bartosso I'm in sackcloth and ashes

Okay, I was wrong. I was terribly wrong. This is not just a passable album. With their penultimate release Isis turned me off initially (in 2006) but I was young and stupid then. IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH is indeed a journey one of its kind, a journey setted in a peculiar dream in which one experiences both things already seen but those unknown and singular as well. Landscape is blurry and distorted, seen through hundreds of rainy lenses. And there is bleakness.

Every album from the band has different sound that suits its concept and highlights its specific mood. IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH is obviously not an exception. As this is their most "post" and least "metal" record, the sound is more airy and organic than ever before. Its oneiric, gloomy atmosphere is highlighted with organic guitar distortion and naturally sounding drums. Since we're on the subject, the drumming is based mainly on tribal-sounding tom-tom patterns. It may seem a bit repetitive to some, but it suits the mood pretty well.

I took a dislike to this album due to strong Tool influence I immediately spotted in it. I loved Tool at the time and Isis seemed to insolently imitate them. I was obviously an ignoramus as this is not the whole truth about IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH. While being strongly influenced by Tool's evolutionary approach to composition and unique mood of LATERALUS, Isis adds a huge amount of their own style to the music. Sludgy heaviness and genuine depressive mood known from such albums as PANOPTICON and OCEANIC, pervades the record thoroughly. With the opening track the listener's mind is immediately flooded with feelings of anxiety and imminent menace. From now on the music takes him to terrains of sadness and shows him surreal, gloomy visions of life and death. It's an intriguing construct made of sludgy build-ups, atmospheric post-rock passages and emotional post-metal climaxes.

Plenty of post-rock albums oozed through my headphones within the space of the last 3 years and 99% of them bored me half to death. I'm glad I survived long enough to finally appreciate Isis. Although the album is a bit uneven, it has some real post-metal masterpieces on board. And most of all, unlike legions of uninspired post-rock clones, this REALLY is emotional and deep stuff. Let it sink in your mind. It's worth it.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10[masterpiece!!!]: Not in Rivers, but in Drops; Dulcinea || 9/10[fantastic!]: Holy Tears; 1,000 Shards || 8/10[great]: Wrists of Kings; Garden of Light || 7/10[very good]: Over Root and Thorn || 5/10[not bad]: Firdous E Bareen || OVERALL = 83/100

bartosso Hate-love relationship

My first encounter with Isis took place a few weeks after release of their fourth album, IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH, and I didn't like it then. Really, for 4 years I simply didn't like Isis (how dared I?). It started to change gradually a year ago and a few days ago something just clicked. My attitude towards this band has become, well, very positive. Now I know that this band is a damn grower. I needed a whole year to start to appreciate their output, and their last record, WAVERING RADIANT, has become my favourite part of it.

From all Isis albums I've listened to so far, this one has the best production. Mood changes, so frequent in their music, are well conveyed by pounding, organic drums and thick guitar distortion in turns with soft post-rock strumming. The sound is clean and professional but quite organic and pleasantly airy at the same time. Joe Barresi has done a good job as always.

WAVERING RADIANT is the most mature Isis album in every way, and even if it's still not a flawless masterpiece, it has grown on me enough to become one of my favourite post metal albums. While PANOPTICON is more straightforwardly depressive and atmospheric, the ambiance of WAVERING RADIANT is more difficult to define and definitely more intriguing. Old, melancholic and atmospheric Isis is still there but the band seem to plunge into more experimental regions on their final opus. With a subtle use of electronic spices, crushing waves of distortion power chords, post-rock passages and unmistakable vocals, they have created an aura of dark mystery and menacing unknown - all this immersed in an ambiance of psychedelic depression. This genuine, melancholic mood is what I love most about that band.

Aaron Turner's clean vocals are definitely an acquired taste (which I haven't completely acquired) and they can be tiresome sometimes. I still think he has done a good job. Generally speaking it's an excellent metal album - despite some composition shortcomings - and undoubtedly one of the best works in post metal and atmospheric sludge genres.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10[fantastic!]: Hall of the Dead; Stone to Wake a Serpent; Hand of the Host || 8/10[great]: Ghost Key; Threshold of Transformation || 7/10[very good]: 20 Minutes / 40 Years || OVERALL = 83/100

bartosso My next non-review is about my first musical thrills. Led Zeppelin's albums III and IV are two peaks of band's output and one of the best rock albums ever created, period. Their innovative, progressive approach to rhythm'n'blues and folk remains fascinating despite passing years and I just can't help but wonder: how was it possible to create such masterpieces one after another? At this point the reason behind this text becomes obvious - I'm not going to tell you why this stuff is amazing. There is music that just can't be described with words and given my deep attachment to Zeppelin's output - rooted in childhood which makes being objective even more difficult - I won't try to do it. I just want to express my admiration for this mature, timeless and unique masterpiece of hard rock/rhythm'n'blues. Everyone should listen to it before walking up stairway to heaven.

bartosso "Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand!"

Really, it's not going to be a review. It's a bit awkward to me, humble collaborator, to review this incredible album, an album I was listening to as a six-year-old with a flush on my cheeks. I'm pretty sure most of you have already listened to it, or at least heard the cult song written as a tribute to the immigrant (or the emigrant, it depends on the GDP of your country). You have not? Well, people, this is not the most popular Led Zeppelin album, but the most important for sure. With the first two albums, the band presented themselves as highly talented yet not really extraordinary hard-rock band. However, with their third album they divided the critics. To hell with them! To me, LED ZEPPELIN III inspired several generations of eclectic rock musicians, changed their approach to combining metal with folk music and influenced their musical sensitivity. Sounds awesome? Yes, just like the album!

bartosso French shoegaze is so... french

Les Discrets is a band that creates music full of grey landscapes, sounds emerging from a milky fog, shoegazing passages reminding me of fairy-tale drawings rather than fairy-tales themselves. Released by Prophecy Productions (Alcest, Antimatter), SEPTEMBRE ET SES DERNIÈRES PENSÉES is a dreamy, emotional, very bleak and most of all, quite successful album.

The sound suits the music perfectly. Production is clean yet quite organic and subdued. Guitars sound heavy when it's needed but Les Discrets stick to their post-rock and shoegazing side most of the time. To enhance dreamy atmosphere, vocal lines are treated with reverb. I must say that vocal style of Fursy Teyssier is definitely an acquired taste though. He's drawing from both shoegaze and post-punk styles and while I'm not completely convinced of his singing skills, reverb makes his performance more tolerable.

After a few hours with the music I began to realize how diverse influences one can find in the album. At first listen, SEPTEMBRE ET SES DERNIÈRES PENSÉES seems to be an ordinary french post-rock/shoegaze album in the vain of Alcest or Amesoeurs. Obviously, there are similarities among them since all these acts share at least one band member, but Les Discrets seem to be the most interesting of all of them. Stylistically, the band draws from post-rock ambiance and shoegaze arrangements but such genres as post-punk, black or doom metal are noticeable in the music as well. Not to mention very well crafted acoustic parts, deeply rooted in dark folk tradition.

Alcest's fans may love this album. I think it's one of the best efforts that french post/shoegaze scene has to offer. Even if you're not a fan of the style, there's enough of enchanting passages and emotion-provoking melodies, to get interested any fan of atmospheric rock.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 8/10[great]: L'échappée; Song for Mountains; Svipdagr & Freyja || 7/10[very good]: Les Feuilles de l'olivier; Sur les Quais; Effet de Nuit; Chanson d'automne; Une Matinée d'Hiver || 5/10[not bad]: Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées ||

bartosso "Demon of the Opera: or, Surreal Rollercoaster: or, Mercy! My head is on the edge of overheating!"

This is an intense piece of avant-garde metal. I mean INTENSE. Unexpect's third full length record is an unrelenting beast, spawned by Ascendance Records. On its musical way it has devoured such genres as klezmer music, symphonic black metal, opera, electronic, jazz, classical chamber music and some other tasty styles that stood on its way. Oh my... It seems it's about to devour... YOU!

Such a dense and complicated record requires a crystal clean production. So, if you're looking for a fuzzy sounding and discordant avant-garde, you won't find it here. FotSE is a perfectly produced album with an impeccable sound. Every instrument (vocals, violin, guitars, 9-string bass... wait, what?!) has its space in the mix and thereby is easily distinguishable in the wave of sounds this crazy bunch bombards us with.

A book could be written about the music played by Unexpect. I must admit that on the first listen I was completely overwhelmed by its diversity and intensity. While the album may seem a bit inconsistent at first, its strange coherence becomes apparent with time. Unexpect are unbelievably talented songwriters and skilled musicians. Their mix of dark cabaret ambiance, modern electronic spices, chamber orchestrations, extreme metal impetuosity and progressive virtuosity, seems to be performed without effort. While sometimes I get an impression of thematic overload, the fact that it's a well-flowing album is undeniable. Most of all though, I think there's something that makes this intricate music surprisingly accessible. It's either beautiful vocal lines by the frontwoman Leilindel or Unexpect's great talent for thrilling passages. Well, both of them I guess.

Extraordinary. Intense, intriguing, technical and... brilliant. List of adjectives goes on and on. With this almost perfect creation, Unexpect has proven that virtuosity doesn't have to deprive the music of soul. That should be an important lesson for some leading prog metal bands. I can't help but admire these people, admire them for creating this exacting, surreal and emotion-provoking journey. I'm happy I've set out on it.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10[masterpiece!!!]: Words; Mechanical Phoenix; In the Mind of the Last Whale || 9/10[fantastic!]: Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted Guest; Orange Vigilantes; The Quantum Symphony; When the Joyful Dead are Dancing; Unfed Pendulum; Until Yet a Few More Deaths do us Part || 8/10[great]: Silence this Parasite; A Fading Stance ||

bartosso Silent film

I have really mixed feelings about that record. Cloudkicker's second album, BEACONS, is undoubtedly very interesting effort and given the fact it's released for free, it's even more awkward to rate it with 3 stars. I promise, I'll explain myself. But now for something completely different...

Damn those tricky one-man baaands! They use computer generated drums and think they're cool. Well, they are. Cloudkicker is anyway. Both his drums, guitars and bass sound convincing. As for drums, they're not as realistic as drum set from hell in CATCH 33 by Meshuggah but still realistic enough. Guitars feel a bit too sterile for my tastes but the fact they're heavy and perfectly executed is undeniable. For a homemade album the sound is just amazing.

Less original and more personal yet still technical. That simple phrase describes the music in BEACONS pretty well, but I'll elaborate on the subject in order to seem more intelligent. So, despite being an instrumental collection of songs, BEACONS is a concept album with a story told in... song titles! It's a story about a plain crash, or should I say a desperate report from the crew, just before the crash. I must say that's what's best in the album - dramatic tension that pervades the whole concept is thrilling. It's like a silent film created with sounds instead of images. Stylistically, Cloudkicker went completely opposite way of what I've expected though. Instead of developing his progressive side, Ben Sharp focused on drama and more traditional approach to riffs and melody. So-called djent is still there, but now it's more of a spice than a defining factor. Don't get me wrong, it's an album loaded with excellent riffs and emotion provoking build-ups ("Amy, I love you" shines here) but its repetitious nature makes it tiresome just too many times.

All in all, BEACONS is a solid album with some great features and some really bad ones too. It's still among the best records in djent as it presents a new approach to the style unlike the mass of young djent bands that have nothing interesting to offer (besides making Meshugah's style more accessible and melodic). If you're into post metal, you may love it. Well, get it to find out, it's free anyway!

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 8/10[great]: Amy, I love you.; Push it way up! || 7/10[very good]: We're goin' in. We're going down.; ...it's just wide-open field.; It's bad. We're hit, man, we are hit. || 6/10[good]: Oh, god.; We were all scared. || 5/10[not bad]: Here, wait a minute! Damn it!; I admit it now. I was scared.; untitled ||

bartosso Hello, this is cello

Chamber metal. Hah, perfect name for a style Grayceon presents on their third full-length record entitled ALL WE DESTROY and released by Profound Lore Records, a label renowned for hosting such bands as Agalloch and Altar of Plagues. It is dark, imaginative, organic, unusual and very, very genuine concept album. And there's cello. And the cellist is a woman. And she sings in the album! Mother of God!!!

"Organic" and "chamber" are the words that come to my mind while listening to ALL WE DESTROY. Thanks to masterfully performed, downtuned guitar passages, the sound is not flat, despite the absence of bass guitar (cool, right?). All instruments sound both natural and clean. The production is organic to the extent of giving me an impression of a live concert in a little music club! Really, really great work.

The music played by Grayceon is called chamber metal as it incorporates chamber orchestration provided by the cellist Jackie Perez Gratz and "pickless" yet heavy guitar playing by Max Doyle. Alternatively it's often tagged post metal for it's diversity of genres from outside the metal one - classical, post-rock and progressive rock music. Songs in ALL WE DESTROY are full of well flowing passages and despite their length, every track seems to have its own identity. They drag on a bit sometimes but hey, none of them is overdone! As for vocals by Mrs Gratz, there's still some space for improvement but it can be safely said, that her relatively low pitched voice and emotionally charged singing can send a shiver down your spine.

Grayceon is gradually mastering an incredibly demanding style they have created and become more and more self-confident with every album. While ALL WE DESTROY can be a bit tiresome experience, its freshness and beauty outweighs all of its drawbacks. If you're into chamber music, yearning for fresh approach to progressive metal or just want to experience something genuinely emotional, get this album!

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10[fantastic!]: Shellmounds; A Road Less Traveled || 8/10[great]: We Can || 7/10[very good]: Once A Shadow; War's End; Dreamer Deceived ||

bartosso A bit schmaltzy

There was quite a lot of hype around that album in metal oriented media, praising it for beautiful atmosphere and enchanting melodies. I'm not that enthusiastic about it though. ÉCAILLES DE LUNE, being the second Alcest release, is indeed a charming yet a little bit shallow piece of post metal.

Now, production is great. As the record is often referred to as a black metal album(I don't get it, is it because of these 3 minutes of hellish shrieking in the second track?), I must say the sound is polished and clean. It kept enough of its natural state to be called organic though. Most of all, the producer did everything she/he could to enhance dreamy atmosphere of songs that Neige plies us with.

I'm a big fen of Fan (Fen of fen...? right, fan of Fen!), a British post black metal band, so I hoped Alcest would sound somewhat similar. While both bands can be described as a combination of black metal, shoegaze and post rock, proportions are completely different. Alcest's ÉCAILLES DE LUNE is, first of all, a shoegaze/post-rock album with some black metal leanings. Vocals are mostly clean, treated with strong reverb and somewhat hidden in the mix. And they are shoegaze vocals which I don't like that much. The biggest problem is the music though. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of bliss while listening to ÉCAILLES DE LUNE but some schmaltzy parts just spoil it for me. I think restrained songwriting is the thing Neige should work on, because his songs just miss some of the imagination you can hear in Agalloch's or Fen's music. Still, there's enough of great passages and skillfuly written compositions to consider it a solid album.

For fans of post-rock and shoegaze this is a real treat. ÉCAILLES DE LUNE is a successful combination of shoegazing melodies and post rock atmosphere - all seasoned with a pinch of black metal rawness. Despite the fact it somewhat lacks in depth, I can still recommend it for its well constructed songs and originality in terms of style. And... wait, lyrics are in french! Awww, I take back all negative things I've just said!!

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 8/10[great]: Percées de lumière || 7/10[very good]: Écailles de lune, Part II|| 6/10[good]: Solar Song; Sur l'océan couleur de fer || 5/10[not bad]: Écailles de lune, Part I ||

bartosso A forest of sounds

Tamás Kátai, the mastermind of Hungarian experimental, post-black metal, eastern European folk... *breath*... industrial, "space rock" metal band Thy Catafalque, as you can see, has an intriguing vision of his music. Having recorded four albums before RENGETEG, it's actually the first one released by a major record label, namely french/american Season of Mist. And well, I must admit that it's one of the most interesting metal albums I have heard lately.

The record is produced in a professional way which means the sound is clear, fairly selective yet not overproduced or artificial. Distortion is heavy, a little bit fuzzy, kind of reminding me of sludge and industrial metal. Same for computer generated drums. Besides heavy distortion, Thy Catafalque uses a whole range of guitar sounds - from soft space rock overdrive to occasional classical guitar nylon strumming. The vocalist is one of the most intriguing aspects of RENGETEG. Mostly clean, folk-influenced vocals with a few shrieked parts here and there are very well performed. However, it's a presence of various synthesizers and space rock sound effects that determine Thy Catafalque's uniqueness in terms of sound and ambiance.

For an avant-garde metal album, RENGETEG is surprisingly accessible. The most prominent element here are Hungarian folk melodic patterns, that pervade the whole with unique atmosphere and provides the listener with unforgettable musical experiences. All the more so because they're combined with otherworldly atmosphere of space rock in the vain of Ozric Tentacles. Experimental approach to composition and general diversity of moods completed the task - RENGETEG is a very successful release and an excellent addition to any metal music collection. Despite having many masterpiece qualities, it's not absolutely flawless though. First of all, some cheap sounding parts could have been avoided. Some artificially sounding synthesizers could have been replaced with real instruments ("violin" part in Kő koppan spoiled it for me). Some underdeveloped ideas could have reached the masterpiece level if developed (e.g.: "Kel keleti szél", "Kék ingem lobogó"). And finally, some songs could have been better composed and cleansed of generic riffing (e.g.: "Vashegyek").

I really, really like that album despite all the things I've just said above. It's a great effort that deserves 7/10 - 8/10 rating, and for its undeniable originality and emotional charge, I'd gladly give it full 4 star rating. I'm an asshole though. Essential for avant-garde, post-black metal, dark folk and atmospheric music enthusiasts. Hell yeah!

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10[fantastic!]: Kel keleti szél; Kék ingem lobogó; Az eső, az eső, az eső|| 8/10[great]: Fekete mezők; Trilobita; Tar gallyak végül; Minden test fű|| 7/10[very good]: Kő koppan; Holdkomp|| 6/10[good]: Vashegyek||

bartosso Trample! Trample! TRAAAAMPLE!!!

Holy mackerel, Mastodon! You're trampling my mind like an enraged Cysquatch after blunt knife castration! That's one of the most energetic albums to ever emerge from sludge, or even whole modern metal scene. I got into Mastodon's music not so long ago and I must admit that there are both things I love and dislike about their music. However, BLOOD MOUNTAIN is definitely an album that contains mostly the things I like about it. In my opinion, it's the second best Mastodon's release after CRACK THE SKYE.

Production of the record is very good but could have been better. While drums, especially bass drum, sound heavy and organic, there's something in the way they're produced, that irritates my ears. I guess the snare drum is to be blamed for that as it sounds a bit flat. Anyway, the whole sounds heavy and clean and it's not overproduced. Still, I think both LEVIATHAN and CRACK THE SKYE have better production.

As many reviewers have already stated, the record can be considered as a transitional episode between sludgy and aggressive LEVIATHAN and spacey/progressive CRACK THE SKYE. Stomping sludge element is still most prominent one, but experiments with song structures and spacey/psychedelic and progressive rock influences have become more noticeable. Most of the compositions are galloping sludge metal songs with Mastodon's typical leanings towards punk-ish aggressiveness combined with stoner metal feel (especially in the case of Brent Hinds' vocal delivery). Plenty of time signature changes, complex structures and incredibly compelling, unmistakable drumming by Brann Dailor, determines BLOOD MOUNTAIN status as a modern progressive metal album. I think the biggest drawback this record has, is the fact that there are no songs I consider to be masterpieces. Mastodon's great talent for long and complex compositions manifested in their following release, but here - despite a few absolutely fantastic songs - it's still underdeveloped. Besides that, I found some tracks to be simply uninspired or even terribly annoying ("Bladecatcher"-> what the hell is that? electro-grind-core-stoner metal?).

All in all, BLOOD MOUNTAIN is a very good eclectic progressive metal album, deeply rooted in sludge metal genre. If you're into aggressive and energetic metal with a twist, this record is for you.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10[fantastic!]: Crystal Skull 8/10[great]: The Wolf Is Loose; Sleeping Giant; Capillarian Crest; Colony of Birchmen; Siberian Divide 7/10[very good]: Circle of Cysquatch; Hunters of the Sky; This Mortal Soil 6/10[good]: Hand of Stone; Pendulous Skin 3/10[poor]: Bladecatcher

bartosso Suffocating With Intelligent Brutality

As much as I appreciate death metal, I like it to be original. Whether it's unusual atmosphere, unique approach to technicality or odd influences, I always wait for something that would surprise me. Suffocation is a band I got familiar with a few weeks ago, and while I couldn't get into their old albums yet, the new releases (BLOOD OATH and SUFFOCATION) aroused my interest right away. Being a cult brutal technical death metal act, Suffocation still create solid, tech death, and even though it's not absolutely original, their latest release, BLOOD OATH, proves, once again, that the boys are not devoid of musical imagination.

The first thing that sticks out is the production. The way BLOOD OATH sounds is an exemplary case of well-done, modern yet organic production. While many modern acts decide to enhance the sound with computer software, multi-layering or whatnot, Suffocation achieved a perfect balance between clarity and brutality. All instruments have their space in the mix and all frequencies sound both very natural and ear-friendly. Speaking of instruments, we've got a prominent presence of bass guitar here. Derek Boyer does some fantastic bass work in the album and I think his playing is one of the things I enjoyed most about BLOOD OATH.

The music. Well, it's not a revolutionary record from Suffocation and it's obvious that the guys have no ambition to change death metal anymore. They've done what they've done in the 90s and now they rather prefer to evolve slowly. The music in BLOOD OATH can be described as brutal technical death metal in the vain of their earlier releases, with the difference that it's a tad less technical and a tad more groovy and massive. The riffs, in which Terence Hobbs and Guy Marchais manage to combine groove with technicality, are surely the highlights of this album. And there's quite a lot of those. Both guitarists are very creative and if they created more of those original, twisted riffs (as for example opening and middle themes of "Images of Purgatory" or fantastic groovy riff in "Come Hell or High Priest"), that album would be essential.

All in all, I find BLOOD OATH to be a very, very good release that gave me a lot of enjoyment. The music is brutal, technical and intricate as befits New York death metal. Still, the imaginative parts I've mentioned are a bit watered down by more generic, brutal death metal riffing so some progress towards experimentation would be very welcome. Especially as these guys are still very creative. Well, I strongly recommend this record to every fan of american death metal.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Images of Purgatory 8/10: Blood Oath; Pray for Forgiveness; Cataclysmic Purification; Come Hell or High Priest 7/10: Dismal Dream; Provoking the Disturbed; Marital Decimation 6/10: Mental Hemorrhage; Undeserving

bartosso In the Album Where Brutal Technical Death Metal Meets Jazz-Fusion, the Music is Immortal

Cryptopsy is undoubtedly one of those bands that try their fans fidelity every now and then. They change vocalists and style often and abruptly, while most of death metal enthusiasts like to know what to expect from their favourite bands, don't they! On ONCE WAS NOT they underwent another transformation, this time into more experimental, jazz-fusion influenced (and still very technical) grind/death metal. I must admit it was a very welcome change, as I'm not a big fan of either BLASPHEMY MADE FLESH/NONE SO VILE era, or even less WHISPER SUPREMACY/AND THEN YOU'LL BEG one, with terrible vocals of Mike DiSalvo.

The album is produced in a modern but a bit odd way and while I really like it, I think it's an acquired taste. The drums are very high in the mix - just behind vocals - with strong, punching bass drum and very organic snare drum and cymbals. Bass and guitars are kind of hidden so during blast beats they tend to be a bit drowned out... but still, I think a perfect balance between organic, brutal sound and selectivity has been achieved here.

The music in ONCE WAS NOT is definitely not easy to describe. Cryptopsy presents here some of the most unrestrained songwriting ever heard in death metal. The record is pervaded with a strange atmosphere - it can be described as some surreal travel through a cold and industrial post-apocalyptic world, where horror and comedy are the same thing. Secondly, with a use of jazz-fusion-inspired riffs and fills, the band managed to create 9 well flowing, brutal, wild and unpredictable compositions. If none of this things seem interesting to you, you should check this album for the drumming only - the stuff Flo Mounier's doing on that record is just beyond belief. With his brutal, well flowing and jazz influenced playing, he proves once again his position among the best extreme metal drummers ever.

That's a very brave album by Cryptopsy and I think one of the most interesting death metal efforts out there. Despite being a little bit inconsistent, it still has uncanny and specific atmosphere and most of all, it has some of the most well-flowing brutal death metal on board. If you're looking for a different approach to death metal without sacrificing brutality, this album is for you.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: In the Kingdom Where Everything Dies, the Sky Is Mortal; Angelskingarden; Endless Cemetery 9/10: Carrionshine; Adeste Infidelis; Keeping the Cadaver Dogs Busy 8/10: The Curse of the Great; The Frantic Pace of Dying 7/10: The Pestilence That Walketh in Darkness (Psalm 91: 5-8)

bartosso Time Travel

In the year 2008 Opeth, my favourite ever rock band, have released WATERSHED, album of such a variable artistic quality, that I often had problems with listening to it in its entirety. It is, therefore, small wonder I was worried about their future. When I read that Opeth leaves extreme metal for 70s prog rock I really didn't know what to think. On the one hand, it ruled out the possibility that I would waste my money for another mediocre prog death album. On the other hand I was afraid that Opeth would lost its identity. The second one turned out to be partly true after all. Don't worry though, HERITAGE is much better than their previous record, and what's more, it shows that Mikael Akerfeldt still has a lot of musical tricks up his sleeve.

There's a tendency in Mike's songwriting, tendency that made itself noticeable in GHOST REVERIES to become almost intolerable in WATERSHED. What I mean is his gradual leaning towards conceptual(banal) atmospherics("Porcelain Heart") and technicality at the expense of musical/emotional value, known from such albums as MY ARMS YOUR HEARSE or DELIVERANCE. If you've noticed the same thing, I have good news. While HERITAGE is dripping with synthetic atmospherics more than any other Opeth album, it doesn't really sound cheap. In fact it is an extremely eclectic blend of 70s progressive rock and Opeth signature atmosphere. Prog rock means abundance of vintage synthesizers, mellotrons, rhode pianos etc. It also indicates multi-layered structure, in HERITAGE taken to extremes at times. As for Opeth signature atmosphere, it means dark, a bit gothic/chamber feel known both from GHOST REVERIES and WATERSHED. There are also distinctive vocals of Mikael A., who experiments with his voice more than ever before. As a result we've got a modern sounding prog rock record in the vein of King Crimson and Jethro Tull, with distinctive, still quite emotional, feel of Opeth.

As I have already hinted above, the songwriting seems to be a little bit abrupt at first and even if the impression mostly fades away with subsequent listens, it doesn't completely disappears. That's another thing I have already noticed in WATERSHED and didn't really like it. It's pretty strange to me, but as Mikael is a musician who doesn't have to prove that he's able to write well flowing 10+ minutes epics, I'm inclined to forgive him this time. Especially as it suits the eclectic nature of the record.

The only thing that makes me a bit sad, is that Opeth lost a big part of its identity. It's the first time that they abandon their musical core and replace it with a whole, pretty much unchanged, genre. That's why I think it would be better if HERITAGE was a side project album, a tribute to progressive rock of the 70s. Yes, it is still Opeth in a way, yes, it's well performed and well written but... But being unpredictable, what Mike is so proud of, is not a good thing when you abandon your own style, almost completely, and start to experiment with this and that. And no, I don't mean growls and I don't mean heavy riffage.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Häxprocess; The Lines in My Hand; Folklore 8/10: The Devil's Orchard; I Feel the Dark; Slither 7/10: Heritage; Famine; Marrow of the Earth; Nepenthe || OVERALL = 79/100

bartosso A Good Buye

As I'm relatively new to this band (I only heard LEVIATHAN apart from this one), I'm not going to go on at length about how CRACK THE SKYE is different from the previous albums and how good or bad the change turned out to be. Maybe it's more progressive, less metal or more eclectic. One thing is certain - I bought this record for 5 euros (brand-new!) and I'm damn glad about it.

Mastodon is one of those eclectic modern metal bands that constantly balance between progressive creativity and commercial appeal. Despite the fact, that CRACK THE SKYE is not completely free of mainstream leanings, it is very original and powerful album. I haven't heard such an amount of different influences - ranging from old-school prog rock through sludge, psychedelia, groove metal and stoner rock to hardcore and metalcore - for quite some time. Besides, I think that real, honest energy and unrestrained creativity is what I like most about this record. Not to mention technical prowess and interesting - somewhat stoner/hard rock - vocal delivery from every band member.

CRACK THE SKYE is a solid album with a few uninspired moments (e.g. the title track (whye, Mastodon, whye?) but generally it's full of very good or even mind-blowing pieces ("The Last Baron" and especially its middle part left me speechless) and interesting rhythm experimentation ("Ghost of Karelia"). Not to mention all of these catchy and ass-kicking groovy riff rides running through the whole album. "Divinations" is certainly one, 3 minutes long ride.

CHECK IT IF YOU LIKE: Kyuss, Baroness, groove metal (e.g. Pantera), hard rock, Tool.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: The Last Baron 9/10: Divinations; Ghost of Karelia 8/10: Quintessence; Oblivion; The Czar 6/10: Crack the Skye

bartosso I'm a big fen!

Yes, Fen has a new fanatic. I haven't been so excited about an extreme metal band since discovering Opeth, that means since 2005! The music these guys play is absolutely haunting, beautiful and intriguing extreme metal, deeply rooted in black side of the genre. Did I mention that black metal is not my cup of tea?

When it comes to mixing styles I consider myself quite a picky person. I hate bands that clumsily combine different genres, creating an inconsistent medley. However, Fen mixed all elements with such a talent and intuition that I couldn't be dissatisfied. Obviously, the core of the whole is black metal rawness, but what Fen has built on that idea is a pure bliss. EPOCH is a fascinating journey where black metal savagery meets psychedelic and wistful sounds of shoegaze seasoned with post rock lightness and dreamy atmosphere of foggy wilderness. The music is emotional and bleak but you won't find any cheap or imitative solutions used to achieve the result. Everything stays in balance, just like in nature. Softness and harshness merge in one consistent and unique piece of art. There's originality of riffs and progression of rhythms but with ambiance in the foreground; there's fury and rawness of black metal with genuine passion being of prime importance. Really, in terms of creating unique and moving harmonies Fen are Opeth of black metal.

There's one thing that gets on my nerves when I listen to typical atmospheric black metal band - that is monotony. Lengthy and simple parts that cause impatience at best and boredom at worst. I was all the more surprised when I realized that I didn't get bored, not even once, while listening to EPOCH. I sat, speechless with wonder, listening to heart rending final of "Carrier of Echoes", evocative "Ghosts of the Flood" and haunting "The Gibbet Elms".

CHECK IT IF YOU LIKE: Drudkh, Alcest, Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room, Opeth (especially first 2 records)

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: Carrier of Echoes; Ghosts of the Flood; The Gibbet Elms 9/10: A Waning Solace; Ashbringer; Of Wilderness and Ruin 8/10: Epoch; Half-Light Eternal

bartosso Spirit of the Desert

Queens Of the Stone Age's guitarist, Josh Homme, at one time had better, today a bit underrated band. Kyuss, known as stoner metal pioneers, are still unrivalled in their domain. WELCOME TO SKY VALLEY was their fourth opus and after 17 years it is still intriguing and fresh stuff. Hypnotizing and psychedelic atmosphere of sunny flatlands mixed with hard rock feel and downtuned guitar heaviness resulted in the album that became an inspiration to many modern stoner and post metal bands. If you haven't listened to it yet, it's high time you do it. Beware though, since the Spirit of the desert never sleeps.

Everything here - thick and muffled sound of downtuned guitars, groovy drumming, hypnotizing hard rock vocals - is aimed at creating a spiritual atmosphere of the region, title Sky Valley. Love to this place manifested not only in the recording - Kyuss played illegal gigs in the desert, with people all around, reveling in music and headbanging. If it weren't for the fact that some songs are too simple, both in terms of ambiance and structure, I would gladly rate it with 5 stars. There are moments of such a visionariness("Demon Cleaner"), beauty("Whitewater") and power("Supa Scoopa..."), that listening to this album is always inspiring.

CHECK IT IF YOU LIKE: Tool, (early)Queens of the Stone Age, Monster Magnet, Led Zeppelin

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: Whitewater 9/10: Demon Cleaner; Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop 8/10: Gardenia; Space Cadet; Asteroid; 100°; Odyssey 7/10: Conan Troutman; N.O.

bartosso Ambidjentic birth!

Are you tired of djent bands that have more in common with metalcore than Meshuggah? Are you fed up with clumsy blends of accessible melodies with atonal riffage? Do you look for somebody that will interpret the style in his own way without slipping into banality? If the answer is yes, you're in the right place.

Aurélien Pereira is a very talented guitarist from France. His solo project enigmatically called worC, is often described as ambidjent - the blend of 8-strings guitar riffs with otherworldly atmosphere, reminding me of post rock. I must say that it's very well done. WHEN THE DAY FORMS is short but highly satisfying piece of modern atmospheric metal. The record abound with ethereal sounds cleverly combined with polyrhythmic drumming and djent riffage. Unfortunately, it's not as intriguing as I'd like to hear and after a few listens I got bored with it. The rub is that Aur­é didn't manage to get rid of metalcore influences completely. Somewhere, in the deep background I can hear them, getting on my nerves. Moreover, some themes are just overloaded or unimaginative - having unlimited options with drum synthesizer is not always a good thing.

Despite everything, it's a very good album, based on original idea of pre-existence. In terms of atmosphere it's an impeccable release - it takes you to a different place, to the "molecular" beginning of life. And yeah, it is quite fascinating.

CHECK IT IF YOU LIKE: Meshuggah, Aphex Twin, Cloudkicker, Chimp Spanner, Animals as Leaders

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 8/10: Grene; Reion 7/10: Velacit 6/10: Lumiale; Polymet

THE EP IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE: http://keeol.fr/wtdf.html

bartosso "Army of Me" of prog metal

I'm sorry if to some of you this comparison sounds ridiculous. I've been a great Björk fan since my childhood (thanks mommy), so this pounding, simple drum pattern immediately reminded me of her pink album. While "02 Panic Room" is a very good song, this short record has another highlight.

02 PANIC ROOM is an exemplary single - it is short but full of new and intriguing tunes pervaded with full length's atmosphere. However, Pink Floyd's influences are present here more often than ever before - the third track, cleverly titled "Back to the River", is actually entirely based on Floyd's atmosphere and structure of songs. It's a mellow and hypnotizing piece, very well done. My favourite is the second track though, "Lucid Dream IV". Very dynamic and captivating piece with great hammonds and electric guitar passages. With this song Riverside managed to combine best solutions from previous "Dreams" to create ultimate musical trip through the world of oneiric visions. Fantastic prog metal instrumental, flawlessly written and executed. The last track is a remix of the title track, nice but too electronic in my opinion - fairly good interpretation.

In the end we've got a great single, essential to every fan of this Polish band and recommended to those who want to familiarize themselves with Riverside without buying a full length record.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Lucid Dream IV 8/10: Back to the River 7/10: 02 Panic Room 5/10: 02 Panic Room (remix)

bartosso Very melodic modern death metal with strong metalcore influences

WHAT SILENCE HIDES is a very consistent debut from Swiss band called Dreamshade. This melodic and accessible album has crystal clean, modern production that combined with keyboard parts results in extremely sweet sound. While it can be considered as a drawback, this effort is redeemed by some well constructed, catchy melodies and technical prowess of the musicians. The band rushes like a galloping horse without a moment's rest. If any slowdown happens, it lasts for maximum ten seconds.

Dreamshade draws on traditional melodic death, more modern solutions taken from metalcore and even some symphonic ideas - there are parts rooted in classical music which is admirable. Some of them bring associations with Within Temptation as well.

Recommended to all fans of modern melodic death metal and metalcore. If you're looking for something nice, fast, well played and written, you should check it as well. This is a good album that maintains the same artistic standards from the beginning to the end.

bartosso The Beast's suffering

Doom metal, more than any other extreme genre, is about emotional soundscapes. There's no place for virtuosity, fast solos, mindblowing twists and tempo changes that usually make up for lack of soul and heart in a work. Slow pace, massive riffs, simple and monumental drumming and depressive sung or growled lyrics - that's what doom metal is about. And that's what Ablaze in Hatred is about. This Finnish band is a classic example of crushing doom performers, who by epic and gloomy music share their vision and pain with the audience.

Ablaze in Hatred is a band that rely on massive riffs, deep growling and ephemeral keyboard in the background. The music is very slow and atmospheric, but generally tame. After several tracks the album starts to tire me a bit, but it's redeemed by a couple of great pieces and nice dark folk feel that adds some identity to this rather unremarkable doom metal effort. The band don't try to diversify their style or at least add something unexpected. However, it is still a solid record, with great ambiance and a few great atmospheric themes.

THE QUIETUDE PLAINS, second release from Ablaze in Hatred, is a good death/doom metal record, recommended to all fans of this genre. If you seek for slow and majestic music with epic and gloomy atmosphere, this album will be the right choice.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 8/10: A Walk Through the Silence 7/10: My Dearest End 6/10: The Wandering Path; Beyond the Trails of Torment; The Quietude Plains; Therefore I Suffer 5/10: Perfection of Waves

bartosso "Bruce Dickinson of black metal"

I don't remember where I've read those words above, but I hope I do no harm to the author by quoting her/him here. Anyway, Primordial's frontman, A.A. Nemtheanga, is a damn good vocalist. He uses black metal growling very well, but his clean vocal skills and incredible charisma are what makes him unique. He has strong voice which brings an association with Bruce Dickinson, with the difference that his vocals are obviously harsher, more aggressive and, well, simply primordial.

First of all, you should know that it is absolutely great album but don't expect too much classic black metal here. It's not a problem for me since I'm not a fervent fan of the genre, but some of the old school guys may be disappointed with Primordial's approach to melody, harmony and rhythm. With previous records, the band accustomed us to underground sound and rather uniform, atmospheric style, widely known as pagan/folk black metal. This time they decided to make profound changes, partially present in their previous release, THE GATHERING WILDERNESS. The result is as follows - they've created absolutely unique and haunting piece of atmospheric metal, that will appeal to all fans of this diverse genre.

TO THE NAMELESS DEAD is a monumental work of metal, immersed in disturbing atmosphere of ancient and dark times of Roman Empire and the barbarians from the north. This very consistent and original idea is performed with great riffs and mature guitar harmonies, dynamic drumming and emotional, powerful vocals. Riffs are still rooted in black metal in a way, but the musicians draw from outside the genre as well. You'll hear doom metal harmonies, heavy metal influences and brooding folk metal atmosphere here. It's the first time in their career I can say that the production is fantastic - harsh yet clean, heavy and natural sound emphasize dark and uncompromising character of the work. The record sounds like an impeccable live album at times, and this is a compliment in this case. The most important thing about that though, is this rare feature that so few musicians can boast of - ability to move the listener by the music filled with genuine, breathtaking passion and almost heartrending emotion.

Great release, but not flawless. Okay, almost perfect but if I was asked what I didn't like about it I would say: Firstly, there are very rare cases of monotony - sometimes Primordial keeps developing and/or playing one theme for too long, thereby tiring me a little bit. Secondly - frankly speaking I don't like all the songs equally. As I've said, fantastic melodies predominate over mediocre ones, but that doesn't mean they're not here at all. I think that "Gallows Hymn" is a perfect example of this drawback (still a very good song).

Actually, it's been a tough choice between 9/10 and 8/10 rating, but after careful deliberation I decided that this album deserves solid four stars. It is a musthave for any atmospheric metal fan. Really, this record is almost a masterpiece, so if you like celtic folk, early Opeth, Amorphis, Septic Flesh or any other kind of atmospheric extreme metal, check it, really, it's worth it.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Empire Falls; As Rome Burns 8/10: Failures Burden; Heathen Tribes; Traitors Gate; No Nation on This Earth 7/10: Gallows Hymn

bartosso Before I start, I'd like to preface my review with a small clarification: I'm not a metalcore fan so my opinion shouldn't be considered as a guideline for the fan of the genre. The album deserves one more star when compared to any other core stuff I've heard. If you're a listener of other genres (especially prog and/or death metal), this review may turn out to be useful.

Killswitch Engage is an important act on a metalcore scene - ambitious band with eclectic approach to the music and admirable ability to combine genuine, brutal metal assault with melodic passages typical of hardcore. Their second release, ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING is the last one recorded with vocalist Jesse Leach' participation. In many fans opinion this is their best album. In my opinion... well, it certainly has on board some of their best tracks to date.

Playing good metalcore means to be eclectic, to draw from many sources from outside the genre - Killswitch certainly can be described as a good metalcore band. AoJB is full of fast, palm muted, thrash metal gallops, death metal heaviness and blasts, and even some black metal spices. A few songs are surprisingly heavy, I've been astonished. Sometimes band try to diversify a rhythm a little bit, thereby adding an enjoyable progressive edge. The record is well produced - clean yet natural sound works well both with softer parts and extremely heavy ones. Diverse harsh vocals - ranging from high pitched screams to medium pitched growls - alternate with professional and emotional clean vocal parts.

What's wrong then? What is the problem? The problem is that this is somewhat erratic collection of songs - sometimes pleasing with incredible power and creativity, but more often annoying with lack of interesting ideas. All these features I described above are true, but they do not concern every single composition in the album. Most of them are just well executed - it seems like the band hadn't sufficient interesting solutions. Another thing are those melodic choruses, so typical of metalcore. In such songs as "Just Barely Breathing" or "Rise Inside" they are great, flawless and enjoyable, but these are rare cases - trite and simple melodies still predominate and spoil the fun.

As I said, this is a musthave for metalcore fan and a good pick for anyone who wants to check the genre. However, if you're new to the band, their third album, THE END OF HEARTACHE may seem more accessible, therefore more appropriate for a start.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Just Barely Breathing 8/10: Self Revolution; Rise Inside 7/10: Vide Infra 6/10: Numbered Days; My Last Serenade; Temple From the Within; Without a Name 5/10: Fixation on the Darkness; The Element of One; Life to Lifeless; To the Sons of Man

bartosso Bring Your Daughter... from the Slaughter

I've been thinking about the phenomenon of Cannibal Corpse for quite some time and I came to a conclusion that it's not that only their fans love this never-changing style and they play it simply to satisfy them. It's also that Cannibals themselves really love it. This bunch of gore-death pioneers still love this damn style so much, that every album gives them a huge amount of fun. With BLOODTHIRST they proved once again, that, admittedly, they're not very creative but they're quite good at their bloody job... and still have fun.

Generally speaking, this is a standard example of decent Cannibal Corpse' release. Except for two very good opening tracks there is nothing to be enthusiastic about. Cannibals are really allergic to experiments and diversity. After "Dead Human Collection" all songs merge in one thick stream of blood mixed with decomposed brains, crushed spines and other parts of human anatomy. The album is well produced, growls are solid and execution is perfect. In other words, the music presented here is pure brutal death metal.

However, there is one thing I like about it. Their music is known for its gore atmosphere but this record's beginning is especially gory in a slaughter-ish/mechanical way. The cover art gives a foretaste of what is to come: strange robo-demon decapitates a male human corpse, there's some kind of industrial airlock in the background. Lots of blood everywhere. That's why I described the two opening tracks as great - they are soundtracks for the picture! Uncompromising, thick riffs and beats bring associations with some kind of mechanical/alien slaughterhouse - emotionless, mechanical butchering. You already know the rest of the story.

I can't say it's a bad album. It's not - for a fan it is another solid release from the masters of brutal death. It's just that among dozens of similar ideas there are few interesting ones for the rest of the metal world.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 7/10: Pounded Into Dust, Dead Human Collection 6/10: Condemned to Agony, Unleashing the Bloodthirsty 5/10: Hacksaw Decapitation, Ecstasy in Decay, Sickening Metamorphosis, Blowtorch Slaughter, Coffinfeeder, Raped by the Beast, The Spine Splitter,

bartosso Album of symphonic death metal hits

Septic Flesh, death metal veterans from Greece, know how to play catchy. COMMUNION is one of those rare records in extreme metal which I grew fond of with the first listen. The album is their seventh opus and first one after the comeback. And it turned out to be very good.

One of the most distinctive and important features of this release is the mood. COMMUNION is an album set in Lovecraft's prose atmosphere - one look at the tracklist and you know what I mean. Ambience is pleasantly brooding, built with fantastic winds, strings and percussion. The orchestra and choir deserve a round of applause for the work done here. Sounds they create are sometimes pompous, sometimes dark and disturbing but seldom if ever boring. Technically speaking there's nothing to complain about. This is very consistent collection of songs with fantastic orchestration and even some progressive parts.

The only problem I have with this album is the catchiness I mentioned above. Actually it's not a real drawback since it makes the album accessible and enjoyable, it's just the reason I refrain from rating it higher. In some songs they just go to extremes with those catchy hooks. The tracks are nice but superficial - after a few listens there is nothing new to discover. Melodic verse-chorus structure do no good to death metal in my opinion. Generally speaking, I find the record very enjoyable with many interesting solutions and great musicianship but, as you can see, I'm not in raptures over it.

It only remains for me to recommend COMMUNION to all fans of symphonic death metal done right. This is very good record with a few mind-blowing moments. Crystal clean production, perfect execution and great parts of real philharmonic orchestra and choir determine its high quality. Great addition to your collection.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 8/10: Lovecraft's Death; Babel's Gate 7/10: Anubis; Sangreal; Narcissus; We, the Gods; Communion; Sunlight / Moonlight 6/10: Persepolis

bartosso Four Poles filled with nostalgia for their country met in New York and founded Gwynbleidd. Actually, it was the name that attracted my attention to this band. Gwynbleidd is the elvish nickname of the protagonist of Andrzej Sapkowski's books about the Witcher. Some of you possibly heard about the PC game entitled "The Witcher" but I assure you, the book was first. Anyway, I have heard many Opeth followers but this time it's something more than mere imitation. Gwynbleidd, as befits a witcher, has created magical piece of haunting, raw and emotional death metal with enjoyable progressive edge.

As I already said, Gwynbleidd and Opeth have much in common. The songs from NOSTALGIA are relatively long and intricate, lyrics are mostly growled (with some clean vocal parts) and the atmosphere is equally dark and intriguing. Naturally sounding yet clean production, lack of keyboards and special effects, mature melodies and harmonies - all those elements count as merits. I would even venture that - compared to Opeth's early works - Gwynbleidd's debut sounds much nicer and is simply better in many ways. The material is well composed, not so segmented (as, for example, ORCHID) - the music flows naturally and all songs fit together into a harmonious whole. The band draws on well-known ideas but their approach to melody is inventive enough to attract an atmospheric metal fan's attention. Harmonious distortion passages are pervaded with medieval (Slavic and celtic) folk, black metal and subtle progressive spices. Most of all, those guys know how to move the listener deeply with epic passages of harmony and beauty.

Once again I'll heap praise on the drummer. Adam Romanowski's playing is rousing and eclectic - blending classic death metal with some groovy beats. Vocals are admirable as well - emotional, sharp and distinctive growls are as powerful and atmospheric as hell. The clean ones are slightly worse but still enjoyable. Guitars are perfectly composed, creating great harmonies and well flowing riffs. The only thing Gwynbleidd lacks in, is its own, true and original style. It is not an imitation, they have their own vision, but still too many things are borrowed from Opeth to call it a masterpiece.

Nostalgia is a beautiful theme for an album, especially when expressed in such an uncompromising way. Gwynbleidd - bringing to mind an association with early Opeth, Amorphis and Paradise Lost - created consistent, mature and haunting piece of artistic death metal. Even though the music often reminds me of epic "To Bid You Farewell" or "Twilight is My Robe" it is not another Opeth copy. Many bands try to ape their idols, they follow well-trodden paths just to create poor imitations of their masters. It is not the case of Gwynbleidd. These guys have created music based on relatively known idea, but enriched it with distinctive features and put heart and soul into it. I'm bewitched and looking forward to more witchery from New York City.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Nostalgia; New Setting 8/10: Stormcalling; Adrift; Thawing Innocence; Canvas for Departure 7/10: Stare Into the Sun; Egress

bartosso The first Bloodbath album is a piece of refurbished Swedish death metal. Saying refurbished I mean classic but modified enough to blend with modern trends and draw young metalheads attention. That's exactly what you'll hear listening to RESURRECTION THROUGH CARNAGE - modern sounding, well executed and catchy Swedish death.

Now, let's get down to details. As I said, the production is very good. Everything sounds massive - groovy and thick production enhance the Bloodbath experience. Guitars sound exceptionally evil, and I mean it. Evil as hell! Deep, sharp, granular distortion with extremely long sustain - I've never heard that kind of distortion before. Next thing is growling. Or, in the case of this particular vocalist, I should say The Growling. If you think that Mike's roars sounded hellish in Opeth's albums, here it sounds like he's being possessed by Belzebub... and feeling good about it. In a word, fantastic performance.

Concerning the most important aspect, the music, I have to say it's a satisfying album. It maintains (almost) the same artistic standards throughout the recording. The death ride starts with brooding "Ways to The Grave" and ends with equally dark "Cry My Name". These two songs and "Trail of Insects" are excellent - true highlights of the record. The rest of the tracks is good, but I didn't find anything exceptional about them. Lots of groovy riffs, solid drumming and nice, ominous atmosphere.

With such great musicians participation, it just couldn't go wrong. I think that Bloodbath wanted to create a very good album and nothing more. That's exactly what they've achieved.

bartosso Depth is the essence

Haunting ambiance is the key. Thou shalt praise Ben Sharp's debut for its beauty, despite numerous imperfections. The soul of the album is, in my humble opinion, the most important part of musical creation - Ben Sharp knows that. I know that too, and I'm a slave of this rule.

THE DISCOVERY is an instrumental post metal, intriguing blend of disturbing/doom atmosphere and djent. Cloudkicker draws extensively on Meshuggah's twisted ideas to create its own, original interpretation of the style. Sharp uses the poly-rhythmical side of the style but its discordant facet is mostly tamed - an ephemeral atmosphere has precedence over an atonal chaos (which is actually very atmospheric in its own way). The album, with its heavy, bass drum-based riffs in the foreground and disturbing, ephemeral high pitched guitar in the background, make up very consistent creation and provide enjoyable listen.

However, with all its shining merits, THE DISCOVERY is not free of flaws. Having worked out his own style, Sharp don't even try to diversify it. Songs are atmospheric but stiffly composed; interesting but hermetic and repetitive at times. There are some great soft interludes of course, but it's not enough to change the impression of uniformity. Therefore THE DISCOVERY is interesting yet at times tiresome experience - divided in parts tastes much better. Another thing is the production. Sharp saw to it that everything sounds relatively clear but some higher frequencies sound... well, sharp. Especially drums, which are fake by the way, are to be blamed for that.

And finally, why have I prefaced my review with this pompous intro about soul? Well, it's just to prove that rating and actual feelings about the album are sometimes two different things. This is actually haunting and inventive record - there is talent, originality, beauty, heart. Even if the rating indicates that in my opinion the album is not excellent - because technically it isn't - I highly recommend to give it a listen, at least once.

PS.: The album is available for free by the way. "Dysphoria" recommended as quick check on YT. Enjoy.

bartosso The music from the Viking's heart

I'll put it bluntly - I love this album! Everything is on board of this Viking ship - captivating melodies, fantastic riffing, great musicianship and, most of all, metal. Every time I need something melodic and accessible yet still ambitious, I reach for ENSIFERUM.

This album is like well told Nordic legend - fantastic melodic intro engrosses the listener in a fabulous world of almost forgotten events and heroes (with beards and axes for sure). The effect is attained with blackened growls, great Viking choirs and catchy riffs with folk feel about them. The guitarists draw from heavy metal and black metal traditions to create absolutely flawless guitar themes. Every song flows like the Norwegian current - there is no place for boredom, the music simply abound with consistent, atmospheric ideas. Although normally I would give 3 stars to that kind of record - good melodies and execution are not enough to describe an album as excellent - in this case it's neither atmosphere nor concept nor technical prowess which make up the core of this release. It's the heart. Those Finns know how to use it.

Why not 5 stars then? Well, there are two reasons: 1. not all of the songs are equally appealing. I don't mean that they're worse in term of structure/composition. It's just that some songs (e.g. "Eternal Wait", "Battle Song") leave me cold. They're nice folky tunes, I enjoy them, but nothing more. 2. That is highly enjoyable record, really. But it lacks in true depth which usually induce me to give the highest recommendation. I believe that with such a talent these guys would be able to create a breathtaking masterpiece. But they just want to play folk metal. And all credit to them for that.

ENSIFERUM is a must-have for all fans of heavy folk metal with beautiful, fabulous melodies. Honestly, I've never heard anything better in this sub-genre. It's a very, very good record, with a few masterpiece attributes, but it's definitely not a masterpiece. Well, in the Viking metal - yes it is. In the whole metal - no. Anyway, highly recommended!

bartosso Young virtuosos from Slav forests

Disperse, young yet professional band from Poland, country of beautiful forests and unfinished motorways. Despite that, their musical technique is very impressive. Is it neo-prog or prog metal? People are divided on the issue. My personal opinion is as follows: it's a neo prog metal music - full of keyboards, small bells and other... things, but with participation of distortion guitar and metal riffs as well.

Now, since I established the facts, I'll try to pick some interesting features out of this release. First of all it is quite well produced, some tones are not balanced but overall impression is good. There are also some very interesting ideas and haunting melodies (unfortunately many annoying and trite too... well, it's normal for neo prog). The band tries to experiment with rhythm and complex composition which is admirable. However, lack of musical intuition often condemns this experiments to be overdone. Despite their young age, the musicians manage to create very consistent album with well-defined concept, but as a whole, JOURNEY THROUGH THE HIDDEN GARDENS is rather exhausting experience. Excessive abundance of sounds, synths and... in fact everything, is overwhelming. I prefer listening to it in fragments.

Disperse is a band with a great potential and their debut is actually a very decent record. The singer is a talented guy with nice, strong voice and the guitarist is a guitar hero under the influence of such virtuosos as Steve Vai and John Petrucci. Therefore, if you are a fan of awe-inspiring guitar and rhythmical twists and turns and you enjoy rich neo-proggy musical landscapes, this album is for you.

bartosso Masterpiece of modern depressive metal

Katatonia is like wine, the older, the better. Having said that I appreciate the fact that their latest release, NIGHT IS THE NEW DAY contravene this theory. But when I listened to this record for the first time, five years ago, it was their newest child and, undoubtedly, a depressive metal triumph.

I would gladly rate this record with full 5 stars. That's one of the most musically consistent works in depressive rock, one of the best produced metal releases of the decade and one of my favourite albums. The very core of this release are dark and depressive feelings which find an outlet in every single composition in the album. Both massive metal riffs and haunting melodies are dripping with genuine emotions, so beautifully expressed by Jonas Renkse with his unique, gentle voice. The band manages, with equally good effect, to create both beautiful, haunting melodies(e.g."July", "In The White") and extremely dark, massive and discordant sounds with progressive approach(e.g."Leaders", "The Itch"). I'm also full of praise for the drummer who really deserves a separate commendation. I love the way he plays in this album. This guy manages to create fantastic drum patterns which, while being relatively understated, are really powerful and quite progressive. But most of all his playing somehow matches the concept perfectly... as everything here actually.

However, among fantastic, sophisticated melodies there are also some minor dissonances which take points away. The first objection I have on that matter is "My Twin". While verse is fantastic and emotional, the chorus is somewhat trite. For the same reason I don't like intro and chorus of "Deliberation" and intro of "Consternation". It's just... sad that among such great melodies there are a few run-of-the-mill ones.

Apart from that I actually don't have anything else to complain about. This is classic already. Haunting, mature, consistent release, recommended to all fans of well-composed, atmospheric and genuinely emotional metal.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: Soil's Song; July; In the White 9/10: Leaders; Follower; Rusted; Increase; The Itch; Journey Through Pressure 8/10: My Twin; Consternation 7/10: Deliberation

bartosso I admit it, I hate mixing prog with mainstream, especially if it concerns djent. As a great fan of this... well I shouldn't call it genre so let it be style. So, as a great fan of this style I constantly look for Meshuggah followers to find some gems and indulge in that weird atmosphere, discordant riffs and brain boiling drum beats. This time I got not my brain but fingers burnt. The gem turned out to be just an ordinary stone.

Okay, maybe it was a little bit too harsh. The main problem with this release is that it has some really bad, annoying even, qualities and some really good ones too. I will start with good ones if you don't mind. First of all this is perfectly executed and written material, with very nice, thick and clean production, pleasing the ear with full range of frequencies. Secondly, djent parts of the record are professionally composed and attract attention, even if most of them are just cribbed from Meshuggah. Thirdly, some (but very few) melodic parts are good, haunting even, and made me, for these few times, enjoy the record.

Now the better part - bloody flaws. What I hate most about TesseracT? [drum roll] Vocal parts! They are the biggest curse of this EP. The singer has quite powerful, clean voice and wide vocal range, but the way he uses it brings to mind (unpleasant) associations with Linkin Park and so-called melodic metal core. That kind of singing leads directly to tearful/gushing melodies which I... well, can't stand actually. It's not only the singer to be blamed of course. Other musicians rarely (but still too often) follow him in this run of the mill. In the end we've got a record where heavy djent themes alternate, quite smoothly, with melodic passages of "pure emotion", making up consistent creation of accessible prog metal.

All in all, it is not a bad work. I don't really like it but there's no denying that the guys are talented and managed to combine discordant sounds of djent with purely melodic modern metal. It's admirable.

bartosso When this album was released I really disliked it. Small wonder I did, the classic prog rock and metal was not my cup of tea at that time! A few years later, after digging into Riverside' music, getting their albums, falling in love with SECOND LIFE SYNDROME and ANNO DOMINI HIGH DEFINITION I had to check if the worst (so I was told) Riverside' album still doesn't appeal to me. I've changed my mind almost completely. I really appreciated that record after a few listens, and counted it among great prog metal efforts. Obviously, it's not as good as SLS but it's not a bad one too. And what's more, I didn't find it unoriginal compared to the previous releases, as many reviewers have claimed. Sounds too sweet? Don't worry, there will be blood.

RAPID EYE MOVEMENT starts with "Beyond the Eyelids" which is a decent but at times boring song, followed by modern blues/prog rock (?!) "Rainbow Box" which is barely decent and shouldn't be there at all. Don't take a dislike after these two though, since the remaining part make up quite good musical creation. Any details? Well, first of all flaws. It is much less consistent than two previous works from Riverside. The band tries to create a hybrid of two first albums, while making it more psychedelic and dreamy and adding some space rock accents. That's why the album sounds a little bit like a musical puzzle, especially at the very beginning. The most innovating pieces - "Army of Me"(by Björk) of prog metal, that is "Panic Room" and great "Schizophrenic Prayer" which could be a soundtrack to an ecstatic dance around the fire - don't harmonize with prog metal songs like "Parasomnia" or "Ultimate Trip". The ballads are actually one of the strongest sides of this release - captivating "Embryonic" and soothing "Through the Other Side" make the album more appealing. In the end, we've got a little bit chaotic collection of songs with plenty of good ideas, but with a few longeurs too.

To be honest, even if I know that this record is far from perfection, I still like it a lot. Riverside's innate charm is what matters here. That's where emotional prog metal meets psychedelic and space rock elements combined with a few crossover experiments and oneiric lyrics. The last part of the trilogy is a creation with great merits and serious flaws, but with such songs as "Schizophrenic Prayer", "Parasomnia", "Embryonic" and "Cybernetic Pillow", RAPID EYE MOVEMENT successfully defends Riverside' good name.

Tracks ratings: 9/10: Parasomnia; Cybernetic Pillow 8/10: Schizophrenic Prayer; Embryonic; Ultimate Trip 7/10: 02 Panic Room; Through the Other Side 6/10: Beyond the Eyelids 5/10: Rainbow Box

bartosso Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström, lead guitarist of KATATONIA and death metal supergroup BLOODBATH(damn, that always gives me a chuckle) had once a side project called DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE. I really wonder sometimes, if it hasn't been his greatest achievement so far. This project, being deeply rooted in black metal, combine best features of the genre with heavy metal approach to melody and avant garde mood.

NIGHTWORK, is without any doubt, the most popular and accessible DM's record. Very melodic and catchy, this album abound with great riffs, placed somewhere between black and heavy metal convention. Every song is loaded with fantastic twists, symphonic bridges and tempo changes. The theatrical atmosphere of vampiric drama is highlighted with great screaming vocalz - which Blakkheim bawlz out with unparalleled passion and feeling - combined with nightmarish keyboardz, dreamy celloz and flute from the obzidian circuz...

À propos theatrical atmosphere... the ambiance and concept is particularly important aspect in the case of this record. That music is simply dripping with bloody air of some vampiric story set in Transylvania. Having said all that I don't want to mislead you, dear reader. It is not just an atmospheric record with nothing else to offer. The melodies created by Anders are catchy and set in a specific mood, but many of them reach the height of symphonic harmony and beauty which can't be underestimated.

NIGHTWORK is a an outstanding release with dense atmosphere of old-school vampire story. Just under 40 minutes of great melodic black metal with abundance of fantastic melodies and coherent concept.

bartosso Oh yeah, death metal supergroup! Doesn't it sound stupid? Nevertheless, this is great release, short EP with 3 good death metal songs on board. Classic Swedish death with catchy riffs, fantastic growling and nice production.

What else could be said? Classic death metal played by the biggest names in the genre: almighty Åkerfeldt with Belzebub' infernal growl; Dan Swanö and Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström with their great feeling to good riffs and Jonas Renkse who is an absolute master at being invisible on stage... and playing bass too. So you see, this record had to be successful.

It would be 3 stars without any bit. But I give it that little + for the last track. It's really great. Really.

bartosso More accessible and psychedelic at the same time?

Rating Tool albums is so difficult for me that it almost hurts. I'm a huge fan of this band, and I like this album. I really do, but when it comes to rate it I have a problem. First of all I don't find the concept and atmosphere to be equally appealing as this of LATERALUS. It is distinctive, it is different. I'm far from calling this an album of rehashed ideas! But LATERALUS is a masterpiece which transfix with absolutely unique and sophisticated ambiance and concept.

The atmosphere of 10000 DAYS is more diverse, there is more space for humorous elements in it. Just listen to "Lipan Conjuring" with some Indians singing "Neeew! Toooooool! Coooool!". It isn't so solemn. Tool manages to create diverse concept which sometimes is even disturbing (Lost Keys for example) or extremely moving (The title track is the best example). The psychedelic elements merge with more rock ones making up very original modern psycho-metal work.

The aforementioned title track is kind of novelty in Tools music, mostly because of composition and ambiance. Very pleasant surprise to be honest. Composed in evolutionary, slowly-developing way, this piece is amazingly emotional. It might be the best track in this album, the most moving and original. I always try to avoid describing the tracks in detail. So there is my metaphor about this song. It's hypnotizing like a view of stormy sky and just equally disturbing. The way the piece evolves causes thrills - somethings gonna happen, the sky is rough. The atmosphere thickens with every sound just to explode with... and oh, it would be too detailed description, sorry.

For some people the construction of this album may seem strange. I mean, there are two heavy and energetic songs followed by two very slow and atmospheric pieces. Than these two, so-called fillers come, which are, in my personal opinion, quite nice. It's obvious that Tool wanted to change this "piece-interlude-piece-interlude" pattern, but it actually worked slightly better than the pattern of 10000 DAYS.

For me this album is great, but after five years of break it could be better. Tool accustomed us to be breathtaking but after listening to 10000 DAYS I've been breathing normally. Still, I think this record is a bit underrated since it is outstanding post metal release. Recommended!

Tracks ratings: 10/10: 10,000 Days (Wings, Part 2); The Pot 9/10: Vicarious; Rosetta Stoned 8/10: Right in Two; Jambi 7/10: Intension; Wings for Marie, Part 1

bartosso As far as I know "meshuggah [written: מטורף] , taken form Hebrew, means "lunatic". Well, I've never heard a name so well conveying style of a band. They are just sick. And I love it! Hailing from Sweden, Meshuggah is a band which used to play thrash metal but with this release they created music so heavy and disturbing, that it shouldn't be listened at all. Still, CHAOSPHERE was a real watershed in their career, the album which introduced the era of glory and acclaim in the world of experimental metal.

Someone said that these guys are from another planet. The music they play is totally disharmonic and arrhythmic at first glance which is, of course, just a false impression. The rhythms they create seem to be impossible to repeat, that's true but it's all because of strange accenting and polyrhythms. The music itself is massively heavy and discordant, but discordant in a very specific way, which led to extremely ominous and otherworldly atmosphere. I always have a strange feeling of being in a kind of deadly place where nothing can live - could it be void or black hole.

Except for one song I don't really like (namely Sane which is too... normally composed?), this is collection of completely sick pieces built upon uncompromising concept of sonic destruction, devoid of aggresion yet extremely brutal in a way. But it is not brutality which makes me crazy about it. It is freshness, genuine passion and complete lack of concern about trends in music.

Chaosphere is one of the best Meshuggah' albums (but I still prefer Catch 33). It represents their heaviest side, most inhuman and powerful. Atmosphere is terrific, created by two guitars, "scroareams" of the vocalist and incredible drumming it completely overhelms the listener and sends him/her to another dimension. In fact to hell.

bartosso The last Decapitated album recorded with participation of a fantastic drummer Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka before his tragic death in tour bus accident. It is also their best and most innovative record to date... and one of the most interesting releases of last decade in the genre, valued by such big names as Tomas Haake from Meshuggah. If the accident didn't happen, that would be a watershed in Decapitated career, a transitional record between Vader-influenced death metal band and new wave tech death metal group with its own vision and way to create music.

After reading the title it's easy to conclude that the album has something in common with Meshuggah. The same with song titles - a lot of "visuals", "organics" and other "delusions". The music itself is fortunately only slightly influenced by The Swedes. Actually, this is quite original and perfectly executed technical death metal with poly-rhythmic approach and fantastic riffing where discordant parts alternate with normal power chords and typically death metal gallop of staccatos. Every sound is executed with perfection, every song constructed with professionalism typical of musically educated people. The drumming deserves special mention here - the parts Vitek plays are very creative and dynamic, combining death metal blasts and fills with more experimental elements. His drumming in two first tracks is especially breathtaking.

This fantastic prog tech death metal will appeal to both all fans of old school tech death and people looking for some innovation in extreme music. Decapitated recorded a great album with some good ideas but there still would be much more to explore and discover. I hope they will resume their career but I know it might be difficult decision after such a terrible tragedy.

bartosso It is short, it is deadly. If "Nothing" was cold and ruthless in your opinion, then you'd better leave this one in the box. After releasing NOTHING which was "softer" in a way than fantastic CHAOSPHERE, Meshuggah recorded this EP, consisting of one 21-minutes long piece. When I've heard it for the first time it took my breath away for about 20 seconds. Your experience will be the same, it's a safe bet.

"I" is completely insane piece of extreme progressive metal. It is a brilliant creation of ruthless, cold, amazing and very heavy music. Despite its length there are not many slowdowns, the music gallops like a five-legged skittish horse with a stroke - abundance of incredible tempos, polyrhythms, irregular number of repetitions and odd construction of themes based on even more bizarre time signatures. You know all of that from NOTHING and CHAOSPHERE but here... it is condensed, heavier and more insane than ever. If the slowdown happens - and it happens twice - it's discordant and ominous, making you even more terrified and amazed by the terror of "I".

This is the most representative of all Meshuggah releases - The Swedes capsule record if you know what I mean. Extremely heavy and dense, this is one of the darkest and most ominous releases in the history of music . If you are interested in avantgarde music and you're not afraid of extreme, heavy sound, absolute lack of nice melodies and brain damage, this album is for you.

bartosso Guy wearing a tie and hat plays 8-string guitar... sounds great!

When I've heard ANIMALS AS LEADERS I immediately associated some aspects of it with Steve Vai (And Meshuggah but more about it later). Incredibly technical, this music has something of his style and ambience, something I don't really like, but there, in this album, with all other more progressive elements, it sounded great. So if you don't like the guy check it nevertheless. This is a very good album which deserves strong 7/10. As a whole it is a bit tiresome and not all of the songs are equally good so I can't rate it higher.

Style and composition:

- Instrumental!

- At times extremely heavy.

- Mixture of djent elements (Meshuggah-like polyrhythmic, 8-string guitar riffs; odd time signatures) with some jazz and Vai-like style. Generally melodic with some avant twists.

- A lot of virtuosity. The music is well-flowing and dynamic - very dense, sometimes even excessively - in some parts sounds merge in one.

- Many clean guitar parts with fantastic evolutionary way composition and jazz feel about them.

- Good use of atmospheric pads but I'd skip some of the synths there.

- Funk elements in one song!

Moods: Diverse atmosphere, maverick, otherworldly, slightly disturbing and ominous at times, dreamy.

Highlight: Tempting Time

PS.: There's nice CAFO video clip on YouTube.

bartosso PREHISTORICISMS is an album of one song. When I've heard Australopithecus for the first time I was amazed! It was something unique and fresh, something disturbing and captivating. The most conspicuous thing is fantastic jazz bass which is very distinct from other instruments and plays very important role in the composition.

So bass work in Australopithecus is great, fine. Guitars are great. Atmosphere is great, very dark and psychedelic. Melodies are great - original, disharmonious at times, jazzy, disturbing, even moving. 5/5 piece. So it's rather obvious, that I expected a fantastic album.

Unfortunately, the rest of the record is much worse. Jazz potential of the band is undeveloped, there is too much repetitive moments, not enough interesting ideas set in a fantastic mood of "Australopithecus". After a few listens growl seems unnecessary, it becomes annoying - still, I like growling in most cases. I would even prefer instrumental arrangements of this material. Some, a few good ideas appear in "Any Port" and in the title track, but it's not enough to change my impression. There is also quite exceptional track which conclude the record. "Reptilian Brain" is a fairly nice song, much softer and atmospheric but it didn't draw my attention as well.

I give it 3 stars. Still, I think this album deserves an attention especially for fantastic bass work and because this band may release a masterpiece someday - I sense a great potential in them. Listening and watching the video clip of Australopithecus is highly recommended!

bartosso I'm so disappointed with Rapid Eye Movement (I mean the song). It is so boring! I can understand a need for creating extremely long, atmospheric, slowly-swinging-into-action pieces, but it could be at least interesting. It is not at all. It's dull, dull, dull. Much duller than accountancy.

The single begins with Schizophrenic Prayer. It is a very good song but it's also very well known from REM which means there's nothing to celebrate. Rainbow Trip and Behind the Eyelids are both decent pieces, but that's it. Rainbow Trip is very monotonous and space rock song. The other one is a fairly nice and soothing song which is based on a few themes from Beyond the Eyelids. The last piece is a remix of Schizophrenic Prayer but it's just atrocious.

I enjoy this single from time to time but most often I don't bother to put the CD into a player.

bartosso I like to call OBZEN "The Very Average of Meshuggah", mostly because this album doesn't bring anything new to the band' sound and style. It's just kind of résumé of band' career since Destroy Erase Improve. And yes, I know that members of Meshuggah said that it's going to be a summary of their achievements to date - I just don't feel convinced. In my opinion, when band says things like that it only means that... they don't have ideas good enough to release an interesting record. Well, it's a better way than releasing dozens of crummy albums after all.

What I hate most about ObZen is the very beginning. "Combustion" is just atrocious... I don't like it at all! I don't know Fear Factory very well, but this song brings to my mind only that association - mediocre riff, mediocre drumming, boredooooom. Really weak song. After this one we've got Electric Red as a consolation. It's classic Meshuggah song with black hole atmosphere, tangled rhythms and so on. A decent song.

After these two there are another seven songs - some of them are better, some of them are weaker (maybe except for "Bleed" which is fairly interesting piece), any of them introduces a breath of fresh air. It's a decent album that abound with good motifs, mostly well-known by every fan of the Swedes.

bartosso "What a great debut" said hundreds of people around the world in 2003, when the first Riverside' record came out. Well, I cannot agree with them. I really tried to like it, believe me. For me Riverside' opus magnum is "Second Life Syndrome" and that's that. I don't claim that "Out of Myself" is a bad album though. It's fairly good one, but it lacks...

...good composition. I know that "The Same River" has nice melodies, good harmonies and great atmosphere. But it is composed in a way which I would describe as "immature". Sometimes themes change unexpectedly and I don't know what's going on. I would even venture that some parts are a little bit boring. Some of them are very good, that's right, but the whole album seems to be a little bit chaotic.

Another thing is the mood of the record. It's highly subjective opinion, but it is somehow banal at times, at least in comparison with Second Life Syndrome. The ballads aren't as enchanting as they should be and sometimes I'm a bit bored with them. I know that this album is the most Marillion influenced Riverside' release, so maybe that's why my impression is rather negative. Nonetheless, the heavier parts of the record are good and they elevate the rating. Especially first Reality Dream deserves attention, since it is fantastic prelude of Riverside' potential, fully manifested in Second Life Syndrome.

Generally speaking "Out of Myself" is the weakest Riverside' album but it still deserves some attention. 2,5 stars.

bartosso Ænima is a transistional record from Tool, great example of musical evolution which led the band to absolute perfection on Lateralus. Nonetheless, I still claim that this one is brilliant, even if not perfect. This album is a psychedelic post metal at its finest.

Musically it is more mature and gloomy than Undertow. Every aspect of the album: sound which is deeper, music which is more sofisticated and progressive, make up one consistent artistic journey to regions where no man had trod before. Songs are built on fairly simple but very interesting riffs, distinct and specific bass parts, captivating drumming and fantastic vocals. It is not as progressive in term of rhythm as Lateralus, but there are some very interesting polyrhythmic parts. Songs develops in an evolutionary way, gradually atmosphere becomes thicker, themes introduce new moods and emotions.

This record is about feelings, often negative, but expressed in a very intriguing and moving way. With bass, one guitar, vocals and drums this band creates some of the most incredible sounds I have ever heard! Tool managed to write an innovative music, which may be brought under post metal but it is actually unique. There are still many rockish parts, like "Hooker with a Penis", but this album is first of all progressive and it initially defines future style of the band.

Many people complain about interludes. They claim that these are annoying distractors, that they are completely worthless and sometimes even spoil the fun of listening to the album. Well, I cannot agree. I can't stand Message to Harry Manback but the others are okay in my opinion. They effectively enhance a psychedelic experience.

This is psycho-dark post metal record, very emotional and absolutely unique, both musically and in term of lyrics. Moving, disturbing, reflection provoking... listen to it, you will get what I mean.

PS: The album was dedicated to Bill Hicks, great philosopher and one of his kind comedian. You can hear two fragments of his show in the last song.

Tracks ratings: 10/10: Stinkfist; Eulogy; Forty Six & 2; Pushit; Third Eye 9/10: jimmy; Ænema; H. 7/10: Hooker With a Penis

bartosso In music is metal - in metal is death - in death is Meshuggah

In my opinion "Catch 33" is the best work from Meshuggah, absolute masterpiece which overwhelms with incredible visionariness, terrific concept and perfect execution. It's fascinating and terrifying trip into world where is no difference between life and death.

The album is in fact one 47 minutes long piece, divided in 13 parts. The first thing sticking out is the way the album develops. It starts with mantric riff which lasts during three first tracks, letting us accustom to the atmosphere and sound. The second thing is the tempo. After incredibly fast and dynamic "I", Meshuggah decided to create more majestic and mantric album. Slowly evolving composition of the whole is somewhat hypnotic and even if you find it tiresome at first, I assure you that the final effect compensate all mixed feelings.

After "Mind's Mirrors" the next chapter begins. I would say that it's where the album really starts. The first part is a kind of prelude, introduction into the world where death and life merge in one, introducing a post human existence. The second part, on the other hand, shows it at its loveliest. It's enough to say that "In Death - is Death" is the peak of the whole, epic and intimidating masterpiece of extreme/avant-garde metal.

It is very special album, absolutely unparalleled and unique. I don't know how it is possible that music so difficult and heavy is at the same time so beautiful. This guys are really pushing the envelope and are painfully uncompromising - I think that's why this album is so unpopular. Don't mind the rating and check this underrated masterpiece.

bartosso Breathtaking experience

So now it's my turn to push up the rating of this underrated (!) masterpiece. It's a long story about this band and this record and the role they've played in my life. I'll try to be brief. Tool was the first progressive band I listened to, not counting prog-related Led Zeppelin and apparently crossover Björk. But Tool "found" me in a very precious period of life, when human has still this incredible imagination and sensibility typical of children. I don't mean that I lost my feelings or an ability to imagine... things. But it was very special time when I was soaking music up like a sponge and been affected by it in every possible way.

When I heard LATERALUS for the first time I knew I commune with something unique. After a few listens I understood that I've found a musical portrayal of existence - both living and lifeless. I know how it sounds, but hear me out. So as I said, I realized that this music represents everything we've got inside and everything outside, including universe. Every tone of this record explode with pure passion and infinite coldness at the same time. It's quite difficult to describe but I'll try.

LATERALUS is like a journey through known and unknown lands. Well-known sound of distorted guitar, original but still recognizable drums and heavy rock parts are there of course. This is not an avant-garde/experimental album with cellos, mellotrones and crazy disharmonious passages, it is still rock, even if post. But everything from production, sound, rhythms, arrangements and important role of bass guitar to intriguing vocal parts make up an original, unparalleled musical creation.

Rhythm is very important aspect of this release: fantastic poly-rhythms of The Grudge; hypnotizing rhythm of Schism based on odd time signatures; fantastic use of Fibonacci's theories in Lateralus. It's absolutely awesome! Not because of maths. It's because of use of human knowledge (and ignorance too) to create art, moving music which makes you think and feel (Even if Ian Anderson could not do both in THICK AS A BRICK).

Another aspect is a way of developing themes and moods: evolutionary composition of The Patient which at the end explodes with moving final; perfectly flowing themes of Schism, Lateralus and Reflection. This music flows like a mountain stream, without falsely changing its form, colour or temperature. It's always genuine. It always provokes plenty of thoughts and feelings, and what's more, it does that without being banal and gushing.

Okay, enough of bizarre metaphors. LATERALUS is a crowning achievement of Tool's unparalleled career. It is highly original musical creation, aptly brought under post/experimental metal genre. There are no keyboards, no synthesisers, only a guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Incredible atmosphere, captivating rhythms and brilliant lyrics. What more do you need to call it a masterpiece?

Tracks ratings: 10/10: The Grudge; The Patient; Schism; Parabola; Lateralus; Disposition 9/10: Reflection; Parabol 8/10: Ticks & Leeches 7/10: Triad

bartosso What a humbly titled record from the Swedes. Don't let it delude you though, it is not nothing and what's more, it definitely is something! It's a fourth album from Meshuggah, extreme/prog/avant-garde metal band, whose previous record, Chaosphere was a revelation which threw metal world into turmoil.

Is Nothing another revelation? I'm afraid it's not. Nothing is a next step to an uncompromising, cold and technical style which was introduced with the previous album. Whereas Chaosphere is darker and faster, in NOTHING pieces are even more calculated and complicated but many of them, unfortunately, less interesting. They lack this incredible inhuman atmosphere of CHAOSPHERE which takes breath away with every listen. There is just no balance between rhythmical experiments and the concept.

Not all of the songs deserve 4-stars rating. The album as a whole deserves them though, mostly because of 5 star-songs: Rational Gaze, Straws Pulled at Random and Spasm. The songs are difficult to describe to someone not familiarized with Meshuggah. It's enough to say, that these pieces, especially in term of rhythm, make my mind melting. Moreover, I would even venture that Straws Pulled at Random has some kind of melody which is... very nice! And fantastic solo there, as a bonus.

Recommended to fans of rhythmical experiments, uncompromising heaviness and otherworldly atmosphere. Still, if you're more into atmosphere I recommend CATCH 33, CHAOSPHERE or I, since these are extremely dark releases.

bartosso This album is like scent of favourite perfume - there is something, that doesn't let you forget about it, but at first moment you don't clearly realize what. Many albums have enraptured me but this one... at first I've been listening to it for 3 weeks in a row - every single day with ANNO DOMINI HIGH DEFINITION. Believe it or not, but there are moments of pure musical genius deep in progressive metal convention. I won't enumerate all tracks one after the other because it will spoil the fun of discovering this great album on your own. I'll just say, that it combines power of prog metal with very emotional moments of musical magic.

Guitarist, Piotr Grudziński plays much more dynamic parts, but there is still space for his great emotional solos. Piotr Kozieradzki, the drummer, plays and sounds more distinctively and powerful - different than before but it suits the concept of the album very well. Michał Łapaj... well this musician really shows that he is hyper creative - his playing is much more intensive and inventive - a lot off hammonds and some great surprises have blown me away. Finally, Mariusz Duda. This guy needs no recommendation. His vocals sound very good, he still uses his wide spectrum of emotions, but you won't hear any growls known from such songs as "Volte-Face" or "Loose Heart".

After these two paragraphs it seems that I found the album flawless. That is not true. The record is fantastic but there is one trifle, that annoys me a little bit when I have a bad day. I mean some parts of synthesizer which might be better, more original. They appear two, maybe three times during 44:44 minutes so among other fantastic parts they may seem imperceptible, but they still may be a bit annoying.

Anyway, this is a great record, very different from previous Riverside' albums, but still set in their unparalleled emotional style. Created with great passion and imagination, Anno Domini High Definition can be counted among the best prog metal efforts ever made.

Tracks ratings: 10/10: Driven to Destruction; Egoist Hedonist 9/10: Left Out; Hybrid Times 7/10: Hyperactive

bartosso My first encounter with Riverside took place when I had bought their newest record, ANNO DOMINI HIGH DEFINITION. I was bewitched, It turned out to be highly addictive. But after a few weeks with ADHD I decided to check, apparently, their opus magnum, SECOND LIFE SYNDROME. Now it's obvious to me which Riverside album is the best one. Second Life Syndrome is that kind of musical work that transfix with genuine passion and emotions. All tracks are there on purpose, making up one consistent musical creation - it's a real masterpiece of progressive metal!

Since many reviewers compare this record to Anathema, Marillion, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Opeth (quite wide range of genres, isn't it?) I will try to avoid such comparisons. For me SECOND LIFE SYNDROME is, first of all, an album of honest emotions expressed in a bit vintage sounding prog metal convention. Beautiful work of hammonds and ephemeral synths combined with understated, emotional guitar riffs and solos, nice bass work and fantastic vocals determine its unique style and artistic value. The listener immerse himself in mysterious sounds of sadness, anger and, above all, in a magical beauty, that is so hard to define.

There are only two tracks I'm not so enthusiastic about, but still like them. I mean "Artificial Smile" and "Before". The first one seems to be a bit out of the musical concept. It's punk in a way, more aggressive at first glance, but it develops into a very good prog metal song. Before, on the other hand, is a kind of outro, it's good also but a little bit too monotonous.

This is a fantastic prog metal opus with dark atmosphere and beautiful, mellow vocals. I have to say that the music presented in their debut left me cold, so even if you didn't like OUT OF MYSELF, give them another chance. Highly recommended to those who look for bands with original and atmospheric approach to prog metal.

Tracks ratings: 10/10: Volte-Face 9/10: Conceiving You; Second Life Syndrome; I Turned You Down; Reality Dream III; Dance With the Shadow; After 7/10: Artificial Smile; Before