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It took 6 months from the time I ordered this CD until the time I got it. Somehow there is some other band named Pain and naturally the two kept getting mixed up. It had some sort of Atari cartridge on the cover and said 'Plays Just Like the Arcade!'. Pretty gay I thought. Well anyways I found out about this 'band' from Nuclear Blasts 10 year anniversary CD collection. Why I have band in half-ethees is because it consists solely of Peter Tagtgren. He does the vocals and the instruments and even the production. Can he do it live? Probably not. The music is sort of an industrial/heavy/thrash metal. The vocals are actually clean, and sound pretty good. It's good stuff... but unfortunately I didn't feel it was worth waiting six months for. Playing time: 33:20 Tracks:8 Favorite: 1,3,8 Nuclear Blast/Peter Tagtgren ©1996
"Dealing with my own hate, all I get is pain, Shadows hunting me, all I do is freak, Insanity is getting closer now, how long can I survive, The greed from this world is sucking me dry." | ||||
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Nearly every song on this CD is excellent. The ones that aren't excellent are at least good. It was made right when glam metal had gone out of style. I wasn't into music when this CD hit the shelves, but from the stories I hear, it made a definite impact in the metal scene. The music is all original in style (which is amazing in itself for an American band), fast paced and heavy and very melodic. I still haven't heard anything like it to this day. The production is way ahead of it's time. Anselmo's singing is half soft, half rough, sometimes he screams like a little bitch (which is forgivable). Dimebag Darrel was called Diamond Darrel at the time. Every band member had long hair. At least it wasn't 'big' hair. Playing time: 57:41 Tracks: 12 Favorite: All except 3 and 8 ATCO/Terry Date ©1990
"It's a twisted fall. Binds are like steel and manipulates the will to be. And it's hard to see how soon we forget when there's nothing else left to destroy. It's a useless ploy." | ||||
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This is by far my most played CD (Even though it's been played just twice in about the last year). I've had it for over 7 years now. There was a time period of two months in high school where this was the only CD I listened to (of course it was recorded onto tape for my car). Maybe the fact that I only had about 6 CDs at the time had something to do with it, but then again, maybe not. It's one of the few albums I own that is actually good from the first song to the last. Although 'By Demons Be Driven' is my least favorite (it was the song I ended up editing out to fit on the 45 minute side of the tape). The vocals have become much tougher...rougher. Phil has a shaven head, and Diamond is now Dimebag (correction...this doesn't happen until the next album.. SORRY!). The way the lyrics are written in the booklet is the way they will be written for the rest of their creations. Same handwriting, everything. If you haven't figured it out, this is my favorite Pantera. Playing time: 52:50 Tracks: 11 Favorite: ALL ATCO/Terry Date & Vinnie Paul ©1992
"If one man had one home in one world, He'd live alone without variety, full of anxiety, No one to point at question or even talk-to in his private grave. No matter what color, he wouldn't be saved from Hell, He dwells, A closed mind playing the part of prison cells." | ||||
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This is my first store bought CD. My real first ones were ordered from Columbia House when I was twelve. This is the CD that made me cool. I was nothing before this CD. Since becoming a proud owner of it I have obtained super powers. I can jump higher. I can run faster. My reflexes have increased by one hundred fold. And on occasions I can read people's minds, and control them. Yes my friends, if you don't have this or the prior two Pantera CDs you are like I was. Nothing. Nada. No excuses. It's too late now. You've already heard it from me. Now go. And don't let me catch you with your tail out from between your legs. Some metal magazine described this one best... (I quote) "Shits nails and wipes with barbed wire". Music is somehow heavier than Vulgar Display of Power, yet laid out in a way that makes it easier to listen to. It has a fake aggressiveness to it, with talk of chair throwing, vomiting, suicide, and male genitalia being used for homicide. Playing time: 56:26 Tracks: 12 Favorite: ALL except 5 and 7 Eastwest/Terry Date & Vinnie Paul © 1994
"I throw you away, every day. A dead part of life. Strangling back, seething black. In between my longing for torture. Blood on my face, that came from your face. A mix of kissing and bleeding. I put you away, I shut you away, I pissed you away, I threw you away." |
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These three don't really deserve their own individual table cells, so here's my attempt to consolidate them. I don't even have to change the font color because the covers almost look the same. First off I had ultra high hopes for The Great Southern Trendkill. The title of the thing turned me off when I first heard about it... But I still had to get it. I feel that it was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. I listened to it once, twice, and a third time and didn't listen to it again for months. The vocals have gone from rough to 'strangled cat'. The production makes the whole CD sound like crap. The vocals were actually recorded separately from the music, in another state!!!. Nearly everything screamed is repeated in a stoned out voice by Dimebag Darrel. The music is almost nonexistent. Most of it is just noise. Crazy crazy noise. With a couple of decent guitar solos. Live 101 is what it says. Live. Plus two new lame songs. Reinventing the Steel starts out like a freight train, emulating how Cowboys from Hell started out, but a lot heavier and faster. After the first song it's pretty much unlistenable. I find myself skipping from one song to the next within two minutes of each other, because I get annoyed by it so fast. I can tell they actually tried on it though. They built up their own little hype prior to it's release, saying it was a combination of Cowboys From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power. Nope. Unless I missed something, that statement couldn't be more wrong. I'm sorry to say that at this point, Pantera is simply burnt out.
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I found out about Paradise Lost through a Metallurgy (A British magazine?) compilation. As I Die was the song on there. I didn't even like the song until later. The whole reason it ended up in my collection was I recognized the band's name when I saw the CD in the PX at Fort Gordon. Surprisingly enough, even for it's 'poppy' sound it's very good. The lyrics rhyme more here than anything else I've ever heard. On some songs every third word rhymes ("Elate the tears I create, how completely inane"). I have a few of their older CDs, but I don't like them much. I guess they are the 'Pioneers' of Gothic metal, and they veer very far from that genre with this title. Playing Time: 54:58 Tracks: 13 Favorite: ALL except 9 and 13 Music For Nations/Sank ©1997
"And for one second, I lost my head, And for one second I wished that you were dead, And for one second, you wish that you were here all alone, Hold back the tears that could fall for me." | ||||
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Rammstein is revered as a very 'One hit wonder' type of a band. I don't blame them, I blame their publishing company. They were very big when they made the song 'Du Hast'. It was heard on the radio and seen on MTV hundreds of thousands of times within two months. After those two months... Rammstein? Who's that? Unfortunately they are remembered from that song. Even though there is TONS of variety on the CD. The lyrics are mostly in German, plus two English version bonus tracks. I think that's what most people (American) liked about it... that it was in German. What do they sound like? They have many different sounds. The production is very well done. There are some female vocals in there somewhere (it's been a while since I've listened to it), with some male (sometimes Opera-like) vocals. The melodies are usually simple things. Especially in the songs released on the radio. Overall a good CD. Playing Time: 52:19 Tracks: 13 Favorite: 1,2,5 Motor Music/Jacob Hellner ©1997
"Du. Du hast. Du hast mich" | ||||
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Someone once told me "You should try 'North From Here', if you like black metal". And I thought to myself, "Agathodaimon is black metal, and I like them... So I guess I like black metal." Well, my opinion has done almost a 180 since I last did this review... I actually like this CD now. I'm listening to it about twice a week. It has a very raw sound to it. Sort of a 'sharpness' rather than a heaviness. Guitars are loud, drums are hard, vocals are a mix between a growl and a hiss... Making a very unique blend of deathness... The songs are constucted with a number of small, quick melodies that don't always fit together, but still manage to entertain. Almost all of the parts that are strictly instrumental are very good. Guitars both going at the same time, and each doing thier own thing, mixing like oil and water. All in all, I'm very glad I gave it a second chance. Playing Time: 43:54 Tracks: 8 Favorite: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 Century Media/Ahti Kortelainen ©1993
"I flee back to the time, where man was true. I see... life as it was meant for me. On this trail I meet my ancestors. On this trail I find their wisdom. From the wall of frozen time... I see my own reflection. Born.. In the wrong century. Torn.. To a wrong reality." | ||||
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Here is the first Sentenced CD I bought. It differs from 'North From Here' in every way possible, except for the Sentenced logo. There is plenty of melody to go around. It even gets corny at times. I've been told I should like this one a lot... But I don't. There are a couple of songs I enjoy, but most of it seems like the band is trying too hard to sound good. The singer deepens his voice deeper than it's meant to go, and it's easy for me to notice. Each song seems to have it's own little 'Special Part', such as all the instruments will stop, and then kick in or maybe one will still be playing, etc. Summary: Good music, but because it seems that they are kissing the ass of the masses, it's just about ruined for me. Playing time: 54:43 Tracks: 11 Favorite: 3, 5 Century Media/Hiilesmaa ©2000
"Blood in my arms, wounds within, Fall from grace as I offer you sin. Sacrifice yourself so frail... This pseudo-love is as good as betrayal. So place your love in the palm of my hand.. where temptation lies within.. that something you've yet to feel. And as I close my fist and awake your sleeping fears, Without forbearance I will quench my thirst of your crimson tears." | ||||
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There's not much I can say about this one. When I first got it, I couldn't stand the way everything sounded like it was inside a plywood box. Then years later they came out with the "Remaster's" editions, and somewhat stupidly I picked up all four of them at the same time, thinking that all that crappy sound would be gone (at least somewhat). Once again, I was wrong. I'm sure the music kicks ass, but I can't bring myself to listen to it. There are a couple of songs that were later redone in Schizophrenia and Blood-Rooted, Troops of Doom and War.. Basically you see it here because you will see ALL of Sepultura here, and it would be just plain silly to exclude their first album.... Oh, yeah... Bestial Devastation is on the back, so if you print out the picture you will see it when you turn the page over. Playing Time: 56:11 Tracks: 13 Favorite: Nope Roadrunner Records/Sepultura ©1986
If you find lyrics, send them to me.... Maybe you'll see them here (?). | ||||
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It has to be said that the first track is just plain awesome. I wont describe it for you. If you are ever lucky enough to ride with me in my car, ask me about it and I'll play it for you. This CD sounds ten times better than the last one, yet still manages to be barely listenable. Hold on.... Let me listen to it again because I can't think of anything to say about it.... Okay. This is actually one of the better CDs I own. It's unfortunate that it's not listened to much... probably the production quality deters me from that... Anyway it includes a seven and a half minute instrumental song that's past par with Metallica's 'Call of Ktulu'. The vocals are very distinct from everything else they've done. The basic style of the music is nearly the same for the next two CD's. Plenty of guitar solos, superb drumming, everything done to 100%. Playing Time: 56:43 Tracks: 10 Favorite: 1, 3, 5, 10 Roadrunner/Sepultura ©1987
"At the time of my last pain, I scream, so I can run away, What I see in front of me, Is only the reflection of my insanity. Throwing me to the present, Alone almost in despair, My head throws itself against the wall, Making my blood flow free of me, To be born again, it'll be a sad destiny." | ||||
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Before Roots came out, this was the CD that Sepultura got popular off of. A good guess why could be that the production is finally acceptable. Another good guess is that it's a damn good CD. Max has his voice exactly where he wants it now. Everybody in the band just seems to be right in their groove here. All the songs are played perfectly. Experimentation seems to be cut down a little. The only thing that hurts it for me is the lack of good melodies. There's plenty of beats, riffs, and whatnot. But not much melody outside of a guitar solo (which all are very good). I got it because two people while I was in high school said it was the best one. It's only number three in my opinion... Playing Time: 54:10 Tracks: 8 Favorite: 2, 4, 6 Roadrunner/Scott Burns ©1989
"Nobody will change my way, Life betrays, but I keep going, There's no light, but there's hope, Crushing oppression, I win. Betraying and playing dirty, you think you'll win. But someday you'll fall, and I'll be waiting. Laughs of an insane man you'll hear, Personality is my weapon against your envy." | ||||
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I bought this CD first. It took me months to get up the nerve to get it. I heard nothing but good things about the band, but got little input on which CDs were best. This one was the newest in the store, and it was $16. I only made four dollars an hour at the time, and I couldn't see paying so much money for only 9 songs. I mean, I had to pay a hundred and thirty dollars a month for car insurance for crying out loud. But I already had everything Pantera made. And I really needed to 'Expand my Horizons' as a friend of mine said. So I got it and was broke for a week and a half. I didn't like it at all at first. The vocals put me off a lot. After a while I noticed a couple of good parts in some of the songs. It took nearly a full year for me to get to like 'Arise' to my fullest. It took that long as well, for me to get another of their creations, in the form of 'Beneath the Remains'. It is still my favorite Sepultura CD. It sounds similiar to the last one, but the music is a lot better. If not for me eventually liking it, I would probably not have liked anything on this side of heavy metal. That means no At the Gates or In Flames. And this webpage would have never been created. So you should send Sepultura a thank you letter for opening my mind to bring you this masterpiece in critical review. Playing Time: 59:22 Tracks: 9 Favorite: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Roadrunner/Scott Burns ©
"My throat is dry, A last cry tries to escape. Guilt and frustration, No time to turn around. Looking behind I'm not alone. Are they friends or enemies? Going insane without a cure. Scarring my eyes, visions lost." | ||||
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Well, you've already read about my favorite, and then about my third favorite.. "So, what's his second favorite?" I hear you asking to yourself. "It must be Roots, because that's EVERYBODIES favorite..." you also say. I say no. Look to the left of this text. Yep. There. THAT's my second favorite. "Even though the style changed completely? Even though they did a cover song?" you also ask. And I say "Yep". As a matter of fact, that cover song is my favorite on the CD ('The Hunt' by New Model Army). The rest of the CD is pretty cool too. The lyrics actually make sense. I think that's because the words are put into actual sentences. I'm a little disappointed that there are no extraordinary guitar solos though. The music as a whole seems a little rougher. The production is at it's best for the band. Unfortunately from here, they try to sustain the direction they are going, instead of saying 'If it aint broke, don't fix it' Playing Time: 50:10 Tracks: 13 Favorite: 3, 4, 5, 9, 11 Roadrunner/Andy Wallace ©1993
"You sensor what we breathe. Prejudice with no belief. Senseless violence all around. Who is it, that keeps us down. Once all free tribes, Chained down led lives. Blood boils inside me, We're not slaves, we're free." | ||||
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Production. Production. Production. Whereas with their earlier stuff it's forgivable because they couldn't have afforded a better producer. Now they have no excuse. What's wrong with it? I'll tell you! It's very 'scratchy'. Yes....scratchy. Guitars don't sound like guitars. Drums can't be heard well at all. Vocals are distorted to static. What makes it worse it that it was done on purpose. To make it sound 'good'. I know Ross Robinson charges a lot. He's the same guy that produced most of Korn's CDs. In addition to this change of sound goes a change of image. On the earlier CD back covers, there was a message imprinted saying something to the effect of 'Drugs are bad. Don't do them.'. Granted that was Roadrunner running that campaign, but it stopped here. Now there's a Jasco logo, which happens to be a marijuana leaf. This CD sucks. If you like Limp Bizkit, you will like this CD. Playing Time: 72:17 Tracks: 16 Favorite: I wish I had some... Roadrunner/Ross Robinson ©1996
"Can you take it? Can you take it? Can you take it? Can you take it? The only way to get away, Kill your pride, Attitude. I wont take it. I wont take it. I wont take it. I wont take it." | ||||
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This is basically a collection rare songs by Sepultura. In case you didn't want to buy a soundtrack for 'Policia', now you don't have to. There's also a neat song where Mike Patton (Faith No More) guest stars, plus many others. Surprisingly most of the songs are enjoyable. Playing Time: 64:50 Tracks: 18 Favorite: 4, 6, 7 Roadrunner Records ©1997
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The vocalist has now been replaced. Apparently he wasn't getting along with the rest of the band. I think it's because he's been smoking to much reefer, but what do I know? Except that he started a new group called Soulfly, which happens to have the same sound as Roots. I bought the first one, and said "No sir, I don't like it". I have no interest at all in pursuing what crazy stuff Max has been getting into. Like I said, the vocalist was replaced. In Against, there's not a big deal made of it at all. You can only see him in the background of a group picture. He's not bad. It's the complete 180 that the music style does that I dislike. I'm not going to say that it's bad. I actually think that both are very well made CDs. They just aren't Sepultura anymore. So I still don't know what to think of these :(.
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Amazing that this band isn't popular nationwide. Everything about them is excellent. I remember they were extremely popular in Fayettville/Fort Bragg when they first came out. But everyone I've mentioned them to outside of that area never heard of them. The sound (first off) is top-notch. Vocals are good and clear. All instruments sound as if they are being played right in front of you. The music is relaxing, while at the same time has a partying feel to it. I bought it as a spur of the moment 'I have 20 bucks I need to get rid of' type of thing. Because the production is so clear, I liked the way it sounded in my old Celica, which had 3 inch speakers in front and 4 inch speakers in back. The music itself is very good most of the time, tiresome the rest of the time. The only drawback is that the songs don't vary much from one another. Playing Time: 48:31 Tracks: 11 Favorite: 1,2,6,8,9 TVT/Jay Jay French ©1997
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It wasn't hard to figure out what color to make my font here. This thing has to be the purplest thing I own. Even the case is purple colored. Why did I buy this? Alexi Laiho. What? Don't you know who that is? He's the singer for Children of Bodom! What is he doing on this CD? I think he's (vagina)-whipped. The thing is, his girlfriend, Kimberly Goss has a dream. Her dream is to have her own band that has it's own sound. Not girly like Nightwish, but more reminiscent of older metal stuff. That dream is sufficiently accomplished with this CD. Strange thing is, is that Alexi writes 90% of the music. She writes the lyrics and sings them. Looking through the lyric book, I believe this is a 'Look at me!' type of thing for her, because she is the center of all the pictures, plus she takes up two pages, where the other four band members share two pages between each other. I don't know why this aggravates me..... Playing Time: 34:28 Tracks: 9 Favorite: 2 Nuclear Blast/Frederik Nordstrom ©1999
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This is another CD I didn't like at first. No reason why exactly. Just wasn't my style at the time. I've never wanted to listen to it, but when I do I get into it pretty well. The vocals are strange in the sense that it's 'smooth' screaming. The music isn't great, but it does great things. I know that makes no sense, but just go with me on this. Every time I do listen to it, I form a different opinion about it. It's good every time, mind you... The lyrics are very aggressive, and still manages to be amusing (Stain of Mind). I have no idea the history of Slayer. I know it's a big one though. From here I bought two of their older CDs. The first one, 'Reign in Blood' and another little known one 'Undisputed Attitude'. I don't really like either of them. But then again I've only listened to each twice. Playing Time: 40:25 Tracks: 11 Favorite: Somehow I like them all the same... American Records/Rick Ruben ©1998
"Death becomes your bride. Lifelessness invades your eyes. In fire baptized. All pain sifts through my soul. You'll never feel greater misery, Master of my enemy, Let the purest stain of mind, Wash the virtue from your eyes." | ||||
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The only Swedish Death Metal band that I found out about strictly through word of mouth. "It's really fast, and the music actually makes sense." It what the guy told me. I picked up this one... It was the only one out at the time. I liked the first song a lot, but after that I only liked certain parts of the other songs. Soilwork seems to be quite a popular band, compared to most of the stuff I listen to. The guitar solos are crazy, directionless things (only most of the time). A few of the songs have nearly the same beat. The general sound of the music is exactly the type for the genre. It's a good CD, but not great. Playing Time: 43:34 Tracks: 9 Favorite: 1, 2, 4, 8 Century Media/Fredrik Nordstrom ©2000
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Before 'Natural Born Chaos' I didn't really like Soilwork. I recognized they had talent, but didn't really care for the music. This CD more than proves me right, and Soilwork is now one of my top five. The sound is the same as 'Chainheart Machine', but the music is ten times more melodic. A few instances of techno are added, and there's more clean vocals (and they actually don't get on my nerves). Each song is divided up into different parts: Intro, chorus, intermission, chorus, intermission, chorus, end. And sometimes a few more intermissions are thrown in there for good measure. If you follow my taste in music, you'll see that I tend to lean somewhat towards music with lots of variety. That's exactly why I like this album so much... Unlike their first CD, each song is easily distinguished from the next, with parts inside each song that I can really like or dislike. Guitar solos are pretty good, but not groundbreaking. The main strength of this CD is how it's put together, and how perfectly it unfolds as you listen to it.
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I found out about Stabbing Westward from the "Escape From L.A." soundtrack. The song they had, 'Dawn' was the first on the CD. I didn't like it a whole lot, but good enough to look further on the band. I'm pretty glad I did. I guess this can be classified as 'True' Alternative. The music has sort of a Pop/Rock sound, with Techno/Industrial influences. The guy's voice is kind of feminine, but sounds okay overall. You have probably heard them on the radio. You know..... "What do I have to do?..." Yep. That's my least favorite on the CD. No... Actually, 'Inside You' is my least favorite. It features almost no music, with lyrics talking about 'being inside' (me?). Other than that, everything is put together well. There's TONS of experimentation going on, and it sounds good. Playing Time: 46:36 Tracks: 10 Favorite: 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 Columbia/John Fryer ©1996
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It was fate that helped me to find this band. I would have never thought music like this would exist behind an album cover like the one displayed on 'Stronghold'. Anyway, on to how I found out about it. (From the beginning.. this is going to be long.. I'm pretty bored.) I decided to try out Netscape as a new browser, because Internet Explorer was giving me problems. With Netscape came Winamp. Don't know why, but it did and it kind of forced me to try it out, as I was 100% faithful to Musicmatch Jukebox at the time. On Winamp, it is very easy to find internet radio stations through a system called Shoutcast. From there, I found my Genre of music (classified as metal), and of the twenty or so stations that popped up, only two actually had music that I like (most others were Slipknot, new Pantera, and Metallica type stuff). One of which was Rothmetal.com, which featured a nice functional request queue. From there, someone requested a Summoning song that I liked at the time (though I don't remember what it was) which led me to look for them on the internet. I found a Russian music site (best metal site I've ever seen) that had the song 'Rotting Horse on Deadly Ground' for download. I downloaded it, and found it very repetitive - but I put it on my mp3 CD anyway for when I travel. Turned out, that whenever I wore headphones for going to sleep, I'd be awake until that song came on. The more I listened to it, the more I liked it. So I ordered the CD it came from from Amazon.com. Luckily I like it. The style the music is played is unlike anything I've ever heard, and likely unlike anything I'll ever hear. The band consists of two people, plus a female vocalist that makes an appearance on one song. The strength of this album lies in the drumming, which is steady and heavy.. complimenting everything perfectly. Of course, there are changes in how they are played throughout a song, but generally the pace stays the same from song to song. The best description I can give for the music is 'big'. Everything just sounds big. If this music were on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, I would have liked the movie at least five times more :). There's drums, and guitars, and what sounds like an electric violin plus another instrument that sounds like a muffled harpsichord (what instrument they actually use, I'll probably never know). |