The material here doesn't always pay off, though it does make for an intriguing mixture of post-metal textures with a metalcore backbone. One of the most mature releases for the band, featuring unconventional structures and extra clean production.

"Hexed" is such a godly track that made me want to check this out. However, it just falls flat and it is a fairly average record.

This was born a certified classic. What's there to say about this that hasn't already? The beauty of the narrative, the way it touches on topics of self-love/hate, depression, black empowerment, sexuality, fame, among others and how it gracefully ties up at the very end, coupled with the classy jazz-rap instrumentation and carefully selected features is what sells this thing for me and for most people.

The wait is over and "We Are Not Your Kind" is the first record from the nu-metal powerhouse in 5 years. Naturally, the anticipation was immense and the hype was inevitable since this is a Slipknot record and the promise of a record as heavy as "Iowa" made fans eager. But does it truly meet expectations? Does it make the wait worth it?

Well, like my score suggests it really doesn't. This is packed with what we've heard the band do post-"Iowa" era. The structures ... read more

A mixed bag, honestly. It starts really strong, with the first 4 tracks all being at the very least decent tracks. "Kick the Chair" features awesome shredding and blistering fast riffs, "Die Dead Enough" has a catchy as hell chorus and "The Scorpion" is reminiscent of "Cryptic Writings" mixed with old school Megadeth so that makes it stand out, although it is unnecessarily long. However, after that only "Back in the Day" truly manages to grab my ... read more

An album that feels as if Megadeth tries to conquer all audiences, with relatively positive results. This results in songs featuring sounds which are uncommon to the band's realm, like little programming details, layered vocals and string sections in pursue of mainstream sonority. Going through the tracklist, it's like the album is falling down in an ungraceful manner but manages to land on its feet in the second half of tracks.

This is the definition of a musical journey. Such detailed soundscapes evoking these colourful emotions within.

Thy Art has a very pragmatic mentality. The band has a defined sound and sticks to their guns like gum sticks to your shoes.

This results in material that sounds as if the members are stuck with solely 3 Lego building blocks and they go through the entire album alternating between the 3 in a rather unfulfilling manner, not quite sure of what they're doing. The last 2 tracks are as close as we get to breaking that mold, with the results being invariably unfruitful. On top of all this, there ... read more

While Ghost's familiar yet fresh, nostalgic yet innovative, ominous yet accessible sound from "Meliora" remains the main ingredient in "Prequelle", this record sees the band expanding their sonic palette. This is translated in a more ballad type of songwriting and even greater emphasis on catchiness and mood thus saying this album pursues a poppier sound is not far-fetched.

But how does the tracklist hold up taking all this into consideration? Well, the first 4 tracks (5, ... read more

While it certainly isn't an unnatural approach to a follow up for Flower Boy, IGOR is far from perfect. Many of the sonic soundscapes here are reminiscent of Flower Boy, although this release does feature a heavy cut-down in rapping sections, which results in Tyler presenting more sung verses. Any emotional value present is mostly conveyed by the mood and general vibe of the tracks rather than actual substancial lyrics. The flawed nature is due to Tyler's awkward, goofy singing and the rather ... read more

Quite an interesting EP here. Jinjer mixes the modern metalcore sound with a "prog-ier" edge and it surely distances them from their peers. For once, the production is so sweetly crisp and organic that it immediately makes them stand out from the average overproduced metalcore band. On the other hand, their lineup features some great musicians with the bassist being the most exuberant and creative, but obviously Tatiana's vocals also shine throughout. While at first glance Jinjer may ... read more

The band aims for greatness like it would be expected from a prog record, although the performances aren't consistently mindblowing or exuberant (except during the solos, obviously). You go from sweet/cheesy ballads to seemingly random sections with time signature changes coming from all different directions, which is enough to grab the listener's attention. So, while it is a proficient record it lacks memorability which makes it harder for me to have any desire to come back to it.

How tastefully evil and humorous this record is. It's like seeing through the eyes of a madman. It conveys the thrash essence as best as it can get with all the key ingredients and some spicy extras: politics, occultism themes, neck-breaking grooves, demoniac arpeggios, exuberant basslines, hard riffs and obviously the solos to leave you on the edge of the seat.

Megadeth's finest offering, the culmination of their career and one the genre's defining moments, packed with sheer technicality through the 40 minute run of jaw-dropping thrash

His hardest-hitting, for sure. It isn't without its flaws but it's an underlooked project by Denny Cascade.

what a fucking banger

I'm a sucker for cringeworthy, nasal vocals

I'm surprisingly enjoying this.

EDIT: It's impressive how much this makes me giggle. Once again like with "You Won't Get What You Want", the vocals are somewhat off-putting but I think this time they actually fit way better, in a smoother way, I'd say. They are performed in a more unsettling way which was their goal ultimately. It's not something I'll be coming back to too often but it definitely was an interesting experience.

Even though the songs range from trash to tolerable, the overplay effect truly gets rid of any redeeming trait that these tracks might've had.

(Review written out of anger towards annoying kids playing "Believer" out loud in public™ 😤😤)

B-side .5 material