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

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.

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.

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.

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.