Remember when I used to blog? Anyway, it has been awhile.
So I was thinking the other day about bands that released 3 albums in a row that are just "all killer, no filler". And as I thought about it more, I realized that making 3 great albums in a row is very hard. This post will look at some of my favorite bands and see if they every had a trifecta.
Metallica: definitely. I would say they hit 4 in a row. Their 1st 4 albums are all classics. But if you were to narrow it down to 3 I would say Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and And Justice for All.
Megadeth: Yes. They actually could lay claim that their first 5 albums are all classics. But I would also go with their 2nd half albums, The World Needs a Hero, The System has Failed, and United Abominations.
Trivium: Nope. This hurts cause I love Trivium. Their debut and Ascendancy are good, but The Crusade ruins that run. Shogun and In Waves started it up again, only to be stopped by Vengeance Falls. And their last two albums aren't the beginning of a trifecta run either.
Shadows Fall: Yep. Of One Blood, The Art of Balance & The War Within. In fact, if not for Threads of Life, Shadows Fall could have had the perfect run.
Killswitch Engage: Nope. Alive or Just Breathing & End of Heartache are classics. As Daylight Dies kills that one though. ADD doesn't bring anything new to the game so to speak. And the songs, just don't compare. They almost did it again with Killswitch Engage II & Disarm the Descent, but Incarnate was just above average.
All That Remains: Nope. Their debut & The Fall of Ideals are classics. Their sophomore album is just blah. Sounds too much like KsE. Overcome is ok, but For We are Many is the beginning of the end of this band.
Into Eternity: Nope. Buried in Oblivion and Scattering of Ashes are solid, but Incurable Tragedy is too short and Dead or Dreaming suffers from some poor production.
In Flames: Yes. Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman are classics in Swedish Death Metal. Come Clarity & Sounds of a Playground Fading are great as well, but unfortunately that middle album A Sense of Purpose is just mediocre.
Nevermore: Yes. Like Shadows Fall, they come close to running the table. Their debut is un-listenable to me. But Politics of Ecstasy through This Godless Endeavor are all great examples of modern thrash metal.
Those are basically most of the bands I listen to and you can see only 5 really have done it. If I went to rock I would say Aerosmith and Guns N Roses.
Showing posts with label megadeth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label megadeth. Show all posts
Sunday, January 07, 2018
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Music Non Stop: If Only...
...they would have released this as another band.
How many times have you heard that one? The classic "it's not that bad, it's just not a _________ album". Well my friends, I have 3 such albums that any time I listen to them I find myself saying the exact same thing. Heck, when I talk about the albums to anyone I say it.
Testament - Demonic
I'll be honest, I wasn't always a Testament fan. I talked about it years ago, basically how they sounded like a clone of Metallica. Heck after The Black Album came out, Testament released The Ritual. It was basically the same style of mid paced metal that sort of ruled the early 90's. But my collection lacked some Testament so I picked up a greatest hits album. It wasn't anything special until I got to Dog Faced Gods. It was so intense. Chuck Billy had some deeper growls and definitely didn't sound like James Hetfield anymore. It was great. I saw it came off of Low, so I picked it up. Low is probably my favorite Testament album. It is the perfect blend of classic thrash and modern thrash, I might go as far as to say it is the birth of modern thrash.
I decided to check out The Gathering which was released a couple of albums later, skipping over Demonic. I heard Demonic was a death metal album. Well after The Ritual I had to pick it up. And you know what. Demonic is a great death/thrash album, but it isn't a Testament album.
Most of the time Chuck Billy is doing death vocals. He has a great metal voice, so why would he do something that isn't his strength? Maybe Eric Peterson couldn't get a Dragonlord album out so he wrote it for Testament. Demonic is a tough album to categorize because it doesn't have the blast beats for death metal and the vocals certainly aren't thrash. The only songs that have a Testament feel would be John Doe and Hatreds Rise because of the cleaner vocals.
With all that being said, Demonic isn't a bad album, it just isn't a Testament album. If this thing was released now, kids would probably go nuts over Chuck Billy's vocals, but in 1997 it fell kind of flat.
Motley Crue - Motley Crue
Oh Motley Crue. You started off so strong with Too Fast For Love and Shout at the Devil and then you went glam...big time. That's actually ok for me because it gave us Wild Side, Girls Girls Girls, Home Sweet Home, and all of Dr. Feelgood. After Dr. Feelgood I was curious as to what they could do to top it. Their first greatest hits album, Decade of Decadence, had 3 new songs which were all great. Primal Scream is easily one of my top Crue songs. But there was no follow up with the original line up after Decade of Decadence, Vince Neil was gone. Enter John Corabi.
Just changing Vince Neil really changed the look of Motley Crue, gone was the lone blonde member. But the changes were more than physical, John Corabi didn't just sing, he also played guitar. For the first time the Crue had two dedicated guitarists. It really changed the sound of the Crue. Gone was the whole glam sound and what came was probably their most "metal" album since Shout at the Devil.
The guitars were slow and brooding. The drums played with such force that you could almost feel them coming out of the speakers. The music itself? I would probably say it was a more blues influenced metal than rock. Looking at it now, it almost feels like a somewhat lighter version of Metallica's Load albums. Lyrics were not just about partying anymore. It was more serious. Abuse (physical and drugs) and crime replaced those classic Crue lyrics of old. There is still a ballad, but it isn't too cheesy and I would say that was put on because of the record label.
John Corabi couldn't go high like Vince Neil could, so that also changed the whole sound of Motley Crue. His vocals had that classic hard rock sound to them, nothing glam going on there. Corabi was made for a rock/metal band, not glam. Unfortunately for the Crue, the label wanted the glam Crue. This is probably their best album from start to finish, or at least top 3. People throw this away because there is no Vince Neil on it, but it is a great blues-influenced rock/metal album.
Megadeth - Risk
This had to be on here right? Some of you might think it's hypocritical to have Megadeth on here for Risk and yet, not have Metallica on here for the Loads. Honestly, the main problem is that Dave was out talking about how Risk was a "return to Rust in Peace". And I bought it. I mean Cryptic Writings had some great thrash moments and this was going to build on those. What could go wrong?
It starts off with some distorted guitars, which was ok. Then we are hit with almost a techno feel with violins and all. Insomnia isn't a bad song, in fact it's one of the better ones on the album. But you notice the trademark guitar sound that was present since Countdown to Extinction was gone. Prince of Darkness has a super long build up, but once again, once it kicks in...it's a great song. I was pretty pumped here. Then we come to the bad parts. Enter the Arena and Crush Em seem well out of place on a Megadeth album. Up til then, I was still thinking this is a good Megadeth album, not great, but solid. Crush Em lyrics just didn't fit for Megadeth, but whatever, it was written for Bill Goldberg so I could live with it.
Then it hit, Breadline. What is this? A rock song on a Megadeth album? Catchy, yes, but not sounding like Megadeth at all. Ecstasy & Wanderlust were more of the same. Catchy songs, with a standard drum beat and thin sounding guitars. What happened to my Megadeth? Heck Seven could have been on Motley Crue's self-titled album from above. It was just a rock song. There is little to no metal on this album. The two part Time songs round out the album, those are the highlights in terms of metal songs.
So is it a bad album? Not by a long shot. It just isn't Megadeth. The heavy sounding guitars are gone. Super technical and drawn out solos are gone. Thrash? Nope, not here move along. Does that mean it sucks? Nope it means this album would have been great...if it would have been released as something else besides Megadeth. Imagine a radio station saying "here is Megadeth's latest Breadline." wouldn't happen. You don't associate Megadeth with anything but thrash. Dave wrote a good rock album, he should have released it as something else like he did with MD.45.
That's it. I find it funny that some how I managed to mention Metallica in everyone of these albums. Totally not planned, but funny how it worked out that was. Anyway, I kind of like this If Only sub-tag. I might do more of these for all of my tags.
How many times have you heard that one? The classic "it's not that bad, it's just not a _________ album". Well my friends, I have 3 such albums that any time I listen to them I find myself saying the exact same thing. Heck, when I talk about the albums to anyone I say it.
Testament - Demonic
I'll be honest, I wasn't always a Testament fan. I talked about it years ago, basically how they sounded like a clone of Metallica. Heck after The Black Album came out, Testament released The Ritual. It was basically the same style of mid paced metal that sort of ruled the early 90's. But my collection lacked some Testament so I picked up a greatest hits album. It wasn't anything special until I got to Dog Faced Gods. It was so intense. Chuck Billy had some deeper growls and definitely didn't sound like James Hetfield anymore. It was great. I saw it came off of Low, so I picked it up. Low is probably my favorite Testament album. It is the perfect blend of classic thrash and modern thrash, I might go as far as to say it is the birth of modern thrash.I decided to check out The Gathering which was released a couple of albums later, skipping over Demonic. I heard Demonic was a death metal album. Well after The Ritual I had to pick it up. And you know what. Demonic is a great death/thrash album, but it isn't a Testament album.
Most of the time Chuck Billy is doing death vocals. He has a great metal voice, so why would he do something that isn't his strength? Maybe Eric Peterson couldn't get a Dragonlord album out so he wrote it for Testament. Demonic is a tough album to categorize because it doesn't have the blast beats for death metal and the vocals certainly aren't thrash. The only songs that have a Testament feel would be John Doe and Hatreds Rise because of the cleaner vocals.
With all that being said, Demonic isn't a bad album, it just isn't a Testament album. If this thing was released now, kids would probably go nuts over Chuck Billy's vocals, but in 1997 it fell kind of flat.
Motley Crue - Motley Crue
Oh Motley Crue. You started off so strong with Too Fast For Love and Shout at the Devil and then you went glam...big time. That's actually ok for me because it gave us Wild Side, Girls Girls Girls, Home Sweet Home, and all of Dr. Feelgood. After Dr. Feelgood I was curious as to what they could do to top it. Their first greatest hits album, Decade of Decadence, had 3 new songs which were all great. Primal Scream is easily one of my top Crue songs. But there was no follow up with the original line up after Decade of Decadence, Vince Neil was gone. Enter John Corabi.Just changing Vince Neil really changed the look of Motley Crue, gone was the lone blonde member. But the changes were more than physical, John Corabi didn't just sing, he also played guitar. For the first time the Crue had two dedicated guitarists. It really changed the sound of the Crue. Gone was the whole glam sound and what came was probably their most "metal" album since Shout at the Devil.
The guitars were slow and brooding. The drums played with such force that you could almost feel them coming out of the speakers. The music itself? I would probably say it was a more blues influenced metal than rock. Looking at it now, it almost feels like a somewhat lighter version of Metallica's Load albums. Lyrics were not just about partying anymore. It was more serious. Abuse (physical and drugs) and crime replaced those classic Crue lyrics of old. There is still a ballad, but it isn't too cheesy and I would say that was put on because of the record label.
John Corabi couldn't go high like Vince Neil could, so that also changed the whole sound of Motley Crue. His vocals had that classic hard rock sound to them, nothing glam going on there. Corabi was made for a rock/metal band, not glam. Unfortunately for the Crue, the label wanted the glam Crue. This is probably their best album from start to finish, or at least top 3. People throw this away because there is no Vince Neil on it, but it is a great blues-influenced rock/metal album.
Megadeth - Risk
This had to be on here right? Some of you might think it's hypocritical to have Megadeth on here for Risk and yet, not have Metallica on here for the Loads. Honestly, the main problem is that Dave was out talking about how Risk was a "return to Rust in Peace". And I bought it. I mean Cryptic Writings had some great thrash moments and this was going to build on those. What could go wrong?It starts off with some distorted guitars, which was ok. Then we are hit with almost a techno feel with violins and all. Insomnia isn't a bad song, in fact it's one of the better ones on the album. But you notice the trademark guitar sound that was present since Countdown to Extinction was gone. Prince of Darkness has a super long build up, but once again, once it kicks in...it's a great song. I was pretty pumped here. Then we come to the bad parts. Enter the Arena and Crush Em seem well out of place on a Megadeth album. Up til then, I was still thinking this is a good Megadeth album, not great, but solid. Crush Em lyrics just didn't fit for Megadeth, but whatever, it was written for Bill Goldberg so I could live with it.
Then it hit, Breadline. What is this? A rock song on a Megadeth album? Catchy, yes, but not sounding like Megadeth at all. Ecstasy & Wanderlust were more of the same. Catchy songs, with a standard drum beat and thin sounding guitars. What happened to my Megadeth? Heck Seven could have been on Motley Crue's self-titled album from above. It was just a rock song. There is little to no metal on this album. The two part Time songs round out the album, those are the highlights in terms of metal songs.
So is it a bad album? Not by a long shot. It just isn't Megadeth. The heavy sounding guitars are gone. Super technical and drawn out solos are gone. Thrash? Nope, not here move along. Does that mean it sucks? Nope it means this album would have been great...if it would have been released as something else besides Megadeth. Imagine a radio station saying "here is Megadeth's latest Breadline." wouldn't happen. You don't associate Megadeth with anything but thrash. Dave wrote a good rock album, he should have released it as something else like he did with MD.45.
That's it. I find it funny that some how I managed to mention Metallica in everyone of these albums. Totally not planned, but funny how it worked out that was. Anyway, I kind of like this If Only sub-tag. I might do more of these for all of my tags.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Who Decides: Comeback albums you should own
So what is a 'Comeback album'? For this post, it simply means an album that was released after a crappy/almost career ending album. There are a lot of them out there, but I will keep this list somewhat short. So how can a band release a career ending album? Easy, they try to reach a bigger audience or experiment with some new technique or just put out a half assed effort. For this list I will list the "comeback album" then the "crappy/almost career ending album" in parenthesis.
Fear Factory - Mechanize (Transgression) Yeah Transgression was a transgression. Oh the horror. Fear Factory are known for blast beats, double bass, heavy riffs and some killer vocals. With Transgression we got little to none of that. Actually, it was more reminiscent of Fear Factory during the dark days of metal. Yes there are a few hidden gems in there (the title track for one), but this was made for a tour with Megadeth and they didn't really put much time into it. Seriously who allowed Echo of My Scream to be on this album...and let it go for 7 minutes?
So enter Mechanize. This is more of a classic FF sounding album. From the intro of the title track you hear the industrial sounds that take you back to Demanufacture. The riffs and drums are back to where we love them. Most fans have embraced this album, but it is such a return to form that it had to lead this list.
Trivium - Shogun (The Crusade) Matt Heafy has some pretty big goals in life. When Ascendancy kept getting praise he said he wanted to be as big as Metallica. That's pretty big. Enter The Crusade press tour, where he decided to now say he wanted to be bigger than Metallica. So how could they do that? Simple, lose all of the screams and go with clean vocals throughout. How did it sound? Like a Metallica rip-off. It was so bad. In fact, during the tours they changed all of their old songs to be clean vocals too...talk about selling out. Musically, it is straight metal, no metalcore or anything like that. It didn't really sound like Trivium, not that they are built as a metalcore band, but it didn't have that feel. It felt too simplistic. Some songs were good Entrance of Conflagration and the stellar instrumental title track. But what really killed this album, besides the lack of screams, was the intro to Unrepentant it is such a rip off of Through the Never by Metallica. So bad. It's a good album and will probably make The Clone list of Metallica, but it almost killed Trivium.
Enter Shogun. This is a masterpiece of an album. Combination of screams and clean vocals and return to their earlier sound. Lots of double bass action and guitar solos that were just great. And how could they top the title track of The Crusade? Simple, Shogun...a 12 minute song that has all the feel of a Master of Puppets type track without the feeling of copying it. Shogun would probably rank higher on the list of favorite Trivium albums, but won't pass Ascendancy because it seems too convenient to see them return to form. People wrote Trivium off after The Crusade, but this album is a must own.
Shadows Fall - Retribution (Threads of Life) After the great album that was The War Within, Shadows Fall was signed to a record deal with a major label, Atlantic Records. Threads of Life was their first album and they assured everyone it wouldn't be a sell out album. It would maintain the brutality of The War Within. Well it didn't. Like Trivium, this album included more clean vocals and really went for the more simplistic straight metal approach. Most songs were the same; fast verse, slow chorus, fast verse, slow chorus, solo, slow chorus. After the album sold so poorly, they were pretty much dropped.
So what did they do? Over-compensated? Maybe, but Retribution could be their best album in terms of guitar solos...scratch that. It is their best album in terms of guitar solos. This album really does a great job of making every song memorable. There is little filler on this album, if any and each song contains a freakin' awesome solo. I will say this, it topped the list of best albums last year for me. If you want some more praise of this album, go HERE, for some earlier comments.
Megadeth - The World Needs a Hero (Risk) This is the example for comeback album. Risk wasn't a risk, it was a huge mistake. But was it a bad album? Yes & no. It was a horrible Megadeth album. It sounded nothing like Megadeth. Sure the first two songs might have come off of Cryptic Writings, but that was it. Everything else was pop rock. And that's where it's not a bad album, it's just not a Megadeth album. Kind of like Motley Crue's self-titled album without Vince Neil. Great rock album, but wasn't Motley Crue without Vince Neil singing. What made it worse was the hype for the album. It was supposed to be a return to form for Megadeth. Cryptic Writings had some sellout type songs with Trust and Almost Honest and they were going back to metal. Well...somewhere from the press to the recording something changed. Because gone was the metal and back was the sellout pop rock. Dave blamed Marty for the change in direction and producer and I believe Dave on this one. Marty has turned into a Japanese pop star, while Dave has tried to redirect Megadeth back to metal dominance. Plus it was easy to convince Dave because he really wanted to beat Metallica in terms of numbers.
So what happened? The World Needs a Hero. I love this album and it is probably in my top 5 Megadeth albums. I talked about it in depth and reviewed it before HERE. It starts off with a song that could have been on Cryptic Writings, but the solo is nothing special in terms of technicality, but it feels perfect. There are a few "radio" friendly songs here, but Recipe for Hate...Warhorse, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, Return to Hangar, When, and even Kill the King (which was supposed to be on the album, but was put on a greatest hits album before this was released) are striaght up thrash metal that could have easily made it onto Rest in Peace or Countdown to Extinction. What makes this album for me is the solos. There are songs where they solo for over a minute. And it is the classic trade off solos that Megadeth was known for. Bottom line, the whole album is great, but the second half is classic Megadeth. This was the beginning of Megadeth returning to thrash. Some fans bash it, I love it.
Before I end this, some of you might be asking yourselves "where's Metallica?" I don't think that St. Anger was a "crappy/almost career ending album". It debuted at #1. And honestly at that point Metallica had lost most of the "true fans" from the Load albums. So Death Magnetic isn't a comeback album for me because Metallica never left.
Fear Factory - Mechanize (Transgression) Yeah Transgression was a transgression. Oh the horror. Fear Factory are known for blast beats, double bass, heavy riffs and some killer vocals. With Transgression we got little to none of that. Actually, it was more reminiscent of Fear Factory during the dark days of metal. Yes there are a few hidden gems in there (the title track for one), but this was made for a tour with Megadeth and they didn't really put much time into it. Seriously who allowed Echo of My Scream to be on this album...and let it go for 7 minutes?
So enter Mechanize. This is more of a classic FF sounding album. From the intro of the title track you hear the industrial sounds that take you back to Demanufacture. The riffs and drums are back to where we love them. Most fans have embraced this album, but it is such a return to form that it had to lead this list.
Trivium - Shogun (The Crusade) Matt Heafy has some pretty big goals in life. When Ascendancy kept getting praise he said he wanted to be as big as Metallica. That's pretty big. Enter The Crusade press tour, where he decided to now say he wanted to be bigger than Metallica. So how could they do that? Simple, lose all of the screams and go with clean vocals throughout. How did it sound? Like a Metallica rip-off. It was so bad. In fact, during the tours they changed all of their old songs to be clean vocals too...talk about selling out. Musically, it is straight metal, no metalcore or anything like that. It didn't really sound like Trivium, not that they are built as a metalcore band, but it didn't have that feel. It felt too simplistic. Some songs were good Entrance of Conflagration and the stellar instrumental title track. But what really killed this album, besides the lack of screams, was the intro to Unrepentant it is such a rip off of Through the Never by Metallica. So bad. It's a good album and will probably make The Clone list of Metallica, but it almost killed Trivium.
Enter Shogun. This is a masterpiece of an album. Combination of screams and clean vocals and return to their earlier sound. Lots of double bass action and guitar solos that were just great. And how could they top the title track of The Crusade? Simple, Shogun...a 12 minute song that has all the feel of a Master of Puppets type track without the feeling of copying it. Shogun would probably rank higher on the list of favorite Trivium albums, but won't pass Ascendancy because it seems too convenient to see them return to form. People wrote Trivium off after The Crusade, but this album is a must own.
Shadows Fall - Retribution (Threads of Life) After the great album that was The War Within, Shadows Fall was signed to a record deal with a major label, Atlantic Records. Threads of Life was their first album and they assured everyone it wouldn't be a sell out album. It would maintain the brutality of The War Within. Well it didn't. Like Trivium, this album included more clean vocals and really went for the more simplistic straight metal approach. Most songs were the same; fast verse, slow chorus, fast verse, slow chorus, solo, slow chorus. After the album sold so poorly, they were pretty much dropped.
So what did they do? Over-compensated? Maybe, but Retribution could be their best album in terms of guitar solos...scratch that. It is their best album in terms of guitar solos. This album really does a great job of making every song memorable. There is little filler on this album, if any and each song contains a freakin' awesome solo. I will say this, it topped the list of best albums last year for me. If you want some more praise of this album, go HERE, for some earlier comments.
Megadeth - The World Needs a Hero (Risk) This is the example for comeback album. Risk wasn't a risk, it was a huge mistake. But was it a bad album? Yes & no. It was a horrible Megadeth album. It sounded nothing like Megadeth. Sure the first two songs might have come off of Cryptic Writings, but that was it. Everything else was pop rock. And that's where it's not a bad album, it's just not a Megadeth album. Kind of like Motley Crue's self-titled album without Vince Neil. Great rock album, but wasn't Motley Crue without Vince Neil singing. What made it worse was the hype for the album. It was supposed to be a return to form for Megadeth. Cryptic Writings had some sellout type songs with Trust and Almost Honest and they were going back to metal. Well...somewhere from the press to the recording something changed. Because gone was the metal and back was the sellout pop rock. Dave blamed Marty for the change in direction and producer and I believe Dave on this one. Marty has turned into a Japanese pop star, while Dave has tried to redirect Megadeth back to metal dominance. Plus it was easy to convince Dave because he really wanted to beat Metallica in terms of numbers.
So what happened? The World Needs a Hero. I love this album and it is probably in my top 5 Megadeth albums. I talked about it in depth and reviewed it before HERE. It starts off with a song that could have been on Cryptic Writings, but the solo is nothing special in terms of technicality, but it feels perfect. There are a few "radio" friendly songs here, but Recipe for Hate...Warhorse, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, Return to Hangar, When, and even Kill the King (which was supposed to be on the album, but was put on a greatest hits album before this was released) are striaght up thrash metal that could have easily made it onto Rest in Peace or Countdown to Extinction. What makes this album for me is the solos. There are songs where they solo for over a minute. And it is the classic trade off solos that Megadeth was known for. Bottom line, the whole album is great, but the second half is classic Megadeth. This was the beginning of Megadeth returning to thrash. Some fans bash it, I love it.
Before I end this, some of you might be asking yourselves "where's Metallica?" I don't think that St. Anger was a "crappy/almost career ending album". It debuted at #1. And honestly at that point Metallica had lost most of the "true fans" from the Load albums. So Death Magnetic isn't a comeback album for me because Metallica never left.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Music Non Stop: The Big Four...I've seen it all now.
I really thought that when I saw the pictures of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax together in the same room I had seen it all, but it wasn't. Not only did they do a handful of shows the last week, but they covered a song together, Am I Evil? by Diamond Head, well at least Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Someone said someone from Slayer is out there, but I can't tell. Diamond Head was a huge influence on both Metallica and Megadeth so it is a great song choice to cover.
I can't believe I saw Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield share a stage together. Amazing. This was also recorded for a dvd, which I know what I want for Christmas. One last thing, I'm not a huge fan of Slayer (they aren't on my banner btw), but I think Kerry King and Tom Araya should have got out there as well.
More pictures and some other videos HERE.
I can't believe I saw Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield share a stage together. Amazing. This was also recorded for a dvd, which I know what I want for Christmas. One last thing, I'm not a huge fan of Slayer (they aren't on my banner btw), but I think Kerry King and Tom Araya should have got out there as well.
More pictures and some other videos HERE.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Music Non Stop: The Big Four shows...holy crap
Ok so this is like the greatest show ever...ever. Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax (crappy without Bush, but ok)...they are known as the Big Four the founders of thrash metal. And they are doing some shows together for the first time...in Europe. Thanks guys, you founded thrash in America and put America on the map for heavy metal, but let's go there first. Whatever...to see them together is awesome. I saw this picture this morning and was blown away...it's so surreal to see these guys together.
All the drama with Mustaine and Metallica or Mustaine and Kerry King Or King with Metallica...to see them in a room wow. There were even more pictures taken later. The one with the four "leaders" of the bands is awkward to see James off to the side almost...but I think it was the timing of the photo. James seems to be above most of the drama nowadays.
I don't go to concerts, but I am strongly considering going if this thing comes to the U.S. It's amazing. I guess it would be like getting The Beatles, Elvis, and The Beach Boys (I'm reaching here people) together for one show. It's huge take my word for it.
This thing will come to dvd one day and I will buy it, but being there would be so much better.
All the drama with Mustaine and Metallica or Mustaine and Kerry King Or King with Metallica...to see them in a room wow. There were even more pictures taken later. The one with the four "leaders" of the bands is awkward to see James off to the side almost...but I think it was the timing of the photo. James seems to be above most of the drama nowadays.
I don't go to concerts, but I am strongly considering going if this thing comes to the U.S. It's amazing. I guess it would be like getting The Beatles, Elvis, and The Beach Boys (I'm reaching here people) together for one show. It's huge take my word for it.This thing will come to dvd one day and I will buy it, but being there would be so much better.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Who Decides: Top 10 Albums of the Year
Ok, so another year is coming to an end, so here is my top 10 metal albums of the year. I will try to keep it to ten, unlike last year. This year started off very slow for me. Nothing really caught my eye, until around June or so. I talked about it back then, and I said I doubt if any of those albums would make my final top 10...and well let's see.
Before we get to the list, I took out Arch Enemy's Root of All Evil (even though it is a great album) because it was just re-recording old songs with a new singer. If I could have 11 albums, I would have probably thrown in The Sorrow's Origin of the Storm. That was a classic metalcore album in the same vein as Killswitch Engage. Onto the list;
#10 - Threat Signal: Vigilance; much better than the Arkaea project which was Fear Factory light. This album has lost a lot of the FF influence and has gone for more of a straight thrash approach. The solos on this album as killer, check out The Beginning of the End for a sample.
# 9 - DevilDriver: Pray for Villains; a big let down overall from The Last Kind Words. I talke about this earlier in the year as well. A lot of solid songs, but overall just doesn't pack that punch that The Last Kind Words had. Check out Waiting for November, Bitter Pill, Teach Me to Whisper, and the title track.
# 8 - Evita: Minutes & Miles; the surprise of the year for me. Evita plays some crazy progressive metalcore music not unlike Protest the Hero. It's very good and deserved to be on this list. All of their songs are good, but if you check out one listen to Willing to Wake it's a good sample of the album.
# 7 - Dirge Within: Force Fed Lies; when I first hear this album I thought it was DevilDriver. Seriously, at times the lead singer sounds so similar it's eerie. Anyway, if DD would have put out this album DD would be higher up on the list. Musically, you know what you are getting. They pull out some nice solos especially on Complacency (2+ minutes of trading off solos).
# 6 - Nightrage: Wearing a Martyr's Crown; I listened to this album I didn't think it would make my top 10. It was lacking something for me, but over the last few months it has caught on big time. Descent into Chaos was a classic for me and evern though this doesn't beat that album it is solid. The guitar work is unmistakably Nightrage and the new singer does a fine job. He doesn't stand out like Tompa or Jimmie, but he works. Check out A Grim Struggle or the title track for a good feel of the album.
# 5 - Animals As Leaders: Animals As Leaders; did I say Evita was my surprise of the year? This is. First off, it's instrumental (something I really don't like). The guitarist, Tosin Abasi, is great. The music goes from thrash to metalcore to eletronic to acoustic. It is a wild ride to be sure. Check out CAFO.
# 4 - Megadeth: Endgame; it's Megadeth, it's better than their last album, and dare I say better than Death Magnetic? Mustaine brought his A game this time and wrote some killer riffs for this album. So why isn't it higher? Probably because his vocals are wearing on me. I can't explain it, but Dave's singing has gone downhill a bit. This Day We Fight and Headcrusher could have easily been on R.I.P. check them out.
# 3 - Susperia - Attitude; once again Susperia releases an album that is heavy, catchy, and has great musicianship. I can't add anything else, if you liked Carved in Stone or Unlimited you will like this one. All the songs are great. Check out The Urge, Sick Bastard (with Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath), or Live My Dreams (with Testament vocalist Chuck Billy).
# 2 - Killswitch Engage: Killswitch Engage; I have already talked about this one and Shadows Fall's latest albums awhile ago. So I won't add anything else to this. Check out the entire album, definitely worth it.
# 1 - Shadows Fall: Retribution; like KsE I already talked about it, so I won't repeat anything. This album renewed my faith in SF. The guitar work is top notch and memorable. I can't find anything to complain about on this album.
So why is SF #1 and KsE #2? The difference is minimal. I would probably say the solos put Shadows Fall #1, even though KsE has better choruses. I was very happy to see two of my favorite bands rebound from sub-par albums and step up.
That's it. I want to try and do weekly postings next year. So let's see how that goes. I want to talk about the new Scrubs, The Middle, and some movie talk. Cross your fingers for a fun 2010.
Before we get to the list, I took out Arch Enemy's Root of All Evil (even though it is a great album) because it was just re-recording old songs with a new singer. If I could have 11 albums, I would have probably thrown in The Sorrow's Origin of the Storm. That was a classic metalcore album in the same vein as Killswitch Engage. Onto the list;
#10 - Threat Signal: Vigilance; much better than the Arkaea project which was Fear Factory light. This album has lost a lot of the FF influence and has gone for more of a straight thrash approach. The solos on this album as killer, check out The Beginning of the End for a sample.
# 9 - DevilDriver: Pray for Villains; a big let down overall from The Last Kind Words. I talke about this earlier in the year as well. A lot of solid songs, but overall just doesn't pack that punch that The Last Kind Words had. Check out Waiting for November, Bitter Pill, Teach Me to Whisper, and the title track.
# 8 - Evita: Minutes & Miles; the surprise of the year for me. Evita plays some crazy progressive metalcore music not unlike Protest the Hero. It's very good and deserved to be on this list. All of their songs are good, but if you check out one listen to Willing to Wake it's a good sample of the album.
# 7 - Dirge Within: Force Fed Lies; when I first hear this album I thought it was DevilDriver. Seriously, at times the lead singer sounds so similar it's eerie. Anyway, if DD would have put out this album DD would be higher up on the list. Musically, you know what you are getting. They pull out some nice solos especially on Complacency (2+ minutes of trading off solos).
# 6 - Nightrage: Wearing a Martyr's Crown; I listened to this album I didn't think it would make my top 10. It was lacking something for me, but over the last few months it has caught on big time. Descent into Chaos was a classic for me and evern though this doesn't beat that album it is solid. The guitar work is unmistakably Nightrage and the new singer does a fine job. He doesn't stand out like Tompa or Jimmie, but he works. Check out A Grim Struggle or the title track for a good feel of the album.
# 5 - Animals As Leaders: Animals As Leaders; did I say Evita was my surprise of the year? This is. First off, it's instrumental (something I really don't like). The guitarist, Tosin Abasi, is great. The music goes from thrash to metalcore to eletronic to acoustic. It is a wild ride to be sure. Check out CAFO.
# 4 - Megadeth: Endgame; it's Megadeth, it's better than their last album, and dare I say better than Death Magnetic? Mustaine brought his A game this time and wrote some killer riffs for this album. So why isn't it higher? Probably because his vocals are wearing on me. I can't explain it, but Dave's singing has gone downhill a bit. This Day We Fight and Headcrusher could have easily been on R.I.P. check them out.
# 3 - Susperia - Attitude; once again Susperia releases an album that is heavy, catchy, and has great musicianship. I can't add anything else, if you liked Carved in Stone or Unlimited you will like this one. All the songs are great. Check out The Urge, Sick Bastard (with Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath), or Live My Dreams (with Testament vocalist Chuck Billy).
# 2 - Killswitch Engage: Killswitch Engage; I have already talked about this one and Shadows Fall's latest albums awhile ago. So I won't add anything else to this. Check out the entire album, definitely worth it.
# 1 - Shadows Fall: Retribution; like KsE I already talked about it, so I won't repeat anything. This album renewed my faith in SF. The guitar work is top notch and memorable. I can't find anything to complain about on this album.
So why is SF #1 and KsE #2? The difference is minimal. I would probably say the solos put Shadows Fall #1, even though KsE has better choruses. I was very happy to see two of my favorite bands rebound from sub-par albums and step up.
That's it. I want to try and do weekly postings next year. So let's see how that goes. I want to talk about the new Scrubs, The Middle, and some movie talk. Cross your fingers for a fun 2010.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thoughts Without Words: New school year, CSTs, & upcoming albums
ok so today was the first day of school and what do I think about it? Who knows...really can you tell much from the first day and only 32 minutes with each class? Here's what I do know;
New music in September should be a good one. New Shadows Fall & Megadeth. The 3 songs form Megadeth I have heard sound like it could be the best stuff since TWNAH. I like the guitar tone, thanks to Andy Sneap I suppose. And as for Shadows Fall, I have heard 3 songs from their new album as well and it sounds a lot better than Threads of Life. Hoping for two great releases this month. Right now, Susperia is probably my album of the year...who would have thought? Don't get me wrong, Susperia is one of my favorite bands, but this album didn't hit me like Unlimited or Cut From Stone. I will say they are writing some of the best thrash/heavy metal right now.
that's it for now. I gotta talk about 2 of my new favorite tv shows next time.
- have a lot of freshmen again, but with only one Alg. B class it shouldn't be too bad
- 1 Alg. B, 2 Geometry, 2 Alg. 2
- my room gets stuffy because a.c. won't go past 70, but with 38 bodies the room barely cools to 73.
- 4th period will probably be my nosiest class simply because there are about 10 - 15 who are good friends in that class
- it's gotta be better than last year...right?
- only 179 days to go :-)
New music in September should be a good one. New Shadows Fall & Megadeth. The 3 songs form Megadeth I have heard sound like it could be the best stuff since TWNAH. I like the guitar tone, thanks to Andy Sneap I suppose. And as for Shadows Fall, I have heard 3 songs from their new album as well and it sounds a lot better than Threads of Life. Hoping for two great releases this month. Right now, Susperia is probably my album of the year...who would have thought? Don't get me wrong, Susperia is one of my favorite bands, but this album didn't hit me like Unlimited or Cut From Stone. I will say they are writing some of the best thrash/heavy metal right now.
that's it for now. I gotta talk about 2 of my new favorite tv shows next time.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Tirades of Truth: Megadeth - The World Needs a Hero
So another "Tirades of Truth" review today. And the question might be, why review an album that is almost 10 years old? Well Megadeth does have a new album coming out on the 15th of September and I like to go back and look at where a band has been to see where they are going.
So I have talked about Megadeth's career in depth on this blog before, but I never spent any time looking at the albums specifically. Today I will look at one of the most underrated Megadeth albums of all time, The World Needs a Hero (TWNAH for short).
Now this album came out after Risk, which was a huge flop for metal fans. The album was nothing more than a pop rock album. It's so bad, I don't even want to talk about it. I mean for what it was, it isn't bad, but it's not Megadeth.
Dave Mustaine said it was a return to form, and there was even a track called Return to Hangar (sequel to Hangar 18). Now Metallica did the whole The Unforgiven II and it back fired, so right away fans were thinking this was bad.
Another problem was the 2 new songs on the greatest hits album. Kill the King was released and was awesome. The opening riff made you realize Megadeth was back. The solo was nothing great or special, but it didn't matter. This one song destroyed Risk and most of Cryptic Writings. The other song, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, was better than Kill the King. So what was the problem? Well people compalined that it sounded too similar to Sweating Bullets. Does it? Just the verses, but that's it everything else is different.
Then there was the voice overs. On two songs you have someone talking during the songs, to add something to the song I guess. I won't lie, it bugs me. I can't defend it.
Other problems that plagued the album were; it leaked on the internet over a year before it was released...huh? Yeah, they delivered the album to Capitol Records for it to be their last album ever. Then they changed their minds and decided we want it back. So CR released a greatest hits album instead, with 2 new songs (Kill the King & Dread and the Fugitive Mind). So the completed album sat there and was leaked. Now to Dave's credit, he went back and reworked some other songs to make them different, notably Coming Home and Moto Pyscho having their back to back connections (this was a lot better than what we got by the way). But since it was leaked the "fans" and naysayers picked the album apart before it even hit the stores. Complaints like "oh they copied Am I Evil? & Call of Ktula" or Dread and the Fugitive Mind is just like Sweating Bullets or Return to Hangar is a sell out song because it's a sequel like Metallica. Or, my favorite, Recipe for Hate...Warhorse sucks because it uses "..." like Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due. Seriously, these were all common complaints on the boards at Megadeth.com.
So what is good about it? Everything. The production is top notch. The guitar tone is perfect. It reminds me so much of Countdown to Extinction. Dave's voice sounds great and the treading off of solos is very reminicent of early Megadeth. Do you like playing air guitar? Then this is the album for you. How about solos that last 2 -3 minutes? Yes...2 - 3 minutes. It's simply insane. And it's not the solos that show off how well the guitarist can play the scales, but actual solos that carry the overall harmony of the song. A solo like on Disconnect isn't fast, but it is one of the most powerful solos on the album. Then you have insane solos like Recipe for Hate...Warhorse, Return to Hangar, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, and When. I should also mention Promises. It's the one ballad and it is a classic. It fits perfectly into this album and most fans really love this song. The strings in the background add so much to the song. Great song.
There is only one filler on here as well, Losing My Senses. That song sticks out like a sore thumb and shouldn't be on the album...Kill the King fits better.
Now how does it compare to The Sytem has Failed or United Abominations? Well I like it better than both because of the production and songs. TSHF was good, but after the first 4 songs or so it didn't feel like a Megadeth album. In fact, it wasn't supposed to be. It was supposed to be a solo album...I can get into that another day I guess. UA also starts off strong and finishes pretty strong, but the middle is eh. Overall, TWNAH is more of a complete Megadeth album then the others. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
So I have talked about Megadeth's career in depth on this blog before, but I never spent any time looking at the albums specifically. Today I will look at one of the most underrated Megadeth albums of all time, The World Needs a Hero (TWNAH for short).
Now this album came out after Risk, which was a huge flop for metal fans. The album was nothing more than a pop rock album. It's so bad, I don't even want to talk about it. I mean for what it was, it isn't bad, but it's not Megadeth.
Dave Mustaine said it was a return to form, and there was even a track called Return to Hangar (sequel to Hangar 18). Now Metallica did the whole The Unforgiven II and it back fired, so right away fans were thinking this was bad.
Another problem was the 2 new songs on the greatest hits album. Kill the King was released and was awesome. The opening riff made you realize Megadeth was back. The solo was nothing great or special, but it didn't matter. This one song destroyed Risk and most of Cryptic Writings. The other song, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, was better than Kill the King. So what was the problem? Well people compalined that it sounded too similar to Sweating Bullets. Does it? Just the verses, but that's it everything else is different.
Then there was the voice overs. On two songs you have someone talking during the songs, to add something to the song I guess. I won't lie, it bugs me. I can't defend it.
Other problems that plagued the album were; it leaked on the internet over a year before it was released...huh? Yeah, they delivered the album to Capitol Records for it to be their last album ever. Then they changed their minds and decided we want it back. So CR released a greatest hits album instead, with 2 new songs (Kill the King & Dread and the Fugitive Mind). So the completed album sat there and was leaked. Now to Dave's credit, he went back and reworked some other songs to make them different, notably Coming Home and Moto Pyscho having their back to back connections (this was a lot better than what we got by the way). But since it was leaked the "fans" and naysayers picked the album apart before it even hit the stores. Complaints like "oh they copied Am I Evil? & Call of Ktula" or Dread and the Fugitive Mind is just like Sweating Bullets or Return to Hangar is a sell out song because it's a sequel like Metallica. Or, my favorite, Recipe for Hate...Warhorse sucks because it uses "..." like Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due. Seriously, these were all common complaints on the boards at Megadeth.com.
So what is good about it? Everything. The production is top notch. The guitar tone is perfect. It reminds me so much of Countdown to Extinction. Dave's voice sounds great and the treading off of solos is very reminicent of early Megadeth. Do you like playing air guitar? Then this is the album for you. How about solos that last 2 -3 minutes? Yes...2 - 3 minutes. It's simply insane. And it's not the solos that show off how well the guitarist can play the scales, but actual solos that carry the overall harmony of the song. A solo like on Disconnect isn't fast, but it is one of the most powerful solos on the album. Then you have insane solos like Recipe for Hate...Warhorse, Return to Hangar, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, and When. I should also mention Promises. It's the one ballad and it is a classic. It fits perfectly into this album and most fans really love this song. The strings in the background add so much to the song. Great song.
There is only one filler on here as well, Losing My Senses. That song sticks out like a sore thumb and shouldn't be on the album...Kill the King fits better.
Now how does it compare to The Sytem has Failed or United Abominations? Well I like it better than both because of the production and songs. TSHF was good, but after the first 4 songs or so it didn't feel like a Megadeth album. In fact, it wasn't supposed to be. It was supposed to be a solo album...I can get into that another day I guess. UA also starts off strong and finishes pretty strong, but the middle is eh. Overall, TWNAH is more of a complete Megadeth album then the others. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Who Decides: albums of the year
So with 2009 quickly approaching its final quarter the question of album of the year starts to loom even more. I have made it quiet clear that this year has been a little disappointing for me. Maybe it's a natural let down from the awesome year that was 2008...who knows.
Here's what I do know. September will give us new Shadows Fall and Megadeth records. October was supposed to give us the new Anthrax, but they fired their new singer so that album is up in the air. And I really don't know of any other albums that are supposed to be released this year.
So what does that mean for my top 10? Well as of right now, I would probably give the album of the year to either Susperia, DevilDriver, or Nightrage. Now, some might be thinking ... ok those are good albums so what's the problem? Well the problem isn't in the albums, they are solid, but they aren't as good as their last albums. Attitude is a catchy and heavy affair from Susperia ... but is it better than Cut From Stone? No. Same goes for Devildriver, Pray For Villains is good, but it's not better than The Last Kind Words. The Last Kind Words built upon The Fury of Our Maker's Hand. It took was a nice step from really good to great. But Nightrage is probably the biggest offender. I love every Nightrage album. Tompa's vocals on the first two albums plus the guitar work of Gus G. & Marios made those At The Gates-like. With A New Disease is Born, everything was raised to a new level. Tompa was gone, but Jimmie Strimell did an excellent job of singing (not just screaming) on the album. I was totally ready for another Nightrage release. But something happened on the way to their latest, Wearing a Martyr's Crown, they got a new vocalist. I don't think he is bad, just not as dynamic as Jimmie or original as Tompa. The guitar work is still memorable and top notch, but the vocals are....eh. Now I know that those were released in 2007 and it shouldn't affect 2009, but it does. After a great album, I guess I just expect more from a band.
So there are a bunch of new artists that have released really solid debut or second albums. Bands like Dirge Within (defintely for fans of Sanctity), Animals as Leaders (instrumental), The Sorrow, Arkaea (Fear Factory meets Threat Signal), and Evita (great metalcore) could make a run for that top stop.
Then there are some bands that have totally bounced back from disappointing albums. It Dies Today ditched the whole emo sound and went back to more of an original sound with Lividity. The new stuff they have released so far sound really promising. The other is The Autumn Offering. Fear Will Cast No Shadow was boring and unoriginal...and that's being nice. Throw in a new vocalist and you quickly forgot that The Autumn Offering was once a great band mixing modern thrash with some metalcore breakdowns in for good measure. Well, Requiem took me by surprise. It's a ton better than FWCNS, but it's not Embrace the Gutter. It still has it's emo moments, but they are defintely back on track.
The top spot is really wide open. There are a bunch of good to really good albums out there this year, but nothing great. Hopefully, Shadows Fall and Megadeth can change that.
Here's what I do know. September will give us new Shadows Fall and Megadeth records. October was supposed to give us the new Anthrax, but they fired their new singer so that album is up in the air. And I really don't know of any other albums that are supposed to be released this year.
So what does that mean for my top 10? Well as of right now, I would probably give the album of the year to either Susperia, DevilDriver, or Nightrage. Now, some might be thinking ... ok those are good albums so what's the problem? Well the problem isn't in the albums, they are solid, but they aren't as good as their last albums. Attitude is a catchy and heavy affair from Susperia ... but is it better than Cut From Stone? No. Same goes for Devildriver, Pray For Villains is good, but it's not better than The Last Kind Words. The Last Kind Words built upon The Fury of Our Maker's Hand. It took was a nice step from really good to great. But Nightrage is probably the biggest offender. I love every Nightrage album. Tompa's vocals on the first two albums plus the guitar work of Gus G. & Marios made those At The Gates-like. With A New Disease is Born, everything was raised to a new level. Tompa was gone, but Jimmie Strimell did an excellent job of singing (not just screaming) on the album. I was totally ready for another Nightrage release. But something happened on the way to their latest, Wearing a Martyr's Crown, they got a new vocalist. I don't think he is bad, just not as dynamic as Jimmie or original as Tompa. The guitar work is still memorable and top notch, but the vocals are....eh. Now I know that those were released in 2007 and it shouldn't affect 2009, but it does. After a great album, I guess I just expect more from a band.
So there are a bunch of new artists that have released really solid debut or second albums. Bands like Dirge Within (defintely for fans of Sanctity), Animals as Leaders (instrumental), The Sorrow, Arkaea (Fear Factory meets Threat Signal), and Evita (great metalcore) could make a run for that top stop.
Then there are some bands that have totally bounced back from disappointing albums. It Dies Today ditched the whole emo sound and went back to more of an original sound with Lividity. The new stuff they have released so far sound really promising. The other is The Autumn Offering. Fear Will Cast No Shadow was boring and unoriginal...and that's being nice. Throw in a new vocalist and you quickly forgot that The Autumn Offering was once a great band mixing modern thrash with some metalcore breakdowns in for good measure. Well, Requiem took me by surprise. It's a ton better than FWCNS, but it's not Embrace the Gutter. It still has it's emo moments, but they are defintely back on track.
The top spot is really wide open. There are a bunch of good to really good albums out there this year, but nothing great. Hopefully, Shadows Fall and Megadeth can change that.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Who Decides: Top 5 "Must Own" Metal Albums
So just what are the best of the best metal albums? Well obviously, it's purely subjective. But I am going to give you, what I consider, the best metal albums ever. These are the must own metal albums. If you consider yourself a fan of metal, these albums should be in your collection.
1. Metallica: Master of Puppets - Is there really any explanation needed here? This is their masterpiece. It all came together on this album. The heavy riffs, melodies, solos, and the progression in the song writing. It's as if the stars aligned perfectly for this one.
2. Megadeth: Rust in Peace - This is Megadeth's shining moment for me. It was the debut album of the "classic" line-up and they brought their A game. From the start it's apparent that this isn't going to be another So Far, So Good, So What. Production is better, lyrics are more politically charged, and the guitar work between Dave and Marty is so great they still haven't been album to reproduce it. I know everyone knows Hangar 18 from Guitar Hero, but this entire album could be made into a Guitar Hero game...simply insane.
Now, people will argue about these two albums. In all honesty, the first 4 albums from both Metallica and Megadeth are metal classics and should be owned by any metalhead. These are my favorites and show the best of what 80's/90's thrash was all about.
3. At the Gates: Slaughter of the Soul - This is melodic death metal at it's finest. Bands are still trying to duplicate the sound and style on this album. Whether it be Tomas' vocals or the Iron Maiden-esque guitar work, they are still trying to get it right. This was my first "death metal" album and I was blown away by the overall thrash feeling I got from it. What also makes this album a "must own" is the fact that the band broke up after they released this album. Imagine Metallica breaking up after MoP...yeah just like that.
4. Into Eternity: Buried in Oblivion - If you were to combine the first 3 albums on this list, you would come close to creating the sound of Into Eternity. A band that really created it's own genre, combining thrash, death metal, progressive metal, and some soft rock thrown in for fun. Now when this album was made, Into Eternity had 3 vocalists...yes I said 3, screamer, death growls, and a clean singer. The vocal harmonies alone are a reason to own this album, but there is a ton more. Do you want the guitar harmonies or solos which are insane or do you want the quick hitting tempo changes? Most songs you know whats coming next, but the first time I played this album everything hit me from out of nowhere. Perfect example, after an entire album of controlled chaotic metal, in come a ballad that sounds like it was left off of Peter Cetera's solo album...seriously, but it works - perfectly.
5. Killswitch Engage: Alive or Just Breathing - huh? a metalcore band? Yeah, a metalcore band. Just like At the Gates, KsE created a genre which bands are trying to copy to this day. Stop me if you heard this before, brutal drumming, screaming vocals, heavy riffs with clean choruses and some breakdowns...sounds like every metalcore band in the last 5 years. Well, it all started with KsE and no one has been album to beat them at it. I will never forget the first time I heard the verses being sung with such anger and forcefullness and then...such beauty in the choruses. This band, along with Shadows Fall, helped bring metal back to the mainstream after the disaster that was nu-metal.
There they are...5 must own metal albums.
1. Metallica: Master of Puppets - Is there really any explanation needed here? This is their masterpiece. It all came together on this album. The heavy riffs, melodies, solos, and the progression in the song writing. It's as if the stars aligned perfectly for this one.
2. Megadeth: Rust in Peace - This is Megadeth's shining moment for me. It was the debut album of the "classic" line-up and they brought their A game. From the start it's apparent that this isn't going to be another So Far, So Good, So What. Production is better, lyrics are more politically charged, and the guitar work between Dave and Marty is so great they still haven't been album to reproduce it. I know everyone knows Hangar 18 from Guitar Hero, but this entire album could be made into a Guitar Hero game...simply insane.
Now, people will argue about these two albums. In all honesty, the first 4 albums from both Metallica and Megadeth are metal classics and should be owned by any metalhead. These are my favorites and show the best of what 80's/90's thrash was all about.
3. At the Gates: Slaughter of the Soul - This is melodic death metal at it's finest. Bands are still trying to duplicate the sound and style on this album. Whether it be Tomas' vocals or the Iron Maiden-esque guitar work, they are still trying to get it right. This was my first "death metal" album and I was blown away by the overall thrash feeling I got from it. What also makes this album a "must own" is the fact that the band broke up after they released this album. Imagine Metallica breaking up after MoP...yeah just like that.
4. Into Eternity: Buried in Oblivion - If you were to combine the first 3 albums on this list, you would come close to creating the sound of Into Eternity. A band that really created it's own genre, combining thrash, death metal, progressive metal, and some soft rock thrown in for fun. Now when this album was made, Into Eternity had 3 vocalists...yes I said 3, screamer, death growls, and a clean singer. The vocal harmonies alone are a reason to own this album, but there is a ton more. Do you want the guitar harmonies or solos which are insane or do you want the quick hitting tempo changes? Most songs you know whats coming next, but the first time I played this album everything hit me from out of nowhere. Perfect example, after an entire album of controlled chaotic metal, in come a ballad that sounds like it was left off of Peter Cetera's solo album...seriously, but it works - perfectly.
5. Killswitch Engage: Alive or Just Breathing - huh? a metalcore band? Yeah, a metalcore band. Just like At the Gates, KsE created a genre which bands are trying to copy to this day. Stop me if you heard this before, brutal drumming, screaming vocals, heavy riffs with clean choruses and some breakdowns...sounds like every metalcore band in the last 5 years. Well, it all started with KsE and no one has been album to beat them at it. I will never forget the first time I heard the verses being sung with such anger and forcefullness and then...such beauty in the choruses. This band, along with Shadows Fall, helped bring metal back to the mainstream after the disaster that was nu-metal.
There they are...5 must own metal albums.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Four Horsemen VS. Mechanix
So Monday & Tuesday I am playing two songs from two different bands whicha re nearly identical minue the lyrics. It's a rare look at the beginning of two bands. You can read about it HERE, but in a nutshell. Metallica used to play a song in their set called the Mechanix, it was written by Dave Mustaine. When he was kicked out of Metallica they changed the title and lyrics to The Four Horsemen. When Mustaine recorded Megadeth's debut he recorded the Mechanix.
Now I heard the Four Horsemen 1st and to me it is a classic song. Great metal lyrics, killer guitar riffs, and an awesome solo. When I heard Mechanix for the first time I was blown away because of the speed of the song. Mustaine's version is sped up a quiet a bit.
So which is better? Mechanix is faster, but the lyrics are pretty weak (about a garage mechanic who fantasies about some lady). Four Horsemen has better lyrics, but the whole bridge solo is kinda weak and they never play it live. So I will go with the LIVE version of The Four Horsemen.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, this is one of the main reasons that Metallica and Megadeth will forever be associated with each other.
Now I heard the Four Horsemen 1st and to me it is a classic song. Great metal lyrics, killer guitar riffs, and an awesome solo. When I heard Mechanix for the first time I was blown away because of the speed of the song. Mustaine's version is sped up a quiet a bit.
So which is better? Mechanix is faster, but the lyrics are pretty weak (about a garage mechanic who fantasies about some lady). Four Horsemen has better lyrics, but the whole bridge solo is kinda weak and they never play it live. So I will go with the LIVE version of The Four Horsemen.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, this is one of the main reasons that Metallica and Megadeth will forever be associated with each other.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Spotlight: Megadeth ...getting better with age?
So I left off part one with Megadeth releasing TWNAH, which was a strong return to form. It has classic thrashers like Return to Hangar, Recipe for Hate...Warhorse, and Dread and the Fugitive Mind. It had more melodic songs like Disconnect and Motopycho. The guitar solos were great and for me it was their best album since Cryptic Writings...not saying much though since Risk was the only album in between, but I thought CW was better than Youth.
After the tour for TWNAH, Dave injured his arm in a freak injury and disbanded Megadeth. It was quiet for a couple of years and then rumors of Dave starting a solo career or reforming Megadeth started showing up. But Dave's long time bass player (only original member) was let go and a little war of words started up. In the meantime, Dave wrote some songs for his solo album, but released it as a Megadeth album (The System Has Failed) because of contract issues. TSHF took off where TWNAH was going. It was thrashier with the first 3 tracks setting the pace (Blackmail the Universe, Kick the Chair, Die Dead Enough). Die Dead Enough was the melodic rock/thrash song like Disconnect except a bit faster with a catchier chorus. Songs like Back in the Day and The Scorpion helped put this album up their for metal albums of the year. Fans were starting to come around to the fact that Megadeth was back. Plus the fact Vic was back on the cover in his class poses with the government...sort of like R.I.P.
During the recording of TSHF, Dave used session musicians and Chris Poland (from the 1st 2 Megadeth albums) to play on the album. So he went out and hired some regular members and hit the road again. After the tour he almost disbanded Megadeth a second time, but decided against it and recorded their latest United Abominations. A classic slam at political views namely the U.N. (obviously).
BTW, check out that cool cover...very reminiscent of Peace Sells. UA has the same kind of tracks like TWNAH and TSHF, thrash songs and some melodic songs. I have to say that the last 3 Megadeth albums are the best 3 in a row albums since SFSGSW, R.I.P., and CtE. Here is my ultimate playlist for the albums.
1. Disconnect (from The World Needs a Hero)
2. The World Needs a Hero (from The World Needs a Hero)
3. Motopycho (from The World Needs a Hero)
4. Recipe for Hate...Warhorse (from The World Needs a Hero)
5. Dread and the Fugitive Mind (from The World Needs a Hero)
6. Return to Hangar (from The World Needs a Hero)
7. When (from The World Needs a Hero)
8. Kill the King (from Capitol Punishment [1st greatest hits] recorded during TWNAH sessions)
9. Blackmail the Universe (from The System has Failed)
10. Die Dead Enough (from The System has Failed)
11. Kick the Chair (from The System has Failed)
12. The Scorpion (from The System has Failed)
13. Sleepwalker (from United Abominations)
14. Washington is Next! (from United Abominations)
15. United Abominations (from United Abominations)
16. You're Dead (from United Abominations)
17. Burnt Ice (from United Abominations)
A little heavy on the TWNAH era, but the guitar work is top notch on that album.
I will post the weekly playlist later.
----------------
Now playing: Megadeth - Sleepwalker
via FoxyTunes
After the tour for TWNAH, Dave injured his arm in a freak injury and disbanded Megadeth. It was quiet for a couple of years and then rumors of Dave starting a solo career or reforming Megadeth started showing up. But Dave's long time bass player (only original member) was let go and a little war of words started up. In the meantime, Dave wrote some songs for his solo album, but released it as a Megadeth album (The System Has Failed) because of contract issues. TSHF took off where TWNAH was going. It was thrashier with the first 3 tracks setting the pace (Blackmail the Universe, Kick the Chair, Die Dead Enough). Die Dead Enough was the melodic rock/thrash song like Disconnect except a bit faster with a catchier chorus. Songs like Back in the Day and The Scorpion helped put this album up their for metal albums of the year. Fans were starting to come around to the fact that Megadeth was back. Plus the fact Vic was back on the cover in his class poses with the government...sort of like R.I.P.
During the recording of TSHF, Dave used session musicians and Chris Poland (from the 1st 2 Megadeth albums) to play on the album. So he went out and hired some regular members and hit the road again. After the tour he almost disbanded Megadeth a second time, but decided against it and recorded their latest United Abominations. A classic slam at political views namely the U.N. (obviously).
BTW, check out that cool cover...very reminiscent of Peace Sells. UA has the same kind of tracks like TWNAH and TSHF, thrash songs and some melodic songs. I have to say that the last 3 Megadeth albums are the best 3 in a row albums since SFSGSW, R.I.P., and CtE. Here is my ultimate playlist for the albums.1. Disconnect (from The World Needs a Hero)
2. The World Needs a Hero (from The World Needs a Hero)
3. Motopycho (from The World Needs a Hero)
4. Recipe for Hate...Warhorse (from The World Needs a Hero)
5. Dread and the Fugitive Mind (from The World Needs a Hero)
6. Return to Hangar (from The World Needs a Hero)
7. When (from The World Needs a Hero)
8. Kill the King (from Capitol Punishment [1st greatest hits] recorded during TWNAH sessions)
9. Blackmail the Universe (from The System has Failed)
10. Die Dead Enough (from The System has Failed)
11. Kick the Chair (from The System has Failed)
12. The Scorpion (from The System has Failed)
13. Sleepwalker (from United Abominations)
14. Washington is Next! (from United Abominations)
15. United Abominations (from United Abominations)
16. You're Dead (from United Abominations)
17. Burnt Ice (from United Abominations)
A little heavy on the TWNAH era, but the guitar work is top notch on that album.
I will post the weekly playlist later.
----------------
Now playing: Megadeth - Sleepwalker
via FoxyTunes
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Spotlight: Megadeth
ok, I am in the middle of giving my thoughts on Megadeth, so I won't be too long today. Let me say that the first part of Megadeth's career (pre-Risk) was filled with thrash classics. Most fans will tell you that KIMB, Peace Sells, SFSGSW, R.I.P., CtE, Youth, and CW are their best. Most will tell you up til CtE actually. Their first 5 albums are classics. I'm not gonna tell you they aren't. All I can say is to give their post-Risk career a listen.
Most kids are caught up with Hangar 18 because of Guitar Hero. And I'm not going to complain. but listen to other songs off of R.I.P. then. I would have to say my favorite thing about CtE-era Megadeth was how the rhythm guitar had that hard crunch sound...yeah kinda like Metallica. But seriously, listen to the opening riff of Symphony of Destruction and Angry Again...killer.
So next week, I will highlight their last two albums and give you what I think is a good playlist of the last 3 albums.
Playlist for the week:
Monday: Last Rites/Loved to Death, Peace Sells, Mary Jane from KIMB, Peaces Sells, and SFSGSW.
Tuesday: Hangar 18, Holy Wars...Punishment Due from Rust in Peace
Wednesday: Tornado of Souls, Rust in Peace...Polaris from Rust in Peace
Thursday: Countdown to Extinction, Symphony of Destruction, Angry Again from Countdown to Extinction and Hidden Treasures.
Friday: Blood of Heroes, Family Tree, New World Order from Youthanasia
Most kids are caught up with Hangar 18 because of Guitar Hero. And I'm not going to complain. but listen to other songs off of R.I.P. then. I would have to say my favorite thing about CtE-era Megadeth was how the rhythm guitar had that hard crunch sound...yeah kinda like Metallica. But seriously, listen to the opening riff of Symphony of Destruction and Angry Again...killer.
So next week, I will highlight their last two albums and give you what I think is a good playlist of the last 3 albums.
Playlist for the week:
Monday: Last Rites/Loved to Death, Peace Sells, Mary Jane from KIMB, Peaces Sells, and SFSGSW.
Tuesday: Hangar 18, Holy Wars...Punishment Due from Rust in Peace
Wednesday: Tornado of Souls, Rust in Peace...Polaris from Rust in Peace
Thursday: Countdown to Extinction, Symphony of Destruction, Angry Again from Countdown to Extinction and Hidden Treasures.
Friday: Blood of Heroes, Family Tree, New World Order from Youthanasia
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Megadeth...better with age?
Ok so this week and next week is my two weeks of Megadeth. Now a little back story on Megadeth. Their first 4-5 albums were really solid thrash metal albums. They were never as epic as Metallica's, but better than most. I was never a big fan of Peace Sells (like most), but I did love KIMB, SFSGSW, and of course R.I.P. In 1992, they released Countdown to Extinction, which ended up being their Black Album. Factoid: the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard, it was beaten out by Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart...yep that fad song.
Anyway, for me, after CtE it kinda went downhill. Youthanasia was too mid tempo paced, which we found out later was on purpose because their producer said that a certain tempo/time was needed for the album to sell. So we had songs that were slowed down and others that were sped up. Cryptic Writings was a pretty good album. It was better than Youthanasia because it wasn't a one speed album. Dave Mustaine said that this album encompassed their whole career. Classic thrash songs were their (She-Wolf, The Disintegrators, FFF, and Vortex), Youthanasia style songs (Trust, Almost Honest, A Secrect Place), and some new rock style (I'll Get Even, Sin, Have Cool Will Travel). It worked for me.
Unfortunately, Trust and Almost Honest were big radio hits, so they tried to re-create the sound for Risk. Risk is a good rock album, not a Megadeth album. It has it's moments...mainly Insomnia, Prince of Darkness, and Time. Other than that...horrible.
I should mention here that Megadeth has never had a stable line up. Through the period of R.I.P. to CW it was the same band. Risk introduced a new drummer. So after Risk there were rumors that Dave was going to pull the plug on Megadeth and start a solo career. They made an album, sent it to Capitol Records, then he changed his mind...thank God.
The World Needs a Hero was released in 2001. It was hyped as "the return of thrash" for Megadeth. It wasn't the return everyone was expecting so people knocked it. But let me say that the album is full (read full) of guitar solos. I am talking 2 minutes worth on some songs. Listen to Return to Hangar (sequel to Hangar 18 from R.I.P.), When, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, Recipe for Hate...Warhorse just to name a few. Megadeth was able to balance thrash songs with a rock under-tone. Something that would continue on the next two releases.
Next up, Dave injures his arm, disbands Megadeth, then...
Monday, April 30, 2007
Megadeth - United Abominations
well a quick note just for a sec about Megadeth's latest offering. I have heard Gears of War and wasn't that impressed, but I have heard some other tracks and I gotta say this is looking to be a pretty solid album. Sleepwalker sounds more and more like classic Megadeth...not sure if I am gonna go back to R.I.P., but it is defintely the best thing they have written in some time. Solos are all over the place. I was happy with TWNAH and TSHF, so I expect UA to be just as solid. On a side note, Megadeth is pretty famous for their covers (like Iron Maiden) and this one was designed by a fan. It looks pretty tight, Vic looks a little bit different, but I am ok with it.
As for this blog, look for some talk about Soulfly ( I was reading earlier posts) and realized I never went back and talked about Soulfly or later day Sepultura. Both are solid examples of tribal metal. Plus Soulfly is going to be releasing some new songs this week on their website so it will be interesting to see the direction the band is going in.
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