| Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue | 4.0 |
| There's something about bands taking a few years off, and then all of a sudden, coming back with an album that just kicks my ass. Cynic blew me away with Traced in Air in 2008, and now, Alice in Chains comes back out of nowhere, with an album that is almost better than their previous works. Jerry Cantrell shows no signs of wear over the 10+ year dissolution of Alice in Chains--his blues-laced riffs are back, and are chugging along fiercer than ever. Sean Kinney and Mike Inez are still holding a tight rhythm section, and the newcomer, William DuVall, is quite possibly the perfect singer for this new incarnation of Alice in Chains. DuVall's vocals give this album a very fresh feel, and at the same time, do enough justice to Layne Staley that when listening to this album, you know you're listening to Alice in Chains. In other words, this is not some half-assed comeback attempt, but a faithful sequel to the previous works of Alice in Chains. |
| Audioslave Out of Exile | 3.0 |
| Between the Buried and Me Colors | 2.0 |
| Blind Guardian Nightfall in Middle-Earth | 4.5 |
If you didn't know already, this album tells a story, that of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. Blind Guardian's interpretation is very faithful to the orignal work, and at the same time, very unique and suitable for their brand of power metal. The album is interlaced with spoken word interludes, that really help to convey that you are not only listening to excellent music, but also how the Noldor were exiled from Aman, how Fingolfin valiantly fell in single combat in front of the iron gates of Angband, how Morgoth forever doomed the children of Hurin . . . etc.
In other words, you're listening to a tale of epic proportions, told by a band playing technical and melodic music of epic proportions. Highly recommended. |
| Boards of Canada Hi Scores | 3.5 |
| Burzum Filosofem | 4.0 |
| Cavalera Conspiracy Inflikted | 3.0 |
| Coldplay Parachutes | 3.0 |
| Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head | 4.0 |
| Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | 4.0 |
| Cynic Re-Traced | 3.5 |
| Cynic Focus | 5.0 |
| Cynic Traced in Air | 5.0 |
There are no words that I can think of to describe this album. It is not music--Traced in Air is transcendent of such an ephemeral, petty label. It is something that you must listen to time and time again, until you can fully experience the multitude of atmospheres and emotions that it evokes.
This is art, in its purest, most beautiful, and most powerful form. |
| Death Individual Thought Patterns | 3.5 |
| Death Human | 4.0 |
| Death The Sound of Perseverance | 4.5 |
| Death Symbolic | 4.5 |
| Deftones Diamond Eyes | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Train of Thought | 2.5 |
| Dream Theater Octavarium | 3.0 |
| Dream Theater Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater A Change of Seasons | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Falling into Infinity | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Systematic Chaos | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Awake | 4.0 |
| Dream Theater Black Clouds and Silver Linings | 4.0 |
| Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory | 4.5 |
| Dream Theater Images and Words | 5.0 |
| Elliott Smith From a Basement on the Hill | 4.0 |
| Emancipator Safe In The Steep Cliffs | 3.0 |
| Emancipator Soon It Will Be Cold Enough | 4.0 |
| A great trip hop/instrumental album. An overall chilled out, organic vibe, with original beats and melodies. Standout tracks are "Lionheart," "Good Knight," and "First Snow." |
| Explosions in the Sky How Strange, Innocence | 3.5 |
| Explosions in the Sky The Rescue | 3.5 |
| Explosions in the Sky Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die... | 4.0 |
| Fates Warning Parallels | 4.0 |
| Fates Warning FWX | 4.0 |
| Fates Warning A Pleasant Shade of Gray | 4.0 |
| Fates Warning No Exit | 4.5 |
| Fates Warning Awaken the Guardian | 4.5 |
| Fates Warning Perfect Symmetry | 5.0 |
| Fates Warning Disconnected | 5.0 |
| This is the highlight of Fates Warning's career after the departure of Aresti and DiBiase. There's no lack of technicality or melody, and every musician on this album plays his part perfectly, complimenting the others at the same time (especially Kevin Moore and Joey Vera). The pieces themselves are all beautifully composed by the genius that is Jim Matheos. There are numerous time changes, addictive melodies, and powerful lyrics that evoke emotions of all sorts. Highly recommended. |
| Godsmack Faceless | 3.0 |
| Godsmack Godsmack | 3.5 |
| Gordian Knot Gordian Knot | 4.5 |
| Gordian Knot Emergent | 5.0 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Make Yourself | 3.0 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Morning View | 3.5 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) The Morning View Sessions | 3.5 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Light Grenades | 3.5 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) A Crow Left of the Murder... | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden The X Factor | 2.0 |
| Iron Maiden No Prayer for the Dying | 2.0 |
| Iron Maiden Virtual XI | 2.0 |
| Iron Maiden Fear of the Dark | 2.5 |
| Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast | 3.0 |
| Iron Maiden Killers | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden Powerslave | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden Death on the Road | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden A Matter of Life and Death | 4.0 |
| Jaco Pastorius Word of Mouth | 4.0 |
| Jaco Pastorius Jaco Pastorius | 5.0 |
| King Crimson Larks' Tongues in Aspic | 3.0 |
| King Crimson THRAK | 4.0 |
| King Crimson Discipline | 4.5 |
| King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King | 5.0 |
| King Crimson Red | 5.0 |
| King Crimson Starless and Bible Black | 5.0 |
| Linkin Park Meteora | 2.5 |
| Linkin Park Reanimation | 2.5 |
| Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory | 4.0 |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye | 4.0 |
| Crack the Skye brings more to the the table than your run-of-the-mill metal album. Amazing technicality, strong performances from both lead vocalists, great melodies, and excellent riffage that will be stuck in your head for days. Tag on a truly unique lyrical concept/theme, and you've got an album that you'll be spinning for years to come. |
| Memento Beginnings | 4.0 |
| Metallica St. Anger | 1.0 |
| Metallica Reload | 2.5 |
| Metallica Load | 3.5 |
| Metallica Death Magnetic | 4.0 |
| I will admit that this isn't another Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets. In fact, it would be foolish to even expect such from Metallica in this day and age--bands are a liberty to change their sound, especially over the course of 20 years. It just so happens that over the course of five years, Metallica seems to have changed their sound for the better. The riffage is quite melodic, coherent, and technical (to a certain degree), and long gone are the trash can snare and lack of solos. Although each piece averages about 6-7 minutes in length, there are enough melodies and progression to still keep you interested. Highly recommended, regardless of whether you're an older or newer fan. Just approach the album with an open mind, and toss any preconceptions out the window. |
| Miles Davis Kind of Blue | 4.0 |
| Miles Davis Bitches Brew | 4.5 |
| Nickelback Silver Side Up | 2.0 |
| Opeth Morningrise | 3.5 |
| Opeth Damnation | 3.5 |
| Opeth Blackwater Park | 4.0 |
| Opeth Watershed | 4.0 |
| P.O.D. Satellite | 2.5 |
| Pelican Australasia | 3.0 |
| Pelican City of Echoes | 4.0 |
| Pelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon... | 4.5 |
| Porcupine Tree In Absentia | 3.5 |
| Porcupine Tree The Incident | 4.0 |
| Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet | 4.5 |
| Porcupine Tree Lightbulb Sun | 5.0 |
| Protest the Hero Fortress | 2.0 |
| Queens of the Stone Age Rated R | 3.5 |
| Queensryche Q2K | 1.5 |
| Queensryche Tribe | 2.0 |
| Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime II | 2.5 |
| Queensryche Hear in the Now Frontier | 3.0 |
| Queensryche Empire | 4.0 |
| Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime | 5.0 |
| Return to Forever Romantic Warrior | 4.0 |
| Rush Caress of Steel | 2.5 |
| Rush A Farewell to Kings | 4.0 |
| Rush Hemispheres | 4.0 |
| Rush Snakes & Arrows | 4.0 |
| Rush Moving Pictures | 4.5 |
| Rush 2112 | 5.0 |
| Sepultura Roots | 2.0 |
| Sepultura Chaos A.D. | 4.0 |
| Sepultura Arise | 4.5 |
| Sleep Sleep's Holy Mountain | 4.0 |
| Sleep Dopesmoker | 5.0 |
| Spiral Architect A Sceptic's Universe | 4.0 |
| Stuart Hamm Outbound | 4.0 |
| Symphony X Symphony X | 2.5 |
| Symphony X V: The New Mythology Suite | 4.0 |
| The Beatles Abbey Road | 5.0 |
| The Cure Pornography | 3.0 |
| The Cure Disintegration | 4.5 |
| Tool Undertow | 3.0 |
| Tool Opiate | 3.5 |
| Tool Ænima | 4.0 |
| Tool Salival | 4.0 |
| Tool 10,000 Days | 4.0 |
| Tool Lateralus | 5.0 |
| Weezer The Green Album | 3.0 |
