If you were slightly let down by IN FLAMES Reroute to Remain, SHADOWS FALL has arrived in the nick of time.
SHADOWS FALL shows much maturation on this CD. The band has managed to stay heavy while introducing mainstream elements... without selling out. There are many more headbanging riffs on this CD. There are also some nice guitar harmoics as well some Metallica styled guitar interplay. The band also shows more of a European death metal influence than on their last CD.
This CD is definately a contender for THE WMN METAL CD OF THE YEAR FOR 2002. While 2002 has had it's share of letdowns, SHADOWS FALL makes it all seemingly disappear with the release of this CD!
Wolvie's Rating: 8.75/10
LA GUNS, one of rocks most respected underground bands, is back! 'Waking the Dead' is a CD which the band returns to it's roots of classic rock with VAN HALEN meets GUNS N' ROSES styled guitar playing.
If you are a fan of VH, GNR, AC/DC, or THE SCORPIONS, this is the CD for you. While it has a more metallic sound than previous LA GUNS material, it is definately very rock oriented.
Tracks like 'Ok, Let It Roll', 'Revolution', and 'City of Angels' not only shows off one explosive rock band, it also brings back memories of 80's hard rock. Which is not always a bad thing in the era of 'rap rock'.
Wolvie's Rating: 8/10
Another SLIPKNOT side project. Tripp Eisen from STATIC X plays in the band too, but unfortunately I doubt anyone could save THE MURDERDOLLS cd from being a horrific disaster.
This is a really weird CD, sounding like a cross between the MISFITS and POISON with goofy horror lyrics. Honestly, I am very let down that this CD has been given the publicity it has received. It has not deserved it.
One thing is without a doubt: Joey Jordison and Tripp Eisen need to resume to making real metal instead of this goofy noise.
Wolvie's Rating: 3/10
16 songs total. 4 FEAR FACTORY songs you have never heard before. 4 more that were later transformed into other songs.
Concrete allows FEAR FACTORY to go out with a bang. This is a good thing considering that neither OBSOLETE nor DIGIMORTAL were up to par with DEMANUFACTURE or SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE. This CD showcases FEAR FACTORY at their second best.
In this reviewers opinion, this is the best FEAR FACTORY CD aside from DEMANUFACTURE. This is truely a brutal CD worthy of every metal heads time who is willing to give it a listen.
Wolvie's Rating: 8/10
Just like DOWN provided PANTERA's Phil Anselmo a chance to show us that his vocal range goes beyond just metal styled vocals, so does Corey Taylor's STONE SOUR.
SLIPKNOT fans may turn away in disgust as the nu metal meets hard rock album will certainly be a big change from their self titled debut and IOWA.
This album has some great songwriting, perhaps done by the other SLIPKNOT member involved, guitarist Jim Root. Get Inside is the tracks best metal moment, sounding like something Slipknot may have attempted to do. Brother (also included on the Spider Man soundtrack) is a excellent ballad that shows off Taylor's softer side. Other than that, there is not much very revolutionary music on this album. It is a good enough album that perhaps it will do well with more mainstream rock fans than Slipknot will, but that is questionable at best.
Wolvie's Rating: 6.5/10
No more great guitar solo's? No more great stand out tracks? Vocal
effects?
What has IN FLAMES turned into?
In Flames are getting lower and lower each album it seems. To me, the
first
few listens of Reroute To Remain were great. There were some catchy
chorus'
and verse's and it stood out. Then after, it got boring very quickly.
They
added too many audio effects this time around, they wrote fewer great
solo's, and there isn't any great stand out tracks. No Ordinary Story's
or
Colony's. I think they should have concentrated more on making 10 great
songs, instead of making a 14 song CD. Usually a lot of songs mean's
half-assed songs, and this further prooves that analogy. It seems to me
In
Flames got a few good idea's, spread it throughout the whole album, and
quickly filled in the cracks to complete the songs. A few songs have
catchy
chorus' but the verse's are terrible and vise-versa.
There's not many stand out tracks on this album. No more Colony's or
Ordinary Story's that you just gotta hear right away when you put the
album
on. The few stand out tracks to me on this album are: Reroute To
Remain,
System, Egonomic, Minus, and Dark Signs. Basically the only songs I
like,
the rest are just terrible tracks filled with audio effects all over.
It's
like In Flames aren't even a Metal band anymore, rather just a melodic
band.
This album is definitly only for die-hards.
Sick's Rating: 6/10
Taken from 1975's SABATOGE tour, this Live CD is probably more the vein of the hardcore BLACK SABBATH fans ideals than the REUNION release a few years back.
Not only does this give the listener all the great Sab hits, it gives the listener those Sab hits live... when the band was in their prime. In a world full of money making reunion tours (The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and Poison just to name a few) this CD gives us hope that the legendary Sabbath will rise again on the touring road. There is just something about the 'originators' of heavy metal that just will not die.
I could bore you with the standard song titles and such, but you already know them by heart. This is a classic CD, complete with bootleg footage and rare outtakes, that should be in every metal heads collection. Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi playing live in 1975... need I say more?
Wolvie's Rating: 9 out of 10
The year of the live album continues. It seems tha every band must have the obligatory live album for the fans. This live CD is a must have.
SEPULTURA's Under A Pale Grey Sky is a must have not only because it showcases the band right before Max Cavelera left, but it has all the classic Sep songs live... song that fans of the Brazillian thrash pioneers have been craving for a long time.
Roots Bloody Roots, Refuse/Resist, Dead Embryonic Cells, Beneath the Remains... all the songs that made Sepultura one of the innovators of the late 80's/early 90's thrash movement. Not to mention Motorhead, Cro-Mags, and Titas covers, this CD is not only a must have for Sep fans, but for fans of early 90's thrash and speed metal alike.
Wolvie's Rating: 8.5 out of 10
