| Cathedral Forest of Equilibrium | 2.0 |
| Iced Earth The Blessed and the Damned | 4.5 |
| Iced Earth Framing Armageddon | 3.5 |
| Iced Earth Overture of the Wicked | 3.5 |
| Iced Earth The Glorious Burden | 4.0 |
| Judas Priest Nostradamus | 3.5 |
| Pig Destroyer Prowler in the Yard | 2.0 |
| Chris Cornell Carry On | 3.5 |
| Voivod Dimension Hatröss | 3.5 |
| Voivod Phobos | 3.5 |
| Voivod Nothingface | 4.0 |
| Voivod The Outer Limits | 4.0 |
| Trouble Simple Mind Condition | 4.0 |
| Blotted Science The Machinations of Dementia | 4.0 |
This disc is beyond brilliant. It's definitely not something you would envision as product of the average human mind. At least, not a normally functioning human mind. The brain of an 'Idiot Savant' gave rise to this music, no doubt. This is all 'outside-the-box' thinking. And, it will get the listener thinking in different categories as these all-instrumental pieces unfold for you at break-neck speed. The members of this group come from many of the big names in Avant-Garde and Technical Metal. Bands like Watchtower, Spastic Ink, Behold...The Arctopus and Lamb of God. If you get off on the music of the bands listed, you'll be diggin' hard on this sixteen track collection of technical and cerebral insanity.
|
| Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet | 3.5 |
| Porcupine Tree Arriving Somewhere... | 4.5 |
| Porcupine Tree Lightbulb Sun | 3.5 |
| Porcupine Tree Deadwing | 3.5 |
| Porcupine Tree Stupid Dream | 3.5 |
| Porcupine Tree Signify | 4.5 |
| Porcupine Tree In Absentia | 4.5 |
| Blackfield Blackfield II | 4.0 |
| Blackfield Blackfield | 3.5 |
| Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason | 3.0 |
| Pink Floyd Obscured by Clouds | 3.0 |
| Pink Floyd A Saucerful of Secrets | 2.5 |
| Pink Floyd The Division Bell | 3.5 |
| Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn | 3.5 |
| Pink Floyd Ummagumma | 2.0 |
| Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother | 2.0 |
| Pink Floyd Meddle | 3.0 |
| Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here | 4.0 |
| Pink Floyd The Final Cut | 4.0 |
| Pink Floyd The Wall | 5.0 |
| Pink Floyd Animals | 5.0 |
| Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon | 5.0 |
| Grateful Dead Reckoning | 2.0 |
| Grateful Dead Terrapin Station | 3.5 |
| Grateful Dead Wake of the Flood | 2.5 |
| Grateful Dead Workingman's Dead | 4.0 |
| Grateful Dead Blues for Allah | 4.5 |
| Grateful Dead Shakedown Street | 3.5 |
| Grateful Dead American Beauty | 5.0 |
| Exodus Bonded by Blood | 3.5 |
| Testament Demonic | 3.5 |
| Testament The Gathering | 4.5 |
| Megadeth The System Has Failed | 3.5 |
| Megadeth Risk | 2.5 |
| Megadeth Cryptic Writings | 3.5 |
| Megadeth Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? | 3.5 |
| Megadeth Youthanasia | 4.0 |
| Megadeth Countdown to Extinction | 4.5 |
| Megadeth United Abominations | 3.5 |
| Megadeth The World Needs a Hero | 4.0 |
| Mastodon Blood Mountain | 4.0 |
| Mastodon Leviathan | 3.5 |
| Lamb of God Sacrament | 4.0 |
| Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake | 3.5 |
| ISIS In the Absence of Truth | 4.0 |
| Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime II | 3.5 |
| Queensryche Greatest Hits | 3.5 |
| Queensryche Queensryche EP | 4.0 |
| Queensryche Hear in the Now Frontier | 2.5 |
| Queensryche Promised Land | 3.5 |
| Queensryche Operation: Livecrime | 3.5 |
| Queensryche Empire | 4.0 |
| Queensryche Rage for Order | 4.5 |
| Queensryche The Warning | 2.5 |
| Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime | 5.0 |
| Metallica Metallica | 3.5 |
| Metallica Kill 'Em All | 4.0 |
| Metallica Ride the Lightning | 4.5 |
| Metallica ...And Justice for All | 5.0 |
| The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath | 4.0 |
| The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium | 4.0 |
| The Mars Volta Amputechture | 2.5 |
| The Mars Volta Frances the Mute | 3.5 |
| Trouble Manic Frustration | 4.0 |
| Black Mountain In the Future | 3.5 |
| Black Mountain Black Mountain | 3.0 |
| Witchcraft Witchcraft | 2.5 |
| Witchcraft The Alchemist | 3.5 |
| Weather Report Black Market | 4.5 |
| Weather Report Mysterious Traveller | 3.5 |
| Weather Report Heavy Weather | 4.0 |
| Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame | 4.0 |
| Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire | 5.0 |
| Stanley Clarke School Days | 3.5 |
| Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke | 4.5 |
| Herbie Hancock Thrust | 4.0 |
| Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage | 5.0 |
| Herbie Hancock Head Hunters | 4.5 |
| Fiona Apple When the Pawn... | 3.0 |
| Fiona Apple Extraordinary Machine | 3.5 |
| Fiona Apple Tidal | 4.0 |
| Regina Spektor Begin To Hope | 3.0 |
| Tori Amos American Doll Posse | 3.5 |
| Tori Amos Scarlet's Walk | 3.5 |
| Tori Amos The Beekeeper | 3.5 |
| Blonde Redhead 23 | 3.0 |
| Menomena Friend And Foe | 3.5 |
| The Flaming Lips At War with the Mystics | 4.0 |
| The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin | 3.5 |
| The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots | 3.5 |
| Metallica Master of Puppets | 4.5 |
| Genesis Abacab | 3.5 |
| Genesis Duke | 3.5 |
| Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway | 4.5 |
| Genesis Selling England by the Pound | 4.0 |
| Genesis Foxtrot | 4.0 |
| Genesis Nursery Cryme | 3.0 |
| Genesis Wind & Wuthering | 3.5 |
| Genesis A Trick of the Tail | 3.5 |
| Genesis Trespass | 3.0 |
| Genesis Invisible Touch | 2.0 |
| Genesis Genesis | 2.0 |
| Genesis ...And Then There Were Three... | 2.0 |
| Rush Grace Under Pressure | 3.0 |
| Rush Presto | 2.0 |
| Rush Power Windows | 2.5 |
| Rush Hemispheres | 5.0 |
| Rush Hold Your Fire | 2.5 |
| Rush Signals | 3.5 |
| Rush A Farewell to Kings | 4.0 |
| Rush 2112 | 5.0 |
| Rush Fly by Night | 4.0 |
| Rush Counterparts | 4.0 |
| Rush Caress of Steel | 3.0 |
| Rush Permanent Waves | 4.5 |
| Rush Moving Pictures | 4.5 |
| Rush Snakes & Arrows | 3.5 |
| Rush Test for Echo | 3.0 |
| Rush Vapor Trails | 3.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Some Girls | 2.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Dirty Work | 1.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request | 2.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon | 3.0 |
| The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang | 3.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Goats Head Soup | 2.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet | 4.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Tattoo You | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Black and Blue | 2.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers | 4.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. | 2.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin [DVD] | 4.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin III | 4.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV | 3.5 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin | 4.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II | 3.5 |
| Led Zeppelin The Song Remains the Same | 3.0 |
| Led Zeppelin In Through the Out Door | 3.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin Presence | 3.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Coda | 2.5 |
| Cactus Cactology : The Cactus Collection | 3.5 |
| Wayne Shorter Night Dreamer | 4.5 |
| Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil | 4.5 |
| John Coltrane A Love Supreme | 5.0 |
| John Coltrane Ascension | 2.0 |
| John Coltrane Interstellar Space | 2.0 |
| John Coltrane Africa/Brass | 3.5 |
| John Coltrane Live At Birdland | 3.5 |
| John Coltrane Giant Steps | 4.0 |
| John Coltrane Blue Train | 4.0 |
| John Coltrane Stellar Regions | 2.5 |
| Art Blakey Moanin' | 3.0 |
| Horace Silver Song For My Father | 5.0 |
| Chick Corea and Return To Forever Light as a Feather | 3.5 |
| Return to Forever Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy | 4.5 |
| Return to Forever Romantic Warrior | 4.5 |
| King Crimson The Power to Believe | 3.5 |
| King Crimson Beat | 4.0 |
| King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King | 4.5 |
| King Crimson Starless and Bible Black | 3.0 |
| King Crimson Larks' Tongues in Aspic | 3.0 |
| King Crimson Lizard | 2.0 |
| King Crimson Red | 4.0 |
| Wishbone Ash Argus | 4.0 |
| Cynic Focus | 4.5 |
| Jethro Tull Under Wraps | 2.5 |
| Jethro Tull Crest of a Knave | 3.0 |
| Jethro Tull The Broadsword and the Beast | 3.0 |
| Jethro Tull A | 3.0 |
| Jethro Tull Stormwatch | 3.5 |
| Jethro Tull Heavy Horses | 3.0 |
| Jethro Tull Songs from the Wood | 3.0 |
| Jethro Tull Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! | 2.5 |
| Jethro Tull This Was | 2.5 |
| Jethro Tull Minstrel in the Gallery | 4.5 |
| Angel Witch Angel Witch | 3.5 |
| King Crimson Discipline | 4.0 |
| Cathedral The Ethereal Mirror | 4.0 |
| Atheist Elements | 4.0 |
| Testament Low | 2.5 |
| Megadeth Rust in Peace | 4.5 |
| Thought Chamber Angular Perceptions | 4.0 |
This record has received some much needed attention, but it's still nowhere near the admiration this band is due. These guys got chops. But, isn't that a 'given' in the realm of Prog-Metal? Everyone in the genre got chops. Musicianship is the name of the game here. You need a sharply honed craft just to earn yourself a place at the table. But, once your seated, it's all about one's compositional skills. It's 'F' or walk, buddy. And, this Texas band walks.....hard. They walk hard. lol. For all of that great musicianship in Prog-Metal, most of the discs are boring as schitt. Repetitive, uninspired, unoriginal drivel, the vast majority of 'em. But, Thought Chamber's music keeps you pinned to those speakers for a nice long bout of compelling musical passages and instantly recognizable melody lines. Along with a few other new Prog outfits like Redemption and Magic Pie, Thought Chamber is the band to be watching.
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| Spheric Universe Experience Mental Torments | 3.0 |
Among the countless hordes of Prog-Metal outifts, the compositional skills of these Franks stand out.
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| Exodus Tempo of the Damned | 3.5 |
| Miles Davis 'Round About Midnight | 3.5 |
| Miles Davis Agharta | 3.0 |
| Miles Davis Get Up with It | 2.0 |
| Miles Davis Big Fun | 2.5 |
| Miles Davis On the Corner | 1.5 |
| Miles Davis Jack Johnson | 3.5 |
| Miles Davis Bitches Brew | 3.0 |
| Miles Davis In a Silent Way | 3.0 |
| Miles Davis Filles de Kilimanjaro | 4.5 |
| Miles Davis Miles in the Sky | 4.0 |
| Miles Davis Nefertiti | 3.0 |
| Miles Davis Sorcerer | 4.0 |
| Miles Davis Miles Smiles | 3.0 |
| Miles Davis E.S.P | 4.0 |
| Miles Davis Seven Steps to Heaven | 3.0 |
| Miles Davis Someday My Prince Will Come | 3.5 |
| Miles Davis Sketches of Spain | 4.0 |
| Miles Davis Kind of Blue | 5.0 |
| Opeth Watershed | 4.0 |
| Jethro Tull War Child | 3.0 |
| Jethro Tull Thick as a Brick | 5.0 |
| Jethro Tull A Passion Play | 4.0 |
| Jethro Tull Stand Up | 4.0 |
| Jethro Tull Benefit | 4.5 |
| Jethro Tull Aqualung | 4.5 |
| Yes Relayer | 5.0 |
| Yes Tales from Topographic Oceans | 3.5 |
| Yes Big Generator | 3.5 |
| Yes Union | 3.0 |
| Yes Talk | 3.0 |
| Yes Open Your Eyes | 3.0 |
| Yes The Ladder | 2.5 |
| Yes Magnification | 3.5 |
| Yes Keystudio | 3.0 |
| Yes Drama | 3.5 |
| Yes 90125 | 4.0 |
| Yes Going for the One | 3.0 |
| Yes Tormato | 3.0 |
| Yes Yes | 3.0 |
| Yes Time and a Word | 3.0 |
| Yes Close to the Edge | 5.0 |
| Yes The Yes Album | 4.5 |
| Yes Fragile | 4.5 |
| Judas Priest Angel of Retribution | 3.5 |
| Judas Priest Point of Entry | 3.0 |
| Judas Priest British Steel | 3.5 |
| Judas Priest Killing Machine | 3.5 |
| Judas Priest Sad Wings of Destiny | 3.5 |
| Judas Priest Sin After Sin | 4.0 |
| Judas Priest Stained Class | 4.5 |
| The Who The Who Sell Out | 3.0 |
| The Who Tommy | 4.0 |
| The Who Who's Next | 5.0 |
| The Who Quadrophenia | 5.0 |
| The Who The Who by Numbers | 3.5 |
| The Who Face Dances | 2.5 |
| The Who It's Hard | 3.0 |
| The Who Quadrophenia Live | 4.0 |
| The Who Endless Wire | 3.0 |
| The Who Who Are You | 4.5 |
| Candlemass King of the Grey Islands | 4.5 |
| Giant Squid Metridium Fields | 4.5 |
| It's difficult to accurately describe what's going on here except to say that if you like Mastodon and Baroness, there's a pretty good chance that you'll like Giant Squid as well. Their music is doom-laden, yet highly progressive. The guitars of Squid display a distinct enough tone to seperate them from the two aformentioned bands, but not so much that you couldn't picture all three of these groups on the same bill. I don't know if there's already been a music journalist who's christened this sub-genre with a name yet, but it wouldn't be too far from the mark to describe this stuff as 'Art-Metl'. Can't call it Progressive Metal because that term conjures up thoughts of groups like Dream Theater and Symphony-X. And, these three bands are pretty far removed from that direction anyway. But, while the songs are, on average, much shorter than the material evidenced on the typical 'DT' recording, Squid's music is still highly progressive, extremely artistic and instantly recognizable as a new and original direction. The songs are accesible and melodic, yet there's also a controlled use of dissonance permeating much of their work. There's some sparse layering, a heavy reliance on atmospherics and periodic tinges of keyboard and horn accompaniment scattered throughout the album, that, when all taken together, gives this band a very deep, multidimensional sound. This dynamic is furthered by the decison to pair up a male and female voice on many of the vocal parts. If you demand a level of cerebral sophistication from your Hard Rock/Metal, then Giant Squid's Metridium Fields is probably for you. |
| Baroness Red Album | 4.5 |
| Skeletonwitch Beyond the Permafrost | 4.0 |
| Exodus The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A | 4.0 |
| Exodus Shovel Headed Kill Machine | 4.0 |
| Testament The Formation of Damnation | 4.0 |
I really think that this new offering is among the band's very finest. In fact, I think it's between this one and 'The Gathering' for the top spot. Every single element of the classic Testament sound comes together here and the production is fantastic. Plus, all the songs are memorable after a few spins....I don't know what's been going on in 'Modern Thrash' over the past few years, but me likey. A lot. This effort by Testament, the last two from Exodus, and the last two from Iced Earth have ALL far exceeded expectations. Not only is the writing on these albums far better than the average, but the production quality is literally THE best I've heard on any crop of metal albums from any era. Unbelievably good stuff.
|
| Spiral Architect A Sceptic's Universe | 4.5 |
