Top 10 11 albums of 2007 [column]

Intro...
The year started off slowly but really picked up steam in the last few months. Usually it's pretty easy for me to pick out 10 obvious standouts, but this year it just wasn't as easy. I went back and forth with the top two over the past few weeks, and actually spent most of December listening only to my top picks while driving to and from work (when I do most of my listening). In the end, I culled things down to 11 solid releases. It just didn't seem right leaving any of these albums off the list.

Just missing the list included solid releases from Dimmu Borgir, Linkin Park (with what I consider the band's best effort to date), Megadeth and Ozzy Osbourne.

So, without further ado...

Best albums of 2007...



Machine Head
The Blackening
(Roadrunner Records)

"May the hands of god strike them down"

Machine Head has finally reached a point in its career where it's ready to take chances and push the boundaries of its sound. Take the opener, "Clenching the Fists of Dissent." The 10-minute plus epic veers through tempo-shifts and moods, from an unexpected acoustic opening to an assault of riffs that twist and spin, creating a layer of sound and moods that pull the listener through a meat grinder of emotion. Flynn and Phil Demmel (on lead guitar) are as tight as ever, trading solos and pushing each other's performance in something akin to a brotherly game of one-upmanship that keeps things from ever becoming boring. Adam Duce's bass work seethes with aggression on tracks like "Beautiful Mourning" and "Now I Lay Thee Down," while Dave McClain never misses a blast beat.

As a unit, Machine Head hasn't sounded this tight in a decade. The harmonies (from Flynn and Duce) have never soared so high, while the band maneuvers through a mine field of musical directions, mapping out a metallic journey that's hard to ignore.

Of particular note are the blistering "Aesthetics of Hate" (inspired by the murder of Dimebag Darrell) and album closer "A Farewell to Arms," a 10-minute cornucopia of style that seems to draw inspiration from every corner of metal.

When all is said and done, The Blackening will stand as a touchstone in the band's career. In this new, young millennium, the album is justification for Machine Head to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Mastodon, Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage and consider itself one of the best metal has to offer. And what other metal band which debuted in the mid-'90s can do the same?



Foo Fighters
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
(RCA Records)

"Echoes and silence, patience and grace / All of these moments I‘ll never replace / No fear of my heart, absence of faith / And all I want is to be home."

Long gone are the days when Dave Grohl crafted quirky, catchy anthems like the ones on the Foo Fighters' 1995 self-titled debut. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is a slow-burn album; aside from "The Pretender," "But Honestly" and perhaps "Erase/Replace," nothing immediately jumps up and grabs your attention. But after a spin or two, it's clear that the band has crafted a classic album. Everything is twice what it should be—the melody twice as haunting, the rock twice as bombastic. By the time the piano ballad "Home" pops up to close the set, you can't help but shake your head at exactly what this album represents and want to immediately start it again. Picking between this and Machine Head's effort for album of the year was by no means an easy task.



Vanessa Carlton
Heroes & Thieves
(The Inc./Universal Motown)

"Someday our bones, here they will lie, and so we sing ... As the years move along and soldiers and heroes come home ... and they carry a song / Let's make this our story, let's live in the glory / Time, it fades away, precious as a song … cause someday we'll be gone.”

It was clear with her 2002 debut, Be Not Nobody, that Vanessa Carlton could craft an excellent song. But while that album was hit-or-miss at times, and its follow-up Harmonium was considered forgettable (at least by some), Heroes & Thieves shows what can happen if Carlton is allowed to let loose and really put effort into an album.

While Machine Head and the Foo Fighters ranked higher on this list, Heroes & Thieves got more the most play from me this year. Shockingly, every single track hits the perfect mark. The melody and mood of "Home," the phenomenal lyrics for "More Than This," the bombast of "Nolita Fairytale" and then everything else in between. The piano composition here is fantastic, the backing band does fine work, and the production really lets Carlton's voice shine (a pleasant change from the last album).

In the end, this album is so addictive it almost drives you crazy, with different songs constantly looping through my mind almost daily... but how can that be a bad thing?



Between the Buried and Me
Colors
(Victory Records)

"The monsters are made, and we have proven that we will be one of them"

There isn't another genre-bending band this extreme in the music scene today. The band incorporates so many elements to its sound, with a calculated precision, that upon the first couple of listens it's almost hard to wrap your mind around what has been created. Colors isn't really an album as much it is a journey across a musical soundscape. Sure, the album is split into eight tracks, but each bleeds into the next, shifting from genre to genre at a sometimes breakneck pace, but always with a purpose.

There's a little bit on everything on here: From the melodic vocal bridge on "Informal Gluttony" and the driving drumming throughout "White Walls" to the mellow, psychedelic guitar play on "Viridian;" the intricate prog guitar work on the mammoth "Ants of the Sky" (an 13-plus-minute opus) to the absolutely breathtaking guitar play on "Prequel to the Sequel" (giving way to the almost polka-esque breakdown mid-way through the song). Take "Sun of Nothing" with its rapid-fire drum and death metal opening, to the acoustic guitar bridges and combination clean and hardcore vocals, to the jazz-influenced mid-song breakdown, the European metal-flavored guitar riffs... this song just seems to have a little of everything.

Each minute of Colors is a surprise. The band does a fantastic job of pushing the boundaries of the music it creates.



Obituary
Xecutioner’s Return
(Candlelight Records)

"I‘m the one you see, I‘m the one to find / I’m the course of these lies"

Who would have thought that Obituary—a band all but left for dead (no pun intended)—would ever be able to re-capture its Cause of Death-era magic? With Xecutioner’s Return, the band manages to release an album no one thought it was still capable of creating. From the classic-sounding "Evil Ways" to the haunting "In Your Head," to the seven-minute opus "Contrast the Dead," Obituary proves it has a lot more to offer fans. The classic Obituary sound —the slow, sludgy guitar—is back in full effect. Tracks like "Feel the Pain" and "Bloodshot" crawl out of the speakers like a corpse. But the band still manages to incorporate a faster thrash feel to songs like "Drop Dead," or the guitar solos on "Seal Your Fate" and "Face Your God," creating an absolute avalanche of seething metal.



Atreyu
Lead Sails Paper Anchor
(Hollywood Records)

"Seems like doomsday has come early this year / The last angel has gone"

Atreyu does a great job of updating an '80s hard-rock groove with a modern metal sensibility, while sprinkling in the slightest amount of hardcore growls (a nod to the genre that got them to the dance, so to speak). The band is turning into a less aggressive Trivium. Exploding out of the gate with "Doomsday," the band unleashes a barrage of thick riffs and assaulting rhythm that continues throughout the album.

Recalling a bygone era, songs like "Honor," "Becoming the Bull" and "Slow Burn" would sound perfect pouring out of the PA at a huge stadium. Add to that the progression of the band's sound, most notably the killer guitar solos that litter the album, most notably on "Falling Down," "Can't Happen Here" and "When Two Are One." And if the band wasn't wearing its influences on its sleeves enough for you, throw in a sick cover of Faith No More's "Epic" (which closes out the set as a hidden track) for good measure. Even when the band manages to slow things down a few times—on the title-track or on "Lose It"—there’s still an air of urgency to the sound. And that's not even the best Atreyu has to offer—check out "Blow." Apart from Velvet Revolver on rare occasions, or perhaps Buckcherry, no band has better captured that gritty L.A.-scene, sleazy rock sound reminiscent of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction.

This is the album that solidifies Atreyu's place among the rock elite newcomers.



Down
over the under
(Down Records)

"You want nothing in return"

With a fresh and sober Phil Anselmo at the helm, Down manages to craft what is possibly the best album of its career. Opener "Three Sons and One Star" comes across like a breath of fresh air—the guitar is crisp, the drumming turgid with purpose, and Anselmo hasn't sounded so fresh in a long time. The band maintains that muddy (by now) trademark sound, but pulls in a fair helping of blues-inspired riffs and vocals to temper the straightforward metal approach. Of note is the killer harmony Anselmo throws out mid-way through the song. One of metal's greatest vocalists is back with a vengeance.

The rest of the album plays out just as well. There's some fantastic groove on "n.o.d." and "On March of the Saints" is probably one of the strongest songs the band has written, both from a musical and lyrical standpoint. The blues guitar work on "Never Try" works phenomenally with Anselmo's wails. "His Majesty the Desert," a psychedelic interlude of sorts, is the perfect breather before the band tears into "Pillamyd." And the eight-minute "Nothing in Return" acts as the perfect closer, with layer upon layer of influence—classic rock, metal, blues—and Anselmo doing a great job at simply singing (instead of the usual wails or screams that made him famous).



The Autumn Offering
Fear Will Cast No Shadow
(Victory Records)

"I've been lost in endless seas and my heart died long ago / And I curse my failures as I fall from you"

Somewhere between Trivium, Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold lies The Autumn Offering. But the band has one thing going for it that the others don't—it still has a raw edge to the music that gives it this air of dangerousness.

On Fear Will Cast No Shadow the band's full array of talent is on show. There's the technically proficient guitar work permeating "The Castaway" (one of the year's best metal songs, hands down), the insanely catchy vocals on "Silence and Goodbye" (which is eerily reminiscent of Trivium's "Dying in Your Arms"), and the melody twisted around a metallic core on "A Great Distance" is fantastic.

But while the band does a good job with the melody and straightforward metal, it's just as comfortable with the more extreme ends of its sound. Even with the deathly growls on "A Great Distance," the straight-forward assault on "Crown Yourself a King, Kill Yourself a Queen," or the rapid-fire title track, nothing is so out of left field that it sounds out of place.



Ministry
The Last Sucker
(13th Planet Records)

"Judgment day's upon us and I see no one cares"

This is exactly what you'd expect from one of industrial metal’s most destructive acts. This album sees Ministry return to the form heard in the band's landmark 1992 album, Psalm 69. The one-two punch from openers "Let’s Go" and "Watch Yourself" are vintage Ministry—machine-gun riffing with an electronic tinge and Jourgensen's robotic bark spewing forth verses with plenty of topical sound bites incorporated into the mix. But unlike 1992, Ministry is much more focused in its delivery these days. Each song drops like a precision-guided missile. "Life Is Good" plays like the soundtrack to a forgotten wasteland, while Jourgensen takes aim at the Vice President of the United States with "The Dick Song" and the foreboding dirge of the title track spills from the speakers like a crippling sludge.

But it's the album-closing "End of Days (Pt. 2)", which features Fear Factory frontman Burton Bell sharing vocal duties, that steals the show. The 10-minute marathon seethes with this haunting, melodic riff that sounds (dare I say) beautiful. Add to that Jourgensen and Bell trading off verses and chanting between a repetitive chorus of children chanting "it's just the end of days" as the drums and guitars push forward in this massive, layered masterpiece—truly the band’s finest moment. A bulk of the song features a lengthy sample of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell speech, and the entire package is just impossible to ignore.

Love or hate his message, Jourgensen has undoubtedly crafted the perfect swan song.



Mandy Moore
Wild Hope
(Firm Music)

"I'm looking forward to looking back on these days"

Mandy Moore gets her heart broken and crafts THE album of her career. This album was criminally overlooked this year, but it's a fantastic collection of adult contemporary easy rock, a far cry from her earlier pop style but no surprise to anyone who checked out her release of covers (2003's Coverage). The lyrics are cutting and melancholic, the music perfectly complementary to Moore's haunting vocals (superbly on display on the album closer "Gardenia" where Moore sings backed by only a piano). But it's not a complete downer. The up-tempo "Looking Forward to Looking Back," "All Good Things" and "Nothing that You Are" are probably the brighter sparks on the album, and even the overly-simplistic "Extraordinary" is just long enough to not overstay its welcome.

It's absurd this album hasn't received more exposure. Moore's history was overshadowed by her contemporaries at the time, so that's an easy stigma to escape. And her best work has been done on the past couple of albums. She's smart, lyrically, and her voice and approach is unlike anything else permeating the scene. There's no reason we can’t expect a long career filled with great albums if Moore chose to continue down this musical path.



The Warriors
Genuine Sense of Outrage
(Victory Records)

"Whoever thought the price of punishment could justify the rights of ignorants"

This is a turgid album, as the band does a hell of a job packing as much sick hardcore into each song as possible (13 tracks clocking in at just over half an hour). The infectious title track, with the mosh-pit breakdown chant of "this is a genuine sense of outrage" joins the breakneck drumming on "New Sun Rising," the out-of-leftfield mellower moments on "Silence Is Bliss" and crisp, angry vocals that at times seem to channel Billy Graziadei of Biohazard. And unlike some other bands, The Warriors do a great job at varying up the songs and vocals enough to keep the tracks from blending together. Tracks like "Nothing Lasts" or "Odium Vice" are just as strong as opener "The Ruthless Sweep."

Everything has a sense of urgency; this album seems to have come out of nowhere and impresses completely. Songs like "Destroying Cenodoxus," "Nothing Lasts" and "Your Time Is Near" could easily fit on any best-of hardcore collection. And keep an ear open for a special vocal appearance from none other than Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

Notable mentions...
Worst music news of the year: John Bush officially leaves Anthrax after months of speculation.

Most impressive debut album: The Almost's shockingly good Southern Weather (Aaron Roderick Gillespie pulls a Dave Grohl performs all instruments and singing all tracks.)

Most underwhelming release: Eddie Vedder half-asses the soundtrack to Into the Wild.

Best song from a soundtrack (movie or television): "Falling Slowly" (from the movie Once).

Best cover song: Mandy Moore covers Rihanna's "Umbrella" during a live performance.

Best guest appearance on a song: Lenny Kilmister on The Warriors "Price of Punishment."

Best duet: New Found Glory team up with Lisa Loeb to cover her hit "Stay."

In closing...
Quite the year for a wide variety of music. That's why it just seemed impossible for me to limit this list to the usual top 10 format. Not to mention that a lot of great albums began to logjam toward the end of the year. After one of two spins, I usually decide whether a release belongs on my year end list, and I just didn’t see one of these 11 not making the list. There's a wide-range of music here, albeit a little heavy on the louder side of things, but I highly recommend any of these albums if you were looking to pick up some great music.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble -- 'Pride and Joy' [DVD review]

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Pride and Joy [DVD]
Epic Records (11/06/07)
Unrated
70 minutes



Originally released just after his untimely passing, Pride and Joy acted as the definite Stevie Ray Vaughan video collection. Now, recently re-released in an expanded DVD set, the collection is still a fantastic look back at one of the guitar greats from the 20th century.

Vaughan was a master when it came to blues/rock riffs. This set features videos for hits like "Superstition", "I'm Leaving You," "Cold Shot," "Love Struck Baby" and a blistering version of "The House is Rockin'" (all on the original video release).

But it's the added material that really shines here.

First you have three tracks from Vaughan’s Unplugged appearance ("Rude Mood," "Pride and Joy" and "Testify"). Then there are two videos from The Vaughan Brothers release, "Tick Tock" (filmed after Stevie’s death and dedicated to the legend) and the so-so "Good Texan."

And the gem of the set, a classic video for Vaughan’s cover of "Little Wing," includes tons of great footage from guitar legends of the past, along with some nice spoken word overlaid on the track.

To wrap things up, we get vintage commercials for two of Vaughan's albums and an electronic press kit for The Vaughan Brothers which is only of interest since it's basically an extended interview with Stevie and his brother Jimmie.

There are no bells and whistles with this collection. It's presented, bare-bones, full frame with the sound mixed off the front channels in normal stereo. All the video looks clear, except for the live video for "I’m Leaving You" which is a little grainy given the source material.

My only gripe would be that the commercials and EPK are presented as chapters in the set instead of bonus material (which it obviously is). Add on, say, a handful of audio-only tracks (maybe mixed in surround sound) and this would be a must-have for everyone. As it stands, it's a must-have for any Stevie Ray Vaughan fans. Or, if you love the blues, you should buy this just for what it is—a look back at a legend of the genre.

Yes, Stevie Ray Vaughan is still missed.

Queensryche -- 'Take Cover' [review]

Queensryche - Take Cover
Rhino Records (11/13/07)
Metal / Rock



In what has become the "trendy" thing to do with established rock acts, Queensrÿche has put together an album of cover songs—presumably songs from bands that have influenced or otherwise had some sort of effect on the group.

Make no mistake, Take Cover is one of the stronger cover albums to come out over the past decade or so. And given the fact that Queensrÿche's last few albums of original material have been lacking, it doesn't hurt for the band to put something out with established songs so fans can focus, once again, on the musical craftsmanship of the group.

What you have here is basically a mixed bag of sorts—there's a couple of gems, some fairly good material, a few surprises and, unfortunately, a few head-scratchers, too.

The band does a great job with album opener, Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" — everything, from the music to the vocals, just clicks on all levels. Lead singer Geoff Tate sounds like he's legitimately having fun here, so it's a good way to start things off. The band also does a hell of a job with Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain" (one of the strongest songs on the album, and a real surprise as Tate seems content to take a more subdued approach as opposed to forcing his voice to soar), and ends things off with a fairly honorable recreation of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky" (recorded live in concert).

As for the good, the band does a surprisingly good job with "Synchronicity II" (The Police) and "Almost Cut My Hair" (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), the latter with some killer guitar work.

The band takes a couple of chances on unique songs, to mixed results. "Heaven on Their Minds" (from Jesus Christ Superstar) is fantastic — Tate was born to do this kind of song. Queen's "Innuendo" works, but barely, and seems more than a little forced at times. There was at least 10 better, off-the-wall Queen songs to attempt, but Queensrÿche makes a go of it nonetheless. However, the Italian-language "Odissa" comes off as a nothing more than a masturbatory excuse for Tate to "go opera," and it completely falls flat. The same with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" — the band tries to make the song its own, but ruins all the nuance and hook that drew people to the original.

The rest is what it is, not really filler, but not really noteworthy, either. From the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" to Black Sabbath's "Neon Knights", the band gives the effort, but the result is just sort of there.

This isn't Queensrÿche's best album, but it certainly isn't its worst. In the end, the best thing Take Cover does is remind people of what the band could be. Listening to "Almost Cut My Hair" or "Red Rain" takes you back to the glory-days of Operation: Mindcrime and Empire. Sadly, there's still some material on here that could remind you of Q2K. I recommend this album, but then, for those of you not familiar with the band, I'd tell you to go pick up Operation: Mindcrime instead.

The Autumn Offering -- 'Fear Will Cast No Shadow' [review]

The Autumn Offering - Fear Will Cast No Shadow
Victory Records (10/30/07)
Metal



There's this new "sound" prevalent on the metal scene these days: the music with an old-school metal feel, that incorporates a newer hard-rock sound, with vocals more akin to Axl Rose or James Hetfield, than the usual death/hardcore stuff on which the heavier bands are relying. And don't forget plenty of guitar solos.

Somewhere between Trivium, Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold lies The Autumn Offering. And while the aforementioned groups are getting all the attention, there's really no reason The Autumn Offering isn't right up there in the mix. In fact, the band has one thing going for it that the others don't -- it still has a raw edge to the music that gives it this air of dangerousness.

On Fear Will Cast No Shadow, the band's full array of talent is on show. There's the technically proficient guitar work permeating "The Castaway" (one of the year's best metal songs, hands down), the insanely catchy vocals on "Silence and Goodbye", which is eerily reminiscent of Trivium's "Dying in Your Arms", and the melody twisted around a metallic core on "A Great Distance" is fantastic.

But while the band does a good job with the melody and straightforward metal, it's just as comfortable with the more extreme ends of its sound. Even with the deathly growls on "A Great Distance," the straight-forward assault on "Crown Yourself a King, Kill Yourself a Queen," or the rapid-fire title track, nothing is so out of left field that it sounds out of place. Suffice it to say that that is a massive problem for a lot of bands attempting this type of juxtaposition (usually leading to the abandoning of one of the angles in the mix).

This isn't the most original release of the year, but it puts The Autumn Offering on the high end of the spectrum for bands with a similar sound. Fear Will Cast No Shadow is a solid release, end-to-end, sure to make fans happy and earn plenty of new ones, too.

Arise & Ruin -- 'The Final Dawn' [review]

Arise and Ruin - The Final Dawn
Victory Records (10/30/07)
Metal



Arise and Ruin likes its metal heavy, in the vein of classic Sepultura or Slayer -- only replace the thrash undertones with a more intrinsically hardcore approach, and you basically have The Final Dawn.

This is the band's debut album, but it's surprisingly tight. That may be due to the fact that they had recorded most of the album before, but after signing with Victory decided to re-work most of the material into what is presented here.

"Not a lot of people get the chance to make changes to a full-length, and we were able to make those kinds of major changes on our first record," bassist Ben Alexis points out in the band's press material.

The result is a brutal, in-your-face, systematic metal attack. Clocking in just over half an hour, there's little filler on The Final Dawn. Chunky guitar riffs and blistering blast beats weave together with screamed vocals that come across more aggressive than abrasive (a welcome change from the genre's usual fare).

The best song on the disc, "End of the Road", spills out of the speakers with a bludgeoning force. But there's some underlying melodic guitar work throughout the song that gives it this added dimension, propelling it to something much more than a simple metal anthem. This melody really shines toward the end of the song, so much so that it's hard not to have this one song on repeat.

Of course, that's hardly necessary. Everything on here is a blunt assault -- the simple is short enough to avoid becoming repetitive, and the longer songs have enough layers to keep them interesting time and time again.

Other notable moments include the ferocious guitar work on "Amid Devils", the epic soloing on "Pale Horse", the machine-gun assault of "In Life" and the gutteral howls on "Fear Itself" (another killer track).

Arise and Ruin is one of those bands metal fans should be excited about. This is a more than adequate debut offering, so it'll be interesting to see where the band's headed. It's a wide open future for such a young act.

AC/DC -- 'Plug Me In' [DVD review]

AC/DC - Plug Me In [2-DVD set; also available in 3-disc special ed.]
Columbia Records (10/16/07)
Unrated
300 minutes



Plug Me In isn't a documentary or biography, but it does offer a glimpse into the history of one of the world's most notorious heavy metal bands. The DVD set is an anthology of live performances, organized chronologically and separated by AC/DC's two most notable eras: the Bon Scott years, and the band's current and longest line-up with Brian Johnson on vocals. And spanning almost 30 years of the band's touring, there's more than enough footage to keep fans entertained.

The first disc features performances from 1975 through 1979. Most of the video is clear, though there are more than a few grainy shots. The sound is always clear (if not always crisp), and there's a nice mix of classic songs sprinkled throughout.


The second disc, with footage from 1981 through 2003, is the longer of the two. The video progressively gets better in quality the closer the material gets to present time (which makes sense).

The beauty of this set is watching a band go from underground sensation to world-wide phenomenon. The growth of Scott as a frontman, the development of guitarist Angus Young into the face of the band, Johnson finding a place in the band and successfully filling Scott's role and making it his own in the process—it's all here in its gritty glory.


The bonus features aren't half-bad either. There's a handful of classic interviews that probably haven't seen the light of day since the '70s when they were first recorded (some great stuff with Young and Scott from the early years). There's a good interview with Young and Johnson addressing the latter's place with the band following Scott's death. There's a nice sound check of "Gone Shootin'" from the band's VH1 Studios performance in London from 1996. There's even a crazy clip of the band performing with the Rolling Stones from a 2003 tour, along with a Beavis & Butthead animated opening from the band's 1996 tour.

The video: Everything seems pretty clean, considering some of the source material. It isn't so polished that it looks out of place, but not so raw where it's hard to watch. Out of the 40-plus performances, only one stood out for particularly poor video. The best of the bunch might be a three-song set from the Entertainment Center in Sydney (1996) where the video is taken directly from the live screens at the venue (the footage broadcast above the stage for those in attendance). Everything is presented in full-frame (except possibly for two songs from Germany in 2003 that were letterboxed).

Sound: Nothing special as everything is forced through in stereo, but it all sounds great.

Extras: The set is designed with a video game theme, which looks pretty cool, especially the opening menus. Each disc features a sort-of scrapbook of old newspaper clippings and concert paraphernalia. The most interesting feature is the "create-your-own playlist" that lets you pick the order and amount of songs you want to view, and then watch your creation.

There's only a couple of problems with this set. Apart from a place and date, there's no way to know, at least from the information provided, why each set was selected for this collection. "T.N.T." comes from the band's notorious performance at St. Albans High School in Australia (pretty rare footage). The 1979 performance of "Highway to Hell" was the first time it was performed live in concert. The set from 1979 was one of Scott's last shows with the band. There are a couple of intros with the later material to set the stage for the performance (like the Moscow show). There's also a couple of times where the timing of a particular song's performance could be questioned (most notably the "Thunderstruck" performance from 2003; there had to be a better shot at this song from the early- or mid-'90s when Johnson's voice was a little more powerful).

Other than that, there are plenty of classics on here: multiple versions of "Highway to Hell", "Whole Lotta Rosie", "Live Wire", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Back in Black", "Stiff Upper Lip", "Hells Bells" and so on and so on. Add in some amazing Young solos, and more than enough bluesy rock 'n' roll to fill a jukebox, and you get an idea of what this set has to offer. Plug Me In is a great collection for longtime fans, or good for someone interested in seeing one of metal's strongest outfits proving its worth decade after decade after decade after decade

Nights Like These -- 'Sunlight at Secondhand' [review]

Nights Like These - Sunlight at Secondhand
Victory Records (10/16/07)
Metal



Victory Records would have you believe Nights Like These is a genre-bending metal outfit, but the truth is band has a perfect, raw, atypical underground metal band feel to its music. And that's nothing of which to be ashamed.

The band comes across as an obscure, everyman aggressive outfit. The metal is thick, heavy and assaulting. The guitar is chunky, the drumming relentless, the vocals seething. And when the band goes for the hardcore breakdown, like on "Black the Sun", it throws in the slightest amount of melodic singing to temper things.

The high points are definitely here. There's a blistering machine-gun assault on "Samsara". The melodic closing of "Claw Your Way Out" shows the band has a little depth to the full-on metal attack, as does the instrumental curveball "Collective Unconscious". The band utilizes an interesting guitar effect on more than one occasion to close out a song (sort-of-high-pitched riffing) that's another interesting departure to the norm.

The only real negative is that the constant metal/hardcore attack becomes tiresome at times. This is especially perplexing given the various tools the band has to work with on display throughout the album. Whether that means mixing up the play list or incorporating a more diverse approach to each song, I'm not sure. So there are times when the songs feel like they're droning on a little too long, even though they're only four minutes long.

Sunlight at Secondhand would be a stronger offering if the band had picked a direction. Either keeping with the heavy-handed metal onslaught, or choosing to incorporate an abundance of style to each track. This in the middle approach only leaves those on each side of the fence wanting more. In the end, the band crafted a good release that could be better.

Various Artists -- 'Saw IV' soundtrack [review]

Music from and Inspired by Saw IV
Artists' Addiction Records (10/23/07)
Hard rock / Metal/ Industrial


Rather than a true soundtrack, Saw IV seems more like a collection of songs. Sure, some of them will appear in the movie, most probably during the closing credits, but this is more of a mix with a theme.

In this case, the theme is aggression. Fans of metal, industrial music and hard rock will find plenty to love with this album. Producers did a good job hitting a slew of bands from each genre: Ministry, Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy and Dope Stars Inc. fom the industrial department; Everytime I Die, The Red Chord, and Avenged Sevenfold for those who like their metal heavy; newer metalcore acts like Saosin, From Autumn to Ashes and Sixx: A.M.; and filled out with tracks from Drowning Pool, Submersed and Emlie Autumn. There's even some nice instrumental mood music from Charlie Clouser to close the set.

With 19 tracks offering over an hour of music, it's hard to miss with this set. And since a collection like this might not really sell in this age of music downloads (Why buy a collection for a handful of songs when you can download one or two?), Artists' Addiction is actually offering a digital version of the soundtrack with a couple of different songs not available on the CD (due out, according to press materials, in November).

Saw IV is one of those enjoyable soundtracks, simply a collection of songs for people who are into a certain type of music. There's no underlying message or mood, and you can't find fault because the music was crafted specifically for the movie (like, say, the soundtracks for Once or Into the Wild released earlier this year, where the songs were specifically crafted for the film). While the set lacks any big "get" (a song released by a big, notable band specifically for the album), there's enough balance in everything on here (obscure bands vs. bigger acts, for example) to make this work. It's not fantastic, but it's good enough.

Down -- 'Over the Under' [review]

Down - Over the Under
Down Records (9/25/07)
Metal


There's something to be said for a sober and focused Phil Anselmo. While Down is clearly a different animal from Pantera, Over the Under, the band's strongest showing to date, is clearly on par with anything Anselmo created as part of one of metal's greatest bands.

The most notable change on the new album is the clear intent in each track, and focused execution from the band. Sure, Nola and A Bustle in Your Hedgerow are killer albums in their own rights, but each suffered from the same affliction -- the constraints of the "stoner metal" genre. While a band like Clutch was able to take from the genre and build upon its foundation, Down seemed to get caught up in the proceedings. This usually led to meandering songs with no clear direction, the muddy music blending into itself until many of the songs seemed almost forgettable. Anselmo's well-documented drug problems surely didn't help matters, and his vocals, at times, showed as much.

Such is not the case here.

Opener "Three Sons and One Star" comes across like a breath of fresh air -- the guitar is crisp, the drumming turgid with purpose, and Anselmo hasn't sounded so fresh in a long time. The band maintains that muddy (by now) trademark sound, but pulls in a fair helping of blues-inspired riffs and vocals to temper the straightforward metal approach. Of note is the killer harmony Anselmo throws out mid-way through the song. One of metal's greatest vocalists is back with a vengeance.

The rest of the album plays out just as well. There's some fantastic groove on "n.o.d." and "On March of the Saints" is probably one of the strongest songs the band has written, both from a music and lyrical standpoint. The blues guitar work on "Never Try" works phenomenally with Anselmo's wails. "His Majesty the Desert", a psychedelic interlude of sorts, is the perfect breather before the band tears into "Pillamyd". And the eight-minute "Nothing in Return" acts as the perfect closer, with layer upon layer of influence -- classic rock, metal, blues -- and Anselmo doing a great job at simply singing (instead of the usual wails or screams that made him famous).

Down is a much-loved metal outfit. Despite what was written above, Nola and ...Hedgerow have found permanent homes in many metal fans' collection. They are great releases, but Over the Under does its damnedest to blow them out of the water. A fantastic metal album, and tremendous return-to-form for Anselmo, someone many had all but given up for dead over the past few years.

Puddle of Mudd -- 'Famous' [review]

Puddle of Mudd - Famous
Flawless/Geffen Records (10/09/07)
Hard rock



Inconsistent.

That pretty much sums up Puddle of Mudd's latest release, Famous. Actually, it sums up the band's entire career.

On its third album, the band shows little signs of growth, development, or any signs of moving forward. Famous is just another version of the group's last two efforts, which is even more of a surprise when you take into account that half of the band is new members.

The band has never had a problem crafting a simple modern rock track. Famous follows the tried-and-true blueprint Puddle of Mudd has been working with since 2001 -- three or four rock songs, one or two really hard songs, a handful of mellower songs, maybe even a ballad, and finish it all off with a couple of goofy songs.


The problem is, the dumb luck that made a song like "Control" or "Blurry" a hit can only work for so long. And while "Blurry" may have hit a note with listeners, when you look back at "Control," the music stands up but the lyrics just aren't strong enough. And that, in a nutshell, sums up the problem permeating Famous.

The title-track is solid musically, but the lyrics are borderline. Songs like "Psycho," "Moonshine" and "Merry-Go-Round" are laughable at best. And songs that seem to have it musically, like "Livin' on Borrowed Time" or "I'm So Sure" or pretty much everything else on the album, either suffer from ridiculously poor lyrics, over-repetition, an over-reliance on the wrong hook, or complete banality.

The only saving moment, "We Don't Have to Look Back Now", is shockingly the only song not written by the band ... maybe they should look into going this route more in the future.

Puddle of Mudd was fun in the beginning. But given the extended hiatus the band took, along with the state of the music industry in general, it's surprising the band still has a record deal in 2007. Perhaps the constant delays in the release of Famous was a telling sign. This album does a good job of masquerading as a solid rock release, but there's hardly anything under the surface.

Foo Fighters -- 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace' [review]

Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
RCA Records (9/25/07)
Hard rock / Alternative



Long gone are the days when Dave Grohl crafted quirky, catchy anthems like the ones on the Foo Fighters' 1995 self-titled debut. Over the next 12 years, through sheer force of will and talent, Grohl turned from Nirvana drummer to frontman of one of the best hard rock bands on the scene today.

From its impressive body of work, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is bound to be the band's most focused and mature effort to date. It's as if Grohl knew that 2005's In Your Honor was a little too bloated and overreaching, and so the band aimed to craft an album that attempted all the bombast and beauty of its two-disc predecessor and condense it to its basest form.

And that's what the Foo Fighters do time and time again, with tracks like "The Pretender", "Let It Die" and "Erase/Replace", each of which is explosive in its hook-laden delivery. "The Pretender" creates a false sense of security with a mellow, acoustic drone before drummer Taylor Hawkins destroys the moment and the band unleashes the intense guitar interplay. There's a thick riff that Grohl pulls out mid-way through the song that's destined to become a rock classic, which makes this song actually eclipse "Best of You" (off the Honor set) as one of the band's hardest rocking anthems.

"Let It Die" attempts the same trick as the opener, but Grohl actually draws the melody out a lot longer, making for a much fuller experience.

The tempo builds with each verse of "Erase/Replace" before the crescendo of the chorus acts as a release; a slow, deliberate delivery each time. In this case, the beauty comes in the bridges later in the song.

It's not all hard rock. "Long Road to Ruin" is a fantastic, catchy modern rock number, while "Come Alive" perfectly builds in its intensity, starting off as a haunting ballad before exploding into pure rock fury by the end. "Summer's End" could find a home on a classic rock or Top 40 radio station, and then there's the bluegrass-influenced instrumental, "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners." The piano-driven "Statues", and the acoustic "Stranger Things Have Happened" and “But Honestly" (two of the album's strongest tracks) close out an impressive set. The hits, varied though they may be, just keep coming.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is a slow-burn album; aside from "The Pretender", "But Honestly" and perhaps "Erase/Replace", nothing immediately jumps up and grabs your attention. But after a spin or two, it's clear that the Foo Fighters crafted a classic album. Everything is twice what it should be: the melody twice as haunting, the rock twice as bombastic. By the time the piano ballad "Home" pops up to close the set, you can't help but shake your head at exactly what this album represents and want to immediately start it again. When all is said and done, this is bound to become "the album" for the band.

Ministry -- 'The Last Sucker' [review]

Ministry - The Last Sucker
13th Planet/Megaforce Records (9/18/07)
Industrial metal



If The Last Sucker truly is the final gasp for Ministry, then Al Jourgensen should surely be content to have his brainchild go out at the top of its game.



This is exactly what you'd expect from one of industrial metal's most destructive acts. The album, the culmination of a trilogy which was brimming with anger against the current Bush administration, picks up right where last year's Rio Grande Blood left off. This album, perhaps more than any other of the trilogy, sees Ministry return to the form heard in the band's landmark 1992 album, Psalm 69. The one-two punch from openers "Let's Go" and "Watch Yourself" are vintage Ministry -- machine gun riffing with an electronic tinge, Jourgensen's robotic barking spewing forth verses with plenty of topical sound bites incorporated into the mix.

But unlike 1992, Ministry is much more focused in its delivery these days. Each song drops like a precision-guided missile. "Life is Good" plays like the soundtrack to a forgotten wasteland, while Jourgensen takes aim at the U.S. Vice President with "The Dick Song" (complete with twisted samples of Cheney proclaiming, "And I don't think it would surprise the American people -- I have killed hundreds of people"), and the foreboding dirge of the title-track spills from the speakers like a crippling sludge.

Two of the album's strongest tracks actually end up being the most surprising of the bunch. First, the twisted, explosive cover of The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues," which sounds like an out-of-control train ready to derail. Next up, the album-closing (and perhaps, as far as Ministry is concerned, career-closing) "End of Days (Pt. 2)" which features Fear Factory frontman Burton Bell sharing vocal duties. Bell actually appears on three tracks, and his tone and cadence fits perfectly with Ministry's delivery. That he got to work with the band before Jourgensen closed up shop is a gift to both him and fans alike.

"End of Days (Pt. 2)" is unlike anything I can recall Ministry recording before. The 10-minute opus seethes with this haunting, melodic riff that sounds, dare I say, beautiful. Add to that Jourgensen and Bell trading off verses and chanting between a repetitive chorus of children chanting "
it's just the end of days" as the drums and guitars push forward in this massive, layered masterpiece -- truly the band's finest moment. A bulk of the song features a lengthy sample of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell speech, and the entire package is just impossible to ignore. In the end, Jourgensen isn't making any motion to call attention to the end of Ministry. Rather, he simply keeps hammering home his message about the state of America and its affairs.

Love or hate his message, Jourgensen has undoubtedly crafted the perfect swan song. The purpose may be impossible to ignore, but the delivery is what really counts. Ministry has solidified its place as a true classic in metal and industrial music. The genre(s) will be a little less exciting without the anticipation of a new Ministry album lurking around the corner.

Eddie Vedder -- 'Into the Wild' soundtrack [review]

Eddie Vedder - Music for the Motion Picture: Into the Wild
J Records (9/18/07)
Rock



Into the Wild is, in many ways, probably the last album you'd expect from a man who has fronted one of the biggest rock outfits of the past 20 years. Still, Eddie Vedder crafts a nifty little rocking and (for the most part) mellow album that, for some reason, just seems to fall completely short of its goal.

First the positive.

Vedder wrote all the lyrics and performed all the instruments on this release, save for two cover tracks. There's no stadium anthems on here, everything is low-key, with touches of folk and a mellowness that will remind longtime fans of Pearl Jam's "Who We Are" or "Footsteps." The songs have this sort of inner beauty, and tell a beautiful story when taken as a total package.

Sadly, it's the bad that far outweighs the good here.

It's telling that Vedder, in interviews prior to the release of the album, said the process happened very quickly. The entire album clocks in at just over a half hour, and that includes a lengthy silence following the last track (preceding a hidden track of sorts) followed by some instrumental work. Eight of the 11 songs are less than three minutes in length, and half of those fail to break the two-minute plateau. I guess that's fine and good with musicians that can figure out a way to make it work, but here the songs just seem unrealized or unfinished. This is especially apparent on songs like the rocking opener "Setting Forth" or "Far Behind," that just seem to peter out as soon as they get going. It's a real shame, because from what's there, both seem to be strong songs for Vedder to add to his extensive body of work.

It's also telling when the best song on your album happens to be a cover -- in this case, "Hard Sun", orginally performed by the obscure Canadian outfit Indio. This song is also the longest on the disc, at a little over five minutes in length.

Fleshed out a little more, Into the Wild is a perfectly serviceable soundtrack. There's some very nice storytelling in here, and the music definitely sets a mood. But as a solo debut, it falls far short. Which is a shame, given the high expectations fans have for Vedder's work.

Between the Buried and Me -- 'Colors' [review]

Between the Buried and Me - Colors
Victory Records (9/18/07)
Progressive metal / Metalcore / ????



Many albums are released and declared as great; few are released and considered an event.

Such is the case with Between the Buried and Me's latest album, Colors.

There isn't another genre-bending band this extreme in the music scene today. The band incorporates so many elements to its sound, with a calculated precision, that upon the first couple of listens it's almost hard to wrap your mind around what has been created. And it hasn't really crafted an album. Rather, Colors is a journey across a musical soundscape. Sure, the album is split into eight tracks, but each bleeds into the next, shifting from genre to genre at a sometimes breakneck pace, but always with a purpose.

Take the opener "Foam Born" the song kicks off with a soulful piano opening, with vocals reminiscent of late Beatles material, before devolving into a hardcore dirge. The vocal harmonies drifting over the hard-rock riffing gives way to a solid synthesizer bridge before the death-metal vocals kick in. And somehow the band manages to get it to all make sense, musically.

It's hard to take this album track to track -- at just over a hour in length, it was made to be experienced in full, instead of in separate pieces. It's important to make note of the high points of the album' from the melodic vocal bridge on "Informal Gluttony" and the driving drumming throughout "White Walls", to the mellow, psychedelic guitar play on "Viridian", the intricate prog guitar work on the mammoth "Ants of the Sky" (an over 13-minute opus) and the absolutely breathtaking guitar play on "Prequel to the Sequel" (giving way to the almost polka-esque breakdown mid-way through the song).

And if forced, one would easily point to "Sun of Nothing" as the album's high point. From the rapid-fire drum and death metal opening, to the acoustic guitar bridges and combination clean and hardcore vocals, to the jazz-influenced mid-song breakdown, the European metal-flavored guitar riffs ... this song just seems to have a little of everything. And it's presented in a perfect package, with each segment flowing from piece to piece so that, even though the styles are so drastically different, it makes perfect sense to shift to the next part.

Each minute of Colors is a surprise. The band does a fantastic job of pushing the boundaries of the music it creates. There's (maybe) a minute or two where it almost misses the mark, but it's hard not to with music this experimental. If you ever wanted to know what it would sound like if Obituary, Remembering Never, Tool and Pink Floyd were one band, pick up this album. If you want to hear musical limits pushed to the boundaries, pick up this album. If you want to hear one of the best albums of the year (and maybe decade), pick up this album.

Megadeth -- 'That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires' [review]

Megadeth - That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires
Imagine Entertainment (9/4/07)
Metal



For many years, Dave Mustaine had wanted to record a live album in one of his favorite cities, Buenos Aires. Megadeth finally decided to go for it in 2001, but before the trigger could be pulled, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the world changed. It would take another four years for the band to finally take the stage at Orbras Sanitarias Stadium and record one of the hardest-hitting live metal albums ever put to disc.

That One Night is a stunning collection of tracks, spanning the career of one of metal's most-loved outfits. That's not to say that the set is perfect -- the two discs must have been recorded straight off the soundboards -- but playing in an open-air stadium gives the sound an almost artificial feel (the band's music isn't contained by four walls and a ceiling, so it just keeps going). As for the mix in general, Mustaine is just a little too forward in relation to the rest of the band, so he overpowers at times. Also, given the venue, it would be easy for any crowd noise to drift off as well, which almost seems to be the case through the first two songs of the set ("Jet Intro" and "Blackmail the Universe"). Of course, the main reason Mustaine chose to record in Argentina was the fan intensity, and that's the hidden element that really drives this album in the end.

There's nothing quite like hearing the crowd lose it once the band plays the opening riffs of "Hangar 18". And this crowd doesn't just sing along to the songs, it sings along to the guitar, too, as the hum of the entire stadium rises above the band during many portions of the show, especially during the aforementioned "Hangar 18" and "Symphony of Destruction".

How about the set list? Fan favorites "Peace Sells", "Skin of My Teeth" and "Holy Wars" are here. There are some particularly blistering versions of "She Wolf", "Tornado of Souls" and "Reckoning Day", too. The two high points would be "A Tout Le Monde" (complete with crowd sing-a-long) and the combination of "Hangar 18" and "Return to Hangar", which opens disc two.

Overall, this is a perfectly serviceable live Megadeth album -- probably the best the band has ever released. It does, however, lack the intensity of, say, Slayer's Decade of Aggression set, or the ferocity of something like Obituary's Dead album (to compare to other notable live metal releases). Megadeth don't do a lot of experimenting live, as the songs stay pretty true to the studio versions—not that that is a bad thing, but it just makes this a less than perfect release.

Megadeth has solidified its place in metal lore. Hell, the band is still cranking out killer albums (United Abominations was released earlier this year and is some of the strongest material the band has done in 10-plus years). That One Night has that air of "God, I wish I could have been there," but it's as much for the crowd as for the band's performance. So, in the end, you're left with a decent set list (there are a handful of songs that should have been on there in place of others), with the band being its usual amazing self, and a rabid crowd. Thumbs in the middle, starting to face up.

Obituary -- 'Xecutioner's Return' [review]

Obituary - Xecutioner's Return
Candlelight Records (8/28/07)
Death metal



Obituary has once again proved its place among the metal and death metal elite.

Let's be honest, 2005's Frozen in Time was a stellar comeback album, but its sole purpose was to show that the band still had what it took to make killer metal. With that established, Obituary set out to craft what will ultimately rank up amongst its best efforts (did anyone think it was possible to even approach Cause of Death-era work?).

The shift in home label (the band had been on Roadrunner for its entire career) and loss of longtime lead guitarist Allen West did little to slow the band down. Newcomer Ralph Santolla's addition appears seamless. In fact, it may have offered up an added creative spark as Santolla does have a more deliberate approach to his playing and things seem to be a little more thought-out at times.

The classic Obituary sound -- the slow, sludgy guitar -- is back in full effect. Tracks like "Feel the Pain" and "Bloodshot" crawl out of the speakers like a corpse. But the band still manages to incorporate a faster thrash feel to songs like "Drop Dead", or the guitar solos on "Seal Your Fate" and "Face Your God", creating an absolute avalanche of seething metal.

Obituary is one of death metal's best outfits for a reason; John Tardy's guttural and growled vocals are always clean and easy to decipher, as the band's song structures are pretty simple and straightforward, yet they still manage to make them sound elaborate. While a lot of their contemporaries seem to overstay their welcome or become overly repetitive, Obituary still sound fresh and imaginative (perhaps due to their extended hiatus a few years ago). Whatever the case, Obituary is a band that inspired and continues to inspire many metal bands out there today.

With Xecutioner's Return, Obituary manages to release an album no one thought it was still capable of creating. From the classic-sounding "Evil Ways" to the haunting "In Your Head", to the seven-minute opus "Contrast the Dead", Obituary proves it has a lot more to offer fans.

Obituary is one of those bands that will never be in the mainstream. While longtime fans already know how good the music is -- it's time for a new generation of fans to discover this band.

Atreyu -- 'Lead Sails Paper Anchors' [review]

Atreyu - Lead Sails Paper Anchor
Hollywood Records (8/28/07)
Rock / Metalcore / Post-Hardcore



This is the album that Atreyu needed as a follow-up to The Curse. While 2006's A Death-Grip on Yesterday wasn't a terrible release, the band seemed like it was still searching for an identity. On Lead Sails, it sounds quite comfortable and very explosive.

Atreyu do a great job of updating an '80s hard-rock groove with a modern metal sensibility, while sprinkling in the slightest amount of hardcore growls (a nod to the genre that got them to the dance, so to speak). The band is turning into a less aggressive Trivium. And while last year's release was light on the hooks, this album is chock-full of them.

Exploding out of the gate with "Doomsday", the band unleashes a barrage of thick riffs and assaulting rhythm that continues throughout the album. Recalling a bygone era, songs like "Honor", "Becoming the Bull" and "Slow Burn" would sound perfect pouring out of the PA at a huge stadium. Add to that the progression of the band's sound, most notably the killer guitar solos that litter the album, most notably on "Falling Down", "Can't Happen Here" and "When Two Are One". And if the band wasn't wearing its influences on its sleeves enough for you, throw in a sick cover of Faith No More's "Epic" (which closes out the album as a hidden track) for good measure.

And that's not even the best Atreyu has to offer. Check out "Blow", with Josh Todd (of Buckcherry) on guest vocals. Apart from Velvet Revolver on rare occasions, or perhaps Buckcherry, no band has better captured that gritty L.A.-scene, sleazy rock sound reminiscent of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction.

Even when the band manages to slow things down a few times -- on the title-track or on "Lose It" -- there's still an air of urgency to the sound.

What a great release. The shift to Hollywood Records from Victory did little to slow down or shift the band's progression. It instead focused the group into creating probably the best album of its short career. It's fun, it's unbelievably catchy and it's raw and turgid with everything there is to love about the rock and metal genres. A fantastic album for fans of metal or rock. A top-five release of the year, easily.

Within Temptation -- 'The Heart of Everything' [review]

Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything
Roadrunner Records (7/24/07)
Metal/goth


Within Temptation's fourth full-length album, The Heart of Everything, is supposed to be the band's big North American coming-out party. At least, I'm sure that's what Roadrunner Records would have liked. The truth is, there's not a big North American market for this specific brand of metal.


For many years, European metal bands with an operatic tinge have thrived overseas (Nightwish, Within Temptation, Leaves Eyes), as these bands are earning huge numbers with each new album. But mainstream North America has been slow on the upswing.


Make no mistake, these bands are doing something very unique on the metal scene. The operatic nature of the vocals gives the bands' sound a whole new dimension, with the voice being used as another instrument as opposed to the main attraction with the instruments backing.

Perhaps the biggest misstep with The Heart of Everything was using "What Have You Done" as the lead-off single. Sure, it's probably the strongest track on the album, with front woman Sharon Den Adel trading vocals with guest vocalist Keith Caputo (he of Life of Agony fame). But this track is far from the norm for the album. Anyone expecting the next Evanescence would be sorely mistaken (not that that's a bad thing). Rather, check out "Hand of Sorrow", a track that opens with a full orchestra before the drums and guitar kick in. Adel's vocals sound like they belong in Phantom of the Opera instead of fronting a metal band. But that's the point.

So what does the band do right? The orchestration is lush, the riffs are weighty and intense and Adel can really wail. On the title-track, she really carries the procession, soaring above the metallic interplay between guitarists Robert Westerholt and Ruud Jolie (with some solid soloing from Westerholt). And the demonic muttering adds a nice subtle touch, too. Or a song like "Howling", with assaulting riffs that groove around the rhythm section with authority, is a perfectly acceptable metal anthem. The band can even add an edge to slower tracks. "Frozen" would come across as a typical power ballad, if not for the thunderous bridges around the chorus and the chunky guitar-play.

The negatives are few. "Our Solemn Hour" has enough of a hook, but the Latin chanting seems to hinder any full development on the song. Unless you're really into the subgenre, the latter songs really start to blend together, with Adel relying too much on the beautiful singing part of her performance. And then, just to rub it in, a second version of "What Have You Done" (and extended version, no less) closes the album. The first version was obviously mixed to be a rocking single, while the later is more in-step with what the band does (on a side note, this might not be the perfect Within Temptation song, but it is a killer track, and Caputo sounds fantastic mixing it up with the band).

The Heart of Everything is a great album for what it is, and few bands pull off the mix of metal and orchestration this well. This is definitely the band's best offering to date, but it still remains to be seen whether this brand of metal can find a larger audience outside of Europe. For anyone that likes beauty in their metal, Within Temptation will fail to disappoint. Even for those not of the metal persuasion, there's something to like.

Kiss -- 'Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection Vol. 2 - 1978-1991' [DVD review]

Kiss - Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection Vol. 2 - 1978-1991 [4-DVD set]
VH1 Classic Records (7/14/07)
Unrated
407 minutes



Kiss's second Kissology DVD collection takes a look at what most people consider to be the band's most turbulent years. It acts as an almost-documentary of the band, but instead of interviews (though there are a couple on here), it tells a story though clips of TV appearances, news items, concerts and music videos. Through the three-disc set is told a story of a band on the edge. The trials that plagued Kiss from the late '70s through the early '90s -- multiple shifts in the line-up, career missteps and an image makeover -- would be enough to cripple any other band, but if this set shows nothing else, it shows a band that prides itself on consistency and professionalism, at least when it came to "the show."

By 1978, Kiss was on top of the world as the biggest and most recognizable rock band on the planet. It's doubtful anyone could have imaged what the next few years would bring. Disc one offers a set of interview excerpts: one from the Land of Hype and Glory in 1978, which featured a band at the top of its game; the other, from The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder in 1979, a band on the brink of collapse. The Snyder interview offered the first glimpse of the inner turmoil of the band, with guitarist Ace Frehley clearly inebriated and monopolizing the conversation, while Gene Simmons stewed in the corner and Paul Stanley attempted to take control (drummer Peter Criss seemed content to ride it out and have a good time).

These two interviews sandwich the meatiest portion of the whole set -- a cleaned up, widescreen version of Kiss in Attack of the Phantoms. The movie featured Kiss as superheroes holed up at an amusement park for the summer. Pitched to the band as a mix of The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Star Wars, well ... it's hard to imagine how anyone believed it would be a career booster. It does show the band at its hokey best, and is a must-have for any die-hard fan.

The second disc features a wealth of concert footage and TV performances starting with the 1980 video for "Shandi" and ending with an overexposed live performance of "I Love it Loud" from Top Pop in 1982. In this short span of time, the band would lose original drummer Criss, replace him with Eric Carr, drift further away from Frehley and record The Elder, widely considered the worst of the band's catalogue. It's not all a downer, as they also enjoyed a wildly successful tour of Australia. Of note on this disc is a snippet from a CNN interview with Criss right after he left the band, and a live set from the TV show Fridays featuring "The Oath", "A World Without Heroes" and "I", all off of the aforementioned Elder album.

By disc three, Frehley had left the band, replaced by Vinnie Vincent. The disc opens with a pretty impressive set off the '83 Creatures of the Night tour, followed by the notorious unmasking interview off MTV (the first time anyone in the band was seen without his makeup). After a couple of songs from a Portugal concert later that year, the set jumps all the way to '87 and the Crazy Crazy Nights tour, with Bruce Kullick now on guitar. There's an almost complete concert from the Forever tour, and things close out with an MTV news bulletin announcing the death of Carr and the music video for "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II", Carr's last performance with the band.

This is far from a perfect collection. While all the back story is presented in this review, the details surrounding the departing band members are never addressed throughly in the actual DVDs (though the accompanying booklet, which features quotes from the band members to flush out the story, is helpful). So, rather than a documentary, this is more of a snapshot of a band from a certain window of time. There were a bunch of music videos from the Crazy Nights and Hot in the Shade albums, that could have made it on here, or at least some stuff from the Animalize release so the jump from '83 to '87 wasn't so drastic.

Still, for what it is, there are some great gems on here -- the various live versions of "Creatures of the Night", some stellar Carr drum solos, a particularly nasty Frehley solo and the "God Gave Rock ‘N' Roll To You" video in particular. The interview snippets are interesting, and the Australia tour footage is great, too.

Apart from the movie, everything is presented in full screen with a normal stereo sound. However, the concert footage is clear and the sound, while muffled at times, is more than adequate. In fact, the Top Pop performance is the only one that's difficult to watch.


If you're a huge Kiss fan, you already own this. If you're interested in getting your hands on some pretty decent live footage from the time period, this is for you. I'm not sure what this has to offer the casual fan, unless you really wanted that Kiss movie in your collection. For what it is, which seems to be an emptying of the vaults of sorts, this is a solid collection. It just lacks some of the later material (music videos, band interviews from the late '80s, etc.) to make it perfect.

Various Artists -- 'Resident Evil: Extinction' soundtrack [review]

Resident Evil: Extinction Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Lakeshore Records (9/18/07)

Metal/Electronic


After two soundtracks under the Roadrunner umbrella, the Resident Evil franchise releases its third offering on Lakeshore Records. Lakeshore handled the two Underworld soundtracks, and anyone familiar with those releases has a pretty good idea of what to expect here.

Gone are the big-name artists Roadrunner was springing for (Fear Factory, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, and on and on), but even without the name value, Extinction presents a cutting, little raw collection of music. It's not all unknowns -- Poison the Well offers up a steamroller of a track, "Wrecking Itself Taking You With Me", while It Dies Today tears it up with "Sixth of June", which sees the band abandon the screaming vocals of its earlier material. And perhaps the soundtrack's best song, Shadows Fall's "Stupid Crazy", further shows why the group is at metal's forefront these days with its chunky rhythm and blistering solos.

There's a pair of remixes from up-and-comers Flyleaf ("I'm So Sick") and Aiden ("One Love"), both by The Legion of Doom. The Flyleaf track is a little too electronic, sounding waterlogged at times, but the Aiden song receives a nice edge. Chimaira continues its slide into death metal with "Paralyzed", which is by far the heaviest track on the album. And Collide offer up a remake of "White Rabbit", a melancholic electronic number that showcases the flipside of what Extinction has to offer.

The rest is a hodgepodge of bands -- Throwdown, The Bled, Emanuel, Searchlight and City Sleeps. There's a handful of instrumentals from Charlie Clouser, which is most probably mood music from the upcoming movie, but far too short to do anything but add atmosphere to the album. It's nice, but sound clips from the movie would almost do the job better (see the past two releases from Rob Zombie's movies).

Overall, this is a good collection of music in the vein of the movie, but it lacks that must-have feel. With no huge "gets" on the album, it's hard to completely recommend this release. But if you're a fan of any of the bands on here, you might find a couple more you'd never heard of before to add to your library.

Drowning Pool -- 'Full Circle' [review]

Drowning Pool - Full Circle

Eleven Seven Music (8/7/07)

Hard rock / Metal



Three albums with three front men—it would seem like an uphill battle for any band to gain a foothold and start to grow into a more cohesive unit. That certainly was the problem with Drowning Pool's last effort, Desensitized. Former lead singer Jason Jones had a great stage presence and a nice mixture of original lead singer Dave Williams' tenacity and urgency with a subtle amount of soul, but ultimately, the album seemed rushed and somewhat off-target (especially with the marketing).


On Full Circle, Drowning Pool brought in a seasoned pro in Ryan McCombs, formerly of Soil. McCombs' distinct, captivating voice melds well with the Drowning Pool sound. And for a band with an established fanbase, it didn't hurt to bring in someone with a recognizable commodity.

Constant touring prior to any studio recording seems to have paid off for the band. Full Circle presents a tight, cohesive wall of sound, which is fairly important for a band essentially re-debuting for a third time. The album opens promisingly enough with the hard-hitting title track. Mike Luce has never sounded as ferocious as the final moments of the song, and bassist Stevie Benton seems particularly inspired.

C.J. Pierce's classic Drowning Pool riff rears its head on "Enemy", one of the album's stronger tracks, and the driving guitar continues through songs like "Shame" and "Duet". Lyrically, the band has never come across better than on "Reborn", with great allusion to the band and McCombs' pasts (comments about a halo -- Soil's first break; tear away -- a Drowning Pool song; redefine -- McCombs' last album with Soil), but some great acoustic guitar and drum work, too.

And the band, and particularly McCombs, is practically channeling Alice in Chains on "Upside Down", which almost sounds like it has the late Layne Staley on guest vocals -- and that's a good thing (the Alice in Chains comparisons litter the latter half of the album).

But for all the promise, there are more than a few shallow moments. "Love" seems like a throwaway track with little to make it notable, and covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" has BAD IDEA written all over it. The group tries to catch the lightning of "Bodies" with the sing-a-long anthem "Soldiers", but it just seems to miss the mark. The message (supporting the troops) is admirable, but for some reason you want to chant along to "let the bodies hit the floor" as opposed to "(whoop, yeah) this is for the soldiers."

Then there's the Nikki Sixx penned "Reason I'm Alive" which couldn't sound more out of place. The pseudo-ballad seems forced and hollow, which is especially troubling as the band can and does do melancholic tracks extremely well when it wants to—"37 Stitches" and "Paralyzed" channel that great feel of the Drowning Pool classic "Tear Away" (not to mention McCombs once again channeling Staley on the latter).

What Drowning Pool really needs to do is keep a line-up in place for more than one album, and lord knows it wants to. The untimely death of Williams could have been a death knell, but the band soldiered on. Jones and the rest of the group just never meshed. McCombs seems like a perfect fit. The good on Full Circle really is good, and songs like "37 Stitches" and "Reborn" are great. That's what makes the bad stuff stick out all the more. Drowning Pool can write good material, so it's apropos that two of the weaker links are from outside sources. With more touring the band will only get better. Having McCombs stick around will show whether the band can write a follow-up without new blood in the mix. As of now, Full Circle stands as an above-average debut from a band that needs no introduction.

Nodes of Ranvier -- 'Defined by Struggle' [review]

Nodes of Ranvier - Defined by Struggle

Victory Records (7/24/07)

Hardcore/Metal


Nodes of Ranvier's latest effort, Defined by Struggle, the band's first with Victory Records, offers a glimpse of a band with a split personality.

On the one side, you have a no-holds-barred battering ram of hardcore, exemplified on songs like "Valjean", the title-track, the album closer "Infidelity" and "Confront". On the other, you've got a band that crafts these hard-hitting metal songs that twist melody and blistering riffs with blasting beats and urgent vocals (see, e.g., "Wrathbearer", "Endless Faith", "Purpose in Pain") on songs that sound more like Trivium than Remembering Never.

The band shines on "Sergeant Sorrow", where it seems to find the perfect mix of its two sides. The growls are deep and intense, which only heightens the breaks of harmony. And the interplay throughout the instrumental "Nagheenanajar" is inspired. In fact, it's a song like this which proves the band's downfall -- it's so unique and creative, it only exemplifies those other (few) moments where the band seems to slide into a comfort zone and fall back on more cliched approaches to song construction (the repetitive chugging bass and typical hardcore guitar riffing, for one).

But what could appear cliche is also comfortable, and it's the comfortable nature of Defined by Struggle that will turn on fans of the genre. Then, the subtle things, like the little guitar nuances on "Confront", the crumbling breakdown in "Wrathbearer", the machine-gun drumming in "Archegos" and the great melodic chorus on "Sergeant Sorrow", which will keep fans interested.

Nodes of Ranvier isn't doing anything new, but it's doing it extremely well. This isn't one of the best albums of the year, but it is one of the strongest. Each track is an in-your-face assault of metal and hardcore bliss. The band isn't breaking any new ground, but it's managing to be extremely deliberate with its music. Sometimes you don't want surprise, you want simple yet new. While pretenders fall to the wayside, Nodes of Ranvier keep delivering the goods.

The Warriors -- 'Genuine Sense of Outrage' [review]

The Warriors - Genuine Sense of Outrage
Victory Records (8/7/07)
Hardcore


For any fans of the genre, The Warriors are offering up pure hardcore bliss. Genuine Sense of Outrage is stripped of the metal influence or death-metal-esque vocals littering today's so-called "hardcore" landscape. Think Hatebreed circa 1997 (Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire) or Remembering Never (Women and Children Die First). In fact, the only slim deviations from the typical hardcore sound comes in moments on "The Stone Grinds" with the slight melodic surges in guitar or the pseudo-rap on "Mankind Screams" and "Life Grows Cold". Everything else is blatant and in-your-face hardcore.

This is a turgid album, as the band does a hell of a job packing as much sick hardcore into each song as possible (13 tracks clocking in at just over half an hour). The infectious title track, with the mosh-pit breakdown chant of "this is a genuine sense of outrage" joins the breakneck drumming on "New Sun Rising", the out-of-leftfield mellower moments on "Silence is Bliss" and crisp, angry vocals that at times seem to channel Billy Graziadei of Biohazard. And unlike some other bands, The Warriors do a great job at varying up the songs and vocals enough to keep the tracks from blending together. Tracks like "Nothing Lasts" or "Odium Vice" are just as strong as opener "The Ruthless Sweep". To be honest, the first listen of this disc was done without a play list, and I assumed the band was getting ready to wrap up around "New Sun Rising" (the seventh track). Instead, it was only half done.

Everything has a sense of urgency; this album seems to have come out of nowhere and impresses completely. It'll be hard to ignore come year-end lists. But forget album-of-the-year shortlists. Songs like "Destroying Cenodoxus", "Nothing Lasts" and "Your Time Is Near" could easily fit on any best-of hardcore collection.

Genuine Sense of Outrage is The Warriors third album (though its first under the Victory label). The group's sound should appeal to a wide range of music fans -- there's just enough punk and metal influence in there, mixed with just the right amount of groove. And keep an ear open for a special vocal appearance from none other than Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister (a great performance, too).

In a year already full of notable metal releases, The Warriors shock us all and put out one of the strongest, most powerful hardcore album of the decade. Fans of the genre, or metal in general, will love this album. Everyone else could learn a thing or two...

Darkest Hour -- 'Deliver Us' [review]

Darkest Hour - Deliver Us
Victory Records (7/10/07)
hardcore / metal


Darkest Hour is the perfect example of a band that has grown content with its place in the industry. With so many successful albums under its belt, there's no way that at least a few major labels haven't come calling yet, but the band seems content to stay on Victory.

Now, while there's nothing wrong with that attitude when it comes to a home for your music (as listeners, what do we care what label a band releases on?), it becomes a hindrance when you take the same attitude with your music, which is what Darkest Hour has done.

Growing leaps and bounds since 2001's So Sedated, So Secure, which was a landmark album for the band as it worked to incorporate as many extreme elements of metal to craft its sound, the group pushed the envelope ever so slightly with the next couple of albums. But, with Deliver Us, Darkest Hour seems happy just rehashing the blend of metal and hardcore to an honorable, albeit tired, result.

The album opens promisingly enough with "Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)", featuring an acoustic intro and some inspired melodies (the hook in the chorus is a great surprise, too). The album is full of these surprises: the "clean" vocal refrain in "Sanctuary", John Henry's delicate balance of extreme and clean vocals on "Demon(s)", the haunting instrumental "The Light at the Edge of the World", the desperate melody on "A Paradox With Flies" and the killer guitar work on "Tunguska". In fact, the impressive "Tunguska" is exactly what Darkest Hour needs more of on the album.

The flip side is tracks like "Full Imperial Collapse", "Stand and Receive Your Judgement", "Fire in the Skies" and album closer "Deliver Us" -- all songs that follow the tired and true Darkest Hour template.

As a long-time fan of the band, you'd like to see some chances taken here and there—some lengthier, meatier songs (like the aforementioned "Tunguska"), perhaps more experimenting with the melodies, even more of the instrumental work. Instead, the band falls back to the comfort of short, blast-beat hardcore whenever it starts to shift from the norm.

Darkest Hour is one of those bands that should be at the forefront of the metal scene, if not for lack of effort (and hopefully not attention). They continuously release solid outings that one would expect, which, while not a bad thing, could ultimately prove the band's undoing if fans become too complacent with the sound or effort. Or, even worse, when change becomes inevitable, the changes needed are too drastic to be made.

Velvet Revolver -- 'Libertad' [review]

Velvet Revolver - Libertad
RCA (7/03/07)
Hard rock


With all the excitement and wonder surrounding the band in 2004, it was hard for Velvet Revolver to not make an impact with Contraband. With all the hype of the project, and the expectations brought to the table, thanks to the players involved, and their affiliation with their previous bands, it was hard for Velvet Revolver not to be met with adulation. And given that the band pretty much forced the effort with most of the material in place before vocalist Scott Weiland entered the mix, it was still a hell of a debut.

After all the touring in support of Contraband and the "growing as a band," one could only imagine the home run that was in store for the sophomore effort.

Instead, what we have with Libertad is a mish-mash collection of tracks, some that hit the mark, some that offer an interesting spin on what one would assume Velvet Revolver is capable of, and a couple more that are forgettable.

Given each member's past, it's clear the band should be able to craft a hook-filled rock song. Just look at the lead-off single "She Builds Quick Machines", and the even catchier "Get Out the Door". They're subtle, but really strong rock tunes around which a band could build an album.

Mix those with the more serious fare -- the Beatles-esque "Can't Get It Out of My Head", the ballad "The Last Fight" and the closer "Gravedancer" (which may have some of the best lyrics of entire the album) -- and you have a strong foundation.

It's the songs like "Just Sixteen" (with some fantastic guitar solos) and "Spay" that are the real meat and potatoes of this album. Each song careens along with some pure rock fury, and they're the only two tracks that really seem to slink along the border of a band being almost out-of-control. That's what this band needs to be doing, not generic safe rock numbers.

Instead, the listener is left with a "trim the fat" mantra running through their head, thanks to the utterly forgettable, repetitive nature of songs like "Let it Roll" and "She Mine", and it doesn't help matters any that these two open the album.

If you were to place blame, point straight to producer Brendan O'Brien, as the band seems stripped of any urgency throughout almost the entire album (there are only slight glimmers here and there). Why is Slash not front and center, tearing it up on every song? Dave Kushner is a great guitarist, but he should really be taking a back seat here instead of sharing the spotlight at all times. Why isn't Duff doing any notable vocals besides the backing harmonies? Why isn't the band devolving at any point into blues-soaked, sleazy metal (which they are more than capable of doing)? Why is the bass so nondescript? Who picked the play list? There were at least five better ways to have sequenced this album.

Josh Abraham knew what he was doing with Contraband, and while it came off as a solid debut with little focal point, at least it had the feel of an intense album; Libertad feels like a collection of songs that didn't fit on any other albums. Velvet Revolver deserves better, especially when the bright spots shine so brightly.

So, in the end, we're left with a solid 3/4ths of an album with notable and noticeable problems. The better songs show fantastic growth beyond Contraband, so this is far from a disaster, but it smacks of below-expectations. It'll be interesting to see what the next move for Velvet Revolver will be.

Nightrage -- 'A New Disease is Born' [review]

Nightrage
A New Disease is Born
(Lifeforce Records)

Nightrage seems to have made the transition from supergroup to "just a group" as smoothly as possible. While replacing a vocalist is never an easy task, replacing someone as renowned and respected as Tomas Lindberg could have been a deathknell. Instead, bassist Henric Carlsson recruited Jimmie Strimell for vocal duties and then built an entire new unit around the two (Marios Iliopouos on guitar and Alex Svenningson behind the drums).

So never was an album title more apropos: A New Disease is Born explodes out of the gate with the hammering "Spiral," and the new sound is immediately clear. The growls are less gutteral, the harmonies more melodic, the riffs less explosive. But the overall package is just as potent.

While similarities could be found, Strimell does anything but attempt to channel Lindberg. His dual vocal styles offer a great juxtaposition for the band's songs. He can tear up the mike on tracks like "Encircle" and "Death-Like Silence," but just as easily (actually) sing with the best of 'em on tracks like "Spiral" or "Reconcile."

The best part of Nightrage's sound is the driving melodies. There's subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) guitar riffs on a majority of the songs ("Scathing" and "A Condemned Club" especially) that come in unexpectedly to add that extra element to turn straight forward metal into sometime more ...

Rightly so, Nightrage was once at the forefront of the new European metal movement. But this is not the Nightrage of old. The fundamental sound of Nightrage (the soul, if you will) is alive and well in this new beast. While another album or two may be needed to see if this new incarnation of the band has staying power, A New Disease is Born is one hell of a re-debut. Any fan of the thrash/power/death metal blend European bands are perfect at crafting should pick up this album that will end up flying under the radar of most.

Machine Head -- 'The Blackening' [review]

Machine Head
The Blackening
(Roadrunner Records)


Front man Robert Flynn has been pretty vocal about his band's new effort being its "Master of Puppets, an allusion to what some consider Metallica's finest moment.

I'm not sure that's the best way to describe Machine Head's latest album, The Blackening. If 2004's Through the Ashes of Empires was a return-to-form, of sorts, for the band, then The Blackening is a realization of potential.

The one-two punch of the band's debut Burn My Eyes and follow-up The More Things Change all but cemented them as metal legends, but they were written off after a series of what many fans and metal journalists deemed musical mis-steps. Flynn and the boys were back on track with the Through the Ashes... album, and now they've crafted what will probably become one of the best releases of the decade when all is said and done.

Machine Head has finally reached a point in its career where it's ready to take chances and push the boundaries of its sound. Take the opener "Clenching the Fists of Dessent." The 10-minute plus epic veers through tempo-shifts and moods, from an unexpected acoustic opening to an assault of riffs that twist and spin, creating a layer of sound and moods that pull the listener through a meat grinder of emotion. Flynn and Phil Demmel (on lead guitar) are as tight as ever, trading solos and pushing each other's performance in something akin to a brotherly game of one-upmanship that keeps things from ever becoming boring. Adam Duce's bass work seethes with aggression on tracks like "Beautiful Mourning" and "Now I Lay Thee Down," while Dave McClain never misses a blast beat.

As a unit, Machine Head hasn't sounded this tight in a decade. The harmonies (from Flynn and Duce) have never soared so high; while the band maneuvers through a mine field of musical directions, mapping out a metallic journey that's hard to ignore.

Of particular note are the blistering "Aesthetics of Hate" (inspired by the murder of Dimebag Darrell) and album closer "A Farewell to Arms," a 10-minute cornucopia of style that seems to draw inspiration from every corner of metal.

When all is said and done, Machine Head's The Blackening will stand as a touchstone in the band's career. In this new, young millennium, the album is justification for Machine Head to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Mastodon, Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage and consider itself one of the best metal has to offer. And what other metal band which debuted in the mid-'90s can do the same?

Linkin Park -- 'Minutes to Midnight' [review]

Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
Warner Brothers (5/15/07)
Rock / Alternative


Minutes to Midnight is touted as the album that showcases Linkin Park's growth. Instead, it's an album which sees the band pushing the extremes of its sound further in each direction. Gone, for the most part, are the dueling vocals from Mike Shinoda (the rapping) and Chester Bennington (the singing), which used to anchor a majority of the band's sound in each song. It pops up once or twice, but is more the exception than the rule here. The music is tighter than ever and the band seems to continually meld together, which is something to be said for a six-piece.

"Given Up", the first song on the album (following a brief instrumental opener), is a nice page out of the screaming, hard-rocking Linkin Park playbook, while the melancholic "Leave Out All the Rest", is a complete 180 and it's here that the juxtaposition of the extremes becomes apparent.

The best part of Minutes to Midnight, though, is that the band is comfortable enough to not have to rely on its old standards. Sure, there are songs like "Given Up" and "No More Sorrow", which are chock-full of angst and intensity, but the greatest moments of the album are the slower tracks like "Shadow of the Day" (probably one of the best songs the band has ever recorded) and the politically charged "Hands Held High" (with some of the best lyrics the band has ever written). Then there's a song like "Valentine's Day" that does its best to merge the two ends of the spectrum.

The separating of the dual vocals has worked wonders for the band, as they've crafted a full, interesting album with plenty to prevent boredom. Even a track like "In Between" has enough melody in the background to keep it from being completely bland. Of course, there's also the up-tempo "Bleed It Out", which seems a little too forced and probably could have been cut in favor of something a little more fleshed out (the band does point out that this song was included for the "fun factor" it offers).

(As an aside, the accompanying booklet features brief explanations on the development of the album and each track, an excellent insight into the band for fans or the casual listener.)

Linkin Park's debut was a breath of fresh air back in 2000, and the band is only getting better with age and experience. It's clear the band took its time with this release, and it really shows with all the little nuances scattered throughout the album. Even if you were able to ignore all the hype and strip the Linkin Park name from this album, it would still be a contender for year-end best-of lists.