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Pharaoh - Bury the Light - 95%

1/17/2014

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Control Denied's ex-vocalist Tim Aymar participates in this epic triumph of power metal. His vocals shine leading to perfection that goes into the music and aura of the release. The guitars by Matt Johnsen were incredible. There are so many different elements that he adds to the band on a whole scale. Clean guitar, distorted tonality, leads, all were performed in one hell of a impeccable accomplishment. Drums by Chris Black and bass by Chris Kerns flowed well.

Song tempos weren't very fast, just filled with amazing efforts by the band. Clean riffs go well with Tim's awesome vocal outputs. The distorted guitar also went well with his harsher tone. The musicianship was incredible on this album. Rhythms that really are outstanding in their own way. Very catchy, well thought out, played with precision as well as the leads. Matt is definitely a very advanced guitarists from all aspects. Really an unknown and underrated guitarist.

The album featured a smoothly filled melodic output and is very easy to get into if you like power metal in general. Nothing too heavy here, all played with immense feeling and passion. Tim leads the way for the band and Matt just follows his unique vocal style. The tremolo picked guitar parts were quite technical and abrasive, but fueled with extreme emotion. The chord progressions go well along with the tempos and leads were just placed in the right place plus they were really technical.

I would have to say that a better production was needed to make this album into giving it a perfect score. That's the reason why I didn't rate it as that. Everything was well heard. The guitars, bass, drums, and vocals all came into one unison in admiration. It was that the album just needed a stronger sound to make everything work. If it was more solid in loudness regarding every musician's efforts, then this one would've ranked even higher than the present score.

If you're into power metal and have not heard of Pharaoh, well you need to make them known in your memory banks. They play this genre with incredible musicianship as was previously mentioned. You need to hear this album especially because it's a triumph in 2012. So much variety in musical tone and every song deserved utter praise for it's pure originality. I'm not a huge fan of power metal, but Bury the Light shines in one heck of a follow-up. Get this now!
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Savatage - Gutter Ballet - 90%

1/13/2014

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Avatar, Savatage's previous name was also the name of a European outfit back in the early 1980's. That band was originally going to sue Jon and his late brother Criss Oliva if they didn't change their title. So instead of pursuing the name of Avatar in order to avoid being sued, they managed to change it interesting enough to Savatage. Jon and Criss were very engaged in music since their adolescence especially because their father avidly played the piano. They took several turns during their earlier musical endeavors. It wasn't until 1983 that they decided to come together seriously to form Savatage.

"Gutter Ballet" was their 4th full-length release that gained much popularity amongst their fans as a heavy/power metal outfit. The music on this album was melodic, melancholic, dramatic and innovative. Other people can challenge this notion. The fact of the matter here was that it's fair to come to this conclusion because the pieces are filled with such unique songwriting. Criticizing the album and not giving it much thought wasn't fair to the astronomical amounts of musicianship. Unfortunately, "Gutter Ballet" was the only release that I've heard from the band out of their entire discography.

The opening track entitled "Of Rage & War" features a bass guitar intro with duties from Johnny Lee Middleton accompanied by cymbals/drums by Steve Wacholz. This song segues into a heavier yet catchy riff structure. It isn't the only song that features intriguing metal. It occurs throughout the entire release. Jon Oliva on piano/vocals came up with some of the most memorable songs with the help from Criss on guitar duties. Their other member Chris Caffery was on guitars/keyboards. The entire album was filled with much melancholic emotion. They assumed that their aim was to flock together interested listeners which in turn made it into a reality.

Instrumental acoustic/electric guitar songs were found on "Temptation Revolution" and "Silk And Steel." Their guitarists also came up with some lead guitar work on these tracks. All songs including the bonus track "Thorazine Shuffle" were simply incredible compositions. Criss Oliva was such a talented guitarist that will forever shine in the metal world. He was a fond musician/guitarist that died at such a young age. Jon's feelings on the matter was such that when Criss died he felt so did Savatage. His words in an interview on Metal-Temple.com reflects his viewpoint on the matter. Even though Jon continued his involvement in Savatage after Criss's passing, he merely assisted Zak Stevens on vocal duties who would record future albums with the band.

Their previous recordings that were released as Jon on vocals/piano and Criss on guitars I've never heard before. So there's really no comparison that I can fully make of them since "Gutter Ballet" was the only release as previously claimed to have heard from the band. However, I'm keen on purchasing their earlier works since "Gutter Ballet" impressed me in such a great way. The main reason was because of the solely captivating songwriting. It's pretty easy to make out what Jon is saying during his vocal outputs. Criss's leads were amazing. They were filled with arpeggios and tremolo picking gallore that was just incomprehensible. He demonstrated how technical his playing was.

The whole of the songs showed melodies that were grim with despair but all entirely monumental as a metal act. Just check out the title-track, "When The Crowds Are Gone" and "Summer's Rain." If this isn't enough to get a gist as to what I'm talking about then it's your loss. These tracks are the most memorable pieces from the album. Though overall, "Gutter Ballet" showed quite a bit of classical influence to it. That may be since Jon and Criss grew up with hearing songs composed on the piano. Jon as well as Criss implemented some of that musical influence well through the songs on "Gutter Ballet."

Since it was 1989 when this album was recorded, the production sound wasn't entirely impressive. Though it was well mixed in terms of the vocals, guitars, keyboards and drums "Gutter Ballet" fell a bit short of suburb quality in the session recording. It's understandable since they didn't have access to all that's available nowadays in the studio. I'm not saying that musicians lacked in talent on any respect. It just flowed within them through years of playing with other numerous outfits.

The lyrics dealt with humanity, spirituality and fantasy. Jon wrote some of the lyric writing when he was in drug rehab. "Thorazine Shuffle" and "Mentally Yours" were written during his time there. From an overall lyrical standpoint, they were very intelligent and memorable. They seemed to reflect on Jon's outlook on life and issues throughout his life itself. There was no need to have covers on here since all of the tracks reflected Jon's past life experiences. Covering other songs such as KISS among others in his earlier days with Criss were no more. To this day however, he continues with his band Jon Oliva's Pain though Savatage showed his main achievements as a vocalist, pianist and songwriter.

Savatage's status as a band is on hold for the time I suppose until something significant happens to change this. "Gutter Ballet" was an extravagant piece of work that reflected their rise within the metal community. It will never be left forgotten as a part of their discography even though Criss's passing back in 1993 was such a tragedy. My hope is such that they eventually will return from being on a hold and will once again relive the days where they once were as a band despite the tragedy. If you're a fan of heavy/power metal, then "Gutter Ballet" is an album that should be heard which won't dissatisfy you as a listener.
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Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder - 95%

1/13/2014

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This is a prime example of how melodic/power metal should be played. Out of their entire discography, nothing can beat "Hatebreeder". Sure there are some Mozart rip off melodies, but overall an entirely original album. The synthesizers didn't drown out the music. The riffs are awesome! The solos too, Alexi really dominates here. It's a shame that this band has gone downhill instead of progressing as musicians. Nothing beats this old school release.

The music is filled with chord progressions, tremolo picked riffing, and leads that are mind blowing! A lot of tempo changes but nothing played too fast. I think that what stuck with me the most were the melodic overtures. Heavy Classical music oriented release. A lot of the melodies like I said were Mozart rip offs. Most of the songs here remind me a lot of the Amadeus soundtrack. Other than that, the album for the most part are original sounding melodic/power metal.

What annoyed me the most though were the synthesizers. Even though they weren't used as much as other COB albums, I still think that they would be a better band not to have synthesizers in the music. The main reason would be because it drowns out the main rhythm guitars. That's the only beef that I have for "Hatebreeder" besides the Mozart rip offs. I tell you, Alexi is amazing on lead guitar. So fast and furious outputs. Scales, arpeggios, etc. It's a shame that he's gone to hell now.

All of the songs are noteworthy and definitely worth praise. I can't seem to find another metal album which shines so well as this one does. Their best album forever! Alexi's vocals are like they always are, screaming with some help from another vocalist as well as other backup vocals. But his screaming/talking fits the music perfectly. I would say that there's nothing at all wrong with the vocal outputs. They are awesome and like I said perfectly fits the music.

The production is decent. Nothing is left out here. Recording perfection! All of the vocals, synthesizers, lead/rhythm guitars, and quality were just right in sync here. Nothing is left without being heard. Maybe the bass guitar could've been a little bit louder, but nevertheless it still can be heard if you listen very closely. Other than that, sheer perfection! Again, definitely the best Children of Bodom release forever!

If you're into melodic death/power metal, then this album is a must have! It truly is a classic with musicians that show off their talent to the many listeners to these genres! Nothing went wrong here at all. Not the vocals, guitar, synthesizers, and music that is so well played out. I definite gem of a release, I don't know that many albums that this one can top. It totally rips in every aspect. Pick it up now if you haven't already! Worth the money, you won't be disappointed!
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Control Denied - The Fragile Art of Existence - 100%

1/13/2014

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When I first got a hold of this record, I didn't like it at all. I'm not a big progressive power metal fan, but over time it just made sense. With Chuck during his final years progressing so far with the the songwriting and lyrics, I was hoping for something closer to sounding like Death, but the thing is I expected the unexpected. The riffs and leads are so Chuck totally. You can feel the vibe from him, it's apparent.

We have really slow-paced songs with bar chords galore, a little bit faster guitars on some songs, and the groove really kicks butt. Such atmosphere...awe-inspiring. This time around Chuck is no longer in the vocal department. Tim Aymar took over as Chuck's goal was to put out something totally progressive like Death was, just with a different voice. Tim really sings with vigor and diversity. There's some screaming, but all of the vocals represent the music precisely.

There are a lot of atmospheric effects on this album that augment the whole of Control Denied's release here. The guitars always change around slow tempos and faster tempos, but are totally Chuck. There are acoustic pieces as well. The tempo changes are all over the place. It's a mild metal album with Chuck's solos dominating. Shannon Hamm puts out some good lead work as well, but you could totally tell what was Chuck's.

The lyrics are mainly focused on humanity and society, perfect topics to fit the music. This album has the most progressive power metal that I've ever heard. Rhythm guitars that just dominate with such variety, but the whole album fits together. Some tempos are faster than others and are pretty much all over the place. It reminds me of old Opeth, just not as heavy. The tempos change much like them, though.

I'd say that the strongest elements here would be the music, the vibe, the vocals, and production's sound and quality. Everything here just lets the metal flow. It's a total chill mood release, something to definitely check out if you're a progressive power metal fan. I haven't heard many bands that reflect this genre. It seems like it's pretty much extinct, but I could be wrong. Just to my knowledge, Chuck put together a perfect record with music that's so original and lyrics that fit so well with the music.

If you like power metal in general, even the progressive type, then I think that you would enjoy this release. I'd say any metal fan could like this record. It's perfectly orchestrated and the music is filled with melodic riffs galore. The vocal department works here, not discounting Chuck's efforts with Death at all, though. He made the right choice in selecting Tim Aymar to fill in in this department. Everything just works here. No complaints and a perfect record to chill to and enjoy.
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Power Theory - An Axe To Grind - 85%

1/13/2014

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I was surprised about what I heard when I first listened to this album. The surprise was that this band plays some seriously awesome power/heavy metal. The guitar riffs are totally original and interesting to listen to. They feature some tremolo picked riffs along with power chord choruses that really stick to your brain. I was totally impressed with this album. The vocals take a little time to get into though they're a combination of Bruce Dickinson and Dave Mustaine. Quite an odd mixture, but not too annoying. Decent, but not great.

The only beef that I have with this album are the guitar solos. They aren't too well played out. It doesn't seem like they know what they're doing when it comes to this department. Heavy blues based riffs that are distinct and some fast but always memorable. There's a bit of clean tone guitar work in there too. It isn't just distortion coming out of those amplifiers every song. It just makes the album more diverse. But the bulk of the songs there are the distorted guitar.

Everything was mixed well here. You could hear everything pretty well. The vocals aren't drowned out by the guitars and drums. It just flows evenly. This album is about 48 minutes of pure original heavy/power metal. The rhythms are quite complex to play and definitely are the biggest asset to the album. That's what caught my attention the most. All of the songs seriously rip and it's an album that you can listen to repeatedly and not get sick of.

The production sound is solidly based and make this album extraordinary. They must've really invested a lot of money to get this album produced with such quality. Strange that there are no existing reviews of this release here in this database. It's one of those that aren't well available and it could be the reason why they're pretty much an unknown band. But such maturity in the songwriting. That's definitely for sure. They seem to be experienced musicians even though they've only been around since 2007. They just need better solos as I previously mentioned.

If you want an album that is full of guitar riffs that totally dominate, An Axe To Grind is it! These guys deserve praise because of such quality in the songwriting and growth potential in upcoming releases. Definitely a good combination of heavy/power metal. The power metal aspect would apply to the vocals and the heavy metal the guitar riffs. Either way, they need to be more well known. If you've never heard of them, go by my words metal lovers because An Axe To Grind is pure brilliance!
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Fear Factory - Demanufacture - 100%

1/13/2014

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Talk about utter brutality and annihilation in the sense of music of metal and variation. The whole of the release is totally intense and fueled with utter hatred, intensity, violence, and also at times severing away from the womb of metal where it doesn't seem like it's born. I mean in a sense that not everything here is totally brutal. There are times here that have utter atmospheric choruses and sheer perfection in the sense of sound plus production weaving it's metal way sifting through barriers and just severing the spirit equalling total metal invigoration, commencement, variability fueled with massive vibe of original metalish collection of tunes.

Baffled me my first hearing years ago, then hearing Obsolete and thinking this album surpasses that one much more intensely. What we have here is a B-tuning guitar that's filled with such heaviness and crunch, goes well along with the heavy grunted vocals with it's manifestation of utter originality not mention genius in songwriting essence. And album that can be heard totally tons of times and be like maybe no way that you can get tired of it because it includes so many variations and atmospheres. The band really came together with such great thoughts in the way of making sounds like never heard before.

Aggressive vocals most of the time and the guitar just thick, chunky (as previously stated), bar chord complexity alongside clean vocals that goes well with it during those periods amongst the synthesizers that are orchestrated during chorus bits or just amiable errants of ringtone vox paving it's way to metal in a fashion like no other. The music overall is a complexity in effect making it hard to pinpoint where the up and down swings land themselves in, keeping the listener interested because of such variability. A total metal album that just fuels the fire of exasperating feel to it that makes it dominant in all aspects.

Rating this album as a 100% is not off in any way because I hear just utmost sincerity of pure imagination. That imagination is not more important than what is real here. We have guitars hitting home with no leads, but just heavy guitar bits, vocals that vary up all of the time, drums that just pound into your cranium with the mixing of these instruments was just mystifying and so well done. The quality is totally there. Some of the songs seemed to indicate a lack of proper definition, but that's where they got experimental with sound. Not everything is considered to be pure metal supremacy, but more so a total outlet of an experience to hear when you're pissed off or just want sounds.

I'd have to conclude that the band as a whole really dominated in all aspects and Demanufacture is just a symbol of metal supremacy that's reinforced time and time again. Yes they did fool around with those wicked keys and not every song on here is totally with aggression, some with stagnant lack of perspiration, on the ones that make you sweat are the ones to capture the most of. Just taste a tune such as "Self Bias Resistor" and total imagination in writing achieves it's peak in complexity, tempo change and sheer metal domination. I'd say that this album as a whole was the bands best contribution to metal that they could've possibly achieved. Own this!
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Sodom - Agent Orange - 100%

1/13/2014

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Talk about thrash metal quality, intelligent, intense, aggressive, ever changing and original release here. A monumental one in all aspects. It shows some similarities to Kreator's "Coma of Souls", which is a definite one that is from another German descent, but Sodom rips it up here showing that they too can measure up to the genius syndrome. Riffs are fast, technical, intense and totally amazing. Too bad like other bands they just went downhill after their peak albums were delivered. I would think that bands would get even better and evolve rather than cop out and play things that they think listeners want to hear. I would say it's wrong to think that in music, but it happens so often.

Thrash metal bands like old Metallica, Exodus, Testament, Kreator, Sepultura and Sodom all reigned during an 80's minor 90's eras. A lot of them just lost it, but other bands like Destruction and even Kreator are belting out solid releases. Testament too, but Sodom's newer material isn't even close to being original like "Agent Orange" is. This band totally annihilates here, and to give a higher than 100% if it existed. You get rock solid production quality here and chunky guitar riffs that explode and also areas that are just groove based. So it's not entirely intense all the way through, but shows variety in songwriting abilities.

The solos by Frank Blackfire (ex-Kreator) are just technical and amazing all over the fretboard. Angeripper's voice doesn't sound like Schmier's on this one, it seemed more original than his, although not many thrash metal bands that I consider to be good on the vocals. Many exceptions, but as a whole, the intensity and quality reign in the music. However, I will detract and say that Angelripper just kicks ass and his voice on here sounds more like Dave Mustaine's via Megadeth. Though there are just similarities, but it's kind of coincidental. Some people favor Megadeth, but I've never been a huge fan of the band.

The originality on this album is so supreme and exasperating in quality, groove, intensity, variety, technicality and originality. Though I pointed out some similarities to other legend bands, Sodom just reigns supreme here and conquers, releasing their best album out of their entire discography. I'd conclude that it's better to purchase a newer CD because you get a bonus and it's not very expensive. We've explored the originality and amazing songwriting here, even though as a 3-piece, they still ripped your ears apart with their aggression and full obliteration of thrash metal imploded on this planet.

Those are my thoughts here, so in closing, I'd have to say that the scene in the higher 80's era seemed to be the best overall types of thrash metal invigorating albums that reign supreme with their intensity plus aggression galore. No song on this album is bad or uninteresting. All tracks deserve mention because they're all in intensity mixed with laying back grooves, but all in all, are aggressive as hell. This album is up there with Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains", Kreator's "Coma of Souls", Destruction's "Release From Agony", et al. If this is missing in your collection, evaluate and simply invest in it because it's much worth getting and deafening to the ears.
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Napalm Death - Utopia Banished - 80%

1/10/2014

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Follow-up from the supremely monumental "Harmony Corruption" release, Napalm Death seemed to have a more polished production sound quality to this one, but fell a little bit short in the musical department. Since we're talking death metal/grindcore here, I'd say that this album was mostly a death metal type of release with grindcore mixed in with the music and the riffs were not as noteworthy as their predecessor. The music didn't stick as well, a combination of bar chord licks mixed in with heavily tremolo picking as they're so well known for, but this one kind of dragged on with nothing really flying in at a "utopian base."

With Mick no longer behind the set, Danny's 1st full-length attempt to match Mick fell somewhat short on the set. The music was to me B- material, nothing that Mitch and Jesse (RIP) could really come up with that really baffled me. Barney's vocal outputs also were a bit different, a sort of echo to his burley vox, they weren't as deep. That's why I don't like much of the more recent material since he doesn't have that same burley sound as he did on his debut. The nickname Barney doesn't fit to him anymore because of this reason and I think Napalm Death fans would have a similar opinion of his sound is especially in the more modern releases.

There were just a few leads, but well composed, however they've never really emphasized them mostly just rhythms. I think it's better that they don't since the grind is enough tremolo picking in itself you don't want to have the music muddled out with blast beats, tremolo pick, leads and vocals all at once. You do get some of this here, so it sounds more like just noise. If I really wanted true noise, I'd revert back to "Peel Sessions." In any case, the album had a big emphasis on lyrics, their anger and rage is brought on by the hatred regarding politics as well as other views, so yes, the aggression stood forth strongly and managed to be a decent listen to.

I would have to say that the music was the highest emphasis on the release and some of the riffs were really catchy. The production wasn't flanked with much reverb as it's previous and I think that it seemed to have a fresher sort of composition as opposed to a sort of "fuzzy" type of tracks. In that sense, this album is strong, though the last track should've been omitted. It didn't really suit the intro, kind of like it should have been. I'd say that it did fall short in that aspect, but there is so much good to say about the album despite its imperfections. I sort of lost interest in the newer material not only because Jesse and Mick aren't in the band anymore plus Barney is not sounding like himself anymore.

Despite what I threw out there as a follow up from the classic "Harmony Corruption", this one is good, but not nearly as good as that one. Just YouTube both albums and compare, you'll see that I'm not wrong in saying that "Harmony Corruption" way surpasses this one by a bunch. I sort of got the vibe that they went downhill from here and the earlier grind days with Mick in the band are a thing of a distant past. A tragedy to lose Jesse forever on 2nd guitar and that Mick going his own way and done with the band completely after "Harmony Corruption." So listen to both and I don't think I'm wrong in saying yes this one is good, but nothing outranks it's predecessor.
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Carcass - Surgical Steel - 95%

1/10/2014

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Yes, quite a long break from the metal scene, however, Carcass is back! This one fits in the genre of not only melodic death, but actually death 'n roll. That doesn't necessarily make it "not" melodic, it's melodic as all hell. Plus Steer sounds like he's keeping the guitars tuning to B still, reliving the old tunes and turning the music into a pure melodic medley of tunes that are stifling, not to mention that they're still thick and heavy as all hell. Walker's vocals are pretty much the same as its previous outputs, reliving the spirit of the past and applying it to their newer sound fitting it rather well alongside the melodies fast paced tempos.

Commendable return although some have this contingency that it wasn't music they are adhering to, it's money. With that belief, the whole of the album tends to make it as worthy as nil. I appreciated the album immensely, not out of bias or disagreement with other people's views, but because I felt a good vibe when I heard this, and yes, it was like reliving the gift of melodic memories. I think that Steer made the music commendable here, despite the slighter change in songwriting structure, the melodicism of the music keep it for me interested because the emotion definitely comes out in the music.

I've never been a fan of Carcass' lyrical department, mainly just the music and vocals. On this one, I think that Steer's leads weren't as wicked on that of "Heartwork", but still was able to dish out some highly technical riffs, with a touch of rock and roll feel to it. I'm guessing that was the underlying style in the songwriting department, they wanted to bring themselves back into the world of emotion in music, even if it is heavy and the guitars thick. Actually, the guitars are to me the highlight of the album and the production quality was commendable. Walker sounds the same yes, but it truly does fit with Steer's musical compositions. 

I didn't lose interest in any of the songs the whole way through. In fact, I felt it to be exuberant in feel, original in style, lucid in essence and wicked in spirit. These aspects made the album work and possibly one of the top albums of 2013. I'm not in agreement with others just for the sake of agreeing with them, I truly thought that this comeback leads to other bands comebacks in metal, not just them, but those who've disbanded in the past for whatever reason. So yes, the hallmark here are Steer's utter complexity in writing style, tremolo picking riffing abundant, a vibe that puts the sound in a world of its own among their discography.

The fact that this band made a hallmark comeback to the metal scene is quite admirable. Just not only that, but listening to 47+ minutes of pure and fresh melodic/death 'n roll. The music is captivating, the vocals so much like the past, the production quality like that of "Heartwork", and a drive for this band to really make its mark once again in approach to metal. I don't think that this album is them just selling out, I think that the memories of the past became relived and their adjunct to keeping themselves untouchable in this unique melodic form will turn new listeners into their vibe getting them interested in the older melodic days, not as much the way early grind ones. A monument.
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Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll - 100%

12/15/2013

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I've been a fan of the band's music for years now, but not so much their lyrical concepts. I'd say that aside from that, the music on this album really has turned into one of my favorites from the band. Just everything was to me so complete on here and another one you can listen to repeatedly and never get tired of. Each hearing you notice different things that you didn't hear previously. I think that a lot of people were expecting a little too much in the melodic death genre. This one is a combination of melodic death/power metal. If you get the newer version of it, there is a cover song by them of a Slayer tune from South of Heaven entitled "Silent Scream."

A lot of influences heard on here, but yet, doesn't every band have their influences? A 5-piece here spewing out a mixture of symphonic melodic death metal with power metal tendencies. The synthesizers didn't out weigh the music. In fact, I thought when rhythm nation came up far lacking innovative riff-writing, they incorporated the awesome atmosphere augmenting those not so amazing guitar licks. Definitely a better mixing than prior releases not to mention the production quality. I think that this way didn't get the higher credit that it deserved. I suppose that the sort of change in style here ousted fans making it harder to appreciate an experimenting band they've become.

Actually, I was quite impressed with every song because they all seemed to be well orchestrated and amazingly thought out. The guitars are in heavy crunch tone with lower tuning to make the songs especially "Sixpounder" more brutal with Alexi doing his job with his screaming alongside backup vocals. Where songs that seemed to fail, those synthesizers augmented the music seeming to come in there quite diligently. The solos were mad wicked as was in past work achievements. Even the synthesizers made it way more melodic and right on cue with the guitars. There were actual songs that began with them and were consistently in the background even during the vocals.

The band mainly in the guitar department really delivered making the music more tolerable not to mention downright thick! Alexi's solos shined in every respect and yet are still amazing compared to past works. They simply dominate, showing true talent from his techniques as well as diversity. The music is what is most captivating here. Everything that you hear here blows away past and future albums, way impressive sounds that go alongside the vocals here, not extraordinary tempo changes, just everything seemed to take on a heavier sound mixed with those melodic synthesizers.

This album does deserve a higher rating from what I've seen. Again, fans are lacking in the total appreciation in the creativity that was put forth on this album. In my view, I think it's their best album. The main reason is not only production quality, but the vocals, the guitars and the synthesizers were a total abomination to the eardrums. Give this band credit for putting out some terrific music from start to finish. They really took those 2 genres and made them blend in nicely musically speaking. The aggression is still there and the creations dived forth in a new creation. Make sure to YouTube "Sixpounder" and you'll hear one of my favorite Children of Bodom songs ever!
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