Kingcrimsonprog Shadows Fall have been very consistent over the years, and like Hatebreed it could be argued (exaggeratedly) that if you've heard one album then you've heard them all, although possibly excluding their debut with Phil Labonte on vocals instead of Brian Fair. If you've heard any previous Brain Fair era Shadows Fall album then you know what to expect, the only major changes over the years have been production value and the ratio of clean to heavy moments.

If you've never heard Shadows Fall before, they sit on the Thrash Influenced but very melodic end of the Metalcore spectrum, like Rise To Remain and Trivium, as opposed to the heavier and more groove orientated end like Devildriver or Lamb Of God. If you don't like any Metalcore whatsoever, Shadows Fall aren't likely to change your mind, but if you do you'll likely find them a worthy addition to your collection.

The production job (by Killswitch Engage's Adam Dutkiewicz) is almost faultless and the entire band's performance is precise and confident as always. Jason Bittner's critically acclaimed drumming is excellent with pounding double-kicks and occasional blasts. Brain Fair's, Matt Bachand's & Jonathan Donais' three-tiered vocal approach is as good as it has always been, with an extra focus on background death-vocals this time around. The guitar work is peppered full of Thrash riffs, Shredding Solos and Melodic leads amid the usual Metalcore style, there are waves and waves of excellent guitar solos on this album that are great even by the band's own standards.

I would argue that the album starts off very well, and leads with some of its strongest material. When listening to these first few songs, even if you've liked the band all along, you get the feeling that Shadows Fall have become energized and have stepped up their game somewhat, tracks like `Nothing Remains' for example just have an extra spark of enthusiasm in them and would work amazingly well in a live environment.

Highlights include the pre-released Title Track, the closer `The Wasteland' and `Weight Of The World' which are three of the heaviest tracks and are all a bit more technical and death-influenced than recent records have been.

Another highlight is the bouncy `Walk The Edge' which is reminiscent of the band's bigger singles like `Redemption' and `The Light That Blinds' in its mixture of upbeat melodic moments, gang backing vocals and intermittent heavy sections, it bridges the gap rather well between this album and previous ones.

Overall, Fire From The Sky is not that dramatic a departure from the existing Shadows Fall style, so if you are sick of that or never liked it in the first place then this isn't something you'll fall in love with. There is a slight refocusing on the heavier side though, so it isn't just a carbon copy of their last album either. If you are up for more of what you already like, with a little twist, then the album will prove a superb addition to your existing collection. Comment

Kingcrimsonprog Call It Conspiracy is the third full-length album by the Sweedish Stoner/Desert Rock band Dozer, it was released in 2003 and was their first full album on Molten Universe Records.

If you have never heard Dozer before I would highly recommend that you at least try them out. Their style has its roots undeniably in the Stoner/Desert Rock scene, but they also have a very unique and enjoyable style of their own. They are suitable for a lot of Rock and Metal fans from different parts of a certain end of the spectrum. If you find yourself a fan of bands like Monster Magnet, Clutch, Kyuss and QOTSA, Goatsnake, St Vitus, Red Fang, Black Tusk, Mastodon and even High On Fire then you really, really ought to give Dozer a few open-minded listens.

Dozer’s first two albums had shown immense potential and while they were both good, they were ultimately a little too derivative of Kyuss. With this third album, Call It Conspiracy, the band truly found their own sound and made the first of three utterly essential records that modernize and push the boundaries of the Stoner/Desert sound and deliver creative and interesting music that no one else has made before.

Call It Conspiracy has a much more diverse and eclectic feel than other Dozer albums. If their first two albums were ‘fun’ and their fourth and fifth albums sounded ‘Important’ and ‘Dark’ respectively, then this album comes across as enthusiastic, confident and experimental. It was the album on which Fredrik Nordin’s unique and loveable voice really expanded and got its full range, and on which Tommi Holappa’s distinctive and instantly recognizable lead style really got its personality.

On this album, the band really found a voice of their own and weren’t afraid to try new things, they cover a lot of ground and do a great job rooting it all into their core sound. The single ‘Rising’ for example has a sort of Fu Manchu-esque sound glued together with fun drum-rolls, ‘Feel Good Formula’ and the closer ‘Lightning Stalker’ both have a bit of psychedelic influences and eastern flavor but not overwhelmingly so, ‘The Exit’ takes their older sound and updates it with the new vocal and lead guitar direction, ‘Spirit Fury Fire’ is slow and groovy and ‘A Matter Of Time’ almost foreshadows the direction of their classic fourth album, only at about two times the speed.

Overall, Call It Conspiracy is an absolute must-have album for any Dozer fan and an album that any serious fan of rock and metal (especially a fan of any of the aforementioned bands) should at least consider checking out. The one thing I would say is that the album is a grower and an back-heavy album that gets even better towards the end and consequently it can take a few spins to really get to grips with and absorb all the little touches, so give it a fair chance to win you over.

The band would follow up Call It Conspiracy with their perfectly formed masterpiece Through The Eyes Of Heathens in 2006 and then follow that up with the dark and artistic Beyond Colossal in 2008, and if you’ve enjoyed this album then I’d strongly recommend trying those as well.

Kingcrimsonprog Omen was the seventh-full length studio album by Soulfly, it was released in 2010 and ended up being the final album to feature Bobby Burns on bass and Joe Nunez on the drums.

For some fans, it will be appear a lot more straight-forward and direct than any previous Soulfly record, and continuing further down the same path that they have been following for the previous few records towards a faster, heavier and much more streamlined version of their original style.

The band had stated in interviews that it was similar to Slayer’s Reign In Blood but those similarities aren’t all that noticeable in all honesty beyond mere succinctness. The opening track ‘Bloodbath And Beyond’ and ‘Vulture Culture’ have an almost Hardcore-Punk sound to them in parts, and most tracks are generally fairly short in length but otherwise the music is very much like the previous couple of Soulfly albums.

This directness is a double-edged sword however, because a lot of what made Soulfly stand out from the crowd when they first came out is now missing, and some fans who loved the band’s first two albums may be saddened to find that the tribal drums, new-aged guitar sections and big simple Nu Metal riffs are gone.

Not all of Soulfly’s calling cards have been lost however. As with all Soulfly albums, some outside musicians make a guest appearance, in this case Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan on ‘Rise Of The Fallen’ and Tommy Victor of Prong on ‘Lethal Injection.’

In addition to the guest appearances, Max’s lyrical style is very much the same, with all the same topics covered and usage of puns, contractions and portmanteaus. Furhtermore, Mark Rizzo’s lead guitar style continues in the same vein it has since he joined the band.

Album highlights include the brief but perfectly formed ‘Jeffery Dahmer’ and the Thrashy ‘Off With Their Heads’ as well as the album closer ‘Soulfly VII’ which takes the usual sound of one of their self-titled tracks and pushes the envelop a little bit.

In summary; if you like the general sound of Soulfly and aren’t yet sick of it, then Omen is one more record for your collection, however if you have tired of Soulfly’s style or if you only liked their early work then it isn’t utterly essential listening.

Kingcrimsonprog Technical Ecstasy is the Birmingham based band's seventh full-length studio album and their second-last album with Ozzy Osbourne. People never give this the credit it deserves; it is actually a very accomplished and well rounded album but by and large it is an album that is either ignored or insulted by a sizable portion of Black Sabbath fans.

The main reason that the album isn't thought of as terrific is that it arguably doesn't sound all that much like Black Sabbath. There are a lot of different styles experimented with on the album and there aren't many classic three minute Heavy Metal tracks. Sabbath try a lot of new things on this album, and if you are open to a bit of variety and experimentation it will prove at least an interesting album though ultimately still won't be the best Sabbath album in your collection.

It does have a lot going for it too however, as Ozzy's voice arguably sounds better here than on many other albums, and the production is arguably better than usual as well.

Standout moments include the heavy and complex 'Dirty Woman,' which contains loads of memorable riffs and is a welcome component of their reunion DVD, as well as the maudlin piano ballad 'It's Alright' which Guns n Roses fans will recognize. Possibly the greatest track on the album (and arguably the most underrated in the band's history) however is 'You Won't Change Me,' which a haunting tune that really should be considered as Sabbath's 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Comfortably Numb' but is unfortunately widely overlooked.

If you still don't like the idea of the album you should at least check out 'Dirty Woman' and 'You Won't Change Me' as stand alone MP3s.

Overall, Technical Ecstasy isn't the best Black Sabbath album, but it is definitely worth a listen if you don't mind that there aren't wall to wall rockers and enjoy a bit of variety. If you don't own many Black Sabbath albums yet, this is definitely not something you should pick up until you have about five or six other Sabbath records first, but at the same time it is not something that you should dogmatically avoid from ever hearing.

Kingcrimsonprog Nuclear Assault are one of Thrash Metals true geniuses but unfortunately never garnered the sort of lasting legacy that other great Thrash bands like either the Big Four, Exodus or Testament did.

Their 1986 debut album Game Over is as good as any Thrash album that gets called a timeless classic, their 1988 album Survive improved upon the formula by mixing in some more variety and then came this album, Handle With Care. Their third full-length studio album.

Handle With Care is essentially the fastest, hardest and most extreme Nuclear Assault album. The level of energy is really high, the quality of musicianship is high and the production value is comparatively high when stood against their rawer debut album and also The Plauge EP. Handle with Care is a monster full of high speed drumming, technical riffing, rattling bass and John's traditional high pitched vocal wail.

Standout songs include the ultra-catchy 'Critical Mass' and 'The New Song' which will have you singing along and the final track is an atmospheric epic which proves that the band are more than just speed. That, and there are still a few joke tracks and wry ironic lyrics among the otherwise tasteful and well written Thrash.

Overall, if you like Thrash Metal but don't yet know Nuclear Assault you should consider checking them out right away. If you already like the band, this third album is highly, highly Recommended.

Kingcrimsonprog Before giving it a fair and honest chance, I had actually avoided listening to this album for a while. After hearing that the style and line-up changed dramatically and then hearing the song 'Wild World' on the radio I was ready to be dissapointed, this wasn't going to sound like the same band that captured my imagination back when I was only a little kid.

I feared that the album would be watered down one step too far, with their previous record Transform, Powerman 5000 had already altered their basic formula a little to incorporate more of a melodic American Radio rock element into the precedings, and I was a little worried that Destroy What You Enjoy would be just plain bad when they band got too far away from their musical roots.

When I actually got around to listening to it fairly and as objectively as I could manage, I decided that this is quite a good album indeed. It is well produced, full of simple and catchy tunes, and there is actually an artistic depth to the album that is only shared in their catalougue by the aforementioned Transform album.

If you just want an album that sounds like the platinum-selling Tonight The Stars Revolt album, then you will be undeniably disappointed and probably shouldn't pay this record too much attention. If however you are willing to look past the actual stylistic direction and give it a fair shot to stand or fall on its own merits then you may be pleasantly surprised. It is definitely different, but that doesn't necessarily mean that its not good.

Kingcrimsonprog Stalingrad is the thirteenth full-length studio album by the German Metal band Accept, and their second since reuniting and working with new frontman Mark Tornillo (of T.T. Quick fame) following up on the critically acclaimed comeback album Blood Of Nations from 2010.

The quality of the songwriting is excellent and the band make a superb job of mixing ballsy up-tempo tracks of purely driving classic Heavy Metal and longer dynamic tracks that shift tempos and explore clean and acoustic territory as well. There is enough variety so it isn’t all just the same, but enough consistency that you’re getting a pure and succinct experience.

Like Blood Of Nations before it, Stalingrad takes the classic Accept sound and modernizes it slightly. Don’t misunderstand, it isn’t overly contrived to be youthful, but it is energetic and vital with any cheesiness removed. The record touches on a few metal styles, with hints of Thrash, Speed and Power Metal all creeping in in small doses alongside the classic Teutonic Metal style off the early Accept albums.

Basically; imagine all the best elements of bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Megadeth, Overkill, and others condensed down into one album of tasteful guitar melodies and soaring leads, gang-backing-vocals and hard crunchy riffs. Mark’s gravely low voice and occasional high notes come across as a brilliant mid-way point between Lemmy influenced singers and Halford influenced singers and suit the music remarkably well.

The production, from Andy Sneap is also utterly perfect for the album and makes the music sound both powerful and clear, with crunchy feeling on the palm muted riffs and a clean sound on the leads. It isn’t as dynamic as a 70s or 80s production job but it is a fantastic example of what a modern job can sound like when done right.

Overall, if you like Accept and especially their new line-up then this is a must-have record; if you like traditional heavy metal then this is really worth exploring and finally if you like any other metal in general then you should consider giving this record a chance. Its solid, its meaty, it’s the perfect mixture of very Hard Rock and straight-up Metal and I highly recommend it.

Kingcrimsonprog 2012’s Born Villain is the eighth full-length studio album by Marilyn Manson. As with the previous two albums it was self-produced, mixed by Sean Beavan and no living drummer is fully credited throughout. The line-up features Manson, Vrenna & Ramirez like the previous album, only now with Fred Sablan on bass. Interestingly though, Vrenna left the band before the album’s release.

For many fans, the band’s golden period is considered to be The Triptych (Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals & Holywood), a trilogy of three interlinked concept albums that were released at the height of Manson’s fame, critical acclaim, cultural relevance and commercial success. Ever since then; after a decade of line-up instability, notably poor live performances and albums that didn’t meet many fan’s expectations, the band’s stock has diminished considerably in the eyes of the media and a large portion of the fanbase.

After hearing the best moments here, many people may rush to proclaim this a return to form and excitedly declare that he is back to his old standard again, just like they did last time around, only to lose enthusiasm pretty quickly. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this new record a comeback, but it is undeniably strong and consistent. I’d urge you to forget any pretentious interviews or music videos associated with it and give the music a fair and honest chance.

If you have liked the last three Manson albums, then Born Villain is certainly worth trying out. The album has some seriously enjoyable songs that would fit well into a live set or compilation album, and isn’t overly full of ballads or slow tracks that don’t go anywhere. It isn’t just a dull dirge… It is louder, more bombastic and more confident than any of the last few records. Even the rhythmic ‘Overneath The Path Of Misery’ when separated from its pretentious music video is hugely catchy and surprisingly heavy in album-context.

Stylistically, It seems that Manson is going for a mix between trying new things and delving into his back catalogue as well. Opening track ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ for example has a nice catchy chugging riff, and even some double-kicks at one point, but there is also a section towards the end that sounds like it would have fit well on Portrait Of An American Family. Then the album version of ‘No Reflection’ has a whole build-up section in it that is reminiscent of Holywood’s heavier tracks and there are even a few allusions to Mechanical Animal’s style in ‘Flowers Of Evil’ and ‘Breaking The Same Old Ground.’

There is also some material that is totally new for the band as well; ‘Slo-Mo-Tion’ is unlike any of his older material, ‘Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms’ borders on Stoner-Rock territory at times and ‘Murders Are Getting Prettier Every Day’ is deliberately in-your-face-heavy.

Overall, I think the right balance has been struck between innovation and giving the fans what they want. The album covers a lot of ground, but crucially doesn’t sound confused for all the diversity. There are loads of little moments like the hi-hat being way louder in the chorus or an effect on the vocals coming in the third time around etc that really give the tracks a power and ‘umph’ that has arguably been missing for a while.

In my own personal opinion Born Villain is my favourite Manson album since Holywood. That being said however, this album does not meet the same artistic height as any of the individual parts in the aforementioned Triptych and I suspect that if you only enjoy those albums, this probably won’t win you back.

To be absolutely fair, if the band’s career consisted of only their debut and then the albums from Golden Age Of The Grotesque onwards, then Born Villain would be readily considered a great album as it such a solid, creative and well-made album in its own right. It is only because it has the unfair expectation of having to compete with three albums that have been absolutely beloved by millions of fans for over a decade as well as having to redeem, excuse and justify the aforementioned decade of decline that Born Villain unfortunately doesn’t measure up.

In summary; if you try and be objective then the album will seem a lot better than you probably expect it to be, but at the same time there is no getting around that Marilyn Manson has made better albums than this in the past and this record isn’t up to the highest standards that the band have set for themselves.

I feel that this is easily his strongest non-Triptych album and if you have given up on Manson in recent years, it is good enough to at least warrant a cautious test-listen. If you have stayed a fan all along however, this will doubtless be an immensely enjoyable album indeed.

Kingcrimsonprog 1984’s The Warning is the debut studio album by the Seattle Based Progressive Metal band Queensrÿche. It was recorded in London and produced by James Guthrie who is notable for his work with Judas Priest, Pink Floyd and also Pink Floyd members’ solo albums.

Compared to all other Queensrÿche albums, it is the most traditionally Heavy Metal of their works stylistically. It is also arguably the least Progressive of their early albums, although it still shows clear signs of ambitious songwriting and a desire to push the boundaries of the genre. ‘Road To Madness’ for example is an almost ten-minute track with acoustic sections, electric sections, a symphonic sounding back-up and even a few time signature changes towards the end.

Unless you really don’t like the sound of classic Heavy Metal in the vein of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio and early Overkill then The Warning will be an instantly enjoyable album. The standard of songwriting is excellent and the tracks are all for the most part catchy and memorable with driving riffs, pleasing guitar solos and fantastic vocals from the impressive Geoff Tate.

Highlight include ‘En Force’ ‘N M 156’ ‘Child Of Fire’ and of course the aforementioned ‘Roads To Madness.

Overall, The Warning is Queensrÿche’s most straightforwardly metal album, and the band excels at delivering that style in a powerful, catchy and intelligent manner. I feel the album is pretty underrated and would happily recommend it to fans from a Metal background. If you like Queensrÿche and aren’t only in it for nothing but the Prog and the Prog alone, then you really should give the album a try.

Kingcrimsonprog The High End Of Low was the seventh full-length studio album by Marilyn Manson. It was released in 2009 and saw Twiggy Ramirez rejoin the band after a two-album absence.

The album was met with mixed reviews, some happy that Ramirez was back and the music was more upbeat than on the previous record and some negative about that the music and lyrics not being up to standard.

In my own opinion The High End Of Low is actually an enjoyable album and there are some great moments on it. It is however let down by a few problems, and also in comparison to some of his other albums. The main problems are track sequencing, album duration, stylistic inconstancy and some of the same lyrical misfiring that has been present on every album after Holywood.

For the most part, the album feels a little confused and overlong. For one; the track order seems a little too scattered, as though the songs were hastily rearranged out of the correct order at the last minute and consequently several tracks don’t seem really to fit well between the songs the follow or precede.

Secondly, the album is 72 minutes long and the copious material within is in a wealth of different styles to the point where it almost feels as if it is trying too much at once. Variety is usually a good thing and it is often nice to have an album that doesn’t end too early, but The High End Of Low unfortunately doesn’t get the balance just right.

For example, there are a few up tempo heavy tracks in ‘Pretty As A Swastika’ ‘We’re From America’ and ‘Blank And White’ which sit alongside dark pop like ‘Devour’ and ‘Unkillable Monster’ as well as ballads like ‘Four Rusted Horses’ ‘Into The Fire’ and ‘15’ and even a trippy hypnotic number called ‘I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies’ that lasts for nine minutes and feels like an album closer but bizarrely sits at the halfway point.

After a hypnotic nine-minute album closer the rest of the album seems a little bit like a drag, especially when thereafter tracks are generally slower and less dynamic. This makes the album difficult to digest and it almost feels as if you need to take it in across two separate sittings each time.

Despite these problems, there are quite a few highlights and there is a lot to enjoy on the album. Some of the tracks are very enjoyable, it grows on you with repeat listens and despite taking it too far, the variety on offer does give the album a much less one-dimensional feel than the two albums which preceded it. Should you wish to only listen to the best moments or to take it in across two sittings then you will find enough moments to enjoy without risking being overwhelmed in an avalanche of conflicting ideas.

In summary, The High End Of Low is a flawed album but ultimately it is still a decent album despite these flaws. It may seem a little lacking on first listen, but closer inspection will reveal hidden quality. While it isn’t up to the extremely high standards of the band at their absolute peak, it is still of a high enough standard to be worth a listen for both die-hards who like everything Manson does and casual fans who don’t just care about the three best albums.

Kingcrimsonprog I don’t think anybody expected this album. After the musically catchy but disappointingly shallow Golden Age Of Grotesque it seemed as though Marilyn Manson had given up on being artistic and had decided to concentrate on his image, as if he had chosen the superficial side of his music and given up on creating deep and dense albums that were better than the sum of their parts.

This shift in focus, coupled with the band falling apart and what were generally regarded as poor live shows all along the way made it seemed like he would settle into a one-dimensional comfort zone of knowingly iconic imagery, enjoyable but simple songs and lyrics full of puns and wordplay but little valid artistic content.

Eat Me, Drink Me was a surprising follow-up that defied this expectation while also refusing to return to the previous style either. The actual content is mostly emotional, slow and dark, and not really conceptual in any way. It is stripped down to the basics. It still isn’t an important piece of music and it doesn’t have anything informative to say, but it isn’t just a set of obvious singles either. It is the sound of raw and wounded emotion, mixed in with a renewed interest in making music that sounds dark. Manson’s voice is the focus and he tries a lot of different things that aren’t present on previous records while ditching a lot of things that were on previous albums too.

If you were feeling harsh you could say that it is a bit repetitive and whiney. Whenever I think of this as a Marilyn Manson album I always think of it negatively but whenever I am actually listening to it, I find that I do enjoy the experience despite myself. The biggest problem however is just that he has made much better albums before and while this is good on its own level, that level isn’t the same level on which his better material exists.

Stylistically, The two most noteworthy things about the album are firstly that the tracks are mostly slow, brooding dirges based primarily on vocals, jangly chords and piano, with little in the way of metal riffs or industrial touches and secondly there is some interesting lead guitar work worked in as well. There are still a few up-tempo tracks and allusions to his earlier work, but in much smaller quantity than ever before. It is one step closer to the dark pop record that he talked about writing in his book all those years ago.

Highlights include the slow and powerful ‘They Said That Hell’s Not Hot,’ and the brilliant and brooding Title Track as well as the catchy, if shallow rocker ‘Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form Of Flattery.’

Overall; Eat Me, Drink Me isn’t for everyone and may be too morose and dull for a lot of fans. The lack of either intelligent political messages inside dense conceptual music or indeed catchy fun rock songs with amusing lyrics will make it uninteresting for the vast majority of his oddly polarized fanbase. I personally enjoy this odd, curve-ball album and have listened to it much more than I ever expected to, but would still concede that it isn’t anywhere near as good as Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals or Holywood.

Kingcrimsonprog Sad Wings Of Destiny was the second full-length studio album by the legendary British Heavy Metal band Judas Priest. It was released in 1976 and was their final studio album to be released on the small label Gull Records.

Since its initial release, Sad Wings' has gone on to become one of the band’s most popular and enduring records and also one of the most definitive and influential albums in the history of Heavy Metal. The band have represented the album well in live shows and compilations all throughout their career and numerous important bands have covered tracks from it throughout the years.

Musically, Sad Wings Of Destiny is an interesting and impressive album that was years ahead of its time and miles ahead of its 1974 predecessor Rocka Rolla despite much of the material being written roughly around the same time. Practically every song on the album is either instantly loveable or a grower that will become loveable over time, or else a mixture of the two, such as on ‘Victim Of Changes’ which just kind of gets better with every listen and also becomes even more dynamic and explosive on their live albums.

Stylistically, the band mix grand piano lead tracks with lengthy semi-epic tracks, acoustic moments and outright rockers, and end up delivering at least something for all kinds of fans. Tracks like ‘The Ripper,’ ‘Deceiver’ and ‘Genocide’ with their use of twin guitar work, power chords, palm muting and powerful steady drumming foreshadow almost two decades of Metal music, and still stand up as good songs to this day.

Then the more Progressive Rock influenced moments like ‘Prelude’ and ‘Epitaph’ showcase the talent and variety that the band were capable of musically and the immense range that singer Rob Halford can operate within, and ultimately help prevent the album from seeming one-dimensional or dull.

Overall; If you like Metal music this is something you should seriously consider listening to and if you like Judas Priest it is an absolute must-have record that no fan should be without for long. Sad Wings Of Destiny is not just an important historical document, but a genuinely enjoyable album that still stands up remarkably well to this day.

Kingcrimsonprog Promised Land was the fifth full-length Studio Album from the Seattle Progressive Metal band Queensrÿche, it was released in 1994 following up their multi-platinum selling 1990 album Empire.

The music on the album for the most part is not up-tempo driving metal music like some of their earlier work or shimmering commercial rock like some of their highest charting stuff, but rather a slow and completive progressive style that relies on piano, saxophone and acoustic guitar to do a lot of the work. It is the sort of album that requires a lot of patience to really enjoy, and may take a few listens to really wrap your head around properly.

Despite the slower brooding pace and mostly quieter nature of Promised Land when compared to the band’s earlier material, the strength of the songwriting is still very impressive and when it does finally kick off there are moments of superb lead guitar to enjoy as well. This isn’t necessarily an album to listen to if you want to bang your head, but if you allow the music to just wash over you it will prove to be among the best moments in the band’s career.

Thinking about it, there are two kinds of songs on the album; big powerful tracks that start off as quiet ballads or hypnotic, dense and slow building songs that evolve slowly over time with some metal riffs and a sort of eastern flavor. In addition to the core band there are often a lot of weird percussive rhythms and touches of synth, but the main focus is on the vocals and lyrics.

Geoff Tate’s powerful and dynamic voice caries the listener through a whole range of moods and mindsets, from desolation to practical thinking across a range of topics from parental relationships to coming to terms with your inability to improve the state of the world.

Highlights include the emotional ‘Bridge’ as well as ‘My Global Mind’ and the lyrically superb ‘One More Time.’

Overall, if you are willing to give it the time and patience that it asks of you, Promised Land is a very interesting album that is worth a place in your collection.

Kingcrimsonprog Elf was a band that Dio was in early in his career; before his solo band, before Black Sabbath and even before Rainbow, although the early line-up of Rainbow was made up primarily of members from Elf. Ronnie James Dio The Elf Years is a compilation album released in the early nineties that features the second and third studio albums by Elf together on one disc. The albums in question are 1974’s Carolina Country Ball and 1975’s Trying To Burn The Sun.

There are a few flaws with the package that a lot of people can sometimes have a problem with; the artwork doesn’t fully replicate either album’s artwork, there is a slight audio flaw on one of the tracks and the mastering isn’t especially good. For a lot of people this will only be a set of minor inconveniences, but if you are usually upset strongly by similar circumstances then it may be worth avoiding this set.

As for the albums themselves, the quality is relatively strong although arguably not on the same level as any of the bands for which Dio would later become famous.

Musically the albums are driven primarily by piano and vocals, with guitar taking something of a back seat for the most part. There is a very clear influence of blues, country and 1950s Rock n Roll on display and it would not be unreasonable to call them more indebted to Honkey Tonk than Hard Rock.

If you can imagine the more boogie orientated tracks by bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foghat, such as ‘I Know A Little’ and ‘Trouble Trouble’ respectively, mixed with the more 1950s influenced moments by Deep Purple and Queen like ‘Freedom’ and ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ respectively, then you can get some idea of the material on offer here.

Even if you prefer a much heavier style of music than is available here, Ronnie James Dio’s incredible voice is still there to keep your interest, although he hasn’t developed some of his signature techniques yet which makes for interesting listening. You can hear the potential for what he would do in his solo career but with the benefit of hindsight you can pick up some of the same influences that Ian Gillan and Freddie Mercury had in Dio’s performance.

If you go in more for the less-heavy moments, or just want an interesting record of Dio’s voice before he had finished creating his own delivery style then Carolina Country Ball will be the more interesting of the two records on the set, and if you want something harder and more similar to Rainbow’s debut album (albeit mixed with the style Queen’s first three albums) then Trying To Burn The Sun will likely be where you get your money’s worth here.

In all honesty it isn’t an absolutely essential record by any means, but it is a welcome addition to anyone’s collection that will bring at least one or two loveable tracks into your longer-term rotation and is worth checking out to satisfy your curiosity.

Kingcrimsonprog Rage For Order was the second full-length studio album by the Seattle based Progressive Metal band Queensrÿche. It was released 1986 and is quite a curious album that is both hailed by some fans as a masterpiece and condemned by other fans as a forgettable transitional period.

Initially it may take quite a few listens to really familiarize yourself with and grow accustomed to. If you only heard one or two Queensrÿche tracks before buying this it may be pretty confusing, unexpected and hard to absorb at first.

When the album came out a lot of Metal bands were incorporating synths into their sound, and indeed a lot of lighter more pop orientated metal bands were coming out and getting radio success yet this synth filled late eighties metal album doesn't really sound anything like either of the aforementioned styles. Additionally, it also came out just before the real first wave of Prog Metal bands had gained momentum and doesn't share many sonic similarities there either.

The actual music has gotten fairly far away from anything that a conventional Metal band would write at this point, yet isn't glam and isn't stereotypically Prog Metal either, in the sense of long songs with long shredding guitar solos. The album that the band released after this, Operation Mindcrime, actually had songs on it like `Speak' `Spreading The Disease' and `The Needle Lies' that were much closer to the traditional spirit of metal than anything on Rage For Order.

Stylistically, the music on this record is relatively dark, brief and quiet restrained in parts. There are moments of hard metal riffs and blazing guitar solos but they are very few and far between. It incorporates a lot of artificial sounds and synth work but in a completely different way to how the likes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden did at the time and is more unique in its implementation of the controversial instrument.

Rage For Order delivers its dystopian themed messages of paranoia and societal-breakdown in an atmospheric and for the most part vocal-led way, that almost recalls Marillion and the solo career of Roger Waters in as much as the vocal and lyrical content takes center stage quite often and a lot of import is placed on Geoff Tate's diction and emphasis.

Luckily however, Geoff Tate is a remarkably diverse and talented singer with the skill and range to carry off such an album well. The more you get into the nuances of his performance and the polyrhythmic interplay between him and all the other band members, the more the album opens itself up to you as a listener.

Highlights include `Chemical Youth (We Are The Rebellion)' `Screaming In Digital' and `Surgical Strike.'

In summary, this isn't an album that really fits in neatly into one little box, and in that sense it embodies the true spirit of progressive music. No one had made an album like this before; it was music that literally nothing else sounded like. The evocative, melodic and richly textured music can take a good few listens to really "get," but it sure is worth giving it that chance.

Kingcrimsonprog Blackfoot were a Southern Rock band from Jacksonville Florida formed by Jackson Spires, Greg T. Walker and Rick Medlocke (of Lynyrd Skynyrd) around 1970, named after several of the band member’s Native American ancestry.

The band broke through big from around 1979-1981 with a trio of superb records that mixed Southern Rock attitude and stylings with a more heavy metal approach and production style. Before that however, the band released two albums that were more traditional, Flyin’ High and their debut album No Reservations.

1975’s No Reservations shows the potential that the band had even at this early stage in their career. Despite its basic production values and slightly derivative songwriting, there is still a lot of interesting material to be found.

In terms of positives, the album has variety on its side. Mixing some great rock moments like the album highlights ‘Born To Rock N Roll’ and ‘Take A Train’ with quieter moments like the ‘Simple Man’ referencing ballad ‘Stars’ and the excellent Bluegrass album closer ‘Railroad Man.’

The only problem with the album is that the level of energy is comparatively restrained for the majority of each song’s duration, which can make the songs seem a lot less dynamic and interesting than they really are.

Every song does kick right into life when the guitar solos break out however, and suddenly all band members start playing the absolute hell out of their instruments. Had they delivered more of the album with this level of passion and intensity it would be a truly powerful and memorable record.

As it stands it is a nice addition to your Blackfoot collection, although not really something I would recommend to non-fans or first time buyers in the same way that I would recommend any of the four albums which followed. That being said; the more you listen to it, the more it grows on you and while it isn’t just as world beating as some of their finest work, it is still way above average.

Kingcrimsonprog Blackfoot are a Southern Rock band from Florida who mixed hard rock and heavy metal into their sound to create a trilogy of fondly remembered albums between 1979 and 1981.

They are notable for featuring Rick Medlocke of Lynyrd Skynyrd on Guitar and Vocals as well as for being one of the heaviest bands in the Southern Rock genre. This band is something that I would highly recommend to fans of bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special, Outlaws and the Allman Brothers, as well as to fans of the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rainbow and Scorpions.

Before the aforementioned ‘79-‘81 period commonly accepted the band’s golden-age, Blackfoot had already released two underrated studio albums; their 1975 debut No Reservations and this album, 1976’s Flyin’ High.

While not as famous as the three albums that would follow, not as well produced and not as easy to find a first-hand copy of these days, Flyin’ High is still a great album for both fans of the band and fans of the genre in general. The style of music is raucous and energetic Southern Rock with a mixture of quiet moments, boogie and outright hard rock, and the execution of said style is wonderful.

Highlights include the storming ‘Junkie’s Dream,’ as well as the fun ‘Dancing Man’ and the ballad ‘Mother.’

Overall, if you are already familiar with Blackfoot’s more famous moments, Flyin’ High is an excellent addition to your collection and well worth checking out if you can find yourself a copy at a reasonable price.

Kingcrimsonprog Blackfoot are a Florida based Southern Rock band started around 1970 by bassist Greg T. Walker and Singer/Guitarist Rick Medlocke (of Lynryd Skynyrd) Their style combines the flavor of Southern Rock with a mixture Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

Marauder is the band’s fifth studio album. It was released in 1981 and has went on to become one of the fan’s favourite Blackfoot albums; released during the band’s creative and commercial high point, and spawning the famous tracks ‘Fly Away’ and ‘Diary Of A Working Man.’

This was to be the last Blackfoot album before they changed their sound dramatically with the inclusion of synthesizers and a change in songwriting approaches.

For the most part, the album is a mixture between storming heavy numbers like ‘Good Morning,’ ‘Too Hard To Handle’ and ‘Rattlesnake Rock And Roller’ with mid paced Hard Rock tracks and slower, quieter tracks like the delightful ‘Searchin’ as well as the aforementioned ‘Diary Of A Working Man.’

Stylistically, the album is a nice mixture of everything that the band are good at and the quality of musicianship and songwriting is excellent. The album, alongside Strikes and Tomcattin’ is often considered to be one of the three best albums that the band have ever released.

If you want some want some very fun music that takes the Southern flavor of Skynyrd, Outlaws and Molly Hatchet, but delivers it with the intensity of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, then there is nothing so suitable to your tastes as the classic era of Blackfoot, which definitely includes this album. Overall, if you are interested in Blackfoot or want more Southern Rock but harder and heavier than usual, then you really ought not be without a copy of Marauder. Its well produced, balances heaviness and commerciality and is simply packed full of excellent music and live favorites.

Kingcrimsonprog Strikes was the third studio album by the Southern Rock band Blackfoot, it was released on the Atco label in 1979 and was something of a breakthrough release for the band.

Blackfoot were named after the Native American Blackfoot Confederacy due to several of the band member’s Native American heritage. The band was based in Florida and featured Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Rick Medlocke on Lead Vocals and Guitar.

Strikes was the first of an unbeatable three-album streak of classic gems, followed in 1980 by Tomcattin’ and then 1981’s Marauder. The three albums, along with the incendiary live album Highway Song Live are all considered by fans to be utterly essential. If you are interested in the band for any reason, any of these three records, including Strikes, should really please you.

While Marauder is a bit more commercial and Tomcattin’ is a bit heavier, Strikes is the album that most truly follows the specific Southern Rock formula laid down by Lynyrd Skynyrd and followed by the likes of Molly Hatchet and Outlaws. If you enjoy any of those bands then Strikes is definitely worth checking out. That being said however, the album isn’t exactly dripping in Southern Rock conventions; it is more of a solid Hard Rock album with a Southern tinge.

One thing that separates Strikes from the rest of the band’s catalogue is that it contains three cover songs by Spirit, Blues Image and Free respectively.

Strikes also distinguishes itself by featuring the anthemic ‘Train, Train’ and ‘Highway Song’ which are two of the bands most popular and recognizable tracks, and the avenue through which many fans discover Blackfoot.

Overall; if you like the band it would really be advisable to get a copy of Strikes, Tomcattin’ and Marauder at a minimum. The other two records have the heaviness and heavy metal charm and they are perfectly complimented by Strikes, which has the hits and the variety.

Kingcrimsonprog Operation: Mindcrime was the third full-length studio album by the Progressive Metal band Queensrÿche. The multi-platinum album is the band's most famous work, it is considered a must-own and is constantly appearing in magazine and fan countdowns of best-ever-metal-albums. If you haven't heard it already but think it might be up your street, then I advise taking a shot on it, it'll more than likely pay off.

The album, which was released in 1988, mixes classic metal influenced by the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest with the scope and scale of Progressive Rock bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd and Rush. The band use the lyrics to create a narrative that runs throughout the album, assisted by additional sound effects and voice overs from actors.

The story tells the tale of a shady figure named Doctor X who exploits drug addicts into committing crimes that further his political agenda so as to get what he wants without implicating himself, and is told from the perspective of one such helpless youth. The lyrics primarily deal with his conflicting emotions and the consequences of his actions in a surprising and interesting way.

Operation: Mindcrime is an example of the rock opera format done right. The story isn't too basic to be uninteresting but nor is it needlessly convoluted, there are non-musical voice overs and sound effects thrown in to drive the story but they do not take over the album or get in the way of the music and most importantly of all it is a good album anyway; there is no filler, everything flows well together and the album doesn't tail off in quality towards the end.

It could be argued that Operation: Mindcrime is one of the best concept albums anyone has released to date for those reasons, it is tight, concise and free of needless excess.

Overall, Operation: Mindcrime is an entertaining and expertly crafted album that mixes the attitude of prog with the sound of metal in a brilliant and flab-free way. If you usually like concept albums and rock operas then this is an album that you should consider checking out, if you usually like classic heavy metal then you should seriously consider checking it out and if you usually like Queensrÿche themselves then you really ought to own it already and should get yourself a copy as soon as you can.

Kingcrimsonprog Mindcrime At The Moore is a live release by the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, recorded in the Moore Theatre in Seattle and originally released in 2007. It has been released on CD, DVD and Blu-Ray.

In terms of set list, the band performs the entire of their classic 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime and then its heavier 2006 sequel, back to back and in their original running-orders. There is also a two-song encore of ‘Walk In The Shadows’ and ‘Jet City Woman,’ from Rage For Order and Empire respectively, resulting in a total of 44 songs, lasting two hours and twenty nine minutes.

The performance as you may imagine is big and theatric, with lots of additional personnel on stage acting around the band. There are set pieces, props, costume changes for singer Geoff Tate and guest vocalist Pamela Moore, video screens and elaborate lighting, all helping to drive the narrative of the story that is told in the two concept albums.

The camera work, picture quality, direction and editing of the actual live performance is absolutely top-notch and when the screen is showing the band actually playing live this is a truly fine looking concert recording.

There is a lot of additional film footage and text that comes up on the screen augmenting the concert footage however, and because the theatrical performance was played out in front of aforementioned video screens much of the content from them is often shown superimposed over the live performance, or sometimes shown instead of the concert footage all together. For most people this will help you get into it even more but if you usually don’t like it when concert DVDs do this sort of thing then you may really hate this particular release, as the phenomenon is much, much more prominent here than usual.

Another potential problem is that during the first few tracks the audio seems to be ever so slightly out of synch with the visuals, however this is rectified by the time the title track of the first album is over. These two issues aside, the main feature is very good, especially once Geoff’s voice has warmed up and he can really lay into the material and get closer to the original performance.

In addition to the main feature, there is a brief twenty three minute tour documentary and a two minute feature about a charity motorcycle ride called ‘Rock and Ride’. The most interesting bonus feature however is an alternative version of ‘The Chase’ where Ronnie James Dio joins the band live, as opposed to in a pre-recorded video like in the main concert.

Overall, if you have issues with screen time being taken up by non-concert footage or are massively put-off by synching issues then it may not be the right release for you, but otherwise this is a very entertaining and interesting release that is definitely worth checking out.

Kingcrimsonprog Sixty Watt Shaman are a Stoner Rock/Metal band from Baltimore Maryland. Seed Of Decades was their second full-length studio album and was released in 2000. Singer Dan Soren is also known for his work with the Doom Metal band The Mighty Nimbus.

The band approach the music by delivering the fundamentals of classic 1970s rock music and applying them through the filter of Stoner Rock. The resulting sound isn’t just Kyuss-worship like some of the less original Stoner bands settle for and not just a gimmicky classic rock nostalgia album either, but a mixture of the two influence sets that ultimately makes something more satisfying.

If you like Clutch, then this is a band that you really need to check out; they have toured with them, they thank them in their linear notes and have even recorded together, such as Sixty Watt members guesting on the Pure Rock Fury album. On this album Clutch’s singer Neil Fallon provides guest vocals on the song ‘The Trip’ and their drummer J.P Gastor also provides guest percussion on the final track ‘I’ve Been Down.’

Simply working with Clutch isn’t the whole story though, the band also share a lot of sonic similarities as well. For an example, listen to the slow and groovy ‘Low Earth Orbit’ with its background keys and John Bonham influenced drumming and it is hard not to think of Clutch’s Robot Hive Exodus material. This isn’t to say that ‘Shaman are just a Clutch rip-off or anything, they have their own personality and bring their own ideas to the table too, its just that if you do like Clutch’s sound then you’ll probably like Sixty Watt Shaman a lot too.

Sixty Watt Shaman have a great sound that is sure to appeal to fans of the Classic Rock and Stoner scenes; the only real negative accusation anyone could throw at them is that some of their stuff gets a bit samey, but then again while a lot of the album does follow the same sonic formula, there are a few brief moments of the trippier side of the Stoner Rock (think early Monster Magnet), some acoustic stuff and a few moments of a speedier and punkier sound on there too which all adds a bit of variety to the proceedings, so the problem isn’t that pronounced.

Highlights include ‘Red Colony’ which mixes big fat Stoner riffs with a laid back yet grand approach, the fast and fun ‘Devil In The Details Part 1’ and the excellent bluesy album closer ‘I’ve Been Down.’

Overall, Seed Of Decades is a pretty enjoyable album and Sixty Watt Shaman are a pretty enjoyable band, especially if you like the Stoner music scene and Clutch in particular. I highly recommend both the band and the album if this sort of music is usually something that you enjoy.

Kingcrimsonprog Rocka Rolla is probably an album that you’ve heard a lot about already if you are even a casual fan of Judas Priest. It was the band’s debut studio album, recorded live-in-the-studio in 1974 and released to little acclaim on the small label Gull Records. The band rarely ever played anything off of it live for decades.

The album has been issued dozens of times with slightly different mastering (some fans favour the louder version), different track listings, different artwork and occasionally even under a different name. Sometimes an early version of the Joan Baez cover track ‘Diamonds And Rust’ is included as a bonus track.

As a rule, you probably won’t want to make this your first Judas Priest purchase. A lot of Judas Priest fans don’t like this album and for that reason alone you shouldn’t really try it out until you are fully invested in Judas Priest already or risk missing out on dozens of great records just by being scared off by this.

The music on the album is a mixture of classic blues based rock music and a little touch of progressive rock influence, with some hints of the band’s future definitive Heavy Metal sound but never any full out all-metal tracks.

Songs like the eight-minute ‘Run Of The Mill’ contain an almost Animals era Pink Floyd sound at times and ‘Dying To Meet You’ contains the sort of Progged-Up Blues feel of the first three Jethro Tull albums. If you like this sort of music as I do then you’ll probably find it an interesting addition to the Judas Priest collection that shows the band in a different light than you are used to.

If you hate the sort of music that British Prog Rock bands were putting out in the 1970s, only ever listen to heavy music and find that your favourite Judas Priest album was Painkiller then Rocka Rolla may not be something that you are likely to fall in love with and should either try before you buy or avoid altogether.

Of course, there are a few tracks on the album that are hard enough rock such as ‘Hero Hero,’ ‘Never Satisfied’ and especially ‘Cheater’ all of which are good but ultimately still won’t be enough to win the bigger doubters over. Even these harder moments aren’t completely metal anyway, they are just the closest thing to it on this early album.

Additionally, It has been speculated in the past that Rocka Rolla might have been a better album if the band were allowed enough time and money to record it properly and if the purportedly long and epic track ‘Caviar And Meths’ wasn’t shortened from its intended 14-minute duration to a brief two minutes.

As it stands however, ‘Caviar And Meths’ simply is two minutes and the production job simply is cheap and live, so you have to accept the album on those terms if you are going to like it and there’s not much you could do to change that.

Overall, your opinion of the album will largely depend on whether or not you are able to forgive how different it is from their more famous albums, and how much you like Blues Rock and Prog Rock. It may also depend on the mastering job and track order of the particular copy you get.

If you can already tell that you’ll hate it then feel free to ignore it and pretend that the band’s first album was Sad Wings Of Destiny. If however you think you are going to be generally receptive to it, intrigued by the idea of Rob Halford’s early vocal performances, of hearing KK and Glen’s guitars doing something totally different and of a raw but potentially charming production job, then I’d say go for it. It is worth checking out and isn’t nearly as bad as you may have heard about.

Kingcrimsonprog Tomcattin’ is the fourth full-length studio album by Southern Rock legends Blackfoot, it was released in 1980 and is one of the band’s harder and heavier albums.

The band, who hail from Jacksonville Florida and are lead by Rickie Medlocke (Lynyrd Skynyrd) deliver a brand of Southern Rock flavoured music only focused with an almost Heavy Metal intensity.

For most fans, the band’s pinnacle is always considered to be the three studio albums Strikes, Tomcattin’ and Marauder, in addition to the incendiary live album, Highway Song Live. These albums represent the band’s artistic and commercial best, before industry politics and shifting musical climates would change Blackfoot from a big deal set for stardom into a band that you discover when you get into other artists from the same genre.

While Strikes is more authentic to the genre’s Skynyrd influence, and Marauder is more radio friendly and commercial, Tomcattin’ is the heavy moment in between that maintains some of the Southern Feel, hints at the catchy and melodic future and lays down a furious metallic backbone all at the same time.

Tracks like ‘Fox Chase’ and ‘Warped’ are fast and aggressive, ‘Street Fighter’ is a mid paced rock number and ‘Spendin Cabbage’ is the one acoustic track on there.

So if you like the heavier moments from bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and Molly Hatchet or would like to hear what a band like Judas Priest or Scorpions would’ve sounded like with a Southern edge then give Blackfoot a try, and if you want a direct and heavy Blackfoot album then pick up a copy of Tomcattin.

Kingcrimsonprog Ruin is the second studio album by the British band Architects. It was released in 2007 and was the first album to feature bassist Alex Dean and singer Sam Carter, who replaced Tim Lucas and Matt Johnson respectively.

The musical direction on Ruin is a lot harder, noisier, more angular and generally more extreme than the albums which would follow it, while at the same time not just as extreme and complicated as what preceded it, in part due to Sam Carter’s UK Hardcore Scene influenced vocal style and use of clean vocals.

There are moments of melody, moments of aggression, a reasonable amount of blast beats and a lot of interlocking rhythmic patterns forming the basis of songs. The songs in question all fit together well and although some tracks can feel a little similar at times the album is a decent length, so doesn’t begin to drag or overstay its welcome. The musical consistency, lack of filler and respectable production make Ruin a pretty stand up album all around.

Album highlights include the single ‘Buried At Sea,’ the interesting album closer ‘Save Me,’ and the enjoyable ‘Heartless’ which is mixes crushing rhythmic metal with a soulful Post Hardcore sounding lead that almost foreshadows the direction that the band would later take on The Here And Now in part, while still staying fairly true to their Botch, Sikth and Dillinger Escape Plan influenced past.

Overall, Ruin is a good album and if you like Architects you really ought to get yourself a copy. If The Here And Now is the only album that you’ve heard by them then it may take a bit of getting used to as it is a lot, lot heavier, but the level of musicianship is still high and you should become accustomed after a few listens.

Kingcrimsonprog Fronted as always by Max Cavelera, Soulfly have lived through enough line-up changes in the past to carry on strong no matter who joins or leaves their fold and deliver more of the same Thrash, Groove and World Music inspired Metal that the band have been creating since their inception a decade and a half ago.

Enslaved is the band’s eighth studio album. It was released in 2012 and finds the band recording with a new rhythm section as bassist Bobby Burns (who had been in the band since 2003) and drummer Joe Nunez (who was in the band since 2000, except for one album) get replaced by Tony Campos of Static-X and David Kinkade of Borknagar.

Lead guitarist Marc Rizzo is now the band’s second longest lasting member behind Max himself, and has become more and more integral to the band’s sound and direction since joining in 2003 (in addition to appearing in alongside Max in his other band Cavelera Conspiracy.)

Where Enslaved fits in with the rest of the band’s catalogue is definitely closer in style to the sound found on the faster and darker albums like Dark Ages than the fun and bouncy tribal sing along albums like Primitive. It is probably the most straight forward, serious and un-experimental sounding album the band have ever done, which counter-intuitively lends the record a really interesting an vital sound.

The style at this stage is completely absent of any Nu Metal influence, with the drumming and guitar generally a lot more clinical and thrash influenced than ever before, however the manage to do so in a manner that feels entirely modern and nothing like homage to the 1980s. The main riff of ‘Treachery’ for example feels almost like it could have been written by Chimaira’s Rob Arnold, and the huge string bends at the beginning of 'Chains' sound a little like recent Cannibal Corpse tracks in a subtle sort of a way.

Enslaved also carves its own position in the Soulfly catalogue by having removed all traces of the World Music interludes, intros and outros that had peppered all of the band’s previous work to at least some extent. Furthermore, the band even went as far as not including a Self-Titled instrumental track in the main album like they had always done on previous records (although one does crop up on the special edition. )

One thing that Soulfly have never been able to stop themselves doing however is include guest appearances by other famous musicians, and on Enslaved this once again proves to be the case as Dez Fafara of Devildriver sings on the track "Redemption Of Man By God," while Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation appears on the surprisingly Death Metal influenced lead single ‘World Scum.’

Overall, Enslaved is a strong, well written and immaculately produced album by a confident and mature band. The direction is dark, precise and heavy modern metal music with a lot of shredding, a lot of speed and no messing around. If your favourite Soulfly albums were the first two and you don’t usually enjoy any Thrash or Extreme Metal then it might not be what you wanted, but if you have enjoyed the direction that the band have been heading in for the last three or four albums then you will be happy to find them charging further down that path and sounding good doing it.

Kingcrimsonprog Biohazard are a long running and classic band among fans of a certain generation, who came out in the early nineties with a sound that mixed together NY-Hardcore, Thrash Metal and Rap Music, resulting in a then innovative and distinct sound. They released eight studio albums until they temporarily disbanded after 2005's magnificent but critically panned Means To An End album.

After a seven-year gap between studio albums; the band got back together, this time with the `Classic Line-Up' for the first time on record since 1994's State Of The World Address album, to release 2012's Reborn In Defiance.

While you may expect the Classic Line-Up to put out an album that mostly sounds like the band's first three records, the end result is actually closer to a mixture of everything they've been doing since then, and all the separate styles that they've incorporated into their sound along the way.

Stylistically half the album, including the pre-released tracks `Skullcrusher' and `Vengeance Is Mine,' is very much in the same mould as their previous album Means To An End, in terms of straight forward crushing and enjoyable, grooving Hardcore Metal, in a sort of post-Hatebreed reinterpretation of their signature sound. The other half of the album is a lot more melodic and slightly experimental in a similar vein to the lighter moments from their Uncivilization and New World Disorder albums.

If you are just a casual Biohazard fan then unfortunately this album probably won't radically change your opinion of the band, it isn't an absolute Tour De Force that will go down in history as an undoubted classic. If you are a fairly strong Biohazard fan however then this is a nice addition to the catalogue that will keep you happy, a welcome collection of some more Biohazard songs that ties together somewhat the different styles of the previous few albums and brings the various experimentations therein to a logical conclusion.

Overall; Reborn In Defiance is a good album, it isn't out and out the best thing that the band have ever done and it isn't likely to win over anyone who already dislikes Biohazard, but is certainly worth checking out if you already follow the band and is nowhere near a disappointment.

Kingcrimsonprog Napalm Death are a well respected and pioneering force in extreme music and besides that, they are a very prolific band who have released numerous live albums, EPs, one and a half covers albums and now their fourteenth studio album of original music in 2012, entitled Utilitarian. With so much of a back catalogue to contend with, approaching a new album as a new fan could be confusing without all the musical context.

Furthermore, Napalm Death are a band forever surrounded by hyperbole due to the especially nasty, violent and savage sound that they make, so getting a feel of how one album is different to another can be difficult since everyone will just say clichéd things about how your ears will bleed etc.

An honest and hyperbole-free summation would be that if you generally like very extreme music, you should give Napalm Death a fair try and if you generally like Napalm Death then you should give Utilitarian a fair try, there is a strong possibility that you will like it.

Produced by Russ Russel, (The Berzerker, The Rotted, Dimmu Borgir) Utilitarian sounds great, and the energy level from the band themselves is very high. This is yet another expertly crafted album from the band delivering more extreme music and highly political lyrics.

Historically, the band have covered a lot of different ground in their lengthy career, and in the first decade of their career became known for taking radical shifts in musical style, sometimes to crys of ‘sell out’ and sometimes to great praise. In the past decade however, Napalm Death found a winning formula and stuck to it very rigidly, which both garnered praise for consistency and occasional criticism for treading water creatively.

With Utilitarian the band do retain a large quantity of that post millennial formula but they also seem to be overly aware that they haven’t changed up their style significantly in a while and so counteract that by using riffs, rhythms and vocal patterns here and there that you wouldn’t have heard on the last few albums.

In many ways, Utilitarian can feel like somewhat of a mixture of their albums Order Of The Leech (2002) and Diatribes (1996). Like Diatribes, there is more sonic experimentation and generally fewer blastbeats than on their recent albums and more time is given over to rumbly bass focused breakdowns, different vocal approaches and dissonant jangly guitar styles. However, a successful balance has been achieved between that experimentation and the recent formula and so the rest of the album is very much in the mold of Order Of The Leech in terms of riff style, song structuring, general attitude and the harsh sound from that record.

For example, ‘The Wolf I Feed’ initially has the feel of classic 1980s Hardcore Punk, but later introduces an almost Burton C Bell style clean vocal section. Other examples of the similarity with Diatribe’s variety include tracks like ‘Everyday Pox,’ ‘Orders Of Magnitude’ and the album highlight ‘Blank Look About Face’, feature the aforementioned dissonant waves of noisy guitar and even the echoey clean vocals from their late 90s style mixed in to the proceedings.

In terms of stand out moments of the other variety, special mention should be made for the album closer ‘A Gag Reflex,’ which is one of the catchiest and best songs that the band have written since their career highlight Enemy Of The Music Business album.

In summary; it is definitely nice that they are avoiding making the exact same album one more time, and if you lost interest due to too much repetition then you’ll probably view Utilitarian as a step in the right direction. That being said, its not as if Napalm Death are changing their direction as vastly they have been seen to in the past. The success of Utilitarian is that this album feels both fresh and enjoyably diverse, but it does so in a way that feels like a logical evolution. Overall, highly Recommended.

Kingcrimsonprog When you get away from all the stylistic and contextual considerations and just judge it on its own merits, Corrosion Of Conformity’s 2012 Self Titled album is a very competently made and fairly enjoyable album. It isn’t the best thing ever made, but neither is it a terrible mistake. It won’t please people who are into them for what Pepper brought, and it won’t please fans of classic 80s Hardcore, but it is a strong enough album that has a similar appeal as Black Tusk and maybe recent Entombed albums.

That being said; realistically it is an album that you need to provide a certain level of context for before approaching in a critical way as the particulars of the album’s line up and musical style are of interest to existing fans and therefore it is difficult to describe the album without first acknowledging that. So; on the previous four Corrosion Of Conformity albums (which a large portion of their fanbase know them best for) most of the vocals and a large part of musical direction came from the Southern Rock influenced Singer/Guitarist Pepper Keenan, who is not present on this album because he is concentrating on the Phil Anselmo fronted super group Down.

In Pepper’s absence, the vocals on this album are performed by founding member Mike Dean, who has been on every Corrosion Of Conformity album except for 1991’s Blind. Dean sometimes appears purely as a bassist and sometimes also handles the vocal duties.

In addition to Mike Dean once again taking over the lead vocal position, Pepper’s guitar slot is left unfilled and the band play as a three piece. The line up is completed by guitarist Woody Weatherman who played on every single C.O.C album ever and drummer Reed Mullin who has been on all the band’s studio albums apart from 2005’s In The Arms Of God.

The style of this album was prophesied by certain people as being a return to the Crossover Thrash style of their 1985 album Animosity, because they play mostly songs from it live and it had the same trio line up.

Stylistically, the band began life as a hardcore punk band in the early 1980s, then quickly adopted a Crossover Thrash style in the mid-80s and by the 1990s they eventually added groove metal, sludge metal, stoner rock, southern rock and doom metal influences in varying degrees on each subsequent album, all of which have ended up with unique overall styles depending on the ratio of all these influences.

The prophecy that the band’s 2012 album would return them to their 1985 sound and abandon everything developed since then did not prove to be the case however; the band certainly do incorporate large amounts of this style into the new album, but is important to remember that all three members were also on board during the 90s albums, which becomes clear when large amounts of Doom Metal influences pervade the album. The result is a raw and dirty sounding album, which has a lot of fat Black Sabbath influenced Doom riffs one minute, and speedy d-beat drumming the next. This is perhaps best exemplified by the track ‘The Doom’ and if you are unsure of whether or not you’d like the album, then I highly recommend listening to that track before buying.

Other highlights include the catchy ‘Time Of Trials,’ the aggressive ‘What You Despises Is What You’ve Become’ and the dark semi-acoustic number ‘El Lamento De Las Cabras.’

In conclusion, overall this is a pretty unique album in the band’s history and I think all types of Corrosion Of Conformity fans should all check the album out at least once and judge it on its own merits. If however you want a lot of Punk or a lot of Southern Rock, then prepare to be disappointed because this album is very much its own animal.

Kingcrimsonprog Sin After Sin was British Heavy Metal band Judas Priest’s third studio album, released in 1977 following up the Sad Wings Of Destiny album. The album saw a few changes for the band; it was their first album on Columbia Records as they escaped from their original label Gull Records, the position of drummer changed from Alan Moore to the talented session player Simon Phillips and finally the production job was handled by Deep Purple’s Roger Glover.

Musically there is a lot going on, the tracks cover a lot of ground; are flashy and virtuosic and still manage to actually rock hard. For example the opening track ‘Sinner’ has impressive vocal performances, great guitar work and even impressive drumming, especially when it slows down in the middle; all individual areas shine yet don’t compromise the song’s energy or attitude for the sake of showing off.

Sin After Sin is also interesting to listen to from a vocal stand point as Rob tries out dozens and dozens of different voices, from lows to highs, hard to soft and sometimes adding in surprising emotional weight too. The amount of territory covered really is rather surprising and more and more variety is revealed upon repeat listening.

With such great vocals, improved drumming and the ever wonderful twin guitar approach of Downing and Tipton, Sin After Sin is a very strong and enjoyable record. In addition to the aforementioned ‘Sinner,’ other highlights include the heavy ‘Dissident Aggressor,’ the catchy upper-mid-paced ‘Starbreaker’ and the speedy Queen influenced ‘Let Us Pray/Call The Priest.’

Interestingly, the album features the concert favourite Joan Baez cover song ‘Diamonds & Rust’ which was previously recorded but eventually omitted from previous albums. This was the first of the few cover songs that the band would officially release, alongside ‘Better By You Better Than Me’ and ‘Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)’ which came out on the next two records.

Overall, Sin After Sin is a great record by Judas Priest with a few absolute classics and a mixture of interesting ideas, noteworthy drumming and a huge range of vocal approaches by Rob Halford. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the band or early metal in general.

**** If you get the version with bonus tracks, you are treated to another cover song called "Race With The Devil," which was recorded during the sessions of their next album Stained Class in addition to a live version of Defenders Of The Faith era song ‘Jaw Breaker’ recorded live in 1984. ****

Kingcrimsonprog Judas Priest’s fifth studio album was released in late 1978, quickly following up their classic Stained Class album from early in the same year. It saw the legendary British Heavy Metal band alter their sound slightly and alter their image and lyrical content quite a bit.

The album in question was released both under the name Killing Machine and Hell Bent For Leather depending on where you bought it, America or Europe.

For Judas Priest it goes without saying that the standard of musicianship is high and that there are lots of memorable vocal hooks and impressive guitar solos spread through the forty-five minute duration to keep the listener entertained. The styles and sounds on this record in particular are diverse and represent the band transitioning from their slightly complex and progressive 1970s work and their more radio friendly early 80s work, fitting as it would be the bands last release of the seventies. Indeed at times you can pick up a part or two that has an almost Rush or Queen feel only to contrast with moments that are much more akin to the NWOBHM sound.

Some of the material for example is fast and hard, classic heavy metal such as the tracks ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ ‘Running Wild’ and ‘Delivering The Goods.’ Elsewhere ‘Before The Dawn’ is more of a melodic ballad, the other tracks are mid paced rock with fun riffs and then the curve-ball ‘Take On The World’ has that anthemic sing along angle that the band would occasionally try (such as on their later tracks ‘Defenders Of The Faith’ and ’United’) and arguably always fail.

Depending on your own tastes, the diversity of the material can either be seen as an abundance of ideas by a creative band or as a lack of cohesion by a band unsure of what do. Some fans love the record and some see it as inferior to what came before but don’t let the lack of consensus put you off; in any case this is certainly an album worth at least trying.

In my own opinion Killing Machine is a good album and gives a sort of “best of both worlds” between British Steel’s sleek simplistic perfection and the older material’s darker tone and prog influenced classic sound, both of which I love. This is a good album that is well produced, interesting and fairly consistent in quality if not musical style. I’ll concede that perhaps this isn’t the first Judas Priest album that you should buy, but it is definitely welcome in the collection once you like the band.

**** If you get the version with bonus tracks, you are treated to a demo version of the Defenders Of The Faith era track ‘Rock Hard Ride Free’ that is entitled ‘Fight For Your Life.’ Additionally there is a live version of era song ‘Riding On The Wind’ recorded live in 1983. The songs may not slot in perfectly with the album stylistically but are welcome extras nonetheless. ****

Kingcrimsonprog 2001’s Madre De Dios was the second album from the Sweedish Stoner Rock band Dozer, an immensely talented and underrated band that any fan of the Stoner/Desert genre should investigate.

As well as sharing the line up, production crew and record location with its predecessor, stylistically Madre De Dios sits pretty similarly in the band’s catalogue as their debut album In The Trail Of A Comet did; a strong record with a lot of potential but before the band really hit it out of the park and became genre leaders instead of just another band. After this album, the songwriting quality, vocal talents and musicianship from Dozer would absolutely skyrocket and everything the band touch from the next album onwards is pure gold. Of course, this is not to say anything negative about the band’s first two albums other than that the band would get even better.

On its own merits, Madre De Dios is a good Stoner/Desert rock album, with a very clear and audible Kyuss influence. Tracks like ‘TX-9’ and ‘Earth Yeti’ are bound to delight fans of Kyuss and Monster Magnet’s more psychedelic sides, and the rest of the album consists of fairly pacey and upbeat rockers with fuzzy guitars and lots of low end.

With catchy choruses, a great lead guitar style and a solid production there is a lot to like about Madre De Dios. The album starts off fairly strong with the speedy ‘Let The Shit Roll’ but definitely gets better in the second half, with the album highlights being tracks like ‘Full Circle’ ‘Mono Impact’ and ‘Early Grace,’ which leave some clues as to where the band would go next.

Overall; this mightn’t be the first Dozer album which I’d recommend you pick up (that honour goes to Through The Eyes Of Heathens) but regardless, it is an undeniably good record for fans of the band and the genre and so, well worth your time if you already have a predisposition to enjoying it.

Kingcrimsonprog The Canadian Stoner Rock/Metal band Sheavy are perhaps best known for their status as the band with Black Sabbath Inspired riffs and Ozzy-sounding vocals. If you like Ozzy era Sabbath then you may either find the band too similar to be able to enjoy seriously or else to be just what you want to hear.

One thing is clear though, however intentionally similar their sound may be to Black Sabbath, Sheavy are very talented as a band and an underrated contributor to the whole Stoner/Desert subgenre of Rock and Metal. Their songs are indeed heavily Black Sabbath inspired yet feature a distinct Sheavy personality of their own too.

Blue Sky Mind was the band’s debut studio album, released in 1996 and remastered with superior audio in 2007. This album features some of the band’s earliest work and has a much more psychedelic and space rock sound in places than the heavier and more straight-forward albums of their most recent albums. While the band finds the band’s sound mostly fully formed there are still moments here that you wouldn’t find on their later work, this combined with the production style ends up giving the album a distinct character amongst their body of work, making Blue Sky Mind definitely one to try out if you want more than one Sheavy record.

Highlights include the quite/loud shifting ‘Domelight,’ as well as ‘Supahero’ despite its unfortunate comedy intro and the eight-minute eastern tinged ‘Gun-It Jam,’ which is still one of the finest tracks in the bands whole career. The track ‘Sea Of Tomorow’ is also absolutely mandatory listening for Sheavy fans, to hear what the band would sound like if they’d never heard of Sabbath or Ozzy, with its brilliant attitude filled strumming and high pitched vocal stylings. Overall, Blue Sky Mind is a great early Sheavy record and it seems unfortunate that the band have never been able to fulfil their true potential and become as successful as they seem to deserve. Sheavy will never be as well known as some of the bigger American Stoner Bands, perhaps because they are Canadian, perhaps because the Sabbath comparisons are as much of a hindrance as they are a help. Regardless, Sheavy are a great band to check out should you happen to enjoy bands like Monster Magnet, Kyuss and Fu Manchu.

Kingcrimsonprog Dozer are a Sweedish Stoner Rock band and this set contains their first two albums 2000's In The Trail Of A Comet and 2002's Madre De Dios, two albums with a lot in common. As well as featuring the same line-up, both albums are around forty minutes long, were released on Man's Ruin Records and recorded in Sweeden's Rockhouse Studios where they were co-produced by the band and Bengt Backe.

Dozer really are quite a superb band and this set is certainly something that you are going to want to get your hands on if you are seriously into the Stoner/Desert Rock sound espoused by bands like Monster Magnet, Sleep, Clutch, Sheavy, Fu Manchu and especially Kyuss.

Their first album In The Trail Of A Comet may not be the most original record it is very enjoyable despite its derivative nature. This album, much more so than any of Dozer's later work has a very strong Kyuss influence indeed and even the vocals are much closer to John Garcia's in style than the more unique style that Fredrik Nordin developed afterwards.

With their second album Madre De Dios the band start to develop much more of their own identity; Tommi Holappa's wonderful lead guitar style is fully developed at this stage in the band's career and when he breaks out guitar solos or lead sections it is a joy to listen to. Furthermore the general standard of songwriting is improved and the overall feel is even more refined and professional, with strong and energetic tracks that stick in your head really easily.

In terms of production job and mix, despite a low budget, both albums are absolutely spot on and are a great example of how Stoner albums can sound clean and well produced while still maintaining the fat bass and fuzzy riffs for which the genre is known.

The physical copy of this two-album set comes in a three-panel digipack, with the cover art for In The Trail Of A Comet on the front and the cover art for Madre De Dios on the back, with the tracklistings printed inside. There are no booklets and the discs are each housed in one of the hollow panels at either end.

If you are a fan of similar bands but haven't gotten yourself a Dozer album yet I'd actually recommend that you start with Through The Eyes Of Heathens, which is arguably their best album. If you are already into Dozer however then don't hesitate to pick up these early albums, they are more than worth your time.

Kingcrimsonprog New Jersey’s Monster Magnet are one of the pioneering names in Stoner Rock and their 1991(Germany)/1992(USA) debut studio album Spine Of God was one of the first ever commercially available albums in the genre.

Beyond simply being released early, Spine Of God is a hugely influential and well-respected album that no Monster Magnet fan should be without. Although the production isn’t as strong as their following albums, stylistically the album feels almost like a lost album from the 70s, which is supported by the raw production in addition to the bands mixing of Classic, Space, Prog and Psychedelic rock stylings.

The Psychedelic influences in particular are really strong, more so than on any of the band’s subsequent releases. The music is hypnotic, layered and is awash with numerous effects and consequently the sound is as hazy and drugged-out as Dave himself purports to be in the lyrics.

Dave Wyndorf’s strong voice and impressive vocal range is what most Monster Magnet fans find appealing and the strange and amusing lyrics are interesting as always, even at this early stage in their career.

Highlights include The Title Track, which comes across in the same dark foreboding psychedelic mood as Pink Floyd’s ‘Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun’ only filtered through a 1990s perspective as well as ‘Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother,’ which is a Grand Funk Railroad cover song and the harder rocking ‘Snake Dance,’ which sounds somewhat of a taster of things to come for the band’s next album SuperJudge.

Overall, Spine Of God is a genre classic and if you like Monster Magnet or indeed any other bands on the Stoner/Desert Rock end of the spectrum such as Sleep, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Clutch, Sheavy, Dozer or Orange Goblin, then it really is something that you ought to consider trying out.

Kingcrimsonprog When most people think of Stoner, they think of the American Desert but Dozer are a Stoner Rock/Metal band from Sweden. Despite their geographical separation from the likes of Kyuss, Sleep and Monster Magnet they have toured with, recorded with and been featured on compilations with many of the scene’s biggest players and released superb albums of their own which both capture the essence of the genre and yet retain a captivating distinctness and individuality.

Personally, I think the band are one of best examples of the entire genre and I would whole heartedly recommend them to anyone with an interest in the style of music.

Beyond Colossal was their fifth full-length studio album and was released in 2006. This album featured a slight line-up change as Karl Daniel Lidén was replaced by new drummer Olle "Bull" Mårthans. Furthermore, similarly to Troy Sanders from Mastodon guesting on their last album, two of the tracks on Beyond Colossal feature guest vocal appearances from Clutch’s Neil Fallon.

In addition to a little personnel variation, the album finds Dozer taking the music in a darker and more slow direction than their earlier work, the fuzzy stoner sound is still there only now it is mixed with an arty sound that could almost be described as a brooding intensity or dark sense of foreboding.

Album highlights include the bleak and moody album closer ‘Bound For Greatness,’ as well as ‘Grand Inquisitor’ & ‘Empire’s End’ which feel like some of their older material and finally ‘Two Coins For Eyes,’ which contains the band’s trademark riff style, evocative vocals and fuzzed out bass, but melded with the sort of post-metal/prog-metal leanings that creep into the rest of the record present as well.

Fredrik Nordin’s vocal style has always been impressively varied and able to conjure up a wealth of different moods, but he is especially haunting on this record and definitely deserves special praise.

Overall; Beyond Colossal is a great record, a definite “grower” that should keep Dozer fans really happy and which I highly recommend, although if you are new to the band, maybe check out their previous album Through They Eyes Of Heathens first.

Kingcrimsonprog Black Country Communion is a supergroup who play classic rock music which features Glen Hughes, Jason Bonham, Joe Bonamassa and Derek Sherinian all of whom are gifted musicians and have been involved with high quality, respectable music separately and work really well together within the group.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 2010 and is far from a flimsy and insubstantial collaboration between friends, but is an extremely well put together, lengthy and memorable album that both stands up musically on its own merits and flows well from beginning to end.

In addition to featuring a strong line-up and being in a genre which I enjoy, I think the production job on the record is superb, and everything sounds really great, especially Jason Bonham’s toms.

I had gotten into the band on the release of their second album and a lot of the reviews at the time stated how much better it was to their debut, naturally I assumed the debut would be a little poor but luckily this assumption turned out to be completely wrong.

While still feeling cohesive and complete, the album is far from repetitive and covers a variety of musical ground. Vocals for example, are primarily handled by the very talented Glen Hughes who adds some soul influences to the rock formula but then Joe Bonamassa also sings on four of the songs bringing more of his blues based style into the overall sound.

Tracks such as the Title Track, ‘Beggarman’ and ‘Sista Jane’ are straight up hard and heavy rock numbers, ‘Down Again’ mixes in a little of the Funk feelings of Hughes era Deep Purple and both ’Too Late For The Sun’ and ‘Medusa’ are longer and slower tracks with more keys and atmosphere.

Overall, Black Country Communion are a great band and this debut album is a strong effort that is well produced, musically interesting and stylistically excellent.

Kingcrimsonprog Resolution is the Virginian Metal band Lamb Of God’s seventh official Studio Album. It was released in 2012 and the production saw involvement from both Machine, who handled their Sacrament and Ashes Of The Wake albums as well Josh Wilbur who helmed 2009’s Wrath album, consequently the whole record sounds amazing and tracks flow remarkably well together. As you would expect from Lamb Of God themselves, there are a lot of explosive and loud tracks that are for the most part very heavy and very fast, with a lot of groove coming through into the overall sound and an impressive standard of musicianship from everyone involved.

If you enjoyed the band’s previous two albums in particular, then Resolution is certain to keep you entertained through its fifty-six minute duration, even if the band do seem to suggest otherwise in interviews. Singer Randy Blythe’s vocals are as savage as ever at times yet more varied than on the band’s earliest works; Mark Morten’s lead guitar sound is still fantastically musical where other players may have been tempted just to be noisy and of course the riffs and beats from the rest of the band give you exactly what you would want from a new Lamb Of God Album.

That is not to say that Resolution is just Lamb Of God by numbers however; kicking off with a big and doomy Sabbath inspired opener ‘Straight For The Sun’ and ending with a track called ‘King Me’ which features both female vocals and and orchestra and that also mixes in Trendkill era Pantera sounds with the normal Lamb Of God sound, you simply can’t seriously accuse the band of lacking variety.

Other notable moments include the almost melodic ‘Insurection’ as well as the brief semi-acoustic number ‘Barbarosa’ and ‘The Number Six’ which doesn’t sound like anything on the recent couple of Lamb Of God records.

There are one or two moments towards the start of the album where you can briefly think “I’ve heard that riff before” such as in ‘Ghost Walking,’ which evokes the spirit of the fan-favourite track ‘Redneck,’ but thankfully those moments are relatively few and ultimately form a very small part of the overall experience.

Overall, Resolution is a strong and immensely enjoyable Lamb Of God album that keeps enough of what makes the band enjoyable in the first place to keep fans happy and adds enough twists and turns to the formula to keep things fresh and interesting even if it takes you a few listens to fully get your head around, it is really easy to imagine this album being well represented in the live environment for years to come.

I recommend the album a lot and if you can, try and pick up the special edition version which contains a twelve track live disc from the Wrath Tour and features many of the bands most enduring tracks making it the perfect album for prospective fans to get into the band with.

Kingcrimsonprog Monument Of Metal is a compilation, ‘Best Of’ or ‘Greatest Hits’ album by the Canadian Metal band Anvil, who are enjoying a new wave of popularity and interest in the wake of staring in a popular documentary film.

The album takes music from all across the band’s thirty-year career. Almost every Anvil studio album old and new is represented by at least one track, even their 2011 release Juggernaut Of Justice. The only omissions are 1983’s Forged In Fire and their 1981 debut album Hard ‘N’ Heavy, although tracks that were originally from these albums are featured in re-recorded forms, as indeed are two tracks from 1982’s Metal On Metal album.

Despite the tracks being taken from all different eras with all different sorts of production jobs, the music actually does manage to flow reasonably well together and this release serves as an enjoyable record to listen to as well as just an introduction to the band’s various styles and eras.

The sound for the most part is somewhere harder, heavier and often faster than traditional Heavy Metal, but not quite strictly Thrash Metal all the time either. Perhaps the earlier and more Priest/Saxon/Maiden influenced Thrash debut albums like Overkill’s Feel The Fire and Anthrax’s Fistful Of Metal are the best place to begin comparisons if you really need to, although this still doesn’t properly convey the band’s sound.

How much you will enjoy the album is of course purely subjective and every negative can be seen as a positive depending on your tastes. For example, how people see the lyrics can vary between fun eighties cheese or just plain silly and some of the track’s production jobs aren’t the best in the world but this adds to the classic feel and overall charm.

Overall, if you have an interest in Anvil but aren’t yet a full on fan then this is a great and inexpensive way to test the waters and find out whether or not they are for you. If you are lucky, by the time you’ve made your decision the majority of their catalogue will be remastered and repackaged in digipak form, so you can start a high quality collection if you so choose. At the very least you can get an album with most of the tracks that were featured in the aforementioned documentary film.

Kingcrimsonprog By the time that Flaw released their second studio album Endangered Species in mid 2004, the Nu Metal wave had mostly dried up and the Metal Media were looking elsewhere for things to praise, as a critical mass of ill-feeling towards the genre made it an incredibly unfashionable thing to openly enjoy.

This, combined with reports that the band were rushed by their record company into releasing the album before it was ready, as well as reducing the heaviness of the guitar and vocals lead to many negative reviews and to the widespread ignoring or disapproval of the album by the public.

I think this was really rather unfortunate because Endangered Species is a completely enjoyable fifty minutes of well constructed, well produced and well performed music, from a greatly under-appreciated band who came out to late in a genre that was too overcrowded.

Endangered Species is unarguably a lot less heavy than their debut studio album Through The Eyes, with more melodic tracks and less screaming. If this is a problem, then by all means don't pick up the album. If however you really enjoy Chris Volz's clean vocals on Through The Eyes or with his other bands, then this is definitely an album that you should give a chance.

What the material lacks in heaviness, it does compensate adequately with emotive sections, an enjoyable and easily digestible formula and strong vocal performances. Occasionally they even wear their Tool influences on their sleeve for a few bars and create something interesting before returning to the aforementioned formula.

Standout tracks include the opener `Medicate' which is probably the closest track in style to the band's debut album, as well as the melodic `All The Worst' and the album closer `Not Enough.'

Of course, at the end of the day the album still is a Nu Metal album that came out long after all the genre's creators had made their definitive albums and that much can never change. If you don't like the genre at all or if you are only interested in the big radio tracks that are still played today then this won't give you what you are looking for.

Overall though, while Endangered Species is not the greatest album ever recorded, it is certainly nowhere near as bad as you may have heard and if you want more music from Flaw or Chris Volz don't let the negative reputation it has put you off from giving it a fair chance.

I personally enjoyed the album a lot, and provided that you aren’t the sort of person who will see the Nu Metal tag as instant evidence of poor quality, you may indeed enjoy it too.

Kingcrimsonprog Go For It… Live! Is a double disc live album from the Californian Stoner/Desert Rock band Fu Manchu, it was released in 2003 and features a career spanning twenty-two track set list that at least touches on almost every album and major EP that the band had released up until that point.

For Fu Manchu fans, this is a very strong release and the band put on a strong show, playing powerfully through many live favourites with a good sound quality and mix that manages to retain both the band’s trademark fuzz sound and convey their good-times attitude.

If you are to the band, this is a brilliant compilation to start with as it features a great many of the band’s finest songs all together in the one place.

Some fans don’t care for the polished production on the newer California Crossing album, or the rough production on their earliest two albums and on this album you can hear tracks from all eras of the band with a strong uniform production that really ties the whole career together nicely. Tracks like ‘Mongoose’ and ‘Squash That Fly’ sit seamlessly alongside tracks like ‘Ojo Rojo’ and ‘Tilt.’

Overall, Fu Manchu are a band that a sure to appeal to all fans of the Desert/Stoner sound, and this is a very well put together live album that is both a glorious affirmation for existing fans and a perfect starting point for newcomers.

Kingcrimsonprog Vio-lence were one of the second wave Bay Area Thrash Metal bands that came out in the late 80s, and are perhaps most famous these days for having had both Rob Flynn and Phil Demmel together in a band before Machine Head. Not that you could really tell if you hadn’t been told beforehand; this isn’t really an album to go out and buy on the Flynn/Demmel virtue alone however, this is a serious piece of classic Thrash Metal very much in the style of the time.

Eternal Nightmare, their seven track long debut studio album was released in 1988, one of the most celebrate years amongst Thrash enthusiasts, and has went on to become something of a cult classic and fan favourite. Today the album still remains arguable the go-to record for potential Vio-lence converts.

The production is solid, there are a lot of great riffs and guitar solos and the music is often ludicrously fast, this album is a serious contender for the “fastest album that still sounds musical” crown. At seven tracks, the record is strong, lean and there is no filler or weak material to spoil you enjoyment.

Not everybody will love every single facet of the album however; Sean Killian’s vocals are famously in the “love them or hate them” category and the lyrics and gang-style backing vocals are of their time, which is either part of the main appeal or a slight obstacle.

If this sort of thing isn’t going to put you off then Eternal Nightmare is definitely an album you will want to give a try, this is a prime example of Bay Area Thrash at its finest and I highly recommend it to fans of this particular musical niche.

***If you can try and get the recent reissue, which comes with a bonus disc featuring the twelve track live concert from 2001 called ‘Live At Slims,’ which is of a very high quality for bonus content.***

Kingcrimsonprog Vio-lence aren’t really a band that you just up and discover anymore, there are realistically two main reasons for getting into them nowadays. Firstly; because you are a fan of Machine Head and are curious to hear the band that featured Phil Demmel and Rob Flynn back before Machine Head formed, or secondly because you have gotten in to several other Thrash Metal bands and simply want some more.

If you do like Bay Area Thrash as a rule, then of course you should give Vio-lence a try and this album certainly is a strong effort by Vio-lence that is worth exploring.

Their first album Eternal Nightmare was a faster and more hammering example of the second wave Bay Area Thrash bands like Heathen and Forbidden, only without as many of the progressive tendencies of those bands, and their third album Nothing To Gain started to incorporate slower speeds and groove metal elements like a lot of Thrash Bands did when the musical climate shifted in the nineties.

Oppressing The Masses, Vio-lence’s second studio album sits in between the two, still squatting on speedy and aggressive territory like all good classic Thrash albums should, but is also more considered, varied and mature than their debut.

Tracks like the prison themed ‘World Within A World’ or the album opener ‘I Profit’ display what Vio-lence are all about; lots of chugging, lots of double-kicks, fast but not particularly melodic guitar solos, gang-chanting backing vocals and Sean Killian’s polarizing nasal lead singing.

How much you will enjoy the record depends entirely on what you wanted to get out of it in the first place. Some listeners hate certain stylistic elements such as gang-chanting, some only like melodic guitar solos and many people hate Sean’s voice, so be aware of each of these factors before hand.

If you wanted tracks that sound like Machine Head, or if you want tracks that fit in with a specific vision of how Thrash should sound, be it like blistering fast Reign In Blood clones or indeed echoey, poorly produced demo recordings with high nostalgia factor then you may wish to try before you buy, as you probably won’t be getting what you hoped for.

Musically however, the album is of a very high standard and there are no complaints to be made in terms of talent or quality. This is a brilliantly constructed Thrash album and if you are listening to it on its own merits you will likely find it to be a fine addition to your collection.

Kingcrimsonprog If you listen to Stoner Rock music regularly then chances are that you have come across or at least heard of Fu Manchu quite often, and heard kind words said about this album. If you are new to the genre or band, then this is among one of the best albums that you could start your collection with.

In Search Of… was the Californian Stoner/Desert Rock pioneer’s third full-length studio album and saw an improvement in terms of the production job, as well as in the guy’s musical chops and vocal abilities. It was their final album before the line up shift that saw Ruben Romano and Eddie Glass depart and form the band Nebula.

With this album the band were much more freed from the Grunge movement that inspired their record deal, they were now writing their most Fu Manchu sounding material yet (arguably ever) and many of the songs from this record are timeless live favourites.

Tracks like ‘Asphalt Rising,’ ‘Regal Begal,’ and ‘The Falcon Has Landed’ should convince any potential fan whether or not this is an album and by extension a band, worth pursuing.

The music is full of fuzzed out guitar, big heavy riffs and yet laid back slacker vibes. There are musical throwbacks to the 1970s all around but done in such a way that could only exist in the 1990s. If you like Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Clutch, Dozer or any of the less Sludge-influenced Stoner bands out there then Fu Manchu are something you will more than likely love.

Often considered one of their very best, In Search Of… is a very strong and fun album that anyone with an interest in this type of music should pick up a copy of.

Kingcrimsonprog Pearl Jam’s ninth studio album Backspacer has probably grown to become my favourite Pearl Jam album to date, I did like it initially, but even so it just grew on me more and more with every listen. The album was released in 2009 and saw the band strip back their sound to deliver a light a fun set of rock songs with a new wave influence alongside some wonderful ballads and quieter moments.

The album is fairly short and easy to digest, there isn’t a great deal of complexity in the songwriting, no overly challenging artistic tracks can be found either. Rather than make for a dull and forgettable record, Backspacer is a revelation because of this; one of the tightest and most concise records in the Pearl Jam catalougue that delivers good time vibes and tear-to-the-eye moments in equal measure.

Standout songs include the fun ‘Johnny Guitar,’ and ‘Got Some,’ as well as the powerful ‘Force Of Nature,’ and ‘Amongst The Waves,’ but in fairness, every single track is good, this is a thoroughly consistent album, bordering on the flawless.

If you really liked the direction of the previous three Pearl Jam records, Backspacer may be something of a shock, but give it a fair chance and you’ll be rewarded with one of the band’s best works to date.

I highly recommend Backspacer. I haven’t listened to a Pearl Jam album so frequently for so long after its initial release in years. Its not big and its not complicated, but it is pretty much a perfect album nonetheless.

Kingcrimsonprog If you like the sort of Southern Metal/Stoner Rock sounds of either bands like Pantera, Down and Corrosion of Conformity or Clutch, Dozer and Monster Magnet then Robot Lords Of Tokyo (who are actually named after a Clutch lyric) are a band that you really might enjoy, mixing as they do the two types of music rather well, with the general tonal quality's of stoner bands and the pace and bite of Southern Metal.

Whiskey, Blood & Napalm is the band's second studio album and was released in 2009. The band include ten tracks on this album, one of which is a heavied-up cover of Kiss's `Larger Than Life,' which was one of the additional studio recordings at the end of their second live album Alive 2.

The tracks on Whiskey, Blood & Napalm are mostly direct and hard numbers that occupy that perfect sweet spot where rock becomes metal; the kind of songs that are both heavy and catchy but also fun and stompy, with both a clear Skynyrd/Zeppelin lineage and a more modern metallic edge.

Highlights include `Bring It Down' and `Shakedown,' both of which are great examples of the bands straight forward no nonsense rocking style, as well as the album closer 'Comes Eternal Night' which has a Zack Wylde era Ozzy Osbourne feel to it in parts.

Overall, this is a very strong and enjoyable album with good a number of bouncy and memorable songs. If you normally like this type of music (especially C.O.C), then this album is something you may seriously wish to consider trying out.

Kingcrimsonprog Sheavy are an absolutely solid and consistent Stoner Rock/Metal band from Canada who have been releasing a stream of very strong albums since the 1990’s with arguably no drop in quality.

The band have a formula, laying big Sabbath influenced Stoner Rock riffs over rock 1990’s sounding rock songs that range from the laid back fun of Fu Manchu territory to sounding like an actual track off a 1970s Black Sabbath album. This similarity is helped as always by the uncanny vocal similarity for which Sheavy are most famous.

While the band’s first two or three records were a little more psychedelic, 2007’s The Machine That Won The War (the band’s sixth full-length studio album) continues the trend of their albums getting heavier, faster and more direct on the one hand, and yet incorporating a few Doom Metal influences into their Stoner sound on the other hand. It is ironic that a band most famous for their similarity with Ozzy era Sabbath have started to sound musically like Dio era Sabbath, in terms of riffs and speed at least.

If you like Sheavy, you will like this album, it definitely contains all the vital elements that made their other albums good. As usual, the standard of production, performance and songwriting is very high and there are plenty of big riffs and catchy songs to wrap your head around.

The only possible flaws you will find are that it is similar to existing Sheavy albums, and too similar to Black Sabbath so maybe you can give it a miss if you have grown sick of Sheavy or aren’t a fan in the first place, otherwise however this is a very strong and enjoyable album from Sheavy and one that I’d highly recommend.

Kingcrimsonprog California Crossing is the seventh official full-length studio album by the SoCal Stoner Rock band Fu Manchu, it was released in 2001 and was their last to feature Brant Bjork on the drums.

If ever an album’s artwork looked like how the music sounded, it was this. This album seemed to see the band attempting to take the music in a slightly more commercial direction but resulted in a good collection of memorable songs nonetheless. Some fans may act almost as if this was a departure for the band, but realistically the music throughout is a streamlined and catchy version of the existing Fu Manchu template; buzzing, fuzzed out guitars with retro sounds, a bit of cowbell and Scott Hill’s great lazy-fun vocal and lyrical style.

There is some diversity, such as on the album closer ‘The Wasteoid’ which adds Sabbathy riffing and a Brant Bjork drum solo to the proceedings and also ‘Bultaco’ which features guest vocals from Black Flag’s Keith Morris.

Although the album is pretty solid and indeed pretty similar throughout, the most memorable tracks include ‘Mongoose,’ ‘Squash That Fly’ and the Title Track. Even among Fu Manchu’s incredibly strong back catalogue, these are stand out tracks and go to show what a strong record California Crossing is. It is pretty great that the band are producing songs of this quality seven albums into their career.

Overall; California Crossing is a strong Fu Manchu album and while you may be suspicious of it because of its reputation as an almost “sell out” type of record, ignore this and you’ll find a wonderful “feel-good” Stoner/Desert Rock album that is enjoyable from beginning to end.

Kingcrimsonprog The Grand Astoria are an exciting Russian Rock/Metal band, and their debut full-length studio album was released in 2009.

Although the core of the sound is essentially Stoner Rock with an atypical vocal style for the genre, the band are pretty eclectic and don’t just copy the same two Black Sabbath riffs over and over again like a few of the less pioneering Stoner bands do. Sometimes a Grand Astoria track will start off as rock, take an almost funky turn and then end up hammering hard with a clear Megadeth influence before the end. The band also have a strong progressive bent, with lots of noodling and lengthy songs, and occasional keyboard support.

The album consist of six strong tracks, with the highlight for me being the thirteen minute instrumental track ‘The Man. The Sun. The Desert.’

Always a nice little touch when bands do this, the cattle-skull mascot found on this artwork would later return on each of the band’s subsequent studio albums to date as well as on their excellent Ceaser Enters The Palace Of Doom EP.

If you have heard some of their more recent work and want to work your way back, or even if this will be the first release of theirs that you hear, this self titled debut album is a strong and confident album that is well worth your time.

Overall; nice guitar solos, interesting riffs and new ideas are very much the order of the day. If you want to hear something interesting and creative, something you don’t hear a thousand of other bands doing, then The Grand Astoria are something you should definitely consider investing a few listens into.

Kingcrimsonprog Black Country Communion released their first live outing, Live Over Europe in late 2011 just a few short months after their second studio album ‘2’ and only about a year after their self-titled debut.

The band, which is something of a super group featuring the talented Joe Bonamassa, Glen Hughes, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinham. Between them they’ve worked in all sorts of interesting and important bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin (sort of), Jimmy Page’s solo works, Dream Theater and lots of other solo and guest work.

There are some good things going for Live Over Europe. The set-list for example is pretty fabulous, featuring fifteen live original songs by the band (with another studio version in the credits, inexplicably listed on the back) as well as a modified Bonamassa solo track and one Deep Purple cover (‘Burn.’) This is a pretty impressive turn out considering the band only have twenty-three songs at the time it was recorded.

In terms of non-concert extras, the booklet has linear notes and there is a documentary bonus feature along with some photo galleries.

The biggest problem with this release however is the format; it is taken from different shows on different European dates, instead of just picking one to film and release in its entirety. Some of the shows are indoor, some are festivals and as such the sound quality and mixing from each is a little different, which can prevent it from flowing as well as a single show would.

The editing job isn’t exactly the best either, with the first song ‘Black Country’ especially suffering. The track is split up between the different concerts and stitched together, with little sections of documentary dialogue in there too. Luckily though, this is the only song to be spoiled in such a way and the rest of the release displays each song intact and complete from beginning to end at the one show, although sometimes the transition between shows will feature a few seconds of documentary footage.

If you can get by the format and forgive the editing (and the aspect ratio), this is still a good enough release that is fairly enjoyable. I have watched it a fair few times since it came out and do not regret buying it despite its flaws.

While quality isn’t consistent, some of the shows have very good sound and visuals. In each show, the band are always great performers and the songs themselves are very good so it really does still offer a lot of quality for fans, so long as they aren’t put off by the aforementioned format and editing.

Overall; Live Over Europe isn’t everything you could hope for in a Black Country Communion live release, so take that into consideration before picking up a copy, but at the same time it is a Black Country Communion live release, which should be enough for a lot of people. The wonderful playing and superb vocals from Joe and Glen really do make up for a heck of a lot and tracks like ‘The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall’ and ‘The Ballad Of John Henry’ are absolutely phenomenal live.