Top albums...mid year

Alright, last year I forgot to give my mid year top albums list, but this year I won't forget. I have been pretty impressed so far with the albums that have been released, mainly due to the return of the guitar solos in most metal releases. I will try to find some songs from the albums...most likely through their Myspace page. So here we go...top albums (so far)

1. Machine Head - The Blackening: this was a tough one between this album and Megadeth's United Abominations. What made this one #1? The guitar sound came across a little thicker than Megadeth's. Plus the songs are so complex with time/tempo changes. I mean when you have the guts to have a 10+ minute song to start off the album you know you have a solid album.
Machine Head's Myspace (Aesthetics of Hate)

2. Megadeth - United Abominations: a close second. This is another solid Megadeth album. Sleepwalker is a song that could have easily have been a R.I.P. leftover. Washington is Next, United Abominations, You're Dead, Burnt Ice, and the A Tout Le Monde remake all classics. The boys seem to be on a roll right now, hopefully they can keep this line-up together and see what they can do next.
Megadeth's Myspace (Washington is Next, Sleepwalker & A Tout Le Monde)

3. Susperia - Cut from Stone: Now first off this is not better than Unlimited. What we have here is another slice of modern thrash metal. Insane drumming throughout all of the tracks, heavy guitar riffs, and more Chuck Billy vocals makes this a solid album. The build up on the first track More is classic headbanging.
Susperia's Myspace (nothing from this album, but 3 songs from Unlimited)

4. Nightrage - A New Disease is Born: Ok, this is the 3rd album by this band. The first 2 had a classic Melodic Death Metal (ala At the Gates) feel to them. Right away you know this is different because one the first track you hear some clean singing vocals. You might be tempted to say this is a metalcore album, but it's not. Musically, it's still melodic death metal, but the clean vocals might turn off some. For me, it adds another dimension that Tomas couldn't give them.
Nightrage's Myspace (Scathing plus some others from their 1st 2 albums)

5. Sanctity - Road to Bloodshed: Did Testament release an album finally? No, but that's what this band reminds me of. Solos galore, solid drumming, and vocals that bring back memories of Chuck Billy. This is what Trivium's The Crusade should have been.
Sanctity's Myspace (Beneath the Machine, Zeppo, & Seconds)

6. Deadlock - Wolves: ok imagine At the Gates with a sprinkle of Lacuna Coil thrown in and you have Deadlock. Well I guess I could throw in some industrial elements as well and then you would have Deadlock. Their previous album featured 2 songs with a female vocalist, this album they have her on pretty much every song. Now this isn't opera style vocals or female screaming vocals, just a female clean singing along. It works...trust me it works. The trade off between male/female vocals seems effortless something that I have found is not that easy to achieve.
Deadlock's Myspace (Code of Honor)

7. Fear My Thoughts - Vulcanus: Where did this album come from? FMT were a Killswitch Engage clone on their last 2 albums...now they release what can only be described as a melodic death album...once again in the same vein as At the Gates. All of the breakdowns and metalcore tendencies are gone. Very nice change of pace.
Fear My Thoughts' Myspace (Culture of Fear & Blankness)

8. Shadows Fall - Threads of Life: ok now if you read my blog you know that Shadows Fall was the band that opened me up to a ton of music...so they will always have a special place in my musical heart. As for this album, nothing new. If you liked The War Within, then you will like this album. I can't knock them though because if they change people will scream sellout & when they don't change then people complain because they are afraid to try something new. Once again tight drumming, nice guitar solos, and top notch production.
Shadow's Fall's Myspace (Redemption)


Disappointments so far
1. Mnemic - Passenger: seriously this guy could be the worst vocalist ever. Their previous album Audio Injected Soul was a classic industrial metal album. It was perfect in everyway...why change it? Just disappointing.
Mnemic's Myspace

2. Chimaira -Resurrection: ok musically, nothing wrong again. Vocally I can live with it. But I am running into the same problem I had with their self-titled album...nothing sticks. After I turn it off I can't remember one song. It is a solid metal album that while listening to it you head bang, air drum, etc. but afterwards...nothing.
Chimaira' s Myspace

3. Becoming the Archetype - The Physics of Fire: I go back and forth with this one. Maybe it's because their debut Terminate Damnation was so strong, but this one is lacking something. Their debut was a classic metalcore album with some progressive elements thrown in. This album I would categorize as progressive death metal. Maybe I needed the metalcore...who knows? Still very solid and after a few more listens it could end up in the top 10.
Becoming the Archetype's Myspace

Still looking forward to
1. 3 Inches of Blood - Fire up the Blades (myspace page Goatriders Horde from upcoming album)
2. Darkest Hour - Deliver Us (myspace page Demons from the upcoming album)
3. Devildriver - The Last Kind Words (myspace page)
4. Beyond the Embrace - TBA (myspace page)
5. Biomechanical - Cannibalised (myspace page)
6. Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy (it's a joke that thing will never be released)

Iced Earth

Well this band holds a special place in my heart and always will...why? Iced Earth was the first real band I got into after Metallica& Megadeth ran their course for me. I remembered hearing about Iced Earth on tour with Megadeth. The Megadeth boards were on fire about how good this band was so I decided to check them out. Now the first thing I noticed about the band is the high quality artwork they have for their albums. Check them out.








Now let's talk about the music. Iced Earth plays a sort of NWOBHM/thrash metal mix. Imagine Iron Maiden on steroids. Instead of Steve Harris' galloping bass line you get a heavy head banging guitar riff. My first Iced Earth album was Something Wicked This Way Comes, which is good because the sequel to that album comes out later this year. Something Wicked is a solid album from start to finish, but you quickly notice the fast song then slow song pattern for the entire album. You can't get into a rhythm to either bang your head or get out your lighter. The shining moment on the album, and this is what hooked me on Iced Earth, is the Something Wicked Trilogy. 3 songs linked together clocking in at about 25 minutes. I had never heard anything like this before. In a nut shell, the trilogy talks about this character who is destined to destroy all of mankind...oh yeah I guess I should note the fact the lyrics aren't happy, if you need more proof let's look at their 2nd album.

Night of the Stormrider is a concept album about a soldier who loses his faith in religion and decides to take it out on mankind. The really evil thing about this is that he doesn't have any regrets and would do it again. Musically, NotS is probably my favorite IE album. The riffs and time/tempo changes through out the entire album are really great. The intro riff to Stormrider is probably one of my all time favorites.

One last thing about Iced Earth...the line up changes. Until the 2 part album is released, no album has had the same line up from one album to the next...is this a problem? Not really, starting with Burnt Offerings, Matt Barlow took over the vocal duties. Now the previous 2 vocalists were good, in fact I heard the only reason the guy from NotS was dropped was because of his cocky attitude. But Matt Barlow quickly became the voice of Iced Earth. The next 4 albums and one live album are all solid albums, especially the live album. If you can find the 3 disc live album, Alive in Athens, or the 2 disc Days of Purgatory get them. They give a great overview of Iced Earth minus Horror Show and The Glorious Burden. After HS, Matt Barlow left the band due to his reaction to 9/11, enter Tim Owens of Judas Priest. Now Tim Owens is a good vocalist, but for me he is too much like Rob Halford. If I want Rob Halford I will listen to Judas Priest or Halford. TGB was a solid album, but it was missing a lot. The riffs didn't seem to be their the whole time and the vocals were always high.

So now we sit back and wait for 2 Iced Earth albums this year. I have heard the EP, Overture of the Wicked, and I am not super happy, but I am not giving up on them. This is Jon's baby, he has been waiting to finish the Something Wicked Trilogy for 2 albums now. I don't think he can mess it up.

Tirades of Truth: The Autumn Offering - Embrace the Gutter

Well last time I said I would review my favorite album of the year and here it is...The Autumn Offering - Embrace the Gutter. This album is very similar to early Shadows Fall or All That Remains. The cover says something about them being like Pantera...uh no actually I think they might be better. That's right I said it. This album is pretty solid from start to finish...minus that stupid 34 second intro they call a song. Why do bands feel the need to have an intro and outro instrumental 'song'?

Ok breakdown of the music. In a nutshell, this band combines the riffs of Shadows Fall (or any New England band nowadays), the solos of any classic thrash band out there, and the breakdowns of Unearth or Killswitch Engage. As for the vocals, think growling screams...not too cookie monster-ish, but nothing clean.

'Decay' starts off the album and to be honest it sounds like your standard metalcore song complete with breakdown and then it pulls out this pretty good solo.

'The Yearning' starts off with a nice little riff and then a cool little lead, which catches me totally off guard. A catchier chorus and a beautiful solo/bridge and an ending that has a cool riff breakdown that makes it 2 solid songs in a row for this album.

'Embrace the Gutter' this is the video I saw which got me into this band. I saw the solo part in the video and went nuts. I hadn't heard a solo like that since Nevermore's This Godless Endeavor. Anyway, the song is the catchiest of the album, chorus wise. The song sounds like it could have come off of a God Forbid album, but the solo....oh my!! Seriously, I thought I was listening to a Megadeth circa R.I.P. era song. That is not an overstatement. Go to their myspace and listen to it.

'Ghost' is the next song which is pretty solid, probably my second favorite. If you thought Embrace the Gutter was catchy, then listen to this song. The drumming is insane and it blends so well into the chorus amazing. And then out of nowhere they give you a classic Iron Maiden sounding solo...yeah I said Iron Maiden. Then it goes into a sick breakdown that would make Unearth jealous to end the song.

You can see where this is going...each song is pretty killer. Tight solos throughout the album just listent to No End in Sight if you want another Megadeth style solo. 'Walk the Line' continues into the final instrumental track 'The Final Cut'

Obviously, I like the album. It blends the two styles of metal pretty well. To me they are up their with Shadows Fall, All That Remains, and Trivium that can play this thrash metalcore style. If you like any of those bands...get this album now.

Next time...how about my top albums of 2006.