Criteria for assessing metal albums

In about a week (give or take a few days), I will be posting the first part of my annual "top metal albums of the year" list. I spend the entire year keeping up with all the new metal releases each week, and listening to as many of them as I can. As such, I feel my lists are fairly thorough and they cover all subgenres and all levels of popularity--from mainstream all the way down to unsigned bar bands.

However, before I publish this year's list, I wanted to lay out the criteria by which I judge the albums I hear. My lists tend to be radically different from all other lists out there, and I'm hoping that by writing out these criteria, not only will my readers better understand from where I am coming, but I can also better evaluate the albums for my list.

As such, there are four main criteria by which I judge an album: 1) technical ability, 2) innovation, 3)consistency and cohesion of songs across the album, and 4) the ability for the music to please my ear. These criteria are each given mostly equal weight, with the exception of the fourth one. I will lay each of them out in more detail.

1. Technical ability

This is, in many ways, the easiest to asses. Insane guitar and keyboard shredding, vocals with massive power or range, complex and/or creative drum and bass arrangements, nontraditional song structures, etc. are all things I look for that indicate a band possesses exceptional technical skill. Though technical talent is mostly meaningless on its own (see: Dragonforce), when combined with the other elements listed below, it can mean the difference between a good album and a transcendently great one.

2. Innovation

I think this is where I differ from many other music critics out there. Let me first say that I love innovation--without it the genre would grow stale and die off. One of the bands that will be on my list is called Kvelertak. They're from Norway and their self-titled debut is probably the most innovative and creative piece of metal I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. It breaks so many conventions and rules of the genre and yet...I can't help but love it. But, like technical skill, innovation means very little by itself. You won't find Mastodon or Anthrax on my list because their new albums are simply not any good. It's that simple. And on the flip side of that, a band that shamelessly copies the styles of bands that came before them will not be penalized by me as long as they create good music in the process. Innovation is important, but it is not the be-all-end-all of the metal scene.

3. Consistency and cohesion of songs across the album

Despite the long title for this criteria, it's actually very simple: If an album contains no weak songs, that is good. If the songs work together to create an atmosphere that stretches across the whole album and enhances the listening experience, that is even better. Doom bands really excel in the cohesion and atmosphere criteria, and to a lesser extent so do prog bands and any sort of well-executed concept album.

4. The ability to please my ear

This is the most subjective, hardest to define, and also most important criteria for me. The clearest way I can define this criteria is to say that if any part of an album makes me tap my foot, bang my head, throw the horns, or smile uncontrollably, it counts for a lot. And if a band can make me laugh out loud in joy, that's automatically a contender for album of the year. And I don't mean a happy, cheerful joy, but rather an amazed joy, where the sheer brilliance of a composition causes such a rush of emotional power that it needs to be released by either laughter or tears (or both). I find a handful of albums like this every year, and it is the biggest reason why I love metal music. The ability that metal artists have to blow your mind with the power of what they have created is unparallelled in the world of music, and is a joy that all metalheads are able to share.

Most Essential Scandinavian Metal Bands

Scandinavia. When viewed on a world map, it appears as little more than a pimple on Europe's forehead. Consisting of three small countries, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, it seems unlikely that much of consequence could happen there. And yet, for the heavy metal universe, Scandinavia has been a hotbead of activity for nearly thirty years, producing countless quality bands, and quite a hefty number of transcendentally great ones. Following are some of the most absolutely essential bands for understanding the Scandinavian scene and how it has evolved over three decades:

#8 - Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth, hailing from Tumba, Sweden, haven't been around as long as the other bands on this list, but they deserve to be here because they have arguably achieved the most success. Releasing their first album in 1998, they started as more of a straightforward death metal band. Over time, however, they evolved their sound in a totally unique direction that has garnered them massive success.

#7 - Dimmu Borgir

Dimmu Borgir (Icelandic for “dark cities”) took the primal, indecipherable noise that early Norwegian black metal was and turned it into something beautiful. Darker than Hitler's soul, mind you. But beautiful. Dimmu blended the primal nature of black metal with the elegance of symphonic orchestration and airy, atmospheric song structures, making them (along with Emperor) the masters of symphonic black metal.

#6 - Hypocrisy

A band that apparently suffers from multiple personality disorder, Sweden's Hypocrisy have moved all over the metal spectrum since their formation in 1990. Mastermind Peter Tagtren has traversed this band's sound from straightforward death metal, to a more melodic direction, to nu-metal, and then back again to melodeath. The lyrical themes have evolved as well, starting out mostly satanic, and then somehow transitioning to strange alien abduction stories. But Hypocrisy have delivered absurd amounts of quality metal over the years--powered by Tagtren's inhuman vocals, arguably the best extreme metal vocals ever--and are still going strong today.

#5 - Bathory

The formation of black metal is credited a number of different places – namely Switzerland's Hellhammer and Britain's Venom – but Scandinavia also gets in on the action with Sweden's Bathory. Their four albums released between 1984 and 1988 came to be recognized as crucial foundations for the black metal genre that would blossom in Scandinavia in the 1990s. In particular, their anti-Christian lyrics and shrieked vocals were both extremely influential to the black metal bands that would follow them.

#4 - Entombed

Entombed were the first Swedish death metal band to release a studio album. Even more significantly, they recorded said album (1990's Left Hand Path), at Sunlight Studios--which would eventually become the most famous recording studio in the industry--and created the distinctive buzzsaw guitar tone there, something that would immediately become a signature of Swedish death metal. Though Entombed quickly evolved their sound away from true death metal, Left Hand Path remains the most influential and essential album of the scene it pioneered.

#3 - Mayhem

Though there were many bands that were integral parts of the early Norwegian black metal scene (Burzum, Emperor, Immortal, etc.), none were more essential--nor better embodied the infinitely disturbed nature of the scene--better than Mayhem. Formed earlier than any of their peers, they had their original vocalist murdered by fellow black metaller Varg Vikernes of Burzum, and their guitarist blow his own brains out, followed by his fellow bandmates making necklaces from the fragments of his skull. Despite that, Mayhem have survived to this this day and are probably the most influential band of the black metal genre. Go figure.

#2 - Dark Tranquility / In Flames / At The Gates

I list these three bands together because it was together, between the three of them, that the melodic death metal, or “melodeath” genre was created. Over the years, each band evolved the genre in a unique direction. Dark Tranquility, formed first, incorporated keyboards and operatic clean vocals, effectively evolving the genre in a more gothic direction. In Flames were the masters of Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy influenced dual-guitar leads and moved the genre in a more accessible and mainstream direction. At The Gates were the heaviest of the three, and kept the genre grounded to its death metal roots. When looking at the melodeath genre, it is necessary to view all three of these bands together, and together they make for some of the most essential listening in all of Scandinavian metal.

#1 - Mercyful Fate

Little Denmark is saved from heavy metal obscurity by this monumental band. Mercyful Fate formed in the early 80s and has been influential on countless artists, including the mighty Metallica, who often cite Mercyful Fate among their biggest influences. Vocalist King Diamond's powerful falsetto was their trademark that influenced countless power metal vocalists to come. Their heavy, speedy, but melodic guitar style would be strongly influential on thrash and speed metal. Their innovative song structure would lead to prog metal. And their anti-Christian lyrics would be a major part of the future black metal movement. All-around, there are few heavy metal bands in the world--much less Scandinavia--more essential than Mercyful Fate.

Iced Earth "Dystopia" Review

These days a new Iced Earth album stirs mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, they have produced some of the best music to have ever graced my ears, but on the other hand their last couple of albums were rather disappointing, especially when viewed in light of the rest of their discography. It seemed like Jon Schaffer had lost his passion and fire for making music. He was merely going through the motions. His heart just wasn’t into it anymore.

But then in 2010 came Sons of Liberty—Schaffer’s politically themed side project. Suddenly it seemed like he had rediscovered the fire that made albums like Burnt Offerings, The Dark Saga, and The Glorious Burden so transcendently great. The riffs were fiery, the vocals were powerful, the songs were both memorable and creative. But most important of all, Schaffer had a message he was passionate about delivering, rather than some abstract pseudo sci-fi story about an alien antichrist.

I hoped and predicted that rediscovered passion would carry over to the new Iced Earth release. There was one other positive omen prior to Dystopia’s release as well, and that being the band’s track record when introducing a new vocalist. John Greely’s first (and only) album Night of the Stormrider, Matt Barlow’s debut on Burnt Offerings, and Tim Owens’ arrival with The Glorious Burden have each marked the three best efforts by the band to date. Something about having a new toy to play with just seems to get Schaffer’s creative juices flowing. So with the announcement that Barlow was leaving the band again and would be replaced by Stu Block from extreme prog metallers Into Eternity, my hopes were quite high for the new release. And Schaffer et al do not disappoint.

Since we’re on the subject of vocalists, let’s first talk about Block’s effort in that area. I’d be understating things to say his voice is monstrous on this album. If you’ve heard Barlow’s powerful baritone or Owens’ ridiculous four-octave range then you know that when I say Block is the most talented vocalist ever to sing for the band, it means a lot. A hell of a lot. And he is. His range is equal to (if not better than) Owens’, and he manages the gruff baritone with equal gusto and forcefulness of Barlow. Having been a fan of his work with Into Eternity before, I literally did not believe that it was him doing most of the vocals here. I thought that Schaffer was finally stepping up and taking on the majority of the vocals responsibilities again like he did during stretches on Night of the Stormrider. But no—live videos confirm that those sounds do, in fact, come from Block. Incredible, to say the least.

As for the songs themselves, they are generally very high in quality. There’s a definite NWOBHM vibe on this album, often hearkening back to segments from Night of the Stormrider. There are numerous examples of dual-guitar leads that are very Iron Maiden-esque, such as the extended instrumental sections on “Dark City” and “Equilibrium.” And substitute Block’s vocals for those of Bruce Dickinson on album closer “Tragedy and Triumph” and it could easily have been a track on Powerslave. But the old-school thrash aggression also remains, especially on “Boiling Point” and “Days of Rage.” The complaint I have is that those two songs are far too short (“Days of Rage” clocks in a barely over 2 minutes) and straightforward to be very interesting.

The highlights here are mostly the mid-tempo tracks. Though Schaffer is but a shadow of his former self when it comes to writing interesting riffs—often just resorting to generic galloping triplets rather than trying to write anything creative—“Dark City” does contain some of the well-written lightning-wristed rhythm work for which Shaffer has become legendary. And “V,” easily the highlight of this album, contains a number of the best riffs on the whole album, on top of being very catchy and well-written tune overall.

Not every song on this album is a winner, though. “End of Innocence” is quite boring and repetitive, and if you have the limited edition then it is followed by the decent-but-not-spectacular “Soylent Green,” creating a bit of a lull in the second half of the album during which your attention may wander. Also, as I’ve mentioned it before, throughout the album the riffs are often very bland and generic, making me pine for the days of Burnt Offerings when Schaffer was a god of the rhythm guitar.

Those few flaws aside, though, this is a very solid album and a worthy addition to the extensive and (mostly) exemplary Iced Earth discography. Its diverse sounds make for an interesting and memorable roller coaster ride, and most of the tracks stand out on their own merit and stick with you long after Stu Block's lion roar has faded to silence. Definitely recommended.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Albums from 2011 (so far) to check out

Three months into 2011; we've reach the one-quarter mark of the year already! I've been keeping up with all the new releases so far this year and have compiled a list of the best ones to date. In no particular order, here are ten releases from the first quarter of 2011 that I highly recommend checking out:

V by Vreid (Indie Recordings)

Amazing progressive black metal. Arguably my favorite so far this year.

Stoned by Acid Witch (Hell's Headbangers)

A unique mix of stoner metal, death metal, psychedelic keyboards and Sabbath-inspired riffs. Great "drinking beer and grilling out" music.

Subvert the Dominant Paradigm by Noisear (Relapse)

This is as grindcore as grindcore gets. Very technical, chaotic, fast, and insane. In terms of having your brain cells violently rearranged, this is an album that shines.

Blood on Snow by Eastern Front (Candlelight)

I'm a huge history nerd, so maybe I'm biased, but this black metal band from the UK blows me away. They have WWII-themed lyrics and a rythmic attack that even Immortal would be jealous of. Highly recommended.

Surtur Rising by Amon Amarth (Metal Blade)

It's Amon Amarth. Need I say more? Okay, so maybe it's not as good as their last two albums, but it's still effing awesome. Your metal collection is simply not complete if it doesn't include the latest offering by these Swedish melodic metal masters.

Onyx by Ava Inferi (Season of Mist)

Mesmerizing gothic-influenced doom metal. The female vocals only add to the immersive experience, while the Mastodon-influenced riffs and mournful piano melodies make for a surprisingly memorable experience.

 Kvelertak by Kvelertak (Indie Recordings)

Easily the most innovative and creative album I have ever encountered. This makes Mastodon look like stale trend-followers by comparison. Their sound is mostly dominated by black metal and punk influences, but they manage to blend a dozen other sounds in as well, all while maintaing an improbable coherence. Worth checking out for its ground-breaking qualities, if nothing else.


Firefight by Blackguard (Victory)

Commencing an enormous leap from their debut album, Blackguard succeed where their debut failed by translating their considerable live energy to the studio as they create an album that sounds like a mix between Children of Bodom and Ensiferum. It's epic, it's extremely energetic, and it's catchy as all hell.

Relentless Reckless Forever by Children of Bodom (Universal)

Speaking of the devil, here are the masters of Finnish melodic extreme metal with their latest release. While this doesn't match Follow the Reaper or even Are you Dead Yet? in quality, it's still much better than their most recent releases and shows that, even at their most mediocre, Children of Bodom still rank among the best modern metal bands.

Asylum Cave by Benighted (Season of Mist)

Call it brutal death metal, deathcore, technical death metal; I don't freaking care. This is awesome metal no matter how you paint it. I'm not normally a fan of hardcore breakdowns or "pig squeal" vocals, but both are used sparingly and tastefully enough on this album that they don't impede the considerable musical talent of Benighted.

New Arch Enemy track

For anyone who was lucky enough to download Arch Enemy's new track "Yesterday is Dead and Gone" off of their upcoming album Khaos Legions while it was still available, you may have caught a glimpse of what I suspect will be among the best metal albums this year. I apologize for not reposting the link before it had expired, but rest assured, this should be one monster of an album. Keep your eyes peeled for it.

Review of Acid Witch's "Stoned"

Acid Witch Stoned (Hell's Headbangers, 2011)

It drives me nuts when I see a really good, totally unknown band that is getting poor reviews simply because they promote themselves incorrectly. This is one such band. Hailing from the strange and foreign land known as Michigan, Acid Witch consists of only two members, who simply go by the names Shagrat and Dave. The cleverly-named Stoned is their second full-length album.

On their Myspace and other pages, they claim to be doom metal, and that is a mistake, because they clearly are not doom. This is more like psychedelic stoner metal with death-grunt vocals. They have a campy, goofy sense of humor (see: "Metal Movie Marijuana Meltdown"), but the songs are extremely catchy, with great riffs that are tailor-made for handbanging. They also have a unique bend of stoner themes, Sabbath-inspired riffs, and psychedelic 70s keyboards that I've never heard before.

The keyboards are what really makes this album stand out. They are used sparingly, but they are extremely effective when they are used, such as in “Live Forever.” They yank the listener out of the sludgy trenches being dug by the weight of the guitar riffs, and send you soaring for a few brief moments before the combined mass of the Dave’s massive riffs and Shagrat’s deep, gruff vocals drag you back down to earth.

This is a really good album and I recommend checking it out. Just don't expect doom metal, because that's not what they are. This is more of a "have a few beers and cookout with your buddies" album than anything else, so grab a case of imported beer (I recommend Newcastle Brown Ale or anything brewed by Hoffbräu), fire up the grill, and enjoy this for what it is.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Top 10 metal albums of the 80s

When your average American thinks about heavy metal, he immediately envisions the 1980s era of big hair, spandex, and music videos. “Hair metal,” as it was known, was metal's glorious moment in the spotlight. Ironically, it also happens to be a source of incredible shame for metalheads. See, hair metal was an abomination - a perversion of everything that heavy metal stands for. It's disgraceful that MTV, record labels, and Hollywood all made absurd amounts of money in the name of heavy metal. Absolutely disgraceful.

Thankfully, there was also an abundant crop of quality heavy metal blooming throughout the 80s. For the most part, these were bands who didn't get MTV air time or inspire Hollywood docudramas and movies. What they cared about was making quality music. And what they created was the sturdy branches that each grew into the myriad of metal subgenres - branches that continue to grow and thrive to this day.

I normally embrace the challenge of making lists that include rankings. However, I feel like there's no way to rank any of these legendary albums above the others. As such, I present to you the ten best metal albums of the 80s in chronological order:

Heaven and Hell Black Sabbath (1980)

Four months into the new decade, the most influential band in the history of the genre kicked off the most successful decade for the genre with this beast of an album. Combining Tony Iommi's signature riffing with Ronnie James Dio's virtuoso vocal talents made for an album of pure sonic ecstasy. Talk about starting the new decade off with a bang!

Blizzard of Ozz Ozzy Osbourne (1980)

Pulling himself up out of the gutter after being dumped by Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne struck absolute gold when he found young guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoades. Powered by Rhoades' neoclassical soloing and Ozzy's penchant for writing catchy-as-hell tunes, Blizzard would go on to reach four times platinum, making it one of the most successful metal albums of all time.

Number of the Beast Iron Maiden (1982)

Maiden ushered in a new era of heavy metal with this landmark album. Though the dual guitar sound had previously been pioneered by Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy, this album is the quintessential monument to dual-guitar melodies. Furthermore, the songs are among the catchiest of all time. And then there's Bruce Dickinson's vocals. There's just so much to say about this album. Many consider it to be the best metal album of all time, and for good reason. Just an unbelievable piece of work all around.

Holy Diver Dio (1983)

After a brief stint with Black Sabbath, Ronnie Dio went his own way and formed this self-named group. Dio's vocals are legendary, but in case you've been living under a rock your whole life and aren't familiar with him, he is widely considered to be the best vocalist in the history of the genre. Of course, Rob Halford/Judas Priest fans might have some beef with that (and rightly so), but the fact remains that Ronnie Dio's vocals are an orgasm in your ear and this album is easily one of the most revered of all time.

Ride the Lightning Metallica (1984)

Metallica introduced the world to the concept of thrash metal with their 1982 album Kill 'Em All. But they perfected that concept two years later with this album. If you ever find yourself searching for a definition of the term “thrash,” simply listen to this album. Never before or since has the genre been so clearly or powerfully defined. This is a legend among legends.

 Powerslave Iron Maiden (1984)

Everything that Maiden did right on Number of the Beast, they did even better on Powerslave. Of particular note is Steve Harris' bass lines, which have always been extraordinary, but on this album they seal the deal that he is the best bassist in the history of the genre. I could literally listen to this album ten times in a row, doing nothing but focusing on the bass each time. It's that good.

Metal Church Metal Church (1985)

Unlike the other albums on this list, this one has slipped through the cracks a bit. Metal Church were never as popular as groups like Ozzy or Sabbath. Nor were they as innovative as Maiden or Metallica. But when an album is this well executed, it doesn't need those other qualities. Simply put, this is a flawless collection of songs, and it deserves to be ranked up with the other albums on this list, even if was neither as popular nor as influential as the others.

Master of Puppets Metallica (1986)

If you took a poll of ten metalheads and music critics asking them what was the best metal album of all time, you would probably get ten different responses. However, if you polled a hundred or a thousand of them, it's likely a winner would eventually emerge, and that winner would almost certainly be this album. On March 3, 1986, the official bar for heavy metal music was set. Ever since then, every great album is inevitably compared to this particular masterpiece. Can there be a higher honor than that?

Peace Sells... but Who's Buying by Megadeth (1986)

Megadeth may be Metallica's redheaded stepchild, but it is the one that grew up to be that really hot redheaded chick with the perfect freckles and body - absolutely sublime. And this is arguably the sexiest of that redhead's albums from the 80s (though all three albums released by Dave Mustaine and company this decade were very, very good). If you don't get the song “Peace Sells” stuck in your head at least once after listening to this album, there's a good chance you weren't born at all, but rather grew in a lab, because you definitely do not have a soul.

Hall of the Mountain King Savatage (1987)

Modern prog metal bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X owe vast amounts of credit to this album. The title track in particular exhibits a very special combination of intricate songwriting, amazing musicianship, and a just flat-out badass guitar riffage (seriously, that is one of the most incredible riffs of all time). But that magical combination isn't limited to one track, as every single song here shines in its own eclectic way. Oh, and if Jon Oliva's vocals don't get your blood roaring, you need to have an autopsy because you are clearly not alive anymore. All-round, a spectacular album in every facet.

Top albums of the 2000s

(Note: I wrote this list at the end of 2009. This is one of my most popular articles on Helium.com, so I wanted to reproduce it here with proper formatting, etc. However, if I made the list over it might be slightly different today, as my tastes are constantly evolving)

As the decade draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the journey of heavy metal over the last ten years. When the decade started, metal was a purely underground form of music. The rock music charts were dominated by nu-metal (not actual metal), punk rock, and the ironically-named alternative brands of music. Now you can turn on your local rock station and hear bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, and Bullet For My Valentine bringing their commercialized versions of heavy metal to the masses. As the mainstream has moved more towards metal, metal has simultaneously moved towards the mainstream─causing the two to meet somewhere in the middle.

Behind all that, though, have been the types of metal bands that have kept the genre alive for so many years despite never receiving any mainstream recognition. Bands that follow the hard-working model of the pioneers─the Iron Maidens, Judas Priests, and Megadeaths of our modern era. Bands that seek to create metal music that is inspired, powerful, and masterful. Bands that seek to create art in their music. Bands that seek the rip your face off with the intensity of what they have created. These bands have perfected the art form known as the album.

When creating this list, my intention was to make a top-ten list. However, when I looked at my final list of nine albums and realized that every single one of them was a flawless piece of work, I knew I couldn’t dilute the perfect composition of this list. There is no real reason to add another album that is just almost perfect just for the sake of rounding out my list. Instead, I present to you the nine most flawless albums to come out since Y2K.

#9 Facing The Thousand Light This City (Prosthetic, 2007)

Not only is Laura Nichol the most intense female vocalist/frontwoman ever, she might be the most intense of any gender EVER! Throw in Brian Forbes’ and Steve Hoffman’s furious neoclassical dual-assault, Mike Dias sounding like he is trying to break his bass strings, and Ben Murray seemingly growing a third arm for this performance and you have one of the most impressive collections of unknown talent ever. This band’s biggest strengths are Nichol’s vocals and the band’s songwriting prowess. Murray is the main songwriter for the band and he takes cues from a wide range of sources, from Iron Maiden to Slayer to The Black Dahlia Murder. TOP TRACKS: Exile, The Eagle

#8 Deathalbum Dethklok (Williams Street, 2007)

What’s that you say? Dethklok is a joke band and their music doesn’t belong on a ‘best of’ lists, much less of the decade? You’re wrong. Allow me to lay out the facts for you. Fact #1: Brendon Small graduated from the Berklee College of Music and he knows music. Fact #2: This is the highest-selling death metal album of all time! Fact #3: Gene Hoglan plays drums on this album. ‘Nuff said. With catchy tunes that will drill their way into your brain, and not a weak song on the album, this is not only one of the best metal albums of the decade, but because of its popularity it is also one of the most important. Brain-dead American Idol generation, meet real heavy metal. Try not to have an aneurism. TOP TRACKS: Castratikron, Go Forth And Die

#7 The Odyssey Symphony X (InsideOut, 2002)

Though not quite as good as their follow-up (we’ll get to that one too), this album has the distinction of having the best progressive metal song of all time in the title track. At over twenty-four minutes, the level of complexity and intricacy demonstrated on “The Odyssey” is without equal. The whole song flows together so seamlessly - never for even a nanosecond becoming boring, despite its incredible length. Michael Romeo does an unbelievable job weaving the symphonic element in with the heavy metal ones, and Russell Allen’s vocals absolutely crush all. The rest of the album is exceptional as well, but this album is worth the price of admission simply for the title track. And yet somehow, this is not even this band’s best album this decade! TOP TRACKS: The Odyssey, King of Terrors

#6 With Oden On Our Side Amon Amarth (Metal Blade, 2006)

This had to be my toughest pick of the whole list. The absolute gods of consistency this decade, Amon Amarth literally have five different albums that could arguably have made this list. As time goes on, their newest album Twilight of the Thunder God could be judged as their best this decade, but Oden is already a legendary album in its own time. The real deciding factor, though, for picking this album over the others is found in the track order. “Valhall Awaits Me” is the perfect opening track, being solid and heavy, but neither the best nor the heaviest song on the disc. Likewise, “Prediction of Warfare” is the perfect track to end with, with its epic length and crushing vocals and melodies. And every track in between just feels right. As far as crafting an album as a whole entity, Oden is just slightly better than anything this great band has done this decade. TOP TRACKS: Cry Of The Blackbirds, Gods Of War Arise

#5 Brave New World Iron Maiden (Sony, 2000)

This album is astounding on so many levels. How often has a band reunited with its seminal members (Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith), played the exact same style they did twenty years earlier, and managed to come up with their best album yet?! Never, that’s how often. And yes, I did just say this was a better album than the great classics like Number Of The Beast and Powerslave. Those albums may have had a few better songs, but they lacked the incredible consistency in song quality that is displayed on Brave New World. And boy, Dickinson has lost absolutely nothing over the years as he sings his ass off on this album! And with three guitarists you might fear that they would get in each others’ way, but the guitar work on this album is clean and ordered. All around an amazing effort from probably the most essential heavy metal band of all time. TOP TRACKS: Dream of Mirrors, Out Of The Silent Planet

#4 Beyond The Permafrost Skeletonwitch (Prosthetic, 2007)

Iron Maiden meets Slayer. Catchiness meets brutality. Old school meets new. This is the album of the perfect dichotomies. Much like how Slayer or Black Dahlia Murder do it, these Ohio rockers manage to cram more unbelievable heavy metal riffs, melodies, solos, growls, and tempo changes into thirty-four minutes than any other band could fit into an hour. If you’ve ever wanted to hear Iron Maiden on a day where they took steroids, mutated into something from Resident Evil, and then went on a violent killing spree, this is the album for you. TOP TRACKS: Within My Blood, Fire From The Sky

#3 Train of Thought Dream Theater (Elektra 2003)

I know this will be an unpopular pick. The expected pick for Dream Theater’s best this decade would be Octavarium. But come on, just listen to this album, will you? Dream Theater fans hated it because it was too heavy and not many other people ever gave it a chance, but Mike Portnoy himself said that he thought this was the album where everything came together for them. And I happen to agree with him. Heavy enough to make it onto a metal list, cerebral enough to be progressive, and eclectic enough to be Dream Theater, this is really Portnoy and gang’s most complete metal album to date. Petrucci especially gets to show off his insane skills ways he only ever demonstrated elsewhere on Liquid Tension Experiment. He shreds, riffs, and solos his way through the album like a man who actually has something to prove (which is impressive because at this point he has nothing to prove). More importantly, the band’s songwriting talents are as outstanding as they have ever been here, and even after 11+ minutes you will find yourself wishing songs like “In The Name of God” and “Endless Sacrifice” didn’t end. A true masterpiece by arguably the most musically talented band in the world. TOP TRACKS: Endless Sacrifice, This Dying Soul

#2 Kingdom of Might Woe of Tyrants (Metal Blade, 2009)

Maybe I am getting too hasty placing such a recent album this high─especially when said album is by complete unknowns and relative newcomers in southern Ohio’s Woe Of Tyrants. But I have been listening to this album ever since it came out eleven months ago, and every time I put this disc on I am completely floored by what is stampeding from my speakers. Vocalist Chris Catanzaro prowls back and forth between a thrashy scream to a guttural death metal growl that will shake your bowels with its ferocity. The rhythm section matches that ferocity as bassist Adam Kohler and drummer Jonny Roberts lay down an unending and seemingly inhuman stream of notes that is constantly changing form and direction like a sidewinder that moves 600 miles an hour. And on top of that all you have Chris Burns and Matt Kincaid burning their guitar strings up with their mind-blowing neoclassical dual assault. Add to that the band’s impeccable talent for writing catchy and purposeful melodies, well-timed tempo changes, and generally crafting songs as cohesive works of art and you have yourself the second-best album of the decade! Listening to this album must be what going up against an MMA fighter would feel like. Never has your soul being thrashed like a rag doll ever felt so good! TOP TRACKS: all of them!

#1 Paradise Lost Symphony X (InsideOut, 2007)

I don’t possess the words to do justice to this album. This is perfection in every way you can possibly think of─songwriting, production, lyrics, theme, consistency, instrumental playing, artwork, and vocals. If I had to pick one aspect that stood above all the others, though, it would be Russell Allen’s monstrous vocal work. Listening to his performance on songs like “Set The World On Fire (Lie Of Lies)” and “Domination” are akin to being hit by a runaway freight train, while his soulful emotion on the title track and “Seven” have the power to bring a tear to your eyes. And he hits every range of sounds in between those extremes, cementing this album as the single greatest vocal performance of all time. Besides Allen’s vocals, you also have Romeo’s Malmsteen-influenced neoclassical guitar shredding, Pinella’s beautiful piano melodies, and Rullo’s furious drum assault. Even bass player Michael Lepond gets to shine with a bass solo on “Domination.” I could go on and on about all the great aspects of this album─the well-written lyrics, the fact that every song is a masterpiece in its own right, the way every instrument can be heard clear as crystal─but you’ll just have to discover everything this album has to offer on your own. I mean, come on, this is the best album of the whole effing decade! TOP TRACKS: Set The World On Fire (Lie Of Lies), Paradise Lost

Honorable mentions: Nocturnal by The Black Dahlia Murder, Spirit of Ukko by Kiuas, The Way of the Blade by The Ottoman Empire, every album by Amon Amarth, Scar Symmetry, and Dark Tranquillity.

One final thought: what a year 2007 was! With four albums in the top-9 (including #1), and two honorable mentions, that was clearly the best year of heavy metal this decade, and maybe the best year metal has had since sometime in the mid-eighties.

The death of the album?

Anyone who is into music has heard it more than once before─the major record labels are becoming as archaic as the dinosaurs and will soon be just as extinct. It’s a prediction that those who wish to appear “hip” and “in the know” have been reiterating for several years now. More than several years, actually. In fact, it has been nearly a decade since the Great Napster Fiasco of 2000 took place─an event which marked the beginning of the end for names like Warner, EMI, and Sony. It is simply too tempting for most people to use P2P (peer-to-peer) downloading services such as LimeWire or the plethora of BitTorrent tracker sites to get their favorite artists’ music for free rather than driving to the store and overpaying for the same music at the same level of quality.

Even the artists themselves are buying into the “death of the record label” talk. In 2007, British megastars Radiohead made news by going completely independent and offering their new album as a free download from their website─no record labels, no strings attached. Since then, other artists have followed suit, including Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins fame) and fellow Brits Coldplay. And when discussing his upcoming album, Rob Zombie recently stated “I don't think they're gonna make CDs anymore by this time next year… Everything in the industry that I've been hearing has basically been saying that, like, 'Oh, by the time you get to your next record we won't even press it up on a CD.’ I mean, it is almost becoming like you're not sure - how will people get music a year from now?"

Talk like this has to be extremely depressing for the workers remaining in the recording business, right? From the grossly overpaid CEOs down to the hard-working folks in marketing, technical support, and distribution, job security is a serious issue and thousands of people have already lost their jobs in this industry over the last few years. But what are the facts? Is the music industry really deserving of all the doom-and-gloom talk, or is there any hope at all for finding ways to make money off such an enormous consumer product?

The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) releases a report every year detailing all aspects of the music industry. The 2009 report (detailing the numbers from 2008), features a number of revealing statistics. First, the bad news. The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) estimates that 95% of all music downloading is done illegally, representing billions of dollars lost for the music industry. And total album sales (combined digital and physical) fell 25% from 2000 to 2006. In 2007 total music sales fell another 10%. Looks pretty bleak, huh? But wait, more recent news brings some vestiges of hope.

The IFPI’s 2008 and 2009 Digital Music Reports indicates that digital music sales rose 40% in 2007 and another 25% in 2008. Total music sales are tracked by Nielson SoundScan, and they do not release that information without a very costly subscription, but they reported that overall music sales grew in 2008 after falling 10% in 2007.

The key, according to the IFPI, is that “The music industry has transformed its business models, offering consumers an increasing range of new services with leading technology partners.” In plain English, the record labels have finally recognized what it is people want and have adapted their business tactics accordingly. The big game-changer seems to be mobile sales - now accounting for approximately half of total digital sales. As mobile devices grow more and more sophisticated, they have unwittingly become the saviors of the music industry.

But what of the good old-fashioned CD? Is Mr. Zombie’s prediction a justified one? RollingStone.com covered this topic extensively in an article entitled “The Record Industry’s Decline.” Authors Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick report that “About 2,700 record stores have closed across the country since 2003,” implying that the cause is falling album sales. And the IFPI reported that, despite increasing digital music sales by 40% in 2007, total music sales still fell by 10%, indicating a dramatic drop in physical album sales─a trend that has been the norm for this entire decade. All numbers seem to strongly indicate that Rob Zombie is correct; CDs sold by record labels will soon be a memory from the past.

I believe, however, that the doomsayers will be surprised. The fact is, digital music downloading - both legal and otherwise─is mostly carried out because of it level of ease. One advocate of music piracy argues “A consumer may be willing to download the latest album from say Britney Spears for instance if it was free, but if asked to shell out $15 bucks I’m sure most would refuse.” This point is an excellent one, though it indicates a fact that the author may not have realized─most of the illegal music downloading that takes place is not conducted by true fans of that artist. In truth, how many popular music artists have ANY true fans? Sure, a small percentage of fans may truly believe in the music─they feel it, live it, and love it. But I suspect that most people listen to popular artists because that is what their friends, family, or peers listen to. It makes for good conversation, mutual appreciation, and ease of access and listening.

Furthermore, most popular artists are not geared towards making albums, but instead focus all of their efforts on creating a few hit singles and then fill in the rest of the album with tunes of lesser quality. As a result, these artists make themselves easy targets for users of P2P programs like LimeWire. All a “fan” has to do is download the handful of hit songs from their favorite artist and they can ignore all of the “filler” tunes that would come with the album.

For most underground artists, the process in drastically different. Genres like traditional folk, heavy metal, and classical all focus on creating an album as a whole, cohesive, and complete entity. This is especially vital in heavy metal, where a very common phenomenon is the “concept album,” or album that is composed of songs that work together to demonstrate a single concept or tell a single story. The concept album is a time-honored tradition of heavy metal and classic rock, dating back to ground-breaking albums like Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Queensryche’s Operation Mind Crime.

I believe that, because of the album’s sanctity and value over that of the single in certain underground genres, the physical album will NOT die. Perhaps in popular music the trend towards not pressing music to CDs will continue. But there will always be those of us who prefer to have the physical music, and hear the album the way the artists (in the true sense of the word) meant for us to hear them. As one fan said in response to Mr. Zombie’s comments “I still love buying a Cd and checking out the artwork while reading the lyrics, I really hope it doesn't die out completely I still enjoy it very much.”

In the same way that many new albums are still sold in vinyl, the CD will not go extinct any time soon. I may not be “hip” or “in the know” for saying so, but in 50 years when people are still buying physical versions of music, remember where you read it first.

Review of Nightrage's “Sweet Vengeance”

Nightrage Sweet Vengeance (Century Media, 2003)

Sometimes my friends and I like to sit around and dream up scenarios of different virtuoso metal talents getting together and playing. Our own hypothetical supergroups, if you will. Like what if Steve Harris and Mike Portnoy got together to make the best rhythm section of all time? Or what if Peter Tagtren and Ronnie James Dio had teamed up to make the best clean/growled vocal duo ever? Well one of those musical wet dreams came true in 2003 when Nightrage released their debut album Sweet Vengeance.

Tomas Lindberg had established his place on the Mount Rushmore of death metal vocalist during his time with At The Gates in the 1990s. Simply put, Lindberg's insanity-tinged growl/shrieks are equal parts unique and unbelievable intense. So who could he possibly partner with? Who could possibly equal on their instrument what Lindberg produces with his voice? How about none other than arguably the most respected guitar virtuoso to emerge in the last decade─Kostas Karamitroudis, better known as Gus G.

Most people these days probably know Gus G as the most recent guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne's band. But Gus has been shredding his way through the metal universe since the early 2000s, making his mark as a member of Mystic Prophecy and Dream Evil, touring with Arch Enemy, as well as starting his own band Firewind. Everywhere he goes, Gus leaves a trail of blown heads and guitar-induced carnage with his abilities on the six-string. Needless to say, when Tomas and Gus team up, the expectations are high. Really high. And Sweet Vengeance does not disappoint.

There may seem to be a clash of styles here, as Gus normally plays melodic power metal, while Lindberg is a melodeath vocalist. But Gus proves his versatility by adopting the Swedish melodeath guitar style throughout this album. In fact, the tremolo picking patterns and buzzsaw guitar riffs are so naturally played that it's often hard to believe that Gus learned to play in his native Greece and not Scandinavia. And power metal you will not find here. Sorry, Firewind fans. This is real heavy metal with real balls, and Gus takes to it like he's been playing it all his life.

Of course the main area in which Gus shines is his soloing. Every chance he gets, the young Greek guitarist reminds us why he is considered one of the best of the genre, shredding his way through these sections with both a fluidity and sense of melody rarely matched in today's scene.

But before I get too carried away talking about the two main attractions to this band, let's not forget the songs themselves. These are songs that At The Gates would have been proud to call their own in their heydey. Each one exudes a blistering intensity that was the hallmark of early Swedish death metal. But that intensity is tempered by the incredibly delicious melodies contained in mostly every song.

Also in good Swedish melodeath fashion, there are tempo changes that are so powerful they may cause your heart to skip a beat with their ability to surprise and delight you. But another delightful surprise is revealed in a few songs like “Etheral” and “At the Ends of the Earth,” when we get a treat of clean vocals. They are rare, appearing in only a few songs, but that is what makes them such a delicacy here. The best part? The clean vocals are delivered by none other than Tom S. Englund of Evergrey─yet another beast of talent. Englund's ability to inject immensely powerful levels of emotion into his voice makes him a more than suitable counterpoint to Lindberg, and makes the clean vocals all that much more scintillating.

As if this album needed another big name, the production is handled by the great Fredrik Nordstrom. His production style is renowned for the crystal clarity given to each instrument, and he lives up to that on this album. As previously mentioned, the signature Sunlight Studio “buzzsaw” guitar sound is utilized fully, and the vocals sound as crisp as if there was a direct link from the vocalists' lips to your eardrums. All-in-all, it would be impossible to have better production for a melodeath album.

It probably goes without saying, then, that this is an album worth adding to your collection─especially if you like Slaughter of the Soul-era At The Gates or anything involving amazing guitar solos. But this album has so much more to offer than even what Gus G and Tomas Lindberg bring to the album. Simply put, this is an essential album for any fan of heavy metal, no matter what your particular preferences are.

Overall rating: 9.2/10