With Option Paralysis The Dillinger Escape Plan have crafted possibly the most diverse and interesting album of their career. Opener "Farewell, Mona Lisa" is the most obvious example of this, as it combines their trademark dissonance, technical guitar playing, and intense drum playing with Greg Puciato's diverse vocals. His clean vocals are more prevalent on this record than their previous albums, being that several songs contain his catchy yet diverse clean vocal range. All band members give great performances on this album, most notably Ben Weinman and new drummer Billy Rymer. The Dillinger Escape Plan have cemented themselves as the top band in the metalcore/avant-garde metal scene.

Meshuggah attempted to make an organic-sounding album with Koloss, and they have succeeded. Koloss sounds like it came from the heart of an ancient temple at the depths of a dark jungle. The riffs are still groovy, the drumming still spectacular, and the vocals still brutal, yet everything Meshuggah creates with this album is natural. If you're expecting the extremely technical polyrhythmic wizardry of obZen, look somewhere else. While that album could easily be compared to a factory of machines, this record is a colossal beast plodding through an untamed jungle. This album sounds fresh and new, and we experience a new, rawer side of Meshuggah with Koloss. After four years the band hasn't lost a single step; this album will remembered as a crucial point in the history of Meshuggah.

Recommended tracks: I Am Colossus, The Demon's Name Is Surveillance, Do Not Look Down, Marrow, Swarm

Brutal death metal isn't a genre I am normally a fan of, nor even accustomed to. I have never been a fan of such bands as Cannibal Corpse or suffocation; any death metal I listen to on a regular basis has some connection to prog. None So Vile, however, blows away nearly all other death metal that I have come across over the years.

This album is sheer, raw, crushing brutality. The production is of a low-enough quality to fit in with other brutal death metal albums of this style, yet crisp enough so that each instrument can be clearly heard. The guitars provide nonstop dissonant riffs; some tremolo picked, others with a fair amount of groove. Solos are also present throughout, a few adding hints of neoclassical styling. The bass is not as prevalent in the mix as it was in Blasphemy Made Flesh, but it also doesn't feel out of place as it often did on that album.

While the stringed instruments may provide the musical backbone of the band, the show is stolen by drummer Flo Mounier. Mounier essentially gives a 30-minute performance of blast beats and lightning-fast fills, resulting in what is one of the greatest metal drumming albums of all time.

The instruments of the band are brutally heavy, and Worm's vocals are no exception. Imagine the sound of a dozen chainsaws emulated through human vocal cords and you will have what Lord Worm sounds like. There may not be any 40-second screams on this album, but the diversity shown in Worm's growls, grunts, and howls is impressive. His lyrics are also of note; relatively few bands would have such "graceful" lyrics as "Pardon, please, the narrow confinement of your limbs/Unfortunately, it's necessary for your correction/Shriek to your heart's content, if you wish/I promise you pain and nightmares, in that sequence."

This is one of the most brutal albums of all time, and a landmark classic of death metal. Any fan of extreme metal should experience this aural assault at least once.

The definitive black metal album. Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is a masterpiece that will always stand as one of the greatest albums of the genre. The album contains elements typical of any black metal record, such as blast beats, tremolo riffs, and low-fi production, but there are several unique traits that set it apart from other albums of this nature.

The bass (played by Varg Vikernes, the murderer of guitarist Euronymous) is set relatively high in the mix; his octave jumps and other additional fills add an element not found in most black metal. One of my favorite aspects in this album is the diversity and uniqueness found in Attila Csihar's vocals. His vocal performance on the album is not the stereotypical black metal shriek, but rather a combination of raspy whispering and shouting. On the concluding title track, he even provides haunting clean vocals that might be found in some sick, twisted opera. Euronymous gives an amazing performance on the album, with plenty of brutal, harsh riffs and dissonant leads. He also provides cacophonous solos that only add to the frenetic atmosphere generated by his, Varg's, and drummer Hellhammer's rhythmic work.

This is one of, if not the greatest black metal album ever created (I enjoy it even more knowing it was released only four days after I was born.) If you are a fan of black metal, or are an extreme metal fan looking for a gateway into black metal, look no further. You will not be disappointed by this album.

Superunknown, while overall not Soundgarden's heaviest work, was easily the best album that the Seattle legends put out. With an eclectic mix of alternative metal and alternative rock with some experimental tracks (all with progressive elements), this is the most diverse album in the band's catalogue.

What made Superunkown, and Soundgarden in general, stand out among the other Seattle grunge bands was their obvious playing ability and musical talent. Chris Cornell's extremely large vocal range is utilized all though the album, most notably on the songs "Limo Wreck" and "The Day I Tried To Live." Cornell's lyrics deal with themes ranging from depression to drug abuse, typical of grunge bands at the Kim Thayil's heavy riffing provides the heaviest segments of the album on songs such as "Spoonman" and "4th of July." Thayil also uses unique effects and powerful melodies throughout the album, adding to Cornell's lyrics about the mysterious and unknown. He also contributes several unique and notable solos on the songs "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman", and "Like Suicide". Matt Cameron's drumming, although not in the caliber of songs like "Jesus Christ Pose" from Badmotorfinger, is still impressive, keeping a driving beat while including technical fills. Ben Shepard's bass lines are often a mix of both the guitars and drums, complementing on or both of the instruments.

Superunknown is chock full of amazing songs and includes many classics, with little or no filler. While the songs "Head Down" and "Half" may appear to be odd filler songs that did not need to be on the album, they provide a feel for what limits the band was willing to experiment to at the time. Soundgarden shows their progressive tendencies all throughout the album, with many songs in alternate time signatures and tunings, with unconventional song structures. Superunknown is a classic mix of some of the best songs that Soundgarden ever recorded, and is a perfect candidate for the greatest grunge album ever.

Recommended Songs: My Wave, Fell On Black Days, Superunknown, Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Limo Wreck, Like Suicide,