Top 16 Albums of 2016

What month is it? October! Crap! I am so behind on posting this list.

That's how I've been feeling ever since the end of January when I actually finalized my list. I just never got around to editing it properly.  Now, let’s do a little reflection on last year and the music that was released. There is some great Hard Rock and Metal music that was released in 2016. The unfortunate thing is that I couldn’t listen to it all.

Now, without further ado here is my top 16 albums of 2016.

16) Hardwired… to Self-Destruct – Metallica

I don’t think I’ll be able to appreciate this album or band as much as other fans, but I can certainly acknowledge their impact and influence that they had and still have today. Congrats to Metallica on their 6^th consecutive number one album. Check out my review for my full thoughts.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Spit Out the Bone”

2) “Moth Into Flame”

3) “Confusion”

15) Theories of Flight – Fates Warning

Fates Warning’s album Theories of Flight is one of my favorite progressive albums to comes out this year. To me it surpasses Dream Theater’s The Astonishing. Check out my review for more details.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Seven Stars”

2) “The Light and Shade of Things”

3) “SOS”

14) Heavy Crown – Last in Line

If you ever wanted to have that Dio fix that I yearned for, Last in Line’s Heavy Crown definitely filled that need. Being three fourths of the original Dio band, they pay homage to that music while offer songs that are original. Check out my review for more details.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Devil in Me”

2) “Starmaker”

3) “Blame It on Me”

13) Welcome to Fat City – Crobot

I like Welcome to Fat City, but I much preferred Crobot’s debut album Something Supernatural. Many of the songs on this new album are growers and need to be listened to multiple times. Welcome to Fat City is more like part 2 of their first album. My only complaint is that Crobot didn’t differentiate the songs more. I hope I can catch them live and I look forward toward their next album. I love their trippy album cover. My review.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Plague of the Mammoths”

2) “Welcome to Fat City”

3) “Hold on to Dear Life”

12) Hallow Bones – Rival Sons

Unfortunately, this is one of the albums that I was not able to review previously on my blog. Rival Sons is an absolutely great band that offers a great 70’s hard rock sound. They have continued on that trajectory and have crafted another awesome album in Hallow Bones. I also love their surreal album cover.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Thundering Voices”

2) “Hallow Bones Pt.1”

3) “Pretty Face”

11) Sittin’ Heavy – Monster Truck

Do you like Canadian bands? Well do you like bands that bridge hard rock and metal? Well Monster Truck have all the findings of a Hard Rock band, but their tone is heavy enough for the average metalhead to bang to. Sittin’ Heavy is just great. Go check out my review of my thoughts on the album.

Top 3:

1) “Don’t Tell Me How to Live”

2) “She’s a Witch”

3) “To the Flame”

10) Seal the Deal & lets Boogie – Volbeat

Volbeat has a special sound that is unique to metal. It appeals to metal fans and hard rock fans. I’ve disused Volbeat with a friend and I consider this artist to be a ‘Rockabilly Metal’ band. Anyway, Seal the Deal & Lets Boogie is a superb album, go check out my review for more details.

Top 3:

1) “Seal the Deal”

2) “The Loa’s Crossroad”

3) “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown”

9) Dystopia – Megadeth

Dystopia was one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Many fans of Megadeth were very critical of their previous album Super Collider, but personally I liked that album. Dystopia is superior though, in its tone, musicianship and song writing. Kiko is phenomenal on this album and I look forward to Megadeth on tour and their next effort in the studio. I have a review that goes into detail of what I think of the album.

Top 3:

1) “The Threat is Real”

2) “Fatal Illusion”

3) “Poisonous Shadows”

8) For All Kings – Anthrax

Anthrax’s For All Kings was another of my most anticipated albums of the year. In comparison to their last album, Worship Music, For All Kings sounds bigger but it lost the edge that the previous album had. Again, I can’t really point to that one glaring factor that I have a problem with, but overall this is a great album by Anthrax. Check out my review.

Top 3:

1) “Breathing Lightning”

2) “Monster at the End”

3) “For All Kings”

7) Sorceress - Opeth

Sorceress is the album that introduced me to Opeth. This is another album that I didn’t get to review. I really like this album. I love the progressive elements that meshes so well on this album. I know of Opeth’s history with death metal, but the current musical direction that Opeth is training definitely appeals to me. Go check this album out.

Top 3:

1) “The Wilde Flowers”

2) “Sorceress”

3) “Will O the Wisp”

6) Brotherhood of the Snake – Testament

I love their past three albums starting with The Gathering to Dark Roots of Earth. So, Testament’s follow up to Dark Roots of Earth of which is one of my favorite albums by Testament, Brotherhood of the Snake had some expectations placed upon it. It delivered. One thing I that I did not mention in my review was that this album has a strong presence in the rhythm section.

Top 3:

1) “The Pale King”

2) “Neptune’s Spear”

3) “Stronghold”

5) Magma – Gojira

Gojira is another metal band that has its roots in the heavier side of metal. While in my review some of the vocals were hard to listen to, because of the accent. Magma is a phenomenal album and I love the intensity of the music. I can’t wait to see Gojira live and look back in their discography. Check out my review of their album.

Top 3:

1) “Stranded”

2) “Silvera”

3) “Pray”

4) The Evil Divide – Death Angel

Death Angel is one of my favorite thrash metal bands, and I absolutely love their last album The Dream Calls for Blood. So, the expectations were high for The Evil Divide. Actually, I originally had this album in the top three, it’s because of the next album that it’s not in that spot on my list. Anyway, go check out my review of the reasons I love this album.

Top 3:

1) “Hatred United / United Hate”

2) “Let The Pieces Fall”

3) “Breakaway”

3) Breathe in the Water – Kyng

Kyng’s last album Burn the Serum was my favorite album of 2014. So, for me their follow up album had some serious expectations. I really like this album and it’s no surprise for me that it ended up in the top 3 on my list. You can check out myreview to see my full thoughts.

Top 3:

1) “Follow Blindly”

2) “Closer to the End”

3) “Not Enough”

2) The Last Hero – Alter Bridge

Alter Bridge’s fifth album came out of nowhere for me. I was not a fan before but now I am. I love this album. Check out [my review] of The Last Hero, for my reasons on why I love this album.

Top 3:

1) “The Last Hero”

2) “My Champion”

3) “Crows On a Wire”

1) The Stage – Avenged Sevenfold

I had no expectations for this album. All I knew was the good critical and fan recation. In fact, the guest writer of this blog, Jacob, is a huge fan of the band (although I may be underselling his fandom). I listened to it, and I loved the progressive elements on the album, the vocals to the guitar riffs were awesome. The Stage is phenomenal and I have not been able to put it down since I first got it.

Top 3:

1) “Paradigm”

2) “The Stage”

3) “Sunny Disposition”

Honorable Mentions:

Clean Your Clock [Live] – Motörhead

Battle Cry [Live] – Judas Priest

Metal Resistance – Babymetal

XI – Metal Church

Book of Shadows II – Zakk Wylde

Diamond Head – Diamond Head

End of Days – Discharge

The Astonishing – Dream Theater

Who You Selling For – The Pretty Reckless

Victorious – Wolfmother

Jomsviking – Amon Amarth

There are too numerous amount of albums I’ve listened to, but I can’t list them all.

Lightning Review: Book of Shadows II

Book of Shadows II – Zakk Wylde

The mighty (in so many ways) Zakk Wylde released the sequel to his acoustic album Book of Shadows. This new album is great! I am a fan of acoustic music and this album definitely plays into that desire for acoustic music.

Zakk Wylde, being the great guitar hero that he is, displays  his talent in the solos within these songs. The album is a bit lengthy with its 14 songs. Wylde is known for his shredding; listen to the latest Black Label Society album which demonstrates his prowess. Book of Shadows II allows him to show his songwriting abilities that which go beyond just metal. Each song has this very similar tone that is translated throughout the album. This feeling is not a detriment in the flow of the album and can make it feel as if you were listening to one long acoustic song. The problem I see in his format style is that there really is not a lot of differentiation to the untrained ear and most of the songs don’t stand out from each other.

I would like to note that one of the bonus tracks on the album contains a version of the song “Sleeping Dogs” that features Corey Taylor on vocals. That version of the track gives the song a really cool dynamic sound as Taylor and Wylde alternate on vocals. So, it’s no wonder that they used that version in the music video.

Overall, the tone on this album is very mellow and in my opinion I find Book of Shadows II to be a cool and calm listening experience which offers quality music. I suggest listening to this album on a nice summer evening.  

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Sleeping Dogs”

2) “The Levee”

3) “Forgotten Memory” 

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out their official website for tour dates and other events.

Lightning Review: Metal Ressistance

Metal Resistance – Babymetal

Babymetal. Need I say more? There is a stigma around this group in that are they truly metal? Really what I think it comes down to is that some people don’t like j-pop with their metal. For me while I don’t care for j-pop, but I don’t hate it either. Let’s be honest here, if Rob Halford, The Metal God, can praise this group, there’s got to be something to them. So how does their album stack up with other metal that is currently on the market? Well let’s find out!

Immediately upon listening to this album, the first thing I thought of was, “this sounds a lot like DragonForce!” and that’s because two of the members of DragonForce collaborated on the first song. The following song “KARATE” which is one of the more memorable songs on the album with a more groove metal feel. The album turns more of a smorgasbord of songs with some ups and downs. The album fuses many elements of Heavy Metal and facets of J-Pop.

Babymetal’s second album Metal Resistance continues on with the fusion of j-pop and metal genres which was established in their first album. They’re continuing to incorporate other sub-genres of metal, for example power metal and groove metal into their music. Overall the album offers some hooks to grab you, but ultimately not enough for me. The genres that this group is trying to fuse into their music style, j-pop and metal, may turn some people off so that some people are not going to give this band a listen. I think those people should listen to this music first before forming a preconceived opinion.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “KARATE”

2) “Road of Resistance”

3) “THE ONE”

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out their official website for tour dates and other events.

Lightning Review: Theories of Flight

Theories of Flight – Fates Warning

Fates Warning released their 12^th studio album earlier this year, Theories of Flight. I am not that familiar with this band, although their album, Awaken the Guardian, is one of my favorite progressive metal albums.

This album, Theories of Flight, as some slower parts which are balanced out by the faster and heavier songs. Most of the songs on the first half of the album are very memorable with, “Seven Stars”, being the song I think about when I want to listen to this album. The second half of the album is where it starts to drop off and go weird. What I mean is, the final song which is also the title track, sounds more like a space ship docking and departing in outer space than an actual song.

If you bought the deluxe edition version of the album you also received a second disc with six acoustic tracks. Half of these songs are covers and the other half are different versions of their own songs. Overall the second disc is a nice addition to the album and enjoyable to listen to if you dig acoustic.

Fates Warning crafted an album that they can call all their own and it shows. Theories of Flight is a pretty good album with some great songs. Personally, I really like this album much more than Dream Theater’s new album The Astonishing. This album is definitely one to check out and for all of you progressive metal and rock fans this is an album not to miss.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Seven Stars”

2) “The Light and Shade of Things”

3) “SOS”

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out their official website for tour dates and other events.

Lightning Review: Diamond Head

Diamond Head – Diamond Head

Diamond Head, the only way you probably would have known of this band back in the day is if you were a frequent concertgoer, a metalhead and lived in Europe. The 2010 DVD concert of the Big Four (Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica) in which the members of the Big Four came out and performed Diamond Head’s song “Am I Evil?” gave Diamond Head worldwide exposure in the mainstream the metal scene. This year they actually released a new studio album with new vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen who joined the band in 2014.

How does Diamond Head’s new self-titled album stack up with this year’s competition? In my opinion, Diamond Head is not monumental like other classic albums, but this album has some great riffs and hooks. They don’t have the big production that more successful bands do. The band’s sound is refined and un-bloated and their tunes are pleasant to the ear. Diamond Head relies on their laurels of good riffs, melody and hooks to create a compelling listening experience.

Diamond Head is a pretty good metal album that shows that this band still has relevancy and can write good songs. Definitely give this album a listen.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Wizards Sleeve”

2) “Set My Soul on Fire”

3) “Silence”

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out their official website for tour dates and other events.

Lightning Review: Flotsam and Jetsam

Flotsam and Jetsam – Flotsam and Jetsam

The classic thrash metal band, Flotsam and Jetsam, are back with their self-titled 12^th studio album. It has been about 4 years since their last release and 30 years since their classic debut album. One might ask how does this new material stack up against their catalogue, is the music still relevant, and how good is this new album?

From what I’ve read on line from some hardcore fans of Flotsam and Jetsam, this album is a return to their original style and plays to the strengths of the band. Personally, I’m only familiar with their debut album Doomsday for the Deceiver and this album seems like it would have been great if it had been released about 20-25 years ago. Actually, upon release iTunes had the album year of release listed as 1993 which later was corrected to 2016. I saw the YouTube video of this band’s single “Iron Maiden” and thus I learned about the release of their latest album. I don’t think this album will be the album to break Flotsam and Jetsam into the mainstream or into the main circles for most metal fans, but I can see this band going out and getting some good exposure by touring with other well-known bands.

In my opinion, this album is alright as some of the songs for me are a bit forgettable. There are some riffs in here that definitely stand out and it has an old-school thrash metal sound. Most of the album seem to drown out into the background with blips of interest with some of the songs. For hardcore Flotsam and Jetsam fans this will be your bread and butter. If you want to hear what old-school thrash sounds like, then definitely check out this album. Otherwise, it has a few standout songs to take a  listen to.

Top 3 Songs:

1) “Iron Maiden”

2) “Taser”

3) “Creeper”

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out their official website for tour dates and other events.

Discovering Metal: Death Angel

The Ultra-Violence

The current lineup from left to right: Rob Cavestany, Damien Sisson, Mark Osegueda, Will Carroll & Ted Aguilar

So far, this year I have done many mainstays of Heavy Metal music. Starting with Iron Maiden and most recently Metallica. Now,I would like to talk about a band that isn’t as well known. In the Thrash Metal genre, these guys are one of the best and unfortunately get overshadowed by the Big 4 of Thrash Metal.

Death Angel is band that was founded in 1982 and started to pick up steam in 1985 with their Kill As One demo. Since that time and up to today they’ve released 8 albums, have toured around the world, and had broken up for about 10 years from 1991 to 2001; in 2001 they reformed for a benefit concert. Aside from their earlier accomplishments, I feel that Death Angel has created their best album to date with their most recent album The Evil Divide being one of my favorites.

Death Angel is from the San Francisco Bay area. This was one of the epicenters of Thrash Metal known as Bay Area Thrash. Many bands including Exodus and Testament still call it home. So, with the large amount of Thrash Metal being produced, Death Angel is tried and true to their surroundings and carry that torch. A couple things to be known about Death Angel are that when the band was formed the members were very young with most of them being in their early to mid-teens and also that members of the original lineup of Mark Osegueda, Rob Cavestany, Dennis Pepa, Gus Pepa and Andy Galeon were all related.

What really makes Death Angel unique, more than those little fun facts, is that they play Thrash Metal with melody in their music. This differentiated them from other thrash bands that were going faster and heavier. One thing I will say is that due to their break-up, Death Angel never when through that phase of going more commercial or changing their style to match the times.

I found out about this band in 2014 when I was listening to S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death) and Exodus. At that time, I was already loving the speed and heaviness of Thrash Metal, but Death Angel brought some color into my palate of music. With the melodic elements, it gave me a renewed scene of love for melody in my Metal music. Then I went and got into King Diamond, but that is another story.

Top 5 albums:

1) The Dream Calls for Blood

2) The Evil Divide

3) Relentless Revolution

4) The Ultra-Violence

5) Killing Season

Album Review: The Astonishing

Impressions/Thoughts:

Dream Theater has been the leading band to push the genre of Progressive Metal to new heights. The Astonishing was released on January 29^th, 2016 and is Dream Theater’s 13^th studio album. This album is actually a concept album and follows a man through a dystopian future. The album has a total of 34 songs and clocks in at around 2 hours and 10 minutes. This is their longest album to date.

Personally, I am a fan of Dream Theater’s heavier albums like Train of Thought and Awake. For this album, The Astonishing took me 10 months to make this review. Just kidding, but this review was a large undertaking for me to do.

The Music:

I’m not going to explain the meaning of each lyric, because this is a concept album and each song tells a part of the story. If you want to check out the cool concepts and the overarching story being told through each song, go click on this page on Dream Theater’s official website, where it details what transpires during the story and provides the lyrics for the songs. Instead, I will be discussing the music and how it relates to the theme and overall story.

Disc 1:

Part 1 [Tracks 1-5]

The first couple of songs, especially “Dystopian Overture”, really set the mood for the album. By having this epic and dark tone for the dystopian future concept portrayed through the music, each song sets the stage for the story, giving the audience an understanding of what is happening or what has already happened for the characters and world. The following songs present the perspective of the narrator, ‘the chosen one’ Gabriel and his older brother Arhys.  The way that the songs on this album are presented is similar to that of a musical or an opera.

Personally, I love the beginning of “The Gift of Music” because of its upbeat sound and catchy progression. I also like the part when the song does down to this serene beat and changes the perspective from the narrator to Arhys. The vocals are very clear which helps us understand the message of the song. Shortly after the song builds up from the serene part of the song, some of the lyrics have a chorus added behind the vocals.

“The Answer” is more of a serene song that still is able to give the emotion of insecurity of the character Gabriel. The song “A Better life” has this great marching sound at the beginning of the song that sets a darker mood. Another part of that song I like is the were he says the lyrics “I shall give him a better life, I swore this vow to my dying wife” and all the subsequent lines after that. I also liked the part where a line would be said then the name ‘Evangeline’ would be said after.

Part 2 [Tracks 6-10]

The first song “Lord Nafaryus” gives the audience a foreboding feeling as well as the motivations behind the actions of the character. The next song ,“A Savior in the Square”, begins with a melodic, serene, acoustic sounding piece that starts off the track. Then as does in the story, the song transitions to a tone that is reminiscent of heralding the arrival of someone important. I love the progression of this song as it changes tones throughout as situations unfold in the story. 

In the next song, “When Your Time Has Come”, it has an awesome wailing guitar solo. The following track, “Act of Faythe”, goes into the feelings one of the characters. It starts with a beautiful orchestrated piece then changes to a lone piano and vocals. The track progresses as more instruments are added into the mix, ending with something reminiscent to the song “Lord Nafaryus”. The riff for the song “Three Days” is really rhythmic and catchy. The vocal melody aligns closely with the riff. I really like the part where the vocals are sung above the riff as it slows down, giving the character that is based on those lines a chance to really stand out. I also like the chaotic ending of this song. 

Part 3 [Tracks 11-15]

After a short mechanical instrumental from the NOMACS, “Brother, Can You Hear Me?” starts with this militant sounding music piece that sounds like it could be in an old military propaganda film. The first part of the lyrics sounds like a chant from a group rather than from a singular character. After the music dies down, it starts up again with a serene riff that builds up as it goes on. The lyrics are the response from the main character comforting the previous group. “A Life Left Behind” starts with a chord progression on acoustic guitar. The other instruments join in after a few of these chords take place. The riff changes to a softer tone as the vocals start. I like how the riff goes up when the line “I’m waking up” is sung. The next track, “Ravenskill”, opens with piano and what sounds like chirping birds in the background. In-between the vocals, other noises like running water are added to the soundscape. After about 2 minutes, the bass guitar and drums jump in and make the song much heavier. A few minutes later, the song returns to only vocals and piano but this later transitions into a different sound by the addition of the other instruments which end out the song. “Chosen” is a pretty dramatic song. It’s simple and melodic but the simple message of the hope that the characters have is what makes this song shine.

Part 4 [Tracks 16-20]

“A Temping Offer” opens with a few notes from a piano then followed by a riff that comes crashing down which immediately grabs your attention. The song is pretty intense as the story unfolds. The sound is dramatic just like the choice that the character has to make. “Digital Discord” is another NOMAC instrumental. It’s different and breaks up the pace of the story to allow the circumstances to set in. The following song “The X Aspect” portrays the desperate situation placed upon the character and the choice he has to make. The song starts with a soft piano, then an acoustic guitar and an organ take over the riff. The drums enter and the pace of the song picks up. I’m a sucker for bagpipes so when they joined in, I thoroughly enjoyed their addition to the song. 

“A New Beginning” has this heavy riff that is really exciting to the ear. As the song continues, the riff has a really catchy rhythm. It also has some resemblance to some of the other songs we’ve heard so far like “The Gift of Music” and “Lord Nafaryus”. This song also has some great guitar solos and keyboard solos. As choices and story plans of the characters are being played out, the consequences of their actions are played out in the music of the song “The Road to Revolution”. The riff changes tonally as it goes between each of the characters. As the first disc closes out, it seems that Act 1 is finally over and the next Act will see those choices played out to fruition. 

Disc 2:

Part 1 [Tracks 1-3]

Act 2 of the album starts with an instrumental that reacquaints us with the themes from the previous act while also setting the tone of the second Act. The song “Moment of Betrayal” is where the act truly begins and paves the way for rest of the second act. It’s a darker, heavier song which continues to get heavier as the song goes on. The next song, “Heaven’s Cove”, has this eerie opening as if we were in the hallowed halls of an old long forgotten building. The song has bursts of heavy sound and then fully transitions into a heavy sound as the vocals start. 

Part 2 [Tracks 4-7]

“Begin Again” has this emotional riff that seeps hope. The way the orchestration and vocals come together is masterful to say the least. “The Path That Divides” starts with what sounds like crickets chirping in the night. After a mechanical noise, a dramatic riff plays as the character is facing the moment of truth. As the song progresses, it gets heavier and more symphonic in some places. The vocal melody closely follows the riff in this song. The next song “Machine Chatter” is another NOMACS instrumental. Even though the song itself is rather quiet, the beat of this instrumental is exceptionally catchy. “The Walking Shadow” continues the dramatic theme from the song “The Path That Divides”. In some parts of this song, the riff is very percussive. The track stops around the 2-minute mark and has the sound of walking footsteps. It then ramps up the riff again as the vocals tell the events in the story.

Part 3 [Tracks 8-11]

“My Last Farewell” is a somber song which is in response to the dark event that had transpired. As the song progresses, it follows the emotions being released by the character. “Losing Faythe” starts with a sadder tone of the characters mourning. Later in the song, the tone becomes more hopeful sounding as the situation unfolds, when an opportunity comes into the mind of one of the characters. 

“Whispers of the Wind” continues the somber tone as the vocals portray a hopelessness of the character, draining away any hope for the situation. In the next song, “Hymn of a Thousand Voices”, what seems like a hopeless situation is uplifted by the events that follow in the story. The song sounds epic as a choir can be heard in the background behind the vocals.

Part 4 [Tracks 12-14]

With the crisis now over, the song “Our New World” begins the last chapter in the story. It is an uplifting and upbeat song expressing hope for a new better world. “Power Down” is the last of the NOMACS instrumentals on the album and it’s the signal that the story is nearing its end. The album ends with “Astonishing”. This song incorporates elements from other tracks on the album. It wraps up the story and album nicely as the song builds up touching upon all the elements of the story being told through the various pieces of music from the album.

Verdict:

I like the dystopian future concept that Dream Theater has brought. To me it could have been generic, as many stories with a setting similar to this usually deal with the survival of the character or the politics associated with such a world. Dream Theater, mainly by John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess who wrote the concept and music for the album, deal with something that most writers do not and that is the cultural aspect of such a future, especially music. Even though this album was written mainly by John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess, each of the other members of Dream Theater still get to shine within the music, whether it be in vocals or instrumental solos.

I would love to see this album be adapted into a comic book or movie. A musical might work, but those usually have dance numbers and this music would not work in that kind of setting. Although, I could see this as a movie rock opera. It really depends on how it’s handled, but a production with something visual would be great. I really like this album and if you love progressive music and/or concept albums, this is one of the best that I have found.

If you want to hear this album for yourself, here is the album stream from Dream Theater’s official YouTube page:

Top 6 Songs:

1) “Gift of Music”

2) “A Better Life”

3) “Lord Nafaryus”

4) “The Answer”

5) “Three Days”

6) “A New Beginning”

From left to right: Jordan Rudess, John Myung, James LaBrie, Mike Mangini & John Petrucci

Dream Theater’s US tour of The Astonishing is now over as of today, because today is their last show of the tour. Next year, when they go to Europe they are going to be celebrating the 25^th anniversary of their second album Images and Words by playing that album in its entirety.

You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out their official website for tour dates and other events.

Album Review: Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Impressions/Thoughts:

It has been 8 years since Metallica released their last album Death Magnetic and during that time, they have done many tours, collaborated on the album Lulu with Lou Reed, were inducted into the  Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, and released the movie Through the Never. Now they have release their 10^th studio album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, but does this album have the power to compete with their past albums?

It’s safe to say that I’m not really a big fan of Metallica, or at least their material after their fifth album, but I am willing to at least give this album a fair review like I would for any album.

The Music:

“Hardwired” is just a nice fast and heavy song with kick. It has a simple effective riff that grabs you. It works well as the opening song of the album, reminding fans that they are still going strong after 30 + years.

“Atlas, Rise!” is another song with a great riff. As a song that comes in sequence after “Hardwired”, it keeps the heavy beat and continues the vibe set by the opening track. It’s another good heavy metal song that has a great groove. This song refers to the Greek mythological legend of the titan Atlas and how he holds up the skies of earth. 

“Now That We’re Dead” has a long intro clocking in around 1 minute and 40 seconds. It’s another solid metal track. One of the highlights in this song is Kirk Hammett’s guitar solo and the breakdown and build up to the main riff that ensues after the solo. 

“Moth into Flame” starts off with another solid riff that catches the ear. The chord progression right before the bridge raises the pitch and makes it interesting and memorable to listen to. This is another thrashy song by Metallica. They are on a hot streak with 4 good songs right off the bat, now let’s see if they keep it up.

“Dream No More” is a slower tempo song with an emphasis on heaviness. This song is not as melodic as their other songs and the vocal style is more like shouting. Right after the 4-minute mark, the song stops for a few seconds and then starts up again with a guitar solo. The chord progression goes down during the solo and then jumps into the main riff when the guitar solo finishes. The tone of the song is dark with the familiar subject of Cthulhu.

“Halo on Fire” is another slower song that is more melodic with James Hetfield singing and has a softer tone. That is until the main riff starts and the song picks up with Hetfield doing a short and loud shout signifying the change. About halfway through the song, the riff changes and marches along with a strong emphasis on the bass. Kirk Hammett also gets a few chances to do some great guitar solos on this song. Overall, this song is an interesting listen and has a few changes to the riff that keeps your interest all the way throughout the song. 

As “Confusion” opens, it reminds me of the Diamond Head classic “Am I Evil?” which Metallica has covered many times. After by what some would say is a blatant rip off of an intro, this piece by Metallica has a fast thrashy riff that only is slow for the first verse of the song. ‘WaHammett’ uses the Wah pedal in his guitar solo on this song for great effect. If you can’t guess from the lyrics, the song is about PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

*Wahammett is Kirk Hammett’s nickname as an exaggeration for his use of the Wah pedal throughout his music carrier.

“ManUNkind” starts off light and builds up to a heavier riff. The song has a simple and memorable riff. The chorus of the song is very catchy and during the latter part of the song the vocals have an echo effect, making Hetfield’s voice sound larger. Kirk Hammett also has a soulful solo in this song. The music video for this song has a generic looking black metal band that performs the tunes but still has all the instrumentals and vocals of Metallica dubbed over them. Overall, the band still demonstrates their versatility and even though we’re 8 songs into the album, the album is still going strong.

“Here Comes Revenge” is an angrier sounding song but considering the name of the song that is not so surprising. The instrumentals have a good beat and the riff is memorable and catchy. Kirk Hammett, like in most of the other songs on the album, has another good guitar solo on this song. As the track ends, they deliberately breakdown the song with heavy distortion from their guitars.

“Am I Savage?” starts with a serene sounding opening riff. After the wail of the guitar, the instrumentals go into the main heavy riff. The chorus is syncopated with the riff, which is a little jarring because the riff and vocal melody doesn’t sync up. This does catch your attention and is very effective at that. The riff for “Am I Savage?” is very rhythmic as the bass and drums have more emphasis placed on them. Overall this song is one of the heavier tracks on the album. 

“Murder One” starts with a short acoustic intro and the main riff is simple, heavy and loud. This song is a tribute to Motörhead and specifically music legend Lemmy Kilmister. The lyrics refence the saying “Born to Lose, Live to Win”, the song/album “Ace of Spades” and the way Lemmy lived his life. Overall the song is a good original tribute to the late musician and in the music video it prominently shows an animation of Lemmy, during which he gives the middle finger at the end of the video.

The closing track, “Spit Out the Bone”, ends the album with a thrashy riff that is reminiscent of early Metallica in it’s speed. Hetfield’s vocals shout out the lyrics which goes well with the rhythm of the drums. The song is more focused on rhythm rather than melody. “Spit Out the Bone” is about our dependency on technology and the instrumentals are definitely reminiscent of the sounds of a machine. Metallica ends Hardwired…To Self-Destruct with the heaviest song, showcasing that they can still do Thrash just as good as any other Thrash Metal band. 

“Lords of Summer” was the song that was released as a single and was spawned last year during their Metallica By Request Tour. It’s a pretty generic song and I find some of the lyrics to be kind of cheesy. As a song, I didn’t really like it when it came out and while it not as bad as I originally thought, it’s not a terrible song, it’s just not something that I find to be all that great. 

“Ronnie Rising Medley” is actually from the album Ronnie James Dio - This is your Life, which is an album full of cover songs from late Ronnie James Dio’s carrier by artists like Anthrax, Rob Halford and the Scorpions. The album was for Dio’s official Stand Up and Shout cancer fund. I thought it was a good tribute and my opinion has not changed.

The next two tracks “When A Blind Man Cries” and “Remember Tomorrow” are covers of Deep Purple and Iron Maiden songs, respectively. It is well known that Metallica performs some great cover songs and that has not changed. The following tracks after this are a live recording of a performance Metallica did at Rasputin Music in Berkeley, California.

Verdict:

Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is a great album. All of the songs are in the same vein as each other but they are each distinctively different so as not to be repetitive. Metallica is clearly at the top of their game and fans will find a great album to sink their teeth into. This album may not convert any fans who hold resentment against them over the post-black album music.  I feel that fans should at least listen to the songs  and give them a chance, especially the heavier songs.

Top 5 Songs:

1) “Spit Out the Bone”

2) “Atlas, Rise!”

3) “Moth into Flame”

4) “Confusion”

5) “Here Comes Revenge”

From Left to Right: Robert Trujillo, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett

Follow Metallica on Facebook, Twitter and their official website is here.

Discovering Metal: Metallica

“Metal Up Your Ass” – the original title of their debut album.

From Left to Right: Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, & Robert Trujillo

Metallica! Who hasn’t heard of these guys? The band was formed in 1981 by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield. In over 35 years, they’ve sold over 110 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. They had tours that spanned the globe and were the first artist to play in all seven continents. They were one of the major bands that expanded the boundaries of Metal Music both artistically and geographically and broke down the barriers to perform throughout the world so other bands could follow.  

Everybody and I mean everybody who likes metal, loves Metallica’s first three albums. These albums Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are the cornerstone of Thrash Metal. From great crowd pleasers like “Seek & Destroy” and “Creeping Death” to Cliff Burton’s bass solo “(Anesthesia)--Pulling Teeth”, Metallica has a song for every metal fan.

When it comes to Metallica’s albums four and five, heavy metal fans know the controversies surrounding those albums. Metallica’s fourth album, …And Justice for All, was the first to feature bassist Jason Newsted after the tragic bus accident that killed Cliff Burton. The controversy is regarding the poor mixing of the instrumentals. Whoever screwed it up (some fingers are pointed at drummer Lars Ulrich), it doesn’t really matter as the album still had a huge impact and set Metallica up to dominate the world of Heavy Metal.

Their fifth album’s controversy doesn’t involve the mixing of the songs, but rather in the change of style. You have to go back and listen to the albums in sequence in order to understand what I am talking about. Imagine listening to four albums of Thrash Metal and when you’re expecting more of that you get something dramatically different, Thrash Metal to Regular Metal. Metallica’s fifth self-titled album was their biggest success and it really was no surprise because of their excellent song quality and the momentum that they had been building. Again, what makes so many fans sour is that it was an unprecedented change in style and an abandonment of the genre they spearheaded. Of course, they take pride in what they’ve accomplished and with their most recent album, Metallica is continuing their return to their Thrash Metal roots as they had done in their previous album “Death Magnetic”.

Despite their musical directions, Metallica has garnered many new fans around the world. Even though they have multiple platinum selling albums, they still play a lot of their music from those first three albums. So, fans of their older and newer music can still go to a Metallica show and have a good time. They have been one of the bands breaking new ground and leading the way for other metal and hard rock bands. Metallica has such a rich history and their impact is one thing that you cannot deny. They spearheaded Thrash Metal and took Metal into the mainstream. Metallica is now the token band to represent this genre and they wear their influences on their sleeves. Metallica is one of the most important bands in Metal culture and without them Metal would look a whole lot different.

Personally, I am not a fan of their fifth album and the albums released afterwards, but I can understand why others do like those albums. I discovered Metallica right around the time I was running out of new Megadeth albums to listen to. So, to hear something which now I can consider the gold standard, was great to experience. Metallica is already legendary, but for me some of their songs now sound generic as Metal music has evolved past these classics. Sometimes it’s good to look back and listen to and remember why Metallica as a band is the best at what they do.

Top Favorite Albums:

1) Kill ‘Em All

2) Ride the Lightning

3) Master of Puppets

4) …And Justice for All