Fifteenth album from the Prog Metal masters. It sounds like you expect a Dream Theater album to be. Big, sprawling and with more solos than you can shake a stick at it. It managed to simultaneously bowl me over with its intricateness and leave me cold. Hence its position in the no person land of also rans.
Read MorePutting aside last year’s “Waterfall II” (which was essentially unreleased stuff from 2013) this is My Morning Jacket’s first proper album for six year. It sounds like My Morning Jacket and as much as I liked it (and I did) it just didn’t grab me enough to think that I would ever listen to it again.
Read MoreGerman Black Metal that sounds like it has fallen through a wormhole from the early 90’s. Enjoyable in the fact that it sounds like early Darkthrone or Mayhem but isn’t bringing anything new to an already crowded market.
Read MoreSounds like Lucifer I to III. It is still a thoroughly enjoyable slice of bluesy Rock but feels a little unnecessary as it is so similar to the previous four albums.
Read MorePretty standard Extreme Metal. A power storm of searing riffs and pounding drums. Intense but ultimately forgettable.
Read MoreFifth solo outing from the prolific singer songwriter. This is a raw and revealing record that is downplayed and in places very sparse. Her voice is heartbreaking and emotive, but it just doesn’t have enough oomph to elevate it beyond being alright.
Read MoreEagerly anticipated second album from much vaunted New Zealand trio. It’s alright but probably not the powerhouse that we were all hoping for. There is a brooding intensity here, but it lacks the killer punchers to really allow them to live up to their potential.
Read MoreDebut solo record from the Amorphsis keyboardist. Enjoyable but rather a vanity project.
Read MoreRecommended by a good friend and again has a couple of excellent tracks (Mama Werewolf is terrific). A little too removed from my current tastes to make the actual TOP 100 but still a really good record all the same.
Read MoreThere some terrific tracks on here, but it's level of diversity means that it feels more like a compilation rather than an actual album.
Read MoreNorwegian Death veterans release a record that isn’t awful but doesn’t have anything about it to make it stand out from the ordinary.
Read MoreReally liked this on first listen but on repeated visits it failed to gel. It's not bad at all but not sure I will ever choose to listen to it again.
Read MoreMore atmospheric Black Metal (ie slower with less Satan) this time from Edinburgh based one person outfit. Its brooding, it’s ethereal but it is not unique in any shape or form.
Read MoreAtmospheric Black Metal from Greece. It holds its own for the first few tracks but then wanders off midway through.
Read MoreFirst record in sixteen years for the reunited stoner Metal legends. It is deep, roomy and very Sabbath esque. Not bad at all but also not outstanding.
Read MoreFirst album in four years for the most revered band currently operating within the confines of us hardcore. It is certainly a quality album it was just rather too earnest for my tastes.
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