The premise of combining black, death, and doom metal while incorporating symphonic and neoclassical elements does sound appealing on paper; however, it immediately raises the question of whether the band can pull off such an ambitious combo. Truth be told, speaking solely from an aesthetic point of view, the general vibe of the album suggests they have managed to meet the expectations they set.
That being said, for each individual track, I find myself observing a prominent lack of focus in ... read more

Maybe I'm too much of a "normie" to get the appeal of this, but I can't see that many points of interest in these 18 minutes of genuinely repulsive vocals on top of amateurish-sounding instrumentals.

First of all, thanks to @ezkaton2000 for the recommendation. As for my thoughts on the album, I would say this brand of black metal enlaced with sort of a death metal ethos is not exactly my favourite take on the genre. However, I think the band does perform this sound quite comfortably and I'm interested in diving further into their discography.

Don't let the goofy cover art fool you, this thing packs RIFFS!

An improvement on all fronts compared to the debut. A much more streamlined and focused approach, rather than being caught by the pitfalls of senseless riff salad.

There is no doubt in my mind that Dissection can produce good riffs and somber melodies, but when it comes to arranging them into fully fleshed out songs I can't help but find myself drifting away quite often while sitting through this.

Lorna Shore continue to ride the wave of their massive popularity by insisting on producing the same deathcore slop over and over again. However, this time they add another ingredient to their typical mixture of ridiculous vocal masturbation, mind numbing breakdowns, janky song structures, lifeless production, and pseudo atmospheric symphonic elements, which is to extend the length of every track way beyond the point of what is reasonable for this style of music. It did *not* turn out great.

Twenty One Pilots will always have a special place in my heart due to the fact that they were the very first musical act that taught me to appreciate music as something more than just background noise. Yes, as cringe-y as that may sound, they were very important to me in helping me develop and form my music taste (curiously, from what I've gathered it is not a unique experience across this site). As such, any new release by them always feels at the very least intriguing, "Breach" ... read more

An entertaining listen despite some glaring issues, namely the mixing. Granted, for a sound as convoluted as this, it is understandable why that might happen but obviously that's no excuse. On the other hand, I do appreciate how they made almost every track flow right into the next one (why don't more artists do this?), and also how the overall blend of symphonic elements with the intense death metal instrumentation came together, even if becomes somewhat unimaginative rather quick.

Mostly just sounds like "Countdown to Extinction" or "Youthanasia" outtakes. While far from Megadeth's worst material, it is not that special.

An evident precursor to "Wormwood". Although similar in aesthetics, "Continent" lacks behind in terms of songwriting when compared to its follow-up.

EDIT: This did grew on me quite a bit. Yeah, it's not "Wormwood" but so what? It stills bangs HARD regardless.

I had this sitting at 90 and for no good reason. How often do find an album that completely nails every single aspect? Performances are spotless, production is just perfect for this particular style (that snare tone *chef's kiss*) and the songwriting manages to feel diverse in the way in the various sections are put together without sounding compromised in terms of cohesion.

HOT TAKE ALERT!!!
Now this is a weird one for me. As you can guess by my ratings, I came out of Bathory's two first records rather satisfied. I'd describe them as almost interchangeable between one another, without much apparent evolution going from the self-titled to "The Return......". Still, I loved the raw, gritty and dark nature of those albums, further amplified by the low production value. That being said, my expectations for their 3rd LP were quite high, considering ... read more

It's hard hitting, relentlessly fast, and... oh, looks like that's about it.

The Acacia Strain did it better.

Massively disappointed after reading the reviews since the promises of "visceral compositions" were never fulfilled. To me, the album never really picks up despite showing potential to do so, ultimately ending up feeling way too safe and distracting.

Widely credited as pioneers of the incorporation of keyboards into the death metal genre, Nocturnus' debut sees them exploring a sound perhaps best summarized as a futuristic, technically demanding, sci-fi themed take on Morbid Angel's brand of death metal. On paper, such a set of characteristics is at the very least an intriguing combination but upon further inspection, it becomes apparent that "The Key" is the product of a band whose potential had not yet been fully ... read more

It pains me to score it this low because it has all the elements you'd want in a melodic death metal record but the band consistently struggles to make the songs something greater than the sum of its parts.

Personally, Fear Factory's cold, mechanical, futuristic take on metal feels particularly engaging and oddly invigorating. When it hits, it perfectly paints a dystopian landscape of humanity's biggest flaws. However, the band's insistence on employing over-the-top, anthemic choruses does not do them any favors in my eyes and more often than not they just end up killing whatever atmosphere the band was going for musically. In that regard, if they stayed more aligned with the sound ... read more

A perfectly competent, yet mostly tame heavy metal album, which makes me struggle to see why it was universally acclaimed by both fans and critics.