"Inferno Go-Go" is the second full-length studio album by Finnish rock/metal act Mind Riot. The album was released through Godhead Recordings in 1996. It´s the successor to "Peak" from 1995.

Mind Riot started out a death metal act but already on the 1993 "Plasma" EP they started experimenting with dissonance, unconventional songwriting ideas, and alternative rock/metal elements. They completed the transition to alternative rock/metal (with a few excursions into death´n´roll territory) on "Peak", and on "Inferno Go-Go" they´ve streamlined their sound even more. The death metal elements are now completely gone from their sound, and they´ve become less experimental. The tracks on "Inferno Go-Go" are therefore vers/chorus structured alternative rock/metal tracks delivered with great energy, pace, and conviction. It´s by far Mind Riot´s most easily accessible release.

This is designed to rock hard (and rock hard they do...) and not to make you think too much. Mind Riot have already released enough "thinking man´s metal" on their previous releases. "Inferno Go-Go" features a well sounding production job, which suits the material. It´s powerful, raw, and detailed. Upon conclusion "Inferno Go-Go" is a good quality release from Mind Riot. It´s not unique or adds much new to the scene, but it´s a well composed, well performed, and well produced album, which it´s enjoyable while it plays. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

"Peak" is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish metal act Mind Riot. The album was released through Godhead Recordings in 1995. It´s the follow-up release to the 1993 "Plasma" EP.

Right off the bat opening track "For the Spirit" introduces the odd and experimental songwriting style of Mind Riot. "Plasma" still featured some old school death metal elements, although it was an adventurous and quite unconventional death metal release, but "Peak´s" only connection to death metal is the occasional sections featuring growling vocals. Those sections can be labelled death´n´roll, but Mind Riot also more prominently play an alternative metal style and combine it with the death´n´roll elements. Clean vocals, heavy rock/metal riffs, funky moments, and odd experimental songwriting ideas are some of the elements which make up the sound of "Peak". When Mind Riot are most weird their countrymen in Waltari isn´t the worst reference.

"Peak" features a well sounding production, and you´re able to hear all instruments and vocals in the mix. So upon conclusion it´s an interesting release. I´m not sure I agree with all the odd songwriting choices, but at least Mind Riot got balls. The death metal growling should probably have been left off this release, as the death´n´roll parts disrupt the flow of the album, and they just sound out of place. The clean vocals are predominantly well performed and relatively varied in style, but sometimes they sound a little out of key, and the female vocals which occur a few times even more so.

So upon conclusion "Peak" isn´t a perfect release by any means, and it´s also difficult to point to a group of listeners who could appreciate a release as eclectic as this. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

"Schizophrenia" is a full-length studio album release by Brazilian death/thrash metal act Cavalera. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in June 2024. It´s a full re-recording of Sepultura´s October 1987 sophomore full-length studio album "Schizophrenia" plus the new original track "Nightmares of Delirium", which closes the album. Normally when the Cavalera brothers work together, they work under the Cavalera Conspiracy monicker (who have released four full-length studio albums), but they opted to release a re-recorded version of Sepultura´s November 1986 "Morbid Visions" debut full-length studio album in July 2023 under the shortened Cavalera name. The Cavalera brothers also re-recorded Sepultura´s December 1985 "Bestial Devastation" EP (or more correctly Sepultura´s part of the "Bestial Devastation / Século XX" split with Overdose). The re-recorded EP was released on the same day the the re-recorded "Morbid Visions" album. Apparently they were so satisfied with the re-recording process that they have now also opted to re-record "Schizophrenia".

The early Sepultura recordings were raw, savage, and unpolished, which are usually descriptors I would praise, but in the case of the early Sepultura recordings I always felt that something was missing, so I´m one of those who think it´s a pretty good idea to release these re-recordings (and I´m usually very much in opposition when artists do re-recordings of full releases). In the case of "Schizophrenia" it´s interesting suddenly to be able to hear all the details of the riffs and drumming, which were buried in the original mess of a sound production. The Cavalera brothers have however not destroyed the album by packing it in a polished and overproduced sound production. They have respect for the original recording, so this is still a pretty raw and hard hitting sound.

"Schizophrenia" features several powerful, fast-paced, and technically well played thrash metal tracks, and it becomes more obvious when listening to the re-recorded version of the album, that Sepultura were actually closer to the sound they would achieve on "Beneath the Remains" (1989), than what the original recording revealed. Upon conclusion this re-recording of "Schizophrenia" will divide the waters as all re-recordings do, but as written above I´m pretty satisfied with the result, and I think a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

"Phobos" is the ninth full-length studio album by Canadian metal act Voivod. The album was released through Hypnotic Records in in August 1997. It´s the successor to "Negatron" from November 1995 and it´s the second Voivod album featuring the trio lineup of Eric Forrest (lead vocals/bass), Michel "Away" Langevin (drums) and Denis "Piggy" D-Amour (guitars). It´s also the last studio album to feature Forrest, as he was seriously injured in 1998 in a car accident in Germany and subsequently left Voivod in 2000 after a longer recovery period, which saw the band questioning their continued existence. Voivod actually shortly disbanded in 2001, but reunited in 2002 with original lead vocalist Denis "Snake" Bélanger and opted to continue with the band.

Stylistically the material on "Phobos" is a continuation of the heavy, aggressive, and at times almost brutal thrash/groove (with industrial atmospheres) style of "Negatron" and in that respect it´s fair to label the two albums sibling releases. Also because they are the only albums in Voivod´s discography which feature this sound and style. Both "Negatron" and "Phobos" are vastly different in sound to anything else Voivod have released. But that doesn´t mean it´s not unmistakably the sound of Voivod, because "Phobos" (just like "Negatron") still features the dissonant riffs and organic drumming, which are signature elements of Voivod, and of course the sci-fi lyrics and imagery. Forrest is predominantly a raw screaming vocalist, but he does occasionally deliver semi-melodic or less raw vocals (not often but a few times).

So "Phobos" is another heavy, raw, and aggressive release from Voivod featuring a savage and punishing sound production, which further enhances the rawness and heaviness of the material. It´s less surprising than "Negatron" was, and maybe therefore a little less interesting (the novelty of Voivod releases something as raw and heavy as "Negatron" has worn off by now), but on the other hand the material is both well performed, well produced, and well written. Thirteen tracks (including a relatively unnecessary cover of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson and three shorter intro/interlude tracks) and a total playing time of 66:22 are a bit much though when the atmosphere and variation of the music aren´t greater than the case is here, and "Phobos" is therefore an album which could have benefitted from a culling. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is however still warranted.

"Negatron" is the eighth full-length studio album by Canadian metal act Voivod. The album was released through Hypnotic Records/Mausoleum Records in November 1995. It´s the successor to "The Outer Limits" from August 1993 and there´s been a significant lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist Denis "Snake" Bélanger has left. As the bass parts on "The Outer Limits" were recorded by session musician Pierre St-Jean, and Voivod had not found a new permanent bassist, they were now both a lead vocalist and a bassist down. Enter lead vocalist/bassist Eric Forrest who along with remaining members Michel "Away" Langevin (drums) and Denis "Piggy" D-Amour (guitars) complete the trio lineup who recorded "Negatron". Voivod would work in this trio constellation (and also release the 1997 "Phobos" album) until 1998 when Forrest was severely injured in a car accident in Germany. During his recovery period the remaining members of the band felt that they weren´t able to continue and after Forrest left in 2000, Voivod shortly disbanded in 2001.

But´s that´s of course getting way ahead of the story, as the new trio lineup in 1994/1995 was a breath of fresh air and a new start for Voivod, who did taste limited commercial success with their three preceding major label releases, but never really broke through to the mainstream. "Negatron" signals the return to a much more harder edged and aggressive style of music, and it´s probably the most heavy, angry, and punchy release from Voivod up until then. While Forrest on occasion can deliver semi-clean melodic vocals (the chorus on "Nanoman" is the best example of that), he predominantly delivers raw screaming vocals and as the riffs and rhythms are also heavy, brutal, and hard edged, Voivod have never sounded more potent. When "Negatron" was released I remember being a bit baffled by the change of musical style and if you compare the psychedelic tinged progressive metal of "The Outer Limits" with the brutal thrash/groove metal (spiced up with some industrial tinged atmospheres) assault of "Negatron" it almost sounds like it´s two different bands playing.

That´s of course not the case and if you listen a bit more closely it´s still unmistakably Voivod playing. The signature dissonant riffs are in place, and so are the organic drumming, and the sci-fi themed lyrics and image. So it´s mostly the more raw vocals and the increased heaviness of the music, which make "Negatron" a different listening experience to the earlier material by the band. "Negatron" features a raw, heavy, and punishing sounding production, and it´s the perfect sound production for the equally raw and heavy material.

The eleven tracks, 57:24 minutes long album opens with the strong trio of songs: "Insects", "Project X" and "Nanoman". The latter being the melodic highlight of the album and one of the only times Voivod sound slightly like they did on the last couple of albums. But from there the tracks become harder and harder to tell apart and remember. It´s not that the rest of the tracks are of a poor quality or anything like that and listened to individually they are actually quite enjoyable and powerful material, but as a full album listening experience there´s not enough variation between the tracks. When Voivod try something a bit different they aren´t necessarily successful either. The closing track "D.N.A (Don't No Anything)" is for example a track where Voivod go all the way into industrial metal territory and it´s quite a tedious listening experience. It´s not a good way to end an otherwise decent album and I find that I have more fond memories of "Negatron" when I simply stop the album before "D.N.A (Don't No Anything)" and imagine that "Drift" is the last track on the album.

Upon conclusion "Negatron" is another unique release in Voivod´s discography. It´s harsh, heavy, and aggressive (and not nearly as progressive as it´s direct predecessor), which may turn off some of the fans of the last couple of releases, but while the abrasive nature of the sound production, the relentless aggression of the material can be a bit hard on the ears, and the album overall lacks a bit in the variation department, it´s still overall a good quality release from Voivod, showing their most heavy and brutal side. A bit unexpected upon release but with time I´ve learned to appreciate "Negatron" more and it´s overall a nice addition to Voivod´s discography. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.