Who Decides: 2011 Albums of the Year

What happened to the end of 2011? I was on track to have close to 300 posts and then...well nothing happened. I stopped posting. I will try to get back to posting on a regular basis, so let's see how that goes.

First things first, my top 10 albums of 2011. There was a lot of great music last year and in all my years of doing this list, this was the hardest hands down. In fact when I was making the list, I actually ended up with 20 albums that I really enjoyed, so since i already did the Spinal Tap Edition, I will simply do a top 20 for this year, nothing full detail with the 20-11, just list them.

By the way, here is the list of the mid year albums.  Most show up again with only a few not making it to the final 20.

20. Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
19. Deadlock - Bizarro World
18. Anthrax - Worship Music
17. Megadeth - Th1rt3en
16. Nightrage - Insidious
15. Unearth - Darkness in the Light
14. Revocation - Chaos of Forms
13. The Haunted - Unseen
12. Sylosis - Edge of the Earth
11. The Human Abstract - Digital Veil


Some really good albums in there. On any given day those 10 could have made the top 10 list...maybe not the top 4 or 5, but easily 10-6. Now onto the rest;

10. Lazarus A.D. - Black River Flows: This was a surprise for me, not because I'm not a fan, but because how much growth transpired between their debut and this one. This is the kind of maturity that you see between albums like Kill Em All and Ride the Lightning or KIMB and Peace Sells. Lazarus A.D. easily put themselves out there as one of the top new "thrash revival" acts. Before they were just an Exodus clone, but not anymore.

9. Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma: This was another surprise, but for a different reason, their debut was meh. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was just there. Their follow up really brings back the days of Arise. The guitar work, mainly solos, is awesome. Killing Inside and I Speak Hate are two great songs that just grab you and don't let go of you.

8. Evile - Five Serpent's Teeth: Another "thrash revival" band. I had heard of this band, but never paid much attention to them. I will never make that mistake again. The best way I can sum up this band is by repeating what i read about them; This is Metallica after AJFA. The vocal delivery is similar and the music is also in the same style as the classic thrash we all know and love.

7. Iced Earth - Dystopia: I already talked about this album HERE. All I will say is that it's nice to see Iced Earth back making classic heavy metal/thrash again.

6. In Flames - Sounds of a Playground Fading: People said In Flames were dead after their guitarist, Jesper, left the band. And I will be honest I was worried. Come Clarity was awesome, but The Mirror's Truth was bad. This one is back on track. Ander's vocals remind me of Reroute to Remain and the music is closer in style to Come Clarity than The Mirror's Truth. I was very glad to see that In Flames could rise up and make a stellar album without one of their key members.

5. Anterior - Echoes of the Fallen: Of all the "new" bands releasing sophomore albums (Anterior, Lazarus A.D., Sylosis) I wasn't too interested in Anterior's, until I heard the samples. This is easily the best of the other 2 bands. The guitar work is top notch and even thought there is no real change in vocal delivery, it works and I never find myself wishing something would change.  Reviewed HERE.

4. Times of Grace - Times of Grace: This album was my choice for album of the year in January. As you can see it didn't quiet make it, but it didn't fall off the radar either. I have reviewed already and have nothing to add. It stands up through continuous listens and it is a nice change of pace when compared to other albums here.  Reviewed HERE.

3. Mercenary - Metamorphosis: There was a time when I thought this might be number one because it really came out of nowhere. I was a fan of Mercenary's 11 Dreams, but when they lost their bass player/scream vocals I was worried. But when they released Architect of Lies all those fears were gone the new vocalist was great. But then short after their tour ended the band imploded and 2 members, including the vocalist, left. So I was nervous, but this album is everything that is great about Mercenary, heavy guitars, great vocals, and some excellent head banging moments.  Review HERE.

2. Machine Head - Unto the Locust: Now if you remember in 2007, Machine Head's The Blackening was my number one album. Looking back and what I have listened to since, I sometimes think maybe DevilDriver's The Last Kind Words should have been number one. But fast word to 2011 and Machine Head's latest is good...really good. There are times when I think this is a lot better than The Blackening. With The Blackening, some of the songs were too long. Now these songs are long again, but for some reason they fly by. The songs are a lot easier to digest if you will. I have read the opposite from some reviewers, but this was an album that was very easy for me to get into and enjoy. But unfortunately it couldn't top the number one album...who knows maybe in a few years I'll say how Machine Head should have been number one.

1. Trivium - In Waves: Well let's hit the time machine again, in 2008 Trivium's Shogun ended up number two behind Metallica's Death Magnetic...mainly because I am such a Metallica fan. And there were some times towards the end of the year that I was thinking that Trivium could drop to number two again, but it didn't happen. Trivium's songs are so catchy it's amazing. There is only one other band that makes songs grab you on the first listen and that would be Bullet For My Valentine. While this wasn't as good as Shogun, it was still the best thing from start to finish I heard all year.  Reviewed HERE.

Who Decides: Mid-Albums of the Year 2011

This will probably be the hardest year for me putting together a Top 10 list.  If this list isn't already packed, I have Trivium, In Flames, Sepultura, Dead by April, Blood Stain Child, Unearth, Anthrax and who knows what else.  It's an awesome year for metal music, so let's get started;

1(tie).  Mercenary - Metamorphosis: I talked about this album HERE already.  And there isn't much I can add.  It's near perfection. Each song is heavy & catchy with killer vocals.  I'm not sure what else you could ask for in a metal album.

1(tie).  Times of Grace - Times of Grace: Reviewed HERE.  This isn't a more "metal" album than Mercenary, but it is a more complete album.  You have some acoustic tracks, some doom-like tracks, and some classic metal tracks.  It's a great album.  The worst part for both of these albums is that they might not end up number 1 at the end of the year.

3.  Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma:  I was not a fan of Infliked or the last two Soulfly albums, but this one hits the spot for me.  It is very light on the whole "tribal metal", but Marc Rizzo definitely makes up for it with his guitar work.  For some reason I feel like I am listening to some NWOBHM with harsh vocals thrown on top of it.  Right now, this is my surprise album of the year.

From here on out, these albums can change from day to day.  It's not like they aren't good, they are so good it's difficult to put them in order.

4.  Before the Fall - Antibody: brutal modern industrial style metal.  I have always had a soft spot for bands like Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, and Divine Hersey, and Before the Fall are in that same vein.  Don't hold your breath waiting for that clean chorus...cause it ain't coming.

5.  Lazarus A.D. - Black Rivers Flow: a more mature Lazarus A.D. shows up this time around.  Still thrash-oriented, but they aren't afraid to slow it down and push the envelope.  Some real solid metal here for classic metal fans.

6.  Sylosis - Edge of the Earth: this one reminds me a little of Machine Head's The Blackening.  It is a long album and takes some time to digest.  Musically it sounds a lot like Metallica's classic albums of MoP, RtL, and AJFA.  Vocally, mainly harsh screams.  It works, but I think the lack of variety hurts this just a bit.

7.  Deadlock - Bizzaro World:  I talked about it HERE.  It's solid, nothing new, but nothing bad if you liked their last 3 albums.  I said they were going into that KsE path of writing the same music over and over again.  I'm not sure another album like this will work.

8.  Soul Cycle - Soul Cycle: Soul Cycle play instrumental classic thrash metal.  It's good.  I talked about the high amount of solid instrumental albums HERE earlier.  If you like thrash and don't need vocals to enjoy the music...this is a must.

9.  Amaranthe - Amaranthe: I talked about them last year and finally the album is here.  This is pop metal at its best.  Female, clean male, and harsh male vocals really works well here.  If you don't mind keyboards playing a big part of the music, then try this.

10. Tyrant of Death - Dark Space: another instrumental album.  Think SYL meets Fear Factory without the vocals.  It's great heavy metal...the guitars and drumming are insane.

This can change any day because bands like DevilDriver, The Haunted, Protest the Hero, The Human Abstract, Inside It Grows, Titans Eve, Degradead, Arch Enemy, Izegrim, Artas, Circles, and Mygrain have all released solid albums.  Each one of the bands mentioned could easily end up in the top 10.

But just do some quick math, there are 10 above, plus the 12 that barely missed out, and the 7 known albums that haven't been released.  That's 29 albums I am looking at trying to narrow to 10.  good luck to me.

Who Decides: Metallica albums

Well as I am trying to rank all of Metallica's studio albums, I decided to take a look at each one separately and determine how many songs off of each album I look forward to hearing. Now to say that this is my final list is far from correct. As you will see, Metallica's self-titled album (The Black Album) is 100%, and I can assure you it isn't my favorite album. This was just looking at the album separate from all other albums. So here we go:

Metallica (12/12) 100%
Enter Sandman
Sad but True
Holier Than Thou
The Unforgiven
Wherever I May Roam
Don't Tread on Me
Through the Never
Nothing Else Matters
Of Wolf and Man
The God That Failed
My Friend of Misery
The Struggle Within


Death Magnetic (10/10) 100%
That Was Just Your Life
The End of the Line
Broken, Beat & Scarred
The Day That Never Comes
All Nightmare Long
Cyanide
The Unforgiven III
The Judas Kiss
Suicide & Redemption
My Apocalypse


Re-Load (12/13) 92%
Fuel
The Memory Remains
Devil's Dance
The Unforgiven II
Slither
Carpe Diem Baby
Bad Seed
Where the Wild Things Are
Prince Charming
Low Man's Lyric
Attitude
Fixxxer


Kill Em All (9/10) 90%
Hit the Lights
The Four Horsemen
Motorbreath
Jump in the Fire
(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
Whiplash
Phantom Lord
No Remorse
Seek & Destroy


Master of Puppets (7/8) 88%
Battery
Master of Puppets
Welcome Home
Disposable Heroes
Leper Messiah
Orion
Damage, Inc.


Load (12/14) 86%
Ain't My Bitch
2 × 4
The House Jack Built
Until It Sleeps
King Nothing
Hero of the Day
Bleeding Me
Cure
Wasting My Hate
Mama Said
Thorn Within
The Outlaw Torn


And Justice for All (7/9) 78%
Blackened
...And Justice for All
Eye of the Beholder
The Frayed Ends of Sanity
To Live Is to Die
Dyers Eve


Ride the Lightning (6/8) 75%
Fight Fire with Fire
Ride the Lightning
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fade to Black
Trapped Under Ice
Creeping Death


St. Anger (8/11) 73%
Frantic
Some Kind of Monster
Dirty Window
My World
Shoot Me Again
Sweet Amber
The Unnamed Feeling
All Within My Hands


Interesting to see how this played out. Now some albums are hurt by the number of tracks on an album. Ride the Lightning and Load both have 2 songs gone, but Load has 14 tracks versus Ride the Lightning's 8. This might play into my list, but it definitely isn't the final version.

Who Decides: Best Disney Soundtrack

Yes, you did read that correctly. I am looking at the best Disney movie soundtrack. As a parent, I have had to sit down and watch a ton of Disney movies. And you know what I noticed? Each one has at least 2 really good songs. Think about it Snow White had Whistle While You Work and Some Day My Prince will Come. Pinocchio had When You Wish Upon a Star and I've Got No Strings. Dumbo had Baby Mine and When I See an Elephant Fly. And Cinderella had A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes and So This is Love. And there are a bunch of other examples of this throughout the Disney catalog.

What makes a soundtrack special is when you get that 3rd or 4th great song. So these 5 albums have at least 3 great songs or more.

5. Aladdin - What makes this great is that the first time we see Aladdin is also the first big song of the movie, One Jump Ahead. It is a great song that really has that big Broadway showtunes type feel to it. Of course you can't talk about the Aladdin soundtrack and not mention A Whole New World. This song is required singing at proms now it seems like, I have been teaching for 7 years at my current high school & I have seen this song done twice now. It is a great song. The vocal harmonies are perfect. The overlapping of lyrics really make this song a classic. For my 3rd song, I went with Prince Ali. I liked this song better than Friend Like Me. This one also has that "big time" feel to it, perhaps it is Robin Williams' performance that does it.




4. Tarzan - Let it be known now that I am a huge Phil Collins fan. Whether it be his solo work or his work with Genesis, he is awesome. So putting him in charge of a soundtrack was a stroke of genius by Disney. You'll Be in my Heart was the song that really got everyone's attention, but that was a little sappy for my taste. For me the true gems of the album are Two Worlds, Son of Man, and Strangers Like Me. Son of Man was great because it was really an upbeat fast tempo song, which really doesn't happen very often in a Disney movie.

But I do realize that the chances of Phil Collins getting a crack at a soundtrack wouldn't have happened without #3.



3. The Lion King - Let's face it this is the soundtrack that put Disney soundtracks mainstream again. Yes, Alan Menken did a wonderful job of creating some great soundtracks like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast just to name a few, but it was Elton John and Tim Rice that got the mainstream media's attention. I mean this album is full of hits; The Circle of Life, I Just Can't Wait to be King, Hakuna Matata, and of course who can forget Can You Feel the Love Tonight? All instant classics. Hakuna Matata almost shows how ridiculous a song can be. Think about it, this is a song about a made up fictional phrase, and you know what? It works. Once kids see this movie you'll almost be certain to hear one of them say Hakuna Matata. But for me, it's all about The Circle of Life. First song in the movie and it really gives off this grandiose feel to it. It doesn't matter if it's the Elton John version or the movie version, they are both great.





2. The Little Mermaid - When I started I really thought this would be number 1. Why not? I mean it brought back Disney animation in a big way. And a huge part of the success was the soundtrack. Part of Your World, Under the Sea, Poor Unfortunate Souls, and Kiss the Girl are all fantastic songs. If I was forced to pick out a favorite I would go with Part of Your World. Jodi Benson pours in so much emotion into the performance you really feel sad for this girl who just wants to experience something new.


On a side note, Ashley Tisdale did a cover of Kiss the Girl and turned it into a pop song. It's a great pop song, but definitely wouldn't have fit into the movie.





1. Enchanted - Yes, the same Enchanted I reviewed a while back. I am surprised this made it to #1. But as I was looking at the number of songs per movie I realized that Enchanted had 5 hits. True Love's Kiss, Happy Working Song, That's How You Know, So Close, and Ever Ever After. They are all great. Happy Working Song is a great sort of tribute to Snow White's Whistle While You Work. The lyrics are fantastic as well. Here is the first verse;

All right, everyone! Let's tidy things up!

Come my little friends
As we all sing a happy little working song
Merry little voices clear and strong
Come and roll your sleeves up,
So to speak, and pitch in
Cleaning crud up in the kitchen
As we sing along

Trill a cheery tune in the tub
As we scrub a stubborn mildew stain
Pluck a hairball from the shower drain
To that gay refrain
Of a happy working song

We’ll keep singing without fail
Otherwise we’d spoil it
Hosing down the garbage pail
And scrubbing up the toilet
Ooh!

How we all enjoy letting loose with a little
"La-da-dum-dum-dum"
While we’re emptying the vacu-um
It’s such fun to hum
A happy working song
Hmmm
A happy working song

How great is that? So Close is the great romantic song on the album and is done really well. And you get another good pop song from Carrie Underwood with Ever Ever After...once again a mainstream artist recording for Disney. For me though, I still love That's How You Know. I talked about it in my review of the movie and didn't realize all the hidden references to The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and even a future reference to Tangled in the song.



So that's the list. One thing I hope you noticed looking at the covers is that Alan Menkin was involved with 3 of the 5 albums. He does great work, so if you see his name attached to a project, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Who Decides: 2010 Albums of the Year

2010 was a bit of a down year. There wasn't that much to get excited about, but the albums that are in the top 10 are really good, sum will easily make the albums of the decade list in 8 years...if the blog is still up and running. I managed to review a few of these albums as the year wrapped up, so hopefully I won't have to talk about each album as much as I did in the past.

A couple of honorable mentions to Eluveitie with Everything Remains As It Never Was. It was a return to Slania-type folk/melodic death metal. In fact, they probably threw in more folk than before. If you liked Slania, check this one out. This is probably my favorite song off the album, but it's also the slowest.


And the God of War III EP. This thing had songs by Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Opeth, Dream Theater, and a couple others. The mentioned 4 band songs were awesome. Opeth going back to some 70's progressive feel and DT going instrumental. And what about Trivium? They kept going in the same direction that they started with Shogun. I couldn't include it because it was just an EP. But it is definitely one of the better releases this year.


10. Angelus Apatrida - Clockwork: This is retro thrash. It was between this band and another called Vindication. One sounds like Megadeth the other Testament. I went with the latter. Nothing really special here. It's classic bay area thrash with great solos and some early Testament style vocals. Like I said, solid, but definitely didn't break any new ground.


9. Pendulum - Immersion: Kind of the black sheep of the list. This band falls under the "drum & bass" genre. It's has that techno/trance/rave type feel to it at times. I found out the album from the song Self vs. Self which had In Flames on it.


To be honest it's an In Flames song on another album because the rest of the album sounds nothing like that. But that's ok. It's really not bad. It reminds me of 80's new wave at times in fact. Believe it or not, I have a soft spot for bands like Tears for Fears, Human League and the likes. Hopefully Pendulum will continue to push the lines of drum & bass to include more metal aspects.


8. Charred Walls of the Damned - Charred Walls of the Damned: I talked about their album HERE. Solid classic metal album. This is a must for Iced Earth fans as well, even if you are fans of Matt Barlow era Iced Earth.


7. As I Lay Dying - This Powerless Rise: there is nothing wrong with this album, it's just not close to being as good as their previous album. No surprises here. If you liked their last one, the same thing is going on here too. I can't complain about it.


6. Eye of the Enemy - Weight of Redemption: can't believe I never talked about this album. It is near perfect for a debut. The production is top notch. It's better than some veteran albums. Eye of the Enemy plays what I call modern thrash, think DevilDriver. The riffs are vicious and the drumming is intense. Vocals have that harder edge to them without going total death metal. There is some interesting use of techno elements, but nothing to write home about. It pops up once or twice and it doesn't take anything away from the song. This is a band to keep an eye on (no pun intended). How many bands can write an 8 minute song to close an album and make it feel like a typical 4 minute song? Not many. Just go to the 3:20 mark to hear some killer music.


5. Arcania - Sweet Angel Dust: Another new band. This band could have used the production that Eye of the Enemy had. That is probably the one downfall of this album. I reviewed it HERE.


4. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy: This was a bit of a disappointment at first because it wasn't close to The Godless Endeavor. Plus the solo albums from Jeff Loomis and Warrell Dane made the expectations really high. Well after I listened to it, I put it away thinking "this sucks", then I revisited it a couple of weeks later and was blown away by it. It reminds me a lot of Dead Heart in a Dead World because it isn't all thrash. It has some moments that are thrash, but others are that sort of mid-tempo memorable songs. Each song has a hook that grabs you right away and doesn't let go.


3. All That Remains - For We Are Many: I didn't get a chance to review this album during the year, but here is a quick summary. Better than Overcome, but not The Fall of Ideals. It's a solid album. They took the hooks of Overcome and tried to bring in a little bit heavier feel to the album, but it didn't get all the way to The Fall of Ideals. Out of their 5 albums, it is probably their 3rd best, behind The Fall of Ideals and their debut.


2. Bullet For My Valentine - Fever: I reviewed it HERE. Did I say Nevermore had hooks, this thing is like a bait shop...that's a horrible joke, but the point is every song is great. This is a band that I truly thought I would never like, now after their last two albums, I am actually looking forward to see what they can do next.


1. Blaze Bayley - Promise and Terror: I reviewed it HERE. Great throw back to classic metal. No death metal vocals, no breakdowns, just classic heavy metal. Great album. Check out that riff at the 2:40 mark.


That's it. I have mentioned it already, but 2011 looks really good. I think it will be one of the better years for music.

Who Decides: Strawberry Shortcake

Now I have a daughter and she adores Strawberry Shortcake. I don't know how it happen and neither does my wife, but it happened. Well, if you didn't know this her (Strawberry's) look has changed over the years and I will take a quick look at the different designs. This actually would have fit in well with my post on comic book costume redesigns, but whatever.

I remembered Strawberry Shortcake from the 80's. She kind of looked like an old grandma, yet she was young. It wasn't a flattering look at all. I'm sure that the kids loved it at the time, but the big puffy hat, short yarn like hair. Man, I don't know how my wife liked this. She had a definite country style going on, but it was the 80's I guess. But it became iconic. The striped green tights, the apron diamond pattern, the puffy hat. It became the look.

Enter the 90's.

Strawberry Shortcake was no longer the dress wearing grandma from the 80's she was a cool hip girl who wore jeans because we all know that wearing dresses in the 90's was

uncool. And what better way to make Strawberry cool again by taking away one of the most identifiable things about her...her dress. So no dress, no green tights, no puffy hat...this is just some generic cartoon character. And it's nice that they even managed to give her worse hair

than her 80's style. Besides the strawberry on her hat how are to supposed to know who this is?

Now there was sort of an updated version of this Strawberry in the mid 2000's, I guess. I'm no expert. This was a little better. First off, the jeans are gone and the dress is back. Another plus is the hair actually looks good. But that's where it ends. No green tights, no apron. Once again, without that strawberry on her hat, how do you know who it is? This is nothing like the original iconic figure.

Enter 2009. This is how you do a redesign. You take all the iconic elements from the original and update them.

Much like the Ben Reilly Spider-Man suit. I still say if that suit was introduced with Peter Parker and not during that horrible Clone Saga, we would have a new Spider-Man suit...but I just got off topic.

Look at how much it mirrors the original. Dress...check. Green tights...check. Puffy hat...check. Diamond pattern...check. It has it all. And right away you are connected with who it is. Not only is the look iconic, but the hat looks like a strawberry!
I am glad that my daughter actually likes this version of Strawberry Shortcake. It is by far the best version and really stays true to the original look. We picked her up a dvd of the 90's Strawberry Shortcake and she told us quickly that this wasn't Strawberry Shortcake...too funny.

I know this post seems a little out of place, but it has been weighing on me for about 4 months now. While getting the pictures for the post I found this one which shows the looks through the years. Pretty interesting.

The 2007 one bothers me a bit because I can't really find anything else but that picture. The design looks close to the one up above from the mid 2000's, but she has pants on again. It's also interesting to see the one thing that connected the first 3 designs was the strawberries on the hat, whereas the new design brought the puffy hat back, but turned the little strawberries into little seeds.

That's it. Enough of this, my wife will probably make fun of me for posting something like this here.

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.

Who Decides: Top 15 Phineas and Ferb songs

I have been doing a lot of Phineas and Ferb stuff lately, but oh well it's a great show and deserves the recognition.

Every episode seems to have some sort of musical number in it. They are all relatively short, but catchy and memorable. I have narrowed the list down to 15. This was pretty tough...almost as tough as making the top 10 albums of 2008. It amazing to see these songs sung by the actors because they sound awesome. Although to be fair the voices for Candace and Vanessa are singers in real life (Ashley Tisdale & Olivia Olson) and it shows as their songs are usually the best.

Honorable Mention: I Really Don't Hate Christmas
This gets this spot because this is from their Christmas Special and it was really the first episode I watched and picked up on how great it was. This song is a classic. Dr. Doofenshmirtz hates everything...except Christmas. Listen to everything he hates though...



15. I'm Lindana and I wanna have fun - 80's all over this one. This sounds like it could have been recorded by Tiffany or Debbie Gibson. Classic beat and vocals. Music is right on too. What else makes this great? It's sung by Vanessa's voice Olivia Olson.



14. Disco Miniature Golfing Queen - great disco number which really shows how talented these guys are when writing songs. It has all the earmarks of disco and it works.



13. Gitchi Gitchi Goo - this has to make it since this was the first song for the show. It was actually episode 3, but the Disney execs loved it so much it was the debut episode. This could have been a radio hit if it was released during the right time.



12. Squirrels in My Pants - So we have a disco song and this is straight up classic rap, nothing gangsta here, just great beats and hilarious lyrics.



11. Mom It's Your Birthday - so this is a comedy show and to change the tone of it in the span of 1 minute is pretty impressive. They do it more than once, as you will see, but this one is special. I find it funny how Candace's mom is so touched by the song that she doesn't realize Phineas and Ferb built a huge stage and satellite hook up.



10. J-Pop - this was just released and it is already a classic. The Japanese techno beat, the anime characters, and Candace being confused at the end...perfect.



9. Mix and Mingle Machine - I hated this song the first time I heard, but it is so catchy it gets stuck in my head every time I hear it now. The chorus, the witty lyrics, and infectious melodies makes this one a keeper.



8. Backyard Beach - I hated this song even more than the last one. It's a combo of reggae and some rap. Like Mix and Mingle Machine it has a beat that gets stuck in your head and you end up singing it all the time.



7. Missing My Nemesis - another momentum changer here. With flashbacks to Perry fighting Dr. Doofenshmirtz to watching Perry put his hat away...so moving for a song. Best part is when my kids watched it, my 2 year old pointed at Perry and said "Perry sad"



6. Busted - So Candace and Vanessa are the professionals right? So how do you think this song turns out? It's great. The vocals are perfect. They do some harmonizing in it as well. It is a hard genre to put in, if anything it goes more to a showtunes type song...I know weird.



5. I'm Me - Another Vanessa song. This one is just a straight up rocker. When I first heard it I thought it was Kelly Clarkson singing. Olivia has a powerful voice and lets loose on this one.



4. Come Home Perry - Another sad one. But not as sad as the next one. Nice melody and chorus. It might not be as good as some of the others, but it is catchy and really relaxing.



3. Little Brothers - did I say that was relaxing? This is relaxing and with the video, probably the most touching song on this list. Reminds me of Anthrax's N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)...huh? In that you can make any song sad by throwing in an acoustic guitar. The lyrics in here are funny if you listen closely.

Even when you break my toys, you will always be my
Little brothers, cause you're younger, we're related, and you're boys.
Even when you're making to much noise, you will always be my
Little brothers, cause you're younger, we're related, and you're boys

classic line...cause you're younger, we're related, and you're boys...too much.


2. A-G-L-E-T - probably their best achievement in terms of writing. You are listening to a song that is all about the tip of a shoelace. How great is that? And with the corny "We're gonna tie the world together?" perfect!



1. Carl/Undercover Carl - I know it's two songs, but they are equally great because they are the same song with different lyrics. It has that sort of heavy metal fist pumping music.






Hope you enjoyed the list. I know I missed some good ones, but I had to keep it somewhat low...I wanted to do 10 originally.

Who Decides: Most Controversial Comic Costume Make-Overs

So I wanted to do a list about bad costumes for awhile, but Topless Robot has done some classics that I can't even touch, take a look HERE, HERE, and HERE. The last one deals with 90's revamps and most of mine come from the 90's as well. Although, I will just highlight the controversial ones and give some thoughts. Believe it or not, some are actually not that bad.

Obviously, I won't be talking about the new Bucky-Captain America or Wonder Woman because I talked about them already HERE and HERE. So on to the list...


Invisible Woman: Sue Richards is supposed to be the most wholesome character in the Marvel Universe. Think of her as a June Cleaver with super powers or at least Carol Brady. So when they decide to update her costume they turned her into some whore.


Really...was this necessary? To top it off this woman supposedly had a couple of kids running around. Would you want your mom to dress like that? So bad.





The Thing: sticking with the Fantastic Four, let's look at The Thing. Ben Grimm is already screwed because he has rocks over his body. Well someone thought it would be funny to give him more rocks to make him look more extreme.
Honestly, I didn't mind the look at the time. It was cool. I think what made it bad was they gave Ms. Marvel his look from the early issues of the FF. I mean look at him...clearly he could do more damage. I really don't know why they changed him back, but I am more glad they did it for Ms. Marvel.







Superman: ok it would be easy to talk about mullet Superman, but it might even be easier to go after Electric Superman. See killing off Superman was huge. It was covered on the news and everything...huge. Well how could they top that? Take away everything iconic about Superman and make him into this.

I guess what really makes it bad is that stupid 90's head gear thing he is wearing. They even did an update of the Red/Blue Superman story...I won't bother you with that one...google it.


Psylocke: I don't think there is any sort of controversy here, but I will simply ask how do you go from this... to this... anyone?


Iron Man: The man has had tons of armors. Most of them are of the red/gold variety, but in the 80's they decided to change it up a bit and go with... I don't know if it was controversial at the time, but they did leave him in the colors for most, if not all, of the 80's. Iron Man is really hot these days and I never thought of him as super cool, but if they want to really "spice' things up again, bring back the silver centurion armor!






Captain America: I know I said I wouldn't talk about Captain America, but if you look at that second picture above you see a guy wearing a black/red Captain America type suit. Well in the late 80's early 90's (can't remember) Steve Rogers quit as Captain America because he didn't like what was going on in the government...some secret society type thing. But he realized he still wanted to fight evil, but he couldn't be Captain America anymore...so enter The Captain. I love this suit a lot. It has that sort of steathly version of Captain America to it. The star and the red/white stripes...awesome. Now after Rogers came back to Cap, the guy playing Cap (Johnny Walker) became U.S. Agent (same suit). Totally awesome. Now that Rogers still isn't back as Cap, I would love to see him don this suit again. Heck, he's in the Secret Avengers now...this suit screams secretive.


Batman: Can I really have a list without the 90's Batman? This was after the big move to kill off Superman. They couldn't kill Batman, so they did the next best thing...paralyze him.
So while Bruce is recovering, they bring in this guy Jean Paul Valley to take up the mantle. At first he kept the costume, then he realized he needed some more help and added little things here and there. Plus he was having visions of what to add and become. The first time I saw the new suit was right here...Freakin' Awesome!!! He looked different, but you could still see he was Batman. Plus he had the cool 90's thigh pouches. Joking aside, I really liked it. And then the artists started to go away from it to this...
Maybe it was all of the running or jumping, but his thighs became freakin huge! look at them. They are bigger than my chest! And what is up with that first one? It looks like either his head is tiny or his gut and body have tripled in size! The first suit looked like he was wearing a clothe mask too, but that clearly wasn't the case anymore. Add on the fact that they actually took away the eyes for a sort of cylon visor...ugh! This suit had so much potential, but was quickly killed off by horrible artwork.




Spider-Man: Ohhh the clone saga. So bad...so very bad. It was a somewhat good idea that went south really quick. The story was a sort of sequel to a 70's story about the jackal and cloning Spider-Man. So the clone saga said basically, what if the clone won and the real Peter Parker was just out somewhere else and came back. So enter Ben Reilly. His first costume as the Scarlet Spider was pretty 90's-rific. awesome hoodie with ankle pockets? Anyways. It wasn't too bad, but doesn't hold a candle to the more famous costumes...So when Ben took over he had to ditch the Scarlet Spider hoodie look for a new one... This is a great update of a classic look. The red/blue colors are present and if you don't look at it you might think you are still looking at the original red/blue. Then they take the best thing about the black costume (the white spider) and transfer it to this one with a huge black spider on the chest. Sure the boots are a little off and the webshooters are on the outside, but other that those two minor things this is a winner!






Apparently it was so popular that when they did a future Spider-girl series they took this costumed and gave it to her...nice.











By the way, I might need to update this list in a few weeks because they unveiled a new Spider-Man suit this past week...green? really? green?