TheMoonchild
User

Reviews 161
Approval 81%

Soundoffs 34
News Articles 8
Band Edits + Tags 5
Album Edits 16

Album Ratings 200
Objectivity 89%

Last Active 09-21-22 5:20 am
Joined 01-08-13

Review Comments 1,334

Average Rating: 2.91
Rating Variance: 1.52
Objectivity Score: 89%
(Well Balanced)

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5.0 classic
Behemoth Ezkaton
Chant For Ezkaton 2000 EV is... alright on the album Satanica. But live, and in this version, it's downtuned and absolutely beautiful sounding. Something you probably didn't expect to hear about a Death Metal song of all things.
Bruce Dickinson The Chemical Wedding
Diamanda Galas Vena Cava
The absolute best of her voice works. Truly a must hear. Disturbing as fuck and unique.
Green Carnation The Quiet Offspring
Iron Maiden Maiden England '88
Iron Maiden Somewhere In Time
Iron Maiden Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
Iron Maiden Brave New World
Pink Floyd Animals
Porcupine Tree The Sky Moves Sideways
Rush Power Windows
Soundtrack (Film) Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1

4.5 superb
Arcade Fire Reflektor
BBC Doctor Who: Series 5 Original Soundtrack
Bruce Dickinson Accident Of Birth
Coldplay Mylo Xyloto
Diamanda Galas The Litanies of Satan
Ghost (SWE) Infestissumam
Ghost (SWE) Prequelle
Ghost (SWE) Meliora
Iron Maiden The Book Of Souls
Folks, Maiden are fucking BACK. I've only heard this
album twice so I'm not sure I can properly rate it
yet, but I can easily say this album is miles ahead
of The Final FlFrontier in every way- in fact it may
even be the best of the post reunion releases.

There's surprises throughout the album- unexpected
tempo changes, sudden key changes, etc. The music
is blazing and energetic and Bruce has never sounded
better.

This album definitely is a lot to take in at two
discs and 92 minutes . I'd say listen to disc one
and take a bit of a break before going onto disc
two.
Iron Maiden Dance Of Death
Iron Maiden Killers
Iron Maiden The X Factor
Iron Maiden Empire Of The Clouds
Nine Inch Nails Ghosts V: Together
Absolutely sublime. The music we need right now in these uncertain times.
No-Man Love You to Bits
Rush Grace Under Pressure
Rush R40 Live
Soundtrack (Film) Little Shop of Horrors
Steely Dan Pretzel Logic
Steven Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase.
Finally, Steven Wilson has dropped this 1970s prog charade and in its place has come a more sophisticated sound that shows just how diverse he really is; a brand new direction showcasing a more streamlined approach to Wilson's songwriting and at times it even goes full-on pop. Of course there's some trademark Wilsonisms here, but for the most part, Wilson has proved that sometimes making accessible music is sometimes the best way to move forward.
Tame Impala The Slow Rush
The Slow Rush can be compared to Ghost's Prequelle in a lot of different ways.rBoth albums are from one-man projects whose first few albums have an indie-cult appeal. They're both from artists who have that appeal but aspire for something bigger, and overall, they're the albums where both artists take that to its logical extreme.rFrom the opening vocal/synth sample that opens the album to the menlancholy fade-out, The Slow Rush is just absolutely fantastic, euphoric and danceable bliss.
The Civil Wars The Civil Wars
Southern goth doesn't get darker or richer than this. Raw, powerful, emotional, folksy. It's a shame they're no more. They had a great future ahead of them.

4.0 excellent
Alexandre Desplat Godzilla
Avenged Sevenfold The Stage
Wait, Avenged Sevenfold released a new album? So uh... why aren't the songs cheap Metallica ripoffs like they were on the past 3 albums? and why are they actually good?rBasically, this album is both something of a return to their more City of Evil sound and a new direction- both are something the band have been needing for a number of years now. There are a few bum moments here and there but the band finally sound revitalized and inspired, for the first time in 11 years. And the album's biggest surprise arrives in the form of its 15.5 minute final track... which I'll cover in my full review.rRecommended for sure.
Between the Buried and Me Colors
Bruce Dickinson The Mandrake Project
Coldplay Ghost Stories
Diamanda Galas Malediction And Prayer
Better than THE SINGER by a country mile. Though it wouldn't have hurt to have put I Put a Spell On You on here.
Dio Live In London: Hammersmith Apollo 1993
Dream Theater Parasomnia
George Michael Older
Ghost (SWE) Popestar
Henry Jackman & Matthew Margeson Kingsman: The Secret Service (OST)
Iron Maiden Live At Donington
Iron Maiden The Essential Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden Powerslave
Muse Drones
So THIS is why we listen to Muse. Basically, this album attempts the same "epic" pastiche but this time with more rock in place of the symphonic and electronic elements. Some gems here including the absolutely haunting Aftermath and the rollercoaster that is The Globalist (seriously, if you love proggy madness, feast your ears on this), and The Handler which is guaranteed to become the arena rumbler of the bunch. The album does fall short due to two glaringly awful tracks, but thankfully the good tracks do outweigh them.
Opeth Watershed
Pink Floyd Meddle
Porcupine Tree On the Sunday of Life
Run the Jewels RTJ4
Rush Rush In Rio
Rush Clockwork Angels
Serena Ryder Harmony
The Raven Age Darkness Will Rise
The British metallers are desperate to prove themselves as more than the band whose guitarist is Steve Harris, and opened for the 2016 of Iron Maiden's colossus world tour, so they drop a 75 minute debut LP that dabbles in Groove Metal and Metalcore with even some elements of thrash and prog for good measure.rAnd they succeed.
Tool Fear Inoculum
Venom Prison Samsara
Death metal that sounds fresh, energized and new. Can't wait to hear more from this band.
Weird Al Yankovic Off the Deep End

3.5 great
Adele 25
It's pretty disappointing on the first two listens but by the third you accept that this is a calmer and more collected Adele. It does succumb to some filler around the middle but towards the end it does pick up a bit.
BABYMETAL BABYMETAL
BBC Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collection
Between the Buried and Me Automata I
BTBAM have gone back to square one and given us an "autopilot" album (looks like the title was more prophetic than any of us expected)... and it's a wise move. Despite that, BTBAM try some new tricks here and there but they use it in favour of the music rather than centering the whole album around them, which is what cost Coma Ecliptic some points. Tommy's voice is beginning to show age and some of the riffs are recycled, but the music is good and exciting enough to excuse it. I've only given this one listen so my opinion may change in the coming days, but it's an easy improvement and if Automata II is as good as this, BTBAM may officially be back.
Billy Talent Afraid of Heights
Dead Silence was the kick in the jaw this band needed after a horribly mediocre third album.

This album is more or less more Dead Silence-type stuff. It's not quite as good but it still has the catchy riffs and hooks and scream-along vocal melodies we've come to expect in recent years.rAdditionally, there's some new stuff here. Time Bomb Ticking Away, suitably titled, is a great exercise in keeping the incredibly tense momentum going for a whole track, as is Rabbit Down the Hole, and Cannibal Rats is a great throwback to 90s grunge. Horses and Chariots has a post-2000s Maiden vibe to it I LOVE.

This album grows on ya with every listen. My actual review may be a 4.
Bruce Dickinson Tyranny Of Souls
Coheed and Cambria No World for Tomorrow
Coldplay Everyday Life
Donna Summer Love to Love You Baby
The title track is 17 minutes long and consists primarily of Donna moaning over a disco beat. If she was trying to piss parents off, she succeeded.
Dream Theater Distance Over Time
Ghost (SWE) Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic
Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape
Halsey Manic
Iron Maiden Virtual XI
John Mayer Paradise Valley
Lady Gaga Artpop
Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence
Muse The 2nd Law
Nightwish HVMAN. :||: NATVRE.
Opeth Pale Communion
Pink Floyd The Endless River
Poppy I Disagree
Rammstein Untitled
Rammstein is back, for better or for worse. At this point, you basically already know what to expect from them. The good news is this doesn't make for a redundant or predictable listen- in fact this album is shockingly heavier on the dance-rock stylings of their 90s material with some bits and parts of Mutter thrown in there for good measure. While the album does suffer a bit from awkward pacing of the tracks and sequencing, as a collection of songs it pretty much kills and these are some of Rammstein's most solid tracks. Total bangers: "Sex", "Auslander", "Weit Weg".
Steve Harris British Lion
Steven Wilson The Future Bites
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker Questamation
Volbeat Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie

3.0 good
Daft Punk Random Access Memories
It was alright, I guess. It was better than Human After All but too much of it seems recycled and from Discovery era. It's essentially Discovery in prettier wrapping paper, but lacking any real hooks and too reliant in vocals, most of which are done through a vocoder.
Diamanda Galas You Must Be Certain of the Devil
Donald Fagen Sunken Condos
Faith No More Sol Invictus
A good FNM album. Not exactly comeback album material and maybe not what I expected after 17 years but enjoyable enough.
George Ezra Wanted on Voyage
Kid's got quite the set of pipes on him, but the songwriting is lackluster for the most part. For every memorable and clap-worthy anthem like Cassy O' and Blame it on Me, there's two rather forgettable snoozers. But he's got talent and I can see him going places from here.
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden
Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience
Katy Perry Prism
No Doubt Push and Shove
Opeth In Cauda Venenum
People 4ing it before they've even heard it are exactly the reason Heritage and Sorceress ended up the way they did.
Rush Counterparts
Rush Vapor Trails Remixed
Sarah Brightman Dreamchaser
System of a Down Mezmerize
The Raven Age Conspiracy

2.5 average
Benson Boone American Heart
Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Descension
If I had to rate this album based on vocals alone, it'd be an instant 5/5. Claudio hasn't sounded this good since Good Apollo I. That being said, this album is better than the directionless and disappointing predecessor but it still lacks in quite a few places. It's a good pop album but not a lot of the songs, save for Sentry The Defiant stand out- though I am a bit biased because I first heard it when they opened for my favourite band (Iron Maiden). rHIGHLIGHTS:rSentry the DefiantrDark Side of MerGravity'srIron Fist
Dream Theater Dream Theater
Ed Sheeran +
Foster the People Supermodel
Ibeyi Ibeyi
Iron Maiden Nights Of The Dead: Live In Mexico City
Jay Malinowski And The Deadcoast Martel
Linkin Park From Zero
Madonna Madame X
At this point, it feels really weird to be
rating a Madonna album. Even her most
loyal know she's way past her prime. Madge
herself seems to be all but aware of it on
Madame X, easily her most honest and
bizarre album yet. The album is at it's
best - shockingly - when Madge is doing
stuff that you expect to make you cringe-
Dark Ballet and God Control are fine
examples. And it's at it's worst when it's
business as usual. To be fair to Madge,
though, this is an album that for once
shows an artistic direction being evident.
It doesn't work all the time, but at least
it seems like she's interested in moving
forth with something.

(Full review coming later tonight or
tomorrow)
MS MR Secondhand Rapture
Hurricane is without a doubt one of the absolute best pop songs of the decade. It's a shame the rest of the album is so boring.
Paul McCartney Give My Regards to Broad Street
Pendulum In Silico
Rammstein Liebe Ist Für Alle Da
Sufjan Stevens The Ascension
System of a Down Protect The Land/Genocidal Humanoidz

2.0 poor
5 Seconds of Summer 5 Seconds of Summer
Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold
Between the Buried and Me Coma Ecliptic
Coma Ecliptic is what Colors would sound like if it sucked. So there are very few growls on this album, but Tommy's clean voice doesn't have enough weight to carry the tracks. The riffs here sound so recycled and uninspired and the band just sounds like they're going through the motions. Colors and Future Sequence sound like beautiful soundscapes punctuated by moments of nightmarishness. Coma Ecliptic sounds like a day at work.
Beyonce Cowboy Carter
Bruce Dickinson More Balls To Picasso
Coheed and Cambria Year of the Black Rainbow
Creedence Clearwater Revival Mardi Gras
Daft Punk Human After All
Daft Punk Tron Legacy: Reconfigured
Hans Zimmer Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Iron Maiden A Real Live Dead One
Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2
Knife Party Abandon Ship
Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight
Madonna Rebel Heart
The sound of one of the pop greats being complacent as ever. Tight production and some decent songs can't save an overall lacking listening experience.
Metallica Hardwired...To Self-Destruct
Michael Buble To Be Loved
Muse The Resistance
My Chemical Romance Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Nine Inch Nails Year Zero
Opeth Sorceress
Opeth Deliverance
Primal Rock Rebellion Awoken Broken
Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool
Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm With You
Soundtrack (Disney) Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack (Film) Wicked
Steely Dan Gaucho
Storm Corrosion Storm Corrosion
The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath
The Mars Volta Frances the Mute
The Used Lies for the Liars
Troye Sivan TRXYE
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker Advanced Basics
Vitamin String Quartet Vitamin String Quartet Performs Muse
Yes Magnification

1.5 very poor
Alanis Morissette Alanis
Arcade Fire Pink Elephant
Avenged Sevenfold Hail To The King
Britney Spears Britney Jean
Eminem Music To Be Murdered By
Green Day Father of All Motherfuckers
Hans Zimmer The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Imagine Dragons Smoke + Mirrors
Katy Perry Teenage Dream
Knife Party Rage Valley
Lana Del Rey Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lauryn Hill MTV Unplugged No. 2.0
Mother Mother Very Good Bad Thing
Mumford and Sons Wilder Mind
Wilder Mind is an album that reminds you of how wrong you were in the past to hate Mumford for partying like it's 1865. Because even worse is the sound of them partying like it's 2009 or whatever year Kings of Leon were even relevant.
Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm Beside You
Rihanna Unapologetic
Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour
Sub Urban Thrill Seeker
Sum 41 Underclass Hero
Twenty One Pilots Blurryface
Twenty One Pilots Trench
Walk Off the Earth Sing It All Away
More hookless and uncatchy pop music from another band who got signed cause of some youtube cover. Some decent moments here and there but otherwise avoid.

1.0 awful
Barenaked Ladies Silverball
Brain Drill Quantum Catastrophe
Discharge Grave New World
Dream Theater The Astonishing
John. John. Earth to Mr. Petrucci. Wherever you are, you and I need to talk.

Enough of this. Seriously. I appreciate your earnest gusto for trying to lead this band out of a dark age with a founding member leaving. But since then you've been turning Dream Theater into more or less your own little vanity project. Your last two products were dull and uninspired but I'd take dull and uninspired over brash, loud and Spinal Tap any day.

The Astonishing is a joke. It's worse than a joke. It's not even funny. It's sad. This is undoubtedly your "Nostradamus". Overblown choirs and orchestras? Check. Shimmery piano? Check. Uninspired vocals? Check. Every single song drifts through one ear and out the other. What's truly depressing is how great some of the songs could be- "The Answer" could be a truly heartfelt ballad but it's too short and ends before it takes off. "A Savior in the Square" is just cringe worthy and had they reduced the orchestration from it and written actual lyrics it could have been good and that's just the start of it. "A Life LEft Behind" starts off awesomely enough but... yay, another ballad.

Honestly, John, LESS IS MORE. Enough of the shredding. Enough of the orchestras and choirs. Enough of the bombast and samples where not needed. Oh and ENOUGH OF THE PIANOS. I'm running out of fingers to count the amount of times on this album I was ready for some awesome stuff only for MORE PIANO.
Ed Sheeran x
In Flames A Sense of Purpose
John Lennon Wedding Album
John Lennon Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions
Judas Priest Nostradamus
Knife Party Haunted House
Korn The Path of Totality
Mumford and Sons Babel
what a fucking pile of wank. strum the banjo really fast and resort to a cliche book for lyrics
Nickelback The Best of Nickelback Volume 1
Nostalgia Critic The Wall
Psycho Synner Torch The Faith
Scars on Broadway Scars on Broadway
Serj Tankian Imperfect Harmonies
Twin Forks Twin Forks
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