'AM' is a record that burns out too quickly to make for a truly enjoyable experience, despite the band's best attempts to keep up the momentum. I'd call it front-loaded, but it's not even that. This project feels like it's CONSTANTLY on life support: weak, lifeless, and strung together feebly by radio-hit resuscitations.
That being said, there's very little inherently wrong with the album. It's devoid of any color, yes, but has enough groove and style ... read more
Okay, what the fuck? I've hesitated to do a review on this for a while now, but goddamn, re-listening to this is atrocious. Some songs, like "BURN", and "DO IT", are pretty okay-- if not a bit inoffensive. They're your standard Kanye radio hits (if this album... could have radio hits) and even at their best, they still lack any REAL substance. Trust me, there's no room made for introspection here.
Oh, and don't get me going on the production. The samples ... read more
Queens of the Stone Age shift their sound dramatically on 'Villains', in attempt to build off their older sound and inject a healthy dose of dance-punk; meanwhile, Jon Theodore's batter heads are HILARIOUSLY replaced with hand towels.
Okay, jokes aside, this record is a mess. Much of the band's signature sound is presented in an extremely toned-down, neutralized way, but not enough to truly be "radio-friendly", as was most certainly the aim. Even so, a hint of ... read more
The definition of amazing. The first half of this record is consistently awesome, with some killer riffs, great use of acoustics + electric guitar, and stellar lyricism. Some momentum is lost after "Doll Parts", but not severely enough to hamper the overall experience too much. If there's one thing that stays VERY consistent throughout, it's that this album feels GENUINE as fuck. The energy radiating from Love's vocals, the bratty guitars, and focused drumwork is just... perfect. It's ... read more
A bit aged. The vocals are often strained, the electronics are rough, and the lyrics can really drag. It's hard to listen to some songs because, to be honest, they flat-out don't sound good. If there's one thing I can say in favor of this record, it's that it very clearly has potential-- potential that Trench realized.
With some redone synths and vocals. I'd probably raise my score to somewhere in the 70-80 range.
(62->69, 8/25/24)
(69->71, 3/1/2026)
Horribly inconsistent, but decent-- this album is the musical equivalent of clam chowder. Okay, hold on, hear me out for a second: like, there's a bunch of mush, right? It's a bit tough to get through, it tastes alright, but it's kind of awkward. And then you have the REALLY good parts, the actual clam and potatoes, and those are nice... wait, what was I saying? Oh, yeah, Green Day.
Uhh... there's no real filler on the record, but some songs really feel like they overstay ... read more
Oh, what could've been.
This mess of an album, maybe with a bit more polish, could've turned out half-decent-- but do I think it would've? Fuck no. Everything about this record feels grandiose, overdone, and somehow, half-baked. Even when Avenged Sevenfold decides they want to copy the homework of one of their "influences", the absolute best they can do is the worst of their idols' discographies. Was the Daft Punk track really necessary?
Speaking of which, maybe ... read more
Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies is a landmark EP that acts as both a premature eulogy for Layne Staley and a foreboding send-off to the Grunge genre as a whole. At a running time of just 30 minutes, listeners are relentlessly hit with gut-punch after gut-punch.
Whereas albums like Dirt, Facelift, and the band's self-titled record lean toward their metal-influenced roots, this project makes use of slower-paced acoustics to bring out a pronounced sense of dread. Beginning with "Rotten ... read more
Heavy, loud, and unabashedly raw, JaJaTao's *The Rite of Spring* is a phenomenal alt-metal album that combines traditional Chinese instruments with 90s grunge.
The first half of the album is absolutely vicious, taking heavy inspiration from Nirvana and the like- this can be seen most clearly in songs such as "Renaissance Empress 1991", "Kim's Doggy Execution", and "Spring". While most of the songs' true meanings are veiled behind a layer of ambiguity, English ... read more
Iconic, perfectly constructed opening tracks set the tone for the dirty glam-rock style of Alice in Chain's debut LP. Songs like "Man in the Box", "We Die Young" and "Bleed the Freak" are instantly recognizable, and feature powerful, sludgy guitar work that can't be understated.
Unfortunately, the latter half of the album struggles to keep up the momentum of the first, and begins to slip as the band indulges a bit more into its hair-metal side.
Layne's vocals ... read more
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"You'd realistically give this album somewhere in the 20-50 range, which is fine (I understand the criticism of the album by other people), but trying to make your rating mean more by giving it a 0 instead is just weird. Like, the definition of contrarian. You can do whatever you want with your ratings-- you obviously love music and have put more time and energy into reviewing it than I have-- but it feels awfully disingenuous.
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