clairvoyant
User

Reviews 24
Approval 91%

Soundoffs 76
News Articles 2
Band Edits + Tags 11
Album Edits 36

Album Ratings 545
Objectivity 85%

Last Active 12-02-14 3:24 am
Joined 07-02-04

Review Comments 765

Average Rating: 3.31
Rating Variance: 0.71
Objectivity Score: 85%
(Well Balanced)

Chart.

Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name


2019
Bon Iver i,i4.0

2018
Thrice Palms2.0
Father John Misty God's Favorite Customer2.5
Hop Along Bark Your Head Off, Dog4.0
U.S. Girls In A Poem Unlimited4.0
A breath of fresh air in a way that manages to happen without pushing any boundaries. There's no typical synths, lo-fi guitar, or folksy influence that can be found nearly everyday today. It's plain good songwriting, well-timed overlaid sounds, and consistency from track to track which produce a quality album here. An album worth checking out that won't feel dated in ten years.

2017
Turnover Good Nature3.5
Abram Shook Love At Low Speed4.0
It's calm, peaceful, and packs a punch at the right times. Abram Shook diversifies a bit
more here, incorporating more lush soundscapes into his music. But it's more than just a
generic synth in the background - it's carefully woven into the fabric of the sound,
leading to an engaging listen the whole through. Lies, No Return, and Red Lines are the
highlights here.
Father John Misty Pure Comedy1.5
2016
Bon Iver 22, A Million5.0
Whitney Light Upon the Lake4.5
Thrice To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere2.5

2015
Ryan Adams 19892.0
Beach House Depression Cherry3.0
Future DS22.0
Jason Isbell Something More Than Free3.0
Tame Impala Currents3.5
Wilco Star Wars3.0
Miguel Wildheart3.0
Turnover Peripheral Vision3.5
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly5.0
Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear3.5

2014
D'Angelo Black Messiah4.5
Steve Gunn Way Out Weather4.0
For an album largely devoid of synthesizers, Steve Gunn does an incredible job of keeping a loose, flowing, airy feel throughout. One could criticize the album saying it lacks focus - but on the other hand, it's great to sit back and enjoy the ride. Fascinating guitar work leads the way, and Steve Gunn is talented enough to make the periodic long instrumental passages worth every second.
Roger Sellers Primitives4.0
Ryan Adams Ryan Adams2.5
Sturgill Simpson Metamodern Sounds In Country Music4.0
Wye Oak Shriek4.0
The War On Drugs Lost in the Dream4.5
Initial thoughts - an excellent step forward from Slave Ambient. More layers, more buildup, and more focus overall. While Slave Ambient was a fantastic journey, meandering from song to song, Lost in the Dream contains more power and buildup in each song. The War On Drugs keeps their strong spacey atmospheric sound going with this one.
Drive-By Truckers English Oceans3.5
St. Vincent St. Vincent2.5
Beck Morning Phase3.5
Snowmine Dialects4.0

2013
Sturgill Simpson High Top Mountain2.5
Jason Isbell Southeastern4.5
Portugal. The Man Evil Friends3.5
Kurt Vile Wakin on a Pretty Daze4.5
Phosphorescent Muchacho3.5
Mount Moriah Miracle Temple4.0
Atlas Genius When It Was Now2.5

2012
Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city4.5
Minus the Bear Infinity Overhead2.5
The Beach Boys That's Why God Made The Radio3.5
John Mayer Born and Raised3.5
Beach House Bloom3.5

2011
The Beach Boys The Smile Sessions4.0
St. Vincent Strange Mercy4.0
The War On Drugs Slave Ambient4.5
Kendrick Lamar Section.803.5
Bon Iver Bon Iver, Bon Iver4.5
Kurt Vile Smoke Ring For My Halo3.5

2010
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy4.5
The War On Drugs Future Weather3.5
Sara Bareilles Kaleidoscope Heart3.0
Big Gigantic A Place Behind the Moon3.5
Minus the Bear Omni4.0
Widespread Panic Dirty Side Down2.5

2009
John Mayer Battle Studies2.5
Thrice Beggars4.0
Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King3.0
St. Vincent Actor3.0

2008
Thrice Live At The House Of Blues3.0
Rise Against Appeal to Reason3.0
Empire Of The Sun Walking On A Dream2.5
Van She V3.5
John Mayer Where the Light Is4.0
Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends4.5
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes4.0
Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV3.0
Fleet Foxes Sun Giant4.5
Cut Copy In Ghost Colours4.5

2007
Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II4.0
Thrice manages to craft another strong album, this time delving even further into the progressive trail that the band had begun to show on Vheissu. The Fire disc shares the sounds most familiar to Thrice fans, a heavy, spastic side that never lets up. It stays closer to the image that Thrice has created for themselves, yet still manages to push some boundaries with songs like The Flame Deluge, The Messenger, and Backdraft. The strong fire atmosphere that these tracks create make it seem as if the songs could show up in a movie, particularly The Flame Deluge. Burn The Fleet is the one that doesn't quite fit in here, being that it is not bone-crushingly heavy, instead going for a more melodious approach. But it is one of the stronger tracks, with Dustin's vocals matching up well with the tasteful guitar riffs. It is the Water disc that shows how Thrice is not afraid to try new sounds, opting for a strong electronica approach, the band perfectly succeeds in a ocean-like approach. The change from the watery song off of Vheissu, Atlantic, to tracks like Lost Continent and The Whaler show just how much this band can progress. Dustin's softer singing and the well-executed keyboards surround every song with a feeling that this is all taking place out at sea. Kings Upon The Main does it job even more by creating an underwater feel. Overall, The Alchemy Index is not disappointing, and Volumes III and IV will hope to keep up the pace.
MGMT Oracular Spectacular4.0
Bruce Springsteen Magic2.5
Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace3.0
Eddie Vedder Into the Wild2.0
The Receiving End of Sirens The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi2.5
Dream Theater Systematic Chaos2.0
Maroon 5 It Won't Be Soon Before Long2.5
Megadeth United Abominations3.5
Wilco Sky Blue Sky3.5
Nine Inch Nails Year Zero2.0
Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet4.0
Shadows Fall Threads of Life2.0
Chevelle Vena Sera3.5
Melee Devils & Angels3.5
Anberlin Cities3.5

2006
Incubus (USA-CA) Light Grenades3.5
Wilco Kicking Television: Live in Chicago4.5
Foo Fighters Skin and Bones3.5
Amy Winehouse Back to Black2.0
Trivium The Crusade1.5
To be completely honest I feel like that the guys in Trivium could have put out a great album, but they tried way too hard to make it the next "Master of Puppets". Now, I am not going to claim that it sounds too much like Metallica, because I honestly think it doesn't. But they tried to make the PERFECT metal album, and failed.
Most of the songs have plenty of potential, especially Entrance of the Conflagration, the prechorus is one of the best parts of the whole album. Detonation isn't too bad, and neither is Tread the Floods. I actually quite like the title track. But there are some songs that are atrocious, such as Becoming the Dragon, Contempt Breeds Contamination and Unrepentant. Those songs are simply awful. Other songs are ruined by stupid Matt Heafy-isms or excessive flat 5th's and flat 7th's.
Maybe next album they will tone down some and produce some quality music.
George Strait It Just Comes Natural1.5
Mutemath Mutemath4.0
The Album Leaf Into The Blue Again3.5
John Mayer Continuum4.5
Iron Maiden A Matter of Life and Death4.0
Gym Class Heroes As Cruel As School Children2.5
Muse Black Holes & Revelations3.5
Rise Against The Sufferer and the Witness3.5
Nelly Furtado Loose2.0
AFI Decemberunderground3.0
Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium4.5
Tool 10,000 Days1.5
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam3.5
Goo Goo Dolls Let Love In3.5
Thrice Red Sky3.5
Thrice's Red Sky EP is essentially what it says is, an EP built for the single release of Red Sky. Like Ross Delaney stated in his review, it pretty much is If We Could Only See Us Now-Lite. It contains two previously unreleased tracks, and four acoustic renditions of previous Thrice songs. The two new songs are both B-sides from Vheissu, being Flags of Dawn and Weight of Glory. Flags Of Dawn is an absolutely amazing track with a beautiful intro riff that extends into an incredibly calm verse. The chorus begins on an extremely powerful note but shortly simmers back down to a pace that fits well with the song. Weight of Glory starts off as an all-out slugfest, which would have been the most intense on Thrice, but begins to drag at the end. The four acoustic tracks are all somewhat varied,, with the version of Red Sky being fantastic, but yet For Miles is pretty much ruined by its new form. Overall the Red Sky EP is a good buy for Thrice fans, but its not exactly something a new fan should purchase. Any fan of music will enjoy Flags of Dawn, but the acoustic versions of the previously released tracks is not the best way to obtain a first impression of Thrice.
David Gilmour On An Island2.5
Somehow I was actually disappointed by this album. Not so much that I was expecting a lot and thought the album was weak, it was that when I first purchased the cd I thought it was fantastic! But after one month I found many of the tracks to be very boring. "Smile", "The Blue", and "A Pocketful Of Stones" all feel way too slow moving to me now, this is music that would actually make me tired. Even more rock-type songs are weak such as "Take A Breath". However, the intro and "On An Island" are both fantastic songs that should definitely be obtained, along with "Red Sky At Night" and "This Heaven". While fans who were expecting something like The Division Bell will be disappointed, it still is an average album.
Jack Johnson Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for Curious George1.5
In Flames Come Clarity4.0
This could be the first time in metal history in which the commercial fans and original fans both were pleased with an album. In Flames come roaring back after two weak efforts with their best album in seven years in Come Clarity. Listeners get a great feel of the ripping, thrashy side of the band with the intense metal pieces of Take This Life, Vacuum, and Crawl Through Knives, none of which let up for one moment. We then have the songs that appears to be the "new" In Flames such as Leeches and Dead End, which are both absolutely stunning. Songs like Vanishing Light and Versus Terminus may begin to run into each other by the end of the album, but in their own right each song is good. The title track, a heart-ripping ballad is not to be missed. Reccomended to any metal fan, this album represents the breakthrough for In Flames into the American market.

2005
John Mayer Trio Try!3.5
blink-182 Greatest Hits2.5
Thrice Vheissu5.0
All I really have to say is that this album is simply amazing. When I first heard it I must admit, I was somewhat disappointed like several other Thrice fans. But it definitely grew on me, and one day Atlantic just hit me like a brick wall and I loved it. In a way, it is actually quite progressive in a comparison kinda of way to the Artist In The Ambulance. Many of the songs are a progression further along the "music trail".

Between The End And Where We Lie and Of Dust And Nations are perfect combinations of old and new Thrice, crafting the new atmospheric sound with the upbeat stylings of previous albums. Along with The Earth Will Shake and Atlantic, those songs make up the top four of the album. Image of the Invisible, Music Box, and Like Moth To Flames are also strong tracks that are nothing like Thrice has ever done before (except Image, I guess). Overall I don't think there are any genuinely weak tracks, but I am not a huge fan of Hold Fast Hope.

Awesome album.
Boards of Canada The Campfire Headphase3.5
Hinder Extreme Behavior1.0
What can I say, there really isn't anything good about this cd. Usually on very weak albums I can at least complement some guitar work, some melodies, or some solid drumming. None of that is on here. Bliss is quite possibly the worst, from the HORRIBLY bland lyrics and terribly generic riffs and basslines, Hinder offers absolutely nothing to modern music. Lips of an Angel makes an effort to show off some guitar work in the middle and then have a big ending, but it fails miserably. I just don't understand how people can enjoy this terrible band that tries to make "music".
Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness3.0
My American Heart The Meaning in Makeup2.5
Thirty Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie3.0
The Fall of Troy Doppelganger2.0
CKY An Answer Can Be Found2.0
dredg Catch Without Arms3.5
Foo Fighters In Your Honor3.5
Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil2.0
Coldplay X&Y2.5
Dream Theater Octavarium4.0
I'm either one of few that understands this album, or I am just a lost soul. In my opinion this is easily Dream Theater's best effort since Metropolis Pt. 2, and it features the only example of Jordan Rudess's keyboard work that I actually enjoy. The Root Of All Evil is a great start and is a very metal-like song, along with the classic Panic Attack. The Answer Lies Within is probably the only clunker, really killing the mood between the opening track and the extremely commercial (yet extremely strong) These Walls. I Walk Beside you is great for a U2 song, not Dream Theater. The bands extreme precision keeps the loose feel that made U2 great at bay, and just shows to be a mediocre song. Never Enough is also somewhat forgettable, but still isn't too bad.

The highlights, however, lie in the final two tracks, which are two Dream Theater's greatest songs ever. Sacrificed Sons is simply beautiful and emotional the whole through, and features the greatest lead guitar line after Petrucci's solo. Octavarium is probably going to stand as the best progressive rock song of the decade, with an epic intro, and John Petrucci's best solo ever at the end. One hell of an album, and I think everyone should check it out.
Porcupine Tree Deadwing3.0
Ben Folds Songs for Silverman3.5
I went through my Ben Folds era, I loved everything he did. It didn't matter what, but I loved it. Unfortuantely I no longer show that love for his work. While I still enjoy it, many songs come off as boring and uninspired to me now. Gracie, Give Judy My Notice, You To Thank, and Time all come off as very bland, and usually get the skip button treatment. But there are definitely gems on this album. Jesusland, Trusted, and Landed are three of Ben's best songs ever. Bastard is another strong, and so is Prison Food. If someone combined Rockin' The Suburbs and Songs For Silverman and just took all the best tracks, it would definitely earn a 5. But unfortuantely the filler plague strikes again, and therefore we are only seeing a 3.5 on an otherwise good album.
Spock's Beard Octane2.0
Thrice If We Could Only See Us Now3.5
Trivium Ascendancy2.5
Trivium catches a lot of flak, too much if you ask me. Everyone claims them to be huge Metallica clones which frankly, is not true. While I cannot say that this band is awesome, I can say that are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Sure, their stereotypical quick songs with screaming get old such "Rain", "The Deceived", and "Suffocating Sight". They do have some very quality songs like "Pull Harder On The Strings of Your Martyr", "Declaration", and my personal favorite "Drowned And Torn Asunder". I'd reccomend this album to anyone who is a fan of the melodic side of american metal.
Jack Johnson In Between Dreams2.0
Jack Johnson is household name to all college kids across the United States. Whether you like him or not, you've heard many of his songs and more than likely own one of this albums. But rarely does one stumble upon a person who dislikes Jack Johnson. However, to myself, he comes across as very dull and uninspired. The lush sound of his acoustic does not work well with the bland songwriting that allows nothing to grab the attention of the listener. Better Together, the albums opener, is all one needs to hear to get a good impression of Jack Johnson. He is extremely unversatile and all of his songs run together in a way of true boredom. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing keeps the trend of boring chord progressions while Breakdown tries to come off as a more meaningful song which utterly fails. While Jack Johnson may provide a nice easy listen, there are many artists who do a much better job, and still manage keep all the sorority girls attention. Unfortuantely, this ever growing love for Jack Johnson is not going to slow down, because he has shown us that he does have the ability to write the same sounding song for an entire album. As for me, I'll stick to John Mayer and Dave Matthews.
Doves (UK) Some Cities3.0
Anberlin Never Take Friendship Personal3.0

2004
Brian Wilson Smile3.5
It is such a shame that SMiLE was never able to be released back in 1967, with the full effect of the Beach Boys' magic in effect, and at the height of Brian Wilson's artistic prowess. When the project was scrapped, a measely incarnate of the original epic was released under the title of Smiley Smile, a stripped down version of several SMiLE songs and a few new ones. The biggest issue with Smiley Smile was this was obviously not the way Brian Wilson envisioned his songs being released, and he would not get that chance to do so until 2004.

The Brian Wilson edition of SMiLE unfortuantely does not completely live up to the grandiose expectations that the album held back in 1967. It could have been the aging of Brian's voice, the lack of the Beach Boys, or perhaps even a loss of Brian Wilson's songwriting ability. But the real answer seems to be that SMiLE was just not meant to be released in the 2000s. The whole feel of SMiLE is that it is an album with a few amazingly classic songs (Heroes and Villains, Surf's Up, Vega-Tables, Good Vibrations) surrounded by songs that just don't hold up in today's era (Song For Children, Cabinessence). The constant vocal harmonies lacking any form percussion repeats throughout the album, and by the middle of the album it is just plain tiresome. When it gets combined with the flowing melodies and intricate piano work of the actual tracks the harmonies manage to be extremely effective, but otherwise they are just plain annoying. While SMiLE is still an interesting listen for those longing for a final product, it just does not hold up to the standards that one would have expected from the most famous unreleased album of all time.
The Birthday Massacre Violet2.5
Pinback Summer in Abaddon4.0
Sum 41 Chuck3.0
Green Day American Idiot2.0
Shadows Fall The War Within2.5
Chevelle This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)3.0
Megadeth The System Has Failed3.0
Threshold Subsurface2.0
Breaking Benjamin We Are Not Alone2.5
The Album Leaf In A Safe Place3.5
Velvet Revolver Contraband3.5
In Flames Soundtrack to Your Escape3.0
All That Remains This Darkened Heart2.0
Punchline Action2.5
The Casualties On the Front Line2.0

2003
Foo Fighters Everywhere But Home2.5
Dream Theater Train of Thought2.5
I have noticed that this album gets quite a lot of praise on this site. I for one, was quite disappointed when it was released. So As I Am was impressive, but it was awfully metal-like and continued that trend from Six Degrees...one album in which I was not too fond of. The biggest thing I noticed was John Petrucci's soloing on this album, which is at its all time worst. Straight shred with absolutely no meaning, but that would fortuantely change on the next album. Songs like This Dying Soul and Honor Thy Father come off feeling trite, with Dream Theater playing on somebody elses turf. They do a good job on Endless Sacrifice and Vacant, but neither of those two are very memorable songs. The only completely standout track is the closer, In The Name of God, a very dark song about several cult leaders, most notably David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. Topped off with Jordan Rudess's only true "moment" on the album (right after the dueling guitar/keyboard solos), this is truly one of Dream Theater's best songs ever. Any metalhead who wants an intro to Dream Theater should with this album, but otherwise, I'd pick up several other DT titles first.
Explosions in the Sky The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place4.0
Iron Maiden Dance of Death2.0
Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance4.0
Misfits Project 19502.0
All I have to say is that Jerry Only-led Misfits is clearly lacking. I do enjoy "This Magic Moment" and "Monster Mash", but that is about it. if I grew up listening to these songs, or recognized more of them I feel like I would enjoy more, but because I grew up in the 90s, not many of these are familiar to me.
Three Days Grace Three Days Grace2.0
Spock's Beard Feel Euphoria2.5
The Darkness Permission to Land2.5
Metallica St. Anger1.0
First impression, I loved the album. It was finally the return to Metallica's form. Soon, I only liked Frantic, St. Anger, and Invisible Kid. I realized just how horrible My World, Shoot Me Again, and The Unnamed Feeling were. Some Kind of Monster was no longer enjoyable. Sweet Amber brought nothing to the table except a decent riff. Before I knew it I was lambasting even my former favorites on the album. Frantic was getting tiresome, but to this date remains the only song that I can get all the way through. Just, sheer disappointment.
Third Eye Blind Out of the Vein4.0
AFI Sing the Sorrow4.0
This album took a long time for me to digest. When I first purchased the album I was ready to see something along the lines of Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning, obviously, but I was extremely disappointed. I found emo, and some very depressing music.
Eventually, however, I began to enjoy it, the musicianship on this album is very good. Although some songs are tiresome, there are a lot of classics such as Silver and Cold, Dancing Through Sunday, and Paper Airplanes.
Marty Friedman Music for Speeding3.5

2002
3 Doors Down Away from the Sun2.0
Boring, bland, uninspired, mediocre, and sterotypical are all words that I can use to describe this album. While it obviously does have a few highs, it features many more lows. When I'm Gone and Away From the Sun both serve as horrible mainstream rock tracks, and filler songs such as The Road I'm On and Going Down In Flames make the album no better. The two main highlights are the emotive and cleverly written Changes, and my guilty pleasure, Here Without You.

A fan of mainstream rock such as Creed, Nickelback, and Alterbridge will definitely enjoy this album, but not many others will.
Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-20023.5
The Early November For All of This EP3.0
Symphony X The Odyssey2.5
Threshold Critical Mass2.0
Foo Fighters One by One2.5
Porcupine Tree In Absentia3.0
CKY Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild3.5
On this album, there are three tracks that really stick out. Escape From Hellview, Attached At The Hip, and Inhuman Creation Station are all incredible songs and in my opinion should be some of the defining songs of cKy's career. Flesh Into Gear and Sink Into the Underground are both fairly weak songs, but the rest of the album does not disappoint. The ending is especially classic, with the spasic Sporadic Movements and the soft but great Close Yet Far.
Disturbed Believe2.0
Shadows Fall The Art of Balance3.5
Megadeth Still, Alive...And Well?1.5
It's just a pointless cd. It cannot even be considered a greatest hits, or anything. It is just two extra songs from Rude Awakening that we had not heard before (but Use The Man is a weak song to begin with), and several tracks off the poor attempt at a comeback album, "The World Needs a Hero". In my opinion, this is the only album that I can say is pointless. It does not illuminate any highlights of the bands history, and it does a poor job of promoting anything "newer" by Megadeth.
Spock's Beard Snow3.5
Thirty Seconds to Mars 30 Seconds To Mars3.0
In Flames Reroute to Remain3.0
Red Hot Chili Peppers By the Way3.0
Green Day Shenanigans1.5
Maroon 5 Songs About Jane2.5
Avril Lavigne Let Go1.5
Doves (UK) The Last Broadcast3.0
Megadeth Rude Awakening2.5
The first official live album from Megadeth manages to disappoint in several different ways. The major gripe of mine is that Dave Mustaine decided to release a live album far too late, as in once the band was well past their prime, and after two key members of the band, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza, had already left. Thats not to say that the album does not have its bright moments. The guitar duel in She Wolf is easily one of the highlights of the album, and the bands performances of Trust and Dread and the Fugitive Mind are both stellar. Unfortuantely, that is about the most I can say. Dave Mustaine shows one of his worst vocal performances of all time which nearly ruins the rest of the album. Jimmy DeGrasso is also not-too-hot of a drummer, and is noticably off beat at moments during the album. I advise skipping over this and seeing if you can find a copy of Live Trax, the Japan only live album released during the Youthanasia (1994/1995) tour.
Breaking Benjamin Saturate2.0
Anti-Flag Mobilize2.0
Thrice The Illusion of Safety4.5
Perpetual Groove Sweet Oblivious Antidote4.0

2001
Andrew W.K. I Get Wet3.0
Misfits Cuts from the Crypt2.0
Kylie Minogue Fever2.5
Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot5.0
Dream Theater Live Scenes From New York2.5
Ben Folds Rockin' The Suburbs3.0
Muse Origin of Symmetry3.5
Whiskeytown Pneumonia3.5
Tool Lateralus3.0
Megadeth The World Needs a Hero2.0
What can I say, I was quite dissapointed with this cd. At first I felt that it was a new era for Megadeth and they were finally back, but very quickly I discovered that I was wrong. While "Disconnect", "Dread And The Fugitive Mind", and "Return to Hangar" are all great songs, the rest of the album is very weak. I reccomend geting the three songs I just mentioned, but not much more than that.
Threshold Hypothetical4.0
Anti-Flag Underground Network2.5
Widespread Panic Don't Tell The Band2.5

2000
The Beatles 13.5
Green Day Warning2.0
Radiohead Kid A3.5
AFI The Art of Drowning3.5
Spock's Beard V3.5
Glassjaw Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence2.0
In Flames Clayman4.0
Iron Maiden Brave New World2.5
A fantastic comeback album for a fantastic band. The Wicker Man starts the album off on a strong note, showcasing the new triple guitar threat with a wicked solo in the middle along with Bruce's still powerful voice. The whole feel of the album is not too different from 80s Iron Maiden except in the production, the only major differences is that the band chose intoduce an epic feeling into their sound, something which previously only found once or twice per album. Brave New World and Dream of Mirrors are two incredible tracks that make for a promising rebirth for Maiden's career. Although there are no true weak songs, there are times when some tracks just feel overdone, or have plain old weak parts such as The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, and The Nomad, which starts off on an incredible note, and ends of dragging along through the remander of the nine minute song. But overall, Iron Maiden fans should not be disappointed by the first album with both Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson in over ten years.
Racer X Technical Difficulties3.0
Thrice Identity Crisis3.0
Shadows Fall Of One Blood3.0
The Smashing Pumpkins Machina/The Machines of God3.0
Daryl Stuermer Another Side of Genesis3.0

1999
The Beach Boys 20 Good Vibrations: The Greatest Hits 4.0
Sublime Greatest Hits3.0
Foo Fighters There Is Nothing Left to Lose2.5
Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory3.5
Opeth Still Life2.0
Misfits Famous Monsters4.0
Megadeth Risk1.0
Widespread Panic Til The Medicine Takes4.0
In Flames Colony3.5
Vertical Horizon Everything You Want3.5
Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication3.5
AFI Black Sails in the Sunset3.0
CKY Volume 12.5
Lit A Place In The Sun2.0
Beastie Boys The Sounds of Science3.0
The Album Leaf An Orchestrated Rise To Fall3.0
Wilco Summerteeth4.0

1998
Metallica Garage Inc.3.0
The Offspring Americana3.0
Oasis The Masterplan3.0
Placebo Without You I'm Nothing3.0
Phil Collins Hits3.0
Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up The Girl3.5
My opinion on this album is quite simple. Every song that Johnny sings on is a classic, especially the very underrated "Bullet Proof". But anything that Robby lays down words on, is just completely ruined by his horrible melodies and voice. While those songs still contain some solid music, his terrible singing just completely ruins it all for me. But songs like "Black Balloon", "Bullet Proof", "Dizzy", and "Slide" are not to be missed.
Yes, I didn't mention Iris in that list...
Bruce Dickinson The Chemical Wedding2.5
Angra Fireworks1.5
Iced Earth Something Wicked This Way Comes3.0
The Smashing Pumpkins Adore3.0
Widespread Panic Light Fuse, Get Away5.0
Iron Maiden Virtual XI1.5
Joe Satriani Crystal Planet3.5
Beastie Boys Hello Nasty2.5
U2 The Best Of 1980-19903.5

1997
Metallica Reload2.0
Enya Paint The Sky With Stars3.5
Green Day Nimrod4.0
Dream Theater Falling into Infinity2.5
Lets face it, this album was a total downer after the previously stunning Images And Words and Awake. The lack of Kevin Moore is clearly felt, and the commercial direction that the album takes does not fit in at all with Derek Sherinian's keyboard style. Tracks like New Millennium and Burning My Soul are some that sound like Dream Theater was attempting to write a strong song, but then decided it might not be 'commercial' enough, and hence dumbed it down some. That is pretty much the feeling throughout the entire album. One of the few songs that does shine through is Lines In The Sand, an upbeat rocker with a very mellow guitar solo in the middle, which goes full blast for a while, throwing in everything the band has to offer. The epic closer Trial of Tears does a decent job, but the absolutely beautiful intro completely outshines the rest of the song minus a few key licks in Petrucci's guitar solo. In the end, Dream Theater failed at going for a different sound, and luckily was able to turn it around by the time the band released their next album.
Genesis Calling All Stations1.0
Oasis Be Here Now4.0
What is often hailed as the biggest letdown of the 1990s is actually a pretty good album. Oasis's Be Here Now released in 1997 is another album with typical Oasis sound but with longer tracks and sometimes a more epic feel. While yes, some songs are quite weak and show the pretentiousness of the band at the time such as Magic Pie and The Girl In The Dirty Shirt, but there are some standout songs. The lead single D'You Know What I Mean? draws from the feel of Champagne Supernova and adds to it to create a stellar Oasis song. My Big Mouth and Stand By Me are the two best tracks on the album and also two of the best songs ever by Oasis. Definitely worth checking out if one enjoyed Definitely Maybe and (Whats The Story) Morning Glory?
Fleetwood Mac The Dance3.5
Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at Carnegie Hall4.0
Whiskeytown Stranger's Almanac4.5
Misfits Static Age4.0
Megadeth Cryptic Writings3.0
Radiohead OK Computer3.5
Toad The Wet Sprocket Coil3.0
Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape4.0
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind3.5
Symphony X The Divine Wings of Tragedy2.5
Ben Folds Five Whatever and Ever, Amen3.0
Elliott Smith Either/Or3.0
The Offspring Ixnay on the Hombre3.5
Misfits American Psycho4.0
Widespread Panic Bombs & Butterflies4.0
1996
Wilco Being There5.0
Nirvana From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah2.5
Tool Ænima3.5
Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged3.5
MD.45 The Craving2.5
Not a bad album, but definitely nothing amazing. I get a great vibe of a dumbed down "Youthanasia" by Megadeth on this cd, which is to be expected since this is Dave Mustaine's side project. Songs like Hell's Motel, Fight Hate, and The Creed are not to be missed, but there are many forgettable (and sometimes horrid) songs such as The Day The Music Died, My Town, and Roadman. I reccomend it if you would really like a punk-stylish mix of Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings by Megadeth.
Metallica Load3.0
Pantera The Great Southern Trendkill2.5
Dave Matthews Band Crash3.0
Hootie and The Blowfish Fairweather Johnson2.0
In Flames The Jester Race3.0
Boards of Canada Hi Scores4.0

1995
Don Henley Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits3.0
David Benoit The Best Of David Benoit 1987-19953.0
The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness3.5
Rancid ...And Out Come the Wolves3.5
No Doubt Tragic Kingdom2.5
Green Day Insomniac4.0
Dc Talk Jesus Freak3.0
Dream Theater A Change of Seasons2.5
Red Hot Chili Peppers One Hot Minute3.0
Megadeth Hidden Treasures3.0
With great songs like "99 Ways To Die", "Angry Again", and "Breakpoint", how can this be a bad album? "Go To Hell" and "Diadems" are also great as well. I could probably do without the cover songs, but whatever, this isn't an official album really.
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters4.5
A very underrated album. Songs like I'll Stick Around, Alone+Easy Target, Good Grief, and Wattershed all show that Dave Grohl was definitely part of the brains of Nirvana. In fact, the whole album is very strong with the exception of X-Static and Exhausted, which both feel, well, very exhausted. Hits such as This Is A Call and Big Me are both quite warranted in their hit status, and other "different" songs like Floaty and For All The Cows are some of my favorites as well. An onslaugt of strong songs make this one of my favorite albums released in the 1990s.
Pink Floyd Pulse — The Film4.5
Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory?4.5
Nothing short of strong. For the longest time I had a negative view of Oasis solely because the only songs I had heard by them were Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova, which at the time I didn't care too much for. Eventually I began to take a fondness for Wonderwall, and then heard Don't Look Back in Anger, which I instantly loved. The whole album is equally strong, with Morning Glory being one of their best tracks ever. Hello and Cast No shadow are also two exceptionally strong tracks although very different in nature. The only songs that don't carry the album as well are Hey Now and She's Electric. They aren't necesarily bad, just Hey Now is relatively stale, and She's Electric is just weird. One of the best 90s rock albums.
Wanderlust Prize3.0
Wilco A.M.3.0
Boards of Canada Twoism3.0
Goo Goo Dolls A Boy Named Goo3.5

1994
Bush Sixteen Stone3.0
Megadeth Youthanasia4.5
Megadeth's 1994 release continues futher down the trail that Countdown To Extincton set in 1992. This time the band adds a heavier sound with a new tuning to give the album a much darker feel than anything the band had ever done up until this point. Gone are the pounding drum beats and thrashy guitar riffs, and here is the sound of a mature band. Songwriting takes a forefront on Youthanasia, with tracks like Addicted to Chaos and Family Tree showing less frantic riffs and more harmonization and atmopshere than ever before. While the band brings the rock with more old-school songs such as The Killing Road and Victory, Youthanasia is mostly about a step into maturity for a band who has moved on from the witchcraft and speed metal of prior albums.
Bob Seger Greatest Hits3.5
Dream Theater Awake3.0
With Dream Theater's third album comes a fair amount of change. Grunge is dominating the music scene and Dream Theater shows an effort to adapt by coming out with a much heavier and accessible album. But that is not to say that Awake is a commercial album spelling the end of Dream Theater, although it is more accessible, that does not mean that the band is able to put just as much progressiveness into the music as before. The opener 6:00 shows a vast array of guitar and keyboard lines, and clearly displays the change in style on this album. Songs like Erotomania and Voices keep the pace going with their incredible musicianship, while heavier songs such as The Mirror and Lie show a new side of Dream Theater that we have never seen before. One of the highlights is Space-Dye Vest, the eerie piano driven track with haunting melodies all throughout. Unfortuantely this would be Kevin Moore's swan song, as during the mixing of the album he would leave the band. Awake overall is a strong Dream Theater album that should not leave fans disappointed.
Dave Matthews Band Under The Table And Dreaming3.5
Oasis Definitely Maybe3.5
Hootie and The Blowfish Cracked Rear View3.0
Stone Temple Pilots Purple3.5
The follow up to STP's incredibly successful 1992 debut, Core, is a strong album but does not quite meet expectations. Things do start out good with Meatplow, Vasoline, Lounge Fly, and Interstate Love Song all being classic STP tracks. The rest of the album is a different story, however. While there are no actual bad songs on this album, just not all of them really stand out. Pretty Penny is a good song, along with Big Empty, but neither sticks a lasting impression in your head. Silvergun Superman is just another rocker, but like always, nothing weak to be found. Towards the end of the album things pick up with the classic Unglued, and another strong outing in Army Ants. A good buy for fans of Core, but don't expect anything spectacular.
Toad The Wet Sprocket Dulcinea3.0
The Offspring Smash4.5
How a band can create such a strong album with such a simple formula is beyond me. Nowhere to be found is nifty songwriting, overtly symbolic lyrics, or intense technicality. What is found is a varied sound from track to track that keeps every song fresh, preventing any two from songs from running together. Dexter Holland's voice does a fine job of standing above the rest of the tunes with melodies that perfectly complement his voice, while Noodles' guitar combines with the rhythm section for a powerful punk backing. Smash offers everything, from balls-to-the-wall humor (Bad Habit), darker rock tracks (Gotta Get Away), heartfelt messages tinged with reggae (What Happened To You?), and a straight up punk anthem (Smash). Very few blemishes make Smash one of the best albums of the 1990s, and easily the best album of The Offspring's career.
Pink Floyd The Division Bell3.0
Green Day Dookie5.0
Green Day's 1994 release put themselves and pop punk on the map. Dookie at the time was a total breath of fresh air from the newer "post-grunge" bands that were starting to hit the scene, bands that simply rehashed what the original grunge movement was all about. The basic guitar, bass, and drum lines were all insignificant when compared to the actual songwriting. Clever lyrics, melodies, and song structure are strewn together throughout the album, producing meaningful songs like Welcome To Paradise and also showing the fun side of the band like Chump and Long View. With only one poor song in Pulling Teeth, the rest of the album flows with a brilliant chemistry that makes Dookie one of the greatest albums ever.
Alice in Chains Jar of Flies4.0

1993
Ace of Base The Sign2.0
Guns N' Roses The Spaghetti Incident?2.5
While its not horrible, it is by no means a classic album. Obviously the fact that this album is all covers is not a plus, but it still features some fun songs such as "Human Being", "Hair Of The Dog", and "Attitude". "Since I Don't Have You" is also a strong track featuring some good lead work from Slash. But the highlight is definitely Human Being, with its upbeat feel and classic riffs and vocals from Axl. Somewhat underrated cd.
Pearl Jam Vs.3.5
Greg Howe Introspection3.5
This album is a genuine lead guitar masterpiece, and Greg Howe is extremely underrated. Each song has a distinct feel and is great for just chilling out to. Although he has gotten lumped in with the shredders quite often, Greg Howe is by no means a generic "shred guitar" player. Tracks like "Jump Start", "Pay As You Go", and "Direct Injection" clearly show us otherwise. Not one bad song on the whole cd, and a must have for any guitar fan.
The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream3.5
Dire Straits On the Night4.0

1992
R.E.M. Automatic for the People3.5
Alice in Chains Dirt3.5
Peter Gabriel Us4.0
Roger Waters Amused to Death2.5
Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience4.0
Joe Satriani The Extremist4.5
Joe Satriani continiuously proves to me and many others why he is one of the best, if not the best guitarist in the world. The Extremist shows a change in style but still retaining the classic Satch sound that everybody loves. The opening track Friends is just simply beautiful, even before his lead guitar comes in. Rockers like The Extremist, War, and Motorcycle Driver are always great, as Satch always makes them. The song that sticks out the most to me is Why, and I dont understand why this song isn't more popular. It is seriously fantastic and I get a great amount of emotion from it...even just guitar lines! The only weak track here is Cryin', but its not all bad, cause even in this song Joe Satriani tosses in a great solo.
Amazing album, and one of my favorites ever.
Dream Theater Images and Words4.5
One of my favorite albums. Pretty much perfect all the way through. From the power metal-like opener to the brilliant Learning to Live, the whole album never stops for a bad song. Another Day is very good ballad with some catchy sax lines. Take the Time is a strong rocker with some great lead work at the end by John Petrucci and some excellent drum work by Mr. Portnoy. Surrounded may be the weakest song on here, but yet is an awesome song at the same time, so that's saying something. The four ending tracks work together to build up a climatic ending with Learning To Live, something that was not since often in music since the 1970s. Overall Images & Words succeeds with the complex progressive metal sound, and as a result is the best progressive album since the 1970s.
Megadeth Countdown to Extinction4.5
Stone Temple Pilots Core4.0
Tears for Fears Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits '82-'92)3.0

1991
Green Day Kerplunk3.0
A good raw album from the pioneers of pop punk, Green Day. Kerplunk is the first actual album released by the band, with their previous effort 1023 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours being a compilation of smaller EP's. Songs like 2000 Light Years Away, 80, and One For The Razorbacks show the beginnings of the structure Green Day would create and make famous in just a few years. In actuality, Kerplunk is just a raw Dookie, with cheaper production and not as mature songwriting. The original version of Welcome To Paradise does a great job of showing this, and the next version on Dookie would show the progression from album to album. A solid album and a must have for any Green Day fan.
U2 Achtung Baby3.5
Talk Talk Laughing Stock5.0
Genesis We Can't Dance1.5
Nothing but pop boredom on this one. While the 80s output of Genesis was strung with uninspired prog songs and classic pop songs, this whole album in general is a complete reversal of what saw on such albums like Invisible Touch and Abacab. The pop songs here are extremely boring, whereas the very few prog tracks are of a very high quality. We Can't Dance, Hold On My Heart, and Never A Time are all sleepers that couldn't find a catchy hook to save their lives. No Son Of Mine seems like it could improve, but once again falters. Although Jesus He Knows Me is a fun track that is definitely one of the best of the album, it is still no Land Of Confusion or That's All. The shining star here though, is Fading Lights, the best progressive track released by Genesis since 1980's Duke's Travels/Duke's End. I advise staying away from this album, unless you are dying to hear Fading Lights and can't find the song anywhere.
The Allman Brothers Band A Decade of Hits 1969-19793.0
Nirvana Nevermind3.5
Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik4.0
Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion II4.0
Use Your Illusion II shows a more mature side to the abrasive rock of Use Your Illusion I and Appetite For Destruction. Standout tracks like Civil War, Locomotive, and Estranged give a very epic feel to Guns n' Roses and they all also incorporate a piano into their sound, which only enhances the quality of the songs. The album still features the traditional rockers such as 14 Years and Shotgun Blues, but they tend to take a back seat to the more thoughtful songs on the album. You Could Be Mine is a completely original song on its own that shows a very different rock style from the band, and it manages to be one of the best tracks on the album. Any fan of Guns n' Roses or rock in general would be well advised to pick up this album.
Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I4.0
Toad The Wet Sprocket Fear3.5
Pearl Jam Ten4.0
This album could have very easily been my favorite album ever, the first six tracks are all amazing, my favorites being "Black" and "Even Flow". Unfortuantely, songs seven through eleven definitely disappoint when compared to the songs on the earlier part of the album.
Metallica Metallica3.0
Good. No more, no less. Yes, there are good songs. But there are also some very mediocre tracks. So we all know Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Unforgiven, and Nothing Else Matters, and we all know that they are decent tracks. But not many people recognize other standout songs such as the terrific Holier Than Thou and the genuine metal Through The Never. But with those two songs ends the consistency of this album. Of Wolf And Man and Wherever I May Roam feature great riffs but poor remainders of the song. The rest of the tracks really aren't even worth mentioning much about, but Struggle Within takes the cake for being the worst. Maybe pick this one up, maybe not. It depends.
Green Day 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours3.0
Primus Sailing the Seas of Cheese2.0
Heathen Victims of Deception1.5
R.E.M. Out of Time2.5
Queen Innuendo3.0

1990
Peter Gabriel Shaking The Tree3.5
Megadeth Rust in Peace5.0
Pantera Cowboys from Hell3.0
Eric Johnson Ah Via Musicom4.0
Minor Threat Complete Discography4.0
This is real hardcore in its truest form. When people begin talking about hardcore, I instantly mention Minor Threat. Rarely ever do I hear proper responses about them (not just, they are good, but anything about them and what they did for the genre). So much energy is crammed into one minute and thirty seconds of most every song, it's like you never run into a filler track because nothing lacks energy. Favorites are Filler, I Don't Wanna Hear It, Guilty of Being White, In My Eyes, and No Reason.

1989
Phil Collins ...But Seriously3.5
Peter Gabriel Passion OST3.5
Queen The Miracle3.0
The Cure Disintegration4.0
Yngwie Malmsteen Odyssey3.0
Yngwie Malmsteen does...hair metal? Well, not entirely. Even though songs such as Hold On and Dreaming reek of the horrid genre, he still tosses in some great songs. Rising Force, Deja Vu, and Faster Than The Speed Of Light are all amazing songs, along with the great intro soloing of Crystal Ball. Even though Heaven Tonight is clearly hair metal, I love it due to its insane catchiness. Not a bad album by any means, and please don't skip over the last two tracks, both are great instrumentals!
Skid Row Skid Row2.5

1988
Guns N' Roses G N' R Lies3.5
Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits (Warner Bros)3.5
Talk Talk Spirit of Eden4.0
Metallica ...And Justice for All4.5
Marty Friedman Dragon's Kiss2.5
Slayer South of Heaven3.0
The only Slayer album I can tolerate is their 1988 release South of Heaven. Finally its not all brutally fast songs, and mindless riffs in which you can't even tell whats going on. What this album is about is being haunting and actually using good songwriting. The opening track (and title track) is easily the best song on the album, giving a great preview to the sinister sound that Slayer would unveil for this album. Finally, thought out guitar riffs are used, and even the element of melody is added in. Behind The Crooked Cross is another catchy song with some solid vocal melodies from Tom Araya, and Mandatory Suicide is a Slayer classic. The only problem however, is that while the album does appear to use more sense, it is obviously not Slayer's thing. Some tracks appear boring and lifeless, which comes from the fact Slayer is good at writing brutally fast songs, that's what they do. While I may not enjoy that, many people do and that is what they usually stick to. But, for any metal fans who don't like the balls-to-the-wall form of Slayer, it would be well advised to check out this album.
Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime3.0
Iron Maiden Seventh Son of a Seventh Son4.0
Widespread Panic Space Wrangler4.0
Megadeth So Far, So Good... So What!2.5
One of the most overlooked Megadeth albums to date, 1988's So Far, So Good...So What! was written during a time when Megadeth was at the peak of their turmoil. Dave Mustaine in the depths of a heroin addiction, Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson had just been fired from the band, leaving David Ellefson as the only stable member of the band. Chuck Behler and Jeff Young were recruited as the drummer and lead guitarist for this album, and so began the rush to put this album together. The lack of time, organization, and abundance of heroin clearly shines through on this album with horrible production and even some sheerly horrid Megadeth songs. Anarchy In The UK, although not a Megadeth song, is a terrible cover and shows how at the time, a Sex Pistols cover was not what Megadeth needed to do. 502 is a prime example of filler, and even Mary Jane has some very off-the-wall vocals which seem to be from Mustaine's deep heroin addiction. Through the layers upon layers of reverb however, are several classic Megadeth songs. Hook In Mouth, a song lashing out at the PMRC is a very memorable Megadeth tune, and the ode to Cliff Burton, In My Darkest Hour, is one of Megadeth's best ever. While not highly reccomended, So Far, So Good...So What! is still an ok album that should be sought after by fans of Megadeth.

1987
Rick Astley Whenever You Need Somebody2.5
Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason2.0
Pink Floyd's comeback in 1987 was not just a poor comeback, it wasn't even really a Pink Floyd album. With only two members of Pink Floyd actually in the band officially for this album, it left no opposition to David Gilmour's songwriting and no other influences, which resulted in an informal solo album by the bands guitarist. Although the album starts off very promising from the first two minutes of the intro Signs of Life, things begin to turn downhill. Learning To Fly is a poor song that sounds like Bryan Adams helped David Gilmour out with writing the track. One Slip is bonified pop although somewhat catchy at times, and Yet Another Movie is of no higher quality. The entire A New Machine/Terminal Frost trio is incredibly boring and reeks of filler. The only saving grace on this album is the phenomenal Sorrow, a perfect closer to the album and the only genuinely good song on the album. For those who hear Sorrow before any other song on the album, don't be fooled! It is the only top notch song on the album, which is not the worst ever, but a very mediocre album by Pink Floyd's standards.
Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction4.0
Anthrax Among the Living2.0
U2 The Joshua Tree2.5
I must say that I am disappointed, but yet not completely. I have never been a huge U2 fan. Ever. But I do enjoy songs such as Where The Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and One. So I figured why not pick this one up. Well, like another soundoff stated, the A side is classic. Bullet The Blue Sky is a particular favorite of mine, along with I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. While the second half is not quite bad, it is just that nothing seems to stick out and grab me. I can put it on as a whole album and enjoy it, but past side A there is nothing special to me.

But for all I know this album could grow on me, and my rating could change. This seems like an album that will grow on me in the future.
Heathen Breaking the Silence1.5
Joe Satriani Surfing with the Alien5.0

1986
Stevie Ray Vaughan Live Alive4.5
Slayer Reign in Blood1.5
Talking Heads True Stories3.0
Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time4.5
After years of releasing albums that were all synth-free and the band even taking an anti-synth stance on music, Iron Maiden finally gave in. Their first synth effort, however, is one of the band's best albums. Somewhere In Time gives fans the Iron Maiden sound they always know plus synths to complement the music and push it further, rather than basing their whole sound off of them. Caught Somewhere In Time is quite possibly the band's best opening song to an album (bar Aces High), while Sea of Madness and Stranger In A Strange Land hold up to any other Maiden tracks. The big thing on this album is the largely futuristic sound, as shown by the incredibly underrated track Deja Vu. One of Iron Maiden's finest moments, Somewhere In Time is not to be missed.
Megadeth Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?3.5
Genesis Invisible Touch2.0
Peter Gabriel So3.5
With his 1986 release, So, Peter Gabriel opened up a new frontier of styles to use from his ever-changing sound. From making progressive rock, to a dark emotional world music sound, he would now drift over to some 80s pop influences. But no one should go running from that dreaded term, because Peter Gabriel is able to do it differently. Unlike garbage from artists like Duran Duran and Lionel Ritchie, Gabriel was able to make intelligent pop music. This is clearly shown just by the albums opener, Red Rain. A take on nuclear warfare, this is one of Gabriel's best songs and the highly emotional ending shows that he has lost no emotion over the years. While most common people know of the smash hits (and incredible songs) Sledgehammer and In Your Eyes, there are other songs that should not be overlooked. Mercy Street is one of Peter Gabriel's darkest and most touching songs ever, featuring an incredibly atmospheric keyboard layer and some introspective lyrics. This Is The Picture is another standout track that is nothing like Peter Gabriel has ever done before. Any fans of Peter Gabriel or even 80s music should check out So due to its emotional aspects and stretching the boundaries of pop music even further than before.
Ozzy Osbourne The Ultimate Sin2.5
Van Halen 51503.0
Metallica Master of Puppets5.0
Talk Talk The Colour of Spring4.0

1985
Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume I & II (1973 - 1985)3.5
Megadeth Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!3.0
Eagles Very Best Of The Eagles 1972 - 19793.5
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms3.5
Phil Collins No Jacket Required3.5
Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur3.0
Brian Eno Thursday Afternoon4.5

1984
Yngwie Malmsteen Rising Force3.5
One of the most hated guitarists among the internet guitar community (see the guitar forums), but revered everywhere else, this is Yngwie Malmsteen's debut album. Black Star and Far Beyond The Sun are both legendary songs that helped Yngwie to make a name for himself, and both are fine works of guitar playing. Some of the big weaknesses are shown from Jeff Soto's singing on two of the songs, Now Your Ships Are Burned and As Above, So Below. Quite possibly the best song is the epic Icarus Dream Suite, beginning with a beautiful intro and moving into a new wave of british heavy metal riff. Yngwie does a good job with this album and unfortuntely could never match the quality of this album ever again.
Iron Maiden Powerslave4.0
This album is very known for containing some of the greatest Maiden songs ever recorded, and it definitely earns that praise. Aces High, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Powerslave, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner are all the cream of the crop when it comes to Iron Maiden songs, with Rime being quite possibly my all time favorite. The reason for the 4, however, is the four tracks in the middle. Losfer Words is pretty much a marginal track and nothing more. Flash Of The Blade has a FANTASTIC intro, but the rest of the track is severely lacking. The Duellists and Back In The Village are definitely better, especially the fantastic guitar work on Back In The Village, but if you ask me, this album is still excellent. Highly reccomended.
Camel Stationary Traveller1.5
So Camel chooses to ride the trend of showing much 80s synth pop music in their works. Well, at least didn't release an Abacab, or 90215. But it is still a weak effort. Pressure Points shows some promise that we might see a very synth/prog fusion effort, but Refugee kills that though. However, it still a good song, just by no means the progressive rock Camel of the past. More pop tracks like Cloak And Dagger Man and West Berlin show the listener the potential strength of the album. But it is the title track, Stationary Traveller, that shines the most. A very mellow piano intro that is capped off by Andrew Latimer's greatest guitar solo ever is a great way to say "we can still write one classic song!". Missing is also a strong track, but it sounds like it came straight out of an 80s action movie. The rest of album is bland, Fingertips and Vopos offer nothing to the album, and neither do any other of the tracks. It could be a decent buy thanks to the title track, but nothing else really hits you as classic.
Metallica Ride the Lightning4.5
Talking Heads Stop Making Sense5.0
Dire Straits Alchemy: Dire Straits Live4.5
Van Halen 19844.0

1983
Ozzy Osbourne Bark at the Moon3.5
Misfits Earth A.D./Wolf's Blood4.5
I don't really know what to say for this album. It is just stunning. Tracks one through five are all grade A Misfits songs and in my mind is the best set of five songs ever in an album. Mommy Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight is the only weak point, and Die Die My Darling is obviously a highlight.
Genesis Genesis2.5
Metallica Kill 'Em All3.5
A decent debut album from the thrash masters. Standout tracks feature clever riffing and song structure, such as The Four Horsemen, Jump In The Fire, No Remorse, and Seek And Destroy. Kirk Hammett's soloing has clearly yet to be refined (although it never ended up being but so strong), with very many of his solos being very repetitive pentatonic patterns. The first solo in The Four Horsemen is the only genuinely good solo in my opinion. Many of the songs are boring, generic thrash songs, as the member's writing skills would not become strong until the next album, Ride The Lightning.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Flood3.5
Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues4.0
Iron Maiden Piece of Mind3.0
I feel as if this one of the most overrated Iron Maiden albums, people tend to give to give it 4.5's and 5's all the time but that makes no sense. Most all of these times they state that every track is great except for Quest For Fire and Sun And Steel. I agree, but if those two tracks are lackuster, how exactly is the album a 5? But anyways, even minus those songs it still contains one of the greatest Iron Maiden songs ever in The Trooper. Where Eagles Dare and To Tame A Lad are also both good songs along Flight Of Icarus. But the main weakness in the album lies in its lasting power. I originally loved Die With Your Boots On and Still Life, but those two are just mediocre Maiden tracks now. Revelations has some good parts and some weak, but for the most part the whole album is like this. I do reccomend purchasing it because it is still a good album, just not their best of 1980s.
ZZ Top Eliminator3.0
Pink Floyd The Final Cut2.5
The Police Synchronicity4.0

1982
Michael Jackson Thriller3.0
Marvin Gaye Midnight Love2.5
Dire Straits Love Over Gold4.0
Love Over Gold is Dire Strait's 4th and most ambitious album they had released to date. The songs were now much longer and carried a larger structure within each song. Although the album only has five songs, each one carries itself as a stellar track, and not just a filler on your usual twelve track album. The opening track, Telegraph Road, has one of the greatest intros of any Dire Straits song ever, with a huge epic feeling that carries into a balance between a rocker and epic piano track at times. One of the bands best ever. Private Investigations is a quieter track with some very smooth leads from Mark Knopfler, and is a classic when played live. The sole true rocker is Industrial Disease, which carries a bouncy feel thanks to some well placed organ throughout the song. The title track and It Never Rains are slightly softer but do not cease to impress, as they round off what is possibly Dire Straits' best album ever.
The Cure Pornography3.0
Peter Gabriel Security3.5
Judas Priest Screaming for Vengeance3.5
Eric Clapton Time Pieces: Best of Eric Clapton4.0
Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast4.5
Santana Shango2.0
Misfits Walk Among Us4.0

1981
Ozzy Osbourne Diary of a Madman4.0
Too much of Ozzy Osbournes work in the 1980s is forgotten. The general public tends to pick up Blizzard of Ozz and then they are done with Ozzy. However, other albums such as Diary of a Madman are just as good, if not better than Blizzard of Ozz. The second release from the madman features just as strong of rockers in Over The Mountain and S.A.T.O, both of which share a unique style from each other, S.A.T.O especially having a very NWOBHM touch. The album shows its progressive elements on the title track, which is a progressive metal epic in which Randy Rhoads completely shines. With only one weak track, Diary of a Madman succeeds in being a great album and a fantastic swan song for the guitar great Randy Rhoads.
The Police Ghost in the Machine3.0
Grateful Dead Dead Set3.5
Rush Moving Pictures3.5
Iron Maiden Killers2.5
Phil Collins Face Value4.0
Bill Withers Bill Withers' Greatest Hits3.0
Grateful Dead Reckoning4.0

1980
U2 Boy3.5
Talking Heads Remain in Light4.5
It moves, it wiggles, and it feels. Side one is packed full of energy, aggression, and grooves, while side two slows it down a bit, gets more intimate and atmospheric. The instrumentation is top notch, and David Byrne's quirky vocals are right at home. 'The Great Curve' features some of the best vocal layering heard in the 1980s.
Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard of Ozz3.0
Steve Winwood Arc Of A Diver3.5
Herbie Hancock Mr Hands3.5
AC/DC Back In Black3.5
Genesis Duke3.5
Grover Washington, Jr. Winelight3.5

1979
The Clash London Calling2.5
Pink Floyd The Wall3.0
Talking Heads Fear of Music3.5
AC/DC Highway To Hell3.5
Van Halen Van Halen II3.5

1978
Grateful Dead Shakedown Street3.5
The Police Outlandos d'Amour2.5
The Who Who Are You3.5
Genesis ...And Then There Were Three...2.5
This is the album in which most all of the original Genesis fans began to fade away. Steve Hackett has now left the band leaving only a trio of Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford to lead the way for progressive rock giants Genesis. Unfortuantely for fans, they would put out an average and not-so-prog album. The album starts with a huge bang in Down And Out, a very proggy track that satisfies any prog fans needs. Undertow and Ballad of Big on the other hand are both weak tracks that tend to be forgotten along with other horrid poppier tracks like Many Too Many, Scenes From A Night's Dream, and Follow You, Follow Me. But even with these tracks there are some solid ones, Burning Rope is an extremely proggy track with some lush keys from Tony Banks, Snowbound and The Lady Lies do not disappoint, and Deep In The Motherlode does a good job fusing pop with prog. Although it was before their total pop transformation, ...And Then Were Three pales in comparison to the albums before and after it.
Van Halen Van Halen3.5
One of Van Halen's most well known albums, and it does not disappoint. Van Halen gives rock n' roll a completely different sound with such tracks as Runnin' With The Devil and I'm The One thanks to Eddie Van Halen's innovative guitar style. The charismatic style of David Lee Roth shines bright on Van Halen's makeover of The Kink's You Really Got Me, as well as Ice Cream Man. This would be the album in which the band would go down as legends, and rightfully so.
Weather Report Mr. Gone2.5
Brian Eno Ambient 1: Music For Airports4.0
Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits 1974-19784.0
Great album. Not one weak song at all, with the exception of Threshold which is more of an introduction to Jet Airliner, one of my favorites. Everyone knows the classics like Rock N Me, The Joker, Jungle Love, and Fly Like An Eagle, but there are many other great tracks on here. The Stake, Serenade, and Winter Time also serve as awesome songs that may not be quite as popular as the heavyweights.

1977
Santana Moonflower3.5
Dennis Wilson Pacific Ocean Blue4.0
Grateful Dead Terrapin Station4.0
The Beach Boys Love You3.5
Steely Dan Aja5.0
Steely Dan was always the jazzier cousin of the typical 70s rock bands. Still successful and quite respected, it wasn't until 1977's Aja that Steely Dan became one of the biggest names of the decade. For this album Steely Dan introduced more jazz elements, inviting saxophonist Wayne Shorter (formerly of Weather Report) and Steve Gadd (drummer for Chick Corea) to perform on the album. Steely Dan manages to fit catchy jazz rock songs and intense progressive-rock like epics such as the title track so well together. Peg and Josie show the slightly more commerical side of Steely Dan even though it still retained the jazz-like smoothness within every second. With so many classics such as "Peg", "Josie", "Deacon Blues" and the epic "Aja", this is one 70s album most certainly worth buying.
Peter Gabriel Car3.0
Fleetwood Mac Rumours5.0
There is not a whole lot that can be said about this album that hasn't already. People should check this album out, no questions asked. The turmoil that the band underwent during the recording and writing of this album allowed them to write some of the most inspired songs ever. Go Your Own Way and The Chain are the most powerful songs on the album, with two of the most memorable choruses ever. Don't Stop and Dreams keep the radio hooks going while both containing a positive outlook on the band's future, while Oh Daddy pays tribute to the man who held the band together. The flow of this album is perfect and contains some of the greatest songs ever, which of course, makes it one of the greatest albums ever.
Pink Floyd Animals5.0
This is the beginning of the end for Pink Floyd, with Roger Water's dominating influence on the band really starting to shine here. However, on this album it managed to be an excellent thing. Dogs is easily one of Pink Floyd's greatest songs ever, being complete in every aspect. There is nothing lacking in that song. Pigs (Three Different Ones) has a phenomenal intro which builds up a lot and slides right into a nice verse. Awesome outro solo by David Gilmour. Sheep is just a straight rocker that is simply awesome and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Sure, the album only has 3 true songs, but they are EASILY 3 of Pink Floyd's best ever.
Weather Report Heavy Weather4.0

1976
Genesis Wind & Wuthering4.0
Boston Boston2.5
The Beach Boys 15 Big Ones2.0
Rainbow Rising3.0
AC/DC High Voltage3.0
Jeff Beck Wired4.0
Ashra New Age of Earth4.0
Led Zeppelin Presence3.0
Genesis A Trick of the Tail3.5
Weather Report Black Market4.0
Steely Dan The Royal Scam4.5
1975
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here5.0
An album that gets plenty of praise from the educated people of the music people, but to the common public, Wish You Were Here often goes more unnoticed than it should be. While people do often recognize the title track, it is the four other songs on the album that often get the most praise. This album is the beginning of the Roger Waters era of the band, which would eventually lead to the band's demise in the early 1980s. But for this moment, Pink Floyd was able to produce one of the greatest albums of all time. Complete with everything a music fan could ask for, straight up rock, spacey epics, atmospheric stories twisted into music, and the perfect acoustic ballad. Not one weak spot to be found on Wish You Were Here, and there is not a good enough reason to not purchase this album.
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac3.5
Elton John Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy3.0
Herbie Hancock Man-Child4.0
Jeff Beck Blow by Blow4.0
Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti4.5
Grover Washington, Jr. Mister Magic4.0
Herbie Hancock Flood4.0

1974
Herbie Hancock Thrust4.5
King Crimson Red4.0
The last "classic" King Crimson album. Although the Robert Fripp-led group would continue to release solid albums (with a completely different lineup), this seems to be the last one with that classic feel. "Red" is quite possibly the best instrumental song released in the 70s, and "Fallen Angel" is a standard King Crimson classic. "One More Red Nightmare" has a great ominous feel and holds up with the remainder of the tracks on this album. But to me, "Providence" is the clunker on the cd. Maybe its just me, but I don't like these "noise jams", some find them to be amazing, but not me. They make no sense. But thankfully, we are graced with one of the greatest King Crimson songs ever in "Starless" right after that. From the calm and melancholic first half to the upbeat and amazing second half, it is just a perfect song, a great ending to a great album.
Gene Clark No Other5.0
Eric Clapton 461 Ocean Boulevard4.0
Grateful Dead From the Mars Hotel4.0
King Crimson Starless and Bible Black1.5
Plain old boring. Robert Fripp's improvisational album falls short due to no structure to be whatsoever, and nothing even remotely catchy in the album. The mindless improvised sessions go nowhere, build no momentum and have no resolve. Anyone looking to pick up some King Crimson albums should skip this one and get Lark's and Red instead.
Weather Report Mysterious Traveller4.0
Yes Relayer4.5
Gates of Delirium is easily my favorite Yes song ever, and in my opinion is the most underrated progressive rock song. From the fantastic beginning, to the "journey" section, and the phenomenal battle section, it is a complete song. Sound Chaser is a very jazzy style track and is the only one that really shows Patrick Moraz's influence on the album. To Be Over is definitely the weakest track on the cd, but it is by no means a bad one. This is easily a must have album for any Yes, let alone prog rock fan.

1973
Emerson, Lake and Palmer Brain Salad Surgery2.5
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys in Concert3.5
Herbie Hancock Head Hunters4.5
Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road4.0
Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd4.0
Stevie Wonder Innervisions4.0
Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy3.5
Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon4.5
King Crimson Larks' Tongues in Aspic2.5
The Beach Boys Holland3.0
Grand Funk Railroad We're An American Band3.5
Gram Parsons Grievous Angel4.5

1972
Grateful Dead Europe '724.5
Santana Caravanserai4.0
Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill4.0
Yes Close to the Edge4.0
For a while I thought this was one of the most overrated albums in progressive rock. Sure, the title track was phenomenal and easily deserved it's fair share of the praise, but I was quite let down by And You and I and Siberian Khatru. Their 1974 album 'Relayer' easily seemed like Yes's best album to me.
But then one day I decided to give Siberian Khatru another listen, and I loved it. Every single second of it. I even like it more than Close to the Edge now. It is a genuine classic, very complex but not over the top, with lots of melody and techincal flair, it is a perfect balance. And You and I is still only average to me, but it serves as nice relaxing song, so depending on the mood, this song is either quite good or somewhat weak.
Thanks to the strength of tracks 1 and 3, I feel this album deserves a 4.5
The Beach Boys Carl and the Passions3.0
Nick Drake Pink Moon3.0
Miles Davis On the Corner2.5
Gram Parsons GP4.5

1971
Yes Fragile3.5
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV4.0
Pink Floyd Meddle3.5
Van der Graaf Generator Pawn Hearts2.5
The Beach Boys Surf's Up3.5
The Who Who's Next4.0
The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East5.0
Marvin Gaye What's Going On3.0
Miles Davis Jack Johnson4.0
Yes The Yes Album3.5

1970
Grateful Dead American Beauty4.0
Genesis Trespass2.5
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin III3.0
Emerson, Lake and Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer2.5
Santana Abraxas4.5
The Beach Boys Sunflower4.5
Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo's Factory3.5
Miles Davis Bitches Brew4.5

1969
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II3.5
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King3.5
The Beatles Abbey Road3.0
Miles Davis In a Silent Way4.5
The Beach Boys 20/203.5
The Byrds Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde1.5
Grateful Dead Live/Dead4.0
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin3.0
The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin4.0

1968
Miles Davis Filles de Kilimanjaro4.0
The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo5.0
The Beach Boys Friends4.0
The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers2.0
Miles Davis Miles in the Sky3.5

1967
The Beach Boys Wild Honey4.5
The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour3.5
The Beach Boys Smiley Smile2.0
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band4.0

1966
The Beach Boys Pet Sounds4.5

1965
The Beach Boys Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)3.5
Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage4.0
The Beach Boys Today!3.5
Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home2.5
Vince Guaraldi Trio A Charlie Brown Christmas3.5

1964
Herbie Hancock Empyrean Isles4.0

1963
Duke Ellington and John Coltrane Duke Ellington and John Coltrane3.0

1960
Bill Evans Portrait in Jazz2.5
1959
Miles Davis Kind of Blue5.0
STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy