Cd update 02-09-13 through 04-10-13

It has been quite awhile since I've made a post and that is mainly due to the fact I'm going to school and work and all that good stuff but I have been able to pick up a lot of new cds so let's not waste anymore time.

02-09-13

 Parkway Drive - "Killing with a Smile" Picked this up (and the rest on this date) because I was with my friend and he's really into deathcore so I figured I'd try some new bands he said were alright. I haven't even listened to this yet to be honest.

The Famine - "The Raven and the Reaping" This is actually a cd I've been  looking for and it's pretty good. Nice tight deathcore.
                                                                     

Onward to Olympus - "Indicator" Finally got around to picking this album up so I have all their records once again. I like these guys a lot. Each record has a different feel than the last. Here, they cleaned up the sound and put more time and money into the production. Although my favorite release of theirs would have to be their debut, this one is still pretty good.

Soilwork - "Sworn to the Great Divide" This is suppose to be a good band and it probably is but I picked this up and got home to look this specific cd up and found out that this is probably their worst album. I don't have any of their other stuff to compare it to so I can't really say if this is a good example of their other works. The sound of this album sounds weird and almost hollow like. There are a few good songs on here but I'd say pass.

02-10-13

Yesterday was a deathcore day today was a prog day

Flying Colors - "Flying Colors" I picked this up just to hear what Mike Portony is doing on this record. I wasn't expecting Dream Theater at all but I wasn't expecting a rockier version of Cold Play. This album was kind of boring for me. the last track kind of reminded me of YES so that's a plus but other than that it leaves a lot to be desired.

Porcupine Tree - "Octane Twisted" This live album contains "The Incident" and a few other songs by the band. I got it for $11 bucks and I'm not complaining. There are 2 discs here, the 1st with "The Incident" and the second with the other songs. I am ashamed to say that I haven't listened to the second disc because I can't stop listening to the 1st one! I freakin love what Steven Wilson and his boys did on "The Incident". I'll be sure to look into the rest of Porcupines's back catalog.
                                                                             

Rings of Saturn - "Dingir" I reviewed this for the metal-temple and interviewed the lead guitarist so the record company sent me a free copy!

02-14-13

Tool - "10,000 Days" Neat little package this came in. I'd try to describe it to you but I'd just confuse you. It's pretty good musically but like "Laterus" it has it's boring spots.

Greenday - "Warning" Boy, after "Insomaniac" things seem to go down hill for these guys. Nothing on this cd was good to me. I'm glad it was only $5.

YES - Fragile (Vinyl) This has the classic "Roundabout" song on it. Haven't given it a listen yet but I saw it for $2 bucks and had to pick it up. Still need to get the cd of this as well.

Overkill - "Electric Age" I tell you, no matter how old Overkill gets they never seem to stop thrashing your face off. This is an amazing album I shouldn't have missed last year. If you like thrash, get this and anything else these guys put out, they don't fail to please.
                                                                     

Fates Warning - "Parallels" My 1st Fates cd and its pretty good. You can definitely here the 90's prog sound as well as Rush influences all over this record. I enjoy it.

Nightwish  - "Once" An older Nightwish with Tarja (Whatever her name is) on the vocals. I have not listened to this either. I'll eventually get around to it though.

Machine Head - "The Blackening" I already had this but not in physical from so for $3 I decided to get it.

02-25-13

Storm Corrosion - "Storm Corrosion" Finally got this obscure piece of art. It's the collaboration between Mikael (Opeth) and Steven (Porcupine Tree) and it's mysterious, haunting, mind boggling, all at the same time. If you like wierd music this is for you.
                                                                         

 The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Box set with reissue of "Twilight of Idols", "Down Among Dead Men", and "Traveler" - With a name like that you have to wonder what type of music these guys make. Well if you like the Dianno era of Maiden you'll love these guys! Their sound is straight out of the 80's. The tone of their guitar player sound almost exactly like Dave Murray. The topic of their lyrics a similar to Iron Maiden's as well, they sing about scifi and fantasy. I really love this band. This is without doubt the best band no one has heard of.

03-09-13

Testament - "Low" The first album without Alex and you can tell because the guitar lacks a bit. The guys beefed up their sound here and the mix is nice and thick. Over all its not a bad album, it has some real good songs on it but it's not as good as their previous albums.

Between the Buried and Me - "Colors Live" This has the entire album preformed live on the cd and a dvd with the whole concert where they played "Colors" and the making of as well. I'm glad it was March metal month because this and all the other cds I got were only $10! I think this was a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Exodus - "Exhibit A" Excellent riffolisious thrash! I love this cd. The imagery described in some of the lyrics tend to turn my stomach so I try to avoid those tracks. I mean it's Exodus what else do you expect besides awesome riffage and dark imagery?

Exodus - "Exhibit B" Pretty much just a continuation of "Exhibit A" and just as good.

Dying Fetus - "Descend into Depravity" Oh how technically proficient this is. The Riffs, the Sweeps, the maddening blast beats, this is just jaw dropping. Brutal, brutal, brutal, from start to finish.

03-25-13

Decrepit Birth - "Polarity" The most recent release from these technical masters. If I had to pick my favorite guitar tone it would probably be this guy's tone. If you listen to it you'll notice how unique it is and how it cuts through the rest of the mix whenever it's time for a face melting solo.

Iced Earth - "The Glorious Burden" So happy I found this in a store and for only $8 instead of online for $20. This is the 1st record with Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals. This album is pure patriotic American  heavy metal. It even has the 3 piece suite about Gettysburg and it's freakin epic!

Morbid Angel - "Domination" Just look at that cover, its so awesome and so is this album. Sick old school death metal!
                                                                         

    
Overkill - "The Years of Decay" This just might be my favorite Overkill album. The songs are longer and just a tad slower but it rocks so freakin hard. Bobby Blitz voice fits so well on the ballad like title track. This album is solid from front to back. A must for any thrash fan.

Pantera - "Far Beyond Driven" I now have all the Pantera cd after "Cowboys from Hell". This is the one that debuted at #1 on the music charts and I'm not really sure if it deserves that spot. Is it good, of course it is but is it #1 good? The album is heavy and has a lot of classic Pantera songs but some of the songs feel like filler to me. If you're a fan definitely get it, I'd even suggest it to if you weren't a fan. I just think Pantera was capable of more.

Pathology - "Legacy of the Ancients" I got this because it was $2 and I knew they were an ok band. This is a pretty good gore/brutal death metal album. I listened to it straight through and it kept my interest so that's always a good sign.

03-29-13

Iron Maiden - "Maiden England Live Dvd" This is the 88' tour for "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" tour. It's Maiden so I can't really say anything else beside it's freaking awesome! The concert takes place during my favorite era of Maiden with those neat synthesizers. The second dvd has part 3 of the history of the band but it's only 40 minutes and that's kind of disappointing. They did include a 90 min video of a previously released documentary called "12 Years Wasted" which discussed the bands first 12 years. I'm not positive but I think it aired in television sometime in the 90's. It's nice package but it only has 40 min of new footage so you'll have to decide if it's worth it for you. Since I hadn't seen any of the three videos the $20 was totally worth it.
                                                                 

Gogira - "L'enfant Sauvage" I got this because Metal Hammer awarded this album "album of the year" last year. The 1st song is good and the drummer is pretty good but after that the album feels repetitive and boring. The vocals are constantly the same and it get's kind of annoying. I seriously don't know how this made album of the year, it wouldn't even be in my top ten. Now, this isn't a steaming pile of crap but it's not the best.

Scorpions - "Blackout" For $5 I don't know why I kept passing over this album for so long. It's just a classic, what else can you say about the Scorpions?

04-02-13

Killswitch Engage - "Disarm the Decent" KsE's first album since the disappointment of their 2009 release and this one is better but I still have mixed feelings about it. Of course we know this is the record where the original vocalist came back after departing before "End of Heartache" that had Howard on vocals. I got into these guys with "As Daylight Dies" and I loved that cd. So naturally I'm a fan of Howard's deep manly voice so the change to Jesse's is hard for me. It's not a bad album but it just doesn't have that feel "End of Heartache" or "As Daylight Dies" has. The more I listen to "Disarm" it has been getting better but I don't think it will ever be as good as the two I mentioned before.

04-10-13

Cannibal Corpse - "Kill" Finally, I own a CC record and I'm glad it's this one. This album is so brutal I love it. The bottom end is crushing and the guitars are thick and meaty. This album is relentless and that's always a good thing.

The Contortionist - "Exo-planet" I hear this full album on youtube and had to get the physical album. It's like atmospheric djent and it's done very well. Certainly worth checking out.

Morbid Angel - "Altars of Madness" I just got these few so I haven't gotten through this yet but so far it sounds sick! I got it used for $8 and it has a live dvd called "Live Madness 89'" so I'm really looking forward to that!

Well that's it for now. Until next time......keep it METAL \m/

BUTT LOADS OF CDS! 12-01-12 through 01-24-13

GAZILIONS of cds so let's not dilly dally.

12-01-13

I had a bit of money left over on an amazon gift card so I purchased two albums to download. I know, I know, I not the biggest fan of downloading music but I couldn't find these bands physical albums anywhere else.

Unleash the Archers - "Demons of the Astrowaste" At first I loved this album, thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, and I like bread. However, listening to it over and over it begins to lose it's luster. The girl who sings has a good set of pipes and the instrumentation is decent but it gets boring after a few listens. You just have to be in the mood for a quick metal fix to enjoy this.

                                                                         
Outworld - "Outworld" Of course this band only put this record out before breaking up. Rusty Cooley is one of the fastest guitarists I've ever seen! However, here he's not all speed, he can actually play slow and amazingly well! Listening to this record at first I didn't really like it but upon a second and 3rd listen I am in love with this record. It's amazing progressive metal but more metal than prog. I think it's on the level of DT, it's just too bad they broke up. The vocalist may seem annoying at 1st but keep listening, it'll grow on you. Please, check this under rated album out!

                                                                 
12-23-12
 
Black Sabbath - "Mob Rules" The second Sabbath album with Dio on vocals. I freaking love this album but not as much as "Heaven and Hell". Every musician in this band is amazing.

                                                                                 
Rush - "Caress of Steel" I already had this one but I got it again for Christmas. Now I have one to listen to and one to never open.

Symphony X - "Twilight in Olympus" My second Symphony X cd and it's just as good if not as better than "Iconoclast". I really wish I could find more of this band's back catalog.

                                                                       
Megadeth - "Cryptic Writings" The last album with Marty on guitar and this album is certainly more main stream thrash than I'd prefer. It lacks the fast furious out of control Megadeth sound on "Rust" or "Peace Sells". There are a few good tracks but other than that it is kind of a yawn fest for me.

12-25-12

Paul Gilbert - "Get Out of My Yard" This is his all instrumental shred album. I just recently got into his stuff and I really like it. Not as much as Jeff Loomis' stuff but I still enjoy listening to it. I got this Christmas day, new, unopened, and as I put it on my computer to rip it says "No data available". As you can imagine I was irate and soon requested an replacement cd and sent my blank copy back to Amazon. I was surprised that I got an brand new cd from Amazon and it was blank, can you believe that? Luckily they sent one out right away and I was enjoying Paul's shredding abilities.

                                                                     
12-27-12 Journey to Half Priced Books

Well here's what you've all been waiting for, my new toy!

 That's right, I got a record player for $40. It's supposed to convert vinyl to mp3 so I thought, "Yea! I can get some old albums for cheaper than a cd and still put them on my Zune!" A red flag should have gone up when it said it used "Audacity" to convert to mp3. The sound quality from the conversion sounded worse than the vinyl. Now I'm sure there is a way to fix that in Audacity  but I do not have the knowledge to do that. I'd rather sit back and just listen to the vinyl play on the record player, that sound is actually quite nice and if I could find some RCA cables to connect to a pair of external speakers I'm sure the sound would be even better. For $40 it's not too bad because I can get a lot more diversity in my music by buying older more obscure albums, but if I want to listen to them on the go I still have to purchase the cd format.

YES - "YessongS" (vinyl) Basically the best of older YES live on a 3 record vinyl package.

YES - "Close to the Edge" (vinyl) my second favorite YES album so far.

Rush - "Permanent Waves" (vinyl) I still need to get this in cd format so I can listen to it mobile. Luckily I see it everywhere for $5.

Megadeth - "Youthanasia" 1994 release and I do believe it is first pressing! It's a mediocre Megadeth release in my opinion. Got to be the worst cover art though.

                             
Opeth - "Still Life" Found this for $8 and it came with a bonus dvd!

                                                                                                       

Nevermore - "Obsidian Conspiracy" Only picked this up to see what Jeff Loomis' guitar skills sounded like in this band. Not really impressed with this album. Jeff is still amazing but the vocalist really is hard for me to overcome.

Pink Floyd - "The Wall" Got the 2 disc format of this album. I know it's one of their best but for me it's my least favorite. I mean it's good but "Wish You Were Here" is way better.

12-28-12

Paul Gilbert - "Get Out of My Yard DVD" basically showing how to be like Gilbert....but that's just about impossible. It is kind of funny to watch it though, Paul is a goof ball.

Megadeth - "End Game" I seem to be having a lot of luck with Megadeth recently. Anyways, this album brings back that classic chaotic Megadeth sound they had back in the day. I really like this album. If you can find it cheap pick it up.

                                                           
Voivod - "War and Pain" My last Voivod purchase was a crap cd but this is their debut and not half bad. It's all out thrash like Metallica's "Kill 'em All" was.

12-29-12

Dream Theater - "When Day and Dream Unite" This is their first album that came out in 1989 without James LeBrie on vocals. On this record they had more of a Rush sound. Not a bad release for a debut if u ask me.

King Crimson - "In the Court of the Crimson King" 1969 prog for ya right here. Old, weird, and awesome. Just look at that cover!
                                                                                                                                                           
                                         
                                                             
12-31-12

Dream Theater - "Images and Words in Tokyo/Once in a Livetime DVD" a two disc collection of older live DT material.

01-03-13

Trivium - "In Waves" The release after the masterpiece called "Shogun" It's good but nowhere near as good as "Shogun"

                                                                               
Megadeth - "The System has Failed" This album clearly shows Megadeth has not failed. Its still didn't have the old Megadeth sound but it was slowly getting back to that sound.

Jimi Hendrix - "Band of Gypsies" A live recording at a new years eve party for 1969 to 70. I really like this record, it would have been one heck of a new years eve party to go to if I had the chance.

YES - "The YES Album" (vinyl) My favorite YES album. Its such a classic prog album I can't get tired of listening to it.

Rainbow - "Straight Bewteen the Eyes" (vinyl) This record came out 2 albums after Dio left but I got this album just to hear Blackmore's playing style.

01-08-13 Purchases from gift card

Death - "Symbolic" YES! I finally have this album in my collection. It's so good! I cannot encourage you enough to go buy it! If you like any Death at all you will LOVE this album. It has the 1st Death song I ever heard, "Zero Tolerance". This album is full of progressive styles and that's what makes Chuck's playing style stand out so much.

                                                       
Devin Townsend Project - "Epicloud" A very different release here. I got it because the songs I heard sounded good and this album was topping best of 2012 list everywhere. It's goos just not that good in my opinion. It's like a hard rock /pop album with a nice warm full sound.

Rainbow - "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" The first Raindbow record. Of course I ordered this one because it has Dio on vocals. I think I like this album just a little bit more than "Rising". The cover is kind of cheesy though.

                                                                       
                                                                           
Raindbow - "Rising" Second Rainbow record. It's pretty awesome and I think everyone's favorite is "Stargazer" because that track is epic. If you're looking for a classic 70s metal record look no further.

Sepultura - "Chaos A.D." Holy cow! This is some pretty kicking Brazilian thrash. This was the last album before they started using 7 strings. Not that 7 string guitars are bad but they lost their special sound they had here. If you can find this cheap enough get it!

                                                                           
Testament - "New Order" That's it, I have the 1st five albums with Skolnick. So happy to have these classic albums in my collection. The music here is amazing as usual, definitely some of their best work.

YES - "The Yes Album" Just so I could listen to it on the go.

YES - "Close to the Edge" Read the above reason

Yngwie Malmsteen - "Rising Force" 80's neo-classical shred metal. It has a nice soft feeling over the entire album making it a nice easy listening album.

01-11-13

Iron Maiden - "History of Iron Maiden: Part One" A very well done documentary up to the end of the "Piece of Mind" tour. It showed all the other members that were part of Maiden before the first record and there were a lot! Definitely something for a Maiden fan to pick up. I was lucky and found it for $7.

01-15-13

Opeth - "Blackwater Park" The break through release for Opeth. I got the special edtion with the making of and expanded art work. The music is exactly what you'd expect from Opeth, progressive death metal with a touch of jazz and folk.

                                                                       
01-18-13

Obituary - "Best of" Do I really need to add a description here?

Pink Floyd - "Animals" The record that came after "Wish You Were Here." It has that same set up as "Wish" with the long progressive songs I love. I'm sure I'll come to enjoy it more with each listen.

Wintersun - "Time I" Symphonic folk metal. This is some epic stuff but I think this was a little over hyped last year. What's funny are the pictures of the band in this booklet, they are European men making folk metal dressed in Japanese clothes. Maybe it's just me but I laughed when I saw it in the case.

                                                                           
01-09-13

In Flames - "The Colony" Probably their last good album with that classic death metal sound they used to produce. Once I get "The Whoreacle" I wont be getting anymore In Flames cds.

Kamelot -"Silverthron" If you read my last post you'll notice this was not on the list of albums I missed and that's because I wasn't really looking forward to this this album. It was a surprise to me when I found the deluxe box set for less than $20 and my local Best Buy. The box came with the cd, an all instrumental mix of the album, a poster, and a freakin hardback cover book telling the story of the "Silverthron" The music on this record was a lot better than I expected because I wasn't that big a fan of "Poetry for the Poisoned" or whatever it was called. I actually really enjoyed this album.

Lazarus A.D. - "Onslaught"  I'm not one to keep up on newer bands in the metal scene today (primarily because most of them blow). However, Lazarus is one of the few newer bands that don't fail! These guys have a neat thrash sound to them and the vocals aren't too bad either. They have some good riffs that keep bringing me back to this record. Definitely check these guys out.

                                                           
                                                                   
01-24-13

Chuck Schuldiner - "Zero Tolerance" Now we all know that Chuck was in the legendary band Death but as he got older he had a side project called "Control Denied". From what I read in this booklet the 1st four tracks were demos of the songs he planed on using for the Control Denied record. Unfortunately Chuck was taken before the Control Denied project could come to fruition. Chuck said that the material he was working on for this band would have been on the same level as "Master of Puppets" and other classic albums. Even though the tracks are demos and of poor quality they still made me nod my head along with the music. It's a shame we never got to hear what Chuck really had in mind. The rest of the 1st disc and entire 2nd disc are live tracks of older Death songs and Demos.

Nightrage - "Decent into Chaos" Got this for $0.90 and I'm listening to it now thinking it was such a steal! The vocals are poor but the talent in the instrumentation is pretty good. It's like a thrash/death type of music so definitely pick this up if you can find it.

Opeth - "Candle Light Years" This package has the 1st three albums, "Orchid", "Morningrise", and "My Arms, Your Hearse." I have completed my Opeth collection with this purchase. I can't wait to delve into these older Opeth cds and see how far they have come.

                                                             

Now that's all I purchased but I have ordered a few more cds using the last of my gift card credit.
Waiting to get here

Obituary - "Cause of Death" has the awesome track "Chopped in HAWWWWLF"

Obituary - "Slowly We Rot"

Decrepit Birth - "Diminishing Between Two Worlds" Super technical death metal!

Dream Theater - "Octravarium" Once this gets here my DT collection will be complete!

Everything below I ordered from the clearance rack at the CM Distro website. Nothing cost over $2

Shadows Fall - "Of One Blood" It said original edition so maybe I'll get lucky and get a 1st pressing?

Shadows Fall - "Art of Touring DVD"

Avantasia - "The Metal Opera: pt 2"

Stampin' Ground - "A New Darkness Upon Us" First heard these guys on a sampler disc in my "War Within" case. They are sort of a hardcore band but with unique sounding vocals.

Phew that's a ton of cds but I'm glad I got that done! I didn't include all the cds I get to review for the Metal Temple! Until next time.....keep it METAL \nn/ 

What I Missed in 2012 and Other Things

I wanted to make another post having to do with 2012 mainly having to do with what I missed and a few other side notes.

What I Missed
If my "Best Of" list made you butt hurt because your fav album wasn't included chances are its on this list. These are albums that I was interested in but never got around to picking up. So prepare for a very long list.

Overkill - "The Electric Age"

Flying Colors - "Flying Colors"

Periphery - "Periphery II"

Impending Doom - "Baptized in Filth"

Kreator - 'Phantom Antichrist"

Eluveitie - "Helvetios"

Corrosion of Conformity - "Corrosion of Conformity"

Cannibal Corpse - "Torture"

Katatonia - "Dead End Kings"

Rhapsody of Fire - "Ascending to Infinity"

Primal Fear - "Unbreakable" 

Dragonforce - "Power Within"

Grave Digger's album

Prong - "Carved in Stone"

Soundgarden - "King Animal"

Nightwish - "Imaginarium"  

TeserecT - "One"

Napalm Death - "Utilitarian"

Dying Fetus - "Reign Supreme"

Miseration - "Tragedy has Spoken"

Ensiferum - "Unsung Heroes"

All that Remains - "A War You Cannot Win"

Xandria - "Neverworld's End"

Becoming the Archetype - "I Am"

Onward to Olympus - "Vindicator"

As I Lay Dying - "Awakening"

Kill Devil Hill - "Kill Devil Hill" just curious about this one because Rex Brown from Pantera is in it.

Moments - "Stealing Axiom"

Wintersun - "Time I"

Devin Townsend Project - "Epicloud"

Revocation - "Teratogenesis EP"

Neal Morse - "Momentum"

Flower Kings - "Banks of Eden"

So there you have it, all I missed out on. 

I wanted to bring to your attention that 2012 marked the 30th anniversary of Metallica which they celebrated over a 3 night show with a ton of special guests. Dave Mustaine showed up and they play a few songs together. It probably would have been nice to see but I didn't go. I only know about it because I bought the special edition of Metal Hammer which covered the event. No I have not read it yet but I will....eventually. It did come with a 7'' vinyl with "Through the Never" and "So What" on it but I'm not sure why they chose those songs. I can think of a few more iconic Metallica songs than those but it wasn't my show so I didn't tell them what songs to put on the vinyl. 

2012 was also the 20th anniversary of Pantera's awesome "Vulgar Display of Power" which got a reissue with an unreleased track called "Piss". I got the song for free off of Amazon and it's nothing special. I did pick up Revolver's special Pantera issue that was dedicated entirely to the band. Most of the stuff I already knew but their were a few neat little bits of info I was unaware of. I'll probably be getting the same thing again in 2 years for the 20th anniversary of "Far Beyond Driven".  That is the only Pantera record I don't have so I'm sure they'll do a reissue of that disc with a bonus song or something and that's when I'll get it if I can hold out that long,

For some reason Relapse Records figured it would be a good idea to do a reissue of Death's "Spiritual Healing". I'm not sure why they reissued this record this year since it came out in 1990. A 22nd year anniversary seems odd but oh well. It came in a few different packages; regular cd, two disc package, three disc set, and a $100 dollar bundle with a shirt, photos, guitar pics, the 3 disc set and other goodies. I was lucky enough to review this amazing album for the Metal Temple (www.metal-temple.com) so I have not picked up a physical copy yet.

"Countdown to Extinction" had its 20th like all these other records. Just like "Rust" Megadeth played this record in its entirety. The performance was recorded and released with a remastered version of the album in a box with some cards with the band's mugs plastered on them. I have really no incentive to buy this album again so I won't be picking it up anytime soon.

I'd like to call to the attention of everyone that "Images and Words" had its 20th anniversary but it got no special treatment. Out of all the reissues last year I think this one deserves one the most! It was Dream Theater's break through album for heaven's sake! I did hear a rumor that it was getting pressed into a vinyl form in 2013. So maybe it'll get some special attention for a 21st anniversary. 

For a 30th anniversary "Number of the Beast" was named best British album in the past 60 years! Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance" turned 30 this year as well.

That's all I think I wanted to say about 2012. I'm sure once I posted this I'll remember something I forgot. I know I said last post I'd show you my new toy but I really meant TWO posts after that one. I didn't think I'd make this one. I really need to get on that post because I got a ton of new cds pushing me over the 300 cd mark. So I should probably do that after I post this one. Okay like I always say, keep it METAL \nn/      

Best of 2012

Well another year has come and gone and it's time for me to share with you my opinions of the albums I heard in 2012.  Without further a due let's get on with it! One more thing to keep in mind, I didn't really spend much time on organizing the placings of anything after the 10th place.

Solid releases of 2012

23. "Truth and Purpose" - I, the Breather
       Can't really say much about this band except I didn't listen too it much. This is their sophomore release and I think it falls short of their debut "These are My Sins". Like I said I only gave it one listen not because it was bad, just because there was nothing that drew me back to it.

22."Return to Life" - War of Ages
       What can I say, I used to really like War of Ages. In fact I have all their cds and this one is right on par with their other releases but my tastes have matured over the past years and metalcore doesn't really appeal that much to me anymore. I didn't listen to this one that much either for the same reasons as "Truth and Purpose". "Return to Life" wasn't bad it just didn't do it for me.

21. "Dingir" - Rings of Saturn
       I was debating whether or not I should add this album in the list because it's official release date is February 2013 but the band put the entire album on youtube mid 2012. Maybe I should have put this on the honorable mention list if I had one. Anyways, since its only on youtube and my internet is SUPER slow I only was able to listen to this album one when I was at someone's house who had rather fast internet. That being said I wish I could have listened to it many more times than I did. This album is so crushingly brutal sounding! I think it could fall into the grindcore genre and I usually don't like grindcore. Everything on this album is face meltingly fast! The art work is one of the best I've ever seen. I will definitely be getting this album and a shirt with the album cover plastered on the front and back.

                                                                   
20. "Dark Roots of Earth" -Testament
       Yes, the amazing Testament clear back here at number 20. I listened to this album many times each time hoping I'd get what everyone else was raving about but that never happened. I really wanted to like this album because I really like all their older stuff but this album just was kinda "meh" for me. I'm sure I ruffled someones jimmies with the placement of this album but oh well.

                                                                         

19. "Immortalia" - Sound Storm
       This is a power metal album I had to review for the awesome web site www.metal-temple.com. I gotta say, if you want epic music look no further. This album is solid front to back. definitely check these guys out!

18. "Clock Work Angels" -Rush
       Let's ruffle some more jimmies with the placement of this album. I love Rush, i seriously do but when I heard this album the vocals didn't even sound like Geddy to me. I know he's old now and maybe I'm just used to how he sounds on "Moving Pictures" (the latest Rush release I have besides this one). The instrumentation is right on par with Rush's previous work. The huge reason why this album isn't any high on this list is primarily my fault. I neglected to give this record that much play time as all the other amazing records that came out last year. I wasted too much time trying to like "Dark Roots of Earth" or listening to "Resolution", Lamb of god's pathetic release. Please, go check out an album done by one of the best bands of all time and don't be like me not giving it more play time.

17. "Koloss" - Meshuggah
       If this album didn't have a few really really REALLY good songs like "Do Not Look Down" or "Break Those Bones Who's Sinew Gave them Motion" this album would have been WAY further down this list. Those of you (if any) who read my 2nd blog post already know how I feel about this album. Most of the album was a pain to listen to because the vocals were so over powering and harsh. The biggest issue with this album are the vocals. I like Meshuggah for the crazy rhythm sections and this album only had a few songs that had those rhythms that really stuck out and slapped me in the face. If you aren't clear on what I mean look up "Do Not Look Down" and you'll know what I mean. That opening riff is so groovy it makes me want to get up and move. Without the aid of  songs like this "Koloss" would fall flat on its face and I'm sorry to say that because I was hoping this would be a lot better.

16. "Caligvla" - Ex Deo
       Yet another review I had to do for that web site I mentioned earlier. This is the side project from the band Kataklysm and I've never heard any of their material so I can't compare the two. This is a pretty good album with a nice full sound. What makes this album special are the little interludes in a few if the songs. The interludes are ambient sounds of battles or Roman cities. These passages add a unique flavor to this style of metal. If you're looking for heavy folk metal with harsh vocals and neat little ambient passages check this out.

15. "Frozen in Time" - Pertness
       And here's another band I reviewed. When I first hear this album I really liked it but after a few more listens it lost it's initial luster with me. The vocals remind me of Grave Digger in a way which isn't a band thing. The best thing this band has to offer are the choruses and that they are somewhat catchy. other than that it's your run of the mill power metal release.

14. "The Parallax II: The Future Sequence" - Between the Buried and Me
      Between the Buried and Me is a unique band for the type of music they play. Their style of music is like progressive metalcore, something I thought (until I heard them) did not exist. I really enjoyed their 2007 release "Colors" and therefore I compared this album to that one. If you have been reading my blog you'll already know how I feel about this record. It is good but not as good as "Colors". Definitely something to check out if you're looking for something different.

13. "Immortal" - For Today
       Something can be said for this band being so steadfast in their faith and never yielding from it. The lyrical content is no different from their past albums. The musical content is right on par with their  past releases as well and with only one listen I found this album very satisfying. It was good enough to leave that kind of imprint after only one listen so that should tell you something about this band.

12. "The New Eve" -Spheric Universe Experience
       I sure do like my other non paying job at the Metal Temple. If I didn't sign of to be a reviewer I wouldn't have found this groovy band. This is a prog band that sounds like a mix between Dream Theater, Tool, and Teramaze. This band loves to lay down a wicked riff and this album is stuffed with many different riffs. The choruses are highly remember able and nice to hum along with. The only down fall with this album are the vocals. They weren't bad I just think a better vocalist would have made this album even more enjoyable.

11. "Omerta" - Adrenaline Mob
      Let's be honest, the only reason I picked up this album was to hear Mike Portony on the drums. Ever since he left Dream Theater he's been one busy son of a gun! Mike has been doing a ton of work with former bands and starting new ones! Transatlantic, A Mob, Flying Colors, and he seems to be at the beck and call for any album Neal Morse feels the need to make, it's safe to say he's  no sluggard. But back to "Omerta". This album has members from Symphony X and Disturbed, but don't quote me on that last part. Having members from rather well known prog groups (yes I know Disturbed is not prog) in a band you'd think they'd make progressive music, however that is not the case. Instead of making amazing prog music they make more straight forward heavy metal tunes that you would find on the radio. That being said these songs being more accessible do not mean they are below par for these top notch musicians. Every song has a fresh new sound compared to the one before it. Each song rocks and is remember able. Having a simple straight forward album to play every once in a while can be like a breath of fresh air and "Omerta" is certainly a breath of fresh air. Seeing Mike Portnoy on a regular metal album just goes to show how versatile a drummer he really is. It shows that he can play extremely intricate and complex songs then turn around and play a simple metal song. This is why he is my favorite drummer.

10. "The Bivouac" - Vexillum
       Did I mention the amazing web site www.metal-temple.com ? I found this band by reviewing them. This was my introduction to folk metal. I had been interested in folk metal but I never really took the time to get into the genre. Vexillum slapped me in the face and showed me what I've been missing. This album is awesome! The vocals are strong and make choruses I find stuck in my head, but I'm glad they do get stuck because they are so good! The dual guitars love to lay down an Iron Maiden like harmony and most are super catchy. What's different about this album are the ambiance at the beginning and end of every song. These few seconds of medieval town sounds or horses walking on a stony road help the songs flow together. The only draw back is the overall length of this album. I'm usually for longer albums but that is not the case here. The catchy choruses and guitar harmonies tend to get boring after so long. Other than that this album is killer!

                                                               
9. "Storm Corrosion" - Storm Corrosion
      For a blog that is called "Everything METAL" you'd expect an entirely metal list of the "Best of" but that fact is I like a lot more genres than just metal. Don't worry, Metal will always be my favorite but I am very open minded when it comes to music. I love big band and jazz music as well as classical. I also enjoy listening to some rap but nothing can comes close to metal, unless it's progressive. I'm a huge YES fan and I also really like Pink Floyd so it should be easy to understand why I love Storm Corrosion. Now before you get all excited, I am fully aware that YES, Pink Floyd, and Storm Corrosion sound nothing alike. This album is like nothing I've ever heard before and that's probably why I enjoy it so much. Mikael from Opeth is a musical genius in my opinion and therefore I'll probably buy anything he creates. I'm not to familiar with the other member of this two piece, Steve Wilson of Procupine Tree, although I after hearing this piece of art I wouldn't mind checking his work out as well. If I could I would describe this music to you in mere words but I don't think that is possible. The only way to remotely come close to describing this album would be to call it obscure art. I hope you'll be curious enough to go and see just exactly what I mean when I a say "Obscure art."

                                                                 

8. "Requiem for the Indifferent" - Epica
       If I based this album off of best looks of the lead singer this band would be number one! Simone Simmons is by far one of the best faces in metal today. But we can't all look like her so I tried my best to keep this list based only on musical aspects. This album is epic to say the least but more progressive than some of their previous work. Usually I'm all for progy music but for some strange reason the more progressive flavor here was a bad thing for me. It's hard for me to explain why other than I just wasn't feeling it on this album. Everything else about this release is solid and quite enjoyable but the added prog elements didn't jive with me.

                                                                           
7. "Anti-Septic Bloodbath" - Tourniquet
      Okay, I may have gone over board with the plugs of Metal Temple but they helped me find many of the bands that made this list, and this is the last one I got from that place. This underground technical trash out fit does not get enough credit. The talent possessed here is staggering. Perhaps the only draw back are the vocals. At first they may seem annoying and rightfully so, but if the listener is willing to take the time to get used to the vocals the rest of the music and worth it. I really enjoy how technical the music gets and some of the comedic elements the three piece like to play around with. "Anti-Septic Bloodbath" is certainly worth your time of you can get past the vocals.

                                                               
6. "Anhedonia" - Teramaze
      Those of you that were complaining that Wintersun took forever to put out their new album should shut their mouths. This wonderful piece of work took 14 years to come out, yes read that again, FOURTEEN YEARS! When an album takes that long to come it'll either cough and die or stand tall about all the others. Although it doesn't quite stand above all the others it comes pretty darn close. This is not an album for solo lovers at all, but all you riff lovers come hither and feast your ears. Take the riffier side of Dream Theater and multiply that by 23 and you'll get this. The drums are killer, the guitar work is annihilating but the vocals leave something to be desired. If you love technical progressive thrash like me then get this album! It's intensely groovy and 14 years of work deserves your attention.

  Here we go, top 5, the best of the best!                                                                
5. "Plains of Oblivion" - Jeff Loomis
      Ex-Nevermore guitarist is showing us that he is a strong independent guitar player that don't need a band. Well he does have a few hired hands but that's beside the point for the focus is on Jeff's face meltingly amazing fret work. I like to say that good music makes the listener feel what the musicians are feeling and Jeff Loomis does that with a guitar better than most bands can do with lyrics. When Jeff plays it seems like his sound is more than just glorious music but something concrete and tangible. This album is stuffed with solos but what do you expect from a guitarists solo album. He is a very progressively influenced guitarists and those traits are reflected in his song arrangements and playing style. If you are looking for music that is virtuoso please do yourself a favor and get this cd and his other album "Zero Order Phase".

                                                                           
4. "True Defiance" - Demon Hunter
      A metalcore album in the top 5?? Yes, I am a huge Demon Hunter fan and have been ever since the first album. "True Defiance" is Demon Hunter's best album in a long time. This album is fast and heavy but it has a lot of melody as well. This album is very over produced like most of the DH records but that doesn't make it any less fun to listen to. I have a blast every time I put this on to play. The only thing wrong with this is album is how short it seems. The overall length is actually pretty long but it goes by so fast you want more. I highly recommend this if you want something that is a ton of fun to listen to.

                                                                     
3. "The Industrialist" - Fear Factory
      Although I may not agree with everything Fear Factory preaches I do enjoy Dino's tasty riffs and those epic clean vocal passages. This was a concept album with the main focus on how corporation is destroying the importance of each person. I'm not 100% sure but I think they are talking about future corporation and how they see it ending up years from not. Apart from the story the music was pretty awesome. It remained pretty near and dear to the classic Fear Factory formula we all love. Every time I listen to this cd its front to back so I couldn't tell you which song was my favorite because they are all so good! The only thing that I was disappointed in was the fact that they used a drum machine instead of a real human. You can't really tell its a machine unless someone tells you. So the sound isn't really affected but just the idea that it is a computer and not a living breathing person making the rhythms kind of disappoints me. For a band that is saying its bad to forsake human importance maybe they should practice what they preach and find a drummer for their next album.

                                                                             
2. "At the Gates of Sethu" -Nile
     It's freaking Nile, what more do you need to know? Awesome technical death metal with Egyptian inspired lyrics. While most death metal bands are trying to be all brutal all the time Nile likes to have some class and have some groovy elements in their music.The song "The Gods Who Light Up the Sky at The Gates of Sethu" is incredibly groovy while still maintaining death metal like brutality. The Egyptian culture helps add a fresh twist to the genre as well. Most bands of this genre like singing about gore and violence but after a while that can get boring. Nile, I like to think, is a little bit more mature than all those other bands because they sing about brutal things but it's done a way so different than any other band. Nile is a band that stands out from the rest and "At the Gates of Sethu" is a must for any death metal fan. The Technicality is far above par and the drumming is mind blowing! George Kollias is probably one of the fastest drummer in the world. In my opinion the best death metal album ever is "Annihilation of the Wicked", Nile's 2005 release, and this record comes very close to being on the same level as that album.

                                                                           
Alright here we go, number 1, the very best of 2012. We've seen a lot of good this year so what could possibly top this list?? The anticipation must surely be killing you!

1. "Fire from the Sky" - Shadows Fall
     Honestly I did not think this album was going to be this good. I kind of lost faith in Shadows after "Threads of Life" and "Retribution". Their 2003 release "War Within" was the 1st metal cd I ever bought and it is still one of my all time favorite albums so my expectations for this band is extremely high. "Fire from the Sky" has re instilled my hope in Shadows Fall. There is not a bad song on this cd. Every time I put it on I listen to the entire album and it has yet to get boring for me. If I was looking for something to listen to but I wasn't sure what I wanted to hear I'd put this on and it hit the spot every single time. It was very satisfying on every play through. I cannot recommend this album enough. When it first came out I was hesitant on purchasing it and I almost put it back but I am so very glad I got it when I did. This album has just about everything a metal album needs; awesome solos, vicious riffs, and solid rhythm sections. I give this album a 9.56 out of a 10.

                                                                         
Well there you have it, my top releases of 2012. It was an okay year for metal but certainly no 1986 but I doubt any year will ever come close to beating that year. We saw some good and some bad. Bands regained some accountability with me and some bands fell in my opinion. I hope you enjoyed my take on this years metal. I'm looking forward to 2013 primarily because Dream Theater is in the process of making a new album. I'm kind of curious to see what Mangini will add to the band this time around since he really didn't do that much writing on "Dramatic Turn of Events".
   
      That's it for this time but I have a ton of new cds I got over Christmas and I can't wait to share them all with you. And There is a wee little surprise for all of you anxiously waiting for my next blog. Well it's not that big of a surprise, it just a new neat toy I got. Here's a hint, this toy enables me to get an even more obscure form of music. But you'll have to wait to find out what that is till next time. So until next time....keep it METAL \nn/