Metal Music Reviews from martindavey87

DREAMSCAPE End of Silence

Album · 2004 · Progressive Metal

3.11 | 6 ratings

I fell in love with this band after hearing their 2005 release ‘Revoiced’, a compilation of tracks from their first two albums, re-recorded with then-current vocalist Roland Stoll. Yeah, you could get away with calling it “generic progressive metal”, but whatever, I think it’s fantastic, regardless. So going back through the bands discography, the first two albums were pretty good. Nothing amazing, but certainly worth owning. I think with ‘Revoiced’ they definitely picked out the best tracks both had to offer. Which brings us to their third studio album, 2004’s ‘End of Silence’, and the verdict is not good.

I do really like this band, and I wanted to give this a fair chance, but it’s been on my playlist for well over a year now (maybe even two), and it’s just not working! I’m struggling to really get into it. The musicianship is fantastic, the production is great, everything is as it should be. Except… well, the songs are pretty boring.

Of the nine tracks, there’s only two that I like, or that I can even recall for that matter, and that’s ‘Short-Time News’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’. Both have some nice melodies and vocal lines, but overall, are still pretty passable. I don’t know what I’m missing. It just feels like everything else plods along at the same pace, with nothing overly interesting happening. Just a horrible, sludgy mess of some poorly executed prog metal ideas.

Sorry Dreamscape. Think I’m going to skip this one and listen to ‘Revoiced’.

1 day ago
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Report #883236

LINKIN PARK Numb

Single · 2003 · Metal Related

2.17 | 2 ratings

martindavey87

I only rate this a two because CD singles are obsolete, and there’s no point owning this unless you’re a die-hard Linkin Park collector. With that said, ‘Numb’ is probably the peak of nu metal. Instantly recognisable, it’s one of the bands biggest hits, and in all fairness, it’s a banging song. It’s easy to listen to, has fantastic vocals, and a great production. Shortly after this, nu metal’s popularity would wane, and Linkin Park would become more of a rock band than metal. And with only one b-side (on this disc, a live version of ‘From the Inside’), this is truly one for the collectors.

2 days ago
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Report #883227

JAMES LABRIE Static Impulse

Album · 2010 · Progressive Metal

3.58 | 24 ratings

martindavey87

2010’s ‘Static Impulse’ is the second solo album by Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie (not counting his previous Mullmuzzler albums, which are often considered a solo project). Whatever foundations LaBrie laid down on his first album are well and firmly smashed to pieces with this, as he now goes in a much darker and heavier direction than before, giving us one of the most intense Dream Theater side-projects out there.

Of course, this is also in part thanks to the musicians he has surrounded himself with. Once again teaming with guitarist Marco Sfogli and long-running keyboard buddy Matt Guillory, LaBrie already has a good chemistry with these guys. But it’s newcomer Peter Wildoer on the drums, with his death metal background, that ups the ante with the heaviness, incorporating a large amount of growling vocals.

But the amazing thing is that it fits perfectly with LaBrie’s clean vocals.

Although this album fits comfortably in the progressive metal genre, the songs mostly follow a standard song structure. But the writing is solid and the performances are incredibly tight and precise. There’s an awesome synergy between everyone here, and it shows. And while LaBrie’s aging voice might struggle on stage, on record, it’s an absolute joy to listen to.

With highlights including ‘One More Time’, ‘Mislead’, ‘Jekyll or Hyde’, ‘Coming Home’, ‘I Need You’, ‘Euphoric’ and ‘Over the Edge’, this is more than just another solo outing, this is a fantastic album, by a very legit band, and while there’s no doubting that Dream Theater will always be LaBrie’s “home”, I really hope to hear more from this line-up of musicians.

2 days ago
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Report #883226

FATES WARNING The Spectre Within

Album · 1985 · US Power Metal

3.72 | 46 ratings

martindavey87

‘The Spectre Within’, released in 1985, is the second album of American progressive metal pioneers Fates Warning. One of my favourite bands for a long time, I must admit to struggling with their earlier material. Their first album, ‘Night On Bröcken’ was mostly forgettable in my opinion, and other than one or two moments, I found it difficult to really pick out any major highlights. Sadly, ‘Spectre…’ is no different.

It’s not that I don’t like it, but damn, this has been on my playlist for over a year, and I still feel like I’m not overly familiar with it. Perhaps I’m just busier than I think I am, but I just zone out whenever I play this. And it’s a shame because it’s not a terrible album.

Further laying the foundations of progressive metal, the performances on this record are of a high standard. With some tight guitar playing and fantastic displays of vocal prowess by singer John Arch, but sadly, there’s only really two songs that I like, and that’s ‘Without a Trace’, and ‘Apparition’. The rest just sounds like they could be Iron Maiden b-sides.

And it’s a shame. Because I genuinely love this band, but then I guess not every album is perfect! I’d like to stress that I don’t think this album is awful by any stretch, but I would much, much rather listen to ‘Parallels’, ‘Inside Out’, ‘Disconnected’, or one of my all-time favourite albums, ‘A Pleasant Shade of Gray’. So that’s what I’ll do.

2 days ago
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Report #883225

SAVATAGE From The Gutter To The Stage: The Best Of 1981 - 1995

Boxset / Compilation · 1995 · Heavy Metal

3.50 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1995 (the clue’s in the name of the album!), ‘From the Gutter to the Stage’ is a compilation album by progressive metal band Savatage, one of my all-time favourite groups.

I mention that little fact, because even though they’ve been one of my favourite bands for a long time, I find this compilation a bit of a mixed bag. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are absolute bangers, but as is the case with any “best of” CD, firstly, they become dated over time, and secondly, there’s always a case for songs that should have been included or excluded. And in this case, yeah, there’s a number of songs I feel shouldn’t have been left out, and likewise, there’s some here that I feel take up the space of what otherwise could have been one of the ‘Tage’s main compositions.

There’s a second disc, which I guess is some kind of “rare” tracks or something. But they’ve all since seen the light of day on the 2002 re-issues, or elsewhere, so listening back to it now, they’re nothing new, and also, there’s only four of them, which is kind of a waste of a disc! First world problems, I suppose.

Anyway, all negativity aside, this IS Savatage, and Savatage are awesome. You’ve got ‘Edge of Thorns’, ‘Gutter Ballet’, ‘Hall of the Mountain King’, ‘Chance’ and ‘Power of the Night’, all of which are absolutely fantastic tracks. So overall, this is a good disc to own, and certainly makes for a great introduction to newcomers, but ultimately, it’s dated, and by this point there’s better, more well-rounded compilations out there.

5 days ago
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Report #883199

METALLICA Lulu (with Lou Reed)

Album · 2011 · Heavy Metal

1.68 | 90 ratings

martindavey87

I loved ‘Load’. I loved ‘Reload’. I didn’t mind when they did a covers album, or played with an orchestra. And I was one of the 17 people (including the band themselves… maybe) who actually liked ‘St. Anger’. But with ‘Lulu’, Metallica (and Lou Reed, for that matter), have finally achieved their goal of making one of, if not THE, absolute worst album in music history.

The collaborative project between musical giants Metallica and Lou Reed, ‘Lulu’ is a 2011 concept double-album, and while the project initially sparked people’s interest, the results very quickly became the subject of universal criticism.

And rightfully so.

I always give every album a fair number of listens, even ones I don’t enjoy, hoping that something might just click or pique my interest after multiple listens. I listened to ‘Lulu’ three times, and it’s been the three most tedious experiences I’ve had to endure. The songs are boring, the lyrics are awful, and the mash-up between Metallica’s heavy metal and Lou Reed’s weird style of talk-singing, or sing-talking, just don’t work.

Musically, the album COULD have been okay. If James Hetfield was singing and this was another Metallica foray into alternative or art rock, it might have been listenable. But it’s not. There’s lyrical gems like “I would cut my legs and tits off when I think of Boris Karloff”, and a song where Reed spends eight minutes asking “why do you cheat on me”, and the whole time I hearing this, I’m picturing Lars Ulrich at some art gallery, trying to be all deep and introspective. But in reality, this is all an absolute pile of nonsense.

Nothing can redeem this album, and the only reason I have to keep it in my collection is because it’s Metallica, and I have some rubbish OCD collector thing going on, that makes me need to keep it. Just don’t even bother.

5 days ago
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Report #883198

AYREON The Final Experiment

Album · 1995 · Progressive Metal

3.66 | 44 ratings

martindavey87

‘The Final Experiment’ is the debut album by legendary progressive metal outfit, Ayreon, the band pseudonym of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Arjen Anthony Lucassen. I use the term “legendary” because Ayreon albums have not only gone on to garner huge fan adulation and respect, but have become known for utilizing a wealth of musicians from various genres, thus displaying a high standard of quality and musicianship.

However, that’s now. Back in 1995, Lucassen was pretty much unknown, and was just starting to put this little project together. Not being able to pick from an unlimited pallet of musicians like he is today, almost everyone on this album is also relatively unknown, and are mostly friends from Lucassen’s homeland, the Netherlands.

And so with that said, this album is nothing more than laying the foundations of what’s to come. The huge medieval science fiction concept is in place, and it’s clear the musical direction is in the vein of traditional progressive metal, though with an underlying folk influence. However, for all the pomp and pageantry, I do find this album to be pretty forgettable. There’s only a handful of songs I’d really consider coming back to, such as ‘Eyes of Time’, ‘Sail Away to Avalon’ and ‘Ye Courtyard Minstrel Boy’, which are all remarkable, but otherwise, I would much rather listen to any of Ayreon’s later releases.

But for what it’s worth, this is still an album worth owning, if nothing more, than because it’s the start of a huge rock opera that will go on to span many albums over many years. But much, much better things are on the horizon for this Dutch project.

6 days ago
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Report #883185

H-BLOCKX Fly Eyes

Album · 1998 · Hard Rock

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

Released in 1998, ‘Fly Eyes’ is the third studio album by German rockers H-Blockx. It follows their previous two outings, which were solid rap-rock albums revelling in the early 90’s sound and style. However, ‘Fly…’ sees less emphasis on the rapping, and leans more stylistically in the vein of late 90’s MTV-inspired radio-friendly hard rock. (That was a mouthful!)

It’s not all bad though, I mean, yeah, it’s different than the aggressive and kind of quirky sound that H-Blockx had on their previous releases, but at the same time it still sounds like the same band. They play well together, and are good at writing catchy, memorable rock anthems, with highlights being ‘Fly’, ‘Stars’, ‘Even Goes’, ‘Liquid Sunlight’ and ‘Without You’.

Chuck in a few excellent guitar solos, confident vocals and a solid production, and you’re left with a fine slab of 90’s rock. There’s really not much else to say about this one. It’ll never be my favourite H-Blockx album, but it’s good enough to come back to once in a while.

8 days ago
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Report #883166

BLIND GUARDIAN Imaginations From the Other Side

Album · 1995 · Power Metal

4.27 | 92 ratings

martindavey87

Based off of the strength of albums like ‘Nightfall in Middle Earth’, ‘A Night At the Opera’ and ‘A Twist in the Myth’, I’d long-considered Blind Guardian one of my favourite bands. However, when delving into their back-catalogue, I found their earlier albums (and it seems, their more popular amongst fans), to be fairly disappointing. I didn’t mind the speed metal influence over their music, it’s just that all the albums seemed a bit… repetitive?

With each album though, more and more non-metal influences crept in. Orchestral arrangements, folk passages, more emphasis on vocal harmonies, more story-telling, the band were becoming more and more theatrical and “epic” with each release. Which brings us to 1995’s ‘Imaginations From the Other Side’, the album where Blind Guardian really start to become the band I fell in love with.

Taking things into more progressive metal territory, the band really start to hit their stride here. Songs like ‘Mordred’s Song’, ‘Bright Eyes’, ‘I’m Alive’ and the title track all show a band who have broken out of their speed metal shell to add new flourishes to their music, and epic ballad ‘A Past and Future Secret’ demonstrates the bands orchestral arranging, with beautiful layers of music all intertwining to really bring the world of myths and legends to life.

As you can see by my rating however, while I do like this album, I don’t quite regard it as highly as others. Some people consider this one of the best power metal albums out there. I think of it as the album where Blind Guardian really start to break out of the power metal trappings and evolve into something a lot more. No doubt, ‘Imaginations…’ is a really good album, but the best is yet to come.

22 days ago
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Report #882942

MEGADETH Endgame

Album · 2009 · Thrash Metal

3.73 | 88 ratings

martindavey87

By 2009, it’d been five years since Megadeth’s “return”, after Dave Mustaine had split the band up and retired following a well-documented injury. Upon their comeback, they unleashed two albums, 2004’s ‘The System Has Failed’ and 2007’s ‘United Abominations’. Both albums were a sure throwback to the bands earlier thrash days, with intense guitar riffs, lyrics full of distain and hatred, spewed out by a voice oozing of political unrest. This was the Megadeth of old!

However, with 2009’s ‘Endgame’, it just feels a tad repetitive already. Like the band are on autopilot and just repeating the previous two albums.

That’s not to say ‘Endgame’ is bad. It’s got its moments. It’s got all the ingredients of classic Megadeth. The playing is insanely fast, and the riffs are as intricate and intense as they were in the ‘Rust in Peace’ days. But after having this on my playlist for what feels like forever, I’m just struggling to really feel like I’d ever come back to any of these songs by choice.

And that may seem harsher than I intend it to, because there are some decent tracks on here, they just don’t, in my opinion, hold up as well to Megadeth’s previous output. ’44 Minutes’, ‘Head Crusher’ and ‘The Hardest Part of Letting Go… Sealed With a Kiss’ are all good tracks, and are worth a listen or two, but personally, I’d rather listen to anything from ‘Cryptic Writings’, ‘Youthanasia’, ‘Rust in Peace’ or even, *gulp*… ‘Risk’.

22 days ago
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Report #882941

SHADOW GALLERY Digital Ghosts

Album · 2009 · Progressive Metal

4.06 | 29 ratings

martindavey87

After a three-album streak of absolutely stellar releases (‘Tyranny’, ‘Legacy’, and ‘Room V’), Shadow Gallery looked to have found their niche and really hit their stride, consistently putting out fantastic albums with their own recognisable sound. Tragically, this came to halt in 2008, with the passing of vocalist Mike Baker.

Losing any band members must be hard, especially once the grieving is done, and it’s time to pick up the pieces. Do you start anew? Plod along with previously written material? And is there guilt in getting someone new to record those parts? Barely a year after Baker’s passing, Shadow Gallery were back, recruiting a new vocalist and releasing ‘Digital Ghosts’ upon us all. Sadly, it’s quite noticeable that a huge part of the band is missing.

That’s not to say this is a bad album, but I’ve really, really struggled with this one. The musicianship is excellent as always, but there’s just a huge absence of something. Call it magic? Heart? Soul? I don’t know what it is, but the song-writing just doesn’t quite seem as inspired as before. Maybe the band were just going through the motions to finish the album and move on?

With that said, there’s still a few tracks worth checking out. Songs like ‘Venom’, ‘Gold Dust’ and ‘Pain’ are all decent enough, and are worthy of the Shadow Gallery name, and there’s some good, solid progressive metal on offer here if you can be patient enough, but overall, this is far, far from the best work this band is capable of, and I think I’d much rather just listen to one of their previous albums.

24 days ago
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Report #882922

SAVATAGE Dead Winter Dead

Album · 1995 · Heavy Metal

3.76 | 48 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1995, ‘Dead Winter Dead’ saw a big shift in sound and style for Savatage, as well as a number of line-up changes that gave us what is arguably one of their strongest and most creative rosters, and would lead to the band forming (or joining) the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a project that would very much parallel Savatage, but on a much, much bigger and commercially successful scale.

While Savatage had always dabbled in classical, theatrical and progressive elements within their music, 1994’s ‘Handful of Rain’ had a sound more grounded in standard hard rock. However, with ‘Dead…’, the band once more tread into rock opera territory, with a big emphasis on orchestrations and “epic” compositions, and this is none-more evident than on huge crossover hit single ‘Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)’, a massive Christmas orchestral rock anthem, which also featured on ‘Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Unfortunately, I do find some of the songs are pretty hit-or-miss, with a number of rather forgettable fillers popping up, but there are also a number of ‘Tage classics, such as ‘One Child’, ‘I Am’, ‘Doesn’t Matter Anyway’, ‘Mozart and Madness’, the aforementioned ‘Christmas Eve’, and the title track itself. But most importantly with this album, is that this version of Savatage, with six full-time members, would develop the style they’ve adapted here with their next two releases, which would, in my opinion, be their absolute masterpieces.

33 days ago
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Report #882825

KAMELOT The Black Halo

Album · 2005 · Power Metal

4.13 | 62 ratings

martindavey87

With their previous two albums steering further and further into symphonic territory, 2005’s ‘The Black Halo’ sees Kamelot finally hit a home-run, with a concept album that shows a band who have mastered the more orchestral elements of their music, therefore completing an excellent trilogy of albums that display the perfect balance of power, progressive and symphonic metal.

Kamelot had been dabbling with symphonic and operatic influences since 1998’s ‘Siege Perilous’, and the incredible impact this would have on their song-writing would see such elements rise in prominence with each subsequent release. Giving their music rich, lavish and vibrant textures, yet staying true to their metal background, we’re taken on an epic and grandiose adventure as ‘The Black Halo’ concludes the bands interpretation of the story of Faust, a story which began on their previous album, 2003’s ‘Epica’.

While the members of Kamelot have never really been known for virtuoso instrumental performances, their musical ability here is undeniable. Everyone absolutely nails their roles, given moments to shine, yet knowing when to hold back and allow the strength of the writing to carry the song. The chemistry between them is palpable, with particular praise to guitarist Thomas Youngblood and keyboardist Michael Rodenberg. And vocalist Roy Khan is an absolute beast, no matter what he does.

The production on this album is incredible, Everything sounds so clear, perfectly balanced in the mix, from heaviness with a punch, to the orchestral warmth and ambience, and with highlights including ‘The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)’, ‘March of Mephisto’, ‘Moonlight’, ‘When the Lights Go Down’, the eerily beautiful ‘Abandoned’ and the title track itself, ‘The Black Halo’ is an absolute masterpiece, and an unforgettable musical experience.

34 days ago
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Report #882809

DREAM THEATER Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra

Movie · 2006 · Progressive Metal

4.43 | 30 ratings

martindavey87

Following on very closely to the format of 2004’s ‘Live At Budokan’, ‘Score: 20th Anniversary Tour’ is a fantastic DVD for fans of progressive metal icons, Dream Theater.

The first disc features an almost three-hour concert. Beautifully shot, with excellent sound and clear visuals, the band are on top form as always. The set is interesting in that, while touring in support of their ‘Octavarium’ album, (represented here five times), the band also go through various tracks throughout their discography in chronological order. Ending with an orchestra and treating us to ‘Octavarium’, ‘Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence’ and ‘Metropolis Pt. 1’, the set list is fantastic, and certainly differs to other live releases.

Amidst a number of bonus tracks and animated visuals, the true gem on the second disc is an hour-long documentary on the history of the band. While it’s a lot to cram into 60-minutes, this is still an interesting and enjoyable watch, and includes plenty of live footage, interviews and photos.

Rounding up the perfect trilogy of live albums/DVD’s, along with ‘Metropolis 2000…’, and ‘Budokan…’, ‘Score’ is an exceptional release, sure to please fans, and is an absolutely essential addition to every prog collection.

36 days ago
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Report #882782

METALLICA Quebec Magnetic

Movie · 2012 · Thrash Metal

3.36 | 7 ratings

martindavey87

Pretty standard Metallica live DVD here. Great set, fantastic sound and visuals, and the band all on top form as always (even Lars does alright!). The metal legends, touring to promote 2008’s ‘Death Magnetic’ have gone back to their old-school way of having the stage in the middle of the venue, kind of making this feel like ‘Cunning Stunts’ all over again, except, ten years wiser and more mature. And while they may not have the same drive and ambition as they did in the 90’s, it’s clear to see that this is an alcohol and drug-free band, who are just having the time of their lives up on stage.

Featuring all the hits you’d come to expect, such as ‘One’, ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Sad But True’, ‘Broken, Beat and Scarred’, ‘Battery’ and a whole host of others, including some “bonus track” surprises, such as ‘Turn the Page’, ‘Holier Than Thou’ and ‘Breadfan’, this is a great DVD that may not stand out in the bands discography as much as previous releases ‘Live Shit: Binge & Purge’, ‘Cunning Stunts’ or ‘S&M’, but is still plenty worthwhile owning, and certainly enough to satisfy any Metallica fan.

37 days ago
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Report #882775

METALLICA Metallica Through The Never

Movie · 2013 · Thrash Metal

3.30 | 6 ratings

martindavey87

Regardless of the results, I’ll always give Metallica credit for not being afraid to try new things. Going from thrash metal to alternative rock, playing with an orchestra, side projects with Lou Reed and now this… a concert movie?

And the results here, as expected, are pretty mixed. The actual movie aspect doesn’t make much sense. With a daft storyline interspersed with the concert footage, and at times tying into the show itself. Sometimes with the band actually even doing little choreographed bits on stage, this all comes across as a bit awkward at times, and is probably more of a detriment than anything.

However, the concert footage itself is absolutely gorgeous! The visuals are fantastic and the high-definition video really gives it a crystal-clear picture, with some very cool camera angles and some awesome close-ups. Along with all the usual Metallica pyrotechnics and on-stage stunts and props, this is like ‘Cunning Stunts’ on steroids.

But sadly, that’s pretty much the only highlight. There’s a whole hoard of extras, including behind-the-scenes documentaries, Q&A sessions, trailers, music videos, and a whole bunch more, but it’s mostly all pretty bland and generic, with the only saving grace being that live footage. I wish they’d just done an entire concert DVD recorded like this, because that part, really is THAT damn good!

37 days ago
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Report #882772

DREAM THEATER Images and Words Live in Tokyo / 5 Years in a LIVEtime

Movie · 2004 · Progressive Metal

3.29 | 18 ratings

martindavey87

Compiling two previously released Dream Theater VHS’s (they were the days!), this DVD is around three and a half hours of various music videos, live footage and tour diaries. ‘Images and Words…’ focuses on the bands first visit to Japan way back in the early 90’s, while ‘Five Years…’ follows the bands career from around 1994 to 1998, covering the making of the ‘Awake’ and ‘Falling Into Infinity’ albums, as well as the subsequent tours.

There’s plenty of highlights on both discs, besides the abundance of live concert footage, seeing the band members loitering the streets of Japan, in the studio writing, recording, and dilly-dallying, as well as playing covers with guest appearances, there’s a lot here for fans to enjoy.

An added bonus for the dedicated fans are the commentaries for both discs, where the guys are absolutely hilarious in their ability to poke fun at themselves (and each other), and not take anything too seriously. Overall, two fantastic discs in fantastic package, definitely worth owning for any Dream Theater fans.

38 days ago
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Report #882761

METALLICA S&M

Movie · 1999 · Symphonic Metal

3.80 | 28 ratings

martindavey87

All these years later, and this still ranks as one of Metallica’s best DVD’s. The cleverly titled ‘S&M’, released in 1999, sees one of heavy metal’s greatest bands teaming with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, to unleash this sonic assault on the senses.

Taking place prior to all the drama at the turn of the century (do some research if you’re unsure what I’m referring to), the band are on top form here. James Hetfield’s vocals sounded absolutely fantastic around this time, and the band play phenomenally. Great sound, great picture (considering the technology of the day), lots of great camera angles and especially great performances, including Lars! This whole show was spot-on.

With Michael Kamen and co. backing them, Metallica’s music just seems so much more vibrant and alive, evident on so many classics such as ‘Master of Puppets’, ‘Battery’, ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ (which sounds incredible), and ‘One’, which is given a whole new sense of rising tension and dread thanks to the orchestra.

Chuck in two new tracks, both of which are absolute bangers, a 40-minute documentary, and the ability to hear the concert back isolating just the band or the orchestra, this is an incredible DVD, that holds up well today and belongs in the collection of every Metallica fan.

41 days ago
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Report #882741

GODSMACK Godsmack Live

Movie · 2001 · Alternative Metal

2.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

I seem to have some weird kind of foreign, unofficial-type version of this DVD. Not sure if that’s a contributing factor or not, but the sound seems a bit underwhelming. The guitars and vocals seem fairly quiet and just seem all sludgy and blurred in with the mix. It’s not awful mind you, but it certainly doesn’t help considering that, as much as I love Godsmack, they seem quite boring here. They’re don’t seem very animated at all, and when the music is fairly simple and straightforward like this, I need to see a bit more of a show than people just standing there, looking down at their instruments. Still love the band though, just don’t think this DVD is that good.

43 days ago
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Report #882700

METALLICA Français Pour Une Nuit

Movie · 2009 · Thrash Metal

3.37 | 10 ratings

martindavey87

‘Francais...’ is one of three Metallica DVD’s that all seemed to pop up around a close time-frame of each other (the others being similar concerts from Mexico and Quebec). Released in 2009, it features Metallica touring to promote their fairly new release, ‘Death Magnetic’, from the previous year. On this concert DVD, the set list is solid, the playing is fantastic, and the visuals are excellent. The setting is an old amphitheatre that looks absolutely beautiful as a music venue. The only setback was that this lacks a lot of the pyrotechnics and effects that their arena shows afforded them. So unless you’re a huge fan, it might get a bit boring just sitting here and watching them, well, just play for over two hours.

Still, it’s a great DVD, and the band is on top form, with boundless energy and enthusiasm, we even see quite a few songs that hadn’t been played live in a long time! And with a few added extras (interviews, extra footage etc), this makes for a worthy addition to any Metallica fans collection.

44 days ago
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Report #882680

DREAM THEATER When Dream And Day Reunite

Movie · 2005 · Progressive Metal

4.19 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

Filmed and released in 2004, ‘When Dream and Day Reunite’ was the first DVD to come out from Dream Theater’s Official Bootlegs series. Paying tribute to the band’s debut album, ‘When Dream and Day Unite’, on its 15th anniversary, this is an interesting look back at the bands first official album. An album which they no longer own the rights to, therefore meaning this is as good as a remix, remaster or re-release that we’ll ever get.

The concert footage is fantastic! Playing their debut album in its entirety, and featuring guest appearances by Derek Sherinian and Charlie Dominici, this is excellent stuff, and well worth watching. The sound and picture are great, and as expected, the performers are all on top form. As well as rehearsal footage and behind-the-scenes commentary, this is all great material for Dream Theater fans.

Then the icing on the cake, a 70-minute “home video” documentary compiled by Mike Portnoy, featuring concert footage and the band discussing their album, all in their early days. This is super interesting to watch, especially seeing them at such a young age. For an “official bootleg”, this DVD has an absolute wealth of material, and is truly a must-have for Dream Theater fans.

44 days ago
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Report #882676

RUSH Chronicles: The Video Collection

Movie · 1990 · Hard Rock

3.25 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

Originally released on VHS in 1990, ‘Chronicles’ features twelve music videos by rock legends Rush. Totalling at just over an hour, these are all available on YouTube, and thus, makes this DVD redundant. However, with that said, it’s Rush! While none of these videos are overly memorable, the music is absolutely fantastic, and in particular, focuses a lot on the bands’ 80’s synth-era material (my favourite Rush era). With hits like ‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘Subdivisions’, ‘Red Sector A’, ‘Distant Early Warning’ and ‘The Big Money’, there is no doubting the quality of the content here.

Still, the DVD format of these video compilations is obsolete, and only worthwhile to collectors like me. And while this one is heavily dated today, it’s still a great watch for fans, and if you come across it cheap, it’s more than worthy of being in your collection.

46 days ago
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Report #882650

BLACK SABBATH Never Say Die: Live In 1978

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal

3.07 | 6 ratings

martindavey87

This DVD is basically a quick and easy, one hour run through of some of Sabbath’s biggest hits. Short and sweet. Originally filmed in 1978, and you can tell, the picture is rough around the edges, and the sound is audible, but certainly not great. Overall though, I find the band pretty boring live. Maybe it’s just that I didn’t grow up with Sabbath, but they literally play their hits and that’s the end of it. You don’t really see the audience, and the visuals are very dated. It’s cool to see them perform some classics though, such as ‘Snowblind’, ‘Paranoid, ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Black Sabbath’, but seeing as this is such a short performance and there’s no extras on the DVD, I’d say this is best left to the die-hard fans and collectors.

48 days ago
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Report #882640

RAMMSTEIN Rammstein - Lichtspielhaus

Movie · 2004 · Industrial Metal

3.44 | 5 ratings

martindavey87

Released by industrial metal giants Rammstein in 2003, ‘Lichtspielhaus’ is a DVD that compiles plenty of visual bits and bobs from the bands history. With a wealth of live footage, music videos, behind-the-scenes features and various other extras, there is a complete smorgasbord of material here for fans to sink their teeth into.

However, the menus can be quite tricky to navigate at times, and in all fairness, this is probably all on YouTube by now. At least, the music videos are, no doubt. Some of the interviews are in German too, and without subtitles, might be tricky for non-German speakers.

Great DVD overall though, and definitely belongs in the collection of every Rammstein fan.

48 days ago
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Report #882634

MEGADETH That One Night - Live in Buenos Aires

Movie · 2007 · Thrash Metal

4.26 | 13 ratings

martindavey87

It’s an alright DVD, the picture is fine, the sound is fine, the playing is fantastic, the set is fantastic, Mustaine’s vocals are a bit naff, but in fairness I’ve never really thought he sounded too good live anyway. The main feature is about 90 minutes long, and interspersed with random clips of Mustaine and Drover playing acoustically. It’s watchable, but a little disjointed. Overall, this release is simply “good”. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s worth watching, and certainly if you’re a fan, then it’s nice to own. I think previous live DVD ‘Rude Awakening’ is much better though, and has more extras on it too. And what is up with the cover?

48 days ago
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Report #882633

DREAM THEATER Live at Budokan

Movie · 2004 · Progressive Metal

4.37 | 31 ratings

martindavey87

In my opinion, this is without a doubt one of the best live DVD’s ever!

The concert is spot on. The picture and sound are fantastic, the camera angles capture everything perfectly, and the set list, while no doubt being somewhat “dated” now, is still incredible. As you’d expect with Dream Theater, the performances are all breath-taking, not only in the songs themselves, but all the extra jams, solos and whatever else they might throw in during the near-three hour set.

On top of that, there’s a whole wealth of incredible extras that should please anyone who’s ever considered themselves a fan of the progressive metal pioneers. A look at John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess’ gear, a Mike Portnoy drum solo that goes beyond mindless bashing, but fully entertains the audience, a highlights video, a multi-angle version of arguably the most insane instrumental song you’ll ever hear, and the true highlight, a 30-minute documentary of the Japanese tour.

I got this when it first came out, and it totally blew me away back then, as much as it does now. Without any doubt in my mind, this release is absolutely perfect, and definitely one of the all-time greatest live concert DVD’s.

50 days ago
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Report #882618

DREAM THEATER Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York

Movie · 2001 · Progressive Metal

4.61 | 39 ratings

martindavey87

Promoting their 1999 concept album, ‘Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory’, ‘Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York’ sees progressive metal giants Dream Theater perform the album in its entirety on stage, coincidentally, in New York! The video and audio are a little dated, but still sounds good regardless, and the visuals are pretty cheesy by today’s standards. But overall, the performances are fantastic and fans of the band will definitely enjoy this!

Included is a 25-minute documentary, an hour of “deleted scenes” (basically, more songs!), as well as a photo gallery and a hidden video, this is an excellent release brimming with material. And while the band would go on to perfect this formula with later DVD’s such as ‘Live At Budokan’ and ‘Score’, ‘Metropolis 2000…’ is still an essential addition to the collection of any prog fan.

50 days ago
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Report #882617

IRON MAIDEN Visions Of The Beast

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal

3.66 | 14 ratings

martindavey87

‘Visions of the Beast’ is a pretty extensive compilation of videos by British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden. Featuring over 30 music videos, as well as alternative, animated versions, and a number of interesting extras, there’s plenty of material here for fans to sink their teeth into.

Of course, the problem with such DVD’s is that they become outdated, with pretty much all of the material here being available on YouTube. But there’s no denying the quality of the music. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s Iron Maiden! One of the greatest metal bands of all time.

Featuring some classic metal anthems, such as ‘Run to the Hills’, ‘Aces High’, ‘The Trooper’, ‘Fear of the Dark’, ‘The Number of the Beast’, ‘Can I Play With Madness’, and countless others, despite being outdated, this is no-doubt a worthy addition to the collection.

59 days ago
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Report #882421

GUNS N' ROSES Welcome to the Videos

Movie · 1998 · Hard Rock

3.33 | 2 ratings

martindavey87

‘Welcome to the Videos’ is a DVD compilation, featuring a number of music videos by legendary hard rockers Guns n’ Roses. With thirteen videos and totalling at about 70 minutes, it’s a decent enough collection for fans of the band. However, with no extras, or with various, rather prominent songs missing, this single disc DVD does leave a bit to be desired.

Sure, the tracks here are absolute bangers, including ‘Paradise City’, ‘November Rain’, ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ and ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, but in all honesty, I’ve never really been too interested in GNR’s music videos. Most of them seem pretty samey to me.

And with music videos readily available on YouTube, and approximately everywhere else these days, owning this on DVD is only really worth it for the die-hard collectors who must own everything.

60 days ago
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Report #882414

BODY COUNT Cypress Hill 6th Annual SmokeOut Presents Body Count Featuring Ice-T

Movie · 2005 · Rap Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

This is a decent enough DVD of Body Count’s performance at the 2003 SmokeOut Festival. I mean, it’s Body Count. So you know the energy and aggression will be off the hook. While the picture and audio are of a great quality, and the set list totally rips, sadly, this DVD is so damn short! Rapper frontman Ice-T announces that they had to cut a couple of songs, making what I guess would have been a 45-minute set into a measly 35-minute one. Including a five-minute behind-the-scenes feature, as well as a “photo gallery” of pictures taken from the performance you’d have just watched, it’s overall a pretty pointless DVD.

BUT, if you’re a die-hard Body Count fan, then you’ll still enjoy watching this. But it’s just not worth the money unless you find it dirt cheap.

61 days ago
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Report #882406

IRON MAIDEN Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Album · 1988 · Heavy Metal

4.43 | 220 ratings

martindavey87

‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’, the seventh studio album by metal legends Iron Maiden, has been on my playlist for well over a year by now. Not sure what to score it, it’s been an album I’ve constantly come back to over and over. It’s good. Sometimes it’s really good. But sometimes it’s regarded as one of Iron Maiden’s best releases, and I think that’s where it hasn’t quite met my expectations.

It’s famously referred to as the album where Maiden went more progressive and experimental, not only in song structure but by the use of keyboards. But for me, I don’t know. I just can’t get into this as easily as I could ‘Powerslave’ or ‘Somewhere in Time’. The commonly referenced keyboards are really nothing more than some backing chords over the guitar harmonies.

Regardless of that however, the musicianship is still of a high standard, and as always, praise goes to Bruce Dickinson’s soaring vocals. Despite my thoughts on the album as a whole, there are still some bangers here. In particular, ‘Infinite Dreams’, ‘The Clairvoyant’, ‘The Evil That Men Do’ and closing track ‘Only the Good Die Young’ are all classic Maiden tracks.

And at barely 45 minutes in length, it’s an easy enough album to listen to in one sitting. It’s just really not the album I’d choose to listen to in the first place. Sorry Maiden fans. I love the band, and I DO like this album, just not as much as I feel I’m supposed to.

2 months ago
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Report #882394

DREAM THEATER 04 Degrees of Radio Edits (Christmas CD 2001)

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 2001 · Progressive Metal

2.31 | 4 ratings

martindavey87

An exclusive look at how this CD came to be:

“Shit guys! The annual fan club CD is due! Quick, chuck some radio edits of our new album onto a disc, that’ll do!”

I mean, ‘Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence’ is a masterpiece, and so there’s no faulting the music here, on which is essentially a sampler of said album. But radio edits? As if you’d ever hear of these on any radio stations, anywhere, ever!

‘Four Degrees…’ is probably one of the most pointless fan club CD’s out there, but whatever. It’s Dream Theater, therefore it’s a must-have for any die-hard fans such as myself.

2 months ago
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Report #882393

ICED EARTH Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked, Part 1

Album · 2007 · US Power Metal

3.42 | 24 ratings

martindavey87

I feel like I often have to preface all my Iced Earth reviews with an explanation of how they’re a band I genuinely love, but find their discography to be very, very inconsistent. For every absolute banger that they release, there’s a dud. Albums like ‘Iced Earth’, ‘Night of the Stormrider’, ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ and ‘The Glorious Burden’ all rank among some of my all-time favourite power metal albums. But then, as seems to be the pattern, here we have, what I feel is a bit of a dud.

With ‘Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Pt. 1’, Jon Schaffer and co. revisit their most popular release, with a two-part concept album that builds upon 1998’s ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’. Which is all fine in theory, but something about this just doesn’t resonate with me.

And it’s a huge shame, because predecessor ‘The Glorious Burden’, which saw the debut of powerhouse vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, was a stellar release, and really put Iced Earth back on track, only to, as always, take another step back. And why? There’s nothing overly wrong with this album, but then, there’s just not really anything memorable about it, either. Other than a few snippets here and there, the only song that really sticks out is the albums lead single, ‘Ten Thousand Strong’, a short, punchy track that delivers power metal greatness in four minutes.

Other than that, the playing is of a high standard as always, and Tim Owens’ vocals are always a pleasure to listen to, but overall, I just find myself zoning out every time I try to get into this album. Perhaps it’s the rehashing of the ‘Something Wicked’ storyline (which, for the record, I have no inkling what any of it is about!), but this album just doesn’t work for me.

Sorry, Iced Earth.

2 months ago
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Report #882257

ANVIL Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Movie · 2009 · Heavy Metal

4.08 | 9 ratings

martindavey87

I can’t deny, I’d never heard of Anvil until this came out. Sure, okay, MAYBE I’d heard the name mentioned once or twice, without really giving it any attention. But regardless, this DVD was an eye-opener for me, and introduced me to one of the most influential, albeit, not very commercially successful, metal bands of the 1980’s.

Sadly, the tale of rock bands going from playing stadiums and arenas to working in school kitchens and call centres is commonplace these days. That’s just the sad reality of the music industry today. But with that said, this is a heartfelt story of a band, and in particular, a man (frontman Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow) who continues to persevere and not give up. Touring the world and playing to thous… well, dozens of people.

It’s this sincerity and persistence that makes this such an interesting, and heartbreaking, watch. I’ve since delved into the bands discography and would consider myself a fan, so the film has done its job, if nothing else, of getting the name Anvil out there to a wider audience.

2 months ago
3 comments
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Report #882243

METALLICA Sad but True

Single · 1993 · Heavy Metal

3.23 | 5 ratings

martindavey87

I know CD singles are obsolete today, but regardless, this one is pretty damn good. ‘Sad But True’ is a kickass song, with its heavy groove and catchy lyrics, it’s one of the more memorable tracks from 1991’s ‘Black Album’. There’s an acoustic/orchestral version of ‘Nothing Else Matters’, an insanely energetic live version of ‘Creeping Death’ (honestly, the energy in this recording is crazy), and finally, a demo version of the title track.

A pointless frisbee for most people, but for collectors, this is everything a single should be. Title track, alternative version, live track, and demo track. Spot on.

4 months ago
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Report #881613

DISTURBED Voices

Single · 2001 · Alternative Metal

2.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

Probably my favourite track off of the band’s debut album, ‘Voices’ is a solid piece of nu metal, and serves as a great opening song from 2000’s ‘The Sickness’. An early indicator of what Disturbed are about, it’s heavy, got some great groove, and has vocalist David Draiman’s signature style all over it.

Included on this CD single are two live tracks, ‘Stupify’ and ‘The Game’. Both are decent enough, not that I’d care to ever come back to these, but if nothing else, they provide evidence of the energy present at the Chicago five-piece’s early shows.

Other than that, this is your bog-standard CD single. Great for collectors, obsolete table coasters for everyone else.

5 months ago
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Report #880812

FAITH NO MORE Introduce Yourself

Album · 1987 · Funk Metal

3.04 | 39 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1987, ‘Introduce Yourself’ is the second album by alternative metal outfit Faith No More. It follows on closely to the sound and style of its predecessor, only a slightly better production sets them apart.

I wasn’t overly keen on 1985’s ‘We Care a Lot’, and honestly, I kind of struggled with this one too! The band were certainly something different and unique at the time, and their song-writing is becoming more confident, but, like many later fans, I guess I just tend to dismiss these early, Chuck Mosley releases.

Chuck Mosley, of course, is the vocalist who would be replaced after this album by powerhouse front man Mike Patton of the band Mr. Bungle. Mosley’s rap-like style worked fine, but, I guess it kind of put a limit on what the band could do, and if any band were to thrive without any limitations, it would be Faith No More.

Clutching at straws, but if I had to pick out any notable songs, there’s ‘Chinese Arithmetic’, ‘Anne’s Song’, ‘Blood’, and in particular, a re-recorded version of ‘We Care a Lot’, which is probably the only song I really care to come back to, if ever. It’s a shame, and I certainly don’t mean any disrespect to Chuck Mosley, but with this album out of the way, Faith No More can really move on to becoming the metal heavyweights that they are, while ‘Introduce…’ and ‘We Care…’ can both slip away into obscurity, at least for me, anyway.

5 months ago
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Report #880810

DEEP PURPLE Deep Purple

Album · 1969 · Proto-Metal

3.58 | 65 ratings

martindavey87

Following two fairly boring psychedelic rock albums, I figured the early Deep Purple era just wasn’t for me. Maybe a bit “before my time”, but I found ‘Shades of Deep Purple’ and ‘The Book of Taliesyn’ to be pretty uninteresting. So, whilst going through the bands discography, I set about the arduous task of having ‘Deep Purple’ in my playlist, ready for multiple listens throughout a number of weeks. Much to my surprise however, I actually enjoyed it!

Released in 1969, this was Purple’s third album in barely the span of a year. An impressive feat, especially by today’s standards! But with little time between releases, I didn’t have much hope for this one. But something about it just resonates with me. It’s not much different from its predecessors, but the song-writing just seems a bit more focused. It feels as if the British five-piece are leaving the 60’s psych music behind and shifting towards a more progressive rock-based sound. This is especially evident on the 12-minute track, ‘April’.

And of course, it works! The interplay between guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord is really starting to shine here. And while past albums were half-full with covers, ‘Deep Purple’ only features one cover song. I’d imagine after a year of recording and touring, the members here were becoming more comfortable with their own writing, or perhaps by this point they’d made a name for themselves, enabling them to rely more on their own compositions rather than using others.

Notable tracks include ‘Blind’, ‘Chasing Shadows’, ‘Bird Has Flown’, ‘Why Didn’t Rosemary’ and bonus track ‘Emmaretta’, but in all honesty, the whole album is pretty easy and pleasant to listen to from start to finish. And while everyone and their dog knows that better things are to come, ‘Deep Purple’ is no-doubt an early indication of what the hard rock and heavy metal pioneers are capable of.

5 months ago
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Report #880809

PAGAN'S MIND Celestial Entrance

Album · 2002 · Progressive Metal

3.88 | 24 ratings

martindavey87

‘Celestial Entrance’ is the second album by Norwegian progressive metal band Pagan’s Mind. Released in 2002, it sees a vast improvement upon the groups 2000 debut, with song-writing, instrumentation and vocals all taking a huge step up in quality.

I first got into Pagan’s Mind by stumbling upon some of their music videos on YouTube, and found myself instantly digging their sound. So when my first album experience of theirs was their debut, 2000’s ‘Infinity Divine’, I was slightly disappointed. I just felt like the music wasn’t very inspired, and that vocalist Nils K. Rue (who is absolutely fantastic, by the way!), maybe hadn’t quite found his niche in the band.

That all changes with ‘Celestial Entrance’.

The band really hit their stride here, with a sound a bit more their own. With some fantastic compositions, excellent musicianship, including some remarkable interplay between the guitars and keyboards, and of course, the aforementioned Nils K. Rue, who’s vocals are incredible, and has really found their place in the music.

While a couple of the tracks are still fairly hit-or-miss, there is plenty to enjoy here. ‘Aegean Shores’, ‘…Of Epic Questions’ and ‘Back to the Magic of Childhood’ are all great tracks that are well worth repeated listens. But the true gems are ‘Approaching/Through Osiris Eyes’ and ‘Dreamscape Lucidity’. Both songs are absolute masterpieces, and the album is worth checking out for these alone. Then there’s the closing track which horribly rips off Dream Theater’s ‘Leaning to Live’, in key, melody, even the lyrics are almost identical. It’s a weirdly hilarious but forgivable way to end the album.

Overall, Pagan’s Mind will go on to release much stronger albums than this, but this is a solid follow-up to their debut, and a highly recommended addition to the collection of any progressive or power metal fan.

5 months ago
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Report #880768

LIMP BIZKIT Significant Other

Album · 1999 · Nu Metal

3.53 | 20 ratings

martindavey87

It’s crazy to think, but when Limp Bizkit’s second full-length album, ‘Significant Other’, was released way back in 1999, not only was it a huge hit, but gradually built up to the Florida five-piece becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet. For all the angst, attitude and cheesiness, it’s exactly what people, in particular, the youth of the world, needed back then.

Bizkit’s sound is heavily influenced by a combination of 90’s alternative metal and hip-hop, building upon the style established by bands like Korn, and in particular, Stuck Mojo. Some tracks here are all-out metal, while some sway more towards hip-hop, with more focus being on vocalist Fred Durst rapping. Both work well for the band, with Durst effortlessly being able to blend clean singing, aggressive shouting, and rapid-fire rapping. And his vocals fit perfectly with guitarist Wes Borland’s creative and interesting guitar playing.

And if you’re into this sort of thing, there’s a few appearances from some noteworthy vocalists, including Jonathan Davis from Korn, Aaron Lewis from Staind, Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots, Les Claypool of Primus fame, and the one that probably had the most impact, Wu Tang Clan’s Method Man. His duet with Fred on hit single ‘N 2 Gether Now’ likely helped the band gain more mainstream recognition, as well as appeal more to hip-hop audiences.

‘Significant Other’ features an abundance of great tracks, such as heavy hitters ‘Nookie’, ‘Trust?’ and ‘Just Like This’, huge hit ‘Re-Arranged’, which shows the bands melodic abilities, and rap-inspired tracks such as ‘Show Me What You Got’ and the aforementioned ‘N 2 Gether Now’. Then of course, there’s one of the biggest nu metal anthems ever, ‘Break Stuff’. If you don’t get pumped up at the sound of those opening chords and Fred Durst proclaiming that ‘It’s just one of those days…’ then you really need to stop taking it all too seriously.

Overall, ‘Significant Other’ is a great album that still holds up well today. It came out at just the right time that people needed aggression in their music, but also enough catchy hooks that mainstream audiences were able to get involved too. It’s a huge step up from their debut, and shows a band who are heading on to greater things.

5 months ago
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Report #880750

LINKIN PARK One Step Closer

Single · 2000 · Nu Metal

2.83 | 2 ratings

martindavey87

I can’t deny it, this single release of Linkin Park’s ‘One Step Closer’ is a nice little package. Featuring the title track (obviously), which was the bands first ever single, and two non-album tracks, it’s a nice collectable for fans of the Californian nu metal legends.

Today, all these tracks can be found approximately everywhere on the internet or streaming platforms, but this is still something cool to own none-the-less. ‘My December’ is a soft and melodic song highlighting Chester Bennington’s incredible voice, while ‘High Voltage’ highlights Mike Shinoda’s rapping. Both songs hold their place firmly amongst Linkin Park’s discography.

But since CD singles are obsolete today, this is best kept to the die-hard collectors.

5 months ago
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Report #880705

LINDEMANN Skills in Pills

Album · 2015 · Industrial Metal

3.41 | 7 ratings

martindavey87

‘Skills in Pills’ in the 2015 debut album of Lindemann, the self-titled project of Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann. Teaming up with Peter Tägtgren of the band Pain, this album feels like a heavier, more keyboard-driven and overall more ridiculous version of the aforementioned Rammstein.

The most noticeable element on ‘Skills…’ is, not only the outrageously ludicrous lyrics, but the fact that Lindemann is singing in English. Something he only did a brief few times with his main band. But the lyrics… oh my! Clearly Lindemann was somewhat filtered in his main project, because here, it’s like anything goes. Literally, there are no filters here. From drugs to abortion, and sexual fetishes involving obesity to being urinated on, absolutely nothing is off-limits.

The thing is though, I like it. It’s ridiculous and shouldn’t work, but it does. Lindemann can pull this kind of thing off, and with some incredibly heavy and ballsy music backing him, it just kind of works for him. And the musical side, all covered by Tägtgren, is incredible. Heavy and atmospheric, with some proper pumping and energetic performances, it suits the lyrics and baritone voice of his partner in crime perfectly.

With highlights including the pounding ‘Fish On’, ‘Ladyboy’ and ‘Cowboy’, the disgustingly offensive ‘Fat’, ‘Praise Abort’ and ‘Golden Shower’, or the hauntingly beautiful ‘Home Sweet Home’, this album is a flurry of utter nonsense, but well-written and down-right brilliant nonsense. Obviously this won’t appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy Rammstein and aren’t easily squeamish or offended, then this is most certainly an album worth checking out!

5 months ago
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Report #880704

METALLICA Live at Wembley Stadium EP

EP · 1992 · Heavy Metal

3.28 | 5 ratings

martindavey87

Nice little collectable here. Recorded live at Wembley Stadium at the famous ‘Concert For Life’, in honour of the late Freddie Mercury, this single, featuring three cuts from said concert, was released with the intention of all artist royalties going to charity.

‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Sad But True’, and ‘Nothing Else Matters’. Short and sweet.

These are songs we’ve heard countless times, from countless other recordings. The audio quality is good, and you can feel the energy from the band. But ultimately, I feel this isn’t really a CD single meant to be scrutinized and judged. Its sole purpose was to raise money for charity. It’s nothing new or unique, so just like, buy it and enjoy it for what it is, a addition to the collection for all die-hard fans that need to own everything.

5 months ago
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Report #880700

KAMELOT Epica

Album · 2003 · Power Metal

3.84 | 41 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 2003, ‘Epica’ is the sixth studio album by symphonic power metal band Kamelot. It follows very closely to its predecessor, 2001’s ‘Karma’, with more focus on symphonic elements and orchestrations, as well as a stronger sense of melody and more polished song-writing, stepping away more and more from the traditional power metal style of their early albums, and into something a lot more epic and grandiose.

With a similar sound and production as before, ‘Epica’ sounds as rich and lavish as ‘Karma’. The musicianship is tight, with everyone performing to a high standard, and in particular, praise goes to vocalist Roy Khan for his powerful and emotional performances.

With highlights including ‘The Edge of Paradise’, ‘Center of the Universe’, ‘Lost and Damned’, ‘A Feast For the Vain’ and the beautiful ‘Wander’, there’s an abundance of great tracks here, and if you liked ‘Karma’, there’s no reason you won’t like this. And ultimately, this will lead to the next album, because if you like the direction Kamelot are heading in here, then you’ll certainly love what’s to come…

5 months ago
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Report #880699

PANTERA History of Hostility

Boxset / Compilation · 2015 · Groove Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

Released in 2015, ‘History of Hostility’ is a compilation of groove metal legends, Pantera. Featuring just nine tracks, and clocking in at barely 43 minutes, this doesn’t so much feel like a definitive best-of, as it does one of those budget compilations that the record label likely released without any input from the band members themselves, most probably serving as a taster for people who weren’t overly familiar with the legendary Texans.

Still, despite its short duration, there’s no faulting the material. Featuring some of the bands biggest hits, the likes of ‘Cowboys From Hell’, ‘Walk’, ‘Cemetary Gates’, ‘Mouth For War’, ‘I’m Broken’ and ‘Revolution is My Name’ are all present here, and while albums like this are pretty much obsolete in the age of streaming, it’s still a nice enough addition to the collection.

5 months ago
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Report #880698

THREE DAYS GRACE One-X

Album · 2006 · Alternative Metal

3.08 | 2 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 2006, ‘One-X’ is the second album by Canadian rockers Three Days Grace, which follows on from the success of their 2003 self-titled debut, offering another slice of personal-themed post grunge, with a few hit singles thrown in for good measure.

I’m sure I’m not alone in that my first exposure to the group came from their inclusion in the Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 video game, which featured two massive hits from this album, ‘Riot’ and ‘Animal I Have Become’. I’ve no doubt if they weren’t successful enough already, then this certainly helped them win over more fans. For the record, that entire soundtrack was pretty banging…

Musically and lyrically however, this is pretty similar to their first album, and more-or-less ticks every box for the standard post-grunge/hard rock band of the post-nu metal era of the mid-2000’s. Crunchy guitar riffs? Check! Lyrics about personal demons, experiences or relationship troubles? Check! Raspy clean vocals and aggressive shouting? Check! Adam Gontier and co. hit the mark every time!

With highlights including the aforementioned ‘Riot’ and ‘Animal I Have Become’, as well as ‘Time of Dying’, ‘On My Own’ and ‘Never Too Late’, it’s clear that while the band don’t stray too far from their original formula, there’s still plenty of strong tracks that make this a worthy follow-up to their debut.

5 months ago
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Report #880680

QUEEN Queen

Album · 1973 · Proto-Metal

3.85 | 54 ratings

martindavey87

Released in 1973, ‘Queen’ is the self-titled debut of a band who’d go on to become four of the most famous and beloved Brits in history since the Beatles. With The Beatles having split up just a few years prior, and with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple laying the foundations of where hard rock and heavy metal were going, Queen’s first album slips in flawlessly for that time period, adding theatrical elements and charisma to help carve out their own niche.

Granted, the album itself is still a bit “meh” for me. This is before the Londoners became known for the absolute mega hits that they’d go on to record, and so as a whole, this release is just kind of there. It could be that they were still adjusting to each other and gelling as a unit, but while the musicianship is solid and you can hear early signs of front man Freddie Mercury’s showmanship creeping in, I just don’t really find myself getting into these songs.

Opening track ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ is pretty decent, and ‘Great King Rat’ is a great example of those early theatrical elements that the band would go on to integrate more and more into their music, but other than these two songs, I’m really finding it hard to maintain interest. There’s definitely a lot of energy and youthful enthusiasm in the performances though, and you can hear that this is a band that certainly will go on to much bigger things.

And maybe that’s just the problem. I’m not hearing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘I Want to Break Free’ or ‘We Are the Champions’ here, so maybe I’m just unwillingly dismissing it? I don’t mean to, sometimes it’s just a matter of taste. I don’t think I’ll come back to ‘Queen’ very much, if ever, but I do know that great things will follow.

5 months ago
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Report #880679

DISTURBED Disturbed

Boxset / Compilation · 2010 · Alternative Metal

3.00 | 1 rating

martindavey87

I’m not entirely sure what the “story” is here. ‘Disturbed’ is a self-titled, or non-titled, compilation by the heavy metal band of the same name. Also commonly known as ‘A Decade of Disturbed’, is it a promo copy of an unreleased greatest hits? A sampler? An EP? It’s a bit of a random release, with only seven songs and clocking in at barely 30 minutes, it strikes me as some kind of budget compilation for people who weren’t previously fans of the band. But then, it’s also censored, so maybe it was something originally sent out to radio stations?

Does anyone know?

Anyway, with that aside, it IS Disturbed, and the seven songs on offer, despite being censored, are still absolute bangers. ‘Prayer’, ‘Stricken’, ‘Ten Thousand Fists’, ‘Inside the Fire’, ‘Indestructible’ and ‘Down With the Sickness’ are all metal classics, and more than worthy enough to make this a decent release.

But ultimately, the censorship and short duration, especially in a day and age of streaming, make this completely obsolete. Meaning that despite the quality of the material, I can’t justify giving it any more than three stars. Definitely one best left to the collectors.

6 months ago
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Report #880657

DEEP PURPLE The Book Of Taliesyn

Album · 1968 · Proto-Metal

3.30 | 57 ratings

martindavey87

Less than a year after the release of their debut, Deep Purple were at it again, with this, their second full-length album, offering another slice of dated, late-60’s psychedelic rock.

Much like its predecessor, this is a far cry from the Deep Purple everyone knows and loves today. There’s no smoking on the water or highway starring here, this is all pretty weird, hippy rock. And by rock, I mean of the least hardest variety.

Vocalist Rod Evans may have suited the bands style back then, but it’s apparent at this point that the band won’t be living in the 1960’s forever, and we all know that much better things are on the horizon once a certain line-up change takes place.

But still, criticisms aside, there’re a few noteworthy tracks here. ‘Hard Road (Wring That Neck)’, ‘The Shield’ and ‘Listen, Learn, Read On’ all show the amazing talent of the musicians involved, particularly guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, drummer Ian Paice and keyboardist (or is he simply an organist at this point?) Jon Lord. These guys were well ahead of their time.

Overall, ‘Book of Taliesyn’ is an improvement upon ‘Shades of Deep Purple’, but ultimately is still a pretty forgettable release, especially when you consider some of the absolute classics that are to come.

6 months ago
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Report #880654

NICKELBACK Feed the Machine

Album · 2017 · Hard Rock

3.46 | 6 ratings

martindavey87

There was a whole different hype going into Nickelback’s eighth studio album, 2017’s ‘Feed the Machine’. Rather than the usual pop ballads, the first single released, the title track no less, was instantly touted for how heavy it was, and you could instantly hear a shift in focus and determination with this album. Were we about to see a whole new Nickelback?

Well, okay, obviously not.

But seriously, this album is fantastic. If previous release, 2014’s rather disappointing ‘No Fixed Address’ was the band ticking every mainstream pop radio checklist, then ‘…Machine’ sees the Canadian quartet do away with that attitude and firmly focuses on strong song-writing, excellent performances and solid lyrics. Whether it was going to get them on mainstream radio or not, they had a vision, and with this release they executed it to perfection.

The musicianship is really on top form here, with the band at times displaying musical prowess almost on par with some of the more technical metal bands. Frontman Chad Kroeger’s fantastic voice is on top-form, and the lyrics are some of the deepest, and, well, “heaviest” the band had written in a long time. There’s lots of shredding for the guitar nerds, and the production is absolutely spot-on. Even the ballads (yes, of course there’s a few), seem more driven by solid song-writing, rather than pleasing pop radio listeners.

Highlights include the title track itself, ‘Feed the Machine’ (which I’m sure has certainly won over some of the metal crowd, but that’s just my opinion), as well as ‘Must Be Nice’, ‘Coin For the Ferryman’, ‘Silent Majority’, the monstrously heavy ‘The Betrayal (Act III)’ and the deeply powerful ‘Home’.

But honestly, this whole album is just one highlight after another. “Focused” and “determined” are two words that keep coming to mind, but it’s really like the band had a vision to release a record that would show there’re more than just a radio-friendly pop band. And while I’m under no illusion that they’ve won over their haters, the artistic merits of ‘Feed the Machine’ speak for themselves, and prove that Nickelback are indeed, a fantastic hard rock band, more than deserving of the fame and success that they’ve had.