I’ve been a fan of Moodring since their debut EP, and this latest release is easily their most musically creative and strongest project yet. Despite only being 3 songs and 10 minutes long, it offers more than many full length albums in recent memory. I’ve always enjoyed Hunters vocals, but they make a huge improvement here. His vocal register has increased, and his harsh vocals have become so powerful. Show Me The Real You and Stargazer only ever dipped their toes into the heavier ... read more

Another banger by Moodring. I will say, I wasn’t sold on the first listen, but the repeat value is so high, and WOULDYOUWAITFORME gets better every listen. Hunters vocals are at their strongest here and he, as well the band, continue to evolve, while still paying homage to their inspirations, and keeping the best aspects of their previous work. The production is also getting better with every release. These guys are going to blow up, mark my words! The world needs more Moodring in its ... read more

Let me get the CONS out of the way first, because the good FAR outweighs the bad with this album. DYWTYLM is, in my opinion, the first Sleep Token song I actively dislike. I enjoy pop music, so don’t call me a metal elitist or anything, but DYWTYLM goes nowhere interesting, and is overall a very bland track, even compared to other pop hits. Secondly, the production isn’t nearly as good as TPWBYT and Sundowning. The drums don’t pop as much, and the guitar tones are not as ... read more

This is genuinely my favourite movie score of all time. John Williams is a master at crafting motifs that are both extremely catchy and addicting. The music always adds to the emotion of the scene in ways that few composers can pull off, for example, “Battle of the Heroes” and “Anakin vs Obi-Wan” both add so much spectacle to the already amazing duels on screen. “Anakin’s Dark Deeds” and “The Immolation Scene” pull at the heart-strings. The ... read more

Another strong outing by Moodring. This is definitely their heaviest release to date, and Hunter’s clean and harsh vocals have improved tremendously (they were always good, but this is an even bigger step up). The drumming on this track goes nuts and gives me a Sleep Token vibe in the verses. The chorus is very catchy and has been stuck in my head all week. And that breakdown at the end… hits incredibly hard! The production and mix have also improved from their earlier work. This ... read more

Overall, a decent record. The production is very good. There’s a lot of solid ideas here, but not they’re not executed well. Many of the songs suffer from being bloated, and could’ve had shorter runtimes. With the exception of a few tracks, the songs start to sound nearly identical after a while, and the solos are lazy at best. The solos are the weakest part of the album for me. James steals the show; his vocals sound great, and his lyrics are top tier. Lux Æterna is a ... read more

These guys are incredible! They wear their TOOL influence on their sleeve for sure, but I honestly have no problem with that. This album remind me of TOOL if they were a djent/ish band. Phenomenal instrumentation, vocals, and pretty good production. I’m only taking points away for a lack of originality, but if you’re looking to scratch that TOOL itch while looking for something new, these guys are the band for you!

Wow! An amazing debut release from an extremely talented group of musicians. If you’re into that shoegaze/metal sound, you’ll love this album. There are definitely similarities with bands like Loathe, Sleep Token, Deftones, etc, but they also have a sound unique enough to stand on their own. There’s no skips on this record, with my personal favourites being the title track and Wonderland. I’m taking some points away for a lack of originality and not having the greatest ... read more

If I had an albumoftheyear account when Fear Inoculum dropped in August 2019, I would’ve given it a 40-50. I was extremely disappointed after my first listen of the album. The only stand out track in my opinion was Pneuma.
With that being said, this album is aging like a fine wine… truly. I can now confidently say 4 years later that this album is amazing. Not perfect, and definitely not my favourite TOOL album, but I may have judged it too soon. Every time I come back to this ... read more

Musically speaking, I believe this album is on par with Ænema and Lateralus. The band is firing on all cylinders, and the production is unsurprisingly amazing. In my opinion, 10,000 Days as a whole has Maynard’s finest songwriting/lyricism. So many stand out lines on this album, and it truly cements Maynard as one of the most unique songwriters out there.

Wings for Marie and 10,000 Days together are two of the most emotionally charged songs I’ve ever heard. In fact, I cry ... read more

I didn’t think it was possible for TOOL to top Ænema, yet here we are. Lateralus is my favourite album ever. Complete sonic perfection. An amazing blend of psychedelic, progressive, and alternative metal, creating one of the most unique albums of all time. The production on this record is sensational, even in 2023, let alone in 2001. Like Ænema, this is absolutely a NO SKIP album.

Fibonacci sequence jokes aside, the title track is arguably my favourite song in all of music. ... read more

One of my all time favourite albums of any genre. This album perfectly blends the raw, grunge(y) sound of their early work, with psychedelic, progressive elements that would be popularized and perfected in TOOL’s later albums. This is absolutely a NO SKIP album. The production is nearly perfect, and the performances from all band members is top notch.

My only gripe would be the amount of interludes, BUT I believe they are the best interludes in TOOL’s discography. “Message ... read more

This album feels like a natural growth in every aspect from their EP. The production, lyrics, and instrumentation takes a step up, and their sound evolved a lot in the span of 1 year. However, the production is still not up to par with the rest of TOOL’s discography, but the lower production adds a charm to the album in all honesty, so I’m ok with it. TOOL continues to evolve their sound on this album, but it’s still not fully developed at this point.

Undertow feels less like ... read more

The project that introduced the world to TOOL was an imperfect, yet still enjoyable listen. It is heavy, raw, and angsty in the best ways possible. You can definitely hear the beginnings of TOOL’s sound, and what they would eventually evolve into.

The album loses points for me because of A.) the weaker production, which is perfectly understandable, as they were a new band, but still, it’s no where near the amazing quality of their later albums, and B.) many of the songs have ... read more

One of my favourite albums of the last 15 years in all honesty. A beautiful mix of shoegaze and metal elements, while still sounding totally original. The Deftones influence is there for sure, but in my personal opinion it’s still very easy to hear Loathe’s unique sound.

Loathe’s ability to mix the softer, shoegazey sounds with brutally heavy breakdowns is incredible. Both vocalists are amazing, and their voices blend very well. It’s amazingly produced as well, making ... read more

For a debut album, I’m impressed. It doesn’t break any ground in terms of uniqueness, but it is a well executed album from front to back. The Deftones influence is obvious, but they also have their own unique sound, and I hear influences of shoegaze, industrial, and pop punk as well.

This album loses some overall points for A.) a lack of originality and B.) I’m not the biggest fan of the tracks “Red Light Gossip”, “Peel”, and “Head In The ... read more