| Such Gold The New Sidewalk | 4.0 |
| Really great progression from Misadventures. On first listen this one leaves a sort of teethless impression, as the vocals are really toned in style. But the instrumental side more than makes up for that, they really stepped up their game. |
| Raised Fist From the North | 4.0 |
| Unlike Veil Of Ignorance this album clicked with me on first listen. I like the injection of more melodic guitar lines, the voice of Alle is still one of the most instantly recognisable ones in the scene. rVery good release indeed, my first gem of 2015. |
| Modern Life Is War Fever Hunting | 3.5 |
| Propagandhi Failed States | 4.5 |
| Such Gold Misadventures | 4.0 |
| It Prevails Stroma | 3.5 |
| This album is getting more shit than it deserves. It's definitely a grower, and while not as instantly memorable as the predecessor, it still shows a technical prowess shining through. I for one appreciate the drumming a lot more here, as the same double bass pattern is not reused every other song. |
| Verse Bitter Clarity, Uncommon Grace | 3.5 |
| Life in Your Way Waking Giants | 3.5 |
| Misery Signals Mirrors | 3.5 |
| Misery Signals Controller | 4.0 |
| It Prevails Capture & Embrace | 3.5 |
| Anamanaguchi Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game - Soundtrack | 3.0 |
| Every Time I Die Ex Lives | 4.0 |
| No Trigger Tycoon | 4.5 |
| La Dispute Wildlife | 4.0 |
| Touche Amore Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me | 4.0 |
| Chuck Ragan Covering Ground | 4.0 |
| Polar Bear Club Clash Battle Guilt Pride | 4.0 |
| "Clash Battle Guilt Pride" is an excellent output and progression for Polar Bear Club, though progression might not be the right word. This album is a continuation of "Chasing Hamburg", and only hindered by anthemic "Screams in Caves" and "My Best Days" which leave the rest a bit weak in comparison |
| Balance and Composure Separation | 4.0 |
| Make Do and Mend End Measured Mile | 4.0 |
| Red City Radio The Dangers of Standing Still | 4.0 |
| And So I Watch You From Afar Gangs | 4.0 |
| Title Fight The Last Thing You Forget | 3.5 |
| Title Fight Shed | 4.0 |
| Rise Against Endgame | 3.0 |
| Rise Against Rise Against 7" | 4.0 |
| Rise Against Appeal to Reason | 2.5 |
| From Plan to Progress Ink Stains & Incidents | 3.5 |
| Every Time I Die New Junk Aesthetic | 4.0 |
| Sights and Sounds Monolith | 4.0 |
| Maybeshewill Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony | 4.5 |
| The Gaslight Anthem American Slang | 3.5 |
| Much the Same Survive | 4.0 |
| This Is A Standoff Be Excited | 4.0 |
| Propagandhi Potemkin City Limits | 4.0 |
| Minus the Bear Menos El Oso | 4.0 |
| More Than Life Brave Enough To Fail | 4.0 |
| Polar Bear Club Chasing Hamburg | 4.0 |
| Set Your Goals This Will Be the Death of Us | 3.5 |
| Nothington Roads, Bridges, and Ruins | 3.5 |
| Strung Out Blackhawks Over Los Angeles | 4.0 |
| Strung Out Agents of the Underground | 4.0 |
| The Gaslight Anthem The '59 Sound | 4.0 |
| No Trigger Canyoneer | 4.0 |
| A Wilhelm Scream A Wilhelm Scream | 4.0 |
| Evergreen Terrace Almost Home | 4.0 |
| Evergreen Terrace Wolfbiker | 4.0 |
| Zero 7 When It Falls | 3.5 |
| Converge Axe to Fall | 3.0 |
| The Fall of Troy Phantom on the Horizon | 3.0 |
| This Is A Standoff Be Disappointed | 3.5 |
| Blakfish See You In Another City | 4.0 |
| Blakfish Champions | 4.0 |
| Adebisi Shank This is the Album | 4.0 |
| Oceansize Frames | 4.0 |
| And So I Watch You From Afar And So I Watch You From Afar | 4.5 |
| Poison the Well Versions | 3.0 |
| Poison the Well The Tropic Rot | 4.0 |
| War from a Harlots Mouth In Shoals | 3.5 |
| Propagandhi Supporting Caste | 4.5 |
| Trophy Scars Bad Luck | 4.0 |
| The Blackout Argument Remedies | 3.0 |
| The Carrier One Year Later | 4.0 |
| Thursday Common Existence | 4.0 |
| Down-Stares Cobras And Matadors | 3.5 |
| Thursday Full Collapse | 4.5 |
| If I would be asked about my entry act to the world of Post Hardcore music, the answer would probably be Thursday. I read a lot about them online, being advertised as "Emo". Not correct as I know now. Checked them out nonetheless, and was caught by this album the most. Sure, you have to get used to the vocals, as they can seem strange and weird at first. But after a while this is really what adds to the whole composition. I like how the songs succed well in delivering a certain emotion, and I was always hooked by the bass work. Interesting stuff |
| Llynch We Are Our Ghosts | 4.5 |
| Unearth III: In the Eyes of Fire | 3.0 |
| Unearth The March | 4.0 |
| The Psyke Project Apnea | 4.0 |
| In This Moment The Dream | 3.5 |
| Verse Aggression | 4.0 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Career Suicide | 4.0 |
| Killing The Dream Fractures | 4.0 |
| Comeback Kid Turn It Around | 3.5 |
| Comeback Kid Wake the Dead | 3.5 |
| Comeback Kid Broadcasting | 2.0 |
| This Is Hell Sundowning | 3.5 |
This Is Hell present honest and entertaining interpretation of modern Hardcore with their debut "Sundowning". Though some riffs sound a bit like the same (eg: Here Come The Rains and The Polygraph Cheaters), the band makes up for that with energy.
Like acts like Modern Life Is War or American Nightmare? Chances are you will like this band as well. This shows how Hardcore should sound: energetic, powerful, honest and close to the audience. |
| The Black Atlantic Send This Home | 4.0 |
Former Shail Hulud shouter Geert van der Velde amazes with a rock solid debut-EP that ventures into the Indie/Singer-Songwriter area. He shows that there is more to him than just screaming, and that he has an amazing sense for melodies and relaxing hooks.
Definately looking forward to the full length LP. |
| 36 Crazyfists The Tide and Its Takers | 3.5 |
Solid effort from 36 Crazyfists, but this album is somewhat lacking the "new things". In a way, it feels like a redone "Rest Inside The Flames". Still, it definately has it's moments, like "The Back Harlow Road".
Overall it's ok, but I would have expected more to be honest |
| With Honor This Is Our Revenge | 4.0 |
| Shai Hulud That Within Blood Ill-Tempered | 4.0 |
| This Is Hell Misfortunes | 3.5 |
| The Hope Conspiracy Death Knows Your Name | 4.0 |
| Have Heart The Things We Carry | 3.5 |
| Killing The Dream In Place, Apart | 4.0 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) The Morning View Sessions | 3.5 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) A Crow Left of the Murder... | 3.5 |
| Burial Untrue | 4.0 |
| Heaven Shall Burn Iconoclast (Part 1: The Final Resistance) | 4.0 |
"Iconoclast Vol. I" is simply put the best Heaven Shall Burn album to date. With interesting new sound experiments, like the dance beat on "Murderers Of All Murderers" or overall the courage to rather step-down than turning it up to the max, Heaven Shall Burn showcase a brilliant progression from the precessor "Deaf To Our Prayers".
Only problem are slight sound problems, as certain guitar melodies and especially the bass playing get drowned in the mix. But this are only minor points, as the overall sound suits the album very well.
To sum it up with one sentence: This is Metalcore with strong Melodic Death Metal influences, and that at it's best. |
| A Wilhelm Scream Mute Print | 3.5 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Ruiner | 4.0 |
| Sparta Threes | 4.5 |
| Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II | 4.5 |
| Modern Life Is War Witness | 4.5 |
| Hot Cross Risk Revival | 4.0 |
| The Draft In A Million Pieces | 4.0 |
| Alexisonfire Crisis | 3.5 |
| Heaven Shall Burn Deaf to Our Prayers | 3.5 |
| Boom Bip Blue eyed in the red room | 3.0 |
| Maroon When Worlds Collide | 4.0 |
| Wicked guitar work, the clearly have the Metal thing going on. Overall a very interesting record, with shifts between melodic and soothing to hard hitting. Some funny elements (Power Metal guest vocals on a song, turning it into a Maiden like song) bring nice variation, guest vocals by Roger Miret ruin another song though. Still, the musicianship is quite good, and it's a lot of fun to listen to |
| Genianalus Goddamn Motherfucker | 3.0 |
| Rise Against The Sufferer and the Witness | 4.5 |
| For me the best Rise Against have presented so far. Yes, they do not really leave the boundaries of their known songs. Still they try out a few new things. Like the spoken story song "The approaching curve", or instrumentations like cello or strings on "Roadside". It's all just one line of shout-and-sing-along-songs, with a message behind it as well. Best song: Survive, definately. So far, this is probably one of the best albums of 2006 for me. |
| Billy Talent Billy Talent II | 3.5 |
| Lostprophets Liberation Transmission | 3.0 |
| Quite epic, very very catchy, an album full of potential singles. But somewhat this records lacks the moments that made Start Something so enjoyable. Some songs sound like Franz Ferdinand rip-offs, others are just a bit too cheesy regarding vocals etc. This is the logic development of the bands sound after Start Something in a way, not the one I wished for though |
| Rise Against The Unraveling | 3.5 |
| Sunny Day Real Estate Sunny Day Real Estate | 4.0 |
| Raised Fist Sound of the Republic | 4.5 |
| This was a huge comeback after four years for the scandinavian Hardcore band. The vocals are as trademark as they always were, but there are new points like melodic vocal passages, interesting guitar leads. Can this band get even better now? I dare to doubt it. This is as best as it can get. Raised Fist at it's finest |
| Boysetsfire The Misery Index: Notes From The Plague | 4.0 |
| A new direction for BoySetsFire (and as we now all know, the final for the band...). Much more melodic vocals here, some new experiments. We have a ska like song, some nice acoustic passages and so on. A really great comeback after "tomorrow come today". Too sad the band decided not to walk the road further and split up. =( |
| Caliban The Undying Darkness | 3.0 |
| Compared to their previous album this one lacked a bit of the energy. It seems quite soft here and there, moving more and more towards the "Killswitch Engage"-thing, with the constant change between melodic and screamed vocals. It's ok, but somehow lacks substance and edge. Could have been better |
| Danko Jones Sleep is the Enemy | 3.5 |
| The Fall of Troy Ghostship Demos | 4.5 |
| Never before was a re-release so anticipated than with this album. Distributed by the band at their shows, this has some kick ass songs. "Ghostship Part I" is just genius, with the slow and meneacing Intro, the change between fast paced and slow passages, and the release at the end. Just terrific. Four songs that play for about half an hour. Great display of their capabilities. One could not wish for more. Can't wait for the re-release next year. |
| Fear My Thoughts Hell Sweet Hell | 4.0 |
| Metalcore, the different way. Or better put: Metalcore turned melodic Death Metal. This is one of those bands that I really enjoy, a nice guitar sound, and a good integration of slight string/keyboard parts into the songs. Not overdone though, nice. Some of the songs stretch though, and are a bit boring. Otherwise the album might have passed the 4 in my book |
| Boysetsfire Tomorrow Come Today | 4.0 |
| My first BSF album ever, and still one of the most loved. The combination of more mellow songs, but without lacking songs that seriously kick ass, I love it. The lyrics are quite political as always. Nathan's voice really shines on this record, being a big element for the moods the songs set. Solid record from an underrated band |
| Sparta Austere EP | 3.0 |
| Bullet for My Valentine The Poison | 3.0 |
| Moneybrother To die alone | 4.0 |
| Fear My Thoughts The Great Collapse | 3.5 |
| Cave In Antenna | 4.0 |
| From Autumn to Ashes The Fiction We Live | 3.0 |
| Sparta Wiretap Scars | 4.0 |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance | 4.0 |
| The follow up to "Illusion of Safety". It seems overall darker, regarding the mood and instrumentation. The crazy leads of IoS are cut back a bit. Nevertheless features some of my most favorite Thrice songs, like Artist in the Ambulance, All that's left and Under a killing moon. Maybe the last record of Thrice that dwelled in the realm of Hardcore-like music, as they completely crossed the boundaries to the realm of Post-Hardcore with Vheissu |
| Underoath They're Only Chasing Safety | 2.5 |
| Yeah, I know. Many people love the band and this album to death. I do not though. I enjoyed songs like "Reinventing your exit" for a while, but overall I find this album too generous and exchangable. There are, for me at least other bands that do the thing better. |
| Sparta Porcelain | 4.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria Live at the Starland Ballroom | 4.0 |
| Lostprophets Start Something | 3.5 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Alive at Red Rocks | 4.5 |
| This is what a concert DVD should offer: A full length gig with all details, superb picture and sound quality. If you want a concert and not some funky extras, this is the blueprint for future productions. The added CD is nice as well, but the concert itself is just a pure highlight. Again, this is how a concert DVD should be: a focus on what's important, the concert |
| Heaven Shall Burn Antigone | 4.0 |
| This one is evil. A kicking bastard of Death Metal/Metalcore. The musical side is not really that innovative, deep riffs, highly distorted. BUT, check out them vocals! Not so much variation, but evil, grumbling screaming. Good stuff. Perfect soundtrack for a bad day |
| Waterdown The Files You Have on Me | 3.0 |
| Funeral for a Friend Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation | 4.0 |
| Hatebreed Rise of Brutality | 3.0 |
| Hatebreed Perseverance | 3.5 |
| Donots Better days not included | 3.0 |
| Donots Pocketrock | 4.0 |
| The Donots, one of the first bands I formed a way of fanboyism for. I used to absolutely adore their albums, but I've grown out of that awhile ago. Sometimes I dig them out again though, as they are still an entertaining and casual listen. Especially this album, which marked the breakthrough for the band. Punk like riffing, sing along choruses and lyrics. A light weight summer record so to say |
| Donots Amplify the good times | 4.0 |
| The "Make it or break it record", or in other words: The third album. A clear change in sound and attitude could be noticed here. Some of the happyness has been traded in to adress more serious things. General world and society issues, or personal expiriences that were not so bright. It made them sound more mature and adult, whil still keeping casual songs between that. |
| Raised Fist Dedication | 4.0 |
| Hm, my first Hardcore-ish album that I ever bought. After hearing the song Dedication on a music magazine sampler I was hooked. The song was hard, but yet very positive. Well, you can not necessarily say that for the rest of the album, as it is quite dark here and there. Very trademark though. You will recognise those vocals everywhere. 100% sure of that. You want some old-school like Hardcore? Check these folks out |
| Linkin Park Live In Texas | 1.5 |
| Something like a rip off for me. The songs sound too overproduced and clean for live versions. You might as well listen to the regular records then. |
| Limp Bizkit Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water | 2.0 |
| I quite liked "significant other" back in the days. It was something new, and quite hooked me. The follow up was a huge bummer though. It seemed a bit uninspired, not really original. Musically it was ok, but Durst kinda kills it. |
| Trivium Ascendancy | 2.0 |
| Though I'm into modern Death Metal/Metalcore-ish music (a lot actually), I can not really stand this band. Yes, the solos are good, but overall the songs lack something to really tell them apart. Not to mention the vocals. I thought I had heard the worst barfing with Atreyu, but these guys are really competitors for that place. I can see and understand why people love them, but it's not my cup of tea |
| Hawthorne Heights The Silence in Black and White | 2.0 |
| To put it simple and straight forward: There are simply bands out there that do the thing better and not as cliche. SPeaking of the instrumentation as well as the lyrics. And foremost the lyrics. "Cut my wrists and black my eyes". Angsty cut-my-wrists-lyrics was redefined with this band. I can see why so many people can relate and connect with the music and the lyrics, it does not change though that it's sub-par. Well, and that others do it better. =) |
| blink-182 Blink-182 | 2.5 |
| Atreyu Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses | 2.5 |
| *barf barf, barf barf* That's the first thing I connect with Atreyu. Yes, you can spot the singer pretty fast from a crowd, but it's more funny than good for the music. I did not really like the guitar sound on this album either, it was... strange. What gives the whole thing the deathblow are the lyrics. Sorry, but there are other bands that do the exact same thingway better |
| Box Car Racer Box Car Racer | 2.5 |
| blink-182 Take Off Your Pants And Jacket | 2.5 |
| It was fun when it came out, but even back then not really. I loved "Enema of the State", but by the time this came out I was out of the immature puns and humor, and the music was too... simplistic. Except for maybe Travis' drumming, the musicianship is very simple. Not many fills, varations or anything like that. The album still had it's moments, but that was not enough to keep me interested more than maybe two months. At the max. |
| The Used The Used | 2.5 |
| Many favor this one over the 2nd output of the Used, but I personally never really liked this one, except for "The taste of Ink", which I love. Odd enough. On many spots I had the feeling all that could be done was put into the songs, like big string arrangements. Less would have been more here |
| My Chemical Romance Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | 2.5 |
| Taking Back Sunday Where You Want To Be | 2.5 |
| I had a very short phase where I was really into this band, but the songs and albums could not really bind me the way other bands could. Partly because of the cheesy lyrics here and there, partly because of the reoccuring arrangements that seem to be replacable with ease in a way. It's not the worst in Pop-Punk that dwells out there, but not really the best either for me. |
| Disturbed The Sickness | 2.5 |
| Velvet Revolver Contraband | 2.5 |
| Limp Bizkit Significant Other | 2.5 |
| Before this album I knew no stuff like Nu-Metal and all that jizz. I liked and loved it, not knowing better. This album was a really fun thing back in the days, but after the hype swept away, it got old fast. There are decent songs on this though, that are nice every now and then on parties or in clubs. But for more it's not really suiting anymore |
| From Autumn to Ashes Abandon Your Friends | 2.5 |
| There was a time where I really liked the stuff FAtA do. But you grow out of some stuff, and the process was put on fast forward with this album. Where The Fiction we live was not really that diverse or innovative, this one was just... horrible. I don't know, there were only two songs that I found half-way standing out, the rest was mediocre at best. The musicianship and song-writing just lack. |
| 3 Doors Down The Better Life | 2.5 |
| Story of the Year Page Avenue | 2.5 |
| Back in the day when I discovered this during my extended Pop-Punk phase, it was fun to listen to. But it got old quite fast, as the material is more or less catchy but not something you have not listened to dozens of times before with other bands. |
| P.O.D. Satellite | 2.5 |
| "I was young and did not know better..." Looking back, this is what I have to say about the time I listened to this album all the time. Like with many bands I listened to in the time around 00/01, the music was quite exchangable and not really the most innovative. Not yet playing bass or diving more into the not-so-popular stuff, I did not really notice that back then. Today, with more insight on how interesting, simple and yet effective musicianship and songs can be, while at the same time being original... this just falls behind. |
| AFI Decemberunderground | 2.5 |
| This seems to be a completely Love/Hate record. I read articles in magazines how much this album rules. And how much it sucks. Similar here on Sputnik. I am more on the negative side. There are nice songs, and you can tell that they wanted to push the direction of "Sing the Sorrow", but somewhat failed during the process. Which results in the feeling to have a rip-off here. The songs just don't get me the way "Sing the Sorrow" did. Which is sad actually, as I really like that album |
| From Autumn to Ashes Too Bad You're Beautiful | 3.0 |
| Alexisonfire Alexisonfire | 3.0 |
| As much as I love "Watch out!", as much do I dislike this album. There are two great songs, ".44 caliber Love letter" and "Pulmonary Archery". Those have nice melodies, interesting guitar work here and there. The rest sounds awkward though. Partly because of the mix, partly because its just not my thing. Diffrerent with the follow up though. Gotta love that one |
| Taking Back Sunday Tell All Your Friends | 3.0 |
| Papa Roach Infest | 3.0 |
| The Used In Love and Death | 3.0 |
| System of a Down Mezmerize | 3.0 |
| NOFX Don't Call Me White | 3.0 |
| Funeral for a Friend Hours | 3.0 |
| Foo Fighters There Is Nothing Left to Lose | 3.0 |
| Scary Kids Scaring Kids The City Sleeps In Flames | 3.0 |
| Beastie Boys Hello Nasty | 3.0 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) When Incubus Attacks, Vol. 2 | 3.0 |
| Nice DVD, the acoustic session is great. But the concert itself had poor visual quality. Which comes from the lighting in the hall the concert took place in. The sound quality is still good though, and the set features a nice mix of songs from SCIENCE and Make Yourself. |
| Silverstein Discovering the Waterfront | 3.0 |
| The Bled Found in the Flood | 3.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness | 3.0 |
| The latest episode of the Coheed and Cambria story. BUt after all the anticipation the band stirred with interviews and with the lead single "Welcome Home", I could not help but feel disappointed with this album. Somehow it did not feel as great as it should. There are nice songs, like "Ten Speed", but overall... not as captivating as their previous works. |
| Aphex Twin Windowlicker | 3.0 |
| One of the most innovative electronica acts I know. Windowlicker is probably one of my all-time electronica favorites. The beat, the flow, the groove, all sparkled with these weird and interesting sounds, including sex-noises. REALLY good stuff! |
| From First to Last Heroine | 3.0 |
| Hatebreed Supremacy | 3.0 |
| Memphis May Fire Memphis May Fire | 3.0 |
This is a debut EP that shows promise and is fun to listen to. The mix of Southern Rock elements, Alternative Rock and Post-Hardcore works quite well, including elements and influences from Everytime I Die and Van Halen. The band knows when to step on the gas, and when to slow down. Nice.
The production is solid, and makes a good impression over the 19 minute playtime. The band won't have it easy though, as there are quite a few bands that play at least remotely this style of music. If they can gain a big enough audience to remain will the future tell. |
| Gwen Stacy The Life I Know | 3.0 |
Gwen Stacy show a promising debut with "The Life I Know". Their mix of Hardcore with slight metal influences can entertain, though it has flaws as well. The breakdownish riffs sound very alike on almost every track, and seem repetitive. The band shows potential in the melodic moments, like on "If We Live Right, We Can't Die Wrong"
Up to now, it's quite generic. Future albums will show what the band will do with the potential they have |
| AFI Sing the Sorrow | 3.5 |
"Sing the Sorrow" was the first album I got to know by AFI, and so far it's my favorite. What I really like about this album is the combination of Punk like tones combined with an epic aspect. That comes from the multi-voice choruses, string arrangements and similar aspects of the music. The musical work is quite solid, though not overly extraordinary. What makes it good is how all the instruments work together to set the mood of the songs.
What keeps me from giving this a higher rating is that I sometimes feel the songs sound too much the same. It might be epic, but at the core it's still inspired by more simple Punk like music. Here and there riffs and structures seem recycled, which spoils the relistening value for me to an extend.
Still, a very good 3.5 ot of 5 from me.Fun to listen to, though not all day and night long |
| Deftones White Pony | 3.5 |
| Machine Head Through the Ashes of Empires | 3.5 |
| Thursday War All the Time | 3.5 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Morning View | 3.5 |
| Most of the songs here are quite relaxed. Just listen to Are you in? for proof. Which does not mean that it lacks edge. Songs like "Nice to know you" still drive forward pretty well. The more mellow work dominates though, like Are you in? or Whish you where here for example. A good mix and the quality work you would expect of a band like Incubus. Last album to feature Dirk Lance on bass... =( |
| Billy Talent Billy Talent | 3.5 |
| Lostprophets The Fake Sound Of Progress | 3.5 |
| Unearth The Oncoming Storm | 3.5 |
| Thursday Five Stories Falling | 3.5 |
| Sum 41 Chuck | 3.5 |
| From First to Last Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count | 3.5 |
| Poison the Well Tear From the Red | 3.5 |
| Armor For Sleep What To Do When You Are Dead | 3.5 |
| Maroon 5 Songs About Jane | 3.5 |
| NOFX The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us) | 3.5 |
| It's NoFX. It's a single collection. It has good songs. It has bad songs. Who would buy this? The die hard NoFX fan. What has the die hard NoFX fan in his shelve? Probably the NoFX discography. Which mean, he already has all the songs present here, maybe except for two or three exclusive tracks. Are they worth it? Not in my book, this is a rip off on the fans. Still, they write decent material which is why I still rated it 3.5 |
| Audioslave Out of Exile | 3.5 |
| Gorillaz Demon Days | 3.5 |
| Ash Meltdown | 3.5 |
| As I Lay Dying Shadows Are Security | 3.5 |
| Hot Water Music The New What Next | 3.5 |
| Morrissey Ringleader of the Tormentors | 3.5 |
| The voice. This was the first Mozza album I checked out, after hearing "You have killed me" on MTV. I like the overall sound, which various somewhere between Pop and old-school Rock in a way. It's a nice listen for driving or relaxing. Good one! |
| 36 Crazyfists Bitterness the Star | 3.5 |
| Waterdown All Riot | 3.5 |
Quite a lot has changed since their last release The files you have on me. Melodic singer Marcel Bischoff left the band. And after trying to run the thing with one vocaliist, a new guy was 'hired'. With him an older edge has reurned to Waterdowns music. All Riot is much rougher than the melancholic precessor, and has more of a Hardcore touch to it.
The songs sound harder, the both singers compliment each other quite good. Melodic parts are often found during the chorus, many of the songs feature a break-down like part. Though that is nice, it's at the same time a big con for the whole album. Rather quick you get the feeling that most of the songs are constructed after the same formula. Some songs show different approaches, like My hopelessness and me with it's dischord like guitar work. But around the last third again a breakdown-ish part kicks in, like on basically all songs before. This could have been better. Lyrics are a split edge as well. Some are quite interesting and/or funny, others pathetically clichee (Yes Recruit, I'm looking your way! "We are a drop out generation, this is a war on everything"? Oh please, this must have been a joke. Especially the way it's sung)
Summed up: This is a good step forward compared to their older material. Still, I'm always left with the feeling that this could have been more. Better than The files you have on me, still lacking something...
3.5/5 overall |
| Thursday A City By the Light Divided | 3.5 |
| Fire in the Attic Crush/Rebuild | 3.5 |
| I Killed the Prom Queen Music for the Recently Deceased | 3.5 |
| Sick City Nightlife | 3.5 |
| Muse Absolution | 4.0 |
| Jimmy Eat World Bleed American | 4.0 |
| This is an unnoticable record. At least when played while doing something. "What, over already?" But when you take the time to listen to it, and pay attention to the details that sleep here and there, it's a really entertaining listen. A more Indie/General Rock approach here. First album by Jimmy eat World I ever got, and still so far my favorite of their works. |
| The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium | 4.0 |
| I always found that the Mars Volta albums are somewhat of a trip. Sometimes a good one, sometimes a bad one. What it is lies in the eye of the beholder. Still, the musicianship is good here, I think that is for sure. The changes and different parts in the single songs are interesting, especially on songs like Eriatarka. If you can get into the slightly whacko-jacko arrangements of this, it's good stuff. That might take some time. It took me weeks, if not months to really appreciate the album... |
| Rise Against Revolutions per Minute | 4.0 |
| Many consider this THE definate Rise Against album. And I can see why. It features the known treats by RA: the driving beat, the political inspired lyrics that do not fear to have personal issues as topic as well. It's very solid, and features some great songs. But it is oddly enough my least played Rise Against album. Nevertheless, I think this is great work, and owns quite a few bands and records out there |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Make Yourself | 4.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 | 4.0 |
| Poison the Well You Come Before You | 4.0 |
| Killswitch Engage Alive or Just Breathing | 4.0 |
| This was basically the first Metalcore record I got into. Back in the days I was quite hooked by the combination of metal riffs, clean vocals, and screams. The old singer had quite a vocal range, from deep grunts to high pitched screams. This set the style for a lot of bands doing the "Killswitch Engage thing". Still a decent record, but today I prefer different bands from the genre. |
| Thrice The Illusion of Safety | 4.0 |
| For me the most ferocious record. From the start on at a good pace, the overall feel is quite Punk/Hardcore, but a lot of the riffs and leads reind of Metal here and there. The lead guitar parts are what makes this a lot, as they are top notch. The others are not bad, but the guitar is what gets you the most. A good mix of kinda dark and happy songs. At least in a way. |
| Deftones Around the Fur | 4.0 |
| Incubus (USA-CA) S.C.I.E.N.C.E. | 4.0 |
| Incubus with a rawer edge. The riffs have a slight metal touch here and there, the samples and electronic parts are much more present here. Still, the album has a big groove on most of the songs, while others are very dark for Incubus. Highlights: the slap bass parts of Dirk Lance, he made good use of them here. You want to hear the more experimental and harder side of Incubus? Maybe start looking here |
| Jimmy Eat World Clarity | 4.0 |
| The Blood Brothers ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn | 4.0 |
| Alexisonfire Watch Out! | 4.0 |
| Hopesfall The Satellite Years | 4.0 |
| Good combination of melody and raw heavy sounds, Satellite Years featured a much more heavy vocal style than the follow up A-Types. What is really great about this album is the swing between acoustic passages and distorted riffing. The all-time shouted vocals did not fit all time though. |
| The Fall of Troy The Fall of Troy | 4.0 |
| Solid album, but somehow something was lacking for me personally. Still, this owns a lot of material out there, though the recording quality is far from perfect. Some songs just worked better as re-release on Doppelganer. For me at least |
| The Blood Brothers Crimes | 4.0 |
| A bit chaotic. Especially when it comes to the vocals. I mean that in a positive way though. The combination of whacky guitar melodies and the dual-vocalists with different vocal ranges gives them a certain something. This album was a bit more catchy so to say, being easier to access. It still has this raw chaotic twist Burn Piano Island Burn had |
| Converge Petitioning the Empty Sky | 4.0 |
| Hopesfall A Types | 4.0 |
| Interesting change from "Satellite Years", but not one to the worse. Where SY was more "a lot of screaming over partly acoustic songs", the melodic singing voice is more foreground here. Which does not mean the shouting is all gone. The songs are well structured, and the lyrics are among the better out there. The almost perfect mix of all the elements (loud/mellow dynamics, shouting/singing etc) for this genre. Good stuff |
| Caliban The Opposite From Within | 4.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Second Stage Turbine Blade | 4.0 |
| Minus the Bear Highly Refined Pirates | 4.0 |
| When I first read about this band (and got interested in checking them out), it was from a sticker on a Fall of Troy album. When I further read that the guitarist of Botch is in there... well, I expected something Fall of Troy like. Sure I was suprised when I heard their songs, but not disappointed. The guitar work is really good and technical though it's quite mellow. There is a lot to discover here, drumming, vocals, guitar. Only the bass seems a bit simple though always present. Good stuff. Really good stuff |
| Porcupine Tree Deadwing | 4.0 |
| The band with the interesting name. This was the first album I ever got by them, and it's a compelling listen. You get a lot of elements here: Sometimes more metal like riffing, casual rock passages, a bit of synth elements here and there. It's an interesting mix that provides a good listen. I guess it's something Progressive listeners should check out for sure |
| Strike Anywhere Exit English | 4.0 |
| This is another one of these "They do not re-invent the wheel, but do their job pretty darn well". It's music rooted in Punk. It features nice guitar melodies, not too fancy bass lines, solid drumming, a singer with a raspy voice. The topics of the lyrics are political/regarding social matters from the first to the last second. Not every line is uber-original, and the messages delivered are nothing that has not been here before. But, like I said, they still do their job very well. Kudos for that. :thumb: |
| dredg El Cielo | 4.0 |
| dredg Catch Without Arms | 4.0 |
| Funeral Diner The Underdark | 4.0 |
| 36 Crazyfists A Snow Capped Romance | 4.0 |
| Hot Water Music Caution | 4.0 |
| Hot Water Music A Flight and a Crash | 4.0 |
| Ignite Our Darkest Days | 4.0 |
| Converge No Heroes | 4.0 |
| Ignite A Place Called Home | 4.0 |
| Hopesfall Magnetic North | 4.0 |
| The Fall of Troy Manipulator | 4.0 |
| Glassjaw Worship and Tribute | 4.5 |
| A great combination of pretty hard songs and mellow relaxing ones. You have songs that go straight forward or that just let it drift. Or both. The vocals are... different. You often read the term "spastic" for describing them. At least that's what I read quite often. Especially the guitarists use interesting effects and give the songs very individual notes and twists. You'Re into Post-Hardcore? Check this out. You'll love it. I did and do from the fist time I heard these guys. |
| At the Drive-In Relationship of Command | 4.5 |
| For some one of the most legendary albums of the 90's, for others one of the most overrated ones. Nevertheless, it owns. Hard. The ideas are interesting, and (as so often) I'm abolutely impressed by the energy the songs posses. The ideas the band show are nice as well. Good musicianship, an overall great, if not perfect package. |
| Rise Against Siren Song of the Counter Culture | 4.5 |
| Rise Against songs are simple in a way. It's not uber-technical like for example Fall of Troy. Still there's a lot of energy behind this. Straight forward. The vocals are quite versataile, ranging from rough screams, to melodic parts to mellow whispers. You can feel the emotions transported through this, which underlines the lyrical content perfectly. Which is another big plus: not afraid to adress issues, and not getting uber-cheesy or corny at that. |
| Hot Cross Cryonics | 4.5 |
| I had to get used to this albums production first, and it surely lacks here and there. Still, the songs displayed here are top quality. Harder songs that turn into atmospheric and emotional ones. Screamed vocals somewhere between despair and anger. Mood swings every now and then, giving the son gs enw twists. I dare to say this is my favorite Emo album. No doubt about it. And the real Emo that is, not what MTV sells as Emo. |
| The Fall of Troy Doppelganger | 4.5 |
What can one say about Fall of Troy? It just blew me away when I first listened to their stuff. The fast paced riffs, high musical ability and the pure energy the songs transport are just some points that can pin down why I love this album. The lyrics are good, and the band as a unit work perfectly.
Simply Grade A material =) |
| Thrice Vheissu | 4.5 |
| This was a huge step for the band. And a drastic change to their sound. Les guitar, more keys and the like. This does not sound like the Hardcore band they started as. Which does by no means results in bad music. It's just different to their earlier stuff. The new musical elements add to the musical profile, all on a high level. There might still be room for improvement in the future, but this is already Grade A material. |
| Refused The Shape Of Punk To Come | 5.0 |
| Apart from "New Noise" that I loved right from the start, it took me a while to really access the whole album and appreciate it. But boy, if that's done you're in for a treat. The approach taken at Hardcore here is really interesting, and the name "The shape of Punk to come" is really true in a way. Unchallanged are the clear political messages the band expressed in their lyrics. The booklet to this CD is one of the thickest I ever read, more of a manifest with detailed thoughts on all songs and the topics within them. You want great Hardcore from the 90's? Look no further, you found it |
| Converge Jane Doe | 5.0 |
| Intense, emotional, aggresive, disharmonic, melodic, spheric, melancholic, angry... I could go on forever. This is Converge at their best. The album has a really good mix of all their best treats, and next to no flaws IMO. Maybe the production could be a bit better, but apart from that... A must have for fans of the genre and Converge |
