I loved this when I first listened to this last year, but going through the band's discography, this is definitely one of their best, which is saying a lot.

It's brilliantly hard-hitting. Each song just hits so right, showing off the brutal sound you know from the band, from the fast paced, jaw-punching short songs, to the longer, sludgier tracks.

The whole album also flows incredibly well. Every time I put this album on, I just want to ride it out until the very end.

Honestly, the ... read more

Pretty nice to see how locked in the band was this early in their career.

It's a much straighter approach to death metal compared to their future releases, but there is still plenty of unique charm on here. The riffs kick ass, the drumming is peak, and the bass is actually very loud and present, much more so than their future releases.

As with most debuts, there are quite a few rough spots. The mixing on the vocals is quite bad and extremely quiet to a frustrating degree. There are also ... read more

I'm starting to become convinced that it is impossible for Converge to miss.

So far, this is one of my favorites by the band. It's like a better version of The Poacher Diaries, where the first half is kind grindcore coded and the second is more punkish.

Love how unpredictable and violent this is. It all kicks ass, no matter the track length. If anything, the song lengths are indicating how hard you are going to get punched in the face.

I think the flow of the album could have been ... read more

I mostly enjoyed this, but at four songs with each one being between 7-13 minutes, it's a hard sell and doesn't always succeed.

I find that the vibe it creates to be its strongest aspect. The album sounds cold and oppressive, with its mixing and combination of electric guitars and clean segments.

However, no song fully justifies its length. Even though each song is perfectly listenable, I wish things were split up better or even just shaved off.

It's not very original and ... read more

I feel like you need to take a slightly different approach to talking about soundtracks than you do with normal albums. Yes, being able to listen to the music on its own is important in rating it, but you also need to keep in mind that these these pieces are meant to be experienced alongside visual media.

In that regard, I find the Silent Hill 2 OST to be one of the best to ever do it.

I love Silent Hill 2, and it is one of my favorite video games. I love how every aspect of the game, from ... read more

Not the craziest thing in the world, but it is a pretty solid debut black metal project.

Everything on here is pretty decent. The riffs are good, the vocals are good, and the production is good (for black metal). I also appreciate that it is a pretty brief 31 minutes, as I'm not sure the band has refined its sound yet to justify anything longer.

It's a neat, short back metal project that isn't obnoxious to listen to. Pretty much a win in my book, and I hope they continue to ... read more

I remember taking a German course in high school, and the teacher asked if anyone knew any German bands/artists who only spoke in their native language. I felt like the coolest motherfucker in there when I was the only one who had an answer.

On the flip side, I practically remember nothing from that class. Real proof that I peaked in high school

Anyways, I haven't listened to Rammstein in a bit, so seeing that Mutter came out 25 years ago, better time than any to revisit it. Holy molly ... read more

Not quite as overwhelmingly violent or seamless as Jane Doe, but it's still a pretty damn good follow up.

Lot of great highlights on here. Drop Out, the tile track and Eagles Become Vultures all bang, and show that the band isn't slowing down one bit.

I prefer the back half overall, but at 35 minutes this thing is a breeze to listen to. There really aren't much weak moments on here, and it all just feels great to hear.

Shocker. A High on Fire album kicks ass, and possibly intercourses your mother.

A lot of especially high energy bangers on here. The Black Plot and Slave the Hive being my favorites. The riffs are so catchy and get me fucking GEEKING, especially since they seem to be borrowing more from thrash.

It especially helps that this thing sounds wonderfully grimy and nasty. It's paired with some real raspy (affectionate) vocals that really tie everything together.

It's another banger from ... read more

Do you every have that feeling where you love something so much, that any time you try to put it into words it just dissolves into mush?

That's how I feel about Blackwater Park, because this is my favorite album.

This album checks all the boxes for me and is pretty much perfect. The way it is able to be a kickass death metal record and seamlessly incorporate softer, beautiful folk elements into the music is amazing. I haven't found any other band that has been able to weave in two ... read more

I feel like I'm being gaslit here. No way this isn't lost media from 1987, and it just so happened to be found and released in 2026.

It's 80's thrash worship, with a little bit of flair. You can tell because the album cover sucks, just as all good thrash albums were at that time.

It's not very original, but dang it, it's quite good fun. The riffs hit just right, the drumming is real solid and YOU CAN HEAR THE BASS, AND IT SLAPS.

Sole Voyage is the highlight here ... read more

This sound reminds me a lot of Blackbraid, though seeing how long these guys have been around, maybe Blackbraid sound like them.

If you're an atmospheric black metal enjoyer, but are picky about having good production, this is definitely for you. The instruments are distinct and clear but still have that edge to it.

As a nice bonus, there are some wonderful acoustic sections that I found to be the highlights on here. Just really pretty moments and a nice contrast to the metal ... read more

Hits hard, fucks your mother and father.

High on Fire really has continued to be one of the most consistent metal bands I've listened to, and it's all consistently great. This is no exception and really is a grand helping of sludge.

Riffs hit hard, drums are thunderous and the vocals are the nice type of raspy and grimy. It's really everything you can ask for with an album like this.

I will say the album is pretty quiet depending on the streaming service you use. It's ... read more

This album did irreversible damage to my music taste in high school.

Fun fact about me, Slipknot used to be one of my favorite bands, and I still love them to this day. Yeah, they have a few stinkers out there and Cory Taylor is very obnoxious, but they've released a lot of music that I love and is very important to my development as a metal fan.

Iowa is the peak of that for me.

It feels wrong to just call this a nu-metal album. With how aggressive, angry and insane this album gets, ... read more

With the way I've seen people describe this release, you would have think the band shot their dog or something.

It's fine, and even kinda fun at some points. The length is definitely to its benefit, because if it were any longer then we would start having problems.

Not huge on the vocals, especially the clean singing or times where he's trying to get all emotional and cry in the microphone, but they do have their moments where they do kinda kick ass.

I also enjoy the riffs ... read more

I'm going to be looking at a lot of 2001 records this week to start off the new year, and I forgot how many absolute classics released this year. You're probably going to be seeing a lot of high scores within the next few days.

Yeah, this is one of those albums. While I find the unrelenting, raw aggression of the self titled debut to be really fantastic, I always find myself coming back to the controlled chaos of Toxicity again and again and again.

Holy god I've listened to ... read more

Extremely important album for my enjoyment of metal, and one of my favorite albums full stop.

The album flows incredibly well. I listen to one song, and I immediately want to ride the album out until it finishes. It's so immersive with the soundscape it chooses to explore.

This is still one of the most unique progressive metal albums ever made. It hits hard, it's ethereal, the bass is loud and in your face. 25 years later and no other metal album has released that sounds even ... read more

"Three simple words bled us dry: I love you."

This will be my last review of the year before we transition into 2026. I like to save my last review of the year doing a rereview of the album that impacted me the most this year, specifically one from my backlog.

It was down to a very strong few this year, but I think when it came to the album that I listened to a whole lot and influenced the rest of my listening habits for the year, I think I have to hand it to Converge's Jane ... read more

Pretty sure there were multiple times where dude was legitimately crying on the mic.

Really loved this one, though I don't think I will ever revisit it. It's a really tough listen, as a lot of black metal albums are, but it's also just really fucking sad.

The vocals are defiantly something you need to get used to, but are a pretty distinguishing aspect of the album, really cementing this as a harrowing, bleak experience. It didn't always work for me, I could do without the ... read more

I haven't sat through this whole album since it originally came out. This was one of the first albums I remember being excited for since getting into music.

It's a lot better than I remember, but it's still by far the weakest album the band has made. It's such a chore to get through, with some of the worst interludes the band has ever made and every main song being over ten minutes long. This album does not have 86 minutes' worth of material in it, and 20 minutes could ... read more