The Great Collection Rediscovery

Album: Actual Fantasy Revisited

Old Rating: 3.5/5

Verdict: The most un-Ayreon album that has been released as an Ayreon album with only three vocalists, if Arjen Lucassen released something like this today it would most likely get another project's name on it. I know I have been overly critical of Actual Fantasy (by which I do strictly mean the partially re-recorded Revisited version, I don't have the original) in the past because of this, which isn't really fair. While it's not mind-blowing in any way and is the weakest Ayreon studio album, it is still pretty solid progressive metal for what it is.

New Rating: 4/5

Album: Hora Nocturna

Old Rating: 5/5

Verdict: The only Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult (that's really quite a mouthful of a name!) album I own. Not ideal to be honest, but their work tends to be hard to get in these parts. Hora Nocturna is one of my favourite straight up black metal records, balancing a cold, evil sound with decent song-writing that makes their songs memorable and satisfying so they transcend the whole 'raw for the sake of raw' trap that many of their genre-mates do.

New Rating: No Change. 

Album: In the Meantime

Old Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: A fun little EP from Purson that in the end showed itself to be something of a transitional release between their two studio albums. Wasn't the easiest thing to get a hold of for a reasonable price since there's a tendency to change about as much for an EP as a full album in the UK, but I eventually managed to secure a copy of this one.

New Rating: No Change. 

Album: The Unforgiving

Old Rating: 5/5

Verdict: This is the kind of album that I could very easily hate based on my taste in symphonic metal, but is actually one of my favourites in the genre and certainly the best of Within Temptation. Yes, is poppy. Fucking poppy in fact. But it's also quite epic in its own way and a joy to listen to. The band started to lose me a bit with their next album and to this day haven't been brave enough to check out their latest, but this one is very special to me.

New Rating: No Change.

Album: Leprosy

Old Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: Until very recently (meaning the last few days!) this was the only Death album I owned. It took me about 12 years to buy a second one (Symbolic). And I honestly don't know why that is, having played Symbolic a few times already since it dropped through the letterbox and now having just gone back to revisit Leprosy, because both these (very different) albums kick absolute arse! Coincidentally Leprosy was the first 'normal' death metal album I bought (the earlier ones being either melodic, tech or progressive based DM) and it retained that distinction for a long time. I was always more of a black metal guy even then I guess. I have more appreciation for death metal today than I did then and I'd very much like to acquire the bulk of Death's work beyond the two now.

New Rating: 5/5

This was my first death metal album too, which I bought in 1990.

I love that album. The guitar sound is awesome! A 5 star for me and I don't give that many stars very often.

Album: Wild Card

Old Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: ReVamp is one of those bands who have a real 'what might have been' thing surrounding them. Wild Card, their second and final album, is the reason why. If anyone were to ask me which album they should listen to for the defining Floor Jansen album, I wouldn't give them an After Forever album or a Nightwish album. I'd give them this one. The final offering from a promising modern progressive metal band who became defunct when the world's biggest symphonic metal band poached their singer and then went on to release an album which was really restrained on her vocal abilities (in contrast in full use here with a range from death growls to full soprano), which was a decent enough if uninspiring Nightwish album (after their own most adventurous album Imaginaerum), but far from fair compensation for the death of ReVamp. Yeah, I'm feeling bitter over that still, so much so that I haven't even bothered to listen to Nightwish's latest album yet. I'd rather listen to Wild Card, which continues to impress and even get better over time.

New Rating: 5/5

Album: Master Control

Old Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: I don't know why I don't already have a 5/5 on this. Master Control is one of the most essential USPM albums out there. There's really not much more needs to be said about it than that. Maybe that they do a really mean cover of Rainbow's Kill the King.

New Rating: 5/5

Album: Nightfall in Middle-Earth

Old Rating: 4.0/5

Verdict: I've never understood the faction of fans who claim this as the best Blind Guardian album, not when it follows such masterpieces like Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations From the Other Side, but I did find myself enjoying Nightfall in Middle-Earth a bit more than usual on this spin. Blind Guardian is my favourite band, so this has still always been a 4 star album for me, but I have historically put it more lower end (if not last) in terms of my personal preferences. I think its all the narration. It may end up more in the middle now though, but I can't bring myself to give this five stars at this point in time.

New Rating: 4.5/5