Tyler
Emeritus

Reviews 130
Approval 99%

Soundoffs 31
News Articles 131
Band Edits + Tags 26
Album Edits 40

Album Ratings 782
Objectivity 83%

Last Active 12-29-21 5:12 am
Joined 12-11-04

Review Comments 7,927

Average Rating: 3.38
Rating Variance: 0.72
Objectivity Score: 83%
(Well Balanced)

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5.0 classic
Against Me! Reinventing Axl Rose
I don't often drink, and I'm not known to engage in fist-pumping sing-a-longs, but every time I put this album on that starts to change. The album is a folk-punk masterpiece that's as raw as it is accessible, as fun as it is intriguing. Most importantly, it makes me want to grab a pint of Guinness and scream until I'm coughing up blood.
Arcturus The Sham Mirrors
Arrested Development 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days...
Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell
Burzum Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Converge Jane Doe
Dio Holy Diver
Ronnie James Dio is an anomaly. While on the surface he's an elf-like Italian man struggling to push 5 feet, Dio is actually one of the most powerful voices in metal. His debut "solo" release plays off the success of his Heaven and Hell album with Black Sabbath, the most obvious indicator of this being the title tracks off both albums (Heaven and Hell and Holy Diver, for those keeping tabs). For being a proto-power metal masterpiece, one not without the perfect blend of melody and cheese, Holy Diver struggles to be anything less than essential.
GZA Liquid Swords
Jeff Buckley Grace
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King
Lost Horizon Awakening the World
Megiddo The Devil and the Whore
Mr. Bungle California
Neurosis The Eye of Every Storm
Orphaned Land Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons...)
Sigh Imaginary Sonicscape
Sigh Scenes from Hell
Solomon Burke Don't Give Up On Me
Stevie Wonder Innervisions
Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life
Weezer Pinkerton
Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

4.5 superb
A Tribe Called Quest People's Instinctive Travels & The Paths of Rhythm
Adam Haworth Stephens We Live on Cliffs
AFI The Art of Drowning
Against Me! Crime as Forgiven By
Agalloch Ashes Against the Grain
Agalloch Pale Folklore
Bear vs. Shark Right Now You're in the Best of Hands
Ben Harper Live From Mars
Between the Buried and Me The Silent Circus
Blackalicious Blazing Arrow
Buried Inside Chronoclast
Burst Lazarus Bird
Butch Walker This Is Me... Justified And Stripped
Cryptopsy None So Vile
Dead Congregation Graves of the Archangels
Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Death Leprosy
Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030
Disillusion Back to Times of Splendor
Dismember The God That Never Was
Dismember, one of the most consistent bands in metal, released The God That Never Was this past February and added an extra dose of melody to their otherwise crunchy school death metal sound. With the God That Never Was, the band formerly known as Dismemberizer shows us their music is leagues above their English. Tied with Like An Ever Flowing Stream for their best release yet.
Dismember Like an Ever Flowing Stream
DJ Shadow Endtroducing.....
Elliott Smith XO
Elvis Costello This Year's Model
Fantomas The Director's Cut
Gorod Leading Vision
If you've ever wondered what would happen if a technical death metal band could write as well as they played, Gorod is your answer. With their sophomore release Leading Vision, Gorod proves that their blend of complex arrangements and technical execution is second to none. By adding a progressive slant to their already original sound, Gorod outdoes themselves in nearly ever respect: the lyrics are intelligible, the vocals don't come in at seemingly random intervals, and the level of technicality has been upped to a new height, all without turning the album into a total mess. One of the best technical death metal albums to ever be released.
Heaven and Hell The Devil You Know
Hot Cross Cryonics
Intestine Baalism Ultimate Instinct
Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison
Joyce Manor Never Hungover Again
Justin Townes Earle Harlem River Blues
Katatonia Viva Emptiness
King Crimson THRAK
Lost Horizon A Flame to the Ground Beneath
This album makes me feel like I can fly. Containing copious amounts of cheese, A Flame To The Ground Beneath is carried primarily by vocalist Etherial Mangnanimus, otherwise known as Daniel Heiman. Mr. Mangnanimus soars above and beyond, while the rest of the band has no trouble keeping up. Essential for fans of the genre.
Manic Street Preachers The Holy Bible
Masked Intruder Masked Intruder
Maxwell BLACKsummers'night (2009)
Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells
Mos Def Black on Both Sides
Nasum Shift
Ne Obliviscaris Portal of I
Neurosis Through Silver in Blood
Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Nokturnal Mortum Goat Horns
Old Man Luedecke My Hands Are On Fire & Other Love Songs
Operation Ivy Energy
Opeth Blackwater Park
Opeth My Arms, Your Hearse
Organized Konfusion Stress: The Extinction Agenda
Organized Konfusion Organized Konfusion
Pharoahe Monch Desire
Primordial To the Nameless Dead
Protest the Hero Fortress
Protest the Hero Scurrilous
Refused The Shape Of Punk To Come
Explosive. Revolutionary. And a little overrated.
Either way, The Shape Of Punk To Come is a hardcore classic that defies all conventions. The Refused may be fucking dead, but they sure went out with a bang.
Reverend Bizarre In The Rectory Of The Bizarre Reverend
Reverend Bizarre III: So Long Suckers
Rise Against Revolutions per Minute
Sigh Hangman's Hymn
Aggressive without coming off unbearably opprobrious, all the while remaining enticingly harmonious, "Hangman's Hymn" is both the bands fastest and most insistent all the while being perhaps their most fun to listen to. It manages to blend complex ideas and themes in such a way that they can be taken, and understood, on endless levels. Sigh's interpretive use of the Requiem lends itself to analysis, yet all the same, can be glossed over in hopes of just enjoying the music. The music holds its own, with its effective blend of symphonics, black and thrash metal. Toss in the band's affinity for progression and the avant-garde and you're in for, if all else fails, an intriguing listen.

But all else doesn't fail. This is an album to beat in 2007 in any genre.
Slick Rick The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Slough Feg Ape Uprising
Stephen Marley Mind Control
Streetlight Manifesto Everything Goes Numb
Subterranean Masquerade Temporary Psychotic State
Subterranean Masquerade Suspended Animation Dreams
Suffocation Pierced from Within
The Clash London Calling
The Dillinger Escape Plan Option Paralysis
The Red Chord Fused Together in Revolving Doors
The Red Chord Fed Through the Teeth Machine
The Wildhearts Earth vs. The Wildhearts
Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance
Tom Waits Rain Dogs
TV on the Radio Dear Science
Two Gallants The Throes
Ulver Nattens Madrigal
Ulver Svidd Neger OST
Weezer The Blue Album (Deluxe Edition)
William Shatner Has Been
X Japan Art of Life
Yndi Halda Enjoy Eternal Bliss
Yusef Lateef Eastern Sounds

4.0 excellent
A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory
AFI Black Sails in the Sunset
Against Me! As the Eternal Cowboy
Agalloch The Mantle
American Nightmare We're Down Til We're Underground
Amon Amarth With Oden on Our Side
Amon Amarth Surtur Rising
Surtur Risings cover tells you all you need to know about the album. On it, a skyscraper sized warrior takes a flaming sword to an army of lesser soldiers. Oh, and hes standing in front of an erupting volcano, a perfect metaphor for the bands fire-y, Valhalla worthy eight album. Does it sound exactly like every other Amon Amarth album? Yep. But since when is that a bad thing? Its 48 minutes of catchy-but-heavy death metal done right, and despite its similarities to everything theyve done in the past, it manages to best 20082s Twilight of the Thunder God with considerable ease. I cant explain it either
Amy Winehouse Back to Black
Anata The Conductor's Departure
Architects Hollow Crown
Arsis A Diamond for Disease
At the Drive-In Relationship of Command
Atheist Jupiter
Avail 4am Friday
Bad Religion Suffer
Bad Religion The Gray Race
Ben Harper Diamonds on the Inside
Between the Buried and Me Alaska
Between the Buried and Me Colors
Between the Buried and Me The Great Misdirect
Bigwig An Invitation to Tragedy
Black Star Black Star
Bob Marley and The Wailers Legend
Bolt Thrower Those Once Loyal
Brian Wilson Smile
Brother Ali Shadows On The Sun
Burst Origo
Candlemass Candlemass
Canvas Solaris Sublimation
Capharnaum Fractured
Cephalic Carnage Anomalies
Christina Aguilera Back to Basics
Clann Zu Rua
Clutch Robot Hive/Exodus
Common Rider Last Wave Rockers
Converge No Heroes
Converge Petitioning the Empty Sky
Cradle of Filth Thornography
Cryptopsy Blasphemy Made Flesh
Danger Mouse The Grey Album
Death The Sound of Perseverance
Death Individual Thought Patterns
Deathchain Deathrash Assault
Devin Townsend Terria
Devin Townsend Ocean Machine: Biomech
Dillinger Four C I V I L W A R
Dillinger Four Situationist Comedy
DragonForce Valley of the Damned
Dream Quest The Release
Dream Quest Centralia
Dream Theater Images and Words
Emperor Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire...
Emperor In the Nightside Eclipse
Enslaved Eld
Enslaved Ruun
Enslaved Axioma Ethica Odini
Faith No More King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime
Faith No More Angel Dust
Falkenbach Heralding - The Fireblade
Finntroll Jaktens Tid
fun. Aim and Ignite
Gatsby's American Dream Volcano
Genghis Tron Cloak of Love
Ghost (JPN) Hypnotic Underworld
Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere
God Forbid Gone Forever
Gorod Neurotripsicks
Gorod Process of a New Decline
Grayceon All We Destroy
Apocalyptica came really close to ruining cellos in metal, but Grayceons part of the relief effort. Without a bassist, Jackie Perez Gratz uses her cello to give the album its unique low-end, and having played on releases from Neurosis, Agalloch and Asunder, you can bet she knows what shes doing. And it shows: their sound is a progged out blend of sounds shes amassed over the years, a crushing, riffd out chunk of metal that wedges itself comfortably between the post and doom metal. Their name is kind of stupid, that part we cant ignore, but their music more than makes up for it.
Hellwitch Syzygial Miscreancy
Hematovore Untitled
Hibria Defying the Rules
Hot Water Music Caution
Hot Water Music The New What Next
Intestine Baalism Banquet in the Darkness
Into Eternity The Scattering of Ashes
Into Eternity Buried in Oblivion
ISIS Oceanic
Jill Scott Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1
Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros Streetcore
John Mayer Continuum
Junior Battles Idle Ages
Justice †
k-os Joyful Rebellion
k-os Exit
KEN mode Venerable
Another top album produced by Kurt Ballouwhat can we say, the guy keeps busy. Venerable is what happens when you let a metal band borne in a sea of noise go crazy. Finally escaping the Mastodon comparisons that plagued their early records, Venerable is as loud and disorienting as it is groovy, and tracks like The Irate Jumbuck and Mako Shark are downright spine-crushing. Venerable is masterfully precise, frequently angular and always pissed off, three reasons on a list of many of why you need to check this out.
King Crimson Red
King Diamond Abigail
Krallice Diotima
Kronos Colossal Titan Strife
Kyuss Blues for the Red Sun
Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Leftover Crack Fuсk World Trade
Lily Allen Alright, Still
Manowar Battle Hymns
Mastodon Leviathan
Matisyahu Live At Stubb's
maudlin of the Well Bath
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster II
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Menomena Mines
Meshuggah I
Messiah J & The Expert Now This I Have To Hear
Mobb Deep The Infamous
Monstrosity Spiritual Apocalypse
Monstrosity's "Spiritual Apocalypse" does a lot of things really well. It touches on brutality without entering brutal death metal territory. It makes excellent use of melody, yet it's by no means 'melodeath'. I guess what I'm trying to say is it does everything a good death metal album should.

Spiritual Apocalypse will kick your ass. The album's pace is relentless, yet never grows stale. The vocals are absolutely bloodthirsty, and Kelly Shaefer of Atheist even makes a brief appearance. The musicianship is ridiculously tight, and when you pair that with the previous points, this really is the death metal album to beat in 07. Take into consideration that this year sees releases from genre giants Behemoth, as well as hybrid heroes Akercocke and well, that's saying something. Some will say they were better with Corpsegrinder on vocals, and to them I simply say "have fun listening to gore metal". Some say Rise to Power was more effective, and to them I say "then listen to 'Rise to Power'". I, personally, am indifferent when it comes to Corpsegrinder, and I've listened to this dozens more than I ever did "Rise to Power".

Mos Def The Ecstatic
Municipal Waste Massive Aggressive
Muse Origin of Symmetry
Nachtmystium Instinct: Decay
Necrophagist Onset of Putrefaction
Negura Bunget OM
Neurosis Given to the Rising
NOFX Punk in Drublic
NOFX So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes
Nokturnal Mortum Weltanschauung
Opeth Damnation
Opeth Still Life
Orbs Asleep Next to Science
Ordo Draconis Camera Obscura Pt. 1 The Star Chamber
Pearl Jam Vs.
Pearl Jam Yield
Pelican City Rhode Island
Peste Noire La Sanie des Siècles
Peste Noire Ballade cuntre lo Anemi francor
Porcupine Tree In Absentia
Portishead Dummy
Primordial The Gathering Wilderness
Prince 3121
Prince Sign o' the Times
Prince Purple Rain
Propagandhi Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
Protest the Hero Kezia
Protest the Hero A Calculated Use of Sound
Psycroptic The Scepter of the Ancients
Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime
Quo Vadis Defiant Imagination
Reverend Bizarre II: Crush The Insects
Rhapsody of Fire Symphony of Enchanted Lands
Rhapsody of Fire The Frozen Tears of Angels
Say Anything ...Is A Real Boy (re-release)
Say Anything ...Is a Real Boy
Sepultura Beneath the Remains
Sigh Gallows Gallery
Sigh has managed to do the unthinkable. Once known strictly as a Black Metal act, Sigh has continually evolved, testing the boundaries and limits of music.

With Gallows Gallery, Sigh finally abandons harsh vocals all-together. The album, their 6th full length, has finally pushed them to the top of the avant-garde pack. With a sound that could be simplistically described is extremely Japanese, Gallows Gallery proves that there is definitely a difference between genre-obfuscation and bastardization. The album retains much of their heavy 80s influence, as there's still a prominent Mercyful Fate influence to be found, but amidst the groups trademark riffage rests vocal melodies that sound like an Asian take on Brian Wilson that somehow sound right at home atop ultra psychedelic rock.

Proving that they can seemingly never release a bad album, Sigh has yet again shocked fans with their unique creativity and compositional prowess.

Surely one of the best releases to come out in 2005.
Sombres Forets Royaume De Glace
Sonata Arctica Ecliptica
Strapping Young Lad Alien
Symphony X V: The New Mythology Suite
System of a Down System of a Down
Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday
Textures Drawing Circles
The Chasm Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm
The Devin Townsend Band Synchestra
The Dillinger Escape Plan Miss Machine
The Dillinger Escape Plan Calculating Infinity
The End (CAN) Elementary
The End is a band that, throughout their relatively short career, has been plagued by comparisons. Always compared to fellow tech-giants Dillinger Escape Plan, it seems like these guys never had a shot.

With Elementary, The End proves that it's now or never. Having fully evolved beyond their grindcore roots, Elementary is what you get when "math metal" grows up. While they still retain many elements of chaos, dissonance and time-shifting, the focus on this album is tension and how it builds.

By exploring post- structures and finally toying with clean vocals, The End have put out an extremely strong album that's both lyrically and musically interesting. While it will certainly piss a lot of their fans off, it ultimately proves the sceptics wrong.
You have no reason not to give this album a shot.
The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin
The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath
The National High Violet
The Red Chord Prey for Eyes
The Roots Rising Down
The Tallest Man on Earth The Wild Hunt
The Vandals Hitler Bad, Vandals Good
Through the Eyes of the Dead The Scars of Ages
Titus Andronicus The Monitor
TV on the Radio Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV on the Radio Young Liars
Two Gallants What the Toll Tells
Ulver Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler
Underoath Cries of the Past
Unearth III: In the Eyes of Fire
Unexpect In a Flesh Aquarium
United Nations United Nations
Weezer Weezer
Weird Al Yankovic Dare To Be Stupid
Weird Al Yankovic Running With Scissors
Winds The Imaginary Direction of Time
Wolves in the Throne Room Diadem of 12 Stars
Wolves in the Throne Room are a US Black Metal band that lives in a house somewhere in the forests of Olympia, Washington. If you're still reading, please carry on; this album is definitely a lot better than you're probably thinking. The album builds off traditional Black Metal sounds and applies them to the lush structures of Post-Rock, all the while retaining a fairly ferocious folk/black sound. Never too raw for it's own good, never too ambitious for it's own good, Diadem of 12 Stars is an album that takes just the right amount of risks to make it work within a fairly standardized genre.
Worship Dooom
Yusuf Islam An Other Cup
Zao The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here

3.5 great
3 Inches of Blood Fire Up The Blades
A Wilhelm Scream Mute Print
Absu Absu
Aeon Bleeding the False
AFI Sing the Sorrow
After Forever After Forever
Against Me! Against Me!
Against Me! Searching for a Former Clarity
Against Me! New Wave
Aghora Formless
Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill
Alexisonfire Crisis
Alexisonfire Old Crows / Young Cardinals
Alice Smith For Lovers, Dreamers & Me
All That Remains The Fall of Ideals
Amon Amarth Twilight of the Thunder God
Amorphis Silent Waters
Antigua y Barbuda Try Future
Try Future is a highly unique and somewhat paradoxical album. While vocalist Germen's nasally, tweaked out Cedric Bixler-lite delivery can be at times grating (and frequently polarizing, I predict), his vocals never fringe too close to plagiarism. This reigns true for much of the album, as Try Future succeeds because of its near seamless blend of influences without actually sounding a lot like any of them. This is post-At the Drive-In played by the Melvins using Krallice's sense of tonality with Gospel's drummer behind the kit. And what a drummer he is. Guile is like Damon Che on steroids; the man is relentless and quite possibly an octopus. The rest of the band are no slouches, either. Try Future is a remarkable success, but what holds it back from being truly special is that its sometimes relentless nature can be a little overbearing, though to it's credit it clocks in at a modest 41 minutes. If you're curious, be sure to check out the pummelling title track and the Krallice-like, tremolo-heavy "Embers", both of which can be found on their official MySpace.

myspace.com/antiguaybarbuda
Arcturus La Masquerade Infernale
Arcturus Sideshow Symphonies
Arcturus Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Asmegin Hin Vordende Sod & Sø
Atheist Unquestionable Presence
Atmosphere Seven's Travels
Atmosphere God Loves Ugly
Autopsy The Tomb Within
Avail Front Porch Stories
Avenged Sevenfold Waking the Fallen
Avenged Sevenfold Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
Axis Powers Marching Towards Destruction
Bad Religion Stranger Than Fiction
Bad Religion The Empire Strikes First
Battles Mirrored
Becoming The Archetype Terminate Damnation
Becoming The Archetype The Physics of Fire
Behemoth The Apostasy
Behemoth Evangelion
Ben Harper Both Sides of the Gun
Bigwig Reclamation
Black Tusk Passage Through Purgatory
blink-182 Dude Ranch
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Strength And Loyalty
Borknagar Empiricism
Boysetsfire The Misery Index: Notes From The Plague
Brother Ali The Undisputed Truth
Butch Walker The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker...
Cannibal Corpse Kill
Celeste Nihiliste(s)
Cephalic Carnage Xenosapien
Clutch From Beale Street to Oblivion
Converge You Fail Me
Daath The Hinderers
DangerDoom The Mouse And The Mask
Darkthrone Transilvanian Hunger
Darkthrone Soulside Journey
Death Scream Bloody Gore
Death Symbolic
Death Human
Decrepit Birth Diminishing Between Worlds
Deftones Diamond Eyes
Deicide Deicide
Deicide The Stench of Redemption
Destroyer 666 Unchain The Wolves
Desultory Into Eternity
Devin Townsend Infinity
Devin Townsend Project Ki
Dismember Dismember
DivineFire Into a New Dimension
Dr. Dre 2001
Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
dredg El Cielo
Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP
Explosions in the Sky How Strange, Innocence
Faith No More Album of the Year
Faith No More The Real Thing
Falconer Among Beggars And Thieves
Fantomas Suspended Animation
Finntroll Nattfodd
Flying Lotus Los Angeles
Forest Silence Philosophy Of Winter
Frank Zappa Jazz From Hell
Frank Zappa Apostrophe
Genghis Tron Board Up the House
Ghostface Killah Fishscale
Ghostlimb Ghostlimb
Glass Casket Desperate Man's Diary
Glass Casket We Are Gathered Here Today...
Glassjaw Coloring Book
Gogol Bordello Super Taranta
Gwynbleidd Amaranthine
Even if it is a little too close to their influences for comfort, Gwynbleidd manages to craft an excellent 40 minute EP that flows between Folk, Death and even Black Metal with apparent ease.
Handsome Boy Modeling School White People
Hieronymus Bosch Artificial Emotions
HORSE the band R. Borlax
Ignite Our Darkest Days
Ihsahn The Adversary
Immortal Technique Revolutionary Volume 2
Into Eternity Dead or Dreaming
Jadea Kelly Eastbound Platform
Jedi Mind Tricks Visions of Gandhi
Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala
Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros Rock Art And The X-Ray Style
Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds
k-os Atlantis: Hymns For Disco
Kanye West The College Dropout
Kanye West 808s and Heartbreak
Kidcrash Jokes
Kiss Kiss Reality Vs. The Optimist
Kiuas The Spirit of Ukko
Kreator Enemy of God
Kvelertak Kvelertak
Lagwagon Let's Talk About Leftovers
Leftover Crack Mediocre Generica
Light Pupil Dilate Snake Wine
Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You
Manowar Kings of Metal
Maroon When Worlds Collide
Marvelous 3 Hey! Album
Meek Is Murder Algorithms
One man band turned three-piece wave of destruction, Meek is Murders first album is what happens when the Red Chords old touring guitarist (ca. Prey for Eyes) works with superproducer Kurt Ballou. Main dude Keller shreds six strings and his vocal chords through ten quick cuts of grind splattered, groove laden metal. The influences make sense: its Converge meets the Red Chord, and if that doesnt interest you, youre reading the wrong blurb. Its only 19 minutes.
Mike Patton Mondo Cane
Mirrorthrone Carriers of Dust
The latest addition to the ever-increasing Sputnikmusic league of super-fandom, Mirrorthrone is a band (or a dude) who manages to somehow live up to the hype. Sort of.

Carriers of Dust is such a ridiculous improvement from Vladimir Cochet's last album under the Mirrorthrone moniker that it's resulted in nearly everyone in this community taking this as something it's not. Vladimir is not a genius, nor is he a prodigy, but fuck, he is talented. Vlad is responsible for everything, and nearly all of it is well executed. The vocals vary between death and black while the guitars display excellent prowess without being overly flashy. The symphonics, while perhaps being a little "just because" at times, are mostly tasteful and they barely sound like toys, which is nice. The bass is well, this is Black Metal so just don't expect much. But still, Vlad struggles with the drums. While the programmed drums definitely sound much more realistic this time around, much of the drum programming is well, completely over-the-top.

When you excuse the hype and ignore the minor faults, you sit back and realize this guy did this entire album in his bedroom. Sit back and be amazed at an unrelentingly creative album. Carriers of Dust is definitely worthy of praise, as it's easily one of the best albums to come out in 2006, but sadly as we've been known to do, us MXicans may be giving this guy a little too much credit.

It's a Black Metal album that actually has some crossover appeal, so I guess that's saying something.

For fans of the Emperor brand of Black Metal.
Mudvayne L.D. 50
Mumakil Behold The Failure
Mushroomhead XX
Nas Illmatic
There's nothing classic about Illmatic. From the sometimes stale beats to the hilariously terrible choruses (which are essentially just the track title being repeated or yelled over and over), Illmatic just screams "good". And it is good. Pretty good, in fact. But last time I checked, pretty good wasn't good enough to put it at the top of a genre.
Natasha Bedingfield N.B.
Necrophagist Epitaph
NOFX White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean
Nokturnal Mortum Lunar Poetry
Obscura Cosmogenesis
Odious Mortem Cryptic Implosion
Opeth Lamentations
Opeth Watershed
OutKast Stankonia
Pantera Cowboys from Hell
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam Vitalogy
Peste Noire Lorraine Rehearsal
Porcupine Tree Deadwing
Prayer for Cleansing Rain In Endless Fall
Prince Planet Earth
Psycroptic Symbols of Failure
Raphael Saadiq The Way I See It
Rise Against The Sufferer and the Witness
Rush Vapor Trails
Russell Allen Atomic Soul
Sculptured Embodiment
SikTh Death of a Dead Day
Silversun Pickups Swoon
Slayer Reign in Blood
Soundgarden Badmotorfinger
Spawn of Possession Noctambulant
Strapping Young Lad The New Black
Strapping Young Lad Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad City
Strung Out Exile In Oblivion
Summoning Oath Bound
Symbyosis On the Wings of Phoenix
Symphony X The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Symphony X Paradise Lost
System of a Down Toxicity
The Devin Townsend Band Accelerated Evolution
The Dillinger Escape Plan Irony Is a Dead Scene
The End (CAN) Within Dividia
The End (CAN) Transfer Trachea Reverberations from Point: False Omniscient
The Faceless Planetary Duality
The Human Abstract Digital Veil
Its nothing to phone home about, but their third album is the first on which they realize their potential as something more than a disjointed back-and-forth of rehashed Bach licks and shitty hooks. Midheaven was a disaster but with a new vocalist (From First to Lasts Travis Richter) and their old guitarist (Nocturnes A.J. Minette), the Human Abstract has managed to craft a pretty solid, surprisingly heavy tech-metal album.
The Mars Volta Frances the Mute
The Pax Cecilia Blessed Are The Bonds
The Tallest Man on Earth Shallow Grave
The White Stripes Icky Thump
Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II
Tiger Army Music From Regions Beyond
Tool Lateralus
TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain
Ulver Blood Inside
Ulver Perdition City
Underoath Define the Great Line
UNKLE Never, Never, Land
Unleashed Midvinterblot
Virgin Black Requiem - Fortissimo
Vital Remains Dechristianize
Weird Al Yankovic Bad Hair Day
Weird Al Yankovic Off the Deep End
Weird Al Yankovic UHF
Weird Al Yankovic Straight Outta Lynwood
Wintersun Wintersun
Wolves in the Throne Room Black Cascade
Woods of Ypres Woods 4: The Green Album
Woods of Ypres Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth
Yakuza Transmutations

3.0 good
A Tribe Called Quest Beats, Rhymes And Life
Aeon Path of Fire
Aesop Rock None Shall Pass
AFI All Hallow's E.P.
Ahab The Call of the Wretched Sea
Akitsa La Grande Infamie
Alcest Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde
Alcest Écailles De Lune
Alexisonfire Alexisonfire
All Shall Perish The Price of Existence
Amon Amarth Versus the World
Animosity Empires
Apotheosis Farthest from the Sun
Architects Nightmares
Arcturus Disguised Masters
Arsis A Celebration of Guilt
Arsis We Are the Nightmare
Assaulter Salvation Like Destruction
Bad Religion The New America
Bad Religion New Maps of Hell
Bear vs. Shark Terrorhawk
Bedouin Soundclash Sounding a Mosaic
Behemoth Demigod
Between the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me
Billy Idol Devil's Playground
Biomechanical The Empires of the Worlds
Blackalicious The Craft
blink-182 Cheshire Cat
Bloodbath Resurrection Through Carnage
Butch Walker Leavin' the Game on Luckie Street
Cancer Bats Birthing the Giant
Cauldron Chained To The Nite
Circle II Circle Burden Of Truth
Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Commit Suicide Synthetics
Control Denied The Fragile Art of Existence
Cryptopsy Once Was Not
Cryptopsy Whisper Supremacy
D12 Devil's Night
Death Spiritual Healing
Death From Above 1979 Heads Up
Demilich Nespithe
Demoniac The Fire And The Wind
Demons and Wizards Demons & Wizards
Devin Townsend Physicist
Dio Killing the Dragon
DivineFire Hero
DivineFire Glory Thy Name
DragonForce Sonic Firestorm
Eluveitie Spirit
Eminem The Slim Shady LP
Evergreen Terrace Burned Alive By Time
Fall Out Boy Infinity on High
Fantomas Delìrium Còrdia
Fantomas Fantômas
Genghis Tron Dead Mountain Mouth
Girl Talk Night Ripper
Grand Belial's Key Judeobeast Assassination
Greg Graffin Cold as the Clay
Harlots Betrayer
I Killed the Prom Queen Music for the Recently Deceased
Iced Earth Burnt Offerings
Ikuinen Kaamos The Forlorn
This is fairly run of the mill "progressive extreme" metal. I mean, it's not to say it isn't enjoyable, and I can certainly say it was far better executed and produced than I envisioned, but in the end I can't help but notice the palpable superficiality that really dominates this album. It feels too exact, and ultimately it brings very little to the table in terms of surprises and originality. Case in point, I spaced out for a good 15 minutes and didn't feel like I missed a thing.
Immortal Sons of Northern Darkness
Immortal At the Heart of Winter
Immortal Technique Revolutionary Volume 1
Into Eternity Into Eternity
ISIS In the Absence of Truth
Janelle Monae The ArchAndroid
Jason Mraz We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Job for a Cowboy Doom
Johnny Cash American V: A Hundred Highways
Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around
Justin Nozuka Holly
Kanye West Late Registration
Kanye West Late Orchestration
Kataklysm Shadows and Dust
Kayo Dot Blue Lambency Downward
Lamb of God Sacrament
Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco The Cool
Lykathea Aflame Elvenefris
Machinae Supremacy Redeemer (Underground Edition)
Machine Head The Blackening
Madvillain Madvillainy
Manowar The Sons of Odin
Manowar Gods of War
Mastodon Blood Mountain
Mastodon Crack the Skye
Matisyahu Shake Off the Dust...Arise
Metallica Master of Puppets
Metallica Metallica
Metallica ...And Justice for All
MF DOOM MM.. Food
Mika Life in Cartoon Motion
Mika is kind of annoying, but he's also kind of talented, and he's more aware of this than anyone. Therein lies the crux of the album. He has the striking ability to write a charming, bubbly dance-pop song and then ruin it by showing us how high his voice can go.

Employing a sort of "look what I can do!" way of thinking, Mika grabs my interest then seems to see how quickly he can lose it. I want to like this, and I think I do. But it's tracks like Grace Kelley that keep me guessing. While it's arguably the catchiest and most well rounded song on the album, it's also one of the worst. And that's the thing with the album. I have such a difficult time thinking about whether I enjoy it or not that it distracts from the music itself.

When I really sit down and listen, I realize this is an all around good album. Sure, it's not without camp, and that spawns from his past writing jingles. Life in Cartoon Motion bottles down to a strong pop album with some good songs and some shitty ones. It has it's moments, but I can't see myself listening to this all that often.
Mirrorthrone Gangrene
My Chemical Romance The Black Parade
NOFX Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
NOFX Pump Up the Valuum
Om Conference of the Birds
Opeth Ghost Reveries
Opeth Deliverance
Opeth Morningrise
Opeth Orchid
Orphaned Land El Norra Alila
Pearl Jam Ten
Prince LOtUSFLOW3R
Radiohead OK Computer
Rhapsody of Fire Triumph or Agony
Rise Against Siren Song of the Counter Culture
Rush Moving Pictures
Saul Williams Saul Williams
Scar Symmetry Holographic Universe
Stolen Babies There Be Squabbles Ahead
Strapping Young Lad No Sleep 'till Bedtime
Strapping Young Lad Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing
Sum 41 All Killer No Filler
System of a Down Mezmerize
System of a Down Hypnotize
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Cure Disintegration
The Faceless Akeldama
The Fall of Troy Ghostship Demos
The Game LAX
The Locust Plague Soundscapes
The Mars Volta Amputechture
The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets Original Pirate Material
The Syncope Threshold Tale of The Complex Circuit
The Vandals Look What I Almost Stepped In
Thirty Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie
Threshold Hypothetical
Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV
Thrice Beggars
Through the Eyes of the Dead Bloodlust
Timbaland Timbaland Presents Shock Value
Tool 10,000 Days
Triskele Les Murmures de la Foret
Ulver Kveldssanger
Underoath The Changing of Times
Underoath Act of Depression
Unearth The Oncoming Storm
Van Halen 1984
Vornagar The Bleeding Holocaust
Weakling Dead as Dreams
Weezer The Green Album
Weird Al Yankovic The Food Album
Wolfmother Wolfmother
Yakuza Samsara

2.5 average
1349 Hellfire
AFI Decemberunderground
AFI Behind the Times
All That Remains Overcome
Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
As I Lay Dying An Ocean Between Us
At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul
Atreyu A Death-Grip on Yesterday
Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil
Becoming The Archetype Dichotomy
So far so bland. On one listen this comes off as a Christian blend between God Forbid at their best and In Flames at their worst. And you can't ignore the often goofy synth work that typically leads to the same formulaic song structure, e.g: goofy keyboard riff....pause...chugga chugga version of prior goofy keyboard riff.
Beneath the Massacre Evidence Of Inequity
Beneath the Massacre Mechanics of Dysfunction
Between the Buried and Me The Anatomy Of
Billy Talent Billy Talent
Bleeding Through The Truth
Burzum Hlidskjalf
Cannibal Corpse The Wretched Spawn
Children of Bodom Hatebreeder
Common Finding Forever
Cryptopsy And Then You'll Beg
Darkspace Dark Space III
Darkthrone The Cult Is Alive
Default The Fallout
Despised Icon The Healing Process
Diabolical Masquerade Deaths Design
Disarmonia Mundi Mind Tricks
Dissection Storm of the Light's Bane
DragonForce Inhuman Rampage
Dream Theater Train of Thought
Eagles Of Death Metal Death By Sexy
Godsmack Awake
Ihsahn angL
Into Eternity The Incurable Tragedy
Jay-Z Kingdom Come
Justin Timberlake Justified
Kamelot Ghost Opera
Kataklysm In the Arms of Devastation
Limp Bizkit Three Dollar Bill Y'all
Linkin Park Hybrid Theory
M.I.A. Arular
Matisyahu Youth
Megadeth United Abominations
Metallica Kill 'Em All
Michael Angelo Batio Hands Without Shadows
Mike Patton Adult Themes for Voice
My Dying Bride Songs of Darkness, Words of Light
Nile Annihilation of the Wicked
Nirvana In Utero
NOFX The War on Errorism
NOFX S&M Airlines
Origin Echoes of Decimation
Outworld Outworld
Pennywise From The Ashes
Pitbulls in the Nursery Lunatic
Primus The Brown Album
Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
Sevendust Home
Slipknot All Hope Is Gone
In keeping with Shawn Crahan's repertoire of goofy, Bungle-esque clown masks, All Hope is Gone is a veritable loot bag of metal stylings. But as it so typically goes with loot bags, there is something for everyone but it's ultimately just a bunch of random shit thrown together. Stick your hand in and you're first greeted with the nu-thrash stylings of "Gematria (The Killing Name)". Go in for seconds and you end up with the rhythmic shape-shifting "Butcher's Hook". So it goes.

There's definitely some strong material on here it's just way too all over the place. It's so varied and stylistically self-conflicted that it ends up being mixtape fodder more than anything.
Soulfly Primitive
System of a Down Steal This Album!
The Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works
The Fall of Troy The Fall of Troy
The Human Abstract Nocturne
The Human Abstract is a mixed bag. From a technical standpoint, the band is quite impressive. But once you really listen you notice that the massive amount of shred on this album more or less serves as a mask to lacklustre songwriting. Plus, I'd trade in a few arpeggios here and there for a semi-decent singer. It's a good album, no doubt about it, it's just not all it could be.
The Mars Volta Tremulant
The Red Chord Clients
The Streets The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
The Tragically Hip World Container
Through the Eyes of the Dead Malice
Weird Al Yankovic Poodle Hat
Xzibit Man vs. Machine

2.0 poor
Alcest Shelter
Anaal Nathrakh Passion
Angelcorpse Of Lucifer and Lightning
Arsis United in Regret
With A Diamond For Disease Arsis managed to do the unthinkable. The title track off said EP was essentially a fifteen minute guitar solo, and in short, the best thing they've ever done. So honestly, I don't know what to tell you about United in Regret other than it's more or less completely average in every way. This is clearly evidence that the Virginia two-piece over-exerted themselves on their previous EP, but I digress.

United in Regret isn't necessarily a bad album, it's just not very good. To be totally frank, I was bored by the third track. Sure, the album isn't without it's highlights; it's got some shred, as the kids say, but it's mostly pretty forgettable. Plus the way these guys produce their music is just infuriating, its way too layered. It was forgivable on their other releases but something about this album just totally irks me. Buy their EP, its leagues ahead of this. It's ironic that a band I can only take in small doses impressed me the most with a fifteen minute EP. Well, ironic or sad. And for the record, lead guitar tomfoolery does not make this a "technical" release. The majority of the leads on this album do nothing but distract the listener from the otherwise boring (and repetitive) songs.
As Blood Runs Black Allegiance
Ashlee Simpson Autobiography
Ayumi Hamasaki Secret
Bad Religion Into the Unknown
Billy Talent Billy Talent II
blink-182 Take Off Your Pants And Jacket
blink-182 Blink-182
blink-182 The Mark, Tom and Travis Show
Car Bomb Centralia
Deeds of Flesh Reduced to Ashes
Default Elocation
Dimmu Borgir In Sorte Diaboli
Don Caballero Punkgasm
Dream Theater Live Scenes From New York
Dream Theater Systematic Chaos
Ephel Duath Through My Dog's Eyes
Gorguts Obscura
Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction
Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape
Hate Eternal I, Monarch
Hinder Extreme Behavior
James Blunt Back To Bedlam
Nachtmystium Assassins: Black Meddle Pt.1
Neglected Fields Splenetic
Nile Ithyphallic
Obituary Darkest Day
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Vol. 1
Orphaned Land The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR
Peste Noire Folkfuck Folie
Psyopus Our Puzzling Encounters Considered
Raised Fist From the North
What the fuck? When did Raised Fist turn into E. Town Concrete?
Slayer God Hates Us All
The Autumn Offering Revelations of the Unsung
U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Underoath They're Only Chasing Safety
Veil of Maya The Common Man's Collapse
Vital Remains Icons of Evil

1.5 very poor
1349 Revelations of the Black Flame
50 Cent The Massacre
Ashlee Simpson I Am Me
Atreyu Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses
Behold... The Arctopus Arctopocalypse Now
Behold... The Arctopus Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning EP
blink-182 Enema Of The State
Brain Drill Apocalyptic Feasting
One of the only albums you can describe exclusively using onomatopoeias.
Burzum Daudi Baldrs
I just...I don't know what to say to this. This album proves that Varg Vikernes is either certifiably insane or far too sure of himself, and either way, it makes for a laughably horrible album. Sure there are some decent melodies, but no the whole it drags on like an imprisoned lunatic playing a toy piano. Actually, it basically is an imprisoned lunatic playing a toy piano.
City and Colour Sometimes
Common Universal Mind Control
Deathchain Cult of Death
Diablo Swing Orchestra Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
Green Day American Idiot
Limp Bizkit Significant Other
Limp Bizkit Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water
Low Level Flight Urgency
Metallica St. Anger
Nirvana Nevermind
Prozzak Saturday People
Sleep Terror Probing Tranquillity
The Human Abstract Midheaven
The Mars Volta Scab Dates
Three Days Grace Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace One-X
Tim McGraw Set This Circus Down
Trivium Ascendancy

1.0 awful
Atreyu The Curse
Brenoritvrezorkre Nevgzerya
Hawthorne Heights The Silence in Black and White
Hedley Hedley
Macho Man Randy Savage Be A Man
He's snapped into Slim-Jim's, wrestled Spider Man and won countless World Wrestling Championships.

And then for some reason he decided to become a rapper.

Though it has no redeeming features from a musical standpoint, Randy "Macho Man" Savage's debut album serves many purposes, most of which can all relate back to the word "coaster". Either way, it's so bad that it�s actually pretty hilarious. I mean, there's the angry "diss" track aimed at Hollywood Hulk Hogan (Be A Man), and he even slows the pace down for a tribute to the deceased Kurt Henning, otherwise known as Mr. Perfect.

Probably one of the funniest albums in the last 6 years. A must download, but for the love of God, don't spend more than 5 dollars on this.
Mutiilation Remains Of A Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul
Remains Of A Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul is cool from the raw and primal side of things, but from a logical view point it's atrocious. The slower parts are decent, and the vocals are effectively horrific, but honestly this is just completely ridiculous.

The first track is what it would sound like if you were to try and teach a 3 year old to play guitar leads, and the drumming is hilariously out of time. While only the first track seems to be plagued by horrifically bad guitar lines, the out of time drumming continues for the rest of the album.

Sure it's rare, and therefore sought after and horribly overrated, but I'd like to put emphasis on the horrible. One of the dumbest, and shittiest albums I've ever heard.

The perfect example of raw Black Metal done wrong.
Ricky Martin Ricky Martin
Sleep Terror Paraphile
Soulja Boy Souljaboytellem.com

0.5
Arghoslent Hornets of the Pogrom
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