In Honor of Halloween: Horror Concept Albums

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have never been able to fully explain why, perhaps it is my fascination with things that are dark and disturbing (witness: my love of heavy metal and horror movies). Indeed, I believe it started with my fascination with horror movies as a kid. Of course, around Halloween, horror movies are shown all the time. I spent most of the weekend flipping channels between SyFy (Flu Bird Horror, Splinter, Snakehead Terror (which my fiancee lovingly recorded for me, thanks baby) and other atrocious films) and AMC's Fearfest (Return of the Living Dead, Alien movies, Dracula, etc.). I will probably watch over a dozen horror movies over the course of the week leading up to Halloween. Not all of them will be good, in fact the majority will not. Bad horror movies are almost as much fun as good horror movies I have found.

Where does that leave us here? Well, heavy metal has often found a way to deal with horror in its lyrical themes. Death metal is sometimes about slashers or zombies or some other such thing, black metal deals with the occult, even groups like Metallica and Iron Maiden have fashioned songs about horror subject matter. Sometimes, bands will choose to record entire albums devoted to horror. As seen yesterday, this may take the form of a tribute album to horror movie monsters. Other times, in a far more creative way, bands will formulate their album ideas around one central theme and essentially write their own horror story in the form of an album.

These concept albums are the topic of discussion here. I'm going to look at several such albums and explain what the storyline is. I will not look at the master of concept horror albums, King Diamond, choosing instead to devote an entire post to him alone.

CRADLE OF FILTH: DUSK...AND HER EMBRACE

Cradle of Filth probably deserve their own post as well, but I decided to not drag this out too much. The topic of discussion this time around is vampires, although they are often not mentioned by name. Most of the references are heavily inspired by gothic literature, a staple in Cradle of Filth's lyrics.

CRADLE OF FILTH: CRUELTY AND THE BEAST

The band's sound is a little closer to gothic metal than the black metal that was heavily present on their previous works. This album deals mostly with the legend of Elizabeth Bathory, even featuring guest narration by Ingrid Pitt who portrayed the Countess in an old horror movie by Hammer films about her. Bathory, it is said, bathed in the blood of young virgin girls to remain youthful and was convicted for the murder of 80 people, with some estimates closer to 600. She is one of the inspirations for Dracula.

CRADLE OF FILTH: MIDIAN

See what I mean? I am not even discussing a couple of the concept albums by this band. Midian is inspired by Clive Barker's novella Cabal, in which a man seeks answers to why he is drawn to a mythical city beneath a cemetary and the dark creatures that inhabit it. It's complicated, but it's typical for Barker stories.

IRON MAIDEN: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON

Not a concept album per se, but all of the songs revolve around the theme of being able to see into the future and other psychic abilities.

MACABRE: DAHMER

This should be self-explanatory. Macabre, an early death metal/goregrind band, created this album based entirely around the life of Jeffrey Dahmer, noted serial murderer. It begins when Dahmer is a young man and extends to the controversy about what to do with the deceased Dahmer's brain. It's strange, unnerving, occasionally humorous, and utterly in bad taste. It's perfect for Macabre.

NEVERMORE: DREAMING NEON BLACK

This album by progressive power/thrash metal band Nevermore is supposedly based on Warrel Dane's own experiences. Supposedly, Dane had a girlfriend who left to join a religious cult, who he never heard from again. However, Dane had dreams of her reaching out and screaming for help from him as she drowned. The album takes this backdrop and features a man descending into insanity after his girlfriend dies.

OPETH: MY ARMS, YOUR HEARSE

Opeth is another band that has made a career out of doing elaborate concept albums. The storyline of this album revolves around a man who has died and become a ghost. The ghost becomes agitated when he starts to believe that his girlfriend did not genuinely grieve when he died. The girlfriend feels his presence and refuses to accept that he actually has passed.

OPETH: GHOST REVERIES

This is a rather simple concept album. Opeth depicts a man in constant turmoil after he killed his own mother.

YYRKOON: OCCULT MEDICINE

This album is based on the movie Re-Animator starring the immortal Jeffrey Combs, in which a young doctor has discovered how to raise the dead. The movie is loosely based on an H.P. Lovecraft story along the same storyline. The album sticks closer to the cheesy movie, although it is significantly more serious.

Scary Albums in Honor of Halloween

Okay this one is similar to the Scary Album Covers posts but a little different. This time we're talking about actual albums that are a little frightening from a musical standpoint, albums that curdle the blood and send chills up the spine, albums that are so complex that they sound as if they came from another world. Yes, there are a few, and I'm not referring to the latest from Lady Gaga.

CELTIC FROST: MONOTHEIST

Celtic Frost has always had some spinechilling songs, but on this album, they stretch things over the full course of the record. Even though the band utilizes some clean singing, the vocals are so desperate and cold, that they sound otherworldly. The riffs are typical Celtic Frost bass-heavy riffs that sound like the machinations of Lovecraftian beasts. This album is truly unnerving, taking hold of the listener for over an hour. Once it is over, it is like being able to see the sunlight after days trapped in a cave.

COFFINS: MORTUARY IN DARKNESS

The cover image is frightening enough. Coffins sounds like an even more dark and possessed version of Celtic Frost playing a style of death/doom that is so morosely slow as to actually sound as if it were produced by the zombie-like monsters that so often appear on the band's album covers. The faster tracks sound as if they could have come from Celtic Frost themselves, while the slower ones sound as if they came from the pits of Hell.

DARKTHRONE: TRANSILVANIAN HUNGER

That's the band's spelling not mine. This is a classic album from the Norwegian second wave of black metal band. It features the eponymous title track, one of the most well-known and disturbing songs about vampires in heavy metal. Everything else is minimalist, simple, one riff, classic black metal with an extremely dark atmosphere. Only the title track is in English and not knowing what is being said somehow makes the rest of the songs that much more frightening.

DEMILICH: NESPITHE

Demilich's only full length gives off the atmosphere of being trapped in a dark, dank, moist, cold cave. The music is ungodly complicated featuring numerous changes in time signature and speed as to leave the listener completely disoriented. Then there are the vocals, a sound that can best be described as the croaking of a dying bullfrog.

INCANTATION: ONWARD TO GOLGOTHA

Incantation was one of the early bands that blended death metal with doom metal and achieved a Hellish sound in the process. The band's angular riffs, throbbing bass, and pummeling drums form the backdrop behind some of the most terrifying vocals in American death metal. The atmosphere is as dark as the Satanic and Anti-Christian subject matter. Most occult death metal bands have been trying to emulate this sound for years, but this is the original.

MAYHEM: DE MYSTERIIS DOM SATHANAS

Quite possibly the quintessential black metal album. This album was recorded after the death of vocalist Dead and featuring Attila Csihar's chaotic vocal phrasing and shrieking. It was also recorded before the murder of guitarist Euronymous at the hands of bassist Varg Vikernes. The backstory alone makes it a frightening piece, then there is the cold music itself. This album, along with Darkthrone's above-mentioned album completely changed the course of black metal, changing the focus to simple riffs and dark atmosphere. I love to listen to this album with all the lights off during a thunderstorm at night.

PORTAL: OUTRE'

The music cannot even be described, it is so off the wall strange. Portal pushes the boundaries of metal, and indeed music in general as far as possible. The riffs are chaotic, the drumming seemingly out of nowhere, and the vocals are tortured screams. Portal is one of the most original metal bands to come out in years. I cannot even tell if I enjoy their album or not, it is so strange. All I know is that I feel uneasy whenever I listen to it, and that makes it a prime candidate for this list.

SATAN'S HOST: SATANIC GRIMOIRE:
A GREATER BLACK MAGICK

Satan's Host is a unique band. They hail from Colorado and formed in the mid 1980's when they played power metal with occult lyrics. They didn't last long though and broke up. They reformed in the last few years playing a style of blackened thrash and upped the ante on their lyrics. The band is clearly Satanist and feature many invocations to Satan in their albums. This one is no exception. Musically, they are pretty good, though not as good as other blackened thrash groups, it's when they see fit to add in an atmospheric track that they really get strange.

Yet Another List

This one actually came to my attention last week but I didn't feel like covering another list.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/listoftheday/69730/the-25-best-heavy-metal-bands/

This is the Top 25 Metal Bands, at least according to Yahoo. Now Yahoo is notoriously well-known for their taste in metal music...What the fuck am I talking about? This is another place that should probably steer clear of such lists in the future.

Well at first, the writer begins by discussing the problems with classification of metal, which is interesting and is the first telltale sign that he is going to completely fuck this up. Sure enough. Onwards.

25. Meshuggah
I don't know how to feel about Meshuggah. Their early stuff is great, talking about my Contradictions Collapse + None combo-album, but on their later stuff they've seemingly forgotten how to play a real song, washing everything away in endless technical wankery. Their stuff nowadays is barely even metal anymore, losing the technical death/thrash feel of the early material and replacing it with a more chaotic, dissonant Slipknot-esque sound. There's the "S" word, now I've done it. Still, like I said, their early stuff is great.

24. Mercyful Fate
Ah, something I can agree with. Mercyful Fate should have been lumped with King Diamond since it's the same singer and basically same ideas behind the music. The only real difference is that Mercyful Fate is more geared towards independent song ideas on their albums and focus more on instrumentation while King Diamond creates concept albums and the music is focused on the vocals. Great bands both, and King Diamond is a genius.

23. Alice in Chains
AiC was always my favorite of the "grunge" bands of the early 90's which was a huge scene when I was in middle school. I was a bit of an outcast because they were often #3 on that list behind Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but I didn't care. Their music was darker and heavier. It was also just better. I got sick of hearing about Nirvana. AiC all the way. I am looking forward to their new album although Layne Staley is gone.

22. Uriah Heep
NFM. I am not overly familiar with this band, but I know they're a hard rock group from the 1970's that never really came close to metal.

21. Pantera
I've made my feelings on this band known. I love Cowboys from Hell. Almost everything else afterwards is overly simple crap. I don't know, I liked their heavier more extreme songs, but there weren't enough of them. The regular groove stuff is just kind of tedious to listen to.

20. Thin Lizzy
Not familiar enough with them to comment. Most of the stuff I have heard of theirs were covers from bands like Metallica, Dragonlord, Grave Digger, Skyclad, and the like. I've heard their classic tracks and enjoyed them well enough. Thin Lizzy is pretty notorious for getting considerably heavier later in their career.

19. Kyuss
Ah, stoner doom metal. Kyuss was pretty great and had a huge influence on a lot of bands. It's just too damn bad that they evolved into Queens of the Stone Age. Ah, tragedy.

18. Guns 'n Roses
NFM. The first utter failure on this list. It gets better, I promise.

17. Kiss
NFM. I think it's the costumes and stage show that lead people to believe this is a metal band. When it comes down to it, they were basically playing bubblegum pop with guitars. I bet if the Jonas Brothers put on corpse paint and demon outfits, spit fire and blood, and explosions, but played the same music, idiots would think they were metal too.

16. Dio
Present horns. Dio is a great choice for this list. I don't see a lot of people (read: idiots who don't know better, yet insist on making these terrible lists) who praise Dio's solo work. Sure he was influential in Black Sabbath and Rainbow, but he had a pretty solid solo career as well.

15. Robin Trower
NFM. I have no idea who this is.

14. Rush
Geddy Lee's vocals just bug the hell out of me. Particularly on "Limelight". For that reason, I cannot bring myself to give them another chance.

13. Spinal Tap
Ugh. Okay, the movie was funny as hell, one of my personal favorites (thanks, baby, for the gift), the album is reasonably enjoyable for its cheese factor (intentionally so), but for God's sake why is this band on this list?! Not being an actual band would seemingly disqualify them, one would think. Or if you're going to put them on the list, at least have the decency to put them at #11, for fuck's sake.

12. Deep Purple
One of the pioneers of the genre. I never really got into them.

11. Slayer
I love Slayer as much as the next metalhead. Unfortunately, their amazing early catalog is missed by most Slayer fans. Some people don't seem to realize how great they were BEFORE Reign in Blood. The band sounded like Metallica and Venom in a blender, it was incredible. I miss that Slayer.

10. Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden should be much higher, #3 or #2. An amazingly talented band.

9. Motorhead
I do enjoy Motorhead's brand of beer and sex fueled mayhem. An incredibly fun band to listen to. They wrote some great songs too, although a lot of their albums start to sound the same after awhile.

8. Aerosmith
NFM. What the fuck?! The author spends his entire synopsis trying to explain this choice, which still comes out an ill-conceived mess. Basically his explanation is that the band sounded like a lot of other metal bands, but he doesn't name names. This would be a convincing argument except for one little insignificant detail: if the band sounded like Aerosmith, it was not metal, PERIOD. I understand there was some confusion in those turbulent 1980's as to what was metal and what wasn't and every fucking band with a blonde lead singer, guitars, and a abundance of hairspray was thrown into the metal genre by fucking idiots who had no clue, but that did not make them metal. People can sit around and claim Nickelback is a metal band too (and have I might add) but that does not make them a metal band. Only the music can do so. Aerosmith played blues-heavy hard rock, not metal. Bands like Poison and White Lion and Great White were also hard rock bands. Ozzy said it best when he said something along the lines of the metal tag being applied too liberally and that Metallica was a metal band, but Poison was just an out-and-out pop band. Rant over.

7. Judas Priest
Judas Priest should also be higher. #3 or #2, whichever one Iron Maiden is not occupying.

6. Metallica
#6, really? I would have them at #4 personally. Only dropping behind Maiden and Priest because of their Load and Reload albums. This better be one hell of a Top 5.

5. Jimi Hendrix Experience
NFM. And we immediately fuck it up. Look, Hendrix was influential, anyone can see that. His music even influenced a lot of what would later become metal, but if we kept going back in time to find the metal influences and claim they were also metal, we would end up looking at The Beatles and blues musicians as well. It is for that reason that I draw the line at Black Sabbath, the first truly metal band in existence.

4. Van Halen
NFM. Oh my god. When was Van Halen ever considered anything other than just a hard rock band?

3. AC/DC
NFM. Three chords does not a metal band make.

2. Led Zeppelin
NFM. I made my feelings for this band clear in the vocalists list. I don't care for them and they are not a metal band. They may have had moments, perhaps even songs, but not enough to be a metal band.

1. Black Sabbath
Well, after fucking up the other four choices in the Top 5 they better get one right. Luckily it's the most important of all.

Another Day, Another List

It's apparently list week over at the Metallattorney ranch. This one comes from Noise Creep who gives us a list of the best new thrash metal bands. Now, me being a bit of an aficionado for thrash metal, I could not resist taking a look at this list. It's actually one that I will have some positive things to say about (for once). I'm not really sure if this is in any kind of order or not, so we'll just cover each band. So, here we go:

http://www.noisecreep.com/2009/07/29/top-10-new-school-thrash-bands/

Municipal Waste:
Surprisingly, I'm not very familiar with this band. I have heard a couple of songs which sounded sort of crossover-ish. Since I am not a huge fan of crossover, I decided to pass. From what I know of the band, they're not real serious about their subject matter, most of it is meant to be humorous.

Violator:
This is a Brazillian thrash metal band attempting to pick up where Sepultura dropped the ball a long time ago. Admirable effort. I haven't heard much from these guys yet but will be keeping an eye out.

Warbringer:
I am a big fan of Warbringer. The young Californian band is attempting to revive the Bay Area scene from Southern Cal. Their name adequately sums up their sound: chaotic.

Merciless Death:
This is perhaps one of my favorites of the newer thrash scene. The band sings a lot about zombies and other horror movie topics. The music is fast, aggressive, and heavy. The band takes a lot of influence from the mighty Dark Angel.

Mantic Ritual:
This band sounds like a cross between early Metallica and early Testament. The sound is a bit cliched but the band is talented enough and comes up with some pretty good songs. The album is okay, just nothing special.

Ramming Speed:
I have honestly never heard of this band.

Blood Tsunami:
I am still looking for their album which is not easy to come by in the States. This band is made up of members of Norwegian black and death metal bands paying tribute to the German thrash scene of the 80's, one of my personal favorite scenes.

Toxic Holocaust:
I have covered TH a little bit in the past. Joel Grind's influences range from Venom, Sodom, Bathory, and Celtic Frost. That's quite a bit of classic thrash/black metal. The songs are short, but powerful. The album is a ton of fun. Another of my favorites.

Skeletonwitch:
Quite possibly my favorite of these groups. Skeletonwitch is similar to TH in it's influences producing a dirty-sounding blackened thrash sound with great guitar riffs. I am definitely looking forward to their new album.

Corrupt:
Another band I have never heard of, but if their Kreator influence is correct, I might have to check them out.

Notable acts listed: Ex Mortus, Cross Examination, SSS, Caustic Strike, Hellish Crossfire, Lethal, Eliminator, Lazarus A.D.

Okay, now some bands that did not make it in the article at all, but should have:
Dekapitator
Evile: Recorded the best Slayer album in the last 15 years.
Bonded by Blood
Gama Bomb
Trench Hell: Sounds like Celtic Frost on steroids.
Rumpelstiltskin Grinder
Lich King
Hyades

Hit Parader Utterly Botches Another List

I seriously wonder sometimes how people or companies define "metal". Seriously. Some of this shit is amazing. Words cannot describe the feeling I get from looking at a list like this one. That's not entirely true, actually. The words "what the flying fuck were these idiots thinking?" basically sums it up.

For this, I'm introducing a new acronym. "NFM" will hereinafter on this blog stand for "NOT FUCKING METAL" because I'm tired of typing that all the time. I have also created a tag from this day forward, so anytime that appears in a post, it will be tagged as such.

There is a lot to say about this list, but I'll start with the obvious: Hit Parader has no fucking clue what is going on. I'm not going to argue too much about the placement of the actual metal singers (with one exception), because there is so much fail here that it would be difficult to nitpick that issue to death as well.

Top 100 Metal Vocalists
01. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin): NFM. I guess I have never understood the appeal of Robert Plant or Led Zeppelin. I guess I never really will.
02. Rob Halford (Judas Priest, Fight, Halford)
03. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith): NFM. Aerosmith, Metal? Really?
04. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
05. Bon Scott (AC/DC): NFM. Nothing more than a hard rock band.
06. Freddie Mercury (Queen): NFM.
07. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
08. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne): This is the one nitpick I'm going to do with regard to placement. Seriously, Ozzy should be #1. His recent stuff is awful, but he was the original metal singer and still had some great albums during his solo career. Sure he's not as technically gifted, but he is the most recognizable, by far.
09. Paul Rodgers (Bad Company): NFM.
10. Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell)
11. Axl Rose (Guns 'n Roses): NFM.
12. Sammy Hagar (Van Halen): NFM. Lots and lots of hard rock bands here, very few metal bands so far.
13. Geddy Lee (Rush): I still don't like Rush.
14. Geoff Tate (Queensryche)
15. Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones): NFM. Yep, lots of hard rock bands.
16. Jonathan Davis (Korn): NFM. What the hell?
17. Roger Daltrey (The Who): NFM. More ancient hard rock bands.
18. Paul Stanley (Kiss): NFM. See above.
19. David Lee Roth (Van Halen): NFM. And again. Why is Roth lower than Hagar?
20. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana): NFM. I always thought Nirvana was overrated. I know it's blasphemy, but I don't care.
21. Maynard James Keenan (Tool): NFM.
22. Klaus Meine (Scorpions)
23. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam): NFM. Apparently metal is anything with a guitar.
24. James Hetfield (Metallica)
25. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails): NFM. Apparently the guitar is not even necessary.
26. Serj Tankian (System of a Down): NFM.
27. Layne Staley (Alice in Chains)
28. Steve Perry (Journey): NFM. Are you kidding? The singer from Journey? Seriously, this has got to be a fucking joke. The singer from Journey? My head hurts. I can't move my right arm. Journey? Metal?
29. Gene Simmons (Kiss): NFM.
30. Joe Elliott (Def Leppard)
31. Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi): NFM. Really? In what alternate dimension is Bon Jovi metal?
32. Alice Cooper (Alice Cooper): NFM. Although, I do like Alice Cooper, much more than his imitators like Marilyn Manson.
33. Vince Neil (Motley Crue)
34. Steve Marriott (Humble Pie): NFM. One of those hard rock bands that slipped through the cracks apparently.
35. Lajon Witherspoon (Sevendust): NFM.
36. Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)
37. Philip Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual)
38. Zack De La Rocha (Rage Against the Machine): NFM. Way to pick the LEAST metal member of this band.
39. Brian Johnson (AC/DC): NFM.
40. Bret Michaels (Poison): NFM. Wears a cowboy hat and bandanna to cover grotesque bald spot. Can't find love with army of skanks. Knocked out by curtain at the fucking Tony Awards. Jackass.
41. Udo Dirkschneider (Accept, UDO)
42. David Draiman (Disturbed): NFM.
43. Ian Gillian (Deep Purple)
44. Marilyn Manson (Marilyn Manson): NFM. Alice Cooper copycat.
45. Jeff Keith (Tesla): NFM. Oh man, I can't stop laughing.
46. Chester Bennington (Linkin Park): NFM. And my lungs just caved in.
47. Sully Erna (Godsmack): NFM.
48. Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
49. Aaron Lewis (Staind): NFM.
50. Brett Scallions (Fuel): NFM. I had to look this guy up, I had never heard of him before. Fuel, really? What the hell?
51. Chino Moreno (Deftones): NFM.
52. Rob Zombie (White Zombie, Rob Zombie)
53. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers): NFM. Did I miss something? When were they ever considered metal?
54. David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake): I'll give him a pass for Deep Purple, although that Whitesnake thing is pretty horrifying.
55. Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen): NFM. Okay, we have all three of Van Halen's singers here now, which still doesn't change the fact that they are not a metal band.
56. Andrew Wood (Mother Love Bone): NFM. Better known as that guy that Temple of the Dog was formed to pay tribute to. That's right, his musical legacy is that a terrible band that he was not in was formed out of one slightly better band and one much better band, just to pay tribute to.
57. Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver): NFM. Drug-addled mess that may or may not be currently dead. Has anyone heard from him lately? Someone better go check on him.
58. Tom Araya (Slayer)
59. Phil Lynnot (Thin Lizzy)
60. Rod Stewart: NFM. What the fucking hell? Rod Stewart? Are you kidding me, I thought Journey was bad. What is Rod Stewart doing here? Sure he was in the Jeff Beck Group and Faces, but neither of those are his legacy and neither of those excuse the schmaltzy shit he has been peddling ever since.
61. Scooter Ward (Cold): NFM. I wonder when this list was created. There's an awful lot of nu metal bads here that dropped off the face of the earth after a couple of albums.
62. Ray Davies (The Kinks): NFM. No, just no.
63. Sonny Sandoval (P.O.D.): NFM. See Scooter Ward.
64. David Bowie (David Bowie): NFM. Lord.
65. Joan Jett (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts): NFM.
66. Josey Scott (Saliva): NFM. Top 100 my ass.
67. Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros): NFM. Awful bands, awful singer, awful list.
68. Scott Stapp (Creed): NFM. Now you're just trying to anger me Hit Parader.
69. Amy Lee (Evanescence): NFM. One hit wonder.
70. Don Dokken (Dokken)
71. Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit): NFM. Top 100 Moronic Douchebags I could see, Top 100 Metal Singers? No.
72. Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park): NFM. The least metal member of that shitfest.
73. Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity, Down)
74. Dez Fafara (Coal Chamber, DevilDriver): I'm not totally sure I can give credit here, because this list was probably done while Dez was still in Coal Chamber, another nu metal band that is NFM.
75. Gavin Rossdale (Bush): NFM. Banging Gwen Stefani is the most metal thing he ever did, everything else is utter shit.
76. Blackie Lawless (WASP)
77. Dave Wyndorf (Monster Magnet): NFM. I like Monster Magnet though.
78. Ann Wilson (Heart): NFM.
79. Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix): NFM. I have a lot of respect for Hendrix, but he's not metal.
80. Ville Valo (HIM): NFM. Maybe this list is newer than I think.
81. Peter Steele (Carnivore, Type O Negative)
82. Dave Williams (Drowning Pool): NFM. Not to disrespect the dead or anything, but Williams was only with the band for one album, and it's a terrible album. How the hell did he make it on this list?
83. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister)
84. Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Yngie Malmsteen, Deep Purple)
85. King Diamond (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond)
86. Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour): NFM.
87. Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed): NFM. Although Jasta did do Kingdom of Sorrow with members of Crowbar, which sounds like Hatebreed singing to Crowbar. It really is that bad.
88. Justin Hawkins (The Darkness): NFM. Hit Parader officially is a joke.
89. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
90. Ian Astbury (The Cult): NFM.
91. Stephen Pearcy (Ratt): NFM.
92. Phil Mogg (UFO): NFM.
93. Biff Byford (Saxon)
94. Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil)
95. Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth)
96. Wes Scantlin (Puddle of Mudd): NFM. I had to look this guy up too. Seriously, what the fuck is Hit Parader smoking. I'm surprised the singer from Nickelback didn't make the list.
97. Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Rising Force, Beyond Fear): Ripper is a good vocalist, but has never really caught on with any band for a long time. It's a little tough to argue for his inclusion here.
98. Joshua Todd (Buckcherry): NFM. I really fucking hate Buckcherry. They are even more irritating in concert if possible.
99. Kevin Dubrow (Quiet Riot)
100. Ray Gillen (Black Sabbath): I had to look him up too, apparently he was one of the one-off singers in Black Sabbath, and very little else. What is he doing here? Wikipedia says he is best known for his work with Black Sabbath, Badlands, and Phenomena. Neither of the last two bands did much of anything, and he didn't do much of anything with Black Sabbath. What a way to end this thing.

Another Terrible List to Bitch About

I'm not totally sure what makes AOL think it has any idea about death metal. But here we go, the Top 10 Death Metal Bands from AOL Radio. Now this list isn't horribly egregious. All of the bands listed are arguably some form of death metal or other, but the way they're ranked doesn't make much sense. To add problems though, the list features the band's best album, and this is where things go wrong.

10. Suffocation, Best Album: Pierced From Within
I love Suffocation, there is no doubt in my mind that they belong on this type of list. However, they should be significantly higher, probably in the Top 5. I haven't heard this particular album, but most Suffocation albums are similar so I suppose I can't fault their choice here.

9. Six Feet Under, Best Album: Death Rituals
What the fuck? Any list that has Six Feet Under above Suffocation cannot be serious. Six Feet Under is Chris Barnes's band after leaving Cannibal Corpse. They produce fairly boring, standard groove-laden death metal. They're not a bad band, per se, but they are certainly not a great one. Their album choice is dubious as well since all of their albums since Haunted sound exactly the same. Haunted would have been the best choice as the band still sounded a little like Cannibal Corpse.

8. Nile, Best Album: Ithyphallic
I like Nile, not nearly as much as I like their frequent tourmates Behemoth, but Nile is fine. I don't know about Top 10-worthy, but they're a decent band. Their obsession with Egyptian mythology and using traditional instruments in their brutal style of death metal is fairly interesting. However, Ithyphallic was boring. This list apparently chose the most popular or well-known albums as the band's best. This should have gone to Annihilation of the Wicked or In Their Darkened Shrines.

7. Kataklysm, Best Album: Shadows and Dust
Oh c'mon. This band has no business in a Top 10 death metal list, they're just another run of the mill standard death metal band. Seriously, was any thought put in this list? They're an okay band, but like Six Feet Under, they're nothing special at all. The album is fine, I suppose. I enjoy it on occasion and haven't heard a better one from the band, but still.

6. Bloodbath, Best Album: Nightmares Made Flesh
I have a hard time accepting this band here. Sure, they're a good band, but they were created as an homage to early 90's Swedish death and other old school death metal. As such, they are not the most creative band in the world. An enjoyable, fun listen, yes, but groundbreaking, fuck no. As for the album, I prefer their other full lengths with Mikael Akerfeldt on vocals.

5. Amon Amarth, Best Album: Twilight of the Thunder God
Kind of a questionable choice as Amon Amarth fits in better with melodic death metal than just death metal, but okay. I am a big Amon Amarth fan, that said, the album was definitely botched here. This is another case like Nile where they just chose the most well-known album instead of the best. Amon Amarth has been exposed to the mainstream on this album, but this is arguably the band's worst album. Any of their prior releases would have been better here. For sake of argument, I will choose The Crusher.

4. Morbid Angel, Best Album: Gateways to Annihilation
Great band, too low on the list. For me, Morbid Angel is #2. Bad album choice though, holy shit. I don't know how the fuck AOL completely messed this up. Altars of Madness, Blessed are the Sick, and Covenant are all classics of the genre. Gateways is not even close. For fuck's sake, the album doesn't even have David Vincent on it, the voice of Morbid Angel.

3. Vader, Best Album: The Art of War
I like Vader a lot, but they don't belong here. The band has always been closer to death/thrash than death metal. Vader has had a very long, solid career and never put out a truly bad album, but the site's choice here is laughable. The Art of War is a 15 minute long EP with only five actual songs on it. Granted, "What Color is Your Blood" is the best song Vader ever did, but they have eight full length albums, it couldn't be that hard to pick one of those. De Profundis or Impressions in Blood are the better answers.

2. Cannibal Corpse, Best Album: Bloodthirst
Again, I like this band, and they should be on this list, but not this high. They should be in the Top 5 though. Cannibal Corpse helped bring exposure to the genre and should be rated highly. But then, what the fuck is with the album choices? My god. This is nowhere near the best CC album. Eaten Back to Life, Butchered at Birth, Tomb of the Mutilated, The Bleeding, Vile, and Kill are all better choices. This is one of the worst actually. What the hell.

1. Death, Best Album: Symbolic
I agree with this band, its placement, and the album. Although Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy also deserve mention.

So that was a bit of an ordeal. Let's see some bands that probably could have made it over some of these choices: Dismember, Grave, Deicide, Obituary, Immolation, Vomitory, Krisiun, Hypocrisy, Cryptopsy, Entombed, Carcass, and Behemoth.

My list would be:
10. Carcass
9. Obituary
8. Deicide
7. Amon Amarth
6. Cryptopsy (solely for their stuff with Lord Worm on vocals)
5. Cannibal Corpse
4. Suffocation
3. Immolation
2. Morbid Angel
1. Death

Finally: The Metalsucks Top 21, For Real

Oh, for fuck's sake. Here is the final list (after that ICP bullshit), complete with gripping commentary from yours truly. I own 11 of these albums, claim not to own one of these (my girlfriend knows which one), might have owned one, and used to own three of the others. That leaves five that I have not heard, and of those five, four are from bands I am fairly well familiar with. The only one off of this list that I have little to say about is the #5 album. So, my opinions are coming from an individual familiar enough with the list to completely detest it. Only one album from this list appeared on my own list, and that one (which is #3 here) was #21 on mine. My list is way better. Nyah!

21. Slipknot: Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
And we start things off with a bang. First of all, NOT FUCKING METAL. Secondly, I was extremely skeptical about this list as soon as I read through the contributors, but this definitely proved that my concerns were well-founded. Even for a Slipknot album, this is horrendous. It was at this point that the band began incorporating radio friendly hard rock into their sound. I listened to this album a couple of times when I first got it (I used to listen to the band when I was younger) and I honestly hated this album. It collected dust for years and probably continues to do so downstairs. I will probably dig it out and sell it. Apparently people like this shit, they’re crazy.

20. Shadows Fall: The War Within

I actually discovered Shadows Fall randomly while working at Target. I was looking for something new to listen to and happened upon an album by the band for very cheap. It was not this album, but the preceding album. I really enjoyed it and started listening to the band. This album presents Shadows Fall at their greatest, nothing they have done since this album comes close to it. Shadows Fall has always been a little ahead of the metalcore scene because of their heavy melodeath and thrash influences. In recent years they have dropped the core, but this album is still their best. They were better when they combined their core influences and metal influences. Not many bands can say that.

19. Mastodon: Remission
Unfortunately, I have not heard this album. I don’t much care for Mastodon’s newer material, but this was their first full length. I did pick up their second album and did enjoy it. It is at least somewhat likely that this is a good enough album.

18. Lamb of God: New American Gospel
This is another band that I am familiar with, while not having heard this particular album. I like some of Lamb of God’s material, they do kind of blend Pantera-style groove metal with metalcore, and they do kind of have a tough-guy image, but the music is enjoyable enough, if not overly interesting.

17. Hatebreed: Perseverance
NOT FUCKING METAL. Hatebreed is a ridiculous tough-guy modern hardcore band. They have very few, if any, metal influences. And they write the same fucking album every goddamn time. There’s not a single thing interesting about this band. I used to own one of their albums (possibly this one, but I don’t fucking know because they’re all the fucking same), and it was boring as watching paint dry.

16. Machine Head: The Blackening
When I first got into Machine Head, they were playing a cross between groove metal and nu metal. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the most interesting music. In looking farther back in their career, they started as a groove metal band and singer/guitarist Robb Flynn was previously in Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-Lence. On this album, Machine Head ditched metalcore and nu metal and went full on thrash. Apparently they’re kind of trendwhores. Oh well, this is a quality album and while I don’t love it, I like it quite a bit. It certainly did not make my list but it was a good enough album.

15. Nachtmystium: Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1
This is kind of a weird one. Nachtmystium combines black metal, psychedelic rock, and post hardcore into a compelling mixture. The band was formerly a raw black metal band until they began incorporating more and more Pink Floyd influences. They are still one of the highlights of the American black metal scene. This is their most accessible album released thus far. It is an enjoyable album and I considered it for my top albums of 2008, but it just missed. Also, excellent use of a saxophone on a metal album.

14. System of a Down: Toxicity
NOT FUCKING METAL. I first discovered System of a Down back in high school. It was at that time that the nu metal wave hit. System of a Down, unfairly or not, were lumped in with that crowd. I will admit they play more of a hard rock style than nu metal, but still, they are not metal. I enjoyed their debut self-titled release, but this one immediately dashed any lingering enjoyment of the band. I just could never get into the album and I don’t see what other people see in it. To me, it’s the band’s descent into mediocrity.

13. Mastodon: Blood Mountain
I had just recently discovered this band when this album was released. I was pretty excited for the album because "The Wolf is Loose" is an awesome song. This was my first Mastodon album and it took several years before I would check out another. I like their heavier songs, but they play a lot of songs that do not keep the interest level quite as high. It’s an okay album, but it is highly overrated. There are a handful of good songs and some filler as well. It was on this album though that Mastodon started moving away from metal, which is a shame because Mastodon could have been the next great metal band. I’m talking about a level with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica, they were that good, at least on Leviathan.

12. Tool: Lateralus
NOT FUCKING METAL. Just like the above System of a Down album, this is the Tool album that convinced me this band was not fucking worth listening to anymore. I loved their Opiate EP and the Undertow album because both of those albums actually contained coherent songs. Aenima was where the band starting getting way too proggy and experimental for their own damn good. However, it still had some enjoyable songs on there. On this album, half of the fucking tracks are pure noise, there are maybe a couple of actual songs on there, and everything else is static. Awful, I sold this album.

11. Deftones: White Pony
NOT FUCKING METAL AT ALL. I can kind of understand thinking Hatebreed, Tool, System of a Down, and Slipknot are metal. I don’t like it, but I can kind of understand it. But, fucking DEFTONES???!!! My god. I never did understand what in the hell I was thinking when I bought this fucking album. It’s essentially a more aggressive post-hardcore album with maybe .5% metal influences at all. It’s also an extremely boring and pretentious piece of shit. Thank god I sold it.

10. Opeth: Ghost Reveries
This is one of my least favorite Opeth albums (not my least favorite, that title belongs to the all-prog-no-metal Damnation). It starts out great on "Ghost of Perdition", but as it goes on, the prog parts become much more drawn-out and meander a great deal more than on previous albums. The production is at its best on this album: it is crisp and clean and all of the instruments can be heard well. The songwriting just was not as good on this one as some of the band’s previous efforts. Not a bad album, just not as good as their earlier works.

9. Gojira: From Mars to Sirius
I’ve never been quite sure how to categorize this band. They play some sort of mix between death metal, thrash metal, and progressive metal. The album is heavier than hell, it really is. The riffs are extremely bass-heavy giving them massive bludgeoning power. The drums are pounding and the music in general is fairly slow to further emphasize the heaviness. The song "From the Sky" is one of the heaviest songs I have ever heard. Lyrically, the band is interested in eco themes. It is a very interesting album, but it can get a little tedious as it plods along. Still though, this was a fairly interesting choice for the list because it’s not as mainstream-friendly as many of the other bands. Mainstream, yes, but not as accessible.

8. In Flames: Clayman
In Flames was once one of my favorite bands. I thought about trying to get one of their albums into my list, but I could not justify choosing any of their albums of the 21st century over any of the albums in my list. My favorite In Flames albums came out in the 1990's. This album is not bad, but it is a step down from their prior album, Colony. I am not at all surprised to see In Flames make it on this list, I just would not have chosen them. I would have rather seen some of Dark Tranquillity’s work make it in opposed to this. Still though, I don’t have a problem with the choice.

7. Lamb of God: Ashes of the Wake
This was the first album I had heard by Lamb of God. Yes it’s kind of dumbed down groove metal in the vein of later Pantera with some metalcore influences thrown in. But, it is brutal, aggressive, and menacing. In that vein it’s certainly not a bad album. There are much worse albums out there, of course. This is the best I have heard from Lamb of God, but the band really isn’t doing much that Pantera hasn’t done before. There are much better albums out there as well, which makes the inclusion here a little dubious. Still though, at least it’s a decent enough album.

6. Killswitch Engage: The End of Heartache
This is pretty much the quintessential metalcore album. It features riffing influenced by Swedish melodeath bands, clean and rough vocal interplay, and breakdowns. As such, it is pretty much a no-brainer to make this incredibly mainstream list. It’s an enjoyable album, I will not try to deny it. It is catchy, with its pop-inflected chorus lines, and decent guitar riffs. It just gets a little old after awhile. I loved it when I first got it, but the novelty has worn off a little bit. I still listen to it occasionally, but not nearly as often as I did when I first bought it. The later releases from the band do not come close to matching this one, which further adds to its inability to stay relevant.

5. Converge: Jane Doe
NOT FUCKING METAL. I have neither heard this album, nor this band so I can’t really comment much on them. However, I know they are not metal and that they are greatly responsible for the endless wave of shit called metalcore that we are still dealing with. There are some good metalcore bands, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

4. Killswitch Engage: Alive or Just Breathing
This is the band’s debut release. I have not heard this album, but I have of course heard other albums by the band. This one is a little different though because Jesse Leach, not Howard Jones, is the singer. I have only heard him on a song on the Roadrunner United album and he is an impressive vocalist. I keep meaning to check this album out, but have not gotten around to it yet.

3. Opeth: Blackwater Park
At last, one we can agree on. This album reached my list, the very end of my list, but at least it was there. This is widely considered Opeth’s masterpiece. It’s not my favorite of their albums, but it is certainly up there. It is also the one qualifying album from the band that should be here. After this one, Opeth got a little too proggy and their quality suffered. This represents their best balancing act of the prog and extreme metal elements, however they were always better when they were not trying to balance the styles. They were better when they focused on the extreme metal aspect and threw in prog influences once in awhile. This is a great album and should be on the list. It just shouldn’t be this high.

2. Lamb of God: As the Palaces Burn
I’m not sure I can agree with any list of top metal albums that gives Lamb of God three fucking places. I have not heard this album, but I can’t imagine it’s that much different than Ashes of the Wake, the #7 album. Lamb of God is not a bad band, they just aren’t a great one. I’m not sure how they managed to be as lucky to have the success they do. Perhaps, people just desperately wanted another Pantera. I can’t imagine why.

1. Mastodon: Leviathan
As mentioned earlier, this is a great album and I won’t dispute that. It is a little uneven in places and there are tracks here that I don’t really care for, which is why it did not make my list, but there are some other great tracks that help to make up for the misses. If Mastodon had built on this album and continued to develop the heavier stuff, then they probably would be considered the next really big metal band. However, they built upon the more progressive parts and started to move away from metal on their next album. By the time Crack the Skye was released, most of the band’s metal elements had already been stripped away. There are moments that still show the band’s metal influences but they are now few and far between. But that doesn’t affect the enjoyment of this album which is a very good album. Now, I wouldn’t consider it one of the best of the 21st century, but for a mainstream metal album, I suppose it would qualify.

Metalsucks Top 21 Albums of the 21st Century Ends Tomorrow

About fucking time. I've been waiting with baited breath for them to get this thing over with. I have a post ready to discuss their entire list detailing my feelings on this horrendous hack job, which will be posted after their #1 album is posted tomorrow. For now though, let's look at the list:

21. Slipknot: Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
20. Shadows Fall: The War Within
19. Mastodon: Remission
18. Lamb of God: New American Gospel
17. Hatebreed: Perseverance
16. Machine Head: The Blackening
15. Nachtmystium: Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1
14. System of a Down: Toxicity
13. Mastodon: Blood Mountain
12. Tool: Lateralus
11. Deftones: White Pony
10. Opeth: Ghost Reveries
9. Gojira: From Mars to Sirius
8. In Flames: Clayman
7. Lamb of God: Ashes of the Wake
6. Killswitch Engage: The End of Heartache
5. Converge: Jane Doe
4. Killswitch Engage: Alive or Just Breathing
3. Opeth: Blackwater Park
2. Lamb of God: As the Palaces Burn

#1 will most likely be Mastodon: Leviathan. Tune in tomorrow for my angry rant.

Ranking the 2009 Albums So Far

Since 2009 is half over, I thought I would present a ranking of the albums from this year that I have heard so far. I have only heard 28 albums thus far this year and I have ranked all of them, from the first demo release of an Omaha, NE band to the latest album from a reincarnation of the original metal band, everything is here. If something is not here, the reason is simple: I have not yet heard it. We'll do this in descending order.

28. Seppeku: Seppeku: It’s probably unfair to put this up against these other bands, as this is only a first demo, but it meets my only qualification for consideration: it came out in 2009, so here it is.

27. God Forbid: Earthsblood. This is easily the biggest disappointment so far this year. I had high hopes for this album, and I’m not sure what happened, it’s just kind of bland. This just did not meet my expectations. It’s not bad, just disappointing. Maybe it will grow on me.

26. Leif Edling: Songs of Torment-Songs of Joy: I’m not sure where these songs of joy come in, this album is just slow and depressing. The promo for this was sent to me for free in an order I placed with Hells Headbangers. Edling is the bassist and principal songwriter for Candlemass and this is his first solo album. Not bad, but there’s not much going on really.

25. Saxon: Into the Labyrinth: One of the last remaining NWOBHM bands left. This is a strong album that would have been even stronger had the band lightened up a little on the hard rock songs. The metal songs are great, but there’s a lot of filler.

24. Believer: Gabriel: A fine reunion album for this band, but only the first half is really worthwhile. There are far too many filler songs on the second half, particularly the throwaway sample and noise tracks at the very end. Still, welcome back Believer.

23. HOD: Serpent: HOD is a newer band from the filth and grime that is Texas black metal. The band has quite a few death and thrash metal influences as well to further add to the hostility of their music. A good album, but not something that other bands aren’t doing and doing better. Still, a band to watch.

22. Mantic Ritual: Executioner: This band is part of the new thrash resurgence. The band takes a lot of its influences from Bay Area thrash metal bands like Metallica, Testament, and Exodus. This is a decent debut album, but not wholly original.

21. Grave Digger: Ballads of a Hangman: The German longtime power metal band proves that they have quite a bit left in the tank. The album kind of loses steam after awhile, but it is filled with memorable songs. A pretty good album by a band that has been around forever.

20. My Dying Bride: For Lies I Sire: The somber, doom legends are back with one of their strongest albums in years. The music is typical for MDB: slow, long, and melancholic. A good album, but extremely depressing. The violin is back, adding to the atmosphere.

19. Devourment: Unleash the Carnivore: This album hails the return of the slam death metal pioneers. It’s a little less slam, and a little more brutal technical death metal, and it is a fairly good album, despite being a little repetitive.

18. Cannibal Corpse: Evisceration Plague: Cannibal Corpse releases the same album every time, luckily for them it’s a very good album. I’ve never been as big a fan of Corpsegrinder as I am of Chris Barnes. Still though, this is a quality release, Cannibal seems to be getting more technical.

17. Lion’s Share: Dark Hours: This is a new album by the longtime Swedish melodic metal masters. I was not aware of this band until this year and they are quite good. A bit of a low ranking as there have been a lot of good albums this year, but their song "Barker Ranch" is possibly my favorite song of 2009 so far.

16. Destroy Destroy Destroy: Battle Sluts: This is a band similar to Children of Bodom, Kalmah, and Norther. They play power metal with harsh vocals. I was expecting something a little closer to traditional metal, but this isn’t bad. They are better than COB and Norther at least.

15. Dreaming Dead: Within One: Dreaming Dead is a newer band that combines black, thrash, and death metal into one explosive mix. They have a beautiful female singer who is extremely capable behind the mic. This is a very good debut release from a promising band.

14. Kreator: Hordes of Chaos: The German thrash metal masters are back. This album blends thrash and melodic death into a frenzied flurry of riffs. A good album, but not a great one.

13. Rumpelstiltskin Grinder: Living for Death, Destroying the Rest: These guys are just having a blast. The riffs are fast and furious and coupled with the staccato shouted vocals provide and energetic, fun listen.

12. Obscura: Cosmogenesis: This is an extremely good technical death metal album. I am not always a fan of this genre, but this band pulls things off extremely well. They are not just random riffs, they form a coherent song structure. Lots of other random effects make things much more entertaining.

11. Bloodsoaked: Sadistic Deeds...Grotesque Memories: This is the sleeper album of the year so far. I got this because Comatose Music was out of stock on another album. It’s an extremely impressive combination of modern brutal death and old school death metal, and it’s a one man band. Very interesting release.

10. Old Man’s Child: Slaves of the World: Galder, also of Dimmu Borgir, presents the latest album from his side project. This is a melodic black metal album, and it is a very good representation of the genre. It’s heavier and has more death metal influences than Galder’s other band.

9. Tribulation: The Horror: Tribulation is a new Swedish death metal band drawing upon influences from the classic Swedish death metal bands and adding their own grotesque take on the genre. They are heavier, more brutal, and have a creepier atmosphere than their contemporaries. Definitely a band to watch.

8. Absu: Absu: Absu is one of the earliest and most interesting American black metal band. This is their return album from a long hiatus and it is quite good. It’s a little bit closer to blackened thrash, but I do greatly enjoy that combination. There are some great riffs and some extremely interesting drumming found on this album.

7. Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know: I’m sure my one or two loyal readers are getting sick of me talking about this one, so I won’t spend much time on it. It’s not as good as it could be, but it is still a very good album.

6. Amorphis: Skyforger: One of my favorite bands, Amorphis released another melodic progressive metal masterpiece. Not quite as good as Silent Waters, but still an amazing album.

5. Seance: Awakening of the Gods: Seance is a lesser known, but very heavy band from the early days of the Swedish death metal scene. They recently reunited (as did many others such as Evocation) and released a new album. This is a fantastic example of true Swedish death.

4. Goatwhore: Carving Out the Eyes of God: This band is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They blend death metal, black metal, thrash metal, sludge metal, and Lousiana attitude. Their sound is loud, brash, and in-your-face. Truly one of the greatest American bands to form in the last 15 years.

3. Cauldron: Chained to the Nite: Cauldron formed when Canadian true metal warriors Goat Horn broke up. Cauldron picks up where their predecessors left off, playing fist-pumping, traditional metal anthems.

2. God Dethroned: Passiondale: I was a little hesitant to pick this up thinking that this band is basically a clone of Behemoth, Naglfar, or Lord Belial, but I am glad I picked it up after all. This is a very good album by a band that has started to find its own voice. It’s a concept album about the Battle of Passchendaele in WWI.

1. Razor of Occam: Homage to Martyrs: This is basically Destroyer 666 but with a more cosmic lyrical bent. This is a great piece of blackened death/thrash. It is extremely aggressive and heavy and there are great songs on here. A shoo-in to be one of the best albums of the entire year.

Some of the albums that have released already this year that I have not gotten yet are: Thanatos, Destroyer 666, Obituary, and Destruktor.

Metallattorney's Top 21 Albums of the 21st Century So Far Pt. 2

I will get through this faster than Metalsucks which just now released #11 yesterday (which was a horrendous choice by the way, their list keeps getting worse). Here are the next four albums in my list:

#17. AMORPHIS: SILENT WATERS

Amorphis has long been one of my favorite bands. However, during the early 2000's, their singer began going through the motions. It showed in the band as they began to look and sound tired. The singer was dispatched and I thought for sure the band was done. I was wrong. Tomi Joutsen re-energized the band. This album is their best in years. It is melodic, emotional, and beautiful. When’s the last time anyone has said that about a metal album?

#16. GRAND MAGUS: IRON WILL

This album is a terrific mix of traditional styles of metal, including doom and early power metal influences. The songs are extremely catchy, with great choruses, but never skimp on the aggression. This album made an immediate impact on me and I listen to it frequently. It’s metal the way it should be.

#15. AHAB: THE CALL OF THE WRETCHED SEA

I admit, I am not incredibly well-versed in funeral doom metal, but I know what I like and I really like this album. The music is lumbering and slow, and it fills the listener with dread as it tells the story of Moby Dick. I have previously reviewed this album on this blog, so I won’t say much about it now.

#14. SKELETONWITCH: BEYOND THE PERMAFROST

Skeletonwitch is a band that arose as a result of the new wave of more traditional sounding metal bands. The band combines early thrash and black metal influences with some elements of the NWOBHM as well. The resulting music is fast, with catchy riffs and raspy vocals. The band essentially sounds like an amalgam of early Sodom, Venom, Dark Angel, and Slayer, with a little Iron Maiden thrown in for good measure. It’s an impressive mixture of sounds. Definitely a band to watch.


More to come tomorrow.

10 Albums that Survived the Grunge Era

I like to read other blogs about metal. I got the idea for this one from Metal Martyr. Here is the link: http://www.metalmartyr.com/10-metal-albums-that-survived-the-grunge-era/

This is an interesting topic for me because I was just beginning to discover metal during the grunge era. I remember a lot of my friends and my older brother being really into Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I liked those bands okay but my particular favorite grunge bands were the decidedly more metal Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. I wore a lot of flannel shirts which were kind of considered the "grunge style" where I was from, but my music tastes definitely were not grunge. Other than AiC and SG, I never owned an album by any of the grunge bands. I was much more into metal. Here are some albums that were new in the years 1992-1995 that I enjoyed.

Black Sabbath: Cross Purposes
I have mentioned this album in a previous post of Dusting Off a Cassette. This is a very strong album featuring great songs, good riffs, and Tony Martin's powerful, yet underrated vocals.

Cannibal Corpse: Tomb of the Mutilated
One of the first well-known Cannibal Corpse albums. The band appeared in a cameo scene on Ace Ventura and their popularity skyrocketed. This album featured the song "Hammer Smashed Face" from the movie.

Corrosion of Conformity: Deliverance
Southern-fried metal with a hardcore tinge to it. I fell in love with this album when I first heard it and I still love it to this day. Nothing the band released since has come close to this one, although their earlier material is very interesting.

Down: NOLA
Well-known now, but at the time this was a curiosity band featuring members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod. The riffs were heavy, the songs were memorable and this side project actually became a major force in the metal world. I saw them last fall in concert and they slayed.

Machine Head: Burn My Eyes
Capitalizing on the Pantera groove metal phenomenon, Machine Head rose from the ashes of Vio-Lence. Their first album is one of the better examples of groove metal to date. They would unfortunately move towards nu metal, then metalcore, and now thrash showing that they really do not have their own sound but change based on the current trend.

Megadeth: Youthanasia
Definitely not at the same level as their earlier works but an improvement on Countdown to Extinction. Megadeth regained some of their more thrash influences on this release and had one of their biggest hits "A Tout Le Monde".

Morbid Angel: Covenant
A surprisingly successful album for a death metal album on a major label. This is one of Morbid Angel's better albums by far. I was exposed to this band for the first time when the video for "God of Emptiness" appeared on Beavis and Butthead. The video freaked me out and I desperately wanted to hear more.

Pantera: Far Beyond Driven
I'm not a huge Pantera fan, especially of their groove metal material, but this was a great album with one bad song on it. Pantera proved that metal was still viable during the grunge era.

Testament: Low
One of the better Testament albums. This one occurred after they lost their lead guitarist and stopped trying to be Metallica. A great album with some brutal moments in it. This was my first extreme metal album.

Type O Negative: Bloody Kisses
I remember distinctly seeing a video for this band before I had heard much from them. I remember the singer/bassist Peter Steele holding a string bass in his arms like a guitar and thinking "that guy is fucking huge!". This one seemed forbidden because of the cover picture of two women nuzzling together with their mouths open after kissing, the song titles such as "Kill All the White People", and the opening track featuring a woman having an orgasm. I still love this album, even for all its quirks. Gothic metal has never sounded so good or bleak. This is the band's masterpiece.

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.