Title explains this thread. I'll start:

Artist: Saliva
Album: Under Your Skin
Released: March 22, 2011



REVIEW:

Saliva's previous album Cinco Diablo was very disappointing to me, personally, after such a great outing with Blood Stained Love Story. Thankfully, the three years in between albums has been great, as I believe Under Your Skin is quite possibly Saliva's best album.

The Good: Pretty much everything. Album opener "Badass" is pretty much vintage Saliva. Hard rock to the core, and a little rappish for the chorus, this song hooks you in. "Better Days" is also sound, with a very hook-laiden chorus. "Nothing" is the best song Saliva has ever written. Really. This song alone warrants a purchase on the album. "Never Should've Let you Go", "Hate Me", "Prove Me Wrong", and "The Key" are also exceptional.

The Bad: Not much, and what is listed here is very marginal. "Toxic Suicide" just doesn't stand out, and "Spotlight" sounds very similiar to previous songs reeking with pompous swagger. The only poor song on the album is "Burn It Up". Very disappointing.

Conclusion: Very, very strong outing by Saliva. This album contains many more power ballads and I believe is a good move for them. But there is still some hard rock songs Saliva fans have come to know and love. Not to mention great vocals on all the tracks, and many, many great guitar solos; Most notably on "Hate Me" and "Nothing". Drums and the bass duo are air tight. I WHOLLY recommend buying this album. 9/10 score.

Track Listing:

01.)"Badass"
02.)"Better Days"
03.)"Nothing"
04.)"Hate Me"
05.)"Never Should've Let You Go"
06.)"Prove Me Wrong"
07.)"Burn It Up"
08.)"Toxic Suicide"
09.)"Turn The Lights On"
10.)"Spotlight"
11.)"Get Out Alive"
12.)"The Key"

I want to get around to posting a review of Amon Amarth's new album.
Might also get around to review some other (kinda new) albums.

The way you reviewed that was a pretty nice. short and simple way to review. I think I'll give it a go.

Artist: Yellowcard
Album: When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes
Released: March 22, 2011



REVIEW:

Admittedly, I had no idea who Yellowcard was about two weeks ago. I have no knowledge of previous outings from this group. That is going to change, especially after being blown away by When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes.

The Good: "The Sound Of You And Me" is the album opener, and is a highlight. Listeners not familiar with Yellowcard will be surprised by this pop punk bands decision to include a violin. Is this a good choice? The answer is a clear yes. "For You, And Your Denial", which is the first single, is fantastic. All the way from the violin intro to the kick of the power chords, this is great. Everything is great from the vocals to the guitar to the violin. The drums are pretty fantastic too. "Soundtrack", "Hide", the ballad "Hang You Up", and "Life Of Leaving Home" are all stand out tracks.

The Bad: It's only about 37 minutes long.

Conclusion: I didn't know Yellowcard until two weeks ago. That is going to change. When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes is not just one of the best rock albums this year, in my opinion, it is also one of the best pop-punk albums I've listened to. If you haven't heard Yellowcard, you're missing out. Support these guys by buying their album. You will be in for an unexpected surprise, as I have been. Also, I dare you not to sing along to "With You Around".
10/10 score.

Track Listing:

01.)"The Sound Of You And Me"
02.)"For You, And Your Denial"
03.)"With You Around"
04.)"Hang You Up"
05.)"Life Of Leaving Home"
06.)"Hide"
07.)"Soundtrack"
08.)"Sing For Me"
09.)"See Me Smiling"
10.)"Be The Young"

(Thank you to YeLLowCarDxGirL for great quality videos with lyrics, because we all love those.)

I'll do a review of something tomorrow. Quote me on that.

Artist: Nickelback
Album: Dark Horse
Released: November 18, 2008



REVIEW:

Nickelback's Dark Horse is the sixth studio album, and has high expectations after their previous effort, All The Right Reasons, released in 2006, went on to be certified 8x platinum in the United States alone. Is it better than All The Right Reasons? Read on to find out.

The Good: "Something In Your Mouth" starts the album with a slick guitar intro, then proceeds to hook listeners in with a sing-along style chorus. Bass is very noticeable in this song. "Gotta Be Somebody" is a great song. Vocals here are really nicely done, and production values are sky high. "I'd Come For You" is a ballad with easy lyrics. Chad Kroeger really stands out with his voice on this track. Elsewhere, guitar takes center stage on "Just To Get High", "Next Go Round", and the infectious "Shakin' Hands". "Burn It To The Ground" is exceptional on all fronts. "Never Gonna Be Alone" and "If Today Was Your Last Day" are songs most everyone knows, and are good as well. "This Afternoon" is a great album closer, and ends with a fading feel good chorus. Nickelback also employs a country flair on a few of the songs, which I thought was a nice little touch.

The Bad: "S.E.X." is a pointless, generic song. Sexually-charged lyrics occasionally get annoying. A few of the songs sound similiar structurally. Not as good as All The Right Reasons in writing, or composition.

Conclusion: Dark Horse is not better than All The Right Reasons. While many of the songs are great, it seems as if the band ran out of themes to write about, thus leading to a couple pointless, non-tongue in cheek songs about hookers and dirty dancers. Overall, solid, but if forced to choose between this and their previous effort, I'd stick with All The Right Reasons.
8.5/10 score.

Track Listing:

01.)"Something In Your Mouth"
02.)"Burn It To The Ground"
03.)"Gotta Be Somebody"
04.)"I'd Come For You"
05.)"Next Go Round"
06.)"Just To Get High"
07.)"Never Gonna Be Alone"
08.)"Shakin' Hands"
09.)"S.E.X."
10.)"If Today Was Your Last Day"
11.)"This Afternoon"

Artist: Amon Amarth
Album: Surtur Rising
Released: March 29th 2011



Introduction:
Amon Amarth’s 8th studio release, an album I’ve been eagerly waiting for for a few years now. When I heard of it I went apeshit. So fucking awesome. I cannot think of a single Amon Amarth song I dislike or even slightly dislike, and this album strongly continues that trend.

The album opens with a powerful and brutal song called “War of The Gods” which was released about a month before the album’s initial release on their website. This song really sets the mood for the rest of the album. Big, powerful, epic and brutal as fuck.

The Good:
The album punches out powerful and mighty melodic death metal Viking themed songs as the band always has and it is probably their most brutal album to date. As you listen to the lyrics you find that throughout most of the songs on album it tells the tale of Ragnarök as the Nordic God Surtr ends the world, and Johan’s voice, greater and more powerful than ever, tells the tale and sounds inspired as always.

The strongest track on the album is easily “Töcks Taunt – Loke’s Treachery Part II”. During the chorus Johan’s incredibly mighty voice reached a new height that sent chills down my spine and made just about every hair on my body rise. As the song progresses it’s goes into a clean part and Fredrik shows of some more varied drumming than he usually has, very cool.

The album has a lot more guitar solos than other albums, and all by whom I assume are Olavi Mikkonen (Johan Söderberg also has some lead duties, but he mainly plays rhythm). The guitar solos are very good. They’re not random shredding you might be familiar with from other death metal acts, they’re good, beautiful and awesome solos, just what you’d expect from the founding Finnish guitarist.

The riffs on the album range from brutal as hell to soft and beautiful clean guitars to melancholic distorted tremolo picking. The drums are as always awesome and really compliment everything on the album; the beats are great and make you want to bang your head.

The Bad:
On my first listen I was almost disappointed, the album actually sounded slightly bland, but as soon as I listened to it again, I was fully convinced. I don’t know why it wasn’t that great on my first listen, I might not have been in the best Amon Amarth mood or maybe the songs just needed to grow a little on me. Who knows, all I know is that this album gets better the more I listen to it.

Conclusion:
The 2008 album “Twillight of the Thunder God” was a lot more accessible than any of their previous work and gave them an even bigger reputation; Surtur Rising follows the trend very well, not the accessible part, but the even bigger reputation part. This is probably Amon Amarth’s most brutal album yet, filled with guitar solos, amazing solos and great riffs, this isn’t just one of Amon Amarth’s strongest outings, it’s probably on of 2011’s strongest albums. I strongly recommend this to any fan of Amon Amarth and Melodic Death Metal.

Score:
9/10


What did you think of the review? It’s my first review of an album ever. Anything I could have done better, anything I did well? Would be nice with some critique. I personally enjoyed this set up a lot. Thumbs up to Ducks!

Oh, and I got this album about one week early, online shopping is awesome.

Great review Paal! I really enjoyed reading it, and it was very well-written, IMO.

One thing, that is not really a critique, but a suggestion, is to add links to each song on the track listing. If there literally weren't any videos, then fine, but for people who want to try the album out, links would help them. :)

Keep contributing please! :D

Artist: As I Lay Dying
Album: The Powerless Rise
Released: May 11, 2010



REVIEW:

As I Lay Dying returns from a 3 year absense with The Powerless Rise, and a triumphant return it is. 2007's release An Ocean Between Us saw a few major changes in As I Lay Dying's sound. First, bassist Josh Gilbert took the torch as for clean vocals, and a somewhat softer approach to metalcore in general. These changes were well recieved by fans and critics alike. Now, The Powerless Rise is poised to combine the previous two efforts from this San Diego based band into one great album. But was this fusion successful?

The Good: Tim Lambesis has stated that he has widened his vocal range, and this is quite evident in the album opener "Beyond Our Suffering". He goes low, very low. An absense from AILD's sound has been guitar solos for the most part, but we get one here. Beastly. We get our first taste of clean vocals on "Anodyne Sea", the second track. Lambesis's snarls combine with beautiful singing from Gilbert and leads to a very enticing outlook on the whole album from this one song. Right away, listeners will see some very deep lyrics to read into. Did I mention the breakdown? "Parallels" is the best song on the album. The brutal intro will appeal to the harcore metal seeker, yet the clean singing (Which actually makes up most of this song) is fantastic. A slick guitar solo adds emphasis to the already ass-kicking song. "Anger And Apathy" has the best screamed vocals on the album, and "Condemned" and "The Plague" control the guitar solos. Unbelievable work on those solos. The drums are outstanding. OUTSTANDING. The second best song, "Vacancy" is awesome. The breakdown is amazing. Finally, "Upside Down Kingdom", which contains the album title in the lyrics, will level listeners into believers of metalcore.

The Bad: What bad?

Conclusion: Metalcore at its finest. There is none better than The Powerless Rise. Say what you will about metalcore. It's too loud, too savage. AILD has crafted an amazing album that is as technically proficient as it is thoughtfully crafted. This is metalcore. This is As I Lay Dying.

Score: 10/10

Track Listing:

01.)"Beyond Our Suffering"
02.)"Anodyne Sea"
03.)"Without Conclusion"
04.)"Parallels"
05.)"The Plague"
06.)"Anger And Apathy"
07.)"Condemned"
08.)"Upside Down Kingdom"
09.)"Vacancy"
10.)"The Only Constant Is Change"
11.)"The Blinding Of False Light"

Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
Album: Tribute
Released: March 19, 1987

Hooray for the first pre-2000 album here!



REVIEW:


I just bought this album last week. Fucking fantastic. Released in tribute to the ex-guitarist Randy Rhoads (no shit) five years after his death, this album showcases everything that was good about Ozzy. The songs, the energy, the solos. Everything is awesome.

The Good: Pretty much everything. It has obvious Blizzard and Diary classics, like Believer, Crazy Train, Suicide Solution, I Don't Know, etc. Steal Away (The Night) features a quite good drum solo at the end. He's no Neil Peart or anything, but he gets the job done. Suicide Solution, the next track, features a Eddie-Van-Halen-esque solo, but better than anything I've ever heard EVH do. It's so full of shredding neo-classicalism that my brain got stuck to the wall behind me. Iron Man, Children of the Grave, and Paranoid also make welcome appearances here. At the very end is outtakes from Randy's time recording Dee, an acoustical instrumental for his mother, that really shows the perfection he strived for. Ozzy is....well, Ozzy. Minus the swearing and bat-biting*.

The Bad: Not a lot. I wish they could have had Diary or another Sabbath song, but I digress. Also, it's still amazing, but not the best live album ever. I kinda like ones with lots of improv and/or crowd involvement. Also, the no bat-biting thing.

Conclusion: I recommend this album to fans of Ozzy, or really any metal-head, who don't already have it. Not to much to say other than what I've already said.

8.5/10

Track Listing:
01 I Don-t Know
02 Crazy Train
03 Believer
04 Mr- Crowley
05 Flying High Again
06 Revelation (Mother Earth)
07 Steal Away (The Night) [drum solo]
08 Suicide Solution [guitar solo]
09 Iron Man
10 Children Of The Grave
11 Paranoid
12 Goodbye To Romance
13 No Bone Movies
14 Dee [studio outtakes]

Standout Tracks
Believer
Steal Away (The Night)
Suicide Solution
Dee


Hope you guys liked the review! I'm not really good at these, but I said what-the-hell.


*I hope at least.

First of all, YOU GOT RID OF DERP?!?!? HOW COULD YOU?

Artist: The Black Keys
Album: Thickfreakness
Released: April 8, 2003



REVIEW:

So, two white guys from Ohio playing blues in 2003. Seems a little odd, right? The Black Keys are the essence of simplicity on this album. Dan Auerbach plays guitar and sings, while Patrick Carney plays drums. And that's it. No frills, no intricate weaving overlays or "deep" songs. Just two guys playing down n'dirty blues. And it really works.

The Good: If there's one thing that's good about this album, it's the feel. How it sounds, what's being played and sung. The mixing in the album gives it a great "unpolished" sound, further adding to the blues-cred. Also, I really love Auerbach's voice. He's not the best or most talented singer, but he has character. And his guitar matches that character. Snarly fuzz up in that bitch.

The Bad: I'm gonna be brutally frank here. If you're looking for hooks, you're in the wrong place. The music may be fantastic, but there's not much pop sensibility anywhere here. "Set You Free" was the only really catchy song here. Also, the lyrics are mostly about heartbreak and love, which is standard blues procedure, but they're still really nothing to write home about.

Conclusion: If you love blues and dirty guitar, buy this album. If not, I beg you to reconsider, but this album won't really change your views. Sucks to be you.

Score:9/10


SONGS:

1. "Thickfreakness"
2. "Hard Row"
3. "Set You Free"
4. "Midnight in Her Eyes"
5. "Have Love Will Travel"
6. "Hurt Like Mine"
7. "Everywhere I Go"
8. "No Trust"
9. "If You See Me"
10. "Hold Me in Your Arms"
11. "I Cry Alone"

Artist: Green Day
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Release Date: May 15, 2009



Review:

Shockingly, this album is more than "21 Guns". WEIRD HUH? In fact, there's a whopping 18 tracks. A big album for a long wait for this album after "American Idiot". Is this album as good as "American Idiot". Nope. Not even close. But is this album a good album? Yes. Green Day changed their sound in "American Idiot" and are not going back. Green Day is never going back to that small band who played punk and was young, carefree and did whatever the fuck they pleased. In "American Idiot" and in this album, you see that Green Day's music is more issue-based. Billie Joe writes songs about his life more than ever as well as some politically-driven songs.

The Good:

This album has some kickass tracks, such as "Horseshoes and Handgrenades", "Know Your Enemy", "Murder City", "East Jesus Nowhere", "Last of the American Girls" and "American Eulogy". However, "Last Night on Earth" and "Restless Heart Syndrome" are wonderful slow songs, which is a rarity on this album. Green Day strays away from ballads and goes towards more IN YO FAIC music in this, and that's not a bad thing necessarily at all. "21 Guns" is a good song too, but other songs are much better imo.

The Bad:

I do love the title track in this album, "21st Century Breakdown", but it also bothers me. Badly. Listening to the song, it looked like Green Day was going for a style in the title track like what they did in "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming" in American Idiot. 9+ minute songs with melody changes and theme changes. And in the title track of this album, that's what Green Day was going for. The melody changes twice in the title track and the themes change with the melody. But the ending of the song feels rushed. Completely. After they change the melody the second time, it only gets about 45 seconds until the song ends. It's so rushed. It's like Green Day went "HERP DERP SONG ENDZ NAO" suddenly, and I felt they rushed making this song and just left it hanging, where it could have been much better, had they made the song longer. And I wouldn't have cared if they made it 9 minutes. What they did with the title track bothered me. "American Eulogy" had something like this too, but they only had two parts to the song, fully developed and it didn't bother me as much they way that song went. There were some songs that I felt were rushed as well but it didn't bother me as much as the title track.

Conclusion:

If you only really liked Green Day's older stuff and you weren't a fan of "American Idiot". Good luck liking this album. Green Day didn't change their style back to their old punk sound. If you were a fan of both their old and new stuff, or were just a fan of "American Idiot", you will love this album. But give it a try. It's worth listening to and I think if you give it a chance, you will like it.

Score: 8.5/10 Good Overall, but a slight letdown compared to "American Idiot".

Tracks: (Cbf to imbed links to 18 songs)
1. "Song of the Century"
2. "21st Century Breadown"
3. "Know Your Enemy"
4. "Viva la Gloria! "
5. "Before the Lobotomy"
6. "Christian's Inferno"
7. "Last Night on Earth"
8. "East Jesus Nowhere"
9. "Peacemaker"
10. "Last of The American Girls"
11. "Murder City"
12. "Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)
13. "Restless Heart Syndrome
14. "Horseshoes and Handgrenades"
15. "The Static Age"
16. "21 Guns"
17. "American Eulogy"
18. "See the Light"

@Failure that sounds like a pretty interesting album, although it's not on spotify, so I wont listen to it.

I agree with failure. It's not their best but it's still a great album. Black Keys FTW.

Artist: Nickelback
Album: All The Right Reasons
Released: October 4, 2005



REVIEW: After I reviewed Dark Horse, I noticed I referenced All The Right Reasons many times. So, for those of you (Probably not many) who are wondering, "Is ATRR really that good?", I decided to write this review. If you don't know several songs off this album, you should probably be ashamed of yourself. Nickelback mixes easy pop-rock hits with hard rock outings the band was previously known for. This is the first album to mesh the two, but does it work?

The Good: "Follow You Home" opens the album with a bang, and a guest. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top handles the guitar and a verse in this song. First off, the melody from Chad Kroeger is great, and Billy Gibbons is, as always, splendid on the guitar. Creepy, stalkish type lyrics contain nice rhymes and easy to remember lyrics. I loved it. "Animals", quite possibly one of Nickelback's most famous songs, is just outstanding. There are no other songs like it anyway. The verses are so infectious, and the drums are so great, you could repeat this one song over and over again. "Photograph" is fantastic. The lyrics to this song are just so well-thought, and they hit home. The acoustic guitar on the verses are nicely done, and well-recieved. "Savin' Me" and "If Everyone Cared" are great, if not somewhat similiar sounding songs. The vocals on these two songs are just outstanding. The only ballad on the album is "Far Away", and this is probably Nickelback's most popular song of all time. It is absolutely wonderful. High production values and sound effects almost, coupled with a chilling performance by Kroeger make this track standout. "Side Of A Bullet" has a guitar solo by "Dimebag". "Next Contestant" is one of the tracks that has the heavy guitar Nickelback fans are used to, and has a nice interlude. Finally, "Rockstar" is quite funny and accesible, while "Someone That You're With" is very catchy.

The Bad: Unfortunately, the sort-of title track "Fight For All The Wrong Reasons" just doesn't stand out from the midst of great songs here. A lot of the songs sound similiar to other tracks. Despite having a solo from "Dimebag" Darrell, "Side Of A Bullet" stinks.

Conclusion: What a lot of people don't recgonize is that Nickelback isn't trying to be anybody special. Whether somebody has ever hit on your girlfriend, regretted missed opportunities, or missed the one they loved, Nickelback relates to you as no other band can. They are honest, intense, and mostly deep songs that I felt emotionally involved with during my listen through All The Right Reasons. Looking for a good, solid 40 or so minutes to relax and listen to straight up rock with no filler? Nickelback can do that better than anyone ever could.

Score: 9.25/10

Track Listing:

01.) "Follow You Home"
02.) "Fight for All the Wrong Reasons"
03.) "Photograph"
04.) "Animals"
05.) "Savin' Me"
06.) "Far Away"
07.) "Next Contestant"
08.) "Side of a Bullet"
09.) "If Everyone Cared"
10.) "Someone That You're With"
11.) "Rockstar"

Artist: Disturbed
Album: The Sickness
Released: March 7, 2000



REVIEW: The debut album from the Chicago metal band Disturbed. The album has plateaued at 4x platinum in the US, and holds some of Disturbed most well-known and popular songs. Only one of Disturbed records which has a nu-metal sound.

The Good: "Down With The Sickness" kicks ass, and houses David Draiman's almost pattened grunts that are very cool. "Voices" is great, and is very catchy. "The Game" has a great riff, and another good performance by Draiman (As always it seems). "Violence Fetish" is awesome, and the drums take center stage. "Stupify" is easily the best song on the album. Not only is the sound varied, the bridge is chilling, and the outro sends shivers down your (at least mine) spine. A quality re-make of "Shout" by Tears For Fears, is now called "Shout 2000", and is spot on.

The Bad: Unforunately, the second half of The Sickness is very weak. "Fear", "Numb", "Conflict", "Want", and "Meaning Of Life" are all repetitive, similiar sounding songs which just aren't very good.

Conclusion: Though many others would probably disagree with me, I think that the debut album misses the mark on quite a few levels. After being great in the first half, the second half, save "Shout 2000", is forgettable. Unless you want this album to complete your Disturbed collection (Like me), then there really is no point to bother with The Sickness.

Score: 5.5/10

Track Listing:

01.) "Voices"
02.) "The Game"
03.) "Stupify"
04.) "Down with the Sickness"
05.) "Violence Fetish"
06.) "Fear"
07.) "Numb"
08.) "Want"
09.) "Conflict"
10.) "Shout 2000" (Tears for Fears cover)
11.) "Droppin' Plates"
12.) "Meaning of Life"

Artist: Bullet For My Valentine
Album: Scream Aim Fire
Released: January 29, 2008



REVIEW: This is BFMV's 2nd release, two years after their debut album The Poison, marked a breakthrough in their careers. With this album, the music is heavier, and the screaming is less prominent (Mostly because singer Matthew Tuck had a problem with his tonsils). So, how does it fair against other bands of the genre? Two words: Kick ass.

The Good: "Eye Of The Storm" is about as heavy as the album gets, with mixed vocals of screamed and cleanly sung. I love the transition between the two, and the double bass is awesome. The solo is out-of-this-world good. "Hearts Burst Into Fire" starts with a truly epic guitar solo, then turns into a beautiful "ballad" of sorts (Not really, but as close as it gets with BFMV). "Disappear" and "Deliver Us From Evil" deliver a double dose of awesome, where "Take It Out On Me" features the most screaming in the whole album. It. Is. Awesome. "Waking The Demon" features low screaming, while making flawless and seemless transitions between an almost trash metal sound to a more clean, hard rock-easy metal pre-chorus. Again, the guitar solo is outstanding. Finally, the title track "Scream Aim Fire" delivers easily the best breakdown I've ever heard. Also, at the end, the gun racking and firing to begin the last breakdown is AWESOME. This song also features the most ball-busting guitar solo on the album.

The Bad: Only 11 songs, and with songs as epic as these, I wanted more.

Conclusion: Bullet For My Valentine is easily the best melodic metalcore I've heard. The drums, the guitar, the vocals, they are all so good. Is this the best album I've ever heard? Close, but no cigar. But, Bullet For My Valentine is now my favorite band (More like band of the day...), and you guys will certainly enjoy every mintue of this if you give it a listen, and take it for what it is.

Score: 9.5/10

Track Listing:

01.) "Scream Aim Fire"
02.) "Eye of the Storm"
03.) "Hearts Burst into Fire"
04.) "Waking the Demon"
05.) "Disappear"
06.) "Deliver Us from Evil"
07.) "Take It Out on Me" (feat. Benji Webbe)
08.) "Say Goodnight"
09.) "End of Days"
10.) "Last to Know"
11.) "Forever and Always"

I only like the first 6 songs on Scream Aim Fire. They're AWESOME, though.

I like how there are three non-Ducks reviews in this thread.

That's not my fault, now is it. ;)

A little. You DO post a new one like every day.

I would do another, but a) I can't think of another album to review and b) I'm not a good reviewer.

Well, I did make this thread. Others are welcome to review albums, but it seems like I'm the only one being consistent with it. I actually like doing it, that's why I do a new one every day.

I may do one for AB:III. If I listen to it more often. However, I'm not much of a reviewer so it pobably won't have much more then a 3 senetece paragraph for good, bad, conclusion, ect. ect.

Artist: Coheed & Cambria
Album: Year Of The Black Rainbow
Release Date: April 13, 2010



REVIEW: This is Coheed & Cambria's latest release (three days before mah birfdai :) ). This album has like an electronic mix into the progressive metal you would usually hear. I think it's a genius thing to do because it's a different thing you would hear when comparing to other progressive metal bands like Opeth and Dream Theater. Also, Muse successfully added electronic stuff to their album Uprising and got a grammy recently for it. This was a good decision for Coheed & Cambria.

The Good:

Like I said earlier, the electronic stuff mixed in this music makes this so incredibly genius. There are two songs off of this album that were pretty big. This consists of "Guns Of Summer" and "Here We Are Juggernaut". "Guns Of Summer" is probably the most electronic amongst all of them. It also features the drummer from the band Dillinger Escape Plan. This song has one of the craziest drum parts I have ever heard in my life. It's so amazing, and the guitar part doesn't even sound like guitar at first. The bass sounds very electronic. The vocals are amazing too. "Here We Are Juggernaut" was the biggest song off of this album. It also is their most popular song. This song has that electronic mix into it aswell, but it even adds a grungy taste to it too. It's a very interesting song.

The Bad:

The first track on the album called "One" is just an intro lead up to the next song "The Broken". "One" is just quiet keyboard chords alternating every 10 seconds, and this goes on for about 2 minutes.

Conclusion

This album's electronicness and originality is so incredible. This album has such a genius part in the music industry that more people need to hear. It is so incredibly unique that all songs sound so different. I would so suggest this album to people.

SCORE: 9.5/10 (due to "One")

TRACK LISTING:

1 & 2. "One & The Broken" (NOTE: One ends at 2:04)
3. "Guns Of Summer"
4. "Here We Are Juggernaut"
5. "Far"
6. "This Shattered Symphony"
7. "World Of Lines"
8. "Made Out Of Nothing (All That I Am)"
9. "Pearl Of The Stars"
10. "In The Flame Of Error"
11. "When Skeletons Live"
12. "The Black Rainbow"

Artist: Bullet For My Valentine
Album: Fever
Released: April 26, 2010



REVIEW: This is BFMV's 3rd major release, and again, features a different style of music than their previous two records. Where The Poison was down and dirty metalcore, Scream Aim Fire sounded a little more like thrash metal, and now Fever strays into complete melodic metalcore. I, personally, love the shift. Despite my love for Scream Aim Fire, after listening to this album, Fever is definitely my favorite BFMV record.

The Good: Before naming all the good songs, let me say that the drums on ALL the tracks are epic, and the guitar has never been better. Now, album opener "Your Betrayal" starts with a military march-like drum intro and it sent chills down my spine. Tuck then whispers the first few lines before opening into a beautifully sung chorus. The screaming in this song comes only in the form of Tuck yelling "Your Betrayal" before the chorus. The title track "Fever" is a little dirty, but epic all the same. "A Place Where You Belong" is amazing, and starts with heavy guitars and Tuck screaming "You're Gone!". The music then turns to a very soft style and clean, beautiful singing. This song also has two great solos. "Alone" is all about the guitar. The riff is amazing, and the orchestrated guitar solo is ball-busting. Great stuff. "Begging For Mercy" brings back memories of old BFMV, as it is the only song to feature completely screamed verses. Needless to say that this one was my favorite. "Bittersweet Memories" and "Pretty On The Outside" are both great songs you could play over and over again.

The Bad: Again, a little on the short side.

Conclusion: This is the best BFMV record yet. A more accesible form of metalcore is used here to a distinct advantage. Tuck has the voice, and the rest of the band back him beautifully. One couldn't ask for a more complete record from these guys. If only it was a tad longer.

Score: 9.75/10

Track Listing:

01.) "Your Betrayal"
02.) "Fever"
03.) "The Last Fight"
04.) "A Place Where You Belong"
05.) "Pleasure And Pain"
06.) "Alone"
07.) "Breaking Out, Breaking Down"
08.) "Bittersweet Memories"
09.) "Dignity"
10.) "Begging For Mercy"
11.) "Pretty On The Outside"

Artist: The Used
Album: Lies For The Liars
Released: May 22, 2007



REVIEW: This is my first The Used CD, and I have to say, I'm impressed with the artistry here. Trumpets, some synth, heavy guitars, and interesting melodies certainly kept me on a different beat each song. Many people compare The Used to My Chemical Romance, and after listening to this, I can see why. Though to be honest, what The Used does, My Chemical Romance does it better. But how good is Lies For The Liars the question here.

The Good: It's pretty hard not to start the review with "Pretty Handsome Awkward". Everything is good, from the riff, to the interesting vocals, to the hatred in Bert's voice. I loved it, and this is certainly the best track. "The Ripper" is pretty cool, and maintains the hard rock feel. "With Me Tonight" is also one of the best on the album. "Paralyzed" seems to have trumpets playing occasionally, and rather than hinder the song, it actually adds a little bit of a flair to the already solid track. "Earthquake" is one of the softer songs, perhaps a ballad, and is sung very well. Perhaps the most unique track is "The Bird And The Worm". Synth, altered voices, clean singing, hard guitars, and melody changes. All these things make up this gem. Aside from distinctive tracks, the guitar work is impressive, the singing unique, and the drums outstanding.

The Bad: Not as good as My Chemical Romance. "Liar Liar (Burn In Hell)" is horrible. Bad vocals and abysmal writing (Seriously? "Liar, Liar, Pants on fire, hanging from a telephone wire..."?) The production values are overblown. Attempt to compete with MCR is very obvious, and is disgusting. "Smother Me" is OK, but sounds to much like better songs from other bands.

Conclusion: Definitely a good album, there's no disputing that. But what The Black Parade, by My Chemical Romance did in 2006, The Used can't do better, or strike even for that matter, with Lies For The Liars. This is probably the most unique album I've heard, that being the discs's strength, and weakness. That said be sure to check out "Pretty Handsome Awkward".

Score: 7.5/10

Track Listing:

01.) "The Ripper"
02.) "Pretty Handsome Awkward"
03.) "The Bird And The Worm"
04.) "Earthquake"
05.) "Hospital"
06.) "Paralyzed"
07.) "With Me Tonight"
08.) "Wake The Dead"
09.) "Find A Way"
10.) "Liar Liar (Burn In Hell)"
11.) "Smother Me"

I always liked PHA, BatW, and Earthquake. Could stand to find more off that album.

Artist: My Chemical Romance
Album: Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
Released: June 8, 2004



REVIEW: The second album from My Chemical Romance is packed with a little story line. An unnamed character is killed by gunfire, then makes a deal with the devil to see his lover again, but then must bring the devil the souls of a thousand evil men to Hell for him. Not sure where the story line pops into the album, so the "concept album" of sorts is kind of a failure. But that doesn't mean the music isn't good!

The Good: "Helena" opens the album with strength. The drums are noticeably great, and Gerard's voice is excellent. Also, the melody is fantastic. The ever-popular song (Which is also featured in GH: WOR) "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" is one of the best songs My Chemical Romance has, in my opinion. The very tasteful guitar solo goes to a literal breakdown. Oh, just try not singing the song later after hearing it. I loved "The Ghost Of You" and "The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You"; the songs are beautifully sung, and are easy to remember. I think the best track is "Thank You For The Venom" for several reasons. First, the verses are catchy and sung very fast. Second, the drums are tight, and guitarist Ray Toro does one of his best solos. "Cemetery Drive" is very emotionally sung (As is the whole album, really.) and is almost ballad-like. "It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A (Fucking) Deathwish" is one of my favorites.

The Bad: A little under 40 minutes is too short! The band is amazing to do 30 minute albums! Some of the songs don't pack as much punch as others ("I Never Told You What I Do For A Living" and "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison".)

Conclusion: This was my second MCR CD, and I like it, but not as much as their 3rd release The Black Parade. The story line doesn't work, so that docks it a little bit. All of the songs are good, but some more than others, and all of members handle their roles efficiently. I'd recommend this album for sure, to anyone. Not only because this is a good album, but because it will introduce people even more CD's by this band.

Score: 8.5/10

Track Listing:

01.) "Helena"
02.) "Give 'Em Hell, Kid"
03.) "To the End"
04.) "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison"
05.) "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"
06.) "The Ghost of You"
07.) "The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You"
08.) "Interlude"
09.) "Thank You for the Venom"
10.) "Hang 'Em High"
11.) "It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Fucking Deathwish"
12.) "Cemetery Drive"
13.) "I Never Told You What I Do for a Living"

can somebody do foo fighters new album? Thinking about getting it

The album doesn't come out until Tuesday. Although, after listening to 'Rope' and 'White Limo' and the fact that it's the FOO FIGHTERS I'm gonna say that it's gonna be good album.

ahh, how did I not know that even though I'm following them on twitter?

You guys do know that they've been streaming it since the beginning of the month right? It's downright epic. I would review it, but I'm way too lazy.

I'll do the Foo Fighters album. :)

somehow I knew ducks was gonna offer to do it... I do kinda perfer you to do the reviews anyway due to our simiar music tastes.

I never thought of you as a Foo fan.

who me? I like a good portion of what I've heard. The Pretender is my 3rd highest played song on my iPod. (behind 2 Shinedown songs that my mom kept playing back to back one night) Best Of You is my 5th highest. So yeah, I enjoy Foo Fighters

I meant Ducks.

Artist: PENTAGRAM
Album: Last Rites
Released: April 12, 2011



Band Background:
In the early 70s Bobby Liebling started Pentagram, a revolutionizing band in the metal genre. Not only was Pentagram one of the first metal bands, and probably the first American metal band, but they are sited as creating the Doom Metal sub-genre. By now your probably thinking "who the hell is Pentagram?", and thats understandable. Although Pentagtram formed in 71 they didn't record their first album until 1985. Unfortanately for Pentagram, Doom Metal never really caught on, especially in a time where Glam and Thrash Metal ruled. There is also the fact that Liebling is one of the biggest drug attics in rock n roll. So, even with praise from critics and fans Pentagram never made it big. But now Liebling is a sober man, has reunited with his old guitarist, and is ready to show the world just how great his band is with the first of three Metal Blade releases.

Review:
First let me state that although every song on this album has the Doom tuning, every song is not a Doom song. The album has a lot of variety to it that I was not expecting, but am glad that it is there. The first song is the first single Treat Me Right, a good "In Your Face" Doom song, but the amount of production on it makes it one of the worst tracks on the album. Thats not to say its bad (if it was I never would have got the album), but compared to the other songs it nothing special. The album's second track, Call the Man, is not only one of the oldest songs on the album, but one of Liebling's oldest songs dating back to a band he was in before Pentagram called Stone Bunny. This song is definitely one of the albums highlights and has a great groove to it. Into the Ground's beginning sounds like Dio Sabbath, I seriously was waiting for Dio to come in and start singing, then it turns into more of a 70's tune with a great riff and Bobby's vocals really deliver, and breaks off into a melodic section in the middle with a great solo by Victor (the band's guitarist). 8 is really different and has a middle eastern sound to it, if you find yourself emerged into it you'll be taken to a new world. Everything's Turning to Night is one of the best songs along with the next track, but I'll get to that in a second. The song is basically a Doom Metal Jethro Tull song, which is funny since Liebling and Ian Anderson look a lot a like. Windmills and Chimes is another amazing song and IMO the best on the album, it's a ballad with great melodies and amazing guitar word, the fact that the band hasn't properly recorded it until now amazes me (I guess Bobby was waiting until he got a chance to get great production). American Dream is nothing special, just the fact that Victor is singing and not Bobby. Walk In the Blue Light is a typical song you'd expect from Pentagram, dark and catchy. Horseman is damn near a Progressive track and a great addition. Death In 1st Person is one of the most sinister songs I've ever heard and definitely on the album. Finally there is Nothing Left another song with a great groove and the political lyrics are great. There's also a hidden song, but its only the riff to the All Your Sins from the first album.

The Good:
-This album rocks
-It doesn't sound like most new albums from old bands
-The melodic songs are just brilliant
-Bobby's voice is just as great as it was in the 70's and 80's
-Victor sounds like he was taken from 1973 Bill and Ted style in half the songs
-Albert Born does an amazing job on drums

The Bad:
-Treat Me Right is a bit over produced
-American Dream is lackluster
-Due to lack of promotion and the obscurity of Doom Metal, this album will go virtually unheard

Conclusion:
This has got to be one of the best new albums I've heard in a long time. Liebling's sobriety does him good and the reunion with Victor invigorates the band. Any fan of Classic Hard Rock, Doom Metal, or even Metal in general need to get this album or at the very least give it a listen on Youtube.

Score:
9.5/10

Tracklisting:
1. Treat Me Right
2. Call the Man
3. Into the Ground
4. 8
5. Everything's Turning to Night
6. Windmills and Chimes
7. American Dream
8. Walk in the Blue Light
9. Horseman
10. Death in 1st Person
11. Nothing Left

^
it appears that the song "Call The Man" is currently free on iTunes. I downloaded it just for you

Artist: My Chemical Romance
Album: The Black Parade
Released: October 23, 2006



REVIEW: There are so many things to like about this offering from post-hardcore/alternative rock band My Chemical Romance. The variety, the production, the uniqueness, the performances, and on and on it goes. In my opinion, this is easily MCR's best album, and it is also my favorite album of all time. But why?

The Good: Everything. Absolutely everything. "The End" and "Dead!" which transition seemlessly are epic. Ray Toro lets rip two awesome solos, the drums are great, and Gerard Way's vocals are fantastic. Plus, I like the way the music changes rhythym 3 different times. "The Sharpest Lives" and "This Is How I Disappear" rock as traditional sounding MCR. "Welcome To The Black Parade" starts with an enticing piano intro, then sounds like a, well, parade when the guitars kick in. Two epic choruses later, the bridge and guitar solo intro to the final chorus and drum outro are chilling. "I Don't Love You" is one of the ballads, and is very good. "Cancer" is all acoustic, but is a cool change of pace. "Mama" is the most unique song on the album, with a couple of rhythym changes, pumped up production values, and amazing parts on all the band members. "Famous Last Words" could be the best on the album, with roaring vocals and a kick ass guitar work, I loved every second of it. Heck, I even replayed it a few times in a row. "Disenchanted" is a nice mix of acoustic and electric guitar, as this is one of my personal favorites. "Teenagers" is a little humorous, and the chorus is very catchy, plus, most everyone knows this song, maybe even from Guitar Hero. Finally, "House Of Wolves" showcases Ray Toro's guitar skills. Unbelievable work from him, especially during the last chorus. It is a must listen.

The Bad: None.

Conclusion: Guitar Hero opened the way for me on this band, and I am dang glad it did. This is my favorite album, and with good reason. There are so many things I can say about this album that makes it great. So, with that, I say this: You will not regret for even a second paying $15 for this album, and joining My Chemical Romance's Black Parade.

Score: 10/10

Track Listing:

01.) "The End."
02.) "Dead!"
03.) "This Is How I Disappear"
04.) "The Sharpest Lives"
05.) "Welcome to the Black Parade"
06.) "I Don't Love You"
07.) "House of Wolves"
08.) "Cancer"
09.) "Mama (featuring Liza Minnelli)"
10.) "Sleep"
11.) "Teenagers"
12.) "Disenchanted"
13.) "Famous Last Words"
14.) "Blood" (Hidden track)

You are all liars.

Anyways, may review The Colour and the Shape when I have time.