Concert Review: In Flames and More

Last night as part of my Valentine's Day gift from my wife, we went to the Bourbon Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska to see In Flames with some other bands.  I did not expect to make in on time, but we did actually get to see all four bands, which is very good for reasons I will get into soon.

This was actually a fairly decent concert experience.  Typically I have been to concerts jammed into some small stage area with very little room to move around and no seating.  The Bourbon actually has kind of a nice set up with some seating room and a decent sized area in front of the stage for a pit.  I usually stick near the back and sit since my wife has no interest in being in the pit.

BATTLECROSS
This was the surprise of the night.  Battlecross plays melodic death metal in a Slaughter of the Soul vein with more brutality.  They sounded great and really interacted well with the crowd.  They had the presence of a band that has been going for a very long time.  Not bad for one who has only put out two albums to this point.  I will be picking up the CD and I did get a t-shirt.

ALL SHALL PERISH
Chugga-chugga-breakdown-ree-ree-chugga-chugga-breakdown-breakdown-ree-breakdown.  Ridiculous.

DEMON HUNTER
I almost fell asleep a couple of times.  This band is apparently inexplicably popular in Lincoln.  A ton of people rushed in from the bar area to see them.  I do not get it.

IN FLAMES
They exceeded my expectations playing a number of older songs mixed in with three or four from their newest album.  They played songs from Whoracle, Clayman, and even Colony, three of my favorite albums from the band.  Most of their material was from Reroute to Remain and Soundtrack to Your Escape, but I love both of those as well, so I had no problem with it.  I was a little annoyed with the lighting which would often shine brightly right in my eyes, but it was not intolerable.

Overall the band sounded pretty good.  They have softened the edges of some of their harder material as their music has become less metallic.  But they definitely know how to move the crowd.  And they do acknowledge the popularity of their older material, though they do stick more to the last five albums.

The blurry photo is my fault.

Concert Tonight

My wife has been pretty good to me on Valentine's Day over the years.  Last year she gave me the most recent CDs from Vektor and Disma, two fantastic albums.  The year before that she gave me a Napalm Death 3 CD set.  This year, she bought tickets to a concert in Lincoln.  The concert will feature four bands, though we will most likely not see all of them.

BATTLECROSS
I have not heard of this band before, but they seem like they would be up my alley.  Unfortunately with a two hour drive there and back and lots of things to take care of at home, we don't really want to be gone too long.  So we will likely miss Battlecross.

ALL SHALL PERISH
They are one of the more interesting deathcore bands, but that is akin to saying something is the best-tasting piece of animal feces.  It may be true but in the end you're still eating shit.

DEMON HUNTER
I could not give less of a fuck about Demon Hunter.  Their nu-metal-tinged metalcore has never struck a chord with me, even when I did not mind those genres.

IN FLAMES
This is why we are going.  I did not even check out their last album after disliking A Sense of Purpose.  But I enjoyed all of their other stuff.  I guess I am hoping for an even-distributed concert since it has been two years since the last release.  In Flames was vital in my metal experience during law school and shortly afterwards.  They were once one of my favorite bands.

I missed a concert a couple of weeks ago.  Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Dying Fetus, and The Contortionist were in Omaha, but it was on a Monday night and things have been incredibly hectic at work lately.  Also I don't care for Hatebreed, Shadows Fall was once mildly interesting and I have never heard of The Contortionist.  Still Dying Fetus would have been worth it.  And I would have loved to pick up a t-shirt and wear it around town here.

The Debut Albums of Melodeath Leaders

It's kind of amazing how different the debut albums from the big three melodeath bands are from their most well-known material. We are talking about completely different styles, to the point that it is sometimes unrecognizable. At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames have each changed their sound a great deal since their debuts. It is kind of shocking just how much.

AT THE GATES: THE RED IN THE SKY IS OURS
At The Gates is most often associated with their Slaughter of the Soul album, frequently considered the landmark melodeath album. That album was simple and straightforward death metal with melodies that was all about speed and brutality. The At The Gates on this album is a different animal. Some of the elements that would later bring them notoriety are present here, but the sound is much more raw. Several tracks feature melodic interludes performed by a violin, which adds a nice touch. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg's style is much more unrestrained, resembling more of a shriek than his later style. The songs are alos longer and have more of a progressive structure.

DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER
For some weird coincidence, In Flames's longtime vocalist Anders Friden serves as the vocalist on this release. Stanne is there, but he is simply playing the guitars this time around. He took over on the next EP. The atmosphere is significantly different than the band's later material and there are no electronic effects and keyboard parts. This is simply tremolo riff-based melodic death metal. The music has a much more chilling atmosphere than their later works. The band also experiments more with female vocals and more progressive song structures. This is one of my favorite Dark Tranquillity albums and the first one I ever heard.

IN FLAMES: LUNAR STRAIN
Let us begin with the obvious: Mikael Stanne is the singer. That's right, the longtime Dark Tranquillity growler is handling vocal duties for In Flames on this release. So the vocals are a little bit more extreme this time around and a little less melodic. Stanne only really has two volumes on his roar: loud and louder. But more than that, the music features frequent melodic interludes which are occasionally acoustic. There are string sections that border on folk metal here that are completely absent from their later material. It is a major change from their later stuff, but this is a terrific album.

Discography: In Flames

In Flames is obviously a very important band in the melodeath scene. They were also a favorite band of mine for several years shortly after I discovered them.

LUNAR STRAIN:
In Flames's debut full-length is the only one in which Mikael Stanne appears as vocalist. In a bizarre coincidence, Stanne's longtime band Dark Tranquillity featured later In Flames's vocalist Anders Friden on vocals for their early material. That's not the only difference between this album and the band's later material though. This one also featured some almost folk metal moments with string instruments playing a role at times. This is a very impressive debut.

THE JESTER RACE:
The first album with Anders Friden as vocalist is a melodeath masterpiece. It is still not my favorite album by the band, but it is certainly up there. This is for the most part death metal with a melodic sensibility. It was at this time that the moniker melodeath was really accurate. Some of the earlier folk elements were still present, but this was basically the first real In Flames album.

WHORACLE:
In Flames continued to streamline their sound on this release from the last one. This is much more representative of the style that the band helped popularize and showed the band's ability to write catchy songs that still had a strong death metal influence. Their Iron Maiden-like riffing style had been perfected with this release and the band would continue to improve.

COLONY:
This is my favorite In Flames album. Everything was working perfectly on this release. The music was clearly death metal based with strong influences from much more melodic styles of metal. The songs were all infectious as hell. The instrumentation was impressive and Friden sounded amazing. This is the perfect In Flames album.

CLAYMAN:
At this time, In Flames was beginning to see some increase in popularity. This is something of a transition album. The music was still clearly on the melodeath side of things, but the band's pop sensibility was beginning to take over quite a bit. The band was making a conscious effort to reaching as vast an audience as they could. But this is still an impressive release.

REROUTE TO REMAIN:
My first In Flames album is seen by a lot of people as their sellout release, and in some ways it certainly was. Gone for the most part was a lot of the death metal influence. In Flames kept their catchy songwriting ability intact, but this album was far closer to nu metal and alternative metal styles. It is still not a bad release because the songs were still very good. As my first release by the band, I have kind of a soft spot for this release.

SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR ESCAPE:
Pretty much exactly the same as their previous album, only this time In Flames had gone even further away from death metal. Their exposure to the mainstream had given them a taste of major success and In Flames definitely wanted more. The songs were even shorter and tighter this time around, leaving very little room for experimentation of any type. I still kind of like this one though.

COME CLARITY:
On this release, In Flames made a conscious effort to try to recapture some of the old melodeath feel. What resulted was an album that basically combined Reroute to Remain with Clayman. It was an admirable effort and there are certainly some impressive songs on this album. However, some of the magic was gone. It felt a little uneven at times. It was clear that In Flames was really beginning to lose it.

A SENSE OF PURPOSE:
And there it went. This is the album that caused me to give up on the band. I had heard leading into it that it was a further step in the right direction. I do not remember who told me that, but they were delusional. This is basically modern rock. Even the band's logo and artwork reflect a desire to sound like the crap heard on modern rock radio. There were only a couple of salvageable songs on here. Too bad.

I have not yet summoned the desire to hear their newest release. I am not sure I want to. The one song I have heard takes all the bad things from their last one and amplifies them. I am not sure I want to hear that.

My First Melodeath Experiences

As I mentioned yesterday, melodeath was a bit of a gateway for me into international metal. I became aware of it through an issue of Metal Hammer that had reviews of Dark Tranquillity and other bands, which ultimately lead me to start listening to some of the groups therein. Melodeath is a gateway to a lot of people, and many of them abandon the genre some time later. I never really did, although I am not as into it as I was.

DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER/OF CHAOS AND ETERNAL NIGHT
I mentioned yesterday that this was my first melodeath album. I found it oddly in the University Bookstore, and it was the combined album and EP. Unfortunately, this is the only Dark Tranquillity album that really sounds like this. All the rest of their material has taken on a fuller sound, with little of the tremolo riffing that I enjoyed so much from this release. Initially when I picked up my next Dark Tranquillity album, the change in sound disappointed me quite a bit, though I grew to appreciate it over time. The different vocalists kind of surprised me, but I found myself enjoying the different styles each singer used. This is still one of my favorite albums from the genre.

SOILWORK: FIGURE NUMBER FIVE
This was the album that started the real downward turn in Soilwork's career. Although I really had no idea because I had never really heard the band before. Being somewhat into nu-metal and other mainstream styles of metal at the time I heard this, I thought the mix of alternative metal and melodic death metal was rather impressive. The songs are definitely infectious on this release. At this time, the more mainstream sound worked and Soilwork actually crafted a decent album. Although they would falter later. Soilwork was never a band I cared much for beyond this album. I do have one of their other albums, but did not get that until melodeath was not as big of a deal to me. I would have probably liked it quite a bit more otherwise.

IN FLAMES: REROUTE TO REMAIN
I picked this one up the day before I went on a family vacation to Colorado, the summer before I went to law school. I always used to like to buy a couple of albums before vacations and listen to them in the car for the first time. I remember being quite impressed with In Flames on this album, even though this is a much-hated album in their discography. Like the Soilwork release, I was rather impressed with the blend of melodic death metal and alternative metal. Also, like the Soilwork album, I had nothing to compare it to. I had no other albums by In Flames and, at the time, I was not aware of their connection to Dark Tranquillity.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 57: In Flames

Yes, they pretty much suck now, but In Flames's early material is as good as any melodic death metal band that ever existed. I actually first started listening to the band with their Reroute to Remain album, and I do still enjoy it quite a bit. That's probably why I still enjoy their newer material up until A Sense of Purpose. Nevertheless, it's their early material that really takes the cake. Their mix of Iron Maiden-esque riffs played with a death metal flair and growled vocals was extremely impressive and groundbreaking at the time.

FAVORITE ALBUM: COLONY

Year in Metal: 1999

CHILDREN OF BODOM: HATEBREEDER
On Children of Bodom's second album, the band found their own sound, a sound they would develop over the next few albums. A combination of traditional heavy metal, power metal, and black metal, the album was something that was a lot different than anything else at the time. COB utilized a lot of ultra fast riffs and some keyboard flourishes in order to fill out their sound. Lots of other bands came up afterwards that took the COB formula and ran with it, such as Norther and Kalmah.

IN FLAMES: COLONY
The fourth album from In Flames was their last great one. Far more geared towards typical Gothenburg melodeath than anything the band had done previously, the album featured some great, catchy songs and terrific riffwork. The album is faster-paced and more intense than their previous albums. Unfortunately it was all basically down hill from here.

MOONSPELL: THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
Moonspell's fourth album was influenced by chaos theory, as can be guessed by the album's name. The album is more experimental than the band's prior albums that were more straightforward gothic/black metal. The first couple of songs on this album are insanely creepy. "Soulsick" features some terrifying vocals and the title track's last section is extremely unnerving. The rest of the album is not quite as good, but this is a strong release by the Portuguese band.

OPETH: STILL LIFE
Opeth also released their fourth album in 1999. This is the first album I had heard from Opeth and it impressed me immediately. Featuring some of the band's best combinations of melodic death metal and progressive elements, this is one of the most beautiful and brilliant albums the band has released. From the crunchy riffs beginning in "The Moor" to the elegantly melodic "Face of Melinda" to strong album closer "White Cluster", this is an amazing album.

TESTAMENT: THE GATHERING
After the band's experimentation with a more death metal-influenced sound on their prior album, Demonic, Testament returned to a heavy thrash sound on their eighth album. Some of the death metal elements were still present, as death metal veterans James Murphy, Steve DiGiorgio, and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo all appeared on the album as members of the band. Chuck Billy's voice was still closer to death metal than his prior thrash metal vocals, but the music was faster paced and heavier. The lyrical themes were a hell of a lot more evil too. This is still one of my favorite Testament albums.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Control Denied: The Fragile Art of Existence; Immortal: At the Heart of Winter; Lacuna Coil: In a Reverie; Metallica: S&M.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 1999: Battlelore, Bloodbath, Bleeding Through, Dragonforce, Dream Evil, Kalmah, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Mors Principium Est, Trivium.

Year in Metal: 1997

I know I say this a lot lately, but I really do intend to get back to posting more regularly. Starting up a law firm is a bit more work than I thought. I still do not have office space at this time. Once that is taken care of, perhaps things will be a little easier.

DECEASED...: FEARLESS UNDEAD MACHINES
A concept album covering George A. Romero's zombie movies such as Night of the Living Dead and others, this album is all about zombies. On this album, Deceased... shed most of their death metal sound and went for a more thrash/heavy metal style. The vocals were still rough though. This is the band's masterpiece album, heavily melodic and powerful at the same time. Deceased... is one of the most underrated bands in American metal.

DESTROYER 666: UNCHAIN THE WOLVES
Australian blackened thrash metal masters Destroyer 666 released their first full-length album in 1997. This one is far closer to black metal than their more recent output, bearing a strong resemblance to acts like Blasphemy and Bestial Warlust. Tons of imitators sprang up after this album was released and the "war metal" scene was born.

EMPEROR: ANTHEMS TO THE WELKIN AT DUSK
One of the more popular Norwegian black metal albums ever, Emperor truly found their sound on this one. Featuring bombastic symphonic elements amidst the black metal riffing, Emperor truly came into their own here. Unfortunately, it was all downhill after this album. The only complaint I have about this album is that the vocals get a little buried, other than that, it's a great album.

GAMMA RAY: SOMEWHERE OUT IN SPACE
One of the better albums from the band that was formed by Kai Hanson after leaving Helloween. This is German power/speed metal at its best. Melodic and infectious, Gamma Ray put out a great album at the height of this scene. This album holds up very well next to the best albums from Blind Guardian, Helloween, Hammerfall and other European power/speed metal albums.

IN FLAMES: WHORACLE
The second In Flames album under Anders Friden was the first fully developed melodic death metal album by the band. In Flames had ditched most of the folk influences by this point and the result was a streamlined melodeath masterpiece. In Flames took over the throne as the top Gothenburg band with this album, but would lose it soon after to Dark Tranquillity.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: I had a hard time coming up with five albums. If I forgot something, I probably have not heard it enough.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 1997: Akercocke, Finntroll.

Year in Metal: 1994

1994 was an important year for me in metal. Not because of the albums that were released, but rather that this was the year I started listening to metal.

ACID BATH: WHEN THE KITE STRING POPS
Acid Bath was an early pioneer in the sludge metal sound. Featuring members who would later comprise groups like Crowbar and Goatwhore, Acid Bath was ahead of its time. The band blended sounds from doom metal, hardcore, blues rock, black metal, death metal, and virtually anything else. This is a fantastic album with extremely strong dynamics and range. The band only released two full length albums, of which this is the debut.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: DELIVERANCE
Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C. from now on) has had many different sounds over the years. Beginning as a hardcore band and slowly incorporating more and more thrash and metal influences, the band changed a lot. This was a complete change however, with the band adding classic rock and southern influences into their more traditional metal sound. The band was one of the leaders in the New Orleans sound along with Crowbar and Eyehategod, and of course, the above Acid Bath.

IN FLAMES: LUNAR STRAIN
Here we go, the first sign of the Swedish melodeath scene in this series. This was In Flames's first album and at this time, they had a very different sound than what they have now. This was pure melodic death metal with occasional folksy interludes, such as a soft string section. The band was also different in that Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity fame was the band's lead vocalist instead of Anders Frieden, who was fronting Dark Tranquillity at this time. Weird.

MAYHEM: DE MYSTERIIS DOM SATHANAS
Mayhem's masterpiece is a dark and brooding album, perfect for this season. This album features Attila Csihar on vocals and his performance can best be described as manic and frightening. The album was the last to have guitarist Euronymous and bassist Varg Vikernes prior to Varg murdering Euronymous. For that reason alone, this album is far more infamous than it is famous. The music though is one of the best examples of the Norwegian black metal scene.

TESTAMENT: LOW
I kept wanting to get Testament on one of these things. Well the time has finally come. Testament was never really an elite thrash metal band, until this album, when they combined elements of groove and death metal with their thrash metal and Chuck Billy started growling far more often. This is when the band truly came into their own. This is a heavy and brutal album, far moreso than anything the band put out before it. This is the band's best album to this point, and it's not even really close.

Honorable Mentions: Black Sabbath: Cross Purposes, Cannibal Corpse: The Bleeding, Cryptopsy: Blasphemy Made Flesh, Dream Theater: Awake, Emperor: In the Nightside Eclipse, King's X: Dogman, Machine Head: Burn My Eyes, Megadeth: Youthanasia, Pantera: Far Beyond Driven, Queensryche: Promised Land.

Bands that formed in 1994: Abscess, Destroyer 666, Lacuna Coil, Six Feet Under, Strapping Young Lad, Symphony X.

Great Band, Terrible Album Pt. 6: In Flames: A Sense of Purpose

For shame, In Flames. I am not talking about the typical albums that compel vitriol in most metal fans here, although this album is no less-derided. In Flames was one of the leading bands in the Gothenburg scene, and the first such band to really jump the shark. Their style of melodic death metal was infused with folk elements on their early material which were quickly filtered out. Nevertheless, the band remained strong through Clayman. After that is where a lot of fans bailed out on the band.

The music on Reroute to Remain was different, I will grant that. It certainly paled in comparison to their mightier melodeath material. But it was catchy, and emotional, and fun to listen to. Reroute to Remain was my first In Flames album, and perhaps that is why I feel the way I do about it. Perhaps if The Lunar Strain or Colony was my first, I would hate Reroute to Remain. Nevertheless, I loved the album then and still do now.

After that album came Soundtrack to Your Escape and Come Clarity. Both albums retaining that infectiousness from Reroute while being less than well-appreciated in metal circles. I still enjoyed them.

Then we come upon A Sense of Purpose which is where I will be getting off of the In Flames bandwagon. I do not honestly know what I dislike so much about this album. It seems like most of the elements from the previous three albums, which I enjoyed, are still here. Perhaps the songwriting has become stale, perhaps the modern rock elements have started to dominate the sound further decreasing the metal elements. I do not really know. All I know is that something happened on this album, something that has lead me to not enjoy it as much as their previous albums. Perhaps In Flames will catch themselves before they fall too far, perhaps not. It has been a fun ride while it lasted, but it's time for me to get off.

Metal Cover Songs Pt. 1: Metal Goes Pop

This is Part 1 of a possible new series on cover songs. In this one I will examine some metal covers of popular pop songs.

I get a kick out of metal bands covering pop songs. I'm not totally sure what the fascination really is, perhaps it's a deep-seeded desire to actually listen to the original pop songs. Probably not. Actually it's more likely the fact that it is a novelty and I find them really funny. That being said, I prefer the non-obvious jokes. Children of Bodom covering Britney Spears isn't nearly as entertaining as some of the below.

Here's a list of some of the more interesting metal covers of pop songs:

1. Graveworm: "I Need a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)
Okay, this one's just plain weird. Graveworm is a melodic black/gothic metal band from Italy who seem to enjoy covering pop songs. They have also done the Pet Shop Boys song "It's a Sin" and the R.E.M. classic "Losing My Religion". I remember this song playing in a cooking scene in the movie Bandits, the Bonnie Tyler version obviously. Things would have been tragically different with te Graveworm version. Definitely a bizarre cover choice. The Graveworm version is significantly faster, heavier, and featuring growling shrieks for vocals.

2. Machine Head: "Message in a Bottle" (The Police)
Machine Head, the trend-hopping bandwagon band, is more of a groove/nu metal band on the album this song is featured on. The song has a dreamlike feel to it in the early moments. The song actually turns out to be a rather faithful version for awhile, although vocalist/guiarist Robb Flynn is pretty much tonedeaf and should stick to metal. The song builds several times, then wanes again before kicking into a more metallic riff. The song remains aggressive and heavy the rest of the song.

3. In Flames: "Land of Confusion" (Genesis)
One of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene in Sweden, In Flames chose to cover this extremely political song by the progressive rock act Genesis. This one is not a horribly shocking song to cover, and I do really enjoy the original. The song actually sounds similar musically, although faster and complete with heavy power chords. The vocals are made up of Anders Friden's typical shrieking screams. The chorus does feature clean vocals, but the backing vocals which gave the original song its kick, are a little sloppy and too fast. The entire song is very fast and goes by in the blink of an eye.

4. Amorphis: "Light My Fire" (The Doors)
Amorphis is one of the first bands to blend folk elements with metal and the Finnish band influenced countless other bands. On this song, they cover the classic by the 60's rock group The Doors. Musically, the band does a decent job of putting their own spin on the well-known melodies. Much of the musical qualities are similar other than the use of power chords. The vocals are where the song completely differs with Tomi Koivusaari's death growls replacing Jim Morrison's crooning baritone. The use of the organs is very faithful to the original.

5. Firewind:"Maniac" (Michael Sembello)
This one seems completely bizarre, but the band does a surprisingly faithful version of it. Firewind is a power metal band with members from Greece, Sweden, and the U.S. The song sounds very much like the original which was featured in the movie Flashdance. The familiar keyboard lines and vocals are present. The only difference is the addition of power chords underneath the keyboards. The climax of the song is also a little more powerful.

6. Night in Gales: "Black Velvet" (Alannah Myles)
Night in Gales is a relatively unknown German band that plays a style of melodic death very similar to In Flames. They chose to cover this massive hit by the Canadian singer Alannah Myles. This version of the song is not even close to the original. The only time it can even be identified is during the chorus, and even then, the melody is significantly different. The song features heavy riffs and screaming vocals. The song is missing the charm and feel of the original version. It's a decent song for a Night in Gales song, but if expecting something close to the
original it's disappointing.

7. Grenouer: "Take On Me" (A-Ha)
Grenouer, a Russian metal band in the vein of Fear Factory, covers this 80's pop classic with the iconic video. The recorded version of the Grenouer track is a live version, with fairly bad production values. It is difficult to hear the music, although it is there, but definitely faster. The growling vocals detract from the song. The familiar chorus is very weak, which is unfortunate.

There it is, a few of the pop songs covered by metal bands.

Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal

In the early 1990's a metal scene started to develop in Gothenburg, Sweden. This would later come to be known as melodic death metal. The early years were pretty decent for bands from the city. There was originality to the music. Three bands became synonymous with the scene: At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames. Now however, the scene is viewed with scorn. The three innovators began to soften or simplify their sound and the music was further bastardized and glutted with copycats. Even in the U.S., the metalcore scene of the early 2000's borrowed heavily from Gothenburg. This was a style of metal that I liked very early on. Some of the albums are still favorites of mine, but there is a decrease in quality. Let's look at the three major bands and their early releases followed by their latest:

AT THE GATES

The first full length album from At the Gates was The Red in the Sky is Ours. This album featured some folk elements, such as the use of a violin. The music was essentially death metal with folk elements and a little extra melody. An essential album for many death metal heads, not just those than want melody.

Slaughter of the Soul was the final album by the band and is often considered the quintessential Gothenburg album. This is the album that has been copied and bastardized over the years. Not a bad album by any means, but the folk elements are completely gone and the music has been simplified to an insane degree. Fast and fun to listen to, but mostly devoid of any real meaning. At the Gates broke up after this album in 1995. The members are still active in groups like The Haunted and Disfear.

DARK TRANQUILLITY

Dark Tranquillity's first album Skydancer was similar to At the Gates first album in the heavy atmosphere of the music. Dark Tranquillity's first album is a masterpiece, one of my all time favorite albums. The only thing that would make it better is if Mikael Stanne, their main singer through the years, was the vocalist on this release. The music is haunting and intense.

Dark Tranquillity later began heavy usage of keyboards. The music changed, but remained good. No longer really resembling death metal at all, the keyboards give a strong sense of melody to the rest of the music. The only thing close to resembling death metal is the voice of Stanne. Dark Tranquillity is still a quality band, but the epic feel of the first album is long since gone.

IN FLAMES

This is the band that is most often associated with both the good and the bad of the Gothenburg scene. Oddly enough, singer Anders Friden was the vocalist on Dark Tranquillity's first album while Mikael Stanne was In Flames's first singer.

The Lunar Strain was In Flames's first album. Once again, there was a heavy folk influence to the music with acoustic guitar interludes and the occasional string section. The rest of the music was typically Iron Maiden-esque riffs sped up and down-tuned with Stanne's death metal growls.

After Friden became the singer, the band released a few more quality albums.

Then came Reroute to Remain. While this album is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, this was definitely when the band started to turn. There are some nu-metal elements to the music and most of the death metal elements are gone. There would be two more albums in this style.

Which brings us to A Sense of Purpose. I can't get into this album much at all. There are a couple of catchy tracks, but it is painfully obvious that In Flames's top priority is popularity at this point.

Other bands exhibiting the Gothenburg sound include Arch Enemy (mostly known for their female singer Angela Gossow and her strong death growls), Soilwork, and Gardenian. In recent years, there has been a new movement of melodic death bands from Finland such as Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, and Mors Principium Est. These bands take many cues from the Gothenburg scene but add their own flavors to it.

2008 in Review-Metal

2008 Metal Year in Review
Albums:
1. Grand Magus: Iron Will: This is it. The best metal album of 2008, and since I hate all other types of music, it's my personal pick for best album overall in 2008. This is a great, melodic, old school sounding metal album. Grand Magus sounds like a cross between Cirith Ungol and Judas Priest, doom meets traditional heavy metal. Easy to listen to, fun, and catchy as hell. The mark of a great album is memorability and this album definitely has that.

2. Eluveitie: Slania: It was actually a fairly close decision to pick Grand Magus over Eluveitie. I had Slania much earlier than Iron Will so for much of the year, Eluveitie was going to be my pick of the year. There's nothing wrong with finishing second though and this album is great in its own right. Melding melodic death metal to Celtic folk music and having it come out sounding good is no easy task but Eluveitie pulled it off. They often even use traditional Celtic folk instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy. The slow songs are beautiful, while the fast ones are sure to get your head banging.

3. Mictlantecuhtli: Warriors of the Black Sun: If you threw Storm of the Light's Bane-ear Dissection and Reign in Blood-era Slayer into a blender, this is what would result. An amazing album from an American black metal band, no less. This one came late in the year but made a major impression.

4. Toxic Holocaust: An Overdose of Death: Toxic Holocaust is a one-man band who is clearly influenced by the likes of early Sodom, Venom, Bathory, and Celtic Frost. These influences shine through and make this probably one of the most memorable, fun albums this year.

5. Lair of the Minotaur: War Metal Battle Master: I would have thought it would be difficult to combine thrash metal, a genre noted for its speed, and doom metal, pretty much known for being the exact opposite of fast. However, Lair of the Minotaur pulls it off in this campy, metal cliche-ridden album that is a blast to listen to.

6. Hail of Bullets: ...Of Frost and War: When I heard that members of Dutch death/thrash titans Thanatos were joining forces with Martin Van Drunen of Asphyx and Pestilence fame, I knew I had to check it out. My faith was rewarded by this gem of an album that pays tribute to Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, and the early 1990's Swedish death metal scene.

7. The Gates of Slumber: Conqueror: A great traditional doom metal album in the vein of Candlemass, Trouble, and Cirith Ungol. Every once in awhile, the band wakes up to put a faster song together, but otherwise remains lethargic and punishing.

8. Septicflesh: Communion: Greek Hellenic black/death metal with some surprising orchestral sections added for good measure. One of the more unusual albums I have heard this year. Septicflesh don't hold a candle to countrymen like Rotting Christ or Varathron yet, but a few more albums like this will certainly help.

9. Holy Moses: Agony of Death: One of the major differences between the Bay Area thrash bands and the German thrash bands of the 1980's is that many of the German bands are still actually playing thrash. Holy Moses is one such example of the German groups. Backed by Sabine Classen's inhuman shrieks and some of the best thrash metal in years, this album is nonstop punishment from start to finish.

10. Nocturnal Fear: Code of Violence: American black/thrash metal band in the vein of the 1980's German thrash metal bands. A true throwback album to a great scene.

Concerts:
Because I live in rural Nebraska, concerts are few and far between. The only two concerts I went to were out of state, although there were a couple of concerts I tried to get to in Omaha.

1. Metallica/Down/The Sword in Des Moines, IA: Forgive me, but I remain a Metallica fan. Their latest album was actually worthwhile and they still kill live. Surprisingly they still manage to play their old stuff quite well and they seem to have denied the Load/Reload/St. Anger past. Down is fantastic and I have been a fan since NOLA first came out. A great southern/stoner doom metal band, the only real problem was when Phil Anselmo's mic went out. I haven't paid much attention to The Sword but they put on a reasonably decent show despite seeming a little intimidated by the larger than life bands they were supporting.

2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Kansas City, MO: I love to point out to people who express shock that I would attend a TSO concert that the band started off as a project for a bunch of guys in the 1980's metal band Savatage and that they frequently have guest appearances from other luminaries of the metal scene. The Christmas program part was very good, if a little long, but where the band really shines is the neo-classical/shred/power metal part of the performance. I would be more inclined to purchase an album if they stuck to their instrumental stuff, but it was a hell of a good show and the lighting was amazing. I'm slowly turning Lindsay over to the dark side.

Shows I missed: Nile was in Omaha, although most of the bands they were there with were complete crap. I would have liked to see the brutal death metal band with a fixation on Egyptian topics. Also, the Summer Slaughter tour had a stop in Omaha as well. It featured some terrible bands like Born of Osiris, Whitechapel, and The Faceless, as well as the terrible new version of Cryptopsy. However, Psycroptic, Aborted, Kataklysm, The Black Dahlia Murder, and most importantly Vader were also there. It would have been worth it just to see Vader.

Surprises:

1. Metallica: Death Magnetic: There was a lot of discussion over just what would happen with this album. Some people, including the band, believed it to be a return to form and billed it as the missing link between ...And Justice for All and the Black Album. Others said it would be further circling the drain. The truth is that both camps were wrong. This is not a return to form and it is not further evidence of the band's decline. It is the best album they have released since the Black Album easily though and it is a good album. For that, I am happy.

2. Sothis: De Oppresso Liber: I didn't know what to expect from this group. They were billed as the next big thing in American black metal, a tag that, let's face it, is not terribly exciting. They were also hugely hyped and carried by Hot Topic (yuck). When I heard the album though, I was impressed. They sound like an earlier version of Dimmu Borgir, symphonic black metal, so opinions will depend on how one feels about that band. Since I like early Dimmu, I liked Sothis.

3. Testament: The Formation of Damnation: Not surprising because the album is good, no, it's surprising because after nine years of promises and letdowns, we finally have a new album from this great band. Testament was one of my early favorites. This isn't a great album, and it didn't come close to my Top 10, but it is a good album.

4. Cavalera Conspiracy: Inflikted: Early Sepultura is one of my favorite bands. It's been no secret that they have been going downhill since Chaos A.D. was released and have been even worse since Max Cavalera left the band. Max created a band called Soulfly who are also terrible for the most part. So when Max (vocals, guitar) and Iggor Cavalera (who continued playing drums in Sepultura until just recently) joined up and put together this neo-thrash/groove metal album, it proved that the two still had something left.

5. Nachtmystium: Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1: Nachtmystium is one of the most famous American black metal bands, although they have been stretching beyond the genre for some time now. Assassins is a psychedelic black metal masterpiece.

Disappointments:

1. In Flames: A Sense of Purpose: Holy shit. I am not one of those people bashing In Flames later-era material, in fact I really liked Reroute to Remain, Soundtrack to Your Escape, and Come Clarity. Not as much as their early stuff, but it was catchy and interesting. What the hell happened? They seemed like on Come Clarity that they were trying to get back to their early sound, then crashed into a wall and never got back on track.

2. Cryptopsy: The Unspoken King: One of the greatest brutal death metal bands loses its iconic singer Lord Worm, then hires some metalcore singer. No thanks.

3. Judas Priest: Nostradamus: It is so hard to complain about these guys since they were the second big metal band, behind only Black Sabbath. However this year, they decided to try something different, they wanted to add an orchestra and put out a double album rock opera, and then they fell flat on their face. Judas Priest was great because they were straightforward and simple. Why after nearly 40 years would they mess with that formula?

4. Destroyer 666: They failed to put out a release again this year after tons of hype saying that they would. Their last release was in 2003 and it was a five song EP.

5. Bolt Thrower: Apparently Bolt Thrower broke up. One of the most amazingly consistent death metal bands ever is no more. I am very sad. But at least they went out on a high note as Those Once Loyal, which came out in 2006, was one of their best albums, which is really saying something for this band.

Best Reissue of the Year: Hellhammer: Demon Entrails: And it's not even close. The Hellhammer demos are some of the most desired, yet difficult to find recordings in extreme metal. Hellhammer was the precursor to Celtic Frost and recorded a series of demos in the early 1980's which were traded heavily early on. Now anyone can get them.

Looking Forward in 2009:

1. Suffocation: Blood Oath: The brutal death metal pioneers are back.

2. Kreator: Hordes of Chaos: German thrash metal band with their first album in three years.

3. Wintersun: Time: The much delayed, much anticipated second album from the former
guitarist/songwriter of Ensiferum.

4. Dawn of Azazel: Hopefully they will release a new album soon, no other details available except that they are recording.

5. Destroyer 666: Please?

Top 100 Albums-Outdated a Little

For my first blog I figured I would post my Top 100 Metal Albums that I worked out last Spring. This is an outdated list as I have picked up several classic albums and some underrated gems that would probably make my list. That's okay for now. At some point I will update it.

I managed to find this. This is an old post from Myspace. This was in ten parts. I will only reproduce the actual albums analyses:

100. AHAB: THE CALL OF THE WRETCHED SEA: This is a concept album about Moby Dick from these German funeral doom merchants. Agonizingly slow and monolithically heavy, this album will suck you in and have you imagining that you are on board the Pequod with the sea air blowing through your hair.

99. EDGE OF SANITY: CRIMSON: One song, 40 minutes long. Swedish death metal stalwart Dan Swano brings his vision of a bleak future to the listener in this avant-garde metal opus.

98. DARK FUNERAL: THE SECRETS OF THE BLACK ARTS: Swedish black metal at its best with crushing blast beats and shrieking vocals. All songs are about Satan or evil, but if you know Dark Funeral that's certainly not a surprise.

97. SKELETONWITCH: BEYOND THE PERMAFROST: One of the newest bands to make my list, this album captured my attention right away with its retro-thrash attack and blackened shrieks. One of my personal favorites of the thrash metal revival, they should have a bright future.

96. DEMILICH: NESPITHE: Totally bizarre death metal from Finland. This band only released this one studio album, but it is a legendary release. Incredibly deep croaking vocals and technical riffs make up the sound. It's too bad they didn't stick around.

95. BURZUM: DET SOM ENGANG VAR: Norwegian black metal legend Varg Vikernes's one-man band. More infamous, than famous, Vikernes is well-known for his time in Mayhem which ended when he stabbed guitarist Euronymous to death in his apartment. This is my favorite of Burzum's material with equal parts screeching black metal and soothing ambience.

94. EXHORDER: SLAUGHTER IN THE VATICAN: Pantera fanboys take note, because this album is where that band got its well-known sound. Exhorder was groove metal before Pantera became popular.

93. THORNAFIRE: EXACERBATED GNOSTIC MANIFESTATION: Another newer band, Thornafire hails from Chile which is kind of a unique place to find a metal band. Thornafire plays old-school U.S. death metal in the vein of Morbid Angel and Incantation. Another band with a bright future.

92. BOLT THROWER: REALM OF CHAOS: One of the first death/grind bands along with English countrymen Carcass and Napalm Death. This album will crush your skull under its weight.

91. FAITH NO MORE: THE REAL THING: Well-known album from the late 1980's featuring hits Epic, Falling to Pieces, and From Out of Nowhere. It's tough to categorize FNM because their sound was constantly evolving. Terrific vocals and musicianship make this an unforgettable album.

90. MELECHESH: EMISSARIES: One of the more unique albums in my collection, this is a black/death metal band from Israel. They incorporate a lot of Middle Eastern instrumentation and rhythms into their music and their lyrics mostly deal with Sumerian/Mesopotamian mythology. Very interesting stuff.

89. WINTERSUN: WINTERSUN: It's difficult to tell whether this Finnish group is a melodic death metal band or an extreme power metal band. They seem to have elements of both. Harsh vocals but epic in both the sound and the length. They have a new album coming this Spring, I'm looking forward to it.

88. IRON MAIDEN: PIECE OF MIND: Ah yes Iron Maiden, one of my all time favorite bands and one of the icons of heavy metal. This was their second release with Bruce Dickinson fronting the band and features the classics "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus." An underrated album compared to what came before and since. This won't be the last time you see Iron Maiden in my list, I promise.

87. CANNIBAL CORPSE: EATEN BACK TO LIFE: One of the most well known death metal bands, Cannibal Corpse provide many of the extremes that have come to be expected from the genre. Bloody artwork and gory lyrics along with Chris Barnes's trademark roar make this debut album a landmark in the death metal scene.

86. GORGOROTH: PENTAGRAM: Norwegian black metal at its most hateful and abrasive. Fast riffs, howling vocals, and blast beats provide the sound for one of the most frightening black metal bands around. Not for the weak of heart.

85. NAGLFAR: PARIAH: A black metal band from Sweden that focuses more on melody than groups like Gorgoroth, Naglfar still uses raspy vocals but the lyrics deal more with personal issues than Antichristianity, at least on this album.

84. DARK ANGEL: DARKNESS DESCENDS: One of the lesser-known thrash metal bands from the mid-1980's, at least as far as the mainstream is concerned. Dark Angel is a more technical band than their peers. Amazing riffs and blazing speed. Many thrash fans consider this the best thrash album ever. I won't go that far, but a great album nonetheless.

83. DIO: HOLY DIVER: One of the all time great voices in heavy metal, this was Ronnie James Dio's best solo album and featured the hits "Holy Diver" (recently horrendously covered by Killswitch Engage) and "Rainbow in the Dark." It was very difficult to leave this so far down on the list but many of the songs are less than memorable. The good ones certainly make up for it though.

82. ANTHRAX: AMONG THE LIVING: Of the Big Four of American thrash, Anthrax is the weakest. That doesn't mean that they don't have their moments though. This album caught them at their best when Joey Belladonna was still the singer. John Bush later replaced him and the band went downhill. Anthrax was much more fun and light-hearted with Belladonna.

81. DANZIG III: HOW THE GODS KILL: Cover art by H.R. Giger, a dark gothic atmosphere, and Glenn Danzig's trademark Elvis-meets-Jim Morrison crooning make this Danzig's best album. A lot more metallic than other albums, this features the classic "Dirty Black Summer." Not to be listened to in the dark.

80. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: DELIVERANCE: Southern-style sludge metal at its greatest. C.O.C. combine hardcore attitude and traditional doom metal to produce a mindfuck of an album. Several short acoustic interludes break up the heavy bass-driven riffs. "Clean My Wounds" is a classic.

79. INSOMNIUM: ABOVE THE WEEPING WORLD: This melodeath band from Finland combines sweeping guitar riffs and melancholic atmosphere to produce a sound that is aggressive but sorrowful at the same time. The band has a lot of doom influences to their music.

78. QUEENSRYCHE: OPERATION: MINDCRIME: One of the better bands at writing concept albums, this Seattle-based progressive metal band is full of talented musicians and an even more talented singer. Geoff Tate has a highly distinctive tenor while Chris DeGarmo provides the guitar riffs and some fantastic solos.

77. SATYRICON: DARK MEDIEVAL TIMES: One of the well-known bands in the second wave of black metal from Norway, the name of the album describes the sound. Satyricon combine their black metal with the occasional medieval interlude sounding as if it came right out of the nearest Renaissance festival. After this album, Satyricon would start to go in a more standard black metal direction, cutting out most of the folk influences.

76. KAMELOT: THE BLACK HALO: Very good American power metal. Layers of intricate sound and stunning musicianship make up this powerful album. Kamelot is on the verge of making it very big.

75. ROTTING CHRIST: THEOGONIA: RC is a gothic black metal band from Greece. They incorporate folk elements from their home country, including rhythms, instrumentation, and even chanting, providing a powerful atmosphere backing up Sakis's raspy vocals.

74. SYMPHONY X: THE ODYSSEY: A concept album based on Homer's epic poem, epic being the operative word. Symphony X is a progressive metal band from the United States with highly technical, yet memorable riffs and the operatic voice of singer Russell Allan.

73. SEPULTURA: MORBID VISIONS: The debut album from these Brazilian thrash legends is a little sloppy in the drumming and bass (but that is part of its charm), but with an evil atmosphere that has never been equalized by the band. This album helped shape death metal.

72. ATHEIST: UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE: Death metal with jazz influences? Seems totally crazy but this band made it work, paving the way for several bands that would try to emulate them, but never match them. Criminally underrated in their time, Atheist is now getting the attention they always deserved.

71. BLACK SABBATH: VOL. 4: The original heavy metal band, responsible for the entire genre, in their classic lineup (Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward). This is one of their more psychedelic releases but features some of their most memorable riffs as well. "Supernaut" makes this worth the money by itself. Expect to see them on this list again.

70. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM: DOOMSDAY FOR THE DECEIVER: Arizona power/thrash metal band on its first full length release. This band is well-known for being the band Jason Newsted was in prior to joining Metallica, this being the only release he contributed to. The band is extremely energetic on this release with the throbbing bass, powerful guitar riffs and banshee shrieks of vocalist Erik Knutson.

69. TYPE O NEGATIVE: BLOODY KISSES: From the high energy of Flotsam and Jetsam to the lethargic gothic doom of Type O Negative. Vocalist Peter Steele has a very deep voice and combined with the dark humor and overall spooky atmosphere of the band provides an unforgettable and unnerving listening experience.

68. CANDLEMASS: EPICUS DOOMICUS METALLICUS: Traditional doom metal from this pioneering Swedish outfit. Poweful vocals and melancholic music merge to create what is universally regarded as one of the greatest doom metal records. "Solitude" is a masterpiece.

67. OBITUARY: CAUSE OF DEATH: One of the earliest death metal bands, the typical lyrical topics are covered by tracks like "Chopped in Half" and "Infected." Obituary stands out from the rest of their peers on account of their sludgy riffs, rotting-sounding vocals, and surprisingly technical guitar solos.

66. BATHORY: BLOOD FIRE DEATH: Bathory mastermind Quorthon (who would eventually take over playing all instruments on their future albums) almost single-handedly created both black metal and viking metal. This was the first album to take the black metal Bathory previously created and mix it with elements of what would eventually become viking metal.

65. IN FLAMES: COLONY: In my opinion, this was the highest point for this elite Gothenburg melodeath metal band. The band was at its most creative mixing Iron Maiden-styled riffs, manic harsh vocals and even began providing clean vocals in some chorus spots.

64. DARKTHRONE: A BLAZE IN THE NORTHERN SKY: Norwegian black metal landmark album which combined the simple death metal riffs the band previously utilized with the atmosphere and raspy vocals that the black metal scene would later become synonymous with. Darkthrone were one of the originators of the sound and many bands still try to capture the feel of this record and fail.

63. MERCYFUL FATE: DON'T BREAK THE OATH: Mercyful Fate was extremely influential on the black metal scene because of the dark atmospherics of their sound. King Diamond's falsetto vocals and the band's dual guitar attack make up the sound of one of metal's true iconic bands.

62. INCANTATION: ONWARD TO GOLGOTHA: One of the early death metal bands from the east coast. Incantation combines brutal guttural vocals and extremely heavy doom-laden riffs into a sound and image that is extremely vile and frightening. Not a good album for someone new to the genre.

61. PARADISE LOST: GOTHIC: These English death/doom metal pioneers put out their best album in Gothic. This album is a testament to the sound the band helped create, as they later drifted into gothic metal/rock territory on following releases.

60. CENOTAPH: SAGA BELICA: Excellent Mexican death metal band featuring raw aggressive riffs, manic screaming vocals, and wailing guitar solos. An extremely energetic album that will get your heart pounding.

59. BEHEMOTH: ZOS KIA CULTUS: Polish black/death metal band. This was one their best album in their new sound adding death metal elements to their usual black metal sound. The band features extremely Satanic lyrics and crushingly brutal music.

58. AMON AMARTH: THE CRUSHER: It's tough to pick just one album from this Swedish melodic death metal Viking horde. Partly because they all sound basically the same and partly because they are all excellent. Gruff, roaring vocals, melodic guitar leads, pounding drums, and lyrics about warfare and Viking glory.

57. CARCASS: HEARTWORK: The kings of English grindcore starting going in a melodic death metal direction on the album prior to this one. This one perfected the sound and was a very early and influential album on the Swedish melodeath scene.

56. DISSECTION: THE SOMBERLAIN: One of my favorite bands, Dissection was a melodic black metal band from Sweden with death metal influences. The music is extremely chilling and includes some insanely technical drumming. Menacing vocals and tremolo guitar riffing completes the effect.

55. SWALLOW THE SUN: THE MORNING NEVER CAME: This Finnish death/doom metal band is one of the better doom bands around lately. At times extremely melancholic, at others frighteningly intense. Don't listen to this when you're in a good mood, it has a tendency to crush hopes and dreams.

54. OZZY OSBOURNE: BLIZZARD OF OZZ: One of the godfathers of the heavy metal genre, Ozzy has released a number of classic albums. This was his first and probably his most well-known, featuring his signature song "Crazy Train." Randy Rhoads provided the fantastic guitar work: riffs and solos, and Ozzy contributed his trademark vocals.

53. JUDAS PRIEST: BRITISH STEEL: Another of the great early metal bands, Judas Priest had a great deal of influence on the thrash metal scene with their fast bluesy guitar riffs. "Breaking the Law" is an all time classic.

52. METALLICA: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: The third metal icon in a row here, this is Metallica's most technical album. Fast, intense, and epic, this is where the band garnered mainstream attention. Not their best album, but it's tough to decide between their first four.

51. WHITE ZOMBIE: LA SEXORCISTO: Dirty guitar riffs, bass-heavy sound, B-movie dialogue samples, and Rob Zombie's insane mumbling growls. This is White Zombie.

50. EXODUS: BONDED BY BLOOD: Exodus was one of the early thrash metal bands and are considered to be in the second hierarchy of thrash bands along with Testament, Dark Angel, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Overkill. Exodus has an aggressive, energetic sound that is missing from some of the other bands on this album. The music is loud, fast, and fun, they don't make them like this anymore.

49. IMMOLATION: SHADOWS IN THE LIGHT: Released just last year, this is the quite possibly the New York death metal band's finest release as it blends the band's trademark brutality, deep growled vocals, and dirty guitar riffs with a technicality that was missing from their previous albums. One of the best albums from 2007.

48. OVERKILL: HORRORSCOPE: See Exodus: Bonded by Blood. Overkill may have been the first thrash metal band as they were recording demos even before Metallica. A bit more refined than Exodus, but still a lot of fun.

47. OPETH: STILL LIFE: Progressive extreme metal band on their finest release. This album blends death metal and acoustic interludes to produce an album that is at times brutal, and at others beautiful. Michael Akerfeldt has an amazing clean singing voice and also some truly great death metal growls.

46. BLIND GUARDIAN: IMAGINATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE: German power metal legends Blind Guardian combine bombastic music, lightning-fast riffs, and Hansi Kursch's amazing vocals. This album is a stepping stone from their traditional speed/power metal to a more progressive sound.

45. TESTAMENT: THE RITUAL: Similar to Amon Amarth in that it is extremely difficult to determine which album is their best. Testament was a thrash metal band from the Bay Area in the mid-1980's. This is probably my favorite as it is a more mature sound for the band and it includes the amazing "Return to Serenity", my all-time favorite song. Testament would shift to a groove/death metal sound after this album.

44. APOPHIS: HELIOPOLIS: Extremely underrated German melodic death metal band. Apophis takes U.S. death metal like Morbid Angel, and combines it with the Swedish melodic death metal sound of At the Gates. An incredible album that has gone unnoticed by many people, a shame.

43. AMORPHIS: TALES FROM THE THOUSAND LAKES: It's tough to categorize this Finnish band for more than an album or two because they frequently change their sound. On this album, Amorphis is closer to a death/doom style with some folk metal elements. Their cover of "Light My Fire" can't be missed.

42. POSSESSED: SEVEN CHURCHES: One of the major influences on death metal, Possessed is an early thrash metal band from the Bay Area. The subject matter, guitar riffs, and screaming vocals had a huge impact on the later death metal scene.

41. KING DIAMOND: ABIGAIL: King Diamond's debut album after splitting from Mercyful Fate (both bands are currently going with KD singing for both), this album features amazing guitar riffs and solos and KD's inhuman falsetto singing voice. The album tells the tale of the ghost of Abigail who possessed the body of a woman in order to be born again. One of the best concept albums in metal history.

40. DEATH: THE SOUND OF PERSEVERENCE: One of the original death metal bands, as you might have guessed from the fact that the genre and band names sound suspiciously similar. This was the last album by Death, as singer/guitarist/founder Chuck Schuldiner died of brain stem cancer in 2001. This album is incredible, the band had long ago moved away from their raw death/thrash attack and moved in a progressive direction. The songs are emotional, the riffs are amazing, and Chuck produced some terrific solos. The cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" is exceptional, I had no idea Chuck could scream like that.

39. SLAYER: SEASONS IN THE ABYSS: You can't have a metal top 100 list without one or two Slayer albums, sure they're overrated but they put out a couple of damn fine thrash metal gems, this being one of them. The title track is probably my favorite Slayer song because it is a lot more progressive than their normal full-on thrashers. The rest of the stuff is typical 1980's-era Slayer.

38. DEICIDE: LEGION: Short, fast, and raw as Hell. Deicide put the death metal scene on notice with this album. Unrelenting in its speed and its intensity, this is the band's best album. Although their latest was nothing to be ashamed of, this is the sound that made them who they are.

37. METALLICA: KILL 'EM ALL: Metallica's debut album was possibly the very first thrash full length album. What a way to start a movement. Fast, raw, and a ton of fun, this is an instant classic. "The Four Horsemen" has one of thrash metal's all-time great riffs.

36. BLACK SABBATH: SABBATH, BLOODY SABBATH: Black Sabbath began incorporating elements of progressive rock on this album and produced one of their all-time greatest albums. Iommi's riffs were still amazing, and Ozzy's vocals were a force to be reckoned with. "A National Acrobat" is unfortunately overlooked quite a bit, I think it is one of the band's greatest songs.

35. MERCYFUL FATE: MELISSA: The album that started King Diamond's career. KD's trademark falsetto and the dual guitar attack were new and unique at the time the album released. An all-time classic album.

34. BLACK SABBATH: HEAVEN AND HELL: The only Black Sabbath album on my list without Ozzy as vocalist, this version of the band was fronted by Ronnie James Dio. It's difficult to decide which vocalist was better, Dio is probably the more talented of the two, although Ozzy's vocals matched the band's sound perfectly. This would be a pointless debate if the songs on this album were anything but the classics that they are. Dio re-energized the band.

33. IRON MAIDEN: SOMEWHERE IN TIME: On this album, Iron Maiden began to incorporate some keyboard parts. It did not detract at all from their music and this album has some great songs. Bruce Dickinson's vocals were perhaps at their strongest here.

32. MEGADETH: PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING?: Megadeth's second album proved that Dave Mustaine knew how to write thrash riffs. One of the major creative forces in Metallica's early days, Mustaine honed his craft with his follow-up band. Mustaine also has a very unique and noticeable voice.

31. CELTIC FROST: TO MEGA THERION: A major influence on both the black and death metal scenes, this Swiss trio combined gothic atmosphere, thrashy riffs, death-style grunts, and other unusual elements into a fresh sound that has never truly been duplicated. Unfortunately, Celtic Frost would never duplicate it either as their music declined in quality sharply after this one until their comeback album Monotheist in 2006.

30. DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER: One of the great bands from the Gothenburg, Sweden melodic death metal scene, Dark Tranquillity has a much rawer sound on this release. Melodic lead guitar lines and tremolo picking coupled with future In Flames singer Anders Frieden's tortured shrieks give this a cold, gothic atmosphere.

29. FEAR FACTORY: DEMANUFACTURE: Industrial death metal pioneers on their second album. This one is volatile and has a fuller sound to it than their debut. The band also turned this into a concept album of sorts. Burton Bell has one of the more interesting voices in metal between his hardcore screaming and his more melodic clean singing voice.

28. DOWN: NOLA: Supergroup made up of members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod. Down brings a Southern rock edge to good old stoner/sludge doom. One of the few bands able to modernize Black Sabbath-style riffs. This is a killer.

27. AT THE GATES: SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL: The landmark album in the Gothenburg style. Every metalcore band owes a major debt to this album. The sound is still better when you hear the real thing.

26. MAYHEM: DE MYSTERIIS DOM. SATANAS: The most famous album from the Norwegian black metal scene. This album came after singer Dead committed suicide, but before bassist Varg Vikernes murdered guitarist Euronymous. A cold, terrifying atmosphere.

25. SEPULTURA: BENEATH THE REMAINS: Brazilian thrash metal band on their best album. The band had left their rawer Slayer/Sodom sound behind on this one in favor of a more refined thrash. Still a amazing album, but the band would go downhill into groove metal soon after.

24. DESTROYER 666: COLD STEEL...FOR AN IRON AGE: Fairly unknown band out of Australia. D666 combine thrash metal and black metal into an aggressive and raw sound, featuring lyrics about war. The sound would come to be known as War Metal and this is one of its elite bands.

23. ROTTING CHRIST: NON SERVIAM: Atmospheric black metal band from Greece. This is the album that the band put everything together and managed to incorporate some Greek folk music elements as well.

22. OZZY OSBOURNE: DIARY OF A MADMAN: In my opinion, this is Ozzy's best. The songs are not as well-known but they are better written and stronger. Guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads's last album before he died in a plane crash.

21. DESTROYER 666: UNCHAIN THE WOLVES: Slightly less thrashy than the other D666 album and a lot more black metal. This is the band's debut album and a very impressive debut at that.

20. ENTOMBED: LEFT HAND PATH: Swedish death metal pioneers on their debut album. One of the all time classic death metal albums, with a dirty rock and roll vibe to it with gruff vocals. Some truly evil sounding metal. Unfortunately the band would later take a very strange direction.

19. DARK TRANQUILLITY: THE GALLERY: One of the pioneering bands of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound on their greatest album. Standard harsh vocals mixed with rolling guitar leads over heavy bass riffs. An amazing album, and even better if you can find the version with the bonus tracks. Their version of Metallica's "My Friend of Misery" is quite possibly better than the original.

18. JUDAS PRIEST: DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH: One of the all time great bands in heavy metal and a big reason for the continuing scene today. Priest took the Black Sabbath sound and added speed and power. This is, in my opinion, their greatest album. It has the energy of their 70's material and the heaviness of their 80's material in the best overall package.

17. IRON MAIDEN: POWERSLAVE: This was the first album that Maiden started experimenting with a more epic feel. Their previous albums were a little too punk for my tastes, though I do enjoy them. This album dropped the punk vibe in favor of a straightforward metal assault.

16. PANTERA: COWBOYS FROM HELL: The only Pantera album I truly enjoy all the way through and it is amazing. This is before the "trademarked Pantera" sound which they ripped off of Exhorder. This album is more of a power/thrash hybrid. Phil Anselmo's wailing shrieks are incredible and the album is fast and energetic.

15. ICED EARTH: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: This band is quite possibly the Iron Maiden of its generation. Melodic and powerful, backed by Jon Schaeffer's characteristic galloping guitar riffs and Matt Barlow's impressive vocals.

14. DEATH: SYMBOLIC: Death further delves into the progressive death style they had begun experimenting with from a couple albums previous. Chuck Schuldiner is one of my favorite figures in metal as he was incredibly influential on the technical death metal scene. His guitar playing is extraordinary and his tortured screams are extremely powerful. R.I.P. Chuck.

13. EMPEROR: IN THE NIGHTSIDE ECLIPSE: My favorite black metal album and the first black metal band I ever purchased. Emperor combines the raspy vocals and raw aggressive riffs of other Norwegian black metal bands with orchestral synthesizers and cold atmosphere.

12. MORBID ANGEL: COVENANT: One of the first death metal bands, this album is pure unadulterated aggression and power. Only "God of Emptiness" slows things down and that is one of the most frighteningly evil songs I've ever heard. The video is on my profile page.

11. BLACK SABBATH: PARANOID: The band that started it all. This is their second album and they have perfected the sound they experimented with on their first album. This album contains the all time classics "Iron Man", "Paranoid", and "War Pigs." It also contains the highly underrated "Electric Funeral."

10. SLAYER: REIGN IN BLOOD: Brutal, fast, and intense. This album was a huge turning point in heavy metal. Slayer added an extreme aggression missing from the likes of Metallica in the thrash metal scene. This album also helped to spawn the death metal genre. A little tame by today’s standards, but a total mindfuck when it was released.

9. SODOM: AGENT ORANGE: In my opinion, the best of the Big Three of German thrash metal bands. Sodom, like Slayer also had major influences on another genre of metal besides thrash. In Sodom’s case, they heavily influence black metal and their first EP is widely considered one of the first black metal recordings. This album was when Sodom perfected their war-influenced thrash attack.

8. KREATOR: PLEASURE TO KILL: The German version of Slayer, Kreator’s riffs are fast and brutal and Mille Petrozza’s shrieks are incredibly powerful. One of the most aggressive-sounding vocalists of all time in front of some killer thrash riffs. The best album to come out of the German thrash scene. This one will pummel the listener from start to finish.

7. MORBID ANGEL: ALTARS OF MADNESS: One of the first death metal albums. Extremely raw and intense combining David Vincent’s powerful growls, some insane drumming, and Trey Azagthoth’s impressive guitar riffing style into something uncompromising in its aggression. Many bands have tried and failed to sound like Morbid Angel, one of the true masters of the genre.

6. BLACK SABBATH: MASTER OF REALITY: Speaking of masters of the genre, this is THE album by Black Sabbath. This is when they were in full-on doom metal mode. Highly underrated album for some reason, but it features the absolutely killer song Children of the Grave.

5. METALLICA: MASTER OF PUPPETS: Widely considered the top metal album of all time by a bunch of people who really don’t know much about metal. Don’t get me wrong, this is an absolute classic, but it’s not even the best album by Metallica. Some great songs but Metallica was starting to become a little pretentious on this one, just look at the absurd song lengths on here. Still an amazing album.

4. DISSECTION: STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE: This album gives me chills. Dissection is truly terrifying and they present an extremely cold, grim atmosphere. Tremolo guitar riffs, insanely technical drumming, and the inhuman shrieking of Jon Nodtveidt make up most of the sound, but the album also features some haunting acoustic guitar interludes to keep the listener on his toes before steamrolling into more powerful black metal.

3. MEGADETH: RUST IN PEACE: Megadeth’s finest hour. Dave Mustaine teamed up with guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman and the two shredders absolutely had a blast with this one. Searing guitar solos perpetuate this album. Tornado of Souls is one of the greatest thrash songs of all time.

2. IRON MAIDEN: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON: Somewhat of a theme album from Iron Maiden this time around, many of the songs focus on psychic abilities. The high point of Maiden’s career finds them putting together epic songs backed by amazing guitar riffs and solos and Bruce Dickinson’s soaring operatic vocals. Amazing stuff.

1. METALLICA: RIDE THE LIGHTNING: As I alluded to earlier, this is Metallica’s greatest album and my personal favorite album of all time. I am partial to this because it was my first metal album. But it is also the best combination of the better styles of Metallica. Forget the shit they have put out since AJFA, this album combines their almost-progressive thrash sound of MOP and AJFA with the raw aggressive thrash of KEA. Great, powerful songs like Fade to Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls make this album completely unforgettable.

Also, here is a post that I did for Halloween:

Well here we are on Halloween. This is definitely one of my favorites holidays, if not my favorite. One of the things I like to do on Halloween is listen to music that quite clearly has a Halloween vibe to it. I tortured myself for about half an hour last night picking out 10 albums to listen to today. Most people know I am a little obsessive compulsive about my listening habits. Nowhere is this more evident than last night in preparing this. So without further ado and in alphabetical order, I present my Halloween playlist.
1. Cradle of Filth: Dusk...And Her Embrace: Cradle of Filth is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I enjoy the creepy atmospherics and surprisingly Dani Filth's voice. This is definitely a good band to listen to on Halloween because of the over-the-top image and subject matter. In my opinion Dani Filth is an excellent lyricist, although that is sometimes missed due to his psychotic shrieking. This is Cradle of Filth at their gothic and symphonic best before they were more concerned with selling albums.
2. Death: Scream Bloody Gore: How can you pass up an album with song titles like Zombie Ritual, Regurgitated Guts, Baptized in Blood, Evil Dead, and Beyond the Unholy Grave? Death's first full-length is an extremely raw, stripped-down, fun listen. One of the earliest death metal albums and still one of the best.
3. Denial Fiend: They Rise: Former lead singer of Death Kam Lee started a new band devoted to the same feeling as his early band. Again, a lot of fun, with most songs dealing with horror movies. The gang vocals give the impression that the band had as much fun making the album as I do hearing it.
4. Dimmu Borgir: In Sorte Diaboli: Similar to Cradle of Filth in that they are extremely over-the-top. I ultimately chose this album just because of the symphonic parts which I felt gave it a Halloween feel. Not my favorite Dimmu Borgir album, but not terrible.
5. Iced Earth: Horror Show: Each song on this album deals with a different horror movie monster with Dracula, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Phantom of the Opera, Damien, and Frankenstein all represented. Ultimately a disposable album from this band, and was done to fulfill a contract, but it's a good listen this time of year.
6. King Diamond: "Them": The master horror storyteller in one of his greatest concept albums. "Them" is the story of Grandma returning from an asylum, some bloody tea, and ghosts trying to reclaim their home. A hell of a lot of fun although you really need to be in the mood because of King's falsetto. The music is fantastic traditional metal.
7. Luna Ad Noctum: Dimness' Profound: An underrated symphonic black metal gem. This is the sound Dimmu Borgir strives for. Thrashy riffs, creepy vocals, and keyboard flourishes abound in this. The cover is fantastic as well.
8. Merciless Death: Evil in the Night: The impression is that these thrash metal revivalists are trying to channel early Death. Another one heavy on the zombies and murderous rampages. One of the best acts of the new thrash revival.
9. Mercyful Fate: Don't Break the Oath: King Diamond's prior band. They laid a lot of groundwork for black metal bands. Surprisingly not a concept album although it gives off an overall eerie vibe. Definitely not one to listen to in the dark alone.
10. Possessed: Seven Churches: I love this album and try to get it in whenever I can. That said, the reason for its inclusion here is the opening track The Exorcist, complete with the theme from Tubular Bells. One of the early Satanic bands and helped usher in death metal. The rest of the songs are fast and thrashy as hell. This is not an all-encompassing list. It's just what I chose for today, so if there are any arguments, I don't really care.