This is a list of CD's that I really really need to get because either I'm behind in my essentials, or I really want to get into this bands stuff, or its something that I've wanted to get for a long time but haven't gotten around to it. So here they are. There are tuns so I won't put the whole list but I'll put a bunch so you can see what I'm lacking, and its sad that I don't have these being a huge metal head. After looking you'll go man you're missing so many great ones, but I also have so many great ones as well. Its hard man with a kid, and bills. You bet your petutie if I were single and living on my own I'd have all these. Of course I'm not asking to be but you know what I mean. Haha so enjoy.
Dark Tranquility - We Are the Void - 2010
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit - 2010
Miss May I - Monument
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis - 2010
Bison B.C. - Dark Ages - 2010
All That Remains - For We Are Many - 2010
Cradle of Filth - Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa - 2010
Daath - Daath - 2010
Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini - 2010
The Ocean - Anthropocentric - 2010
Kylesa - Spiral Shadow - 2010
Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy - 2010
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier - 2010
Flotsam & Jetsam - The Cold - 2010
Hast the Day - Attack of the Wolf King - 2010
Watain - Lawless Darkness - 2010
Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots - 2010
Apocolyptica - 7th Symphony - 2010
Death - Symbolic - 1995
Cynic - Focus - 1993
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains - 1998
Obituary - Frozen In Time - 2005
Slayer - Hell Awaits - 1985
Dimmu Dorgir - Death Cult Armegeddon - 2003
Testament - New Order - 1988
Kreator - Extreme Aggression - 1989
Ok so here are the ones that I am really itching to get. A lot of them are from this past year. A lot of great bands had cds come out last year so there were a lot of them to get. I listened to most of them one way or another, but some of them I never got around to picking up. The ones that I really want to get now are Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit, The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis, Daath - Daath, Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini, and Cradle of Filth - Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa. Now I know what you're saying. Wow you don't have slayer's Hell Awaits, or Sepultura's Beneath the Remains, but like I've said before I've listened to those albums many times over and just haven't gotten around to getting them. Also I have a family to support first. Which all of this comes to a close second to them of course. So if there's something my wife or son needs the cd or whatever is put on hold for a while. So until next time stay hard, and stay heavy.
So Diamond Eyes, is Deftones sixth studio album. Deftones have been around since 1995, and only have six studio releases which for me is the only complaint I have with Deftones. I just wish they had more material, because I love the Deftones. They have always been one of my favorite bands. They have a keen ability on meshing aggressive metal, with a hip-hop undertone as well. They were one of the top bands in the nu-metal movement that started in the 90's. Bands like Korn, Limp Bizket, and Linkin Park were also some of the groups that were in the genre as well, but the Deftones really separated themselves from the rest of them. Stephan Carpenter says he grew up playing material from bands like Anthrax, Stormtrooper's of Death, and Metallica. While also listening to hip-hop acts like Public Enemy, and LL Cool J. You can definitely hear the progression in their music making abilities as the albums go on. Stephan Carpenter's guitar playing techniques have increased so much since their inception. I've always loved the tones that they were able to achieve with his use of abstract tunings, and odd numbered stringed guitars. He is known for using an 8-string electric guitar in many of his songs which is able to give him a massive amount of tone and depth that the conventional guitar wouldn't normally be able to do. My favorite album from the Deftones of all time is White Pony. Every song on that album is excellent, and well constructed. They meshed a lot of different vibes on that album with everything from heavy screams, and intense guitar parts, to soft acoustic melodic songs.
In 2007 Deftones went into he studio to start working on new material for their album that was to be called Eros. In 2008 while in Santa Clara, California Chi Chang was seriously injured in a car accident, which left him a minimally conscious state. He was moved to a better hospital that specialized in Brain like injuries to try and help with his recovery. They released a statement on the their sight in 2009 that Eros would be indefinitely postponed saying that
"... as we neared completion on Eros, we realized that this record doesn't best encompass and represent who we are currently as people and as musicians. And although those songs will see the light of day at some point, we collectively made the decision that we needed to take a new approach, and with Chi's condition heavy on our minds while doing so. We needed to return to the studio to do what we felt was right artistically.". They also said "The decision to hold off on releasing Eros has no connection with Chi's condition or anything associated. This was, and is, purely a creative decision by the band to write, record, and deliver an amazing product."
They had obviously grown a lot because of the trauma that they were going through with the stress of Chi's condition on their shoulders. So I would feel the same way about the material, and shelf it as well. Even though Chi remained in the hospital they kept busy on a small scale doing a few live shows with bands like Slipknot, and hip-hop bands like Cypress Hill. They held a benefit concert for Chi and his family to try and raise money for his recovery which at that time he was showing no signs of progress. Many of their close friends in music played, and made appearances for him like Cypress Hill, XZibit, Tommy Lee, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Mike Shanoda of Linkin Park, Rober Trojillo of Metallica, and many more. In May of 2010 he was showing significant improvement, as he is able to track individual people with his eyes, make mumbled responses, ad slightly move his hands. He has an 84% success rate which is really good considering the level of accident he had. The car had flipped three times ejecting him from the vehicle. They had to insert a breathing tube into his chest in order to allow him to breath otherwise he would've died before they got to the hospital. His brain was completely shut down pretty much. His story is pretty upseting, and sad. The insurance companies that they had for him stopped paying because he wasn't showing any signs of improvement fast enough so they stopped paying fo treatement. That was unacceptable for his family and friends. So we all hope that he makes a full recovery and will be able to return to the Deftones sometime in the future to rock the bass again. Diamond Eye has a very melodic progression while keeping an in your face guitar presence. Chino's singing ability has always been above reprieve, but I think he really tapped into himself and achieves a level of singing he has never done before. This album is much more mature I think, probably due to the experiences they had with Chi's accident which is a good thing because those experiences helped them write one of their best albums yet. So even though Chi wasn't a part of the album in body, he was a part in every other since. The Production and sound quality on the album is also done very well. My favorite tracks from the album are Diamond Eyes, Rocket Skates, and You've Seen the Butcher. I really hope that they continue with this approach on their future material, and I really hope that Chi gets better. I highly recommend going to youtube and watching his documentary its pretty crazy. So on a whole I really enjoyed this album. I just hope that it doesn't take another four years for the next Deftones album, but like I've said before you can't rush perfection, otherwise it wouldn't be perfect. I gave this album a 9, and its well deserved. I was real close to giving it a 10 but Chi's absence is definatly noticed so I couldn't give it a 10 sorry guys. So I hope you enjoyed this review I know it probably was more on Chi's accident but thats what is going on in the world of the Deftones right now and will probably be for a long time because his progress is very very slow, but any is worth waiting for right. So until next time, stay hard, and stay heavy.
Here are some videos from the album to give you guys a taste. Enjoy
It was probably five years or so ago, I picked up this Headbangers Ball CD. It had a bunch of new and old metal bands on it. I love those albums because you get a little of everything on them. When I put in the second disc this song came on called Grand Conjuration, by this band Opeth. I had never heard of them before, but I really liked the song. The song structure was absolutely captivating in its progressive nature. I was blown away at the way the song was put together. I had to research this band for sure. Come to find out this band has been around for a good while since the early nineties. I started to get into this band real heavy. I never thought at that point that I would be into death metal, but this band put a total different perspective to death metal for me.
To me up to that point death metal was all heavy screams. Most of the time a real low scream, and blast beats. Never had I heard an alternate take on this genre before like this. They call them selves Sweedish progressive death metal. While still saying they are a death metal band first they have a uncanny way of combining heavy screams and tones, with acoustic fills and breaks. Their music seems to track across a very traverse ample music terrain. He told Metal Hammer magazine in an interview, "
I don't see the point of playing in a band and going just one way when you can do everything. It would be impossible for us to play just death metal; that is our roots, but we are now a mishmash of everything, and not purists to any form of music. It's impossible for us to do that, and quite frankly I would think of it as boring to be in a band that plays just metal music. We're not afraid to experiment, or to be caught with our pants down, so to speak. That's what keeps us going.[55]
Just when you're getting over burdened by the brutality of Opeth they switch it up to a lighter softer side that you never thought guys like this could even bring themselves to do. Not in the same song anyways. Their softer side has a real Eastern-tinged, jazzy feel to it. I was at this point getting really drawn to this band. Even though I was a relatively new fan to this band I felt that these guys were always there, just waiting waving in the distance.
I went a little deeper into the world of Opeth, and started reading their lyrics, and what mikael akerfeldt wrote about. He is beyond poetic with his material. I would listen to song a be like wow I have no idea what he's talking about. His lyrics made me get out a dictionary and look up words for Christ sakes. I really enjoyed reading the lyrics, and really getting into what the meaning of his words were. I think that is wonderful when you write something that draws you to want to learn more and more and you can't get away until you've heard everything. I started to look into different realms of faith, religion, power, love, hate, and poetry. Knowledge is power right and if its linked to music I have no problem learning about it so I started reading what this band was about. While definitely having a dark side talking about Death, and Satanic views, and darker imagry they also have a very passionate loving side as well. Even today I still don't know what this band is fully about.
So you know at this point I had to buy everything this band had out. I think I got Ghost Reveries first because that was the easiest one to get. They don't sell a lot of Opeth's stuff in stores so it was kind of hard to get everything. I listened to that album over and over and over again. I couldn't get enough. So after getting most of their stuff I was wanting more soft stuff surprising yes I know, but I just really loved their soft side. Than just as I thought there was no more I come across their album Damnation. It's all soft. Thank you Opeth right. I get lost in listening to that whole album. Every song is so captivating, an hauntingly good. Their soft stuff is so hard to put a label as to what kind of music it is. I'm not even going to try really. Just call it awsome soft stuff from Opeth. Haha. So now this band couldn't make me any happier really. I have everything they have out, and still like I said continue to learn things about this band every time I listen to them. With Opeth's increasing popularity with their Ghost Reveries release I really suspect Opeth to be on the top of progressive metal for a long time. Their Watershed release in 2008 reached number 23 on the Billboard Top 200. Which is really good for a foreign death metal band like Opeth to achieve here in the United States. I highly recommend this band for anyone that's into abstract beat compositions, long extravagant songs that are almost like a play on music, soft breaks with melodic singing, poetic lyrics, and lastly astounding heavy death metal. This band ha opened so many other doors into metal for me that because of this band I'm finding so many other bands that I love. One in particular is Porcupine Tree, but that's for another day. Opeth is by far one of my top five bands now, I have great respect for all the guys that are in Opeth, and really hope they keep going. It will be a very sad day if should they ever stop making music for us to bang our heads to.
Here are their album releases up to this point
Orchid - 95'
Morningrise - 96
My Arms, Your Hearse - 98'
Still Life - 99'
Blackwater Park - 01'
Deliverance - 02'
Damnation - 03'
Ghost Reveries - 05
Watershed - 08'
Also: Lamentations (Live DVD)- 03'
The Roundhouse Tapes (Live Album) - 07'
In Live Concert at the Royal Alber Hall (Live DVD) - 10'
So as you can see they have a pretty extravagant amount of material for you guys to dive into. I highly recommend Still Life, Blackwater Park, and Damnation, but everything they have out is very very good. So I hope that maybe after reading this profile about them you will go and do your own research on the band. I didn't include a whole lot of actual facts because I wanted to focus on just their impact on me in a lot of different ways rather than the facts about the band which are very interesting to read about as well by the way. So if this article turns you on to this band than I served them again besides just buying their albums and listening to them all the time. So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.
Alice In Chains have been a huge influence for me. I was really hurt when I heard that Layne Staley died in 2002. That day was the day Seattle died. So many great bands have come from the grunge movement that was running every radio station in the 90's, and Alice In Chains was definitely on top in my opinion. Of course when you say grunge everyone thinks of Nirvana, but I really think Alice In Chains, or even Soundgarden takes the cake. After his death I really felt that grunge was dead for real this time. Kurt is dead, Pearl Jam really wasn't grunge anymore, Soundgarden broke up, and Stone Temple Pilots were broken up as well. So grunge was no more with the death of Layne Staley. I still listen to Jar of Flies, and get chills when the first track comes on. Rotten Apple. That bass riff is just so captivating.
So what to do now. Jerry Cantrell completed two solo albums which are excellent by the way. Angel Eyes off of Degradation Trip is such a great song. He did that album with Robert Trejillo, and Mike Bordin. They did a great job on that album with Jerry Cantrell. I highly recommend both Boggy Depot, and Degradation Trip to anyone that just loves great heavy rock music with some real passion.
When I heard on the radio one day that Alice In Chains will be getting back together the first thing I said was no f-ing way its going to work. I was super happy, but angry at the same time. Happy that I would hear some more of Jerry Cantrell's guitar playing, but sad it wouldn't be accompanied by Layne's iconic voice this time as an Alice In Chains effort. So who is this new guy, and will he sound anything close to the level of Layne? I first said not a chance. This was going to be there fifth studio albumin fifteen years since their self titled release in 95. One William DuVall, from the seamlessly unknown band tome, Comes With the Fall. I had never heard of this band before I learned who was going to be singing for Alice In Chains. When the album finally came out I popped it in and the first track gets you prepared for a pretty passionate album. He talks about a new beginning, and moving forward with Alice In Chains, and probably other aspects with their lives. Which is great it could mean we will continue to see Alice In Chains in the future. Which would make me very happy. Now the song Check My Brain while being a bit repetitive is still a powerful tune. I'd have to say I hear more of Jerry Cantrell's voice on the album which is kind of confusing because I thought this was Alice In Chains. I know he sang a lot in the past, but it was Layne's voice that really stood out, and I was hoping the new singers voice would here as well. That's the only thing I'd have to say negative about the album. Is I would've liked to hear more of William DuVall's voice. I really like the song Your Decision. That song really speaks to me, and I'm sure a lot of other people as well. I'd have to say my favorite track on the album is Private Hell. I listened to that song a lot when I first go the album. So when the album was over I was definitely happy with it. You could tell it was Alice In Chains but with something new and different thrown in there. I thought that William DuVall has great potential,and it made me want to check out his other band. So on a whole it was a great listen and I'm really happy to see them back together and hopefully they continue giving us great rock in the future. I gave this album a 10. I recommend it for any fan of good rock N roll. Which is most of America, I mean come on guys Americans love their cars, TVs, food, and rock N roll. Ha ha. So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.
I got into As I Lay Dying on their Shadows Are Security release in 2005. I really enjoyed the hooks, and Tim Lambisis's vocals. I liked their ability to interweave scream vocals, and melodic singing. They have consistently gotten better over the years. I really dove deeper into this band when they released An Ocean Between Us in 2007. I absolutely loved that record, and couldn't wait for more. They have an uncanny ability to write very swift, and articulate guitar pieces, and accent them very well with the drums. Jordan Mancino is showing his increasing ability to really write great drum parts, and The Powerless Rise is his next step to becoming one of the greats of the new metal scene. While I'm not 100% sure what metal core is they are the leaders of it for sure. They definitely have a melodic since of progressions, while bring a very death metal intensity to it as well. When I first got The Powerless Rise I was really hoping for something good being that I enjoyed An Ocean Between Us so much. The first track, Beyond Our Suffering comes in fast and stays in your face the whole time. It really gets you ready for the next track. Anodyne Sea is such a brutal speed fest, but also having those melodic choruses sprinkled in there. The drum break towards the end is epic. It speeds up so articulately that it leaves you wondering. What the hell was that, and how did he do that? So now after those two tracks I'm smiling cause I know the rest will be excellent. Parallels is another great one that I really enjoy listening to. This band is showing great promise for the future of metal. They really know how to intertwine the many genres of metal. When I first heard them I was like this is so brutal, and awsome. Than I found out they were a christian metal band, and I was like no f-ing way man. But sure enough these guys while being so in your face, and energetic are good wholesome christian guys that really just love to play metal. Their lyrics definitely reflect their God of choice, and I'm ok with that as long as they keep spitting out good quality metal man. Be all the christian you can be. Haha. So on a whole I recommend checking out As I Lay Dying. They show great promise, and the material they already have out is really great as well. The Powerless Rise is an exceptional metal-core album, but while really bringing a cool spin on death metal. I gave The Powerless Rise a 10, and feel its very well deserved. Great job guys. So until next time. Stay hard, stay heavy.
Here are some audio stacks from the record just to give you a taste. Enjoy
A lot of people that don't really know metal very well when you ask them what metal bands they do actually listen to. Do you know what band they say? Freakin Metallica. Not to say Metallica is bad by any means, but come on guys there are so many great ones out there that if you just gave this music a chance you Will find that there will probably be a few more that you will like just the same. Now to the people that do listen to metal. There is this known fact that there is such a thing called The Big Four, and it consists of the four thrash metal bands that basically took all the credit in the 80's. Metallica being the forfronter of course, but there is Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Now I absolutely love all of those bands in their own way so this is not bashing them in any way. I wanted to take this opportunity to shed some light on some of the bands that I thought were just as good if not better in some cases. There are three that come to mind right off the bat. Kreator, Exodus, and Testament. These guys seemed to get the short end of the stick, or ice block but no pic. Whatever you want to call it. These guys got shafted in respect for creditability on creating a pathway to a lot of today's metal. I think Kreator honestly should be one of the Big Four. So I wanted to showcase these guys to try and honor the Underdogs of 80's Thrash Metal.
- Kreator -
Endless Pain - Released 85'
Pleasure To Kill - Released 86'
Terrible Certainty - Released 87'
Extreme Aggression - 89'
Kreator's 80's albums didn't start to get real popular until its last 80's release. Extreme Aggression. They were only achieving minuscule fame and recognition until that release. It was their first major record label release for them. In 1988 they were signed to Epic Records, and later that following year they released Extreme Aggression. It was the first album that they released major record singles, and also their first music videos. The song Betrayer was their first major hit and video. After becoming a big hit on Headbanger's Ball the were able to tour with Suicidal Tendencies, which majorly helped their fame in Europe.
Kreator since than have changed their sound and back again. They changed it in the 90's due to the decline in popularity to a more death metal, or an industrial metal sound. Metallica, and Anthrax also both changed their approach. They definitely went more commercial with their sound in the 90's. Some say that was the end of them being a true metal band, and some say that was the best change they could've made. I personally like the 80's styles of both of those bands way more.
They returned to their roots in 2000 when they recruited Sami Yli-Sirniö, and released Violent Revolution in 01'. I absolutely love this album. I am happy to see them back to their old style but while still keeping it fresh and new. Their guitar work has always been great but I think they really have kicked it up a notch ever since Violent Revolution. I definitely recommend their newest release Hordes of Chaos which was released in 09'. These guys have been going strong for almost 30 years and show no signs of stopping, and I definitely respect them as one of the Big Four.
- Exodus -
- Bonded By Blood - Released 85'
- Pleasures of the Flesh - Released 87'
- Fabulous Disaster - Released 89'
Exodus has gone through a lot of line-up changes and early in their career also. Exodus's original line-up consisted of Kirk Hammett of Metallica. They formed Exodus in 82' but Hammett left them to join Metallica. He was later replaced by guitarist Rick Hunolt. They recorded only a demo with Kirk in 82'. Bonded By Blood wasn't released until 85'. Their original singer Paul Baloff was replaced shortly after the release of Bonded By Blood, with Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously sang for Testament. So their career early on was starting off kind of rocky. The music didn't show it though. I always thought that it was top notch speed thrash metal.
Exodus also has shifted their sound around a little. I don't think it was a commercial attempt though. I think it was more experimentation with the different vibes. Exodus unfortunately had a hiatus for a short time in the late 90's. They reformed in 2001, and have been consistently releasing material since. I definitely recommend both of their atrocity scene releases A and B. They are great. The only member to ever consistently remain in Exodus from their birth in 82' is Gary Holt on guitar.
- Testament -
- The Legacy - Released 87'
- The New Order - Released 88'
- Practice What You Preach - Released 89'
Testament was originally formed in 83' and went by the name legacy. They released a demo in 85', but didn't get their first official release out until 87 with Legacy. Testament has also had a lot of line-up changes over the years. They received instant fame with their Legacy release and were compared to Metallica, but never got the chart success that their combatants received.
In the 90's they shifted to a more melodic style of playing because Alex Skolnick, their lead guitarists left the band. Also their drummer had left as well. In 2001 Chuck Billy was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer and had to seek treatment putting the band on hold for a while. In 2003 Chuck was able to make a full recovery and they came back with their release The Formation of Damnation which was released in 2008. I really enjoy that album. The guitar work is very pristine and full of life. The solos on the album are also very well constructed. So on a whole this band has had a big influence on the thrash metal movement despite their late start and major changes through-out their career.
So weather you agree with me or not. I think that these guys are great bands none the less. Thash metal bands at that. I think these guys deserve more credit than they get for the creation of speed, thash metal. Now out or the official big four my favorite is Metallica. Ha so cliche of me to say that right. The close second is Megadeth, then Slayer, ad last Anthrax. I honestly would replace Anthrax with Kreator. I really like them a lot. So I hope I paid these guys due respect with this post. So until next time stay hard,stay heavy.
Music is my life. Aside from raising my son who is 3 1/2 now I live and breathe music. I attended and completed an audio engineering program at MediaTech of Austin and have learned so much about music, and sound ingeneral. I have a new found respect for sound thanks to the wonderful education I got at MediaTech.
