Now this is where the gold rush (get it?) begins . They finally understand what a lengthy epic needs to justify its existence and so they apply. 2112 is a legendary opus with a main theme, beginning middle and end,transitions between passages, catchy hard rock outbursts and meaningful storytelling. I really cannot convey the feelings and thoughts this song brings forth through my words so just go and listen to it. It covers up the whole of Side A, and that makes Side B significantly underrated ... read more

To someone who reads these reviews, it might start to seem that im not that much of a Rush fan. Yeah truth be told this particular era of Rush is really not what I'm fond of about them. My complaints about Fly By Night's second side being too much invested in trying to create noodling epics are repeated here, and in a larger degree. What they tried to do in a second side, here they try to do in almost an entire record. I do admit that Bastille Day is a pretty hype inducing and ... read more

Neil's here ladies and gentlemen. The journey officially begins. Or does it? The band still marches on on the hard rock leanings of the debut, albeit with a tendency for longer songs and more noodling. Side A is pretty great, I feel like Alex Lifeson's playing and crunchy guitar tone is the highlight and focus here. Lyrically it immediately veers on a different direction than the debut, tackling more personal issues and fantasy. Unfortunately this album is pretty front loaded, as ... read more

The humble beginnings of a legendary band. Yeah there's not that much to say about this album. Despite it being self titled, it bares zero resemblance to what the name Rush would come to stand for. Be it lyrically, musically or even in terms of members, as you dont have Neil Peart behind the kit or the pen yet. Its a pretty typical Zeppelin/Deep Purple clone of the 70s, many bluesy licks and tunes about having fun with ladies and such. I particularly enjoy the track Take a Friend, its a ... read more

I really dont dig this album. There are certainly a lot of moments that seem to build towards something interesting or exciting but I feel like this band is covering up album runtime with needless meandering and ambient textures that dont even serve the buildup energy in the songs. Take for example a song like Thrice. Great acoustic intro, great heavy drop A riffage in the background, the middle part however literally stops the song on its tracks and so an already forced out of tempo chorus ... read more

Daron once again cooked with this one. Not that it was something unexpected, hes literally been cooking the songs of this album for over a decade. I wouldn't say its that diverse of an album in and of itself, however it's certainly one of the most unique stuff to come out of the heavy scene this year. It also has a lot of pretty nuggets spread throughout, such as the keyboard hook resembling a clarinet in the title track, the 70s prog/oriental scale keyboard solo in Done me Wrong, the ... read more

Seems that some rappers don't age all that well even a little while after their prime era. What about 21 Savage? Does this apply to him? I guess kinda. For half of this record it seems like he foregoes the typical flashy trap production for a more straightforward hip hop sound. He also employs a monotone, sluggish, almost whisper like voice in a surface level attempt at introspection. The most polished and upbeat moments are the feature songs with Doja Cat and Travis Scott. Very well ... read more

Baby's first melodeath? Probably. But it's still great for what it tries to do and ultimately achieve. Thrashy tempos, very few clean vocals, fierce fry screaming by the female demon Alissa, Judas Priest galloping sections (and a little Halford tribute in the squeal on Paper Tiger), a direct cover of a French anthem in Vivre Libre and just pure harmonized riffage, its not as heavy as what a melodeath purist would crave but it does the job of accommodating someone who wants to sing ... read more

Crazy how the best Sevendust album was never released by Sevendust. This album is a testament to the Lowery brothers' ability to write memorable hooks and crunchy guitar riffs like their life depends on it, no matter the project they work for. Arguably the core of the songs is pretty generic early 2000s hard rock/alt metal, but they deliver a punch like no other album of this style. Its refreshing seeing guitarist Clint Lowery working with a more classic grunge singer who brings a hue akin ... read more

Out Clint Lowery, enter guitarist Sonny Mayo and we're entering the underdog phase of Sevendust. In fact they had been released from their previous label and went bankrupt around the time of this album's release. Hence very little promotion and its underrated status in the band's discography. Overall the bulk of the songwriting is still on the shoulders of the OG members and not Sonny Mayo. The mixing is very low and thin, but i cant really say the songs lack quality. In fact ... read more

As OG as you can get in this era or metalcore, this band alone signaled the death throes of nu metal and and the start of a fresh wave in modern heavy music with this album. Its basically everything that made the first album interesting but cranked up to 11. Immense breakdowns, drop C harmonized riffage, positive message in the lyricism and Jesse Leach being an absolute beast with his fry screams. The song structures are still playing it off a little but it definitely adds to the charm. My Last ... read more

A powerful beginning to the groundbreaking fusion between Swedish melodic death metal and hardcore punk. Surprisingly good production values considering guitarist Adam D's relative inexperience and age. The songwriting is still pretty primal, the band doesn't have well defined verses and choruses but there are some very melodic passages, sing along moments and inspiring lyrics. All templates of whats to come, and whats to be improved obviously. Vide Infra and Irreversal are bona fide ... read more

Seriously some of the best of what metalcore has to offer in 2025. In a time where definitions about what metalcore even means have loosened, you have these guys perfecting their blend of harmonic passages, alterations between Drop C and B heavy riffage, crystal clean choruses and stormy darkness. Especially the latter is very present in this album. Its their second project with new clean vocalist Tom Prendergast. While previous album The Seventh Sun was eager to merely introduce the new part ... read more

Another major chapter in the modern metal canon. Not that it breaks any new ground but you can have an array of well structured, evenly flowed and flawlessly produced djent anthems once in a while and love it. Most of the differentiation between songs in this record is found in the different rhythms, intros and bridges in every track. Especially the intros can range from slow atmospheric synth buildups to invasive chugging openings.Peak of interest moments are the techno break in Slow Sour ... read more

Korn created nu metal, now they also take it upon themselves to popularize it. What better way to do it than lean more towards its hip hop side. With a way more polished production value compared to the distortion and throbs of the low end that Ross Robinson infused on their previous two albums, Korn come up with their retail product. Classic earworm anthems featuring their now trademark scat vocals and vibrant low tuned guitars (Got the Life, Freak on a leash, opener Its On) as well as ... read more

Darker, more tortured, angsty and anguished than the first album, Korn continue onward on the trail they themselves blazed, but it doesn't necessarily mean that things get better. Most of it is drugged fuelled madness, sprinkled in with several moments of catchy brilliance (Chi, ADIDAS, No Place to Hide) and iconic trademarks of the band (the scatting of Twist and the Chino Moreno feature). They certainly won't disappoint anyone looking for more of the first album's genuine ... read more

The album that kicked off the moment in musical history that is nu metal. And that's precisely what you get in terms of sound here. Downtuned, distorted, syncopated and bouncy twin guitars, intense funky bass rhythms, unhinged, raspy and almost rapped at times vocal performances. Basically nu metal in its purest and caveman-like form. It solidifies a brand new sound on top of the foundations Pantera and Faith no More built. For that it deserves all the praise it can get. The songwriting ... read more

Holy molly this thing is the greatest. After listening to the Pale Emperor and HUD, you just know Manson has more or less found his pace once again In a new era and will probably stick to those guns. Well he didn't, instead he went to make the masterpiece of his career. Somber, dark, atmospheric, cinematic and just all in all, his confessional record. A dark wave/post punk album evoking the sounds of Bowie's Berlin trilogy and Manson's own Mechanical Animals, every single track ... read more

Second album of Manson working with Tyler Bates, and you already have the industrial textures creeping in. It also feels even more polished (almost trap like) in terms of production compared to Pale Emperor, probably to accommodate the poppy nature of the songs. Everything here is more vocal and keyboard oriented rather than guitar driven. The lyrics however are once again observative of the socio political landscape. As Manson wanted to keep his momentum of reintroducing himself to a new gen, ... read more

Finally that's the return to form we've been waiting from Manson, or... is it? Commercially it certainly is, gave him his biggest clout and hit singles in many many years. Having a song be the theme of John Wick does certainly help. Also teaming up with the a producer and scorer in the caliber of Tyler Bates helps even more. Having gotten the relationship problems out of his system, Manson is finally ready to deliver an ambitious and fresh new project. Its nothing like the old stuff, ... read more