Mastodon: Emperer of Sand

The stars have aligned again somewhere over the state of Georgia and Mastodon have crafted yet another stunner. A desert concept album follows the protagonist on his journey across a dry wasteland.  While the journey is full of hardship the listener is being treated to a masterpiece.  The album is full of dark lyrics, even the catchiest tune "Show Yourself" ends with "Dead and gone I'll see you on the other side of fire". Vocals are shared by Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, and Troy Sanders as is norm for these guys.  On this album they capitalize on their individual strengths and differences using them to bring each song its own captivating vocal delivery.  Mid-album stand-outs that maximize this include "Roots Remain" and "Ancient Kingdom".  The later being a example of a being fearless and unselfish about who is actually singing chorus's because Dailor could easily have been chosen to belt out it out but instead Sanders pushes himself to his melodic max delivering one of the most memorable moments on the album.  Combine that with the Mastodon's innate ability to seemingly allow everyone in the band to be constantly soloing or on the verge of and you have an audience with jaws open and drool running down their collective chins.  The final act, "Jaguar God" delivers a coup de grace to all bands wishing to usurp Mastodon's reign on the throne of metal.  Cheers!

Power Trip: Nightmare Logic

PowerTrip are like an 18-wheeler mounted with a battering ram driving full blast into a traffic jam.  They channel their aggression through old-school thrash with modern intricacy but it is like a wet dream for lovers of that dirty raw aggressive metal.  The riffs will induce head-banging and shit eating grins.  The feral energy of the album is addictive. 

2016 in Review

2016 absolutely destroyed last year in the number of great albums released.  Month after month they kept coming out and bringing it.

Album of the Year:
Magma by Gojira  In a year of fierce competition a French band wins the crown (amazing because the French never win anything).  The lead singer/guitar player relocated to NYC and without reducing the mammoth heavy sound of Gojira they created a technically catchy album.  They took risks with their sound, easing back at times on the technicality while also incorporating more clean vocals.  That statement could immediately lead to the counter argument of selling-out, but that's just pathetic;  Gojira expanded their sonic palette thus becoming an even greater band than they already are.

Now that, that's out of the way...

Hardwired? To Self-Destruct by Metallica If there ever was an elephant in the room it would be a new Metallica release.  I've been a big fan but I've sat the sidelines since St. Anger, enjoying their live releases and of course good stuff of the past.  So what drew me back in...Hard to say but glad to say I took the plunge, it was rewarding.  Hardwired grabs all the best moments of their classic albums (Masters through Black) but doesn't repackage them.  The tracks are welcoming in the fact the nothing seems to be forced and they aren't rushing anything for the sake of speed or drawing it out be creative. The songs are just flat out enjoyable metal tunes. Given all the drama that seems to engulf Metallica that is biggest compliment I can give this album and why it's one of the best of the year.

The Serenity of Suffering by Korn An immensely heavy album with a true classic Korn vibe.  Deep, deep lurching riffs with funky bass, bludgeoning beats and those incredible roars of Jonathan Davis.  There is absolutely no doubt that is a Korn album from the moment you hear any moment on this album.  Lately whenever when I have been craving super heavy  (which has been a lot) this is what I've been spinning.  A Korn album has not filled that need since Take A Look in the Mirror which was probably a decade ago.  In addition to being flat out heavy is the damned catchiness of the vocals, the weirdness of Head and Munky, Fieldy bass-slaps, and total Davis freak-outs!  The songs are locked in and focused, nothing sloppy here.  This album plays like a greatest hit album welcoming back fans of the past and rewarding those who stuck with them.

The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser by Rob Zombie  For an artist known for extravagant (and entertaining) live shows the lead story from Zombie was "cutting out the filler".  That left many scratching their heads since long albums was never something associated with him and filler was always cool horror movie clips spliced with gonzo sound effects. Amazingly Zombie smashed even more heavy circus sci-fi anthem horror metal into this album than ever before while cutting the playtime to under 40 minutes. In addition to that he managed to make an even more catchy completely unplayable radio rock anthem than Sick Bubblegum with the new track Well, Everybody's Fucking in A U.F.O.

Dystopia  by Megadeth Dave Mustaine and crew return to doing what made them so beloved; speed thrash.  With Chris Adler on the drums Dave rips through songs and solos with reckless (yet technical) abandonment.  The album is a great recovery after Super Colliders middle of the road rock focus.  Dystopia the title track is by far and away one of the best Megadeth songs of the decade.  The bleak future vision is a perfect fit in the pantheon on Megadeth's classic albums like Rust in Peace and Countdown.

Battles by In Flames  In the live setting Anders Friden screams and growls roar to life with vibrant urgency that then sweeps into sing along crowd pleasing chorus bliss hasn't been well captured in recent releases.  With, Battles that issue has been laid to rest and best of live In Flames is splattered all over this album. Dueling guitar melodies, full-throttle riff assaults, electronic flourishes, and big chorus' await those willing to dive in.

The Violent Sleep of Reason by Meshuggah An album title that could have ended with Violent and excluded "The" Meshuggah refuse to dial back and take a breather.  Clockworks the opening track is massively epic, encompassing everything that is Meshuggah - aggression, rhythmic complexity, throat curling growls, and headbanging nirvana.  Good thing for listeners that is only the beginning of this beast.  Recorded as a live unit, this album does have a looser live feel. That is basically a fun fact for long-term fans who have seen them live and can actually tells the difference.  The Meshuggah machine is such a rhythmical monstrosity it is hard to believe that they can play live.

Feathers & Flesh by Avatar A band not of afraid of theatrics most easily recognized by their attire but best appreciated due to song-writing that keeps you wondering what is next. "The Eagle has Landed" is by far the heaviest and oddest track I heard on the actual radio recently (thank you Hard Drive Live and metalheads in WI).  The track has great riffs, odd freak-sideshow bounce, and full body vocal roaring which segways into a catchy chorus (whenever it actually comes around).  Avatar does owe SOAD a bow when it comes to some of their bizarreness but at no times are they simply imitating. The album does not weaken the deeper in you go; it gets heavier (One More Hill), sludgier (Black Waters),  and even happier (Night Never Ending).  Avatar has been hitting the road hard since the release and building a well-deserved rapid fan-base.

Jomsviking by Amon Amarth "The first man I killed...I rammed my sword straight through his throat and stood there watching him die".  Opening lyrics of the one only true viking death metal band, Amon Amarth!  Filled with thrash riffs, melodic solos, and bar brawl chain chorus' these Sweds know how to spin an epic tale of metallic bliss. Raise Your Horns! Raise them up to the sky! We will drink to Glory tonight!

Incarnate by Killswitch Engage The heavyweights of the metalcore scene continue on the firm path the laid with return of Jesse Leach on Disarm the Descent.  On this outing Jesse was able to fully contribute to the composing of the music rather than just singing on completed tracks.  The songs play to his strengths and style that he burned into the ears of so many fans back in the day on Alive and Barely Breathing.  The guitars duel and then plunge into those classic synchronized KSE crushing riffs throughout the album.

Brotherhood of the Snake by Testament One of two thrash albums on this year's list.  Testament built up a lot of rage the past five years and it has been unleashed.  Stronghold is the most pure thrash speed rager I've heard in twenty years; rapid fire vocals, shredding solos, and pummelling drums - DAMN thrash is awesome!

2015 Year in Review

2015 in Review
The year could be summed up as bomb dropping, that is albums being released with very little notice or heavy weights returning to the scene when they were thought long and gone.  Taking the crown of the year Faith No More, the eclectic band continued to refuse categorization with their first release in 18 years.  Sol Invicus only plays by the rules Faith No More make for themselves. 
1.Faith No More  Sol Invicus See opening paragraph. 
2. Marilyn Manson  The Pale Emperor

A surprisingly complete album from an artist whose albums have always had disposable parts. This album continues down the path begun on Born Villian but with more conviction. 

3. Cattle Decapitation: The Anthropocen Extinction Thank you Sirus XM for playing this album. If it were not for hearing Manufactured Extinct on the radio I would not have picked up this death metal masterpiece. 

4. Soilwork  The Ride Majestic Swedish melodic metal at its best. Fly through riffs and double-bass pummelling into soaring melodic chorus' and roaring vocals.
6. Lamb of God VII: Strum Und Drang
Stupid album title but it delivers the goods. LoG have a distinct groove/thrash/pummel sound that is uniquely theirs and combined with Randy Blythe's unmistakable growls they are one of the best.

7. High On Fire
As usual the riffage is full throttle and the lyrical storyline only makes sense to Matt Pike, but High on Fire continue to deliver top notch stoner metal. A highlight on the album is the mid-tempo track, The Falconist.
8. Baroness Purple
The release that almost never happened...Baroness play this one straight up the middle keeping the focus on the riffs and rock.
9. Bring Me the Horizon: That's the Spirit
A major departure from their body of work but one that has been alluded to if you were paying attention. Despite the stylistic changes the raw emotion that Ollie S is known for still comes through and that makes the album a success.
10. Clutch  High Voltage
Continuing with loud and fast vibe of their previous release Clutch crank out some loud as shit rock n roll.
11.Sword High Country Sword switches gears for a more concise songs and funky 70's melody. Great summer album for BBQs.

The Prodigy: The Day is My Enemy

The Prodigy are an interesting band/group whatever in the realm of electronic dance music.  One of their most notable differences is they are not afraid to show their human element. They burst on to the global scene in the 90s with music videos for Firestarter and the epic video for Breathe (after which there was a surge in tribal tattoos).  Their video for Smach My Bitch Up was banned till 2 am.  Then they disappeared. They were they metal of their genre, breaking rules, being on the edge, making people uncomfortable. The new album feels like a pure sequel to Fat of the Land. The original vocalists are back and that loose live vibe is present throughout.

Best of 2014

Time for a long overdue reflection on 2014 a year in which many stalwarts of the metal scene dropped new albums that further advanced their own legacies.  Jumping into the mix with the road warriors are some young and heavy bands fighting to leave their own mark.

The decision to pick the top album of the year was one of the hardest ones in recent memory.  Three American bands each with a discography of at least 5 albums released albums full of vigor, relentless aggression and catchy tunes.

Machine Head: Bloodstone and Diamonds.  Head of the class is Machine Head.  In the great pantheon of metal this album truly encompasses it all.   The album has big epic crushing tracks like the opener "Now We Die" which will bring a smile to the face of any true headbanger.  Biggest reason for Machine Head taking the top spot is that they ventured off their path without losing the voice that is Machine Head.  All to often bands try something new but forget who they were and what made them rock; which results in them sucking (Metallica St. Anger no solos style).  Obviously that is not the case here; Sail into the Black being a prime example.   Seeing them play many of the new songs live cemented their placement at the top.  With a 20 year history new can songs stand out like oddities or are eaten up like the classics.  This is an album of classics for new fans or old ones.  Now go listen to Machine fuckin Head.

Slipknot: .5 The Gray Chapter.   The media have covered just about every angle of the back story that could ever possibly be discussed. So what about the music?  The knot delivers a crusher like a freight train through your front door. This is a great Slipknot album. The raw aggression of their early albums is back and it is sincere.  That is the key to this album's success.

Mastodon: Once More 'Round the Sun.  Have you heard "The Motherload"?  Really have you heard it? Because this time, this time this song will blowwwwww your mind aaaaaa---wayyyyyy.  If you don't believe me I'll put a copy right there in your hands.

Upon a Burning Body: The World is My Enemy Now.  Straight out of Texas comes this energetic young band that brings the groove and the brutal.  The vocal performance is an impressive modern take on the Phil Anselmo "Pantera" approach; yelling, screaming, and growling while being understandable.  The vocal mix adds a great deal of sonic intensity to the deliver along with chain chorus. This is fast paced album all riffs, no solos, just constant pound, pound, pound.

Tripikon: Melena Chasmata.  A true doom album. This one melds down tuned guitars and midtempo riffs with double bass drum blasts, tormented vocals and lots of room to breathe (but in a suffocating way). Listen to stand out tracks Boleskine House and Aurorae to get the full immersion in this bath of darkness. Find your best set of head phones and wait for the sun to set before spinning this disc.

Monster Magnet: Milking the Stars: A Re-Imaging of Last Patrol.  A year after jumping back on the scene Monster Magnet redo their recent release and thrown some new songs.  The result is an album better than the original.  Why? Well for starters it has a faster tempo and there are more fuzzed out jams.  Monster Magnet are one of the earlier torch-bearers for the stoner metal scene.  They blew up in the mid 90's with Space Lord and have bounced around in obscurity since.  Dave Wyndorf loses himself in fuzzed out riffage with hammond organs laying down a cosmic boulevard for him to float through. Set your space ship on autopilot, turn off the gravity and just float.

Pallbearer: More DOOM metal!!! These guys manage to weave melodic guitar playing into their songs creating this odd but wonderful mix of despair and hope.

Orange Goblin: This is a band that has perfected its craft crushing pubs in England for two decades.  Lots of dirty groove, riffs and love of Sabbath. Check out Ubermensch, Bloodzilla, Blood of Them.  Blood of Them is a desert island metal song.  Mysterious prelude, power riff, vocals...bliss.

In Flames: Siren Charms.  They are what they are and they're better at it than everyone else.  In Flames combines thrash riffs, subtle electronic melodies, roaring vocals, double bass drumming, guitar solos and clean singing creating their own version of melodic metal.  And they crush live.

Marmozets: The Weird and the Wonderful.  This is a metal album in the way that At the Drive In's Relationship of Command was a metal album. It is aggressive in a punk way, very loose, sounds better on shitty speakers, and begs to be cranked.  Odd fact about this five piece band is that it is comprised of two sets of siblings.

Progressive Metal Double Review: Astra and Haken

Nagivating the endless web of the internet I crossed paths with a pair of progressive albums that meanader across the sonic landscape of progressive metal.  For me it was a throw back to a time I never experienced (the 70s) and simultaneously a rocket launch into the future.  Astra and Haken are both current US bands creating a pair of psychedelic rock albums that weave organs, keyboards, and amazing fretwork into spaced out harmonies and jam sessions that beg for multiple listens.  The vocals are sung cleanly, on both albums, and are most similar to heavy prog-masters Between the Buried and Me jazz sessions.  However there are no cookie monster freak out vocals on either albums, like BTBM.  Haken have the heavier tracks of the pair of albums but they have stylishly embedded it into their crazy prog kaledescope. Check out the Cockroach King to get the full experience of Haken's mastery of prog.  Haken: The Mountain.  Astra: The Black Cloud