Metal Music Reviews from martindavey87

AXEL RUDI PELL Black Moon Pyramid

Album · 1996 · Heavy Metal

3.90 | 7 ratings

Released in 1996, ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ is the fifth studio album by German hard rock guitarist/band Axel Rudi Pell. It follows on from the incredibly strong ‘Between the Walls’, which marked a creative shift in the band, as the quality of writing, production and overall performances took a huge step up.

However, in all honesty, perhaps they took a slight step back with this one. It’s a solid album, don’t get me wrong, and continues in exactly the same vein as its predecessor, but there’s just nothing overly remarkable I can think of to comment on.

‘Fool Fool’, ‘Getting’ Dangerous’, ‘Hole in the Sky’, ‘Touch the Rainbow’, ‘Aquarius Dance’ and the title track itself are all good songs, displaying furious guitar virtuosity and Jeff Scott Soto’s powerful vocals that demand attention. But that’s about all I can think of worth mentioning. ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ has been on my playlist for quite a white now, and I just couldn’t figure out what to say about it. It’s a solid, hard rock record, simple as that.

5 days ago
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Report #885149

LIMP BIZKIT Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

Album · 2000 · Nu Metal

2.92 | 24 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 2000, ‘Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water’ is the third studio album by American rap rockers Limp Bizkit, who, having gained mainstream recognition with their previous outing, really stepped up the ante on this one, and produced an album that totally defined an era. Not just in music, but in pop culture.

It’s crazy to think how big this band was back in 2000, but Limp Bizkit were literally one of, if not THE, biggest band on the planet. ‘Chocolate Starfish’ produced five chart-topping singles, a memorable soundtrack to a huge, Hollywood blockbuster, the music to one of the most highly revered Wrestlemania events of all time, and had mainstream appeal thanks to cameos by hip hop superstars DMX, Xzibit and Method Man.

And in all seriousness, it holds up well to this day. I know it’s cool to hate this band, and it’s cool to hate this album… but whatever, I love it! It’s just pure energy and attitude throughout, whilst never taking itself too seriously, nor coming across as a parody. The band have a sound and style that they stick to, and don’t care what anyone thinks. Fred Durst’s lyrics are often daft, but always memorable, and Wes Borland’s unique guitar playing is taken to a whole new level here. The production is fantastic too, and this sounds as fresh and exciting as it did way back at the turn of the century.

Need proof of how awesome this is? ‘Rollin’’, ‘Take a Look Around’, ‘Boiler’, ‘My Generation’ and ‘My Way’ are all the massive anthems that everyone knows, but in their shadows are some fantastic tracks such as ‘Hotdog’, ‘The One’, ‘Getcha Groove On’ and ‘I’ll Be Ok’. This is an incredibly well put-together album. If you’re looking for something deep and introspective, this isn’t for you. Neither too serious nor too daft, this album hits all the right spots if you just want to rock without a care in the world.

8 days ago
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Report #885029

MINISTRY With Sympathy

Album · 1983 · Non-Metal

3.13 | 14 ratings

martindavey87

The 1983 debut album by industrial metal pioneers Ministry, ‘With Sympathy’, for whatever reason, was released in Europe under the name ‘Work For Love’. I don’t know why, nor do I know why the track list was rearranged, with one song even being given a new name. But what I do know, is that I’m too cheap to find a CD copy of ‘With Sympathy’, as they are very rare to find, and very expensive. While still fairly costly, ‘Work For Love’ was much more affordable.

Regardless of titles, the main thing is the music, and what a surprise I got with this one. Known for their relentless guitar riffs and jackhammer beats, this first album by Ministry is more in the vein of synth pop or new wave. It’s more of an 80’s dance album than the furiously aggressive metal I was expecting.

But you know what… it’s still pretty damn catchy!

The songs can get a bit samey, the lyrics a bit goofy, and band founder Al Jourgensen sings with a fake accent, but ultimately, they’re still pretty decent. ‘Work For Love’, ‘Do the Etawa’ (a re-titled ‘What He Say’), ‘Say You’re Sorry’, ‘Revenge’ and ‘I Wanted to Tell Her’ are all particular highlights, but in all fairness, the album is fairly short and flows quite nicely. Now… onto the heavier stuff…

8 days ago
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Report #885028

ANUBIS GATE Purification

Album · 2004 · Progressive Metal

3.31 | 17 ratings

martindavey87

Having heard a number of random tracks over the years, Anubis Gate are a band I’ve always held in pretty high regard. Typical of most European progressive metal bands, they’re not very well known, but despite remaining mostly off the grid, they’ve put out an impressive array of high-quality albums. Keen to delve properly into their discography, 2004’s debut, ‘Purification’, seemed like the best place to start.

Except it probably wasn’t.

Sadly, to my surprise, I’ve found this a very hard album to get into. I’ve had it in my playlist for what feels like forever, and I just can’t seem to really remember anything from it. Every time I play it I zone out. The playing is fantastic and there are a few rather tasty guitar riffs, likewise, vocalist Torben Askholm has a great voice that really suits the music and its themes. But the overall writing is just so dull, all the songs seem to mesh together and just plod along at the same pace, all sounding similar to each other and thus, making it impossible to really distinguish most of them.

If I had to pick out any highlights, ‘In the Comfort of Darkness’, ‘Hypernosis’ and ‘Downward Spiral’ are all decent enough, but even then, I don’t think I could sit and listen to them all the way through without losing interest. And it’s a shame, because I know this band are capable of much better than this. But overall, ‘Purification’ just does nothing for me, and it’s fortunate that I’m already familiar with some of the bands later material, otherwise, had this been my first exposure to them, I probably wouldn’t bother coming back.

9 days ago
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Report #884855

STRATOVARIUS Dreamspace

Album · 1994 · Power Metal

3.36 | 25 ratings

martindavey87

Following on from two fairly lacklustre efforts, 1994’s ‘Dreamspace’, the third studio album by Finnish power metal band Stratovarius, starts to show some early signs of the Stratovarius we’d all go on to know and love.

As before, the music is a fairly upbeat, energetic power metal, but the band are starting to incorporate some progressive elements in their song-writing, with keyboards in particular, becoming more prominent. Band leader Timo Tollki is a fantastic guitarist, and his neoclassical style of shredding is brilliant. However, while I give him credit for handling vocal duties whilst playing guitar, his singing can be a bit boring and uninspired at times.

Unlike the previous two releases, this one actually has a number of memorable songs, including ‘Abyss’, ‘Reign of Terror’, ‘Hold On to Your Dream’, ‘Chasing Shadows’, ‘Wings of Tomorrow’ and the title track itself.

Sure, some of the slower songs tend to drag, and particular mention must go to ‘Thin Ice’, which is absolutely awful, but the aforementioned tracks are all fantastic, and while ‘Dreamspace’ isn’t likely to be anyone’s favourite Stratovarius album, it’s a very confident release, and a sure-fire sign that the band are constantly improving.

9 days ago
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Report #884854

DREAM THEATER Cleaning Out The Closet (Christmas CD 1999)

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 1999 · Progressive Metal

3.54 | 8 ratings

martindavey87

‘Cleaning Out the Closet’ is a compilation album by progressive metal legends Dream Theater, released in 1999, exclusively to fan club members. It features a variety of unreleased songs and singles b-sides, most of which were recorded and intended for 1997’s ‘Falling Into Infinity’, but ended up not making the cut.

And that’s probably a good thing, too, because some of these songs can be pretty average at times. That’s not to say that they’re bad, but they were clearly left unreleased for a reason! However, a number of these have gone on to garner almost classic status. ‘To Live Forever’ has been floating around the bands live set for years, and ‘Raise the Knife’ appeared on their 2006 live album ‘Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour’.

Other notable highlights include ‘The Way It Used to Be’, ‘Cover My Eyes’ and ‘Speak to Me’. Although, in all honesty, while this compilation is decent enough, I don’t think I’d ever choose to listen to any of these songs over any of the bands official studio output. Still, if you can find it, this is worth owning if you’re a die-hard Dream Theater fan.

14 days ago
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Report #884825

DEEP PURPLE Deep Purple In Rock

Album · 1970 · Hard Rock

4.43 | 141 ratings

martindavey87

After three releases playing psychedelic rock, and one playing classical with an orchestra, it was time for Deep Purple to truly establish their identity and give us a taste of who they are. With a major line-up change and at the insistence of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the band would go down the route of a heavier, more hard rock style, and it would pay off in dividends.

Released in 1970, ‘In Rock’ would go on to become one of those classic, genre-defining albums. Along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple were laying down the foundations of heavy metal with a bigger guitar sound and a high standard of musicianship by everyone involved.

‘In Rock’ would also see the debut of vocalist Ian Gillan, who’s banshee-like wailing set the bar for metal vocalists a decade before Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford were screaming their hearts out. Giving the band a much broader and more versatile range to work with, the chemistry between Blackmore, Gillan and keyboard player Jon Lord (and everyone else, for that matter) really starts to shine through here. For the first time since their debut album, the band sound genuinely inspired and confident.

With that out of the way, I do think that perhaps you had to be there in 1970 to truly appreciate this album the most, because listening to it today, there are a number of songs I tend to skip. But the ones I don’t skip, such as ‘Black Night’, ‘Speed King’, ‘Child in Time’ and ‘Bloodsucker’, are without a doubt, Deep Purple classics. And packaged with its iconic and instantly recognisable artwork, this album is a pivotal moment in rock and metal history, and thus, belongs in everyone’s collection.

14 days ago
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Report #884824

METHODS OF MAYHEM Methods of Mayhem

Album · 1999 · Rap Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

Back in 1999, drummer Tommy Lee quit world-famous glam rockers Mötley Crüe, to embark upon a new endeavour delving into the (then) increasingly popular world of rap metal. The result was a smorgasbord of genres and guest appearances known as Methods of Mayhem.

Personally, I love rap metal. I think the worlds of metal and hip hop blend together perfectly. Both in musical terms, in attitude, and in image, the two were made for each other. And this album is a fine representation of that. With an excellent production and very polished writing, this album is nonstop adrenaline and energy.

Besides Tommy Lee, this album features the likes of Fred Durst, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim, Phil X, Chris Chaney, The Crystal Method, and Mix Master Mike. There’s a true mix-up of rockers and rappers, but somehow the album flows coherently, as though everyone is all operating under the umbrella of this being one very legit band, rather than a whole bunch of guest appearances for the sake of it.

Sadly, there are a couple of songs that are kind of passable, but for the most part, this is a solid album, and when the band get it right, damn, they really smash it out of the park! ‘Hypocritical’, ‘Who the Hell Cares’, ‘Get Naked’, ‘Proposition Fuck You’, ‘Anger Management’, ‘Narcotic’ and ‘Crash’ are all absolute bangers that make this album a more than worthy addition to any rock, metal, or hip hop collection. The only real shame is that it would be ten years until the next album.

17 days ago
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Report #884804

MEGADETH Unplugged in Boston

Live album · 2006 · Thrash Metal

2.33 | 2 ratings

martindavey87

Originally released in 2006 for fan club members, ‘Unplugged in Boston’ is a live acoustic album by thrash metal legends Megadeth, recorded in 2001 whilst touring for their album, ‘The World Needs a Hero’. While there’s nothing overly wrong with this, in all honesty, there’s nothing right with it, either. Who actually wanted to hear acoustic versions of Megadeth songs? Anyone? Didn’t think so.

Not that there’s anything bad about them, the performances are good and the sound is fine for what it is, but this is Megadeth. Some bands’ songs lend themselves well to more intimate, acoustic settings. Megadeth isn’t one of them!

At 40 minutes in duration, it’s a harmless listen, and is an acceptable addition to any Megadeth fans’ collection, but really, wouldn’t you rather listen to this songs with distorted guitars, pounding drums, and just a little bit of that Dave Mustaine attitude? I know I would.

19 days ago
1 comment
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Report #884782

CLOUDSCAPE Cloudscape

Album · 2004 · Progressive Metal

3.56 | 8 ratings

martindavey87

I’ve had this album on my playlist for quite a while now, mainly because I just couldn’t think of anything in particular to say about it! ‘Cloudscape’ is the self-titled debut album by Swedish progressive metal band, uh, Cloudscape. Released in 2004, this sounds very typical of bands in this genre, but with an emphasis on strong writing, melody, and catchy hooks.

The band members are all excellent musicians, and I particularly love the blending of melodic keyboards and heavy, crunchy guitars. And this album has that in abundance, as well as powerful vocals, interesting lyrics, and a fantastic production. There isn’t anything overly unique about this band, but that’s fine. Not every album needs to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes good music just speaks for itself.

Admittedly, with that said, at one hour in duration, the album does drag a little at times, with some of the songs sounding kind of similar to one another. But on the other hand, some of them are absolutely fantastic! ‘As the Light Leads the Way’, ‘Witching Hour’, ‘Everyday is Up to You’, ‘Under Fire’, ‘Out of the Shadows’ and ‘Slave’ are all amazingly well written songs, and should be more than enough to satisfy any progressive metal fan.

21 days ago
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Report #884768

TIME REQUIEM Time Requiem

Album · 2002 · Power Metal

3.18 | 3 ratings

martindavey87

‘Time Requiem’ is the 2002 self-titled debut album by Swedish progressive power metal band, Time Requiem. Formed by keyboard player Richard Andersson, the band plays a style very typical of progressive metal, with a strong neoclassical influence, and an emphasis on powerful vocals and fantasy-themed lyrics.

The most prominent aspect of Time Requiem’s music is shredding, and it comes in boatloads! Andersson and guitarist Magnus Nordh are absolute beasts on their instruments, furiously ripping up the chromatic scale at every opportunity. It makes for some lavishly flavoured riffs and colourful solos, but sadly it does get a little repetitive after a while.

Most of the songs are very strong and well-written, but also rely on similar tropes. At times, they sound very reminiscent of other bands, such as Symphony X, Dream Theater and Stratovarius. But if you can accept a group wearing its influences on its sleeves, then you might just enjoy tracks such as ‘Watching the Tower of Skies’, ‘Time Requiem’, ‘Milagros Charm’, ‘Visions of New Dawn’, ‘The Aphorism’ and the absolutely psychotic instrumental, ‘Brutal Mentor’.

‘Time Requiem’ can be challenging to sit through in one go, especially if you’re not keen on the sheer technicality of the music, but perseverance and repeated listens can be rewarding. Over time, the album grew on me, and while the band offers nothing new or unique, this is a very solid debut, and I’m excited to hear where things will go with future releases.

25 days ago
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Report #884698

KISS Alive!

Live album · 1975 · Hard Rock

4.36 | 31 ratings

martindavey87

‘Alive!’, released in 1975, is the first live album by legendary American rock band, KISS. It’s often cited as their best album, period, and is the definitive summary of their music and legacy on one recording. So why do I feel like it’s a bit overrated?

Barely two years into their career, it’s impressive that this is the bands fourth release, and with three albums to draw material from, there’s a wealth of songs for their live shows. The problem is I’m just not really into those first few albums.

Don’t get me wrong, I love KISS. But my love of KISS pretty much starts from what would be their next studio album and onwards (that album being the fantastic ‘Destroyer’). Yeah, the live versions of those original songs sound better, and “how KISS are meant to be heard”, but mostly, those songs still don’t really do much for me.

That’s not to say that I don’t like this album, because I do. Despite the cheesy dubbed crowd noises, there’re still some great performances on here. Songs like ‘Deuce’, ‘Strutter’, ‘Hotter Than Hell’, ‘Cold Gin’ and ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ probably sound better here than they would on their studio recordings, but then, that might also be because I rarely, if ever, listen to the studio recordings.

‘Alive!’ is no doubt regarded as a classic album, and sometimes considered one of the greatest live albums of all time, and that hyperbole may be the very reason why I feel it isn’t. I think it’s good, maybe even very good, but one of the all-time greatest? Sorry, to any KISS fans reading this, but no. Not for me. Just a “good” live album, but one that I’m not likely to listen to that often.

25 days ago
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Report #884697

EXTREME Extreme II: Pornograffitti

Album · 1990 · Funk Metal

3.95 | 40 ratings

martindavey87

‘Extreme II: Pornograffitti’ is the second album by American hair metal band, Extreme. Released in 1990, it came out at a time when there was a sense of change in the air. While grunge hadn’t yet completely taken over the world, there was certainly a feeling that a lot of the glam and party antics of the 80’s were becoming dated, which is unfortunate for this Boston quartet, as they had just released what could arguably be considered their best album.

I’ll never understand why hair metal was on such a decline back then, with energetic showmen traded for angsty introverts and flashy guitar solos traded for three chords. Perhaps people were just sick of the image of it all, or just not being able to relate to the lyrics? But regardless, the musicianship was still truly spectacular. For Extreme in particular, praise must go to guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, whose absolute ferocity on the guitar is insane, and vocalist Gary Cherone has an incredible and charismatic voice that totally fits the funky shred style of the riffs.

And I won’t leave out drummer Paul Geary and bassist Pat Badger, who are absolutely solid as a rhythm section, providing plenty of groove and funk.

There’s an absolute abundance of hits on this album, but particular highlights for me include ‘Decadence Dance’, ‘Get the Funk Out’, ‘It (‘s a Monster)’, ‘When I’m President’, the frantic shred-fest that is ‘He-Man Woman Hater’, soft ballad ‘More Than Words’ (which was actually a massive hit for the band), as well as the title track itself. But in all honesty, this album is just non-stop banger after banger, and if you can shake off the 80’s glam stigma, this is an incredible album, and an essential addition to every rock or metal collection.

29 days ago
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Report #884652

PITCHSHIFTER Industrial

Album · 1991 · Industrial Metal

2.46 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

I first got into Pitchshifter when I heard the song ‘Genius’ on the soundtrack to ‘Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’ way back in the late 90’s. I loved that song back then, and very quickly got into albums like ‘Deviant’, ‘PSI’ and ‘www.pitchshifter.com’. I enjoyed their energetic industrial style and their rebellious attitude, and these were very impressionable on a young, teenage me.

But then it came time to delve into their back catalogue and check out their debut album, and… what the hell happened here?!

Gone is the industrial energy and rebellious anthems, and in their place, is some sludgy, grimy, death metal nonsense. Not that I really have anything against sludge or death metal for the record, but I just find this album plods along at a very slow, very dull, and very repetitive rate. The incoherent vocals, indistinguishable guitar riffs and mechanical drum machines do nothing for me.

And I tried. I really did. I had this on my playlist for a little while and gave it multiple listens, but absolutely nothing is sticking. I just find myself constantly bored and wanting to listen to any one of the bands later releases, which I know they’ll go on to release some true industrial gems. So with that said, this will retire to the CD shelf, most likely to never be played again, but kept because my collector OCD dictates that it needs to stay with the rest of my Pitchshifter collection.

29 days ago
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Report #884651

CKY Volume 1

Album · 1999 · Alternative Metal

3.66 | 3 ratings

martindavey87

‘Volume 1’ is the 1999 debut album by American alternative rock band, CKY. Through their ties to the TV show Jackass (the drummer is Bam Margera’s brother), the band were synonymous with the skater scene around the turn of the century, and had somewhat major success due to a particular hit of theirs.

That hit is ’99 Quite Bitter Beings’. I have never in my life been a skater (I can’t even stand on one without getting all wobbly!), but back in my teenage years, I had a lot of friends who were skaters, and EVERY single hooded-topped, baggy-trouser-wearing one of them liked this song.

Fast forward approximately 20 years, and it’s time to dig into this album and give Camp Kill Yourself a proper chance, and I must say, I’m actually surprised how much I enjoy this album. There’s a lot of very interesting guitar riffs, emphasised even more by their choice of sound, with heavy low-ends, making for some very intriguing writing. The lyrics are mostly tongue-in-cheek, but are catchy and infectious.

Overall though, this is just a solid, hard rocking album. The instrumental work is very good and fairly unique for this kind of band, and with tracks like ‘Rio Bravo’, ‘Lost in a Contraption’, ‘Disengage the Simulator’, ‘My Promiscuous Daughter’ and of course, ’99 Quite Bitter Beings’, there’s an abundance of tasty guitar riffs and captivating ideas that makes me regret waiting so long to properly check this band out.

30 days ago
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Report #884633

ANTHRAX Among The Living

Album · 1987 · Thrash Metal

4.34 | 97 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1987, ‘Among the Living’ is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Anthrax, and is hailed by fans as one of the genres greatest albums. Much like the other members of thrash metal’s “big four” (look ‘em up if you don’t know), Anthrax were at this time, riding an upward trajectory of both creative and critical success. Their previous outing, ‘Spreading the Disease’, solidified them as one of metal’s most promising bands, and this follows on exactly from where they left off.

With the same line-up of musicians, having toured and played together for a number of years now, it’s no surprise that everyone is firing on all cylinders here. The twin-guitar assault sounds even tighter than before, with rapid-fire thrash riffs that refuse to slow down. The bands tongue-in-cheek approach is here in spades, in particular with vocalist Joey Belladonna’s performances, sometimes serious, oftentimes humorous, all the time impressive. All the ingredients for a great Anthrax record are here.

The production sounds good for its time, though nothing overly remarkable, it sounds pretty much as you’d expect an 80’s thrash album to sound, and it holds up well to this day. With fist-pumping anthems such as ‘I Am the Law’, ‘Indians’, ‘Caught in a Mosh’, ‘Among the Living’ and ‘Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)’, there’s an abundance of Anthrax classics here, helping make ‘Among the Living’ an essential album that belongs in every metal fans collection.

33 days ago
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Report #884595

AEROSMITH Aerosmith

Album · 1973 · Hard Rock

3.61 | 38 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1973, ‘Aerosmith’ is the self-titled debut album by American hard rockers, Aerosmith. Showcasing a young band with a whole bundle of confidence and potential, this is hard rock in a similar vein to bands such as KISS, AC/DC or The Rolling Stones. No gimmicks here though, just solid songwriting and loads of energy.

The production on this album is good for its time, and holds up well. Vocalist Steven Tyler isn’t hitting the high notes like he does in later years, not yet anyway, but you can certainly hear the passion and charisma in his voice. The bands sound is still pretty grounded in the blues, having not taken on that harder edge just yet. But again, it’s all good, and we all know what’s coming over the next few years. Or decades.

Overall, this is just a good, solid rock album. At barely 36 minutes in duration, ‘Aerosmith’ absolutely flies by, and tracks like ‘Make It’, ‘Mama Kin’, ‘Walkin’ the Dog’ and early, huge hit for the band, ‘Dream On’, make it a worthy addition to any hard rock collection.

33 days ago
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Report #884594

FAITH NO MORE Live At The Brixton Academy

Live album · 1991 · Alternative Metal

3.17 | 14 ratings

martindavey87

As far as live albums go, ‘Live At the Brixton Academy’ can only be rated as “okay”. Released in 1991, this comes off of the success Faith No More had with previous studio outing ‘The Real Thing’. You can certainly feel the energy radiating from the band, with confident and charismatic performances, especially by vocalist Mike Patton, but sadly, the sound is far from brilliant, and as such, I think most fans are better off just listening to the studio albums.

There’s also not really much here to entice repeated listens. They play the songs, the crowd applause, Mike Patton says something, onto the next song. The set list is pretty good, with all the major hits present, but again, overall, there’s just nothing particularly memorable about this disc.

One best kept for die-hard Faith No More fans. And even then, I doubt many of them listen to it that often.

37 days ago
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Report #884543

FAITH NO MORE The Real Thing

Album · 1989 · Funk Metal

3.97 | 90 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1989, ‘The Real Thing’ is the third studio album by alternative metal band Faith No More, and is notable for being the first to feature vocalist Mike Patton. With former frontman Chuck Mosley gone, it’s the addition of Patton that helped the Californian’s truly find their sound and establish themselves as a huge name in the rock and metal world. A certain hit single didn’t hurt, either.

Further pushing the boundaries of where they could take their music, Faith No More’s chemistry as a band really started to pay dividends here. Blending metal, funk, and even pop and disco elements, with a variety of singing, rapping and growling, the band really hit a creative high with their unique sound and unique singer.

Of course, the main focal point of ‘The Real Thing’ is arguably the bands most well-known song and their biggest hit, ‘Epic’. A song that still garners endless radio rotation to this day! Along with ‘Epic’, there are other great tracks, such as the energetic ‘From Out of Nowhere’, the funky ‘Falling to Pieces’, the heavy ‘Surprise! You’re Dead!’ or the title track itself. Though, I must admit I do feel halfway through the album there’s a decline in quality. While the songs are easy enough to sit through, I generally find them quite passable.

Still, overall, this album is regarded as a classic, and rightfully so. It really put Faith No More on the map as mainstream superstars for a short time, and while their brief flirtation with commercial music wouldn’t last long, this record still holds up pretty well to this day, and definitely belongs in the collection of every rock and metal fan.

37 days ago
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Report #884542

DEF LEPPARD On Through The Night

Album · 1980 · NWoBHM

3.70 | 41 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1980, ‘On Through the Night’ is the debut album by legendary British metal band, Def Leppard. It thrust the Sheffield rockers into the upper echelon of what was known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and along with bands such as Iron Maiden and Saxon, helped revitalise the stagnating metal genre and carry it into the 80’s, where it would reach all new heights of success and popularity.

This however, is a very different band to the one that would become worldwide megastars just a few years later. Switching stadium anthems for a more traditional heavy metal sound, the writing here is raw, but the energy and passion amongst the members is very palpable. From one intense hard rocker to the next, this album doesn’t let up with its blistering, nonstop guitar riffs and early precursors to what will become the bands trademark sing-along choruses.

Highlights include some early Def Lep classics, such as ‘Rock Brigade’, ‘Rocks Off’, ‘Hello America’, ‘It Could Be You’, ‘Sorrow is a Woman’ and ‘Answer to the Master’, each one giving us a taste of what this band is truly capable of. With a great production and its iconic cover art, there’s no doubting this is a solid debut album, and while it may not be the bands best or most famous work, it’s still a worthy addition to any rock or metal collection.

42 days ago
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Report #884512

DEICIDE Deicide

Album · 1990 · Death Metal

3.95 | 33 ratings

martindavey87

‘Deicide’ is the 1990 self-titled debut album by Florida-based death metal band, Deicide. I can admit prior to listening to this, that I’m not the biggest death metal fan. I’ve dabbled in it here and there, but mostly find it just too aggressive. But over my years of dipping my feet in the water, there’s been a handful of bands that I “didn’t mind”.

Decide is one of them.

Well, at least, I thought they were. Because this, their debut album, does nothing for me.

I’ve given it multiple spins, hoping that something will catch on, but it’s just not happening. Glen Benton and his motley crew are all more than competent musicians, but none of these songs stick with me. Just endless, mind-numbing guitar riffs that offer nothing other than the usual chugging away on the bottom string, with guttural, aggressive death metal vocals to boot.

I’m sure Deicide were one of those bands I “didn’t mind” for a reason. Maybe they just needed time to evolve, mature or develop their sound a bit more. Perhaps, rather than reviewing their albums in chronological order, I’ll pick something from a few years later, when they’ve established themselves and “found their groove” so-to-speak. Or perhaps I should just put the death metal down and go back to listening to some Yes or Nickelback.

Sorry Decide fans. This one’s just not for me.

42 days ago
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Report #884511

PAPA ROACH Getting Away With Murder

Album · 2004 · Alternative Metal

2.50 | 6 ratings

martindavey87

After 2000’s hugely successful ‘Infest’, and it’s follow-up, 2002’s ‘Lovehatetragedy’, Papa Roach, like many, shifted their sound away from the dying nu metal subgenre, and became more grounded in hard rock or post grunge (or whatever style all the nu metal bands became once the fad died down). It was around this time that I lost touch with Papa Roach, a result of my own musical tastes changing, so I was keen to revisit these superstars from my teenage years to see what they’ve been up to since I left off.

‘Getting Away With Murder’ sees Papa Roach do away with a lot of the metal elements in their music, with the most notable being that the guitars don’t quite sound as edgy or aggressive. There’s less focus on rapping vocals, and the lyrical content itself is nowhere near as bleak or angst-ridden as before. The songs are a lot more poppy and radio-friendly, with vocalist Jacoby Shaddix displaying more singing ability than he’d done on previous releases.

But none of this is a detriment. Sure, it’s not quite the same Papa Roach that caught everyone’s attention by ‘cutting their life into pieces’, but there’s still some good, well-written rock songs that show a band maturing and evolving. I might have been disgusted at this change back in 2004, but now, I can see it for what it is. And I’m glad to be making up for lost time.

‘Take Me’, ‘Getting Away With Murder’, ‘Scars’, ‘Blood (Empty Promises)’ and ‘Be Free’ (which features an amazing vocal performance) are all great radio rock songs that demonstrate the band changing with the times whilst still maintaining a high quality of writing. And while ‘Getting Away…’ is far from their best work, it’s still a solid album which definitely has its share of unforgettable tracks.

43 days ago
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Report #884506

KAMELOT One Cold Winter's Night

Live album · 2006 · Power Metal

4.29 | 8 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 2006, ‘One Cold Winter’s Night’ is a live album by progressive power metal band Kamelot, recorded earlier in the year whilst touring in support of their absolute masterpiece, ‘The Black Halo’.

Coming off of the success of their most highly revered and ambitious release, it should come as no surprise that everyone in the band is in peak form here. The playing is absolutely fantastic by everyone, and you can really sense how energised and passionate the band members are. Praise in particular to vocalist Roy Khan, who is just blasting each song as heard on their studio counterpart note-for-note.

The set list, as you’d expect, is stellar, featuring pretty much every major fan favourite, with plenty of focus given to material from ‘The Black Halo’, ‘Karma’ and ‘Epica’. Oh, and speaking of Epica, there’s a guest appearance by Simone Simons, giving us a spine-tingling duet with Khan for ‘The Haunting’.

With a crystal-clear sound, excellent set-list and unforgettable performances, this really is a remarkable live album, which truly belongs in every Kamelot fans collection.

49 days ago
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Report #884425

THE BLACK MAGES The Black Mages III: Darkness And Starlight

Album · 2008 · Progressive Metal

2.14 | 3 ratings

martindavey87

The Black Mages is an instrumental progressive metal band formed by Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu, renowned for his work on the Final Fantasy video games. While I’ve never actually played the games, I can appreciate video game music, and consider the Black Mages’ first album an absolute masterpiece. Their second album was a very strong follow-up, and so it’s unfortunate that their third album falls a bit flat.

Released in 2008, Uematsu and his motley crew had 21 years of video game lineage to take inspiration from, but with their third release, ‘Darkness and Starlight’, I think it just goes to show that what works as background music in a video game doesn’t necessarily work as a metal song.

And it’s a shame, because in theory, this isn’t much different than the previous two albums, except the magic just isn’t there anymore. The excitement and energy that made the first album so fantastic seems missing, like they’re just going through the motions now.

The playing and production, as always, is exceptional, and there’s a few highlights, including ‘Opening: Bombing Mission’, ‘Neo Exdeath’, ‘Distant Worlds’, ‘Assault On the Silver Dragon’ and closing track ‘Life (in Memory of Keiten)’, but in all honesty, these songs are still fairly passable, and I’d much rather just listen to either of the previous two records. In addition, the only vocals on this album feature in the title track, a 15-minute Japanese prog metal opera, which, I might add, is one of the most horrendously boring and long-winded songs I think I’ve ever heard.

Overall, this isn’t a terrible album, but I really think at this point the band has used up all the best ideas from the franchise, and since they called it a day shortly after, I think they knew that too.

50 days ago
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Report #884417

NIGHTWISH Century Child

Album · 2002 · Power Metal

3.62 | 34 ratings

martindavey87

After a slow and steady upwards trajectory over the course of three releases, it seems that with 2002’s ‘Century Child’, their fourth studio album, Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish have refined their sound, and taken a huge step up in both critical and commercial success.

Treading the thin line between power metal and symphonic metal, the band have really hit their stride with this album, sounding more inspired and more confident than ever. With a strong emphasis on the symphonic and operatic elements, as well as additional male vocals to compliment Tarja Turunen’s voice, ‘Century Child’ has a much more well-rounded sound than its predecessors.

With great instrumental performances and an excellent production that really gives the music a rich, vibrant sound, there really aren’t many faults with this release, other than a couple of filler tracks, it’s all pretty stellar.

And with some absolute bangers such as ‘Dead to the World’, ‘End of All Hope’, ‘Bless the Child’, ‘Slaying the Dreamer’, the underrated ‘Feel For You’ and the obligatory symphonic metal band cover of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Century Child’ displays a band who have really established themselves as one of the top bands of their genre, and is an album that belongs in every metal fans collection.

51 days ago
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Report #884407

NINE INCH NAILS Pretty Hate Machine

Album · 1989 · Non-Metal

3.71 | 37 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1989, ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ is the debut album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Mostly written and recorded by singer and instrumentalist Trent Reznor during down-time whilst working at a studio, it would become an influential and pivotal album in the early days of industrial rock, and in particular, industrial metal.

Seemingly years ahead of its time, ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ sees a blend of rock and electronic elements fused to create a very harsh, gritty and bleak-sounding album. The angst-ridden vocals convey despair and anguish, while atmospheric keyboards create moods of desperation and isolation. This album is heavy, yet danceable!

With early hits including the infectious ‘Head Like a Hole’, ‘Terrible Lie’, ‘Sin’, ‘Kinda I Want To’, ‘Sanctified’ and ‘Down in It’, there is no shortage of potential here, and it’s easy to hear that even on early releases, you know that Nine Inch Nails are destined for bigger things.

57 days ago
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Report #884131

RUSH Caress of Steel

Album · 1975 · Hard Rock

3.84 | 97 ratings

martindavey87

I knew early into my love affair with Rush that I was mainly a fan of their 80’s synth-heavy era. As a long-time prog fan, I gravitated to albums like ‘Grace Under Pressure’, ‘Moving Pictures’ and ‘Signals’. That’s not to say I disliked the bands more hard rock material, I just had a firm belief of what my preferences were. So, going through the bands discography from the start, 1974’s self-titled debut is a solid hard rocker that holds up today, but after that, it’s been all downhill so far.

1975’s ‘Fly By Night’ didn’t really do much for me, and sadly, neither does this, the bands third studio album, ‘Caress of Steel’.

Which is a shame, because Rush are one of my favourite bands, and the trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have created some absolutely stellar albums over the years. But there’s just nothing about this one that clicks with me. There’s a couple of decent tracks, such as ‘Bastille Day’ and ‘I Think I’m Going Bald’, but I’m really not likely to listen to any of these by choice.

And to top it off, the Canadian’s make their first foray into full-on progressive rock territory, with two tracks reaching durations of almost 13 and 20 minutes respectively, but holy hell these tracks are boring! I absolutely struggle to keep listening without losing interest, oftentimes forgetting it’s even the same song I’m listening to.

And sadly, that’s ‘Caress of Steel’. As much as I love Rush, this album just isn’t resonating with me, and since their next studio album is a firm, prog classic, I think it’s time to move on to that one…

2 months ago
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Report #883993

DEMONS & WIZARDS Demons & Wizards

Album · 2000 · US Power Metal

3.69 | 21 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1999, ‘Demons & Wizards’ is a power metal collaboration between Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth, and Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian. Any band featuring two such prominent names within the power metal community could be amazing, and this SHOULD be amazing, but sadly, it fails to live up to its full potential, leaving us with something that sounds exactly as you’d expect; Iced Earth music with Blind Guardian vocals.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the problem is that this is just so damn average. There’s plenty of high-energy metal thrashing, galloping guitar riffs, epic orchestrations and Gregorian chants (like, who asked for these?), but amongst all of that, there’s only a number of truly memorable songs.

There’s no doubting that tracks like ‘Heaven Denies’, ‘Poor Man’s Crusade’, ‘My Last Sunrise’, and ‘Fiddler On the Green’ have all the makings of power metal classics. But the rest, well, they’re all pretty forgettable. And it’s a huge shame, because this had the potential to be an absolutely classic album, but sadly, for whatever reason, it’s not.

2 months ago
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Report #883988

RED CIRCUIT Haze of Nemesis

Album · 2014 · Progressive Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

‘Haze of Nemesis’ is the third album by German progressive metal band Red Circuit. It was released in 2014, five years after its predecessor, and follows on exactly where the band left off, with plenty of explosive, high-energy tracks, centred around massive sounding guitar riffs, atmospheric keyboards and the incredibly powerful voice of renowned Sri Lankan singer, Chity Somapala.

Unlike the bands previous two outings though, ‘Haze…’ does seem a bit samey after a while. That’s not to say it’s bad, but this sounds almost identical to everything the band has done before, and the seeming lack of variety does get a repetitive.

Still, it’s not all bad, as there are some absolute bangers here. ‘Oceans Apart’, ‘My Lonely Heaven’, ‘Serpent’s Smile’, ‘Believing a Lie’ and a cover of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Digging in the Dirt’ are all fantastic reasons to give this album a chance. And with a great production that really makes every song sound absolutely huge, there’s no denying that, although the band stick to their established formula, they do it very well. So why change what isn’t broken?

2 months ago
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Report #883987

KISS Rock And Roll Over

Album · 1976 · Hard Rock

3.74 | 32 ratings

martindavey87

‘Rock and Roll Over’ is the fifth studio album by legendary American rockers KISS. Impressively, it’s their sixth release (including a live album) within two and a half years, and follows on from ‘Destroyer’, an album that quite literally changed my life. However, impressive feats aside, this is very much KISS, by-the-numbers.

That’s not to say this isn’t a good album, in fact, this is oftentimes considered by fans to be one of their most popular releases. And after the creative peak of ‘Destroyer’ and the success of 1975’s ‘Alive’, KISS were really on top of the world. But for me personally, I guess when you’ve heard one KISS song, you’ve heard them all, it’s just a matter of how many of them I like. And while ‘Rock and Roll Over’ has its fair share of great tunes, it also has a number of fillers.

Tracks like ‘I Want You’, ‘Take Me’, ‘Calling Dr. Love’, ‘Hard Luck Woman’ (which could easily be a Rod Stewart song) and ‘Ladies Room’ sees the classic line-up of Stanley, Simmons, Frehley and Criss at their sleazy best, coming out with such gems as “put your hand in my pocket, grab hold of my rocket”, but hey, that’s what we expect from KISS, and on that, they deliver.

Overall though, while ‘Rock and Roll Over’ is a decent enough album, and with a duration of barely 32 minutes, it’s not exactly difficult to sit through. It’s just that I think there’s much better KISS albums out there. But still, this is KISS in a nutshell, and if you’re a fan of the band, then this is certainly a worthy addition to the collection.

2 months ago
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Report #883933

MAGNUM Chase The Dragon

Album · 1982 · Hard Rock

4.14 | 12 ratings

martindavey87

Back in 2002, I had a sampler CD with an issue of Classic Rock magazine, upon which there was a song on there that had a beautiful piano intro, followed by some dramatic but powerful vocals, and plenty of big, epic guitar riffs. That song was ‘Sacred Hour’, and it introduced me to British AOR band, Magnum.

Admittedly, I’ve never been the biggest Magnum fan, and they’ve only ever been a small blip on my musical radar. After checking out their discography, I found their first album to be a pleasant surprise, though its follow-up, the creatively-titled ‘Magnum II’, was pretty disappointing. So it’s good to hear that with their third album, 1982’s ‘Chase the Dragon’, the band are back on track.

Following in the same vein as their previous outings, the British quintet don’t stray too far from their established formula, mixing classic hard rock and progressive rock elements, with plenty of keyboard-driven riffs mixed in with a healthy dose of pomp and cheese. This is top notch dad rock at its finest.

The songs here are pretty solid, and the musical performances are of a high standard, in particular, vocalist Bob Catley is really belting it at times, and guitarist Tony Clarkin and keyboardist Mark Stanway have excellent chemistry together. The production is also very good, though very typical I suppose, of 80’s hard rock.

With highlights such as ‘Soldier of the Line’, ‘The Spirit’, ‘The Teacher’, bonus track ‘Down to Earth’, and the aforementioned rock ballad ‘Sacred Hour’, ‘Chase the Dragon’ is just a straight-up good album. I’m sure the band will improve with later releases, but this is none-the-less a worthy addition to the collection.

2 months ago
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Report #883901

PEARL JAM Ten

Album · 1991 · Heavy Alternative Rock

4.22 | 78 ratings

martindavey87

‘Ten’ is the debut album by hard rock band Pearl Jam. It was released in 1991, during grunge’s heyday, and with the help of a number of hit singles, it sold in its millions, rocketing the Seattle band to superstardom, and becoming one of the most influential bands (and albums) of the early 90’s.

But for all the accolades and praise this album receives, I find it to be more of a mixed bag. The first half in particular, are all absolute bangers, and arguably some of the bands best material, as well as some of the most famous rock songs to come out of the first half of the decade. But the rest, well… they’re not terrible… but they’re not overly exciting either.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad, and the album as a whole still flows quite nicely. But the first half gives you the likes of ‘Evenflow’, ‘Once’, ‘Alive’, ‘Why Go’, ‘Black’, and of course, mega hit ‘Jeremy’, basically, some of the best hard rock songs of their time. The second half just feels like background music. A lot of the energy and grungy angst is gone, and replaced by what feels like chilled out, elevator music. Special mention to funky bonus track ‘Dirty Frank’, while slightly unusual, is embarrassingly catchy!

Overall though, the good on this album outweighs the bad, making this an all-round solid debut. Its status as one of the all-time greatest might be slightly hyperbolic, but yet, it HAS held up for all these years, and despite the filler tracks, it’s still fairly easy to listen to all the way through.

2 months ago
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Report #883899

FOZZY Boombox

Album · 2022 · Heavy Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

‘Boombox’ is the eighth studio album by American hard rockers Fozzy. Released in 2022 and coming off of the huge success of their 2017 release, ‘Judas’, the band, who have been on a constant upward trajectory since their 1999 conception, have played it pretty safe with this one, and followed in the same vein as their previous album.

The brainchild of wrestling superstar Chris Jericho (the best in the world at what he does), and Stuck Mojo mastermind (and my hetero man-crush) Rich Ward, I don’t think anyone back in 1999 would have expected the band to still be around doing this as long as they have been. But they’ve overcome comedy cover band antics, being named after one of the Muppets, and being more than simply “Chris Jericho’s band” to become a very legit, very authentic group of musicians.

But while the last few albums have been absolute bangers, it feels with ‘Boombox’ the songs just aren’t all up to par. And I don’t mean that to sound horrible (and I don’t want to make the list!!!), because Fozzy are one of my all-time favourite bands! Literally every album they’ve released has been of exceptional quality, and while this one certainly has its moments, I do find myself preferring to go back to any of their previous outings instead.

Still, the likes of ‘Sane’, ‘Nowhere to Run’, ‘I Still Burn’, ‘My Great Wall’ and ‘Purifier’ are all remarkable songs, and with an excellent production and a pretty sick sleeve artwork, this is still a very solid album. And while it may not their best, it’s still definitely worth owning for rock and metal fans, and plenty worthy of the name Fozzy.

2 months ago
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Report #883810

METALLICA Fan Can 2

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 1997 · Thrash Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

Amidst the live albums and endless bootlegs, singles b-sides and bonus tracks, there are absolutely countless numbers of live recordings and releases by Metallica. And ‘Fan Can #2’ is literally no different than the thousands of others.

Seeing as this was exclusive to fan club members, meant to be a limited collectors item, don’t expect the most definitive track list of all time. We get the likes of ‘One’, ‘Fade to Black’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’, a portion of ‘Master of Puppets’ as well as a mistake-laden ‘King Nothing’, which the band jokingly start again after messing up the intro, but by 1997, you know that any Metallica live release that fits on one disc is going to take a few shortcuts.

Overall, this is a nice little collectable for fans though. Sadly I don’t have the accompanying VHS, only the CD, and it’s not likely I’ll ever go back to listen to it. But regardless, it’s still a worthy addition to the collection.

2 months ago
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Report #883809

BLIND GUARDIAN The Forgotten Tales

Boxset / Compilation · 1996 · Power Metal

3.59 | 13 ratings

martindavey87

‘The Forgotten Tales’ is a 1996 compilation album by German power metal band Blind Guardian. Rather than a retrospective look over their five-album career (at that point), this gathers up all the loose ends, in particular, singles b-sides and bonus tracks from various different releases, but of course, there’s a number of new recordings too. Varying from covers, acoustic renditions and live recordings, it’s quite a mixed bag, but it’s very definitely Blind Guardian through and through.

The covers in particular, are all pretty fantastic. Paying homage to the likes of the Beach Boys, Mike Oldfield, Queen, Little Richard and Uriah Heep, these are unlikely artists to cover, but the Germans have stamped their sound all over them, and truly made these songs their own.

There are also live and orchestral versions of some Blind Guardian classics, and again, these work wonderfully. Especially considering the themes of the music, they really add a new depth to the bands writing and ability to tell stories.

Overall, this might be a bit hit-or-miss for casual listeners, but for die-hard Blind Guardian fans this is an absolute treat. Tracks like ‘Surfin’ USA’, ‘Mr. Sandman’, ‘Barbara Ann’ and ‘To France’, as well as new renditions of ‘Bright Eyes’, ‘Mordred’s Song’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ are all excellent reasons to get this album. And while the band would delve into more ambitious, progressive territory after this release, this works as a great bookend at that point of their career.

2 months ago
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Report #883774

LINKIN PARK Somewhere I Belong

Single · 2003 · Nu Metal

2.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

The lead single off the bands second release, ‘Meteora’, ‘Somewhere I Belong’ reassured us all that Linkin Park could indeed follow up their debut with another fantastic album. Beautiful verse melodies, great vocals, catchy lyrics, this is a great song, and helped the bands second album go on to become arguably the peak of nu metal.

I rate it two though, simply because CD singles are obsolete, and as much as I like ‘Step Up’ and ‘My December’, I’ve lost count of how many singles and EP’s I have with some version or another of these songs on them.

2 months ago
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Report #883456

NIRVANA Bleach

Album · 1989 · Heavy Alternative Rock

3.21 | 30 ratings

martindavey87

Two years prior to becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet, and giving us one of the most famous and recognizable albums in history, grunge rockers Nirvana released ‘Bleach’, their 1989 debut.

While it’s noticeable that this album is much more raw and gritty than its successors, there’s no denying the quality and sincerity in the writing. The band is already laying the foundations for what’s to come, not only in their own work, but for the whole grunge scene. But sadly, underneath the solid writing and musical performances, a lot of the songs do get a bit repetitive after a few listens.

The production is pretty rough, mostly at times sounding like it was recorded by a bunch of amateurs in their garage, but then, I guess that’s what appealed to a lot of grunge fans. It’s not too overproduced or polished, and I guess it suits the grittiness of the music. And while the record feels a bit samey after a few songs, I suppose there are a number of highlights worth mentioning. ‘Blew’, ‘About a Girl’, ‘Mr. Moustache’ and ‘School’ are all pretty decent tracks. But in all honesty, I don’t think I’ll ever really go out of my way to listen to any of them.

As a whole, ‘Bleach’ isn’t a bad album, I just don’t think it’s particularly memorable either. It’s clear to see what direction Nirvana were going in, and how they would have stood out in the late 80’s music scene amongst all the rock and pop acts. But ‘Bleach’ just isn’t for me. And since their next output will become one of the most famous albums in history, I think I’ll just listen to that instead.

2 months ago
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Report #883455

NIGHTWISH Wishmaster

Album · 2000 · Power Metal

3.68 | 50 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 2000, ‘Wishmaster’ is the third album by Finnish symphonic metal band, Nightwish. It comes two years after its predecessor, ‘Oceanborn’, and pretty much continues in the same vein. At this point the band was just beginning to break into the mainstream, and it’s easy to see that the strength and quality of their writing was garnering them a bigger and better reputation with metal fans.

The musicianship on this album is fantastic, with particular praise going to keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. The chemistry between these two is exceptional, with plenty of intense guitar riffs and a flurry of complex keyboard melodies blending together with ease. And amidst it all, singer Tarja Turenen’s operatic vocals suit the style of music perfectly.

‘The Kinslayer’, ‘She is My Sin’ and the title track, ‘Wishmaster’, are all absolutely fantastic songs, and could easily rate as some of my Nightwish favourites, and the rest of the album is filled out nicely with the likes of ‘Crownless’, ‘Fantasmic’ and ‘Wanderlust’. Other than one or two fillers, the album flows effortlessly.

Overall, this is a strong follow-up to ‘Oceanborn’, and a step in the right direction for the band, and although it may not be Nightwish’s best album, there’s some very strong tracks that make this an album worth owning.

2 months ago
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Report #883420

KORN Korn

Album · 1994 · Nu Metal

3.50 | 43 ratings

martindavey87

By 1994, metal in the mainstream was dead. Grunge had taken over, and other than a select few torch-bearers keeping the flame alive, most metal bands had either gone underground, gone grunge, or simply gone away. Then a band from Bakersfield, California came along, and changed all of that.

There’s no denying the impact Korn had on the metal genre. They were ahead of their time, and pioneered what would become nu metal, thus given heavy music a lifeline and appealing to a whole new audience. Their sound captured the angst, moodiness and self-loathing of grunge, but combined with the heaviness and attitude of metal.

But listening to this today, damn, this hasn’t aged well!

Back during my teenage years, I, like many newcomers to the metal and rock genre, loved Korn! They were edgy, dangerous and exciting, and any school kid who was bullied, felt rejected or left out could relate to them. Their low-end guitar riffs, percussive rhythm and Jonathan Davis’ unique blend of singing, shouting, rapping and scatting (is that what it’s called?) were totally unique! And that album cover is still as striking and eerie as it was back in 1994.

But listening to ‘Korn’ today, I’m surprised how quickly I got bored by it. Sure, it’s got classics such as ‘Clown’, ‘Shoots and Ladders’, and of course, ‘Blind’, with its famous opening line. But honestly, I really struggled to sit through this all the way. Every song just sounds the same and plods along. And I know that’s kind of common for most Korn albums, but I just seem to remember loving this when I younger. I guess I’m just not that young anymore. Sorry guys…

2 months ago
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Report #883419

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Freaky Styley

Album · 1985 · Non-Metal

3.48 | 14 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1985, ‘Freaky Styley’ is the second album by funk rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and follows on from their 1984 self-titled debut. I didn’t really like that album, although there was nothing in particular that I disliked, it was just a case that none of the songs did anything for me. So going into this one, I had literally no expectations, and that was probably the best thing I could have done. Because as it turns out, I was in for a pleasant surprise!

The band is still completely “out there”, but the songwriting here has improved vastly, and while I thought their previous outing was a completely incoherent mess of an album, everything here flows really well. There is a palpable energy, with every song displaying non-stop enthusiasm and excitement. Perhaps it’s the drugs, or perhaps just the sheer passion these guys share. Either way, you can tell this is a band having fun. The musicianship here is exceptional, with particular praise to bassist Flea, who really brings the funk elements, and vocalist Anthony Kiedis, whos blend of rapping and singing brings out his tongue-in-cheek humour and in-your-face attitude.

With highlights including ‘Nevermind’, ‘American Ghost Dance’, ‘Jungle Man’, ‘Catholic School Girls Rule’ and the ridiculous ‘Sex Rap’, this is a massive step up in quality for the Chili Peppers. While much better things are to come, ‘Freak Styley’ is raw, dirty, and full of boundless energy, making it a pure joy to listen to.

2 months ago
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Report #883394

DREAM THEATER Taste the Memories (International Fan Clubs CD 2002)

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 2002 · Progressive Metal

3.12 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

‘Taste the Memories’ is an album by progressive metal pioneers Dream Theater, released in 2002 by the bands official fanclub. It features a number of live tracks from two different shows in Japan, taking place in 1992 and 1993, as well as an early studio version of the bands first major epic, ‘A Change of Seasons’.

The sound quality and performances are very good, and the band are still fairly young here, meaning that, in particular, James LaBrie’s voice has yet to be ravaged by time and age. And the track list features a number of early hits, including ‘Take the Time’, ‘Under a Glass Moon’, ‘Only a Matter of Time’ and ‘To Live Forever’, as well as an interesting live jam titled ‘Moon Bubbles’.

Dream Theater have released much, much better live albums over the years though, and the only thing here that might appeal to fans is ‘Moon Bubbles’ and a weird, live jam of the ‘Mission: Impossible‘ theme. Overall, ‘Taste the Memories’ is a decent enough CD, but definitely one to leave to the die-hard collectors.

2 months ago
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Report #883393

IRON MAIDEN No Prayer For The Dying

Album · 1990 · Heavy Metal

3.00 | 133 ratings

martindavey87

Iron Maiden’s eighth studio album, 1990’s ‘No Prayer For the Dying’, takes the band into the 90’s scratching and clawing against shifting trends and fashions. Following on from what is arguably one of their most popular releases, ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’, the band step away from dabbling in prog territory, and go back to more standard heavy metal. Yeah, the early 90’s weren’t great for metal bands, but Maiden sure weren’t going down without a fight!

It should be noted that by this point, vocalist Bruce Dickinson was not enjoying Maiden as much as he use to, and guitarist Adrian Smith had left the band prior to this, to be replaced by Janick Gers. I’m not really sure how much bearing this has on the writing though, as, personnel issues aside, this is still a very typical Iron Maiden album, and fans of the band will know what to expect.

The production and song-writing is pretty much the same as before. The guitar playing is fantastic as always, and Steve Harris’ formidable galloping style gives the album an almost palpable energy. However, having gone back to their more traditional metal sound, the songs themselves are of varying quality. While there are some absolutely fantastic tracks, there’s a fair few filler ones too.

But the good tracks? Damn, these are excellent! ‘Holy Smoke’, ‘No Prayer For the Dying’, album closer ‘Mother Russia’ and arguably one of the bands best tracks, with an exceptional vocal performance by Dickinson, ‘Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter’, are all reasons why, despite Maiden’s (and metals) waning popularity at the time, this is still a solid album, and a worthy addition to any collection.

2 months ago
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Report #883370

DREAMSCAPE End of Silence

Album · 2004 · Progressive Metal

3.11 | 6 ratings

martindavey87

I fell in love with this band after hearing their 2005 release ‘Revoiced’, a compilation of tracks from their first two albums, re-recorded with then-current vocalist Roland Stoll. Yeah, you could get away with calling it “generic progressive metal”, but whatever, I think it’s fantastic, regardless. So going back through the bands discography, the first two albums were pretty good. Nothing amazing, but certainly worth owning. I think with ‘Revoiced’ they definitely picked out the best tracks both had to offer. Which brings us to their third studio album, 2004’s ‘End of Silence’, and the verdict is not good.

I do really like this band, and I wanted to give this a fair chance, but it’s been on my playlist for well over a year now (maybe even two), and it’s just not working! I’m struggling to really get into it. The musicianship is fantastic, the production is great, everything is as it should be. Except… well, the songs are pretty boring.

Of the nine tracks, there’s only two that I like, or that I can even recall for that matter, and that’s ‘Short-Time News’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’. Both have some nice melodies and vocal lines, but overall, are still pretty passable. I don’t know what I’m missing. It just feels like everything else plods along at the same pace, with nothing overly interesting happening. Just a horrible, sludgy mess of some poorly executed prog metal ideas.

Sorry Dreamscape. Think I’m going to skip this one and listen to ‘Revoiced’.

3 months ago
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Report #883236

LINKIN PARK Numb

Single · 2003 · Metal Related

2.17 | 2 ratings

martindavey87

I only rate this a two because CD singles are obsolete, and there’s no point owning this unless you’re a die-hard Linkin Park collector. With that said, ‘Numb’ is probably the peak of nu metal. Instantly recognisable, it’s one of the bands biggest hits, and in all fairness, it’s a banging song. It’s easy to listen to, has fantastic vocals, and a great production. Shortly after this, nu metal’s popularity would wane, and Linkin Park would become more of a rock band than metal. And with only one b-side (on this disc, a live version of ‘From the Inside’), this is truly one for the collectors.

3 months ago
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Report #883227

JAMES LABRIE Static Impulse

Album · 2010 · Progressive Metal

3.58 | 24 ratings

martindavey87

2010’s ‘Static Impulse’ is the second solo album by Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie (not counting his previous Mullmuzzler albums, which are often considered a solo project). Whatever foundations LaBrie laid down on his first album are well and firmly smashed to pieces with this, as he now goes in a much darker and heavier direction than before, giving us one of the most intense Dream Theater side-projects out there.

Of course, this is also in part thanks to the musicians he has surrounded himself with. Once again teaming with guitarist Marco Sfogli and long-running keyboard buddy Matt Guillory, LaBrie already has a good chemistry with these guys. But it’s newcomer Peter Wildoer on the drums, with his death metal background, that ups the ante with the heaviness, incorporating a large amount of growling vocals.

But the amazing thing is that it fits perfectly with LaBrie’s clean vocals.

Although this album fits comfortably in the progressive metal genre, the songs mostly follow a standard song structure. But the writing is solid and the performances are incredibly tight and precise. There’s an awesome synergy between everyone here, and it shows. And while LaBrie’s aging voice might struggle on stage, on record, it’s an absolute joy to listen to.

With highlights including ‘One More Time’, ‘Mislead’, ‘Jekyll or Hyde’, ‘Coming Home’, ‘I Need You’, ‘Euphoric’ and ‘Over the Edge’, this is more than just another solo outing, this is a fantastic album, by a very legit band, and while there’s no doubting that Dream Theater will always be LaBrie’s “home”, I really hope to hear more from this line-up of musicians.

3 months ago
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Report #883226

FATES WARNING The Spectre Within

Album · 1985 · US Power Metal

3.72 | 47 ratings

martindavey87

‘The Spectre Within’, released in 1985, is the second album of American progressive metal pioneers Fates Warning. One of my favourite bands for a long time, I must admit to struggling with their earlier material. Their first album, ‘Night On Bröcken’ was mostly forgettable in my opinion, and other than one or two moments, I found it difficult to really pick out any major highlights. Sadly, ‘Spectre…’ is no different.

It’s not that I don’t like it, but damn, this has been on my playlist for over a year, and I still feel like I’m not overly familiar with it. Perhaps I’m just busier than I think I am, but I just zone out whenever I play this. And it’s a shame because it’s not a terrible album.

Further laying the foundations of progressive metal, the performances on this record are of a high standard. With some tight guitar playing and fantastic displays of vocal prowess by singer John Arch, but sadly, there’s only really two songs that I like, and that’s ‘Without a Trace’, and ‘Apparition’. The rest just sounds like they could be Iron Maiden b-sides.

And it’s a shame. Because I genuinely love this band, but then I guess not every album is perfect! I’d like to stress that I don’t think this album is awful by any stretch, but I would much, much rather listen to ‘Parallels’, ‘Inside Out’, ‘Disconnected’, or one of my all-time favourite albums, ‘A Pleasant Shade of Gray’. So that’s what I’ll do.

3 months ago
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Report #883225

SAVATAGE From The Gutter To The Stage: The Best Of 1981 - 1995

Boxset / Compilation · 1995 · Heavy Metal

3.50 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1995 (the clue’s in the name of the album!), ‘From the Gutter to the Stage’ is a compilation album by progressive metal band Savatage, one of my all-time favourite groups.

I mention that little fact, because even though they’ve been one of my favourite bands for a long time, I find this compilation a bit of a mixed bag. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are absolute bangers, but as is the case with any “best of” CD, firstly, they become dated over time, and secondly, there’s always a case for songs that should have been included or excluded. And in this case, yeah, there’s a number of songs I feel shouldn’t have been left out, and likewise, there’s some here that I feel take up the space of what otherwise could have been one of the ‘Tage’s main compositions.

There’s a second disc, which I guess is some kind of “rare” tracks or something. But they’ve all since seen the light of day on the 2002 re-issues, or elsewhere, so listening back to it now, they’re nothing new, and also, there’s only four of them, which is kind of a waste of a disc! First world problems, I suppose.

Anyway, all negativity aside, this IS Savatage, and Savatage are awesome. You’ve got ‘Edge of Thorns’, ‘Gutter Ballet’, ‘Hall of the Mountain King’, ‘Chance’ and ‘Power of the Night’, all of which are absolutely fantastic tracks. So overall, this is a good disc to own, and certainly makes for a great introduction to newcomers, but ultimately, it’s dated, and by this point there’s better, more well-rounded compilations out there.

3 months ago
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Report #883199

METALLICA Lulu (with Lou Reed)

Album · 2011 · Heavy Metal

1.68 | 90 ratings

martindavey87

I loved ‘Load’. I loved ‘Reload’. I didn’t mind when they did a covers album, or played with an orchestra. And I was one of the 17 people (including the band themselves… maybe) who actually liked ‘St. Anger’. But with ‘Lulu’, Metallica (and Lou Reed, for that matter), have finally achieved their goal of making one of, if not THE, absolute worst album in music history.

The collaborative project between musical giants Metallica and Lou Reed, ‘Lulu’ is a 2011 concept double-album, and while the project initially sparked people’s interest, the results very quickly became the subject of universal criticism.

And rightfully so.

I always give every album a fair number of listens, even ones I don’t enjoy, hoping that something might just click or pique my interest after multiple listens. I listened to ‘Lulu’ three times, and it’s been the three most tedious experiences I’ve had to endure. The songs are boring, the lyrics are awful, and the mash-up between Metallica’s heavy metal and Lou Reed’s weird style of talk-singing, or sing-talking, just don’t work.

Musically, the album COULD have been okay. If James Hetfield was singing and this was another Metallica foray into alternative or art rock, it might have been listenable. But it’s not. There’s lyrical gems like “I would cut my legs and tits off when I think of Boris Karloff”, and a song where Reed spends eight minutes asking “why do you cheat on me”, and the whole time I hearing this, I’m picturing Lars Ulrich at some art gallery, trying to be all deep and introspective. But in reality, this is all an absolute pile of nonsense.

Nothing can redeem this album, and the only reason I have to keep it in my collection is because it’s Metallica, and I have some rubbish OCD collector thing going on, that makes me need to keep it. Just don’t even bother.

3 months ago
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Report #883198

AYREON The Final Experiment

Album · 1995 · Progressive Metal

3.68 | 45 ratings

martindavey87

‘The Final Experiment’ is the debut album by legendary progressive metal outfit, Ayreon, the band pseudonym of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Arjen Anthony Lucassen. I use the term “legendary” because Ayreon albums have not only gone on to garner huge fan adulation and respect, but have become known for utilizing a wealth of musicians from various genres, thus displaying a high standard of quality and musicianship.

However, that’s now. Back in 1995, Lucassen was pretty much unknown, and was just starting to put this little project together. Not being able to pick from an unlimited pallet of musicians like he is today, almost everyone on this album is also relatively unknown, and are mostly friends from Lucassen’s homeland, the Netherlands.

And so with that said, this album is nothing more than laying the foundations of what’s to come. The huge medieval science fiction concept is in place, and it’s clear the musical direction is in the vein of traditional progressive metal, though with an underlying folk influence. However, for all the pomp and pageantry, I do find this album to be pretty forgettable. There’s only a handful of songs I’d really consider coming back to, such as ‘Eyes of Time’, ‘Sail Away to Avalon’ and ‘Ye Courtyard Minstrel Boy’, which are all remarkable, but otherwise, I would much rather listen to any of Ayreon’s later releases.

But for what it’s worth, this is still an album worth owning, if nothing more, than because it’s the start of a huge rock opera that will go on to span many albums over many years. But much, much better things are on the horizon for this Dutch project.

3 months ago
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Report #883185

H-BLOCKX Fly Eyes

Album · 1998 · Hard Rock

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

Released in 1998, ‘Fly Eyes’ is the third studio album by German rockers H-Blockx. It follows their previous two outings, which were solid rap-rock albums revelling in the early 90’s sound and style. However, ‘Fly…’ sees less emphasis on the rapping, and leans more stylistically in the vein of late 90’s MTV-inspired radio-friendly hard rock. (That was a mouthful!)

It’s not all bad though, I mean, yeah, it’s different than the aggressive and kind of quirky sound that H-Blockx had on their previous releases, but at the same time it still sounds like the same band. They play well together, and are good at writing catchy, memorable rock anthems, with highlights being ‘Fly’, ‘Stars’, ‘Even Goes’, ‘Liquid Sunlight’ and ‘Without You’.

Chuck in a few excellent guitar solos, confident vocals and a solid production, and you’re left with a fine slab of 90’s rock. There’s really not much else to say about this one. It’ll never be my favourite H-Blockx album, but it’s good enough to come back to once in a while.

3 months ago
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Report #883166

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