If you looked at my March 2008 journal entry, you'll know what this is about.
This time I will include short reviews for each album. I promise they will leave much to be desired, but I don't think brief expressions of first impressions should necessarily be brilliant or profound.
Alien Ant Farm- ANThology (2001)
Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
I got this album because I remember really liking "Movies" back in the 7th grade, so I decided to see if I still would dig it. To cut this short, things have changed since then, my taste in music being one of those things. Sure, songs like "Courage" and "Smooth Criminal" are tasty, and has a bit of creativity and soul, but I just can't get into this from beginning to end. It's a fair effort, but it's not something I'll be listening to often.
Autopsy- Severed Survival (1989)
Death Metal
This is a monster of an album, and it's quite difficult to digest in one listen, from beginning to end. Whereas most late 80s death metal bands showed their thrash influence without excuses, this album doesn't present these influences, as it is slower and heavier than many of the early death metal albums. Some parts even have obvious doom metal influences. While the vocals leave something to be desired, the music as a whole is truly crushing, and sets a good benchmark for old-school death metal.
Dark Funeral- Diabolis Interium (2001)
Melodic Black Metal
Dark Funeral is one of those bands that are exceedingly easy to make fun of. They try very hard to create an evil sound, using riffs that sound strikingly similar to the pioneering melodic black metal bands- I'm speaking of
Dissection and
Sacramentum here-, and focusing their lyrics on all things (pseudo) satanic and evil. The thing is that they unintentionally end up becoming a satire of the very stereotypes that they perpetuate. This isn't that bad of an album, though. If you've heard melodic black metal bands like
Naglfar or
Old Man's Child, you should have a good idea of what this sounds like. No, this certainly is not the most original album, and it's difficult to take seriously, but, in the end, this album ends up sounding like a more aggressive and- dare I say- convincing version of
Dimmu Borgir since Spiritual Black Dimensions, minus the symphonic and industrial influences. In all, it's a good effort. There's nothing spectacular to find here, but it's not mediocre, and it's better than I thought it would be. This album deserves 3 stars, as it isn't particularly memorable in any way, though it does have a pleasing sound to it. Despite this, I'm giving it 3.5 stars for the covers that come with the version I have, which are very good.
Deicide- Legion (1992)
Death Metal
Hailed by many as Deicide's best, I still don't get what the fuss is all about. Sure, there is some impressive musicianship here, but I'm not too crazy about the vocals, and the pseudo-satanic garbage is... well, garbage. Not a bad album by any means, I just think there are a lot of other death metal albums that deserve the praise that this album gets.
Dismember- Death Metal (1997)
Death Metal
Dornenreich- Her von welken Nächten (2001)
Black Metal
I was anticipating something truly great and original in this album, and while it certainly is original, I can't say that this is as "great" as I was expecting. I'll leave you to determine your own criteria for greatness, and while I haven't acquainted myself enough with this album to determine if this fits my own criteria, but it seems a bit off-balanced. The music, aside from the vocals, are quite enjoyable and rather innovative. There is a nice balance between a back-to-basics black metal approach and folk-influenced instrumentals here, but the vocals don't really fit well with the music. They are unique, but that's about all I can commend them for. Maybe I just need to expose myself to this album more...
The Future Sound of London- Lifeforms (1994)
Ambient Techno, Ambient Dub, Ambient
I didn't just discover album. Actually, I listened to it a few years back, but the only track I enjoyed was "Eggshell," so I neglected to pay attention to the rest of the album. I was reading The Brothers Karamazov, and I wanted something new to listen to for reading music- or at least something I haven't listened to in a long time-, and I decided Lifeforms another chance. I'm very glad that I did. I don't know why I wasn't able to thoroughly enjoy this album, because it's definitely one of the highlights of the ambient techno movement early to mid 90s. There are lots of strange and alien soundscapes here, but the overall atmosphere is soothing and almost spiritual, in a sense. It's a much more balanced and cohesive album than their other releases, and since I'm more akin to ambient and ambient-influenced techno/IDM than most other forms of electronic music, this album fits my personal tastes very well. I would compare this album to
Global Communication's 76:14 and
Spacetime Continuum's Alien Dreamtime, and while I prefer those two albums, Lifeforms is a brilliant album that I highly recommend.
Gorguts- The Erosion of Sanity (1993)
Death Metal, Technical Death Metal
Call me simple-minded, but I don't get Obscura. It's often recognized as one of the greatest technical death metal albums out there, but it's just too unfocused and- dare I say it- abstract for its own good. I enjoyed Considered Dead, and, after listening to those two albums, I feel that The Erosion of Sanity is the perfect balance in between the more straight-forward Considered Dead and the off-the-wall Obscura. This album reminded me a lot of
Death's Human and Individual Thought Patterns, which certainly isn't a bad thing, but it's creative enough to separate itself from those albums. This, as of right now, is my favorite Gorguts album.
The Higher Intelligence Agency & Biosphere- Birmingham Frequencies (1999)
Ambient Techno, Ambient
Whereas Polar Sequences was the perfect soundtrack for the arctic, this album is more or less a stroll down the streets of an ordinary city. That might be an accurate depiction of its sound, but it has a much different atmosphere than its predecessor. This album retains that near-perfect mixture of
Biosphere's ambient touches and H.I.A.'s techno input, but utilizes this mix to create a much different texture. The result is impressive, and, as with Polar Sequences, it's something you really have to listen to for yourself. While I prefer Polar Sequences, this is definitely worth your time.
Jeru the Damaja- Wrath of the Math (1996)
Hip-Hop
I haven't listened to his first album, which is widely recognized as his best, but this is very good hip-hop. The beats are excellent, and, more importantly, the subject matter is meaningful and respectable- if somewhat pretentious at times. His flow leaves something to be desired in comparison to other rappers, but that is a minor flaw, as the overall quality of this album is above that of most other hip-hop albums. I can't call this one of my favorite hip-hop albums to date, but it certainly is worth your time.
Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American (2001)
Pop Rock, Alternative Rock
I got this mistaking it somehow for the Alien Ant Farm album mentioned above- don't ask me how that happened-, and immediately knew this was not what I was looking for. I read some reviews on RYM, and decided to give it a dedicated shot, and I certainly wasn't impressed. Maybe this is just not my kind of music, but I just simply cannot enjoy this album. I can see how a lot of people could like this, and there is some redeeming qualities in this album, I just can't get into it.
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz- Crunk Juice (2004)
Crunk Rap, Pop Rap, Southern Rap
The only thing I could think about while I was listening to this album was, "why the fuck did I expose myself to this sad excuse for music?" I fear I will never know the answer to that question, but I do know that this is terrible. I was expecting as much, and to be honest this isn't quite as bad as I had imagined, but it's still pretty bad. Mix some average beats- the bass is rather tasty, but that's all they have going for them-, absolutely meaningless and horribly predictable subject-matter, and Lil Jon's annoying approach to rapping, and you have this heaping pile of shit. Don't me wrong, I'm not just saying this just because I think Lil Jon and his crew are complete joke-artists (even though this is scientifically proven fact), and I actually expected this to be even worse than it revealed itself to be (as hard as that is to believe), but seriously, if you think this comes close to anything that resembles music, you are in serious need of some music rehibilitation. This is the epitome of what pollutes music today. Oh, and guess what, Ice Cube makes an appearance here! That must mean this is a real classic, don't it? No, it doesn't. It just rapes Ice Cube's credibility- which he little of in the first place since his solo career hit off-, and blows a huge load in his face, just for good measure.
Nucleus Torn- Nihil (2006)
Progressive Metal, Folk
David Parsons- Yatra (1990)
Ambient
Tenhi- Maaäet (2006)
Progressive Rock, Neofolk
I've been a huge fan of Kauan, and I have enjoyed their other albums as well (Kauan still remains my favorite by a significant margin, though). Tenhi have the wonderful ability to produce albums which are based off of the same basic formula, but also have their own distinctive sound. Maaäet is another one of these albums, as you can definitely the sound to earlier albums, but it has its own individual atmosphere. This album didn't impact me as much as Kauan did, but this is still a very good album. There is less neo-folk influence here, which is an aspect of their sound that I enjoyed in previous albums, but they make up for by adding other influences and innovations into the mix. I can't wait to hear their upcoming release!
Testament- The New Order (1988)
Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal
I've wanted to listen to Testament for a while, and this is my first exposure to them. So far, they seem like a pretty good thrash band. This album shows a lot of Metallica influence, especially in the guitars and vocals, which isn't a bad thing. I was hoping for something a little more varied, since the song structure and the lyrics seem recycled throughout the album. Nevertheless, this is a pretty good thrash album.
Vinterland- Welcome My Last Chapter (1996)
/
Hailed as one of the best melodic black metal albums ever- in the ranks of
Dissection and
Sacramentum-, I was expecting something magnificent. Was I let down? Not really. This is an impressive album, and while I don't think it reaches the greatness of Dissection's The Somberlain or Sacramentum's Far From the Sun, I would definitely recommend this to any black metal fan.
Part II
Abigail Williams- Legend EP (2006)
Metalcore, Deathcore
This group has become rather notorious for their supposed mixing of metalcore, deathcore, and black metal, which is a mixture I would have never expected to hear. Have I heard it here? I don't think so. The influence of black metal here is arguably present, but it's extremely sparse and difficult to pick up on, and I would declare this album to be another mix between metalcore and deathcore. That must mean that this is a generic and all-too-predictable piece of garbage, yes? You'd be wrong in making that assumption. Sure, it may be connected to quite possibly the most "Americanized"- and therefore hated- sub-genre in metal, but this album exceeds most of its peers in terms of quality. It isn't flawless, but its creative enough to maintain the listeners intrigue, which is a feat that few metalcore and deathcore albums. I know I probably won't be making any friends by saying this, but I actually like this album.
Amorphis- The Karelian Isthmus (1992)
Death Metal
Anal Cunt- Top 40 Hits (1995)
Grindcore, Noisecore
ATB- Trilogy (2007)
Electronic, Trance
/
Atheist- Piece of Time (1989)
Progressive Death Metal, Thrash Metal
/
Atheist- Unquestionable Presence (1991)
Progressive Death Metal, Technical Death Metal
Aura Noir- The Merciless (2004)
Thrash Metal, Black Metal
Before I go any further, let me state that this band isn't exactly novel. Given its influences, and the fact that they are signed on Darkthrone's label, it's not hard to imagine what these guys sound like: fast-paced and ugly blackened thrash metal. If you can get over the fact this would have been somewhat creative 20 years ago, you might begin to realize that this is some great stuff. All the speed and aggressive necessary for some good thrash is here, and this band also manages to insert just the right amount of their black metal influences. Their sound is balanced extremely well, and the production values are spot-on; not glossy, but not ridiculously muddy or under-produced either. Overall, this is an excellent black/thrash album, and I recommend it to any fan of black metal or thrash metal.
Behemoth- Satanica (1999)
Blackened Death Metal
Biosphere- Insomnia (1997)
Ambient
Biosphere- Cirque (2000)
Ambient
Björk- Vespertine Live (2004)
/
Darkthrone- Plaguewielder (2001)
Black Metal
Darkthrone- The Cult is Alive (2006)
Black Metal, Crust Punk
Bruce Faulconer-
Woody Gutherie- Songs to Grow On, Volume 0: for Mother and Child (1956)
American Folk
I'm giving it 1 star for not being absolutely and completely hopeless, and another .5 star for historical significance. I realize that my evaluation of this album's quality is not particularly valid, as I am probably not looking at the right criteria, but the fact remains that I could not bear to listen to this another time. Sorry, I know I'm taking this in the wrong context, but that's just how I feel about it.
Harold Budd- Pavillion of Dreams (1978)
Minimalism, Neo-Classical
Harold Budd- Luxa (1996)
Minimalism, Ambient
Hallucinogen- Twisted (1995)
Psytrance, Goa Trance
King Diamond- Conspiracy (1989)
Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal
Krohm- A World Through Dead Eyes (2004)
Black Metal, Depressive Black Metal
Lunar Aurora- Ars Moriendi (2001)
Black Metal
Lunar Aurora- Zyklus (2004)
Black Metal
Marduk- Dark Endless (1992)
Black Metal
Marduk- Those of the Unlight (1993)
Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal
Mgła- Presence EP (2006)
Black Metal
Mgła- Mdłości EP (2006)
Black Metal
Pete Namlook / Dr. Atmo- Silence (1992)
Ambient, Ambient Techno
Pete Namlook / Dr. Atmo- Silence II (1993)
Ambient Techno
Napalm Death- Scum (1986)
Grindcore
Napalm Death- From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988)
Deathgrind, Grindcore
Napalm Death- Harmony Corruption (1990)
Death Metal
Napalm Death- Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994)
Death Metal
Nas- Stillmatic (2001)
East-Coast Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap
Newsboys- Take Me to Your Leader (1996)
Christian Rock
Old Man's Child- In Defiance of Existence (2003)
Melodic Black Metal
/
Overkill- Years of Decay (1989)
Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal
Sabbat- Dreamweaver (1989)
Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal
Sodom- Sodom (2006)
Thrash Metal
I've been reading quite a bit about this album, so I decided to check it out. I had very high expectations, as I had heard they had returned to their older sound, and I am particularly fond of their older material (namely In the Sign of Evil and Persecution Mania). From beginning to end, I was rather disappointed with this album. In all honestly, it sounds like a watered-down version of Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss (perhaps it's the vocals that strike me as being most similar to Slayer). That's not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that this isn't the Sodom I know and love. I suppose that's what happens after 20 years, but even still, this is hailed by many fans as one of their best newer albums. Maybe I was just expecting too much. Regardless, this is a decent thrash album, with a surprising amount of melody added into the typical thrash formula. It's a good listen, just nothing spectacular, not like In the Sign of Evil or Persecution Mania.
Sol Invictus- Trieste (2000)
Neofolk
Solitaire- Ritual Grounds (1993)
Ambient
Stars of the Lid- Gravitational Pull Vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life (1996)
Ambient, Drone
Steve Roach- Light Fantastic (1999)
Ambient, Progressive Electronic
Steve Roach- Mantram (2004)
Ambient
Steve Roach- Immersion: One (2006)
Ambient
Suffocation- Despise the Sun EP (1998)
Brutal Death Metal
Tangerine Dream- Underwater Sunlight (1986)
Therion- Lepaca Kliffoth (1995)
Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal
/
Vidna Obmana- Twilight of Perception (1997)
Ambient
Vintersorg- Cosmic Genesis (2000)
Progressive Metal, Viking Metal, Black Metal
/
Xasthur- A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors (2001)
Black Metal, Depressive Black Metal
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Z-Trip- Shifting Gears (2005)
Hip-Hop, Turntablism
David Parsons
A Pact Between Strangers
