Dark Angel - Darkness Descends

Title: 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

Title: 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

Title: 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.

King Diamond - Abigail

Title: 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

Title: 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

Title: 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 Good - To Mega Therion is Celtic Frost's most successful album, and there's a good reason for it. Its doomy riffs, harsh production, atmospheric effects, and musical diversity combine to make a truly unique sounding record. Songs like "Dawn of Meggido" are both dramatic and heavy, and the record, overall, is a memorable one.

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.