Initial Impressions: Amorphis: The Beginning of Times

Amorphis has never really failed me. At least not since I rediscovered them on their Silent Waters album. They continue to put out amazing albums about every two years. This one is a little different at times, but it is no exception. It remains a truly beautiful and captivating album that is bound to go down as a classic.

The album starts with the amazing "Battle for Light" which shows the band utilizing a little more keyboard melodies and some folk material than in their recent output. It also includes a lot more death metal vocals from Tomi Joutsen than previously. This appears to be more of a concept album and Joutsen makes a distinction with his vocal style on darker parts. These changes continue throughout the album with virtually every song introduced by a hauntingly melodic keyboard line.

Though Joutsen is not an original member of the band, this album really serves as a showcase to his tremendous abilities as a vocalist. He is amazing from a technical standpoint and his vocals really drive this album. Joutsen has really come into his own as a singer for this band and he truly fits in here, taking a lot of the spotlight with him.

None of this is to say that the music is any less impressive. Amorphis has always managed to produce highly skilled and engrossing compositions and this album is no exception. Though the band no longer resembles the death metal group with folk tendencies that they were on their earliest releases, this version never fails to impress.

This is yet another classic for Amorphis. Every time I hear that the band is releasing a new album, I get excited. This album once again shows why.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 79: Paradise Lost

I discovered Paradise Lost early in my formative metal years. I think I was a sophomore in high school when I heard them on the radio for songs "Once Solemn" and "Enchantment" and got the album for Christmas. One of the songs even inspired my email name. The gothic/doom metal band was part of the English wave of similar groups in the late 1980's to early 1990's, arriving on the scene with My Dying Bride and Anathema among others. Their music is often hauntingly beautiful and powerful with effective usage of keyboards and guitar leads. They have gone a little too far with the gothic influences at times, but have still managed to continue to release quality material.

FAVORITE ALBUM: DRACONIAN TIMES

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 78: Ozzy Osbourne

Not really a band per se, since Ozzy is the only permanent member of his solo act, but what list would be complete without the Prince of Darkness? Even though his most recent works have been terrible, his stuff up through No More Tears is for the most part, great. The former Black Sabbath singer has one of the most distinctive voices in heavy metal and really did not miss a beat between leaving the pioneering group and starting his own project. It certainly helps that he has always surrounded himself with high quality musicians, including most notably fantastic guitar players such as Randy Rhoads, Jake Lee, Zakk Wylde, and now Gus G.

FAVORITE ALBUM: DIARY OF A MADMAN

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 77: Overkill

Lots of thrash metal bands have made it onto this list because I am such a big fan of the genre. Overkill is a band I was aware of for a long time but did not start getting into until after law school. I have no idea why. As soon as I started listening to them, I quickly realized that this is one of the greatest pure thrash metal bands ever. Overkill may have also been one of the first thrash metal bands. They have never really released a bad album, despite experimenting some with groove metal in the 1990's. They also have not lost a step despite playing this style for more than 30 years now. Their latest album is every bit as strong and aggressive as their early 1980's material. They also remain a spectacular live band.

FAVORITE ALBUM: HORRORSCOPE

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 76: Opeth

Opeth is another band that I got into early on when getting into the international metal scenes. I first heard the band on a Celtic Frost tribute album that I bought on a fly, and their incredible version of "Circle of the Tyrants" blew me away. However, it was not until picking up Still Life, that I found out about the incredible depth and dynamics of this truly unique band. Combining death metal and progressive metal, Opeth can be relentlessly extreme one minute, and beautifully complex the next. They have truly been one of my favorite bands since I first heard them and were one of the first extreme metal bands I saw in concert.

FAVORITE ALBUM: STILL LIFE

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 75: Obituary

One of the classic bands of the early death metal scene in Florida, Obituary took a massive influence from Celtic Frost and turned it into their own unique sound. Vocalist John Tardy consistently sounds like he drank a bottle of battery acid prior to entering the studio, owning one of the more unique vocal styles in early death metal. Not many have been able to duplicate his corroded vocals. Obituary's sludgy take on death metal is also extremely unique. Obituary reformed after several years' hiatus to release an album in 2005, they have been up to their old tricks since then.

FAVORITE ALBUM: CAUSE OF DEATH

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 74: Nocturnal Breed

This is a band that I have really only heard one album from, but that album is so impressive as to catapult the band into this list. There are not a lot of groups like that. Thrash metal is my favorite metal genre, and brutal thrash is a particular favorite style of mine. Well, there are very few thrash metal bands more brutal than Nocturnal Breed. Add to that the fact that this is a band from Norway, a country with a strong metal scene, but not well-known for thrash, and the fact that Nocturnal Breed formed in 1994, years after thrash metal was supposed to have died, and you get an extremely unlikely modern thrash metal masterpiece. And that is exactly what this one album is. I have not checked out their earlier work, but this album is so impressive, that even if it were a Nickelback clone, Nocturnal Breed would still be here.

FAVORITE ALBUM: FIELDS OF ROT

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 73: Nile

Nile is of course the world's pre-eminent Egyptian mythology-based death metal band. Of course there is not a whole lot of competition for that oddly specific niche, but there you go. Nile's music is pretty brutal and definitely epic. They do occasionally fit their Egyptian influences in to their music, but for the most part, the influences can be seen in their lyrical content. Nile has been one of the biggest American death metal bands from a popularity standpoint for several years now, and it is pretty easy to see why.

FAVORITE ALBUM: ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 72: Napalm Death

I have always liked Napalm Death, but when my wife bought me one of their 3 CD sets is when I really got into them. Napalm Death is widely viewed as a pioneering band in the grindcore genre. This is a well-deserved reputation. Napalm Death was also one of the first groups to experiment by adding in death metal elements to their grindcore sound. They have released albums with varying degrees of death metal and grindcore for nearly thirty years now and they still sound more aggressive and powerful than most of their imitators.

FAVORITE ALBUM: FEAR, EMPTINESS, DESPAIR

Opensight Video

A band that contacted me awhile back has recently released a music video. You remember those things right? They used to be on MTV before reality shows took over? No? Maybe you're too young. Anyway, here's the video.This was one of my favorite songs off their new EP and the video is kind of cool. It's not really groundbreaking, and I am not really sure why there are so many mannequins, but it's kind of cool nonetheless. Opensight is a damn good band and should rise to the elite of progressive metal.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 71: Morbid Angel

I have not yet had a chance to hear their new album, but from all that I have read, it looks like that may be a good thing. Unfortunately, Morbid Angel has really only tarnished their legacy since their first three albums. But man, those first three albums were fucking great. Morbid Angel is the band that truly brought an evil atmosphere to death metal. Their extreme version of thrash, which became the benchmark for occult death metal, is full of razor sharp riffs, incendiary solo work, and murky production. They were one of the first major death metal bands, and for that reason, deserve their legendary status.

FAVORITE ALBUM: ALTARS OF MADNESS

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 70: Moonspell

Moonspell is so far the only band I have heard out of Portugal, but they are a damn good one. They were one of the early bands I checked out from the international metal scene, having first discovered them sometime in my early college years. Moonspell has had a variety of sounds over the years, starting with black metal, then incorporating gothic and folk metal elements. Their sound has been some combination of those genres or other ever since. This is certainly not a problem when it is performed as well as Moonspell does it.

FAVORITE ALBUM: WOLFHEART

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 69: Metallica

Sorry about the lack of posts the last couple days. I've been a bit busy. Today, we come to Metallica. Their merits are so incredibly obvious it's probably a waste of time to even talk about them. Metallica transcends the metal genre. They are one of the biggest bands in the world period. Unfortunately, it's not due to their early material, it's mostly The Black Album, an album that I argued did as much as anything else to force metal into the underground. But the band does not ignore their early material, and neither should we. Their first four albums are as good as any band's, including Black Sabbath and The Beatles. And they were the first metal band I started listening to. It's obvious that Metallica deserves inclusion here.

FAVORITE ALBUM: RIDE THE LIGHTNING

Best Albums of 2011 (So Far)

I have not been able to check out as much stuff as I would like this year due to wedding plans and the opening up of my own law office, but here are my Top 10 so far. This list is subject to change at any time.

10. PSYCHO: PAIN ADDICT PIGS
9. VOMITORY: OPUS MORTIS VIII
8. CAULDRON: BURNING FORTUNE
7. HEATHENDOM: THE SYMBOLIST
6. AMON AMARTH: SURTUR RISING
5. CROWBAR: SEVER THE WICKED HAND
4. THE GATES OF SLUMBER: THE WRETCH
3. PRIMORDIAL: REDEMPTION AT THE PURITAN'S HAND
2. ULCERATE: THE DESTROYERS OF ALL
1. SATAN'S HOST: BY THE HANDS OF THE DEVIL

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 68: Mercyful Fate

I did not even realize until just recently that King Diamond did not make my list. This may have been intentional when I was putting it together as King Diamond and Mercyful Fate are basically the same band anyway. Obviously there are some differences, but Mercyful Fate has all of the strengths that King Diamond has and has also put out better albums. I just prefer the work of Mercyful Fate, just as I prefer Black Sabbath to Ozzy Osbourne and White Zombie to Rob Zombie. Mercyful Fate also did a lot to influence black metal, whereas King Diamond did not to the same degree. So, when it comes down to it, King Diamond's music can be included here, but there really was no point in doing posts on each band, especially when Mercyful Fate's material is so much better.

FAVORITE ALBUM: MELISSA

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 67: Melechesh

I first heard Melechesh on one of the Music Channels for digital cable. I was immediately taken by their black/thrash/death metal sound with Middle Eastern melodies and influences. It was a few weeks before I was able to track down an album unfortunately, but I was very persistent. That persistence paid off big time, because this is truly a unique and amazing band. The only gripe I have with them is that they take too damn long in between albums. Otherwise, they are pretty much perfect.

FAVORITE ALBUM: EMISSARIES

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 66: Megadeth

I picked Megadeth as my favorite U.S. metal band in what could be considered a bit of a surprising post. I stand by that for the moment, although my tastes change seemingly daily. I just think Megadeth has been more consistent than Metallica, though that is not really saying all that much. Megadeth is of course one of the biggest thrash metal bands in the world, a member of the Big 4, and easily one of the more controversial metal bands out there. Dave Mustaine uses a lot of politically incendiary lyrics, and his new-found Christian beliefs have been met with some criticism. All that is unimportant though when the band puts out good music, and Megadeth certainly does that, especially with their huge comeback album Endgame. Nevertheless, it is still the earlier material that is the most interesting.

FAVORITE ALBUM: RUST IN PEACE

Poll Results: Favorite Melodeath Band

Hmm, not many votes this time. We have one vote each for In Flames, At The Gates, and Scar Symmetry. My favorite is actually Dark Tranquillity personally, but I do not vote in my own polls. I would be interested to know who voted Other and what their pick is.

Underrated Melodeath Gems

CENOTAPH: RIDING OUR BLACK OCEANS
Cenotaph is a Mexican death metal band that was the precursor to The Chasm. I have covered them a couple of times in recent series. Although their later releases were more of a straightforward raw death metal, this release actually bears a striking resemblance to early At The Gates material. It is present in the dark, ominous atmosphere and in vocalist Edgardo Gonzalez's manic screams. Perhaps the most shocking thing is that this was released in 1994 in Mexico, around the same time as the Gothenburg scene was rising, but half a world away.

DAWN OF TEARS: DESCENT
Dawn of Tears is a terrific melodeath band from Spain. They are a bit closer in sound to Finnish band Insomnium in that their music is more emotionally powerful and possesses a somber atmosphere. Dawn of Tears is a bit more diverse than some melodeath bands in that their songs are easily distinguishable, the vocalist does not limit himself to just one style of vocals, and the music is driven by the guitar riffs and leads. This is the band's only full-length so far and I am eagerly anticipating more.

GARDENIAN: SOULBURNER
Gardenian is actually from Gothenburg, but somehow flew completely under the radar in the scene, which is kind of a shame because Gardenian is at least the equal of Soilwork, who did achieve a lot of success. Gardenian's sound is very heavy melodic death metal, but the band occasionally breaks and plays acoustic parts or cleaner riffs. This causes those sections to really stand out from the rest of the heavier material. The band does feature some of the standard good cop/bad cop vocals and catchy melodies that people deride melodeath for, but this is an outstanding example of the genre done right.

NIGHT IN GALES: THUNDERBEAST
I would like to say that the only reason Night in Gales is not more well-known is because they formed in Germany instead of Sweden. I would like to say that, but look at Gardenian above. They are not the most original band in the world, preferring to stick pretty close to the structure laid out by the Gothenburg bands, but the songs are infectious and interesting, making this an often overlooked melodeath gem. The title track in particular is incredible.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 65: Lord Belial

Bands from Sweden seem to like to add a lot of melody to previously non-melodic styles. Of course there is the melodeath scene that I have been discussing all week, but there are also bands who play a melodic form of black metal from Sweden. Lord Belial is one of those bands. Heavily influenced by Dissection, but possessing their own style, Lord Belial's music is melodic but at the same time dark and evil sounding. They produce a cold atmosphere that is powerful and suffocating. They also have some damn good album covers.

FAVORITE ALBUM: ENTER THE MOONLIGHT GATE

Finnish Melodeath

Since most of the early Swedish melodeath bands have been declining in quality over the last decade, there needed to be a new wave of melodeath bands to take their place. Enter the Finnish scene. And no, I am talking about Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Norther, and their clones.

INSOMNIUM:
I discussed Insomnium earlier this week. Their take on melodeath features some influences from doom metal and gothic metal, but is still clearly more on the melodeath side of things. Their music is often done in a much more somber tone, which is the doom metal influence shining through. Think My Dying Bride playing melodeath and you will have a pretty good idea what this band is all about. In addition, the music has an epic, emotional atmosphere that a lot of other bands struggle with. Insomnium is an extremely impressive band and the only one of these three that made my Top 100.

MORS PRINCIPIUM EST:
Mors Principium Est sounds a bit like early Soilwork but with a lot more keyboard effects. Unlike a lot of other bands who use keyboards though, Mors Principium Est does not overuse them and they actually accentuate the music quite a bit. It has the effect of an almost industrial/techno melodeath. The vocals are fairly similar to Bjorn Strid's vocals on early Soilwork as well, but with some deeper growls thrown in once in awhile. The songs are all catchy as hell. Mors Principium Est comes closest of the three bands here to sounding like Gothenburg-style melodeath.

OMNIUM GATHERUM:
Omnium Gatherum sounds a lot like The Gallery-era Dark Tranquillity combined with Insomnium, with some more melodic sensibilities. Omnium Gatherum is a little poppier than a lot of the other melodeath bands. They would almost seem to be a fit for modern rock radio, were it not for the death growls utilized by their vocalist. Other than that though, I could see them breaking through to mainstream metal quite easily. That is not to say the quality of their music is not good, in fact they are quite impressive.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 64: Lair of the Minotaur

Owners of one of the coolest metal band names ever, Lair of the Minotaur have exploded onto the metal scene in recent years. Playing an unholy mix of thrash metal, sludge metal, and doom metal, with some occasional psychedelic interludes, Lair of the Minotaur is one of my favorite bands to emerge out of the last decade, and with the downturn that Scar Symmetry has taken, they have likely taken the lead. Their music is aggressive but at the same time a hell of a lot of fun. And the band does not take itself too seriously. One more reason to love them.

FAVORITE ALBUM: WAR METAL BATTLE MASTER