Wednesday, June 27, 2012
More metal comming...
I have noticed the lack of diversity in Metal styles here, and am working on diversifying the content of the page as soon as possible. My strong areas are Punk, Traditional, Thrash, Power, and Death Metal (Though not as much as the other fields). So, I will work on improving this. If anyone has any reccommendations about particular albums that they would like to share, I would be more than happy to hear them. Keep on Keepin' on, fellow metalheads \M/
Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare
Artist: Vio-Lence
Released: 1988 RATING: 4/5
The Good: Vio-Lence's debut record was as strong as anything released at the time, partly due to the superior (for the day) production made available along with their major-label distribution. Eternal Nightmare is a high-octane riff-fest, with superfast tempos and tons of aggression and attitude. The musicianship is very good throughout. The title track, "Kill on Command", and "Serial Killer" are classic tunes and major pit-starters in their own right. A strong effort that was vital to the Metal scene of the 80's.
The Bad: Although Eternal Nightmare is a competent album, it's hardly original; the band is often criticised for their derivitive, Exodus-inspired approach. And, endearing as they may be to some, Sean Killian's vocals are hard to listen to at times, even to the dedicated metalhead.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Suicidal Tendencies - Lights, Camera, Revolution
Title: Lights, Camera, Revolution
Artist: Suicidal Tendencies
Released: 1990 RATING: 4/5
The Good: The follow up to 1988's impressive crossover effort How Will I Laugh Tomorrow..., Lights improves on the key attributes that made the latter album a success. The album benefits from even stronger lyrics, more consistent songs overall, and several key, important tracks that make the album stand out in a big way. "You Can't Bring Me Down", the opening track, is enough to floor the listener from the onset; it's hugely powerful, and is never boring despite its lengthy duration (5:50). The remaining tracks are similarly stellar, and make this album a true classic. Rocky George's guitar work is incredible, as usual. The songs are not really melodic, per se, but there is a lot of attitude, combined with some grooves (in the form of lyrics) that keep the group from sounding like a straight-thrash or straight-punk band. Recommended for fans of Thrash and Punk alike; it covers both grounds excellently.
The Bad: One of the things that has kept me from listening to this album repeatedly (though it did take a while) has been Mike Muir's voice; he can sound really angry and emotional sometimes, but other times his voice can have this sort of plodding-along tone, where his voice sounds the same whether the topic is happy, angry, or anything else. It gets too repetitive sometimes, and can bore you to death after listening to several songs (or albums) straight. Otherwise, a very strong album
Friday, June 15, 2012
Carcass - Heartwork
Artist: Carcass
Released: 1994 RATING: 4.5/5
The Good: Before Heartwork, Carcass's calling-card was intense grindcore music with lyrics concerning all matters bodily and hospital-related. The result was something rather revolutionary at the time, but starting with their third album, Necroticism– Descanting the Insalubrious, the band moved towards a more melodic sound. Carcass would perfect this "Melodic Death Metal" sound with Heartwork, which would set the standard for the style for years to come. The band still could (and did) play blisteringly fast instrumental parts, and the vocals were still deeper and scarier than most, but the playing of Bill Steer and Michael Amott was, here, more focused on diverse song structures, and the result is an album that has to be heard to be believed. The leads are tremendus, and some of the songs might even be considered catchy if not for their harsh delivery. The band overall is extremely tight. All in all, Heartwork is one of those rare albums that has no weak tracks and incredible replay value, and is well worth listening to.
The Bad: Only if you don't like the vocals. A superb album.
S.O.D - SEoD
DISCLAIMER: IN NO WAY DO I CONDONE/SUPPORT THE LYRICAL THEMES PRESENTED ON THIS RECORD.
Artist: Stormtroopers of Death
Released: 1986 RATING:4/5
The Good: The above disclaimer is necessary; some of these songs are a bit offensive. The band, though, wrote the record in about a week or so, and purposely wrote SEoD with the intention of having silly songs that would ruffle some peoples' feathers; so, the insults within the record should not be taken to heart. That aside, Speak is a defining moment in metal history, one of the first (and best) Crossover albums. Its punk attitude, reflected in the lyrics screamed by Billy Milano, is meshed perfectly with the tight backing instruments by Scott Ian and Charlie Benante of Anthrax. The result : pure mosh. If you want a laugh, want to satisfy your speed fix, and listen to a great album all at once, Speak English Or Die is the album for you.
The Bad: The Lyrics are fantastic, but they are also pretty offensive at times, so if you don't think you can handle it, look away...
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
Artist: Slayer
Released:1990 RATING: 4/5
The Good: I try not to write about many of the obvious ones; Slayer is easily one of the most popular Metal bands on the planet. I feel, however, that some people don't give Seasons as much props as should; most people talk about Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood as the important albums. Seasons in the Abyss, however, may be the most diverse of Slayer's first five albums, and it does not suffer for it in the way that South of Heaven does. Seasons is chock-full of the blisteringly intense songs Slayer is known and loved for, but the band's forays into slower territory are just as successful as their full-speed onslaughts. "War Ensemble" is, for example, a perfect embodiment of what Slayer is. On the flip-side, the title track further refines the slower aproach explored on South, and the result is something that is both super heavy and uncompromising, despite the slower overall speed. If you really are new to the whole Metal thing, and particularly Thrash, you need to listen to Slayer. Any/all of the first five albums should do, but I would strongly recommend checking this one out sooner than later. It is definately a rewarding listen.
The Bad: A few of the songs, like "Expendable Youth", can be somewhat boring. Also, though it may be nitpicking, the production is slightly lacking compared to Reign; but then, that album is nearly perfect anyway, so it is no big deal.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Testament - The Legacy
Artist: Testament
Released: 1987 RATING: 5/5
The Good: Testament's debut album embodies just about everything that was great about the 80's Bay Area Thrash scene. It's fast, heavy, melodic, catchy, and just all around awesome. The supreme guitar skills of Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick here give the listener a real treat; the impeccable leads and rhythms throughout the album inspire instantaneous headbanging (for example, do not tell me that the solo section from "The Haunting" is not super awesome. Because that'd be a lie.). Combine this with the potent rhythm section and Chuck Billy's epically aggressive voice, and the result is a fantastically memorable album; no throwaway tracks at all. In some ways, The Legacy is arguably one of the few perfect Thrash Metal albums, and one of the best Metal albums ever.
The Bad: "Curse of the Legions of Death" is somewhat, well, mortal compared to the superhuman excellence of just about every other track, and it's a bit shorter than the average Legacy song, to boot.
Dark Angel - Darkness Descends
Artist: Dark Angel
Released: 1987 RATING: 3.5/5
The Good: The album that some Dark Angel fans view as the real debut, which included the arrival of drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan as a/the major creative force in the band. Dark Angel powers through seven warp-speed thrashers, with Hoglan's drumming being of considerable note. The title track and "Merciless Death" would go on to be thrash classics, and for good reason, too. Darkness Descends stands as one of the most potent displays of pure thrash from the eighties, and one of the better thrash records released during that time.
The Bad: I like Darkness Descends, but if my beef with it is this: It's not really that groundbreaking. Take, for example, albums like The Legacy, The Ultra-Violence, and Doomsday for the Deceiver, released at about the same time. The aforementioned three albums were also seriously heavy thrashers, but the biggest difference was that they were more unique, memorable, etc. Outside of (maybe) the title track and "Merciless Death", the remaining songs are just slightly-above-average songs played as fast as possible; as entertaining as the approach is, it does not work for every song, and the use of this technique does not make up for the fact that Darkness Descends is not as catchy, melodic, technical, or just plain good as albums similar to the ones mentioned above. Oh, and I think that Time Does Not Heal is a superior album. Just sayin'.
Atheist - Unquestionable Presence
Artist: Atheist
Released: 1991 RATING: 4.5/5
The Good: Atheist's 1990 debut Piece of Time was certainly great, but 1991's Unquestionable Presence was better. Here, Atheist build on their debut's technically challenging and elaborate formula, adding touches of melody here and there, and writing really memorable songs. Sure, the music can be a trip sometimes, with its varying time signatures and jazz-influenced rhythem parts, but the repeated listens required to really digest this album because of this make it even better. Listen to it a few times, and it will all click eventually. What makes it great is that the song lengths are never excessive, and so it never really gets too boring (or overwhelming) Atheist was a truly unique group, and Unquestionable Presence was their masterpiece, a progressive, creative juggernaut of an album that deserves much respect.
The Bad: In all honesty, Atheist's music can be rough on the ears due to the complexity of the music; upon the first listen, "What the hell did I just listen to?" is one of the more common thoughts to immediately cross one's mind. Still, it is an album like no other, for better or worse, and has stood the test of time as a landmark Death Metal work.
Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel
Artist: Cro-Mags
Released: 1986 RATING: 4/5
The Good: This album is borderline for the blog, but it fits right in very well with the whole Crossover movement, so it's all good.Cro-Mags were important in the mid/late eighties Punk/Metal scene, combining punk's aggression with metal riffs and a whole lot of awesome. Age of Quarrel is chock-full of great songs; the energy is immense, it has a ton of attitude, and the songs are about as catchy as any hardcore punk songs could ever hope to be. Only one of the songs excedes four minutes (by two seconds...), and they hold up very well over multiple listens. Age of Quarrel, along with other works by Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I., and a few others, is a Crossover benchmark, for sure, and a great Punk/Metal album overall.
The Bad: The singer's voice is, well, not so good, and the production is not that strong. Also, though there are several terrific songs, I never really found a "knockout" track, you know, the song you listen to the album for.
Monday, June 4, 2012
King Diamond - Abigail
Artist: King Diamond
Released: 1987 RATING: 4.5/5
The Good: "Artist" is a fitting word to describe The King. Abigail is a great combination of Black, Thrash, and Neo-Classical metal elements, and with the supernatural vocals provided by King Diamond himself, this album truly stands out as a landmark work in the metal world. Andy Larocque's leads are awe-inspiring, and make each song that much better just because of their (The leads) presence. Each song is tight and expertly performed. You will be doing yourself a favor by trying this album out.
The Bad: Abigail is a concept album, an an excellent one at that; however, there are a few awkward-sounding parts that are used to bridge the storyline together. Eveything else is as good as one could ever hope.
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains
Artist: Sepultura
Released: 1989 RATING: 4.5/5
The Good: Sepultura's third album rivals any Thrash metal record released in the 80's, despite it's '89 release date. Beneath the Remains is a masterclass in in brutal metal that mainsains tight musicianship and melody at the same time. The first six tracks carry the album, for sure, but is still strong overall. If you are dying to satisfy your Thrash fix, Beneath the Remains will serve that purpose and then some.
The Bad: The bass guitar is relatively non-existant. Also, the final three songs, while still good, are somewhat lacking compared to the otherworldly first six songs.
Death - The Sound of Perseverance
Artist: Death
Released: 1998 RATING: 5/5
The Good: Death's final album, The Sound of Perseverance, builds on everything Death had done up to this point, from Scream Bloody Gore to Symbolic. There are definately Progressive/ classic metal traits throughout the album, but they are merely pieces of the puzzle rather than dominant elements. Every song on the album is memorable in some way or another, the musicianship is breathtaking, and the album never really gets repetitive. There's not much more that I can say that hasn't been already about this masterpiece; just give it a listen through. It is beyond worth it.
The Bad: It ends. All jokes aside, there are really no negatives unless you have a problem with Chuck Schuldiner's voice here; but then, the guitar makes up for it ten times over.
Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
Title: To Mega Therion
Artist: Celtic Frost
Released: 1985 RATING: 4/5
The Bad: It depends on what you're into; Celtic Frost are not nearly as technically proficient as former tourmates Kreator or former Celtic Frost roadies Coroner. The instruments are not very clear due to the murkier production. And if you're into guitar solos, while the ones here are not bad, they certainly do not carry the album.
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