Now -- what are you listening to? V2

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/album/paara/yon-olevainen-puoli

Yeah, I really didn't want to make a big deal of it, it's definitely just something I personally dislike in reviews. I guess the thing for me is, when I see a review for a band I've never heard of and the review states it's better than a band I consider to be among the best (or in this case the absolute best) in their field, that instantly forces me into the position of listening to an album with unfair expectations, looking for the bands to nail the particular aspects I favor, which almost always isn't going to happen, because two bands are almost never going to excel at all the exact same things.

Obviously, it's kinda my own fault for letting reviews get me into that spot, but I guess I just don't like it when reviews turn things into a competition where one band has to be pointed out as clearly better than the other, as it's always going to be a matter of taste. Especially in this case, because in the end I did really like the album, and I can agree on some points (for example, I personally never struggle with lengthy albums if it's something I love, but I can see how the Madrost album would be more manageable for most people, due to being roughly half as long, thus easier to put on repeat.) The truth is, both bands are obviously really talented, and we each just happen to prefer certain aspects of one over the other, which is expected. I obviously think I would have liked Madrost more if I had simply seen them recommended as a great thrash band, instead of as being better than Vektor, but again, that's kinda my own fault for letting a review set my expectations, and who knows if I ever would discovered them without seeing your review? So in the long run, your review was still helpful to me, even if it initially triggered me a bit, because after a couple listens I stopped letting my opinion get in the way and just enjoyed the album for what it is. 

So yeah, I admit I overacted a bit, as I'm prone to do, but let's just agree that the Madrost album is an awesome surprise, and definitely one of the best thrash releases in recent years.

Which is ultimately why I rated this one higher. I respect Vektor immensely but I prefer Outer Isolation out of their albums and my comments were aimed at specifically Terminal Redux (rather than the band as a whole), which I find technically perfect yet goes a bit over the top and would likely have earned a five star from me had the band just trimmed the songs down a bit. Outer Isolation is just over 20 minutes shorter and IMO makes more impact for it. 

I get it about unfair expectations though. That wasn't my intent, and I actually went through the same thing when I first heard Terminal Redux since by the time I listened to it the album was, as I pointed out in the review, being treated like the metal event of the decade. My first impression after listening to it and being familiar with Outer isolation already was basically 'what, that's it?'

It did grow on me a lot though by sticking with it.