to The Failure Epiphany it soon changes into something more. The remixes provide a nice glimpse at what was to come with 2010's Moving On, and in a way Sacrament is the the only way to have even guessed at Ms. Null's progression. |
| Unter Null The Failure Epiphany | 4.5 |
| Marilyn Manson The High End of Low | 2.5 |
| Whereas Eat Me, Drink Me retained a small dose of Manson's older sound The High End Of Low is perhaps even more personal and less relate-able. "Devour" and "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon" contain a hint of the man many loved from old, the rest of the album meanders from strange to quizzically heartfelt. |
| Marilyn Manson Eat Me, Drink Me | 3.0 |
| This album, as well as it's predecessor, seem to be personal and not easily understood by the public at large. While tracks like "If I Was Your Vampire" and "You and Me and the Devil Makes 3" recall Manson's older sound the rest of Eat Me, Drink Me really remains a mystery; perhaps Manson really needed to say something other than the same message for once. |
| Diffuzion Winter Cities | 4.0 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Resident Evil: Afterlife | 4.5 |
| Behemoth Demigod | 4.0 |
| Behemoth Evangelion | 4.5 |
| Wolves Under Sail Grave Before Slave | 4.5 |
| Rabbit Junk Rabbit Junk | 4.5 |
| Decree Fateless | 3.5 |
| Various Artists (Industrial) Awake the Machines Vol. 7 | 4.5 |
| Various Artists (Industrial) Industrial Music To Cure Cancer | 3.5 |
| Nachtmahr (AT) Semper Fidelis | 3.0 |
| Blutengel Nachtbringer | 3.0 |
| Tüchters Letztes Gefecht Unbelehrbar | 4.5 |
| Haujobb New World March | 3.5 |
| Binary Park The Deviated | 4.5 |
| In 7 months time Binary Park has stepped up their game, this almost feels like an entirely new band. The tracks have energy while maintaining the excellent use of synth lines that Worlds Collide brought to the table, and the vocals only add to this seemingly new found identity. Skip the debut, get this. |
| Combichrist Noise Collection Vol. 1 | 3.5 |
| Phosgore Domination | 3.0 |
| Phosgore Warhead | 4.0 |
| With Warhead Phosgore finally steps up to the plate and creates something that is firmly his own. While the debut Domination wasn't bad it was too similar to other artists. Phosgore is finally starting to show why he was signed to Pro-Noize, this is one man to keep an eye on. |
| Wumpscut Wreath Of Barbs | 4.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | 5.0 |
| Blind Guardian Somewhere Far Beyond | 4.0 |
| Wumpscut Fuckit | 4.0 |
| Binary Park Worlds Collide | 3.0 |
| Wumpscut Embryodead | 4.0 |
| Mechanical Moth Fallen Into You | 3.5 |
| Mahria Mahria | 4.5 |
| AXOE Telegraphic | 4.5 |
Chill, relaxed, and just enough of a late 80's/mid 90's vibe to make listeners nostalgic.
Though it could be said that a lot of the tracks are similar/follow a similar pattern the
album remains solid and unique both vocally and when it comes to the groups choice of
synths. |
| C-Lekktor Tendencias Suicidas | 3.5 |
| CygnosiC Fallen | 4.0 |
| Grendel (NL) Soilbleed | 3.5 |
| Project Pitchfork Inferno | 3.5 |
| XP8 Hrs:Min:Sec | 2.5 |
| There's something rather off on XP8's debut. One on hand there are tracks like "Muv Your Dolly" with it's almost trance influenced sound and strange lyrics, and on the other you have the rest of the album - a bit minimal, lyrically quirky, it's definitely a different experience. Unique outings into the industrial landscape are welcome, but many will be put off by this bands own brand of industrial. |
| Dance or Die Nostradamnation | 4.0 |
| Silenzium Storm | 4.5 |
| [:SITD:] Icon:Koru | 4.5 |
| In a year where many larger name releases left me wanting more, Icon:Koru blow away the competition easily. Taking a decidedly harder approach the album steps into quasi-aggrotech territory through both beat and vocal style. Other tracks recall the beauty of Assemblage 23/VNV Nation and are tastefully done; [:SITD:] have released a contender for industrial album of the year. |
| VNV Nation Burning Empires | 4.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails The Fragile | 4.0 |
| Draconian Where Lovers Mourn | 4.5 |
| Combichrist Heat EP: All Pain Is Beat | 4.0 |
| Aborym Psychogrotesque | 4.0 |
| This is perhaps one of the strangest yet engrossing albums in the genre I've yet to hear. The flow between one "track" and the other never breaks the audio assault, and the unrelenting albeit tiny effects are a really nice touch. A wonderful genre mashup if you can handle the quirkiness inherent held within! |
| Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral | 3.0 |
| Colony 5 Buried Again | 3.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers Hanna OST | 4.5 |
| Acretongue Nihil | 4.5 |
| Crimfall The Writ of Sword | 3.5 |
| Encephalon The Transhuman Condition | 4.0 |
| Lustmord The Place Where The Black Stars Hang | 4.5 |
| Lustmord [ O T H E R ] | 4.0 |
| Soman Sound Pressure | 3.0 |
| Aesthetic Perfection The Devil's In The Details | 3.0 |
| Soman Noistyle | 3.0 |
| [distatix] Medication | 4.5 |
| Alien Vampires Fuck Off and Die | 4.0 |
| The more I listen to this album the more I like it. While the first few tracks might seem to show a band just going through the motions, the latter half of the album proves to be the real gem. |
| Syrian Alien Nation | 4.0 |
| Android Lust The Human Animal | 3.0 |
| The Human Animal see's the bands aggression stripped away and replaced by a more ponderous, simple approach. While still maintaining a level of vocal strangeness most of what fans have come to love about Android Lust has been taken down a notch (or three) here, leaving the album feeling light and rather bland. |
| Hanzel Und Gretyl 2012 Zwanzig Zwolf | 4.5 |
| A bit too by the numbers, Zwanzig Zwolf still hits hard. Maintaining the guitar centered sound of Uber Alles the band continues to give the audience what they want, and damn to hell the rest of it. Filled with simple lyrics spouted of in harsh German this is an album that screams FUN and maintains some technicality in spite of it. |
| Rotersand 1023 | 3.0 |
| I'm not sure what Rotersand are doing, Welcome To Goodbye was a superb album, it was focused. The later releases all seem scattered and filled with too many ides that have yet to come to fruition, as well as some varying styles of vocal delivery that I doubt the band would want to put on their resume. The album is worth a listen because it is [u]strange[/i] and has far more in common with the albums after it than those before. |
| Stray Abuse by Proxy | 4.0 |
| Somehow Erica Dunham manages to make her dark side project have some of the most happy and loving lyrics I've ever heard in the genre. This provides an excellent juxtaposition when the dark, somber tone of the music is placed side by side the lyrics; the finished project is something unique to behold and well worth your time. |
| Combichrist The Joy Of Gunz | 3.5 |
| Blondie Blondie - Greatest Hits | 4.5 |
| Aesthetic Perfection All Beauty Destroyed | 1.5 |
| I... I can't believe I'm rating something without actually having it but the public needs to know; this is horrid. In a year with many big name releases this should have been something to look forward to, another harsh lesson ala A Violent Emotion or the strange beauty of Close To Human. Instead the listener is assaulted with the Daniel Graves new vocal direction, one that bares far to much resemblance to The Gothsicles to do anyone good. No attempt is made to hide the simple 4/4 beats, the plain and minimally used synth lines; the album screams complacency, laziness, a cop out, a sell out, pick your preferred comparison because I could go on for awhile. The redeeming factors include the cover art, and the fact that the simple melodies are something you can hum along with before you shoot yourself. |
| Die Sektor Applied Structure In A Void | 4.5 |
| Their best work, filled with fun little breakaway moments that really distant them group from their past work. The samples and song structures are just downright enjoyable, and the vocals fit this theme. |
| Atrium Carceri Phrenitis | 4.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers Dig Your Own Hole | 4.5 |
| Pulcher Femina Darkness Prevails | 3.5 |
I really have no complaints about the latest offering from Pulcher Femina, it's a rather
melancholic ride filled with subtle synths. If you're looking for something new, something
bombastic, something that makes you reevaluate your stance on futurepop as a whole then
steer clear. If you enjoy Seabound or the darker lyrical content of certain VNV Nation
tracks give this a listen, as there's nothing inherently bad about this album. |
| Evereve E-Mania | 3.5 |
| Acretongue Strange Cargo | 4.5 |
| Diffuzion Body Code | 3.5 |
| Motion City Soundtrack Commit This to Memory | 4.5 |
| Android Lust Devour, Rise and Take Flight | 3.5 |
| Gary Numan Dead Son Rising | 4.5 |
| Far more atmospheric, this blend of industrial rock is something that grows on the listener. Initially seeming like a slow starter, the album thrives on Numan's lyrical prowess and the low volume crunch of the guitars. |
| Javelynn Chimaera At Heart | 3.5 |
| Helalyn Flowers Stitches Of Eden | 2.5 |
| From the opening moments, Stitches Of Eden is doomed to not impress. Helalyn Flowers have decided to drop most of what made their debut so catchy, so intriguing, for a by-the-numbers formula. What remains is an average album that's a dime a dozen, it fails to grab you and offers nothing to make you want to stay. |
| mind.in.a.box Dreamweb | 4.5 |
| mind.in.a.box Lost Alone | 4.5 |
| The Faint Danse Macabre | 4.0 |
| Placebo Sleeping with Ghosts | 4.5 |
| Unheilig Das 2. Gebot | 3.5 |
| Juno Reactor Shango | 4.5 |
| Infected Mushroom The Gathering | 4.5 |
| Infected Mushroom Vicious Delicious | 5.0 |
| I can't find anything I don't like about this album. |
| The Presets Apocalypso | 5.0 |
| Enduser Even Weight | 4.5 |
| CTRL Make Things Right | 4.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails Broken | 4.0 |
| Helalyn Flowers A Voluntary Coincidence | 3.5 |
Catchy, varied, and insidious Helalyn Flowers have crafted an interesting debut that flirts
with the poppier side of the electronic spectrum. N0emi is talented yet quirky, and the
bands single "E-Race Generation" is far catchier than it should be; Helalyn Flowers are a
mixed, if enjoyable, bag. |
| Unheilig Phosphor | 3.5 |
| mind.in.a.box Crossroads | 5.0 |
| Mindless Self Indulgence Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy | 3.5 |
| SAM SYNTHETIC ADRENALINE MUSIC | 3.5 |
| x-Rx Unmöglich Erregend | 3.5 |
| x-Rx Update 3.0 | 4.0 |
| x-Rx Stage 2 | 4.0 |
| Nine Inch Nails Fixed | 4.5 |
| Eisbrecher Antikörper | 3.5 |
| Android Lust Stripped & Stitched | 3.5 |
| Acylum Karzinom | 4.0 |
| Acylum have created an album of madness, but once again it's a vision of a world you'll want to visit again and again. Throughout the album there are various samples, tracks, and song snippets that help create a sort of story for Karzinom, and add a layer of tangibleness to this strange, addicting, musical insanity. |
| Unter Null Moving On | 4.5 |
| An album where each song convey's the idea of the artist moving on, from both the music and personal matters. Once this becomes clear to the listener the album becomes almost a musical journal of that final push before the clean air, of leaving and not looking back. It's a superb album, and is well worth your time. |
| Android Lust The Dividing | 4.0 |
| The emotion, the raw anger, the crazy twisting and turning vocals, this is one of my favorite albums from any female industrial act ever. "Kingdom Of One" not only slays in the club, with it's hard hitting ebb and flow style, it's also personal and very very emotion packed; definitely give this band a try! |
| Android Lust Resolution | 3.5 |
| Psyclon Nine Divine Infekt | 3.5 |
| AFI I Heard a Voice DVD | 4.0 |
| Nox Arcana Transylvania | 4.0 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Twilight Official Soundtrack | 4.0 |
| Even though the film was everywhere, inducing a massive wave of (deserved) hate the soundtrack is a tiny alternative wonder. |
| Puscifer Conditions of My Parole | 3.0 |
| While interesting at times the album never takes off, and while Maynard has no issues making slower tracks work for him in his other projects here it just comes off as underwhelming. This leads the album to drag on, as the soundscape keeps to a theme and never really evolves past the first few tracks sound. Puscifer are still a hit or miss band, and for me this was a miss. |
| The Bolshoi Bigger Giants | 4.5 |
| The Bolshoi Friends | 4.5 |
| Alien Sex Fiend The Bat Cave Masters | 4.5 |
| Collide Counting to Zero | 3.5 |
| Grendel (NL) Harsh Generation | 4.0 |
| SAM Destruction Unit | 3.5 |
| Emika Drop The Other | 4.0 |
| Emika Emika | 3.5 |
| SAM Brainwasher | 4.5 |
| Blutengel Seelnschmerz | 3.5 |
| Blutengel Tränenherz | 4.0 |
| A7IE The Shattering | 3.5 |
| AFI A Fire Inside | 4.0 |
| AFI All Hallow's E.P. | 4.5 |
| Acumen Nation Psycho the Rapist | 4.0 |
| Alien Vampires Harshlizer | 3.5 |
| The Kovenant Animatronic | 3.0 |
| Dommin Dommin E.P. | 4.0 |
| CygnosiC A Deity In Pain | 3.5 |
| VNV Nation Automatic | 2.5 |
| Bauhaus Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape | 4.0 |
| Joy Division Unknown Pleasures | 3.5 |
| Grendel (ITA) Beowulf | 4.0 |
| Imperative Reaction Imperative Reaction | 3.0 |
| Bring Me the Horizon This Is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For | 3.5 |
| Chelsea Wolfe Apokalypsis | 4.0 |
| Pitchshifter www.pitchshifter.com | 3.5 |
| Marilyn Manson The Golden Age of Grotesque | 4.5 |
| Bile Sex Reflex | 3.5 |
| Evol Intent Era of Diversion | 4.0 |
| Rammstein Sehnsucht | 3.0 |
| Acumen Nation The 5ifth Column | 4.5 |
| Dammerfarben Im Abendrot | 4.0 |
| Rabbit Junk This Life Is Where You Get Fucked | 3.5 |
| Eyes Set to Kill White Lotus | 3.5 |
| KMFDM Hau Ruck | 3.5 |
| Blue Foundation Sweep Of Days | 5.0 |
| Listening to this release, it's a shame that the band decided to try and throw off such a delightful sonic foray into the trip-hop soundscape. The album see's the band at a five piece, and unlike other trip-hop groups the "hop" is here in far more force. Spoken word rhyming segments, free-form scratching, hip hop beats, and wonderful female vocals courtesy of Stern really set this release head and shoulders above the competition. though the band would later move on to other styles, this is the one that remains their masterpiece. You owe it to yourself to check it out, and for those rain days that need a soundtrack. |
| Tool Undertow | 3.5 |
| The Birthday Massacre Pins and Needles | 4.5 |
| Falls of Rauros The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood | 4.0 |
| Unitary Safe From Harm | 4.5 |
| Eths Soma | 4.0 |
| Left Spine Down Voltage 2.3: Remixed and Revisited | 4.5 |
| Lustmord Heresy | 4.5 |
| Rhapsody of Fire From Chaos to Eternity | 4.5 |
| Daft Punk Alive 2007 | 4.0 |
| Rotersand War On Error | 4.0 |
| Rotersand Random is Resistance | 3.5 |
| UnterArt Memento | 3.5 |
| Haujobb Dead Market | 4.0 |
| The latest offering by Haujobb is catchy, new, and doesn't get old. Daniel Myers continues to innovate and be a master at layering synths, the new album should rock! |
| Imperative Reaction Surface | 4.0 |
Surface is the lead single off of Imperative Reaction's latest effort, and while
normally remix E.P's get monotonous Surface retains its same level of fun throughout.
“Surface” was the perfect choice for a single, showcasing many changes to the bands somewhat
stale sound. With a new synth direction and a vast improvement in layering “Surface”
accomplished the goal of a single remarkably well, even giving fans a slight hope that the
gang vocals featured in the chorus were more than a gimmick. While the self titled album may
have let some down Surface remains fun and fresh, taking the best the band had to
offer and giving it a makeover. |
| The Cure Pornography | 4.0 |
| Numb Wasted Sky | 4.5 |
| The Cure Faith | 4.5 |
| Ataraxie Slow Transcending Agony | 4.5 |
| Cesium_137 Identity | 3.0 |
| Mindless Self Indulgence You'll Rebel To Anything | 3.5 |
| Collide Chasing the Ghost | 4.5 |
| By far the best of the Collide albums I have heard; "Razor Sharp" is a dark sensual dream while the cover of "White Rabbit" is suitably strange with kaRIN's haunting vocals, and that's just the first half of the album! Quiet subdued darkness has hardly ever sounded so good before. |
| Primus They Can't All Be Zingers | 4.0 |
| Nightwish Once | 4.5 |
| Peter Murphy Ninth | 4.5 |
| Haujobb Solutions for a Small Planet | 4.0 |
| Strap On Halo Cherry Flavored Quick Fix EP | 4.5 |
| Amorphis Silent Waters | 4.5 |
| Cyanotic The Medication Generation | 4.5 |
| Encephalon Drowner | 4.5 |
| Hanzel Und Gretyl Über Alles | 4.5 |
| Don't sell yourself short and give only "SS Deathstar Supergalactik" a listen, this album features some of the finest industrial metal I've ever heard. |
| VNV Nation Futureperfect | 4.0 |
| "I'm not alone and I'm not unhappy.... I'M NOT AFRAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - go give "Fearless" a listen, it's worth getting the album just for this track alone. |
| VNV Nation Of Faith, Power and Glory | 4.0 |
| Aesthetic Perfection Close to Human | 4.5 |
| This album sounds like a different band, only the vocals give the impression of Aesthetic Perfections later work. Less in-your-face and more subtle I found myself being drawn into the music rather than being bludgeoned by it, and while I don't mind the latter it's nice to have a break from that every once in awhile. |
| Breaking Benjamin We Are Not Alone | 3.5 |
| Breaking Benjamin Phobia | 3.5 |
| Covenant Modern Ruin | 4.0 |
| Assemblage 23 Meta | 5.0 |
| Panic Lift Witness To Our Collapse | 5.0 |
| Evanescence Origin | 4.0 |
| The Birthday Massacre Looking Glass | 4.0 |
| The remake of "I Think We're Alone Now" alone makes the album worth it, go pick it up and have some nice remixes thrown in too! |
| Atari Teenage Riot 1995 | 3.5 |
| The Birthday Massacre Violet | 4.0 |
| Rabbit Junk REframe | 4.5 |
| "I WANT MY LIFE BACK!!!!" - actually I don't since that would remove such an amazing album from my collection. Get this, you're here already looking at the page, go get it! |
| Bella Morte Beautiful Death | 3.5 |
| Dope Stars Inc. Ultrawired | 3.0 |
| Psyborg Corp. The Mechanical Renaissance | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory | 3.0 |
| Apoptygma Berzerk Harmonizer | 4.0 |
| Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits | 4.0 |
| Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil | 3.5 |
| Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold | 3.5 |
| Avenged Sevenfold Waking the Fallen | 4.5 |
| Samael Lux Mundi | 3.5 |
| Amaranthe Amaranthe | 4.5 |
| Aesthetic Perfection A Violent Emotion | 4.5 |
| Wumpscut Blutkind | 5.0 |
| In The Nursery Era | 4.5 |
| This really might be bumped up to a 5 for me, and with good reason. Tracks such as "Blueprint" and "Silent In Time" showcase the accessible side of the band (highly recommend either track to new listeners), while the latter half builds on the tension the first four tracks create. I really think this is something you should hear for yourself, go give it a listen. |
| The Used Artwork | 3.5 |
| The Used In Love and Death | 4.0 |
| Namnambulu Distances | 4.5 |
| Septicflesh The Great Mass | 4.5 |
| Septicflesh Communion | 4.5 |
| Wolfgang Gartner Wolfgang's 5th Symphony | 4.0 |
| The excellent E.P. only falls short of being superb due to "The Grey Agenda" not being able to rise to the bar set by the electronic remixing of the 5th Symphony. |
| Type O Negative Bloody Kisses | 4.5 |
| Evanescence Anywhere But Home | 3.5 |
| Evanescence The Open Door | 3.5 |
| Evanescence Fallen | 3.5 |
| Slipknot Slipknot | 4.0 |
| Matta Prototype | 4.5 |
| I really haven't listened to much dubstep other than what Deviant might link someone in a random comment/list but I can honestly say that Matta's debut trumps about everything I've heard. Go give the opening track "Mass" and "Hecq:Sura (Remix by Matta) a listen, you're already here reading this so you should be a fan of the genre (even if you just listen casually). I might be rating this so high due to pure ignorance of what else is out there, but I truly like it enough for a rating this high. |
| genCAB II transMUTER | 4.5 |
| Megaherz Kopfschuss | 4.0 |
| With an energy higher than some of Rammsteins offerings Kopfschuss really manages to keep the listener entertained. An obvious draw is their remake of "Rock Me Amadeus" which provides the perfect introduction to the band. The entire album is gorgeously filled with German vocals, harsh beats, and heavy guitars. Give the opening track "Liebest?" and "Jordan" a listen. |
| Seabound No Sleep Demon | 3.0 |
| Seabound No Sleep Demon V2.0 | 3.0 |
| This band has yet to truly impress me, but tracks such as "Torn" give me hope that eventually they will break out from being remix material and ultimately create something great. The ambiance prevalent here raises the rating from being average, but some will find the lyrical content grating (see "Coward") though as mentioned before remixes of Seabound prove quite entertaining. |
| Detroit Diesel Terre Humaine | 4.5 |
| Psyclon Nine We the Fallen | 4.0 |
| Psyclon Nine Crwn Thy Frnicatr | 4.0 |
| Psyclon Nine INRI | 4.0 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Sucker Punch | 3.5 |
| Definitely enjoyable, but it also falls into the trap of being wonderful when accompanied by the memories of the film. Without those images the album could feel a bit disjointed for some, and just downright average for others. If you still want to give it a listen without seeing the film go for "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)" "Army Of Two" and "Tomorrow Never Knows." |
| Emery We Do What We Want | 4.0 |
| Marilyn Manson Antichrist Superstar | 4.0 |
| Angelspit Krankhaus | 4.5 |
| Daft Punk Tron: Legacy | 4.0 |
| Protest the Hero Scurrilous | 2.5 |
| Blind Guardian At the Edge of Time | 5.0 |
| The Pillows FLCL No.3 | 3.5 |
| By far one of my favorite anime soundtracks, the collection of tracks embody the show with their upbeat, random, and fun feeling though without having seen the show this might be sub-par for some; personally "Stalker" is my favorite track. |
| Does It Offend You, Yeah? You Have No Idea... | 4.0 |
| Moonsorrow Verisäkeet | 4.5 |
| Neuroticfish Gelb | 4.0 |
| Forgotten Tomb Songs to Leave | 4.0 |
| Equilibrium Sagas | 5.0 |
| Moonsorrow Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa | 3.5 |
| Arafel The Second Strike: Through The Flame Of The Ages | 4.0 |
| While it has a different feel than their newest album the ferocity present makes it equally impressive and enjoyable to listen to as well. Definitely runs well from start to finish, this album is a hard hitting, pleasant surprise! |
| Within Temptation The Heart of Everything | 4.0 |
| Rosaline The Vitality Theory | 4.0 |
| The Presets Beams | 4.0 |
| Dornenreich Flammentriebe | 3.5 |
| Panzer AG This Is My Battlefield | 4.0 |
| From strange tracks such as "Panzer" (complete with German vocals) to the wonderful angry lines of "Filth God" Panzer AG keeps you hooked from beginning to end. |
| Icon of Coil Serenity Is The Devil | 3.5 |
| This album is enjoyable but nothing really stands out until "Former Self" comes along, requiring a few sub-par tracks (in comparison) to be endured first. A good album that helped lay the foundation for what Combichrist would become. |
| Icon of Coil Machines Are Us | 4.0 |
| A much stronger offering than their first release, you can almost hear where this influenced the 2005 Combichrist album an vice versa. Unlike "Serenity Is The Devil" the pacing is straightforward, catchy songs such as "Shelter" hit sooner and keep the listener's attention. |
| Tristania Beyond the Veil | 4.5 |
| Imperative Reaction Minus All | 3.5 |
| Depeche Mode The Best Of - Volume I | 4.0 |
| Rotersand Welcome to Goodbye | 4.0 |
| Arafel For Battles Once Fought | 4.0 |
| VNV Nation Judgement | 4.5 |
| Once "Testament" starts the listener is treated to an excellent (even by VNV Nation standards) album full of driving, catchy, beats and syths. "Decent" and its spoken word delivery is a stand out, and its not until the listener reaches "Secluded Spaces" that the pace drops back and slower moments take hold. Judgement is a superb album that flows excellently from start to finish. |
| Dethklok The Dethalbum | 4.0 |
| pg.99 Document #8 | 4.5 |
| VNV Nation Empires | 4.0 |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye | 4.5 |
| Miss May I Monument | 2.0 |
| The Contortionist Exoplanet | 3.5 |
| VNV Nation Matter and Form | 4.0 |
| Godhead 2000 Years of Human Error | 3.0 |
| Starting off with the catchy "The Reckoning" this album is really quite interesting. The Similar bands section nailed this group on the head, if you've listened to any of the bands mentioned there you've heard this mix of industrial metal before. For some reason all the songs refrain from being outright mediocre and manage to stick in your skull, a strange feat for a band similar to so many others. Godhead even threw a remake of The Beatles "Elanor Rigby" in towards the latter part of the album which proves to be quite good. While there's nothing spectacular to be found here, if you want the best the album has to offer go get "The Reckoning," give "Elanor Rigby" a listen, and leave the rest alone. (IF you must listen to any other tracks I suggest "I Sell Society" or "Sinking") |
| Winterhorde Underwatermoon | 3.5 |
| Obscurity Várar | 3.5 |
| Unlike the preceeding album Varar is filled with tracks that have individuality, though still managing to be just as catchy. Hitting just a tad bit harder than Tenkterra and featuring more of a thrash influence this is a fine release for new comers and old fans alike. |
| The Prodigy The Fat of the Land | 5.0 |
| Obscurity Tenkterra | 4.0 |
| Combichrist Making Monsters | 3.0 |
| Combichrist Everybody Hates You | 4.5 |
| The Named The Named | 4.0 |
| Combichrist What The Fuck Is Wrong With You People? | 3.5 |
| Celldweller Celldweller | 3.0 |
| Darkspace Dark Space III | 4.5 |
| I Am Alaska To Elude The Architect | 3.5 |
| Covenant Northern Light | 4.5 |
| Amia Venera Landscape The Long Procession | 5.0 |
| Dir En Grey Withering to Death | 4.0 |
| Emilie Autumn Opheliac | 3.5 |
| Feed Her to the Sharks The Beauty of Falling | 3.0 |
| Deftones Around the Fur | 4.5 |
| Rabbit Junk Project Nonagon | 4.0 |
| Chiodos Illuminaudio | 4.0 |
| AFI The Art of Drowning | 4.0 |
| Cyanotic Transhuman 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Omega Lithium Dreams In Formaline | 4.0 |
| I followed this album to release, and while it doesn't sound as good as it did then it's still enjoyable. The vocals of Mya are a nice departure from similar lead female vocal styles such as those found in Lacuna Coil and Evanescence; the backing vocals of Malice work well though he could improve on his delivery. The first half of the album initially seemed more unique to me, after "Andromeda" the tracks felt similar and it took a few listens until I was able to appreciate the album in its entirety. Recommended tracks: Stigmata - Catchy, was released online before the album came to the US. If you are able to check out the video, I personally enjoy the drummers style. My Haunted Self - A Lacuna Coil-ish duet between both vocalists, here you can decide if you like Malice or not. Factor:Misery - Opens up strong, and is something different than the rest of the album. |
| Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 | 4.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness | 4.0 |
| Eyes Set to Kill Broken Frames | 3.5 |
| Demon Hunter Summer of Darkness | 3.5 |
| The Offspring Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace | 2.5 |
| Rammstein Reise, Reise | 3.5 |
| Rammstein Mutter | 4.5 |
| The Human Abstract Nocturne | 3.0 |
| Tool Ænima | 4.5 |
| Breaking Benjamin Saturate | 4.0 |
| Trapt Only Through the Pain | 2.0 |
| Parkway Drive Horizons | 3.5 |
| From Autumn to Ashes Holding A Wolf By The Ears | 3.0 |
| Metallica Death Magnetic | 3.5 |
| Novembers Doom The Novella Reservoir | 4.0 |
| Slipknot Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses | 4.5 |
| Trivium Shogun | 3.5 |
| Symphony X Paradise Lost | 4.5 |
| Glassjaw Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence | 4.5 |
| United Nations United Nations | 4.5 |
| A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step | 4.5 |
| Vanna The Honest Hearts EP | 3.0 |
| Coal Chamber Dark Days | 3.5 |
| Queens Club Young Giant | 4.0 |
| I actually got this album by mistake, but I can honestly say that I like this release better (once I found that the band was from Kansas City Missouri I had to smile being from the state myself). I don't know how to best describe Queens Club, at times you'll be reminded of The Killers when they were in they're hay day and at others you'll find yourself drawing comparisons between them and more rock oriented bands with synth thrown in for good measure. I recommend dropping by their myspace and giving this a listen, I don't think you'll be disappointed. |
| A Skylit Drive Wires...and the Concept of Breathing | 3.5 |
| Puscifer C is for... | 4.0 |
| In Death We Rise Haven't Dreamt Of Murder, Haven't Been I | 3.5 |
| I can't speak for the other bands but I really enjoy In Death We Rise and can't get their tracks out of my head. The guitars, while simple, are in the forefront of each song and accompany the vocals quite well. |
| Killswitch Engage As Daylight Dies | 3.5 |
| Five Finger Death Punch War Is The Answer | 3.0 |
| Royal Bliss Life In-Between | 3.0 |
| After hearing "Save Me" for months on the radio and seeing them live I can honestly say I loved this album to death when it first released. Normally I can't find anything too terribly enjoyable from bands like this but there is a quality Royal Bliss have that makes the album pass by swiftly, and enjoyably. Recommended tracks "Save Me" "Here They Come" & "We Did Nothing Wrong" |
| Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight | 2.5 |
| Opeth Blackwater Park | 3.5 |
| Marilyn Manson Holy Wood | 4.0 |
| AFI Black Sails in the Sunset | 4.0 |
| 10 Years The Autumn Effect | 3.5 |
| Hopes Die Last Six Years Home | 3.0 |
| The Falcon Unicornography | 3.5 |
| Son of Sam Songs from the Earth | 4.5 |
| Pierce the Veil Selfish Machines | 3.5 |
| Destrophy Destrophy | 2.5 |
| The band is very accessible, I feel like they could do so much more though! You can actually hear the bass, for me it was a really nice surprise. The lyrics fit the song, but nothings too spectacular anywhere. If they didn't focus on being so accessible I believe they could garner some more fans. |
| Bullet for My Valentine Fever | 2.5 |
| Enter Shikari Common Dreads | 3.0 |
| Before There Was Rosalyn The Fuhrer: An Allegory of a History of Deception | 3.0 |
| I didn't like this album at first, I regretted the wasted money on a random band that was a bit more Christian than I'd like. However it grew on me, I use it as background noise. Since there are hardly ever any clean vocal chorus's the never ending screaming makes a good album when you just want noise to do meaningless tasks too, such as dishes. |
| Staind The Singles: 1996-2006 | 3.0 |
| Not a bad compilation of Staind, especially if you're not tired of the radio play time some of these songs received. I picked this up from Wal-Mart for $8 a few years ago, never regretted it. |
| The Fall of Troy Phantom on the Horizon | 4.0 |
| 10 Years Feeding the Wolves | 3.5 |
| Dir En Grey Kisou | 4.0 |
| Fall Out Boy Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits | 4.5 |
| Close Your Eyes We Will Overcome | 3.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Nightmare Revisited | 3.0 |
| Finch What It Is to Burn | 4.0 |
| AC/DC Black Ice | 2.0 |
| Chiodos All's Well That Ends Well | 3.5 |
| Anberlin Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place | 4.0 |
| Three Days Grace One-X | 3.0 |
| Muse Black Holes & Revelations | 4.0 |
| Seether Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces | 2.5 |
| Combichrist Today We Are All Demons | 4.0 |
| A Skylit Drive She Watched the Sky | 3.5 |
| Bury Your Dead It's Nothing Personal | 3.0 |
| In Flames Come Clarity | 4.5 |
| Atreyu Congregation of the Damned | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park Meteora | 3.0 |
| Breaking Benjamin Dear Agony | 3.5 |
| The Academy Is... Lost In Pacific Time: The AP/EP | 3.0 |
| Thirty Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie | 3.0 |
| A Perfect Circle aMOTION | 4.5 |
| AFI Sing the Sorrow | 4.0 |
| AFI Decemberunderground | 4.0 |
| Bullet for My Valentine Scream Aim Fire | 3.0 |
| System of a Down System of a Down | 4.5 |
| Red (USA) Innocence and Instinct | 3.5 |
| Muse HAARP | 4.0 |
| Madina Lake Attics To Eden | 2.5 |
| In This Moment A Star-Crossed Wasteland | 3.0 |
| Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace | 2.5 |
| Five Finger Death Punch The Way Of The Fist | 3.5 |
| Endwell Homeland Insecurity | 3.0 |
| Eyes Set to Kill The World Outside | 3.5 |
| Egypt Central Egypt Central | 3.5 |
| Death Cab for Cutie The Open Door | 3.5 |
| The Cure Disintegration | 5.0 |
| Collide Two Headed Monster | 2.5 |
| Chelsea Grin Desolation Of Eden | 2.5 |
| The Blood Brothers Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck EP | 4.0 |
| Who actually uses the word "harpsichord" lyrically anymore? Apparently The Blood Brothers do, and it works amazingly well for them! First two tracks are the real highlights here, with the insanely catchy "Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wrecks" swiftly followed by "Ladies and Gentlemen"which features the best screaming "duet" I have heard in a long time. The other tracks are good, but not like the standouts mentioned above. |
| Atreyu Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses | 4.0 |
| August Burns Red Constellations | 3.0 |
| All That Remains Overcome | 3.5 |
| 36 Crazyfists The Tide and Its Takers | 3.5 |
| Bring Me the Horizon Count Your Blessings | 4.0 |
| Underoath Define the Great Line | 4.0 |
| Skillet Comatose | 3.5 |
| Asking Alexandria Stand Up and Scream | 3.5 |
| Sevendust Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow | 3.5 |
| Hawthorne Heights The Silence in Black and White | 3.5 |
| Protest the Hero Kezia | 4.5 |
| Ugly Casanova Sharpen Your Teeth | 4.0 |
| Jamie's Elsewhere They Said a Storm Was Coming | 3.5 |
| My Chemical Romance The Black Parade | 4.0 |
| Alkaline Trio Remains | 3.5 |
| Alesana On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax | 4.0 |
| Alesana Where Myth Fades to Legend | 2.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 2.5 |
| My problem was I already owned most of the tracks on the album, the ones I didn't own turned out to be "ehhhh" for the most part. I must confess, I bought this due to the Linkin Park single found therein. |
| Demon Hunter The Triptych | 4.0 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Underworld Evolution Soundtrack | 4.5 |
| Underworld has always had interesting soundtracks, this is no exception. In my opinion the best of the three films music wise, the artists brought together really make the experience come alive. I don't think I've ever heard Hawthorne Heights be so, so, well so NOT sad. Alkaline Trio are at their most accessible with "Burn," Atreyu hits their hardest in "Her Portrait In Black." Even ender "HW2" is insanely catchy, yet somehow fitting. |
| Finch Finch | 3.5 |
| Vanna A New Hope | 3.0 |
| Vanna The Search Party Never Came | 4.5 |
| This was my introduction to Vanna, I quickly fell in love with the interesting mix of songs they had to offer. So I went off to their new albums... and was majorly disappointed. I enjoy The Search Party Never Came so much because of how it sounded, because of "Schadenfreude" and "I Am The Wind, You Are The Feather." But then again you can write all this off by knowing that I only enjoy Norma Jean's Bless The Martyr Kiss The Child. |
| Gregory and the Hawk In Your Dreams | 3.5 |
| Dir En Grey Gauze | 4.5 |
| Maximum the Hormone Bu-ikikaesu | 4.5 |
| Slipknot All Hope Is Gone | 4.5 |
| Norma Jean Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child | 3.5 |
| I See Stars 3D | 3.0 |
| A Skylit Drive Adelphia | 3.5 |
| Disturbed Indestructible | 4.0 |
| Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare | 3.0 |
| The Agony Scene The Darkest Red | 4.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World | 4.0 |
| The music fits the film perfectly, Metric's "Black Sheep" is a real highlight in my opinion |
| Dommin Love Is Gone | 4.0 |
| Dommin is bringing prestige back to a genre that needed something to help it off it's knees. Not everything has to be dark and brooding, we can have love too! |
| Tool 10,000 Days | 4.0 |
| A Perfect Circle Mer de Noms | 4.0 |
| VAST Visual Audio Sensory Theater | 4.5 |
| Bauhaus Go Away White | 4.0 |
| If this is how Bauhaus want to end it, it's on a strong note. |
| The Birthday Massacre Walking With Strangers | 5.0 |
| Apocalyptica Worlds Collide | 3.5 |
| Blaqk Audio CexCells | 4.5 |
| Rammstein Liebe Ist Für Alle Da | 4.0 |
| Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men | 3.5 |
| We Came As Romans To Plant a Seed | 3.5 |
| The Word Alive Deceiver | 2.5 |
| AFI Crash Love | 5.0 |
| Alesana The Emptiness | 5.0 |
| Disturbed Asylum | 3.0 |
