Metal Music Reviews from martindavey87

SAVATAGE Dead Winter Dead

Album · 1995 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 3.76 | 48 ratings
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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.

KAMELOT The Black Halo

Album · 2005 · Power Metal
Cover art 4.13 | 62 ratings
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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.

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

Movie · 2006 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 4.43 | 30 ratings
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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.

METALLICA Quebec Magnetic

Movie · 2012 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 3.36 | 7 ratings
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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.

METALLICA Metallica Through The Never

Movie · 2013 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 3.30 | 6 ratings
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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!

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

Movie · 2004 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 3.29 | 18 ratings
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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.

METALLICA S&M

Movie · 1999 · Symphonic Metal
Cover art 3.80 | 28 ratings
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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.

GODSMACK Godsmack Live

Movie · 2001 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 2.00 | 1 rating
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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.

METALLICA Français Pour Une Nuit

Movie · 2009 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 3.37 | 10 ratings
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‘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.

DREAM THEATER When Dream And Day Reunite

Movie · 2005 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 4.19 | 4 ratings
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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.

RUSH Chronicles: The Video Collection

Movie · 1990 · Hard Rock
Cover art 3.25 | 4 ratings
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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.

BLACK SABBATH Never Say Die: Live In 1978

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 3.07 | 6 ratings
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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.

RAMMSTEIN Rammstein - Lichtspielhaus

Movie · 2004 · Industrial Metal
Cover art 3.44 | 5 ratings
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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.

MEGADETH That One Night - Live in Buenos Aires

Movie · 2007 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 4.26 | 13 ratings
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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?

DREAM THEATER Live at Budokan

Movie · 2004 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 4.37 | 31 ratings
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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.

DREAM THEATER Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York

Movie · 2001 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 4.61 | 39 ratings
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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.

IRON MAIDEN Visions Of The Beast

Movie · 2003 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 3.66 | 14 ratings
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‘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.

GUNS N' ROSES Welcome to the Videos

Movie · 1998 · Hard Rock
Cover art 3.33 | 2 ratings
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‘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.

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

Movie · 2005 · Rap Metal
Cover art 3.00 | 1 rating
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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.

IRON MAIDEN Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Album · 1988 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 4.42 | 218 ratings
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‘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.

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

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 2001 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 2.31 | 4 ratings
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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.

ICED EARTH Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked, Part 1

Album · 2007 · US Power Metal
Cover art 3.39 | 24 ratings
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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.

ANVIL Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Movie · 2009 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 4.08 | 9 ratings
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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.

METALLICA Sad but True

Single · 1993 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 3.23 | 5 ratings
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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.

DISTURBED Voices

Single · 2001 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 2.00 | 1 rating
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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.

FAITH NO MORE Introduce Yourself

Album · 1987 · Funk Metal
Cover art 3.04 | 39 ratings
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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.

DEEP PURPLE Deep Purple

Album · 1969 · Proto-Metal
Cover art 3.58 | 65 ratings
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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.

PAGAN'S MIND Celestial Entrance

Album · 2002 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 3.88 | 24 ratings
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‘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.

LIMP BIZKIT Significant Other

Album · 1999 · Nu Metal
Cover art 3.53 | 20 ratings
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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.

LINKIN PARK One Step Closer

Single · 2000 · Nu Metal
Cover art 2.83 | 2 ratings
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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.

LINDEMANN Skills in Pills

Album · 2015 · Industrial Metal
Cover art 3.41 | 7 ratings
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‘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!

METALLICA Live at Wembley Stadium EP

EP · 1992 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 3.28 | 5 ratings
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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.

KAMELOT Epica

Album · 2003 · Power Metal
Cover art 3.84 | 41 ratings
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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…

PANTERA History of Hostility

Boxset / Compilation · 2015 · Groove Metal
Cover art 3.00 | 1 rating
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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.

THREE DAYS GRACE One-X

Album · 2006 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 3.08 | 2 ratings
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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.

QUEEN Queen

Album · 1973 · Proto-Metal
Cover art 3.85 | 54 ratings
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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.

DISTURBED Disturbed

Boxset / Compilation · 2010 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 3.00 | 1 rating
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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.

DEEP PURPLE The Book Of Taliesyn

Album · 1968 · Proto-Metal
Cover art 3.30 | 57 ratings
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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.

NICKELBACK Feed the Machine

Album · 2017 · Hard Rock
Cover art 3.46 | 6 ratings
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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.

METALLICA Wherever I May Roam

Single · 1992 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 2.50 | 3 ratings
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Decent enough CD single, let’s see what we have here… ‘Wherever I May Roam’ is a great song. Heavy, grooving, with a nice tasty riff and some big vocals, singing about life on the road, or whatever typical nonsense you’d imagine a metal band singing about in 1991. There’s no denying it though, it’s a great song.

Then there’s a live version of ‘Fade to Black’, which, again, great song, although this could easily be one of the thousands of other live recorded versions of this track and I wouldn’t know the difference. And a demo of the title track, despite the very rough sound, it’s a nice touch, although listening to James Hetfield ‘na na na’ his way through the song is humorous for a one-off listen, but once is enough, thank you.

Overall, can’t really complain. It’s a harmless enough CD for collectors, but music fans today generally don’t really care for CD singles, do they? So yeah, one for the collectors.

PANTERA Metal Magic

Album · 1983 · Glam Metal
Cover art 1.77 | 16 ratings
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I’m sure I’m not the only one who spent years believing ‘Cowboys From Hell’ was the bands first release, but alas, here we are, 1983’s ‘Metal Magic’, the true debut of glam metal/future groove metal legends Pantera.

Turns out, before becoming one of the biggest metal bands on the planet, Pantera had released four independent albums, although, unlike the heavy, gritty and downright dirty sound of their 90’s output, these were more on the glam side of things, so expect spandex, songs about partying, “Diamond Darrell”, and dare I say it… keyboards!

But despite being generally reviled by fans and even the band themselves, the truth is, these albums aren’t that bad. ‘Metal Magic’, while not exactly innovating new sounds or breaking down barriers, still has a couple of nice little rockers on it. ‘Tell Me If You Want It’, ‘Ride My Rocket’, ‘Widowmaker’ and ‘Biggest Part of Me’ are all pretty decent hair metal anthems, and considering how young the members were at this time (Dimebag was only 16!), it’s really hard to not be a little impressed.

Just a shame about the naff production.

Overall, this album won’t change your life, and my God, this is completely different from the Pantera which sold millions and millions of albums in the 90’s, so if that’s what you’re expecting then don’t bother. But ultimately this is an interesting listen to see how the band changed and evolved to become what they are, and you may even find yourself liking it.

RAMMSTEIN Zeit

Album · 2022 · Industrial Metal
Cover art 3.18 | 7 ratings
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After 2019’s self-titled/untitled album, Rammstein were well and truly one of the biggest metal acts on the planet, joining the elite few that made it out of the arenas and into stadiums. With their stage show known for its huge spectacle, they were on top of the world.

Then COVID happened, and the world came to a standstill, and with nothing to do but write and rehearse (socially distanced, I’m sure), it meant that the German industrialists were quick to release a follow-up to their previous album, and that brings us to 2022’s ‘Zeit’.

With huge amounts of hype, its speculative, cryptic name and controversial music videos (so, all the usual Rammstein traits then), ‘Zeit’ is, admittedly, a pretty average affair. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad album, but it’s quite a mixed bag, with a fair number of tracks sounding like the band are just on autopilot.

But the good songs? Oh boy… When they get it right, they sound incredibly focused and on point. With their classic blend of heavy, crushing guitars, bright keyboard melodies, humorous lyrics and vocalist Till Lindemann’s deep, baritone voice, the band show that they are indeed still the same Rammstein we all know and love.

While ‘Zeit’ isn’t likely to be anyone’s favourite Rammstein record, tracks like ‘Angst’, ‘Dicke Titten’, ‘Armee Der Tristen’, ‘OK’ and the melancholic closing track, ‘Adieu’ are all good enough reasons to own this album, and ultimately, fans of the band will enjoy the album regardless.

DREAM THEATER Lost Not Forgotten Archives: Live at Wacken (2015)

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 2022 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 3.00 | 2 ratings
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Released in 2022 as part of the ‘Lost Not Forgotten Archives’ series, ‘Live At Wacken (2015)’ sees Dream Theater make a stop on their 30th Anniversary tour at the world-famous German heavy metal festival.

With only an hour to spare, the band make a brief run through a number of their albums, with a set list that incorporates all their major elements, both heavy and melodic (‘As I Am’, ‘Panic Attack’, ‘The Spirit Carries On’), and full-on progressive (‘Metropolis Pt. 1’). No easy task, given the wealth of their back-catalogue, as well as the duration of most of their songs.

As expected, the musicianship is superb, with the band on top form and really smashing the instrumental side of things. Sadly, as always, vocalist James LaBrie is tough to listen to at times, especially on the older material. He’s struggling, but he tries anyway. Bless him.

Overall, ‘Live At Wacken’ is a decent enough live album. It’s not essential by any stretch, but die-hard collectors will certainly enjoy owning it and giving it a spin or two.

DREAM THEATER Lost Not Forgotten Archives: Live at Madison Square Garden (2010)

Promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs) · 2023 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 3.25 | 2 ratings
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‘Live At Madison Square Garden (2010)’, recorded July 12th 2010 at the “world’s most famous arena”, sees Dream Theater playing to their hometown crowd as the opening act for metal legends Iron Maiden. The fact that Dream Theater are a headline band themselves shows how much of a big gig this was for them, and so I can totally understand why they’d want to release this under their line of “Lost Not Forgotten” series.

Consisting of six tracks and clocking in at only 50 minutes, this is a relatively short affair as far as Dream Theater live albums go. The set list caters to the heavier side of their fanbase, which would make sense considering who they were opening for, although surely Maiden fans wouldn’t have cared that much. I’m sure most of them probably like Dream Theater anyway.

As for the recording itself… it’s okay, I guess. The sound is fine, the playing is flawless, although LaBrie’s vocals, as always, are a little strained live. Drummer Mike Portnoy randomly speaks a number of times mid-song, which shows us his enthusiasm and excitement, but probably irritated the hell out of his bandmates. Two months after this concert happened, he would do the unthinkable by handing in his notice and departing the band he helped form.

Overall, ‘Live At Madison Square Garden’ fits the bill perfectly for this line of releases. It’s a nice gem for collectors to own, and highlights a special moment in the bands history, but ultimately, after a couple of listens, it doesn’t really have that much replay value. OCD completionists, like me, will snap this up, regardless.

NICKELBACK No Fixed Address

Album · 2014 · Heavy Alternative Rock
Cover art 2.42 | 8 ratings
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Nickelback fan here! Hi everyone! I love this band. I don’t care if they’re soppy, radio-friendly pop stars, or hard rockin’ heroes, these guys know how to write catchy, memorable songs, that are easy to get into, and are great to sing along to, or great to just flat out bang your head to. For all the hate they get, I think the Canadian quartet are massively underrated as songwriters.

But yeah, this album, ‘No Fixed Address’, isn’t very good.

They’ve stuck to their formula, with some songs massively overproduced to give them a huge sound, and plenty of melodic soppiness cater-made for pop fans, but I just really can’t get into these tracks. Sorry guys. I’m still a fan. As always, praise to Chad Kroeger’s vocals, which are always a joy to listen to (I for one, think he’s a fantastic vocalist), but overall, the songs are just pretty dull and uninteresting.

This album does have its moments though, with two absolute bangers in particular. ‘A Million Miles Away‘ is a huge, upbeat and energetic track that starts the album with some promise, but the true gem is the cheesy but infectiously fun ‘She Keeps Me Up’ (bet you weren’t expecting that, were you?). As goofy and mainstream-friendly as they can get, this song is genuinely fun to listen to, incredibly catchy and full of positive energy. Honestly, I love it!

But sadly, that’s as far as it goes with this record. I love Nickelback, and I know they still have plenty of hits left in them, but for no viable reason other than “I can’t get into it”, I just can’t get into it.

THREE DAYS GRACE Three Days Grace

Album · 2003 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 2.93 | 3 ratings
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‘Three Days Grace’ is the 2003 self-titled debut album by Canadian three-piece rock band, Three Days Grace. With nu metal dying down and with bands like Nickelback gaining mainstream superstardom, it was a natural process that the next big thing was all this guitar-driven hard rock, often cited as “post-grunge” (whatever the hell that means).

Three Days Grace were one of the more prominent bands of this next trend. They were young, good looking, wrote emotional (or “whiny”) songs and were tailor-made for radio.

But what I didn’t realise back then (it took me a while to get into this group), is that frontman Adam Gontier and co. have a great knack for some catchy, memorable hooks! Is this album repetitive? Yeah. Does it tick every radio-friendly box? Yeah, pretty much. But is it easy to listen to, and memorable enough to make me sing along, even when I don’t think I actually know the lyrics? Damn right!

Don’t get me wrong, this album is nothing new, fresh or unique. But why does it have to be? This is just some good, catchy, inoffensive radio rock, heavy music for people who may not like heavy music. Songs like ‘Let You Down’, ‘Just Like You’, ‘Burn’, ‘Home’, and smash hit ‘I Hate Everything About You’ are all good enough tracks to warrant checking these guys out, and bearing in mind their youth when this came out, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how they might improve with age.

DREAM THEATER Dream Theater

Album · 2013 · Progressive Metal
Cover art 3.49 | 75 ratings
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Whenever a band releases a self-titled album, there’s always that feeling that this is their definitive piece of work, something that so truly encapsulates their sound and legacy that no mere title will do. Simply put, this is supposed to be THE Dream Theater album.

And yet, it’s just that. Another Dream Theater album.

The progressive metal legends have been one of my all-time favourite bands since the early 2000’s, and each of their previous twelve studio albums or EP’s have all garnered a four or five-star rating. But sadly, the band have finally put out an album that doesn’t quite match up.

Why? I don’t know… the magic just isn’t there. Whilst previous album ‘A Dramatic Turn of Events’ saw the band continue onwards after the departure of original drummer Mike Portnoy, this outing is starting to show that perhaps without Portnoy’s drive and vision, the band really are on autopilot.

All the usual traits are here. Absolutely fantastic musicianship, with incredible chemistry between guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, and James LaBrie’s voice still sounds great despite wear-and-tear. But the songs, ugh, they’re not awful, but damn, these took a lot longer to get into than previous output. ‘The Looking Glass’ and ‘Along For the Ride’ are pretty decent, and the usual “epic track” of the album, ‘Illumination Theory’ is pretty good, but nowhere near holds up to classics like ‘A Change of Seasons’, ‘Octavarium’ and ‘The Count of Tuscany’.

Overall, ‘Dream Theater’ isn’t a bad album, it’s just, kind of there. When I can be bothered to listen to it, it’s alright, and has its moments, but mostly, I just find that I can’t really be bothered to actually listen to it.

SONATA ARCTICA Silence

Album · 2001 · Power Metal
Cover art 3.65 | 34 ratings
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martindavey87
Sonata’s Arctica’s 1999 debut, ‘Ecliptica’ is an incredible piece of power metal history, full of energy and youthful exuberance, the band’s majestic sound instantly made them a hit with fans of the genre. So it comes with regret that I find their follow-up, 2001’s ‘Silence’, to be a huge letdown.

The problem is, I can’t really figure out what the actual problem is. The songwriting is pretty solid, and the musicianship is fantastic, but overall, there’s just not a lot here to really get me going. It all seems very by-the-numbers power metal, which is weird, because Sonata Arctica have put out some absolutely amazing albums, but I find this one very hard to enjoy.

With that said, the record does have its moments. ‘San Sebastian’ and ‘Wolf and Raven’ are both exceptional, and worthy of any greatest hits compilations. And tracks like ‘Respect the Wilderness’ and ‘The Power of One’ both demonstrate the skills and potential this band has. Tony Kakko’s voice is a pleasure to listen to throughout, and the interplay between guitars and keyboards is stunning, though sadly wasted on a mostly generic album.

The Finnish five-piece were still pretty young into their careers here, and this is only their second album. It’s not terrible by any stretch, but it’s not anything I’m likely to come back to, either. I’d much rather listen to ‘Ecliptica’.

LIMP BIZKIT Three Dollar Bill, Yall$

Album · 1997 · Nu Metal
Cover art 3.13 | 18 ratings
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martindavey87
It’s crazy to think that somehow this album would spurn an upwards momentum that would lead Limp Bizkit to, at one point, being the biggest band on the planet. Released in 1997, ‘Three Dollar Bill Y’all$’ is the debut album of the Florida-based nu metal outfit. They weren’t the first band to fuse rock and rap, in fact, bands like Stuck Mojo, Body Count, H-Blockx and Clawfinger and countless others were already worldwide names by this point. But for some reason, ‘Three Dollar…’ was one of the earlier albums that helped usher nu metal into the mainstream. I just can’t see what people saw in it!

Now, I should point out, I’m not a Limp Bizkit hater. In fact, I really like them! They’ve released some absolute bangers, and, let’s face it, was the soundtrack to my (and everyone else’s) teenage years at the turn of the century. But that still doesn’t explain to me what people back in 1997 saw in this album.

Overall, it’s very forgettable. The guitar riffs are quite messy, and Fred Durst’s blend of rapping, singing and shouting just aren’t really cutting it. At least not yet, anyway. Then there’s the cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’ which was an early hit for the band, but again, does nothing for me. But if I had to pick, I guess ‘Pollution’, ‘Counterfeit’ and ‘Stuck’ are all okay.

But only okay. Nothing more.

It’s amazing that the band would go on to absolutely conquer the world, because if any bands released a debut this lacklustre and generic today, they’d be doomed. Still, the band are headed to bigger and better things, so skip this album and get the next one.

METALLICA Some Kind of Monster

EP · 2004 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 2.63 | 18 ratings
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martindavey87
‘Some Kind of Monster’ is an EP released by Metallica in 2004 to coincide with the release of their documentary movie of the same name. Originally appearing on 2003’s ‘St. Anger’, an album we’re all familiar with for the wrong reasons, it’s an okay song, but, like a lot of the tracks on that release, it’s quite long, and can tend to drag at times.

But never mind, because we’re also treated to six live tracks that… wait… hold on… these are the same live tracks that appeared on the ‘Unnamed Feeling EP’ which came out seven months earlier!

Okay, so thanks for that Metallica! So basically nothing new here, other than the edited version of ‘Monster’. Pretty sure I could cope without that.

Overall, a pretty pointless EP, which as I said, was only there to tie-in with the movie. They could have at least given us some different live tracks, but ah well. Collectors like me will still snap this up anyway.

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