Average Rating: 3.62 Rating Variance: 0.60 Objectivity Score: 72% (Fairly Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicBetween the Buried and Me ColorsI was flabbergasted that this album didn't as much as get a nod this year at the Grammys. Between the Buried and Me have outdone themselves yet again, raising the bar immeasurably high for the world of heavy music. Colors features epic-length compositions of intricate detail which flow unnoticably from one into the next. These guys put the sterotypical chug-chug-chug riffing of most metalcore to shame and don't even break a sweat while emulating Opeth, Yes, and everything in between. How do they plan on topping this?DJ Shadow Endtroducing.....Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IVZao Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest4.5 superb311 MusicAntonin Dvorak Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, B. 178Ben Harper Live From MarsThis is one of the best live albums that I own. Not only are all of the performances from the Innocent Criminals are spot-on (particularly Juan Nelson, bass), the two-disc set captures very opposite aspects of Ben Harper's performances. The first disc features the full band with occasional back-up singers and is loud, passionate, and expertly captures the spirit of everyone from Led Zeppelin to Paul Simon. The second disc is Harper alone onstage with an acoustic guitar, showing off his underrated skills at picking and strumming. The majority of disc two is quieter, calmer, and more reflective, but on tracks such as "Please Bleed," you can hear the pain soaked in his voice, the emotion teeming over until he is practically wailing.Between the Buried and Me AlaskaConverge Jane DoeConverge No HeroesGlass Casket We Are Gathered Here Today...Iron And Wine The Shepherd's DogMiles Davis Kind of BlueNorma Jean Bless the Martyr and Kiss the ChildOld Crow Medicine Show Big Iron WorldOld Crow Medicine Show O.C.M.S.A quality record encompassing older genres-- including bluegrass, old-time, country, and folk-- delivered with a rock n roll attitude. Strong performances from each member and an obvious band chemistry make up for the occasional misstep. OCMS is a joy to listen to.Streetlight Manifesto Somewhere in the BetweenSufjan Stevens IllinoisThe Chieftains The Long Black VeilThe Sound of Animals Fighting Lover, the Lord Has Left Us...4.0 excellent311 Grassroots311 EvolverBetween the Buried and Me The Silent CircusBetween the Buried and Me The Anatomy OfBuena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social ClubConverge You Fail MeConverge When Forever Comes CrashingDJ Shadow The Private PressIced Earth The Dark SagaIced Earth Something Wicked This Way ComesIced Earth Alive In AthensMeat Loaf Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into HellMiles Davis Bitches BrewMiles Davis Birth of the CoolMisery Signals ControllerMirrors felt too cluttered and schizophrenic to me. Controller, although still not as good as Of Malice and the Magnum Heart, is if anything more tenchnically challenging than the music on Mirrors, but it just sounds better. The final product is heavier and darker, and everything that one would expect from another collaboration between Misery Signals and Devon Townsend. Karl will never be able to compare to Jesse, but God bless him for trying his darndest.Nights Like These The FaithlessNorma Jean O' God, the AftermathOld 97s Blame It On GravityOld Crow Medicine Show Tennessee PusherPeter Bjorn and John Writer's BlockRobert Plant and Alison Krauss Raising SandSufjan Stevens MichiganSufjan Stevens Seven SwansSufjan Stevens A Sun CameThe Dodos VisiterThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones Question the AnswersThe Sword Gods Of The EarthThrowdown VendettaZao Liberate Te Ex InferisZao The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation3.5 greatAntibalas SecurityNot bad at all, but I liked 'Who Is This America' better. Where as that album was raw and sounded like it came straight from the street, 'Security' is more polished and has much more of a studio feel. Still, a great roots/jazz album.Battles MirroredBetween the Buried and Me Between the Buried and MeBrian Wilson SmileConverge Caring and KillingDave Matthews Band Live at Folsom Field, Boulder, ColoradoThis album does a fine job of capturing the energy that the band puts into their shows and in a few instances is a good display of their versatility and ability to jam. Most of the two disc set, however, is simply songs being performed exactly how they appear on the cd. The high spots are incredibly high, and the low spots drag on for uncomfortably long at times. Dave wails, Boyd shreds, and Carter bashes as much as they all possibly can, and it is a damn impressive result, but the real talent of the band lies in the subtle nuances of their performance and the chemistry that they share that lets them jam on so many different styles of music. It is this real talent, unfortunately, that is never displayed to its fullest potential here.Enya A Day Without RainEverlast Whitey Ford Sings The BluesGlass Casket Desperate Man's DiaryIced Earth Burnt OfferingsIced Earth Night Of The StormriderIced Earth The Glorious BurdenKate Nash Made of BricksLos Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster...Norma Jean RedeemerShadows Fall Of One Blood [Reissue]The 3.5 that I give this album is a bit of a compromise between the greatness of the music and the utter lack of necessity of the reissue. Maybe Brian Fair just needed some extra money to buy a new car or something, because I own the original, I've heard this, and I've found very little difference between the two. There's no need whatsoever to spend your money on this if you have the original, whose sound quality wasn't bad to begin with. That being said, this album features some of Shadows Fall's best work. While "Crushing Belial" and "Revel in My Loss" kick ass and take names from start to finish, the acoustic passages on "Round Bout Apollo" and "To Ashes" are equally as delicate and melodic. It stumbles in a few spots ("Montauk," anywhere Fair tries to sing) but a fine display of the power of Shadows Fall in their younger days.Streetlight Manifesto Everything Goes NumbThe Aquabats The Fury of the Aquabats!The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Devils Night OutThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones Let's Face It"The best Bosstones album, and the only one worth getting." That's a pretty bold statement, considering all the ground they've covered in the past two decades. At the time of its release, this was the Bosstones' most pop-oriented and radio-friendly album. That isn't necessarily a bad thing; Let's Face It also demonstrates the best songwriting and tightest horn section that they've ever had. Although in my opinion there are other Bosstones albums which are at least as good, if not better than Let's Face It (Question the Answers, Pay Attention), I agree that this album is highly reccommended to a variety of ska lovers.The Twilight Sad Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen WintersThis album is promising, but lacks a little something. I think that their newest EP, 'Here it Never Snowed, Afterward it Did' is better and more emotional with its Sigur Ros inspired soundscapes. 'Fourteen Autumns' does, however, provide some interesting alternative-indie-rock songs with fascinating lyrics, disturbing cover art, and occasional hints that The Twilight Sad are on the verge of creating a real masterpiece.Throwdown HaymakerZao The Funeral of GodZao All Else Failed (2003)Zao LegendaryZao The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here3.0 good311 From Chaos311 TransistorChiodos All's Well That Ends WellDead And Divine The FancifulDead and Divine's debut, What Really Happened at Lover's Lane, was a sort of first person narrative of the end of the world told told through metalcore with copious amounts of Norma Jean influence. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was a d*mned ambitious debut from a young band on a new label. The Fanciful finds Dead and Divine already following the path that Atreyu blazed four years ago, mixing their ballsy metalcore with a bit more radio-friendly rock. The songwriting is still strong and the lyrics are still more interesting than typical metalcore lyrics stuck in the 'broken hearts and betrayal, loyalty and virtue' mindset. Unfortunately these young men seem to have lost the spark of youth that made there first album stick out from the crowd. Maybe it's the silly f*cking mustaches. Maybe they'll continue down pop avenue and catch up to Atreyu. Or maybe they'll find the spark again next time.Everlast Forever EverlastingIced Earth Tribute To The GodsLed Zeppelin In Through The Out DoorMeat Loaf Bat Out of HellRick Ross TrillaSure, Trilla sounds like every other rap album out there right now. Sure, Rick Ross and his cohorts probably suck b*lls in a live show. Actually, the biggest boss that you've seen thusfar came to my school last year, T Pain (what the f*ck kind of name is that, anyway?) in tow. Although I neglected to waste $30 to go see them, the school paper tells me that they performed "The Boss" at the very beginning of the show and then did two reprises of it later on throughout the night. And I thought that kind of thing stopped being cool when Jerry Garcia died. Well that doesn't really explain my rating, but I think it helps to illustrate what this album stands for. Commercial crap. The same thing that everybody else is doing, just trying to be a little sleeker and shinier and sexier than the next guy. Don't get me wrong- there are some fun songs in here that I listen to quite a bit, but don't be fooled. There is little real talent to be found anywhere in the glam of Trilla.Snot Get SomeThis is the only Snot LP with Lynn Strait on vocals. After his death in a car accident in 1998, the band released a second studio album with various vocalists as well as a live album. But while this self-titled album displays a few very good hardcore punk songs, the whole effort comes off as a very mixed bag. The short instrumentals, while showing a bit of promise, are underdeveloped and serve little purpose other than filler. A few forays here and there into ska and alternative territory all result in major stumbles. As immature and mindless as the lyrics are (although the Peckinpah reference is admirable), the catchiness and aggression of a few of the tracks at least make Snot a half-way enjoyable listen. Recommended tracks: Snot Snooze Button Mr. Brett My BallsStreetlight Manifesto Keasbey NightsThrowdown Venom & TearsUnderoath They're Only Chasing SafetyZao Parade of ChaosZao (Self-Titled)2.5 averageChiodos Bone Palace BalletIn Flames A Sense of PurposeHere we see In Flames doing what they have done over and over countless times before. Chug chug, growl, sing, dual guitar melodies. Nothing new added to the mix. I think In Flames could have (should have?) thrown in the towel a decade ago and still had the same impact upon today's metal scene while perhaps retaining a bit more dignity.Nights Like These Sunlight at SecondhandThe Aquabats Charge!!The Mighty Mighty Bosstones A Jackknife To A Swan2.0 poor311 Don't Tread On MeChiodos The Heartless Control EverythingIced Earth Overture Of The WickedMeat Loaf Bat Out of Hell III1.5 very poorEvergreen Terrace Writer's Block"Writer's block" is not usually a term associated with anything positive, and in the case of Evergreen Terrace it's no different. Their cover album sounds cool on the first couple listens, and some of the songs featured here are indeed halfway amusing, but there's no getting around the fact that none of these songs are remotely as good as the originals. No significant changes have been made to put the band's signature on these covers. They're all simply played downtuned and distorted with unnecessary screaming in the background. The only part of this album that's really enjoyable every time is the Spongebob Squarepants song, and if you're looking for a metal band singing something silly at the end of their cd, Beyond the Sixth Seal do it a lot better.He Is Legend I Am Hollywood1.0 awfulGood Charlotte Good Morning Revival
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