2005 reviews
System of a Down - Mesmerize - The bad news is that this is probably the weakest of System's four releases so far. The good news is that it's still a very strong album. There are strong songs like B.Y.O.B and Sad Statue, but far too many where the lyrics are just banal or nonsensical (Cigaro, Radio/Video, ld School Hollywood.) I like the CD, but I'm hoping for better from Hypnotize later this year.
Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution - Rob Halford is back in Priest after a 12-year absence and the results are quite good. Certainly not quite as good as when they left off (with Painkiller), and I'd even confess to preferring one of of Halfords solo discs (Resurrection) and the first Priest album without Halford (Jugulator) to this new reunion albumn. But this is still a strong CD - well worth getting for Priest fans.
Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth - Not terrible, but still disappointing. The songs are shorter, but not as lush, as on the last cd (The Fragile), and nothing here seems quite as full as rage and angst as The Downward Spiral. It's not a bad album, but nothing excites me much on it either.
2001 reviews
Dream Theater - Metropolis pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory - I've been a casual fan of Dream Theater's for a while now. I liked their music, had a few CD's, but I never was especially enthusiastic about them. That has now changed. This CD is not only by far their best work, it is one of the best metal albums of all time. The obvious comparison to make here would be Queensryche's masterwork, Operation: Mindcrime, since this is also a progressive metal concept album. Musically, I feel this album can go head to head with Mindcrime, which is utterly amazing, especially considering the very sorry state metal songwriting is in at the moment. Lyrically, Mindcrime is still, and will probably always be champion, but that isn't to say Metropolis has a poor story. In fact, it's tale of a 20's murder mystery as recalled during a modern hypnotherapy session is very compelling. This is an amazingly good album, and one that should silence those people who feel that metal's best days were over with the 80's.
Nevermore - Dead Heart in a Dead World - Fans of classic metal, rejoice! If you want to listen to a band withcrushingly heavy riffs, guitar solos, and great singing (no death metal, no rap) - this is one CD you will immediately want to get. There is an amusing 'cover' of Paul Simon's 'Sound of Silence' - only the lyrics are the same... the music is nothing but purest metal.
Stabbing Westward - Stabbing Westward - Ugh. Let's all welcome Stabbing Westward to the 'bands that gave up their musical integrity so that they could be radio/MTV stars' What a shame. Every damn song in this CD could be a pop hit. All traces of their industrial sound and aggression have been lost. My least favorite CD purchase of the year.
Megadeth - The World Needs a Hero - If you already have Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, or Cryptic Wrtings, then you know just what to expect from the new Megadeth CD. It's a step up from the way-too-poppy Risk, though. Megadeth's days as "the state-of-the-art speed metal band" are long over, but they are still a lot of fun to listen to.
Tool - Lateralus - The bad news: All the aggression of past Tool CD's is missing here. The good: They haven't sold out. Tool are still as interesting and talented as ever, but the rage is absent. Which for me, makes this my least favorite Tool album.
Static X - Machine - A good follow up to Wisconsin Death Trip. If you liked that one, you'll like this one. More of the same, but that's not always a bad thing.
Savatage - Poets and Madmen - This is a band that has been ignored far too long. They started way back in the early 80's, but never picked up the following that so many other metal bands did in that era. Rather than give up, they've simply kept making great CD after great CD, signifigantly refining their sound as they grew musically. P&M is their latest work, and it is yet another wonderful CD. I got to see them soon after this CD's release, and it was an incredible experience. Savatage is one of the most underrated bands in metal, and it's high time they started getting some attention!
Iced Earth - Horror Show - This is a pretty cool idea - a concept album in which each song is based on a classic horror story. It ends up working very well. Iced Earth is another band that, like Nevermore, classic metal fans should immediately check out.
Devin Townsend - Terria - Sadly, most metal fans in this country haven't even heard of Devin Townsend. It's a damn shame, because he is one of the best new musicians to come along in the 90's, and this new CD proves he's looking to continue his artistic successes into this new decade. Terria is the most mellow CD he has created yet, adding another dimension to his incredible range. It's amazing that this is the same artist who created the ferociously heavy Strapping Young Lad CD's! Go to Devin's site to buy this one... and for that matter, the rest of his catalog! This is the perfect CD for a metalhead to mellow out with.
System of a Down - Toxicity - SOAD's first CD was good. So good that it was hard to imagine how they could follow it up. And as the years went by, it made fans even more nervous. Now the new CD is out... and it's great! The lyrics and music are every bit as aggressive and interesting as the first CD's. As glad as I am that System beat the sophomore jinx, I can't help but sigh when I think just what a long wait it'll be before we hear a third CD!
Slayer - God Hates Us All - Slayer put out three GREAT albums in a row - Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss. Unlike their peers, who almost all went in a much more commercial direction after their biggest musical sucesses, Slayer has kept it very heavy, but has still somehow lost the ability to write truly great songs. Noticably missing from all of it's recent releases is the creepy evil riffing featured in songs like Dead Skin Mask and South of Heaven. To my ears, GHUA has even fewer high points than the last two Slayer albums, Divine Intervention and Diabolus in Music, and for that reason, I can't really recommend it.